aimster

I was thinking about going NYE and having some fun, but it's probably going to be insanely crowded and just not worth it (will just hang out with the boyfriend and get dinner & drinks instead). I have a 2 year annual pass that doesn't expire until the middle of January 2013, so I'll do another run at the park next month sometime. Since I start my new job this Tuesday, no more weekday visits for me for awhile (sucks because I've really enjoyed the almost non-existent crowds on weekdays the last 3 months... you get spoiled after awhile). I'm actually hoping for a kind of cold day next time I go so I can wear my panda hat and be a dork.

I got: -Sony wifi Blu-Ray DVD player -a bunch of DVDs (Harry Potter 7 part 2, Muppet Show season 3, The Great Muppet Caper, Newsies...) -Samsung HD waterproof pocket video camera -gift cards (Panera Bread, Sephora, Dunkin Donuts, Kohl's) -Nile Rodgers' autobiography -a Beatles book and the recent issue of Life magazine remembering George Harrison -a Tampa Bay Rays print of the first pitch of Game 1 of the 2008 World Series (which is extra special as I was at that game) -Stevie Wonder: The Definitive Collection CD -a knit panda laplander hat -a bottle of Philosophy Toasted Marshmallow shower gel/bubble bath -loads of candy It was a good day.

Update to my list: Busch Gardens Tampa: around 30 times at least (I didn't count) Magic Kingdom Epcot Hoping 2012 will be a MUCH better year for me park-wise.

Well I'm not going to be able to make either of the events at the beginning of January now. I finally found a new job (got laid off 3 months ago) and I start next Tuesday. So weekday things are totally OUT for me for the time being (until I'm there for awhile and can rack up some vacation time/personal time). I'll be totally in for anything that falls on a Saturday/Sunday though... or even a Friday night possibly.

Here's my tree. It's a "hand me down" from my mom as she used to have it up in the house up north, but no use for it now since they come to Florida for the winter now and already have a tree for the house here. And yes those are my Duffy bears in front of it.

My closet is like the back room of a shoe store. I've lost track of how many pairs of shoes/boots I own but it's probably close to 100. But I'm a chick so.... I have a slight shoe addiction. Right now I wear my Skechers D-Lites when I go to any parks or know I'll be doing a lot of walking. They're comfy and light. Otherwise, I pretty much live in heels/boots the rest of the time. My current favorites are my Diba boots:

Kronenbourg 1664 last weekend. Freaking LOVE that beer.

My boyfriend got free tickets to see Dream Theater in October when they came to town (he knows a guy on their road crew) and he asked if I wanted to tag along. For some reason I said yes. They were definitely NOT my cup of tea and wasn't my boyfriend's either. I'm hoping to maybe see Adam Ant when he comes to Orlando in February, but technically my next concert will be a David Bowie tribute show in a couple weeks to celebrate his 65th birthday. A bunch of local bands will be covering his stuff and one band I'm friends with is reforming for the show and will be performing the "Ziggy Stardust" album in its entirety! That should be awesome as they did a kick-ass cover of "side 2" of The Beatles "Abby Road" album almost 10 years ago.

In regards to Coke/Pepsi thing.... I like it for the most part. I'll miss my Mountain Dew, but when it comes down to colas, I prefer Coke over Pepsi.

Right now train 2 is the only train on Montu that has the new black OTSR. That train has been in operation (back from refurb) since October at least. Eventually all the trains will get the same treatment. I do like the yellow ones better, they they look so grubby and show dirt too fast. The black ones will look "new" much longer. What I think Busch Gardens needs is a dark ride of some sort. They have the building for Ackbar's Adventure tours just sitting there pretty much unused (except during Howl-O-Scream). They should do something with that or build something entirely new. I'm not much for the "spin & puke" flat rides anymore. I love me some coasters, but the flat rides get to me sometimes. I'd love to see something "slow paced" for people who don't/can't do coasters and thrill rides to have something to enjoy besides the shows and animal exhibits. I'd also love to see them do more with the Walkabout Way area and add some more animals native to Australia for people to see, like wombats and koalas.

Silver Dollar City looks like a really nice park. One of these days I need to get my butt over there for a visit. Oh and the food looks awesome.

Cheetah Hunt today.

Wow that really takes me back! I haven't been to Cedar Point since 1990. We used to go pretty much every summer when I was a kid and we always stayed at the Camper Village. That was cool because we got to use the back entrance to the park by Gemini. And I remember going to that Sea World that used to be in Ohio back in the late 80's. I remember the big pearl diving pool and I still have the pearl ring I had made up from the pearl I got.

Yay! I had such a great time hanging out with you and everyone that day. The turtle porn still cracks me up! And yes I still want to take one of those wallabys home with me. Oh and I want to thank you guys again for helping me build the courage to do the houses during HOS. Once I got over my initial freak out, I was having a blast (until that one vamp snuck between Shawn & I and scared the crap out of me in the vampire casino house ). Hope we can all do it again next year! I'm going to Busch Gardens tomorrow and will tell the roos you say "hello".

I usually hit Living With the Land first thing in the morning when everyone else is running to Soarin' or Test Track. I'll have a quick breakfast at Sunshine Seasons, then go on the boat ride. Great way to start the morning.

That's Wonderland! This was supposed to be a Disneyland clone but it was obviously never completed and now just sitting there, rotting away. That photo in the OP is kind of creepy and fascinating at the same time.

Yeah Living With the Land really doesn't need FastPass usually, but around lunchtime the line can get pretty long because a lot of people will ride it just before or just after eating lunch since the Sunshine Seasons food court is right there too.

You want slow ride ops? Go on Gwazi. They are the slowest at Busch Gardens, bar none. I go to the park at least twice a month, and Gwazi always has the slowest load/unload I have ever experienced. Sheikra has always had pretty quick load/unload when I ride it, but I don't ride that one every time because that first drop really freaks the bejebus out of me. I do agree the ride ops need to spend less time socializing and focus on doing the job they're being paid to do. One time on Kumba I saw half a dozen employees in the control tower just chatting away and having their own little party from the look of it, which irritated me a bit. I should have said something to guest services on my way out. If I see something like that again I definitely will. I want to try the full-day coaster tour sometime. I've done the Montu one twice now and really enjoyed it both times. Maybe next spring if it's still being offered.

I sent you a reply back, Robb!

I've done 3 Disney parks in a day (started at the Studios for a few hours, took the boat to Epcot and then ended at Magic Kingdom (which was open til 3am for extra magic hours for resort guests... I lasted until about 1:30am and was ready to drop).

OMG I love it! Yay Big Mike! I've played this a few times but either can't grab anything or I grab it and get denied at the last moment. Story of my life.

Cedar Downs at Cedar Point. When I was a kid, my friends & I used to bet quarters on which of our horses would "win". A Matterhorn/Music Express running a good programs always gets high marks too.

The video of Robb grabbing the guy with the claw is hilarious! I had to share it on my Facebook.

"And that's what you call an evasive maneuver!"

When I was a kid, I always wanted to stay at the Opryland Hotel. The conservatories/gardens is one of my favorite places in the world (especially at night), and it looks like the ones at the Gaylord Palms look very similar. I'm thinking of going to Orlando one day next week just to hang out for awhile and maybe visit the Gaylord Palms for a couple hours to check it out. ICE looks neat, but I lived in Michigan for 25 years and I'm really not keen on experiencing ice and snow ever again (even in a controlled environment). I moved to Florida to get away from that crap.