3/26/2011. Shots Fired.

It's another Friday night, time to go out and shake off the week, right? Usually this is the case and everything goes to plan. March 26th was the exception. We, BillyC, MarcC, SanamB, MitchR, and JoshW, had just finished a very successful night at the Saddle Ranch in Universal City Walk. After we shared our goodbyes with some good friends from high school, we began to make our way home. We pile in the Bromobile, which happens to be a sporty Chrysler Pacifica, and we bump the Zach Brown.

After a quick stop at Denny's, we make our way to MarcC's house. For Marc's privacy, I can't quite give his exact location, but think of the area near JFK in Granada Hills. This was our final destination.
The time is roughly 3:00am, we arrive. As Marc parks the van along the right side of the very dark street and we prepare to exit, we hear our rear window shatter. We all turn around and notice a gaping hole, just above and behind Mitch, punched through rear most window.
Not even a second passes when we know what's going on.
Shots fired.
We check each other, make sure no one is hurt. Everyone is alright.
"GO MARC, GET OUT OF HERE!"
We were a bit frantic. But Marc never gave into the moment.
Marc heroically fumbled for the keys but quickly gets the car started. Everyone is crouched down in their seats as Marc heroically accelerates through his neighborhood. As we race through the streets, Mitch is talking to the dispatcher. They tell us to head to the Devonshire division police station. It takes not even 5 minutes to reach it.
We, JoshW and MitchR, calmly enter the police station.
"Hi, umm, we've just been shot at."
The officer could not look any less enthused. He pulls out a set of papers and asks us a few basic questions- anyone hurt? did you see anyone? where did this take place? etc...
The officer records all the information in his incident report.
We ask if there is anything else they can do, maybe send out a patrol, check the neighborhood.
"We'll see what we can do" the officer casually replies.
Thanks LAPD. I won't both ya'll next time with my small time problems.
After the PD, we pile back in and regroup ourselves. We'll head to MitchR's house to spend the night.
Arriving at his house, we are all relieved and feeling extremely thankful that none of us were injured.
It's nearly 4:00am, we're home safe and ready to sleep.

March 26th, 2001. Shots Fired. Never Forget. Bro's Forever.

[EVIDENCE]

 Above: Does this need a caption?

 Above: MitchR's seating during shooting. Very lucky guy.

 Above: Morning after. Gotta be thankful.

 Above: Whatcha know about street cred?

 Above: More damage...

Above: problem solved!

-JoshW

March 21st. Tampa Trail.

When your weather forecast involves the words "torrential downpour" and "hail", mountain biking, hiking, and river crossings are on the minds of few. It's not too often that we see weather like this in the San Fernando Valley. Temperatures usually range from the mid 70's to upper 80's and we are fairly comfortable with this. So when the weather changes it's pace, so do we.

I'm at starbucks studying and I get a text from BillyC, "Mud mountain biking in aliso?". How could I pass this up? We throw around a few locations- there aren't many in the Valley- so we decide on what we think is a smaller trail off of Tampa and Chatsworth. We pack our bikes and meet at the trail head.

 Above: BillyC plowing through the run-off

Above: JoshW tryin' to stay upright.

We make our way through the designated trail but soon find that it has been washed out. There are two options. Either we turn back, or we follow the river upstream. 

Above: How could we resist?

Upstream we go. We were sure surprised.

Above: Nearly 1/4mile upstream and there are rockwalls 30ft tall.We catch each other asking,  

"Where are we?"

Above: Waterfall? WHAT!? Up and over.

 Above: The stream/river rushes past. Some parts take you up to your waist.

For nearly three hours we carry on, upstream, rock-hopping. Some sections of the river have you hugging the wall, while others have you scaling fallen trees. As the sun sets, we begin to question our location. We are nearly certain we've trekked miles into the hills. Scenery changes, there's no more track housing. As we look for a way out, we only notice the 10ft walls of dirt that surround us. There's only one way out, up. We grab hold of some tree roots and climb our way out. Looks like we ended up only a few miles north of Rinaldi. We were disappointed to say the least, yet impressed that all this adventure was only miles away.

Above: How do we end the day? Climb the nearest hill, find a chair and admire the view.

Moral of the story: Can't get away? Let the weather change it up for you!

Love the Earth : )

-JoshW 

PS. Dear Vibram, myself and 5 other guys would love to promote your legendary shoes across the country.

Essential Gear for Bros

You dont just become a bro overnight; It is a process. I have a book called The Dangerous Book for Boys. The book has a list that are essential gear for every man. 1-10 are from the book and are the words of Hal Iggulden the author of the book. The remainder of the list are additions that I  think bros should own.

