Wasabi: M(s)+J = BLAST

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Wasabi: M(s)+J = BLAST

Post by Wasabi » 27 Aug 2005 19:51

I like this concept. People from around the world will now know the eerie happenings of Union Square, NYC. Drop by a visit, because the NYFA crew is here freestyling as always, and its pretty much the only sane thing that occurs in this popular resting spot of the city. :wink:

Saturday, 27 August 2005:

I've had a great shred today. Of course, I did have some weariness of my body due to car lag from carpooling with my business partners to our trip to Connecticut. Every Saturday I have to go, early in the morning to when the clock strikes 2 in the afternoon. Insane drivers leave me in disposition and awkward footing every time. But enough of that, since nobody, even myself, would like to explain this factor of my life over and over again, although footbag and finances strangely come into harmonic play for me occasionally.

Anyway, great shred. Bright and sunny, many people of the NYFA crew came for this Saturday session. I was much pleased. With my body sore, it took me some time to warm up, but my game was pretty much hindered until the later hours when I could at least coordinate well. I met some new faces that were a part of the NYFA crew as well, and they gave me some very good inspiration to play like them when I perform some short drills to enrich my skills. We spoke about Funtastik and some arrangements for them, and it felt like cake. The only concern there is money and transportation. Also learned proper stature to doing x-body sole, which made me giddy with joy. Now to take Jack Keller's move in learning shin stall > overhead toss > blind sole! Mwahahah!!! Soon...

However, there were much protesters today, about the politics concerning Cindy Sheehan and George Bush. This is very common in Union Square - protests I mean. They invade much of the space that NYFA use for shredding, and expect us to conform to their mass numbers. I find it somewhat annoying, as well as their consistency in receiving permits to rebel against the war in Iraq. Again, too much for me to note concerning outside of this footblog, as well as my disinterest in discussing this type of poltics, unless you want to know more of Yeti Man. And you don't want to know about Yeti Man.

We saw a man who looked distinctly like a woman when you take a good look at him. He seems to be meditating with his arms wide and his stance angelic, but his eyes and face looked zealous and mean, which gave me quite a shiver to my spine. He was also wearing a pink negligee and rocking to guitar with a portable speaker, to which the loud arguments the protesters made and the jazz band around the corner destroyed whatever music he wanted to preach out. Also, later in the day, he smeared blue paint all over his body, removed his lingerie and rocked with the protesters. He even layed out pretty hearts of chalk on the cement ground to show his evil love.

... The jazz band rocked, but they kept playing the same shindig over and over, which grew boring along with the protesters.

Late in the day and the majority of us grew exhausted of shredding. The sun was whimsical as it hid within the clouds, but it soon knew its role and went beddy-bye in a few minutes. I seem to have lost my cheap $1 dollar towel through my trip in getting Jamba Juice. People also grew tired of the protesting, the jazz band left, and people around became interested in freestyling in our tired state. I even sold a perfectly new Mr. Sandbag for $8 to a fellow admirer, but due to my exhaustion I couldn't figure out the math without exact change (so he was given a full-blown price of $7). We spoke of Takraw and the like for the next five minutes, and he went on his merry way. Wrapping it up, Bruce was cracking jokes, Rizz showed collective coolness, Alex was quiet, Ted was Ted, and Stan kept showing his "guns" and sexy ass to all of us - to which melted us all like butter is to a hot knife. He was also very smelly from drilling his moves.

It was a great day at Union Square. :o
Last edited by Wasabi on 10 Jun 2010 09:15, edited 94 times in total.
Waylon Lew - maker of Wasabi bags
NYFA represent.
"Footbag can be pretty frustrating when it's supposed to be fun. I was partly driven by this forum - practice, practice, practice... As that is true, I think someone can be too focused on progressing and training that they miss the fun aspect of it." - Bander87

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Post by Outsider » 27 Aug 2005 20:20

Word to the NYFA.
"The time has come to convert the unbelievers..."

Jonathan Schneider --- sometimes showers with his Lavers on (to clean them)
The Ministry of Silly Walks
NYFA
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Post by C-Fan » 28 Aug 2005 04:31

NYFA... fuck yeah.

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Post by Wasabi » 30 Aug 2005 20:51

Nice to see again Jon, and its good to hear from you Ken. Wish I had met you sooner, before you made that trip to Japan a couple of years ago. Some day, some day...

NYFA rocks.

Tuesday, 30 August 2005:

Began college just yesterday and dealing with the bulk of my classes today. I find them truly boring, and wish to kick outside while I listen in on the boring lectures of 'Sociology of the Family' and 'Abnormal Psychology.' Being away from Union Square, the usual 14th St. Plaza shindig, and being stuffed into a room full of other people who care less about footbag all the way at 68 St., Hunter College is just too bizarre. And I thought seeing several lightsaber duels at Union Square was weird when Episode III finally came out - I was so wrong to think otherwise. As I heard about Social Structures for one class and Dysfunctional Behavior for the other, I just kept in mind on how to perform a proper DLO, and of course, to better my clippers, moving my legs while I remained seated.

Exhausted from studies, I finally come out in this damp day, at the usual open area or quad near the subway station of the college. Many people smoke here, and I have to agree that I get my cravings for the tobacco, but I shrug it off in a just manner. Or rather, I best ignore the craving since I have no money to purchase a pack of my own, and asking people for cigarettes just feels wrong when you overdo it. Anyway, I quit for almost a year now, so its all good. "Hacky-sackers" reign supreme here, so from what I experienced in my summer I should enlighten my fellow colleagues of new tricks I've gathered.

