Well, I go to Austin for StupidFest in two days, and I’ve not done any tinkering with my boards. Maybe that’s a good thing?

Austin is, frankly, not a town where hard wheels serve you well anywhere but in a skatepark. The ditches and other spots tend to be rough. Hell, there’s not a single moderately smooth street in Austin that I’ve ever found, and I’m sure they are a lot worse now than when I left in 2005. Not sure where all that tax money goes from the super economic tech-bro boom situation down there, but it’s not going into public streets. But I digress…

Weirdly, the surfaces I skate at street spots in Dallas are not too horrible for hard wheels, but I’ll probably need to switch ‘em out in Austin for some softer ones. I’ve been riding some 92a 54mm OJs, and those are pretty good. I have some 95s too. My old trusty Fickle Knuclehead is still set up with OJ 87a Keyframes, so I’ll just keep it set up.

I don’t have a lot of free time before I leave, so what I’ll mostly likely do is throw a bunch of boards and wheels in the car and deal with it when I get to my Air BnB. Mainly I just need the Fickle and another board with 95s or 92s. Which I have. I’ve been riding this old Cockfight deck set up with 92s, and there’s a good chance I’ll just ride it.

That’s a fair chance I’ll bring my Mode pool shape deck with 159s and some 95a wheels on it as well. I have a brand new deck – probably the last of its kind – and it is way past time to start destroying it.

Other necessities include helmet, sunscreen, bug spray, a couple of White Sox ball caps (flex fit – not truck style shit hats), non-soy energy bars and a bunch of bottled water, computer, phone, charger, extra battery, extra skate shoes, and sunglasses.

I am horribly out of practice. I think the last time I skated was June. The infernal Texas summers are getting old. Actually, I am getting old, and the summers are getting old with me. Whatever. I’m sick of ‘em. Luckily for me, after 49 years of skating, I neither get much better with lots of practice or worse with no practice. I just kinda skate the way I do, and I’m happy with that.

This year is the first time I’ve not submitted anything for the new NeverWas video. I just didn’t get out to skate or film this year. There’s been a lot going on, and I’ve been reprioritizing the various elements of my life over the last two years. Maybe I can do some filming for next year while I’m down there. 🛹