What is this all about, anyway? Well, you've come to the right place for answers. Originally, the title came form a song by the metal band Monster Magnet, but there is nothing beyond that linking the blog to the song or its lyrics. It's just a band I like, and I thought it was a cool song name.

We often see extreme opposites all around us, and many people convinced their way is the best way. It's at the heart of most conflicts. This religion versus that one. This ideology versus that one. This color versus that one. But if you take the time to look deeper, you will notice very few things are black and white. Most thigs in the world are some shade of gray. When two perspectives collide, look for that gray area, look for that third alternative, and you'll be closer to the truth.

Example: you drive to work and someone cuts you off and speeds 30 past the speed limit. You mumble a swear word and shake your head. You call that driver an asshole. You don't think anything past this. We have rules on the road and this driver is clearly a danger to society and, more importantly, a jerk for cutting you off. What if this is a man who just got a call from the hospital and his wife just showed up in ER? Sure, it may not justify putting others on the road at risk, but maybe you will feel less self-righteous judging this “dangerous driver” when you know the full story.

My blog title is a reminder to myself to consider these angles when I write about something divisive.

#opinion

©️ Razvan Ungureanu

Discuss...

The Hobbit is the latest Magic the Gathering set, a sequel to the Lord of the Rings (LOTR) set from a couple of years ago. As the fantasy universe is common to both Magic the Gathering (MTG) and LOTR, the set was quite successful and even left us with some very powerful cards like The One Ring and Orcish Bowmasters. Last week, Wizards of the Coast released The Hobbit. The set is on the smaller side, and it's too new to tell what cards will shine and which cards will be quickly forgotten.

One of the best ways to get your hands on the new set and have some fun at the same time is a pre-release event at a local game shop. You get a pre-release kit, which is a sealed box that includes 6 booster packs, a small promo pack, and a 20-sided die. You build a 40-card deck from the 6 packs of cards, and battle other players. Pairings are random, and since everyone starts with 6 packs, one's success comes down to skill, and a little bit of luck too. You play 3 rounds, and each round is best out of 3. I won 1 round and lost 2 rounds, because I am still new to the sealed format and still learning the tricks of assembling the best 40-card deck from a pool of cards I have not seen before. So, I'm OK losing some games for now.

While the gathering part of Magic the Gathering is fun, especially when you go with friends, another big draw for me has always been the artwork on the cards and the fantasy themes of the game. The Hobbit did not disappoint! I am a fan of elves in MTG, so I built and elf deck out of the 6 booster packs. Specifically, I built a green-blue landfall elf deck. I ignored the new mechanics in the set in favor of my preference for elves. I also did happen to have quite a few elf cards to make this work.

The highlights of my deck were Beorn, Reluctant Host, Silvan Reveler, and Thranduil's Company. Silvan Reveler alone won me the games I did win. She gets me a land card upon entering most times, and can come back from the graveyard for 3 mana, which in this deck is a pretty low cost. Beorn's adventure spell, Till and Tend, triggers landfall and helps me ramp. Thranduil let me play yet another land and pumps a creature for the turn, giving it vigilance too. This enables safe attacks without losing a blocker on my opponent's turn. Once ramping is compete, the 5 mana Beorn can come in, and he's a 5/5 with trample, a pretty serious threat even if he's not an elf.

A selection of support cards helped the strategy along. Bilbo Baggins, Burglar is not an elf, but he's a good support character. For one blue mana, Take a Glance lets me decide what my next card will be (Scry 2). Then, when cast, he lets me draw a card. Card draw is so important. Then, Down in the Valley is a saga that ramps on the first turn it enters, then gives you an elf token (or more, if I manage to play multiple lands that turn). Very useful! Wood Elves is a reprint on an older card. The fact that it lets you play an extra Forest untapped is key and significantly better than untapped.

Some utility cards helped me in a few specific scenarios. Confusticate and Bebother is a great option because I was able to use it either as a counter-spell, or as card draw. Mirkwood Nurturer was interesting. I had it return Enchanted River's Grasp to my hand, then cast it again, resulting in 2 enemy creatures being tapped before my attack phase. A great move to end the game and swing for lethal damage with a couple big creatures like Beorn.