Impressed, yes, but self-serving to them seems like an ungodly sin. Blasphemy, they call me a heretic for self-serving to perform a trick again, whereas I had wanted to see if I can successfully accomplish said trick without flaw (overhead toss > blind sole). They even make the suggestion of taking me out of the circle, though they forget that its my bag that they are using. Instead, for a long duration, I find myself standing as I watch my Mr. Sandbag get kicked around like its a limp bag with no meaning or soul. What tricks are performed? Where are those precious adds that it craves? Its like Oliver Twist asking for more porridge. It was a sad day for myself and my Mr. Sandbag, just because of a silly rule of etiquette, miniscule as it is. I can't vouch for them anyway, since all the kickers there have had their brain cells diminished by the green beauty known as "Ghanj" or "Mary Jane." So there is no point in wanting them to improve unless they see it under my light, but hopefully I can give it some time. Its still early in the year, so I'll just suffice to them with those simple kicks and having them waste more than 30 seconds on what to do with that toe stall they have there. :|

However, the day has not been in vain. Luckily, a child was at Hunter, and he showed interest in footbag. You can say that Ted Fritsch rubbed his tutoring off on me, so I had this urge to teach this kid and inspire him in playing the sport. He agreed, but skeptical at first - which was likely for people at Union Square who was interested in kicking. So, with a Freedomfootbags flyer and a sandbag in hand, I schooled him. It took several tries, but I was very pleased with this child. Although his insides can use some work, his toe kicks were AMAZING. He did 3-4 toe kicks with the same foot, flawless, and showed me off again with 2-3 afterwards. I believe he even knew how to do a toe stall as well! This is definitely one of those times I have to thank Ted for telling me how to teach footbag, because it really payed off. And the kid didn't look like he even reached puberty yet. I was very much pleased, and his mother was a very nice lady as well. I hope he sticks with it, because motivation is a key to success. And it better be, because I gave him the first Mr. Sandbag I've ever purchased, one that was glued by Paul Mestas and fully broken in.

So, in turn, I was beat from shredding and tutoring, and grabbed a snack. I forgot to mention that people are impressed by my new look, as I originally had long hair, feministic treatly by myself for a year. Now as I enetered this new year, I have a trendy new haircut, and so everyone I meet is pleased, as am I. And as i shred, I see women see me in a whole different light. Must be my leg movement and pulsating muscular calfs. This is a definite plus subjectively, but I doubt I can deal with Stans guns or Bruce's impenetrable six-pack.

I miss Union Square. All the best for Thursday when I come to shred, Saturday if we do, and the rest of Labor Day weekend for Funtastik.
Waylon Lew - maker of Wasabi bags
NYFA represent.
"Footbag can be pretty frustrating when it's supposed to be fun. I was partly driven by this forum - practice, practice, practice... As that is true, I think someone can be too focused on progressing and training that they miss the fun aspect of it." - Bander87

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Post by C-Fan » 31 Aug 2005 16:38

Getting hackey slackers interested in footbag is a worthy goal, but you have to reach out to them by finding common ground. Dont go into a slacker circle and expect everybody to conform to footbag rules (give backs, pass to the left, etc). I find it best to join a slacker circle, kick casually with everybody, and forge a nice bond before I start doing some easy tiltless tricks. If they show interest, then I mention footbag. If not, I just continue casually kicking.

And no-self-serving is an important rule, both in hacky and footbag. If you are going into a slacker circle, you should be the best player there, and so you need to set the example.

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Post by DoctorJay » 01 Sep 2005 13:12

Nice to see that you found a blog !

I am really curious to read some stuff about New York and the scene over there.

Shred on
Jochen Bauer

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http://www.paradoxfeet.de

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http://www.jochen-bauer.net

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Post by Wasabi » 01 Sep 2005 21:04

C-Fan wrote:Getting hackey slackers interested in footbag is a worthy goal, but you have to reach out to them by finding common ground. Dont go into a slacker circle and expect everybody to conform to footbag rules (give backs, pass to the left, etc). I find it best to join a slacker circle, kick casually with everybody, and forge a nice bond before I start doing some easy tiltless tricks. If they show interest, then I mention footbag. If not, I just continue casually kicking.

And no-self-serving is an important rule, both in hacky and footbag. If you are going into a slacker circle, you should be the best player there, and so you need to set the example.
I suppose Ken. Its just that when you get used to something for more than two months its hard to get back into old habits. I'll be sure to conform to circle kicking while performing awesome tricks to impress the masses, and speak about footbag when they're interested. I've taught plenty of kids and adults these days on how to do some tricks after the making of this blog, so that's pleasing at the very least. I've even made mention of NYFA if they're interested to further their skills in this sport as well. As an added plus, they know for sure that I'm a great player, and can vouch that my skills improved because of NYFA, and the general learning curve I took for some tricks.

In a way, I guess its moderation. I'm just rushing into things. With Funtastik coming this Labor Day I'm too excited to think about normal circle-kicking and putting my focus towards a proper 4-square freestyle circle. Anyway, its all good, and it was only for that one day that I went nitpicky on it.

Now for a short blog for 31 August 2005:

Wore a suit today. Freaked out my college colleagues. I guess I forgot to mention to them that I work in finances, and that my office had to make an Open House meeting for new recruits to close in on August (usually, the meetings are on Thursdays, making today an exception). For the Hackey Slackers that were stunned at me wearing a suit, they were even more so when I went shredding in their circle and pulling off some nice tricks in dress shoes. And, I have to surprisingly say, it amazed me as well. Here's how it went: several toe delays to warm myself up > mirage > mirage > clipper > x-cross body sole> butterfly > flipside osis - for the close. They all cheered and screamed "It must be the suit! OMG!" and for a minute I thought the same. Not for the generic tricks I managed to pull off amazingly in a suit, but the flipside osis. I'm still surprised that I managed to pull that off, and even so with my short shorts and Rod Lavers I can't understand the method into doing an osis. Especially for my flipside. It was probably one of those "once in a lifetime" moments, but I'm getting there. My Osises on my good leg is going along somewhat well, I guess.

All in all, I was sweating in my suit and managed to give it some unneeded wrinkles. It was still pretty good to build up my street cred in this sport around college though. Especially in a pimpin' suit.
Waylon Lew - maker of Wasabi bags
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"Footbag can be pretty frustrating when it's supposed to be fun. I was partly driven by this forum - practice, practice, practice... As that is true, I think someone can be too focused on progressing and training that they miss the fun aspect of it." - Bander87

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Post by Wasabi » 06 Sep 2005 22:38

I'm remembering in fragments, so I doubt this will be in chronological order. Bear with me on this (and I'm still awful with names as always).

