Entries this day: fully_experienced_skate

fully experienced skate

14 October 1997

Tonight I just got back from my latest Wild Skating Adventure. I had been reading a cool channeled book called _The Pleiadian Agenda_ by Barbara Hand Clow. I read something like, "go out into your world and experience fully living your life" and I thought, I'm gonna go skating!

I sat out on our back porch and put on my two pairs of socks, wrist guards, knee pads, skates and helmet. I had on my absolutely favorite NO FEAR shirt that has been ripped and sewn significantly on the back. It has numerous holes from numerous washings, and grease and grime from when I recently cleaned my bearings and got new wheels.

All suited up, I clunked outside, looked up and saw the moon just above the trees, beautifully full. Perfect. I felt inspired to give thanks and welcome the positive gods from all four directions, so I prayed a little prayer toward each direction, inviting them to join me and enjoy my skate.

Starting from my apartment in Houston, I skated toward downtown, using a Dallas Street until I got to Taft. Turning left on Taft, I get to accelerate down the slight hill toward Allen Parkway. The light was green as I was a bit too high up the hill to make it, so I slowed down a little, watching the cars on the left as they waited for their green light. It didn't come; instead the cars from the right turning left onto Taft got the green light, so I hadn't needed to slow down after all. Dangit! I coulda blasted through the intersection!

I still went through pretty fast, past all the waiting cars, up the curb onto the median, waiting for the oncoming cars to pass (they never have to stop as it's a T intersection) and then zip(!) right across Allen Parkway to the wide sidewalk waiting for me.

The night had grown fairly dark despite the full moon and clear sky, so it was a fun challenge to navigate the bumpy part of the sidewalk as it meanders around a field and a weird globby metal art thing. Past a popular place to park at night, the sidewalk becomes much smoother; by the time I pass under Interstate 45, just north of where it becomes The Pierce Elevated, I'm zipping down a smooth asphalt sidewalk toward a street that merges with Allen Parkway and only has a yield sign to slow its traffic.

Fortunately, few cars use this street at night, so I rarely have to contend with them. Tonight, however, I see the headlights of a lone car zipping up the hill to meet Allen Parkway. The driver apparently doesn't notice me, and I'm glad because most drivers slow down under such circumstances, which throws of my timing. The car hardly yields and zips across my sidewalk about 2 seconds before I zip across its street. Perfect timing.

Up along Sam Houston Park (I think that's what it's called) I skate to Brazos Street and then turn in toward downtown at the public library. I skate a few blocks then turn left on Louisiana Street toward my first destination: Jones Plaza.

It turns out I'm right within a pack of cars, which all cluster as the synchronized green lights let them traverse the city. I'm a bit winded, but I know there will hardly be a better opportunity for some car surfing!

I push hard to stay with the pack for the two blocks until the hill that goes down beside Jones Plaza. Cars have slowed down to turn left just before the plaza, so I zip along the striped line just to their right. Once they turn, I slide over to the left-most lane, flying past cars parked along the curb. I'm quickly approaching from behind a pickup truck driving not quite as fast as I, so I squeeze between it and the parked cars, passing it before I zing across the next intersection. It's all uphill from here, so I slow down and turn left onto the sidewalk near Birraporetti's, glancing in at the well dressed diners, wondering at the difference in our present lives.

Into the exit of the drive-through valet parking area at the Alley Theater, and pick up some speed as I careen toward the next street. This one usually proves exciting as the driveway curves right toward oncoming traffic. (It is, of course, actually an entrance ramp) Fortunately, there is usually little traffic on this particular street at this time of night. I make a wide sweeping left turn and hop up onto the sidewalk of Jones Plaza, breeze past the Port-A-Potties, clunk up the two sets of about six steps each, then sit heavily on the concrete wall, heart still totally thumping hard and I just sit there to recover.

Crowds of people are crowded around the stage, where the band is happily tossing out dance tunes for all to enjoy.

I rested for a while, then went back up the street to do it all again! I saw that one of the lights on Louisiana Street was out of synch with the others; this is what had caused the cars to get all crowded together. Yay! I didn't get into quite as much traffic as I wanted this time, though; I actually was a bit ahead of it, so the excitement level just wasn't quite there as before. Still I zip across the street at the bottom of the hill, then around the Birraporetti's corner. Mostly it's still all the same people in there.

