Today I went ice skating, with Mariana, at the Kent Ice Arena. In a bit of a turn of irony I had actually never been there, and this is of course ironic, because I am a Kent State University graduate. It was the first time I had ever gone ice skating.

The first hurdle was to pick out the right skates. I tried the figure skating pair, but the hard plastic and the way they fit caused me to roll my ankle. This of course makes it both impossible to skate and painful. We had to take a break anyway, since the Zamboni had to make it’s rounds so I got the hockey pair. While these fit much looser they actually managed to make it far easier, which was originally the complete opposite of how I thought an ice skate should fit. I got the hang of it fairly well, which is to say I only fell once, and it was really fun.

Mariana and I went to Panera’s afterward and it’s always nice to get some hot soup on a day like today. It was a typical north east Ohio day and the rain and the general gloom of gray skies and cold made it a good idea.

Then it was on to her house for a little Christmas gift exchange. I got her a statue of a dragon, because she had mentioned that she liked dragons. Her gift to me though was without a doubt one of the coolest gifts that I have gotten in years. She got me the book “The Zen of Zombie” and it’s hilarious and with the word “zen” in the title there is some deeper meaning to the whole thing. I’ve already started reading it, and it is surely a book I want to finish.