Even though I'm getting back to my average of going on a two-mile daily walk, today was the ultimate test of my DRG stimulator... crowded spaces full of other humans. We took our daughter to LEGOLAND Discovery Center in Schaumburg to celebrate her ninth birthday. Once we entered the building there was a backup of humans waiting in a long line ready to drop $20+ per person to enter this brick built indoor LEGO playground. UGH.
The first room was great filled with model skyscrapers of Chicago and other local iconic landmarks, but they also used Duplo and Systar System aliens to attack the city just like in The LEGO Movie 2. It was enjoyable recognizing all the Easter eggs the builders hid throughout the build. Not so much fun was the crowd of children and grown men not paying attention to their surroundings. My kid is a lot like me and she wasn't feeling it and nearly had a meltdown, but my wife talked her back off the ledge and back into the experience which helped me regroup as well.
Before lunch we made our way to the theater for a 4D movie. We were handed used 3D glasses, probably covered in conjunctivitis, and then found a seat. I started to become anxious. I've experienced a 4D movie before and I know they have those seat buzzers. I imagined getting poked right where the stimulator battery is located in my back and then I'd scream out in pain, but it never happened. Instead a mist kept falling from the ceiling that felt like somebody kept sneezing on me, so I started thinking about influenza. I wanted a SARS mask and to wash my hands so bad. However, I did enjoy watching the kid next to me as she kept reaching out to grab the images she saw on the screen only to smack the back of this man's head as he sat in a seat in front of her.
Eventually, we found ourselves in a room with a play area and rides. The floor was littered with LEGO parts. I watched a worker use a broom to sweep up the fallen parts into a dustpan. I bet when no one is looking they put those bricks back into the giant bowls of parts for kids to build with. While my family waited for a ride I people watched. Kids younger than two wandered around by themselves without any supervision. I watched two workers assist one of them which filled me with a little hope. Adults mostly stared at their phones or used their phones to take vertical video of their children doing something they'd never watch in the future. I did witness one adult unable to understand how to lift a simple latch to exit an area. The building inside smelled like halitosis and dirty shoes everywhere. The bathroom there played classical music with the addition of simulated fart sounds. Why?
...but, in the end we did enjoy the experience and as my wife pointed out to me, I never hit the proverbial brick wall that I usually succumb to and have to remove myself from our outings. Nope, I kept going. Even when I stepped on one of those rogue bricks on the ground with my right foot I didn't scream out in agony. Can the DRG stimulator actually help me this much?..
YES
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