jmicha

I graduated in 2007, but know how good of a feeling of graduating high school is. It may be bittersweet, but it's a lot of fun. One thing to know is that anyone that ever told you that high school is the best four years of your life is lying to you lol. College is significantly better. Good luck to all those either going out into the workforce, college, or anything else.

^I can definitely see that. Honestly, I thought that Latter Days was almost over when Aaron was being sent home and Christian went to find him in Salt Lake City. Then I realized it was only about half way through and was like, oh, never mind lol. But I still really liked it. It was corny in many ways, but that doesn't really bother me. I watched Edge of Seventeen the other night, and I liked it also. Doesn't hurt that the main character works at Cedar Point (although the coaster enthusiast in me had to point out all of the things that were visible in the park that weren't actually around in 1984 lol). I can't really relate to the type of person the main character was since I'm a heck of a lot more straight than I am gay, but the character Rod reminded me quite a bit of my first...boyfriend...if you can call him that lol. So I connected with that. And Maggie really reminded me of my good friend Sarah. We had a similar relationship, although I never actually let it go anywhere beyond making out once before I decided to stop lying to myself, so again, I connected with the movie in that way. I'd give it a 7.5/10. The biggest problem I had with it was that the ending, although not even remotely surprising, still felt like it just kind of showed up suddenly. I don't know what else I wanted the movie to do lol, but I wanted something more when it was done. I'd still suggest it to anyone though, as it is a good story (with Cedar Point lol).

^I agree. I've been to all the major Orlando parks, and IoA and US are tied for my favorites. Depending on the day, either one can be my favorite. The Disney parks are all at the bottom of my list (not that this means much since all of the major Orlando parks are amazing lol). I love going during the off season and being able to do absolutely everything between the parks multiple times then finishing off the day with dinner at CityWalk. Now I miss it I really need to get back sometime soon.

But when you look at IoA, the percentage of rides completely out in the open isn't really any different than, say, The Magic Kingdom. Really when you think about it, a greater portion of the rides at The Magic Kingdom are exposed to the public eye in some way. IoA is the same way. Most are visible, but not all are. Spiderman, The Cat in the Hat, Poseidon's Fury, and The 8th Voyage of Sinbad are completely out of view. And Ripsaw Falls and Jurassic Park River Adventure are only visible for a small portion of their circuits. This is quite similar to The Magic Kingdom. Basically all of the rides in Fantasyland and Mickey's Toon Town Fair are fully exposed, and BTMR, Splash Mountain, and The Jungle Cruise are all somewhat exposed in similar ways to the major rides at IoA. There are quite a few other fully exposed rides throughout the other areas (People Mover (or whatever it's called), Astro Orbitor, Autopia, and several other smaller kids' rides. There are a few more rides at Magic Kingdom that aren't at all visible than at IoA, but I would hardly say that it is a park with all of its rides exposed like a fair. And sometimes, exposing rides makes more sense with the theme. For example, Pteranodon Flyers is meant to make it seem like pteranodons are flying overhead. I respect your opinion since everyone is entitled to their own, but I'm just trying to understand why you feel that IoA is just an glorified Six Flags.[/i]

^That's exactly it. Revolution opened first, therefore it was the first modern day coaster with a vertical loop.

That's awesome news! I can't wait to see testing videos of this beast. I'm most excited to see the speed at which the non-inverting is taken, as well as some of the lower twisty portions. I can't wait for my (potential) trip next winter. This ride and Manta are going to definitely up the awesome factor of Orlando's parks.

^Speaking of which, I just watched Latter Days with Steve Sandvoss (mmm) and Wes Ramsey. It was predictable in pretty much everything it did, but it was a good film. And I'm pretty sure everyone can relate to Sandvoss' character in one way or another. I found it hard not to become really attached to his character. Doesn't hurt that he's incredibly good looking lol. But that's not why his character is so easy to like. He's a genuinely nice guy in the movie (and from what I've heard in real life also) and his intelligence (cum laude graduate from Harvard) is apparent in this role, which is always a plus with characters in movies. The story was typical, but the way the movie was made really struck me on an emotional level. For this I give it a solid 8/10. [/i]

^Oh how nice that would be lol. They just need to have someone controlling the station instead of leaving it to be a free-for-all. The way it's designed isn't very friendly for organization. Basically a backwards funnel meaning it is hard to tell who is waiting for what line when there are so many people in the station.