Overall, the strategy was to ramp as much as possible, so that the landfall triggers made my board stronger, and the extra mana helped me cast the spells I needed to protect my own creatures and keep the attackers at bay. Silvan Reveler was a very cool card. Between this pre-release and the recent Stixhaven set, I find myself very happy playing blue-green. I always liked green, but I am finding blue adds some much-needed interaction (counter-spells, card draw, etc.). Happy with The Hobbit, thought I don't see myself buying many more cards from this set. The 40 card deck will be enough to provide some fun playing my friends.

Thanks for reading!

#story #mtg

©️ Razvan Ungureanu

Discuss...

Only God Forgives (2013) will remind many viewers of Drive (2011), and some of Valhalla Rising (2009). All three are directed by Nicolas Winding Refn and you can definitely see his signature style in all these films. I personally really like his work, but reviews are mixed for this particular film. This is no surprise because the film is not the typical Hollywood blockbuster, so many people are likely to watch it with different expectations.

Fans of movies made by Gaspar Noé will appreciate this movie. in fact, Noé visited the film set and he's being thanked in the credits. Nicolas Winding Refn was clearly inspired by Noé's work. In addition, he dedicated the film to Alejandro Jodorowsky, whose work has always beeb ahead of his time and deeper in meaning than many his fellow directors, writers and producers. The point of this whole movie trivia bit is to show the kind of movie this is, to give it a bit of lineage if I can call it that. It's not your typical date night movie by a long shot.

Out of the three, Only God Forgives seems to get the worst reputation. However, I really liked this movie and I believe it has a meditative quality, not in the sense that it relaxes you, but in the sense that you can watch it more than once and each time you can try to see deeper into the details. There are a few elements that stand out when I watch this movie: the unknown history of the characters, the silence, and the tension.

Who are These People?

The movie begins with a murder and we realize quickly that Ryan Gosling's character, Julian, and his brother Billy are criminals, using a Thai boxing club as a front while their real business is illegal. We never get too much detail of the real business other than it has to do with drug smuggling. We get the sense that Julian is an unwilling criminal, that he does not really love the life of crime. There's a sense of reluctance to what he does.

On the other side of the rink we have the local police force and Chang. I don't want to call Chang the “hero” of the film because his methods are questionable, but he's the closest thing we have to one. His aim is to restore order, and he's successful. All this sounds very generic, and as you can see there is not too much detail given. The viewer has to use the power of imagination to fill in the gaps or infer meaning. For example, Chang does not wear a uniform, and yet the other officers respect him implicitly. Is he retired? Is he not really a police officer? How come he carries a sword? He's a frightening figure to all that cross him and the sense of unknown and mystery surrounding Chang makes him even more impressive. Consequently, we get this tremendous contrast between the imposing figure of Chang who calmly restores order without mercy, and Julian, who is not a very good criminal and who can only evoke pity in the viewer.

Silent but Deadly

There isn't much dialogue in Only God Forgives. That's why we learn little about the back story or the characters aside from what we witness on screen through their actions. The silence is especially effective juxtaposed with the musical sequences. While Chang does not speak much, he does sing! There are two scenes where he is singing in a restaurant to an enthralled audience. This gives Chang a very human trait and it contrasts greatly with his violent methods. It's so interesting seeing this mysterious agent dish out justice with his sword one moment, and singing a ballad the next.

Julian is pretty quiet too, but in his case I took the silence to signify more of an inability to assert himself or to make a stand. He seems to patiently accept what others tell him and when he does reach his limit, he takes it out on the wrong people. And yet, I can't help but feel a little bad for him. When it's time for specific decisions, he shows mercy, twice, in spite of his criminal duties.

Overall, the silence allows the viewers to take in the beautiful visual style of the movie. Neon lights and the backdrop of Bangkok, interesting angles and scenes, intense close ups that let you sense what the characters are thinking and feeling. You just have to experience the movie rather than simply watch it to see what happens at the end.

