jedimaster1227

I don't even think it is possible for me to write shorthand for text messages, emails, posts on a forum or just plain writing. You see, I had an advanced English Grammar class for my three years in Middle School with the same teacher. Her methods of eradicating poor grammar included essays on the reasons shorthand was improper, writing the proper form of the word 200 times for each replacement shorthand word found on an assignment and more techniques like this. After those three years (which at the time I hated) I learned how to make proper business letters in the different formats, including ones addressed directly to a major company. Now, looking back at it, I feel lucky as I never have to worry about shorthand, as proper grammar has truly been hammered into my brain forever. The scary thing about it is, that if someone speaks or types with horrible grammar (not one or two errors, but over 10 in one sentence), my friends and I (from that class) all cringe as it hurts to hear and see...

^I have annual passes to Seaworld/Busch Gardens and Universal/IOA too. I just hit Disney the most because most of my friends and family have passes for the parks there, rather than the other parks.

Here are the last photos from ICE! and then I continue on with my day riding the Dania Beach Hurricane! (I do apologize about how small some of the photos are but I had to pull them from a small video...) Here is a quick question: I took several on-ride POVs of the Dania Beach Hurricane during my visit. Should I upload them for downloading even though Robb and Elissa already released their version? This is the kind of thing that happens to you when you don't keep your legs down on the ice slide! Here is a POV shot of ICE!'s ice slide. Here is the first of my POV shots... I really think the Coaster Group did a great job with this one. I'm sure they built it with airtime in mind! Maybe its just me, but this sign isn't really intimidating... This a pretty long train for a woodie huh? "Nothing but Air" is the appropriate expression here... Lots of fun on my first ride on the Dania Beach Hurricane! Isn't this entrance welcoming? A nice little overview of the out and back portion of the coaster. This is the last shot I was able to get while I was filming before I experienced my first blackout. Luckily, I wasn't the one that blacked out- it was my camera! This is what happens after you ride a wooden coaster full of airtime in the backrow 7 times in a row! A patriotic shot... I say my goodbyes for this year...Next year, I will be back! This ride really was great!

As much as this letter could have been one of the worst examples of attempts at backseat management, some major theme parks do listen, even if it is a message that they really don't want to hear. Two examples (and a possible third): 1. One word- Figment. Journey into Imagination in Epcot was overhauled, removing its two main characters Figment and the Dreamfinder (I will come back to him in the third point ). The second iteration of the ride was only open for two years before a campaign run by Disney fans (known as the Friends of Figment) struck Disney hard enough to influence their decision to bring the character back in a third version of the ride... 2. I personally know the influences that the audience of a park can make. My cousin Stephanie (most of you know her from my Disney TRs) was about 10 years old when she sent in a letter to Disney explaining that it would be nice if the younger children that were too small to ride Splash Mountain could see some of the ride instead of just missing out (even though she could ride, my other cousins were too young at the time, so she was being pretty selfless). Well, about a year later, the tunnel through Splash Mountain (via the WDW Railroad) was opened for a view of Splash Mountain, now available for permanent viewing through the tunnel window. There you go Disney! Complements of Stephanie! 3. Coming back to where I left off at point #1, Figment was brought back in an average ride that utilized a less than average budget. The product was a new show with recycled scenes, some completely untouched from what they were in the previous version. Still, in this new version, the Dreamfinder was left out. There are several campaigns and movements working diligently to bring back the Dreamfinder (I know one very personally, but I won't say anything). For all of those people that thought the proclaimed "petifile" to be dead, he made a test return last month in costume, and that is just the beginning... Sounds to be both fun and painful. I am picturing the hybrid between the former Son of Beast, Kingda Ka and La Ronde's Cobra. Ouch! I mean yay!

I am sortof hoping that if this refurb/retheming works well, we will get something along the same lines (not necesscarily Pirates, but some kind of retheme). In all of my 16 years of going to Walt Disney World, I have never been to Tom Sawyer Island, and I didn't make too much of an effort to see it in Disneyland. Is it really worth experiencing?

^It is actually the signature soup that the pavilion serves at Le Cellier at all times of the year, along with Epcot serving it in smaller cups during the Food and Wine Festival. It is extremely good!

Here are more photos from day number four at ICE! Who here is a statue? "I saw the sun, and it opened up my eyes... I saw the sun!" Who's the mush-man now Santa? Did anyone lick the ice when they went here, because I would want to considering how many people do touch and sneeze on it... The glass slipper and some guy's head... The end is near! Pretty cool! This was the busiest room (for good reason). In here, were the ultra fun ICE! slides. This slide was so insane! It was so cold in the building that the lights froze over. The light show at the Gaylord Palms isn't as large or colorful as the one at the MGM Studios, but it is also sponsored by Sylvania and it dances to music. I couldn't resist this when I saw it sitting in the hotel's game room! For dinner, we ate at the hotel's amazing buffet. Let's just say that I won't be eating for a while! Oh... This looks familiar...One hint- don't ever wait to see the Gaylord Palms' Holiday Stage Show! ICE! was a pretty cool experience! (Pun intended!) Say goodbye to the cold and the parka!

Day 4: ICE! at the Gaylord Palms! OOH! Group family photo time! Woot! This TV shows a preview from the live webcam broadcasting from the ice slide (more like an ice coaster). This TV was showing "The Making of ICE!" I'm so ready to freeze-Floridian style! This weird thermometer and I are just chillin' out! Room #1 between the hotel and the temporary ICE! complex. Time for our Parka Pickup! Who's the gingerbread person in this photo? Pretty sweet huh? Go Gators! It is pretty hard to believe that everything (including the projector screen) in this room is made of ice! After going through room #2, we are finally in the ICE! complex! A nice way to see how close the two sculptures are... Um...Could someone explain to me what this is... we don't have elves for Hannukah...