1. Swiss Army Knife.
Still the best small penknife. It can be carried on luggage on planes, though not in hand luggage. It is worth it to save up for a high-end model, with as many blades and attachments as you can get. That said, there are good ones to be had for about $30. They are useful for jobs requiring a screwdriver, removing splinters and opening bottles of beer and wine.

2. Compass
These are satisfying to own. Small ones can be bought from any camping or outdoor store and they last forever. You really should know where north is, whereever you are.

3. Handkerchief.
There are many uses to a piece of cloth, from preventing smoke inhalation or helping with a nosebleed to offering one to a girl when she cries. (Mitch)

4. Box of Matches
Goes without saying that you must be responsible. Matches kept in a dry tin or inside a plastic bag can be very useful on a cold night when you are forced to sleep in a field. Dipping the tips in wax makes them waterproof. Scrape the wax off with your fingernail when you want to light them.

5. Needle and Thread
Again, there are a number of useful things you can do with these, from sewing up a wound on an unconscous dog to repairing a torn shirt. Make sure the thread is strong and then it can be used for fishing.

6. Pencil and Paper
If you see a crime and want to write down a license plate number or a description, you are going to need one. Alternatively, it works for shopping lists or practically anything.

7. Small Flashlight
There are ones available for key rings that are small and light. If you are ever in darkness and trying to read a map, a flashlight of any kind will be useful.\

8. Magnifying Glass
For general interest. Can also be used to start a fire.

9. Band-Aids
Just one or two, or better still, a piece from a cloth bandage roll that can be cut with penknife scissors. They probably wont be used, But you never know.

10. Fishhooks
If you have strong thread and a tiny hook, you only need a stick and a worm to have a chance of catching something. Put the hook tip into a piece of cork, or you'll snag yourself on it.

11.Change of Clothes
Shorts, Shirt, and Socks. Every bro is going to be wet and cold at some point.

12. Canteen
You are always going to need water out in nature. A good canteen, water bottle, or camelbak is a must.
13. Backpack
A good backpack with a lot of pockets and zippers can be  used to hold all of the previously listed items. Great for hiking and backpacking or any other event in your life.

The book is great to learn about how to tie knots, great battles in history, and even making a go-kart. A great read for any bro
-Billy

Bro Chow of the Week

Chow is an essential part of life. It's important to recognize there's no two meals alike. That's why we're going to try, once a week, to review a Bro-approved place to grab a good bite to eat.
What qualifies as good BroChow? Quality and Quantity. A lot for a little. More for less.
I want to recognize one of our oldest joints to celebrate.

Kyoto Sushi.

Collectively, we have probably consumed over 500 rolls here. For years, we've come here for all-you-can-eat sushi.
Now, before you reject the idea that good AYCE sushi exists, it does here. You're seated right at the bar. Yes, seating can get awkward when you want to talk to the guy 6 seats to your left, but please, you came here for the sushi. Not the cheap talk.
What does it take to indulge? $26(and change). Usually comes out to $30-with tip(optional). You get an entire hour to shout out your continuous order to some of the hardest working sushi-chefs known to Northridge. Hold on, $30, isn't cheap! But, when it comes to sushi and it's $10 a roll, $30 becomes money smart.
You hear the testing words, "What would you like?". With over 20 rolls, it's important to choose wisely. Don't panic.
Turn to your Bros! What's your favorite combo?
JoshW- House Special Roll, Albacore, and Mussles. YEA!
SanamB-Albacore, Ace Roll, TNT roll, Spicy Tuna Hand Roll, and Mussles to bless my stomach.
MitchR- boyfriend, boyfriend, house special, ace, lion, jacky, ichii
After you stuff yourself be prepared to be herded out like cattle.  This is my only gripe with this place. Once the sushi-lovin' is over, it's all business.
 4 our of 5 StarBeers.

Kyoto Sushi!

