Philrad71

With Thanksgiving coming up, I thought I would share this one with the group: Corn Pudding 2 - 11oz can corn, drained 7 tbsp butter 3 tbsp flour 1-1/2 tsp salt 4 tbsp sugar 1 egg 1 cup of milk > Beat butter, flour, salt, sugar and egg together > Add milk and corn > Bake in greased casserole dish at 350 degrees for 30 minutes > Yield: 3 to 5 servings I know that corn and pudding in the same sentence sounds gross, but this has become an instant favorite with the family at Thanksgiving dinner!

Awesome update, Shane! What I wouldn't give if they still had a good German restaurant with (gasp) beer! And of course...the Electric Rainbow, Galaxi and being able to see trolls & wizards along with The Sylvers & Freddy Fender would all rock steady.

Here is the Drop Tower sign at KI, Larry...hope this helps!

Coaster poll virgin...but I did it!!!! Top five El Toro Ravine Flyer II Big Dipper (SBNO) Geauga Lake The Beast Silver Comet Bottom five Rolling Thunder Predator Hurler Wilde Beast Son of Beast (SBNO)

Is there a sway or flexibility spec for new wooden coasters? I remember the year Mean Streak opened, the wood swayed on the station end turn-arounds...it was very noticeable. The next year, they didn't move at all. Not sure if this was due to the wood "settling" or whether they went in and re-stabilized? I know, I know...Mean Streak sucks regardless of sway or no sway. Tear it down, burn it down...yadda yadda, yadda!

When we used to have shop picnics at Midway Park, I would create lists for the order in which I was going to ride all of the rides. I would plan this for days in advance and usually create more than one. I think I was about eight or nine at the time... I think that this was probably the defining moment where I knew I was a total amusement park nerd. One time, I even tried riding the rides in alphabetical order for God's sake! Also where other young teen boys were treating their bodies like an amusement park, I actually was fantasizing about going to theme parks! Not THOSE kinds of fantasies mind you - I don't want to marry a ride, or engage in sexual relations with one, but I would frequently break out my amusement park brochures during the offseason and day-dream about the next time I got to go to an amusement park. Whew...I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders! I finally have admitted I have a problem and am a total theme park/coaster geek...even though I still suck at Andy Shine's quizzes! Is this like my 1st step to recovery??? Oh well, better than being in denial, I guess...

Great trip report! Brussels does look like a pretty city...any shots of the Belgian fries??

Great job on the pictures...very original! I could tell you waited for a lot of trains to get the best possible coaster shots - well done! It will be strange to not see Demon Drop at the front of the park now. Glad that I was able to get one final ride on it this past September.

Hi folks! This will be the last installment of our big European adventure to Germany and Amsterdam...and (unfortunately) my last TR of 2009. Last day in Amsterdam, we toured the Heineken museum and did a night-time wine and cheese canal tour. Amsterdam is a very beautiful city at night, although I will say that I was disappointed in the way most of my pictures turned out. Don't worry, I promise not to bore you with too many non-theme park pictures...okay, maybe just a few! Centraal Station at night...can't wait to get back to Amsterdam and Germany - hopefully very soon! Thanks for reading! The views from the canal were spectacular, but I sure wish the pics would have come out better. See those feet? Yes, there are pissers on the street and those are my feet! This is really where Jim Morrison went...he never died in Paris contrary to what people say. He opened up his own Doors coffee shop in Amsterdam! After receiving several generous credit donations from some of the tee-totalling guests, we headed out of the Heineken Experience well sated and a bit buzzed! We ended our last night with an awesome wine and cheese canal cruise. What a great way to see Amsterdam at night! Coasters or beer? God, that's a tough one! They even had virtual drink coasters! Here you get to use your credits for two tasty glasses of regular Heineken or the kick-ass-not-served-in-America Extra Cold Heineken! After more virtual exhibits, you enter the last leg of the tour....the bar! Inside of the mini-keg! After getting two smallish glasses to savor, you get to see how the bottling process works. After a cool virtual ride where you get bottled as delicious Heineken, you empty out into the tasting room! But we really did get to don an apron and stir the wort! They let me open the valve to one of the big-ass beer vats! (kidding) The museum winds through about five floors of artifacts, history and interactive exhibits...it is definitely the coolest brewery tour I have ever taken! After a virtual welcome on a large screen tv simulator, I get to look like a beer wench...yay! I must admit these arms look manlier than my own! ...which includes two "credits" for free beer at the end of the tour! They also give you a Heineken bracelet to wear... When you get your tickets, you are greeted by a nice looking ticket- taker lady that loves to pose for photos! People here are soooo friendly! In addition to a really cool museum and brewery, they also have a great store where I managed to buy $75 worth of merchandise! Okay, enough serious talk...time for BEER! Not too far from that was the Homomonument which consisted of three giant pink granite triangles which made up one giant triangle that jutted out into one of the canals. This is a public memorial to remember all gays and lesbians harassed, imprisoned, or exececuted in WWII and beyond. Although it was too large to capture a picture, it was a very nicely designed memorial! We also took a sobering tour of the Anne Frank Huis. In addition to visiting Dachau in Germany, it really provided a grim, albeit depressing view into WWII and the Nazi occupation. Really sad that this family had to endure being cooped up in this tiny attic to avoid being put into the concentration camps, only to be caught and taken into custody. And who knew that Gouda came from here? I didn't! Before beer, we must visit more cultural stuff. How could we visit Holland without seeing windmills? Did you know that windmills perform a variety of functions and tasks? Neither did I! The one we went in used the wind power to grind nuts into oil. Sounds painful yes, but it really was a fascinating process!

