Maximo37

Kumba at Busch Gardens... went to Summer Nights tonight and it was amazing... and Kumba's rehab, makes the ride SEEM faster, smoother and louder... its amazing... oh and those who can make it out to BGT before Summer Nights ends ( it ends on 8/14 I believe...) make sure you see Kinetix... it was awesome... Great day at BGT...

From what I understand, the movie screens are on a carousel, so you and they are moving in a circular pattern... the Kuka arm is on the track while the movie screens are moving in a stationary circular pattern... (you can see it best in the 5th picture...) it's similar to the old, classic show scene from Journey into Imagination from the original Epcot attraction... (Only on Imagination, many vehicles followed the track while watching same Animitronic show scene, instead of a movie, travelling around a circular pattern while watching the show scene which is on a carousel)... its all quite amazing really... ***and seriously awesome pictures... and glad you didn't call 911 (like that silly person last week...)

My list of bands are more Hard Rock/Heavy Metal (and lots of Hair Bands too... Def Leppard, Kix... oh and love me some Dokken too...) than "Death" Metal... like Testament, Warrior Soul which gave way to the "Seattle" grunge bands (early Soundgarden, Pearl Jam etc)... more recently "Alternative" rock gets me through my drive to work (and day in general)...as Philrad71 mentioned, as I'm getting older my taste in music has mellowed out quite a bit... Never cared for the stereo-typical "Gay" music... I find a lot of great new music and generally lesser known music from "New Now Next" (not "Pop Lab" as there are two versions of the show) on the Logo cable network... check it out if you haven't yet done so... some episodes are better than others, but there are A LOT of great bands being showcased there...

Just finished Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Wii) (with the minimum number of stars again) for the 2nd time... such a wonderful game... Finished WARIO LAND:Shake it! (Wii) for the um-teenth time... Man, those last few bosses are tougher than I remember... Just got Rabbids Go Home (Wii) and am loving the Katamari like collect-a-thon... good crazy laugh out loud fun... Also just started playing around with Cooking Mama:Cook Off (Wii) again... I know its a dumb game, but I'm absolutely in love with it... And am chipping away at (pun intended) Picross 3D (DS). Great puzzle fun...

Yikes... By manage, if you mean easier to make your way around to get to the various levels, then yes... the game is very easy to manage... if you mean you hope the actual levels are easier, then no, Galaxy 2 is a bit tougher than the first one (but not by much...) There is ample opportunities to get 1ups... and while I love Galaxy 2, I liked the first one a touch more. I miss Rosalina and her wacky observatory and somber stories... Galaxy 2 plays it a bit more "traditional" (like Super Mario World on SNES) with an overworld map... Either way, I hope you have fun with it as it is a masterpiece in my eyes (just not as epic as the original)...

Kumba at Busch Gardens Tampa yesterday morning. One of my favorite coasters...

Playing Prince of Persia:The Forgotten Sands (Wii) and its great so far... I'm 2 hours in and enjoying it quite a bit... Also tinkering with ExciteBots:Trick Racing... I've had the game for quite some time now, but didn't really care for it... but recently had been playing it a bit more for some reason and am enjoying it so much more now... something just clicked with me and I'm liking it very much now. I think I still prefer ExciteTruck more, but Bots is very very fun (and insane...)

"Feel the Spirit. Feel the Speed." Spring 2011 cannot come soon enough... seriously looking forward to this...

Quick Queues are available in the park... however, I've never really had any troube with crowds at BGT (except for during Howl-O-Scream and even then it was only moderate). Especially mid-week. If I were you, I'd check out the status of some of the coasters first then decide. Sandals and Flip Flops are not a problem, but you'll have to place them in a cubby for floorless coasters (Montu and Sheikra) upon boarding. The park is big and there is a lot of walking. Make sure they are comfortable. As far as what to do first, Rhino Rally seems to get rather busy, as its one of the few attractions which families can do together... keep in mind, it is now in its modified, "waterless" incarnation now with the construction going on... (youtube a video if you don't know what that means...) There are 3 water rides. Stanley Falls (a log flume) which gets you moderately wet. Tidal Wave (a large boat flume) can get you soaked... And Congo River Rapids (raft ride) which nearly drowns you... I personally don't like to get wet so I generally pass on the water rides. But lately the high temp in Tampa has been nearly 100 degrees in the afternoon, so a soak down might be a welcome change to you. As far as coasters go, Gwazi (wooden coaster) get a rather long line early in the morning since it is right in the front of the park. Later in the day the line typically dies down. (Oh and should you choose to ride Gwazi, be sure to ride closer to the front of the train... the back is just terribly rough... the front is marginally better...) None of the other coasters tend to be all too busy really (generally 20 minutes or so...) Hmmm... shows... Ummm... well there is Katonga... I personally didn't care too much for it but it will get you out of the blazing sun for 45 minutes... otherwise, I really enjoyed the new Seasame Street Film Festival (a 4D movie)... that was fun... Oh and be sure to check out the new "Walk-About Way", the new Kangaroo/Wallaby enclosure... It only opened up this past week and looks great... So now that schools are out, the park might be a bit busier, but I'd still check it out before dishing out the money for the Quick Queue... Drink lots of water and have fun...

