printersdevil78

I always buy a ticket when the jackpot tops $200 million. The plan at my house, should we ever win, is to take the annual payments and immediately put half in the bank each year after taxes. That way, instead of getting 26 annual payments, it's more like getting 52 annual payments. This, of course, is after retaining a lawyer and financial advisor, and possibly forming a trust or LLC to claim the winning ticket--no sense in putting our names out there if we don't have to. We figure we'll be obligated to give a little each year to our parents and siblings to maintain peace in the family (my parents say they wouldn't care one way or the other--and they probably wouldn't--but I know Kelly's family and my sister would). My best friend and I also have a long-standing agreement that if either of us wins the lottery, we will buy the other a beach house. I'd probably buy one for me, as well. After that, I'd like to set up a charitable trust to make even bigger donations to the causes I support now, including the Jaycees, my former high school band and the forthcoming Treat Street Foundation (which will promote Halloween safety). I probably wouldn't quit work immediately, but would probably time my departure to coincide with the fiscal year. Kelly says she's not sure she would quit working at all, but likely would scale back a bit or move into more of a consulting role. From there, I figure we'll take our friends and family--pretty much re-using my wedding invitation list--on a week-long trip to Walt Disney World. Then spend a long, long time traveling the world. Once I return, I'd like to get busy purchasing some land to build my own amusement park and drive-in theater. Even if I hit the "big one," It would be foolish to go out and hire GCI or someone like that to build an amazing wooden coaster--with that kind of money, I can buy season passes to every park in the nation and let someone else worry about maintenance and upkeep--but I'd like to have a couple of dark rides, a fairly decent off-the-shelf coaster and some of my favorite flats on hand year-round, as well as work on reconstructing some vintage rides that I never got to experience, like the Virginia Reel. I'd like to keep as much of it as possible indoors, as well, to cut down on weather-related maintenance costs. And I'd build it up a little at a time instead of going "all in" at once. Adding to the collection every year or two would be part of the fun. And then there's the giant annual invitation-only New Year's party I plan to host.... Jason "I've Been Thinking About This For A Long, Long Time" R.

I'm planning a mini-trip to California in late November, prompted in large part by the completion of Carsland. Before I joined TPR, I took a cross-country trip to Disneyland each winter and a trip south to Disney World every 2-3 years. Then I started doing a TPR trip each summer instead. Then life happened and... well, I still enjoy traveling, but I don't get to do as many long-distance trips as I would like. Cars is my favorite of all the Pixar films, and I am very much looking forward to visiting Radiator Springs in "real life." All the other DLR improvements that have taken place since my last visit in 2009 (new DCA entryway, trolleys, Little Mermaid, World of Color, Star Tours II, etc.) will be just icing on the cake. Plus I can't wait to take my wife and stepdaughter on Indiana Jones Adventure, "good" Pirates, It's a Small World Holiday, Haunted Mansion Holiday and other Disney rides they have yet to experience. And the fact that the Flying Tires are an update of one of my all-time favorite "before my lifetime" Disney attractions, the Flying Saucers, has me just as pumped about riding them as checking out Radiator Spring Racers. (Junkyard Jamoboree I can take or leave--probably the latter if there's any line at all.)

Personally, I think Carnival is going about this all wrong. It's all a matter of marketing. To wit: According to an article in USA Today last week, redneck culture is at its highest plateau since the mid-'90s Jeff Foxworthy craze, with shows like Hillbilly Handfishin', My Big Redneck Wedding, etc. So why not invest in some Mason jars (for drinks), change the name of a few things on the buffet (but not the food itself) and turn this ship into the world's largest (and only) Redneck Cruising Experience? They could probably tack on a couple hundred dollars per person for the "privilege" of sailing this majestically themed ship. And I'm only half joking. Jason "I met Jeff Dunham on a cruise ship before anyone had ever heard of him" R.

