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08/19/2003 Archived Entry: "Monday Night - August 18, 2003"

Our Skate, Skate, Skate
On Monday Night - August 18, 2003

Something tickled inside of me that tonight’s skate would be different than the previous handfulls of wonderful skating nights. It was so much hotter, and far more muggy. Although temperatures were reported to only be in the mid-80’s - the lower 70’s had already become our standard for pleasure. Rob B. “Brown Dawg” and singer/saxophonist, George S. joined APRR for the first time. And commin' way-down from the Tennesee hills this evening was ultra-speedskater, Michael C. and his friend Nick. Michael announced that he had actually been with our group before, but it had been a long time. Ok, Michael, we don’t mind initiating you again. Drop And Give Us 50 !!!

As everyone stood around during the announcements, each looking dumbfounded, the determination of who was to lead each skate group was almost non-existent. As if we were still in the 1980's movie, Ferris Bueller's Day Off: "Anyone?... Anyone?... Anyone?..." Bill D. eventually stepped forward, but soon asked Mark Day if he could instead combine his now obligated slower group with the massive intermediate group. “No, you’ll need to go ahead and lead the group... Besides, you’ll learn the roads better that way,” replied Mark. Mims R. wanted a fast group to be created by somebody - but everybody still seemed to look dumbfounded. “We’re Rollin,” rang-out Mark Day’s voice, and the gathered mass of skaters inched its way out of the parking lot - - following our most legendary leader. “Boy it’s hot tonight,” came a disgruntled statement from within the rolling group.

These cool, big, purple, honkin’ 84mm spin-spin's were all too quick
to leap straight off the stagnant ground (well, ya’-know… a stoplight),
and hop aboard the most hottie, petite, pink, huggin’ peddle-peddle
anywhere to be found. Both Amy and Chuck O. got a kick out of the
pre-arranged engagement.
“Pink and purple match so well together,” they both said.

Sam was obviously checking his equipment.
And as for Don – well – I’ve no idea.

Bryan mentioned that he has enjoyed reading the weblog.
Oh, here’s Bryan now.
He’s of course waving to himself through the weblog.
And waving to his mother, and his sister, and his dog,
and his hamster, and his cousins, and his colleagues at work,
and… … … and who ever else has been reading the weblog.

This deep-space image, recently taken through the Faint Object Camera (FOC) of the Hubble Space Telescope, and obtained with joint permission from the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), in Pasadena, California, and through the Space Telescope Institute Council (STIC) of the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) captures a Chuck like object speeding through the outer reaches of our vast Cosmos. Detailed analysis of what all the various colors mean and if there is any presence of water or life sustaining material, associated with the object, is currently underway. However, it is already widely being debated within the scientific community as to exactly how fast this Chuck object is traveling and where exactly it is heading. One professor of Astronomy Sciences, in the Department of Astrophysics and Chemistry, at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has perhaps one of the best hypothesis’s of this Chuck phenomenon. “We can’t exactly say for sure what it is that is generating so much of the necessary energy for this very little known object to sustain its continuous acceleration of its unknown velocity, however we do know that the kinetic energies being utilized as well as the object’s potential to systematically regenerate these energies - seems to be endless.”

This WOULD HAVE BEEN a very “nice” group photograph
at the Piedmont Park 14th Street Entrance, but Thanks Bill B.,
Thanks a lot. Thanks for ruining the photo for us.
We sure do think that you’re a really nice guy.
(You can see that Bill is smiling much more loudly-
than everybody else.)

Introducing Rob “Brown Dawg.”
Clicking on his email prompt gave my computer its most recent
big and bad virus. He attempted to contact APRR through the
Comments option of one of the weblog entries.
- - I immediately wanted to kick his butt.
Well… now after seeing him… I’ve wisely changed my mind.

With temperatures in the mid 80’s, and after having skated for
the past several weeks in temperatures far more comfortable,
Lisa said it best – “I’m so hot that I’m breathing through my stomach !”

Caroline B.'s story is something to the effect that she once was
a Georgia Peach, and then became a New York Apple, was an
Apple for a while, and now wants to become a Peach again.

What IS this ???
An escapade of skaters, sponging-of the Phillips Arena escalator ???
If Corbit were still around, he’d at least skate down the center of
the dang’ thing. Try not to fall asleep guys !!!

George was the absolute highlight of Mark’s skate - - and of the entire evening. “We’re going ta’-go and see the people camp-out at the Dome,” Mark had announced a little earlier in the skate. So we did. And while there, George kept eyeing the crowd of thousands and thousands of people. You could tell that something was on his mind. “I was wanting to try-out for the American Idol Contest,” George eventually revealed. “But I didn’t want to wait in line.”

“Why don’t you sing for us?” a few of the skaters asked of him. And so he did.

George absolutely, totally, and without any doubt - - BELTED-OUT our National Anthem. As we stood around him, we all froze in total shock. Each of us was not only at awe from what we had just experienced, but our bodies had begun to involuntarily tremble. You could also easily imagine that every soul within the Georgia Dome, as well as the throngs of people standing in the long lines outside of it, came to a complete standstill.

George had just sung the most beautiful, most pronounced, and most touching version of the song that any of us had truly ever heard. “You should hear him play the saxophone,” his mother softly commented to us, when she and his father picked him up from the Carter Center at the end of the skate.

Standing over throngs of people auditioning to become the next American Idol,
Bill thinks he sees a beautiful woman without a top on
– but it’s really a guy.
Jeffery is amazed by the number of people auditioning for the thing
– even with tops on.
And George wishes he had not skated tonight
– but stood in line to audition, knowing that he’s The Tops.

Sam easily picked-up two American Idol contestants,
Mandy and Lisa.
Mandy sung for Sam and me a Mariah Carey song.
Our ears hurt for the rest of the evening.

Clayton, Chuck, and Mark kick-in their afterburners
and shove-it into overdrive down Trinity Ave.

Chuck O.