The ride is not "gone", just modified to its "dry" incarnation... and there was a blurb on screamscape about 6 months ago, stating that there was a rumor that BGT might expand the "dry" safari back into the savannah some... I think that would be a nice change for Rhino Rally... the water section, while original, had many mechanical issues from what I've read... and it while neat, didn't MAKE the overall expirience for me, just enhanced it a bit. I will still enjoy riding the "dry" Rhino Rally...

I tend to ask those who question whether it is a choice to be gay or not, if they themselves CHOSE to be straight... when they answer "No it came to them naturally", I tell them the same for being gay for me (and all the other gays around this globe...) I usually don't get much of an argument back... And I know that won't change their mind either, but I just ask that you don't hate me for being gay... that would be stupid... if you want to hate me, get to know me first then make that choice...

I also picked up Super Mario Galaxy 2 ...and I'm loving it, but not quite as much as the first one... while the "Face-ship" along with map move things along much quicker than the observatory in the original, I actually miss Rosalina and her somber stories (not to mention the observatory itself)... with that said Gaxaly 2 is amazing and I can see why all the reviews are so well received for it... not one to miss (but neither is the first one...) I'm on 4th Galaxy w/35 stars so far... And a few weeks ago, I finally purchased Red Steel 2... I completed it over a 2 week time span on the easy difficulty setting... what an amazing title... fun to play and a joy to look at and listen to... great purchase... and still tinkering around with it... Also downloaded a few WiiWare/VC games over the past few weeks... Kirby's Super Star from the SNES... just an all around great game... Bit.Trip Runner... amazing "retro" graphics and sounds make this as much fun to watch as it is to play... very tough and rather unforgiving game though... just slightly more forgiving than the other Bit.Trip titles due to its unlimited lives system... and finally Art Style light trax... I loved the other Art Style games (especially RotoHex and Cubello) and this one is a great one too... much different style of puzzle game... a racing game of sorts with a steep learning curve... overall 3 great titles which deserve to be downloaded...

Gwazi Tiger at BGT... last Thurs (5/20) and am STILL banged up by it... Didn't help that we sat in the next to last row KNOWING that the front is a more comfortable ride (only marginally so)... I'll never fully learn and just keep enduring the punishment I guess... unless BGT decides to actually upgrade to those millenium flyers which teased us several months ago... Gwazi deseves the new trains... I hope that will come sometime in the future (maybe after all the other projects currently in the works... fingers crossed...)

I work at (and am part of the opening crew of "Classic Years") Pop Century and while I'm glad that the "other half" is going to be finally worked on, I have mixed feelings about the overall new theme... while I understand why Disney is changing the theme of the "Legendary Years" (1900's thru the 40's weren't some of the happiest of times) I'm still sad that the "Century" of it all is going to be incomplete... A resort with an identity crisis indeed... Now with even more mixed feelings is the new theme... I know its based on "Animation" and not "Movies", I just feel the new theme is movies all over again... Hell, why not call it "All Star Movies 2 (straight to DVD none-the-less)"... I'm super excited to finally see work getting started on "phase 2" across the lake... I'm just sad about the loss of Pop Century Legendary Years...

Kumba at BGT last Wednesday (4/28). Now it is down for some clean-up love. Looking good so far.

The water finale of Rhino Rally already gone... I knew it was rumored to be going, but I didn't think it would be THIS soon... and with no warning... I actually rode it last Wednesday (4/28)... Glad I did, for one last "proper" ride on it... Damn... Lets see what becomes of it with this rumored coaster... can't wait... (*and I gladly give up that water finale for the coaster... but I'll still miss it on Rhino Rally...) From Screamscape: (5/4/10) Don’t’ say I didn’t warn everyone a few months ago, but it’s official… BGT Guide has confirmed with the park that the water finale of Rhino Rally is now closed for good… as in FOREVER. Meanwhile BGT Nation and BGT Guide have posted new construction updates as the ground clearing continues. Look out for some shots of official ”2011 Attraction” plans carelessly left out on a table somewhere. Oh… if only the photographer had a claw on a long arm…

Not entirely true... I find this most recent post of the layout very helpful as it combines both the ride layout, birds eye view of the land as well as the alleged blue print. I kind of like this one and find it to be a nice contribution... (as I wait oh so not very patiently for the true press release...)

Anybody pick up Monster Hunter Tri for Wii... I did and took advantage of the bonus Classic Controller Pro for an extra $10. This is hands down, one of the best looking games for Wii and gameplaywise there is nothing else like it. I'm roughly 10 hours in and have only scratched the surface of even how to play. And that is only offline. I haven't even considered taking this bad boy online yet (until I really learn how to play better... steep learning curve, but so far completely worth it...) I'm highly recommending this game to anybody who like action games (with quite a bit of grinding)... And that Classic Controller Pro is just completely sexy (for anybody who plays Virtual Console games... or A Boy and His Blob Wii-make...)

