Tell me about the time.... (volume II) - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

barenakedladies · 12-14-2005, 07:33 AM

Seeing how volume I's topic turned out to be so prophetic (i actually did get stuck in an elevator 1 week after i wrote that), i decided to make a topic along the same lines but nearly impossible for me to experience (AT least at this time of the year)

TELL ME ABOUT THE TIME...

you were stuck on an amusement park ride....

roller coaster stuck upside down?

ferris wheel stuck at the top?

what theme park/carnival?

who were you with?

how long were you stuck?

again i know, i know, im staying with the "stuck" theme but we got some good stories last time...

My only story was at the wisconsin state fair when i was 10 with my best friend on the pirate ship that goes back and forth (this particular one didnt go ALL the way around and upside down)
Well it got stuck on. We were on the thing for at least 45 minutes. Great as a kid, but i think our parents were freaking out.
The carnie looked like the one on the simpsons if i recall correctly...

good times....

Charlatan · 12-14-2005, 07:42 AM

Given your experiences with the elevator after posting your last thread... I'd suggest you stay away from theme parks for the next little while.

My Story.

There used to be a "skyway" that ran across the length of the Canadian National Exhibition. It had these little compartments that could fit four people comfortably. I used to work at the CNE with the Boy Scouts (we ran a service that loaned out wheelchairs and supplied a Scout to push if you wanted). I was probably 13 or 14 at the time.

The CNE used to let the Scouts use the skyway for free as it was a quick way for us to get from the Dufferin Gate at one end to the Princes' Gate at the other.

My friend and I (I can't remember his name) got into a cabin by ourselves and when we were about half way across, the ride came to a halt. At first we thought nothing of it. But soon we began to wonder what the holdup was... it eventually took over an hour to get going.

In the meantime, we had a great view of the city, the lake and grounds of the CNE. Needless to say, we were late in getting to the Prince' Gate.

Never did find out what happened.

Poppinjay · 12-14-2005, 07:55 AM

I got stuck in a shed with my nemesis, Margaret "Hotlilps" Houlihan. She had just become engaged to Donald Penobscott, despite not having left our M*A*S*H* unit for 5 years....

Wait... that was tv.

I got stuck in Kansas for 6 years. It was truly horrible. The one bright spot was the fact that the state fairgrounds were a few blocks from my house. Every year carnies would roll in to town, die from alcohol poisining, get arrested, pack up and leave, with several unplanned teen pregnancies in their wake.

The fair director had a firm belief that only country acts would fill the grandstand. So, for a week I would be sutck at home, serenaded by Jo Dee Messina, McBride and the Ride.

The new fair director brought Britney Spears in. At least then I got to see large flocks of scantily dressed young women. Some legal, some not.

Hey, who are you to judge? It all played out in my mind, no actual realization of any of those fantasies.

Eweser · 12-14-2005, 08:03 AM

When I was in early grade school (can't remember exactly what grade), I got stuck at the top of the ferris wheel with a boy (and his mom and my mom, but that's beside the point) who I later "went out with" (which means we wrote letters via snail mail) until I was in about 7th grade. We dated a couple of times when I was in high school. I always thought that would be the guy I'd marry, but it didn't end up that way.

We were only up there for about 10 minutes, but it seemed like forever because I was scared of heights.

clavus · 12-14-2005, 11:41 AM

My then girlfriend (now wife) and I scored some free tickets at our favorite ski resort. Well, not exactly free, but as payemnt for playing sax at the ski resort, but WTF, getting lift tickets for playing sax is like getting paid for drinking beer...But I digress...

Anyway, it was colder than a well-digger's ass and pretty windy up top. As we rode one of the lifts, the whole thing came to a sudden stop and we were left swaying in a little chair high above the snow.

The wind had blown the freakin' cable off the main pulley at the top of the lift. We were stuck. Now this particular lift goes over some super-huge, rock-filled ravines of doom. So we felt very fortunate that we were stuck on the lower portion of the lift - the part that merely hangs fifty feet over the snow.

