Much as I like to think I’m courageous and invincible, there are times when I have to tuck my tail between my legs and admit that I am a big ole sissy sometimes … particularly when it comes to heights coupled with carnival rides.
Dave and I went to the Fairfax County Fair today, which was a blast. But then when it came time to get on the rides, I crumbled into a screaming little girl, particularly on this contraption that raised us up, threw us on our sides, and then the car we were in started twirling to boot. Jesus Tap-Dancing Christ! I was surprised my blackened lungs could permit such yelps of terror to escape my being so loudly and with such passion. I probably broke the poor lad’s eardrums!
Dave was wonderful about it, though, and he humored me during my bout of insanity. I swear, I was convinced that either I was going to fly out of the ride or that the safety bar would release itself and we’d go catapulting over the courthouse. It’s not even the heights or the speed of the ride that really got me — it was coming thisclose to feeling like I was going to literally bump heads with the ride operator. One would think that spending every summer of my life at Kennywood would have cured me of any fear of being on rides, but I suppose that theory is shot. 🙂 (Of course, one year ago, Kennywood was hit by a microburst that killed a woman, so I am fine with my sissy-girl fears.)
To make matters worse, the song that was playing whilst on the ride was Britney Spears, “Don’t Let Me Be the Last to Know.” How scary can a ride be?!?!
At any rate, as Dave mentions on his site, I declared that my favorite ride was the chocolate banana. With nuts. Damn, that was good! And they even had a large papier-maiche chocolate banana (with nuts, natch!) located conveniently in a truck bed, which I wanted to climb up and straddle. Now that’s MY kind of amusement!!!
Although I had to pry my fingers off the safety bar when the ride was done, I wasn’t sick. It was rather exhilarating, actually, despite the fact that my body didn’t stop vibrating for a good 10 minutes afterward. But when have I EVER complained about good vibrations? 😉
I was uber-hungover this morning. Didn’t sleep much, as I had fitful nightmares that kept startling me. But my hangover cure worked beautifully — two parts grease (enter a Chez Mickey’s breakfast here) and one part hair-of-the-dog-that-bit-ya (many, many shots of hazlenut schnapps in my cruddy Chez Mickey coffee) and I was good to go by the time we went to the festival.
I bought a souvenir from the shindig — a sterling silver ring with a hibiscus flower on it. Every time I look at it, I laugh and am happy that, other than my mild hysterical fit, it was a good day at the fair.
Shawn took me out for coffee, carrot cake and complaining tonight. Now I’m going to go blog offline about that. 🙂 All in all, a good ending to a good day.
Weekends are just too damn short, ain’t they?