County Fair Math - The Meek Moose Rides a Mechanical Bull and Other Adventures

You know that one part of the Katy Perry "Dark Horse" song where Juicy J is rapping his heart out about how she rode him like a roller coaster and turned her bedroom into a "fur".  Yes- it sounds like FUR.  But, apparently, he means fair.  Which makes more sense than fur.  But still.  Forcing the rhyme, methinks.

I also think Aloe Blacc sounds like he's saying "lift your spirits, and toasted cheese".  Enunciate people. ENUNCIATE.

Love both songs and artists though. No need to throw tomatoes.

So anyway- I went to the "fur" before school started.  It was awesome!  Rode the zipper three times and even the mechanical bull!  On the first ride, however, I had to come face to face with math in real life.  So let's begin.

Click picture to visit the linky at Miss Math Dork!

Now- this County Fair is by no means large.  So when I say the roller coaster broke down- I was not a million feet up in the air. I might have been twenty.  I don't think I would have died falling off.  Just maybe, broken an ankle or something.  Still though.  Breaking down at the tippy top point just before the "plunge" is not the greatest feeling in the world.



How the engineering of roller coasters actually work- I have no idea. Wouldn't be a bad idea to get the kids to find out for me though- wouldn't it?  After I stopped filming- the guy ended up climbing up and pulling the front of the car forward, and momentum took us back to the landing zone.  I decided not to try the roller coaster again.  I did see them working on it later though.  They'd loaded up the cart with four of the largest men I have ever seen.

That led me to believe weight has something to do with it. And therefore, it is a complete validation of all the weight I lost.  #skinnybitch

Weight played a big part in the zipper ride as well.  You know the zipper, right?  Cages of death that spin?  Yessssss.

I rode it the first time with my oldest son.  He has moderately severe autism.  But he loves a good ride.  Try as I might, I could not get that cage to spin around.  And he would have loved it, had I managed it.  All the same, we both cackled the entire ride.

I then forced my ten year old daughter.  I said- "Let's have a mother-daughter memory."  She screamed that she was going to die, and cried deep scarred childhood trauma tears. It will come up in future therapy sessions when she becomes an adult, I am sure.  One of the sentences she kept screaming was how this was not a memory she wanted.  And how she was going to die.  And how it was all my fault.  We spun a bit.  Turned out the lighter the load the easier it goes around.  I hadn't thought that through...  Anyhow, I am always in the running for Mother of the Year.  Vote early and often, folks.

Third time through grabbed my sister.  I decided that we wouldn't spin much.  However, the ride operator was very impressed that I was going through a third time in a row.  He also apparently noticed that there weren't any nervous children on the ride this time.  Turns out- when the ride goes three times faster than normal, this compensates for the weight issue and you spin EVEN MORE!!!  I am thankful to have not given in to the lure of a fair corndog, and my stomach remained intact.  I screamed with delight the whole ride.

Weight is also a big deal over in the livestock barns.  All of these animals are on show and are judged in a number of different stats.  I saw so many families who had seating arrangements with their animals.  It really made me think about how much time is put into this.  Not only the time to raise the animals, but the schedules of feeding and caring for, and watching over them at the fair.  All in the hopes of getting a ribbon and also making some money during the animal auction phase of the fair.

I'm not sure I could ever do the whole process myself.  I'd hate to have spent all that time with an animal and then have to sell it off.  I'd cry for sure.

Money, of course, huge issue at the fair.  Between paying for armbands for five people, and feeding five people - $140 was laid out.  And we didn't even have to pay for parking, because we got there early.  Had we been ten minutes later though- the total would have gone UP.  Even though I went on an overcast day with intermittent sprinkling showers- plenty of people still turned out for the fair.  It wasn't crowded- but that place still made bank.

Notice that most things are priced at $5.  This was noticeable all over the fair.  And I know the reason.  Everyone only takes cash- and a five is easy to hand over, skip count by, and not have to give change for.  Financial robbers geniuses, they are.  It was dang good food though...

Games at the fair are all based on force, motion, kinetic and potential energy.  It's a smorgus of science going on down at the midway.  And also probability and chance.  The rest of the kiddie rides - lots of simple machines and magnetic force.  It gave me lots to think about. The kids enjoyed it all- and Boyzilla especially, as it was his first time.  The only ride he didn't enjoy was the Tilt-a-whirlish one called Dizzy Dragons.  Here, you can see the excitement change to "What the holy hell?".  My sister knows how to catch a memory on camera.

For those of you that have been following the blog, but not the FB page.  Court turned out well.  Justice prevailed and will not be changing her mind.  Thank you everyone, for your prayers and well wishes. All is well in the world.

I leave you with the much anticipated mechanical bull ride.  If I win the lottery ever, I think I will buy one so I can practice. Yeehaw!