Emiroo

Great TR. I love seeing first-timers reports from my home park. And I'm soooo glad you caught the dive show. It's one of the best things at HW and is often overlooked. Can't wait to see part 2 from Splashin' Safari.

Even though they are a huge pain to deal with, this type of near-incident demonstrates why it's a good thing many parks retrofit these older coasters with seat belts in addition to the otsr. These riders were lucky. If they had been a different height/weight or if the train was running slower that day, it could have been disasterous. I love Vortex at KI and this story makes me glad to have the extra seabelt insurance.

I have a Holiday World Season Pass. That is all.

I avoid games at ghetto fairs and carnivals as all costs. Besides, how many framed Budweiser mirrors could you possibly need? In legit parks, I still avoid the highly suspicious ones (Peach Basket Toss, Milk Bottle Knock Over, Ring Toss, etc.) If you find a basketball game that isn't rigged like in the video, either it costs $5 a shot or the prize is super crappy. I try to stick with "proven" games like Skee-Ball or "Whack the Frog onto the Lillypad". I learned the truth at an early age after a $30 beatdown from a wacky-wire. I am quite confident that when I arrive at the gates of Hell, Satan himself will hand me a wacky wire and tell me that I am free to leave as soon as I beat it. Still, one of my fondest memories is winning a giant Scooby Doo when I was about 12 after $20 worth of attempts at a basketball shoot.

I almost feel bad requesting this, but you guys say you always want the reader feedback so... At some point in the future, can you update the "Random Stuff!" section on the front page to be more random and current? Right now, there are probably only 10-15 "random" events most of which appear to be from 2008. Don't know how much of a headache it will be to implement, but that's the request. Thanks for listening.

Saw Inception over the weekend. A very solid film. I have a few nitpicky gripes but it's definitely one of the best I've seen this year. I was however, suprised at how much gunplay there was in it though. I'm getting kind of tired of that. Why is it that in 90% of movies, whenever the protagonists needs an obstacle, they just throw in a bunch of gunmen and then have an excessively long shootout? It it too much to ask for something more clever? Especially in a film as "thoughtful" as Inception. Of course this is also coming from someone who can't wait to see The Expendables on opening night. I'm complex like that.

Maverick style. Would you rather have your balls smashed by a sledgehammer or take a large fishhook in the eye?

I'm waiting to go on coupon day. I hear they spared no expense...

Someone didn't get enough hugs as a kid...

This:

^ Never seen it, but I know the plot and having two kids myself, it bothers me so much that I won't watch it. I could never make the choice (but again the point is that it's senseless not to). I get nauseous just thinking about it. Good pick.

Update: Here's an exceptionally crappy video of the event. I was surprised at how fast the donkey took off. No wonder he was scared.

My wife and I recently discovered and instantly became addicted to House. I bought all the seasons on DVD cheap off ebay and now we're watching them in order. We're getting ready to start season 4. The eps are pretty formulaic, but are still fantastic.

Though I don't condone making a donkey parasail against his will, I will say that beach donkeys are a menace:

If you're ever fishing on the Ohio River near Louisville, KY and you catch a Canon Powershot SD790IS digital camera, it's mine.

I have a pretty high tolerance for the disturbing, but I will say the one scene I wish I could unwatch is the "curb stomp" from American History X. I have watched that fantastic movie dozens of times, but have only watched that scene once. It really messed with me. Now I either turn away or fast forward past.

Computer Love - Kraftwerk

^ Your point 100% valid, but only time will tell if it is correct. I had those exact feelings/thoughts when Shaq left the Magic back in the day, but saw it was for the best later on down the road. Granted, LeBron is on a higher level than Shaq was when he moved but the situation is very similar. Do you want to be the best player ever to have played for [team] and never won a championship or do you want to be a 3 time NBA Champion? He'll always be regarded as one of the best, he might as well have the rings too. Hypotheticals: Would people be in the same uproar if he defected from the Clippers? What if he had done all of this behind the scenes without the spectacle? And just to note: He's only 25. Right or wrong, let's give him a break. How many mistakes/gaffes did you make when you were 25? And I bet you didn't have cameras in your face or hundreds of millions of dollars riding on you and pressure from dozens of multinational corporations on your shoulders... It's done. Let's move on. If you really want to talk about a team that got screwed, let's talk about the Washington Generals

While I disagree (and got pretty disgusted) with all the pomp & circumstance, attention whoring and general jerking around surrounding "the decision", I gotta say LeBron made the right call here. Obviously, he's not after $$$. He wants the championship. Who can blame him? I understand Cleveland's disappointment but do they really have the right complain? At least they got to have him in the first place and honestly, he stayed much longer than I thought he would. It's a sad day for Cavs fan, but you can't tell me you wouldn't do the same thing in his shoes. When your big angle to pitch to your prospect is "It's your hometown", you're already in trouble. It kept them in the hunt, but ultimately, LeBron wants to be part of a championship dynasty, not just a hometown hero. I would too. In the end, I'm hoping that Wade & James will become one of those "Power Couples" who makes the NBA truly exciting to watch again. Back like the glory days of Jordan & Pippen, Magic & Kareem, Bird & Parrish, etc.

I went a few weeks back under similar conditions. Make sure to do Firehawk first. It has super slow operations and is only semi-reliable. Same with Invertigo. Other than that, I never waited more than 30 minutes for anything. But that was by my own choice. If the wait looked longer, I moved on to something else and came back later. Lots of stuff (including several of the majors) was either walkon or 5-10 min. KI has plenty of rides so you can usually find something with a short wait. And the Diamondback single rider line is your friend. Good luck and have fun!

I can confirm that as of last Friday (7/2) Voyage was still running PTCs and a Timberliner was still sitting on the transfer tracks loaded with water dummies...

This is freaking awesome. Incredibly NSFW though so watch out. The only glaring omission is "...it was nothing like that penis breath!" from E.T.

After a 12 year absence, I finally made my triumphant return to Kings Island last week. I was most surprised to find out that The Beast now ranks as the roughest coaster I've been on. Previously, either Timberwolf at WoF or The Voyage (In it's current PTC state) at HW were in the lead for that title. I rode it twice (mid-afternoon/hot temps). The first ride was "quite bumpy" but not out of acceptable limits. The second ride however was almost unbearable. I'm a smaller guy so I can maneuver pretty well to find a comfortable position on even the roughest rides. But there was not sweet spot that second ride. In fact, while I was changing riding positions to ease the roughness, the ride jarred again and slammed my elbow right into my lower ribcage area which knocked the wind out of me. That made things even worse. I couldn't wait to get off that ride and I felt sorry for unseasoned riders who don't know preferable riding techniques. I was killed even though I used them. Again, given The Beast's legendary reputation I was stunned at the brutality of my rides. Maybe it was just bad luck/timing/seats or perhaps the rumors are true and night rides transform it into something better. But I will say that even with the severe beating I received, the final dive/helix finale make it worth it. That section is amazing even with the bumps and is enticing enough to get me back in line for more pain on my next visit. P.S. I cannot fathom how bad Son of Beast must have been with it's status as the "rough" one.