^ Mmmmm...curry mayonnaise and onions! Sounds awesome! I sure wish that most places here in the States took their fries more seriously. You cut the bag of frozen fries open, throw them in the deep fryer and salt before serving and let the rest sit under a heat lamp for an hour. Usually, they end up tasting bland or extremely greasy. I don't recall getting any "limp" fries in my cone at Manneken Pis! Our impressions of Germany and Amsterdam are one's that will never be forgotten. We hope to get back to both some day, but this trip made us realize just how friendly and accomodating European folks are to us Americans! We really did have the time of our lives!

Actually, my fries turned out pretty good last night! I even slathered them in mayo, although I had tried a recipe for home-made mayo that tasted like ass...so I scrapped that and reverted back to Hellmans mayo. Next time, I might even buy some tartar sauce as that is the way I used to eat McDonalds fries! They weren't nearly as good as the one's we had in Holland, but I will have to practice. I agree that cooking them twice does add some nice crunchiness while keeping the inside soft.

^ Loved the angel comment! Seriously, I definitely would love travel to Belgium on my next adventure...the food in Europe is simply amazing and I know I would love it! I am trying my hand at making Belgian fries right now from a recipe I got off the internet. They are cooling now before the 2nd dip in the deep fryer...can't wait!

Happy Halloween everyone! I am finally back to do my last installment of our European tour: the beautiful city of Amsterdam. While we did not have time to hit up any parks during our quick three day stay, we did manage to see and do a lot of the awesome things in the city. I could definitely live in this city...not that I am into legalized sex, mj, or kick-ass beer! Not sure if I should be offended, or laugh at the name of this store? Don't worry, I don't offend easily! I actually got a great deal on a new skirt w/matching heels here! Thanks for reading - Day Two coming soon featuring the Heineken Experience, windmills and of course....cheese! The coffee here is delicious! Make sure you stop in one of these during your visit. For some reason, this coffee made me hungry and tired though...how strange is that? They even had hanging condoms filled with stuff! The one in the lower right corner must have been John Holmes' or something. Ouch. They had a toy store where you could even by a vibrator that hooked up to your Ipod! Guess that gives a whole new meaning of "groove to the beat" or would that be "beat to the groove"?? This is the famous red-light district. You can't take pics of the ladies of the evening or a big man will come over, take your camera and stomp on it, then throw you in the canal! And yes...they had plenty of things pertaining to that naughty 'S' word! This one was dedicated to the foliage of Holland. After the awesomeness that was Manneken Pis, we decided to walk around a bit. Here is a vodka museum. See, I told you there were a lot of cool museums! Best. Fries. Ever! Of course, you have to eat them how the locals do - slathered in mayonnaise! They have about twenty different toppings for the fries, but we stuck with the most popular...and they didn't disappoint. These are definitely not your typical fast food fries! Manneken Pis translates into "little man urinating!" I believe they are named after a statue in Brussels where he pees into a fountain. Europe rocks so hard! Manneken Pis! Seriously, if you have never had these fries, hop on a plane and get to Europe now! This was one of our favorites: Bitterballen! It was like a meatball with breading that you dipped in spicy mustard. Really good, but not quite as kick ass as... And the awesome food! Ahhh...who are we kidding? We came for the beer! Amsterdam is not only about the legal sex, weed and beer...they have a great selection of must-do art museums like the Rembrandt and Van Gogh. I think this might be Central Terminal on Damrak. Europe has all the cool buildings and stuff. There are a lot of canals and water in Amsterdam, but you already knew that, right? So, why did I mention it? I don't know, dammit!!!! First stop after checking into the hotel...to the city tour bus! Seriously, these are a nice, affordable way to see a city that you have never visited. We did the one in Munich as well. I Amsterdam...yes I am, yes I am!!

