roller skates are fun??

I'm Feeling: educated by experience
Background Noise: Minimum Wage by TMBG

For my ninth birthday, I had my party at the roller rink. It was awesome -- rent-a-skate, chocolate birthday cake in the shape of a cat (my birthday is on Halloween), presents, funky disco balls, arcade games... who could ask for more? When you're nine (and it's the 1980's) - no one! Somehow, some of the magic wears off by the time you hit your mid-twenties. I know this because Mark and I tried to re-live our childhood on our date last night. We swapped roller-rink stories on the way to Edru, talking about the songs we skated to, the slurpees we consumed, the parties we attended, the boys/girls we chased around the rink ... what fond memories!!

I think the reason we don't do a lot of the things we found fun as children anymore is because they are BORING. Seriusly, skating around and around a roller rink is not that fun. I also remember rolling down the hill in our front yard over and OVER again, riding my bike up and down the block, spinning in circles until I fell over, and hanging upside down off the swingset. I bet if I tried those things now, I wouldn't be quite so enamored with the experience.

The one good thing was that we weren't the only people there (at a skate-a-rama, on a Thursday night...) However, the only people that were there seemed to be split into 2 groups:

1. The older men who really are stuck in their 1970's and 1980's roller derby days - they can skate in circles around you on their clunky old skates (rollerblades are for kids!) and while they are fun to watch, it's mildly disturbing to think that their skills are still so well honed.

2. Children who have never had a shoe with four wheels strapped to their feet before, and are clunking awkwardly around the rink, crashing every 4.5 seconds in some horribly embarrassing and potentially painful way. I don't want to watch that - I feel SO BAD for those kids - I remember falling and feeling like a moron... it's no good.

Oh well - at least we have a funny story to tell. And we're not too cool to try it. (Not that anyone has any false notions of our lack of coolness). Have a lovely weekend!!!