Ivan I's Footblog
Re: Ivan I's Footblog
In honor of all your recent Nuke ownage, here's an ukiyo-e style rendition of Blinky the fish, from the Simpsons:
Re: Ivan I's Footblog
Awesome! I love the dot-matrix style of graphics used there.
Well, I had a few bad sessions, and an okay session today. Last Saturday I hit
Blurriest > Blurriest
marking the end of summer for me. Overall, a decent one, where I achieved many goals, and neglected just as many. Never did get rubberman, or my consecutive atoms/omelettes to where I wanted them, but that's fine. I stayed injury free this summer, made it to every event I had planned on going to, and had metric shit tons of fun. That's right. Metric.
Today I changed my mindset from drills and concept practice to just trying to string. The first 30 minutes were absolute crap, so I ended up revisiting bop drills which did the trick. Strings with decent variety, some shitty shuffle links, and other stuff ensued. Granted, I'm still nowhere near competition form, and won't be for a while. Only getting one decent run out of six at the moment. No bueno. Today was also the first time in a month where I ditched the Aleve and just decided to deal with whatever shin pain or knee pain came through. Previously my left shin was hurting as it was recovering muscles, and my right knee/hip would complain from poor form on the occasional whirl. None of that today, and there were certainly plenty of whirls.
Also got some nice complements from the guys playing basketball on the next court over. I even over heard this conversation between them:
"What's that guy doing over there?"
"Dude, you haven't seen him? He's got mad hacky sack skills"
A little while later, after I finish my osis/whirl drills
"Yeah man, he's got to be like, top 100 in the country. I've seen some of that stuff on youtube"
Lol. It's funny playing an underground sport. Here I am hating myself for dropping four osis in a row and they think of me as some kind of master.
In non footbag news, school started. I'm at a smaller campus, but it seems like the professors are more sincere and actually care. It's way cheaper than the main campus. Scheduling is a piece of cake.
Branch campus kid: "dude, good luck getting that class, there are 12 people on the wait list"
Me, trying really hard not to laugh and come off as a dick: "I've gotten classes with ten times the wait list before"
Oh, and my youtube channel just made it's first $1.00 of revenue from adds! After three years of enabling monetization. God, that's depressing. Some shitty videos of my trains that I threw together in 5 minutes already have more views and likes than UYET. I've never been good at popularity contests though, so I'm used to it. Currently working on a 14 panel stitching tutorial. It might crack 5000 views if I'm lucky. It's going to take around 8-10 hours to make. The script has exactly 1100 words. Hopefully people find it useful.
Well, I had a few bad sessions, and an okay session today. Last Saturday I hit
Blurriest > Blurriest
marking the end of summer for me. Overall, a decent one, where I achieved many goals, and neglected just as many. Never did get rubberman, or my consecutive atoms/omelettes to where I wanted them, but that's fine. I stayed injury free this summer, made it to every event I had planned on going to, and had metric shit tons of fun. That's right. Metric.
Today I changed my mindset from drills and concept practice to just trying to string. The first 30 minutes were absolute crap, so I ended up revisiting bop drills which did the trick. Strings with decent variety, some shitty shuffle links, and other stuff ensued. Granted, I'm still nowhere near competition form, and won't be for a while. Only getting one decent run out of six at the moment. No bueno. Today was also the first time in a month where I ditched the Aleve and just decided to deal with whatever shin pain or knee pain came through. Previously my left shin was hurting as it was recovering muscles, and my right knee/hip would complain from poor form on the occasional whirl. None of that today, and there were certainly plenty of whirls.
Also got some nice complements from the guys playing basketball on the next court over. I even over heard this conversation between them:
"What's that guy doing over there?"
"Dude, you haven't seen him? He's got mad hacky sack skills"
A little while later, after I finish my osis/whirl drills
"Yeah man, he's got to be like, top 100 in the country. I've seen some of that stuff on youtube"
Lol. It's funny playing an underground sport. Here I am hating myself for dropping four osis in a row and they think of me as some kind of master.
In non footbag news, school started. I'm at a smaller campus, but it seems like the professors are more sincere and actually care. It's way cheaper than the main campus. Scheduling is a piece of cake.
