Just like the old days

Wednesday nights at Astro Skate is adult night. Nine p.m. to midnight, you can skate the track kid free. Given that I'm still re-learning how to roller skate, it was just what the doctor ordered. My brother Steve came with me. He decided on Monday to become a referee for the Bombers.

We arrived at the rink around 10:30. I'm still sore from Monday's practice, and Yakuza's endurance training. Steve hadn't been on skates in a number of years. We pay our entry and walk over to the rental counter. Steve takes off for the restroom

I approach the skate booth. One of Astro's employees skates off the floor to come help me. He's quite obviously impressed with himself.  

"I need an eight," I said to him.

He hands me a seven and a half. 

"The half sizes run large, these should work," he said as he darts out of the booth to go impress some young, 18-year-old girl. 

Trying something new

On Saturday, I'm going to graduate from college. I'll finally receive the bachelors degree that I've been spending the better part of my twenties working on. I took the "road less travelled" approach to college. I spent a semester at a private school in West Palm Beach, Florida. It wasn't really my thing. So, I dropped out and came back home to Bradenton, Florida. I enrolled in Manatee Community College. Mom and Dad wanted me to go to college. My attendance there was sporadic at first, but then I found the school newspaper which gave me a reason to go to class. Graduation came swiftly. I had an associates degree. That's when I took time off from college and went to broadcasting school. It was a ten thousand dollar image of something better. My segue into outdoor television taught me not to believe in everything you see.

I also married Christopher, he's the love of my life, and without him I would not be inspired to write some of these things down.

My outdoor television experience led me back to the restaurant industry where I went back to slinging scrambled eggs and mediocre coffee to old people for about a buck a head. It was good money, but completely unfulfilling. The idea of finishing my degree was lingering in my head. And one day, after dropping off a plate of pancakes, I decided it was time to go back.