funkybadger

Sounds like a ballroom that still stood after 100 YEARS was actually pretty well made, just not well maintained. The entire park is old, and in my opinion what made it so special. It's a shame this park has been the focus of so much media attention in the coaster community, but so little support from it's local community. The bottom line is that this is a sad loss. I've been to the park twice in the last four years, and I felt like I'd stepped back in time. The second time I was there, the park was much busier and looked more promising. Looks like we'll need a time machine to ever see this park in it's true glory. I hope somebody is keeping an eye on the hotel. The building, while in need of some maintenance, is truly stunning, and harkens back to a different type of vacationing that people don't really do much anymore. Dining on the large porch or at the restaurant offers beautiful views of the lake. It's a very homey, welcoming place. I'm glad my family got a chance to visit this park before it's nothing more than photographs and memories.

I saw "Juno" last weekend (as promised) and loved it! For me it was a cross between Garden State and Napoleon Dynamite, and I mean that in the best possible way! The humor was realistic and fresh, the premise was handled in a unique and refreshing way that somehow made me feel like it's possible for something good to come from such a typically unfortunate situation. I laughed out loud, and got teary at the end. I love the ending - simple, yet original. It's so obvious why this movie was nominated. I also noticed that the audience was a mix of all ages, and we all seemed to enjoy the film. Again, congrats!

I got my copy of Coaster Expedition Volume 9 today! As a Spain tripper, it was a blast to relive the trip and bring back such great memories! I also got to see what hijinx other people were up to! Everybody had such a great time! The parks were excellent, the food superb, and the company can't be beat! I think this DVD did a great job of capturing what TPR trips are all about! I particularly liked the ending segment with the blend of still shots and short bits that fit in perfectly at the end of the DVD. Somehow it creates a nice sense of nostalgia, and a way to remember all the fun we had together. I'm excited to go through my photo disc to see what we all captured on our cameras throughout our Spanish conquest! Now I have Jimmybo's DVD to look forward to! His Spain DVD should be out this spring - that'll be some good laughs for sure! Robb & Elissa - another great job from start to finish! Looking forward to Europe in less than 5 months! Thanks for everything! ~ Melanie

I've been meaning to see Juno since a former student of mine RAVED over it. The concept is definitely intriguing, along with all the positive reviews everywhere in the media. My husband and I will be enjoying your film this weekend. Having you on the site, AND getting such an esteemed nomination has only made us more eager to see the movie. Congratulations and good luck!

I was an extra in this movie way back in 1992! Though any scenes I was in hit the cutting room floor, I got to meet Vince Vaughn VERY early in his career, which was cool. It was election day the day we shot a scene at a local pub. He and I spent some time talking politics, which I don't do often. But who's gonna pass up that chance?! Though my proudest moment of the day was when Sean Astin bent over to tie his shoe and his butt touched my leg! I've been touched by a hobbit! Come to think of it, his feet did look kinda hairy - huh.

Wow Colin, you are soooooo dorky! I hope the coffee helped, because clearly gettin' cracked up on Jesus wasn't doing the trick. Someday you'll have to visit (or revisit) South Bend now that you know us and take some pretty pictures of our little dot on the map. We have soooooo many places to get coffee (or stuff that is coffee but doesn't taste like coffee) that I'm sure you'll be happy. Nice Notre Dame cross country shirt, by the way! Kristen's still the cutest thing in your TR - she soooooo cute! No fair that she got to meet you first, even though we've known each other longer. Booo!

