Mosher's Footblog

[BenRea]

That was an intense story!


wow! i was on the edge of my seat!

thank god you didnt get arrested!


holy crap.

[mosher]

Let's haul this up from page two and dust it off.

*blows* :;':*:dusssstttt*:';:


I went to the Monday night tricking session in North York and Pengpeng showed up too, yay! We normally go on Fridays, and we did go last friday, but we decided to check out the monday session. It turned out that there were less noobs and more crazy flying freaks. There were some incredible people there with inspiring control over their bodies.

I hit about 10 back tucks! Yeah! my most ever for sure. I did some really big sideflips over these walls they put up to jump over. There were tons of really springy black guys today too, a couple just floated!

On Friday I hit flipside sideflip!!

That day I also learned this wall cartwheel thing where you run up and spring into a cartwheel with your hands on the wall and you rotate with your body parallel to the wall and you go all the way upside down and around to your feet. My fave way to hit it was to run up and plant my foot on the wall and then do the cartwheel so that it was sorta the same but a step up the wall higher and VERY satisfying.

On the topic of satisfying, tricking is just a new fun forum for me to learn badass moves that I've always wanted. It's like how footbag is incredibly simple, just you and a bag, well tricking is the next level simpler, it's all about how fucking crazy can you manipulate the physics controlling us to create incredible moves.

I have been applying what footbag has taught me about learning things, first you observe, look and listen and then you try it and work out the kinks until you are doing the correct motion. From there it is about practice and developing the muscle memory (and muscles) required to do that specific trick.

One move that I've been working on lately is called a 540. That's a deceptively simple sounding name since it's like.. a symposium tornado kick. But I can't say that to anyone other than Pengpeng since she's probably the only other human in the world that knows about 540's, tornado kicks and symposium at this moment.

Today I also hit a couple 180 backflip wallflips. I am getting braver!

I think my biggest highlight would be standing back tuck related. First, after having hit two in a row for Pengpeng (she gave me claps and props ) I called to the instructor Allen to watch. I then NAILED a standing back tuck and he said 'NICE!' and gave me props! woo!

I had asked him how to build up to gainers, the new trick that haunts me in my dreams. He told me friday to drill my back tucks on the matt at the edge of the tight trampoline and to be able to just nail 10 first try there then we'd move on to the springy floor and eventually mats then the floor.

Today I sorta skipped some steps and just went for it and I was totally successful, I win! It's fun doing my best to use perfect form and I can definitely appreciate how it feels alot smoother and more efficient. Now he said I have to hit 10 back tucks each session and from there I can work up to gainers.

I am an novice/intermediate tricker now, sweeet!

Gainer full twists here I come!

[PegLegHolly]

On Friday I hit flipside sideflip!!

i love how even your words are bsos!!!!

[mosher]

I love this picture, something incredibly funny must have just happened or been said.




I am sick and it sucks!

It hit me hard yesterday and I feel like total crap. I've got a nose like a faucet and I can't breath or stop coughing or sneezing. Whee!

Oh yeah, and I am either too hot or too cold constantly.

On top of all this I am still totally sore all over from the intense workout of gymnastics on monday so moving, at all, is painful.

I couldn't hardly sleep last night, my puffer had run out and so every breath was a fighting wheeze. It turned into one of those long awful nights where you dread being awake but can't manage to drift off.

At least I don't have to work through this. I havn't had a job in a week now. Last tuesday, my first day back from my long break, was my only shift since I've been back. My employer hasn't been busy enough to need me so I am just sitting at home not making money.

I've started stitching a little again! I went a few months without stitching at all and just recently I've found some motivation to finally get back at it. Still though, I lack any real motivation to make bags. Why exactly am I still making bags? There are enough stitchers now to keep everyone hooked up, I don't really have the time (when I have work that is) and I don't get or take orders anyways.

The bags I am making these days generally go to fuel my club, I like those purchases the best because I get to shred with the bags still, hehe.

I need to screenprint some more too. But even that I lack motivation for. I hate money, so why do I spend so much effort trying to sell shit? I am tired of the whole process, I am tired of being a salesman instead of just another dude. People don't even buy the shit I make anyways!