Labor Day Weekend, 3-5 September 2005

[Saturday]

Gather around and read this story well, as Funtastik was merely what it was meant to be - freakin' FANTASTIC. The expenses were worth it, and I enjoyed my trip there. Car lag was a big bummer for me on the first day, but I managed to do some nice tricks to pass along the day. Met Dan "The Man" Johnson of the Eerie crew, and although he was a bit intimidating at first, I loved socilaizing with him. His sense of humour was perfect for me to ease up in Morrison Park at Harrisburg (even showed him a really nice blind sole to his broken in Fuzzy Alpha, just to bless it :wink:) Met with a lot of great freestylers as well, though be it I was shy at first (I guess I needed alcohol and some weed to loosen me up for that one night :) ). Matt Cross and Jack Keller are great people to socialize with, just to add. Peter Irish was there and I shared a hit of weed with him, making great compliments in his work on the DVD "Fourkast." :)African drums really set the whole feeling into place at their stay in the Host Hotel, as though I was there and accepted in their after party. It was very open and homely - while the dacquiris were just killer and translucent. :twisted:

Also, me, Alex and Pascal of the NYFA crew (as well as two others I'm pretty sure I'm forgetting their names) went to the local Eat'n'Park to get some munchies for the night. Decent place I suppose, I loved the design of it all. Anyway, with our orders made we socialized openly with many a good jokes and weird stories we had to pass along the time. Pretty wicked. Of course, that wasn't the best part of our lives, and you'll have to be there - the waitress dropped our food as she was going to serve it to us (aside from Pascal's, since she served it to him first). Anyway, with our food on the floor those appetizers we ordered before our main meal didn't seem all too important compared to the cheese steak that he ordered. Of course, I made the suggestion of eating off the floor, but my comrades restricted me from doing so. Plus, I was sitting between two others to even reach for food aside from the fallen fries that were near my feet. 5 second rule and the night was young, so give me a break on this will ya? :wink:

[Sunday]

Woke up with a hangover and a sore body. Translucent dacquiris and a few hits of weed can do that to you, but it was alright. I remember having a faint taste of Honey Brown beer on my tongue as I woke up. Anyway, it was good to see the active NYFA crew in full force together as we went to the new site. It was pretty amazing - net, freestyle, people of all skills and manners - it was great. Not Morrison/Sunshine Park, but playing in the middle of the street was pretty awesome. Heard some stories in my after-party daze that of which I'm still thinking whether it was great of me to miss it or not. Like Matt Cross projectile vomitting on the bathroom wall, which for some reason stood out pretty well in my memory as one of the stories I've heard of Jack's party. Dunno why, but it might be because I couldn't read Matt as one to be extremely inebriated that night. Maybe extremely high from the weed, but not drunk. Who knows? I just know I wasn't there to witness it. :P

So back to the new site. The Net Competition was pretty awesome, as is the Ironman/Superman competitions. The one truly remarkable thing that I remember that day was Jack Keller schooling me on how to do proper shin stalls, and how to properly set them to do Sole Stealer. Definitely hard, as my body was still a bit sore, but Jack was pretty amazing to work off the alcohol he drank at the party. He forced me on working on those shins even more, and I guess I submitted to his sagely whim. :wink: Couldn't have met a better guy.

Great players came and strut their stuff as far as I can remember that day. Just to name a few - Jon Schneider for his amazing coordination and control on both sides, Greg "The Smoothie" Neilson for his jaw-dropping routine with jazz music, Peter Irish with his routine with classical music that just left me wanting more, Nate Pipenburg for his amazing skills at the age of 14 and stitching pretty awesome bags along the way. Steve Goldberg was killer at 4-square (at first I misinterpretated what this game was, but now I know). Josh Benham (sp?) was a pretty cool and easy guy, and I regret not talking to him as much as I had wanted to. Adrian was a pretty kickass shredder, and I was pretty happy to shred with her briefly (I think she was Dan's partner at Net yesterday). She had a routine that really stood out with her choice in music - I totally loved it. And there were a lot of Johns that I keep forgetting to note. One was from Chicago and another downed plenty of Budweiser 40s as night came. Poor memory has struck me again, but I know faces pretty well. Must be the amount of beer I drank that night, but I felt easy to remember someone nailing a paradox ducking x-body rake, to which me and Steve helped him in performing that move. Or was it on a whim that he nailed it? :? Anyway, it was pretty freakin' awesome. I also saw and learned some of the movements for moves that came that night, and was pretty thankful to learn the names of them as well since I keep forgetting. Thanks Steve and Stan (of NYFA).

[Monday]

Woke up pretty early, I guess. Went to eat breakfast eating a meatless meal for once (or what Alex calls a meaningless waste of chewing). Anyway, I was hoping for Raspberries to be open so that I can have some breakfast there for only $10, but it was closed for Labor Day. Had to go to the hotel where we stayed (Crowne Plaza) and eat breakfast for $2 more. :? Having my fill and meeting up with Alex with checking out of the hotel, I went straight to the site and reaching there by 12 o'clock in the afternoon. The net competiton that was taking place was pretty awesome - extremely intense. Nothing much had happened today except to wrap up with the final competitions. Some shred happened, but I just wasn't motivated too much to kick today unlike yesterday. I guess you can say I was still in the learning phase of watching people play, examining their routines in person step by step. I was still thinking on how to do Sole Stealer as always (getting a little obsessive over it as well :P) but it was all good. Purchased a succulent Foot Fighter from Steve Goldberg personally before the finals began, so that's an added plus.

A lot of goodbyes, fairwells, and good memories to boot. It was pretty eventful to say the least, but I think I regret not getting at least one contact for the most part so that I can contact them personally. But hey, there's always the next Funtastik, and that's what I thought when the sun was setting ever so slowly down to the horizon, and that Joe and Brenda were gathering up everything to clearing the site. And with modified, I can at least have a nice chat online whenever possible with some people. I find that they're all revering in their skills in footbag, and great friends to have met at such a wonderful event. At least that's something to keep me steady for the trip back home, even with a bum calling me cheap on the L train back when I bought some donuts for my "home welcoming" from a 3 day long trip. Maybe, I'll get to meet all of you at Chilly Philly again. :o

Wrapping it up, Funtastik was great.
Waylon Lew - maker of Wasabi bags
NYFA represent.
"Footbag can be pretty frustrating when it's supposed to be fun. I was partly driven by this forum - practice, practice, practice... As that is true, I think someone can be too focused on progressing and training that they miss the fun aspect of it." - Bander87

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Post by Wasabi » 11 Sep 2005 13:13

Wednesday, 7 August 2005:

Found out we have a new person at NYFA now, Ken R. Blaney I think. Pretty awesome guy, with moves which he showed to me that seems like he should've been with this crew before I came in a few months ago. He also has a pretty witty personality, something NYFA could really use (or not, who knows? hehe). He can pull off Eclipses, and from what I've seen lately, is trying to do reverse-Eclipses as well. Hope he nails it, because falling backwards is a pretty hard thing to do. Hell, having someone actually nailing Eclipses in his usual routines is unique enough to see. Awesome. He's also the roommate of Darryl, who rarely comes in to freestyle, but I'm pretty sure he can force him out every once in awhile.

