- Hello again.
I hope October was a good month for you. Here’s what’s been happening in the Cameron/Utt household.
FRIDAY 13TH COASTER SCARE-A-THON
To celebrate Friday the 13th and the 13th Anniversary of Fright Fest, Six Flags Magic Mountain held a 13-hour coaster marathon. I found out about it through a passholder e-mail and signed up immediately.
I would be riding Colossus, the tallest and fastest wooden coaster in the West. Backwards. Here are some pictures of it taken prior to installation of neighboring Goliath. http://www.joyrides.com/sfmm/colossus1.htm
There was a lot of joking around and bragging as we waited to board. The confirmed riders told the alternates that their services would not be needed; the alternates encouraged us to fill up on the complimentary donuts. I ended up talking with Nathaniel and Diego when we were finally let up onto the load platform. The two of them sat in front of me and the empty seat next to me was taken by Katrina. “Just like the hurricane!” she said. She was a hard-core coaster fan and assured us she would be there for the duration. I was lucky to have three fun people sitting next to me.
Sitting in the last seat on a backwards-facing train meant that Katrina and I were the first ones over the big drop that morning. I had never ridden a coaster backwards before and that 115-foot drop was much more intense than I had expected. So was the 105-foot drop that followed it. Four minutes later, we were back in the station for the usual safety procedures and a quick check for any unwell riders. All systems were go so we headed on to trip number two. And three. And so on.
Forty-five minutes later, we had a fifteen-minute break. After drinking some water and taking a vigorous walk I was back on the platform, ready for Hour Two. To keep everything fair, no Dramamine, pillows or blankets were allowed and every hour we had to move up one row and switch sides.
Trip 10 passed uneventfully until we pulled back into the station. Katrina thrust her head out of the car and vomited herself out of the competition. An alternate named Wendy took her place next to me. Five trips later her cousin Grace took the place of a guy who had left the train to throw up all over the exit stairs. When we took our fifteen-minute break, custodial hadn’t arrived yet and it was obvious the rider had filled up on those complimentary pastries.
After Hour Four, I was ready for a light snack, so I power-walked to the nearest concession stand where I discovered that my brand-new wallet had somehow fallen out of my back pocket. No food for me.
As the day wore on, riders were fighting their boredom listening to iPods and text-messaging their friends. Diego tried to use his PSP but the wooden coaster rattled too much. One guy called into KROQ-FM and did a phone interview. Another had his girlfriend bring him two burritos which he somehow consumed during the ride. Later he did the same thing with pizza slices.
I didn’t get bored. It was great being outside on such a beautiful day and I kept an hourly tally of our trips. Staying focused on the ride and the different experience of each row helped me avoid motion sickness. Plus, each trip into the station became a mini-press conference with the people waiting to ride asking the same three questions:
How many times have you ridden it?
Do you get to go to the bathroom?
What do you win?
The local paper came by and filed this story: http://www.the-signal.com/?module=displaystory&story_id=33486&format=html
During Hour Eight, one of the alternates had barely finished his fourteenth trip before he ran to the edge of the platform to empty his stomach. The crowded station erupted in laughter and applause. Poor guy.
The roughest rides all day were during Hours Eleven and Twelve when Wendy and I were in the first car [making us the last over the drop.] Hour Thirteen found me back in the seat where I had started. On the final ride of the day—Number 110—all 24 of us rode the entire track with our hands in the air, returning to the station to thunderous applause and cheering. Nathaniel, Diego and I were in the final nine that lasted the whole day. Wendy was the next-longest survivor with exactly 100 trips.
Other than general fatigue and the lap bar leaving a bruise the size of a fried egg on my leg, there were no physical complications from the marathon. I won a pair of 2007 Xtreme Season Passes for my trouble, but I would’ve done it without the prize incentive. A coaster marathon was one of those things on my 100 Things To Do list.
In case you’re wondering, the world record for a marathon coaster ride is held by Richard Rodriguez of the United States. In 2003, he rode Expedition GeForce at Holiday Park in Germany for 192 hours. Eight days on a coaster? That’s scary.
VISITORS
Our friends Paula and Mike were in town so the 29th, 30th and 31st, and we did some Halloween things with them.
