The Werkable Blog

I’m not sure if I was the only one watching the entire Speech at the DNC Thursday night. Wait, that can’t be right..I know at least 85,000 people were there first-hand to witness Barrack Obama’s Democratic Nomination acceptance. A day that would also have it’s place in history because it was also the day (August 28th, 1963) that Dr. Martin Luther King gave his historical “I have a dream” speech. But not only did Obama show his pride and his intelligence, he showed something that no other political candidate in over 20 years has done..actually bringing to light the concerns of all Americans. From the rumors of raising taxes, gay rights, educational reform by increasing teacher salaries to believing the 2nd amendment stating the right to bear arms..could have a happy medium..all came together in a speech that only strengthens his character by addressing the issues of today, and actually talking about issues he can relate to and not just what the people want to hear. I’m not a political activist..and I’m not jumping on a bandwagon. I’m simply stating that if you are over 18 and registered to vote…please do. Your vote does count, regardless of what you hear. For change to come, you have to get out and make it happen. and on a broader scale than just your living room, talking about the negatives..or blogging your views like I am. But get the message out there that what we have been missing since possibly before 9/11/01 is a love for our country. The patriotism that came from that tragedy was just a jump start and a pride that had more of a “retaliation” cry than a pride for our country issue. I listen to the news media..filter what I can and I have realized that over the past 8 years..the entire world looked at America with some hesitation..and viewed us as a bully, pushing our weight around in a sort of dictating holier-than-thou attitude. We had a bad rep…but with this next presidential election, we have a chance to get someone in the white house that can speak intelligently, understand both sides of the coin..and not have any strings attached to any governmental house…yes, he IS a senator..but Obama clearly, from his speech last night, has the ability to bring some pride back to America..and I really do believe he means well. No matter what you hear, what you believe..We live here and it would be wonderful for the rest of the world to see what a great country we live in and the opportunity for every citizen <strong>to have a dream</strong>.

Well it’s an official tear, I guess when the MRI says “ACL graft not visible, consistent with full thickness tear.” its pretty much all she wrote. But I have hope. I ended up getting the results of the scan and being able to send it to my original doctor..who happens to also be in my insurance network. When he sees that i tore my ligament he’s gonna flip out..but I have alternatives like the ACL knee brace.. and I have been balancing very well on it and not even worried. Just upset about the whole thing. As for the ASA..update..We went to Columbia County to get the commissioners to grant money towards a park.. well looks like the golfers and their new clubhouse won. Snake eyes there. Sometimes it feels like the only way to get ahead is to reach out to someone with big bucks who would stand behind the idea..Anybody know somebody that knows someone? wow it’s more frustrating than my ACL I guess. Have a great weekend!

hello! recap (no pun intended)
well, I’m gonna catch you up to speed, 2 weeks ago I went skating and landed a trick and I felt my knee become unstable, not to the point that it twisted and swoll up but where it felt like it snapped out of place for a split second… no worries, just thought it was weird, it did it once before in a swimming pool and I was very confused. Well, I had my wife schedul me an appointment to see a Dr. He examined it and said it felt a little more loose than the other knee and that shouldn’t be..he thought it was a meniscal tear.. so he got me an MRI appointment. that was last Fri. I don’t share all this info to everyone because  it’s personal and it was one of the main factors that stopped my skateboarding lifestyle back in 1993. The thoughts of doing it forever flew out the window Halloween night in 1993 when I tore the ACL jumping a gap. I started back a year later and was doing fine..I got way into music and Skating for me slowed down and gave way to the stage and studios..but it was always with me. I snowboard as well and have no probs doing that because I’m strapped in and it’s a seasonal sport for me…getting back into it this time, was a blessing! I owe my wife for that..she started cruising around and wanted a complete for Mother’s day and I got it for her, not realizing that I just got myself back on it as well.. It opened my eyes and gave me a new outlook on the fact that if it’s a love and passion, I could still do it and not worry about giving it up.
I got my follow-up appointment today for the results of the scan and he told me I re-tore the ACL and have 2 rips in the meniscus, but the injuries look like they were a few years back.. then, having all weekend to think about it, I do remember back in 2002 I went skating downtown with some friends.. I did a rail slide and it snapped on me… I fell to the ground and my friends thought I was still ok but I remember I told them I know this feeling.. and I stayed off the board for almost 4 years.
regardless, between that time-frame, I went snowboarding, had a ganglion cist next to one of the screws in my knee and had a dr. look at my knee, it was drained and he told me my knee seemed fine… so…yeah… now I find out from an MRI that I re-tore the ACL…he advised me that at my age, I could get the surgery and recover in less than 2 months, or I can just go on without it and it will not really effect me, but mentally it may and I need to consider the fact that Im not 18 anymore but the other option would be a special ACL brace. I didn’t even know there was such a thing.
I’m fine with the diagnosis. I got back into skating.. and I’m not trying to be a sponsored skater, go to contests or anything, and after watching Danny Way on the X games.. pull off what he did on a broken foot.. I’m not complaining about only being able to push around on a board..flip here and there and not overdo it.. what a stupid way to start the week, but I learned a little bit today.. I learned that even something you love, can be subjected to making decisions and changes…oh well…looks like I’ll still be skating, as long as possible.

Well I finally finished editing the skate demo we had at Skate City. It took too long to do, some procrastination on my end. If you go to the vid’s section you’ll see it..about 11 mins long. it’s the first clip up top..After editing this footage I started remembering how much fun everyone had. I hope to have more days like that soon. well, Skate City came into a small fork in the road.. I talked to Danny Z and he gave me the scoop, so I’m gonna sum it up: Being that the park is located really close to Columbia county, and Richmond county..all of a sudden the county wants the tax money. Danny got zoned for “Light Industrial” in other words, they are located near small construction buildings and to be zoned that way, He will have to consider other ways of making some $ out of the park..or else for now.. he is not allowed to charge money to skate it.. Danny calls it “donations” because they aren’t operating legally otherwise. I’m not gonna put the Danny’s (2 of them) biz all over the web..just wanted you all to know we have to support him right now.. go to the park, pay your donation and help him keep the lights on. He does this for the love of skateboarding. If he was out to get rich, He’d be in ATL right now. I got his back, and by you guys buying your skate stuff at Rhythm, and letting the dudes there know you got Danny’s back…we can all come together and keep the dream flowing. That’s all I got right now. Be cool.

I’m happy to announce that my MP3 sections have all been updated to include some very special gems..in the “associates” section I have uploaded some rare SHAFT tracks..These tracks have been in limbo for quite some time and bring back fond memories of days gone by when hip hop was in a better place. Influences like The Pharcyde, Digable Planets, Heiro and OutKast…to name a few. But the point is, it’s crazy how every small town in the U.S. has a group that could have went far in the industry..or at least could have made an impact for the town they represented. If I could tell you how many times I heard this sentence: “man, SHAFT was ahead of their time!!” I could be rich right now. It wasn’t too much about $ back then.. just free shows for bar tabs and stage time. I’m sorry to say it didn’t last long.. but the friendships I have today stem from that era..and we are all still in contact with each other to this day. Just wanted to drop those lines. Also, the random section has an assortment of tracks I’m listening to this month..feel free to listen. The Sk8 page is slowly filling up as well…I’ll have articles in there soon for all the skaters to visit. Keep coming back to Werkable!