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^ Welcome to TPR! I have been going to Magic Mountain since its opening year (1971), so you'd think I have a ton of pictures of the place. WRONG! For whatever reason, I've never taken that many pictures during my visits out there, and I greatly regret that. What a bunch of history I've missed! I do have a few photos from the early '70s, but that's about it. I'll have to get those scanned (find them first!) and posted here. Eric

^^ Their interests DO change on the spur of the moment. Diana and I have always had good times at SFMM, and though she still goes, we don't go as often. But remember that I live two miles from you and have an unlimited supply of time right now, so give me a call or a text. Eric

^ It is hard to see Batman from I-5 because it's hiding among all those tall coasters. But you can see it from the 126 if you're heading to/from Ventura County. That's the road I take to go to SFMM. Eric

Be sure to go to the correct processing center. Right now, they're using the old season pass processing building (with the turquoise roof) on the right side after going through the metal detector. I didn't know that when I was last there (the girl at Will Call didn't say), so I went in and found the regular place closed. A visit to Guest Relations set me straight. Eric

^ There are no hard and fast "rules" about what to count as a credit. Some people don't count a ride like Superman--The Escape at SFMM as a coaster (I do). Some people count powered kiddie coasters (I don't). Some people count those alpine slides, some don't (I've never ridden one, but probably wouldn't count it). And so on... Bottom line: if it's a coaster to you, then count it. Eric

I have never really cared about who did or didn't remember my birthday. It's just another day to me. But to those whose birthdays were missed, enjoy:

^ Be sure and ask about the shipping fee. They just might waive it as a gesture of good will for the hassle. The worst they could say is "no." Since I got my first pass in 1994, I've always processed it at the park. I figure that since I'm there, I'll just break it in right then and there. Eric

^ Born long before 1985 (when "new" Coke arrived). < Born long after cork boards were invented (but not much). V Born while Mom stopped to pee at Walmart!

^ I have that book, and mine is even autographed. It is indeed a very good book. If I recall, I got mine sometime in the late '80s. Eric

^ Joined TPR forums this year. < Joined TPR forums at the beginning. V Joined TPR forums to a wall with super glue!

^^ California is also a cheese state, only here a lot of people's heads are filled with it. Our cows are happy because they can get tans out in the field. Eric

^ I understand your apprehension about going where people have died, but remember that people have died on most major highways. Are you going to avoid certain stretches of roads because of that? Are you going to avoid riding any rides where people have died? People die where they die. Just saying... Eric

I think you're going to find good and bad people everywhere you go. One place isn't much better than another. Like Joey, I've been in Southern California my whole life and have seen some wonderful people, and some not-so-wonderful ones. When dealing with the latter, my sense of humor just kicks in and I end up getting a laugh out of it. That just might explain why my blood pressure is on the low side despite some issues that would normally raise it. Stupid people = free entertainment. Eric

^ You can't boycott Wisconsin---think of the cheese! But it does annoy me when people fill their cups at self-serve soda fountains, then just stand there sipping and waiting. Then put a little more soda in. And stand. And sip. And then...they notice you and say, "Oh, I'm sorry, did you need to get in here?" Nope. I just want to stand here all day with an empty cup in my hand... Eric

^ Especially on a curve, if that was the case. Perhaps the best way to do a backup operation is to have someone in the back car looking out and communicating via radio/walkie talkie/phone. Eric

In the upper right corner, my 2010 pass says "2010 Xtreme Play Pass" in an orangey colored box. And it says "Parking" to the right of the bar code. The pass itself is more or less gray, and my photo is a joke. Eric

^ All you have to do is open your photo editor (Flickr, Picasa, etc.) and look for the resize feature. Then resize to 800x600. I often save them as whatever the photo name was with "resize" or "TPR" somewhere in the file name if I don't want to mess up the original file. Use the help functions in any of those programs if you need to. Eric

^ I can't tell you how many times I've thought the very same thing---not only about "lose" vs. "loose," but the whole "break" vs. "brake" thing. Don't start me on "their" vs. "there" vs. "they're" or the variations of "to," "too," and "two." Eric

Whoever eats the last cookie is the old maid. Eric

Some free TPR DVD thingy. I just had to download it and *POOF* it's on my computer and ready to watch. Eric

^ It doesn't matter who's in office---not long after they get in, the complaining begins. I get tired off all of the political e-mails that circulate. That's why we have spam folders. Eric

I'm really amazed that the monorail trains aren't equipped with a rear camera, mirrors, or something to watch behind when a train is backing up. Even putting someone back there with a walkie talkie would have been better. Eric

Downloaded mine with no trouble whatsoever in about ten minutes. (I use Mozilla Firefox and have Verizon FiOS.) Thanks for the gift and a Merry---though belated---Christmas! Eric

I've had a couple of problems receiving the Xtreme pass food discount, but usually a supervisor can clear it up. In my opinion, all employees should be properly trained to know what to do when someone shows their Xtreme pass for the discount. One thing that I'm glad did change. At one time, when you presented the Xtreme pass for free parking, you had to fill out a little paper slip and sign it. Now they just scan your card and hand you a receipt. Much better. It'd be nice if there were scanners at food or merchandise locations to streamline the process, but maybe that will come in time. Eric

Lunch at the maul for Diana and me: $20.44. Sephora gift card for the Mrs.: $100.00. Eric