Do you know Bush hasn’t attended one single funeral? Of more than a thousand, I’m pretty dang sure there was one in his area, at least once. But maybe he was just really, really busy. Bein’ prezident’n’all.
I have to go buy a candle. I realize the ones I have in the house have either melted in the sun (ew) or are small, smelly votives that work well for baths but not so much for vigiling. Dude. I HAVE to have a regular candle in here somewhere. Don’t I? That’s just poor disaster planning.
Hey (no spoilers), didja see The Amazing Race on Monday? I just have to tell you—that whole Zorbing thing? Where they throw you into a big inflated clear plastic ball and then throw water in on you so you splash around inside and then push you down an eNORmous hill?
Done it.
Christy and Bethany and I did it all together once in New Zealand—we clambered in and they asked if we wanted the “wash cycle.” We said no, and it was good we did, because if you say yes, they throw water with soap inside the bubble with you and you come out with more than just suds in your eye…. We bounced off each other and screamed all the way down the hill, and then birth-wriggled our wet way back out into the sun. The girls had already bungee jumped earlier in the week*, but I had been too freaked out to do it with them. This was more my speed. Awfully odd thing to do. Don’t know why I’ve never seen it here, but it might be because the Kiwis are CRAZY. But fun.
*That bungee jump was something else—they did it at Taupo, the highest jump over water in New Zealand (where you can choose to actually hit the water at the bottom—that’s just asking for trouble, if you ask me). Bethany REALLY wanted to do it. Christy was gung-ho. I was all about being the photographer. I know the edges of my chicken-shittedness, and this was one of ‘em. No shame in that. This is not them, obviously, but this is from the platform:
Christy, on her way off the platform, realized that she might want to change her mind. She later described it: “You know when you fall off something and then you hit the ground a few seconds later? Well, if you don’t hit the ground within a couple of seconds, your mind realizes that this is too big a fall and that you’re going to DIE.” She screamed like I’ve never heard screaming before. Seriously. No one had ever heard anything like it—even the employees were rather shaken before the hysterical laughter started. I kept snapping pictures her whole fall (and rise and fall and rise again). I need to find those. (Yeah, I can giggle, but had it been me, I probably would have had a very literal heart attack on the way down. I couldn’t have done it.)
And Bethany? Cool little cucumber? When she remembered she wasn’t wearing a bra, she just snapped her shirt back up with one hand and kept falling. Of course, we have that one on video tape. Heh.
Now go light a candle. Kay?
Janet says
Lucky you! This is the first thing Amazing Race has had that actually looked like a lot of fun. The river boarding thing looked fun till the very end.
Gina says
Sweetie, maybe Bushie can’t take time off from his hectic vacation schedule for funerals…Shouldn’t we cut the Chimp some slack? Afterall, what’s 1000 in the name of destroying the Axis of Evil? *tongue in cheek*
Michelle says
I have wanted to do that Zorbing thing for ages, it looks wicked fun! I think I would like to bungee jump, but only over something beautiful, not from some ugly crane! Bethany and Christy are very brave, but I may have volunteered to be the photographer too!
Smiles to you!
Michelle
J Strizzy says
You Zorbed?!? That’s AWESOME!!! I’d never heard of it before, but as soon as I saw the first Racer go down that hill I knew: I have to Zorb someday.
And I’m glad I’m not the only one who thought the exit process looked a lot like a birth…
Sharon says
I think I’ll stick with extreme knitting.
Em says
I missed the whole episode, but I knew about the Zorbing, and yeah. I’d totally do it. Kiwis may be crazy, but that’s my kinda crazy.
Ann says
Oh my god. I have total adventure envy! Zorbing looks like SO. MUCH. FUN!! I also would love to try the sledging – I tell you I was just about giddy the entire way through this week’s episodes about those obstacles. (And it’s a good thing that they have upped the fun adventure quotient this season, since they also seem to have upped the boring airport logistics quotient.)
And, minor correction: Bush did attend Reagan’s funeral. strictly fyi.
cursingmama says
I don’t think it’s Georges “Presidential” duties that have kept him from attending even a single funeral, it’s his lying, hate mongering and campaigning on my dime that’s kept him to busy. His utter disrespect for the people he has sent to war is shocking.
Have you seen this? http://www.peskyapostrophe.com/index.php/C30/
Mac has done an awesome job of researching and fact checking!
Meg says
I completely agree about bungee-jumping. Can’t see the fun in something that not only scares you shitless, but could result in accidental death. Just looking down from a high place is enough for me, thank you.
froggy says
Oh, that is too cool. I watched that AmzRce and just loved how cool it looked.
Cynthy says
I have pondered posting about this for several weeks… and setting aside bashing on either Dem or Rep side (of which we are all entitled to do)… consider for just a moment the families of the deceased. Think of the imposition and disruption that having a sitting president attend a citizen’s funeral would cause. Those funerals are for the family, as all funerals are. As a mom of 20-year old sons, I would hate for the president to attend if my sons had been killed over there — and it would have nothing to do with my political views or feelings for him as a person.
Okay.. 😀 It’s off my mind, sweetie. I’ve thought about this every time I heard someone died. Just felt like the comment was unfair.
Have a great visit with your sis — haven’t seen mine in almost two years as she’s 3000 miles away. Miss her lots.