Realizing it was Tuesday, Dave decided an adventure was long over due. As a result his web log looked a little bare. The last true adventure he had had had been so long ago that he had trouble remembering exactly what it was (strange notions of zoo animals was all he could remember). So he decided to do something, and not just any something, this had to be something new, something different and something just a little bit scary. Not being able to think of anything he launched his web browser and loaded up his favorite search engine. He ran a search on the keywords “interesting things to do in Sydney” and got 12,443 results, which didn’t help very much. He thought for a moment, decided if he really wanted to narrow the search in such a way and then added “gay” to the keyword list, the results shrank to 1,910. Scratching his head further he also added “for under 20 bucks” to the search. The list dropped to 93. Still not wanting to look through all 93 options Dave added “not sex” to the search criteria and the list finally reached a reasonable 4. He scanned the four options and disregarded three as he had actually done those before, that left just one choice, the thing to do, yet he wasn’t convinced. After all every time he had made this suggestion to his friends in the past he had not gotten the most encouraging of reactions (the reactions had ranged from “not now, not ever” through to falling off the chair laughter). Balling up all of his courage Dave decided to go for it anyway, there was no point waiting around for company on this adventure, they clearly were not interested. So this is how Dave found himself walking through the doors of the Majestic Rollerink and into the world of GaySkate. At the ticket counter Dave asked where to go to hire skates and the old man pointed up stairs, so that was where Dave went. He walked up the stairs in a semi-dream, the feeling of having been here before washed over him and he knew what he would find at the top of the stairs. Another old man behind the counter gladly took Dave’s smelly boots and handed back equally smelly roller-skates. Dave walked back down the stairs in his socks and then down more stairs to the main rink area, he headed over to find a chair in which to site while putting the skates on and caught his first glimpse of the rink. He noticed many nicely dressed guy (and some girls) all having a good time, it was immediately obvious that there was a wide variety of skill levels on the rink ranging from a few on the edges that weren’t willing to let go of the rail, to the overly confidant ones near then center. The crowd seemed happy and welcoming. After having mastered the art of tying up a pair of genuine 1970’s roller-skates Dave tried them out on the carpet and skated his way wobbly over to the candy bar. He ordered a bottle of water, and then skated over to somewhere with a better view of the rink. The water of course was a cover, a ‘something to do while I sus the place out’ alibi. He sat and watched for a while, checking out all the really cute boys. But finally the time came to set skate on the rink. Dave threw the empty water bottle in a nearby bin and realized suddenly that he needed to pee. He headed for the men’s. Now the men’s toilets at the Majestic Rollerink are much like any other men’s toilets, with the big difference being that you are on wheels. This makes dealing with the tiled steps more difficult. As a rite of passage to those that wish to join the rest of the pack on the rink, the toilets must be negotiated. The first challenge is the step up from the carpeted area into the tiled vestibule while trying to push open a door and not fall on your arse. But things to not get simpler just because you’ve actually made it into the toilets. Now you are faced with the big choice, the urinals or the stalls? But don’t be fooled, neither option is simple. The urinals provide a convenient bar at shoulder height to hold on to so as to stop yourself falling or skating into the trough, but to be successful you must balance on skates, hold yourself steady and got about your business (with only one hand remember). The stalls on the other had require you to climb a tiles staircase, they offer the protection of being able to lock yourself in once you get there so as to limit just how far you might accidently roll. Dave chose the stalls and thanked his stars that he had chosen to hire skates tonight instead of bringing his (much unused) blades. For roller-skates have a stop of the front of both skate that can be used to walk on, blades have no such device and require pure skill. So Dave literally tip-toed his way in and back out of the toilets. Back at rink side, having successfully survived the challenge of the toilets, Dave was ready to make his debut. With a wobble and a few frantic regainings of balance Dave was skating his way to the far side of the rink. After a few close calls he was lapping the place like a, well, like a guy that was skating for the first time in years. After a good few minutes the DJ announced boot scooting time. Dave headed for the side lines and watched in owe as the pros boot scooted in the center of the rink, all whilst wearing skates. Then it was back to the rink for some regular skating. This is where things get a little bit strange, you see Dave decided that since he hadn’t actually fallen over yet he must be a natural and so the thing to do was to try to go faster. Tight turns at each end of the rink, faster and faster. It didn’t take long before he crashed head first into, and right over the side rail. As he stood up the world was spinning just a little faster than usual for that time of night, he looked out at the rink and saw a strange sight. Everything was the same, yet also different. There seemed to be a large number of boys in school uniforms suddenly on the rink along with everyone else. After blinking a few time the school uniformed kids disappeared and Dave realized that he had been watching the events of twelve years hence, the last time he had been in this place. But he was back in the present, and taking it a little more carefully he headed back onto the rink yet again. The night went on and many other magical things happened there that night, but they are stories that only the Majestic Rollerink knows. After having claimed his shoes back Dave walked out the front door and into the real world, the last thing he heard was the tune of “Hey Mickie”. And if it hadn’t been for his aching shines he might have believed it had never happened. [Note: your willingness to believe any or all of the above is no guarantee of its authenticity]