Treasure Island, SFC

A view of Alcatraz Island and the Golden Gate Bridge

Bay Bridge

On a clear day, Treasure Island boasts some amazing westward views of San Francisco and the surrounding bay.

Corona Heights, SFC

ななちゃん

AKA "Red Rock"

Surviving The Tokyo Metro; Yokohama To Ueno

This would be me, as an North American Brontosaurus romping through the Far East

Elementary students in a Ueno park

I was cruising the World Wide Web when I stumbled upon a video that captured the Japanese insanity known as the Tokyo Metro system. I was immediately thrown back almost four years in time to the most memorable year of my existence thus far; 14 months teaching English in Yokohama with my wife. Yokohama is not as clustered as Tokyo, but it does boast the second largest population in Japan. Luckily for Teresa and I our commutes to and from work were civil in comparison to that of central Tokyo.
Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Art

On a fine winter’s day Teresa and I had gone to Ueno to see the Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Art. We arrived early and spent about six hours in Ueno, viewing the exhibit, strolling through the local parks and byways, and smiling at the stray cats the congregate around Buddhist temples for a free meal of compassion. We entered the Ueno train station close to 6PM on a week day, and to our surprise the station was extremely crowded with business folks, students, and house wives returning from shopping sprees. We nervously waited in line as two trains came and went with no room for the extended queue. Finally it was our turn, and like these films, we were pushed in and somewhat separated from one another. Praise the Gods and my genes for making me a foot taller than the rest of those sardines, and putting my head above the stench of sweat, blood, and tears; I could breathe! We must have been on that train for 25 minutes, riding from Ueno to Yokohama. I was paired with the fattest man I have ever seen on a Japanese train, and I could see and smell the sweat seeping through his jacket. A small woman, perhaps a solid 4’11” in height, was smashed into the same blob’s side, and truth be told she was gasping for air and did seem to pass out more than once. Because I stomp through Japan like a brontosaurus with all the black haired deinonychus running around under my stride, I was grasping the bars on the train ceiling that the locals had dreamed of one day touching (these bars are the cleanest by far, free of hand oils and cough spat spray). I could see Teresa’s buttocks mashed into another man’s groin, and despite her torture and my annoyance there was absolutely nothing either of us could do. At each stop a few people would exit the train only to have more enter, and by the time we reached Yokohama station we all emerged through the train doors like water flowing through a hose. After acclimating to the fresh air on the platform we dodged through the stairways to cross over to our local, comfy, quiet train line where the seats seemed to glisten like a misplaced quarter on a sidewalk.

Local art


Feline Refuge
The ride home


trains in Tokyo

Shun Moroi しゅんくん!

This is an I-Path Japan advertisement featuring my friend Shun Moroi. Actions speak louder than words, yah heard!?!

Market Street, San Francisco

Lunch break

Louisiana Hot Sauce

Scotty the Body likes it hot

Bay to Breakers, San Francisco; trois

le Francaise baiser

la culotte

Madame Teresa et Madame Carrie



Madame Grace et Madame Nina

Carrie escaped London and returned to San Francisco, thus easing her mental from the pains of comprising her dissertation. On Sunday we blended in with the Bay to Breakers mayhem disguised as a few lovable, loyal French citizens, boasting a baguette with mixed drinks like cafe au lait, jus d'orange, and lait de coco (no glass or cans allowed). We decided on the French theme to make our fellow BtoB walkers, who actually are from France, feel comfortable in that 8 hours of American madness; they loved our French front.

Shun Moroi しゅんくん!

If I were to single out a favored human being based on the 34 year old ollie maneuver, Shun Moroi would be that distinguished soul. Shun blasts a kung-fu ollie in the greater Yokohama area.

http://www.bptrading.co.jp/mt/riders/2006/04/skater.html

Shun Moroi しゅんくん!

I present to you, from the shores of the Far East, a Yokohama myth, a man of sky-scraping stature who boasts a mile-long smile; my friend, my brother…Shun Moroi...in the heart of the concrete jungle.

SHAQUEEFA

Ashley Albritton, aka Tre Nasty, bsts; Tampa, FL 2004

When I had a car and was willing and able to lug around a 35 mm Canon AE-1, the required camera for my high school photo classes, I shot photos of my friends thrashing. Enjoy these memories

Tre Nasty, alternate angle, bsts; Tampa, FL 2004

Tre Nasty, kickflip; Tampa, FL 2002

Tre Nasty, nose grind; Tampa, FL 2000

Tre Nasty, suski; Tampa, FL 2001

Tre Nasty, switch 50; Tampa, FL 2004

Steve Brandi, fakie shuv-it; Tampa, FL 2004

Adam Burgess, wallie; Miami, FL 2004, photo by GRUNDLE?

John Gow, switch nose slide, Tampa, FL 2004

Ian Gow, ollie; Tampa, FL 2003

Collin Gow, aka GRUNDLE, bs 5-0; Miami, FL 2004

Cory Hainline, aka CoCo T, blaster grab; Tampa, FL 2001

Grant, AZ loc dog, suski; Tampa, FL 2004

Mark Munniger, kick flip first try down 16, stuck it four times(every try) and broke his whip; Flagstaff, AZ 2003

Abdias Rivera, overcrook; Tampa, FL 2003

Daydreams of Distant Lands

Ok ok, this is the last post on how much I loved Barcelona. TRAV DIGI took this photo of my wife and I on top of Park Güell.

Dear Travis and Anna,

Anna, thanks for accepting, feeding, and sheltering Travis, and allowing him to sleep on the floor next to your bed. We hope to see you this year, The Year of the Tiger, in San Francisco. Travis, we met almost 15 years ago and our bond as friends has stood the test of time. Thanks for being there, my brother, my friend.

With love and respect,

T & A

Indispensable 35s

Teresa, Jean, Mariana; SRQ, FLA
Scotty The Body & Scotar Jones
Juan Paul & El Cuerpo
SF, CA
SF cable cars

Montserrat, Barcelona

worship the sun