I Can Feel it Coming in the Air Tonight

The tension in this movie is what really stays with you even after it ends. The tension is tangible, partly due to the minimal dialogue, and partly due to the foreshadowing that keeps popping up in various scenes. The combination creates a sense of foreboding. You just feel something bad is about to happen. Everyone on the screen is on the edge, especially the criminals, but less so Chang. In fact, Chang's calm sense of control is like an anchor amidst all the tension. You just know that nothing can stop Chang: he is a force of nature; not a wild tornado, but more of a slow steady snowfall that will eventually bury everyone. All they can do is pray for mercy, but as the movie title tells us, only God forgives.

Thank you for reading! #review

©️ Razvan Ungureanu

Discuss...

We played sealed, a format where each player builds a deck based on 6 sealed packs they open. You gotta build the best deck you can with the limited card pool those 6 packs offer you. The set was Strixhaven: School of Mages. The theme for the set is basically Harry Potter. The color combinations align to a 5 schools of magic. Upon opening my 6 packs, it was clear I would build a black-white (Silverquill) deck and a red-blue (Prismari) deck. It was also clear that the Silverquill deck had better cards.

Let’s start with the crappy Prismary deck. To be honest, I built this because I got a good number of cards in this color combination, and one of them was Grapeshot, a very, very good red spell that you can use create a killer combo thanks to its Storm ability. Sadly, things did not go well and before I could combo anything with Grapeshot, I had to use spells to defend myself against creatures. Another card that had potential was Conspiracy Theorist. Also didn’t pan out. While we’re listing cards that didn’t do much, I’ll add one from the Silverquill deck: Silverquill Apprentice. Seems like an OK card, but in the games I played this time, she just didn’t do much for me.

Ryan was playing a blue-green (Quandrix) deck. Among the cards that gave me a lot of hardship were: Needlethorn Drake, Wormhole Serpent, and Fractal Summoning. The drake is “just” a 1/1 with Deathtouch, but what that really means is that I had to be careful what I attack with because it’s sudden death for any larger creature blocked by this flyer. The other 2 cards ensured Ryan’s creatures were able to hit me, and did hit me hard.

On to the part where things did work well for me: the Silverquill deck! As I opened the 6 packs, I noticed 2 things: I was getting a lot of black and white cards, and I loved the artwork on many of them, especially all the warlocks. So, I knew I’d build this deck right away. Sedgemoor Witch and Shadewing Laureate were both very good creatures. They did their job and I love the artwork, especially on the laureate. Arrogant Poet was good too. Cool artwork, a nice option to pay 2 life and give him flying.

In terms of spells, Lash of Malice, Closing Statement, and Mage Hunter’s Onslaught were great. I loved Closing Statement for its option to pay less when casting it on the end step. While it meant fewer combat tricks, removal is removal, and it still meant one less creature for my opponent.

Speaking of tricks, my favourite creature card in terms of utility has to be Spiteful Squad. This creature is a little pricy at 4 mana, but I realized how useful it gets as soon as it gained some counters. It gets big, and when it dies, some other creature gets all those juicy counters. Awesome! Other neat spells were Divine Gambit and Professor’s Warning. The former is, as stated, a bit of a gambit. Luckily it did work in my favour as Ryan happened to lack a permanent to play at that moment. The latter is very good for just 1 mana. The counter could go on Spiteful Squad, for example.

#mtg #story

©️ Razvan Ungureanu

Discuss...

In an age when technology is touching more and more aspects of your life, you have to start wondering whether you are the programmer or the programmed. Who holds the reins in your relationship with technology?

I often leave my iPhone behind when I walk my dog. I do it on purpose because I don’t want to be distracted. Without even thinking about it, my hand reaches for my pocket, looking for the ever-present iPhone. I see an interesting landscape and my mind automatically thinks I should take a photo with my iPhone. I think of a friend or relative and I want to reach for the phone to message them.