I think that a National Treasure attraction could work, and it could have little or nothing to do with Nicolas Cage. The movie actually draws attention to the history of our country, and patriotism is always popular, if somewhat controversial at the time. From the looks of late night TV and the "man on the street" segments that Leno does, everybody could learn a bit more about the history of our nation. Basing a ride on something exciting and historical, yet somewhat educational sounds like a Disney idea in itself. And what many people don't realize is that both movies highlight events and places that are right in every 5th grade history book. Yes, it's embellished and glamorized, but isn't that exactly what movies are supposed to be? As somebody mentioned previously, Disney does actually market itself for children and families, so I think this ride could work. But maybe that's just the history geek and the teacher in me, though. Oh, as some of may already know, Nicolas Cage's last name was originally Coppola, as in Francis Ford Coppola, the movie director who is also Nicolas's uncle. He changed his name early in so he could make a name for himself, rather than ride off the family name. I've been on again, off again in my opinion of Cage and his movies. I definitely prefer his action films over his more dramatic roles, though I'm certain that has much to do with the sarcastic characters he portrays in action movies.

Do they still make the Crushed Melon flavor? That's my favorite flavor!!!

^^ The dog crate with the eyes is a good idea! I have both of those, so I can duplicate the idea! We don't put up any outside decorations for fear of vandalism. We live on a decent street, but some of the side streets have some undesirables. However, we have the entire inside of our house decorated. We even put up a Halloween tree, which is really fun! We were going to post a bunch of pictures, but our schedules have been really hectic and we've haven't even taken pictures, let alone post them. Next year we're planning on inviting some students over for hot dogs, and then taking them on a "tour" of the house. Rich even has a storyline planned to make it more creepy!

Anything by Imogen Heap/Frou Frou

I was fine being back here in the states teaching all day until I saw the Zorbs. I hate you all. Dan, may you die a thousand firey, diabetic deaths! Oh, and I hope Ryan sits next to you in hell.

While I did find your top 10 list to be rather funny, this one is just grasping at straws to come up with a top 10 list. I have to disagree here. First, do you enjoy walking in bird excrement? Do you enjoy it splattered on your car? Do you enjoy dodging flying rats that may drop a pile on you at any moment? Do you think it's a cheap substitute for the lack of theming at the park? (These are rhetorical questions, so don't feel obliged to respond.) You can't really play the "well, all parks have that problem" card when CP is surrounded by water, therefore attracting seagulls that are the culprits of this problem. If you don't mind this, e-mail Larry. He'll come crap in your backpack for you. EDIT: Ok, so I read all this a bit later, so YES, I'm beating the dead horse.

From the looks of his last post that was put up a day before the accident, he was making a coaster run when the accident happened. While it's a tragedy that he is gone, at least he was out doing something he enjoyed. Sad to say that our highways are far more dangerous than any coaster. From reading his obituary, it sounds like Daniel led a purposeful, though short life. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends. Daniel's Last Post

Ugh, and to think you wasted 4 Euro buying me a beer! You'll have to buy me another after comments like that!! Come off it Ed, this was a great book. I'm amazed how she managed to tie the previous six books together and delved even further into a world that was already so intricately created. The escapes and explanations are certainly no more incredulous than the other books with the way he gets out of things. I can't believe you didn't like the book and somehow I still like you! You must be pretty damn cool, Ed. **** MORE SPOILERS **** I do wonder, however, why so little was said about Teddy Tonks in the epilogue. Wouldn't Harry have raised him since he was his godfather? Or does that sort of relationship work differently than in the U.S.? Or was it because there were other family members to care for him that I either forget or that weren't mentioned? The only Tonks that I thought survived was Dora's mother. Oh, and Rowling is currently working on two books, one for kids, one for adults. There was an article in Thursdays USA Today, but I couldn't read it until a few minutes ago since I just finished the book and I was terrified of the spoilers. Thank goodness for a really long drive home from southern Virginia to northern Indiana!

Nice pics there, Jimbola! It really looks like I'm licking the gum wall. My mother would be so proud!

