Yesterday I spent 4 1/2 hours at the roller skating rink with my second grade daughter and her friend. They were absolutely delighted to spend the afternoon skating and I got a lot done. I also I learned a lot during this time. Here are some of my observations:
People don’t look as curiously at you if you have notebooks and pencils at the skate rink instead of your laptop. I had my laptop last weekend and felt like an exhibit in the zoo. No problem with the spiral notebooks, though.
It is possible to block out disco lights and blaring pop music. The pop music was completely foreign to me. If they’d been playing 70s and 80s stuff it might have been harder to stay focused. I did get distracted when they played the Hokey Pokey. In fact, I think I still have it going through my head…
When your daughter says, “Mom! Look at me!”, you must look. Look and smile and wave. Otherwise, she’ll look behind her as she skates to see if you’re looking, and she’ll fall down like a block tower.
Put your feet up in the plastic booth you’re sitting in. Because you can get hurt by rollerblades, even if you’re not on the skating rink. Trust me. I still don’t understand how this one child’s spectacular fall (he wasn’t hurt, but brother, I was), caused him to end up under my booth. Somehow I could hear his rollerblades connecting resonantly with my shins over the rock music.
Bring lots of change. My daughter and her friend went through about $10 worth of drinks, chips, and candy at the concession stand. I finally just put a pile of ones and change on the edge of the table so I could continue writing instead of being a human ATM.
People at the roller skating rink are excellent extras for your novel. I saw this mom with the most incredible tan. Now, I know I live in North Carolina, USA. I know it’s been 80 degrees the last few days. But honey, that tan wasn’t normal. She was probably just that dark in January. I’m sensing a tanning bed fanatic….just the lady I need for some local color in my current mystery.
So to all the parents out there who are looking for a large block of writing time on Memorial Day weekend, consider taking your kid and their friend roller skating. I got 3200 words written and some outlining and editing done. Give it a go.