Roller skate old school style at a rink/disco

I probably got them for my birthday or Christmas, I can't remember, but I LOVED my white roller skates with pink wheels when I was a kid. I was eight-years-old and even though I had a bike, I never felt more mobile, coordinated, or bad-ass than in my roller skates. It wasn't the sort of activity where I put my skates on for a little roller sesh with friends every so often - I put them on and never took them off. As soon as I got home from school the skates were on until I was either yelled at for having them on inside the house or until I had to go to bed. Any neighborhood game that was being played was done with my skates on. I even glued two plastic cups to a plate one year for Halloween and went as a carhop all so I could keep my skates on.

Think about all the crazy things you did as a kid without a twinge of trepidation or anxiety, but that you would never consider doing now. My kid memory is like, Yeah pop me up higher on that giant trampoline or walk across the top of the monkey bars no problem! My adult self thinks, Oh God, I'm going to fall off this thing and hit my head on the edge or get my leg stuck in the springs and I can't even lift my body weight to go across some monkey bars let alone climb on top of them! Sometimes I wish I could be that kid again, who didn't know the consequences of her actions or realize she should be scared of racing too fast down a hill or ski slope (it's why I don't enjoy skiing either). With roller skating (not roller blading) I remember feeling like so free and fearless - skating backwards, in circles and effortlessly moving on wheels better than on my own two feet. This could all be in my head and maybe I was terrible, but in my memory I was whizzing through the neighborhood and could have been a roller derby girl. I wanted to feel like that again.

LMFAO?

Our friend John celebrated his birthday this weekend with a roller disco party - how perfect for me to feel like an eight-year-old again! A few things had changed, for one, the venue. I spent many birthday parties as a young girl at our local roller rink, Roller King, with its large (well, large to an eight-year-old) rink, old dark carpeting, and brown and orange rental skates (I had my own, of course). Roller Disco in London is an adult rink complete with two small rinks, three bars, smoke machines, disco balls, two D-J's and an 80's dress theme.

Gone are the days of brown and orange leather skates that lace up, now there are roller blade style boots with complimentary wrist bands. As the night progresses and the drinks flow, the wrist guards are a must for some people! Of course I threw together my outfit the best I could, buying some American flag leggings (dual purpose for the Olympics) and a white tutu that was supposed to conceal my big American (flag) ass, but instead may have made it seem even bigger! Oh well, baby got a whole lotta back!

One thing that hasn't changed is the odd three or four people that are absolutely running circles around you, going super fast, weaving in and out of people, circling and skating backwards with ease. Oh look at you, so cool for these few hours in a roller rink where you're so serious about skating you don't even look like you're having fun, but that just tells us you probably spend every weekend and probably weekdays at a roller rink!

And me? Well, I was a little wobbly at first, those boots just didn't feel the same, but I channelled my inner eight-year-old and tried to imagine I was in my white and pink skates again. Miraculously I did not fall once even though there were several drunken pile ups right in front of me! Somehow, I managed to get some speed, stay on my eight wheels, and even do a little spinning (very slow spinning). It was so much fun and at times I felt like that eight-year-old again. I know I felt a lot more coordinated and faster than I actually was, and I have the video to prove it!

I'm so tempted to buy myself some white and pink roller skates, again. I'll run all my errands in them - dry cleaning, shopping, post office, etc. all with a quickness. I'd be so productive! Just as I was looking at available sizes online my better half caught me and told me it was unnecessary, however, I could get some Heelys....hmmmm.

Enjoy the video I made using our iPhone pictures and videos (most of which were blurry or just plain awful). I even included plenty of 80's-style animation....