CaptainUnknown

I also watched the Snyder cut twice in the past two days. I also re-watched the theatrical cut for comparison's sake. While Snyder is obviously the better film, I still see some merit in Josstice League. Neither film is perfect. I thought Snyder cut had some pacing issues and didn't really explain everything that it needed to. Some scenes just ended without reason to while others did drag on for a beat longer than they should have. I can't help but wonder what the film would have looked like if Snyder was involved beginning to end with the theatrical cut. I also saw The Courier in theaters on Friday night. It was a decent Cold War drama in the style of Bridge of Spies from a couple years ago (with Benadryl Itchandscratch substituting in for Tom Hanks), but I couldn't help but notice the headless Wall-E in the lobby.

Yaphet Kotto, 81, unrevealed cause of death. An actor most known for his roles in Alien and as the main antagonist in the Bond Film Live and Let Die. And although the film was absolute shit, I'll also bring up that he survived through Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare as I just rewatched the entire Nightmare on Elm Street series this past weekend.

I got my car washed on Friday since the weather was nice. It snowed today. It was nice while it lasted.

Sounds like you need to shop smart, shop S-Mart and get yourself a boomstick. Fun report and it really made me look forward to my visit later this year. Here's hoping Pantheon is open by July.

Journey 12: Six Flags Fiesta Texas AKA Flash Pass to Dare Devil Dive Way back in February 2020, I had plans to spend a week in the San Antonio area in mid-July. During which time I'd go to Six Flags, SeaWorld, ZDT's, and maybe the Alamo. With additional plans to spend 2 weeks in Orlando in late November. And then the year 2020 thought it would be a good idea to take a massive shit all over my plans, and then because it was so disgusted and repulsed by the sight and smell of its own shit, proceeded to vomit all over said shit. I initially delayed my Texas plans to a mid-October weekend so as to possibly experience the parks' respective Halloween events. But with my family's Orlando plans delayed until 2021, we still wanted to do something in 2020, so plans were made to spend a relaxing weekend in Branson, MO. With that in mind, my final plan was to fly to San Antonio for a weekend and then fly to Branson to meet up with family for the week. So on my way to San Antonio, I had a layover in Charlotte wherein I flew right over Carowinds and couldn't get my phone out in time for a pic. But after a 4 month delay, I made it to the front gates of Six Flags Fiesta Texas. Knowing that my visit was on a Saturday with some great weather during Passholder Bring-a-friend free days, I knew I was going to want a Platinum Flash Pass. So the Flash Pass office was my first stop once I was past security and temperature screenings. Although I'd heard reports that Goliath and Boomerang would open prior to rope drop, I saw neither running once I had the Flash Pass on my wrist. With Wonder Woman not being on the FP, I got in line to make a beeline for it once the rope dropped. On my way though, I passed by Poltergeist. Remembering how reliable Mr. Freeze was at Over Texas, I walked onto the front row on the first train of the day. A very fun ride and one that I wish I got another ride on later in the day. I just was never around it at a good time/never really thought to use the Flash Pass on it as I had a ride on it. Oh well. I was distracted enough by this point and I was sure that Wonder Woman's queue would already be 30 minutes deep. I was greeted with a two train wait for the front seat. Being my fist time on one of these things, I didn't really know how to sit on the train in a comfortable way. With the ride's intensity, my right leg was incredibly sore. The line was still virtually non-existent, but not wanting to make it worse immediately, I booked a FP for Joker Batman across the way. And I was greeted by no line in the standby line, so I immediately got a double ride on the original S&S Free-Spin--which I prefer to Over Texas' version since this one is crazier, more out of control. Ironic, considering the two versions' namesakes. Now that I'd taken on Batman, it was time to face his greatest enemy: Joker across the way. I knew that I only got one FP reservation on Joker and I used it here. I wanted another ride on it, if only to experience that funhouse again and actually take pictures/video this time. After the funhouse, I had a couple cycle wait where I got my first hint that I was going to experience the park's new for 2020 2021 attraction. You know how SF ride ops tell guests which ride to go ride next? While waiting to board Joker, the op recommended Dare Devil Dive. Obviously I thought he was playing true to his attraction's name and Joking around. So I boarded the attraction and had my only mask-slippage moment of the trip on one of the downswings as my mask briefly slipped under my nose before I yanked it back up. A Superman reservation on my FP, I made my way there next and onto the back row. I'm hoping I caught it on a bad day/in the wrong train as my ride was a little rattly but still fun and intense. Once my Superman reservation was scanned, I made one for Iron Rattler and made my way there next, passing by the train station (which I regret never having enough time for/passed by at a good time) and noticed something strange in the distance. DDD was cycling. I thought nothing of it--it was probably just testing. But there was a crowd around the entrance. Gawkers, likely. But people were on the ride. Hmmm... As I approached the entrance, I was told that yes, the ride was in technical rehearsal and that I could get in line. After a 45-ish minute wait, which included a selfie with park president Jeffrey Siebert, I was on board. There is some very excellent theming within the attraction's