Vacation Report from the Dagas
Jul. 24th, 2004 01:42 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dagas_isaWell... apparently the one week I take off is the one in which I'm actually missed. ^^;; Kidding you all.
As I said in an earlier entry, my cousins are up visiting, which means that this family gets to go on vay-cay. Usually this would mean going up to the Wisconsin Dells or something equally hotel-requiring. This time though, we stay in the area and look for all the things that toursits (and OMG Chicago actually has some) do when in Northern Illinois. Only not. Because we only had two days.
So Tuesday, my first day of vacation (off of work), we go to the new outlet mall off of Farnsworth. And yes, I know I'm doing my part to support the economy. Deal. So I have a new pair of pants and some new shirts (should have bought a belt though, darn). And when Paige and Jamie and I were waiting for mom to indulge her shopping drugs, we all relived the whole Jamie cross-dressing incident that happened two years ago. We even got him to try on a pair of heels in that one store... can't think of the name, can't be important.
This week, I realized that middle schoolers suck. Paige is just getting out of the age where looks and facades and pretending just to be cool are getting out of vogue, but Jamester is pretty much smack dab in the middle of it. So he bought these new shoes that are apparently cool, and goes out flaunting them to me. And making fun of my Diesel sneakers. Well, no, my shoes aren't sponsored by a basketball player, not everyone at my school wear them, particularly not the grad students, and they don't guarantee that I run faster jump higher and whatever. I like them and they're comfortable, and apparently that makes my shoes uncool. And yeah, to say that the sibling rivalry has been between him and me, and not between him and Paige. Because I'm just a huge kid and an only child, and therefore have never had a sibling to rival with.
And as long as I'm digressing, let me get into this horrible new comic strip in the Chicago Tribune. Prickly City *gag* Yes, I understand that the Tribune needs a conservative-oriented strip to dispel the accusations that they have a liberal bias, and that I'm not going to agree with everything that goes to print. The positions the author takes aren't the source of my problem. My problem is the fact that the dialogue isn't funny and the art isn't quality. And I mean that as 'worse than average for a comic strip'. The author doesn't make witty observations nor does he say the same old rhetoric in a way that makes my laugh down my breakfast. He's just preachy. And no matter what position the comic is present, preachiness is plain ol' annoying.
On a completely irrelevant note, my 'K' key was sticking, and I managed to pry it up from my lappy, scrape off the offending gook and repair and replace the key without breaking it. Types just like new, and I didn't even break off a little plastic piece go me. Or go the craftsmanship that went into my lappy.
Anyway... back to this week and the more exciting stuff. Wednesday was spent in Chicago. Yeah, you know that big city in the big cornfield that's the midwest. We drove in, leaving the dog alone for hours on end, and went to the Museum of Science and Industry. It was okay,and the whole Action! movie exhibit was cool, but my parents were in a hurry to get through the museum that there was never enough time to pause and go through the interactive things that actually make the MoSaI interesting. We did get to see the Lewis and Clark IMAX. Oh yes, and Paige got to have a bit part in this demo trailer "Escape from Zircon". And if I could get my group number, I'd give a link, but oh well. You'll just have to live without seeing that memoribilia.
After the museum, we went down to the new Millenium Park. Cloud Gate is ... well it's the amusing spectical of seeing a big metal bean in the middle of the city, and I have a feeling that it's going to be one of those quirky famous Chicago artworks/architectures, like the Picasso statue or Buckingham fountain, or Wrigley Field. There's also Crown fountain, which are two brick pillars across from each other, that have TV screen pictures of people on the sides facing each other, and occasionally, these two faces will spit water simultaneously. Othertimes the water just comes cascading down. And Dagas so wanted to take her shoes off and frolic in the water area with the kids. But alas, the dignified parents were there, so she kept her shoes on.
Oh yes, and parking kills. Parking so kills.
And because I had to relive a traumatizing moment and therefore the best day of my life, I will say these words to those who know what I mean. Sugar Packets. Coca-cola, together.
