cue the carnival music. And the travel music.

 Since it’s Saturday night and I’m certainly not one to ever pass up an interesting survey, especially one that combines travel with circuses, here’s a survey I snatched from Originalsinner.

1. Have you ever been to the circus, or would you like to go?
Well, I already have to admit something kind of embarrassing – I don’t think I’ve ever been to the circus, but I’m not entirely sure. If I ever went it was when I was so young I don’t really remember, or I was so frightened I completely blocked it out of my memory. Or both. I kind of feel like I’ve been to the circus, but I suspect it’s from reading about circuses and seeing them on TV.

2. What are/were your favorite and least favorite things there?

There’s a question I can’t answer, since I can’t even say for certain if I’ve ever been to one. But judging from seeing them on TV, I’d say …. I don’t think I would have a favorite thing. Circuses make me apprehensive. Maybe I was traumatized by a circus. Clowns are creepy, acrobats are alarming, and I can’t imagine the animals are happy to be doing tricks at whip-point.

3. Do you like going to carnivals? What do you like/dislike most about them?

I didn’t realize there was a difference between circuses and carnivals. Obviously this is the Proof of Edna’s Ignorance Survey. I’ve just looked it up, and carnival is "a season or festival of merrymaking before Lent." Although it can also be "a traveling enterprise offering amusements." Which sounds like a circus. I guess a carnival has rides, though? Maybe?? I’ve never been to one (maybe), although we did watch the first season and part of the second of Carnivale. Which was about a very creepy Depression-era carnival. It started out very promisingly but we lost interest when it just turned into Good Vs. Evil.  

4. How about state or county fairs? When’s the last time you went to one? Did you ever enter anything in one? What do you like/dislike the most about them?

Wow, take a breath, Survey! I’ve been to the Cleveland County Fair, about a zillion years ago – when I was in college, actually. I went with some friends from the Weird Church I grew up in, and was still going to at the time. Cleveland County is a little teeny county with lots of farms – very rural. It was a lot of fun, although I’m sorry to say the memory that most sticks out is of riding The Himalaya, this horrible ride that spun you around in about ten directions at once. It was the only time I really feared I’d get sick from a ride.

I also went to our state fair the two years we were living in Durham. The fair is, of course, in Raleigh, but we were pretty close. Both times I went by myself because Baker B didn’t care anything about going, and I went after work. I really enjoyed it, just walking around and seeing the sights and people. And taking pictures, although it was pre-digital and it got dark so fast that I don’t have a lot of either trip.

5. Other than ordinary vehicles, what do you like riding on the most? the least? What is something you would NEVER ride on? What is something you’d like to ride on?

I’m trying to think of what I ever ride that’s not an ordinary vehicle. I used to love rollercoasters, but sadly haven’t been on one in YEARS. I love riding horses, if we’re including non-mechanical things. I also love trains and airplanes. Neither are ordinary to me, so I say they count. What would I never ride on? Probably a four-wheeler. No offense to four-wheeler fans. I just don’t see the attraction. I’d like to ride on a spacecraft. And no, it is NOT because I watched so much Red Dwarf!!

6. Have you ever been to a desert? Did you just drive through or did you get out to sightsee/walk? What was the experience like for you?

I have been to the desert, and I loved it. When I was 16 my family went to New Mexico to visit an aunt and uncle who lived in the desert outside Deming. We stayed about a week at their house, and my brother and I went out every day and rode bikes around the neighborhood, which was just a bunch of roads with very few houses in the middle of the desert. I couldn’t believe how beautiful and interesting it was – I’d always thought of the desert as being dry and dusty and just sand. But it was full of plants and cacti and things blooming and was just amazing. It was really hot – like nearly 100 every day – but it wasn’t humid so to me felt very pleasant. I’d love to go back.

7. How about mountains? Have you ever vacationed in the mountains (other than just driving through)? Which mountain range/s?

I live in the middle of the Blue Ridge mountains, so yes, I’m there pretty much every day. And I’ve vacationed in them as well, north and south of here. I’ve been to the Rockies too, years ago, and to the mountains out in Arizona and New Mexico on the previously mentioned trip.

8. How about beaches….do you like ocean beaches or beaches on a lake or some other smaller body of water the best? How would you spend a day at the beach?

I love the ocean – I could live at the ocean. Lake beaches don’t compare to me, but I’ve also never been to a lake that’s all that big. I’d spend a day at the beach lying on the beach reading, and walking on the beach. Then lying on the beach reading some more. Then walking on the beach some more. Etc etc. 

9. Have you ever been to a big amusement park? Which one(s)? What did you like/dislike most? With whom did you go?

I just have to say, I can not BELIEVE I’m actually doing a survey that uses proper grammar! That’s quite the shock –

But yes, I have been to a big amusement park, although not in a long long time. We used to go to Carowinds pretty often, since it’s not that far from us. And to Six Flags once in awhile – the Atlanta one. I’ve been to Busch Gardens in Tampa too, and we went to Disney World when I was 13. In the Pre-Universal, Pre-Epicot, Pre-everything else era when it was kind of more like Six Flags but in Florida. I loved the rollercoasters. And hated the long lines and the high prices. I went with my parents and brother, and Kim and I went to Carowinds quite a few times years ago. Our senior class went to Six Flags, and they kept it open all night for us. Well, not just for US, I think it was a bunch of senior classes. For some reason I don’t remember much about that except the bus ride.

