So I went to Charleston to work for a while.  It was intense.  I worked construction with Otis.  I was painting a house with the likes of Nick Thompson, Ty brown, Jack R. cox, Mark Frady, Jeff Stiers, and my personal favorite-Dusty Yauilla.  All of the previously mentioned are the most hardcore skate rats in Chucktown right now.  I went skating with them a couple of times but spent most of my time cruising downtown with the legend, Jersey Mike.  Jersey pushes faster than a squirrel trying to reach a nut.  He kept challenging me to a push war at the VC.  I must say that the skate scene in Charleston is getting good again.  Really Good.

The rain delayed go skateboarding day for Charleston is this Saturday and it should be a good one.  If you can, come check it out.  I will be announcing on the mic, so be ready for the hammers to drop.  

I learned something in church the other day.  I learned that I will never be able to push forward in life if I don't forgive the people in my life that have hurt me or my friends.  So here it is.  I want to publicly state that forgiveness is in my heart for Cheyne J. Dowds.  He may never read this, and I may never speak to him, but nevertheless, I forgive him for his wrongs.  And I apologize for bad mouthing him in retaliation.  I am not saying you should follow me, but it has made a difference.  

I don't know if that means I am supposed to forgive companies that sell chinese wood or not, so for the time being, they still suck.  If your board says P.R.C on the top when you purchase it, you are guilty of killing America.  Stop the killing of America, and buy American wood.

God Bless you all

and

Chip it up

TK

Go Skateboarding Day

So, yesterday was national Go skateboarding day, and I went. Yes that's right, for the first time in almost 3 months I went skating. I was asked by Dave at Bluetile Skateboards to M.C. the event that He, Larry from Flatbottom Skateboards, and Ryan from Pouritnow.com had organized in Columbia. I couldn't resist a chance to get on the microphone so I went. It was great.

Product was donated by Red Bull Energy Drink, DC Shoes, Zero Skateboards, Mystery Skateboards and Flatbottom Skateboards. 5th Avenue Deli was kind enough to give us their parking lot for the majority of the day, so big props to them because I know the skate rats in Columbia can frighten people sometimes.

The course was small but controlled and had a great response from the kids. There was an extremely "lifty, Evel Knievel" style launch ramp, and the Bluetile Blocks O' Death. Basically 4 angled boxes that could be moved into varying positions to make different obstacles. I know it doesn't sound like much, but over a hundred kids skated these blocks for 6 hours straight. That definately Chips. Well, I say a hundred kids, but I have to mention that some of the kids sat in the shade, or on the curb. These kids were named the Curb Flowers and the Curb Puppies respectively. I mean, c'mon, if you have your board and a spot, don't sit and watch. Get up and skate. Because that is the beauty of skating. As long as you are respectful of the other skaters at a spot, we can all skate together and everyone will pump each other up. Now that doesn't mean that you parents out there can bring your little Grom out to a park with a Razor and let him sit on the pyramid with it. That it is far from respectful. But as long as you are trying to get better you have the respect of the hardcore. Provided you do not waste their time by asking annoying questions like "are you sponsored?" Skate for yourself, not for the opportunity to get picked up by a company that sells a product that even their riders don't skate. You know, the card carrying communist companies selling Chinese toothpicks. If you skate long enough and put your whole self into it, maybe one day you will get noticed the right way by a true American company that sells a board shaped by a real american.

On an interesting side-note, there was a really good Dub band that played later in the day called Dub-Island. These three guys throw it down, and even if that isn't my type of music, they still get my props.

The big news is the generous donation that the city of Columbia is going to give skatepark. Mrs. Sinclaire from the city council announced that the city is going to donate $500,000 dollars to building the new city skatepark. How's that for prayer's being answered. It pays to be diligient. Which should be a lesson for all of those haters out there that thought that Pouritnow was not getting it done. Pouritnow.com gets my props all day long. Congrats Columbia.

