Photos

Here are some random pictures that I have taken with my camera around the city.

Love the North,

R. Mack

Self Confidence

Self confidence is a reoccurring problem for myself, whether it's school or sports. Tonight it definitely got to me while I was skateboarding. We were up at Rona and I was trying to grind a bench into a bank, but I had a lack of commitment and self confidence. This happens quite often to me and is extremely frustrating. It's even worse when I am skating because I become flustered easily and lose all concentration. You know what I'm talking about? It's like when you're trying so hard to do something but are having little progress. Tonight all I could think about was going home a failure, and I feel that way right now. A personal goal is to think more positively and show less fear. Just a little rant about my evening and hopefully next time I ride, I will get that trick on camera.

R. Mack

Just a Taste: Joe Dog's

With both the NHL and NBA playoffs occurring, it's nice to get some big screen action. Joe Dog's hosts a wing night every Thursday evening which is nicely complimented by three projectors and many other televisions with games and highlights.A pound of wings is $3.50, with a large selection of flavors (I always order the "Sweet Alabama"). So if you and your friends want to catch a game on a Thursday night, try enjoying it with drinks and wings.

R. Mack

Shad

This past Tuesday, Dallas, JJ, Mike and I went to Amigo's to check out Shad. The few performances that I attended at Amigo's were great, always a wide selection of drinks, people and music. The crowd at this show were much younger and rowdier to say the least. Putting that aside, the music was great. I took some pictures and videos to show people who had missed the show. The music is a bit distorted, but you get the picture.

Love the North,

R. Mack

Just a Taste: Alexander's

Alexander's is a great place to enjoy a meal, especially in the summer. The patio is great and the restaurant is always open fairly late. You can always expect to have fresh food and good service. It has that cafe feel on the bottom level and more of a bar feel on the top floor. Alexander's is well known for it's sandwiches, wraps, salads and especially their desserts! Pricing ranges from $8 to $30, but most of the meals are located underneath $15. The location is really convenient being near the school (Cumberland & College, right beside Subway) but parking is sometimes a hassle.

Personal favorites at the restaurant are the quesadillas, chicken caeser wrap, poutine, cheesecake and salads.

R. Mack

Just a Taste: Moka Coffee Bar

Last weekend I moved into a Lakewood townhouse with my brother and unfortunately we're stuck without internet until the 9th, so I've found myself getting my web fix at Moka Coffee Bar as they offer free wifi and just as their slogan says, they are literally "Just Around the Corner".

Moka is a fairly new coffee shop that was opened in December 2009 by Lynn Derksen and Vickie Fulawaka and it seems to be getting progressively more popular. I personally was introduced to it fairly recently by my friend Erin Quiring (below) who was hired there in January.

Moka boasts an extensive menu of drinks, pastries, and cakes, as well as several soups and wraps, a menu that is sure to fulfill the desire of any customer to walk in. Their beans are supplied by JJBean and Land of a Thousand Hills, and unlike most shops around the city, their tasty treats are made in-house every day.

Another aspect of Moka that I love is that they display the work of local artists on their walls. This has been attracting a lot of interest and the display time slots are now booked until Spring 2012. The artist currently on display is Brooke Graham (voted Saskatoon's best traditional media artist of 2010).

If you're ever in South East Saskatoon, drop by Moka Coffee Bar. The best Americano you've ever had is "Just Around the Corner".

-mikedanger

Highlight Reel

I managed to get a couple of my final exams moved so that I could be a staff member on a high school spring-break trip to California last week. At first I wasn't sure it was going to work out, but when everything fell into place I got stoked!

Other than soaking up the sun on Huntington, Laguna, and Mission Beach, a couple of my highlights included the following...

225 Forest, Laguna Beach

225 Forest is both the name of the store, and the address (225 Forest Ave, Laguna Beach, CA). It is a collab. between Nike, Hurley, and Converse, and they simply use the address as the store name so as to avoid focusing on one brand more than the others while providing a local home-grown feel.

This is one of my favorite shops based on the creativity represented as soon as you walk through the doors. From exposed brick and steel i-beams, to unique artwork and custom displays, 225 Forest is different than any other skate shop or clothing store that I've seen so far. Good flava flav.

Above are t-shirts and artwork created by youth from a local Laguna high school. They created the artwork that was printed on the shirts, and then coated the display tees in surfboard resin which is what allows them to stand freely.

The shoe display wall above was created by framing a wall with spruce 2x4's and then wrapping hose around the studs from top to bottom.

225 Forest also reps a silk screen machine and a custom shoe press in the upper level of their store. Above is 'the workshop menu', and below are the two presses.

The WaveHouse

The Wave House is located on Mission Beach, San Diego, CA. It includes an outdoor bar and grill, as well as two 'Flo-Rider' standing waves for customers to try surfing and a variety of different shapes and sizes of boards. We rented the place out for an evening and had an unreal time.

Below is the entry level wave, which is the one that we rented for our less experienced prairie high school students. We had a lot of fun trying to master the Flo-Rider, and also enjoyed a delicious BBQ buffet provided by the WaveHouse staff.

After a solid couple of hours on the Flo-Rider, we threw a high-energy limbo contest and dance party that will surely never be forgotten. 

In-N-Out Burger

In-N-Out burger is a chain of restaurants concentrated in the south-western United States, which is a crime to humanity as everyone should have the opportunity to indulge in the glorious bombardment of tastes and smells that exist at this restaurant.

The picture below is my 4x4 Animal Style Burger. Legendary.

Johnny Rockets

Johnny Rockets is another great burger joint located in the USA. It resembles a 50's diner, and possesses a high-energy atmosphere. I was able to visit on several occasions during our visit. The picture below is my St. Louis Burger, which I washed down with several ice cold glasses of Vanilla Coke. Dreamy.

-mikedanger

Edmonton: Day 2

Today was a lot more tiring and felt much longer. We began with some brunch here at the Botanica restaurant. First thing we did was headed downtown to do a bit of shopping, the plan was to find a shirt and tie. We didn't have too much luck over at Holt Renfrew, but then I ran into Henry Singer for my first time. With the exceptional service I received, I managed to find exactly what I was looking for.

The next thing we did was traveled over to Whyte ave. to check out Gravity Pope and Foosh, we didn't come out empty handed at either. We went back to West Edmonton Mall to fulfill our afternoon of shopping. But at that point of time, I think we were all pretty beat with the amount of walking and power shopping we did all day.

It was nice to come back to the hotel to have a late dinner at Vic's Steakhouse. We had a good day and finished it off with drinks, now I am ready to get to sleep and come home tomorrow.

 

 Love the North,

R. Mack