On Thursday, my father decided to pass on our next adventure: Six Flags Great America, so it was just the four of us embarking on this amusement park thrill a minute idea. Okay, so going into this, I had a ill-defined roller-coaster phobia, or more accurately, this really sinking feeling as I went into the ride that something bad was going to happen that I picked up somewhere on Kings Island. So I expected to have to chicken out of half the rides, or at least spend the day feeling nervous and apprehensive.
That lasted until the end of the first ride (Superman), and while the nervousness continued to linger for about another hour after that, I believe I've gotten over my fear of roller coasters. Go me. Yeah, I know that it wasn't a phobia, but hey, give me some credit for getting over fears. And for turning into one of those annoying, screaming, hands-in-the-air rollercoaster fangirls.
Pretty much, we did do roller coasters all day, and the Giant Drop was the only one that I didn't do. I chickened out that one time, although Paige didn't go either, so we just sat there eating ice cream and then Dagas went on one of those tamer kiddy rides. Most of the coasters we rode were newer ones, although we did do some of the classics as well. The American Eagle will probably never get old. Especially because they were able to run one car forwards and one backwards and because the American Eagle also gets a good view of the highway leading to Great America. So, one was able to wave at all those sad people driving home from work or outlet shopping. Not that I did that. *shifty look* The Demon and Iron Wolf on the other-hand were pretty much outdated, I'll have to admit. Standing up is not all that revloutionary anymore, let me tell you. And The Demon, along with Batman (which is about the same age as that Seal song Kiss from the Rose) were the most head jostling.
The Viper is a wonderful ride, although I think I'm the only one in my party that thought so. But there was some good negative G's on that ride, let me tell you. And okay, the Raging Bull can bear my roller coaster babies. We 'challenged' that thing about three times, and holy cow. That thing is just.... woosh.
Superman was kind of disappointing, and I'm glad we did that one first. It's not that the ride itself was lame, it was that it was over way too soon. So definitely overrated. And those character profiles for people standing in line, personally I'd rather know the deep personality and motivation for these characters rather than say their hair and eye color. Because when I'm facing a villian, knowing the hair and eye color of my adversary is so very important. *rolls eyes* The most underrated ride is this carny-type ride called The Revolution. Despite the bad punnery ('We hope you enjoy your spin on the revolution'), the ride is surprisingly non-wimpy, and there was almost no line whatsoever. The third time that mom and I took it, we didn't even have to wait for the current spin to end.
Rain sort of dampened the afternoon, so we decided to go and do the Space Shuttle America *cough* I mean Stargate 3000 ride. Give me a break! Last time I was there, it was Space Shuttle America. Of course the Viper was the new thing, so I guess I shouldn't be talking. Anyway... there was no line, and we were able to get in right away. Only something smelled funny, so everyone was shuttled out of the ride (pun intended) and were told we could either wait or move on. Jamie moved on because he wanted on the go carts, while the ladies decided to wait a bit in the air conditioned room that had some decent seating, while the hydraulics were being fixed. And there... we learned the Secret of Mr. Six. You know, that old man in the Six Flags commercials? Can we say, 14-year-old Asian boy? Thought so.
Lines were actually very reasonable. On the roller coasters we were probably in line for 20-30 minutes, and for the wimpy rides, it never could have been more than 10. The worst one was the log ride, but that was because, the day was exteremely hot, and therefore people were all unoriginally thinking that the log ride would cool us off. That was a brutal wait. And people were line jumping like no tomorrow. Should have complained. *grumbled* To end things on a positive note, most of the people we met were very nice, particularly Steph, the ride attendant who kept us entertained while we waited a bit for the ride to get fixed.
Dagas had fun. She'll be the first to admit it. And now onward to the rest of the week, and back to talking to all the cool people. Trust me, I wasn't at the library because I was never home before 9:00 except for Tuesday, when all the excitement began, and there was nothing for me to say.
Over and out.
As I said in an earlier entry, my cousins are up visiting, which means that this family gets to go on vay-cay. Usually this would mean going up to the Wisconsin Dells or something equally hotel-requiring. This time though, we stay in the area and look for all the things that toursits (and OMG Chicago actually has some) do when in Northern Illinois. Only not. Because we only had two days.
