Let's see when Autumn Falls

In my AP Art class, there was a girl who was just starting to experiment with mixed media. At this point she was still playing around, trying to decide what direction she wanted to go with her portfolio. So one critique day, she brought in an abstract canvas with some rhinestone highlights and painted and real peacock feathers. She loved sparkles and peacock feathers so she thought she’d try introducing them a *little*. And after everyone had given some input, the teacher gave her his advice, VERY roughly paraphrased here:

“So here’s the thing… I do not like this style. These are just elements that do not speak to me personally, but I see that you like them, and you’re doing interesting things with them.

“My biggest critique is, I only merely *dislike* this piece. I want you to make me HATE it. Go crazy with the things that you like. Don’t hold back trying to make it palatable to people like me. Because I am NEVER going to like it. And if the audience does not like it, it should drive them crazy seeing how much YOU love it.”

Her portfolio was chock full of neon colors and glitter and rhinestones and splashes of peacock feathers and it was a delight. Our teacher despised every piece lol, but she got great marks and I think even won some awards. And more importantly, she was happy and proud of the results. Because she didn’t limit herself by trying to appeal to people who were never going to enjoy what she enjoyed.

DIY Bloody Cake Recipe and Tutorial from Say It with Cake

Make a red velvet cake, frost it and pour red ganache (red chocoate melts, heavy cream etc…) over the top. 

as above, so below, as within, so without, as the univerese, so the soul.

Abandon all hope, ye who enter here. According to mythology, that’s the inscription over the gates of hell.

“Abandon all hope, ye who enter here.”

STAY ALIVE (2006) dir. William Brent Bell

Action Park

Also known as “Accident Park”, this park opened in Vernon, NJ in 1978. It is considered one of the most dangerous amusement parks. Founder and CEO Gene Mulvihill’s philosophy was that amusement park visitors should be in control of their experience, envisioning a park where patrons managed the ride–including how fast and how high they went. And that’s exactly what he created at Action Park.

For example, the Alpine Slide (3rd pic on the right) was described by a former employee as “essentially a giant track to rip people’s skin off that was disguised as a kid’s ride.” The Alpine Slide concept was simple enough: you sat on a sled and descended down concrete tracks using a hand brake to control your speed, either slowly or at a speed described by a former park employee as “death awaits”. The park saw its first fatality on the Alpine Slide, when a 19-year-old employee rode off the track and hit his head. According to New Jersey’s records, there were at least 26 other serious head injuries and 14 fractures attributed to the Alpine Slide.

The Tidal Wave Pool, nicknamed The Grave Pool (pic on 2nd row - left), which was filled with fresh water as opposed to sea water could have waves that reached 40 inches at the highest blast. The 12 lifeguards on duty rescued, on average, 30 people a day on high-traffic weekends.

The most notorious ride was definitely the Cannon Ball Loop (bottom). According to one urban legend, when park owners sent a dummy doll on a test run of the ride, it came back with no head. Gene Mulvihill offered his employees $100 to test out new rides, including the Cannonball Loop, and despite employees winding up with bloody noses and bruises, he opened the ride. One person even remembers hearing that a patron got stuck at the top of the loop, causing the park to build a hatch to aid in future rescues. Just a month after it opened, and after countless injuries were reported, it was shut down by the Advisory Board on Carnival Amusement Ride Safety.

Action Park was finally closed in 1996. It had 6 fatalities (3 drownings, an electrocution ,and a couple skull injuries). In 2010 is was re-opened under the name Mountain Creek Water-park

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