At one with the world (of extreme sports)
“Rushing down through the forest at what feels like 90 miles per hour, you duck and twist through the trees, loose rocks sliding underneath you and scattering in your wake. Suddenly you’re out of the trees’ tunnelling embrace and the stunning, bright azure sky burns at your eyes. A compression in the ground and you’re flying, pushing the bike through that smooth, clockwork routine that somehow steals your breath and tugs at your heart every time. You land smooth and even; dirt flies up and your eyes stream but you don’t care.”
I just got in from staying at the wonderful Sam’s univeristy residence in Reading.
The train home is normally dull and full of angry commuters. I hate angry commuters! They always do what I have dubbed ‘The Angry Commuter Run’
Picture this: The train is standing at the platform, your watch informs you there are 10 minutes until the train leaves. You’re approximately 10 metres from the train, but OH MY GOD, you are an important business man.
Quick! Let’s do the Angry Commuter Run!
Make sure you jog slowly, but frantically, do the annoying thing where you shoot your arm out to the side to hitch up your sleeve, before bending your arm to check your watch, eyes straight ahead, frown upon thy brow, and FOCUS!! CATCH THAT TRAIN! look concerned, mouth some Important Commuter words to yourself, and hop on the train. Then, sit there for 10 bloody minutes til the train leaves anyway. No matter, you nailed that run.
Congratulations, you are an Angry Commuter Champion.
This makes me angry, as angry commuters often push past with a huff and a puff on the tube/ platform, when really their only purpose is to look Important. Bloody commuters.
This commuter was probably doing it.
But I sidetrack – on the train home I was reading Ride BMX, as you do when MBUK is frankly rubbish, and nowhere in Dunstable sells Dirt (mmm, Dirt). Some extreme sports looking guy is all ‘what are you reading, do you skate?’ And we were off! An entertaining 20 minutes of banter about snowboarding and mountain biking. MAN I love the extreme sports world, there are so many genuinely safe people. I am most happy and in the whole, less disillusioned with humanity than usual.
PLUS Cadbury’s have read my mind and finally made creme egg bars. Here’s a fact for you:
“Cadbury Creme Egg was introduced by Cadbury brothers in the early 1920’s and was first available in 1923, but the Creme Egg as we know it today was not made until 1971.“
