Downtown Rollerblader Dude

So, one of the things I like about living in big cities is when strangers become familiar.

It's a no brainer in a small town, but when you're in a big city - it's really fun.

Like in Beijing there was this one corner that we always drove by at quarter to 7:00 in the a.m. that always had the same guy squatting there.

And the fruit sellers in the market, and the phone card lady across the street from the school, and the pancake crepe sandwich couple in the market, and the dodgy restaurant server.

In a city of 14 million where sky scrapers are raised daily and others are torn down it's nice to have something in the landscape that isn't forever changing.

I've found my constant here in Edmonton.

I work downtown right off of Churchill Square at the Art Gallery of Alberta. I usually park at the edge of China town and have to walk through China Town to get to work. I do this to avoid steep parking fees.

China town is the dodgy area of town where all the homeless people live, and the Chinese. But I can't really figure that one out. You know... what is the sociological explanation for that?

But almost everytime I go to work there is this guy roller blading at top speed down the same street I'm walking down. He's either going the same direction as me, but he's usually coming towards me.

And he always looks really happy.

You see, the odd thing about this is that I really shouldn't have a constant when I go work downtown. I always go to work at different times in the day because I do tours and the tours always start at different times. So I don't know why I always see him. Maybe he is a little crazy and that's what he does - just constantly rollerblades around the block.

Maybe he's the crazy downtown rollerblader dude that just gives 'er all day long. Maybe he's on something and that's why he looks happy. Maybe it's just the endorphins (sp?).

Who knows. I really want to stop and ask him what he does but he's always going too fast!