Fun at the Rainbow Rink

I've been feeling a lot better the past couple of days.  I just needed to pick up my house, unpack my suitcase, sort the piles on my desk, and do the laundry.  Though my "to-do list" still looms long, it somehow feels more manageable when my living space is in order. (Does anyone else feel this way?)

It's true what they say: Joy cometh in the morning (especially when you wake up to a clean house).

In my last melancholic blog post, I said that I have "regrets" about our time in Buffalo.  I think maybe "regret" is too strong a word.  Though we have worked harder than we have played, I do think we've made the most of our time here.  We have loved pretty much every minute of it (with the exception of robberies, muggings, and late nights grading papers).  We've made some of the most wonderful friends, and when I think about leaving them in a couple of months...well that is what makes me truly melancholy.

Last night, our friend Tiffany invited us to go rollarskating.  She warned us that she'd never been to the Rainbow Rink on a Friday night, and the place might be full of thugs.

I told her that we like thugs.

As it turns out, it isn't thugs who hang out at the Rainbow Rink...it's middle schoolers!  We were easily the oldest people out on the rink--by about 15 years!

While at first I felt a little silly, once they turned down the lights and started blasting Katie Perry, Pink, and Taio Cruz, I lost my inhibitions and skated my heart out.

Ryan and I had a little too much fun in the arcade playing skeeball and shooting hoops.  Did you know that Ryan and I went on our first date to an arcade?  It was a blind date.  I had requested a "skateboarder" when my friend insisted that she set me up with someone.  I was picturing DC shoes and shaggy hair.

Ryan showed up wearing Doc Martens with his hair gelled in a very preppy swoop.

Despite my disappointment in his non-skater appearance, by the end of the evening, I was sold.  I think it was the way he dominated Mrs. Pacman and won me a Fun Dip.

Then:

Now:

I know I'm hot...you don't have to tell me.

You may notice the awesome glow-in-the-dark finger Ryan is wearing, along with the high-quality back scratcher he is holding.  He was quite pleased about all of the little prizes he won at the Arcade:

It was a really really fun night.  Thanks to Tiffany for inviting us!  We are going to enjoy our last few months in the Buff.