^Lol, I'd agree with you on that. Most of the time I ride Mantis, I end up in pain. This is the only coaster I have ever really felt any discomfort on. And it's obvious that most of the GP feels this way too (well from my experiences). Nothing like a moment of silence after "how was your ride!" to show how little the people riding enjoyed it. But there are times (mostly when the trims are off) that the ride can actually be quite enjoyable. It's weird, it really is a hit or miss thing for me. I think it all depends on how I'm feeling that day. If it's hot out and I'm exhausted from the day in the sun, I generally don't enjoy standing up while riding. But if it was a cooler day and there weren't many lines (lines make my feet hurt so much more than walking) then I generally really enjoy the ride. I had a mini marathon on it with my friend and her younger brother one year and it was amazing. The park was dead and the longest we had to wait was for Maverick which was a twenty minute wait. Everything else was a station wait or less. We rode something like 8 times in a row, bringing the total for the ride up to 10 that day as well as riding Dragster, Millennium Force, Magnum, and Raptor several times in a row each. I really enjoyed the ride that day. The next visit, however, was packed and I only got on 6 rides the entire day. Mantis was one of them and after standing in a two hour line in 95 degree heat, the last thing I really wanted to do was be put through the torture of standing up on the ride. I came off dizzy and quite uncomfortable. I had to sit down for about twenty minutes before I wanted to go ride the next ride.

I don't know how it ranks up against some of the better coasters in the country or even world since I, unfortunately, haven't been on many coasters, but I like Magnum because it is rough and poorly designed. I like being beaten up a little on rides. In its final days, I'd still ride The Villain in the back seat several times in a row. I was even asked by one of the ride ops what the heck I was doing and how I could stand sitting back there for more than one ride. I don't know why, but I find being thrown around fun. It's a nice compliment to the immensely smooth coasters being built these days. I wouldn't say that it's one of the best rides in the world because I know many do not share this opinion with me, but I make sure to get several rides on it when I'm at the Point. And it's usually the ride I end my day with. I always park in the Soak City parking lot, so I will always marathon on it at the end of the day until they close the line. My best Cedar Point memory was riding Magnum about a dozen times in a row closing day 2006. The line was empty, trims were off, the air was frigid, I was shivering and tired, but my friend and I kept riding. The airtime was quite painful on the return run and I ended up with bruises on my thighs, but I didn't care, it was a blast.

^Lol, although not quite as funny to me as the Cleveland videos (maybe it's because I'm biased since I'm from Cleveland) the dreadhawk parts were hilarious. I almost spit my drink all over my Mac lol. Although I guess that taking a drink while watching a funny video is probably not the best idea

^I respect your opinion, and I understand where you are coming from which is why I don't want to argue with you. Obviously our opinions on the matter are different and we believe different things are possible with the current circumstances surrounding OTR. This is why I think we should agree to disagree since there is really no need to to argue over the issue or for me to call you ignorant or you to tell me I have no idea what I'm talking about. It's just a case of differing opinions, and obviously you are a respected member of these boards, and I don't want to sound like I think you are incapable of understanding the situation, since you obviously have experience living significantly longer in Cincy than I have and you've formed your opinion on the neighborhood because of that. I haven't been there quite two years yet, but from what I've seen has appeared positive to me, and maybe this will change with time, but currently I feel OTR is headed in the right direction. And hopefully if the city gets its act together and builds the streetcar OTR will see a jump in the pace of which these projects are being completed. I say we let it be and stop highjacking this thread lol. My bad people, my bad

I'm excited for my trip to the Point in a couple of weeks. I'm looking forward to this new sign and getting back to my second favorite ride, Maverick. Oh how I want some awesome triangular Arrow hills in my life right about now, followed up with some crazy beyond-vertical airtime complimentary of Intamin.

Lol, whatever. If you're blind enough to not see the improvements that have been made and ignorant enough to tell someone you don't even know they have no clue what they're talking about, I really don't feel like discussing the matter with you. How about that Cleveland tourism video. Tis quite funny

...I may not be a native, but OTR's crime rate has dropped significantly and is only slightly higher than that of the surrounding areas. And all the investment that has gone into it has resulted in some astonishing projects. Hardly shoveling money into an incinerator... It's fairly ignorant to say that a "ghetto will always stay a ghetto." Look at many other cities for examples of the slums turning around. Harlem in New York is a great example. Yes, it's still far from a perfect neighborhood, but if you look at before and after pictures of it, the amount of improvement is astonishing. I recently researched quite a few of the real estate trends in Cincinnati to gage my demographics for my studio project, and my results found that OTR is the fastest growing part of the urban core. The people moving there are mainly young professionals and empty-nesters. Hardly the types of people you'd consider from the "ghetto." Is OTR still a trouble spot? Of course it is. A walk down Vine (if you feel safe enough to do so) will show you that. But saying that it will not improve (or hasn't already) is not the truth. Cincinnati's population is growing (which is impressive for a city in this economy) and OTR is responsible for a good portion of the increase in the population of the core of the city.

^^No, those planters had overgrown pine trees, basically blocking the line, and there wasn't a large sign marking what ride the entrance was even for. People were very easily confused by the ride's line and were often unable to actually find Magnum's entrance.

