this dude

went skating and did some secret stuff. then went here and this dude, brandon, did this.

thats right!

bummed

From Newsweek Dec. 19, 2008


Death Of A Cult Beverage
"Farewell to Sparks, the alcoholic energy drink that prompted 20-somethings to wonder, 'How drunk am I?'
Like many of you, I lost a lot in 2008. But this week, things got worse. On Thursday (right before the weekend!), I found out that I'd soon be losing a core member of my social group: the life of the party, the cheap date, the friend that was never more than a convenience store away. I'm serious: alcohol giant MillerCoors announced they'd be getting rid of their alcopop beverage Sparks. If you're over 30, this may mean nothing to you. But for cash-strapped 20-somethings around the country, this is another reason, besides the unemployment rate, we'll be staying home on weekends.

I suppose MillerCoors is doing the right thing. If you're an advocate of safety or against underage drinking, you may be wary of alcoholic drinks that are filled with caffeine whose manufacturers are often accused of marketing to high schoolers. I do confess that Sparks comes in a can that looks like it goes hand-in-foot with a skateboard, not to mention that its sinister mix of malt liquor, taurine, caffeine, guarana and ginseng—as healthy as all that sounds—apparently doesn't do a person's liver or heart rate any favors.

If you're not familiar with Sparks, you might think that mixing an energy beverage and malt liquor in one can is a little bit like buying premade s'mores or those jars that come with the peanut butter and jelly already swirled together. (And if you haven't thought of mixing caffeine and alcohol in the first place, then you really are over 30.) But Sparks has a taste all its own—more like frothy Tang than beer and Red Bull combined.


Its appeal? When I don't sleep well on Thursday, it helps me muster up the energy to celebrate on Friday night. When I want to head home from a birthday party at midnight, it reminds me that, not so long ago, I was in college. It's a completely legal and safe way (in moderation, of course) of enjoying a night out with too many friends and too many drinks without feeling woozy, belligerent or what can be only be referred to as "out of it."

It's a sign of the times that I didn't read about this disaster in the newspaper, I read about it on Facebook. On my roommate's page, a note from a former classmate included a link to the news with a mournful message: "You were the first person I thought of." Another friend sent me an instant message with the epitaph, "It's so sad, isn't it?" And a co-worker around my age got not one, but two e-mails from those preparing to grieve. Meanwhile, Gawker.com wrote, "First, they came for Zima, and we said nothing," before sharing the depressing news that Sparks, a "disgusting caffeinated malternative beverage," was 6 years old. Rest in Peace."

Even my Twitter feed was atwitter: one young blogger threatened to start hoarding this drink the way artists stashed soon-to-be-discontinued Polaroid film earlier this year or women stocked up on the Today Sponge contraceptive after it was deemed unsafe in the '90s. To be sure, this isn't the first time a beloved product has been taken off the market, just the first time that I happened to be the one in love. And it hurts.



I'm going to miss you Sparks. We've had some good times. I will pour a little out in your memory.

whoa

for reals?

i hate

the people i have to deal with at work. complete tools.

yeah

that's what's up!

light test

beware!

of these biker gangs infiltrating south florida.

thats right

handplant on a 3&1/2 ft. mini ramp. pretty epic.

new york

sweet boxers bro.

this guy

is so hyped on skating right now.

new

stuff

my 2 dads

damn

this rain is killing me.

mini-ramp sesh!

skated this mini-ramp with rob the other night. it's the most fun i've had skating in a long time.



rob did some blunts.



and front salads.



i didnt do much.

p.s. rob stepped in dog shit!

skating

i got to go skating with rob and brandon. they did some stuff.

rob with a frontside flip.


and tailslide or bluntslide transfer. not sure.


brandon with a tailslide or bluntslide transfer too.


i did some stuff here, but didnt take any pictures.

good job

so, i was sitting around watching tv, a lot of tv, and i started picking at my toenail out of boredom. next thing you know, i ripped the whole toenail off. i learned 2 things after this, 1, having no toenail really hurts, and 2, watching too much tv really is bad for you.

ouch

im done.

thats just great

went skating today with jason and brandon.
jason did this.



i did nothing.
and my camera decided it had had enough of me and stopped working. awesome.

who says

white people cant dance.

this guy

is back in town. watch out gangstas.

Polariods

i took these 2 polariods last weekend. first time skating in about 2 months. i didnt do anything.

this is lil mikey with an ollie.



this is mikey helping rob with a five-o.

this dude came along

he's pretty much the most awesome dude out. we've been hanging out a lot, so i haven't had much time to update here.

weekend

tried skating this weekend. it was too hot, then it rained. got a wallie though.



skated with this dude.




and this dude.

Vans-Protec Pool Party

went to california for the protec pool party. had to wake up early to catch my flight.



cab ride from the airport to the hotel. our cab driver liked cherry lollipops.




this is where i stayed. fancy.



got a cookie when we checked in.



when we got to our room, we found this stuff. vans hooked it up.



this was the view from our room.



we had a schedule.



checked out the hotel pond.




this was "chill time". if you checked the schedule.



then we went go karting. i didnt ride them. brandon did, then threw up.



then we went back to the hotel.




and went to bed.



woke up early again.



a for awesome!



went to get some breakfast and tea.





then went to the vans store and got these. thanks vans!



and then sat around the hotel lobby because some people werent following the schedule. jeez.




went to the contest. the girls were killing it.



t. mag sighting.




big ben.



cab.



and the best around, chris miller.





after the contest we went to the after party. remember the schedule. this is a picture of brandon with no drinks in him.



brandon with a few drinks in him. notice the smile.



brandon with too many drinks in him.



me laughing so hard i couldnt breathe because brandon kept slurring about how he wasnt drunk at all.



when i took this photo, brandon was in the bathroom not throwing up from not being drunk. yeah.



next morning. bye bye california.