Hugh Martin (not the singer) actually moved into NYC and promises to shred with us more often with us the NYFA crew as he said he would. I want to see what Tom Mosher schooled him in when he was there at Ontario, and wish to kick with the guy for some enjoyable sessions in the future. I tried out his Mosher bag, and was a bit surprised on how stiff it was: was it really facile? Seemed like Light green/Maroon for the fabric, but I can definitely feel the filler and the special rubber pellets filled inside. I guess that's what's making it stiff and abrasive. Pretty uniform, and very pretty. I'll give it time, since its a Mosher bag. Shows much promise from a great stitcher and a great friend of Hugh.

Wrap ups on Funtastiks was pretty much what occurred. Brief explanations of what we experienced to those that didn't have the luxury to actually go that Labor Day weekend were the usual things that occurred that day. Still kind of obsessed with everything shin and blind moves, although I've been scolded plenty of times that they're a bit too advanced for me to work on now. Basics for now. Yep.

In closing, we (Bruce and myself) helped school Katya on working paradox mirage and pixie sets. I think I strained myself doing too many shins or overdoing a pixie set myself, so I wasn't much help except verbally. She nailed paradox mirage like a saint! We're so proud of her!. Although I hate to say it, she needs to do both sides. But her clippers for both sides are wonderful really so I doubt there would be any trouble for her there. Its just the timing of the sets that needs work, basically, for her or anyone else anyway.

Saturday, 10 August 2005:

Nothing much for this afternoon. Protesters swarmed Union Square like an infestation - barely making me able to see where the rest of NYFA was. It was pretty ridiculous, as though we were cornered. Whatever really, I just hope it doesn't disturb any shredding we're going to do. Personally speaking, however, I was a bit sick with a cold for the past few days and somewhat sore from playing with Hacky Slackers at the local college. They expect so much from me doing the fundamental drills that I eventually grew a bit tired of it and eventually got sick. Anyway, with this Saturday shred coming in, I wanted to work a bit more on shin and blind moves, but Rizz intervened and scolded me to keep working on the fundamentals. Apparently I can't please anyone these days, but I understand what she means. Gotta keep working on those fundamental drills, no matter how much I dislike them. Hugh explained it thoroughly to me as well, and I reluctantly agreed. I guess I'm a bit arrogant/stubborn when it comes to these things, especially when I'm sick. I feel like an idiot. :(

Anyway, moving on. Made a lot of profit selling Mr. Sandbags. Definitely a great day. I had a returning customer and she bought three Mr. Sandbags and a Sandmaster from me - totaling to $26 (3 Mr.'s for $18, Sandmaster for $8). Pretty good deal, since I usually sell the Mr.'s for $8 and Sandmasters for $12. What can I say, I have trouble dealing with pretty women. :roll: I also sold 2-3 Mr. Sandbags thereafter from people pleased at the freestyle that we were doing, making my wallet a very happy black-thing. Even with that said, however, due to Funtastiks I still have to owe Alex for my portion of the debt with bunking with him at the Crowne Plaza, plus with additional expenses in getting there. And I won't mention the approximate amount to which I owe him. <ouch> :?

Two girls wanted to learn how to kick, and we gladly helped to cheer them on and tutor them. To make explanations short, one of them had feet the size of baby-booties (much smaller than Rizz's feet!) and the other had a bit of a rough time getting how to kick correctly. They're both getting there and lookin' pretty set in kicking, so all was not in vain. Hope to see them around sometime. I also kicked around with some "Hacky Slackers" that wanted to have a fun time kicking around a Mr. Sandbag. One of them had a mouth like a maniac, cracking jokes to people with a specific sense of humour. Mostly sexual and derogatory, but I endured with the guy. Too much drama to exploit for people like him, since I meet them almost always around Huner College. However, one of them, mostly very quiet, was a pretty good shredder. I taught him how to do a butterfly since his clippers were pretty awesome, and he nailed it almost instantly. Hope to see him again in the future, and let him know about NYFA in furthering his shredding abilities.

In the end, we all abandoned Katya with her friends whom jumped on her like ninjas in the night. It was fun while it lasted, and she broke my hand when I shook her goodbye. Ouch, again. :wink:
Waylon Lew - maker of Wasabi bags
NYFA represent.
"Footbag can be pretty frustrating when it's supposed to be fun. I was partly driven by this forum - practice, practice, practice... As that is true, I think someone can be too focused on progressing and training that they miss the fun aspect of it." - Bander87

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I haven't updated this blog for shit.

Post by Wasabi » 03 Feb 2006 22:21

I think I'll start now from such a long hiatus. And I suppose I should start with New Year's at Rochester with Matt Cross' New Year's Footbag and Drumming Jam, though I can't remember anything generic from that glorious day.

The trip there was cold, with some of the NYFA crewdribving in Ted's car. It was a long trip, and Ken and I were pretty much complaining about the cold. I think i was complaining at least. Of course, some of us were using my sleeping bag as a blanket to warm up to, so it was pretty nifty. Drew was there to share his DVD player for viewing enjoyment. We all watched SICK '03 in amazement, and The Big Labowski for comedy. Ken didn't like that movie, I remembered. Really, the only thing that comes to mind during that trip was SNOW, and lost of it. Not a thought came to my mind that said that we were on the right track, but there was a shred of hope at least.

No pun intended.

Anyway, we got to the event at around 5:30 in the afternoon/evening, i think. Right on time when the event was just a warm-up session. It was cool to see old friends again here at Rochester from Funtastiks, but because of the cold trip and getting shakened from car lag, I was a bit to myself during the most part of that night. I was upset that my G-units were wet, as I wore them during the trip, and had my Lavers to use as they were dry. GOD DO I SUCK IN THEM, I thought. I couldn't pull off a simple string of butterflies and clippers with them, but I managed until my Goonitz dried off. Wet Goonitz felt a bit weird in terms of traction on that wooden floor. To tell you the truth, that floor was great to shred on, and I have mixed feelings of ever departing Rochester's Bush Mango's studio floor to this day. Always next year.