^^Wow...awesome videos, Morgan! Watching them made me miss Oktoberfest and realize how much fun it was. I want to go back! I forgot to mention the difference between American and German Schnapps. We got a couple of those small bottles and I was expecting something like McGillicuddy's...it was more like grain alcohol with a slight flavor! That is some strong stuff there!!

^Thank you for the kind comments - glad you liked my report! We did not get to stay at one of the themed hotels at the park because we had already booked a hotel for five nights in Munich well over a year in advance. I kinda wished that we would have been able to stay at the Italian Colosseum themed hotel - that looked great! I will say that Europa is one of the better theme parks I have ever visited. I cannot wait till I get back to Epcot in January...it has been at least fifteen years since I last visited so I will be interested to see all of the changes!

Europa Park - 10/1 First, I want to apologize for the delay in writing this one up. It has been a busy week and with the hack attempt, I figured it would be best to give the folks at TPR a few days to get things back in order. Thanks Robb and Elissa for all your hard work getting the site back up and running and for all the cool free stuff! Anywho, this is the one park that we decided to hit up during our trip to Germany. I had heard plenty of good reviews about Europa and a lot of people saying this was a must-do. I will say that it certainly didn't disappoint! Like Shaggy would say..."like, wow man?" Now I understand the quips about the American theme parks and their lack of theming ('cept Busch/Disney/Universal). This park has amazing theming and charm and getting a chance to visit during the Halloween theming was even better! Some simple things that I love about a good theme park: Clean and beautiful with plenty of good coasters and (of course) good beer! The only downfall was that it was a rather lengthy drive from Munich and the park closed at 6:00 PM, so unfortunately we did not get in all of the rides before closing. It was fun to drive on the Auto-Bahn, but I about crapped when we picked up the rental car (after I had booked an economy) and they hand me the keys to a friggin' full size Mercedes! Auto Bahn? Great fun. Driving in downtown Munich full of narrow, crowded streets with a brand new Mercedes? Get ready to poopen ze pantsen! Ride reviews: Blue Fire: Great addition for this park! The launch was not nearly as forceful as TTD/KK or Storm Runner but it didn't have to be. The hang time on the hill was interesting and the semi-slow corkscrew loop at the end lifted me off my seat (and made me lose all the change in my pocket)! I would like to see more of these coasters built...especially with those awesome (unrestricted) restraints! Silver Star: Another fun B&M hyper. I agree with those who say the trims on the hills have to go. It really takes away from the airtime and speed...but still a good ride. You simply can't go wrong with these coasters. Euro Mir: Biggest surprise in the park. This is without a doubt one of the coolest, original coasters I have ever ridden! We rode in the back backwards facing seat and the turns and spins were simply insane! Not to mention that this coaster takes the cake for coolest, most effed up lift hill ever! Not the scariest ride in the world and definitely not an airtime machine - just a very unique, awesome coaster! Euro Sat: Loved how they transformed this into a giant pumpkin! Not the most thrilling indoor coaster, but definitely kicks the crap out of Disaster Transport. I guess if you had to nitpick one thing about the park would be that they seemed to be lacking in the flat ride department. No biggie for me though as the park more than made up for it with the kick-ass theming and good collection of coasters! PS - Sorry for some of the darker images with the blue background. Not sure how my camera got put on the "Cornflower" setting, but it is something I will have to watch for next time! Yes, I will even miss you too excessive trim brakes on Silver Star....goodbye! (SOB!) Thanks for reading! Alas...the time has come to say goodbye. Goodbye EuroMaus...goodbye Russian TV Santa, goodbye SpookyCorn, goodbye Banana Splits on acid - I love you and will miss you all! Yep, you see right folks...no guard at the train crossing even though the train zips by at about 20MPH! See, the Germans have these things called responsibility and accountability. They assume that you are going to look both ways before crossing the railroad intersections. They assume that you are smart enough to pull down your lap bar on