Fishbowl

The small fish dart about, weaving in and out of every nook and cranny. Bigger fish are slow and more controlled, enjoying the occasional trick. Then there are the fish who swim, get tired of swimming, and just drift on the current.

It was my first time skating at the rink on campus and my second time on roller blades, but it felt kind of like we were in a fishbowl. I was the drifter most of the time, with elementary kids whizzing by me and asking me in Chinese if I was French or Canadian. "Danny" the president of the skater club, who also sold me the skates, came over and strapped some knee and hand pads on me, and he and one of my students hoisted me up. I didn't fall even once. I was able to skate pretty well after a few minutes of practice, so Danny looked up "center of gravity" in a cell phone and explained how to stop and how to turn on a dime.

When I was in college, I went with Allison to the community center for roller skating. It was a service that was frozen in time. We were the only ones there, and we rented skates for $1. It was some of the most fun we had in college. That and log-rolling down the Pentacrest hill. She was my crazy friend. She was like Maude from Harold and Maude, with an eccentric collection of knick-knacks, art, and music. I was reminded of roller skating, and that pleasant throw-back from my university years.

-吴佩芙