I noticed that Tom Mosher was there. I was ecstatic. THE Tom Mosher. I had to shake his hand. He's one of the few Footbag Innovators out there that have succeeded in making a name for himself. At least, that's what I think to myself. :wink: And, of course, Hugh Martin and Tom can meet once again as friends departed should. I was also itching to buy a Mosher bag, but failed to do so because of the epic demand for them by other players. Heartbroken, I think he suggested me to buy a bag from Peng, his girlfriend. I've heard great things about her craft, and went to look. Seeing that they've been together for a good amount of time in terms of footbag, her stitching should mimic Tom's method just a bit, if not better. And clearly, as she's shown me her bags, I stood beyond corrected. They were awesome, amazing, astronomical - blah blah blah. I doubt there's one word that can really define how great her bags were. She even quipped that my username was her inspiration of making a Maki bag. Of course, I couldn't pass up the chance of buying this bag, and I was very obsessed with it for the entire night - so much so that I panicked when I lost it for a minute. It was hidden in my Red Rod Lavers, those accursed yet style-fly shred shoes. A sigh of relief, and some more shred for the night.

Ken Somolinos made a surprising (:roll:) debut to Rochester, with Bruce, Stan, and Jon. I had to shake his hand as well. The guy's a legend. I was flabbergasted at his presence. What can I say to him? I don't know!!! Again, too much for words. It was a wild night, especially for competition, which made me sick-to-my-stomach excited. Definitely rad.

Also, there was regular circle-kicking there. That was pretty fun too, to see some people incorporating Capoeira into their kicking. Not sure if that's impressive in terms of skill, but it was a nice show of innovation. There was also a girl with speed in her game, which was nice to watch. The crocheted bag was decent in terms of gameplay. A kid in glasses, wearing Navy/White Mesh Rod Lavers (why do I remember this I don't know) was playing as well, and he tried to do a ducking head stall with the bag. And, he almost got kicked in the face for it when he dived an oncoming bag from across the circle. Yeouch.

Leaving Bush Mango, Ted got lost with some of the NYFA crew. We were severely pissed at Ted, but it was reasonable: Exit 15, I think, around there was closed off, and we were trying to find alternative routes in getting back on track to Matt's house. Of course, with Ted, we were driving around in circles. :? Anyway, we got to Matt's at 12:30 in the morning, pass the ball drop, and the partying ensued. Tom just began with a Mr. Sandbag tutorial, people were everywhere, and beer was an abundance. Of course, as a belated New Year's gift to Matt I gave him an aged bottle of vodka, which we then had some shots with later that night. Blushed with red, I walked with Chris Balch to his mom's car, and we departed to his hotel room for a night of rest. I hope I wasn't a burden that night if I had snored into a coma. :oops:

The next day...

To be continued tomorrow.
Waylon Lew - maker of Wasabi bags
NYFA represent.
"Footbag can be pretty frustrating when it's supposed to be fun. I was partly driven by this forum - practice, practice, practice... As that is true, I think someone can be too focused on progressing and training that they miss the fun aspect of it." - Bander87

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Post by Wasabi » 04 Feb 2006 23:14

To be brief - hangovers suck. I had a hangover the next day at Rochester, and I was feeling aches and pains around my whole body then, as I remembered. I just couldn't feel focused in playing that I just literally seemed clumsy in every way. I think everyone else was feeling the heat as well, but probably have much more experience with it in terms of footbag than I do. I just sleep in and try to function as best I can with a hangover.

At least I had a boost of protein, I would think, from the Eggs Benedict I had. Breakfast with Chris Balch and his mom was kind of cool. Good hearted people, indefinitely. I don't think I've ever had breakfast with people that I could associate well within a meal. Usually, I just finish quickly and head out - which goes the same with most of my college colleagues. Maybe it's just a NYC type of thing with breakfast. Afterwards, a chat with Chris Miller and Josh Bennum (Bizzle :!:) in our hotel room was pretty cool. Again, hangovers suck. I would've been more sociable without a drag on my conscious state of mind.

I can't say much about Bush Mango from the second day except for my rant on the hangover, but I could clearly remember that I was in dire need of Red Bull, and I think I blocked Jordan Moir's camera as he was recording his shred. :? Did I explain I was clumsy?

A good social event was gathering at Matt's house. It was swankadelic indeed, with a nice cozy atmosphere now than at the New Year's Eve party. Tom demonstrated to us all on the glorious sport known as Raquetbag, and I'm dreaming to this day about it as always. Really really cool. I wonder if it'll be cheating if you use raquets from Badminton? Of course, you wouldn't be able to pull off Nemesis with it. :wink: I think that was the key thing to do that whole night - pull off Nemesis with a raquet by inching the bag on it's edge from one side to the other. It was pretty intense.

Other than that, nothing much really. Matt was playing his guitar, some shred was occurring, watching SICK '03 on the boobtube, and stitching from Peng and Josiah Digges, I think. Uh, and I gave my lesh extramini to Tom as a gift. I doubt Chris can ever forgive me for that. :oops:, but I'm content. Also, Ken David of NYFA was annoyed by my snoring, as with some of the other NYFA crew members. Apparently, my stomach was also growling for food? Maybe it's a reaction to the Vietnamese food that I had before the gathering at Matt's, which I pretty much killed Chris' bowl of noodles when I finished mine. (Hey, he ordered double noodles and double beef and couldn't finish it.) :wink:

The next morning...

I woke up in a slump, with my body sore. I think I slept in the same position for the whole night, bound by my sleeping bag. I brushed my teeth at the kitchen sink with a spare plastic cup with water. I dumped the toothpaste that I had lost the cap to into the trash because all night it was tainted with the odor of my G-units, but Dan Cyr insisted that he wanted to use it. It's cool, I guess. I would've done the same if I needed toothpaste only to find it in the trash. :wink:

Breakfast at Southwedge Diner was awesome. Cheap prices for a crazy amount of food. I'm loving Rochester even more. I was given a fair warning about the Southwedge Skillet, so I just asked for french toast, bacon and home fries. Oh, and the waitress was HOT. Oh man, some of the lewd comments were making. "Lewd"... This gives me an idea, and I'll talk about it sometime later in this Blog topic.