^I was thinking the same thing about the ride op‘s not being able to see everything from his or her vantage point. In fact, I wouldn’t have seen the girl slipping out during the first revolution of the video without the help of the enhanced image… and I was looking for it. To those who are criticizing the Scary Texas Oil Cowboy for his lack of compassion, as much as I hate to say it, he’s doing the absolute right thing. I don’t think there’s any doubt that he (or the rodeo if it’s an LLC—and if he has any common sense whatsoever, it is) is going to be sued over this. In the American courtroom, it’s incredibly easy for a good lawyer to convince a jury that remorse equals guilt. I saw it in person (but didn’t fall for it) when I sat on the jury for a lead paint poisoning case a few years ago, and I’ve read a couple “Dear Abby”s on it, as well. I’m sure his lawyer advised him not to express remorse, especially while being recorded. Of course, in the courtroom, it also works the other way. If things don’t look like they’ll turn out in favor of the rodeo, I’m sure Scary Texas Oil Cowboy’s lawyer will advise him to tell the judge he would lay down his own life if he could go back in time and prevent this great tragedy from happening; he was just in shock at the time of the interview. And that’s your sad-but-true legal lesson for the day.

I did a search and didn't see anything here on this yet. CNN is reporting on a 3-year-old who was injured after flying off a Techno Jump at a Texas rodeo carnival. (Warning: The video is not for the faint of heart.): http://www.cnn.com/video/?hpt=hp_t2#/video/us/2012/03/16/dnt-toddler-carnival-accident.ktrk

I love TRs from parks I've never heard of, let alone been to! And I love them even more when they feature hot pictures of Megan in her Domo bikini!

Nice recipe! I'll have to give it a try sometime.

Yes, seriously, thank you for posting regular updates during your vacation so we could share in the "fun." As far as cruise line food goes, I've only been on two cruises, the first of which was Royal Caribbean, and I suspect that one ruined all other cruise food for me forever. It was tremendous. I won a trip aboard one of the Disney ships a few years later, and the food was... OK, but on that ship it seemed to be more about presentation than anything else. I would compare the actual food to Ruby Tuesday quality. That Carnival stuff I saw in this TR, I would compare to the quality of a Denny's. The kind of Denny's people stop going to after someone gets shot in the parking lot.

^^According to this, Canyon Blaster at Circus Circus is the current indoor champ: Source: http://thedailyrecord.com/2012/03/09/china-getting-giant-roller-coaster-made-in-baltimore/

Another Klassy caption contest entry. "Uh, guys... Piers just made my surface a little more uneven...."

Entering the caption contest because I want someting Klassy! The medals at the Disney marathons are a lot nicer than the prize for winning the Carnival deck race.