Branch campus kid: "dude, good luck getting that class, there are 12 people on the wait list"
Me, trying really hard not to laugh and come off as a dick: "I've gotten classes with ten times the wait list before"
Oh, and my youtube channel just made it's first $1.00 of revenue from adds! After three years of enabling monetization. God, that's depressing. Some shitty videos of my trains that I threw together in 5 minutes already have more views and likes than UYET. I've never been good at popularity contests though, so I'm used to it. Currently working on a 14 panel stitching tutorial. It might crack 5000 views if I'm lucky. It's going to take around 8-10 hours to make. The script has exactly 1100 words. Hopefully people find it useful.
Last edited by isirc10 on 26 Aug 2015 16:59, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Ivan I's Footblog
Double posts of our lives. My first one, I think.
This is what I've been listening to recently, very good for concentration.
This is what I've been listening to recently, very good for concentration.
- Ryan_Morris
- Multidex Master
- Posts: 287
- Joined: 15 May 2013 18:04
Re: Ivan I's Footblog
Congratulations on your new position as "Blue Bell Hacky Skillz Man," a.k.a. "Dafuck Is He Doing, Man," a.k.a "Professional Weight Lister."
Also, you're at Abington, right? Have you kicked at that spot down below the library, with the stones and the bench? The surface isn't ideal, but I found it very zen nonetheless.
Also, you're at Abington, right? Have you kicked at that spot down below the library, with the stones and the bench? The surface isn't ideal, but I found it very zen nonetheless.
Ryan Morris
PSU crew, ECFU, Michigan Footbag, and counting.
PSU crew, ECFU, Michigan Footbag, and counting.
Re: Ivan I's Footblog
No, I haven't bothered to play here yet. I'll check the spot out for sure. God knows I could use a bit more Zen when I shred.
Re: Ivan I's Footblog
Played Net with Zach for close to 5 hours today. Had an absurd amount of fun. Then went fishing for perch (also had a lot of fun). Then dug through Zach's fabric collection (yep, you guessed it, fun). Pretty damn good day if you ask me. Didn't play any hacky, but it's okay, I'll be sure to shred Monday/ Wednesday.
As for Net... I learned a few things about my (very young) game. I have a consistent toe serve that I can rely on in pressure situations. I can spike/toe push the bag surprisingly well, without expending too much effort. I can retrieve most (intermediate level) serves, as long as I'm focused and not lazy. Proper net shoes make net very enjoyable.
And before Alan has to ban me from this forum, freestyle footbag is still my favorite underground sport. I intend to compete in open circle at ECFC and get my ass handed to me on a cracked plastic plate with a side of ownage. That's fine by me, if I have fun.
As for Net... I learned a few things about my (very young) game. I have a consistent toe serve that I can rely on in pressure situations. I can spike/toe push the bag surprisingly well, without expending too much effort. I can retrieve most (intermediate level) serves, as long as I'm focused and not lazy. Proper net shoes make net very enjoyable.
And before Alan has to ban me from this forum, freestyle footbag is still my favorite underground sport. I intend to compete in open circle at ECFC and get my ass handed to me on a cracked plastic plate with a side of ownage. That's fine by me, if I have fun.
Re: Ivan I's Footblog
It's been almost a month since my last post, and for that I apologize.
ECFC was grand, I got second in Intermediate singles net, and third in open doubles (because people scratched) Zach and I scored 4 points against Luc and Manu, which was an honor. I won a game in open singles. Unfortunately I did not have time to compete in freestyle as things were a bit behind schedule and I was competing in net when the freestyle comps were. I would have sucked regardless, as my legs were pretty tired.
I shredded pretty hard both days, and had a lot of fun playing both sides of the sport. Freestyle is still the shit, but net is a cool alternative if my legs fail me.
For the past month, I had a total of 3 solo sessions. The first two were horrific and I hated playing. Hence their rarity. I wasn't planning to kick today, but right before dinner I decided it needed to happen and headed out to Wentz. The basketball courts are being resurfaced (YES!) so I played in the pagoda. I was really out of shape and inconsistent. Despite that, I was surprised with the trick quality and execution when I managed to get past dropping toes and clippers.
Blizzard has replaced Stepping Far Legover as my stepping bail. BS. Fuck Yeah.
Stepping SS Mirage > Drifter > Spinning Clipper BSOS (first try, what?)
Flip Quantum is back. Fuck Yeah.
