climbing the walls? hang upside down

The days are getting longer but it's still winter. That cozy hibernation feeling of late fall/early winter has given way to restlessness and climbing the walls. (If I had sticky shoes, I'd probably even try it.)

So I grabbed the hubby and headed off to ride a flight simulator. Since I'm writing sci/fi, I need to take to the skies, so to speak, for inspiration. The rides were short and there was a big red panic button on the roof of the compartment thingy we sat in. So while you couldn't get me to ride a terrifying looking amusement park ride that there was no escape from, this looked like a safe enough bet.

The first ride was just okay. Piece of cake. The thing just jiggled and moved around a little. The next was an interactive fighter plane with bombing. We got some training. I flew. My husband did the bombing. Or, rather, he would have if I'd actually been able to get something in target.

The trainer guy showed me how to align the plane to the target. He never told us you had to turn the plane upside down to do it. (Or maybe I was doing something wrong?) That had to be it. How in the world do pilots hit anything, much less see where they're going, upside down?

Common sense says I should've forgotten the bombing stuff and just had fun flying the plane. One 360 would've been more than enough. Instead, we did several. Hanging upside down must have short-circuited my brain because common sense was beyond me. Luckily, I was wearing a sturdy, full-coverage bra. Finally desperate, I hung there frantically reaching for the panic button on the ceiling, which was now the floor.

What an experience! If I'd known how wild it would be, I never would've attempted it, but I'm glad I did because when I got home, I wasn't climbing the walls anymore. (Being right side up was just fine with me.)

Now I want to get a pilot's license. Wanna fly with me? Heh heh.

So what's the wildest thing you've ever done to beat boredom?

Afton Locke
www.aftonlocke.com