cfc

Good--I can still squeeze in dinner beforehand.

Hmm--I think BGW will "coast" this year with no new major attraction. DarKastle was pretty expensive, but it's a hit.

Thanks for sharing the pics. Speaking of "runaway truck ramps," there's a particularly goofy one on I-80 west between Truckee and Sacramento, California. The ramp goes off the interstate and ends at the top of a gully overlooking the railroad tracks--like something you'd see in an old Burt Reynolds movie.

"Vengeance is mine!" screameth Mark!

Instead of Salsa try RO*TEL...preferably "Mexican Festival". Best stuff ever! BTW, did you know Velveeta has been around since 1928? (I'm a storehouse of useless information) My .02, Kraft Mac & Cheese (regular noodles) ownz Velveeta Shells and Cheese...Dang I'm hungry! Mmm--sounds good! My favorite salsa is Santa Barbara Fire Roasted Chili Salsa. It has a nice smoky flavor.

This hot babe told me to wish you Happy Birthday . . . . . . or she was gonna break me in two! She also requested that I use the term "hot babe."

Well, it is the "off" season . . .

That's a shame--rather liked Camp Snoopy. But will they still use the log ride to hawk Knott's Boysenberry Jam and Syrup?

Dice and fry up some Spam and toss it with that mac and cheese--now that's good eatin'. (Actually, I haven't had the stuff in years, thanks to its high sodium content.) I know of one good use for Velveeta--nacho cheese dip. Just cut up a few packs Velveeta (what Dr. Science once referred to as a "synthetic jellyfish"), put it in a microwave-safe bowl, dump on a jar of your favorite salsa, and nuke it till it melts. Should be tasty with either tortilla chips or macaroni. Velveeta is also a good cheese for migraine sufferers, believe it or not--doesn't bring on headaches.

^Yeah, there're some things we just don't need to know . . .

Happy Belated B'day. Soren. I'd sing "Happy Birthday to You," but my voice is terrible and the song is still under copyright, so we'd both get sued.

Gee, now we're all feeling a little down in the mouth . . . slap! Ouch! After you sue the pizza company, I intend to sue you for the mental distress caused by my viewing of this picture, not to mention my attempts to replicate the incident in my own home so that I could post my own blistered palette pic. Yes, you really should've posted some kind of warning label on your topic: Warning: Theme Park Review in no way advocates consensual mouth burning via pizza, other microwaved food products, or hot liquids. :devilr: Then you can open up your own can of legal whoop ass in a counter-suit. Hope it stops hurting soon.

Only if you've been eating peanuts.

Did you try the Rocky Mountain Oysters? Never had the ba**s, er, guts, to try those myself. (Come to think of it, the poor bull donor doesn't have them anymore, either.) As for camels, they are something of a footnote in the history of the Old West. Some enterprising souls imported some camels to Virginia City, Nevada, in the 19th century because camels need far less water than oxen or horses. The camels failed as livestock, but Virginia City still sponsors annual camel races. Thanks for the report.

When Homer was mistaken for Bigfoot (first season): "What we have here is either a very stupid man, or a brillant beast." That night, Marge makes everything better: "Oh, Homey, my brillant beast."

^From Sleeping Beauty: "Not good enough, sirrah! My honor demands satisfaction in Thunderdome! Lord Chuck, you must be my champion!" Er, do you mean "Thunderdome" as in Vegas, or as in third Mad Max movie? And if you mean the latter, doesn't that involve chain saws, sldegehammers, bats with nails sticking out of them, and bungee cords? I'm afraid you're on your own, princess. SB: "Oh, very well! I shall retire to my summer home in France to sulk in a most royal fashion. "

^^Very clever, indeed--like an LSD-fueled, Saturday-morning TV nightmare.

Oh, I so have to head down to Florida this fall--thanks for the info.