rides and to not be foolish enough to try and stand up on a ride. Therfore, there are no needs for additional seat belts on coasters, stapling, or double/triple checks security - dispatching was amazingly fast! The motto: "Hey, if you were dumb-ass enough to not pay attention and follow the rules then you probably deserved to fail!" God, I love Europe! Here we go with more of this random theming crap again! I am starting to think that Germans REALLY get into Halloween and love them some pumpkins! One of the restaurants, I believe. Wha? No Johnny Rockets, Panda Express, or Papa Johns? Especially statues that can pee out of their own mouth! And who doesn't like theming? While they may have lacked Mr. Roger's, they more than made up for it with great theming! They had a fairy-tale forest that sort of reminded me of Idlewild, but minus the awesomeness that is Mr. Roger's Neighborhood! We didn't get on this one - it sure looked fun though! Sorry for the crappy shot, but this is where you get the extreme hang-time in the barrel-roll. With the unique free-style restraint system, I was a little nervous about falling out! Try putting your hands up through this element! Along with a crazy bit of ejector air here. I'm a fan of big, fat loops! Only a couple pics of Blue Fire to share... More great theming! Fish nets with a fisherman showing why he REALLY likes fish! After the craziness that was Russia, we decided to tone it down a bit with some Scandinavian love. I would not have gotten wet on this rapid's ride if it weren't for those Scandinavian kids with their water cannons - damn you! Note: no seat belts needed on the rapids ride! When we bumped the wall near the waterfall, I was jolted hard enough to almost end up in another riders lap - pure untamed fun...love it! No joke...this is one effed-up coaster! After being chased by Snorky, Fleegle, Bingo and Drooper, we decided to make our escape to the mirrored glass buildings with the spinning coaster attached. The a-bomb must be kicking in pretty heavy now! Did I just say "mirrored glass buildings with a spinning coaster attached"? WTF? When I saw Snorky from the Banana Splits, I was getting very afraid that someone had slipped me a tab of acid during my experience with the Russian transvestite Santa! After being completely mesmerized by "It's a Russian World" we were thrust out of our strange hallucinatory world into the middle of a Halloween parade! Next election, I say we vote this dude in as our new Santa. How could kids not love the baby-blue silk sash and the hair...my God, the frickin' HAIR! I LOVE IT! It's like Jerry Garcia meets Ozzy Osborne (70's version) meets Liberace! I would like to see him with a few more jewels and sequins...maybe even some fish net stockings and a boob job? They had a "It's a Russian World" that was beyond awesome. However, I think it would have been better if they would have played "In a Big Country" by Big Country during the ride. If you are over 30, you might get that one. Let's take a quick trip to Russia! Mmmm...coaster Pr0n! Didn't get on the bobsled run. Too bad, cause it looked like a lot of fun. Hey, I made a rhymes! Children's play area - the slides looked awesome! Holy Sh#t! It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown! Next up...the obligatory Sky Tower shots. Kasplooshen! Any water ride in which you enter through a horse's arse is probably going to crack anyone's Top Ten! It was fun with an acceptable amount of wetness. First ride of the day...our first Aquatrax (I think)! Take note American parks: You must have Spooky-Corn at ALL Halloween events in 2010! I wanted Michael to snuggle up to the saggy-boobed pumpkin-headed German granny, but he was leary that Spooky-Corn was going to drop the punkin' on his head. ...bit! ...tiny... But only a little... Speaking of dead, they were fully decked for Halloween. Euro-Maus likes the green and wears flowers in his hair. Think he has ever visited the Haight or gone to a Dead show? Everything is sooo green at Ooropah, but why is the picture so blue? WTF? Being greeted by some B&M hotness is a very nice way to say: "Welcome, you American drunks!" Mickey's long lost cousin welcomes you to OoropahPahhhk. Hoorah, it's Euro-Maus...we're finally here! I wanted to have Michael take a pic when I was going 180KM, but I think he was too busy crapping his pants! This was almost as good as a bonus credit! It was interesting to try and use the German GPS! Luckily, I had mapped out the drive from the car rental to Europa so no worries there! So we rent a car from Sixt and I am expecting a small compact. This was what they gave us...holy crap!

