I must say that I’m really enjoying this Al Green song.

Except that in my case, I’m not necessarily tired of being alone. I’m just tired! Work has been just one dang thing after another. I swear that if I didn’t have a lunchtime skating session to look forward to in the middle of the workday, I’d go insane.

No matter how imperfect my edges, they are still way more predictable than my email in-box. And as for my to-do lists, they keep growing and growing like those horror movie monsters.

Luckily, I think there is an end in sight to at least a few of these projects that I seem to have gotten myself into. And when they end, I’m going to do a Marie Kondo (or practice the gentle art of Swedish death-cleaning) on my desk, office space, and bookshelves.

If only I could de-clutter my brain too. But that’s another story.

Funny how when I’m frazzled about work, my skating takes a strange turn too. Lack of concentration has never been my problem on the ice–if anything, I’m too fixated on what I’m doing. But several times this week I’ve started going down the ice and then forgotten what I’m doing halfway through my pattern.

Luckily, it doesn’t really matter if I’m going round and round in circles!

Lesson notes:

• Cross rolls. Watch the timing of rise and fall; additional ankle bend as foot passes through.
• Inside edges. Watch out for a contorted shoulder position on the right side. Keep your lean inside the circle. Be aware of your head inside as well. Practice continuous motion with the free leg.
• A side note–“follow your nose” works with loops, but it also works with other things.
• Back cross rolls. Laurie pointed out that I am not crossing the midline (defined by the sternum) with the new foot. Once I do that, it is much easier to curve immediately. We also worked on the “dissolving” free leg.
• Back inside edge. Don’t hang out on two feet, but immediately put free leg in front. I’ve been rocking to a flat or even the outside edge on the right side. Ari pointed out that the free foot moves in and should stay on the circle with some turnout (rather than hanging out in the circle and/or even turned in).
• Inside Mohawk three step pattern. Don’t touch down!
• Mohawk, push back, back outside three. More definite push and speed.
• Mohawk, push back, outside inside power pull, step forward, forward cross, repeat on other side
• Same thing with inside three turn instead of mohawk. Make sure you bring your free foot in for the inside three.
• On line. Three turns, step forward. Then do double threes, step forward. Then triple threes. Don’t forget to draw the leg back and bend, not break.