-JoshW

These are the Good Days

As many a bro has found themself, bored, unmotivated, and not being able to think of something to get you out of a rut. There we were at Sanams house tired of doing nothing. We needed a Pick-Me-Up, an Energizer. So we did what we did for years, grabbed our longboard skateboards and headed out chasing concrete waves. Trying to find smooth, steep, long hills. As we headed to the car wondering where we were going to go, someone had an idea! What could be better then longboarding through O'Melvany Park! O'Mel, as we like to call it, is a great place for Broventures and has never let us down. The hill that we were about to go down isn't anything special, not that steep, not that smooth, but the scenery was great. So with Japan Sam on a bike, Sanam on his super fun short-longboard (idk if that makes sense), and me on my longboard we started a great roll through the park and back to Sanams house. These are the things that make us bros. Small joys that leave us refreshed with life. Enjoy! We did!
Along for the ride: Sanam, Japan Sam, Billy =]

HERE'S A LITTLE SNIPPET OF THE ROLL DOWN

Midnight Ride

Random. Unexpected. Last minute decision. Winging it.

These words and expressions are very common in a Bros Life. Most people might relate these terms in a negative way. Well, they have it wrong. Throughout our Brohood we have lived by "just winging it." This is because...well we aren't the best of planners, and planning is too...well...planned. Sometimes there is more thrill in just seeing where the day, or night, takes you. This is exactly what the five of us did on February 17th.

John: "Hey dude, were hiking Verstovia tonight and boarding down. Possibly see the Northern Lights. You coming?
Me: "Uhhh, how are you going to see?"
John: "Full moon, and headlamps"
Me: "Have you done this before?"
John: "Nope"

We had all done this hike several times before, but never at night. You always hear stories of people getting in over their heads out here in Alaska, and let me tell you it never ends well. Frostbite, amputation, lost for days, bears, wind, rain, snow, falling off cliffs, losing the trail. Endless possibilities.
So let me say the risk was high. Snowboarding untouched powder, seeing an aurora, and hiking with your buddies. The reward was greater.

John, Dan, Craig, Chris, and myself started our hike around 7:00 PM. We all had a fairly good load on our back. Extra clothes, survival equipment, snowboards, extra boots, food, water, tents, ice pics, snow shoes, headlamps, fire starters, camera, someone even brought a Jet Boil. The first 1/4 mile is nice and easy and were all amped, sticking together. Then the switch backs. Nobody likes switch backs. Especially when the trail is narrow and your board is banging into the trees. We all slowly start to pull away form each other. The older guys fall back a little. I was right in the middle, I knew we had to take it easy to conserve some energy. After about an hour and a half most of us were hiking alone. I heard one of the guys yell "turn off your head lamps!" Is this guy nuts? How are we going to see the trail? I turned my light off anyways. The full moon was so bright it illuminated the trail. Even through all the tree's and brush. It was absolutely amazing.

Almost three hours later we near the summit of "Picnic Rock," The last 200 yards or so, the snow was so deep each step was exhausting. Nothing was going to slow us down now. We all finally summit. Now were on top of a mountain, looking down at the lights from town, and the vastness of the wilderness surrounding it. We all soak in the moment. Then take a group photo.

Above: Picnic Rock, Mt. Verstovia in the backround. Left to right: Chris, Cameron, John, Dan, Craig.
Not Featured: The Bros

From here most of us seperated. John and I came up here to snowboard, not just enjoy the view. The rest of the guys stayed back and warmed up their insides (alcohol may have been involved). I'm not going to lie, seeing how far away Mt. Verstovia was made me not want to hike anymore. But, I had to snowboard down that mountain. John and I trucked through the snow for the next hour deciding which lines to take, what hazards to look out for. We really had to plan what we were going to do in order to be somewhat safe.

We finally make it to our destination. Sit down, and strap in. The mountain was at a pretty steep slope, so just sitting down on the mountain wasn't easy. I accidentally started to slide down. That was not a good feeling. Luckily John had an ice pick and threw it to me so I could stop myself. I grabbed it, and dug it hard into the snow. Phew, close call. Alright, its time to do what we came here for. John dropped in, me following right behind.

Above: Mt. Verstovia. Look closely and you can see some of our lines on the far right.

Untouched power. It felt like riding on a cloud. I wish I could explain to you what it really felt like, but I can't. Every turn felt like butter. Each line was my own. I had all the room in the world! The last bit I just crouched low, caught some speed, and felt the snow underneath me. Amazing. Non stop screaming, and WAHOOOO'S from both of us. We heard the rest of the guys screaming back to us from the other mountain. Happiness.

The rest of the hike back we were grinning from ear to ear. We didn't have to say anything to each other, but I knew exactly what he was feeling. Euphoria. When we hiked back to Picnic Rock, the rest of the guys were gone. As we take our last glance at the view of the mountains before we head back, I see it for the first time. The Norther Lights. Green waves dancing on the horizon. Truly breath taking. Could this night get any better?

Above: This is not an actual photo we took, but similar to what we witnessed.