VinTheAttendant

We are renovating the house, and we came upon a container loaded with really old pictures. As we went through them, we found two pictures of me on roller coasters I never knew I rode, including one taken when I was three years old! So cool to know that I've been rocking roller coasters even before I got into them! Even better to get my count two points closer to the 200 credit mark.

It's March Fourth! The most military day of the year! Don't get it? Say it slowly: "March Fourth", "March" "Forth"

I don't think that one person's death is more or less tragic than another person's, but Davy Jones' definitely touched my heart the closest. My mom raised me on classics like the Beatles, the Monkees, and a couple other groups, and I was even introduced to the tv show. So yeah, Davy Jones' played a role in my childhood and I will certainly miss him. Rest in peace my good man!

^To me, that song was the deciding factor that I have to see them live if they ever swing by my neighborhood!

^My local radio station posted a link to it on their Facebook page. Before, I thought that TFK was OK, but not something to get too excited over. After listening to some of their new stuff, I am quickly reconsidering

Let the Sparks Fly - Thousand Foot Krutch Psychosocial - Slipknot CNR - Weird Al

Holy crap that train is awesome! But is it sad that my attention mainly turned to that "Intamin" packaging tape? I hope they don't throw it out because I would love to plaster that in my room

I meant to say this on your first post, but it's great to see Heriberto in a TR lol. One of the nicest guys I ever worked with. But I have to ask, where did you stay? I did a similar trip last June and it was a ton of driving (we stayed in Anaheim). That must have been quite a task jumping from park to park so liberally. But the photos are great! Thanks a lot for sharing!

Hooray! I love reading your TRs. While Universal has dropped down on my list of favorite parks I still think it's one of the most photogenic parks out there (as evidenced by your pictures). Personally, I like HRRR for how unique it is and the sound quality of the onboard audio, and the MCBRs only make the cycles fly. But I have to agree with you that it's nowhere near a great coaster. BTW, I know what you mean about having to wait several ride cycles just to snap the perfect shot of the train lol. Great report, can't wait to see more

I'm pretty sure I already posted in this thread, but it was only before I rode Wooden Warrior. So yeah, add it to my list!

I can't believe how good this ride is looking! I was rather skeptical about the move at first, but with the park making it look like such a perfect fit, I say "bravo" for the decision (plus, now there's an excuse to get rid of Flashback and maybe make up for the loss of two flat rides in '08). Even though I already got the credit, I can't wait to ride it when it opens! On a side note, I hope that they tidy up the roof of Shipwreck's old station. I still love how they're recycling it!

^Do you have Windows 7? If you do, you can shrink the file size down in Windows Live Photo Gallery while keeping most of the visual quality. I had the same problem with my camera.

When I go back home (in Connecticut), I always tune into the Rock 106.9 WCCC. They always play the best rock songs, the new rock songs, and they even dedicate days or weekends to classics from the 80s and 90s. They are always updating their Facebook page to include songs regular listeners may not have heard of, as well as posting funny pictures that promote interaction with the hosts. Speaking of, the hosts are hilarious. Every story they tell or every they guest they talk to is incredibly entertaining. The only downside is that the commercials are incredibly long, and I have a knack for stepping into my car just as they're finishing up the last song before the commercial break.

For Mardi Gras, I got myself a cheesesteak from my favorite food truck. After class, I am demolishing that sandwich!!

I see there's not a lot of love for S&S towers, but I actually put my vote in for their combo towers. While I love the "less controlled" freefalls, I find that they tend to be too short. The combo towers offer a decent length while delivering both the shot and the drop. It's not far superior, but they're still my favorites. Also, Canobie's Starblaster does offer a pop of OMFG airtime, but I don't think that fits under "drop" ride. Speaking of cycle length, I enjoyed Tower of Terror at both Hollywood Studios and DCA. Given, they are not the most intense drop rides, they have a great story going for them and the effects are spectacular. The only other Intamin drop I've been on, however, is Acrophobia at SFOG (which I loved). Then, of course, there is Morey's Piers AtmosFEAR which always scares the crap out of me. And while Supreme Scream is not the most powerful drop tower, the sheer height of it was enough to freak me out. By and large, I have loved every drop ride I've been on (except for Quassy's, but I doubt that was meant to be taken seriously in the first place). I don't have strong preferences, so if there happens to be a drop ride in the park, I won't pass it up.