Just returned from a really sunny (and very warm) afternoon at BGT. Got to see the some of the work going on. The train tracks spanning from Jambo Junction station (really before the station, where the track bends near Rhino Rally) all the way to nearly the "Edge of Africa" crossing are completely gone, leaving just a dirt path of where it was. A sign apologizing for the Train being closed due to "essential mantainence" are posted all around. There were several construction vehicles on the path where the tracks used to be... Also saw a sort-of pick-up truck in the field, titled something "bridge company" was also present closer to (well nearly underneath) where the Skyride takes off. We also saw a couple of "Suits" suveying and walking the area. Finally a construction wall was put up on the Skyride side of the building, boardering the path from where Myombi Reserve exits leading all the way down to where that path meets the gift shop adjacent to Katonga (if you were walking from Jambo Junction towards Katonga). Nothing all too exciting (well to me it was, but...) really. But cool to see some work being done. Also got to test out some of the "Texting" service BGT is currently testing. We signed up for the "Wait time" messages and "Special Offers" messages... Unfortunately we didn't know until we were leaving that there was also a "Scavenger Hunt/Trivia" one too... The wait times were received roughly every hour or so. And were listed grouped together by wait time. Like Gwazi, Title Wave and Sheikra - 15 minutes. Montu, Kumba, Congo River 5 minutes. Etc. It was pretty cool, but overall we didn't use it. Just wanted to see how it worked. We never received anything on Special Offerings. And were sad that we didn't know about the Trivia one. That would have been the cool one, since we really were at the park to mostly walk around and be outside (yeah, we rode Kumba and Sheikra but nothing else)... The park looked great as usual (great landscaping and horticulture in most areas) and am always pleased for the most part by it... The new re-theming of Land of the Dragons to Safari of Fun looks really great. Watched the show "A is for Africa" with many of the Sesame Street characters. It was short but cute. The kids seemed to love it (although we didn't have any kids with us...) The area looks great and was re-themed really well. We were very impressed. So overall a wonderful day at BGT. And can't wait for further news on what truly is going on in that Jambo Junction area... C'mon Busch Gardens, let us know officially please...

Just got my hands on a copy of "Harvest Moon:Tree of Tranquility" on Wii... This is my first Harvest Moon game since "Save the Homeland" on PS2 (and only my second HM game... well, third since I did try one on Gamecube which was awful, so I got rid of it quickly and don't count that one)... This game seems to be pretty good. It moves at a much faster pace than I was expecting... and yet it is very relaxing... So far I've Spent many hours playing and still trying to figure out many of the games nuiances and play machanics... I'm on my second season of year one and only JUST now figured out how to get a barn and coop (along with one sheep and chicken)... But I think I'm getting the hang of things and seem to really like it so far...

My brother proposed to my (now) sister in-law on Kamikaze when it was in Wildwood... going up the lift hill... when they went back for their anniversary several years later, the coaster was gone... they didn't know if it was a blessing or a curse... must have been a blessing as they are very much still happily together 20+ years later (along with coaster loving neice and nephew...)... those are some awesome pictures...

Yeah... I don't typically like walking around parks wet... so I usually avoid the water rides (except river adventure, where you don't seem to really get all that wet most of the time...) As part of the "Me too" crowd from above, this is going to look similar... 1. Dudley Do-Rights Rip Saw Falls 2. Popeye & Bluto Bildge Rat Barges 3. Splash Mountain 4. River Adventure (IOA) 5. Le Scoot (BGW) (yeah, something a little different)

^^^ The MegaMan games have always been known for their punishing difficulty if you don't know the patterns and order of boss take downs... even when you do, the games are still typically challenging... if you have another spare 1000 Wii Points and are still interested in the MegaMan games, then try your hand at MegaMan 10... It contains an "easy" difficulty mode which truly is quite a bit easier, and it REALLY helps... Anyways... my current gaming list: Boom Blox Bash Party (Wii) - Just got it for myself as an early Birthday gift (from me to me...)... and it might be the video game version of CRACK... it is seriously THAT addicting... even in solo player mode... when you get stuck (and you WILL get furious and stuck), you can go online and in the flash of an eye and play some gamer made levels... it is amazing... And don't get me started on how awesome the multiplayer is... just one of those essential Wii games... if you don't have it... GET IT... Super Mario Galaxy (again) - getting ready for Galaxy 2, set to release in a little over a months time now... Endless Ocean:Blue World (Wii) - slowly chipping away at this one... Plan to get Red Steel 2 soon... I'm holding off to see if somebody picks it up for my birthday next week... yeah, I've been hinting to my partner my interest in the game... but that doesn't always work... either way, I'll own Red Steel 2 soon...

Heart at Universal Orlando's Mardi Gras a couple of weeks ago... they seriously still rock...

Yeah, I called April Fools just shortly after my excitement wore down... Not cool... I just might cry myself to sleep as mentioned above... damn you April Fools...