Category: Verbs

On purpose, like I mean it, on the real, and all the rest of those jingly qualifiers … For the last few months I’ve been carrying around a bit of baggage in hopes of something good following it into my days. It ain’t heavy, brothers—just a scrap of paper. But its scuffs and folds have… Continue reading Timbre #65: Baggage Claim

Some win it all. Winners, we call them. This appears to be an element of almost every endeavor. In sport, in science, in art, in music there are those souls who have their time on top, collecting whatever prizes and accolades their winning ways produce. Waving to the audience behind the camera, they press palms,… Continue reading Timbre #64: Nearly Man

I’ve been putting this off, but I don’t know why. Maybe it’s because I’m getting tired of the self-centered nature of my current days, and to type about me on top of all that seems like overkill. But like Elvis Costello said, “You should only please yourself. Nothing else matters.” It’s not indulgence I’m after,… Continue reading TGP Works: “Exactly Why” from Street Canoe #5, Spring 2016

I tried it a few times when I was really, really young—like five or six years old. That’s my first memory of it, anyway. My friend turned me on. He lived right by my school, which I thought was so amazing; he only had to walk across the street to get there. I went over… Continue reading TGP WORKS: “CAN’T HELP (WILLIN’ IN TUCSON)” FROM BAD EGG SKATEZINE, MAY 2016

Important things are—by and large—not very good things. Jury duty is important, as are term papers, parking tickets, mandatory meetings, dentist visits, cleaning toilets, registering for the draft, double yellows, and contests of any sort. Argue with this list if you like, but know that while arguing with lists might make you feel or sound… Continue reading Timbre #63: Of Great Unimportance

Just lost weight while sleeping. Can’t believe the results. I also dreamed of rolling up to a polished cement park that I’d never been to, but I somehow recognized. Then I convinced myself of the idea that a few of the bowls had been finished since my last visit. You know? Recently finished for years… Continue reading Timbre #62: What You Don’t Do

Skateboarding is contracting, some would argue, and as it does so, its outer beauty is showing exactly how deep “skin deep” really is. This burning exfoliation, however, is not exclusive to the evil, the lame, or the assholes—it’s not just the dead skin flaking away. It’s also your good friends, good pros, good shops, and… Continue reading Timbre #61: Secret Success

You ever think about yourself? Oh, yeah. Of course, it’s a secret. I wouldn’t tell anyone either … if I were you. Lemme go first, though … to make you feel at ease. Easy peasy. Ben Raybourn hands out for the sake of comfortable thought. Photo: Matt Price I’ve admired the extroverted. I’ve admired the… Continue reading Timbre #60: Ego Trip

Ever seen this guy? He’s out walking his dog at 8:15 in the a.m., and all you can think of is how together his life must be. He’s got his coat on and it suits him fine, you think, because he looks comfortable and warm. His well-fed hound is happily trotting along at the end… Continue reading Timbre #59: Yeah, Guy

When sitting down to work, it’s rare that I don’t struggle. Actually, my struggles with most everything are becoming more and more common. If it’s not struggling to find something to do instead of what I’m supposed to be doing—like cleaning out the garage or sweeping floors—then it’s sitting here attempting to smash writer’s block… Continue reading Timbre #57: The Funny Thing About Regret

A Midwest farmer, upon emerging from his storm cellar after a brush with a springtime twister, witnessed a local news team skidding their mud-covered van into the middle of his front yard. In the post-cyclone calm, he stood watching as reporter and cameraman hastily pulled their equipment from the vehicle and slid over the soft… Continue reading Timbre #56: Every Single Thing

Pushing around on a skateboard, and all the things that go along with that simply truthful exercise, would appear to exist gleefully and almost exclusively in the last minute—that magical instant just before any moment. And the idea that anything associated with skating might be destined to take place—no matter how premeditated or prearranged it… Continue reading Timbre #55: Not Happening

“You have been disconnected.” My computer benignly relays this message to me. It’s from my modem, to whom I am not speaking. “This is very true,” I think. And even though I consider offering the modem a compliment, explaining that I’m impressed by its amazing observation, I think better of the urge to flatter and… Continue reading Timbre #54: Disconnect

I did my own tests. You might have read about them on my blog—inherentawesomeness.blogspot.com. Traffic is high. In these highly personal studies, I used two separate trials to see which of my set-ups I could ride faster. MAX bombs OAK faster. Photo: Ben Colen After each lap of the course, I’d high five myself. Based… Continue reading Timbre #53: Exactly The Point

Almost this whole time—with the exception of this one other time when I was totally wrong—I’ve embraced the belief that we, as skateboarders, are the center of the universe. Robbie Russo goes Jonathan Livingston over the death box. Photo: Ray Zimmerman I first acknowledged this as my local heroes traveled the world and met my… Continue reading Timbre #52: Be-All, End-All