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Beat Attitude


Last Updated: 5/27/2009

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Gender: Male
Sign: Virgo

City: The Beatcave
State: Scotland
Country: UK
Signup Date: 10/24/2005

Who Gives Kudos:

ed (2)
Dr Piglet (2)
Friday, April 13, 2007 
There were certain things I engaged in as a Young Person...Being a good boy, I'm talking about the nerdier side of things: spectrum computer games, table-tennis, (let's not mention my obsession with setting things on fire) football, juggling and unicycling. I once unicycled a mile for charity. I couldn't sit down for a week.

And yes, I was into my skating too. I even dabbled with rollerblading, but keep that quiet.

Having bumped into some guys who skate in Kelvingrove Park the other week, I've been thinking that I'd probably like to have another wee go for old time's sake. I think I gave the whole thing up because there was nowhere to skate in Erskine, (my place of existence during my formative years: just after leaving school and before the internment-camp years) and also because there was a real tendency to snap, bruise and generally cause pain to sensitive areas of my body. There is a reason I now have bionic legs, and it wasn't a ninja attack...

Seeing the newly cemented (ah it's a beautiful artistic medium, isn't it?) skate park in KG, I'm tempted to dust off the old board (my decent board got sold off years ago, and now I have a relatively basic £25 job from halfords-respect) and see if I can still stand up on the thing without somehow whacking myself in the clackers: a common occurence just before the "give up" point.

What struck me about skating back then was the fact that the gear all cost an absolute fortune, the clothes were ludicrously outsize, small wheels were great (even though they never seemed to go as fast) and you could spend lots on a "deck" with a nice arty picture on the underside (usually some form of naked woman with oozing skulls motif). Your aim was then to completely wear that picture away to nothing as soon as possible on kerbs, ramp edges and anything else.

Also, you were definitely not allowed to wear protective gear. Well, maybe a single wrist or elbow protector (properly branded, of course), but never one on each arm, or worse, two elbow guards and two knee guards, with matching helmet. Only dress like that if you want to get lynched (at which point, it will come in handy)

I see these guys in videos and pictures doing rail-slides down the rail of a massive flight of stone steps and I just think that there's no way I'd ever do that, though. There a certain brand of psychosis required for that kind of risk, and I'm afraid I don't have it. Maybe something a little gentler, though, just so that I don't feel like a complete wussie.

I'm sure there's still a certain code of conduct and lingo surrounding skating. I think it's a bit like Fight Club. I think I'd be the guy who kept using the wrong words (like someone's dad) and got really impressed at really easy stuff (like someone's mum).
"Bogus! That dude managed to turn a corner without putting his foot down. Well done, old chap!"

Does anyone want to educate me as to the current etiquette?
Currently listening:
Music Has The Right To Children
By Boards of Canada
Release date: 23 March, 2004
7:55 AM
 
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Dr Piglet

 
<p>size="3"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I'm not sure I can tell you much about the ettiquette surrounding language, clothes, etc but this is what seems to be the correct way in which to behave should you hurt yourself skating and have to go to accident and emergency.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1. Always bring your mother, and bicker with her about whether or not skating is too dangerous while the doctor is trying to ask you questions.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">2. I can give you one hint about the elbow/knee protectors- a surprising number of people do wear them, but under their clothes. I suspect this is the purpose of the baggy trousers. Nobody can see your knee protectors under them.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">3. The baggy clothes are also good because they're easier to remove from an injured limb, reducing the risk that they might have to be cut in order to have a plaster put on. If somebody does have to cut your clothes, throw a massive flaky and demand that the hospital give you your money back for your £50 jeans or whatever they are going to have to destroy. Unfortunately the person with the scissors won't care much as a) they are busy and have other things to get on with, b) they have to wear polyester scrubs all day and don't have any £50 trousers.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">4. Don't smile or be polite at all.
</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">5. Scream your head off when the doctor gently tries to bend your wrist/elbow/ankle/knee despite having been moving it normally a few minutes beforehand.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">6. Whine about how long you have to wait for an xray.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">7. If you need a blood test or an IV line, scream the place down.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">8. Even if you walked into the department on your 'definitely broken' ankle that turns out to have nothing wrong with it, demand crutches.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">9. Have a long argument with your mother again about whether you should give up skating while the doctor is trying to tell you when your fracture clinic appointment is. Your mother should then try to persuade the doctor to tell you to give up skating. The length of this argument should be directly proportional to the length of the queue in the waiting room.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">10. Stare at your feet and mutter when your mother tells you to 'say thank you to the nice doctor.'</span></p><p>
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Posted by Dr Piglet on Sunday, April 29, 2007 - 4:02 PM
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Dr Piglet

 
oops, not sure what happened to that!
 
Posted by Dr Piglet on Monday, April 30, 2007 - 9:59 AM
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