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^ I'm guessing that you can ride that Ferris wheel? That'd be cool! Also, when I saw that Candyland display, I thought about a dark ride themed to Candyland. Whoever designs that could have a lot of fun with it. Your picture of Dan with the Washington Monument behind him was one of my favorites from your report. That really looked nice. I hope someday to get to Washington DC. Eric

SFMM's Roaring Rapids uses a conveyor belt loading/unloading system. I think also the one at BGT uses a straight belt system (can't remember). Most if not all of the rides with smaller six-, eight-, or nine-passenger rafts use a turntable, correct? That's what I've observed here in California. Eric

Thanks for sharing that video, Shane. The mid- to late-'80s was a great time at SFMM, especially when Colossus raced those big PTC trains with one facing backwards all year long! Shock Wave was a lot of fun, too. It was funny watching those people waterskiing on that lake---what is now Hurricane Harbor. Good times! Eric

Even when Jay was on the 11:35 Tonight Show till last spring, I only watched his monologue and comedy bit (Headlines, Jaywalking, etc.). I do like Jay, but sometimes I can't stand listening to his voice, his stumbling over words, poor imitation of Arnold Schwarzenegger, etc. But I do appreciate his relatively clean humor and "average guy" personality. While I have never watched the 10pm Leno show, I don't think it was a good idea. I'm sure a lot of people watched, got their nightly dose of Jay, and headed to bed without watching the news (just a guess). As time goes on, I watch TV less and less, which is a shame since we have hundreds of channels with Verizon FiOS. There are too many better things to do. Eric

^ Calling Thanksgiving "Turkey Day" isn't political correctness---that's just a slang term for it. Eric

^ Loves Vs. < Loves chocolate. V Loves LAX!

I hope to take a cruise someday. All I need is the $$$. Eric

^ Not yet. I have to call their office. Actually, I lied. I had a small slice of Diana's peanut butter cream pie just awhile ago. Pure win. Eric

Got the last of the four 2009 Lincoln pennies in change today. It was shiny and coppery, and I got it at Vons when I went to get instant pudding for Diana's peanut butter cream pie. That was a good pie---rich, creamy, all peanut buttery. I just might have a slice tomorrow. Eric

Honestly, I'd like to see Six Flags focus on their North American parks before opening across the world. Six Flags Nigeria? I don't understand that one... Eric

^ Loves animals. < Likes to watch people. V Likes to watch paint dry!

I got to drive a 2011 Ford Fiesta at the L.A. Auto Show last month. It was...eh. Pretty much a standard economy car. This fair looks like fun. Maybe at some point I'll make a trip out of that area, and skip across the border to visit my nephew and his wife in Vancouver. Eric

I have a casino job on Sunday, and the girls will be gone all day! Eric

^ Because he can. "Today's TPR Spanish lesson - Basura means trash!" I had a friend back in junior high whose last name was Basura (really!). One day, he randomly said, "You know what my last name means? It means 'sh*t'!" To this day I still laugh about that. Eric

Someone: "Say your name backwards." Me: "Your name backwards." Eric

^ I don't know why they'd have to tear out Goliath. Most likely, a B&M hyper would be something out-and-backish like Goliath at SFOG, Behemoth, Apollo's Chariot, or Raging Bull, etc. That would be different than the hyper-twister that SFMM's Goliath is. Eric

I know that the management at SFMM knows all too well about the lack of theming on Scream! and Colossus---more so Scream! They've addressed it in Q&A sessions at past events. That's just not a top priority now. According to Screamscape, B&M was said to be working on something new but didn't say what (scroll down to January 7). Also, SF There was also a rumor that "...a fairly unqiue and impressive new coaster may be planned for 2011, possibly located near the top of the Mountain itself." (scroll down to October 16) Coincidence? Hmmm... Eric

^^ The monorail at the California State Fairgrounds is the same make and model, and I believe it's still running. SFMM ought to sell them the trains for parts. Eric

In a couple of hours, I'm going to take the test to work the 2010 Census. Wish me luck. Eric

^ Even if you are interested in her, it's none of the teacher's business. Eric

"If you are talking about the MCBR, weren't those added on because a woman was thrown off and died because of it years ago?" (coasterking2981) SFMM added the MCBR on Colossus in 1991 because they wanted to be able to run three trains on each track. Unfortunately, they rarely do now. For me, Colossus is not a bad ride; these days it's really a giant kiddie coaster. If any of you rode it in its first season, you rode it when it was truly mean. Eric

^ I've seen the line get pretty long on crowded days, and I suspect that it may be long for at least a short time because Batman hasn't been open in awhile. But remember, too, that at one time, Batman was the hottest thing in the park. Nowadays, most people have already ridden it and tend to think of it as "old school." That's too bad because even 15 years later, it still packs quite a punch. Eric

^ You never will...the track is blue now... Eric

^ To be honest, I'm not really a fan of Conan, but I think he addressed the situation with that very classy letter. I've always liked Jay Leno, despite some of his quirks just because he's a "regular guy." You can approach him any time for a picture, autograph, chat, whatever. And his humor, while sometimes "eh," is generally clean. I've long tired of sex and toilet humor that some comics do. And like CoastersNSich said before, I like Jay's "Headlines" segment, as well as "Jaywalking," "Battle of the Network All-Stars," etc. (Should you miss "Headlines," however, it can be viewed later on the Tonight Show website. I've watched it like that several times.) Eric

^ I've never gotten real wet on Tidal Wave, but have come off of Roaring Rapids soaked. While I do enjoy those whitewater raft rides, I tend to avoid them because I don't like to be wet the entire day. If it's hot, I'll ride because I will dry off fairly quickly. Eric