I was recently on a cruise boat heading over Lake Windermere. It was a fairly small boat carrying maybe 100 or so passengers.
A motor boat came up alongside us towing a water-skier. He was pretty good and it became apparent that he was putting on a show for us. He repeatedly jumped to and fro across the wake of the motor boat and sometimes did a full twist in the air. It was impressive. There was only one other thing he could do to make the display absolutely perfect in my eyes. Then - perfection was reached - he fell off!
Was I the only person on the boat who desperately wanted him to take a tumble? Not get hurt you understand, just mess up. Well no I wasn't. After a couple of seconds to take in that the guy was OK, a mass snigger broke out which I subscribed to wholeheartedly. The show-off had fallen from grace and that was just what many of us had been hoping for.
Should I be ashamed of myself or is this normal human nature?
A motor boat came up alongside us towing a water-skier. He was pretty good and it became apparent that he was putting on a show for us. He repeatedly jumped to and fro across the wake of the motor boat and sometimes did a full twist in the air. It was impressive. There was only one other thing he could do to make the display absolutely perfect in my eyes. Then - perfection was reached - he fell off!
Was I the only person on the boat who desperately wanted him to take a tumble? Not get hurt you understand, just mess up. Well no I wasn't. After a couple of seconds to take in that the guy was OK, a mass snigger broke out which I subscribed to wholeheartedly. The show-off had fallen from grace and that was just what many of us had been hoping for.
Should I be ashamed of myself or is this normal human nature?
Breathes there a man with soul so dead, who never to himself hath said, I hope that plonker comes a right purler. (As Sir Walter Scott did not say!)
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