I can’t remember how I found this, but I ended up watching the trailer for Born to Skate and getting stoked on the different terrain and approach to a skate video. It was supposed to be an independently released feature-length film. It’s multi-discipline as well, featuring street, vert and even freestyle in the trailer. Of course, it’s over a year old and from Germany, so I have no idea whatever happened to it. It looks like it’s worth checking out though.

Source: Design You Trust

Rip City’s indoor bowl is almost finished, but the sessions are not going to flow freely until an arrangement is reached with the next door neighbors. It seems like the construction and skating is just too much noise for the business that shares a wall with them. What sort of business needs a cap on the decibel levels? Are they doctors, lawyers or accountants? It turns out the spoil sports operate a juggling supplies operation with mostly online sales. Nope, you heard right. Skateboarders are disturbing the jugglers. At this point in the post I’d like to publicly heckle my friend Shawn Fendick for owning juggling supplies and a unicycle. Am I some sort of clown that amuses you? Yes.

I want to start off this month with a couple of rants, so forgive me please. First up, to all people selling decks on eBay, stop using terms like “Vintage” and “NOS” when you are selling a fucking reissue!! Using the word vintage implies that the deck is 20 years old or more. Your shitty reissue was made 3 years ago. The only thing vintage is probably the crappy PC that you used to type up the shitty sales pitch! The same goes with the term NOS. It stands for “New Old Stock”, meaning it’s an old deck that is as new, and has never been set up. When using this term, the inference is that it’s an old deck, not one that I could walk into a store and buy today. Are the sellers being unscrupulous and trying to fool ignorant buyers? Probably, yes. By inserting the word “vintage” you are making a claim that isn’t true. So stop. Also, while I’m on the subject of sellers that piss me off, stop listing the same deck week after week, month after month with the same inflated price! Look, it’s not rocket science. If your deck isn’t selling at $399 auction after auction, maybe it’s not worth $399 and the buyers by staying away are telling you that. But you are being too stupid to listen. It doesn’t matter what you paid for it 3 years ago, or what you think it’s worth. If you have it up for 3 consecutive weeks and it doesn’t sell, then your valuation is wrong and the current market price is lower. So lower the price or stop relisting the damned deck! I’m sick of seeing the same decks month in month out with the same stupid, unrealistic starting price on them.

I forgot about this Christmas tree made out of skateboards, sent to me by Jungle Jim Kuiack. At first glance I thought it was just an oddly shaped fake Christmas tree.

If I could I’d have you all over for cocktails and fudge. Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah, Ramadan, Kwanza, or Flying Spaghetti Day… Just be happy and enjoy yourself and your family and friends. Thanks to Rich for shooting this. He had a better shot but my beard was completely covering my face. Enlarge-o-rama.

UPDATE: MC has a video clip.

This Christmas ornament is from a company called American Greetings. This is their 2009 “Son” ornament, as you can see from the bottom of the beaver’s shoes. The hook is on one of his shoes, but he balances fine on his board without it. I managed to get a decent picture of this because I didn’t break it in the process, unlike the last time I photographed an animal skateboarding. Enlarge-o-rama.

Some X-Mas Footage for all. It would have been longer and better except I have to finish my last-minute Christmas shopping. If you don’t like it, file a complaint with the editor-in-chief of Skate and Annoy. Merry Christmas from the Staff at GVK.

(Editor’s note: I’m filing my own complaint. I’m having a hard time finding the “X-mas” in this X-mas footage! – K.ed)

There’s not much I can say about this “invention,” except I particularly dig the shoes and pants in the close up shot. A sharp dressed man can sell anything in Swartz Creek, Michigan. Skaterhusseindave, we expect a full report.

I am selling a custom built board with a caster wheel on one end that will allow the user to spin around 180 and 360 degrees and a closed wheel on the other end. The board is made of red oak with 24 gauge Aluminum in the middle. Custom skateboard comes fully assembled. Each board is custom made upon order thus the long delivery time. Since each board is custom made thus no returns will be accepted.

The seller doesn’t explain what the casters or rubber stoppers are for, so you are on your own there. He has zero transactions on eBay so far, so you can be the first.

– Thanks to Matthijs van Wijk for the tip.

From Hallmark, circa 1985. I’m not sure who made the decision to have the Raccoon on a skateboard, but I’m glad they did. There’s a shot of the box after the jump. Depth of field is too shallow in this shot, but I dropped the ornament and broke the wheels right after I took this so that’s as good as it gets. It’s the day before Christmas and my tree already looks like it is about to spontaneously combust.

This installation known as Ghost Parking Lot existed in Hamden, Connecticut from 1978 to 2003 (or 2007, depending on the source) yet somehow never ended up in a skate video or photo layout in a skate magazine, at least not that I am aware of. If it did, someone please enlighten me. This looked like a great spot for street skating. The shots above were found at Whoadude. They appear to be photos from when the installation was relatively new. Roadside Attractions has more recent photos that make the place look pretty decrepit. Apparently it was pretty hard to maintain. It did appear on TV shortly after it opened, and ironically, there’s a kid in the crowd who rides up to the location with a skateboard and a bewildered look on his face.

– Thanks to Julian Gilbert-Davis for the tip.