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^I'm sure that Fox will grace us with the distaff version of Brokeback Mountain one of these days.

^ I think it's awesome that you think that! Oh, and Exepedition Everest sounds great to me. I think that was the topic . . .

"It's another night on the WB With a bunch of bad shows that nobody will see . . ." The Simpsons summed it up perfectly.

^Indeed--Lasseter working with the Imagineers could be a very good thing.

Maybe the snake prefers roasted hamster with a hint of rosemary.

For some reason, during a period of three weeks, I kept getting these offers for "high-quality, frictionless glass dildos" at my work e-mail--try explaining that to your supervisor. Hmm--come to think of it, I received those offers shortly after joining TPR. You aren't offering these in your online store, are you Robb? If not, there may be an untapped market for customized, TPR "relationship aids."

That's right--everybody is entitled to an opinion. Chuck "Teen Weeny really kicks ass" Campbell

Losing Flight of Fear would be drag. It went from being a skull-cracking migraine machine with OSRs to a bone-rattling good time with the new lap restraints. But, yes, PKD does have more than its share of launched coasters (rather like "doing launch" myself).

Take care of yourself--don't jump back into the "bumpy" rides too soon.

Well, here's my favorite use for leftover steak after a BBQ. . . . this delicious pot of homemade beef-barley soup. Here's a leftover hunk of last Sunday's marinated, BBQued London broil, which was the inspiration for . . .

The Great Commonwealth of Virginia votes "yea." Chuck

At least they didn't brag that Cheetah Chase is the best wild mouse in the Southeast that's ever been transferred from one park to another.

That's always been a treacherous stretch of road. When I was growing up in the San Joaquin Valley, we had to go over the Pacheco Pass to get to Santa Cruz--that road was notorious for pile ups, too. Glad you made it back in one piece.

I feel like screaming at some of the people ahead of me in line.

"Dog Pounder"--a name that works on so many levels, ranging from having your feet pounded with a sledgehammer to engaging in forbidden acts of bestiality. Interesting place, this Knoebels. Need to check it out someday.

The initial launch might take your breath away, but the rest of the ride is inversions, twists, and turns--not to mention a lot of fun. My experience is that the very front seat gives the smoothest ride (bit rougher in the back).

Try here--when squirrels go bad . . . http://www.themeparkreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=21651

Since you're planning to eat lunch outside the parks, here's a tip for BGW (I live in the 'Burg). The Pottery Wine and Cheese Shop at the Kingsmill Shops on Rt. 60 (just down the road from the park) makes pretty good sandwiches (and sells other gourmet items). If you want to check out a true local institution, go to Pierce's Pitt BBQ and ask for "JC's Special" (a jumbo pork BBQ sandwich, fries, drink, and a cookie). Just take I-64 west (toward Richmond) to the Williamsburg/Camp Peary exit, turn left, then right at the first light (E. Rochambeau), and drive a few miles until you reach the orange-and-yellow building on the left. Enjoy. EDIT: Oops! Just realized I made a goof in the directions. Turn left after exiting at Williamsburg/Camp Peary (that is, toward Williamsburg). If you head toward Camp Peary, which is a CIA-training facility, you might find yourself staring down the muzzle of machine gun!

For me this is the main criterion: Is it fun? Looks like the answer will be "yes."

What we have here is a titanic struggle in a Suess Landing Hurricane Death Match! So Thing 1 tried a mighty drop kick, And with his toe, the Grinch's nose he did pick!

Boy, would that lyric be trouble if it's taken out of context . . .

I only wish that I had a few pictures--didn't have my camera that day. Doritos should use it in a commercial.

The affection of TPR's gracious hostess for rodents has brought to mind a bizarre incident that I experienced about six or seven years ago. I was spending the long President's Day weekend with a buddy on the beautiful Monterey Peninsula. He was giving a talk at the Steinbeck Center in Salinas, and it was my birthday that weekend, so we decided to tool around Monterey, eating good seafood, drinking good beer, and enjoying a classic "guy's weekend." We decided to check out Carmel's Seventeen Mile Drive (a road so cool you have to spend good money just to drive on it). This road goes through the famous Pebble Beach golf course and offers some spectacular views of the Pacific. It was a mild, sunny day, perfect for sightseeing. Little did we know the horror that lay in store. After stopping at the golf course for a brief continental lunch (that is, two Guinesses and a bag of Doritos), we tooled on to a scenic spot called (I think) the "Angry Seas," where the blue Pacific slams into the rocks, sending plumes of water twenty or thirty feet into the air. Quite a sight, even if the seas aren't especially pissed off about anything. This spot was also the home, it seemed, of about twenty or thirty squirrels, who were just hanging around the parking lot, looking for crumbs. Or Doritos, as it turned out. When we arrived, these adorable little rodents were just sort of milling around randomly. Or perhaps not so randomly. Well, we climbed out of our rental car, and the squirrels seemed to take no notice of our presence. That is, until I pulled out the bag of Doritos, which now contained only crumbs, for disposal in a trash can. The squirrels stopped their random milling. They all snapped to attention on their hind legs, their beady little eyes looking first at me, then at the bag. It was like stepping into an old cartoon, and rather unsettling, to say the least. I could hear little squeaky voices in my head, shouting in unison, "FOOD!" One bold rodent trotted right up to me, reared back on its hind legs, and tugged at my pants leg. "Gimme! Gimme!" it seemed to say. I stood there, slack jawed. The other squirrels still stood at attention, like soldiers on review. My buddy was equally startled, but recovered his composure first: "For God's sake, give them the crumbs!" I dumped out the bag, and as the crumbs settled to the ground, the squirrel soldiers broke ranks, swarming the precious Dorito bits like ravenous orcs in The Lord of the Rings. I retreated to the trash can to throw away the now empty bag. The lead squirrel followed, and kept tugging at my pants leg. "More? More?" "Let's head for the beach," my buddy said, as he slowly backed toward the ocean. We clambered down the rocks, which were lined with squirrels, standing at attention, staring at us as we left. We wandered along the shore for fifteen minutes, working up our courage to return to the rental car, where I fully expected to see the little critters waiting in ambush. "Gimme! Gimme! More? More?" Instead, we made good our escape from this example of what happens when wild animals get a little too dependent on human handouts.

Looks like my summer vacation is in good hands . . .

Thanks for the latest pictures, Jose. Definitely looks like it's worth visiting Animal Kingdom again.