the most current entry past either present or future...it depends on when you are archives pick an entry, any entry who's who in doyle town katie's profile 101 things how katie sees it notes, silly, notes! dear katie... our illustrious sponsor


Tuesday, Jul. 18, 2006 - 2:18 p.m.

Tanks! That's what I was trying to remember. On July 14th, I saw tanks rumbling thru the streets of Paris as part of the Bastille Day festivities. They actually drove them down the Champs-Elysees, but I saw them on another street as I was on the way there to see about changing money. It was pretty damned impressive, my friends. I had never in my life been that close to a tank before, and suddenly there were dozens, streaming down the street not 10 feet away. It's funny how something like that makes you want to scream so you won't explode. It's hard to explain, but it's really cool. And I have a few observations about tanks.

1. They're very big.
This sounds obvious; however, they're really big. And not all the same size, either. Some are larger than others, and some are unbefuckinglievably big. Like, so big you can't believe how big they are. Really intimidatingly big. One of them veered just slightly toward us on the sidewalk, and for just that microsecond, some primal part of my brain very clearly enunciated "oh, shit" just before it lost all capacity for rational thought. They're big.

2. They're really loud.
I don't mean like loud. I mean like insanely fucking loud. I mean so loud you can hear them coming from a very long way away. Like, there's no sneaking into town with a tank, I don't care who you are or where the town is. During WWII, believe me, people could hear tank columns roaring up the roads into town waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyy before the tanks got there. Even one tank makes a ton of noise. They make noise with their engines, they make noise on the road, they make noise simply moving their treads. They just make noise. Lots and lots of noise. You only think you grok the term "rumble". Believe me, until you've stood near a moving tank, you do not grok rumble.

3. They can really haul ass.
Maybe not in the way a Ferrari hauls ass, but tanks can really move. I was surprised how fast they can go. It's hard to estimate, but I'd say 20, 25 mph. Maybe 30, but that seems excessive. Tour de France riders move faster, but still, tanks can bust a move.

4. They're really heavy.
When a tank passes by you, you can feel it. You feel it in your feet, your legs, your hips, your chest, your breastbone, pretty much everywhere. And if you're touching anything, you can feel that thing feel it, too. They leave marks in the street where they've been and dislodge/destroy centuries-old cobblestones from main thoroughfares.

5. They have big guns.
Cannons, really. Not all tanks have them, but the ones that do have big ones. And the bigger the tank, the longer and bigger the cannon. The tank that did the veering had a big gun. That added to the fear factor. I'm telling you, if you were a villager in WWII and one of those things rumbled thru your valley and up to your town, you'd be leaving by the back way before it got there. They're really that intimidating.

6. A column of tanks stopped at a stoplight in a major metropolitan city is about as incongruous a sight as you can ever hope to see. And more than a little amusing. :)

Peace out,
Katie

copyright 2002 - 2005 Katie Doyle; all rights reserved
Don't even think it, punk.






*HUGS* TOTAL! give katiedoyle more *HUGS*
Get hugs of your own

Yesterday's News - Next Stop

In which Katie shares sad news - Wednesday, Apr. 01, 2015
In which Katie returns after a very long absence - Monday, Jun. 25, 2012
In which Katie pokes her head in and brushes some of the cobwebs away - Thursday, May. 06, 2010
In which Katie asks you to write your congressman again. - Monday, Jun. 02, 2008
In which Katie asks you to please click the link and send the message to protect the rights of artists - Wednesday, May. 21, 2008

 

 

You're lookin at it. Archives Dear Katie... Our illustrious sponsor

Join the Katie Doyle Fan Club!
Get email when Katie updates this site.
(Secret Decoder Ring not included.)

your email:


(list name: newkatie)
Powered by
NotifyList.com


I feel/am...

The ONE campaign

[ Registered ]

Katie's Pals

L'ours Pete
Em's Blog
Jonny-C
CuppaJoe
New Kid on the Blog
That33Girlie
Metame
Reader 1209
Connie's Blog
OnlyMayDay
Owen's Blog

Other Stuff Katie Digs

All & Sundry
Pamie dot com


Official Favorite Diary of Katiedoyle.diaryland.com

Cavort, cavort, my kingdom for a cavort
Proud Supporter of
International Cavorting Day
Since 2002

Dragonfly Design - Natural & Crystal Jewelry and Adornments
jewelry


check out other d'land reads. get your own license to drive...er, write. recommend me to your friends! katie's profile notes, silly, notes!

-

1