Footbag is REALLY lacking in a few departments these days. There is a total void of people with the correct ratio of intelligence and generosity in our sport today. Theres this awesome community of really well educated (on the sport of footbag) people that totally fail to do anything useful for the sport. I think efforts like Anz's trick tips are really important for the growth of the sport. In other sports (tricking is what comes to mind first for me) there are literally a handful of websites dedicated to teaching and sharing their wealth of knowledge for free.

And on the topic of the growth of the sport, it REALLY pisses me off when some people are so selfish that they discourage some peoples efforts to grow the sport. Fucking babies! That attitude is greedy, selfish and detrimental to the sport as a whole. Get over the fact that you found something secret you like and you want to keep it to yourself. The fact is that we are participants of a truly great sport that we all know is on par with the other better known high-caliber sports. All I am working towards is having us recognized as such.

I feel like maybe I should put my efforts where my mouth is and make a whole bunch of tutorials of all the things I know and see where that goes. Maybe it will inspire others to share too. That said... some people have really shitty advice and are often better keeping it to themselves.

[mc]

I also like how it's 4 of my favorite friends all cracking up

take vitamin C and zinc and lots of vix vapo-rub on your chest when you sleep and take hot showers. Even AIDS can't stand up to that!

get well soon, pal.

[mikep]

I feel like maybe I should put my efforts where my mouth is and make a whole bunch of tutorials of all the things I know and see where that goes. Maybe it will inspire others to share too.

I have been seeking out stitching info and saw old threads referencing a "kingston footbag stitching tutorial", but kingstonfootbag.com appears to be down. Is there any chance of making the tutorial available somewhere else?

By the way- I met you and Pengpeng at the NYJ, and sat with you guys for a bit getting stitching tips. It was really cool, you guys were so friendly and helpful.

[QuantumBalance]

are you putting tricking with footbag yet? make any new break bag moves?

[Jdigges]

im pretty sure we were laughing about how stoned we were. i remember smoking two huge joints, and then someone walking in and looking at all of us. you know what, i actually don't remember haha. awesome picture though

[Wasabi]

It sucks to hear that you're sick Tom. I guess the best additional info I can provide about recovering is to avoid anything spicy, sour and extremely salty. Take in plenty of soluble protein, like beef or chicken broth. Drink plenty of water, and take plenty of rest. Your symptoms are similar to a fever (heat and cold flashes and whatever).

I still buy some of your shit, Tom. Of course, I can't speak for your eye for demand that you want your stuff at.

I've been having the same sentiments about stitching myself. The only thing I have to go by is making innovative patterns.

As for the Starbury shoe, I'm definitely considering in sending you the shoe so that you can critique it better, but I would appreciate an address. I only have the one where you used to live in Princess St. in Kingston.

[Jorden]

Hey Tom,

If you're alive, do you still want to kick tomorrow?

[mosher]

I've convinced Jorden to come with me and Peng to the tricking session next friday! cooool!

I can't wait to spank him like a little newb bitch!


I kid!



I really think it will be eye-opening for him. Each time I go to the sessions I am taken back to that time when I was a newb and I knew of crazy shredders but all the moves seemed impossible. I am glad that footbag has taught me to approach these situations with confidence and a good attitude. I KNOW I can learn these moves and get crazy if I want, it just takes effort and determination.




I am less sick than yesterday, but more sick than I want to be. I barfed yesterday morning after having drank some water and taken an eccinacea , vit C and tylenol and from then on I felt a little better, though I was still weary of food.

My job finally called and offered me work but I had to tell them that so long as it didn't negatively impact my relationship with them I'd have to take the day off.

I was also supposed to go see little pengpeng today but we called it off since I am feeling sucky still.

Part of me still wants to go tricking tonight, since I am now completely obsessed with getting awesome at tricking, but I am trying hard to be realistic that my constant sinus pain and difficulty breathing are good enough reasons to take the day off.

Yesterday was cough-fest. It was frustrating, not enough phlegm would come up to manage a hork, but I still knew that it should come out so I'd cough and wheeze and do my best to clear out. Today there is less coughing and each cough comes with more phlegm, which is at least satisfying to clear out.





