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My other super-power
Oct. 21st, 2007 11:24 amI have not gone roller-blading much in the past 7 months. And during this time T took the opportunity to replace my wheels with ones we bought some year or so ago, and added a new brake. We had some trouble getting the larger wheels on with the brake -- not enough room. This further delayed me getting back out roller-blading.
Last Sunday the weather was beautiful. I awoke with a strong urge to exercise. I called my friend and neighbor B, and convinced him to roller-blade around the neighborhood with me. As I left, T warned me that the new wheels were a bit dubious in their attachment. Evidently if you put them on too hard, that is as bad as too loosely. T warned that I should keep an eye on... mysteriouspartsthatcouldfalloff. I nodded, and tried not to bite through my lip at the feel of being back on roller-blades for the first time since... Well, you know. I tried to imagine how I would check whether the wheels were in danger of coming off. Perhaps lift my foot and look at them? *hysterical laughter* Yeah, like that is going to happen! I can barely stand with both feet on the ground! Fine, I'll look at them after they are off my feet.
So, B and I roller-bladed in circles around our multi-circle neighborhood for an hour. About 45 minutes in during a long straight stretch, B said, "Hey, wait! You lost a wheel!" I didn't feel unstable. He found the wheel in the grass and showed it too me. Clearly my wheel. I didn't lift my foot to look for fear of going over on the asphalt. But I did go back and found a blue metal piece (about 1/2" in diameter, flat, with a hole in the center) and a black bolt-looking thing next to it. B explained that these were only some of the pieces, but that the actual bolt that screwed into my piece was easy to replace. He offered one of his.
But when I got back home, I learned several things: (1) I had lost a middle wheel, thus no strange feeling of being unstable. (2) T felt strongly that I should have been checking my skates the whole time. I'm still not sure quite what he had in mind for a practical application of that. Perhaps telling B to look at them sideways? (3) There should have been two blue metal pieces. (4) The wheel cannot be put back on the skate without BOTH blue metal pieces.
T & I walked the section of the route where my wheel came off looking for the lost blue piece last Sunday. 45 minutes. Nothing.
Monday of last week, I walked the first half of our zigzagging route through the houses looking for the lost blue piece. 61 minutes. Nothing.
T went online Wednesday looking for a replacement blue piece. 60 minutes. We could find skates, wheels or bolts. Rollerblade is uninterested in selling little blue pieces. Nothing.
Today I set out to walk the small missing piece of the route that had not been walked. Yes, it has been a week. Yes, the piece was probably in some gutter or picked up by a curious kid. I decided I just wanted the exercise and if I found it, this would mean we wouldn't have to replace the whole stupid skates. *sigh*
I found it.
Last Sunday the weather was beautiful. I awoke with a strong urge to exercise. I called my friend and neighbor B, and convinced him to roller-blade around the neighborhood with me. As I left, T warned me that the new wheels were a bit dubious in their attachment. Evidently if you put them on too hard, that is as bad as too loosely. T warned that I should keep an eye on... mysteriouspartsthatcouldfalloff. I nodded, and tried not to bite through my lip at the feel of being back on roller-blades for the first time since... Well, you know. I tried to imagine how I would check whether the wheels were in danger of coming off. Perhaps lift my foot and look at them? *hysterical laughter* Yeah, like that is going to happen! I can barely stand with both feet on the ground! Fine, I'll look at them after they are off my feet.
So, B and I roller-bladed in circles around our multi-circle neighborhood for an hour. About 45 minutes in during a long straight stretch, B said, "Hey, wait! You lost a wheel!" I didn't feel unstable. He found the wheel in the grass and showed it too me. Clearly my wheel. I didn't lift my foot to look for fear of going over on the asphalt. But I did go back and found a blue metal piece (about 1/2" in diameter, flat, with a hole in the center) and a black bolt-looking thing next to it. B explained that these were only some of the pieces, but that the actual bolt that screwed into my piece was easy to replace. He offered one of his.
But when I got back home, I learned several things: (1) I had lost a middle wheel, thus no strange feeling of being unstable. (2) T felt strongly that I should have been checking my skates the whole time. I'm still not sure quite what he had in mind for a practical application of that. Perhaps telling B to look at them sideways? (3) There should have been two blue metal pieces. (4) The wheel cannot be put back on the skate without BOTH blue metal pieces.
T & I walked the section of the route where my wheel came off looking for the lost blue piece last Sunday. 45 minutes. Nothing.
Monday of last week, I walked the first half of our zigzagging route through the houses looking for the lost blue piece. 61 minutes. Nothing.
T went online Wednesday looking for a replacement blue piece. 60 minutes. We could find skates, wheels or bolts. Rollerblade is uninterested in selling little blue pieces. Nothing.
Today I set out to walk the small missing piece of the route that had not been walked. Yes, it has been a week. Yes, the piece was probably in some gutter or picked up by a curious kid. I decided I just wanted the exercise and if I found it, this would mean we wouldn't have to replace the whole stupid skates. *sigh*
I found it.