Thunderhawk - Dorney Park (1923) Cyclone - Astroland (1927) Wild Cat - Lake Compounce (1927) Dragon Coaster - Playland Park (1929) Yankee Cannonball - Canobie Lake Park (1936 - technically 1930) Thunderbolt - Six Flags New England (1941) I guess you could also count Wild One - Six Flags America (technically 1917) Comet - The Great Escape (technically 1948) And in the steel coaster category, of course, the grandfather of modern steel coasters Matterhorn Bobsleds - Disneyland (1959)

^The media likes to portray just about everything negative in society. A church can hold a phenomenal fundraiser to a noble cause and get no attention. But when a priest scandal makes it into the news, I cry a little inside, because I know that a ton of people are going to associate Christians with them. And it's not just with religion. Whenever there is a roller coaster accident, news corps are always saying, "Is going to an amusement park worth the risk?" and I'm sure the Costa Concordia is going to keep people off of cruises. Many people, no matter their beliefs, like to base their decisions off of what they see on TV or the internet as opposed to actual human interaction. This alone is worthy of a rant. As for expressing religion over the internet, I try not to do it at all and I still stand by how religion has no place on the web. Every time someone brings up a dramatic viewpoint on a deity (religious or atheist), an argument will always ensue in the same fashion: both parties bring up excellent points; when they run out of points, they pull points out of thin air; they then start insulting each other completely forgetting why they were arguing in the first place; then when the argument runs out of steam, they still hold the same beliefs they had when they started. Luckily, TPR seems to draw in a ton of tolerant people, which is why I'm fairly confident in adding to this conversation. While I agree with imawesome1124 that atheists should respect the choice that religious people take, religious folks should do the same for atheists. There are millions of ways to start a conversation on the internet, leave insulting religious flaunting out of it. BTW, this rant is certainly not directed to anybody in particular (specifically on TPR), I just wanted to get that off my chest lol

Walk - Foo Fighters (and NOT because of the Grammys)

I saw Blue Man Group in Boston about six years ago and I regret passing up BMG the last time I went to Universal (though my mission was to get my last rides on Jaws). By the pics and video, it looks to be up there with the same caliber as my experience in Boston, maybe even better. Thank you for the report, I now have a new mission for the next time I visit Universal!

Just looking at the track alone simply spells out "FAST!!!" I think this will be a great addition to an already awesome park, and will continue to relay the notion that you don't need the tallest, fastest, or longest coaster to have a kick@$$ ride (at least, speculation-wise).

You know your family and your girlfriend loves you when they make your birthday cake shaped like your favorite roller coaster's train

^Yeah, I was debating to myself whether it had a place or not on this thread, but I know that there are plenty of engineers on the site who might find it interesting. I know I did

My Technical Communications brought this up in class today. Two days ago, Roger Boisjoly passed away. He was the guy who correctly predicted the Challenger disaster in 1986 and tried to prevent the launch.

I just remembered one from my 2009 trip to Busch Gardens Williamsburg. It wasn't really a GP comment, it was more like a "dude, you really need to get out more" comment. I was in line for one of the rides (I honestly cannot remember which one) when I found myself having a conversation with the person in front of me, who was about two years younger than me. We were just talking about where we were from. Apparently he was a local, and I responded, "Awesome. I'm actually from Connecticut." "Connecticut?" "Yeah, it was a pretty long drive." "How is it up there?" "What do you mean?" "Like, is it snowing...?" It was 94 degrees in the middle of summer. Connecticut would have probably been a little cooler, but...no, no snow.

Is it sad that I understand how the Puppy Bowl works more than football?