Anyway, more socializing, weed, and a lot of footbags! Pics were taken in an orgy of a bag gathering on Matt's living room floor. And so, with this, Ted came in with Edna, which then gave us the sign for departure. A rush to pack began, giving Matt a huge hug and warm farewells to all. Never did it seem that we were leaving these people behind, because - even to this day - fond memories and even with modified are we still connected. We'll definitely see each other in some event, whether it's Spike & Shred, Chilly Philly, or Funtastik, there's just one thing in my mind for sure:

I'm definitely coming back to Rochester next year for New Year's 2006-7.

Fin.
Waylon Lew - maker of Wasabi bags
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"Footbag can be pretty frustrating when it's supposed to be fun. I was partly driven by this forum - practice, practice, practice... As that is true, I think someone can be too focused on progressing and training that they miss the fun aspect of it." - Bander87

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Post by Wasabi » 10 Feb 2006 16:06

Alright, out with the old and in with the new. I know my blog is boring (and lacking), but I have good news! I've made a G-units tutorial this whole day, and would like modified to see the many possible mods that can be done with these shoes. I was a bit disappointed as to how little pictoral evidence can be shown on the many great aspects that these shoes can offer for the general buyer from what I've seen in other tutorials, thus the making of this tutorial for the creative in a way. :wink: Of course, there will be a typical mod for G-units in this post, just to show a good foundation on how a tutorial should be.

(Oh, and I was pretty wasted since last night on weed and hookah, so images may look a bit blurry.)

Anyway, less talk and more showing!

Image

We have our typical all black Rastafarian tagged G-units. Definitely a beaut. Now let's cut her up! I immediately woke up at 11am today and immediately gathered my tools to begin my mods.

Image

The typical toe flap cut. We all know the drill: cut the stitches off and open up those walls. We need to free the toe box so that we can do, well, the toe mod.

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Open up one of the flaps you freed and slide your pair of scissors between the leather and the canvas you want on the G-units. Cut through the leather and you'll have a nice opening from there. Push down on the canvas and pull the leather upward so that you can take out the sticky glue that's in between.

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Usually, I use a pair of scissors for the cuticle (that is, the blades on the scissors are curvish) to cut around and outs the leather portion of the toe-box. Of course, you can use a regular pair of scissors to do this job - I just like to be fancy. :wink: (Note: the pair of scissors I have are a bit loose and worn at the screw that holds the two blades together, thus making for a more accurate and pressured cut so which I choose. Brand new cuticle scissors can barely cut through the leather, or so I tried.)

Image

Now we have the inside on our shoe. I bet you're asking me: Waylon, why are you posting the insides of a pair of G-units? We know what it is! Ahh, yes, but there's more to the inside than what meets the eyes, my fellow viewers. Now, we all know how aesthetically awful it is to see the plastic heel supporter just jut out when modding the G-units. Most of us leave it on (like me for my red/white/black G-units), while people endless cut away at the inside leather in crude cuts to reach, and then cover, the plastic heel with the leftover leather that looks bent/wrinkled out of shape. The solution?

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Just feel for the heel. It should be behind the last set of lined-up holes you see on the leather, and you can typically feel for it in the inner portion of yor shoe, around the foam cushions. Generally, I use the hole of the last line closest to the heel and sole, and just mark/score it with my x-acto knife for reference, aligning the stitching with the cut.

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Like so. Then, you just cut away at the rest of the inside and take out the leather/foam of the shoe that's covering it.

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Nice. Usually, people just leave it as it is from there. I say NO. We don't want ugly foam on our beautiful G-units! Example:

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We want to flaunt on how stylish they are as we pull off those big Add moves! More people seeing you playing in good-looking shoes = more morale in giving people a choice for shoe-buying, other than Rod Lavers. Want to clear out the foam?

Image

Just a simple pair of splinter tweezers (with a round tip, not the pointy kind) that you can find at a general shop that sells make-up, and scotch tape. You're here to take out the leftover foam and the glue that it's sticking into here. Use the tweezers to gently scrape and pick off the glue and foam, and with the scotch tape just pick off whatever leftover fuzz and glob you come by from the surface or from your picking with tweezers. If your canvas is covered in a massacre of glue and foam, then an x-acto knife or a sharp razor will do the job fine if you're careful. Here, in this step, this is the point where minutes become hours, and day can turn into night. For this unusual craft I've mastered it - doing a complete job within 30 minutes (if for both sides of the shoe it'll take me a little bit over an hour). Anyway, if you leave the glue and foam on, you'll have crap sticking to your shoes wherever you go out to play, so it's good to take your time here.

Anyway, we should be done here! Lace them up, use your choice of insole, whether stock, Spencos, or whatever else you have in mind, and there! We're good to go!

Image

Image

Definitely smooth modding skills, I have here. And yes, I wear snowmen pajama pants. You can blame my cutesy bratty cousin for that. :oops: :wink:
Last edited by Wasabi on 10 Feb 2006 16:47, edited 1 time in total.
Waylon Lew - maker of Wasabi bags
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"Footbag can be pretty frustrating when it's supposed to be fun. I was partly driven by this forum - practice, practice, practice... As that is true, I think someone can be too focused on progressing and training that they miss the fun aspect of it." - Bander87

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Post by Wasabi » 10 Feb 2006 16:41

Now, onto the alternative mods. There're two things I can find here that are unique for the G-units: the tongue and the toe box. The Rod Laver shoes have a pretty thin enough tongue for enough comfort and style without any need mods to even think about. Not for the G-units. The tongue is bulky, thick, and pretty relentless with the "pleather" type material we see on the outer portion of the tongue. Well, here's some mods you might want to consider if you fear that your Goonitz are bulky, or just uncomfortable with the added padding in your game. Also, some mods that might help support your style of play, of course. :wink:

Image

Here, we have the three layers of tongue you might want to consider for your G-units. Actually, there is four, but the grey foam underneath the pleather outer might as well be discarded as that is the bulk of tongue's thickness. Anyway, we have our generic black pleather that's unmodded on the left, the cotton layer in it's white glory on the right (not sure about the black G-units if that layer is white there, but odds are that it is) and the last and bottom layer of the tongue shown with all the upper layers removed in the middle. So, really, it's an argument of a thick tongue, moderate to thin tongue with the pleather outer removed, or the very stretchy extremely thin tongue underneath.