I believe companies like Apple, Google, Amazon, Meta, etc. know this fully well, and I am starting to believe that they are no longer in the business of creating devices that help us in life, but rather they are building frameworks where we are being programmed to become more and more dependant on their hardware and software.

When is the last time you drove somewhere without the help of Google Maps? When is the last time you used a camera to take photos, and not your smartphone? Do you still wear a regular watch, or have you embraced the tracking handcuff of Apple, Samsung, Garmin, and Google? Can you go one year without ordering something on Amazon? What about one month?

I have an Apple Watch, and I go through phases of love and hate for the device. I stop using it when I feel like it’s too distracting or too needy. I dislike having to charge it every day. A regular watch can go for years on one battery! This needy Apple tracker needs too much of my attention for me to tolerate it for more than a few weeks at a time. I quickly tire of it and go back to a regular watch, or no watch at all. Recently, upon switching back to a regular watch, I realized I was always using the Apple Watch to check the weather. I repeated that behaviour so many times that I catch myself trying to check the weather on my regular watch too! Apple successfully programmed me to look for the weather conditions on my wrist.

Recently, Apple added some new functionality to the iPhone and Apple Watch. A Journal app was introduced on the iPhone, and both devices now allow users to log their daily mood or mental state. By collecting mental state data from these two sources, Apple will be able to start predicting what makes each user happy and what makes them sad, which in turn will empower Apple to create even more products that will seem to know us better than we know ourselves.

My approach is to be careful with these technologies. I make a point of taking extended breaks from gadgets like the Apple Watch, and I try to be mindful of my screen time on devices like the iPhone, iPad, and computers. It’s so easy to be swept away by the dopamine-infused wave of technology. It’s up to each individual to pause and take control of their tech, or risk being used by their devices as a data point for others to profit.

#opinion

©️ Razvan Ungureanu

Discuss...

If you are familiar with Apple, you know they don't release new apps very often, and when they do they integrate them well with the rest of the Apple ecosystem. Journal is no different. Apple wants to encourage people to focus on wellbeing, and journaling is a good way to become more mindful and to gain an outlet for your thoughts and feelings. With new year's resolutions, the launch of Journal was timed perfectly for anyone looking to give this practice a shot in 2024.

The Good

Journal is integrated well with the rest of the Apple ecosystem. What this means is that, if you allow it, it will suggest activities or items from other apps that you can use as a source of inspiration for your journaling habit. Took a cool photo? You can write about it. Did a good workout? It's there for you to add to your journal. In effect, this helps fight writer's block. If you're new to journaling, it's not unusual to have the desire to create the habit, but to feel that you might not have something good to write about. The nice thing about these suggestions is that it will help you pick something – big or small – and not have to worry about having inspiration.

If you're already a seasoned journal writer, you can choose not to give the app access to your data, and you can start with a blank page every time. I really appreciate this option because I prefer not to give apps too much permission to my data.

The Bad

While Journal is great for newcomers to the practice, I don't think it brings anything new to seasoned writers. For one, maybe you write in a notebook. Maybe the thought of an electronic, app-based journal turns you off right away. This app is useless to you!

Maybe you already use an app, as there are many great journal apps out there. This app is once again useless because it does not let you import your data from other apps. You would have to break up with your current journal app. I personally use Day One, a journal app that has had an iOS and MacOS app for many, many years. It offers more features than Apple's app, so I won't be switching anytime soon.

Lastly, adopting Apple's Journal app will not be great if you ever switch to Android. At least for now, it is only available on iOS as far as I know.

The Hmm

I am from a generation that grew up with pen and paper. The digital journal seems a bit off to me, even though I do use one. Such a personal practice should not need an app or a device. However, life gets busy and these devices are part of life now. I like being able to attach a cool photo I took to my day's journal entry. I like getting notifications that show me what I wrote about 1, 2, 3 years ago. It's kind of nice when my own content becomes a source of joy, as opposed to social media where some algorithm bombards you with what it thinks should give you joy. That's why I am not on Facebook, Instagram, etc. I refuse to let algorithms steal my time.

