Continuing the discussion from Fun Friday (Part 4) - #503 by Feathertip.
Previous discussions:
Super Saturday wishes from the first day of the Hot Air Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque, New Mexico! For those of you who would like to follow,
I keep my eyes peeled for the Remax balloon because my aunt recently married into the family who owns the Indiana Remax balloon. Yes, there are several. The aeronauts try to come here every year, even if they only ride or captain someone else’s balloon. They never have time to contact me, and I have never been able to find them on the field- if you watch the video above, you’ll see why.
No. However, I do ride in one with two names. My driver calls her Nissan Exterra “Betsy,” though the grandson calls it “Terra.” Whenever the grandson bashes Betsy, I pat her dashboard and compliment her on getting us where we need to go and for taking care of us the best she can. I believe in compliments being magickally able to improve the quality of the work they do, whether the worker is human, animal, or inanimate. I hope my reactions teach the boy to appreciate what he can get a hold of in life.
I have not been able to do much, being transportationally challenged. If someone goes and happens to think of me, I’ll go along.
Just found out this most recent State Fair will be the last at the fairgrounds. They were charging so much that no one could afford to go anymore.
As for childhood, my mother hated crowds, so I rarely got to go then, either. I guess I’m not missing much. 
The Girl Scouts went to Cedar Point in Sandusky Ohio one year. Nice drive through the countryside, lake views were very nice, not far from Marblehead light house, a spur of the moment fave day trip of my mother’s. I did try the teacups. It would have been fine if the other youth on the ride hadn’t grabbed the steering wheel and made me scream bloody murder. They were traumatized by my reaction. Wanted to go on the Earthquake, but didn’t have much of a chance to gather my wits about me and get brave before we had to head back to Indiana.
There was the New Haven Canal Days, which I tried to attend every year while growing up. It was just down the street a bit, and happened every year just before the mosquitoes started biting. I think the biggest ride they had was either the tea cups or the octopus. (Urp. Sorry). They were small rides, small enough to fit in the middle of a two lane street.
My first year out there, one of my classmates put me in play jail for being too ugly. Real cops arrested me with real handcuffs and put me into an outdoor jail cell, though the guards were allowed to talk to us, to explain the charges and the fun intended. The funds went toward helping the less fortunate, so I didn’t mind, once my surprise and dismay calmed and my accusers appeared outside the jail cell to torment me for the rest of the ten minutes for which I was incarcerated. This particular jest only happened that year. I guess later accused persons took the joke poorly and caused trouble, so they cancelled it.
When I was old enough to work at the gas station on the corner of Lincoln Highway and Broadway, I was sleeping through the festival days and working at night. We weren’t allowed to leave the rest rooms open for customers during that time. I guess other workers got nasty about it, but I remained polite. The carnies would come over at the end of the fair and ask if I had been able to attend. When I said no, they’d bring me leftovers once in a while- little stuff like popcorn or a candy apple.
Ugh. Most rides make me ill just looking at the track! I do not like adrenaline! I’ll keep my feet on the ground, thank you. Yet if I see an old fashioned merry go round, I may take a ride on one of the benches just to enjoy the carving work and music of it.
My last, I sat with a tiny child whose mother was watching after another on a horse. The little one with me was terrified. I comforted her and helped her see there was nothing to be afraid of. She had gratitude written all over her face, as did the mother when she looked back to check on the welfare of the one sitting on the bench with me. She was less afraid of me than of the ride, I noticed, since she chose to sit with me when I invited the stillness of the bench in exchange for the rock of the racing animals. She snuggled up under my arm. I was her guardian angel for a few moments which I treasure.
What’s a recent book you’ve read that you really enjoyed? (Any kind, any subject!)
Sorry about the change of format. I was having trouble going from one page to another.
Enjoyed? Ooh. It’s been a while. Lately, I have been reading stuff I collected long ago, just to get it off my bucket list and reduce my digital footprint. I’m not big on wordy Romantic poets, and I found out the only Nietzsche I like so far is Thus Spoke Zarathustra, which I found out may have been written by his sister posthumously. I enjoyed reading Paulo Coelho’s stories like The Alchemist and The Pilgrimage, but the book of quotes taken from the stories is dry and hard to get through, despite containing great wisdom.
