CaptainUnknown

When I worked for Cedar Fair as a ride-op, the ride operators still needed to cycle each ride a fairly large amount of times to make sure that the ride will function properly day to day under normal circumstances. I'm sure that maintenance needs to cycle rides their way as well, but what's that going to mean at a 2+ op ride/rides with more than one panel such as coasters? Pre-season cycling also gets ride-ops familiar with their attractions to better operate them when/if guests do show up. And once when a ride I worked at was down for over a month, the ride operators needed to cycle it again and again so that it could be re-cleared for guests.

You know that idea where you don't put a white item in with the reds when you do laundry because the white item will turn pink? So at my job, we will put some white pieces with some red printing in a tumble dryer to keep the pieces from getting too squished. We've been doing these pieces for years. And last night, the ink bled onto the pieces, giving them a pink hue and turned the inside of the dryer pink as well.

$82 for front row Phantom last-minute? Lucky. When I went to the 9/11 memorial back in 2014, it was amazing just how quiet it got in there. Just how much it changed from one side of security to the other was almost surreal. As if the city itself knew it couldn't make a sound. I don't remember much of the actual day, but I could still feel the weight of what had been done there.

AMC Theaters Will No Longer Show Universal Movies. Universal's Response: Source: I've made it no secret that I have no love for AMC, but Holy Sh!t, this will kill the company. Especially if the rumors that the chain is going under due to COVID are true. Hopefully this will get more people to go to independent and smaller/regional chains. But at the same time, I hope that the two are able to reconcile.

Weapons.

All my rides on Harley Quinn were in the center of the gondola and it can be very mild. But it also is a YMMV thing when it comes to intensity. It does look more intense off-ride as Bert said, and I don't think it would be too far-off to compare the ride's intensity to a US run Mondial Top Scan.

Gene Deitch, aged 95: Cartoonist/Director who worked on Popeye and Tom and Jerry.

A compilation of the best/Funniest Robb quotes and on-ride commentary.

Dream.

Can someone please tell me what these magic numbers mean.

^^It's chain-wide. And yes, it is valid for both 2020 and 2021 along with all add-ons. Personally, I wasn't planning on getting any kind of Cedar Fair pass this year, but now I am seriously considering purchasing a Platinum Pass now especially since I plan on visiting multiple CF parks next year. Now I just wonder when the cutoff purchase date is.

Stuff.

So it looks like I'm going back to Branson again next year; the first 2 weeks of March. About how early does the park usually open for the season?

For about the last year I've had an on and off toothache caused by a bit of tooth falling out. Because I could cure it with a couple ibuprofen, I ignored it for the longest time. Last week, my pizza betrayed me by jamming itself into that tooth and instigating some swelling and pus. Due to the current state of affairs, I was able to get into the dentist this morning for at least a diagnosis. About an hour later, I'm getting a root canal. I'd have preferred to just get the tooth pulled, but that tooth is between two others and it's on the side I had some jaw surgery on a few years ago. Getting that tooth pulled and getting either a spacer or a denture in there would have cost $3500-$5000. The root canal would cost $2500. I have some decent dental insurance, but I'm still going to have a large out of pocket expense. At least I'm getting that Stimulus check. And all this could have boiled down to a simple cavity filling if I had taken care of this when it happened a year ago.

I’ve always wondered the same thing. How can a rose have thorns?

Dynamite.

Well, then you stayed at the wrong hotel. Seriously, all four of ours did, it was weird. I thought that hotel was a Sleep Inn. Anyways, it had Texas-Shaped waffles back in Mid-August. Proof. Weird that they got rid of it.

For some reason, I think that Disney and the Lopez's have better lawyers than I do. Yeah, Valleyfair can be done in a half day, but amusement park-seeking tourists need at least a full day at the mall. Hell, I've been going to the mall all my life and recently, a single day hasn't felt enough to me.

I grew up with it as Camp Snoopy. It's amazing how many people I know still call it Camp Snoopy. And also LOG CHUTE!!! Imagine how I feel about the title. I'm half dreading my (potential) trip to WDW this year and meeting Elsa... At least I titled this report before the Frozen II song was released. And BTW: how incredible would you think the mall was if it didn't have the Log Chute and the Margaritaville? In terms of square feet, the aquarium is nearly double the size of Nickelodeon Universe. With 1.2 million gallons of water. I don't go to aquariums that often so I don't know how to compare them unless I can google the sizes. As for the Ghost Blasters queue, most of the themeing and much of the queue itself was removed to make room for Spongebob. The addition of Spongebob also meant the removal of a 4-D motion theater.