After seeing some of the food from the TPR Klassy Kruise, I saw the need to balance out the board with some photos of good food. And good news: I found some 2011 photos I had forgotten about, so the thrilling conclusion will be a two-parter! Enjoy! For the first time ever, I handed the reins of my annual Memorial Day charity bicycle ride over to a new chairperson. He did a phenomenal job, and we set a new record for the event! Afterward, we made our annual trek to The Pizza Shoppe in my hometown of Crisfield, MD, to celebrate. When I was in high school, The Pizza Shoppe opened in a building that—surprise—had formerly been a pizza restaurant. A few years ago, it moved several blocks into the building that housed the garage I used to take my car to when I was in high school (and that jalopy was in the shop A LOT). Our new chairman offered to buy pizza for us all. I suggested the party pizza! He suggested a couple 18-inchers instead. We sat at the restaurant’s only two tables: a picnic table in the parking lot and the lone table from the inside, which the owner moved outside when we needed more room. She also brought the beach umbrella out of storage just for us! We started off with a few appetizers, including pepperoni and marinara sauce. So simple, yet so effective! The cheeseburger breadsticks are a personal favorite of mine. It’s basically pizza dough, cheese and ground beef, heated and served with marinara sauce. The base is crisp on the outside, doughy on the inside and super greasy all over. It’s amazing! Speaking of amazing, these are The Pizza Shoppe’s “twisty” breadsticks, smothered in butter, garlic and Parmesan cheese. They’re the stuff of legend! Here’s one of those 18-inchers. The pizza is pretty good, as well, though I’d just as soon have a few extra of each type of breadstick and call it a day. I can get pizza anywhere; the breadsticks are special. If anyone on here ever makes it down to Crisfield, I highly, highly recommend them About a year ago, we received a flyer in the mail for Po’ Boys in Milton, DE, and kept saying we needed to go there. Of course we never did. Then earlier this summer, I saw a rave review about the place on the official Roadfood website. Kelly took me there for my birthday. It’s one of the best restaurants I’ve been to (both then and several times since), ironically located in a three-store strip mall smack-dab between a Dollar General and a Mexican grocery store. This alligator seems to be their unofficial mascot. The walls are covered with crawfish traps, Mardi Gras beads, folk art paintings and other things evoking the New Orleans vibe. can’t remember if this is crawfish bisque or the house specialty Tasso ham and potato soup. Both are to die for—but I would kill for the Tasso and potato My lunch: a crawfish po’ boy (really good), coleslaw (lackluster) and Po’ Boys’ specially seasoned fries (amazing). Kelly opted for a blackened chicken po’ boy, which was not only delicious (I got to try some—birthday privilege), but also so big that she had to take half of it home. She too loved the fries—and she’s by no mean as big a fry fan as I am. I tried the buttermilk pie for dessert, and since Kelly told them it was my birthday, they put a candle in it! It wasn’t bad, but I’ve since discovered the holy grail of Po’ Boys’ desserts, the Mississippi mud pie. Think chocolate pudding, cream cheese and whipped cream, all atop a rich, thick praline crust. I would be happy with just the crust! Po’ Boys’ bathroom art ain’t too shabby, either! I can take weeks off work only certain times of the year, mostly in the summer. Since my birthday occurs in the middle of July, I usually make an effort to try to get that week off. During said week last year, I took a day trip to Ocean City, MD (which is really only 30-40 minutes from my apartment, depending on traffic). I was very pleased to learn that Polock Johnny’s had returned to the boardwalk! The restaurant closed (due to a fire, I think) a few years ago, and though one of the off-boardwalk restaurants served the namesake sausage in the interim, it wasn’t the same. I’ve tasted a lot of Polish sausages, cheese fries and fresh lemonade, and these are among the best (the Polish sausage is far and away THE best). A couple weeks later, I met my parents at Zia’s Italian Grill in Salisbury, MD. penne pasta with creamy pesto sauce is always my go-to dish here. In fact, it’s one of the few things on the menu that I like—but I like it A LOT! My parents and sister all got chicken Parmesan. They liked it. While visiting Philadelphia for a comic book show and quick visit to Clementon Park in August, Kelly and I sought out the Memphis Taproom following a recommendation from the TPR forums. I was all set for one of their famous toasted coconut sandwiches… when we found out they were serving brunch at noon and would not make a toasted coconut sandwich until 3 p.m. We left very quickly thereafter. We were both hungry, so we were on the lookout for a decent place to eat. We spotted Nifty Fifty’s in Clementon, NJ, just down the street from the park. We found out it’s a small regional chain… but what a chain! From the numerous sodas on the menu, Kelly chose cream soda, and I tried almond. Unfortunately, the almond syrup was almost out, so I ended up with a glass full of red carbonated water and switched to a ginger ale instead. I couldn’t resist trying the smothered Texas Tommy fries as my meal. It’s basically a heaping plate of French fries covered with bacon, Cheez Whiz, shredded mozzarella and diced hot dogs. Kelly tried the double Texas Tommy, which was the special of the day: two hot dogs wrapped in bacon, covered with Cheez Whiz and nestled in a toasted sub roll. We also split an order of spicy onion rings, which didn’t really have a lot of spice, but tasted good with the side of onion blossom sauce, anyway. Coming soon: the 2011 finale--part two!

Good God, the food is so bad even Joey Ray is having second thoughts!

Is that Big Mike!? (NOTE: I know it's not really Big Mike.)

