shepp

OK, I know it's a long shot, but maybe someone's who's been to BGW in the last week or so can answer this... I know that on opening day DarKastle waits were up to 4 hours and there were lots of tech problems. How've things gone since then? Specifically, if I get to the park early on a weekday in early June and walk fast, not run, to the ride, any guess on the kind of wait should I expect? And I saw elsewhere that DarKastle has been opening at 9:30...confirmation? Lastly, where the heck is the "cardiac hill" by the Rhine boatride?

Isn't everything in CA? Well, not exactly. 10 things better in California than in Orlando: 10) Mountains 9) Deserts eight...damn smiley) Beaches 7) Climate (well, depending..) 6) Scenery 5) Politics 4) Culture 3) Woodies 2) Rock & Roll 1) Robb and Elissa are in CA Orlando's a nice place to visit, but face it, without half a dozen theme parks, it would still be someplace no one would want to go to...

...and if the bomber were really sadistic, he'd leave Psyclone standing.

Big sigh. Y'know, I understand that launch coasters are complex beasts. But so are lots of mechanical marvels, and KK isn't even a protoype. Can you imagine if airplanes ran this dependably? Even Yugos were better bets...

Well, based on my experience with TTD, I'd say a combination of luck and persistence will be required, whatever the improvements to the system that Intamin has made since Dragster. That's why I'm planning 2-3 days at the park. (That and because who wouldn't want to spend a few days in central Jersey?)

Well, in all honesty, I'm not sure how officially official Universal's participation is. (And I'd hate to get Uni in trouble with the no-neckers.) But yes, the threat of Jesus-wavers' boycotts is fearsome. Let's not forget how they drove WDW into bankruptcy and got Will and Grace kicked off the air, not to mention the suicide of Spongebob Squarepants and the Teletubbies' descent into heroin addiction and madness.

Welllll, since we're going there.... I do not go to theme parks to be lectured on what my belief systems should be. Yet I rarely go to a park without seeing some T-shirt that tells me quite explicitly Jesus is the only way to salvation. (No, I'm not talking "I heart Jesus" slogans. I'm talking about the "Jesus had nails put through his wrists because you're a miserable sinner and unless you worship Him, you're screwed" variety. And yes, I've seen those more than a few times at parks.) IMO, that's no more acceptable than if I went up to a straight couple standing in a queue and said, "You'd be happier if you tried queer sex." And let's face it, the varieties of faith most often seen at Christian days at parks are generally of the proselytizing Christian-supremicist variety. I like the "music" part of gospel music, yet when I went to KBF on Gospel Day, I was uncomfortable knowing that in this country, Black and/or Baptist churches form a major power base for homophobic politics. I felt, in other words, as comfy as an African-American would be at (fictitious) Confederacy Celebration Day at SFOG. If I took a Jewish 7-year-old niece to a park, I'd find it tougher to answer "Why does that man's T-shirt say I'm going to burn in Hell?" than "Why are those two ladies holding hands?" But that's just me...

WDW does not plan, promote, or organize these events in any way, and neither do any other parks (that I know of). The article was most likely found on a Disney "Fan" site. I spoke with someone involved in Gay Day planning at a queer travel expo out here last fall. He told me then that Universal was being added to the official Orlando gay weekend, and that the folks at Uni, including their Diversity Department or whatever, were in fact anxious to become part of the event, and were going out of their way to make that happen. (Which it has.) Yet another reason to prefer IOA to WDW, I suppose. That having been said, the only outright homophobia I've experienced at a park has been at HHN, both from patrons (young male drunks muttering "fag" at me) and from the stage (antigay schtick from a comedian, some pretty dubious crap at a B&T show). I don't go to Gay Day events myself, but for those of you wondering why there are queer events, here's a little experiment. (This works best for males.) Next time you're at a park, hold hands with your same-sex friend. Don't hug, kiss, nothing. Just hold hands and be aware. Now you get it? It's not WDW that's "brave," it's those of us who don't knuckle under to America's obsession with allowing assault weapons but banning gay marriage. You might want to explain that to your 7-year-old relatives. (And as for the other, why wouldn't "Well, some people love people of the same sex" be sufficient? After all, explanations of straight love aimed at 7-year-olds rarely go into the particulars of vaginal sex...)