Toe Blur B2B
Quantum Drifter (strong only)
Toe Grifter BSOS
So apparently not playing for a few weeks is good for me. I haven't been able to do flip quantum sets since my injury, as I tend to push off really hard with my dexing foot and up till today I never really felt comfortable doing that. Today that mental barrier just wasn't there when I tried quantums. Finally got toe blur back to back. Definitely shaky and inconsistent, but I can't express how much of a relief it is that I have that area of my game back.
I THE-d the shit out of my first furious sets. Never could understand them, but last week as I was falling asleep I finally realized how I need to move my foot. Random. Wasn't too hard to do it today, the timing and set strength needs to be refined before I can hit one. The attempts were equal on both sides.
My CNC machine is nearing completion. For now the goal is to use it as a laser cutter / milling router, but it would be incredibly easy to make it into a 3d printer as well. Last Sunday marked 4 years to the day that I purchased the first parts for that project. I don't think I've ever been more excited to come home from work/class and work on something.
Overall a fantastic day. Not sure why, but I'm super happy right now. Not gonna last forever, but I'll record it for those days when I feel like crap.
ECFC was grand, I got second in Intermediate singles net, and third in open doubles (because people scratched) Zach and I scored 4 points against Luc and Manu, which was an honor. I won a game in open singles. Unfortunately I did not have time to compete in freestyle as things were a bit behind schedule and I was competing in net when the freestyle comps were. I would have sucked regardless, as my legs were pretty tired.
I shredded pretty hard both days, and had a lot of fun playing both sides of the sport. Freestyle is still the shit, but net is a cool alternative if my legs fail me.
For the past month, I had a total of 3 solo sessions. The first two were horrific and I hated playing. Hence their rarity. I wasn't planning to kick today, but right before dinner I decided it needed to happen and headed out to Wentz. The basketball courts are being resurfaced (YES!) so I played in the pagoda. I was really out of shape and inconsistent. Despite that, I was surprised with the trick quality and execution when I managed to get past dropping toes and clippers.
Blizzard has replaced Stepping Far Legover as my stepping bail. BS. Fuck Yeah.
Stepping SS Mirage > Drifter > Spinning Clipper BSOS (first try, what?)
Flip Quantum is back. Fuck Yeah.
Toe Blur B2B
Quantum Drifter (strong only)
Toe Grifter BSOS
So apparently not playing for a few weeks is good for me. I haven't been able to do flip quantum sets since my injury, as I tend to push off really hard with my dexing foot and up till today I never really felt comfortable doing that. Today that mental barrier just wasn't there when I tried quantums. Finally got toe blur back to back. Definitely shaky and inconsistent, but I can't express how much of a relief it is that I have that area of my game back.
I THE-d the shit out of my first furious sets. Never could understand them, but last week as I was falling asleep I finally realized how I need to move my foot. Random. Wasn't too hard to do it today, the timing and set strength needs to be refined before I can hit one. The attempts were equal on both sides.
My CNC machine is nearing completion. For now the goal is to use it as a laser cutter / milling router, but it would be incredibly easy to make it into a 3d printer as well. Last Sunday marked 4 years to the day that I purchased the first parts for that project. I don't think I've ever been more excited to come home from work/class and work on something.
Overall a fantastic day. Not sure why, but I'm super happy right now. Not gonna last forever, but I'll record it for those days when I feel like crap.
Re: Ivan I's Footblog
I approve of this post.isirc10 wrote:
Blizzard has replaced Stepping Far Legover as my stepping bail. BS. Fuck Yeah.
Stepping SS Mirage > Drifter > Spinning Clipper BSOS (first try, what?)
Flip Quantum is back. Fuck Yeah.
Toe Blur B2B
Quantum Drifter (strong only)
Toe Grifter BSOS
To step up that second link, try Toe Drifter > Stepping SS Mirage > Repeat
I hate bad form and I'm a hypocrite.
Vojta
Vojta
Re: Ivan I's Footblog
Thanks man! I gave your link a try yesterday, got it, but it was sloppy. Definitely a good one to get better at. The session was pretty mediocre in general, aside from the fact that I finally got flip DLO to cooperate. Toe, and clipper. Hit around 40-50 of them to solidify the gain, so hopefully they stick around. It's nice to fill a hole that's been around for almost 3 years.
Oh, I went on a short hike today. Leaves are starting to turn to their brilliant fall colors. I don't usually get a chance to appreciate the colors of fall, but I intend to be out and about this year with my camera, hopefully get some nice shots.
Oh, I went on a short hike today. Leaves are starting to turn to their brilliant fall colors. I don't usually get a chance to appreciate the colors of fall, but I intend to be out and about this year with my camera, hopefully get some nice shots.
Re: Ivan I's Footblog
Oh Ivan. What have you gotten yourself into...
Lol, monthly modified footblog update: I'm slackin. Footbag has been alright to me. I'm playing about once a week, and am just thankful I can get two hours to myself where I can zone out on life and focus on the simple task of keeping the bag off the ground. Went through a period of worrying knee pain after sessions, changed the way I attack whirls, drifters and doubledowns, and the past two weeks I've been able to push pretty hard without any hint of pain. Too early to celebrate, but I'm cautiously optimistic. I'm out of shape and can't play past 15 contacts... only real highlight as of late was:
Atomic Drifter BS
https://instagram.com/p/8ghrXfiaor/
PDX whirls and (normal) DLOs are seeing a resurgence as well.
I'm excited to work on some video Ken sent me. It's past time to make something good.
LIFE.
Hit a few emotional blips, but overall it looks like the worst is behind me.
Went to the Franklin Institute twice in the past month. First trip was to see a Lego art exhibit. I was skeptical at first, but by the end of the exhibit, the artist had me convinced that he was absolutely mental and a genius. Nathan Sawaya. Keep playing with Legos my friend.
Second trip I went stargazing. Saw Saturn, like, fucking real Saturn. not just a picture... the actual light hitting my eyeballs had traveled hundreds of thousands of miles through space. Learned about constellations and navigation via stars. Figured out the cardinal directions using only the stars. Saw star cluster M52 through a pair of binoculars, all from the roof of a building in central Philly. Left inspired, amazed and humbled.
Modified, meet Jennifer. No, I don't have a girlfriend (that would be weird and unexpected, eh?) Jen is my CNC platform, finally "finished". Now I'm working on the different attachment heads - the laser cutter is priority, though the router will be mounted soon after. I've already got a pen/pencil attachment that works to my satisfaction. More on Jen in a later post. Two days ago I was a fucking idiot and hooked up the laser diode backwards and poof. A $45 smoke cloud. That was humbling. (Oh, look at me, I built my own laser cutter - Fuck you, you hooked up the red wire to negative, and the black wire to positive, you dipshit. You deserve to live off bananas and ramen for the next two weeks if you want another diode)
Work has been a roller coaster ride. A few weeks ago there was a major bug in one of the products we delivered to a client, it had to do with a mistake in documentation given to us at the onset of the project. Somehow, I was tasked with fixing it (there was another release coming up, so everyone else was occupied) so I worked two insane days to get a patch out. Then things went back to normal, which is still a bit crazy but really fun. Out of nowhere, I got a bonus and a new laptop. Well, damn, that's awfully nice of you calcfocus! This laptop is stupid good, lightweight and overspec'ed for anything I would do at work. Hell yeah. 13.3" screen with a resolution of 3200x1800... what am I to do with all of those pixels? 12gb ram? SSD? Core i7? Yes please.
Tomorrow is my mental recoup day - going hiking, might get some timelapse shots and just chill out and think about life. Sunday I'll be playing with Zach. Thanks for reading. In summary:
Lol, monthly modified footblog update: I'm slackin. Footbag has been alright to me. I'm playing about once a week, and am just thankful I can get two hours to myself where I can zone out on life and focus on the simple task of keeping the bag off the ground. Went through a period of worrying knee pain after sessions, changed the way I attack whirls, drifters and doubledowns, and the past two weeks I've been able to push pretty hard without any hint of pain. Too early to celebrate, but I'm cautiously optimistic. I'm out of shape and can't play past 15 contacts... only real highlight as of late was:
Atomic Drifter BS
https://instagram.com/p/8ghrXfiaor/
PDX whirls and (normal) DLOs are seeing a resurgence as well.
I'm excited to work on some video Ken sent me. It's past time to make something good.
LIFE.
Hit a few emotional blips, but overall it looks like the worst is behind me.
Went to the Franklin Institute twice in the past month. First trip was to see a Lego art exhibit. I was skeptical at first, but by the end of the exhibit, the artist had me convinced that he was absolutely mental and a genius. Nathan Sawaya. Keep playing with Legos my friend.
Second trip I went stargazing. Saw Saturn, like, fucking real Saturn. not just a picture... the actual light hitting my eyeballs had traveled hundreds of thousands of miles through space. Learned about constellations and navigation via stars. Figured out the cardinal directions using only the stars. Saw star cluster M52 through a pair of binoculars, all from the roof of a building in central Philly. Left inspired, amazed and humbled.
Modified, meet Jennifer. No, I don't have a girlfriend (that would be weird and unexpected, eh?) Jen is my CNC platform, finally "finished". Now I'm working on the different attachment heads - the laser cutter is priority, though the router will be mounted soon after. I've already got a pen/pencil attachment that works to my satisfaction. More on Jen in a later post. Two days ago I was a fucking idiot and hooked up the laser diode backwards and poof. A $45 smoke cloud. That was humbling. (Oh, look at me, I built my own laser cutter - Fuck you, you hooked up the red wire to negative, and the black wire to positive, you dipshit. You deserve to live off bananas and ramen for the next two weeks if you want another diode)
Work has been a roller coaster ride. A few weeks ago there was a major bug in one of the products we delivered to a client, it had to do with a mistake in documentation given to us at the onset of the project. Somehow, I was tasked with fixing it (there was another release coming up, so everyone else was occupied) so I worked two insane days to get a patch out. Then things went back to normal, which is still a bit crazy but really fun. Out of nowhere, I got a bonus and a new laptop. Well, damn, that's awfully nice of you calcfocus! This laptop is stupid good, lightweight and overspec'ed for anything I would do at work. Hell yeah. 13.3" screen with a resolution of 3200x1800... what am I to do with all of those pixels? 12gb ram? SSD? Core i7? Yes please.
Tomorrow is my mental recoup day - going hiking, might get some timelapse shots and just chill out and think about life. Sunday I'll be playing with Zach. Thanks for reading. In summary:
- Ryan_Morris
- Multidex Master
- Posts: 287
- Joined: 15 May 2013 18:04
Re: Ivan I's Footblog
"The reason there's smog in Los Angeles is 'cause if we could see the stars, if we could see the context of the universe, in which we exist, we could see how small each one of us is against the vastness of what we don't know."
Which reminds me, how the hell can you see stars in Philly?
Which reminds me, how the hell can you see stars in Philly?
Ryan Morris
PSU crew, ECFU, Michigan Footbag, and counting.
PSU crew, ECFU, Michigan Footbag, and counting.
Re: Ivan I's Footblog
That line is fantastic. How do you see stars standing on a roof, surrounded by a cluster of lit up skyscrapers? I have no idea. But we saw them, even better than if we were in the 'burbs. It was also perfectly clear out, so that helped. Granted, it wasn't as pronounced as State College or even farther out, but it was cool nevertheless.
Re: Ivan I's Footblog
Still alive, still playing once a week.
The weird and unexpected is becoming the standard, I have a girlfriend (though it's unofficial on all social media channels, Modified exclusive for y'all)
Oh, I also wrote a short memory story-type thing for creative writing class I'd like to share with whoever cares to read it. You guys were there for me when I was going through some tough times, and here is a bit of my reflection on it. Still untitled:
The echoes of the thundering green behemoth traveled along the ridge, absorbed by the stifling evergreen forest blanketing the valley. The order had been issued, the line was closed. No more ferocious diesel growl, no more soul searching flange squeal along the bend. The polished rails ceased to quiver under the tractive power of the beast leading the charge up the grade. One winter passed and the rail tops lost their shine; two winters covered the smooth surface with pitted rust. Three winters passed and crews tore up the line for scrap, leaving behind a strip of ballast as a reminder that man and machine once ruled this barren forest valley. A single sign was put up by the bridge reading: “Опасноть! Не ходить!”. The sign was redundant; even the slightest caress of wind made the structure sway as if it was on the verge of collapse.
Three figures appeared in the clearing where the forest swallowed the old tracks, the rusted railroad trestle their destination. They looked to be in their mid-teens, two boys and a girl. Their progress was labored, as the climb to the abandoned grade was obstructed by nature’s attempts to reclaim her land. The skinny profiles of the boys were hunched over, bearing the weight of the packs on their back. The girl carried herself with an air of quiet confidence, belying the heft of her load. Slowly, they trudged past the sign prohibiting their presence on the bridge. In the company of trillions of slender fir needles, the occasional startled songbird and the gurgling stream below, nobody would be there to tell their parents.
A path of crushed rock, tinged with two streaks of rust where the rails lay, led the adventurers to the concrete embankment. Here, the valley fell away at such a dizzying slope that even the trees gave way to smaller brush, unable to cling to the steep, rocky terrain. A mix of razor sharp thorns and bountiful berry plants greeted the unfortunate individual who lost their footing. An occasional rustling of leaves served as a reminder that this was the Russian wilderness: full of bears, snakes and unexploded ordnance from the 900 day siege of Leningrad. None of this deterred the young group as they were determined to experience their own brand of excitement.
Brushing aside a wisp of chestnut hair that had liberated itself from the loose weave of her ponytail, the girl set down a thick coil of elastic cord. The boys followed in suit, heaving their packs onto the narrow strip of concrete marking the end of the embankment. After taking a moment to stretch the tired muscles in their backs, they cautiously stepped onto the trestle. The girl stayed behind, nervously picking at the cluster of blueberries growing to her left. This wasn’t an act of chivalry, but merely a well rehearsed routine, practiced to perfection. The boys stepped fearlessly, perhaps foolishly, across the gaps where the rotted ties had collapsed and plummeted down to the rocks below. At that moment, the bonds of friendship were stronger than the thirty millimeter thick rivet plates holding the span anchored above the stream. Every step tested the integrity of the bridge, and despite several alarming groans, it repaid their faith with a reassuring resilience under their feet.
Having reached the middle of the span some seventy paces out, the boys turned back, satisfied that the structure would hold. Here, two consecutive vertical frames had collapsed, creating the perfect column of air for their entertainment. A calm exchange of words was interrupted by a momentary silence as they retraced their steps over the broken ties. The girl smiled, relieved to see her friends back to the relative safety of the concrete pad. The group unpacked their bags, stepped into modified surplus parachute harnesses and made sure the elastic cord was coiled properly. The boys, one blond the other dark haired, hoisted ungainly burlap sacks on their backs. Repeating the routine, three friends made their way to the middle of the span, carefully steadying themselves on the partially collapsed railing hanging to the left of the tracks.
Working as a single unit, they secured one end of the cord to the center I-beam of the trestle and the other to the burlap sack serving as a dummy weight. A cautious nudge sent the bag of rocks off the side of the trestle, the carefully coiled rope trailing it with a vicious velocity. The bag hurtled towards the stream below. At the very last moment, the elastic cord pulled taut, evoking a loud groan from the tie plates holding the I-beam fast. The bag decelerated, stopping a few feet short of the ground below, and began a series of damped oscillations. The jump was safe. The blond boy would jump first, followed by the taller, dark-haired fellow. The girl would go last. They would return home walking three abreast, their faces flushed with the excitement of ones who learned how to fly.
The short St. Petersburg summer passed and the valley grew silent again. Two summers went by, and flooding took out a third vertical support from the trestle, yet the structure endured. Nobody jumped from its unsteady heights, nobody dared step on the rusty beams to see if they could still repay human trust with unwavering support underfoot. Seven summers passed, and the girl with chestnut hair returned alone. She didn’t test the structure, nor the elastic cord. There was no harness to stop her. Her friends weren’t there to smile at, yet she smiled at the endless rows of pines anyway, before bidding them farewell.
The bridge collapsed a year later, leaving three pilings standing in loving memory of those who forged their everlasting friendship in freefalling flight.
And on that note, it's late and I have work tomorrow. I'll be back, modified. I promise.
The weird and unexpected is becoming the standard, I have a girlfriend (though it's unofficial on all social media channels, Modified exclusive for y'all)
Oh, I also wrote a short memory story-type thing for creative writing class I'd like to share with whoever cares to read it. You guys were there for me when I was going through some tough times, and here is a bit of my reflection on it. Still untitled:
The echoes of the thundering green behemoth traveled along the ridge, absorbed by the stifling evergreen forest blanketing the valley. The order had been issued, the line was closed. No more ferocious diesel growl, no more soul searching flange squeal along the bend. The polished rails ceased to quiver under the tractive power of the beast leading the charge up the grade. One winter passed and the rail tops lost their shine; two winters covered the smooth surface with pitted rust. Three winters passed and crews tore up the line for scrap, leaving behind a strip of ballast as a reminder that man and machine once ruled this barren forest valley. A single sign was put up by the bridge reading: “Опасноть! Не ходить!”. The sign was redundant; even the slightest caress of wind made the structure sway as if it was on the verge of collapse.
Three figures appeared in the clearing where the forest swallowed the old tracks, the rusted railroad trestle their destination. They looked to be in their mid-teens, two boys and a girl. Their progress was labored, as the climb to the abandoned grade was obstructed by nature’s attempts to reclaim her land. The skinny profiles of the boys were hunched over, bearing the weight of the packs on their back. The girl carried herself with an air of quiet confidence, belying the heft of her load. Slowly, they trudged past the sign prohibiting their presence on the bridge. In the company of trillions of slender fir needles, the occasional startled songbird and the gurgling stream below, nobody would be there to tell their parents.
A path of crushed rock, tinged with two streaks of rust where the rails lay, led the adventurers to the concrete embankment. Here, the valley fell away at such a dizzying slope that even the trees gave way to smaller brush, unable to cling to the steep, rocky terrain. A mix of razor sharp thorns and bountiful berry plants greeted the unfortunate individual who lost their footing. An occasional rustling of leaves served as a reminder that this was the Russian wilderness: full of bears, snakes and unexploded ordnance from the 900 day siege of Leningrad. None of this deterred the young group as they were determined to experience their own brand of excitement.
Brushing aside a wisp of chestnut hair that had liberated itself from the loose weave of her ponytail, the girl set down a thick coil of elastic cord. The boys followed in suit, heaving their packs onto the narrow strip of concrete marking the end of the embankment. After taking a moment to stretch the tired muscles in their backs, they cautiously stepped onto the trestle. The girl stayed behind, nervously picking at the cluster of blueberries growing to her left. This wasn’t an act of chivalry, but merely a well rehearsed routine, practiced to perfection. The boys stepped fearlessly, perhaps foolishly, across the gaps where the rotted ties had collapsed and plummeted down to the rocks below. At that moment, the bonds of friendship were stronger than the thirty millimeter thick rivet plates holding the span anchored above the stream. Every step tested the integrity of the bridge, and despite several alarming groans, it repaid their faith with a reassuring resilience under their feet.
Having reached the middle of the span some seventy paces out, the boys turned back, satisfied that the structure would hold. Here, two consecutive vertical frames had collapsed, creating the perfect column of air for their entertainment. A calm exchange of words was interrupted by a momentary silence as they retraced their steps over the broken ties. The girl smiled, relieved to see her friends back to the relative safety of the concrete pad. The group unpacked their bags, stepped into modified surplus parachute harnesses and made sure the elastic cord was coiled properly. The boys, one blond the other dark haired, hoisted ungainly burlap sacks on their backs. Repeating the routine, three friends made their way to the middle of the span, carefully steadying themselves on the partially collapsed railing hanging to the left of the tracks.
Working as a single unit, they secured one end of the cord to the center I-beam of the trestle and the other to the burlap sack serving as a dummy weight. A cautious nudge sent the bag of rocks off the side of the trestle, the carefully coiled rope trailing it with a vicious velocity. The bag hurtled towards the stream below. At the very last moment, the elastic cord pulled taut, evoking a loud groan from the tie plates holding the I-beam fast. The bag decelerated, stopping a few feet short of the ground below, and began a series of damped oscillations. The jump was safe. The blond boy would jump first, followed by the taller, dark-haired fellow. The girl would go last. They would return home walking three abreast, their faces flushed with the excitement of ones who learned how to fly.
The short St. Petersburg summer passed and the valley grew silent again. Two summers went by, and flooding took out a third vertical support from the trestle, yet the structure endured. Nobody jumped from its unsteady heights, nobody dared step on the rusty beams to see if they could still repay human trust with unwavering support underfoot. Seven summers passed, and the girl with chestnut hair returned alone. She didn’t test the structure, nor the elastic cord. There was no harness to stop her. Her friends weren’t there to smile at, yet she smiled at the endless rows of pines anyway, before bidding them farewell.
