Friday, September 19, 2008

The Rebel Yell!

When I was a kid, I rode on what was touted as the biggest, baddest, fastest, scariest roller coaster of the time - The Rebel Yell - at the Kings Dominion theme park in Doswell, Virginia. What a thrill..... I remember racing off the the ride and running to get back in line to ride it over and over again. Yes, I found the speed and the sheer terror of the seemingly endless drop purely exhilarating. The twisting and turning just added to my excitement. It didn't matter if I had a stomach full of Carmel candy, M & M's, and soda, I just powered through the day from arrival time to departure time. Never thinking about the chance of getting sick to my stomach. The summer heat and humidity - merely a minor inconvenience. It was all about the adrenalin rush. The possibility of injury or death never entered my head. It was just fun. Those were great years.


(The years 1974-1980 saw the most roller coasters built in the United States since the 1920's.)


It was all the rage! My friends and I stood around and discussed theme parks and described the adventures in great detail; second by second as others looked on. And when the season ended and the parks closed, we thirsted for summertime so that we could do it all again. Those were the days!





The Rebel Yell - Kings Dominion


This week I lived the antithesis of those good old days. I rode the mother of all financial roller coasters without as much as a seat belt. Each twist slammed my head into the side rail leaving me bloodied. The reverse turn leaving me choking and gagging in my own serum. The upside downs and ins and outs making me scream and cry like a child. When the ride was over I didn't race to the line but stood still and vomited on my shoes! I crawled to sit down on a lonely bench and clung to it praying for my headache to cease. I watched the experts - baffled, discombobulated, stupefied staring at the stars looking for answers. Every analyst offering a simplified answer to this very fragile yet erratic market. I listened to Presidential candidate John McCain praise the strength of our economy - blunder - recount - and then blunder again! Instilling confidence ------ I witnessed our national infrastructure stuff billions of dollars into the leaky holes in the dyke. I played two rounds of golf, enjoyed a lovely dinner with some friends, watched some classic westerns and longed for the careless days of my youth and the thrill of the Rebel Yell!

This weekend I'll be practicing my pibroch and working on a battle cry of my own. And Monday morning, I'll be leading the charge with my sabre in hand! Slashing the Dow, Ripping the NASDAQ, and Mangling the S&P. Wish me Luck! (And do the prudent thing - protect your savings!)





Cause that's how I roll!


Have a great weekend!

12 comments:

Jane Turley said...

Did you really throw up on your shoes Mr I? I can imagine that would be really, really upsetting for you as I know just how fastidious you are!

On a serious note, I am most concerned that you are so stressed. These are troublesome times for the financial world, in particular for those who work in it, and no doubt there will be repercussions for us all. But try to keep chilled out admidst all the angst. Keep playing with your balls (golf ones Mr I), watching the westerns and blogging. Don’t forget a problem shared is a problem halved!

Oh, and if you lose all your cash I let you have my last Rolo!

(Hmm...on second thoughts.. they're pretty tasty, maybe you can just have half...)

Ps You are a thrill seeker aren't you?!

Undercover Black Man said...

Great post. I went the route of distraction and denial. In the long term, it'll all be okay. Yeah, let's hope.

Anonymous said...

WOW! Go get 'em! Rip and tear them apart...grrrrrrrr....hehe..

Heather Dugan Creative / Footsteps said...

Yup. That's what it felt like. -Hoping "long-term" positions are still valid...

intrepidideas said...

Miss Jane... I like your attitude. How long have you had that Rolo? Do we have to cut it in half too?

intrepidideas said...

UBM .... Thanks. I've been in denial for quite some time now. I'm just learning how to get into the distraction part. Did you ride the Rebel Yell back in the day?

intrepidideas said...

Pentad, Footsteps.... Thanks for the moral support. We've survived Monday and the week seems to be stabilizing. What's on the horizon? Like you Heather, I'm curious about "Long-term" positions.

Jane Turley said...

I admit it; that Rolo has been sitting in the bottom of my raincoat pocket for about 2 years! It's taken on quite a fetching appearance. Personally, I find embedded gold foil usually adds to the pleasure...

Nah, I don't think we need to cut it in half. I'll let you tease it from my lips instead! Think you can hack it Mr Hot Shot Banker??!!

intrepidideas said...

Tempting.... Miss Jane. You think you could find something a bit more appetizing?

BudgetBride said...

thanks for the RC info!!! I'm a coaster fan to the max. Plus, one of my fave songs is about a roller coaster - check out 'double gemini' from This Moment in Black History. It's about the Gemini coaster at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio. The song came out 4 or 5 years ago, so I listened to it a lot during the '04 election. It gave me hope and energy. I'm listening to this song during this election as well. It gets me fired up! Lyrics: "waitin' in line for a long, long time now we're goin' up ... goin up' Gettin Higher and higher now come on and put your hands up ... hands up! ..."

BudgetBride said...

and best wishes for you, and all of us during this financial crisis we're in. i guess all we can do now is hold our breath as we go down the hill ...

intrepidideas said...

Thanks BDG,

I'm sure all of this doesn't help you in the middle of planning a wedding and your financial future with hubby. But this too shal pass. I'll check out double gemini. Maybe it will inspire me too.