queue. But, there are some overly aggressive sound effects that caused a couple people to leave the queue. The attraction itself: The added elevation of the tower does add something to the ride--especially when hanging inverted at the top of the tower. And the flame towers around the perimeter function as near-miss elements. I hope Six Flags brings these rides to more parks. Now with my Iron Rattler reservation still on my FP, I made my way there next. Most of my rides were in the back 4 rows, though I did have one ride in the front 3 rows and I absolutely prefer this thing in the back. Yes, the old helix section does slow down a bit atop the wall, but this is without a doubt my favorite ride in the park. Do a barrel roll. Superman as seen from Iron Rattler's station. Dare Devil Dive as seen from IR's station. Love the front car on this thing. My next res was for Road Runner Express. The ride intrigued me and I was glad I didn't have to wait too long for the coaster as I walked onto the front row. It was fun enough but it's not one I really have any desire to ride again. But I'm glad it's here for family entertainment. My next FP res was for Batman Goliath and I walked through a couple gift shops on my way down there. In the words of Edna Mode: NO CAPES! Once I got to Goliath, I realized just how poorly this ride was placed. It's easy for guests to see--being out front with its bright paint job, but when everything else in the park has long standby waits, Goliath was a walk on. I walked slowly through the queue getting pictures as the ride's crew absolutely churned out trains and I watched groups slowly trickle up the entrance. It was probably rare in the nearly 30 minutes I got pictures from the ramp that a train had more than 2 groups. It's a very photogenic ride. Clone or not, it's still a very fun, intense invert. I found it a bit smoother than the city's other B:TR clone over at SeaWorld. My next FP res was for Pirates so I headed that way next, passing Poltergeist. Wish this thing was easier to photograph. So about Pirates, it was a fun enough shooting dark ride. It would have been more so if I had guns that worked. But that's all I remember about the ride experience. The queue was fun though, as it included this weird cabbage patch looking animatronic pirate thing. I touched the booty. I made another reservation or two for Iron Rattler and just walked around the park aimlessly for a bit, getting some pictures as I went. DIVE, DIVE, DIVE! Never could get a shot where the train lined up at the apex of the loop. I met Sylvester and Tweety while wearing my Space Jam shirt. #TuneSquad While the park had no live entertainment going during my trip (which was the week between before Holiday in the Park started), I had to get a picture of this theater, which while decorated for the HitP show, still had the banner for the Halloween show. Does that make it a Nightmare before Christmas? I thought I'd torture myself a bit and made a reservation for Boomerang. Never would have waited any longer than what I did for this Boomerang. It's a pretty ride, but that's all I can say about it. Great to photograph, painful to ride. How many Boomerangs can I say that about, I wonder? Fully concussed, I watched the log flume cycle a bit. Never got around to riding it partly due to the fact that the only shoes I had available were the steel-toed work shoes I had on. If only that dragon didn't exist. But it was still fun to watch unsuspecting people get spat on. And one pre-teen boy who stood up in his log and took the full force of the dragon's wrath. The day winding down, I made a reservation for the Gerstlauer spinner and almost felt bad strolling past all the families waiting in standby while I got a car to myself. And it was slightly curious that the park made me bring my membership bottle on the ride with me. Weird, but okay. I got a couple more rides on Batman before realizing just how close it was to the end of the night. I needed another ride on Wonder Woman, so I hopped in what ended up being nearly an hour wait. NYOOOOOOM! Slowly watching the sun set around the ride. Nice bit of theming in the queue. I got placed in the back row and this ride was much more enjoyable now that I knew what not to do with my leg. I was only one of 2 people on the train. I can't wait to ride one of these things with a full train if that's how they ride nearly empty. All the while I was in the queue, I was trying to make one last reservation for Iron Rattler. I wish the Flash Pass wristbands had the option to brighten the screen. By this point in the day, I could see very little in low light without my glasses (which I'd left in my rental car) and needed my phone's flashlight to see the screen. But reservation on my wrist, I half-jogged across the park to where the snake slithered. The train dispatched at park close and I was treated to a night ride. Since I still had my sunglasses with me, I used them to enhance the experience. And I have but one question: why aren't Iron Rattler night rides talked about more often? This is a beautiful park and one that I wish I'd had the full planned time to spend at the park. As it was, even with FP, I felt like I was rushing the park too much and not enjoying myself as much as I'd have liked. I skipped a couple flats I wanted to ride, missed the train, and overall just didn't really take in just how beautiful the park is. Next time. Anyways, here's the hat haul from the park: L-R: I'm a big fan of the Deathstroke DC character so I had to get his hat. Since the park offers very little in the way of attraction-specific hats, I wanted a generic Six Flags Fiesta Texas hat. This is the only one I could find with the Six Flags logo that I liked. The clown beanie was on Fright Fest clearance. My main haunt character is a clown so I had to pick it up. But there was a problem, it had already been taken out of the park's system so we needed a manager's override so I could purchase it.

