Turns out I'm not fearless... ;)
Aug. 23rd, 2006 08:07 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
pendaSo I think most of you know what a wimp I was about rollercoasters. For example, the weenie one at Wild Waves freaked me out and Jeff had to drag me on to it. I was like a 15 year-old girl. I was, in fact, like an emo kid.
Well, I've been blathering about how now I have a lack of fear and how weird that is and I thought I'd give it a test. Turns out in certain select circumstances I still get afraid. One of those circumstances is a ride/seat malfunction while hanging facing straight down (and stopped) on the Deja Vu at Magic Mountain.
We initially went on the Viper, which was easy peasy but it kinda made me feel sick because of all the slow loops and spins (my stomach isn't used to coasters apparently). We also hit the Colossus (which was ok, but ricketty and too much jolting and not enough drops) and the Goliath (which was OUTSTANDING). I decided to skip the Scream because it was all spin and I already felt like I was going to hurl. But they were fun rides and I had a great time. Hell, the photo they took on Goliath was awesome, I had no idea my mouth could open that wide and that my veins could bulge quite like that. 260ft drop and 85mph will do that to you. Hehehe, it was great. Gina looked like the Cheshire Cat, Scott looked like he was giving birth, and Jabriel looked like a cerebral palsy victim. Hehehe, I should have bought that photo. I must have unhinged my jaw to scream louder or something. ;) Not buying that picture will be my big regret of the trip.
But lets get to the interesting part, the Deja Vu.
We're in the line and Jabriel and I are all "Enh, that doesn't look that fast." And then we got right next to the loading area, saw it race by us, and stared at eachother slackjawed. So here's how it works... You get strapped in facing forward, then they crank you backwards up this tower so you're facing straight down and then they drop you. You go racing past the loading zone, go through a boomerang and a loop, and then go up another tower... then you go through it all again backwards. It's pretty awesome.
The safety harness is as follows... A black pulldown harness over your chest with seatbelt-like thing that attaches it to your seat as a backup, and a regular 1950's style airplane seatbelt that has the metal flap you lift up that also is a backup. So I put it all on and the 1950's belt unhinges. I think I mumbled "Oh, that's not cool" and reattached it again. Well, I must have overtightened it and sat too close to the edge of the seat because the fucker caught on the seat again... while I was hanging straight down getting ready for the drop... it opened, dropped, and swung seductively in front of me. That was only a backup, I'll be ok, thought I. But if that is broken, what else will break on my seat... I'm on a broken seat! And Six Flags kills tons of people... AND MAGIC MOUNTAIN IS GETTING SHUT DOWN!!! And as I was sitting there, waiting for the drop, and watching my seatbelt dangle in front of me in a manner which suggested it was saying "fuck you" to me I... um... got scared. Perhaps that doesn't properly describe the experience but my speech pattern probably will.
"...... *click* *swish* ..... .... ..... Oh fuck, I'm going to die. Oh fuck, I'm going to die. OH FUCK, I'M GOING TO DIE! HOLY FUCKING *the coaster drops* SHIIIIIITTTTTTTTAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!" (Incidently, Jabriel said that listening to me freak out was the best part of the ride... heh.)
Actually, there aren't the proper characters in the english language to describe that scream. It was high pitched, it went on for the entire length of the forward part (the backwards part felt safer for some reason), and it didn't stop. I didn't have to breathe. I just kept going and then slowly faded into a low croaky moan gasping for air. You know that sound that a cat makes when it's wrapped around the drive-train of a 57 Chevy? I made that exact same noise. Yeah, I know, I'm the most masculine guy you know. ;)
So then we go backwards and I'm ok and the rational brain kicks in and says "enh, fuck the backup seat-belt. Everything else is ok. ... Heh, but you were SCARED earlier."
So yes, Virginia, there still is a fear lingering in there. But at least it's a rational one. If I wasn't scared on that ride, I don't think I'd be human.
Incidently, Deja Vu was the best ride of the day (especially with the funky seatbelt thing... WOOO ADRENALIN!) and it also had the shortest line! In retrospect, we should have skipped Viper and just done the Vu about 4 times.