Image

Don't fret! All black G-units get the comfort of a blackcolor on their tongue underneath, so you plan on doing this mod you can strip away the pleather outer and the thin white layer to get this stretchy good tongue left over.

Now, the reason for doing this mod? Mainly, for comfort. That's all it is to me. However, under the guidance of Joe Kulacz (and I bet Jay Rose is going to loooove this) you can get a humongous toe out of the G-units!!! Now people say that the Goonitz have a large enough toe, the toe is hefty but the walls are lacking, and the toebox is... small (only from one person did I see this :?), but with this mod those guys can eat their words. :P All it takes is this mod, the modded toe, and lacing your shoes so that if you take a closer look...

Image

The toe is BIG. Can someone say TOE BOX? A huge amount of surface area that can only rivaled with Clima 1s, I must say. You can remove the leftover leather there and leave a smidget portion so that the stitching can be in place, or can that take part out and stitch the tongue and toe back yourself if you want (just don't say I didn't warn you. :wink:). For me, I just cut off the eyelets and tie it up snugly as so (with the white layer left on the tongue):

Image

Personally, I think the toe box is big as it is, and with the tongue mod it makes it even bigger. And, be forwarned, with the tongue mod in place as you try to lace it up with the walls up, the area above your toes or below your arch feels a bit loose for comfort with the lack of padding (well, that's because that area has become part of the toe box now!). However, if you're like me who just wants a snug fit with the tongue mod, the pic above is what I usually do for lacing sans the first eyelets. Or, try to lace up your shoes beginning at the second or third eyelet tightly. The world is your oyster. :o

I guess that's it for now. Hope you guys liked the tutorial I slaved over today. :P
Waylon Lew - maker of Wasabi bags
NYFA represent.
"Footbag can be pretty frustrating when it's supposed to be fun. I was partly driven by this forum - practice, practice, practice... As that is true, I think someone can be too focused on progressing and training that they miss the fun aspect of it." - Bander87

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Post by Wasabi » 12 Feb 2006 12:02

Oh, right, I almost forgot on another significant mod. There's been some talk of G-units and the Brocka mod. Now, as I'm looking at the ankle support compared to regular Lavers as I wear them together, the arch on the G-units is a bit smaller than that of the Rod Lavers. That is to say there is more freedom to crank your ankle without having anything blocking it. And, judging on the material of the G-units, you have a cloth layer and the leather outer without any to help support the Brockut as you stitch the area up afterwards (if you want to stitch it up, that is :wink:). Of course, if you feel that you want more freedom in doing a Brocka mod, there is a way.

Image

Just cut off the leather outer around the ankle support as much as possible, beyond the stitching. There, you have the flexible cloth left to bind snugly on your ankle, and flex it without much constriction to your ankle crank. There won't be much damage in terms of the shoes, but it does leave a pretty beat-up look to them. Doesn't look particular as clean as a Brocka mod, but it's the next best thing.
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"Footbag can be pretty frustrating when it's supposed to be fun. I was partly driven by this forum - practice, practice, practice... As that is true, I think someone can be too focused on progressing and training that they miss the fun aspect of it." - Bander87

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Post by Wasabi » 12 Feb 2006 12:15

Wrap up on yesterday's shred at Dick Shea's.

I was a bit tired doing other things around the household to even post up on my feelings on my current shred. I took out the modded black G-units above and played yesterday. I was pleased with what I did in these mods. Even better, I was doing very crisp clippers on my main side and a couple on my flipside! Flexing my ankle crank and training a little bit really does pay off during class. :wink: I hope to nail crisp clippers on my flipside by next month, if I keep doing them correctly and patiently.

Plus, if the floor in the studio wasn't so slippery, I would've done pretty crisp clippers with my Twill Lavers then and there. However, traction is pretty important for me. Maybe when the weather gets warmer the whole lot of us can play at Union Square. And, maybe then I'll be playing in my Rod Lavers. :)

Rizz came back from the Philippines and gave back the abshire I gave to her from our trip back from Rochester. It's effing choice right now! The filler as I felt it, seemed lacking. From what I've been playing around as she was on her trip, I was thinking of an optimal filler for bags, and the one I put in this abshire felt embarassing. So, as I got home I had to fix it ASAP. I think I did a fine job with putting something better. What was in it before the change was flat plastic pellets and the general lead shot/copper BBs. Now, with fewer copper BBs and replacing with new more rounded/buoyant plastic pellets, I think the bags super fine right now. :wink:

BTW, don't go to the Foot Locker by Dick Shea's to shop for Spencos insoles. There's an enthusiastic (crazy) black attendant that helped too much in helping me buying the right insoles. :roll: I wanted Runner/Walker to test them out, but was "insisted" that i get the Cross Trainers. So, if you plan on getting Spencos insoles, either decline for advice from the attendants, say that you're looking around, or go to another shoe store for Spencos insoles. :P
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Post by mc » 12 Feb 2006 14:45

Waylon,

it would be awesome if you would put all this GUnit stuff in one post and make a thread in bags and equipment. This looks like some great information for beginning modders. thanks for putting it together.

Matt
BRICK!

rfa::never give up::
nyfa

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Post by Wasabi » 14 Feb 2006 15:36

Thanks for the compliments, Matt. I'll do this as soon as I get home! I'm at the college doing some research and a few posts here. :wink:

There's a lot of snow here, and I can't get to shredding outside! Freestyling indoors feels somewhat uncomfortable to me as the plays I find to play seems a bit cramped. Plus, at Dick Shea's I'll (or we as NYFA) have to pay to play in a room. Please, Spring, come here soon! I miss the plaza at Union Square! :cry:

Well, during these winter season months, I've been working on my stitching craft, and I think I have a solid blind stitch going here. However, I still believe that my overall stitching is a bit crappy. I'm going to need to look into other stitching styles there are to make a good foundation for my own. Maybe when Springbreak comes over the NYFA crew would make a visit to NJ, and I'll get to see Chris Balch and his stitching. I don't know. :/ Anyway, I'm going to need to find some old t-shirts to go and experiment with.
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Post by Wasabi » 17 Feb 2006 20:43

For the past two days I've been trying to crank my ankles (mainly my flipside) so that I'll be comfortable in doing clippers. So far, the modded G-units I have seem to be blocking some of my ankle crank, so I think there is some progress to it. Then again, with the G-units I have above, doing a Brocka mod seems like a messy job to do on something so clean just yet. Maybe I'll invest on heel cushions to elevate my ankles a bit more to free my ankles.