As for me and my skateboard. I learned something about myself on Saturday. I learned that even though there is a lot of crap going on in the skateboarding industry, that is no reason to let anything come between me and my first love. There is no reason to let what a few communist, Chinese wood-cutters in California do the products on the wall, come between you and skating. Because there will always be companies that believe in their roots, and will provide a product worth riding. And even though those companies might not have riders hanging out with Paris, or might not have a house on Cribs, they get my respect. Because I can honestly say that I have slept on the same floors as their riders. I have drank from the same cheap pitchers of beer as their riders and I have remained an american like their riders.

God Bless American wood and God Bless You,

TK

Women and Skateboarding

Women

Here is a little known fact about skateboarding and women.

They don't mix.

If you have a woman, girl or significant other, then you will slowly start to realize that women do not think like men do. In fact, sometimes I do not think that they think at all. I mean sure, you might have met her because you skate and she thought that you were a cute little "skater boy." But do not worry, sooner or later she will try to stop you from skating in order to do the things that she wants you do. Why? Because girls do not look at you for what you do. They look at you as an accessory to how they look. Girls want a guy that all of their girlfriends will say, "OMG, he is so cute, and his shoes are adorable." And because of this, you will become nothing but window dressing for the show that she wants to put on. I am not saying this to make you want to stop dating girls. Not at all. I am saying this because I want you to learn to be more selective about the girls you choose to see long term.

If you are one of those guys out there that falls in love with the first girl that will let you see her naked, you will have a long miserable life. That's right, a LOOOOONNNNNGGGG, miserable life. You need to realize that men spend their lives learning how to do something, and do it better than anyone because we want the respect of our contemporaries. Women on the other hand, do things to get men. And do not think that all that hoopla, schmoopla about loving you forever is legitimate. On the contrary. As soon as you go through some hard time, or they get into a position of power over you, they will turn on you. Faster than you can say Chip's Ahoy.

Women have a built in flaw that makes them vulnerable to stupidity. It is called thinking emotionally. Not thinking rationally, which is what men do. Men think about living life and surviving through. Women think about "how they feeeeeeeel about life." And just for the record, Dr. Phil is Oprah's punk. Any woman that you meet that even mentions his name in a positive light, you had better run like Forrest, because she will cause you a great deal of mind numbing pain.

I can not tell you how many people have fallen to the charms of a woman, only to find themselves feeling empty later. Yours truly included. and don't think for a second that I am bitter, no my friend, if anything I am more alive than ever because all I want to do right now is no-comply the biggest curb I can find and yell FREEDOM!!!

The moral of this lesson is, be cool, and don't drool over women. Ride your board and then spend some time educating yourself for the future. Because the world is changing before our eyes and if we don't wake up to the madness of our excessive society, we won't even be able to ride those crappy-ass Chinese toothpicks that those sell-out companies are trying to sell us.

Viva la American Wood.

TK

DTELOC reigns supreme!

So I haven't been skating in the last two or so months, but since I have been gone, I have noticed that the brotherhood has been blowing up exponentially. J-Brock has a new vid up on Dlxsf.com, more ads than a California agency and an interview in the big T-world of skateboarding. David has the sickest Nike ad to date and an either/or in Skateboarder mag. And while Dan Plunkett has had a photo in a mag for the past 7 months, he still remains the most underated skater out there. What the &%$#!!! Are his sponsors even paying attention to the hammers that he has been building his career with? Have they not seen the mini ramp vid on Atlantahatesus.com? http://youtube.com/watch?v=blNwYpX94JA

Are Plunkett's sponsors blowing it? You're Damn right they are!!

This kid is not only the baddest little ripper out there, he is also one of the coolest guys to rip with. He doesn't put up with the BS in skating, and he is down fo' whateva!! So here is a call out to the sponsors of Buffalo Dan. Start investing into the guy that has invested his loyalty into you. If you need footy, fotos of a fantastic friend, call him up to go rip. Because he will produce for you.

