I am 28, turning 29 in July. For the last ten years, I have not driven. I live in Southern California. i have lived 30 miles from Los Angeles and 30 miles from San Diego these last ten years. In high school I drove one of my parents cars. When I moved out I decided to try to live on my own completely, independent(been successful in this for the most part minus asking my parents and friends to lend me some money here and there). My first longboard skateboard I got as a present my sophomore year in high school. I had this for 5 years and rode it thousands of miles before it was stolen.
I rode this board to and from work 3 miles each way 6 days a week for 6 years. I would ride it all across town. I would skate to the beach on it. I had to get new parts(trucks, bearings, wheels) several times due to the wear and tear of riding so much. I loved this board. I bombed and carved some insane hills on it...looking back I wonder how I had the nerve and stupidity to do some of them. This board was a part of me. There was a time toward the end of having it that I was riding to work, a little bit late. Being late, I was riding faster than usual. The trucks were loose, and on one pedal the board shot out from me and got ran over. Luckily though, it snapped where the front trucks are attached. My friend and I reshaped it( to how it is shown in the picture), and drilled some new holes to screw the trucks in. Still, my same favorite board, just a bit shorter. The graphic was getting a bit worn, so I sanded it off. I was going to paint my own visual. I bought new trucks, new wheels, and new bearings. The thing was ready to shred! I had it about a month all hopped up before I went up to Santa Barbara for halloween festivities with friends.
In the rush to pack up and get home after a fun weekend, I forgot it on the side of the house we were staying at. I realised an hour into a car ride back. We called my friends sister, whose house we were staying at... She said it wasn't there, that she would ask her roommates later if any of them might have moved it. Called a couple days later again, said that they thought it had problem gotten stolen(very possible in that area), but I believe one of them just took it for themselves. The first of many stupid mistakes to have gotten myself robbed.
Well, since I loved skating so much , and that was my transportation I went in search of my next "companion". This time I went for a bit shorter of a board, a cruiser. I went with this because I was getting too old to bomb hills the way I use to. Also, it was a little more convenient to carry around while not skating. This board was an eclectic beauty after my own soul. As I would often do when places wouldn't allow me to bring my board into their business establishment, I would skate around and look for a great spot to hide it. This time, someone must have been watching me from afar because it was not there when I returned. I had this board for a little less than a year.
"Fate Up Against Your Will" is what it read.
My next board was on the cheaper side of longboards, at only $125! It rode smoothly and reminded me a bit of my original board. I planned on having this one a long time again. I was moving about three months after I got it. We had all of my stuff in my friends truck. I wanted to move everything the day when I was moving into my new place. My friend who was helping me wanted to move the night before. Since he was helping me I went with his schedule. The next morning when we came out of his apartment and went to the truck we found that this board and two of my suitcases with stuff in them had been stolen. Oh, why couldn't I be more vigilant.
I have yet to get another board. I currently rent my roommates bicycle, which has had parts of it stolen off of it. I plan to get my motorcycles license and start driving one that is currently at my parents house in the midwest. Thieves anger me and I shall never understand them,but I can learn from my own stupid mistakes and enjoy the great memories I have had living a life many could not even fathom doing. Keep truckin y'all and ride on!
