Wait...

"Easy now, hush, love, hush Don't distress yourself, what's your rush? Keep your thoughts, nice and lush Wait Hush, love, hush, think it through Once it bubbles then what's to do? Watch it close, let it brew Wait..." I love watching the evolution of adult skaters, includining myself. What I don't understand are skaters trying things above their skill level. I am all for taking a chance. BUT, if you can't do a scratch spin, if you can't hold a back outside edge, maybe you should wait a little before attempting an axel. There are many coaches who hold skaters back; I should know, I've had them. But lets get that Bell Jump down before trying an axel. That being said, not everyone does a decent Bell Jump; me being one of them. But, I can hold a back outside edge. I can do a scratch spin. I can land an axel off-ice. (Amazingly frustrating, I must say!) But my Salchow is iffy and my Flip and Lutz jumps have gone to visit other skaters. So what will I do? Wait. Get them back and go on to Axels. Yes, the Axel is the be-all and end-all for adult skaters. I would rather you wait than to read that you're hurt. So, please all of you who are on Instagram, struggling with various skills... Wait.

"I've been thinking flowers, maybe daisies To brighten up the room Don't you think some flowers, pretty daisies Might relieve the gloom? Ah, wait, love, wait Slow, love, slow, time's so fast Now goes quickly, see, now it's past Soon will come, soon will last Wait Don't you know, silly man Half the fun is to plan the plan All good things come to those who can Wait..." ** HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!! ** "Wait" from Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim./

Hit The Rink

Recently, several blog, vlogs and YouTube videos have discussed a skater's day. My immediate response is "good for them". This is followed almost instantly by "don't they work"? So, without further hesitation, here is my skating day. My skating day starts the night before. With any luck, I'm in bed before midnight. I have a heavy workload and usually work 12 hours a day. I have a friend who is a lawyer; she said "so you work half-days?" Haha. See, lawyers do have a sense of humor. I never said they were funny, just that they have a sense of humor. Clock rings at 5:00 on Tuesday mornings (5:30 on Thursday and Friday - but there's a new twist to that which will be explained later). Lately, I've been dragging my rear out of bed at 5:08. I should note that I shower the night before, just in case some of you were wondering why I don't shower at 5:08am. I pulled out my clothes the night before and usually I can remember where I put them. I own a lot of black clothes. I also own about 9 pairs of the exact same yoga pants from Old Navy. I'm sure there are some people at the rink who wonder if I ever change my clothes. Yes, I do. I just happen to have several pairs of identical pants. Dressed, a light application of sunscreen (yes, I know it's still dark outside), mascara and eyeliner and once my hair is done, I'm ready to go out the door. Mask on. Shoes are located near the door (we don't wear our shoes inside the house), coat on, bag in hand, out the door I go, heading to the subway. It is 5:50am. The walk to the subway, which is uphill in both directions, takes about 8 minutes. I usually pass at least one person not wearing a mask. I cross the street to avoid them. The train comes at 6:02. It takes 10 - 17 minutes to arrive at the express stop where I change trains. There are many more people at the express stop. I have an antibacterial disposable cloth in my hand to hold so I can hold on in the train. I don't get a seat, ever. If the train deposits me on time, I am waiting for the crosstown bus at 6:37am. That ride takes 13 minutes to go 5 long blocks. If I miss the bus, it's a very, very, very fast walk to the rink. Kinda looks like running but not quite. Maybe a slow jog. Almost. I arrive at the rink at 6:52am, submit my health declaration and can come in. I put my skates on in the rink at one of the benches isolated from everyone else. 7:00am: I skate. I chat quickly with a friend because both her coach and mine will say we're wasting money. They're right, but you'll never hear us say that. 7:50am: Session is over. Please clear the ice. Back to the bench where my things reside. I wait for my friend. We take the crosstown bus back to the subway, usually laughing about something. She gets off the subway in Manhattan to go to New Jersey. I stay on into Queens, change at an express stop to a local stop. Get off the train and walk back UP the hill I walked up when I first left. 9:04am: Back home, mask washed, hands washed. I'm struggling, trying to remember if I have a meeting at 9:00 that I am late for. That's right boys and girls, I am at work. I will remain at work until well after 8:00. Sometimes 9:00 and sometimes 10:00. Only once in a while, after 11:00. When that happens, I'm usually up until 1:00 - 2:30am. When I return from the rink, I hit the ground hard. I have a quota of cases to do every week and while no one thinks the quota is a realistic number, that's the number we have. So there you have it. My skate day in Manhattan. At the other rink I use, the schedule is the same, except, I skate at 7:30 not 7:00. I also take an UBER home because the session doesn't end until almost 9:00 and I have to log into the system. However, it has recently come to my attention that City Ice in Long Island City will be closed until January 4th. No reason why. City Ice has an annoying habit of changing the schedules at whim. No one wants to work that day? All sessions are canceled. Everyone wants the week between Christmas and New Years off? All sessions are canceled. I don't know if that is the reason why the rink is closed, but truthfully, I wouldn't be surprised. It might be because we had some snow and wind and the rink is on the roof and may have sustained some damage. I hope it opens again in January; I have a $307 credit and they're not issuing refunds. Long story short: I skate for 50 minutes in Manhattan and spend twice that amount of time traveling. If my office were open, I would take the train downtown about 9 stops and be in the office by 8:40. I would still work until 8:00pm. For those of you who write a blog, do a vlog or a YouTube video about your skate day, if you're an adult... Don't you have to go to work? How do you manage to leave skating, go to the gym for an hour, return to the rink, go to lunch, go back to the rink and then go home without ever having to check in at your job? I need to know your secret.