So Tuesday, my first day of vacation (off of work), we go to the new outlet mall off of Farnsworth. And yes, I know I'm doing my part to support the economy. Deal. So I have a new pair of pants and some new shirts (should have bought a belt though, darn). And when Paige and Jamie and I were waiting for mom to indulge her shopping drugs, we all relived the whole Jamie cross-dressing incident that happened two years ago. We even got him to try on a pair of heels in that one store... can't think of the name, can't be important.
This week, I realized that middle schoolers suck. Paige is just getting out of the age where looks and facades and pretending just to be cool are getting out of vogue, but Jamester is pretty much smack dab in the middle of it. So he bought these new shoes that are apparently cool, and goes out flaunting them to me. And making fun of my Diesel sneakers. Well, no, my shoes aren't sponsored by a basketball player, not everyone at my school wear them, particularly not the grad students, and they don't guarantee that I run faster jump higher and whatever. I like them and they're comfortable, and apparently that makes my shoes uncool. And yeah, to say that the sibling rivalry has been between him and me, and not between him and Paige. Because I'm just a huge kid and an only child, and therefore have never had a sibling to rival with.
And as long as I'm digressing, let me get into this horrible new comic strip in the Chicago Tribune. Prickly City *gag* Yes, I understand that the Tribune needs a conservative-oriented strip to dispel the accusations that they have a liberal bias, and that I'm not going to agree with everything that goes to print. The positions the author takes aren't the source of my problem. My problem is the fact that the dialogue isn't funny and the art isn't quality. And I mean that as 'worse than average for a comic strip'. The author doesn't make witty observations nor does he say the same old rhetoric in a way that makes my laugh down my breakfast. He's just preachy. And no matter what position the comic is present, preachiness is plain ol' annoying.
On a completely irrelevant note, my 'K' key was sticking, and I managed to pry it up from my lappy, scrape off the offending gook and repair and replace the key without breaking it. Types just like new, and I didn't even break off a little plastic piece go me. Or go the craftsmanship that went into my lappy.
Anyway... back to this week and the more exciting stuff. Wednesday was spent in Chicago. Yeah, you know that big city in the big cornfield that's the midwest. We drove in, leaving the dog alone for hours on end, and went to the Museum of Science and Industry. It was okay,and the whole Action! movie exhibit was cool, but my parents were in a hurry to get through the museum that there was never enough time to pause and go through the interactive things that actually make the MoSaI interesting. We did get to see the Lewis and Clark IMAX. Oh yes, and Paige got to have a bit part in this demo trailer "Escape from Zircon". And if I could get my group number, I'd give a link, but oh well. You'll just have to live without seeing that memoribilia.
After the museum, we went down to the new Millenium Park. Cloud Gate is ... well it's the amusing spectical of seeing a big metal bean in the middle of the city, and I have a feeling that it's going to be one of those quirky famous Chicago artworks/architectures, like the Picasso statue or Buckingham fountain, or Wrigley Field. There's also Crown fountain, which are two brick pillars across from each other, that have TV screen pictures of people on the sides facing each other, and occasionally, these two faces will spit water simultaneously. Othertimes the water just comes cascading down. And Dagas so wanted to take her shoes off and frolic in the water area with the kids. But alas, the dignified parents were there, so she kept her shoes on.
Oh yes, and parking kills. Parking so kills.
And because I had to relive a traumatizing moment and therefore the best day of my life, I will say these words to those who know what I mean. Sugar Packets. Coca-cola, together.
On Thursday, my father decided to pass on our next adventure: Six Flags Great America, so it was just the four of us embarking on this amusement park thrill a minute idea. Okay, so going into this, I had a ill-defined roller-coaster phobia, or more accurately, this really sinking feeling as I went into the ride that something bad was going to happen that I picked up somewhere on Kings Island. So I expected to have to chicken out of half the rides, or at least spend the day feeling nervous and apprehensive.
That lasted until the end of the first ride (Superman), and while the nervousness continued to linger for about another hour after that, I believe I've gotten over my fear of roller coasters. Go me. Yeah, I know that it wasn't a phobia, but hey, give me some credit for getting over fears. And for turning into one of those annoying, screaming, hands-in-the-air rollercoaster fangirls.