You know that saying "Not all heroes wear capes?" If it was up to Edna Mode, none would.

A couple quick reviews of movies I saw recently: News of the World: a Tom Hanks film is always enjoyable and I found it a little humorous wherein the first piece of news discussed in the film was about a small viral outbreak. The Little Things: I found it boring with little to say and overly derivative of Se7en. Jared Leto's performance seemed almost like he was a little disinterested with the role. Raya and the Last Dragon: Disney animation's latest is another beautiful film with some absolutely stellar fight choreography. Chaos Walking: Saw it on the strength of the cast which included Tom Holland, Daisy Ridley, and Mads Mikkelsen in an orange fur coat. While I can't say it was bad per se, even with the low expectations I went in with, I just don't know what the movie was trying to do and had some annoying cinematography choices.

Six Flags has set up an on-line merch store which includes nanocoasters and coaster cutouts.

Immediately, I think of going to HersheyPark as a scared little kid and missing out on Storm Runner and Great Bear. As many times as I've been to Wisconsin Dells, I never got on the S&S woodie in the area and coincidentally, haven't been back to the area since it went SBNO. More recently, I skipped ZDTs on a recent trip to San Antonio due to assumed timing/crowds. I thought SeaWorld would be slammed like SFFT was the day before. SeaWorld was absolutely dead. And of course, there are all the times I've visited a park the year before they added a new coaster and haven't been back to yet. CP's Gatekeeper and Copperhead Strike at Carowinds immediately come to mind.

When I left home on Friday, my odometer read 77,774. The next time I looked at it, it read 77,787.

Madame Guillotine from the Original Broadway Cast of The Scarlet Pimpirnel.

Is this bet just for the 25th or the 24th as well? Do you trade off three packs if it's open one but not the other?

^Never been a fan of that idea with all the interest piling up. New rant. While I could present this photo of my car in a ditch without comment... I was in the ditch for 4.5 hours. My insurance said they'd send a tow to help me out quickly. After calling again 90 minutes later, I finally got some automated texts and no actual information. So finally I cancelled my insurance roadside assistance and called a local tow company and they sent someone out immediately (after helping a couple other people in a ditch) and they were able to get me out pretty much as soon as they got on the scene. And my insurance company will be able to reimburse me. I am fine and my car was not damaged, BTW.

It was open in Mid-November. Creepy Queue Cabbage Patch animatronic thingy for proof.

I've been trying to refinance my student loans (total payment of about $900/month). For the past few months, I've been under the impression that my federal loans, which were in forbearance (COVID), were going to start billing again. I need a recent billing statement (within 3 months) to refinance. When I went in to check it, forbearance has been extended to November of this year. I'm trying to move out of my parents' basement (where I currently live rent-free) and need a smaller monthly payment on my loans before I can even think about paying rent. At the same time, I was waiting on refinancing numbers to put a desired salary on job applications so I know how much I need before I start looking for a new job. So now, I need a higher wage if I'm going to pay both rent and my student loans. And that will decrease the number of jobs I can actually apply for.

Hey, maybe that S&S Free Spin might open with the park now with such a delayed opening.

If you are referring to this coaster, it's a (near?) clone of Griffon at BGW. So that might have something to do with it. On the other hand, This Chinese Coaster, which opened the same year, has the old-school OTSRs.

Too early planning questions: I'm planning on flying into town on July 4 and making base in Williamsburg at a luxury suite I can get for cheaper than dirt with a view of BGW. How bad of an idea is it to commute to Kings Dominion the times I would visit? How has this week been pre-covid at both parks? In general: is it cheaper/easier to rent a car from RIC or ORF? Everything is still in Flux so I can change plans if needed.

Most toilets flush in E Flat. Just FYI.

Kings Island is one of those parks I've always wanted to get to because of how deep their lineup looks. Hopefully for Haunt 2022 I'll make my way out there. So does Bill Murray.

Not necessarily the last item I bought, but it's the last thing I acquired as it arrived this morning. Now if only I can find the Disneyland 65th version, too.

August Burns Red's cover of Miley Cyrus' Wrecking Ball.

Settle down there, Mr. Freeze.

Good news and bad news. I'm up 4 pounds (to 201) from the beginning of December. While I'd like to believe it's muscle from the strength training I've been doing, it's more likely from a combination of laying on my ass for two weeks while I had COVID/all the holiday snacks I've eaten. But I'm down 9 pounds since the start of 2020 (When I weighed 210). And some people have told me I look like I've dropped 50 pounds in the past 2 years, though I doubt I ever got up that high.

Had to start the new year with a bang. Bacon under the patty, a little extra shredded cheese melted on top, an egg, and another bit of bacon to top it all off.