Shamefully Hooked
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Pride cometh before a fall. In this case it was a personal fall – not huge in other people’s view but in my own personal world it was important enough to rate an entry into this, let’s face it, less-than-regular blog.
Last weekend (actually it was now two months ago!) I took my son to Legoland. Halloween and November the 5th had stretched his imagination and excitement levels to the point where I had to get him somewhere spacious so he could squeal his high-energy-filled excitement through the tortuous twists and turns of sickening roller coaster rides. We were there, ostensibly, for the rides but I knew his modus operandii: a clever trick to inveigle me into buying him some horrendously over-priced Lego construction. It worked. He spent an inordinate amount of time oohing and aahing over boxes of the stuff while I nodded fake-enthusiastically, stiff-smile in place. As we went to pay for the box he clutched lovingly - as though afraid I’d change my mind and rip it from his arms – there was a lady demonstrating the wonders of 3D glasses. My son and I looked at each other in confusion. Had we missed something momentous? A special film in the Lego theatre? Perhaps a slide-show in the Star Wars display area – No! Don’t let it be so! We listened to her spiel and read the fantastic poster extolling the wonders of the cheap plastic and cardboard eye-wear. Apparently the glasses would transform that evening’s firework display into something truly spectacular. 3D fireworks! And only for £1.50! A bargain. We both tried on a pair and gazed at the overhead lights, hoping it might give us an approximation of the wonders that would be revealed to us if we were to go ahead and use these truly innovative sight-altering occulars. The light from the small ceiling bulbs scattered and diffused into something eerie; my son was convinced each light changed to a Lego brick!
As it happens we didn’t buy any new eye-wear but I was laughing with my friends over the gullibility of some people who actually thought it would make the firework extravaganza better. After all it smeared and shattered the light in a bizarre fashion so, if anything, it made the lights look horrible. My friend laughed and said something along the lines of: ’3D? That’s unbelievable. Fab gimmick if you’re idiotic enough to think 3D glasses will make it even more real!”
My brain stumbled over the kicking I mentally gave it and my (obviously) shoe-size-IQ deflated further in shame. I’d been had. Thank God I hadn’t actually bought a pair!
Filed under: New Author Tagged: 3D glasses, fireworks, Lego