About 90 minutes after we got stuck, a Kiwi ski partoller who had WAY too much coffee appeared below us and told us he was going to evacuate us off the lift. He had a rope that was slung over the cable. He held one end, and the other had an upside-down metal "T" on it. He shimmied the rope down to us and pulled the T up to out seat. One at a time, we got on the T with our legs on either side of the bar, and were lowered down to the snow. It was a bit hairy, but it must have been a LOT worse higher up.

Once we were safly on the snow, we skied down to the lodge for free hot drinks!!! Then they gave us more free lift tickets.

We managed to parlay a couple hours of sax playing and a couple hours of swinging around in the wind into THREE DAYS of free skiing. Life is good.

BigBen · 12-14-2005, 01:02 PM

My brother and I wanted to go on the "Screamer"; a ride similar to the Ferris Wheel, except that the cuppola housed two people in a cage, and said cage rotated around an axis perpendicular to the axis of the Ferris Wheel. It looked like a very cool ride, and it was without a doubt the largest ride at the exhibition.

My aunt and uncle were against it, stating the obvious fact that we were too young. We persuaded them with the simple logic about the "You must be this tall to ride" sign, and having met the height requirements MUST IN FACT be old enough.

They relented, and we purchased tickets. At first, it seemed like a lot of money, but the line was fast and we were eager to experience our first BIG RIDE, away from all of the kiddy shit that we had outgrown...

The Carnie that took our tickets didn't hesitate at all, while I was sure he would question my maturity or intent. I had the list of reasons for admission past the "Carny Gate" prepared for naught; He opened the cupola, I sat down first, my brother at my side, and the cage was slammed home. The cupola swayed pleasantly with this movement, and all was well. There was even a plastic steering wheel, situated in the middle, between us two boys.

The Carny rotated the wheel another station, letting off the previous riders and taking the tickets of the new with a fluid motion. our nose angle (yaw? help me out her, airforce bretheren...) was at a pleasant 25 degrees above horizon, and my brother and I tried to make the cupola sway back and forth with the plastic steering wheel. It was too heavy for me, and then my brother tried. Again, no success. We tried together, and accomplished a small rolling action. We were pleased with our teamwork, and talked about how this ride was "No Big Deal, sheesh..."

The Carny progressed the ride again, bringing the cupola angle to 50 degrees. Like sitting in a plastic recliner, we looked around and admired how far were off the ground. In the distance, you could see how we towered over our former kiddie rides. I accepted this rite of passage with a sense of mature joy. No longer would the little cars going in circles hold any power over me. I was a graduate of the Screamer!! I was soaking in the experience, wondering how I would re-live this tale to my fellow classmates once the new school year started. Surely, they had no opportunity to prove their manhood like this!

Again, the ride progressed, and this time we were at a straight 90 degrees from horizon. I imagined how astronauts must feel, just before a launch, and how their country must be so proud of such brave men! My brother tried the little plastic wheel again, and this time it spun freely! We turned around the axis, spinning, while sitting in that plastic seat, our backs to the ground.

The ride progressed again, and we were at the 10 o’clock position. The steering wheel slipped from my brother’s hand, and we spun upside down, now facing the ground. I screamed. It seems that the cupola was top-heavy, and nothing we did could right us. I screamed louder, hoping that the Carny would recognize a plea for help quickly and make a quick revolution back to the six o’clock and release us. He did no such thing. We instead progressed to the 12 o’clock, the final (and farthest) stop on the release portion of the ride. I was crying pathetically, begging my brother to use his strength and turn the plastic wheel.

