* * * * *
High Anxiety
About that Ferris Wheel ride [1] …
I have acrophobia [2] (and not vertigo [3] as I always thought, much to my
surprise) but it doesn't always manifest itself. In fact, I've ridden Ferris
Wheels before without problem, although I don't think I've ridden one quite
as large as the one earlier tonight.
[“There's no place like ground …”] [4]
It was not a pleasant experience.
As a young kid, I remember hanging out with my friend Duke and we would climb
and walk along this fallen tree spanning a rather large hole in the ground
(as a young kid, I would have sworn that the hole was 50′ deep but in reality
it was probably not more than 10′ or so) without thought. We would also
clamber up and down hills with a 70% grade or so (although at that point they
cease to be hills and more like “cliffs” or “stupid kids—you'll fall and
shoot your eye out on that cliff!”).
In high school, as part of Drama, I would set lights and to reach the FOH
(Front of House)s I had to go outside the auditorium, enter the electrical
breaker room, and climb up a vertical ladder. The only portion of the ladder
you could see was at the bottom, in the electrical breaker room, where it
went up past the ceiling. Once past the ceiling of that room, it was a) pitch
black as there was no lighting, b) the ladder was surrounded by a steel cage
and c) there were walls on two sides of the ladder (front and back). So not
only were you cocooned on the way up, but the lack of light actually helped
as you couldn't see anything, up or down. So the acrophobia never got a
chance to kick in there.
And once up at the FOHs, I was too busy setting lights to really think that
the only thing keeping me from a fall of about 60′ was chicken wire.
At FAU (Florida Atlantic University) [5] I also worked on the stage crew for
the auditorium, and while it was no biggie to go up in the catwalk system
that extended out over the audience, and even work spotlights from a platform
about 40′ up in the center of the audience, waiting an hour for my cue could
get … interesting (“Hmmm … I wonder how I'd survive if those four bolts right
there were to fall out … oook”).
I also used to hang out on the roof of various buildings with friends at FAU
(Florida Atlantic University), and even climbed out through the observatory
(on the top floor of the Science and Engineering Building) onto the roof
(where one mistep meant a real nasty fall) but I could never work up the
courage to go out onto the top of the Social Sciences Building (and when my
friends did that, I had to physically lie down on the ground the acrophobia
kicked in so hard).
But I'm fine in airplanes. In fact, I love window seats and I get a thrill
when the plane takes off and lands (I love watching the ground fall away, and
watching us descend to land—go figure).
I've also ridden in cable cars, but the last time I did that I was 11 or so.
I had a chance a few years ago in Palm Springs, California [6] but declined
when I actually saw the grade (and I'm getting short of breath just reading
the specs on the website—sheesh!).
Last year in Las Vegas [7], Hoade and I snuck up to the upper floors of the
Luxor Hotel [8] and on each level is a floor to ceiling window overlooking
the interior of the hotel. I couldn't even get within 10′ of the window, and
even Hoade was apprehensive at approaching to take pictures [9].
So yeah, having ridden Ferris Wheels before, I thought I could handle it.
Apparently, I could not.
[1]
gopher://gopher.conman.org/0Phlog:2006/11/15.2
[2]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acrophobia
[3]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vertigo_(medical)
[4]
gopher://gopher.conman.org/IPhlog:2006/11/15/acrophobia.jpg
[5]
http://www.fau.edu/
[6]
http://www.palmsprings.com/active/tramway.html
[7]
gopher://gopher.conman.org/0Phlog:2006/07/16.2
[8]
http://www.luxor.com/
[9]
gopher://gopher.conman.org/0Phlog:2006/07/17.1
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