Footbag occupies a weird space in me these days. I still love it and I still desire to improve, but I have sorta accepted that this improvement probably won't come until I move to Germany and start playing more frequently and seriously. I am definitely not burnt out on footbag, I just have other things lighting up my circuit board these days. I feel like footbag is waiting in the shadows, about to pounce on my life once more.

I have so much enthusiasm for tricking right now because I am taken back to that magical world of newbness where everything seems impossible but still magically inspiring and motivating. Footbag has taught me that I CAN learn basically anything, so now I test this regularly and I really enjoy taking on new challenges. Tricking is also satisfying in that I get to hit all these crazy moves that I've ached to do for too many years.

I am not as good at footbag as I could be.. and somehow for now that is okay with me.

I started a thread yeeears ago called Ghetto Gymnastics or something, where I challenged people to go out and try to learn to backflip. I have succeeded! I can feel that I am on the cusp of being brave enough to hit a flip outside of the gym. I think that will be a very satisfying and culminating moment for me.

I need to get some breakfast, at least the thought doesn't make me want to blow chunks.

[mosher]

Those are the sweet juggly balls little pengpeng made for me! They rekindled my juggling fire.

While I am at it here are some more pictures.



A picture my sister took of us on our horseback ride in south carolina. I am the red behind my mom.
It was really scenic.



Dolphins!!



My Dad, Gerald Mosher. (and that's MOE-sher, not MOSH-er... I have felt like I've needed to make a post pertaining to that for a while)




I bought this zany jacket at a thrift store for $8, somehow I picture it going over perfectly in Berlin.



My sister being awesome.


And finally...




How does so much cute come out of such a tiny package??

I really love Pengpeng Du!

[Asmus]

The jacket and the juggling balls looks sweet.
I gonna call you MOSH-er no matter what you say.
And I wanna buy a butt-load of stuff from you in Prague.
Or maybe exchange for some stuff I make. (uuuh secret plans)
Look forward to shred, hang, whatever with you soon..

Still no smoking?

[mosher]

About my last name..

SO, growing up I was always Tom Mosher, pronounced like MOE-sher. In fact, it wasn't until university that anyone even thought to call me MOSH-er as a nickname, this came about when I got more into the hardcore music scene.

For most my life the only people that ever called me exclusively by my last name (MOE-sher, of course) were bullies. So to me, the only connotation I had of hearing just my last name was that of a negative one.

So it came as a welcome surprise when lots of people started calling me MOSH-er. It was particularly satisfying for me because, for the most part, this MOSH-er guy was well liked and the name almost always carried happy connotations and mostly for that reason I didn't try to discourage it.

But then I have let things go on for quite long without bothering to stop and mention that if you want to be accurate you would call me Tom MOE-sher. Though with all this said, I still really like the nickname mosher since it fits well with who I am.

I guess I had started feeling guilty that I was maybe misrepresenting myself as someone I wasn't, and often I'd be introduced as Tom MOSH-er to someone and not really know how to handle it. Was I supposed to correct them? Should I care? My family has no connection to the name really, the name came from my dad's dad who left him and his mom early on, so I don't really feel like it's disrespecting anyone to mispronounce it.

My parents have mixed feelings about it all. Often a footbag player will come over and greet my parents as the MOSH-ers or something. They are used to it by now, but I still try to make it clear to anyone that comes over that the family name is different than my nickname.

So feel free to call me what you want, but do so with the knowledge of what you're saying.

[Wasabi]

Tom, you're the best mosher I know! Mosh on! MOSH!!!!!!!! \m/

I really like that picture of your dad. It looks very natural and reserved.

I started sewing 14 panels recently, and those juggling balls look sick! I seriously enjoy the one juggling ball that marks the set (the one with turquoise squares). Almost got me confused for a minute! So awesome.

[mosher]

I went swimming last night, after 3 days of sitting on my ass doing nothing I had a small well of surplus energy that my slowly recovering body wished to burn off.