This week, my family decided to celebrate my birthday by allowing me to go to theme parks non-stop! From Epcot to the Universal to the Magic Kingdom, it has been great fun, and there is hopefully more to come. Tonight, I am going to ICE! at the Gaylord Palms hotel. Also, I hope to finally get my credit for the Dania Beach Hurricane, so you can expect all of my adventures to be here in photo and video! Here is our group, including my father and brother as we left the tank. I remember how this one little girl followed me through the entire complex (behind the glass windows of course) as I slid my hand across the glass the entire way. The experience was truly amazing, except for the part where I nearly whacked a shark in the nose with my fin! My first time doing DiveQuest at the Seas with Nemo and Friends, but definitely not the last! For our first day, we ate at Le Cellier (my favorite restuarant in Epcot). While there, we ate Canadian Cheddar Cheese Beer Soup, Salad and a Chocolate Moose! Spaceship Earth's new post-show has begun visible construction. 2007 folks, 2007! I just want to walk back there and see the show for myself...too bad I don't also want to get myself arrested... It is a bit hard to see, but this sign actually says "No cell phones, cameras of video devices allowed beyond this point." This is the cast entrance to the Laugh Floor Comedy Club. Its a scary sight isn't it? Day 2: Christmas Day at the Magic Kingdom. It was so busy that the park opened the Tomorrowland Terrace! I really loved whole experience! The dive was so fun, and you can be assured that I will be back next year! The talking trash can was here today, entertaining guests in Tomorrowland. My brother and his friends decided to suprise me and take me out for a night a CityWalk! First up, Bubba Gumps! While the house lights don't dance to music, the display is still pretty amazing! On the way home, we stopped a local house strung up in Christmas spirit. Day 3: Back at the Magic Kingdom, I wear my TPR hoodie for the first time! Back at Epcot that night, we went and saw a part of the Candlelight Processional and Gary Sinise!

I highly doubt that, considering you have such a high (for a newer member) post count; that is, unless all of your posts were about otherkin...

Vive la France! It actually doesn't beat France's movie, but it sure beats China's movie. It also is much more interesting compared to the Tin Toy Story exhibit that has been in Japan for 7 years.

I too was there yesterday and again, Body Wars was empty. Cranium Command had 5 viewers total. The most busy attraction was The Making of Me. Barry, have you been advertising the show on any of the other forums you post your videos on?

That is the point. This means that the Yeti (the animatronic version) was operating in B mode. When the Yeti is functioning in A mode, it moves in full. When in B mode, strobes go off and a fan blows his fur so it looks like he is moving, when in fact, he is not. The ride was designed with this procedure in mind, especially because this animatronic does need time to cool off from its stress of nearly clobbering guests with its hydraulic arm. B mode also allows the Yeti this cooling time.

Continuing on from Day 1... Geoffrey really did enjoy the ride, but so did these people! Not his name, but close enough. Mr. Hightower? They don't have this in Tokyo! No kidding? For such a busy day, we only waited 20 minutes to get on. Look at those nervous riders!

This weekend I decided to celebrate Hanukkah in the best way possible-go to the parks! Day 1: We started out at MGM Studios for some fun! At least this looked familiar... Not the entrance lobby covered in Hightower propaganda... Not the Hotel Hightower. I decided to take Geoffrey to see our version of Tower of Terror. Then he posed for a photo! He told me that he was working on a 3-D film, and that his first effect would have his hand coming at you just like this! This guy embarassed a man wearing a wife-beater. It was pretty funny... Truly awesome! We skipped this too! Here is the hidden Mickey of the night! Take that Wizards of Winter! Back for more Dancing Lights! The old studio is now an open air building! (But not for long!) Walls are now up around the former Who Wants to be a Millionaire studio. Midway Mania, here we come! I'm gunna pass on this one! For the beginning of Hanukkah, I decided to take my parents to MGM Studios so that they could see the Spectacle of Dancing Lights. We started out here...

^Well when I went to Cypress Gardens, there were less employees than their were guests, in fact it was probably something like 1 to 35. The park was understaffed. We had a cast member follow us around as we went between attractions. Not a great sign either...

1. All of the Ride Ops working at Le Monstre in La Ronde were on their cell phones, moving really slowly because they had to text. That is the reason the queue line was clocked at 2 hours that day. I realized after riding that the 2 hour wait wasn't worth the credit. What a credit monger I am! 2. Gwazi's ride op was checking every single person to make sure that their lap bar would go down as far as possible. He pushed too hard on a larger man, causing the man to have a panic attack. So, they released everyone's restraints, started over and the the op did the same thing again. This continued for two more times and after about 20 minutes of Gwazi's Tiger sitting while Lion had gone through about 12 times, they got the train out of the station-after that, the same train stopped on the lift and they closed down Tiger for the rest of the day. Too bad I was next in line to get on...

It wasn't directed at you. More of me, as I do have it, and so does my father, and his father. Didn't mean to offend! I am really really sorry about that...

^Yes, well not all Israelis are Jewish and not all Jews are Israeli. I myself am a Russian Jew (not Russian born, but Russian in heritage)

^^I had a feeling you were Jewish! That makes at least three of us on the forum. Anyways, Happpy Hannukah (one of the many ways to spell it)! Oh, and I really did like the story, as always, your references make your stories all the better. Keep up the amazing work!

Kraken is always fun when its raining at night!

When you meet another TPR member on the back row of Kraken (without planning it), and recognize them from their many trip reports. Hey Erik, there is my tribute to you!

Truly a shame considering that this ride will lose its one truly unique feature... I really did like the loop.

Well now...aren't you kind...

Wow! I just realized that comic #3 takes place at that abandoned theme park in Japan. Creepy!