As we get older i think most people start to look back at their life and it's path. It's natural to start to analyse the journey (and possibly disappear up your own rear end, so top me if i am!). With time comes perspective and it's amazing to see how major directions in your life can hinge on small , seemingly innocuous events.In my case, my friends younger brother getting a "Pacer Road Hog" skateboard for his birthday started a path that has led directly to my current situation some twenty years later
I had a pretty comfortable middle class upbringing with great, supportive, loving parents who sacrificed much to send m
e to a private school in the nearest city. I was never especially good at the normal school sports but enjoyed being active. A happy but somewhat protected existence.
Enter the Road hog, my own Variflex and my first copy of RAD magazine. I can still picture it, Ken Park eggplanting on the cover, Hosoi advertising aquamarine Chuck Taylors inside and pictures of people grinding things, ollieing off things and how to "Hail Mary" inside (full marks if you 1. know what that is and 2. can still do them!)
It was a whole new
exciting world that my school friends knew nothing
about and frankly looked down upon when they did. Ultimately my taste in clothes, music, culture and people were based on my skating experiences. All of a sudden i was meeting kids from all sorts of backgrounds as well as some older ne'er do wells i would never have met otherwise. It gave me self confidence and a sense of place and i am sure that i am a more well rounded and grounded person as a result. Full credit again to my parents for supporting me in my obsession and letting me find my own way.
From there I can trace a direct line through snowboarding obsession, back to skateboarding, to the friend that convinced me to give surfing a proper go, to sacrificing big bucks in my career in favor of living by the sea with an older car. What's more, I couldn't be happier. I have an amazing family, some very close friends and a focus on fun in my life. Not everyone can boast that.
Makes you wonder if it would all have been the same if Rob had wanted a Scalextric that year!
The first fruits of my interviews for drift are now up. Some interesting comments from Bob Mctavish (who was an absolute legend and a pleasure to meet) on quads, shaping and other things. All backed up by some awesome photos from Jamie Bott.
I'm a sucker for coffee table books about surfing and this is one of my faves. It's basically a photo essay by Jeff Johnson documenting a trip by the malloy brothers, and various friends, climbing in oregon then surfing the california coast from SF to the tip of the baja peninsula. All in a pick up truck fuelled by used cooking oil. Cynics would say it's just an extended patagonia catalogue shoot but it has some beautiful landscapes, good surf shots and cool lifestyle photos. Somehow you get a feel for the trip (which looked fun) and it always inspires me to think about getting the tent out for a trip outside the normal surf zone. Plus it has a super cool truck in it! 
< just add tourists!
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