I think I've cracked the code: 3X Krappier Really Krappy Mostly Krappy Unbelievably Krappy Epicly Krappy A'ight Pretty Krappy Lots of Neon Very Krappy Seriously Krappy

I really enjoyed this update until I got to the Ohana photos... then I hitched a ride on the same jealousy train as everyone else. Thanks for taking the time out of your "Extra Disney Day" to do this!

People are saying nice things about SFA? Is this Opposite Day? On a more serious note, I continue to be impressed with SFA's turnaround in operations, cleanliness and staff friendliness that began in the 2010 season and has continued since. With the exception of the cancellation of "Bring a Friend Free" days last fall, which I ranted about earlier in this thread, I've had nothing but good experiences there. After the "Bring a Friend Free" issue last year, I had said I wasn't going to purchase a season pass for this year... but calmer heads have since prevaled, and we've not only pre-purchased ours again for opening day, but bought one for a friend, as well, to take advantage of a deal that allowed us to pay less for four season passes plus parking than we would have for three season passes plus parking.

*shakes head slowly* The Big Mike Road Show never fails to amaze!

Six Flags America Trimper's Rides Jolly Roger at the Pier Camden Park Beech Bend Indiana Beach Jungle Jack's Landing Adventure Park USA Knoebel's Disneyland/DCA (fingers crossed for November if vacation time and finances hold out)

I’m late to the game, but I agree 100 percent with this logic—and have more to add. The sign for gates 90-99 is reflected in the “B” of the Best Buy sign. Assuming this is MCO (which I think is a safe assumption), that would place the Alveys either at the area for gates 80-89 or 100-129. The latter is the Airtran/Southwest area, so assuming this is an international trip, as the CNN International clue would lead us to believe, that would eliminate domestic airlines. That leaves 80-89, which are the home gates for Virgin Atlantic and Lufthansa. The British clues (the Queen, the London magazine page, etc.) would indicate Virgin Atlantic was the airline of choice. Others have noted that the McDonald’s photo is from Jackson-Hartsfield in Atlanta, which would suggest a layover there. A lot of people have noted that the crossword comes from Delta’s in-flight magazine. While I would not have known that (or the location of the McDonald’s), I do know that those magazines are also available in each airline’s “club” lounge… and as much flying as the Alveys do, I would imagine they’re a member of several of those clubs, including Delta’s, which would grant them access to a Delta lounge (and that red-herring magazine) during the Atlanta layover. From there, the clues seem to be divided between England, France and those that don’t seem to fit with either country. However, since Swarm is about to open in England, I would give that the edge… though that brings me back to the early monorail clue. It’s not exactly a monorail… but could a Chunnel trip to France be in the works, as well? EDITED to compensate for new clues added since I started this post: The Love Boat? Could be the show they watched on the way to England… or, coupled with the photo of Queen Elizabeth, they could be aboard Cunard’s relatively new luxury ocean liner, the “Queen Elizabeth.” Could this be the beginning of "Cruise Ship Review"?

Thanks for all the updates, Adam! The game looks really cool. Though it's probably not something I would play, I'm sure it would interest my 7-year-old stepdaughter and probably my wife, as well.

I had the opportunity to go to Alewife with some colleagues after a conference last week and passed it up. I kind of wish I had gone now. Oh well. Add it to the list!

Mike, how many duckies did you see after you finished a few of those green drinks?

Dang, that was at the top of my list of things to buy if I ever won the lottery! It's been for sale for years, the price was right, and its location would have been perfect for relatively cheap, convenient delivery to the 40-acre plot of southern Delaware land I also plan to buy as the site of my personal amusement park if I ever win the lottery. Sometimes life is just no fair.

Great TR! Kelly and I actually thought about stopping here on our honeymoon, but decided the price was a bit steep for what for us would have amounted to a kiddie credit, a shooting dark ride and a lot of scenery. Plus we felt a little awkward about going in without a kid. It looks like a place we would have enjoyed, however. Maybe next time.