Refinery 29 has an article on female skateboarders titled Meet 4 Rad Babes Lighting Up The S.F. Skate Scene:

Let’s be real; for some ladies it’s the hipster mating call, but for others it’s the soundtrack to the deep skateboarding history that our sweet city is steeped in. While it may seem that the dudes are running the streets, there are quite a few badass babes who are making waves in the skate community — and are sitting pretty while doing it! Between the Thrasher empire’s fearless female with a particular flair (read: obsession) for Marc Jacobs, a pint-sized skate powerhouse, a gritty photographer, and a mighty fine ‘zine maker, these ladies definitely have the 411 on why S.F. is king when it comes to skateboarding.

The four ladies profiled are Sally Vitello Hubert (Daughter of Fausto Vitello), Josie Ramondetta (Photographer), Ashley Trujillo (Yes) and Reija Collinson (Co-owner of Lowcard) Mag Check out Meet 4 Rad Babes.

This awesome photo was taken on December 26, 1975 by an unnamed staff photographer at the Denver Post. They did however, record that the skateboarder David Beans, age 13 was unhurt. This is an excellent photograph, made even more so by the date of the photo, the day after Christmas. You know this was probably a Christmas gift being put through the paces. I hope David stuck with it. It’s sort of on sale at Ebay right now. I mean “sort of” because it’s not an actual photographic print, but an early form of photo fax used by newspapers. So $28 bucks get’s you a fancy photocopy. I wonder what Mr Beans is doing now?

– Thanks to Seth Levy for the tip.

The people described in the song are in their late sixties. Gray Pride!

Balsa Wood Toys sells wooden toys, kits, and clocks. This skateboarder kit is actually made from pine. Turn the hand crank and his knees bend and the board shuffles. It’s a fun item, but I can’t get behind the $30 price and the fact that the skateboarder is riding backwards. It is a kit though, maybe you can build it in a proper stance.

– Thanks to Matthijs for the tip.

I could make this stuff up, but apparently I don’t have to. The Associated Press reports that Dennis Rodman arrived in North Korea to promote good will between North Korea and the western world. Kim Jong Un allegedly want’s to start a bromance with Dennis, being a big fan of his during his stint at Chicago. He’s traveling with a VICE magazine crew and filming for their HBO news series. Again, I don’t have to make this stuff up. One of the planned stops on the tour is the new skatepark facility we highlighted back in November. I’m with Kim Jong Un on this one. Rodman kicked ass during his stint with the Bulls. Media nonsense, professional wrestling, formerly hot girlfriends, bad acting and personal problems aside, he was a great player. He’s got 5 championship rings. Suck it Kobe.

[Source: NPR] – Thanks to Shawn Fendick for the tip.

I haven’t actually held a copy of teh Neiman Marcus publication known as The Book, but near as I can tell it’s like a fashion magazine masquerading as a very fancy catalog that you can’t actually order anything from. Walter Chin is the photographer, but he’s not Walter Chin, the wedding photographer. Register those domain names early kids. As much as I tend be annoyed by gratuitous skateboards in fashion photography, I actually really like this as a photograph. It transcends the norm for this kind of thing. Chin’s photos are in the March, 2013 edition of The Book. I have no idea how you actually get a copy, but you can view it online here, page 58.

– Thanks to our recent fashion correspondent Seth Levy for the tip.

This week’s Shot of the Week is the always understated, always ripping Tim Eberly enjoying a bit of a dork session at the Grover compound, and riding away from it. The Grover compound (Should I say Kompound?) is a bit like a mini Skatopia… That is if Skatopia had a wife who made sure nobody was going nuts and everything had to be cleaned up at the end of the day, and everyone left the premises so the owners could be in bed by 9:30. Photo by the never understated, sometimes ripping, Steve Grover. Yes, that is 150cc of pure 80’s Japanese hair dryer in the driveway. Eat it, Pete Townshend.

Randy has asked me to post stuff to Skate and Annoy for a while, and I’ve always been a big fan, so I figured it was about time we get started. So, he said why not start off with an introduction. Well, who the Fuck is Jim Gray?

If you care, I’m a guy who was sitting on the deck watching when Tony Hawk and Christian Hosoi win contests and I got 29th and was stoked to get a good seat on the deck to watch the finals. I’m the guy who thought it would be really lame and confusing if skateboarding had 500 pro models instead of 50, and I think it is, maybe you think it’s awesome. I am  the kook who showed up in white plaid shorts and blue shoes to the black clothing only backyard pool party. I’m loved, I’m hated, I’m everything in between, but like you I have an opinion, and for some unknown reason, Randy thought it would be fun to have me rattle mine off now and then here on S&A.

My daddy always told me opinions are like Assholes, everyone has one, some just stink more than others…… So, whether you  love mine or think it stinks, life goes on, deal with it. You always have the right to tell me what I kook I am and talk shit about me, but I ask one thing, if you are gonna talk shit, use your real name like a real man. I hate when toughboy29 talks smack, but if Jack Mehoff wants to say you’re a dick Jim Gray, I say bring it.

I started riding one of these little wooden contraptions when I was around 10, and at 50 I’ve never stopped not even for a little bit so that makes about 40 years or rolling, manufacturing, competing, sponsoring, schmoozing, fighting, taking pictures, fighting to get skateparks built, judging contests, shooting video, etc…… so what you will see from me when I get to it (I do drift off quite often—so don’t wait around), is pictures and stories of things I like, hate, support, want to blow up, think you should see, want to make you  see, etc……

Love me or hate me Randy gave me my own password, so Howdy People, welcome to February 23, 2013.. Jim Gray day at Skate and Annoy… haha…

!997? I can’t believe they hauled the Cabbage patch kids out of the mothballs and tried to saddle them with another dormant fad, skateboarding.

Yeah, yeah, pool coping is the way to go, but if you have to go with metal coping, Diamond Grind might be worth checking out. It appears to give you a little grab without sticking. I’ve never seen or ridden it in person, but the video makes it seem like it might be a good thing. Plus, you can’t put pool coping on a rail.