this is how i roll

For the first time since I was 12, last week I went roller-skating. ROLLER-SKATING! And it was a freaking blast. I felt all awkward and unstable at first, but damn, I had fun.

I never knew about the roller skating culture that exists here, but found out quick that it's pretty popular with the young black crowd. It was quite entertaining to watch the participating population: picture gangsta-dressed black men doing twirls to hip-hop music, and hanging onto one another while skating in tandem. With other dudes. Very masculine-looking, early-20-something, dudes. Some people had some crazy awesome moves, and I was very impressed.

What might be even more impressive is that I went fishing over the Memorial Day weekend. (Ok, I won't kid myself. At most, it's as impressive, but probably not even that.) The reason that's a big deal is that I haven't done so since I was about 7 years old. I also caught two whole fish, big enough to eat! Which I did, later that night! All rolled in cornmeal and fried up, along with homemade hushpuppies. The reason THAT'S a big deal is because the catching part of this scenario was a first. I'm pretty sure I've never caught anything with a line connected to a pole. Which is probably why I hated fishing when I was a kid. There was too much sitting around and waiting for something to happen. It was boring. Even as an adult, between the reeling in of something squirmy biting my line, I got pretty bored of the whole experience pretty fast. And also, I had an overpowering sense of guilt for all the harm to living creatures I was involved in. I couldn't help but apologize to the tiny little fish I ended up throwing back. ("I'm sorry about your lip, little guy. And I'm sorry for making you late for something.") I apologized to the earthworm I mercilessly stabbed in three places while threading its long body on my hook. God, I'm a wuss.

So, conclusion: I am just as ADD as I was as a 7-year-old (and way more squeamish), but my fishing skills have somehow improved. Maybe the worms were just super juicy and the fish were desperate and nearly starving to death.

I ALSO rode a 4-wheeler for the first time since childhood. All in all, I've had a pretty exciting, getting-in-touch-with-my-inner-child week. One event that did not contribute to those nostalgic feelings took place on Sunday, when I shot an AK-47 at some inanimate plastic targets. What can I say? When you're in the dirty south, hanging out with native southerners who have an array of firearms, and when you've have had several beers under the Hot-lanta sun, shooting an AK-47 just sort of... follows. Like buying an over-priced popcorn at the movies. Or doing a keg-stand at a college party.

And, now I can cross off "shoot an automatic assault rifle" from my list of things to do before I die.