Part of me wants to switch to a paper journal and reduce my screen time even further. But part of me also knows that most days are busy, and sitting down with pen and paper might simply not happen. You might say, “just make it happen instead of the typing into the app!”, which is a fair point. I think I just like attaching the photos and rating each entry with how I felt that day. In the long run, even when I had a bad day, I can look at my stats and see that, in a given year, there are far more good days than bad days, and that makes me feel good. In other words, the Day One journal app serves more functions than just recording my thoughts. I don't feel too bad using it, because I quit all the big social media platforms a few years ago, so it's not a big source of screen time. There are no ads, and no algorithm, so I also feel like my data privacy is respected.

I think Journal apps are an example of positive technology, where the tech enhances he habit without handing it over to someone like Meta or Google who would just use your data for their own financial gains. A journal app is a good first step into this positive habit. It's a low effort way to see if you like it. You can always switch to a paper journal later, or to a self-hosted web journal or blog if you prefer independence from a particular app.

The How

If you're new to journaling, there are many ways to do it, but I'll suggest an easy method that works well for many. You can simply think of what went well today. It doesn't have to be big. It can be very small. This kind of journaling helps create positivity. If you are like me, you might first think of what was frustrating during the day. The journal could turn into a rant about how upset you are at the world. That's ok too! The journal can be an outlet for your angry thoughts. But I chose to use journaling as a wellness tool. It takes some effort to be positive these days, with all the bad things happening in the world. So, I pick 3-5 small things that went well today, and try to write them in my journal in the evening. This will wrap up my day in a positive manner. For example:

• There was no traffic jam during my commute. Nice!
• I had a nice chat with Bob at lunch. He told me about his cats.
• I was busy with work all day, but I felt that I got a lot done.

As you can see, journaling can be as easy as listing 3 positive things every day. Whether or not you choose to use an app for it, journaling is a positive habit, and the longer you do it, the better it gets, and the more it becomes part of your day.

Discuss...

#opinion #review

©️ Razvan Ungureanu

Discuss...

Skating on a longboard might not be the best hobby for life in Canada, where winters can take up about 5 months of the year, but it's as good as any other summer-time hobby. I first tried long-boarding in 2014, thinking it's “kind of like skateboarding, but without the tricks and the skate parks.” I did not know much about it, nor did I do much research prior to buying a board. The experience turned out lacklustre. I sold the board and filed the whole experience in the “not for me” folder.

Fast forward to 2021. Social life had taken a hit after the COVID lockdowns, and something like long-boarding around the city pathways seemed like a good idea. I figured it's as good a time as any to revisit this hobby. This time around, I did do more research and went into the hobby with a bit more knowledge. I had no plans to learn tricks or to go downhill like you see in many videos online. I always felt attracted to skateboards, but at the ripe age of 30-something, I don't want any injuries.

Back in the 90s, I did have a penny board when I was a kid, and I did enjoy it quite a bit. I don't know what happened to it. I think it stayed behind when my family moved to Canada. A penny board is a plastic skateboard with larger wheels, as opposed to the traditional ones made for tricks.

Speaking of terminology, I won't bore you with too much detail, but here are some of the basics that you can skip if you are already familiar with the lingo. Remember, I am still learning too, so this is a pretty generic overview:

The Deck

this is the board itself, usually made of several layers of wood, or sometimes other materials that might be stiffer and lighter. The drop-through decks will get you closer to the ground, which in turn makes pushing easier. Pushing is how you make the board move. Decks that are not drop-through look more like regular skateboards, but longer. The difference in ride hight comes from how the truck's baseplate is mounted. On a drop-through deck, the baseplate sites above the board, contrary to traditional skateboard decks, where the baseplate is under the deck.