Also, I think I have a comfortable blind stitch in the works, at least with what I did in repairing a holey Mr. Sandbag I have lying around. With some work, I think I'll perfect it in no time. Now, onto the big job in doing a 32... Hopefully, I can find a fabric store around here that can sell me facile or ultrasuede light, but that seems unlikely. Not quite sure if I should make the investment in going to Field Fabrics just yet though, so I guess the next best thing is old t-shirts/pants/shorts.

And I guess I should make the investment in going to Walmart/K-mart for some plastic pellets. And some shot at the local sporting goods store.
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"Footbag can be pretty frustrating when it's supposed to be fun. I was partly driven by this forum - practice, practice, practice... As that is true, I think someone can be too focused on progressing and training that they miss the fun aspect of it." - Bander87

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Post by Wasabi » 19 Feb 2006 11:19

Yesterday's plans. (Woke up in a tired slump because of the bitter cold.)

I found the bags I've been playing with, mainly my Maki bag, were too heavy for me to play. I couldn't do a proper string as there seemed to be too much filler in them even when the bag became choice. So, as usual, I just played around the filler for the bag for a few minutes until I found a good weight that I can use. I also noticed that my Maki bag's stitching seems a bit tighter than my usual shred bags, so it doesn't really go well with the "blow" test to see how choice the bag is. It seems like a matter of fabric stiffness and stitching around those areas are the problem, I think. Maybe I'll need to break the bag in more?

The shred for Saturday was pretty good. The turnout was 7-8 people, I think, so it wasn't costly to play at Dick Shea's. I had some bad karma when I shredded, though, as earlier that day I had to tell off a homeless guy for giving a sermon in the Subway car I was in on Hell's wraith and God. Alright, something like this should be for only one stop on the usual Subway ride, but it lasted for up to 4-5 stops! Fear imposing speech on Hell's setting and using 'God' as a device for the salvation of my soul? Saturday afternoon tired as fuck from the night before? He's lucky I didn't stab him to "hell" with my stitching utensils, mainly my scissors. Anyway, I didn't perform as well as I usually did, but I guess it turned out pretty well.

Flipside clippers felt like a chore, although I still can't do them constantly. Just right toe > right clipper in one string.

Out to lunch, had a Buffalo Burger with a side of fries. One thing to mention, though - never order a Buffalo Burger well-done. It cut the roof of my mouth like crazy. It was then I kind of yearned for a medium rare (or rare) Hamburger, as it was too rough to eat.

It was cold even around the afternoon, so I had to run back home, wear an extra sweater and a thick coat, just to go out tonight to watch the Vagina Monologues. I don't know how I managed to get a ticket in my wallet, but it must've been one of my usual 'high' moments at the college when I approached a friend and she convinced me to buy one. This same friend was the "Angry Vagina" portrayed in the play, but I'll digress in explaining that now.

To speak briefly on it:

Intro = sucked
Soloist = annoying
Hair = reasonable
The Flood = awesome
Because He Liked to Look At It = wat?
My Angry Vagina = kind of cool
My Vagina Was My Village = impacting
My Short Skirt = wtf?
Reclaiming Cunt = oh god
The Woman Who Loved To Make Vaginas Happy = what the christ?

My Short Skirt was by far the most stupidest thing I've seen in the play. Women wearing short skirts are... defiant!? Have power over their own vaginas? What the hell? If you're wearing a short skirt you're a freakin' slut, not a woman with integrity. You're just asking for men to approach you. Stop playing with words here. And the last part I mentioned above was just stupid all in all. All you see is an unattractive woman wearing the sluttiest lingerie slapping people happy with a small cat'o'nine tails and moaning like fuck. I should've left when I watched "My Vagina Was My Village."

As a matter of fact, the most I was doing that night was doing some hand shred. Pixie > Forearm > ATW Forearm was the string I tried to do BSOS, but couldn't. I could do it on my right dominant arm, but my flipside might've slapped/punched the woman sitting in front of me. Also, I went outside in the bitter cold to play some footbag, as the snow seemed to have melted away in the plaza I usually played in at college.
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Post by Wasabi » 23 Feb 2006 01:28

I'm not a huge fan of doing papers. At all. I'm always sitting on my ass just slacking and typing BS, while I just continuously lurk around internet forums to see the latest scoop and see if I can add a comment there. Is my needs for more of an adrenaline rush waning? Procastination is a crazy psycho bitch out to get me.

However, there is something footbag-related, I guess. I'm with my college pals just today, and we were on the topic of handbag/handshred. Actually, i was just messing with the Sandmaster they had lying around left unused. The thought came to me - what would be consider a clipper in handshred? You'll want to incorporate x-body into the formula, so it's not really advisable to just cross your arms and catch the bag with your palm closing in on it right? I've concluded that a clipper should be a hand wrapped around your back and to your other side with the palm facing up, which is wicked hard. Well, I guess it's just a small rant of having a wide body, short arms or having loads of clothing on when I was doing handshred, but I just couldn't imagine how to land clippers in handshred. At all!

I guess this is the typical dliemma of people understanding clippers in footbag, huh? :lol: Maybe Dragon would be the same thing, except with the back of your palm. I can only imagine a pretty inaccurate set though. I think I'll have to PM Zilla about all of this.

So far, I landed this string today, and plan on doing it BSOS sometime soon: toe delay > pixie > forearm delay > ATW > pinch > tricep/elbow. Maybe I should incorporate mirages. Butterflies seem too awkward for dexes to own right now.
Waylon Lew - maker of Wasabi bags
NYFA represent.
"Footbag can be pretty frustrating when it's supposed to be fun. I was partly driven by this forum - practice, practice, practice... As that is true, I think someone can be too focused on progressing and training that they miss the fun aspect of it." - Bander87

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