Journey 10: Mall of America AKA The OG Nickelodeon Universe (Ft. Sealife) For all my love of what we Minnesotans call the "Mega-Mall," I've never actually posted a trip report on TPR from it though. Weird. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Since I'm in a quarantine zone; (Curse you, COVID!) thought I'd take the time to do so now. So the week I went for this report was a really weird week for me. I was planning on visiting on Friday. I ended up going Thursday to take my mind off of things considering Wednesday was the funeral for my Grandfather. Also, for as many times as I've visitied the mall, I'd never done Sealife. Lucky for me, there was a combo deal for Sealife with Nick U. Sweet. It's a Piranha! They live in the Amazon. Da-Dun. Daa-Dun. Turtle. Hopefully saving me from the Shark. Da-da-da-La! Is this Kevin Kiermaier? Whoa man, look at the colors on that Jellyfish, yo! Overall, I'm glad I visited at least once. It had some neat exhibits and I like looking at sharks. I could do without hearing some kid (or their parent) singing baby shark every 5 seconds though. It's never something I'd do without some combo ticket. But now it was time to go into the park itself. So I did the first ride I saw: the Shredder Chance Frisbee. Whee! The queue was right next to the lift for the Fairly Odd Parents Gerstlauer spinner. I love how rides are stacked on top of rides in this park. Not Grona Lund level, but surprising for the USA. Twisty! I'm a huge fan of the Avatar animated series (Shut up, M. Night fans) and I hoped that the series would get a better ride than an Intamin Half Pipe. It's a fun enough ride, but I wish it was something else. And the NJ one has lap bars only? Unfair. For whatever reason, the park did not retheme the Sally Ghost Blasters to Danny Phantom (The Danny Phantom ride was the defunct Chance Falling Star where Shredder is now). Not everything works as well as it used to. It had a decently well-themed queue when it originally opened. When there's something strange, but it's copyright. Who ya gonna call? Thanks to the park's "Hold my beer" attitude when it comes to placing rides on top of rides, there's a ropes course on top of Ghost Blasters and the queue for it is next to the lift for the Spongebob Eurofighter. Look at all that natural light! It can be blinding when going up the lift. It's gotten a little rough over the years. Helix of Doom! Even when I "double-fisted" the guns (operator's words, not mine), I can't seem to get a good score. I came, I saw, I kicked its ass! In line for the Zierer coaster monorail, one can get some good shots of Spongebob's LOOP-DE-LOOP! The Ripsaw Orange Streak only has one train. Can make for long-ish waits, but with a station built on top of the bumper cars, it provides a great platform for pictures. Monorail through the trees. But the obvious star attraction at the mall is... The Backside of Water!!!! Which is located in the queue for the second-best attraction: Paul Bunyan's Log Chute. Unfortunately it was having a number of technical difficulties on the day which resulted in the queue being cleared out a couple times. But I still love how absolutely campy it is. I'm glad the park keeps it up. And I especially love that the park dresses up the main Paul Bunyan animatronic during holiday seasons. Seen from Log Chute queue. Apparently the mall was having some sort of butterfly-themed art display when I went. Oh sh!t, it's Mothra! The Mall allows for many vantage points for photography. Slow your roll, there! Plunging to Rock Bottom! LOOP-DE-LOOP! I love the mall and the park. I try to go at least once a year (but not always for the park). There are times I like to go to the mall and just walk around. Might do a little shopping. But I will always make a point to ride the Log Chute. It must be protected at all costs!

It sounds like a one-wheeled haystack.

Since there's nothing else to do during quarantine, I had to make a double bacon cheeseburger.

Stuart Gordon: Filmmaker who was most known for writing and directing the 1985 Horror film Re-Animator.

Lost.

With my state issuing a shelter in place order, me and my couch are going to become very well acquainted over the next 2 weeks. I'm getting 1/2 pay through vacation pay. But at least I have enough toilet paper (purchased before the panic buying began, BTW) to last through the epidemic. But now it is time for me to shelter in place. Are you my mummy?