I’m feeling awful. The most broken I have felt in LONG time. I’m feeling like the blazing sunshine has burned into my head like a laser through my un-Wayfairered eyes, melted my brain, left 10 pounds of uranium in there and tied my legs in knots for good luck. Thus was the result of being a passenger on a long, five hour car journey on straight straight motorway, through flat flat countryside with the sun glaring in my sleepy eyes the entire way. Don’t get me wrong, England is a gorgeous country in places, but I guess I’m just accustomed to atmospheric clouds, twisty single track roads, huge mountains and being the driver rather than the passenger. So the car journey to Manchester really knocked me out, despite Mhairi’s beautiful new motor, some great banter, and some hot tunes to match (Mr Scruff, Ninja Tuna; The Knife, Deep Cuts; Now 25 Years Retrospective 3 CD Compilation. Ooh the solid Eighties, Nineties & Naughties hits; not to mention the potential for playing Guess the Intro). I was wrecked. Weird. I’m normally an awesome traveller. So when I get to Manchester, what do I do to prepare for one of the most important weekends of my life, relinquishing the role of OXJAM regional manager for North West Scotland in a celebratory evaluation with all the other 26 regional OXJAM managers from all over the UK? Take a power nap? NAH!!
How could I have passed up the chance to rove around my favourite English city once more? For the second time ever in fact. I couldn’t have, is the answer. So, freshly changed into my favourite basketball shorts, my favourite new boughtinthesale ultra cool Fila Italia hi-tops, and a nicely worn-in Pink Floyd t-shirt, I headed straight up to the Northern Quarter. With the excitement of the weekend, and lots of other things to think about, I hadn’t considered skateboarding would factor into this weekend at all. Until I was in a trendy book shop, surrounded by other trendy vintage clothes and record shops, and I realised, as if the thought had been placed in my head like a gleaming goldfish of joy into a shining crystal fish-bowl, there must be a skate shop about here. It would fit in perfectly. Not that I wanted to buy anything. Except maybe a cool hat. Was definitely not ready for a board yet.
Or so I thought.
The skate shop, Note [www.noteshop.co.uk], was up a wee flight of stairs, elevating it above the rest of the other boutiques. Outside, there were a bunch of hardcore skaters hanging about, doing kickflips and the like. Feeling a bit out of place (like that plankton staring up at Orcas again…) I didn’t make any eye contact, but was determined to at least browse about the shop without embarrassing myself or saying things out of turn too much. Because lets face it, I’ve read two skateboard magazines in my life and the rest is dreams; these guys have been living it since they were allowed outside.
Despite my nerves though, Nev, the guy behind the till, was great banter. I struck up a conversation (about rucksacks) which eventually led to talking about the boards on sale, how I was a beginner, and how I was maybe, just maybe thinking about buying my own board, as my birthday was nearby and all. I was quite determined NOT to buy one though. But I did browse about.
MISTAKE!!!
Aye. I found my perfect board. And made lots of justifications in my head to myself to warrant buying it. I won’t list those reasons here however; I’m pretty sure that the only person those justifications will convince is me! The board is wide and has loose trucks. It has a rad full-size photo of one of those ancient plastic orange fish-shaped skateboards on the bottom, against a white background [so it looks like I’m carrying about one of them if you’re not paying attention!] and is perfect for gliding about on. Everyone else I met in the shop genuinely admired the set up too, which made me beam with pride, and it was just cool to feel encouraged and accepted by all these people who are great at skateboarding already. Once again, no snobs.
I don’t know why I keep expecting to run into skateboarding snobs – I guess I am just worried people who are good and passionate about skateboarding will think I am too useless to warrant any attention, and that I’m just some hipster wanting to get in on their hobby to look cool. But I shall prove my legitimacy! Not that I need to. As I said. No snobs at all so far.
So, equipped with inspiration from the crew at Note, and my very first board, I um, walked a lot of the way back to Potato Warf Youth Hostel. Nerves about finding my feet on the board; in Manchester City Centre; during rush hour polluted my enthusiasm. But then I thought “HERE! Just do it!!!” …. And off I rolled. Awwwyea.
The skateboarding adventures that followed shall be documented shortly…. As I realise this blog didn’t quite have much actual skateboarding banter in it at all. No need to worry though. Blog #4 will certainly make up for that with details about my first ever board and my first ever go in a skatepark. Rather than just beside one.
Bye!
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