DerekRx

^^One of those Greatest Roller Coaster Adventures in 3D movies has POV of High Roller. I can't remember which one it is though off the top of my head. Not really much to it though, basically picture a triple helix with a curving tire lift. Robb may have gotten video of it on our trip there in November, but I can't be sure of that either. If he did, I'm sure he'll include it in next years batch of POVs in the DVD.

So far on top of what I've already posted, I've gotten: Curtains for every room in my house! DVDs (Batman Begins, Smallville Season 4, Star Wars 3, original Star Wars Trilogy Widescreen) gift cards for: Home Depot, Best Buy, AE, Wawa, The Works, Target, Borders Batman Begins money clip Luggage for next years trips Crush Christmas ornament 2 Coaster Calendars Troeg's Variety pack Side window air deflectors for my 2004 ION (not for like a 1995 Civic or a 2006 Lancer)

I decided to get into the Christmas spirit (don't worry, it passed already) and went with a holiday beer. I went old school though, with a beer that doesn't exist anymore, a Bethlehem BrewWorks Rudolph's Reserve. After some legal issues, they had to change the name, so its forever known as Rude Elf's Reserve. So this beer I have right now has been aged for at least 2 Christmas's. Its perfectly fine though, since its a Belgian Ale, doctored up with some cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, coriander, allspice, and sweetgale. Definitely a good Christmas beer! Ah yes, it in fact does taste excellent after 2year. Sadly, it does not motivate me to cut my hair or shave. Here's to hoping it actually does get better with age.... Only for special occasions do I break out the aged stuff

The usual tradition was get together at my grandmother's on Christmas eve, have dinner, go to church, then open gifts. Christmas morning I would wake up around 8 or 9, open my gifts, have my step-brother try to steal them all. After opening gifts, I'd go play with them or set them up, then eat dinner. Afterwards, I'd end up getting stuck with clean up duty while my step-brother did nothing or retreated to another house. Then my family would fight and wouldn't talk to each other for the rest of the year. Then I went off to college in Florida, so I didn't always come home for Christmas. Usually I'd work for more money, or if my mom would come down, we'd go to Disney. This year we all got together at my Grandmother's on Christmas eve, exchanged gifts and ate sloppy joes and macaroni salad. I decided it was warm out, so I went to wash my car. Then I went home where I sat on the computer for the rest of the night. Christmas day I woke up at 11, ate breakfast, and went on the computer. At some point today my mom will come over and we'll have some ham and exchange gifts, and then I'll most likely watch some DVDs I got for the big day. The tradition has changed a lot since I was a kid, and probably in the future I'll be like the Alveys and decide to just travel for the holiday. I hear Hong Kong and Japan are nice this time of year

Yeah, I know I'm sexy How long will I go before I cut my hair?

No better way to deal with the family than by beering up first! I felt like a Stoudt, and so I had one!

I'm not sure what they'll put there in its place, but I think the only thing that could be scarier than Insanity is a Starflyer. They'd need to sell diapers in the giftshop!

^The beer was being filtered thru my liver and kidneys. My hot chocolate had a bit of amaretto in it.

So after a few drinks, we headed out to one of the best smorgasbords around. It was only 7.99 a person for what they call "Midnight Gladness". All you can eat sausage, cheesesteaks, ham, roast beef, chicken, corn, stuffing, pie, pudding, ice cream, etc. Many an ACEr would think this was Christmas, and trust me, lots of people looked like they could have been ACErs. In the giftshop, I find what I've always wanted, a Jeff Gordon Nutcracker. Git R Done! I present to you: "Christmas with the Cramps" Dave starts a food fight by launching a cupcake at a neighboring table Oh no! My hot chocolate is falling! (Ok, really its not) Jeff shows us his amazing coffee tipping skills. Here she steals another co-workers plate. "You gonna eat that!?" My co-worker, Shelly has been dreaming of this night all year long

Last night was a return to my local Friday hangout. The lighting was better tonight than usual, so I managed to get some pretty good pictures with my poor camera phone. Afterwards, we changed things up a bit by living an ACErs dream..... Sorta... Its a Urinal with processed alcohol! Is this Miller Lite? I ended the night with another $7.50 bottle of Jinx. Its a sophisticated beer! Can't see thru the Blind Faith, not even if it wasn't in an amber bottle If you can see thru the beer, I probably won't drink it Is this my beer? Yes! While it may not be $1.50 for happy hour like the Miller Lite, Blind Faith is worth it! Is this my beer? NO! Its a Miller Lite. I started off the night with a Victory Hop Devil at the Works Don't give your keys to the beer, no matter how smart he looks. Especially if he's going to talk on the cell phone the whole drive home!

Wow, I'm glad I finally got out to Vegas when I did, and that I was lucky enough to get to ride the High Roller. It may not have been very extreme, but it was pretty unique having a coaster that high in the air. I can only assume the removal of this means they'll try to get another coaster of sorts in its place.

Hong Kong Disneyland looks pretty cool, and will definitely be something I'll consider doing in a few years once they get more rides. Thanks for sharing pictures from this park. I'm not too concerned about it, so I didn't look at any pictures of its construction, reports from its opening, hear about the fountain peeing, or anything like that, but it looks like a nice place from your report and pictures. Hopefully in a few years it will have expanded much like Disneyland Paris. How much time did you guys actually spend at the park, and did you do everything there was to do?

^^^Yes, those are gnomes on my shirt. Got it in Vegas at the Venetian's David and Goliath Stupid Factory store. Under the gnomes it says "chillin' with my gnomies"

I spent $2.99 on White American cheese on Monday, along with $1 for some small giftbags for people at work.