Do you like live theater? What’s your favorite play or musical?
I do enjoy the theater, though it has been quite a while since I have had the chance to indulge. I saw Cats, Phantom of the Opera, and Les Miz in college. They were great but I think the French history impressed me more than the Heaviside Layer.
I did some acting as a child. Nothing big or important.
If I were to include musical films, my collection is vast, with 1826 movies and TV episodes in Musicals alone, and others scattered in other files- like The Pirates of Penzance in among Swashbucklers and The Little Mermaid in Hans Christian Anderson’s Fairy Tales (which gives you a sense of the array). With so many to choose from, it is tricky to pick just one. And yes, I do have quite a collection of Shakespeare which are hidden either in British History or Drama folders.
Goldie Gold. Bonus points to GenXers who remember that was a cartoon!
Hmm. I have some Josie and the Pussycats and Johnny Quest; I remember Speed Buggy and Grape Ape, but Goldie Gold? Must have missed that one.
didn’t you name your bike?
I did. Since I cannot see in 3D, I never learned to drive a car, so I never had one to name. I probably would have named it CARR- Castaway’s Automated Roving Robot, a salute to KITT.
Anyone remember Firefly? It was fun!
I was introduced to it due to some actor crossovers to the Stargate series. If I find an actor I like, I tend to check out other movies or TV shows they’ve been in so I can see if it’s the actors I like or the writers.
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Wait… do you mean the movie Trickster? Or (more likely) your favorite Norse deity?
That was a monster. A guy I really didn’t care for took it and hurled over everyone. As icky as that sounds, it made me laugh… a lot. I never tested it on myself… just watched it and cringed.
I’m not sure if you would like it but Troy by Gemmell eliminates all deities (well… most) and retells the Iliad (and more) like it was a normal adventure. A quite long version when all three books are done. Takes a while to read them - it took two books to get to the war.
Cassandra had all the traits of the myth but was a different character… and had more story time than the Iliad.. some did believe her. Odysseus and most others were re-manufactured. I didn’t like it at first but it grew on me because the story was well told. It wouldn’t be good for deeper understanding of the myths. The misogyny was there (as with Madeline’s stories) but the women were strong (as with Clytemnestra). Circe was remade as a human. The stories are quite exciting and there is a deeper romance part.
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Ooh we’ve moved, 
It’s the book by Lewis Hyde, and yes Loki gets a spot but so do other trickster gods and people. 
I love everyone’s Fun Fridays but I’m having tech issues to quote from past post to here, Loki’s up and wants to play. 
So yeay hi to @georgia @Feathertip @Amethyst @dan3 @Moonbeam and Beasty, he popped up so hi to you to.
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Hi sweety! 
I’m glad I wasn’t alone with tech trouble. Calling @francisco for tech support- please see my previous post? Thanks for mentioning it. @dan3 made it look so easy. 
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I went there! I actually won a giant bear with a single quarter! I was amazed! The only other ride I really remember was going on the river ride with my Dad.
Gotta admit, if you’re not in on the joke, that does not sound fun. And letting people get personal with you? Just wrong.
Aww, that was so nice of you! I bet she remembers that still!
As I said, it was only 13 episodes. I’m just a weirdo who loved it! It had mysteries and adventure.
I don’t blame you! Speed and gravity are one thing, vomit is another. No. No, thank you.
Hi Loki!
Well, I wouldn’t want to be rude to him. I already had a spider almost land on my head last night!
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Oh, that always looks like a fun event! Sorry to hear about the crashes into power lines - maybe the winds caught them unexpectedly. Hope there’s no more!
There you go! Put some positive vibes out there after the negative ones to. Hope it works!
Yes, they are crowded with parking challenges, so it’s best to go along in a group when you can. They have gone up in price, and some areas are relocating to different venues to make it more accessible (smaller?).