10. When’s the last time you went to a zoo? What do you like best at the zoo? What do you dislike most about a zoo?

I haven’t been to the zoo in a long time. Apparently I haven’t been anywhere in a long time. I went to the Asheboro Zoo back when we lived in Durham- like fifteen years ago. It’s the big North Carolina zoo. I liked that the animals were mostly in huge areas, so it was more of a park than a zoo. You ride a monorail to see the lions and tigers and elephants and other big animals. I went to the DC zoo quite a few times when I lived there, and to the Atlanta zoo when I lived in Atlanta. The Atlanta zoo was terrible – teeny cages, very unhappy looking animals – it was depressing. That was back in the 80s, and I think it wasn’t long after that that they renovated it and made it much more humane.

What I dislike is animals in cages and out of their natural habitat, especially when the cages are small and there’s nowhere to roam.

11. When’s the last time you went to the cinema to see a movie? Do you go often? What is your favorite type of movie to see? Do you buy lots of food there?

The cinema?? This must be a British survey – no wonder it uses good grammar. I haven’t been to the cinema – or theater – in YEARS. It’s funny, I used to go to the theater all the time. I’d go at least ever few weeks to a movie, and I often went by myself. I loved going to the theater. I still love movies, but now I love watching them at home. Where there aren’t cellphones ringing and rude people yakking and it doesn’t cost $15, or whatever they do cost now.

Let’s see – the last movie I saw at the theater was the Harry Potter Before Last – we saw Order of the Phoenix on DVD. Before that, it was whatever the previous Harry Potter was. Actually, I guess the first three Harry Potters are probably also the last three movies I’ve seen in the theater, because for several years we went at Thanksgiving with my SIL and nephew when they’d just come out. Before THAT I really think it was the Titanic. Which has been a few years ago.

 
12. Have you ever been to see a stage production? What have you seen on stage? Would you like to go more often?

I have been to shockingly few stage productions, but I’d like to go to more. All I’ve seen are a few college productions. Except for a play I saw when I went to Colorado when I was 14- I went out there with a friend of my mothers, to visit her daughter, and we went with a bunch of people on a bus to see a play. Somewhere. All I can remember now is that is was kind of a big deal and someone famous was in it and I have no idea who, although I think it might have been Liza Minelli. Being 14 it did not make any impression at all on me and I just recall enormous boredom. Now I wish I knew what that was, and where we went to see it.
 
Okay, I’m skipping some questions about places I want to go, since this is – oh, how surprising! – taking forever and I’ve answered similar questions in previous surveys.

16. What’s your favorite place you remember going to as a kid? If you have kids, what is your favorite place you ever took them?

My favorite place as a kid was Jekyll Island in Georgia. I LOVED Jekyll Island. We used to go every year for a church retreat. We’d stay for nearly two weeks every fall, and it was SO much fun. Jekyll was gorgeous, with lots of white beaches and not much development at all. You had to drive seven miles through The Marshes of Glen to even get there. It seemed very remote. The only thing that wasn’t gorgeous was the water, which was always brown and murky from the shrimpboats, but we swam in it anyhow. I should write an entry about Jekyll.

17. Do you travel as much as you want to, or more than you care to? Why or why not?

I don’t travel anywhere near as much as I’d like to. Because I don’t have the money. 

20. When you travel with your spouse or partner or whomever you travel with the most, what is a conflict that sometimes or often comes up between you? or a problem you commonly have?

Generally the problems Baker B and I have when traveling together stem from his neurotic nature, his hatred of being out of his comfort zone, and his desire for total control. No, really, it IS all his fault!!! He’s actually a better traveler than he used to be, but that’s probably because we never go anywhere we haven’t already been many times, so he’s not too far out of his comfort zone. He is a terrible traveler, though. I kind of dread taking him to England, if we ever manage to go. He’s a terrible and neurotic traveler who has never flown.

I’ve also taken several trips with Kim, who is a great trip buddy. She is a good traveler who isn’t a control freak at all, and we like doing the same thing. We’ve discussed going to England ourselves (she has a time share so it’s either the three of us or the two of us) but as much fun as that sounds, Baker B does really want to go so I’d feel terrible going without him. We’ll just have to drug him up to get him there, and then find a pub every time he starts getting cranky and pour beer into him.

21. Do you like to travel alone? Where do you like going best, alone? How long do you want to be away, if you are going alone?

I do like to travel alone. I haven’t done a lot of solo travel, other than going to Charleston a couple of times by myself. I like being able to do whatever I want to, whenever I want to do it. And not having to worry about Captain Neurotic. Although after a couple of days I miss him and get tired of doing everything by myself. Still, I enjoy my own company. 
Oh, that’s it! This was actually a much less annoying survey than the ones I usually pick.

And to top it off, if you haven’t seen the hysterical I Can Has Cheeseburger site, you need to go there. Now. It’s very very VERY funny pictures of animals – mostly cats – with equally funny (and ungrammatical) captions. The more you read, the funnier it gets. Seriously. Go now.