Louise

^ I just can't even imagine (and no I don't want to search Google Images thank you very much) naked people on a flying coaster such as Air, where everything would just... Dangle. *shudder* Ewww.

I know I'm a few pages late, but I think I can relate to this and the other post you made about being a 25 year old single female and therefore I should probably respond. I'd met Robb twice and Elissa once before the trip, but I knew they were gonna be pretty damn busy on the trip and figured I'd just hang out with them as and when I could, but apart from that, I was a single 20 year old female who didn't know anybody. I was actually really pleased that Karen and Nicole were signed up for the trip, as they were "unaccompanied" females also (ie no husband/boyfriend/father with them), so I knew at least I wasn't the only one. However, in the weeks preceding the trip, Nicole and Derek became an item, and I found out that Karen had been on the 2002 Coaster Odyssey trip and therefore knew quite a few people, which put me back into my "only unaccompanied female" niche and worried me slightly. I'm a pretty outgoing person and know I can talk to and make friends with pretty much anybody, so I wasn't too worried, but still, everybody has insecurities and nerves, and I was a little concerned... Anyways. What was funny was, there were probably a dozen people on the trip I'd had a fair amount of online contact with and had spoken to on a regular basis in the months leading up to the trip, yet I barely spent any time with them! Don't get me wrong, I got along fine with them all, and we had a laugh and a joke when we were in the same place at the same time, but inevitably, groups form, and that's not necessarily a bad thing. On the first day, I ended up with a particular group of people, and I spent most of the rest of the trip with those people (by choice), but it was NOT exclusive cliques, people dropped in and out, I still got to spend plenty of time with other people, etc etc. As far as the people go, the trip was nothing like I expected. With two notable exceptions, the people I spent the most time with were people I had had ZERO contact with online, I might have read their introduction posts on the UK board, but I didn't remember them, and I knew nothing about them. Out of those people, I'm still in pretty good contact with at least three, and I expect to stay good friends with a bunch of them for a very long time, hell, a couple of us already have plans to travel together and meet up in the future. Anyway, I have a tendency to be longwinded, but what I'm saying is, don't worry for a second, although little groups are made, all the groups intermingle and get along fine, and if you do one of these trips, chances are you'll make friends for life, I know I made at least a couple. There are some jokes which are in-jokes for everybody on the trip, and each little group had its own little jokes which nobody else will get, but it's all in fun, and as long as you're considerate to other peoples' personal space, nobody will have the slightest issue with you, and you'll have a fantastic time. Everybody looks out for each other. Robb comes over to where I live for work every once in a while and he asked for some honest feedback from me when he was last here (and then he stood me up, but whatever ), and I was honestly wracking my brains trying to think of some bad points to give him. I really can't. If you have any doubts, PLEASE feel free to PM me, if you do a future trip you'll be in the same situation as I was, and I can speak pretty frankly about it all. Just my two cents. *Edited spelling and grammar!

I never understood ANY of the draws of myspace until I got Facebook, which is kinda the official-universities-myspace-thing. Facebook, I love. The difference is, only people who have some connection with me actually have contact with me (ie - my real friends, or people I consider to be my real friends), whereas with myspace, anybody can read anything about you and want to be on your "friends" list. However, I do know now that you can make your profile private and stuff, which I guess makes a difference. Still, give me Facebook any day of the week. Myspace to me is just... Fanboy land or something.

Yeah, I don't think any major company is stupid enough to hire a park out to a hate-organisation. Unless it's one that masquerades itself as a political party, I wouldn't put the BNP past being able to get their own day. I'd be interested to know if the person who says they were glad the Muslim Day was cancelled would object to the nudist day that's coming up.

I'm guessing when you say acronyms to do with ride manufacturers you may have seen B&M, which is Bolliger & Mabillard. If you look at the lefthand sidebars on http://www.coasterforce.com they have Technical Info, Manufacturers, and other useful stuff on separate pages there that might help you out.

I'm currently rubbing my hands with glee at the idea of meeting more Australians on future trips....

^ Yeah, that's what I figured. You were going for consistency. What the heck is it with the British and "Pleasure"... I can honestly say it isn't a word I use THAT often!

Click on the profile button at the top of the screen, then click on Profile, Profile Settings, and then Notification. Click the NO button, and that oughta do it.

Nice pics Paul! I liked the pictures you took of the Star after we left that first night in Blackpool, I never noticed how pretty a building it is in the dark! You DO know that it's Pleasureland, not Pleasure BEACH, right? Nice TRs.

^ I was so shocked that like EVERY one of your UK pics was in focus!! At least, all the ones I saw...

Really great TR Derek, hilarious captions! I adore Sea World, they've added so much since I was last there, can't wait to get back. New camera since the UK? What is it? Pictures came out really great. (And the two little girls are adorable by the way.)

^ If Speed at Oakwood is anything to go by, so far I'd say it's good, I loved that thing!

As far as past "fads" go, I think anything that was a unique "one trick pony" that has now been made into something more substantial would certainly count. Oblivion, for example, is still something that the GP flock to at Alton, and something that many enthusiasts (including myself) really enjoy, but I'm much more excited about eventually (probably in like three years, ha) getting to ride Sheikra in the future, because it's an expansion on that basic idea. The technology has been much expanded upon and made into something arguably better, which renders Oblivion SOMEWHAT redundant. I also agree with whoever talked about biggest/fastest/tallest coasters, generally speaking as soon as something even bigger/faster/taller comes along, they will instantly lose popularity, with the general public at least.

Yeah yeah, okay, you win. There's so much I want to respond with comparing you to a gerbil but this is a PG-13 board....

Suddenly being Daron's roommate doesn't seem like such a scary idea, in comparison at least... Rich, you scare me!

^ Wow, I'm glad I wasn't your roommate...

I long for the day that Robb forgets who I am!

MMMM, Dunkin' Donuts!! Another HILARIOUS TR Rich, glad you finally got the hammer you craved so much!

I love the respect people have for me around here.

^ Spookily accurate!

^ I THINK it was Ted... Somebody on the trip fell in love with it at one of the hotels and wanted to steal some to take home. In fact, probably wasn't Ted, he's a klepto, woulda just taken it without a second thought if he wanted it.

^ You're lame without trying, don't worry!! Paul is obsessed with trying to get the mathematical equations relating to the site correct.

Aren't like 40% of the male members on the site gay?!

LOL at Colin and I and our simultaneous shared thoughts!

Jow is obsessed with Schwarzkopf, and all Scandinavian countries, including ones he's never been to, and ones containing cities he shares a last name with.