Wednesday, October 29, 2008

"We Don't Have to Take Our Clothes Off"

Guys, I'll be honest. I got nuttin'.

So, I'll do a repost. Since most of you haven't been around since the beginning, this is like a whole new post.

So, I'm not gonna apologize.

Enjoy!

Remember roller-skating? For those of you that grew up in the 80’s, that is. Forget that rollerblading crap. I’m talking old school, dirt brown skates with orange wheels and ratty laces that you had to rent at the skating rink (unless you were lucky, as I was when I got older, enough to have your own pair of black speed skates with white racing stripes and red wheels…man, I was so hot back then!).

I’m at work listening to a c.d. called 80’s Club and “Fresh” by Kool & the Gang came on. It brought me back to my own skating years.

I lived in Jackson, MS at the time. I started going to the skating rink when I was about 8 and I ended up moving out of state when I was 11 but for those 3 years, I lived at the skating rink.

Once I turned 10, mom would take me and Jennifer Anderson and anyone else in our “group” to Fun Time Skate. She would drop us off (around 6:30 or so) and we would act all “cool” waiting in line to pay to enter the hallowed skating ground (otherwise known at Fun Time). Man, the fashions alone are enough to make you scream. Off the shoulder torn sweatshirts (a la Flashdance) and mini skirts (yes, even while skating) and Thriller t-shirts and parachute pants (I was the proud owner of a red pair and even wore a bandana tied above the knee just like Mike….Michael Jackson that is). Fluorescent socks, high top Converse, ribbed tank tops, big belts, and bigger hair.

I can remember listening to songs like “We Don’t Have to Take Our Clothes Off” by Jermaine Stewart, “Let the Music Play” by Shannon, “Sign Your Name” and “Wishing Well” by Terence Tent D’Arby, “Looking For a New Love” by Jodi Watley, “Oh, Sheila” by Ready for the World, “Every Little Step” by Bobby Brown, “Rhythm of the Night” by DeBarge, anything by Michael Jackson or Madonna.

We would get all excited when “Thriller” was played because the D.J. would turn off all the lights except for the disco ball in the center. We (the girls) would all get “scared” and would gravitate towards wherever the boys were in hopes that they would “protect” us but in reality would be the ones scaring the hell out of us in the dark.

They would have races for the speed skaters and we would do the “Hokey Pokey” and at the end of the song, an employee (usually some pimply faced sullen teenager) would throw out a bunch of pennies on the skating floor (can we spell L-A-W-S-U-I-T?!?!?!?) and we would all scramble grab as many pennies as possible. They had a vending machine that would give out those huge powdery sour balls for a penny.

I can remember being fascinated with ball bearings and wanting to follow the wall around the skating floor looking for ball bearings and any money that would fall out of skaters pockets.

We would get a slice of really crappy pizza and some blue colored ice cream and a soda. I can remember always being fascinated with the older girls that were always hanging out in the bathroom and sneaking cigarettes and putting on make up.

I had a boyfriend one time that went skating with me. His name was David Barlow and he had the biggest brown eyes on the face of the earth. He was beautiful. He looked so cute one night at the skating rink with his sweatband holding back his feathered hair and his torn yellow sweatshirt and torn tight jeans. Really, can we bring those fashions back? Like right now?

I always thought I was so cool because I could skate backwards and do that thing where you crouched down to skate and when you went around the curves, you would slide your right foot all the way out (potentially tripping someone behind you) to coast the curves. I can remember trying to jump up or down off the carpeted floor on to the skating floor.

Man, that was good times.

Later,

16 really cool people who give a rat's patootie:

Bijoux

Good memories! But not of the skating, because we had no skating rink near my town.

unmitigated me

Oh sure, but could you Shoot the Duck? And why do they never call it something like Broken Ankle Skating Rink?

Ashley. Unscripted...

Thank you. Now I will be singing that song for the rest of the day. Thanks for that.

LOL

sassy stephanie

Shitfuckidyshit. That damn song is going to be in my head ALL DAY!

Mama Dawg

Hey, you stole that from Mariah! (so did I).

steenky bee

Hey! Rollerskating is something! I just found out that my best friend's boyfriend who is a professor at the Unuversity rolerskates everywhere. I saw him last week skating downtown, his long hair whipping in the wind. I mentioned to her that I saw someone that looked just like him skating around in shorts. She reluctantly told me that it was him! I think I heart him even more!

Amy

There is nothing like music from the 80's! I love it :D

Pseudo

Why is it that 80's music and skating rinks seem like a perfect match? My fav was couple's skate, when they dimmed the lights and you skated around holding hands.

Jennifer and Sandi

Thats funny! Great memories. I STILL have my roller skates. Went skating about 3 months ago!! Fun TIMES

- Jennifer

Lula!

You just described every single skating experience I had at Olympia Skate Center in Warner Robins, Georgia, circa 1983-1988.

Those were the days. Good times. Precious memories. Thanks for the trip down memory lane. Whatever happened to your parachute pants???

Captain Dumbass

I could skate around the rink without falling down, but that's about it. Then I moved on to skateboarding, cause that was way cooler.

Swirl Girl

I couldn't skate worth a damn...but loved going to the rink.

aaah, memories - light the corners of my mind!

Heather

I remember skating to "Jump" by Van Halen and waiting until Dallas was over before my dad would come pick me up on Friday night. Precious memories.

Keys to the Magic Travel

I was never a skater. Well, not in late elementary school anyway. I would go to the rink and talk with my friends. But never skate.

Rhea

I didn't grow up skating, but once I found it I loved it! I was never good enough to go backwards or crouch though. You rock!!

Rhea

It's such great exercise. My boys love to skate now, and I try to take them when I can. They both saved up money and bought their own skates...real ones, not inline.

© Two Dogs Running…all rights reserved

  © Blogger template 'BrickedWall' by Ourblogtemplates.com 2008

Jump to TOP