michaellynn4

Would you prefer something like this beauty? (from GAHistory): They're for theme parks, not Rand McNally. Sure, it could always be better, but they're far from "ugly". Ahh, glad to see the ambient sounds of a construction site have returned. Joking aside, I'm glad to see it, the park has definitely done a lot more this offseason to spotlight progress and overall improvements than they have in recent years. I somehow always forget how quickly flats like this go up. That said, what's the over/under until we get our first post wondering if this means it'll be open before Memorial Day weekend?

My brother, sister, aunt, brother-in-law, and sister-in-law all still actively play that game. It's not the cultural craze it was when it was first released, but it's still got a huge-enough following to still be relevant.

Between this video and couple recent rounds of pictures the park released on Twitter, I think this is the most they've updated us on the progress of a park ride in a while. That said, someone should let them know about the libraries of free music they could use as a bed instead of three minutes of the gentle roar of wind against the camera mics.

Man, those brochures are SO 1990s. And about 40% WordArt.

Oh man, that zero car looks amazing!!

I loved Icon at Blackpool Pleasure Beach, and Copperhead Strike looks like it has an even more exciting layout. If this rides anything like Icon, Carowinds has another win on their hands. I can't imagine how anyone could be skeptical, either.

SFGAdv has been pretty good with getting their new additions ready to go by Memorial Day. The last one that didn't meet that goal was Zumanjaro, and that was mostly delayed due to NJ inspectors dragging their feet.

I saw Keith Flint passed this morning and thought of you. Real shame.

So a couple weeks ago I ended up back in the hospital again. Turns out they didn't get all of the gallstones out the first time, and a gallstone that was still in my bile duct lodged itself at the base, causing many of the same symptoms as the first time. A week later, after several tests, an endoscopy, having fluid drained, and a few rounds of antibiotics, I was finally discharged. Fortunately, through all of it, I still managed to remain positive. I've stuck to a low-fat, low-carb diet, and am down 30 pounds in total from my heaviest. I'm back to where I was after returning from my honeymoon. I'm about to start reintroducing more strenuous exercise back into my routine, so hopefully I'll be able to continue on this path.

I've always had a fantasy that I'd eventually retire, move to Hershey, and run the Scrambler or something.

Ooooh, look at that purple pop! Looking good!

TPR didn't have the best of experiences at SFGAm during one of their recent visits to the park, including inconsistently-enforced height bracelets and less-than-desirable customer service. Not sure about what happened with ACE, though.

As a South Jersey / Philly guy, I'd MUCH rather have black and orange than black and yellow. #GoFlyers

Pretty cool! Now only if they'd reinstall the original buzz bars too.

I'm of the belief that the volcano won't last, either. TBH, I'm of the opinion that they SHOULD remove it alongside the coaster, rather than try to shoehorn yet another attraction into it. Just start from scratch. Personally, I could see a launch coaster similar to Copperhead Strike over there, but at this point it's all just pure speculation.

This is definitely disappointing news, and I'm annoyed with myself that I put off revisiting Kings Dominion these last few years. Last time I was there was 2011, I believe.

This certainly is a unique-looking roller coaster. Interested to see the finished product.

So things truly spiraled out of control for a while, and I let my eating habits truly reach ugly levels. Wasn't even a thing caused by the holidays; I just lost all discipline. Funny story (depending on your sense of humor, I guess lol) about what ultimately got be back on track. A few weeks ago I started having some serious abdominal cramps after certain meals, some more severe than others. One had me up all night on the floor of my shower, the pain was so bad. They went away for a couple weeks, so naturally, being the idiot that I am, I didn't think anything of it and fell back into bad habits. Two Saturdays ago, I pretty much hit my rock bottom in terms of food choices (let's put it this way - I'm at a point where if I never see bacon again, I'll be okay), so I worked to get things back under control, signed back up for my exercise routines that worked in the past and started to seriously watch what I eat. I even managed to lose 10 pounds. That week, though, my abdominal cramps returned, subtle at first, but then became pretty significant. Final straw was when at the office, it suddenly felt like the left side of my abdomen completely seized up and wouldn't let go. I couldn't stop leaning over my desk, my hands were going numb, and I was sweating profusely. From the outside, I could see how someone looking at me would think I was having a heart attack. After an ambulance ride to the ER and some blood work, an ultrasound (it's a girl!) and an MRI, it turns out I was having gallbladder attacks stemming from gallstones. I had gallstones lodged in my common ducts in such a way that I had also developed pancreatitis and some liver issues. Fortunately, everything went really well for me in the hospital. They removed the gallstones and my gallbladder, the inflammation in my abdomen started reducing almost immediately, and I'm currently finishing my recovery at home, feeling about 95%. Although gallbladder attacks run in my family (my mother and both of my aunts had theirs removed in their early 20s), I no doubt contributed to and exacerbated the issue by maintaining such a poor diet for so long. The silver lining to all of this is I have a renewed, strong desire to get back into serious shape, drop significant weight, and get my diet back under control once and for all (I'll have to anyway due to some of the new restrictions I have now that I have no gallbladder). I'm down 20 pounds from a few weeks ago and am not that far from being below 300lbs for the first time in a few years. I still have to take it easy for now, but hopefully I'll be able to ramp up my exercises once I'm fully healed from the surgery. The best thing though is that for the first time in a long while I'm feeling optimistic about what the future holds and am excited to make more progress instead of dreading it like I had been for a long time.

Even though most enthusiasts would probably prefer new slides or a water coaster, this is the right decision for the park. Management needed something to alleviate some of the "capacity" concerns the park gets on its busiest days, and a large pool complex helps achieve that. Now maybe a water coaster in a couple more years?

I like the way that they're leaking the new layout to the coaster one video installment at a time. Helps add to some of the suspense and anticipation.

After reading the last couple pages, I couldn't say it any better than this: Also, how the hell have I missed... ...all these years?! #IFeelRobbed #NoNotThatRobbTheOtherOne

I knew it would be Diggerland!

For all the Disney + culinary buffs out there: