Weather:
Pleasant
Please enjoy the winter iteration of Signal.
Signal from Such Luck on Vimeo.
The music is by Andrew Green who records under the name Jungle Green.
I found out about his music from a flyer he posted on a light pole at Broadway and Foster.
All these photos were shot between December 22nd – March 19th.
I’m trying to stick to a seasonal reset.
For the past few years we’ve been getting a crew together and heading to Austin in January.
Austin is a great place to visit. Great food, House Park and No Comply, mega-Whole Foods, lots of ditches.
I need to get back down there this year to see Ellsworth Kelly’s Temple for Light. After hearing about it I immediately added it to my “must see” list.
This year we decided to go to Arizona instead.
This is my ninth year doing these trips and I wasn’t there at the beginning.
I believe it started as an AZ trip because a bunch of mid-westerners had moved down and there was a place to stay.
Even then there was a bunch of parks in a relatively small radius.
That’s only expanded. It seems like now you can drive 15 minutes and hit up a well built concrete park.
Since the last time we were there they seem to have added 3 or 4 every year.
The problem ends up being too many options.
Every day we hit at least 3 or more parks and we still didn’t get to skate everything that everybody wanted.
With a big group it’s easy to get stuck.
A couple people start trying tricks and the next thing you know a few hours have passed.
I can’t remember the exact total but at times there were more than 20 people.
When we showed up to El Mirage I complained that it was too packed and then realized that everyone in the park was from our trip.
We had blown out the session.
Pecos and El Mirage were two of my favorite parks. They both have held up well.
I was glad we got to skate a few spots too.
No pools this time but with this many people it makes it hard to be stealthy.
Lots of thanks to Buzzy, Tim and Ari for taking the time to take us around.
The skate scene in Arizona is pretty outstanding and there was so much I didn’t get to do.
Places to skate, friends to see, adventures to have.
I’ve been there a handful of times and I’ve still never made it to Tucson or the Grand Canyon.
Not sure where it’ll be next year but I always look forward to the trip.
It definitely gets me through the Chicago winter.
This winter has not been terrible.
Sure we’ve had a few snowstorms.
They even cancelled school one day.
I only remember shoveling a few times though.
Not like the east coast.
I think it might snowing there right now!
Even with all my complaining I’m a big fan of winter.
It forces you to stay in and be warm.
Piles of blankets, Saturday afternoon naps, layers of clothing, chili in the crockpot.
When it’s nice out I feel like I’m wasting the day by not being outside and moving.
This winter I’ve tried to focus on reading and making things.
I’ve been working on a larger project that should be done this fall but the other thing I’ve been spending time doing is collage work.
It appeals to a number of things I like about art.
Repetition, process, obsessiveness.
I don’t have any examples here because these are all random film pics.
This has resulted in my hands being covered in tiny cuts all the time.
Even before this my hands had a lot of cuts.
Come to think of it I’m almost always bleeding.
Not a complaint or anything, just an observation.
This week my wife has been out of town so I’ve been holding things down.
Lot’s of cats yelling at me.
Sleeping diagonal on the bed.
I’m not in that old boys club who is always complaining about my wife.
“Take my wife please!”
I like being around my wife. That’s why I married her.
She’s awesome!
I’ve realized that I don’t really know how to make coffee.
I know the exact amount I need to grind for the two of us.
Unfortunately every time I try to alter that amount I either end up with very light coffee or some type of rocket fuel.
After trying and failing a few times I decided to make the same amount I normally brew for both of us.
Then I drink all of it.
So this week I’ve been extra caffienated.
I see that this is really long.
I probably should have edited down the photos more.
Or taken less photos.
Next time I’ll be more discerning.
I’ll take less photos.
Let’s be real that’s probably not going to happen.
What’s new with you?
You have any good summer plans?
Any trips planned?
I’ve been making my own horchata.
I grilled for the first time a few weeks back.
I’m looking forward to sitting on my back porch and smoking meats.
My new reading glasses make my eyes less fatigued.
I lost a little weight.
I think I have a bone spur.
At least that’s what I’ve self-diagnosed after doing some minimal Googling.
Whatever it is my foot hurts like the Dickens some days!
Beyond that everything is generally outstanding!
I hope things are great for you too!
If I haven’t seen you in awhile let’s get together this spring.
If you live far away send me your address and I’ll send you some mail.
If you’re tired, sleep more.
If you’re hungry, eat.
Send recipes.
Send jokes.
Thanks for reading.
I enjoyed writing it.
I look forward to 2018.
It’s going to be challenging and productive.
Time will continue to move forward.