This blog is: Humoristic! Diverting! Thrilling!

You can note it down: on November 26, 2011, I wore a sweatshirt to work. It was chilly enough at 8:15 in the morning to warrant a long-sleeved layer. This didn't last through the day, of course, and I carried the sweatshirt home over my arm. And, yesterday and today were both sunny and in the 80's. Ah, well. It gives me hope that maybe it'll be cool enough eventually that I can justify shopping for a cute sweater (which will be not nearly as fun as it is in my head, because 3/4 of the stores will not have anything in my size and it will be very depressing).

Actually, yesterday was so nice a day that a group of us went to Chimelong Paradise amusement park. It boasts a number of rather horrifying (to wimpy kid me, anyway) roller coasters along with the usual assortment of rides. I rode the swirly swings, the log-flume-esque ride, one called the Giant Frisbee which rotates and swings, some other spinny-kinds of rides, the mildest roller coast not actually in the kiddie area, and the most nausea-inducing teacups that I have ever ridden. Dad, I completely understand your pain, now. Wow. We all staggered off that one and had to sit down for a little while inhaling the medicated oil.

Yes, medicated oil. I've never actually been ill on a theme park ride, since I usually stick to the milder ones. So I can't really recall if places like Funtown or Six Flags provide vomit bags and dizziness-busting medicated oil at the exit gate of each ride, but Chimelong Paradise does. Actually, some of the rides (like the teacups) had a little bin of vomit bags on the ride, in handy reach of your seat. Ha, as if I could have been that coordinated while holding on for dear life and fixing my gaze on the center wheel. Regardless, the oil -- eucalyptus, perhaps? -- was actually quite helpful. I rubbed it on my wrist and then sniffed at when needed.

It was quite a fun day, and perhaps the most amusing part was the English descriptions of the rides on the park map. Here are a few of my personal favorites:
"Rotating Cup: To experience the fame in the cup"
"Jumping Tower: You are a hero in future. Jumping up and down in the tower and scream as you like."
"Carnival Parade: Come on, my dear friends! To enjoy the whoopee with your passion."
"Double-deck Carousel: Riding on the cockhorse to find your wonderful child's time."
"North American Lumberjack Show: The conventional Lumberjack Show appears here. Humoristic! Diverting!Thrilling!" (sadly, this show was closed for the day)
"Motorbike Launch Coaster: Let's come 'ride' a coaster together."

Honestly? Half of those sound like either the description of a low-budget slasher film or really terrible euphemisms for things that really shouldn't get 4-star family ratings.

Not much else to say about my week, really. I did manage to find some dried coconut and confectioner's sugar, so with any luck, I'll be able to make some needhams on Friday. Tomorrow, alas, I'll have no free time as I've got to attend work training for our new textbook series from 9:30am-4:30, then I have an evening class until 8, and I still have quite a bit of planning and grading to do before the weekend. Sigh. Thinking about it makes me tired. Is it my next day off, yet?

With any luck, next week I'll have some time to go find some Christmas decorations for my apartment. The whole city is decorated already, and it's really strange, and strangely depressing, to see Christmas celebrated with such disassociation from its cultural roots. More on that later in the month, when I expect I'll be feeling quite a bit more blue (I've expunged "I'll Be Home for Christmas" from my collection. Too. Darn. Depressing.). Still, I feel a powerful need for some fake poinsettias and plastic evergreens. Maybe if I spray some of that fake snow on the ledge outside my windows, and paint the corners of the windows with it, I can pretend it's really cold outside.