I now have a dream to ride every roller coaster known to man, two known to monkeys, and one known to a Tibetan grasshopper named Carl. Okay, I made that last part up... the grasshopper's named Steve; Carl is his cricket friend.

Anyway, as you know if you've been paying attention, I live in Texas, home of the original Six Flags: each representing a country who has "ruled" over my state: Spain, France, Mexico, US, Confederacy, and Texas. (Yes, we were our own country once.)

But I'm not writing a history lesson: I'm writing about something that's happening at Six Flags Over Texas; it's an annual event called "Fright Fest." Though when my family and I went, it was about as comparable to a dog's barking at night: more annoying than frightening. Those haunted houses were a joke, at any rate. But I digress.

This year, they're doing something different, a promotion that I dare say is GROSS. To get to ride the Titan (probably the best coaster I've ridden on) ahead of the lines, one can eat a Madagascar cockroach. (I don't care how sterile the environment is or what they feed it, that's just "EWW!") Wouldn't that be like eating a lot before going on a ride: you can do it, but it's not recommended. Frankly, if I had a list of things I would never do to get onto a roller coaster, something like this would be at the top. The only time I've ever had an insect was when I swallowed a gnat, and believe me, that wasn't intentional.

©1984-2006 Toaraga EAM