I'm happy to see WDS get a ride like this one, and I sure will try to get there in late 2007/early 2008 to experience it. Still, I don't care how well they theme this thing to fit in with the cultures of Europe, if the "elevator door" opens and you have to walk thru a hallway to get on the elevator, then get dropped off at the same point you started and you have to walk thru said hallway again, turn the corner and walk thru a very unthemed hallway to get to the exit, its not very well planned nor themed. Oh how I wish they'd make it more like DMGMSs ride system and less like DCAs.

Today at the company Christmas party, I managed to walk away with a photo printer, refills for it, a AE winter shirt, and a AE t-shirt. Not to mention about $200 in Best Buy giftcards, loads of cookies, and a Target card. All this without any worries of Yankee Christmas!

Disposable Sunshine- Loser

Tonight I was feeling like a lighter beer (ok, actually I just reached into the fridge and pulled out whatever). I happened upon Stoudt's Gold Lager. It was very easy to drink but had little after flavor. I'd rate it higher than some other stuff like Heineken, Rolling Rock, Yuengling, etc, but no Sam Adams Boston Lager. At least he seemed somewhat satisfied with me. See you in that great keg in the sky, ma! OH NO, I'm getting consumed by this weird guy! Look ma, I'm on the Internet!

The Beast. I really don't care that its as old as I am, that doesn't necessarily mean that it still should remain in the top in all of these coaster polls. I think its an overbraked, underthrilling, airtimeless wooden waste of space. All that wood in that thing and I could build like 3 Phoenix's and 3 Balders and probably make peace throughout the world!

First coaster of the year: Rock 'n' Roller Coaster; Disney-MGM Studios January 2, 2005 Last coaster of the year: Space Mountain- Disneyland November 28, 2005 Highlights: Finally getting every credit in PA (except that kiddie coaster in the Poconos) Finally visiting Michigan's Adventure and Funtown USA Random weekend trip to SoCal where I spent more money on pie than I did on the rest of the trip put together Random weekend trip to Central Florida hitting Cypress, Sea World, IOA, Universal AND dinner at Emerils all in the same day Wisconsin trip Getting Tom to more parks than just Dorney and Knoebels by making him go to BGW Dodging hurricanes in Florida in October Most Memorable: Finally hitting Vegas, with the two people who kept mocking me for never going there!

I have my "beer count" on MS Word, just like my coaster count. Every time I try a new beer, I write it down. I'm up around 150 documented thus far, but I'm sure I'm forgetting a couple I drank before I kept count. Right now I have 15 different labels in my fridge downstairs which isn't too bad, considering I live in Pennsylvania and have to buy my beer by the case (24) instead of just a 6-pack. Some companies are nice and make their beers available in variety packs, but most of them only sell 1 type of beer per case. Its hard for me to pick up a whole case of something I never had before, not knowing if its worth the $30-40 I'd spend on it. Most beers I try either at beer festivals, locally brewed micros at restaurants, the actual microbrewery, or when I'm out of state. Being a beer credit whore in Pennsylvania is almost as hard as being a coaster credit whore in Montana. Tonights beer: Weyerbacher Black Hole, one of their newest brews, a porter. Kinda nutty, kinda chocolate/coffee-like. A good beer for when its cold outside! The beer in its glass, the bottle it came in, and the bottle opener used to enjoy this beverage

Maybe he was taken because penguins don't belong in AMAZON WORLD! He was probably taken down the road to AntarcticLand. In all seriousness though, hope the little guy is found alive and is reunited with his family. I bet he'd be found if he was Paris Hilton's pet penguin.

Don't worry Jeff, we're a group of equal opportunity bashers. We'll be sure to switch between your old age and what is a credit, Lou being British, Dave's need to ride dark rides, Elissa's need for McDonalds, Dan's aquaphobia, and my fetish for vertical loops. There's plenty of fun for all on the bus!

I'm not surprised by the numbers at all, especially the minimal number of tourists visiting the park. Think back 6 years to IOA, and just how long it took Universal to get people into that park. Most people plan their trips to Orlando a year or two in advance, wanting to maximize their Disney experience. It took national a campaigns and lots of word of mouth to get the numbers where they are at IOA. Other than the internet and I guess some travel guides, who else knows about Cypress Gardens? I'd like to think they'll eventually get the out of towners like they want, but they've got to keep adding rides, shows, and improving the gardens. It wouldn't hurt to make the coasters a little less run of the mill and a little more geared towards thrillseekers. If they tried something like "tallest, fastest coaster in Florida" or something, that may draw in more people visiting the central Florida are, more so than a "bunch of old gardens that we can see at Disney" and "5 kiddie coasters that are an hour from Disney."

^^ you weren't scared of meeting me before? Silly Brit! I don't think I'll gnaw off my leg on the bus, that time I have already set aside for sleeping, drooling, listening to mp3s, and making fun of Jeff, his coaster count, his bus "actions", and just how old he really is I like to move at my pace, which is pretty darn fast. I can handle slowing down a little bit for the sake of compansionship, but when I get off a ride and have to wait another 3 cycles for the entire group to get together, then stand around for another 10 minutes discussing how amazing the last ride was, then taking 5 minutes to determine where we're going next, then stopping at the bathroom so 3 people can go to the bathroom, then stopping to take some pictures of a ride we just stood in front of for 20 minutes, then having another 2 people realize they have to go to the bathroom, it gets kinda annoying. I'm pretty much the "tour guide" or leader in the parks, when I start moving, people will follow. (and some will even follow me into places I don't know, like Spookslut!) I guess in the end though, everyone figures I manage to ride everything, get everything else accomplished, and somehow manage to eat a good meal or two, and leave them with some pretty interesting stories to tell when they get home.