--Your 2005 year in review: Didn't get around much in 2005, but I'm planning to remedy that in 2006. --Your first coaster of the year: The Loch Ness Monster at BGW (kind of a tradition with me) --Your last coaster of the year: Top Gun (Carowinds) --Best new steel to me: Top Gun (much better than I had hoped--especially in the dark and cold of Winterfest) --Best new wood to me: No new wood this year --Best new flat ride to me: Tomb Raider: Firefall at PKD (first Top Spin ever, actually) --Best new water ride to me: No new water rides this year --Best new dark ride/walk through to me: Curse of DarKastle (a great addition to BGW) --Best new water park attraction to me: Hubba Hubba Highway at Water Country USA (embarrassing name, but a lot of fun) --Best new park to me: Carowinds (a pleasant surprise) --Best park "moment" of the year: Standing in a parking lot across the street from Carowinds and seeing that Top Gun was running (wasn't expecting any coasters at all during Winterfest) --Best overall park "trip" of the year: To Carowinds for Winterfest --Worst new attraction (any kind) to me of the year: Scooby Doo's Haunted Mansion at Carowinds (OK, but a step down from PKD's version) --Best event at a park: Winterfest at Carowinds --Best non-event day at a park: Any Friday night at BGW (light crowds and ribs at the Smokehouse) --Best non-park related moment of the year: Scoring tickets on Times Square to see a taping of The Late Show with David Letterman last summer (the whole trip to NYC, actually) --Favorite TPR post/thread of the year: Hmm--"Coaster of the Week" in the Uber Secret UK Trip Forum --Best Amusement related news of the year: Space Mountain up and running at DL again --Worst Amusement related news of the year: No new ride for BGW next season --Ride that I had to rethink my opinion of in 2005: Anaconda at PKD (it was running much smoother than usual last October during Fearfest) --Hopes for 2006: Other than world peace and universal understanding? Getting down to Florida next October for Expedition Everest, Halloween Horror Night, and Sheikra. And, of course, meeting the TPR crew in the UK in June.

Alright, fans! It's time for Rasslemania 2005! The big main event you've been waiting on! Rowdy Red Lego vs. Bad-Ass Brown Lego in a death match! No referee! No rules! These building blocks will do battle until one of them fails to answer the bell! Loser leaves town! The winner gets a hot night at McDonald's with little Miss Rasslin' herself, Elissa Alvey!

^Actually, I'd be happy if they'd just reopen (and upgrade) the Sleeping Beauty waltkthrough attraction inside. But being that it's been closed for so long, I wonder if there are ADA (that is, Americans with Disabilities Act) issues that would have to be resolved. The castle did start out as just a facade and was "plussed" with the addition of the walkthrough in the 1960s.

Ah ha! So you admit the deed! I thought as much! No argument there, Robb. But, every now and then, somebody has got to stick up for the little guy, er, castle.

Sleeping Beauty's Castle takes a lot of abuse. Why, hardly a Disneyland TR is posted on this board without some long shot of Main Street and a caption like this: "Where's the castle? I heard there was a castle." Or perhaps a bit of forced perspective: "Look! I'm eating the little castle!" or "Hey! I'm stomping on the tiny castle!" Such pics and captions are becoming as common as cops-and-donuts jokes (I've even succumbed myself at least once). Yes, Sleeping Beauty's home is, physically, the smallest castle of the Disney parks (but I'm guessing that Hong Kong's is about the same size). Heck, even Disney itself has belittled the poor thing over the years--for example, by switching to Cinderella's Castle from MK in the credits of The Wonderful World of Disney back in the 1970s. Current commercials for WDW on the East Coast even superimpose Uncle Walt himself over MK's Main Street, with the Florida castle prominently in the background: "To all who come to this happy place [which didn't actually exist when I gave this speech], welcome." Now, I'm not putting anybody down for making castle jokes, but please consider this: Sleeping Beauty's Castle is, perhaps, the most recognized symbol of the place that became the catalyst for the theme-park industry we all enjoy today--good old Disneyland. So, to me (and I suppose to some others), DL's castle, like the TARDIS on Dr. Who , is "dimensionally transcendental"; that is, much bigger than it appears. It casts a long shadow over all the parks that have followed. It was the theme-park icon to me when I was a wee lad, when it seemed quite large, indeed. This isn't a rant, folks--just me cooking up a little food for thought. Thanks for stopping by. Chuck

Sloppy copy editing...gotta love it EDIT: OMG I just realized that it was called "Greased Lightning" through the whole article instead of "Greezed Lightnin'" which was it's proper name. Wow...and people wonder why I am ashamed to have a journalism degree!!! Sickening. -Julie Well, in defense of the newspaper, "cue" could be construed as a variant spelling of "queue" (according to Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 10th ed.), but the latter is much preferred unless you're writing about a stick used in a snooker game. And "Greezed Lightnin'" is its (not it's) proper name. That being said, I always have to double-check my posts because I have a bad habit of typing "you're" when I mean "your." Chuck

^Always wise to make sure that the "smart" clothes don't outsmart you.