The ride started in earnest, jerking us forward, and DOWNWARD. The ground approached too fast, and then with a horrible spin the process started over again, going up on the 6-12 portion of the horrific clock/wheel I was trapped inside, spinning and being thrown back to earth on the 12-6 portion. I came to the conclusion that God was punishing me for my sins, and only through prayer would I get through this. I screamed my allegiance to my Christian God, promising a celibate and pure life if released from this ride! The wheel continued to pick up speed, and Rock-and-Roll music started to play. Dire Straits “Money for Nothing” taunted my senses. My brother frantically pawed at the plastic wheel; I think he may have also been screaming, but I was too occupied in my own endeavours to inquire.

The Carny had resigned us to our fate. We were to die there that day. I stopped crying, and started to babble incoherently. My throat hurt from the screaming; my stomach was upset from the carnival food and the unexpected revolutions. I concentrated on maintaining my continence, and was close to losing that. When the ride slowed, we stopped again at 12 o’clock, to begin the unloading process. I was euphoric! Three more unloads and we would be free! The good Lord had heard my prayers! Praying does work! I was a born-again Christian at the tender age of 7!

When released, the Carny commented that he doesn’t usually let the ride go that long, but “The way you two were screaming was drawing the crowd.” I then noticed the long line-up for the Screamer. I then tasted my first bout of irony: First, the name of the ride was The Screamer. Second, I had prolonged my horrifying experience by screaming, and thus being used as free marketing for the ride.

Oh, cruel fate…

Sultana · 12-14-2005, 01:14 PM

BigBen, that is a fantastic story. I *felt* it, and my throat hurts from the empathic screaming...
I only wish I could contribute to this thread in such a spectacular manner, but alas, I have no material.

12-14-2005, 07:33 AM	#1 (permalink)
barenakedladies Crazy Location: anytown, USA	Tell me about the time.... (volume II) Seeing how volume I's topic turned out to be so prophetic (i actually did get stuck in an elevator 1 week after i wrote that), i decided to make a topic along the same lines but nearly impossible for me to experience (AT least at this time of the year) TELL ME ABOUT THE TIME... you were stuck on an amusement park ride.... roller coaster stuck upside down? ferris wheel stuck at the top? what theme park/carnival? who were you with? how long were you stuck? again i know, i know, im staying with the "stuck" theme but we got some good stories last time... My only story was at the wisconsin state fair when i was 10 with my best friend on the pirate ship that goes back and forth (this particular one didnt go ALL the way around and upside down) Well it got stuck on. We were on the thing for at least 45 minutes. Great as a kid, but i think our parents were freaking out. The carnie looked like the one on the simpsons if i recall correctly... good times.... __________________ signature smignature

12-14-2005, 07:42 AM	#2 (permalink)
Charlatan Getting it. Super Moderator Location: Lion City	Given your experiences with the elevator after posting your last thread... I'd suggest you stay away from theme parks for the next little while. My Story. There used to be a "skyway" that ran across the length of the Canadian National Exhibition. It had these little compartments that could fit four people comfortably. I used to work at the CNE with the Boy Scouts (we ran a service that loaned out wheelchairs and supplied a Scout to push if you wanted). I was probably 13 or 14 at the time. The CNE used to let the Scouts use the skyway for free as it was a quick way for us to get from the Dufferin Gate at one end to the Princes' Gate at the other. My friend and I (I can't remember his name) got into a cabin by ourselves and when we were about half way across, the ride came to a halt. At first we thought nothing of it. But soon we began to wonder what the holdup was... it eventually took over an hour to get going. In the meantime, we had a great view of the city, the lake and grounds of the CNE. Needless to say, we were late in getting to the Prince' Gate. Never did find out what happened. __________________ "My hands are on fire. Hands are on fire. Ain't got no more time for all you charlatans and liars." - Old Man Luedecke