Lol, I'm from Cleveland and I think they're funny. I love Cleveland, but frankly, the way the city is run is just awful. There is basically zero confidence left in the city. Public projects take forever, and private investment is always hitting snags along the way. Honestly, if the city doesn't get its act together, it's going to have a serious problem in the upcoming years. Cities in very similar situations are giving a significantly better effort to better their cities. Take Cincinnati for example. Very similar issues and setbacks, yet the amount of investment in the city right now is actually quite high. The Banks (similar in style to the now stalled Flats) is finally undergoing construction and is quite impressive to see under construction. Queen City Square phase 2 is also under construction (Cincinnati's tallest building) and Over-the-Rhine is seeing a massive amount of rehabilitation going on making it quite the up and coming neighborhood in Cincy. The currently proposed streetcar will bring a significant amount of business to the city when/if (hopefully when, not if) it's built. Cleveland needs people with this type of confidence in order to remove these images that currently plague the city. But on a less serious note, these videos are still hilarious. My favorite is the "come see our two buildngs." Lol, even though there are technically three major skyscrapers, I found that part quite funny. People need to not take such offense to videos like these. It is all fun and games and honestly, they could learn something from them as this is the general reputation that Cleveland currently has.

^^^That ride actually looks like a blast. Very simple concept with (most likely) amazing results. I'd love to ride a ride like that.

^Technically yes, but a coaster trip is much more memorable than a pile of random crap lol. Unless that random crap is VERY GOOD random crap

^^^It's probably because Orlando's isn't really 2:57. As far as I know, it's closer to 2 minutes, so maybe Orlando added in the load/unload time into the attraction time (which many parks seem to do. If you ever look at the "official" time of a ride and time a POV, rarely ever are they the same). Maybe they consider the load/unload time for ROTM to be around one minute, and that's where the extra minute comes from (if they are indeed the same ride).

^Lol, well it wasn't fully aimed at him, it was more of the fact that this kid was just trying to talk about his car and has basically been made fun of for four pages. I'm not a fan of adding parts to cars that aren't necessary, but if he wants to spend his money on adding a scoop or a spoiler, let him, it'll stimulate his local economy lol. It's a hobby just like any other (just like riding roller coasters) and he's being put down because of it. I understand it's basically all just joking and messing around, but some of it is a little too much. And I know what you mean about your parents looking at you like you're crazy for spending money on something like this. The most I've ever spent on my car was $700...to replace the massive hole in my exhaust and broken catalytic converter. But I know plenty of people that want to change the aesthetics of their cars and I have no problem with this. It's not hurting anyone and at least he's not adding spinners, vinyls, underglow, etc. His additions, although unnecessary, are tastefully done, so I give him props for customizing his car to his liking.

^No offense, but he is only 18. Frankly, isn't that the point of parenting? To provide for your kid until they are capable of fully providing for themselves? I don't necessarily agree with parents buying their kids new cars (I got a lovely 1994 Honda Accord. Love it though lol) but why would he have to pay rent or buy his own groceries? I think the negative undertone you wrote that with isn't really appropriate since he's still in high school. 99 percent of people at that age live(d) under the same circumstances as he does. Myself included. Just because someone doesn't pay for rent or buy their own groceries at that age doesn't mean anything other than their parents are providing properly for them. At least he's not driving around in an insanely expensive car as I see happen all the time. Most expensive car I've ever seen a kid his age or younger driving around in was a Maserati Gran Turismo. Daddy got a promotion and wanted to buy his only son a present. A Dodge Avenger, although very nice for a teenager, is not an absurdly expensive or nice car. Honestly, I think it's pretty appropriate of a vehicle for an 18 year old.

^I think that's the case for most things in this society. We really don't understand how much time and effort actually goes into anything until we have to do it ourselves. Construction is certainly one of those things. Building anything large scale is very time consuming and labor intensive, but we seem to be quick to forget this and complain when things are not on schedule (although honestly, I didn't notice any real negative comments towards the delay of this ride, which is a very nice change of pace. Very mature group of people this site has lol). I give these workers props for working so diligently to get this ride completed. I'm excited for my (potential) trip next winter so I can ride this beast and Manta.

When I first got my license, my insurance was never more than $90 a month. That's mostly because I have a perfect driving record, graduated Cum Laude from my high school, drive a 1994 Honda Accord (still going strong lol), and the biggest part, my insurance agent is my neighbor. He was able to work in some discounts that wouldn't have been able to be had if we went through someone else. I think for the four people in my family that drive to be insured on all five of our cars is around $5000 a year. The most expensive to insure is my dad's 1992 Mustang. Only he and my mom are insured to drive that vehicle, but that bumps up the cost of insurance quite a bit.

^^That's actually exactly what I was thinking when I saw that lol. And it will be for a greater period of time too since the hill is significantly longer than Maverick's drop. Should be insane.