Day 75: Chuck N Noises

I shall apologize, again, if you've been waiting around for day 75... honestly...this is what happened...

I couldn't wait to get home and post this thing tonight. I had a fun filled day at a Carnival, then, went to Chuck E. Cheese's with my favorite "Little Man." He's 9 years old and he is who I look forward to spending time with on some weekends. So, the carnival was fun... we sat on a few rides, (which was nauseating, for me, most of the time), played all the games they had there, until we got all the stuffed animals he wanted. There were a couple of rides we weren't able to sit on because he was an inch and a half short of the height limit, which I was secretly happy about.

I realized that the older we get, the less safe and colorful Carnivals seem. They're a bit scary, actually. The ride operators are, either, really young kids, barely out of high school, or they're drunk, creepy looking old men, who wreak of alcohol. I hadn't been to a Carnival in a while, but there's this new ride, where you lye down on your stomach and, kind of, hanglide, which was pretty cool but so weird to try out.

So, when we realized we couldn't carry any more stuffed animals, we left the Carnival and decided to go to Chuck E. Cheese's to eat some pizza and hang out. When I mentioned Chuck E. Cheese's, Little Man said, "No, not Chuck E. Cheese's, that place is for kids... like... small kids," as he looked at me from the corner of his eye and grinned. But, when I mentioned pizza and the basketball hoop game, he was convinced.

So, we walked into the place, full of people... young, old, middle-aged. It was so packed with people, I was about to turn around and tell Little Man he was right, it was for kids...but, I sucked it up and cashed out some tokens. Being there for about 3 hours made me realize that it wasn't "where a kid can be a kid," it was "where a parent can forget they have kids." The whole place was a disaster. Some kids were barefeet, some were screaming and running, some were lost, some were crying... some parents were eating, some were playing games, some were yelling, most were angry, some looked lost, and all parents and kids were noisy. For a second, I thought, "wow, I'm never having kids... but, I should have at least one...but, oh, I don't know, why is it so noisy...what is this kid doing? Uhhh, hey kid, where are your pants and shoes? Oh, my gosh... it's so noisy, and why is everyone so hyper? Oh, yeah, I would definitely not want to work here. I'd definitely not have kids if I worked here, but it's a good thing I don't. Oh, I don't think I'd come here two days in a row..."

The best part about being there was remembering the times when my cousins, my sister, and I would go on strike when our parents would refuse to take us to Chuck E. Cheese's. We'd go into the room, make huge signs, and start marching back and forth, until they'd get so upset over the t.v. being blocked by the signs, that they would have no choice but to fill us up in the van and take us over to see Chuck.

As you can see, I've had a long night full of noise and excitement. The truth is, I drove home thinking about doing today's post. As soon as I saw my bed, I couldn't help but forget and go to bed. A half hour into my sleep, I woke up, like I would from a bad dream, got myself out of bed, and got to my laptop as fast as I could, while cussing myself out for doing this to myself half asleep.

Tip of the Day: Do something familiar that would remind you of your childhood. Try reading a children's book you always used to read, or ride a bike, or whatever it may be that'll take you back to the kid in you. Your heart is "where a kid can be a kid."