Post Op!

Surgery ended up going really well today which was kinda nice. Too bad I started throwing up after I woke up so I had to stay an extra hour or so to get cleared, but other than that all is well. Sticking to the crutches for a few days and the immobilizer per doctors orders... :) ... But I feel like I coul just get up and walk if need be! Haha. Uverse got hooked up just in time today so I have a zillion of cable channels to surf while Im sittin at home for the next month or so. Life is good and thanks for everyone who gave me kind words before surgery, and for the few people who hoped I croaked over on the table, you lose now pay up bi***es!    Murdered out evo pics soon, Shawn Hott where you at!

Surgery!

So I got my confirmed surgery date in just over a week I go under the ol knife to rehaul the right knee. 60,000 mile tuneup will consist of an ACL reconstruction and some more goodies when they get inside. Stoked to get that monkey off my back and get back to normal life hopefully in just a few quick months. In the mean time with no riding I have managed to sink a shit ton of cash into making my car a little nicer on the eyes. She has always been a beast under the hood but now the exterior will keep pace as well. Full vinyl wrap a panel at a time courtesy of myself and Jay. We have had some ups and downs but its turning out really well and stoked on the good ol DIY angle we went with. Pics below and got my wheels mounted and balanced and picking up Muteki lugs today to complete the black out, speed element moved to SJ so gonna go visit the shop and see whats up. Hoping to get it all wrapped and wheels mounted on the car by surgery day but we shall see. Enjoy the pics and safe travels to all my boys heading to Tulsa, Jonas get some buddy... crash some dudes on the sauce for me!

EVO

Well in the expensive extravagant life of Nick Valencia this week. I managed to waste more than I make in an entire month in just a few days LOL. Security deposit on the new place, Vinyl for the Evo, Tires for the Evo, and a new shIt Phone5. I Phone 5 is a brick of shit and Im stoked that I got off my droid for such an epic failure of a phone. Garbage. I honestly dont know how all the iphone users enjoy  signing in for each and every stupid app and I feel like everything I do requires an effin password. P.O.S. and Sprint? Mannnnn better quit foolin around with me, my droid had cherry 3g all the time anywhere, this ifuck5 simply works when it wants to? WTF. Craigslist very soon if this thing doesnt start actin right. Moving to a new house this weekend, rain in the forecast which is mother nature being rude as shit to me LOL Things are good and pictures to follow that is when this shotty phone decides to process them. What a joke.

Sorry Jonas

Well after a few week hiatus it appears Jonas was getting too much work done and was in danger of being employee of the month so he kindly asked me to get with it and spill a few key notes on what the hell has been up with me lately. My apologies sir, and dont worry youll never get that promotion if I have anything to say about it! Where should I start I guess we can touch on the low and then end with the high, it appears the BMX community is just getting rocked with sad news over and over again. This last month or so we lost Kyle Bennett in an auto accident which was a hard swallow. I had just seen him and exchanged a few words at the Louisville race with him and was psyked to see him in some mains and riding well. Kyle was the first ever USA BMX Olympian with that kick ass season when he locked up the points race back in 2008 and I dont know if anyone will ever grasp that in the way that I do. It's one thing to be an olympian in general but to be hands down the first for our country in a sport, thats doin' it big. UCI retired his career number which I thought was the best UCI decision I could ever recall in all my years of BMX, classy move and again shockwaves went through the community because some guys are just all smiles all the time. I wont shy away from the fact that KB was reportedly not wearing a seatbelt and not to say that it would have changed the outcome of the situation or anything like that, but kids make it a habit to always buckle up. It definitely doesnt hurt to take a second  to protect yourself a little extra. Until we meet again KB! And in a salute to KB which I do when anyone in the BMX community passes away I shred the trails/track whatever is available and just try and put in a solid session that would make that person proud, I rallied up Jay and Matt and we went to Fresneck which is the best track in the country and rocked that place for a few hours on a quick little day trip. I hadn't done the pro section in what felt like years and when the session started winding down I knew I didnt wanna leave without giving it a go. First few runs were decent, nuthing too fancy but getting through and felt good about it. Then the inevitable bonk to ohhhhhhhh shit get loose sideways jump half the distance needed and stick out leg for no good reason booooooooooom. Blew out my right knee pretty bad and had to man up and not cry like a wussy in front of the boys. Matty was running circles and was making me dizzy or the pain was, but either way it was funny. Bought a bag of ice and iced that puppy and drove home. Just got MRI stuff a few days ago and see my ortho on Monday, but Im 99.9% sure everything is torn and getting a fresh knee installed before the years out :) Good times. Then more sad news just this week. BBJ/Mojo/Jordan Mc Mulled passed away this week at the young age of just 16. I recall speaking with his dad several times on bmxnews one of the bmx forums and I first noticed Jordan a few years back just before he got bumped to Redmans tribe. He was going way fast then and was on track to make a serious name for himself in the very near future. Unfortunately we will never get to see his talents again and his mark will now be more of a question mark and an unfinished story of sorts. Things are never that serious people, keep close with your friends and always have an outlet and someone you can speak with or just visit when your not feeling things are going your way. Sure Ive heard rumors and stories will swirl about what prompted the outcome but again nothing is worth losing your life about. Permanent solution to temporary problem. I believe if we as a community can get past the initial shock we can leave with a positive outcome, sure the family needs time to grieve and most will never experience or comprehend what they are going through, but I think we as a whole from the higher up guys at the head of the sanction, to the track moms and dads that are still new to it all... We can all learn that suicide and the pressures of life are always abundant and getting the word out is critical to making sure this stuff can't go swept under the rug because we are just too sad about the person and overlook the situation. The way I see it is you never think you need to speak to your kids about things usually until they are confronted with them, for instance if your at a movie and your 10-12 year old kid just see's their first sex scene i think you get inclined to give the birds and the bees talk when you get home right? Well this to me is the same scenario, dont feel so sad about it happening that you forget to speak with your little ones and get involved and LISTEN to them. It goes a very long way and the world is 10x harder now than it was when you were growing up. It aint about choosing between a mullet or a fanny pack anymore, the internet, social media, etc etc etc kids are under alot of stress these days and could use some love.  So Jordan when I get back onto the rig, I owe you a gnar gnar kickout and I know V Wang already sent you a few so those will hold you over, until we meet again lil buddy!

I said I would end with a high... Vinyl wrapping the evo either flat black or white in a few weeks and new wheels in a week or so and a new iphone 5 arrives today for me. Thoff highly recommended the iphone 5 so I had to get on the hype. He said something about it's like sipping kool aid and well when your dark you have a special spot for kool aid :)