Friday, February 1, 2008

How's that for irony?

Yesterday, I purchased my first pair of (used) in-line skates. I have never once in my life used in-line skates, but SoxFan and his dogbeast have been skating at the park (SoxFan, not the dogbeast), and I thought it looked like a fun way to get a little low-impact exercise on my non-running days (of which there have been far too many lately).

So, after work, in the privacy of the top of the parking deck at work, I thought to myself "wow, it's actually still daylight out here... maybe I'll give the skates a go!" So, I geared up with all of the standard precautionary measures: knee pads, wrist guards, puffy vest to cushion the fall... And, with much trepidation and with my tailbone and skullbone nearly a-quiver with the fear of imminent impact, I learned how to in-line skate. I did not fall. I was quite proud of this feat.

SoxFan and I went to a nice dinner afterwards, and after dinner, we were taking Ini the dogbeast to play at the park. It started snowing, and it was nice out. We were having a very lovely walk. And then it started lightning, so we turned back. On our way out of the park, we were walking down a slightly declined sidewalk, covered, at this point, with snow. And then... in one very suave move, it was as if someone had lassoed my feet and yanked them from beneath me, sending me flying, curse words flung in every direction, to a very ungraceful crash on my arse.

At first, I thought that my tailbone was actually broken. And then I felt the familiar pain in the palms of my hands; the same pain that you get as a kid when you've just crashed your bike and there are teeny little bits of gravel stuck in your palms. And then it dawned on me: I just fell clean on my ass while WALKING! I managed to make it alright on the skates, but somehow walking gives me a lot of trouble. I am so freaking smooth.

Turns out the sidewalk was covered with ice in that particular spot due to the last 7 snowstorms we've had in Denver recently. So, I do not, in fact, need to wear a helmet while walking. And as a side note, this seriously begs the question "HOW DO PEOPLE RUN IN WINTER IN DENVER WITHOUT DYING?" If it isn't snowing or ice-covered, it's below 10 degrees outside with 30mph winds! I may very quickly become very familiar with the dreadmill. BLEGH. OK, obscure running tangent over...

Either way, I am fine. It's a good thing I've got all this junk in the trunk, know what I'm sayin'?

Ah! And here's double the irony: I wore my lucky socks today. They're striped and on both sides they say "MY LUCKY SOCKS". ???