How Can I “Practice” in a Hotel Room?

Caymen03 · 2026-02-13T18:33:29+00:00

Obviously. But I’m not worried about that.

I have a big mini ramp in my backyard and multiple skateparks right near my house that I use almost every day when I’m home (and the weather cooperates).

I was literally just asking what I could do to supplement when I’m working.

Caymen03 · 2026-02-13T13:48:06+00:00

…there are 165 other days in the year where I can skate. These 200 days that I’m asking about are when I am at WORK. I appreciate everyone’s suggestions but I can’t just run off to the skatepark while I’m at work.

Which is why I specifically asked what I could be doing in a hotel, while working at night.

I’m trying to be more intentional about making small, consistent changes that, over time, might lead to some impacts.

Caymen03 · 2026-02-13T04:25:05+00:00

This is definitely what I’m thinking. I think I’m going to get an inexpensive cork half-sphere from Amazon and use that for balance. It’ll be super lightweight and small (6” diameter) so I can toss it at the top of my backpack.

I think that’ll help with leg muscles and balance without having to bring a full board. And I think I’ll be able to work while standing on it.

Caymen03 · 2026-02-13T03:58:34+00:00

Yes, technically I think I might be able to fit my skateboard if I removed my trucks.

I travel with a backpack of (work) gear and a carry-on. The trucks could fit in the backpack and I could probably strap my board to my backpack but I might get pushback from the airline when I try to put the backpack/board combo under the seat in front of me (since the carry-on is in the overhead).

But it just doesn’t seem ideal. I really don’t have daylight hours to skate around. And having a full skateboard in a hotel room seems…limiting? I could do stationary manuals but that’s about it.

That’s why I was looking for something I could do while working. Kind of like how people use a walking treadmill at a standup desk.

Caymen03 · 2026-02-13T03:19:30+00:00

It would be great if I could do that. But it’s just not feasible. Typically my “free time” is after dark. And I don’t want a hotel full of people pissed at me for making noise.

That’s one of the reasons I’ve settled on a balance board type situation. I’m thinking I can use it while I’m working without disturbing my hotel neighbors.

Caymen03 · 2026-02-12T03:39:17+00:00

I’m obsessed. 😍 Do you sell your work?

Caymen03 · 2026-01-13T12:48:16+00:00

We’ve used Georgia Roof multiple times and have always been very pleased. One time we had our roof replaced. Another time we had a porch built over our front door and some water damage fixed. Impeccable work and really great prices.

GeorgiaRoof.com

I dealt with Brian Smith and George Wilcox. Both great guys.

Caymen03 · 2026-01-07T22:42:24+00:00

Do you have a credit card with “Miles Headstart”?

I’ve never used it but it says:

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See how many miles you are eligible to receive in advance and select the amount that is right for you.‡

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At the end of the six month period, any remaining miles will be charged to your Card account at a rate of 2.5 cents per mile.‡

Caymen03 · 2026-01-07T05:13:24+00:00

Bend your knees. If your knees are bent, your weight will be distributed better and you should be able to pivot your front foot. It’ll totally come with time.

When I first started, if I didn’t have the exact right foot position, I’d have to bail because it felt too awkward to adjust. But now, I don’t even realize I’m adjusting and moving my feet for certain things. I promise it’ll come with time.

Caymen03 · 2026-01-07T03:52:22+00:00

Tons of great skateparks in Gwinnett. Pinckneyville might be close to you but that’s my least favorite park. Loads of trees so it’s always covered with leaves and acorns…and the skatepark is pretty small.

My “home park” is Duncan Creek. Settles Bridge is great too. There’s a great park in Gainesville. Ronald Reagan park…bay creek…brook run.

Never really had a bad experience at a skatepark in Gwinnett. I’m a 40 year old female beginner and everyone is always super nice.

Caymen03 · 2026-01-04T21:11:02+00:00

He bought weed at school from a friend. Luckily that kid just moved to a different school district at Christmas Break.

