Up up and away on my ... paper towel roll? (The laws of physics don't apply in dreams)

I had a flying dream, but it wasn't your usual flying dream where you just soar through the air unaided. No, in my dream I had invented my own flying machine, which consisted of a roll of paper towels and a rope. I had the rope threaded through the roll of paper towels and sat on the roll holding onto the rope with both hands, rather like a swing set. Only, I was able to pull back on the ropes and lift off into the air, then with repeated pulling the ropes and changing my body position (again like on a swing), I was able to fly around a field where people below were throwing frisbees, walking dogs, and so forth. The ends of the rope simply slid along the ground. A man was so impressed with my invention that he followed me into the women's restroom to inquire about it. I admit, I was pretty impressed with myself too. How many people can invent a flying machine with only a roll of paper towels and a rope?Then I woke up and thought, "ha ha ha of course that couldn't work." But I thought about it some more, and decided with a few large modifications, it could. Now, bear with me here because I've never taken Physics or done any sailing, gliding, parasailing, or anything that vaguely resembles flying except in an airplane. So, what if instead of a paper towel roll, I was sitting in a harness with some sort of kite or sail behind? I could control this by using the two ropes. The ropes would have to be attached to something. The most obvious solution that sprang to mind would be wheeled casters, which were inside a metal track that might go in a large oval, like a racetrack. The result would be something similar to parasailing or flying one of those stunt kites that you control with two ropes, only the person in the air would be using the ropes to control the movement.Now, this would be pretty impractical, because nobody would want to build a metal track just for this, and the real fun of flying would be being able to go where you want and not on a fixed track. But it seems to me to be possible, and easier than other types of flying because you could limit how high you went by the length of the ropes and you couldn't get blown off course. It would be just the thing for a wimp like me who loves the idea of flying but would be scared to death to ever use a glider or jump out of a plane with a parachute. If anybody reading this actually knows anything about wind, physics, etc. please comment on the feasibility.All of this and the recent career meme has got me thinking about creativity in the arts and sciences (why doesn't our science and math teaching emphasize creative problem solving more and so forth) and I feel a rant coming on, but alas it will have to wait because I have to sing in church in about 45 minutes.