David Luke, April 1989.
Ollie over a parking lot planter in Fort Lauderdale, FL.

David Luke, 1989.
Crailslide on Adam Miller’s indoor barn ramp.

With thousands of toys out there capable of decimating wallets, it’s nice when a child is attracted to something inexpensive. Some say the best toy is a free toy - this theory holds that your child will have more fun with the doll house box than the actual doll house.

This may be true, but there are many cheap items that will keep him entertained, especially if you buy lots of them. Small multiples can maximize play while minimizing the impact on your wallet. Try a few of these ideas with your little one:

• Balloons - A big bag of balloons kept in a shoebox can be a lot of fun. Use them as dump truck fodder, make it rain balloons, cook some balloon soup, or actually blow them up!
• Puff Balls - You can get these at a craft store, and come in many colors. Separate them into colored piles, fill other things up with them, or have a puff ball fight.
• Party Ice Cubes - I bet you’ve seen these at the store, probably in the dollar bin. They are plastic shapes filled with water, and are to be used as ice cubes for partys. They come in colored cubes, footballs, baseballs, etc. These are great little toys that can be put into containers, counted, or throw around
• Balls - Bouncy balls, golf balls, tennis balls, racquet balls, and even cat toys can be fun in large quantities. Put them all in a box or bucket, and let the fun begin. A huge collection of bouncy balls can be inexpensive, and go a long way.
• Pipe Cleaners - Cheap, check. Quantities, check. Creative, check. Fun, check.
• Marbles - These are great fun, and can be counted, separated by color, rolled around the floor, and thrown through glass windows. Well, be careful about that last one.
• Beans - Get a bag of mixed beans, a couple bowls, some cups, and a spoon, and watch you little one go to town. There are many imaginative games to play with beans, and you can even toss them into the yard to watch them grow.

These ideas may seem silly, but cheap creativity can go a long way. Open-ended activities can also help develop your child’s attention span. Pretty much anything that is small and can be stored in large numbers will be fun for your little one, just make sure they are safe.

Rob Marshall, 1990;
Huge frontside grab off the one-foot ollie ramp.

The 2004 Grand Prix was a random rental, so I didn’t expect much as I drove away from the airport. In fact, I didn’t even turn on the radio. The next day was a different story however, and with speakers thumping I rocked out to Poison’s “Talk Dirty to Me.” When this was followed by Def Leopard’s “Photograph”, I had to see what was going on. Sure enough, my console simply said ‘The 80s’, and that’s when it hit me…this thing had XM Satellite Radio.

Over the next four days, I drove around a snowy Toledo bouncing back and forth between decades. A little Frieda Payne with a REO Speedwagon chaser. I really liked this. I even heard some obscure stuff, like that Mick Jagger/Michael Jackson duet from the 80s…I was literally in a State of Shock.

I didn’t get a chance to explore the other channels, though a brief scan revealed bluegrass, country, top 20, jazz, and just about everything else. I wish I had more time to ingest this orbital bliss, but my trist ended at the Hertz counter and I headed home. This was a great first impression, and I going to take a more serious look at this service after tha holidays.

Jamie Meltzer, 1990.
Poppin’ a fakie disaster on his six-foot mini ramp out in the woods.

After a few weeks of use, I would like to add a few more bullets to my previous review of the Sony Viao S560P:

Things I like:

• The comfortable balance of power and portability is just what I needed. I’m happy with it’s weight and handling, and equally impressed with it’s performance (despite only 512MB of RAM.)
• I love the wifi. It’s strong, and I’ve been able to use it in many locations without issue.
• It feels great in my hand when I’m carrying it, particularly the rounded hinge edge. Smooth!

Things i don’t like:

• It runs hot; really hot. It feel like it raises my body temperature, and sometimes it makes me sweat when it’s on my lap.
• The touchpad isn’t as consistent as other laptops I’ve owned. I like to click using the pad, and this doesn’t work 100% of the time. Sometimes the mouse movement is sluggish as well.
• The headphone levels seem really low, even when everything is maxed out. Listening to Blues Clues on the plane with my son was tricky, but still effective.

I’m writing this 800 miles from home and untethered to the ether…that’s why I love this thing. I still recommend it without question.

Matt Gollnick; 1990.
Huge wallride down the top three stairs at Clay.

Brian Barneclo, 1990.
Kickflip down the top three stairs at Clay Junior High School.

Rob Dyrdek, 1989.
Hurricane grind down the fun box rail. Did he turn pro?

When my wife and I were expecting our first child, we did the requisite registration at Babies R Us for all the essential supplies. When we hit the burp cloth section, my wife snatched the scanner out of my trigger-happy hand. I was about to learn something handy, and more importantly, cost-effective.

As with anything baby-related, parents (and grandparents) are suckers. If it can be monogrammed, color-coordinated, or bought in matching sets, you better believe there are countless people ready to lay down their cash. It is certainly no different with burp clothes.

You can buy every kind imaginable at your local baby store. The most expensive are around five dollars per cloth - that’s five dollars for something that will wipe up regurgitated breast milk and formula. And yes, I thought the same thing.

The solution is simple: Buy cheap cloth diapers. I’m not talking about the pre-cut cloth diapers that mimic disposables, but rather the old school rectangular swatches of fabric. I believe Gerber calls them “Flatfold Gauze Weave Diapers,” though I was unable to find a good link. We got a couple dozen of these, and basically kept them everywhere. Not only were they dirt cheap, but super absorbent - just getting them near the spit-up was enough to make it disappear.

If you have a baby with an inclination for spitting-up, keep your world dry with cloth diapers!