^ Well, not everybody is able or willing to move to San Francisco. (Luckily...since housing prices here are already abominable enough.) There are indeed places in the South - Atlanta, Austin, Fort Lauderdale, New Orleans, even Hattiesburg - where queers live in relative freedom. We are, yes, everywhere. Even amongst libidinally constipated folks who think they're going to Heaven but ain't.

While spending some time on other sites (which shall be nameless), trying to suss out when Kingda Ka would actually open, I was reminded of why I hang out here. No offense to the semi-literate 10-year-olds who post at those aforementioned sites, but an endless succession of postings along the lines of "i sure hope KK open on this week cos it's so kewl, and u all r stuped if yuou think differnt and my moom will take me i think" is really not my idea of riveting reading. Guess I'm just showing my age.

Having just seen Mudvayne in concert (it's a long story), I've come to realize there is indeed something worse than multiple rerides on Psyclone.

^ Agreed. If TTD had been built at a Six Flags park and KK was opening at CP, I wonder if the buzz would be quite this mixed. Hell, I don't know if the extra 35 feet and 8 mph will make any noticeable difference, but it still ain't, as they say, chopped liver. Strange how blasé folks get - 10 years ago this ride would have seemed inconceivable... "Not a size queen...much" Shepp

For those of you keeping track, official word from SFGAdv is that KK media day is May 19, and it opens to the GP the next day. I can hear a bored yawn from the assembled, but hey, I'll be there 12 days later, and sorry, but I'm excited...

How about, in the spirit of Shrek, a Disney Island, where WDW rides get Universalized? The Peter Pan ships crash and explode, the teacups crash and explode, It's A Small World gets hit by a typhoon....

Me, too...actually got threatened at KBF...

My browser of choice. I'm on a Mac, and I like Firefox better than Safari, much less IE bloatware. Very customizable, which is cool. Lots of free, downloadable extensions... Come to think of it, if you're concerned about viruses, maybe you should be on a Mac, too. That'll make way more difference than the browser you use....

I'm one off those people, actually. My favorite stand-up thus far is Riddler's Revenge at SFMM, where long, swoopy, smoothish elements keep things pretty comfortable. But then, I don't have any major castration anxiety....

Well, y'know, even when TTD is running, it doesn't necessarily run.

One addtion to the above: Maybe my favorite thing at SFMW are the walruses. The scenes in 50 First Dates shot at SFMW settled once and for all the question: "Who can act better - Adam Sandler or a pinniped?" (Sandler lost.) There's a daily training/play session at the walrus tank that's really cool, so look for it on the schedule and try to catch it if you can.

I (and other people here, I bet) would say Do not miss IOA! Yes, the TOT is cool, but IMO, overall IOA beats MGM hands down. (What a load of initials!) If you do go to IOA, get there early; in my experience, they often open the park before the announced time.

I probably lack imagination, but there's really no place in the country I'd rather live than San Francisco. There's the manageable weather and the relative proximity to mountains, ocean, redwood forests, and deserts. The feeling of riding my motorcycle over Twin Peaks on a clear day and seeing all the way to Oakland. Culture from opera to performance art, and on a manageable scale. And SF really is more tolerant and diverse than other places - can't think of too many American towns where there are Chinese-American Christians demonstrating against gay marriage and huge street fairs where folks stroll around naked, where city streets are named for Jack Kerouac and Alice B. Toklas, and where, despite all the crap that's happening in this country, there's still a sense of tolerance, diversity, possibility, and hope. Too bad the rents are so effing high, but hey, I guess you get what you pay for. And because my love is here.

Amongst the usual complaints about SF, let's not forget that another Bay Area Schwartzkopf classic was torn down and uncermoniously left to rot in a parking lot. By Paramount.

Whoops! Brainfart. You're right. I should double-check my posts. Sorry.

Okay, I just saw NIN in concert twice last week...without ever haviing listened to the current CD, I'm afraid. I thought the shows were great, the band really tight, and live, "The Hand That Feeds" rocks hard. And "Hurt" was awesome. Both nights. As was "Head Like A Hole." But hey, at some point adolescent nihilistic angst just seems...warmed over. Now that Reznor's supposedly clean and sober, visibly buffed up, and a certifiable rockstar survivor, I'm sorry, but the question did cross my mind: Just what the hell is he still so pissed off at?

^ As I wrote elsewhere, Medusa often opens a quarter hour or more after the park opens, which really pisses me off. Height requirement for Cobra is 42". (Don't know how tall you are, SuperCrack, but V2 has a posted maximum of 72 inches, btw.)