12-14-2005, 07:55 AM	#3 (permalink)
Poppinjay You had me at hello Location: DC/Coastal VA	I got stuck in a shed with my nemesis, Margaret "Hotlilps" Houlihan. She had just become engaged to Donald Penobscott, despite not having left our MASH unit for 5 years.... Wait... that was tv. I got stuck in Kansas for 6 years. It was truly horrible. The one bright spot was the fact that the state fairgrounds were a few blocks from my house. Every year carnies would roll in to town, die from alcohol poisining, get arrested, pack up and leave, with several unplanned teen pregnancies in their wake. The fair director had a firm belief that only country acts would fill the grandstand. So, for a week I would be sutck at home, serenaded by Jo Dee Messina, McBride and the Ride. The new fair director brought Britney Spears in. At least then I got to see large flocks of scantily dressed young women. Some legal, some not. Hey, who are you to judge? It all played out in my mind, no actual realization of any of those fantasies. __________________ I think the Apocalypse is happening all around us. We go on eating desserts and watching TV. I know I do. I wish we were more capable of sustained passion and sustained resistance. We should be screaming and what we do is gossip. -Lydia Millet Last edited by Poppinjay; 12-14-2005 at 08:01 AM..

12-14-2005, 08:03 AM	#4 (permalink)
Eweser Psycho Location: O-K-L-A-H-O-M-A	When I was in early grade school (can't remember exactly what grade), I got stuck at the top of the ferris wheel with a boy (and his mom and my mom, but that's beside the point) who I later "went out with" (which means we wrote letters via snail mail) until I was in about 7th grade. We dated a couple of times when I was in high school. I always thought that would be the guy I'd marry, but it didn't end up that way. We were only up there for about 10 minutes, but it seemed like forever because I was scared of heights. __________________ "Whoever wrote this episode should die!"

12-14-2005, 11:41 AM	#5 (permalink)
clavus pow! Location: NorCal	My then girlfriend (now wife) and I scored some free tickets at our favorite ski resort. Well, not exactly free, but as payemnt for playing sax at the ski resort, but WTF, getting lift tickets for playing sax is like getting paid for drinking beer...But I digress... Anyway, it was colder than a well-digger's ass and pretty windy up top. As we rode one of the lifts, the whole thing came to a sudden stop and we were left swaying in a little chair high above the snow. The wind had blown the freakin' cable off the main pulley at the top of the lift. We were stuck. Now this particular lift goes over some super-huge, rock-filled ravines of doom. So we felt very fortunate that we were stuck on the lower portion of the lift - the part that merely hangs fifty feet over the snow. About 90 minutes after we got stuck, a Kiwi ski partoller who had WAY too much coffee appeared below us and told us he was going to evacuate us off the lift. He had a rope that was slung over the cable. He held one end, and the other had an upside-down metal "T" on it. He shimmied the rope down to us and pulled the T up to out seat. One at a time, we got on the T with our legs on either side of the bar, and were lowered down to the snow. It was a bit hairy, but it must have been a LOT worse higher up. Once we were safly on the snow, we skied down to the lodge for free hot drinks!!! Then they gave us more free lift tickets. We managed to parlay a couple hours of sax playing and a couple hours of swinging around in the wind into THREE DAYS of free skiing. Life is good. __________________ Ass, gas or grass. Nobody rides for free.

