Thrill World

You've seen this, right?



So damn funny.

This is a weird thing: I loved amusement parks when I was a kid.  I thought maybe I'd written about this before, since I've done a show about roller coasters, but that show pre-dates this blog, so I'll tell you this story.

Sometime in middle school, when I was between twelve & fourteen years old, one of those itinerant carnivals found its way to the parking lot of a nearby supermarket.  My mother gave us money for lunch in those days - not much money, probably a couple of bucks - but enough, you know, to buy something to eat.

When I noticed the carnival was there, I skipped lunch every day for as long as it stayed - a week? two? - & after school, I walked over to the carnival, & rode rides as long as I had money.  The ride that I would've loved, a roller coaster, was of course not portable, so I enjoyed the sort-of spider-ish ride that had the twirling car at the end of each leg.  I loved a good spin, is what it was.

The family lived in Dallas, so we were close to Six Flags Over Texas, in Arlington.  We visited there - I'm sure it was as expensive then as it is now - at least once in my childhood, probably more.  I know I went with my friend Scott at some point in high school.  I went there in 1986 - the actual last time I had been to an amusement park, almost thirty years ago - not for the rides, but for a concert.  (It's embarrassing - it was Julian Lennon.)

But then I never went again.  & I'm not sure why.  Did I feel I had outgrown it?

On Thursday, we went to the (perhaps) closest amusement park to Lexington, Kings Island.  Interestingly, it's not surrounded by water & I didn't see any royalty there.  But Jesus God did I have fun.

The first ride we went on - called Delirium - I suddenly felt thirty-five years younger.  Oh I knew I was still me in my disastrous forty-seven year old boy.  But I laughed out loud.

In my head, I just counted - I rode just nine rides in the few hours we were there - as you know, it involves a lot of waiting, that whole amusement park experience - & we got there late.  But when I tried to go to sleep that night, I would close my eyes & was back on the Diamondback.  Or the Beast.  & my heart would race.

Believe me, I had apprehension.  & I need time to process it.  I had so much fun.  While my wife screamed next to me, the laughter coming out of my mouth was the same as when I was twelve or thirteen.  It was wonderful.