Missing Rollerblades

So normally, things go out of style when they are overcome by technology, or replaced by something that does the same job in a more economical or fabulous fashion.  Roller skates were replaced by cooler roller skates, which were replaced by roller blades, but at some point in the late 90's, rollerblades went the way of the dinosaurs...but nothing replaced them!  Some would argue "Aha! But the skateboard!"  Wrong.  The skateboard replaced the earlier skateboard, and does not perform anywhere near the same function as the rollerblade.  It provides transport to punky/surfy/beachy teenagers (and the rare adult) who move in packs and need quick get-away options.  The rollerblade was for all ages, and its purpose was a combination of lone-wolf exercize and fun boardwalk scooting.  No one really used them for transportation, and only those kids on the Disney movie "Brink!" ever considered them punk-kid worthy (alright, so Christian Huynh and Adam Shall used to do tricks in them, too...).  But for the most part, let's face it; they were not the wild kid's toy.

yeah, not this kind of rollerblading...for it really only existed within the Disney context.

Here's my issue: I loved rollerblading in middle school, and I'm fairly certain it was a good workout.  Now I do, on occasion, see a lady rollerblading around the DC streets, waving her arms around to her music and weaving around the sidewalks and bike path...she has on an unnatural amount of padding, as most adult rollerbladers do, but she manages to ignore all of us staring commuters and jam on.  There are also a few ladies who keep up the sport in Key West, and other beachy/tropical areas.  I'm hoping to live in a slightly less visible, yet still beachy, locale next tour, so maybe I can bring rollerblading back to Galveston.  I do miss it terribly.  Hopefully I can count Margaret in.  She would be a great asset to the movement.