While skating at the Oval this afternoon with a few friends, I felt compelled to offer an explanation for why I was alternating smooth skating with bouts of stumbling: “Sometimes I space out for a moment and I’m no longer in the zone! But I just take a moment to centre myself and it's all right.” My friend thought this remark expressed a truth about my essence. No doubt he was right, but I also think my skates were not laced tightly enough.