Travel Yosemite on a $1.50 a day

My good friends Mark and Chad got hired to do a bmx demo in Oakhurst, California (16 miles from Yosemite). Considering they needed someone to help film, I volunteered for the position, and found myself on a plane heading back to San Fransico on May
22nd. After the demo (on the 23rd), our friend Tammy (the event organizer) treated us to a full day at Yosemite. With plenty of snacks on hand to handle the non-vegan friendly park, I treated myself to a bottle of OJ for $1.50 to celebrate the day...They call me a high roller.

Chad, Mark, and Myself at Glacier Point.

The lower falls.

A dead tree and half dome.

El Capitan.

Another big rock that makes you feel inconsequential.

Me and Mark at the Overlook.

-He Said.

How She met He.

Many, many moons ago when he was a "dandy highwayman," he stumbled across her and decided to make his move. Paparazzi made a documentary of the courting process and it went something like this...



-He Said

I mustache you a question?--16 hours in Minneapolis, Mn.

1.Grow a mustache.
2.Fly to Minneapolis Mn. on Saturday morning.
3.Meet up with the two other judges (Chad and Dave) who also grew pretty sweet mustaches.
4.Judge a bmx contest with a $20,000 purse.
5.Show our mustaches on TV.
6.Fly home Sunday morning after spending a grand total of 16 hours in Minneapolis.



Pre judging.


Judging.


Post Judging. Behind us is Prince's home venue. Too bad his pencil mustache couldn't handle what we grew.

Light Yourself on Fire, literally?

Last Sunday, someone took the name of our band a bit too literally. Luckily, he wasn't hurt too bad (somehow he only burnt his hand), no one else was injured, and our equipment nor the house (although both had a close call) did not become engulfed in flames.
(Photo care of Greg Smee)

-He Said

I'm confused, what is vegan?

I found this on a gas pump near Micanopy this afternoon. In bewilderment, I've decided to throw the image out there to see if anyone can help me figure out why this was etched into a gas pump in the middle of backwoods Florida? 1st place prize, this creepy looking billy goat pictured below.

What am I supposed to do?

At Golden Gate Park in San Fransisco, we found this sign upon entering. After we laughed at the absurdity of the signage, we bit our tongues and attempted to interpret the rules so as not to break any. In the end, we thought we would probably break them all, so we found something else to do.

1.No bicycle riding if you don't have any hands or feet.
2.No skateboarding if your torso is not connected to your legs.
3.No yeti's, especially if they're standing on 8 donuts.
4.No Nazi skindhead scooter gangs.
5.Animal crackers are not permitted.
6.No pooping, especially if you're pooping a canon ball.
7.No marijuana farming.
8.No stomping on your marijuana if you don't get caught growing it.
9.Do not allow the squirrels to eat your fingers.

It was kind of a San Fransisco Vacation.

Many, many moons ago, she got accepted to present a paper at 4-C's this year in San Francisco. Upon her acceptance, she invited me to come along--an invitation I couldn't refuse. So, instead of making it a 3 day trip, we made it a week long vacation. Here are pictures for proof.


Before figuring out public transportation, the first couple days were spent walking (sometimes aimlessly) through the city. On finding the corner of Haight and Ashbury, we stood in line with a bunch of other embarassed tourists and snapped the mandatory shot.

We had no clue what these trees were? Maybe clones from the cover of U2's album "The Joshua Tree." Regardless, they littered the city and were quite appealing to the eye.

One afternoon we laid in Golden Gate Park--everyone else was doing it so why shouldn't we? I turned to Ariel and asked if I could be artsy. She approved, and this shot was the result.

Alcatraz--going to jail has never been this fun.

Century plants on Alcatraz. Considering the island is actually just a big rock, all plant life was imported from the main land.

San Fran via Alcatraz. She was pondering her escape plan...

On walking through the wharf, we stumbled upon a carnival game museum. I stepped to the plate first, dropped in a quarter and discovered that I'm a "clammy lover."

She stepped to the plate and I got a double whammy--Not sure how, but she's to become a rich widow.

We knew we had found the famouse wharf seals when we got a sudden whiff of poop.

Right past China-town, public transport ended. After walking up, down, and across every alley in this part of the city, she lost 3 pounds and collapsed from exhaustion. So I laughed and took a photo.

Golden Gate Bridge. 9am, on our way to the Marin Headlands and beyond to Muir Woods.