And while you are in the ATL, take a look at Pat McLain, Kevin Radley, Cole Frazier, Chris Burns and my favorite, SANTI. If you don't know who I'm talking about, you are in the dark and you will never see the light because obviously you are living in a cave

My girlfriend told me one time that there are two kinds of people in the world. People that get it and people that don't. These guys get it. In fact, women throw it at them all the time because of it. Stop looking at plastic wonderland out in Cali, and start looking at the dirty south for the future. Stop looking at "urban," and start paying attention to the rippers that are setting the new standard for skating. The filmers in Atlanta skate faster than most of your pros.

And stop buying Chinese wood. Boycott the "Sweets," the "Lady's," and the "Dwindling Planet" companies that are taking food out of American shaper's mouths. Because, if they aren't going to ride their own products, why should you. Stop giving these circus clowns more money to hang out in Hollywood. Support the companies that were built by skate rats like you and me. Support the guys that sleep on the floors of bros like you and me.

And pay attention to Cardiel. The one true inspiration in an industry going under.

If we don't stand up to these companies, we will all be skating communist toothpicks before the end of the decade. Skaters with Bling-Bling can eat a fat Ding-a-ling. You got me?

God Bless America, and God Bless American Wood!!!!!!!!

TK

God, Skateboarding and the Government

Chip it up,

This is the first attempt that I have ever taken at a blog.  It may prove useful, and it may not.  Does anybody really care.  If you do not know me, this is TK and I host a teamkevin.podomatic.com on podomatic.com.  We talk about God and how important he is to the grand scheme of things.  We also talk about skateboarding and how I am boycotting it right now, because of the crap that is going on it right now.  Things like outsourcing to China, and the Bro-me system of running the industry into the ground.  And we also talk about the government.  All of the conspiracy theories as well as the truth that the media decides to keep from us.  If you think you know the truth, you are probably more in the dark than you think.  I hope to be adding more info for your perusing in the near future, but first, let me clear my throat.

I have been going through some deep soul searching the past few months, and I have realized that I need to kill my ego.  If you are not familiar with this concept, google ego, because I am not going to spoon feed you the answers you may need.  But I will tell you why and how I am doing this.  I have come to realize about myself that I am an arrogant, self-righteous prick.  I have allowed myself to hate on everything that either myself or my immediate friends did not accomplish.  That means music, videos and anything in between or beyond.  It was my close friend Dan Plunkett that pointed out my negativity one day while I was sitting in Atlanta watching some independent shop video.  I made a comment about how I liked the "Dolphin's" part and he said, "that is the first positive thing you have said about any video in the past few weeks."  It stuck with me, because I realized that he was right and I went on a mission to discover what was causing me to behave this way.  

For years now, I have been blaming everyone else for the problems in my life.  Things like my stepfather and his constant berating of my life's decisions.  Things like my past career as a wine salesman and the companies that did not take care of me when the industry went bad.  People like Cheyne, and the crap that he put me and others through when we worked for Fairmont.  These are all things that I have been blaming when the truth of the matter is, it is my fault for putting myself in these positions.  It was my ego that put up these blaming defense mechanisms and allowed me to create one big snowball of misery for myself.   And for that, I apologize to all that I have criticized, hated on or been a dick to for the past 6 or more years.  

Why am I blogging this?  Who cares, right?  I care.  I want all of the people that have known me in my life to realize that we can change.  We can turn our lives around for the betterment of ourselves, as well as our friends and family.  Think about the positive difference that we can have on the world if we are kind to each other and do not negatively criticize each other.  

It is time we kill the cliques, and destroy our personal egos, in order to push ourselves to the next level.  

Who out there is with me?  Let me hear a shout.

I couldn't hear anything, you have to shout louder.

Now go out and make friends.  Apologize to those that you have wronged.  Skate with someone that you normally don't.  Buy a geek a drink.  Go to Church and read the bible for yourself.  Just do something that is positive for someone else and the joy will come back on you tenfold.  

I love all of you and may God Bless You all.

TK