Well, today I had to do another activity by myself. I was hoping that Kevin and I would carve the pumpkins into jack-o-lanterns together. Unfortunately, he couldn't take the afternoon off like he was planning to. But, alas, I still had fun carving two of the three pumpkins. The smallest one was so damn tough! I am guessing that was because the actual meat of the shell was dense and therefore the knife couldn't cut as easily. The two big ones were a breeze to carve.
I am proud of my "scary" creations. I especially like "Frankenstein." That one was meant for Kevin to carve. I guess that is why I placed so much care and attention in that one above all else.
From the bottom: Scarface, Frankenstein, Sabertooth.
Kevin and I also had fun with the (incredibly cheesy) decorations in the front yard.
All in all, I had a very good day. I can't wait to pass out candy to the kids.
Today, I knew my time was short in being able to grab some decent pumpkins to carve into jack-o-lanterns. Unfortunately, the pumpkin hunt was something I had to do by myself. Kevin is in Chicagoland dealing with family issues. Steve and Bob are also in Chicagoland doing what they do. With a twinge of remorse for doing a group activity by myself, I drove Trent's car to Curtis Orchard. I was happy I was going to pick pumpkins. I just wanted to do it with my partner and friends.
Anyway...
I arrived at Curtis Orchard. The weather was cool and cloudy. I remembered my gloves but didn't bring my woolly cap. I just didn't think of it. I grabbed a wagon and proceeded to the pumpkin patch. As I was walking I looked towards the southern end of the pumpkin patch I remembered from last year. I saw that it was rewilded. I panicked and thought that all the pumpkins were all picked and I was shit out of luck! That was not the situation since other parts of the patch were intact. It was a good thing I was by myself because I abandoned the wagon and ran towards the patch and discovered I was still able to pick pumpkins. I then had to run back to the abandoned wagon and pretend like I didn't panic. It was a good thing there were no observers when I did that.
Unfortunately, most of the good pumpkins were gone. The ones that were left were befouled by vandalism or cold weather. I suddenly realized I was going to have to traverse the whole patch to find decent pumpkins. I did that. And I had fun doing so. During that process I was thinking back to the previous years I have gone pumpkin hunting. I was feeling a bit nostalgic. One trip involves a school trip from when I was in the second grade still living in Massachusetts. Another memory was from last year in which I went with Kevin, Steve, and Bob.
As I was thinking back, I found my diamonds in the rough. About an hour passed and the weather was getting colder. This cool, cloudy autumn day was turning into a winter precursor. Proud with my unorthodox selections, I bought the pumpkins.
You know...urban sprawl really bothers me. Intimately. I mean, there is so much land in this country, but yet almost all of it is cut down and plowed over. The only reason being is because everyone wants a "piece of the pie," but not realizing that they are simply having too big a piece. If the Japanese, with a population twice that of the United States of America, can fit on a piece of land the size of California, how come Americans can't do the same? I am not saying we have to really pack our population into tiny little cubicles, like the Japanese. I am saying we should seriously consider redistributing our population more efficiently. I am saying we should live more like the Japanese: Efficiently, cleanly, minimalistic.
Why do Americans feel the need to spread out into natural areas? There is underused space in cities that need to be revitalized. Then again, Americans are inherently selfish, and simply don't want to share. God forbid if we live only a few feet from our neighbors. We all want the huge McMansion that sits on the incredibly tiny piece of land.
Then comes the disconnect from nature. We won't know what we have until it is gone. The resource that used to be our most valuable possession is now almost completely gone. It is almost wasted away, cut away, plowed over, controlled, contained, secluded, and parsed out to the few who can afford. Nature wants to be free. We should all move back into the cities, revitalize them, and watch Nature reclaim what used to belong to her.
This past weekend, Kevin, Steve, Bob, and I went to King's Island, in Cincinnati, Ohio. I had so much fun. I screamed so often, and loudly, that I am still experiencing a scratchy voice. Yes, I was excited. This was the first time I have been on a roller coaster since I went to Canobe Lake Park, in New Hampshire.
Anyway, I was really, really excited to be going. The previous night, I had trouble falling asleep. I think I stayed awake until 2:30am. On Saturday the 28th, we left at 9:15am. We arrived at King's Island around 2pm. I was jumping out of my skin already; that is, I was experiencing the excitement people feel while they are on extreme rides: We weren't even inside the park yet.
Anyway, we buy our two-day tickets and make our way inside. Since I haven't been in a theme park in decades, and because I've never been on an upside-down roller coaster, I decided to go on the "Invertigo." I figured since it traversed itself twice in two opposite directions, had two loops and one cork-screw, I could do the real roller coasters that were further inside the park.
It was awesome. After that, we went over to the drop tower. Apparently, it is just over 300 feet tall. Even though Kevin said he didn't like heights, he went on that ride. I was surprised. After we seated ourselves and the handlers secured the restraining bar, we began to ascend. I was surprised at how quickly we made it to the top of the tower. Of course, that ride is purely psychological. I experienced more anxiety ascending and waiting for the ride to drop, than the actual drop itself. Of course, the ride breaks about 75 feed above the ground, so that maneuver is really gentle. That ride also made a very science-fiction-y "whoosh" as it braked. Weird.