The Trucks

This is the metal part that connects your deck to the wheels. At first sight, these may look all the same, but there are two main types: TKP (traditional kingpin) and RKP (reverse kingpin). The kingpin is the big metal bolt that keeps everything together, linking the baseplate to the hanger. The hanger is the T-shaped axle. TKP trucks are traditionally used in regular skateboards (the ones for tricks). RKP trucks are the most common longboard trucks: the kingpin faces outwards, so it would make tricks difficult. In exchange, RKP trucks offer better stability. You can still put TKP trucks on a longboard in order to achieve certain handling preferences, or to make smaller longboards more skate-trick-friendly so to speak.

The Wheels

There are so many wheels to choose from. The main considerations are size and hardness. The larger the wheels, the farther they will roll. Big wheels are great if you're taking longer rides on your longboard, and like to cruise with ease. On the other hand, smaller wheels might be better for a more nimble board. Wheel hardness will dictate how grippy the board is. A harder wheel can help you slide, but you'll also feel more of the little debris on the pathways. What I found was that for my area of the city, softer wheels are best. Most pathways are in good shape, but not nearly top notch smooth asphalt. Soft wheels will lose less momentum when going over debris and cracks in the pavement.

The Bushings

These are the little rubber cylinders that are part of the trucks. Hard bushings will make for a more steady ride at the expense of turn radius. Softer bushings will make the ride feel more responsive. Expert riders also note that different bushings have different rebound properties that help with certain styles of riding. For cruising around, I've been pretty happy with medium bushings, but I do change them and experiment with different hardness levels. The choice in bushings also depends on your body weight. What is a good medium bushing for me may be too soft for a heavier rider, for example.

Now that we went over some skateboard terminology, let's have a look at the boards that kept me busy these last two summers!

Landyachtz Ripper

First up is the Ripper, made by Landyachtz – a Vancouver-based manufacturer. This turned out to be a good choice for me. It is a good all-around board. It was great for me to practice and I was able to learn and understand more of the longboard technicalities as I kept cruising the pathways and reading online posts from others who share the hobby.

The kick-tail offers the option to get the nose off the ground if I ever do want to learn some basic tricks. This board came with TKP trucks, which make the Ripper feel very responsive. The bushings that came with it are a bit hard, but I chose not to change them. I'm keeping this board as is. The wheels are a little small for cruising. With a diameter of 63mm, they are on the smaller side as far as longboard wheels go. The hardness rating of 78A makes them pretty soft, which I was happy with on the older segments of the pathways. The Ripper is a fun board, but the smaller wheels demand a bit more pushing than some of the boards I built later on.

Sector 9 Bintang Fox

After riding the Ripper for a while, my curiosity drove me to explore a drop-through board. I chose the Sector 9 Bintang Fox because I immediately loved the graphics on it, and the slogan: “never worried, never hurried.” I felt it described my relaxed approach to skating, my focus on safety and my lack of desire to learn any dangerous tricks or to go fast down a hill.

This board turned out to be a good contrast to the Ripper. Its wide RKP trucks offered a steady ride, but once again the smaller wheels left me pushing quite a bit, feeling like it's just not rolling far or smooth enough. Of all my boards, I think this is the one that saw the most changes in wheels. I did make it work for me eventually, when I put on some 70mm Orangatang Stimulus wheels. But by then, I had moved on to better cruising options. Long story short, this deck ended up on my wall, stripped of its parts. I just love the graphics too much to sell it, and it makes for good wall art.

Zenit Marble 38

After the Ripper and the Fox, I had this idea that the best board would be one that's larger than the Ripper, something wider and stiffer. Zenit Boards had a sale around this time and I picked up something from their blemish section. These are heavily discounted decks due to small visual issues, such as the graphics not being printed properly. I did not want to spend a lot of money, but I was craving more variety and this was the first board I assembled myself, with parts bought from Zenit. The trucks I got were also blemished – they had a small scratch. The wheels were the only mint component here.

Sadly, the overall ride quality was not great, but it taught me a lot of things! With this board, I learned that smaller, harder wheels are not great for cruising, especially on concrete that's not smooth. I also leaned that a very stiff board may feel solid, but to me it also felt less fun. I learned just how enjoyable the flex in the Ripper really is. I believe the Marble 38 is a very good board, but maybe not the best for my own needs. Most importantly, the process of building this one from parts gave me the confidence boost I needed to start assembling my own boards rather than buying complete ones, which can be pricy. Like the very first longboard from 2014, the Marble had a meeting with the second hand market on Kijiji, and off it went to a better owner.