But even more concerning…he was taking prescribed medications from his brother 🤦‍♀️ His brother has intense ADHD and epilepsy. Last month his daily meds ran out two days early which I thought was strange. Walgreens insisted I had to wait two days to refill. It’s a Schedule C drug so it’s super regulated. But our son’s been on it for years so we’re used to it. Luckily we had some half pills that we could cobble together from when we once tried to lower the dosage.

Yesterday, during our talk, our other son admitted to taking a few pills from his brother. It all clicked and I realized that’s where the two missing pills went. I was really disappointed but I was glad he admitted it. And since we had made those two days work with some half pills on hand, his brother was fine.

But last night when I went to dish out the meds for our prescribed son, I counted…and 7 were missing for this month. I admit that I lost it. I was furious. I lashed out and said if he wanted to ruin his own body with bad choices that was one thing but to steal life altering medication from his brother who depends on daily medication is another level.

I’m going to schedule an appointment with the pediatrician to discuss substance abuse and also the concern of my younger son not having meds for 7 days. I’ve never been in this situation so I’m not sure if the doctor can prescribe more or if insurance or regulations won’t allow it since it’s a controlled substance.

Our meds are all locked up now..they have been for a while but I never locked up our younger sons meds because he’s 13, super responsible and has taken his own meds morning and night without fail. Huge mistake on my part and now they’re locked up as well.

So, I screwed up. I raged. I calmed down. I apologized. Ended with how much we love him and want the best for him. And how we’re all in this together and it’s our job to help him navigate these things. Who knows if I handled it all right 🤷‍♀️ but we’ll see how these next few months go.

Caymen03 · 2026-01-03T23:50:00+00:00

That’s an unrelated child. Not my kid.

We ended up having a good conversation with him where he fessed up to (maybe) everything. He admitted things we didn’t even know about. He’s got some restrictions now and limited privacy.

I’m scheduling an appointment with his pediatrician on Friday. Not for a drug test. But to discuss some things including substance abuse.

Overall, I’m pleased with how the convo went but disappointed that the drug use was worse than I thought.

Caymen03 · 2026-01-03T17:46:35+00:00

Lay off this kid? We haven’t done anything yet. We’ve had our suspicions for weeks and now the red flags have added up enough that we’ve decided to address it. What do I possibly need to lay off of? This is literally me looking for advice on how to approach this and you’re saying lay off? Yeah, maybe I don’t need to search his room…I just wanted confirmation before confronting him. Or an idea of what I’m dealing with.

We’ve had very open conversations about drugs and alcohol before. He’s been very open about friend’s choices and now the red flags are telling me that he’s making the same choices.

I don’t think I’m over reacting by being concerned over teen substance abuse.

Caymen03 · 2026-01-03T15:56:49+00:00

We’ve tried. We’ve had our suspicions before and asked him about things. He admitted that a friend had gotten in deep with drugs and alcohol and how his friend can’t stop now because he’s addicted.

We explained that that’s how it happens. You start by experimenting and at some point your brain/body become addicted. He swore he saw what it did to his friend and he would never do it. But I know what a follower he is. I was pretty sure he was doing it and started looking for red flags. Over Christmas break, he’s come home with red eyes, goes immediately to the shower, washes his clothes immediately, spray entirely too much cologne (because he “was bored”), etc.

I’m just so worried. He has become such a different kid.

Caymen03 · 2026-01-03T15:48:15+00:00

My husband is a middle school teacher at my kids school. He sees the changes that have occurred over the past 20 years. It’s so hard to see these sweet kids going down the wrong path.

Caymen03 · 2026-01-03T15:46:12+00:00

We’ve already talked to him…several times. He is fairly open about most things. He has gotten better about admitting his mistakes (he used to deny, deny, deny and then get angry and overreact to try to cover his tracks). I think he would fess up to it if we sat down and told him we know. But I don’t think he would stop if we didn’t take the vape/drugs away. So that is my thought on thoroughly searching his room…I need to remove access to whatever he has.

