Rollerblades

So, today I bagged work early.

It was BEAUTIFUL outside....incredibly nice. So, I thought I'd get out the ol' rollerblades and go for a bit of a 'blade ('blade, you know because I'm "down" with the lingo love).

So there I was, swishing along and I got to thinking about my rollerblades. You know, I've had those 'blades for like a million years (like 8). Ha. Seriously. They've been all over the world and are older than most of my friendships/relationships (outside of the obFamilyTies).

So, I started thinking of all the stories connected to that pair of rollerblades...how I bought them accompanied by a guy who claimed to be the son of the singaporean head of state (his name escapes me, he'd moved to houston to pursue "Angel" a stripper, he had a silly ferrarri, had architecural models all around, claimed to have a commissioned project to design an observation point at stonehenge, and a sound studio in his apartment). I remember rollerblading from Rice U to Meyerland in the dead wet Houston summer heat and almost dying at the railroad crossing. I remember rollerblading along the LA coastline with Amber and stopping to straddle a dolphin statue for a picture (that was back in my slillier days). I remember many many runs along the Swan river when I was in Perth for my semester abroad. Somehow the wind was always in our face coming back. But, it must have been good for the body as that was the summer of the infamous front page newspaper photo of me in my (american flag) bikini with Ms. Jes (who is incidentally getting her PhD in physical anthro this year...not only is she gorgeous, but smart). I remember rollerblading to fremantle with Julie one day and then realising the sad truth...that we'd have to 'blade back....after a few beers at the pub. I remember rollerblading from Scarborough to Fremantle and back one ridiculously hot summer day...and having to stop several times to throw myself in the Indian Ocean just to keep from getting heat stroke. I remember stopping to watch the whales just off the shore at city beach (remember that Alex?) and also being attacked by magpies near the football oval there. I remember watching the D miraculously avoid a pack of about twenty runners and a staunch pair of walking old birds on the steep path coming down the city side of the narrows. To this day I still can't figure out how he kept from taking out the entire lot of them like a bunch of bowling pins.

Then I started thinking of all my spectacular stacks on that pair of skates. There have been some real beauties. I remember when I bought those skates I only agreed to wrist guards...you know, because I'm cool and all. Those wrist guards have saved my life more times than I care to count. Remember that time I stacked it in Elkins Lake? I didn't see that storm grate in time. That hurt. What about that time I stacked it near City Beach...that was spectacularly public and oh so funny!

So that's what I was thinking at a critical intersection...when all of a sudden the incline of the path and a groove in the pavement conspired with my right skate. It came to a dead stop whilst my left skate kept travelling with my person. There was an abrupt end to it all, as you can imagine and my body folded in a horrendously comical disco fever split move. Not only was there an involuntary stretching of my groin....I now have a painfully skinned left knee. The best bit? There were witnesses! Laugh? I nearly wet myself.

It is incredibly painful. Hilariously painful. Ridiculously so.