Pierce Hawthorne

When I said it was time to put my nose to the grindstone. I meant it.

At the moment I’m regularly working seven hour shifts, five days a week. I’m making a bunch of money, but that’s not everything in this world. I’m tired of talking about my work or anything like that, seeing as I’m headed there in just under 2 hours. So let’s talk about longboarding, because you can never blog too much about longboarding.

A 3 day crisis has come and gone. I have finally ordered the Ripple Ridge. The main problem was the Comet Noah Sakamoto guest model deck, which seemed like an equally good purchase. I started having second thoughts, found reasons to not like the Ridge, debunked them, and eventually tried to order the board. If you’re wondering why I would almost change my mind after months of planning, watch the promo video for the Noah Sakamoto.

Nevertheless, I eventually decided on the Ripple Ridge by flipping tails three times in a row (3 times!). Then I go to the Landyachtz website, and spend like two hours trying to get the payment system working. I eventually gave up last night and went to bed. I’ve always been a little miffed when payment systems fail, like the debit machine breaks at a restaurant, or the cashier can’t give change. I mean, I’m trying to give them money, and they’re unable to accept it. I had bleach rash on my hands last night and I used the money from washing dishes to buy a skateboard. I’m trying to give them MY money. It just seems weird that they designed a system that makes it difficult to pay.

I (we) got it working eventually, but fuck man. That was a pain.

I still want the Noah Sakamoto, maybe if I have some cash lying around after I get back from California I’ll buy it too.

I’m looking forward to having the Ridge done and assembled. There’s something really visceral about longboarding. You’re carving back and forth across the street, and you can feel this pavement beneath you, and it’s a really interesting way to experience the ground. You have to watch out for the bumps and cracks, the obstacles and cars. When people say that skateboarding is an interaction with the urban environment  they don’t mean just getting around. You feel this kind of flow when you’re having a good ride. It’s a kind of connection. You’re in-tune with the world.

That’s what got me hooked and I think it’s what has hooked a lot of other people.

It will (probably) get here on Sunday. So, obviously, expect a post.

-A

 

Soy Milk Seagull

The past week has been crazy.

I’m not saying that because I’m trying to find an excuse for not posting, it was actually crazy. I’m just stating.

I started work, (sort of) moved into my new apartment, and (partially) fixed a toilet. It was the kind of week that you don’t use definite articles to describe (kind of). It was the kind of week that had those sneaky bracket-ed factors of uncertainty that could trip you up at any step (almost). I shouldn’t even speak in the past tense, it’s (kinda sorta) not over yet.

Nevertheless, I’m really digging living in Victoria again. I love this city, and I’m doing my best to appreciate it this time around.

I remember saying that I wouldn’t post about what made my time in central america so great. But I think this would be permissible. Over the month, my dad and I met some really amazing people. People who travel, as a general rule, are pretty interesting. People who decide to move to another country are, as a general rule, even more interesting. 

I was going to list off a bunch of the people who we met in Guatemala, but there is a seagull attacking an abandoned carton of soy milk on the sidewalk outside this coffee shop and it is one of the most entertaining things I have ever seen. Somebody left the soy milk on the garbage can for a few minutes while unloading their truck, and this bird knocked it off, punctured the carton, and started drinking the fluid in about thirty seconds. The seagulls in this town are as opportunistic as crows, but bigger, with more personality and less caution.

Anyways. There were a lot of people on our trip who were super interesting. I can’t remember all of their names, so I’m just going to say what made them interesting.

There was the Turkish guy who smoked like a chimney and drank way too much Cerveza.
The Englishman who ran a hostel and cooked really good pizza.
The two guys from Denver and Ontario, respectively, who played music beautifully together.
The Irish guy who ran a restaurant called The Clover, who was a stage tech in his Irish life.
The drunk jerk who kept asking one of the boat captains if he was going to the town they were currently in.
The endless Australians on vacation. Seriously, do they never go home?

That’s all I can think of off the top of my head. Believe me, there were many, many more.

Anyways. Work. I have to go there soon. Last night I worked an 8 hour shift, 5 or 6 of which were spent in the dish pit. I just want to go back to making croissants. There is one upside though.

-A

Back In The Land Of Bacon And Bears

I have a headache.

I’m wearing the gorilla slippers.

Let’s blog.

The funny thing about having a long day of travel, is that the time between waking up in the morning in one country and falling asleep in another feels like a month. It felt like that on Thursday when my Dad and I flew home from Guatemala. Our itinerary was exactly the same as our trip there. Guatemala City – Houston – Vancouver. The only difference was that we didn’t have to stay for 7 hours in Texas. Thank god. The accents were starting to jackhammer their way into my subconscious. By that, I mean I would start dreaming in a Texan accent or something, my psyche is generally good at doing stupid things like that.

I was happy to be home, in a weird sort of way. The grey skies and overcast weather can get old pretty fast, as can the chilly temperatures, but this is where I’m from. It’s my home climate. Central America treated me well, but it’s time to get my life rolling again.

I guess I’m obliged to do some sort of reflection. Some conclusion that “Guatemala is a nice country, with some rough spots”. One would imagine that it’s the least I can do, seeing as I allegedly had such a fantastic time there.

I did have a great time there, but I’m not going to write this entire post about it. I think there’s some value in giving an incomplete picture of a place. Knowing a lot about somewhere can make it seem less interesting in your head, you don’t really think of it as an adventure if somebody else, especially someone you know, has already been there. Guatemala was one of the few countries I didn’t know a lot about. That was one of the reasons I was more receptive to the idea of going.

I know it sounds like a bad excuse, but the mystery of going somewhere is sometimes what drives the going. Also, I’m lazy and tired and jet lagged. To make things up to you, I’ve uploaded all of the photos I took into an Imgur album which can be viewed here.

Anyways. It’s the 1st of a new month. Which basically means it’s time to put my nose to the grindstone. I’ve been setting my self up mentally for this month to be my make-as-much-money-as-you-can month. And spending time with family. I have to do that as well. But yes, money. For various reasons, including the fact that I need to pay for a lot of my trip to Turkey, and that I need to pay for the laptop with which I am currently writing this post.

RambleRambleRamble I’m going to go have a post-dinner snack.

-A(ppetite)