gnoll's Diaryland Diary ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- is near the supposed end of the world. i thought i was exiting the underground mall pathway at adelaide and yonge but it looked a lot like chicago, despite the fact that i've never been to chicago. the layout was familiar but the architecture was all wrong. streetside things were getting messy, everyone was splitting from their work routines and shopping wasn't a real concern anymore. needless to say the chances of getting a cab looked slim as people lined the streets frantically waving their arms. i just couldn't believe the cabbies were still taking fares. i stood off to the side calmly watching everyone panic. phone service down, bumper to bumper traffic, terrified expressions and tears on every face i saw. i thought it would be a nice gesture to get out to my moms place somehow, but mississauga was far, a forty-five minute bike ride from where i stood, if a could find a decent bike to borrow. though i really just wanted to sit on my deck with the cats and listen to some music. then i thought "shit, i could just fly home!". good thinking, i've done this before, i just needed to lean into it, and sure enough my feet left the ground, for a moment, and then planted themselves on the ground again. so i decided to hoof it. down by the lake ontario place was the place to be, a whole new line up of attractions and rides. rhonda was there checking out a fossil exhibit and i talked her into trying out the new ride they installed just for today. it was a cross between a log-ride and a ferris wheel and it looked scary-ass frightening spanning at least thirty or forty stories with a violent current rushing through the tube track. we jumped into one of the little cars and were immediately swept away at break-neck speed. the car sped along, swung around a corner and then we found ourselves on a stretch of track that was elevated well over a hundred feet above ground, or above the lake in this instance. then two metal arms latched onto the car and i knew this was the part of the ride that simulated, to some degree, the ferris wheel portion of the ride. however, it quickly became obvious that the car wasn't going to level itself out with us in it, it was going to tip and spin, much like the "zipper" ride. there was one safety bar in the car and we both clamored for it. sure enough the car spun forward until we were almost completely inverted and then swung down in a veritable freefall. on the other side of the park was the next big attraction, a convicted criminal zoo. a four story block of cells within a large glass structure with a spectator gallery below. a wall of safety glass separated the cell area from the gallery, and a large clock marked the showing times. every hour, on the hour, the cell doors slid open on selected cells letting the convicts emerge to stretch their legs, threaten the onlookers, each other, and hopefully provide entertainment for everyone watching from below. 10:56 a.m. - Wednesday, Aug. 07, 2002 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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