There are few people in the world who could, or even would, admit to fainting while inside a house of mirrors such as you might find at an amusement park. As shameful as it might be, I can indeed make that admission.
There were mitigating circumstance that must be taken into consideration though. I was already traumatized from a ride on a ferris wheel, and I hadn’t eaten all day. Though I will admit, even considering those facts, collapsing while inside a house of mirrors is embarrassingly pathetic.
If you’re not familiar with what a house of mirrors is then I’ll explain. They’re simply a collection of dark rooms with funny mirrors in that change the reflected appearance of your body. One moment you are tall and shockingly thin, the next you are a dumpy little fat dwarf. It’s all good fun… usually. However, a few years ago, after watching the Epsom Derby with a girlfriend and a few of her friends, the group of us decided to go to the fun fair within the track grounds. I had hardly eaten all day and wasn’t feeling at the top of my game when we entered the house of mirrors.
As we walked around the corridors the girls squealed at their various reflections, laughing and pointing at one another in the mirrors. I, on the other hand, became very quiet and started to feel rather unwell. I announced that I was stepping outside for a breath of fresh air, but before I could make it to the door I collapsed in a heap on the floor. The shame of being carried out by my arms and legs of a children’s amusement prop by four nurses was something I never lived down.
Some years later I find myself the owner of a shinny new iMac, and while this isn’t a toy it does at least come with a few things to amuse oneself. Photo Booth is one such thing. A seemingly useless bit of free software that allows the user to snap pictures of themselves using the Macs built-in webcam. With a few clicks of the mouse you can apply some utterly foolish filters and before you know it you have your very own miniature house of mirrors.
This time around I managed to stay conscience the entire time while metamorphasizing into disturbing versions of myself. Before you know it you’ve already spent way too much time trying to virtually inflict the most hideous disfigurements upon your familiar face for no other reason but the laughs you’re having. You’ve got better things to do of course, but hey, haven’t we all. Pictured above are my best disfigurements, some might even say improvements.
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Wiki about Photo Booth
Photo Booth : Silly Faces Made Easy
Wrote the following comment on Jun 30, 2006 at 2:45 pm
I had a panic attack in a “Magnetic House”, at Six Flaggs. Its supposed to “devy gravity” I felt like I was being sucked into this void. It was very embarassing…little kids were laughing at me!
The pics are not an improvement….I like the plain Simon better. Maybe you could scare off Fat Albino and post the pic next to a gruesome story of how you were in a rock climbing accident or car wreck….hmmm this could be useful my dear :)
Wrote the following comment on Jun 30, 2006 at 6:57 pm
Photo Booth isn’t completely pointless. It provides HOURS of fun for my 6 year old and 3 year old. Oh….and my wife too.
Wrote the following comment on Jun 30, 2006 at 10:21 pm
The only thing I recognize about that picture, Simon, is the shells around your neck. I never would have thought that was you. Fun stuff.
Wrote the following comment on Jun 30, 2006 at 10:26 pm
Ah yes, the shells. It seems everyone knows me by the shells these days. They’ve become somewhat of a trademark. The question is, should I go blonde for the summer? I can’t decide. :-)
Wrote the following comment on Jul 1, 2006 at 2:37 pm
Simon, your photos always ellicit an emotional response of some type in me .. the four in this post started my day with peals of laughter. Thanks
Wrote the following comment on Jul 2, 2006 at 3:55 am
Glad to be of service mate :-)