Carnival Rides
Before I begin, I should apologize for not writing last night. Last night was spent at the carnival the next county over with some people I know. It was good fun, but it also made me realize that I don't really have fun with carnival rides any more.
Part of it is the safety issue. Years of news stories and consumer group warnings have permeated my subconscious with the ideas that carnival rides aren't regulated, that people can die on these rides and that the people who are in charge of them aren't really trained to operate them. I particularly thought about this when I was on a ride called the Fireball, which is essentially a roller coaster car with seats facing forward and back. You are put in a roller coaster harness that is fastened with a seat belt, and then the ride begins rolling you left and right, higher and higher until you are suspended upside down and make a complete circle around the track. The third time around, you are suspended upside down again, but without the momentum to make a complete circle, so you slide back down, going back and forth until you come to a stop in the middle. The only thing that keeps you from falling out is a seat belt that is strapped from the bottom of the harness to the seat. That's it. And it's a little loose, too. Has maybe a half inch of give, so you feel the harness start to fall open for that split second before the seat belt catches it. I, personally, was not exactly comforted by this. I was holding on to the harness's handles very tightly, praying that it wouldn't come undone. You know what? Most of it is the safety issue. Maybe all of it. I wouldn't have felt anywhere close to that kind of fear if it had been in an amusement park like Cedar Point.
Anyway, today has been much more low-key. Did some general cleaning up, and I'm going to see if I can't finish up a flash piece. I've finished up a flash piece previously, and I'll be doing another quick one. After that, the trick will be to see where I can submit them.
Part of it is the safety issue. Years of news stories and consumer group warnings have permeated my subconscious with the ideas that carnival rides aren't regulated, that people can die on these rides and that the people who are in charge of them aren't really trained to operate them. I particularly thought about this when I was on a ride called the Fireball, which is essentially a roller coaster car with seats facing forward and back. You are put in a roller coaster harness that is fastened with a seat belt, and then the ride begins rolling you left and right, higher and higher until you are suspended upside down and make a complete circle around the track. The third time around, you are suspended upside down again, but without the momentum to make a complete circle, so you slide back down, going back and forth until you come to a stop in the middle. The only thing that keeps you from falling out is a seat belt that is strapped from the bottom of the harness to the seat. That's it. And it's a little loose, too. Has maybe a half inch of give, so you feel the harness start to fall open for that split second before the seat belt catches it. I, personally, was not exactly comforted by this. I was holding on to the harness's handles very tightly, praying that it wouldn't come undone. You know what? Most of it is the safety issue. Maybe all of it. I wouldn't have felt anywhere close to that kind of fear if it had been in an amusement park like Cedar Point.
Anyway, today has been much more low-key. Did some general cleaning up, and I'm going to see if I can't finish up a flash piece. I've finished up a flash piece previously, and I'll be doing another quick one. After that, the trick will be to see where I can submit them.