12-14-2005, 01:02 PM	#6 (permalink)
BigBen Comedian Location: Use the search button	My brother and I wanted to go on the "Screamer"; a ride similar to the Ferris Wheel, except that the cuppola housed two people in a cage, and said cage rotated around an axis perpendicular to the axis of the Ferris Wheel. It looked like a very cool ride, and it was without a doubt the largest ride at the exhibition. My aunt and uncle were against it, stating the obvious fact that we were too young. We persuaded them with the simple logic about the "You must be this tall to ride" sign, and having met the height requirements MUST IN FACT be old enough. They relented, and we purchased tickets. At first, it seemed like a lot of money, but the line was fast and we were eager to experience our first BIG RIDE, away from all of the kiddy shit that we had outgrown... The Carnie that took our tickets didn't hesitate at all, while I was sure he would question my maturity or intent. I had the list of reasons for admission past the "Carny Gate" prepared for naught; He opened the cupola, I sat down first, my brother at my side, and the cage was slammed home. The cupola swayed pleasantly with this movement, and all was well. There was even a plastic steering wheel, situated in the middle, between us two boys. The Carny rotated the wheel another station, letting off the previous riders and taking the tickets of the new with a fluid motion. our nose angle (yaw? help me out her, airforce bretheren...) was at a pleasant 25 degrees above horizon, and my brother and I tried to make the cupola sway back and forth with the plastic steering wheel. It was too heavy for me, and then my brother tried. Again, no success. We tried together, and accomplished a small rolling action. We were pleased with our teamwork, and talked about how this ride was "No Big Deal, sheesh..." The Carny progressed the ride again, bringing the cupola angle to 50 degrees. Like sitting in a plastic recliner, we looked around and admired how far were off the ground. In the distance, you could see how we towered over our former kiddie rides. I accepted this rite of passage with a sense of mature joy. No longer would the little cars going in circles hold any power over me. I was a graduate of the Screamer!! I was soaking in the experience, wondering how I would re-live this tale to my fellow classmates once the new school year started. Surely, they had no opportunity to prove their manhood like this! Again, the ride progressed, and this time we were at a straight 90 degrees from horizon. I imagined how astronauts must feel, just before a launch, and how their country must be so proud of such brave men! My brother tried the little plastic wheel again, and this time it spun freely! We turned around the axis, spinning, while sitting in that plastic seat, our backs to the ground. The ride progressed again, and we were at the 10 o’clock position. The steering wheel slipped from my brother’s hand, and we spun upside down, now facing the ground. I screamed. It seems that the cupola was top-heavy, and nothing we did could right us. I screamed louder, hoping that the Carny would recognize a plea for help quickly and make a quick revolution back to the six o’clock and release us. He did no such thing. We instead progressed to the 12 o’clock, the final (and farthest) stop on the release portion of the ride. I was crying pathetically, begging my brother to use his strength and turn the plastic wheel. The ride started in earnest, jerking us forward, and DOWNWARD. The ground approached too fast, and then with a horrible spin the process started over again, going up on the 6-12 portion of the horrific clock/wheel I was trapped inside, spinning and being thrown back to earth on the 12-6 portion. I came to the conclusion that God was punishing me for my sins, and only through prayer would I get through this. I screamed my allegiance to my Christian God, promising a celibate and pure life if released from this ride! The wheel continued to pick up speed, and Rock-and-Roll music started to play. Dire Straits “Money for Nothing” taunted my senses. My brother frantically pawed at the plastic wheel; I think he may have also been screaming, but I was too occupied in my own endeavours to inquire. The Carny had resigned us to our fate. We were to die there that day. I stopped crying, and started to babble incoherently. My throat hurt from the screaming; my stomach was upset from the carnival food and the unexpected revolutions. I concentrated on maintaining my continence, and was close to losing that. When the ride slowed, we stopped again at 12 o’clock, to begin the unloading process. I was euphoric! Three more unloads and we would be free! The good Lord had heard my prayers! Praying does work! I was a born-again Christian at the tender age of 7! When released, the Carny commented that he doesn’t usually let the ride go that long, but “The way you two were screaming was drawing the crowd.” I then noticed the long line-up for the Screamer. I then tasted my first bout of irony: First, the name of the ride was The Screamer. Second, I had prolonged my horrifying experience by screaming, and thus being used as free marketing for the ride. Oh, cruel fate… __________________ 3.141592654 Hey, if you are impressed with my memorizing pi to 10 digits, you should see the size of my penis.

12-14-2005, 01:14 PM	#7 (permalink)
Sultana Falling Angel Location: L.A. L.A. land	BigBen, that is a fantastic story. I felt it, and my throat hurts from the empathic screaming... I only wish I could contribute to this thread in such a spectacular manner, but alas, I have no material. __________________ "Love is a snowmobile racing across the tundra and then suddenly it flips over, pinning you underneath. At night, the ice weasels come." - Matt Groening My goal? To fulfill my potential.