Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Drinks from the Ice Carousel


I was a competitor on this day.  Imagine if you will a grand carousel with a brilliant rainbow of colors and occasionally gold and silver flashes.  Now imagine no horses, no animals of any kind but around the sides a solid platform and in the middle a Plexiglas tube with a full spectrum of rainbow colors in slabs of ice.  The ice was making their way from under the platform to the top of the cylinder some 30 feet above.

This was my arena; this is where I was competing this afternoon with a handful of others around the platform.  Our outer platform would be spinning and the center spectrum of ice available. As we made our way around the ice we would be grabbing the ice that went by.  We used grabbers on the end of short handles.  We would be thrusting the large blocks of ice to our side into a chamber that would then show in color our choices. Those grabs would then be blended together to make a drink, a uniqe, one of a kind drink. Generally you needed an open and excited mind and the ability to think out of the box.  And generally those with a lot of ice grabs had the best chance at making the top grade.  But then maybe not if a lot of grabs made without good imagination could be a zero proposition.

I took my spot and the spin began and I made grab after grab midnight blue following chartreuse, Canary yellow beside true orange and finished off with lime.   My mind was sparking with possibility and ice slabs some 15 and 20 pounds at a time were swung and wham into the tube.  I found I was thinking of such grand combinations I needed to grab from further to my right and I snatched a medium-sized slab and kept rolling.  This was not within my area but I needed that slab to make the perfect combination.  Now I find I needed a sliver that was off to my left at least a foot from my area and I needed it before it was snatched by another.  I could not afford to let it go so I grabbed and slung.  When this afternoon was finished my combinations, imagination and stamina clearly out showed the field and applause from the bleachers rained down on me as I dismounted and took a towel to mop myself back together.  I was approached by an event runner and was being asked if I felt that my victory could have been better felt if I had stayed within my area.  I had to admit that it would have been nice but those combination were pure perfection and that poundage in total was outstanding so I really couldn't fine it within myself to feel to awfully bad.  

After the match I was in a living room that wrapped around a corner all in one room of good size.  My sister and the person she was talking to were sitting at a small dining room table on the right side that started the large living area.  I strode in to the room of a dozen or more people and let things die down a bit and then with my voice raised I started to tell how my performance on that day was near perfection.  After a few hesitant starts I found that I was not getting the audience that I wanted and I gave it up.  I was disappointed but I knew I would not let this go for too awfully long.  I then saw a kitty go by with a paper bag tied around it with string and I started asking someone else to help me rescue the kitty.  My sister called it the dust kitty as if it was something that happened occasionally.  I with the help of another guy went to the rescue.

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