Posts

Showing posts from March, 2003

any landing you walk away from

Gut-wrenching terror. Repeatedly hurtling towards what seem like inevitable collisions at breakneck speeds. There's only a little consolation in being surrounded by other people doing the same crazy thing. It's hard to think in the fog and confusion, with the ceaseless noise and chaos all around, but only perfect coordination and split-second timing stand between you and certain death. Yes, driving a stick shift through rush-hour Barcelona is not an experience for the faint of heart. I also went skydiving. That was fun, in retrospect. It was also fun, way fun, wowee-zowee-this-is-amazing-my-God-I'm-flying! fun, at the time. It was less fun in advance. I'd been edgy all week. It's one thing to think of skydiving "gee, that would be fun to do someday." It's quite another to actually go. "Painfully nerve-wracking" would be a best-case description of the first time you sit on an ascending aircraft, knowing in a few short minutes you will throw yo