Chris Clark, 1990.
Huge frontside wallride off the ramp.

A big bucket of sidewalk chalk is a great excuse to get outside and be creative with your toddler. Even the long-lasting 52-count box of Crayola Chalk is an inexpensive and safe way to get your little one playing creatively, and the cleanup is simple (wait for it to rain, or grab the hose.)

We used crayons, markers, and paintbrushes early on with our son, but the big thick sidewalk chalk was the easiest for him to hold. By 10 months, he was already trying to draw circles and triangles with us, and our creative life was in full swing.

Here are just a few of the chalk activities you can do with you toddler:

• Numbers - Writing big numbers all in a row are a great way to get your little one running AND counting. Have her say the numbers as she walks down the row, or call out a number for her to find.
• Shapes - Draw each of the shapes (square, circle, triangle, etc.), making them large enough for him to stand in. Call out a shape and have him find it. You can also make each shape a different color to crank the learning up a notch.
• More Shapes - Find two areas far apart, and draw a set of small shapes (6″ each) in the first. In the second, draw a large set of each shape (3′ each). Show her a small shape (the circle for example), and then have her find the big one.
• Places - Draw the places you visit around the driveway, spread out like in real life. The park, grocery store, playground, post office, mall, and toy store can be just as fun to visit in your own driveway.
• Outlines - Body outlines are fun as he gets older, but you can start with hands and feet. Do theirs, then the rest of the family’s as a good lesson in size.
• Data - Draw important numbers and names to reinforce character recognition. It’s never too late to begin teaching things like names, addresses, phone numbers, 911, and birthdays.
• Characters - Replicating personalities from videos may not teach your toddler a lot (though, you could probably use the drawing practice), but she will enjoy talking about them. This is a good way to jump-start her imagination with some familiar content.

The possibilities are limited only by your creativity, so drop the six bucks today and give it a shot. I imagine the games will get more complex as time goes on, but for now the simple ones are effective - and I bet your toddler will love them as much as ours.

Jason May, 1990.
A little backside disaster on the N-Orbit vert ramp.

The first vert contest at N-Orbit skatepark was a big moment for some local skaters, and finally having the chance to throw down in their own backyard brought out the best. Seeing a recently sponsored Jason May tear up this ramp all day is something I won’t soon forget. I have forgetten who else skated that day - and the contest results proved it didn’t matter. Long live the skatepark, and long live the contest.

Matt Gollnick, 1989.
Frontside Smith on Jamie Meltzer’s six-foot riverside ramp.

Ian Davis, 1990;
Popping a little ollie to railslide at CHS.

Hey, my boy Josh McRoberts will be lacing them up for Duke tonight (ESPN, 7:30PM.) Be sure to check out fellow Carmel High School alum getting his frosh-on with elder teammates J.J. Redick and Shelden Williams. I’m sure I’ll tune in for a peek, but I’m more excited about the November 30th Duke/Indiana game in Bloomington. What kind of homecoming will Josh receive? Stay tuned…

Andrew Wood, 1990.
180 ollie to nosegrind down the Top Dog handrail; Carmel, IN.

I had to get one. No, I actually had to get one. After a day-long clicking seizure, my 4G’s failing hard drive was no more. So, naturally I picked up a 5G iPod as a replacement (Portable Music Withdrawal is powerful stuff…I had no idea.) Anyway, the headline should read, “Love at First Sight, Again”, which is of course completely predictable. It’s sort of like cars or even cats: the only iPod better than an iPod is a brand new iPod.

THE GOOD: The screen is underbilled - it’s shockingly sharp, and immediately changes the way I feel about the device. My photos look bright and crisp - it’s nice having them in my pocket. The video and album art functionality is a nice bonus, but I’m not really focused on that. The PSP-user in me knows the iPod has moved way past the typical DAP, but all the things I loved about the music part are still there. My favorite enhancement is the recognition of Compilations - Thank-you! Managing Podcasts - that I like. It’s smaller, yet more powerful; vibrant, yet longer-lasting - these are all good things.

THE BAD: I’m not sold on the flat front yet. I like the rounded bevel of the 4G - it mades the whole thing feel like a flat pill, and that is strangely appealing to me. The button on the 5G is flat, making it hard to find. When I navigate quickly, the firmware transitions slowly and sometimes get stuck for a moment.

TAKEAWAYS: You can’t go wrong with an this iPod. White or Black, 30 or 60, this thing will do what you want it to. It works well, looks great, and brings with it all of the collateral value of iPodding. Unlike what a pre-bugeye-glasses Bono once recorded, in this case you have found what you are looking for.

Phil Barnes; 1990.
Wallride over a blue and gold barrel at the famous CHS.

Clearly being the black (green) sheep hasn’t kept Gree from getting respect.

Mitchy, 1989.
Big frontside wallride at an indoor contest, possibly in Martinsville, IN.

During our trip to Target tonight, it seems a small patrol of clone troopers infiltrated the cart. Hiding out among the diapers and placemats, these seven stowaways made it back to the house undetected, only to be captured and photographed for the entire empire to see.

Commander Gree and Commander Bly are very detailed figures - I’m always happy to see favorite characters get a good sculpt. I picked up a Green Clone Commander (previously had red), and a dirty super articulated clone. Target also had the other trooper evolutions pack, which even rebelscum.com hasn’t detailed at the time of this post. Out of the three, the Grey Commander from ROTS is the most menacing (third from the left). All in all a good haul.

David Luke, 1989.
Backside Wallride at a self-storage place in Castleton, IN.

Andrew Wood, 1990.
HUGE tweaked-out backside over the spine; the metal mini-ramp in Brownsburg, IN.