Jurassic Park

Geekosaurus alert.

I have put off finishing this post for several weeks because I don't feel anything I write could do justice for one of my favorite experiences.  From the first moment of the first scene, Jurassic Park stole my heart.

Lately, the cardio cinema at Gold's has fed this flame not once, not twice, but thrice.  Who wouldn't run faster whilst fleeing the raptors?  None of those dinos are sinking their teeth into this lil nugget!  After realizing the tingling I felt was not from lack of oxygen, but from the rush of being with my dino friends, I knew I could not procrastinate declaring my love any longer.

There is this thrilling chill that takes hold of me entirely when I hear the theme song. Even simply embedding the YouTube video below set my heart racing as the melody began.

13-year-old Larissa practically forced Mother to take me to the theater three times for this movie - each time knowing that she would dig her fingernails into me and jump at least a half dozen times (especially for the Dilophosaurus scene).

When I was fifteen, my national baton competition happened to be in Oakland, California.  In one of the greatest parenting moves ever, my parents took the opportunity to give us a dream vacation as well - Disneyland, Universal Studios, and a Mexican Riviera Cruise.  My dad trained me well because, thinking back, he already had me navigating and researching/picking hotels on a budget.

Back to the point.  Universal Studios.  You know what that meant?  The Jurassic Park ride!  My skin still goose-fleshes right up at the memories - the smell, the sounds, the construction - everything I imagined had I actually been in Jurassic Park. The energy from my second or third ride of the day and my gift shop purchase of two stuffed dinosaurs catapulted my sister and I on a run up the most monstrous set of stairs/escalators I've ever seen.  In fact, to this day I have my two stuffed dinos and only a couple years ago trashed the brown, dino-clad gift bag in which they were placed. 

Aside from the fond memories, Jurassic Park changed the world of cinema viewing and set a new bar for quality in production.  How many of you thought you were watching living and breathing dinosaurs?  How many of you longed to visit the actual park?  How many of you can sit and hum the theme music right now or picture the "When dinosaurs ruled the earth" banner falling in front of the T-Rex?  How many of you had a spark of creativity and wonderment ignited inside of you because of this movie? 

Jurassic Park gave me a new favorite author at the time (Michael Crichton), an audition song for becoming feature twirler for my high school, countless creative writing ideas, countless conversations, intrigue for computer technology, and some vacation dreams yet to be fulfilled. 

There are four words that changed my life, and I'd bet, in a way, changed the world:

"Welcome to Jurassic Park."

I would not leave my vacation buddies alone until we got to visit the singular Oahu Jurassic Park location - I think they all went just to shut me up:-)  Kauai next, please!