Pretty much, we did do roller coasters all day, and the Giant Drop was the only one that I didn't do. I chickened out that one time, although Paige didn't go either, so we just sat there eating ice cream and then Dagas went on one of those tamer kiddy rides. Most of the coasters we rode were newer ones, although we did do some of the classics as well. The American Eagle will probably never get old. Especially because they were able to run one car forwards and one backwards and because the American Eagle also gets a good view of the highway leading to Great America. So, one was able to wave at all those sad people driving home from work or outlet shopping. Not that I did that. *shifty look* The Demon and Iron Wolf on the other-hand were pretty much outdated, I'll have to admit. Standing up is not all that revloutionary anymore, let me tell you. And The Demon, along with Batman (which is about the same age as that Seal song Kiss from the Rose) were the most head jostling.
The Viper is a wonderful ride, although I think I'm the only one in my party that thought so. But there was some good negative G's on that ride, let me tell you. And okay, the Raging Bull can bear my roller coaster babies. We 'challenged' that thing about three times, and holy cow. That thing is just.... woosh.
Superman was kind of disappointing, and I'm glad we did that one first. It's not that the ride itself was lame, it was that it was over way too soon. So definitely overrated. And those character profiles for people standing in line, personally I'd rather know the deep personality and motivation for these characters rather than say their hair and eye color. Because when I'm facing a villian, knowing the hair and eye color of my adversary is so very important. *rolls eyes* The most underrated ride is this carny-type ride called The Revolution. Despite the bad punnery ('We hope you enjoy your spin on the revolution'), the ride is surprisingly non-wimpy, and there was almost no line whatsoever. The third time that mom and I took it, we didn't even have to wait for the current spin to end.
Rain sort of dampened the afternoon, so we decided to go and do the Space Shuttle America *cough* I mean Stargate 3000 ride. Give me a break! Last time I was there, it was Space Shuttle America. Of course the Viper was the new thing, so I guess I shouldn't be talking. Anyway... there was no line, and we were able to get in right away. Only something smelled funny, so everyone was shuttled out of the ride (pun intended) and were told we could either wait or move on. Jamie moved on because he wanted on the go carts, while the ladies decided to wait a bit in the air conditioned room that had some decent seating, while the hydraulics were being fixed. And there... we learned the Secret of Mr. Six. You know, that old man in the Six Flags commercials? Can we say, 14-year-old Asian boy? Thought so.
Lines were actually very reasonable. On the roller coasters we were probably in line for 20-30 minutes, and for the wimpy rides, it never could have been more than 10. The worst one was the log ride, but that was because, the day was exteremely hot, and therefore people were all unoriginally thinking that the log ride would cool us off. That was a brutal wait. And people were line jumping like no tomorrow. Should have complained. *grumbled* To end things on a positive note, most of the people we met were very nice, particularly Steph, the ride attendant who kept us entertained while we waited a bit for the ride to get fixed.
Dagas had fun. She'll be the first to admit it. And now onward to the rest of the week, and back to talking to all the cool people. Trust me, I wasn't at the library because I was never home before 9:00 except for Tuesday, when all the excitement began, and there was nothing for me to say.
Over and out.
MoSaI rocks my pink socks!
Date: 2004-07-25 03:12 pm (UTC)Ahem. I'm glad to hear you had fun with the relatives and such. Isn't that outlet mall scary though? It's not even really an "outlet" mall anyway... Evil, overpriced stores... *shakes an angry fist at it* I dun like the "prison", as some of my friends and I have so dubbed it. I mean, c'mon! They have the towers and everything! Anyhoo, I should kidnap you too sometime soon... ~_^ Ja. ~ sabi
Re: MoSaI rocks my pink socks!
Date: 2004-07-26 07:52 pm (UTC)You know, I've never been in the coal mining exhibit. My first memory of MoSaI was walking through the gigantic heart.
And they now have the worlds largest pinball machine... a.k.a. Rube Goldberg's Tour of Switzerland on the lower level.