Bern - One Helmet to Rule Them All

I hate wearing helmets.

That being said, I've worn a helmet since I worked with an affiliate of Burton way back in 1997. Thing is, they don't really bother me riding or skating, I just dislike them. And it's standard kit mountain biking. But I digress...

Bern (an east coast company, so right away I support them), makes helmets with interchangeable liners so you can go from wake to skate to snow. While I don't own a boat, I do skate and snowboard.

At first, I said to myself, "Bill, you're a grown man and can afford two helmets!" But then I lookard around my cluttered garage, at the four surfboards, eight snowboards, my girlfriends snowboards, our bikes, my expanding quiver of longboard skateboards, one regular skate and a lot of other useful stuff and said "Self, maybe you don't need more gear?"

Bern makes total sense now. One helmet to rule them all.

Thanks to my boy Hugh for turning me onto them. Hope the back heals buddy.
His post can be found here:
http://liv2ride.wordpress.com/2007/10/18/bern-tj-schneider-baker-hard-hat/

Innovations in Snowboarding

Know why I got into snowboarding? Because it is different. Not different like purple hair is different. Different like going your own way different. Snowboarders have looked at the mountain differently since day one and that's what got me into shredding back in 1992 at Vernon Valley (well, Mountain Creek now).

I was never against skiers in the terrain parks or 1/2 pipes, but I thought those were handed to them. Skate ramps have been around for decades, so why didn't skiers push for those before sideways shredders did?

Here's the cover from the Snowboarder Magazine photo annual. It illustrates what I'm (poorly) trying to get across nicely. Someone doing something different on their snowboard.

Check it out:

Is 7-11 Going Green With their Coffee?

Coffee is something a lot of people are passionate about. I'm new to the coffee world (about a year), but in my former life in NYC I used to have two Diet Cokes in the morning to get going, so I understand the need for caffeine.

Anyway, down the blog are two places to get coffee, a little shop and 7-11. I actually prefer 7-11 most days, primarily because:
1. They say hi when I walk in. The coffee shop I went to for six months and they looked at me like I had never been there before.
2. They're quick.

Anyway, what always bummed me out about 7-11 coffee was that it came in Styrofoam cups, which aren't rad for the environment. I have my own cup, but when i need an XL jolt, I usually buy one of theirs.

Today I discovered they're phasing out the Styrofoam, at least in the 24 ounce size.

The only drawback I see is that these cups get hotter and require those little sleeves to keep from burning your hands. Is that more/worse waste than the Styrofoam? I'm not sure and too lazy to look, BUT, i can re-use the sleeves, so maybe that'll be better.

Of course, I'm sure 7-11 is far from being the leader in green. Heck, the lights are always on! But as my friends at Arbor told me once, it's all about shades of green. 7-11 is doing their bit and hopefully it'll go further.