Saturday, June 21, 2008

Philly Free Skate

At this moment in time, a dear friend of mine is skating through the streets of Philadelphia. He has been skating habitually for a couple of years. 

Recently, he and his merry band of skaters, travelled to Toronto for "a skate".  He loves it.

He has tried without success to get me to engage in this insane activity. The actual skating doesn't concern me but the stopping. 

Because I love him, I have encouraged him to get disability insurance.

Unlike other parts of the country, Philadelphia has four seasons. The cold does not deter him. He just bundles up. 

What I thought was his funniest story took place in the dead of winter. The skate involved a trip to the airport. This adventure included going over a bridge. TWICE. 

On the return trip one of his fellow skaters called a cab. Hooray for him! I cheered. How brave of this man, to check his ego and call it a day? My friend was generally taken aback by my response, but laughed heartily.

On a recent First Friday, I had the pleasure of spending the evening with his crew. Smart, funny and engaging people hailing from different background, brought together by their love of in line skating. 

As we walked through the artists on our way to the restaurant. The guy in the lead was making hand gestures whenever we crossed a street. Noticing my befuddled expression, he informed me they were signals to proceed, stop or turn. 

"We're walking" I said, chuckling by the scene. How about that? he replied amused at the situation he created.

Needless to say, they tried to recruit me. I'll stick to riding my bike on trails or in a local park, thank you very much. (The problem with tooling away in the insurance business, particularly claims, you've seen too much.)

The weather is sunny and hot. I guess that is a good thing. I'm sure my friend is having a blast.

As for me, the pool beckons.


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