^ I absolutely don't think you're a bad person for the stance you've taken. I'm just pointing out another perspective. I rarely post in these types of serious issues that get into big debates. I'm a real fence rider due to my ability to see both sides of an issue. I see your point on people benefiting from something that they really have no right to benefit from. However, I think that the parents probably need some kind of compensation, though millions and millions is certainly not necessary. As you said though, the daughter should get the money, since she probably will need millions just to cover her medical expenses, rehabilitation, and prosthetics for her missing foot as she grows and matures. I really hope she's one of those people who finds a way to turn an awful accident into something positive, like the female surfer who was attacked by a shark (but still surfs), or a local girl who was paralyzed in an ATV accident several years ago, and has gone on to attend college and lead as close to normal life as possible. Their stories of what they overcame are absolutely inspirational. I hope this girl can find others to gain the emotional strength she'll need to deal with this.

Why shouldn't the parents get any money? They're the ones who are raising their daughter, and raising a child isn't exactly cheap. Additionally, the trauma that these parents are going through is simply unimaginable. Not to mention the time they're taking off work to be with their daughter, meet with doctors and lawyers, deal with the press, etc. These people could be the crappiest parents ever, and they would still deserve some sort of compensation. (I'm certain somebody will try to twist my words here.) Every day their daughter is in that hospital is causing physical and mental stress on her parents, and could literally be taking years off their lives. Who knows how long they'll end up caring for their daughter as she gets older? I know there are a lot of "what if's" that could be applied to this tragic accident and the aftermath of her rehabilitation, and some of those situations may never come to fruition. i.e. Will she be socially adjusted? Will she be able to find a job? What jobs would she have been able to get if this accident hadn't occurred? You just can't answer all these questions, but lawyers will certainly try. I also agree that we live in an unacceptably sue-happy nation. But this girl is 13! She's going to need a lot of help physically and emotionally to get through all this. As if being 13 isn't difficult enough?! Her life and the life of her entire family has been changed FOREVER. They all deserve some major compensation for this, and I'm sure that they will get it, whether the case is settled in or out of court. I've read about a lot of accidents (especially this summer - shudder), but for some reason this one has really affected me emotionally more than the others. It's the kind of thing that just leaves everybody feeling really helpless, but I can't help but think that something more could have been done to keep this accident from happening in the first place. I still wonder who will end up paying this family, Six Flags or Intamin?

Taratuna! I think that's what was on Rich & Jimmybo's "atun y bacon" pizza! We really enjoyed meeting you Elliot (how many L's How many T's?), and look forward to seeing you next year on another trip! Glad you had a good time! Melanie "yellow funkybadger ERT chick" Bitner

Well, Rich and I have finally made it home after a long drive from NY. Oh, and of course, our stop off at Dutch Wonderland to get credits 99 and 100 for this trip! (Larry, if you're not impressed I'm taking away your yellow hat!). This should allow us to hit 400 by the end of the season in October. I hope all of you that are on the Mini-Europe trip are having a wonderful time. Part of me is jealous, but after being gone for 24 days, seeing my dog again is wonderful, and sleeping in my own bed will be beyond words! Thanks so much to Robb and Elissa (and Chris F., John V., and Jeff) for all their hard work. Once again, this trip was incredible. The parks were gorgeous and amazingly themed (yes, this includes Tibidabo - clean, well landscaped, and lots of fun), and the treatment we received was impeccable. Kristen is simply adorable, and I can count maybe 5 total min. combined on the entire trip that you could actually hear her fussing. She smiles all the time, and she's just a joy. Robb and Elissa are fantastic parents, and did an amazing job balancing all the overwhelming tasks that were demanded of them. We strengthened friendships we made over the past year, and met lots of great new people that we look forward to getting to know better. Another trip that leaves me fresh out of adjectives to say "I've never enjoyed myself more, appreciated the special treatment we received everywhere we went, or looked forward to more TPR adventures in the future!" We miss you guys!!! Get home safe everyone! Melanie Bitner Founding Member of the BOTBC Founding Member and Sole Female Member of the Yellow Hat Club!!!

Thanks for the nice TR guys! Saves us from having to post pics since we were just there Friday. Though I must say that Rich's photos of Catwoman looked a bit more pornographic than Derek's if that's possible. Ride of Steel was incredible, but Dark Knight definitely had some of the worst-but-so-easily-solved-if-you-aren't-a-moron capacity issues I've ever seen. Six Flags Great Adventure was good this evening though. We even got 5 (oh yes, FIVE!!!) rides on El Toro, including two rides in a row and the last ride of the night. Wow. Just ... WOW!

