Point Of View

The Gonzo Journals

February 26th, 2023

It was a scorching 45 degrees in North Texas yesterday. Typical for February if you consider that it was 80 degrees earlier in the week and a predicted high in the 70’s today. We don’t have global warming here. It’s called being meteorologically stoned.

I was quite comfortable to be honest. I sat in the cab of a 122-year-old steam locomotive with a roaring fire between my legs. I know, it sounds like I’m advertising some kind of disgusting venereal disease, but I’m saying all this in a literal sense. My lower body was enjoying 70 degrees while my face soaked in the 45-degree breeze coming in through the window. The humidity was thick, leaving behind billows of steam whenever we blew the whistle or performed a “blow down”. It was a beautiful winter day. Here’s a video giving you a little more reference. I didn’t film this, but you’ll get the idea.

I’m training for my fireman certification aka the person on the left. The only difference is I do my job waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay better than this chick. This is another one of my childhood dreams come true. We’ve discussed this before, though. Moving on.

Yesterday was also the first day of operation for Six Flags Over Texas’ newest coaster The Aquaman Powerwave. After three years of construction issues and pandemic delays, it finally opened. Yes, it opened on a day with 45-degree temperatures. Here’s a video that was actually taken yesterday!

Special thanks to “Savage Mister” for posting this video.

As the day rolled on – and the temperatures remained the same – more people took the plunge! I couldn’t believe so many were enduring such uncomfortable circumstances in the name of thrills, but we all have our “things”, I guess.

I spoke to several of the people who braved the cold to be the first to ride this awesome coaster. They’d planned this event in advance by bringing a change of clothes to the park with them. In the end, their discomfort only lasted for a matter of minutes when compared to the memories created on this day. Entire families will be able to discuss how they sucked in their guts collectively and braved the near freezing water. More importantly, they were all smiling.

Remember that? Remember smiling?

I don’t even like water rides in July. I’m a bigger dude who doesn’t want to spend a day at a theme park soaking wet while chaffing between my legs. Yes, those thighs rub as though my body is attempting to start a fire somewhere in the vicinity of my nether region. It’s not fun. Hell, it’s downright painful! I’m more than happy running circles around the park in a never-ending railroad love affair. I love rollercoasters, I just prefer the “dry” ones. Still, not everyone is like me. That’s a blessing!

It was wonderful to see entire families find joy together under unusual circumstances rather than spy balloons, crooked politicians, war, and general hate. It was a day of happiness all around, yet we all discovered that happiness in completely diverse ways. A theme park is nothing more than a metaphor for how the entire world should operate, but on a smaller scale. Do what you love, whatever that may be, and allow others the respect required to do whatever it is they love. When the day concludes, everyone goes to the same parking lot and departs to their final destinations. What occurs after that is totally up to the individual. Anyone who finds the private lives of others to be offensive should stop peering through keyholes.

Although I found it to be pure lunacy, I loved watching others dive to discomfort while passing by in a rolling fireplace. In return, those people might find me crazy to sit with a giant hand grenade between my legs. Personally, both activities are equally idiotic, but I love my hand grenade like they loved the world’s largest “ice bucket challenge”. Do what you love, love what you do, and breathe a sigh of relief there’s no one above us to prevent that love. Sure, they can stand at a distance and scream obscenities at you, but those words are so much easier to take when you’re smiling ear to ear. There’s something beautiful about a middle finger salute fueled by a grin, and the soul who offers it fearlessly.

Peace.