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Is it true that there's a bowling lane on that plane? Just kidding. Nice report. I hope to visit Australia sometime. With luck, it'll be on an A380! Eric

I don't know why, but for some reason I pictured Monorail Orange as being a deeper shade of orange. Maybe it's just how the light hit it in the photo. So far, I have yet to ride any of the new trains. Next time I visit the DLR, I'll give it yet another try. And I'm glad to hear that the new window design helps keep the cabin cool. What could they have been thinking having non-opening windows and no air conditioning? Eric

That's me, #25, with Big Mike. (I'm the older one, by the way.) It was great to meet you, Mike, and participate in your contest. I got a king of spades, which earned me a nice UPS travel mug later on during the Q&A session. Thank you for helping to make West Coast Bash so much fun! Eric

I guess it's a new feature on these forums, or else I just noticed it, but when you put the cursor over the thread title, you can see the first and last post. Great idea! Eric

I learned something many, many years ago: try to reach a place where you're happy with yourself. Then you won't need anyone else to make you happy. And if you do find happiness with another person, it's just a bonus. Les rants du jour: 1. Computer out of commission. 2. Job I interviewed for last week didn't work out. 3. My French sucks. 4. I slept late today because I felt like crap and couldn't get up and get out at 7am like usual. Eric

^ Wishing for dryness. < Wishing for employment. V Wishing for a cookie!

I got some shots as well, but can't post them yet because my computer is down for the count right now (I'm at the library ). Sorry for the repeat, but I just can't get over how nice the structure looks on the "deadman curve." And, honestly, even if all of the promised theming doesn't come about, Terminator will still be a lot of fun. It won't have to be an XTREME!!1! ride as many of SFMM's have been, but if everyone in the family can ride (and that's the goal, I believe), then it will be a success. I look forward to riding this in May, and thank Jay, Neal, and Tim for bringing it to us as well as the chance to see it during its construction. Sometimes we forget that they don't have to do this, y'know... Eric EDIT: "Donkey Breath, your attitude can you use a 24hr time out." (Robb) Why only 24 hours?

I make sugar free beignets, and they're just as good as regular ones (thank you Splenda!). Honestly, though, Atlanta and New Orleans are two cities that I'd like to visit at some point. This was a very nice, interesting TR. Eric

I just looked at the Terminator picture, and I think that's me in the blue jacket. At the morning tour, I didn't have my camera, so after lunch I went to my car to get it in time for the 2:15 tour. This is going to be one heck of a ride. Eric

^ Looking for a job. < Looking for a job. V Looking for lost change in the sofa!

Maybe things have been hectic around here and Robb put those on the site to "slow things down" a bit... Eric

I'm not sure if this is the appropriate place for West Coast Bash TRs, but here's mine and TPR staff may move or modify it as needed. I also posted a similar report at Westcoaster. With the weather being the way it was, I was hoping that the event wouldn't turn out to be "West Coast 'Splash'" and luckily, despite some rain, it was OK. I met Wes and Ryan out in front before going in. There were a few other TPR folks I met, but mostly did the event alone. These days, I no longer cram in as many rides as I can. The only rides I did more than once were Batman (twice) and Deja Vu (1.05 rides---more on that in a sec). X2 ran for morning ERT, but was down due to wind later on. I rode every coaster in the park except Canyon Blaster, Colossus, and Superman. I almost didn't get to ride the newly reopened Deja Vu because on my first attempt, the train pulled out of the station to head up the first tower when it came to a stop. We sat there for almost ten minutes before the maintenance people showed up and got the train to roll back into the station to unload position, where they let us off. DV was down for the rest of the day, but it was up and running for evening ERT, which is when I did take a full ride---and my first nighttime ride on it. Terminator looks great and seeing it from the other side gave it a whole new look. The structure of the "deadman turn" is as pretty as the famous and often photographed fan turn of the Santa Cruz Giant Dipper. And I noticed a little hop coming out of it that looks like it will give a nice pop of air. After the Q&A session, the park let everyone take a piece of Terminator wood home. All in all, a great day at SFMM. The park wasn't crowded, so getting on rides during non-ERT was no problem. Jay, Neal, Tim, and the whole SFMM team took great care of us as they have for awhile now. I continue to be impressed by the turnaround SFMM has taken. A big thanks to Chris Godsey and Robb for all of the great and hard work putting this event together. WCB has undoubtedly become the premier park event on the West Coast. Eric

^ Eric

"I could do without the "3" on the door, but that's a minor detail, really." (BeemerBoy) Keep it on there. That'll remind you of your gas mileage. Eric

Used to, but now we own a house...for now... Can you write your name backwards?

One thing to remember about the goofs on the shirts: when the U.S. Government makes mistakes on our currency and coins, they're worth more. Eric

^ Peachy. Maybe because I'm just used to SoCal people and drivers, I just don't let it get me down. Mostly, I just hang back and enjoy the free entertainment, but I'm also cautious so I'll stay out of trouble. Eric

No---I wear a size 117! Yes, of course it is... Do you ever drink sodas at room temperature?

I've always wondered if there's an actual name for this letter: æ. Eric

"I don't count 'fair' coasters, so that evens it up!" (Big Mike) What about "mediocre" ones? Looking forward to meeting you on Sunday, Big Mike! Eric

Six (siks) Flags (flags) Magic (ma-jik) Mountain (mown-ten) Not too hard, that one. Robby, I noticed from your location that you're from "Autralia," so I presume English is your primary language. But we have to remember that some park and ride names are not English words---especially themed rides when they're in an area with an ethnic theme. Some areas of the U.S. have a long history of Native American or Hispanic names, so parks and attractions within reflect that. And sometimes a word may have more than one correct pronunciation. Eric

^ More off-topic: Yes I did, and it only took a half hour. I'll find out how that turned out later. Back to topic: Um...I live here in SoCal because I enjoy it, but to be honest, I've lived nowhere else. However, I have been to all but 43 states, so I've had a bit of exposure. Arizona: Pretty, but...eh. I have family in Lake Havasu. Nevada: Not bad, but I'm not crazy about the weather. Utah: Pretty, but the Mormons were scared of me. Hawaii: Nice people, but way too expensive. Texas: A bit of culture shock, but maybe I could get used to it. Florida: OK, but I need to see more than Orlando and Tampa. Eric

"And i heard someone say, just a few comments back, that by entering the fastpass lane , saying he was a single rider , he also got onboard faster , is that worth trying, or do you need to know the operators for that?" (michielh3) That was me, and, no, you don't need to know anyone. One thing, though---as a single rider, you won't have a choice of seat. While I enjoy the front seat as a rule, I'm willing to sit anywhere. My feeling is that rides should operate with as many seats filled as possible, so asking an attendant at the entrance if you can slip in and fill an empty seat makes sense. You're not taking cuts---you're filling a seat that would go empty otherwise. At Disneyland/DCA, they're starting to put dedicated single riders in, and so far, they're working out great. For instance, I've waited five minutes for Splash Mountain with a posted 90-minute wait. Ditto for California Screamin', Soaring Over California, etc. Eric

"You can't exactly have an earthquake party." (BeemerBoy) Yes you can, but it'll be after the quake, and your guests can help you clean up! Eric, who has many earthquake credits

^^ I'm the recycling monitor at my house. If I don't do it, the girls won't either. Eric