Archive for the 'Toys' Category

The Honda Elite 290cc Scooter

Matt Hough Snow Trip
Click for pics

     Finally posting pics of my new 1987 Honda Elite 290cc scooter. Word around town it’s one of the fastest scooters in the county. So far I haven’t met my match yet. Other than getting about 60mpg, some other features of the scooter are:

  • iPod interface
  • speakers
  • heated handle bar grips for those cold San Diego nights
  • small dash mounted clock
  • good luck object braided by an exiled Tibetan monk (yes this is true)
  • extra large under seat storage

So far riding the scooter has been great. Parking? No problem. Gas prices? Don’t make me laugh. I went from spending about $70 per week on gas to about $10. Not to mention nothing helps wash away the stress of the workday more than a scooter ride home on a nice sunny day. If you see me on the road I only ask one thing: please don’t ask me if I know what scooters and fat chicks have in common. Oh, and don’t run me over.

The Official Snowboard/Ski Trip Video

Make sure to check out the post and photos below for the story…


My new toys: funbox, surfboards and utility trailer

     Continuing to satisfy my hunger for all things skating and surfing, I recently picked up some new toys to add to the collection.
     Top of the list: I picked up two new surfboards (off Craig’sList off course). The first was a 6′2″ Lost Speed Demon (which may now be my favorite board) and the second board was a 6′0″ quad-fin fish (which will be my summer board).
     Also something I’ve been wanting to buy for some time, I managed to land a sweet deal on a 8′x4′ utility trailer. Where did I get it? Craig’sList of course! This trailer is awesome and I now can carry around lumber and all of my skate stuff.
     Which leads me to my final new item: the dual-height funbox. I based this design off of a funbox I built about 4 years ago and was one of my favorite fun boxes. I never built another one because I didn’t have a pickup truck to carry it anymore. Enter the utility trailer! We’ve had a few Sunday skate sessions on it and it is holding up well and liked by all.
     I added a few pics below but you can always go to the main gallery here for more pictures.

New camera equipment

IMG_5255.JPG
Click for pics

     I finally was able to save enough money to buy some more camera equipment on my long, expensive camera wish list. New to the arsenal is a Canon 50mm 1.4/f lens and a Canon 580EX Speedlite flash. The 50mm lens is going to be my prime lens and, due to it’s aperture range, allow me more flexibility in low-light situations, high-speed situations, and provide nice bokeh for centering compositional items, especially useful in portraits. The flash was an addition that was long overdue. As a photographer, light is essential and the built-in flash on the Canon 30D was not able to provide the flexibility I needed. It generally threw way too much light on the subject resulting in a harsh, whitewashed exposure that drained all of the color from the shot and created unacceptable shadowing. The Speedlite flash is an amazing peice of equipment and exactly what I was looking for. Along with a mind-boggling myriad of settings and features, it can adjust the power of the flash as well as fire in burst shots to match high speed shooting. I definitely have some experimenting and testing to do before I’ll feel I have a strong grasp of these new items (not like I’m complaining).

The Canon 30D has arrived!

Canon 30D (6).JPG     Today, after a long period of saving, I finally got my digital SLR, the Canon 30D! I figure it’ll take me a week or two to really figure the whole camera out and harness it’s extensize features and power. I’m really looking forward to getting back into photography, especially action photography like skateboarding and surfing.
     And if that wasn’t enough good news already, I get to test out the new camera this Sunday at the Chargers-Steelers game here in San Diego. My co-worker’s wife works for a company that manages the event ticketing for the Chargers and was able to procure 2 field-level goal-line seats on the Steelers side!!! Those tickets are selling for about $400 on CraigsList. It’s like a dream come true!