^ Sorry, George! I had to travel to Maine, Boston and back this past weekend, so it was quite hectic with a quick turn-around. I will get to Europa tomorrow, I promise! I certainly appreciate your enthusiasm for my reports!

Yes! Michael pointed that out to me when I was showing him the report. I don't know why I was thinking it was unt! Thanks for helping me out with my Deutsch - glad you liked the report!

Here is the last part of Oktoberfest...last night and probably the most buzzed I was the entire time we were in Germany. I managed to down 4 Mas in the beer tent for the closing ceremonies and then two more back at the bar near the hotel. Needless to say, I wasn't in the greatest shape for our last day in Munich, but it was well worth it. What an awesome party! Of course, the party didn't stop there...we met up with some fun guys from England at the bar near the hotel for two more Mas! Thanks for reading! Next up: Europa Park & Amsterdam craziness! And that is the end of Oktoberfest. What a great time...I think everyone should try to go at least once in their lifetime! And when the parties over...it's over! I barely had time to finish my Mas when security was ushering us out the door! The place was rockin' for the last song! The band bids their last good-byes... Air guitar for the German version of 'Highway to Hell'? Yeah, we might have been just a little buzzed! Michael picked up the lingo quick and was soon singing along (after several Mas of course)! They were awesome in helping us understand some of the German toasts and were encouraging us to get on the benches and dance to the music! These are more friends we made - Fabian and Angelika. They lived almost right across the street from Oktoberfest! How cool is that? Granny was also gettin' jiggy wit it! Guess we better soak up some of the beer with another giant breze! This is the way things start to look after one too many Mas of beer! They were a lot of fun to party with! However, it did not take her long to hook up with someone else! This gal wanted to hook up on Facebook, but she did not know my dirty lil' secret! Yay...we scored! Last night...we need to find a seat in the beer hall, dammit!

Nice report...I LOVED Europa Park! Wish we would have had more time there, but I was ecstatic that we even got there during our trip to Germany! Quite a long drive from Munich... Look for my photo TR soon! Phil

Update Drei! This time, we'll go back to the midway a bit and focus on some more of the rides. I knew that in order to get a good feel for the layout, we needed a spin on the ferris wheel. Unfortunately, even with a small tripod, a lot of the pictures came out a little blurry (no, we had not been in a beer tent before-hand!) Luckily, the cycle was incredibly long for five Euro and there were some stops to get a few good stills... Last shot from the wheel. Next up...last night at Oktoberfest which means back to the beer tents! Thanks again for reading! Phil Wild Maus from above... I even grabbed a shot of the tire- driven lift for all you lift hill nerds! Ahhh...but here is one I will shell out some Euro to ride - Alpina Bahn! It IS a credit! I was too lame to shell out the Euro to whore myself though. I have already ridden too many coasters to count credits, so counting at this point would make no sense. I dig the Indian in the tight leather shorts tho! Hmmm....hidden credit down there? Oh, those colors...so bright, so beautiful - even when you're sober! Overview of everyone's favorite European carnival junkie - Olympia Looping. I think I want to quit my job and just travel across Europe with Olympia Looping. Hey, it'd be cooler than marrying 1001 Nacht!!! ...and this is the section for the naughty beer chronics like me! This is the family section... Oooh...ahhhh! I had to boot some ogling brat and an old lady out of the way to get this shot! (kidding) Yay...our kick-ass trolley car looking ferris wheel thingie is here! AAAAAAAGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!!!! I'm sorry, but this ride makes me feel very insecure about my manhood! Midway with Star Flyer in the distance. Noooo...I did not do it this time. Fantasy Island and the CNE last year were enough! I think I've seen this one in the States before, but it sure looked awesome. Like a newer version of the Tilt-A-Whirl? God, did this thing look crazy! I really wish that I would have ridden it now! I think Mandeln is German for 'lesbian garden'. Had to get a pic of Michael with the Hurdy-Gurdy man before heading back into the 'fest!

