PhotoDude.com

Mon. Mar 03, 2003

The Horror of Blimps

The Horror of Blimps – This link has gotten pretty popular over the past few days, for good reason. It’s hilarious. But I originally clicked on it because the words “The Horror of Blimps” brought back a semi-traumatic childhood memory.

I’m not sure how old I was … kindergarden age or younger. Early 1960’s. I was playing in our backyard, which ended at a steep hill, with a treeline looming across the top of it. Over this high looming horizon came a monstrously huge dark shape. It kept growing, and growing, getting even bigger as it came my way … yet not making a sound.

That most basic human “fight or flight” mechanism kicked in, and being a wise child, I chose “flight.” I turned and ran screaming to the kitchen door for the protection of my mother.

It wasn’t really a scarring experience. I don’t think I saw the Goodyear blimp in person again until 1991, when the Atlanta Braves went from worst-to-first, and the World Series came to town. But after the passage of three decades, I no longer feared the horror of the blimp. I thought it was cool that it was in Atlanta (the first time we’d given it a reason).

However, when this person wrote, “I awoke the way you awake when you suddenly know that there is a large levitating sinister presence hovering towards you with menacing intent through the maligant darkness,” I could truly feel his pain, dredged up from my childhood.