Signed the contract - we'll pick the keys up this Friday! So fucking thrilled that this is working out. There's this rule of thumb that one should try not to spend more than a third of one's net income on rent and utilities. If my predictions are correct, I'll probably end up just under or around that. And I'll be living in the city I want to live, in a near-perfect home, with my best friend, with a shopping mall in walking distance and a commute of just over 40 minutes to a job that makes me happy. Someone pinch me. :) It is a bit sour that all the effort and stress in finding a guarantor was worthless - the owner of the building is also fine with two months' rent as a security. On the bright side: it means our guarantor friend doesn't have to sign anything, which is great. Now there's a whole list of things to buy, to rent and to sign. New coach, vacuum cleaner, printer, insurance, office chair for working at home (Aeronnnn yiss), maybe get myself a center speaker for movies. And then there's the move itself, which is not as easy time-wise as when I was a student. I'm glad I have a decent task manager...
There's a short train ride with just over a mile on one side and just under a mile on the other. (Utrecht, by the way.) Which is perfect for a Boosted Board, were it not that they are expensive enough for me to go over my (arguably low) credit card limit. So I'll probably bike/bus one part and walk the shorter one, or get another bike. Good asphalt bike lanes are everywhere anyway (...which is perfect board surface material. too. A man can dream...).
I was thinking the same. Those things cruise for days, even a slight downhill incline and you're laughing. When I was an undergrad I used to longboard on this awesome length of tarmac: You could easily roll the whole thing with few solid pushes at the start.
It's not just that batteries are nice to keep me going, but I was thinking I much prefer a board that also has a brake. There's a downhill bit with an intersection at the end and I'd feel much safer if I can brake properly for that. Can't hurt to try though.
Brakes are deceptive with longboards. you have to lean into it so it doesn't launch you ass-over-teakettle anyway; far better to just drag a toe. Can't drag a toe? Get off and walk it.
What happened to standing on the kick-tail and just dragging the back of the board, with the front end up in the air? Do cool skatekidz nowadays have other ways to brake? I admit, I was last on a skateboard in a swimming pool in the late 70's or early 80's, but it doesn't seem like the physics would have changed that much....
Skateboard you're thinking of: Skateboard we're talking about: Skateboard you're talking about: Skateboard under discussion: Skateboarding is not a crime. Longboarding is also not a crime, but also serves an entirely different purpose. Covering a distance on a skateboard can be done but isn't the primary purpose. Covering a distance on a longboard is most of the game. Braking on a longboard is a slightly different affair as a lot of the time, you shouldn't. Note that I eat shit a lot. I would eat shit immediately were I to slide out, and I would eat shit promptly were I to ride sidewinders. As such, were I to attempt to imitate this man on the slide out I would eat shit before I got two feet on the board.
Ah. Right. This is my last skateboard: https://www.ebth.com/items/1393334-vintage-makaha-usa-skateboard I never understood the stupid, tiny, noisy wheels. Totally useless for riding. My skateboard was transportation. And in my day, longboards were closer to 5 or 6 feet long, you laid down on them on your back, and bombed hills. Times have apparently changed.
You can buy 5' longboards. They're uncommon. I find the build quality on Kahuna to be lacking. My understanding is that the tiny wheels keep you closer to the ground while also allowing you to turn tight, which is necessary for tricks, which is something longboards don't do, which is why some people put sidewinders on longboards, which requires a lot better balance than I'll ever have. People have been known to do dumb things to get lower.