Good friends and old hobbies

Well, my friend from Chattanooga is coming to visit next Tuesday. I can't wait to see her. We were roommates this past year, and it's been strange to go so long without seeing her. Now the goal is to get her to my house without getting her lost. This sounds easy I'm sure. After all, Chattanooga is only about 200 miles away. However, when we went to Tampa for spring break last year we managed to get lost in Atlanta on the way there. So, what sounds simple may become complicated but hopefully not. I'll let you know how it turns out. Here's a picture that I took on spring break last year. My friend and I caught a ferry from Fort DeSoto Park to Egmont Key. This is the lighthouse at the pilot's station on Egmont.

In addition to talking to friends, I've also been shopping for a new pair of roller blades, which is always a challenge. I'm a skater, and I always have been. I'm pretty tough on my skates though, and after a good seven years of abuse my poor Tecnicas have had it. I replace the wheels every three to six months, depending on how much I use them. I go through stoppers so quickly that my skate store has to order them in bulk for me from the manufacturer, and I repack my bearings once a year. Not to mention doing regular maintenance on them like rotating the wheels and cleaning the bearings. About a year ago the velcro strap that fastens across the top of the boot began to come unglued. Then, at the beginning of the summer the laces on one of them broke, and I've been using a figure skate lace on it since. It works well, but it's way too long. Also, the current pair of wheels are beyond hope. I'm skating on plastic. I've been holding off on repairing everything because, to be honest, I just need new skates. My skate store has pretty much stopped carrying Tecnica parts and my boots are pretty decrepit anyways.

So, the search has begun. I've found what appears to be a a good store in downtown Nashville. I'm hoping to go in later this week to see what they have. They have pictures of their skates online, but they don't offer any details about them. I'm picky and I need to see them up close anyways. I'll let you know what happens with the whole situation. Until then I'll just keep skating on plastic for as long as I can. This is one of the skates that I'm looking at. Hopefully it'll last at least five years...maybe.

That's all I have for tonight from my small world. I don't have to work for a week so we'll see what comes of all that free time, probably nothing fruitful though. Right now, I'm pretty much just living for Tuesday. I have summer school beginning in July, so the idea that June is over is a little disturbing to me, but I'll adjust. Enjoy the rest of the summer, and I'll catch ya tomorrow.