I'm confused, I've got words I'd like to use

7 hours. I've 7 hours of sleep this weekend. I can't get her out of my head. It's not that I want to, I'm so much better at keeping her hidden from obsession until the covers swallow me up. Only once my eyes have closed she appears unchained... midnight became one, two three four and 5:00 and her dancing through my wardrobe of fantasy.

I slept for 90 minutes, which is almost exactly half the time it took just to drive down to Ohio for our Cedar Point adventure.

I really think that up until now, I had always unconsciously hidden a Cedar Point trip away whenever I would clear my throat to sing 'Auld Lang sane' and think of the good times of yesteryear. Not anymore.

Cedar Point with Tom (as well as his lovely girlfriend) is near to a perfect science of time and schedule. No others of this Earth could buckle more seat belts to so many coasters in a single day as a coalition with him at the head of the class.

We got them all. And the weather was just glorious. And pizza at the traditional-since-I-can-even-remember-being-able-to-speak-the-King's-English Macaroni's restaurant before the final charge. The mythical Dragster, particularly for it's seemingly constant closures (eventually giving birth to the only somewhat sarcastic rumors of no human being having the boast to have ever ridden upon it), and it's 0 to 120 MPH acceleration during it's first 4 seconds and 90 degree assent and plunge...we did it. It was fantastic! We buckled in and it was elementary school suddenly. Laughing and tension and excitement and the ride is almost over before it even begins.

(click to enlarge)

The magic seemed to appear just then, suddenly as if it were in front of my face the entire time but hadn't taken form. And blazing through the night on my favourite coaster The Gemini and watching the red moon peek above the horizon of Lake Erie as we plunged through the night on The Magnum. And the final charge across the park to just barely slide into line for that one final ride though the stars. Adrenaline and joy and wonder kept fatigue and exhaustion from the door and just at the stroke of midnight, with arms spread through the darkness and moonbeams, I glided through the sky, screaming like a kid 10 years younger with my best friend I've known for much longer still. The wonders only children and the inner child can ever touch.

Flying down the empty freeway, watching the unknown and glorious meteor shower, I was living dreams and not fighting them for sleep.