Yes, I will say that the Rams are pretty bad...but how about my B-Bills? * They hosted a Cleveland team yesterday that had lost ten straight games (their last win was in Buffalo last year on Monday night) and lost 6-3. * Derek Anderson completed two passes for seventeen yards for Cleveland - and the Bills still lost. * The Bills O-line committed nine false starts (AT HOME) and thirteen total penalties. Also, several more which were denied by Cleveland. * The return man (Parrish) ran 17 yards backwards on a punt return before getting dumped. Then he topped that off by muffing the punt to hand Cleveland the game. * The offense wasted their final time out on a 3rd and 14 and then came out and passed for a two yard gain. * The Bills retained a head coach that had gone 7-9 the last three seasons in a row. He was rewarded for his incompetence by getting a 9 million per year extension at the end of last season. Now, we are 1-4, hit rock bottom, but our owner "doesn't want to make any coaching changes right now". * All but one of the starting linebackers are injured. Two more were hurt yesterday and are now out for the season. Where the hell is Derrick Brooks?? Oh wait...we would probably have to pay him to play. I think our OLB was pulled from the stands yesterday. * The Bills run a no-huddle offense that can't even muster a first down...then wonder why the defense gets tired and gives up big plays? * Offensive line has about 45 NFL games of experience between them all. * Ten years since the last playoff game. * T.O. is actually one of the more level headed players on the team - I can't believe he hasn't snapped yet! Now that folks....is a total embarrassment for an NFL franchise!!!! But then again at least Rush Limbaugh doesn't want to buy our team! PS - Dan Marino comment on the Bills/Browns game at halftime: "Is this really the NFL?"

Thanks for the nice comments, guys! I was also hoping for a chance to ride EuroStar, but was happy with the Alpina Bahn, Hollenblitz and (of course) Olympia Looping! The flats and the colors are just so much more intense than the one's at the US fairs. Cycle times seemed good too...our cycle on the ferris wheel was at least 10 revolutions, plus the stoppage to load the cars. Some of the spin & pukes looked to be almost too much with their long cycles. I stayed away from those once I started drinking beer!

Oktoberfest - Part Zwei! First, I would like to thank Robb & Elissa for posting my report on the front page - very flattering! This next grouping of pictures are from our first and second nights at Oktoberfest. The beer halls were ridiculously crowded, but we managed to land at a reserved table in the Hofbrau hall with a very nice German family. But I do not want to disappoint my fellow friends at TPR, so here ya go! Part three coming soon - thanks for reading! Our seating area was in the reserved area, so it was not quite as raucous as the center of the hall. However, there were still some ladies that were up dancing on the benches. They also had a strict no-boob-picture-taking policy, so I will not be able to share any with the group. This nice looking young lady spoke fluent English and helped translate some of our conversation to her parents and Aunt/Uncle in German. Very friendly people! This is the awesome German family that let us sit with them in the Hofbrau tent! This one's for Big Mike! Okay, enough fische...back to the beer tents! This is inside the Hofbrau tent. If you don't like fische, than maybe nordseekrabben might be your thing? At first, I thought maggots, but later realized it was only little shrimpies. To the left, filet-o-fish... Bavarian style! Who likes fische? It's literally fish-on-a-stick and is quite popular in Bavaria. What better way to coat your stomach before mass ingestion of beer than to gnash into a dead fish on a stick with your fingers and teeth? Yummy! But before we go back to the beer tents, how 'bout a little Steckerlfische first? Outside the Hacker-Pschorr tent. There are six main Bavarian breweries represented at Oktoberfest: Pschorr, Hofbrau, Lowenbrau, Paulaner, Spaten and Augustiner (oldest brewery). They had security checking bags at every door because of the terrorist threats that came out days earlier. Our first Mas at Oktoberfest was in the beer garden outside the Lowenbrau tent. By this time, we were VERY thirsty! Inside the Lowenbrau tent - here you can see that it is quite crowded. The Lowenbrau Lion! Every couple of minutes, he would wake from his drunken slumber and give a mild roar (or maybe it was a groan?). Yay beer!

LOL! Yes, there were some of those there too! I would imagine that there must be a high case of carpal tunnel syndrome from carrying around all of those 1-L glasses of beer every day. ^^ Wow...that is cool!