There are 5 local public swimming pools, I chose to go to the one I used to go to as a kid since I remembered it had diving boards and I wanted to fly. My swim was nice I mixed it up between various water exercises (dexercising, practicing tricking motions, ab things) and hucking flips off the diving boards.

There were two, one 1 meter and the other a 3 meter. A few kids were doing dumb jumps and flops, I was the only one going for sweet moves. I hit several very satisfying flips like sideflip late full twist and giiiiiant gainers off the 3M board. (a gainer is where you sproing off the board forwards but do a backflip, my fave)

3 of the really loud and boisterous kids (13 year-olds I believe) struck up some form of friendship with me. I tried to encourage them to go for a frontflip as they aren't really hard and way more fun than just jumping into the water. One of them could sorta do a whipping weird one.

Eventually when I was leaving the loudest one was screaming to me "fliiipper!!!! don't go!! flipper!!!!!!", I tossed a smile and wave and headed into the boys change room to shower and return to human style clothing.

Shortly after I started showering off the pool water the loud 13 year-old came in and asked me something that really threw me off...

"Do you play hacky sack??"




What the fuuuuuck? I was most flabbergasted by the fact that such a seemingly absurd question (to randomly ask a person) would have struck it's mark so firmly. Yes, I played hacky sack! hahah

I told him I was a world competitive player, still toooootally unsure where the hell that had come from.

He went back to the pool then returned to me and said that some girl out there 'liked' me and that she wanted my number. Whaaat?

He implied that she somehow knew I played hacky sack. I replied to the kid that almost certainly I was too old, he countered saying she was in her twenties. Haha the little guy was like, way more adept at handling the sitch than I was, he was like 'you should go get her number!', a thing I've basically never done with a stranger, as if he was like mister ladies man.

Anyways, he said that she had gone down into the girls changing area so I told myself maybe I'd see her on the other side or something.

In the end I didn't end up seeing her again, not that I reallly saw much of her in the pool, I can't see that much without my glasses.

I wasn't too driven to put in much effort to winning over some chick because frankly with Peng still in my life I am quite satisfied. I know we broke up and I am technically single so I am 'allowed' to pursue other girls if I choose to, but what I have with Pengpeng now is too good to fuck up. We have really ironed out all the BS kinks that used to cause us to fight and we are in a really healthy and balanced friendship now that is worth WAY more to me than some chick that liked me at the pool. Also, we're still quite 'frisky' so no problem there either. hehe

Also, I tend to find Peng twice as attractive as any other girl I see. Not only do I think she's hot and adorable but I also know how unbelievably talented, capable and smart she is. Add onto that the fact she has a viscous fashion sense and enviable ability to execute I am often left not very impressed with the alternatives.

Peng FTW!

















But still, HOW THE FUCK DID SHE KNOW I PLAY HACKY SACK????? That's the ONLY thing left in my head. Like, she knew that I play hack, but she didn't know me well enough to know I call it footbag... GAH!!! I think the fact that hack was mentioned gives the annoyance of this staying power.

Whatever, I have a little pengpeng that doesn't just know what hack is, she can hit sweet footbag moves and she has killer crank.

[krawallier]

how right you are, that jacket is so berlin. see you in april! (i'm coming back end of march as well... and my stance towards footbag is similar, though i would like to play more, but i try not to get bitter about it) so lets shred hard as of april. !

m

[BenRea]

wow! nice juggling balls! darn, she did a great job on those!

now im going to be nervous to call you mosh-er or moe-sher!







i always wondered though.

[mosher]

Ben, you can call me either, I don't mind.


Here is a video I made of a few clips we shot at the skatepark today:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=-LJgKRXBcoU


I am working my way up!

[Wasabi]

Tom, that is seriously weird, and at a local pool! I know there are several occasions in which people come up to me at college and say "Do you play hackysack?" because I freestyle with the NYFA crew at plazas and parks around NYC, but I never had some little messenger come up to me like that! Really weird.

Maybe she could come up unexpectedly and join the 905 shredders for a session. In a platonic sense, I mean.

Oh yeah, I bought those starbury shoes, and bought the beige variety, since I haven't seen a modded Laver or G-unit with these colors. I'll send them out on Monday and finalize the cost then.