Well, the take over has begun! We're making our way across New York, destined to meet up with larrygator on Friday to spend some time with him before we leave for Spain. In the meantime, we're jumping to every park and zoo we can find along the way. Today - Sylvan Beach! Everytime some little park closes, we get pages and pages of people saying how sad it was that the park closed. But the reason those parks close is from lack of attendance. Taking that advice to heart, we went a bit out of our way to visit Sylvan Beach, a park that truly harkens back to the simpler days of the amusement park. We were only there about an hour, spent about $20, and had a great time. So next time we hear a sad story about a place like Joyland or Erieview closing, we'll at least feel like we've done our part to combat that happening by visiting little parks like these. Ok, no more soapbox - on with the stupidity!!! So Sylvan Beach was a great time. See you next time! We love you Mom! ~ Melanie & Rich And one final shot of the town of Sylvan Beach. It's a quaint little lake town sitting right on Oneida Lake. Definitely worth a visit! Mmm . . .blueberry cheesecake ice cream is much better with vampire teeth! Actually, Melanie looks more like Brak from Space Ghost. And now it's time for "Bad Puns" with Melanie!! Can you figure out what this might be? Thank goodness for this machine to tame those tentacles of tickets! Time to trade them in for the crappy loot! OMG! Rich has been attacked by the Ticket Kraken! Rich's hard work pays off in ... RED HOT TICKETS! Rich shows off his mad shooting skills - makes me swoon everytime! Old school teacups, baby! Lou? Larry? Any takers for some spin & hurl goodness? YES! - it's Bargain Day! See, it pays to visit the small parks! And on to the Galaxi for our credit! Cute kiddie area! Oooh! Pay per ride tickets were on sale today! We got 10 for $9.50! Here's the ticket booth and the entrance to Laffland, a quirky old fashioned dark ride. And who knew? Sylvan Beach actually sits right on the beach! This is Oneida Lake – pretty! So here’s the entrance to Sylvan Beach . . the sign is elevated so you can see it from the lake.

I was 16, and my first ride was Vortex at King's Island. I was instantly addicted the thrill of the roller coaster. I couldn't even bring myself to ride it again when I was there a month ago. Ugh. And I'm sure I behaved like the biggest GP tool that I can't stand today. Double "Ugh". < ------------- and my current age is HERE. And just yesterday I passed for 28 - sweetness!

Nice pics of a great park! Adventureland has some of the best customer service EVER! And the irony is that it's almost completely run by senior citizens and teenagers, two groups that often get a bad rap, and are not often known for mingling except at family gatherings! I am continually baffled how this park is never recognized for a Golden Ticket Award for service. Proof that there is some "coaster mafia" out there and those awards are at least somewhat of a scam. When we were there, the ride ops gave us comedic, personalized attention, and we were greeted everywhere we went (or even walked past) by a smiling face. One of our favorite memories of the park was when we ordered corn dogs and the counter person apologetically asked if we minded waiting a couple minutes for them. She then proceeded to make us the most delicious hand-dipped corn dogs that were hot and freshly made just for us! Awesome! Melanie "I Love Adventureland!" Bitner

Air Crow was closed, and the Falling Star never reopened for us. Cameron didn't bring a camera, and we were too busy stuffing our faces to take pics of the tacos. Sorry. Thanks, Larry for saying something nice about my hair, while ripping on Indiana. We'll add some pics of Matt and the rest of us in here! There's some funny stuff on our camera! (HINT: 3 guys + 1 scrambler car = ???)

Aww, thanks for the lovely compliment Lou! The "new do" is much easier to take care of. I had it this way several years ago, but I'm always changing my hair out of boredom. As soon as I got it cut short this time I felt like myself again.