Of the many photos she takes of me, this is one of few where I don't look like an idiot. On top of some battlement from WW2 on the Marin Headlands.

He took this.

She took this.

Muir Woods. The lives of these four trees combined exceeds 4,500 years. One of my new favorite places to visit--trully peaceful!

Random Redwood tree stump in curious lighting.

The Gorilla came out when times were tough. Here, he forces me to stop whinning.

Sunset at "Lands End."

Get "raw-some"

New Profile advert in this months issue of Ride Bmx Magazine.

-He Said

Friday Funnies: "Drunken Negro head cookies"

My favorite quotes:
1."My brother-in-law, he's cuban--I like everybody as long as they buy"
2."It's a fun face, anyone who thinks different should be ashamed of themselves"
3."Obama is from Illinois, he's following in the footsteps of Lincoln"
4."The cookie is not unflattering, it's a fun face"
5.The cookie "is an expression of freedom"
6.The cookies are a "caricature and a work of art, no one got mad at the dead geese bread"
I think Obama should bless us by cutting more out of education this year...maybe we'll end up with more idiots like this baker?

-He Said

Non-profit donation--February 2009.

Growing up, there was nothing that I loved more than hearing my grandpa (Joe Dawson)tell stories of his experiences during WW2. The stories of camaraderie and adventure and, unfortunately, the stories of death and destruction. The military shaped my grandpa--he was stubborn and scary, disciplined and a hard-worker as well as one of the smartest men I knew. Above all, my closest friend and my hero.
Before I hit my teens (and found bmx), I was set in following in his footsteps into the air force. But by mid teens my politics had changed pretty drastically, I leaned much more towards pacifism (though I do believe we need a military), and found myself more interested in learning about history and literature (hence my absolute love of telling as well as hearing a good story).
Most of my Grandpa Joe's stories were based around his flying in B-17's--The US's predominant bomber in the early phases of the war. I'm aghast at how this lofty airplane did what it did--brought my grandpa home safely after so many missions with the odds of return so highly stacked against him.
A few months ago, I got wind of a travelling air exhibit which featured a B-17: The "Nine-o-Nine." One of only 13 left in flight, I had to check it out. But then I read the fine print: "Go up in the Nine-o-Nine for a tax deductible donation." Back in November a date was set for the 17 to be displayed at St. Pete International. I immediately made the phone call, and reserved a seat with both my brother Jeff and my Boss, Jim Alley as flying buddies.
By 9:30am on Sunday, January 25th, the three of us were a couple thousand feet above Tampa, cruising at about 180mph. I can't even express to you how amazing this was!

My brother, Jeff Coplon. Pre-flight.

Me, like a kid in a candy store.

Pilot dudes--oh, how I envy these mustachioed men.

These Pratt and Whitney engines were so loud I had to put in ear plugs. There is no other engine on earth that sounds this amazing: ground shaking--It gives me the chills just thinking about it.

The nose-cone. 180 degrees of plexi-glass. Imagine sitting in this capsule while travelling 180mph thousands of feet over the city.

At about 1pm this afternoon, I was boxing some product up at work, and outside I heard the unmistakable sound of those four Pratt and Whitney engines flying above. I ran outside, and sure enough, the "Nine-O-Nine" was flying right over the building heading for its next stop in Naples, Florida. I'll admit, I got kind of emotional...it was as if the old rattle trap was saying goodbye.

In Loving memory of Joe Dawson...

-He Said.

Look back and laugh...

This was a section in a video filmed in 2002. Not the greatest editing, terrible song, and yes I thought I ripped a hole in my butt. All you can do is look back and laugh.

Straight To Hell - Matt Coplon from Sebastian Surroca on Vimeo.

-He Said

Farewell, Amy Poehler

I'll miss Kaitlin most of all.

RICK RICK RICK!

New Years check list, 2009!

There were three things I wanted to check off for the New Year:

1.Don't drink. It's been almost 32 years and I'm still the designated driver. Check.

2.Find a rock, launch off of it and ride the side of a building. Check.


3.Pedal past a leashed dog, and unexpectantly get bit on the thigh by said dog (ripping a hole in a good pair of jeans while only suffering a blood blister). Check!


Happy New Year.

-He Said

Spooky Scary

Everything He knows about Judaism comes from Tracy Jordan.