So yeah, the trip has been a ton of fun so far. :D
Well, I've been blathering about how now I have a lack of fear and how weird that is and I thought I'd give it a test. Turns out in certain select circumstances I still get afraid. One of those circumstances is a ride/seat malfunction while hanging facing straight down (and stopped) on the Deja Vu at Magic Mountain.
We initially went on the Viper, which was easy peasy but it kinda made me feel sick because of all the slow loops and spins (my stomach isn't used to coasters apparently). We also hit the Colossus (which was ok, but ricketty and too much jolting and not enough drops) and the Goliath (which was OUTSTANDING). I decided to skip the Scream because it was all spin and I already felt like I was going to hurl. But they were fun rides and I had a great time. Hell, the photo they took on Goliath was awesome, I had no idea my mouth could open that wide and that my veins could bulge quite like that. 260ft drop and 85mph will do that to you. Hehehe, it was great. Gina looked like the Cheshire Cat, Scott looked like he was giving birth, and Jabriel looked like a cerebral palsy victim. Hehehe, I should have bought that photo. I must have unhinged my jaw to scream louder or something. ;) Not buying that picture will be my big regret of the trip.
But lets get to the interesting part, the Deja Vu.
We're in the line and Jabriel and I are all "Enh, that doesn't look that fast." And then we got right next to the loading area, saw it race by us, and stared at eachother slackjawed. So here's how it works... You get strapped in facing forward, then they crank you backwards up this tower so you're facing straight down and then they drop you. You go racing past the loading zone, go through a boomerang and a loop, and then go up another tower... then you go through it all again backwards. It's pretty awesome.
The safety harness is as follows... A black pulldown harness over your chest with seatbelt-like thing that attaches it to your seat as a backup, and a regular 1950's style airplane seatbelt that has the metal flap you lift up that also is a backup. So I put it all on and the 1950's belt unhinges. I think I mumbled "Oh, that's not cool" and reattached it again. Well, I must have overtightened it and sat too close to the edge of the seat because the fucker caught on the seat again... while I was hanging straight down getting ready for the drop... it opened, dropped, and swung seductively in front of me. That was only a backup, I'll be ok, thought I. But if that is broken, what else will break on my seat... I'm on a broken seat! And Six Flags kills tons of people... AND MAGIC MOUNTAIN IS GETTING SHUT DOWN!!! And as I was sitting there, waiting for the drop, and watching my seatbelt dangle in front of me in a manner which suggested it was saying "fuck you" to me I... um... got scared. Perhaps that doesn't properly describe the experience but my speech pattern probably will.
"...... *click* *swish* ..... .... ..... Oh fuck, I'm going to die. Oh fuck, I'm going to die. OH FUCK, I'M GOING TO DIE! HOLY FUCKING *the coaster drops* SHIIIIIITTTTTTTTAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!" (Incidently, Jabriel said that listening to me freak out was the best part of the ride... heh.)
Actually, there aren't the proper characters in the english language to describe that scream. It was high pitched, it went on for the entire length of the forward part (the backwards part felt safer for some reason), and it didn't stop. I didn't have to breathe. I just kept going and then slowly faded into a low croaky moan gasping for air. You know that sound that a cat makes when it's wrapped around the drive-train of a 57 Chevy? I made that exact same noise. Yeah, I know, I'm the most masculine guy you know. ;)
So then we go backwards and I'm ok and the rational brain kicks in and says "enh, fuck the backup seat-belt. Everything else is ok. ... Heh, but you were SCARED earlier."
So yes, Virginia, there still is a fear lingering in there. But at least it's a rational one. If I wasn't scared on that ride, I don't think I'd be human.
Incidently, Deja Vu was the best ride of the day (especially with the funky seatbelt thing... WOOO ADRENALIN!) and it also had the shortest line! In retrospect, we should have skipped Viper and just done the Vu about 4 times.
So yeah, the trip has been a ton of fun so far. :D
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2006-08-23 04:58 pm (UTC)Did you tell the ride operators about your seatbelt malfunction?
no subject
Date: 2006-08-26 02:17 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-08-23 10:21 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-08-26 02:17 am (UTC)Jamie is not d-e-d ded!
Date: 2006-08-24 06:30 am (UTC)