The bridge collapsed a year later, leaving three pilings standing in loving memory of those who forged their everlasting friendship in freefalling flight.
And on that note, it's late and I have work tomorrow. I'll be back, modified. I promise.
Re: Ivan I's Footblog
Congratulations on the girlfriend. I bet you will give her some very cool gifts
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- Post Master General
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Re: Ivan I's Footblog
Good story. Pretty intense considering some of the things you have mentioned in the blog earlier this year. Sounds like things are going really well for you at the moment, good job, girlfriend, making great bags, etc etc. Great to hear!
Re: Ivan I's Footblog
That was an enjoyable read, Thanks for sharing. I've gotten to know you so much through our blogs and chats that sometimes I forget we haven't actually met yet. Cool news about the girlfriend, hope Jess doesn't get jealous.
few drills that I tried recently that I thought were right up your alley.
Atom>Tap>rp
SS Mirage>tap>rpt
Mirage>atom>rpt
few drills that I tried recently that I thought were right up your alley.
Atom>Tap>rp
SS Mirage>tap>rpt
Mirage>atom>rpt
Re: Ivan I's Footblog
Thanks for the replies guys, always a nice feeling waking up to a few emails saying someone posted to your blog
The whole relationship game brings a lot of fun challenges and opportunities, so we'll see how it goes. For now, it's a nice change of pace.
Life has been treating me well, and I intend to take advantage of the opportunities I'm given.
Kyle, I've hit most of those drills before, the tap>atom drill is a favorite when my atomics are feeling strong. I'll see if I can get any on film next time I kick. Might have one for you as well.
The whole relationship game brings a lot of fun challenges and opportunities, so we'll see how it goes. For now, it's a nice change of pace.
Life has been treating me well, and I intend to take advantage of the opportunities I'm given.
Kyle, I've hit most of those drills before, the tap>atom drill is a favorite when my atomics are feeling strong. I'll see if I can get any on film next time I kick. Might have one for you as well.
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- Egyptian Footgod
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Re: Ivan I's Footblog
the last page and a half have all been some next level shit. props especially for the hard uptime drifter moves.
glad you stuck it out through injury to elevate to this point. you've clearly been nothing but an asset to the sport so it's nice to see your highlights reaching the same levels of sickness your other hacky related endeavors have attained.
props on the girl as well, sounds like your head is in the right spot. ride the wave my friend and remember to exist in the moment and have fun.
keep it up homie. i request fusion>stepping mirage rpt for the children.
glad you stuck it out through injury to elevate to this point. you've clearly been nothing but an asset to the sport so it's nice to see your highlights reaching the same levels of sickness your other hacky related endeavors have attained.
props on the girl as well, sounds like your head is in the right spot. ride the wave my friend and remember to exist in the moment and have fun.
keep it up homie. i request fusion>stepping mirage rpt for the children.
Kevin Hogan
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Re: Ivan I's Footblog
Wow man your game has improved so much since I last saw you (come to think about it however I did not see you shred at East Coasts so the last time may be was a longer time ago than I thought.)
Your Atoms are getting crazy man. Can you do Bladerunner or Atomic far DLO now?
Your Atoms are getting crazy man. Can you do Bladerunner or Atomic far DLO now?
Re: Ivan I's Footblog
So I've been busy. What's new.
Haven't played hack in over two weeks now, that needs to change. Knees were super sore from a hike I did two weeks ago, that quite frankly I wasn't ready for. Didn't want to add footbag to the mix.
Professors have hit that part of the semester where they realize they are totally out of time and are cutting things out of the syllabus, or cramming things in. Projects are picking up. Work is steady, though I anticipate things will get stupid again in December.
Some pictures from the past few weeks:
And here's a bracelet I made for my girlfriend. She liked it, a lot. I think it turned out nice myself.
Now, back to work.
Haven't played hack in over two weeks now, that needs to change. Knees were super sore from a hike I did two weeks ago, that quite frankly I wasn't ready for. Didn't want to add footbag to the mix.
Professors have hit that part of the semester where they realize they are totally out of time and are cutting things out of the syllabus, or cramming things in. Projects are picking up. Work is steady, though I anticipate things will get stupid again in December.
Some pictures from the past few weeks:
And here's a bracelet I made for my girlfriend. She liked it, a lot. I think it turned out nice myself.
Now, back to work.