Niki On Ice

I deleted the Facebook app from my phone again because shit, I'm addicted. Finally got some cleaning done, too. I spent Saturday cleaning, primping (self-spa day. It was nice), and watching a beautiful anime called Yuri on Ice: a deep dive into the world of competitive ice skating, complete with multiple full programmes (performances) for all the skaters in the show. Seriously, so beautiful! It made me want to skate again.

I idly looked up some tips for whenever I end up finding a place that offers free-skating, and I came across a beginner tip that ruined my desire to pursue the sport as a child - I was ten or eleven last time I got on the ice (my first time was in Kindergarten as part of gym class), and I came home to tell mom all about how I figured out how to balance and glide, showing her the movement I made, tip #2 on the website I looked at. My mom busted a gut laughing at me. I was too embarrassed to ever go on the ice again.

But fuck that shit now.

I signed onto Facebook for the first time the whole weekend so I could message my friend Niki and let her know I finished binge-watching the show. I know she skates on occasion, and I know she recently watched the show - she's obsessed (in a healthy way... I think). I love it too, though :)
So I signed on and lo and behold, the first thing I saw was a post from her asking if anyone would like to join her for an afternoon skate!

From 2 - 3:30, Niki glided beside me and ahead of me, going forwards, backwards, sideways, doing little spins, helping me get used to the ice. I could barely take my hand off the side wall, and she usually had to take my hands to go around other people who were slower or stationary at the wall. Twice, though, right at the end of the session, I went around someone without her help.

Charles was there, too. And Niki's friend Cat, who is a former competitive skater and current teacher of skating! He spent the whole time teaching Charles super-basics - Charles couldn't stop gripping the wall with both hands and only made three laps (I made five). He couldn't even step - he just pulled on the wall and let that move him.

I eventually gained a little bit of confidence, and tried being a little bit bold. Nearly wiped out, too. I'm really terrified of falling, because my first time on roller-skates, I wiped out and broke my wrist. Mom's first reaction was [guess]. But I do need to start trusting the ice more - I always tend to fall more softly on ice and snow than I do on other things (and in fact, did stumble softly to the floor once and landed alright.

But I lapped a bunch of times! I caught up to Charles one last time and slowed down with him for the end of the session so Cat and Niki could free skate wildly. Cat is amazing. Niki is pretty great. I took a couple videos of her. I taught Charles what Niki taught me, which was simply how to stop and how to stand without holding the wall, and how to slowly "walk" on the ice, which he did on our way to the gate.

I had so much fun, and I've decided to work this new hobby into my budget. It's only $11 per visit, including skate rentals - OH, and Niki said she's getting super pristine skates to replace the ones she was wearing, so I asked if I could buy those off her (we have the same shoe size - I even have a cool pair of shoes I got from her ages ago). We talked in the lobby for nearly two hours after - found out Cat works at MCC, too (he works at the proper campus - I'm downtown).

I'm so excited to skate again next weekend :)

Coffee Bastard

When we move to the new location, I'm getting a coffee maker for under my desk. Ideally, I'd like to be able to put it on my desk, but I don't think there will be a private spot for it, which means I'll have to watch my feet or get a little shelf for it. Regardless, I've reached my limit with trying to share my expensive coffee with the coworkers.

I stopped buying coffee at the coffee stand outside because I realized it was costing me $9 a week, and so I switched to a coffee maker in-office. A shitty little dingy and dirty thing under the break room table was my only hope. When I asked Sean if he could help me figure out how to work it, he said he had a better idea. He went into the office of a former co-worker and, since he's not coming back, took his much nicer coffee machine, and filters. We set it up in Sean's office, and I made a full pot (12 cups) of my luxury coffee for us to share every day for a week. He even allowed me to keep the door open when he wasn't in, so I could make coffee for myself, and sometimes my boss.

Today, though, I don't know why it bothered me so goddamn much, but he pulled a fast one on me and wasn't even remotely apologetic when I called him out on it.

I'm pulling a couple hours of overtime today, not to mention, I'm literally the only person on shift on a fucking Monday... so I brought in some coffee just for us, because I knew he'd appreciate Death Wish coffee.

I came in to find no one here (unexpectedly!), and people waiting for help. So I signed in as fast as I could and hit the ground running. I didn't get the chance to go set up the coffee maker until 11:30, and Sean assured me he'd keep the door unlocked for me to get my coffee. Then everyone had to go to a meeting, and Sean locked his goddamn door before I could get a cup of coffee, leaving me high and dry for an hour. He didn't even have any, and I brought it in just for him (and me). When I called him out on it, when I yelled, You Said! he just shrugged it off. I could fucking cry.

So that's it. I'm not making coffee here anymore.


In the long run, that's a wiser idea anyway. Getting it from the stand costs $9 a week. Sharing my artisanal coffee, at a full pot a day, would cost me $15 - $20 a week. Even if I charged a dollar for a cup, or asked for donations, it wouldn't make up the difference, not to mention, would make me feel like a dick.

I had such a wonderful weekend - Maybe my spirits were too high to handle that fast let-down. I'm at the pique of my PMS mood swings this week, and I am ready to go home and rage-cry.