DISNEYLAND HALLOWEEN TIME
Other than a terrible show at DCA called Golden Screams, we had an awesome time. Clear skies, lighter crowds in the evening, and a private boat in Pirates of the Caribbean lent the day a relaxed pace. Mike had never been to Disneyland so we made sure he did Indiana Jones, California Screamin’ and Space Mountain. Paula’s favorite movie is Nightmare Before Christmas, so we made sure to do the re-themed Haunted Mansion twice.
NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS IN 3-D
The next night, Paula, Mike and Daryl headed to the El Capitan Theater to see Tim Burton's Nightmare Before Christmas in 3-D. Thumbs up all around.
19TH ANNUAL WEST HOLLYWOOD COSTUME CARNAVALE
Halloween night, we made our way to West Hollywood for the annual Costume Carnavale. It’s estimated that 500,000 people converge on this one-mile stretch of Santa Monica Boulevard to see some of the most outrageous and inventive costumes.
Here’s a short video that gives you a sense of the evening.
http://www.halloweenwesthollywood.com/
We saw lots of Jack Sparrows, Michael Meyers, Tinker Bells, Jasons, and female impersonators. Some highlights:
- Pee-Wee Herman riding his bike with Billy Baloney, Pterry and a box of Mr. T cereal in the basket.
- An office water cooler whose occupant’s head peeked out through the bottle.
- Three marines and a flag recreating the famous photograph from Iwo Jima.
- Steve Carrell’s “man-o-lantern” look from The 40 Year Old Virgin.
- Madame Butterfly could be seen running down the street calling to Pinkerton, who was unmoved by her cries of ever-lasting devotion.
- Colonel Sanders yelling at the Jack in the Box mascot because he wouldn’t take a picture with him.
There were so many Superman’s that the four of us had a contest to see who could spot the best one. Daryl won.
What we thought were costumed folks were actual Hare Krishna’s recruiting interested followers. Politically, there were lots of Mark Foleys and a devil carrying a “Cheney/Satan’08” sign. From TV, there was the gang from Reno 911, Anderson Cooper and Captain Planet. There was even a Steve Irwin/sting ray couple who posed for moment-of-impact pictures. They got booed because it was probably too soon, but their costumes were done very well.
It was a great evening that we plan on attending next year.
EUREKA POINT
Earlier in the month, my Uncle Carl took us to Eureka Point in Joshua Tree National Park. Accessible by dirt roads, this less-populated overlook was easily distinguished from the rest of the park by how green it was--it didn’t feel like we were still in the high desert. The overlook is about 5500 feet above sea level and the 360-degree view of Palm Springs, the Morongo Basin and the mountains were well-worth the drive.
On our way back from the point, we drove through Covington Flats and saw stands of Joshua trees charred during last year’s fires. I got out of the car to take same pictures and--between the stark trees and the ashy soil--I felt like I was walking on the moon.
http://www.nps.gov/jotr/
EXTRA WORK
CSI:NY needed a “high-powered lawyer” to sit with guest star Sheryl Lee as she was being interrogated by Melina Kanakeredes and Eddie Cahill.
We rehearsed the scene in which my client was repeatedly accused of murdering her daughter for the insurance money. There was no dialogue for my character; the script only allowed me to gesture and nod sympathetically as though I were in a silent movie. We rehearsed the scene a second time, and it was still just as awkward. The hair and makeup people came in and touched us all up and just as we were getting ready to shoot, someone tapped me on the shoulder and I was out of the scene.
I’m sure DeNiro could’ve made it work and ended up a series regular, but that’s because he is an actor. Me? I’m more comfortable staring intently into a microscope or crossing the room with a folder in hand. This experience gave me new respect for day players and guest stars. Plus, I got to hang out with Laura Palmer from Twin Peaks, Eleni from Guiding Light and Tag from Friends.
STAR SIGHTINGS
Just one this month. While Daryl was shopping in Venice with our friend JJ, they walked by Robert Klein.
NOVEMBER
Tomorrow, I fly to Washington, DC to for a staged reading of my play The Wedding Toast. Tell you all about it next month, but in the meantime here’s the Charter Theatre site. http://www.chartertheatre.org/site/Main.html.
Until then,
James & Daryl
