120 mph portrait

My brother Dan is such a nutcase. I still can't believe he drove over 700 miles in a half-wrecked pickup truck to join Alex and I for a couple days. Dan arrived Friday night while Alex and I were out watching Kill Bill. He left Monday, a couple hours before I did, and probably didn't get home till about 2:00am that night. But, it was sure good to see him. Kill Bill was good. Violent, fascinating, colorful, beautifully choreographed, well filmed, fantastic art direction, but unnecessarily campy and cheesy.

On Saturday, we drove up to Cedar Point along with Alex's girlfriend, Lindsay, and her fun energetic roommate, Maggie. As well as sporting the fastest roller coaster in the world, Cedar Point can also boast the longest, slowest lines in the world as well as the most expensive soft drinks. I'd estimate we spent 8 or 9 hours waiting in lines for a total of about 10 minutes on rides. And it was worth every moment. The climax was a ride called the Top Thrill Dragster, which is the current record holder for speed, height, and phallus-resemblance. We decided to call it the Schlong 2003. We waited in line for over two hours for this 25 second ride. Fortunately, the ride wastes no time. In the first 4 seconds the you are accelerated to over 120 mph. The ride then turns vertical and sends you soaring upward 420 feet. After cresting over the top you are then dropped straight down, twisting 270° before reaching the ramp at the bottom that returns the breathless passengers to the unloading area. I had the fortune to sit in the very front car. Freefalling 420 feet with nothing beneath you is one hell of an experience. Afterward we glanced at the photos from the ride. I can't say that people are very photogenic at 120 mph. Most of us had our cheeks flattened out and pushed back as if we were in a cartoon. Too bad they can't take pictures right as people pass the peak and see how far away the ground is.

On Sunday we threw a frisbee, played Halo, and grilled steaks for dinner. In the evening we sat around in an overheated swimming pool drinking beer. Can't say I've had a more satisfying weekend in a long time. We also helped my aunt and uncle put up a new flag. The old one was torn into rags and had gotten jammed in the pulley. Dan shimmied up the 30 foot pole and cut it down while we stood beneath to catch him in case he fell. Fortunately no one died and we even managed to hoist up the new flag without mutilating it too badly.

We went out for lunch on Monday to a terrific Japanese steakhouse in Canton. Who ever thought you'd find good Japanese food in Ohio? Our food was prepared in front of us and the chef did tricks with the eggs. I charily ordered sashimi which, thankfully, was fairly fresh. The food was delicious and the prices were reasonable. If anyone knows of a similar place in LA, please tell me. After lunch we invented a game involving a basketball, a scooter, and three crazy players. Finally, many hours later than he planned to, Dan hit the road. I went for a last swim before heading to the airport. I couldn't have asked for anything more on the trip, except for more time.

On the flight back we passed through a lightning storm which was beautiful to watch. From LAX I decided to make my way back via public transportation rather than call someone to pick me up. It took about 1 hour 40 min to get back via rail lines. It was my first time riding the LA metro rail and I'd rate the experience as fairly good. Moderately clean and fast, very easy to navigate. It's a worthwhile option as long as one isn't in a big rush. I'll probably take the rail lines again next time I fly out of LAX, especially if I leave anytime near rush hour. This city does have the 3rd largest public transportation system in the US, we might as well use it.