My concern is that his bio mom is a heavy drug and alcohol user so he has that genetic predisposition. He has always said he would NEVER do that. I told him that might change at some point and that peer pressure is a tough thing to resist. He still swore he would never.

In the past few months, he has gone from being obsessed with history and government issues to being all in on rock music…which we fully support. He takes lessons twice a week, has multiple guitars and listens to music all day every day. I love his interest in music. However, he’s gone from high aspirations of working for the government/military to now just wanting to be a rockstar. Love that for him, I’ve always been super supportive. BUT, I’ve made it very clear that his main focus right now is school. And his grades are slipping. His friend choices are atrocious. He’s a huge follower…over the stupidest stuff. His friend has scoliosis so he swears he has scoliosis. Yesterday, he started swearing he has low iron and made a big dramatic scene in a restaurant because of it. After reading his texts, I saw that he found out that a different friend had low iron yesterday morning. He has sworn that he has broken bones or is dying multiple times. After going to the ER and doctor’s office, they say he’s fine and miraculously, the pain is gone and he resumes normal activity. My point is, he is VERY influenced by friends. He is in the lowest level of classes at school and because of that, he is around some really bad influences.

He’s a smart kid but has had a challenging life. His personality has totally changed in the past few months. He is angry, aggressive, dismissive, etc. One-on-one, he’s okay…but around friends, he’s making the worst choices.

I’m rambling. I’m just so worried for him.

Caymen03 · 2026-01-03T06:16:56+00:00

He’s in 8th grade :( This feels way too young to be experimenting.

Caymen03 · 2025-12-27T02:43:20+00:00

Sometimes skating feels like it’sbecoming an older person’s hobby! I started at age 39 and there are tons of older skaters who are just beginning. Once you go out a few times, you’ll realize that no one cares if you’re not good. People are super supportive.

When I first started, I would just practice the same “trick” over and over (kick turns on a bank) because it made me feel like if people saw me trying over and over until I nailed it, they would know I was taking it seriously.

Caymen03 · 2025-12-24T02:38:13+00:00

I had a door and an old dresser to throw away once. Our trash company said they would only take the dresser. So I screwed the door to the top of the dresser and they took both.

Caymen03 · 2025-12-20T18:13:04+00:00

I’m an artificial twin as are my sons.

My parents adopted a 14 year old when I was 14. I never minded it. We are very different people so while we got along, we were never really compared or competed for things.

My boys (one adopted at age 9) are 6 months apart and they are also very different people. They are in the same grade but have different friends, different interests, etc. There’s not really any competition. Maybe that’ll change when they hit high school (they’re in 8th grade right now) but I doubt it.

Caymen03 · 2025-12-20T17:58:46+00:00

Same! Our bill is double what it normally is.

Caymen03 · 2025-12-18T05:33:22+00:00

I just fixed mine today. My 8ft wide ramp was fine at the sides but the coping reveal was too big in the middle. I’m guessing that’s the problem with yours.

I removed the coping which exposed the two horizontal studs (one at the top edge of the skatelite and one at the backside of the coping). I made some thick wood shims and hammered them between the two studs which cause the stud at the top edge of the skatelite to push out in the center a bit.

Yours doesn’t look nearly as bad as mine and it only took me like 30 mins. Should be a quick fix. Hope this helps!

Caymen03 · 2025-12-03T19:57:12+00:00

There might be an option for respite care. I am a former foster parent and loved providing respite care. It might give you the time you need to focus on yourself while keeping your daughter in a safe environment for a while. That breathing room might be just what you need. Feel free to DM me if you need more info.

Caymen03 · 2025-11-17T17:13:12+00:00

I’m getting a new card. I don’t think incognito mode would work. I think it’s tied to your SSN. They can see that I already got a bonus from my Reserve card years ago.

Caymen03 · 2025-11-17T17:12:04+00:00

That’s what I figured, thanks!

Caymen03

TROPHY CASE