Landyachtz Dipper

By this point in time, I had a good idea of what constitutes a good cruiser and what doesn't. I had time to ride the boards I already had, and I had learned more and more from online forums about different setups and combinations. I was ready to build something new from parts. Since I was fairly sure by now that I won't be doing tricks, I chose a pintail deck: the Landyachtz Dipper.

This is the Ripper's cousin: almost the same deck, without the kick tail. The graphics were also from the same series as the dipper, only in blue rather than orange. For trucks, contrary to expectations, I went with a TKP option: regular skateboard trucks, Venture brand. This worked well thanks to the Dipper not being too wide at the front and back. The wheel choice made up for that width anyway: Orangatang 4President wheels, 70mm. That size, with a durometer of 77a (really soft), made for a huge upgrade in ride quality, smoothness and speed. These bigger, softer wheels had no issues with the less-than-perfect pavement in my area. Small stones? Leaves? Cracks in the asphalt? Small sticks? Didn't matter! Moreover, The TKP trucks made the ride pretty responsive and the flexible deck made it a lot of fun. The Dipper became my go-to board for most of the summer. I was happy with my creation! Eventually, I did take this board apart, and a friend of mine gave it a new home, but with a different configuration.

Loaded Omakase

Did I need anymore boards? No. Did I stop experimenting and trying out new setups? Also no. By now, I was trying to aim for variety; to have a few different boards that each rode differently and gave me a different experience. I thought the Omakase would be a good addition to my quiver. A quiver is a collection of skateboards.

This board was the one that made me think I went too far. Loaded is one of the high-end brands, so I wanted to buy the board as complete rather than experiment with my own parts. What I realized is that for someone who's only cruising around, a board like the Omakase was simply overkill. I do not have the skill to truly appreciate the finer points of this board. I tried changing the wheels and even the trucks, but ultimately this board didn't bring me something that justified the price tag. So, before putting anymore wear on it, I introduced it to my old friend, the second hand market, to recover as much cash as I could. I later learned that the Omakase was designed with the option of adding an electric motor to it, which is something I would not have done anyway.

Zenit AB Maze

Thanks to the longboard community, I made a friend in town. One day, I got to try out his Loaded Pantheon Trip Collab board. It's similar to the much loved and very popular Pantheon Pranayama, a board that makes long distance pushing easy by being low to the ground. Paired with big wheels – 85 mm diameter an up – you get a very comfortable board that you can ride for many kilometres without getting too tired. The big wheels will roll a lot longer than small ones and your knees don't tire as fast thanks to the low ride height of the drop-through design.

One day, my friend told me there was a sale on the Zenit AB Maze deck, which is similar in design to the Trip Collab and Pranayama. My quiver did not have any decks like this. Paired with the very good sale price, I couldn't say no. I already had trucks for it, and wheels. Indeed, this board rides very nicely! Even a beginner like myself was able to do 12 km on it without feeling sore in the knees. I ended up ordering larger wheels – 86 mm McFly wheels from 88wheels. I took this board on a weekend trip to a nearby city – Lethbridge – where I had the chance to ride it several hours each day. It's great, and I finally understood why people loved other similar boards so much. It's just effortless and fun, without getting tired as easily or having to push so often. The wheels are soft, and with the extra-large size, debris or cracks in the pavement don't matter at all.

Landyachtz Big Dipper

Most normal people would have probably stopped at this point, but when I really get into a hobby, I want to keep exploring and trying different setups, customizing, experimenting. Having spare parts also makes it a lot cheaper to continue playing around with new setups. Landyachtz released a larger version of the Dipper. If you recall from earlier, this was the cruiser I assembled from individual parts that I was very happy with it. The thought of a longer, more flexible version of the Dipper intrigued me. As mentioned before, no need for me to waste money on completes now that I have spare parts and I know what I want to assemble: I just buy the deck. I paired the Big Dipper with Gullwing RPK trucks. Funny enough, I got the trucks at half price due to an end of season sales. I used the soft 4President wheels I already owned. Initial thoughts: it's fun and very flexible due to its length – 42.2 inches long! And then, winter came. I'll be riding this board next season.

