Dropping in!

Got it on an easy ramp today. Yay! Also had a pretty good slam but with all the paddings, didn't hurt much.
Notes to self, homework:
- frontside, surfing;
- drop in, speed, come back;
- manual, stop;
- reverse drop-in;
- bowl!

Got two more stickers today :)

Edmonton: sold

The blue painting in my header above has just been sold... was exposed at the Art4Health thingie at Cal State Fullerton. Will still be hanging there for a whole year before the buyer takes it home.

That's the first time ever that I try and sell an artwork. I have mixed feelings... I liked that painting, and I don't even know who bought it.

The secret of pumping was revealed unto me.

Yesterday I earned two sticker badges on my skateboard: I figured out the pumping thing and learned the basics of kickturning on a transition. I had a lesson with Mandy Esch and she's just awesome... I was stoked the whole day and can't wait to go back to skating today.

On Sunday we had the etnies Girls Get on Board event at Lake Forest. I wanted to learn to pump and Quynn showed me that I was extending and flexing at the wrong time. She also helped me with a wheel that wasn't turning well - it was rusty inside, so she showed me how to put some soap, turn it around to use the other side, and how to put it back without locking it.

After I knew where I was supposed to extend and when to flex, I just couldn't stay on the board. Quynn told me I was moving my head out of alignment, and that our heads are pretty heavy... Tell me about it, I wear a men's XL helmet that fits snuggly, and I can't hold the weight of my head in most yoga poses.

Anyway, later Mandy came over and asked, "is there anything I can help you with, are you looking at learning anything specific?" and I said "yes, but I don't think anyone can teach another person to skateboard, really, and you just got to figure it out by yourself..." Mandy said "oooh, I can teach you, believe me!" And she showed me some additional things when trying to pump - that my toes were way out of the board and that would make it more difficult (that was the thing that did the most impact, so much easier when I let my heels hang out instead) - also to go down like you want to break that board (I still can't do that, but I got the idea) - and to put my back feet further back, which is also what Quynn keeps repeating to me every time. Anyway, all of a sudden I was going up and down! And she said "you're doing it!" And I said "well, I think this is some kind of magic and after you're gone I won't be able to do it anymore!" lol - she said "I'll wait for a bit to see if you got it." Later by myself I didn't rock like when she was helping me, but still better than before.

Then next day (yesterday) I went to Vans. I had two hours to skate before a lesson with Mandy. I was trying to pump but couldn't build any speed... I stopped and thought about how a swing works. When you're on the top, you extend your legs (move your weight) BEFORE you start going down. A fraction of second before, as you're still floating. And I had been moving my weight (flexing) together with going down, not before.

So I was done with the theory and went to practice, to test the theory. It worked immediately and I was laughing out loud... awesome.

And the lesson with Mandy was just as awesome. I learned little things that were stopping me from kickturning, and I got more confident about it - I could finally do it!

Now I just have to combine the pumping and the kickturn (backside). That's my homework. And practicing frontside on flat.

Girls Night Out

(no estilo da Non)



- Vai sair com a A., é?
- É. Ela vai colocar a filhinha pra dormir e depois a gente sai.
- Hhhmm... Mas não vai sair toda gatona, heinh?



- Pode sentar, eu fico em pé, faço questão.
- Não, não... tá bom, obrigada.
- Mas... vocês são de onde? do Brasil? Hah! Sabiam que eu sou um Gracie? É, da família dos Gracie...
- E o Ryan morreu, né? Você tá sabendo, né?
- Ahn? ah, acidente de carro ou coisa assim.
- Não, morreu na prisão... é, prisão. Oras, mas se você é um Gracie, você sabe...

- Mais um drinque, mais um... o que vocês estão bebendo? Mais nada? Quem está dirigindo? vão tirar no cara-e-coroa?
- ...
- Psst... se alguém perguntar, estou saindo com vocês duas, falou?
- (em português) A., a gente fala em português mesmo, dá uma de mal-educada mesmo, oras!
- Vocês sabem que eu tenho uma doença? Se eu parar de beber, eu morro. É uma doença chamada A-L-C-O-O-L-I-S-M-O.
[única verdade proferida pela figura a noite inteira]

- Sabiam que eu sou um policial? Estou aqui vigiando. Estou de olho.
- (mais português)
- Bom, eu vou deixar vocês duas contarem todos os segredos que têm pra contar, então, e depois a gente se fala.


Pelo menos, algum simancol o Gracie-cop tinha...

Elefantes

Elefantes no resgate do ciclone de Bangladesh.
O uso dos elefantes me impressiona, porque logo que houve o tsunami na Ásia em dezembro de 2004, eu sonhei - vi a praia, o balneário, os hotéis, as pessoas se divertindo, havia alguma promiscuidade, não sei dizer, de repente algo muito errado, o céu em cima do mar, a iminência de algo, a necessidade de fugir, as pessoas perdidas umas das outras em aflição, uma locomotiva vindo do mar, gigante, poderosa, unstoppable, e depois os elefantes. Os elefantes riam, uma risada perversa, e tinham as cabeças e os dorsos fantasiados, franjas douradas acho, como elefantes de circo. E depois a escuridão, o silêncio, os escombros. A perda de pessoas queridas. Sonhei um dia depois de ocorrido, o tamanho da tragédia ainda não tinha sido absorvido aqui desse lado do mundo, ainda não tinha caído a ficha. Eu nem entendi o sonho até o dia seguinte, quando os noticiários começaram a dar mais destaque ao incidente e ao aftermath. Eu nem sabia que usavam elefantes para esse tipo de trabalho.

Workshop

Findi no workshop de pintura. Um modelo na sexta, dois no sábado. Pintar é ótimo, o que incomoda são uns e outr(a)s vizinh(a)s que teimam em achar que sabem com quem estão falando. Não entendem nada. Who cares. Mas conheci a Shirley, uma viúva muito docinha e excelente pintora, e a Holly, que veio do Canadá e tem medo de sair à noite na rua em Carlsbad (imagine, Carlsbad) e então os bêbados de plantão resolvem fazer um pega na rua dela e derrubam o poste justamente onde? Na janela da Holly.

Pintores. Os carinhas geralmente ficam na deles. Uma e outra feirante passa com aquele ar de quem já entendeu tudo... e não entendeu nada. Um saco, mais saco ainda quando acontece de eu dar meia colher de conversa.
Bom quando toca música clássica, a gente esquece que tem vizinho.

TITAN Online

Login, login, login... click, click, click...

Congratulations!
You have been admitted to California State University, Fullerton for Fall 2007. Please provide final transcripts and/or documents which were specified on your Admission Notification letter.

Finally! Yay!