Longboarding Will Save Me From Super Summer

I began longboarding back home about 2 years ago but stopped as soon as I started. I picked it up again in California (where I go to visit my mom every now and then).
And now, being car-less in Tyler, I have discovered how great it is in terms of transportation. 

So, this weekend I went ahead and got myself a 46" pintail longboard. 

Longboards are different from the regular street skateboard. Skateboarding is more of tricks and flips whereas longboard is more of cruising but still with its own share of extreme sport fun.
Downhill is a type of longboarding discipline where a person rides his/her longboard downhill at great speed. Sliding is when you make a tight turn and hold your hands out to the ground and push your board out so it's not gripping the pavement and it's moving freely.
Carving is another type where you just move in a wave motion from left to right (kind of like surfing). Another popular one is dancing (girl at 5:04 mark does it well), where the person cross-steps on a moving longboard. There are a lot more but these are the ones I am personally interested in.
For downhill and sliding, you might want to look at  drop-through decks that's lower to the ground because those types are more stable at fast speeds. 
I got a pintail deck which is disciplined more towards carving, cruising and dancing (because of the wide deck) and also because of its aesthetic nature.

I was very excited to try it out, especially because I could now easily get around campus without having to walk. Also, I've seen a lot of UT Tyler students around campus on longboards. It really is practical.

Because I had a pintail, I told myself I would not try bombing hills and stick to carving and dancing. But did I?
No, I regret to say. I did not stick to the smart choice.
Bombing hills is possible with a pintail but it requires a lot of practice. But genius Katrina went ahead and got her longboard on a hill. Before I knew it, I was skating downhill at 25... 30 ...35mph... and there it was... a speed wobble. Before I could do anything else, I was flying off my board and into the asphalt, hands out first.

The good news- I was wearing a helmet. Which is always a good choice. The bad news- I wasn't wearing any other protective gear. I scratched the heels of my palm but my hips broke most of my fall. Ouch. 
I guess I didn't sustain any more injury than that because I landed half on the asphalt and half on grass.

Moral of the story? Make sure you are good enough to do something potentially dangerous. Also, protective gear. Especially helmets. For all bikers, skateboarders, longboarders out there (Just like Patrick in this video).

My palms and hip hurt but right now I'm just glad I have my longboard to whisk me away to class and work instead of walking in this Texas Super Summer.