After that, it was a pendulum ride called "Delirium." I have to commend those crazy Germans (the original designers of this ride) because this was ridiculously fun as well. As it swings, the seat section rotates. The riders have a different perspective every time they reach the zenith of each swing. On one swing, I was facing directly down at the ground. On the next swing, I was looking straight up into the sky. On another swing, I was vertical to the ground sideways. It rocked. The most scary part of the ride is each zenith of the swing. I was weightless, but the rotation of the seat section made it feel like I was being thrown outwards.
Ok. Enough with these rides. We all decided to go on roller coasters for a while. The first one we rode was "Son of the Beast." Oh my. I couldn't believe how violent that wooden roller coaster was. It was loud and fast. To my amazement, this ride goes 78 miles per hour. The scariest part (and the coolest) was the fact the roller coaster cars shook violently. It gave the impression that the ride was going to fly apart while I was still riding it. Kevin didn't like the shaking, but I loved it. I went on this the next day.
Then we headed deeper into the park and found "The Beast." This daddy has two hills, and the second one is taller than the first. Again, it was pretty fast, but not as fast as "Son." It was still thoroughly enjoyable.
By now the sun was setting. We all decided to grab a small meal and just get over the initial excitement of going on ride after ride after ride. Bob wanted to go into one of the haunted houses King's Island had set up. Reluctantly, I went, too. I had a feeling the haunted house would be weak. It was. The one I went to last year was better, and that one had a ridiculously long wait time.
After the lame haunted house, Steve, Bob, and I wanted to go on "Vortex," but Kevin didn't want to. Now, at this time, it was dark outside; It was probably around 11pm. The line was long, but it was moving pretty quickly. We eventually get in the ride. We seat ourselves, and the handlers make sure the harnesses and seat belts are secured. Now, I am freaking out because it is dark and this is a loopy roller coaster. The ride starts and it begins to ascend up the first hill. Click...click...click goes the chain. I look over to Bob, since he is seated beside me. Click...click...click goes the chain. I look to my right, I see, in the dark, that I am pretty high and the chain is still pulling the cars. Click...click...click goes the chain. I look forward finally, and I see that I am only about two thirds up the first hill. A twinge of regret pulses through my veins...along with all the adrenaline. Finally, the cars make it to the top. I started screaming! (But it was a good screaming.) We all bank to the right, then the left. We go down the first hill that gives the ride all the potential energy it needs. Then, I see two loops in front of me...barely. It was dark. I was scared and screaming as loud as I could as the train went through the two loops. Then it banked to the left, went through a cork-screw, another two loops, then the ride ends. I survived, although not without my vocal cords. Yes, I still had a blast on that ride, even though I was terrified of the loops.
Steve, Bob, and Kevin wanted to do another lame haunted house. I did not. So, we coordinated a meeting spot, and I went off. I went on Invertigo and Delirium again. We met up and went to our hotel.
This is when it gets really weird. We got there around 12:30am, and went to our rooms. Kevin and I watch CNN until about 1:30am and then we attempted to go to sleep. I must have been experiencing vertigo because I was having some very strange, and scary, dreams. In my dreams, I was going on rides, but they were malfunctioning. I was usually falling to my death, or hanging on for deal life by the restraining bar, or something crazy like that. I had three malfunctioning ride dreams in a row. By this time it was nearly 3am, and I was keeping Kevin awake. Eventually, I did fall asleep. I was really confused when I woke up. Shouldn't I be having malfunctioning ride dreams before I go on rides, not after?
The next day, we made a bee-line for "The Beast" again, since it is Bob's favorite. After that, all four of us went on Vortex. The Vortex is a different experience during the day. Yes, it was scarier at night since I could barely see the track in front of me. Vortex at day time is scary because I could see what was ahead of me. I was really satisfied by this ride. It is pretty fast for a loop roller coaster, but it is also long. I had a chance to experience sustained excitement from a single ride, than having to ride it multiple times. It was just a ton of fun.
A few more rides, and meals, and the we make it over to "Firehawk." Now, I was supposed to ride this on Saturday, but we didn't make it over to this area until it was late at night. When I saw that it was a roller coaster that I had to lay down, I decided that it would have been too much to ride then, and we decided to go on it the next day.
The next day, we get in line, and I am nervous again. I have now done loopy roller coasters, but not one that I would have to lay down on. Steve and Kevin abstain from this ride; Bob and I went on. So, we get on, strap ourselves in, and the handlers check our safety devices. The seats lay back, and the ride starts. The scariest part of this ride is that the cars go up the first hill "head first." After that hill, the train is released from the chain, and it bends around. During this bend, the train track flips over swinging the train "under" the track so that the riders are now "flying head first" on the ride. It was so scary, but fun at the same time. (Or maybe, the train swings down to its correct position?) I would have done this one twice, but the line was long, even on Sunday. I didn't have a chance.
It was now nearing the end of our time. I went on Delirium one more time. We left heading back to Urbana.
This last weekend was so much fun. I lost my voice from screaming on the roller coasters. My voice hasn't fixed itself yet. I think the best part about scary rides is that I get to scream and embarrass myself and feel no shame.