Friends

One of the great things about any hobby is sharing it with others. When my parents visited this summer, it was fun to show them some of the boards and talk to them about the hobby. When I met my new friend for a few rides along the pathways, I learned a lot from him and got to try new boards. And when my old friend and neighbour down the street showed interest, I was happy to go skateboarding with him and his two boys, and to help him customize his boards with new wheels. I leave you with this shot from a quick ride around the neighbourhood, with a stop at 7-Eleven. Looking forward to next summer, when the longboard fun can continue!

Thanks for reading! #story

©️ Razvan Ungureanu

Discuss...

October 1st was a pretty cool morning. I get up early as usual, only today, instead of the usual morning vista, I see some dense fog in the distance, and clear blue sky above. One cool thing about Calgary is the big sky and number of sunny days per year, which in turn gives us a ton of impressive sunrises and sunsets.

I put Luna on a leash and off we go to check out the fog in the park. Sure enough, as was indeed my hope, the fog was nicely covering the open area.

I hoped to find even thicker fog, so I went towards the trees that line the pathway 400 meters away. As Luna and I walked on, the fog did get thicker. I was glad I decided to go for a walk this morning!

To make things even better a week later, one of the photos won a little prize in a workplace fall photo contest. Lesson of the day: go with the flow, like water! Or like fog?

#photo

©️ Razvan Ungureanu

Discuss...

Last week, as I was driving by a local mall, I noticed that something new had popped up. It's called the Museum of Failure, and it's a temporary exhibit showcasing failed products over the past 50 or so years. I was intrigued by this. It sounded fun, and it seemed like a place where I could take some interesting photos.

I came back armed with my camera and my wallet. The admission fee was $20, and I was advised to download the app that goes hand in hand with the museum. I did download it – only because it did not collect any personal information – but I did not use it much. More about that later.

The exhibit filled about and hour and a half of my time, and it was fairly entertaining. However, the setting was not very well lit, and most failed products were behind glass, which did not yield the best photographs. Still, I'm glad I checked it out!

I have to say, I was already familiar with some of the failed products displayed, which made me feel a little old. For example, I owned things like a Microsoft Zune and a Sony Minidisc player myself, in the early 2000s. Hell, I still have the Minidisc player, though it's been sitting in a box of old memories for many years.

Something that surprised me was the plastic bike! I'm not surprised someone came up with this idea; I'm more surprised they did not manage to make it work! In this day and age, cheap replicas seem to have a pretty good customer base. I guess they drew the line when safety was involved.

On the eerie side of things, I saw a set of lobotomy tools. What a barbaric “medical” procedure that was! I get the chills just thinking about it.

Speaking of creepy, there was also this facial beauty treatment mask. It looked like something straight out of a horror movie! Here it is for your enjoyment.

The list goes on an on, and many of these are listed on the museum's site. I think the idea is fun, but I wish the presentation was a bit better. Remember the app? I'm a little old school. If I go to a museum, I prefer to be present and enjoy what I see there, in person. I prefer not to stare at my phone. So, I felt like I did not get the full experience because I didn't use the app. This seems to be a trend nowadays, where technology is combined with reality to create these mixed experiences. To be honest, I find the approach cheap and lazy. I feel like a little more effort into the physical space could have made this museum really shine. Maybe in other locations it's better. In this poorly lit concrete hall at the mall, the Museum of Failure failed to truly impress me, but it did entertain me sufficiently for the $20 entry fee.

#story

©️ Razvan Ungureanu

Discuss...

Agricultural facility.

Prairie dogs.

A hidden RV.

#photo

©️ Razvan Ungureanu

Discuss...