The thought that was going through my head the first time I rode the Magnum XL-200 roller coaster at Cedar Point. The ride has a huge hill that drops off into Lake Erie and then turns sharply to the right. The first time I went up to the top, I could only think that the car was going to fly off the track and into the lake.

The amazing thing is that I was too terrified to be frightened; I was confronting the prospect of my imminent death with remarkable calm. Perhaps, somewhere in the back of my mind, I was aware that I wasn't actually likely to plunge into the lake and die.