skating rink philosophy and attire

you'll be seeing a lot more of my Burgundy Vision Street Wear shoes. a very rare color!

Even though my Thrasher t-shirt features a Lichtenstein-esque gal bemoaning the fact that her boyfriend can't skate, I had no such shame as my boyfriend was a natural, and he hadn't been roller skating in nearly 10 years. My gal, Stacy, was a smooth skater as well. Jesse couldn't skate with us because he was still injured from his karaoke accident of a few weeks ago when he pulled his groin while humping a bar stool and singing "Me and Ms. Jones." I warned him many times to stretch more often, especially now that we’re over 30 years old.

The skating rink is one of the most fun places to get a good workout, and the people-watching is tops. At the Fountain Valley Skating Rink, one encounters folks that have been coming to the rink since the 1980s, including a bleach blond couple skating gracefully together while wearing matching acid-wash denim outfits. The skating rink has a culture all its own, and you can smell it in the air - it smells like an old skate of incredible size. There are new-timers who skate, or rather, walk, around the rink at excessively slow speeds with a look of terror on their faces, and then there are the more experienced skaters whose skates are just an extension of the body. I, on the other hand, have a hard time getting out of the roller derby mind set sometimes, even though I retired several years ago. I try to jump through holes, to the horror of beginner skaters. Of my friends, I was the only one to fall, though I got up instantly, and one nearby skater remarked that it was the most beautiful fall she had ever seen. And here is where my life philosophy and skating come together – “Falling is inevitable, what matters is how quickly you get up.” Readers, if you are ever in my neck of the woods, I can show you the true-love ways of the roller skating rink.

Oh yes, I nearly forgot to mention, you can read an interview with me over at Tara-Lynn’s fascinating blog, good night, day. I am so touched that Tara-Lynn included me in her blog feature “Style Her Own.”

Outfit: Thrasher t-shirt (hand me down from a friend which I altered to fit me, but you can still buy one here. They have been in production since 1989. )., tuxedo shorts (Ye-Ye on Etsy), and Vintage Burgundy Vision Street Wear hi-tops (Ebay).