I bungee-jumped once.
Hated it.
Really hated it. It wasn't so much the jumping as the bouncing and flailing about afterwards. Well actually, it was the jumping, too. I remember the guy doing the "count backwards from three" about 5 times before I actually stepped off the edge. I really did not want to do it. But the only option was backing out, and well, that really was NOT an option. (I'd shot my mouth off pretty hard about the whole thing about 2 hours before.)
I was really suprised at how fast I was falling. For some reason I thought I would fall in slow motion or something. I didn't scream, but I'm not really a screamer, more of a moaner (Shut. Up.). I moaned that panicky "Huh-oh-Unhhhhhh" sound as I dangled on those strands of elastic and bounced for entirely too long. I didn't have contacts back then and I couldn't wear my glasses since they would fly off, so the horrible part was the blurry-blind disorientation.
Well...that, and hearing my wiser, still-on-the-ground friends below, laughing their asses off.
On the elevator ride down from the jump platform (they reeled you back up after you jumped) there was a little boy who was very upset and crying because he chickened out. I kneeled down and told him "Don't you feel bad, I didn't want to do it and did it anyway, and I didn't like it at all. I wish I'd chickened out."
Looking back, that probably wasn't a good lesson to teach. For all I know the poor boy let fear rule him for years to come. But I hope at that moment it made him feel better, that it was okay to go with your instinct. I mean, who jumps off a perfectly good building anyway? It's not natural.
As far as sky-diving....No Way.
Nope. I don't even think I'd do a tandem jump with Reeves if the opportunity presented itself. And that's saying a lot.
Have you ever jumped out of a plane? Para-sailed? Bungee-jumped?
Did it suck?
If I remember correctly, didn't Keanu actually learn to sky-dive for Point Break?
I like that movie, it lets me get my adrenaline rush vicariously.
Which is just fine.
Now, fast cars? That's a whole different story.
it wahs | from inside the mind of krix at May 25, 2002 03:18 PM .i will never bungee jump, parasail, or jump out of a perfectly good airplane.
i can (and i'm not making this up) get that dizzy vertigo feeling when watching cartoons, if they depict going over a cliff or waterfall or whatnot. it doesn't even have to be a movie of being up high. i get that feeling in the pit of .. not my stomach, lower .. watching damn roadrunner cartoons.
and you taught the child a good lesson. nothing wrong with not doing things just for the rush.
Posted by: kd on May 25, 2002 07:18 PMbtw, great post. very well written.
Posted by: kd on May 25, 2002 07:18 PMThanks, kd. I can handle the cartoon heights, but the anvils are a bitch.
Posted by: krix on May 25, 2002 08:26 PMKrix, I once had a (lovely, cool, funny, almost perfect, too good to be true so I totally blew it with him) boyfriend who was 6'2", and used to say that was the perfect height. Now I've amended that to 6'1". Since I have no experience with bungee jumping, no fear of heights, and I do LOVE tall, just wanted to comment on your title to this post.
Posted by: Lori on May 26, 2002 07:42 PMActually, since I'm tall, I like guys to be at least 6 feet.
Posted by: krix on May 27, 2002 08:44 PMI went skydiving last summer. Krix, if you want to know what it feels like, take your palms put them against your cheeks, push back towards your ears, then agitate.
Posted by: Cory on May 27, 2002 08:59 PMTell us more about the fast cars, Krix!
Posted by: Craig (6'2" :) on May 28, 2002 02:54 PMYes, tell us more, krix! (BTW, Craig, I really and truly STILL think 6'2" is the perfect male height, but who's measuring?)
Posted by: Lori on May 28, 2002 03:59 PMHeh, you guys are funny. I'll try and come up with a good SPEED post.
There's a song by Coldplay, that "is" Keanu... It's called "HIGH SPEED." Yeah, Baby!
Posted by: Rhonda on May 29, 2002 07:16 AM