The Merry Go Round animals can be so intricate and beautiful, can’t they? Lots of fun and variety, and kids as well as adults jump on them for a ride.
Oh yes, some of that does seem to be a heavy lift! Very dry and not particularly entertaining, though obviously noteworthy stuff.
Those are great selections! Cats has been around for so many years, and it’s another one I’ve not been able to see.
Same here! It’s fun to follow along with certain ones and their projects. 
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Okay, here are my answers. 
~1 Have you ever named a car? Have you been in cars that were named, even referred to by name by the driver? Show us a picture if you have one!
I have not personally named a car - my husband is fond of coming up with a lot of nicknames for them, though. He called his old Firebird The Blue Goose, and we are currently driving in The Toaster. I’m not sure why.
~2 Do you enjoy your area’s carnivals? Did you visit them as a kid?
We went often when I was a kid - my biggest thing as a child is my previously mentioned coulrophobia. 
Going to a carnival will invite their presence, and I had to duck and hide a lot. I like them SO much better as an adult. (Still don’t like clowns, though I can ignore them now.)
~3 What is your favorite carnival-type ride: are you a Ferris Wheel/Merry-Go-Round person, or more a screaming roller coaster type?
I like speed, but not spinning. Whoever mentioned that whirl-a-twirl thingy where it’s basically a human centrifuge that keeps you pinned to the wall while the floor drops out - gah!! My sister loved it, I wouldn’t even try it. 
The last big ride I was on was called The Cyclops - a giant pole goes straight up about 25-30 ft into the sky, and huge claws holding seats are attached - they swing like a pendulum back and forth. I kinda had fun on that one, but started getting a mite ill.
Here’s a fun photo I took of that ride. I was back on the ground leaning against the center pole, and I just pointed my camera at the sky and waited for one of the cars to swing up. I used infrared film (Kodak HIE) to make it look freaky.
Cyclops!
Another shot showing the people on board.
Fun day at the carnival.
~4 What’s a recent book you’ve read that you really enjoyed? (Any kind, any subject!)
I read mainly for entertainment and enjoyment. That usually means I’m reading something since there are so many great authors out there. I’m a fan of writer Kate Atkinson, an English writer who styles her novels around World War II. I recently read Life After Life, and then the companion novel A God In Ruins - both expertly drawn novels about a few families caught up in those turbulent events, with a side of surrealism thrown in at times.
Non-fiction: I pick up various history books and also books related to Paganism.
~5 Do you like live theater? What’s your favorite play or musical?
I adore it! I was in the theater group in high school and then later did some community theater, so I enjoy watching every part of live productions. It’s a lot of work to put on a great show.
Too many to say there’s a favorite. I like big, over the top musical productions but also love the small, intimate theaters with edgier plays.
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Very famous! I was working with a bunch of computer geeks and they were totally disappointed. Streaming wasn’t really as advanced and it took about two days for a CD to show up with all the episodes. The movie (Serenity) also hinted at a sequel but that didn’t happen either.
Wow… I love that. I’ve worked with IR digital for animal trails and that worked OK but I never did anything arty.
I think college is where I caught the bug. When I didn’t have a major I shopped around for something I would like (I ended up having 200 credits before I got a Liberal Arts degree with three minors ). We were in England and many of our professors would assign plays in London. Back then, a stage play cost a couple of dollars and the tube would drop off within a block of most theatres.
I’ve only been involved in one of those and, like you, it never happened again. What must have seemed like a good idea was totally an embarrassment.
If you are talking about jumping back and forth from Part 4 to Part 5, I just used the “Copy Quote” and copied the part I wanted in Part 4 (didn’t quote it directly) and pasted it in Part 5. This section is getting popular so I bet we get to do it again in the near future!
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Yes I think every car I have owned has been named
- Fanny the Fiat
- Edna the Escort
- Winnie the Wolsey
- Rachel the Riley
- El Pinto - this was the first car I owned in the US in 1982
- The next few were my first husband’s cars and so didn’t have names.
