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"...isn't Little Flash being installed on the former Sierra Twist (Bayern Kurve)..." (6flagsbrad) According to Neal Thurman, the roller skater (aka "Little Flash") is going where Yosemite Sam's Sierra Falls is. Last Friday, I asked him that in person and that's what he said. Eric

It's understandable why parks need to make a profit on food, but they haven't yet seemed to figure out that if you provide good quality food, more people will buy it. And...*SURPRISE!*...more profit! Amazing concept, huh? Eric

^ If you have proof of payment, then you should be off the hook. Unfortunately, the boobs in their accounting department have messed up and you have to do the work to prove your case. Eric

A package of fine European chocolate truffles at Costco for less than $11. Over four pounds, too. Eric

"And sports fans' money isn't good?" (Bolliger&Mabillard) There needs to be someplace on this green earth where you can escape the obsession with sports in this country. Eric

^ That's one reason I just don't go to movies anymore. You have to wonder what ever happened to classy behavior. Eric

The other day when I was at SFMM and ran into Neal Thurman, he did mention that Superman---Escape From Krypton would run much quieter than Superman---The Escape did. That will be a welcome change, as I wasn't a big fan of the fighter jet sound that the cars made going over the midway at that point. Eric

^ I know someone who can help you with the last one... Eric

Sundays are indeed the days to go to SFMM, pretty much throughout the year. Perhaps the only exceptions are on three-day holiday weekends, because then, the Sunday is like Saturday in that no one has to get up the next day and go to work. Eric

I'm still using Office 2003 and it works just fine. Another issue with anything from Office 2007 is that you have to remember to save files in the earlier format or you won't be able to do anything with them. Eric

Recently, I mentioned that I wouldn't mind getting a wide screen monitor for the computer (I'm using a 17" squarish tube one now and it works fine). But that's a want, not a need. So at 3:30 Friday morning, I'm awakened by the Mrs.: "HEY! ERIC! COME LOOK AT THIS!" Apparently Office Max and Best Buy were having crazy sales on LCD and LED computer monitors. 20- to 23-inch ones. Nice, but I'm standing there about half awake while she's scrolling through catalog pages, all the while saying, "Look at this one...only $99!" or whatever. I pretty much said, "Yeah, fine" and went back to bed. Then I got up the next day and went to SFMM. Eric EDIT: Just to add---the whole Christmas/holiday shopping thing has never appealed to me, even when I was a lot younger. It's just too crazy. I don't care if I get anything, and I'm tired of getting gifts for others who complain that it "isn't what they wanted" and so forth. Each year at this time, I just hope and pray that the year would get over with---fast.

^ I was out there for awhile today myself, and the crowds weren't too bad. From the Sky Tower, I saw that Terminator had a long line, so I never even went near it. I did ride Riddler's Revenge (single-rider line), X2, and Revolution. Revolution was a walk-on, and X2's line was about 30 minutes when I was in it. Over near Katy's Kettle, I ran into Neal Thurman and chatted with him for awhile. All in all, I pretty much got a lap around the park and a few rides in. And that's pretty much all I wanted. Eric

Sounds like I'd better rethink my plans to visit tomorrow...especially if the weather is going to be about the same. If SFMM was that crowded today, imagine what tomorrow could be like, even if it's Black Friday. Eric

"Los Angeles city planners recently released a 39,000-page draft environmental impact..." Somehow, "39,000 pages" and "environmental impact" in the same sentence is kind of funny. That's a lot of paper... I grew up in the shadow of USH, and my total number of lifetime visits is still in the single digits. Perhaps I'm just a "ride" kind of person. Shows just never cut it for me. I have been to USF and there is more to do there, but USH just doesn't have the room for anything HUGE. 146,000 square feet sounds like a lot, but is only 3.3 acres. Not much in theme park terms. As I said somewhere else, if Universal were to bring any kind of Harry Potter attraction here; for instance, the Forbidden Journey, they'd have to be creative in order to squeeze it in. Eric

All I need is a new jacket, but otherwise I'm fine with nothing. Eric

With all the hype over backwards coasters, I wonder when we'll start seeing backwards flume rides? Eric

My only issue with Colossus is that it's pretty much become a giant kiddie coaster. Its original configuration was insane (and I did ride it like that), but was obviously not safe given the fatality that resulted. This new track style could indeed give some new life to Colossus, even if not exactly original. Some interesting things could be done. Eric

Nice to see the tower not looking like a building under construction anymore. I look forward to the finished product. Eric

^ I pulled an all-nighter once---kept me up all night... Today's slice of happiness pie comes from lunch at Topper's Pizza. Not sure what it is about that place, but their Quick lunch just hits the spot. Eric

I have a wedding to go to in March. And it's in a different county. Eric

Knott's had El Cinema Grande out in the middle of the lake for a few years (early '80s). It sounds like the Incredidome was very much like it. Eric

Parents in the Santa Clarita Valley use season passes as cheap babysitters. I've long said that the pass should be more expensive considering what you get. Even the Xtreme Pass is underpriced---only $125 and it includes everything the regular pass does PLUS free parking, 25% off of most food and merchandise, and a Flash Pass discount. They could easily bump it up to $150-$200 and it would still be a deal. I mentioned this to Jay Thomas once, and he told me, "I like your thinking." All of the Six Flags season passes are way underpriced in my opinion. Eric

SFMM isn't so bad. I went there on Black Friday a couple of years ago and while busy, it wasn't horrible. But Disneyland/DCA...yeah, avoid it. Eric

During my pre-colonoscopy appointment, they weighed me. While I've long known that I've been getting, shall we say, a bit bigger, the nurse said I was 190! So that means that I will need to hit the streets and a LOT more walking in. The rant isn't the walking since I like that; it's the fact that I've gotten right back up to where I was when I was diagnosed as Sugar Challenged Type 2. Bottom line: a lot of work ahead. Eric

I think the tower will look nice when it's done. This is the color scheme that the ride should have had from the start. Eric