After resting on my wall again, I wondered if Wende might still be at work at University of Houston Downtown; she was when I left the apartment and didn't know how much longer until she got to leave. I skated purposely toward 1 Main Street, at the top of the hill over Buffalo Bayou. Students were still there, mostly talking and/or waiting for the bus to take them home. I skated inside but didn't see her in the bookstore. I clunked down the steps and knocked on the door, but they didn't seem to be there. So I got a drink of water, came back, and just as I was about to leave, they came down the stairs! I gave Wende and hug and smooch, and she asked if I would wanna skate down the parking garage! At first I was all, Nah, then Sure! Why the heck not??

They got a head start, so I went down the up-ramp and got myself in front of them. I led the way down the garage, waiting for them to catch up so they could see me zippin' down the ramps. At the parking garage exit I skated clunky bump over the speed bumps and under the garage arm. The arms raised for them, so they drove beside it as we waved b-bye.

I skated toward the driveway/street thing that leads back up to the Main Street hill.

Not entirely gracefully, I stepped up a couple steps to the sidewalk leading up the hill. I pushed my way up the hill and rested at the top for a minute before making my ultra fast flight toward the light at the bottom. The light turned red, so I started counting off ten seconds. A cop car drove past, so I aborted the mission; I don't know if it's entirely good form to speed through an intersection on skates while passing a cop. I'm a wuss I know..

I waited for the next light cycle to pass. It turned red and I counted ten seconds; there were no cars coming over the top of the hill, so I started pushing hard down the hill toward the red light. As I'm at full speed halfway down the hill, the light turns green, allowing the cars to get a head start. A few seconds later, I'm passing them on the right hand side, squeezing in between the traffic and parked cars. Total exhilaration as I turn right at the next intersection, and push push push down the hill again. I love the timing of the lights; this next one turns green for me and I careen toward a construction area right in front of The Brewery Tap. The road is entirely blocked off, so I planned to turn left into a bank parking area, but I notice a chain blocking it off. I'm not sure that I can jump over the chain, so I adjust toward the right to a dark area of sidewalk and hope to there's nothing blocking the way. Only a couple of bumps and a bit of a slope, which I navigate easily. Whew! Yes!

I was totally winded, and paused for a bit at the next corner. Then down to Louisiana Street where I skate along the sidewalk back up to Jones Plaza. I sat on my wall again listening to my body to see if I wanted to surf the cars back down the hill again. Of course I did! Once I felt recovered, I skated down the two sets of six steps and up the street to wait for the next pack of cars.

This time I waited for most of the pack to get past me before I started to catch them. The wind seemed to really blow against me, making it hard to keep up with the traffic. Across the intersection I went, this time in the middle lane, as there were two lanes of cars all cramped up at the intersection. I stayed in the middle lane down the hill past Jones Plaza, and was awarded a little [beep beep] from a Honda as I passed them. I signaled my intention to shift over to the left lane, looked back over my shoulder to verify it was clear and then angled over to Birraporetti's sidewalk again. This time very few people were eating in there..

I turned around instead of going through the drive-through valet parking tunnel and eased down the sidewalk to the Plaza again. Once I got to my recovery wall, there were a couple of cop cars with lights dancing around, and a couple of officers on horses. I don't know what was the excitement, but I wondered how wise it would be to car surf past them. Their attention was focused away from my street, so I figured it should be no problem. One last time tonight and then I'm going home.

I waited for the pack of cars to go past and then I took off after them. Traffic seemed much lighter this time; I skated down the hill and heard no honks, nor did I have to squeeze between traffic and parked cars. I don't even think any of the cops noticed me.

Good thing; I wanted to go home anyway. I headed back up Louisiana, keeping to the sidewalks and to myself. I skated slowly down Dallas Street back toward Montrose, practicing long gliding strokes which are more efficient, but use way different muscles than I'm used to using. I'll have to practice them more.

Got home just in time to say HI to Wende just before she left to go work out.