- I’ve been through a series of Rav 4’s - all called Ralphie, Ralphie Too etc..
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We used to go to fairgrounds when I was a kid - I loved the Tilt-a-Whirl (and the slightly dangerous looking young men running it). I like roller coasters too, and have some good memories of Astroworld, back in the day, and visiting Magic Mountain in California with a cousin.
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I’ve been enjoying the Lady Hardcastle books by T.E. Kinsey. I listen to the audio books and love Elizabeth Knowlden’s narration. I also enjoyed the White Haven Witches series by T.J. Green.
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We’ve only been to a couple of live productions - the most memorable were Spamalot, the Monty Python musical (which I see is actually doing the rounds again) and Riverdance.
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I thought I’d send an earworm for those who enjoy such things…
There always are, every year. Storms or rogue winds crop up unexpectedly this time of year. Hot Air Ballooning seems peaceful and beautiful, but can be just as dangerous as the ill built carnival rides.
Consider it a romp through personalities- not just of cats, but of humans- seeking permission to die and go to a “better place.”
When you try to get into the auto in the summer, do you pop up with a burnt underside? Toaster is a great name for any vehicle in summer!
I’ve been learning the truth of this from a neighbor who has worked behind the scenes on stage and as an extra in the film industry. Her tales are fascinating.
The first part of my initial post on part 5 was done this way. My tablet kept freezing on me, so I copied text from the email instead of from the forum page.
I was a big fan of Riverdance and the Lord of the Dance spinoffs. It seems fame went to someone’s head to create so many reiterations, though.
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Good move! I have a minder that hangs over my operating system that does not allow a post request to generate calls to other places. That is usually good but Spells8 hates it (it uses Google and other systems to track posts). I had to disable it for Spells8. It also won’t work on some pay walls. I just have to remember it is there and when things freeze, to disable it (or get suspicious in the case of nasties)
Yep, but they wore it out. In some ways, it was a one trick pony.
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Thanks for the video link for the Balloons 
Hi Loki welcome back
I am curious why your Husband has called your car Toaster? What a great photo photograph and in B/W does feel eerily.
Did you have a favourite car and name. I remember being taken on the Waltzers. These were fairgrounds that went from Town to Town. I also went on the dodgem cars 
, hook-a-duck darts, coconut. The prizes were teddies and other soft toys. I have seen posters so they have these every year I have not been to one for a long time. Monte Python would be fun to watch.
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I have a fondess for Fanny the Fiat – that was my first car and my first feel of independence - she was a little Fiat 600 and she was pretty old when I first got her (gift from my parents when I graduated from Sunbury.
I’m kind of stuck on Ralphie for a Rav 4 now - I’m on my third Rav 4 and they have all been called Ralphie.
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What a lovely gift from your parents. Great name. Ralphie really suits that type of car. Our first car we bought together was a Red Audi TT (old type) then we bought another one again Red (new type) we seem to pick Red Cars. We had a long period using my Husband’s Company Car Mitsubishi Shogun. He still has a Company Car but it is a pick-up not suitable for our dogs so we have a Landrover Discovery. We haven’t given any of them a name though
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If you like this, you can get a real grass roots version in Ireland, go to the local pub, have some real Guinness, and the locals get up and play the music and dance, my mum said it was the best holiday ever.
@Amethyst @Moonbeam Loki’s riverdance
(He’s gonna make me pay later )
Yes!
@dan3 thanks for the tech tip
Happy days
Skal 
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The gif brings back memories. A guy where I worked was always quoting it and doing it with a silly accent. “I got bettuh”. If anything bad happened, we would here him saying it.
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I honestly couldn’t remember so I asked him! It’s a reference from Battlestar Galactica: the so-called bad guys (Cylons) were semi-robots but sentient beings, and were all in silver gear and were called Toasters by humans in a derogatory way.
Our car is a silver sedan, so my spouse made this connection. 
I think we were watching the series when we bought the car. 
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Great videos Skal 
Ah right I get it I have heard of Battlestar Galactica 
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