Meteornotes

Can we please stop having a discussion about what a decade is or is not? Thank you. My Picks Intamin Pre-Fabs Q-Bot Tokyo Disney Sea Ice Bat dt

Any park that seeks suggestions on how to operate on Facebook is doomed to instant failure. dt

Much nonsense to do today, so an early update for #5 IN OUR TOP TEN PHOTO COUNTDOWN!!! dt Ah, the stuff we get up to at Horrorfind...

^Yes, they can all pose for pictures. Just know that Ice Bat likes cleavage, and that's his favorite place to get his photo taken. Just in case you have not figured that out yet from all his photos... dt

Appointments done for the day, which means it is time for PHOTO #6! dt This is Nikki. She is awesome, and she's going to be my Hot Tasering Assistant on the upcoming "Dave Tasers America". I'm going to make her a star...

Um, YES PLEASE! I had no idea there was an Ice Bat book. it can't be a biography, though, as Ice Bat's story would be illegal to reveal in many countries... dt

^At this point, I don't think it's possible for Ice Bat to get into more trouble. Of course they should meet! dt

Craptacular weather and a lack of electricity have been defeated, so now it's time for PHOTO #7! dt The amazing and awesome (and hot!) KerryB thinks Ice Bat is thirsty! Saw Kerry twice this year, and get to bother, err, hang out with her this year on the North East trip! I'm sure she's excited...

I got an unexpected last minute chance to go away for Christmas, so there's been a delay in the countdown. We'll be re-starting with the next photo later today! dt

^Yeah, I basically stood under one of those water sprayers in that area to keep from dying. Shari & I had an exciting conversation about eye surgery while the kids were playing. Fun times. dt

Same. This would rule. And I'm someone that considers our ERT on Eagle's Fortress that one night to be the best coaster rides I have ever had. I will always miss the ride, but would love to see a new coaster using that terrain. Hope that happens. dt

I will say I can sort of see why people might miss BBW as opposed to other coasters that I've seen people lament over the past year. Like GASM. dt

TIME FOR PHOTO #8! I am amazed that no one died of heat stroke the day this photo was taken dt After talking online for years, Shari & I finally meet at Holiday World, where it was about 1000 degrees. Shari is awesome, hilarious, and stunningly beautiful, and if we lived closer together, we would get into trouble on a regular basis. And I still owe you a tasty steak! (Pictured here with her daughter, Sammi)

Never impressed me either. I always found it slow, and kind of "meh", and I always thought Ninja blew it away. And of course, Eagles Fortress, though to be fair EF blew away pretty much every other coaster on the planet. I was at BGW three times this year, and didn't miss it. I'm very interested to see what they'll be adding to that area. dt

^I really think they liked us. The bartender was certainly happy we were there. And the locals were amusing. I wish I recorded that insane conversation some of us had with a couple of them late that night. It was amazing. dt

^You would have totally made the top ten if Amy had not warned you when you almost walked into that tree at Adventureland. She really needs to learn to be meaner! dt

^I know! It was so amazing. The only bad part was the swarm of death insects that would attack us any time we went outside. This was probably my favorite non-park time on a TPR trip ever. dt

...AND THE COUNTDOWN CONTINUES! Today's photo also comes from the Mid-America trip, where Ice Bat met a celebrity! So here is PHOTO NUMBER NINE! dt Ice Bat meets Leslie Hall!

- Pepsi being served at any park - The Voyage - rough as all hell. If there are any other coasters being thought of for a Texas Giant style makeover, this needs to be at the top of the list. Though what's scary is that The Legend was even rougher. - Pottertown - I'm not a fan, and while it looks nice, IT IS WAY TOO SMALL FOR THE CROWDS THEY ARE GETTING. And there really isn't that much to do, unless you like waiting in line to watch a guy play with his wand. The ride was OK, but if I never rode it again it wouldn't bother me. Way overhyped. - HHN 20 - I didn't do mazes again because of my eyes, but even so it just seemed so off. And Bill & Ted was HORRIBLE. Seriously, my cats could have written a funnier show. Most of the fun I had the night there was talking to Tour Guide Ashley about shark movies. - Indiana Beach - I was really looking forward to going back for the first time in ten years. While it wasn't horrible, it wasn't as fun as it used to be. I'm guessing that new management has changed things, as there were a fair number of closed rides, the operations were generally bad, the food quality was WAY off (except the taco place. Those still ruled), and in general the whole place seemed sort of sad. - Having to drop out of the Europe trip. Seeing those pictures of the German fair and Olympia Looping really bummed me out. - Six Flags America still open. There is always next year! - My foot falling apart on the Mid-America trip. Yeah, that felt bad... - Prowler - After the coaster poll last year and the way people freaked out about it, I was expecting to touch God while riding it. Instead, it's your standard GCI. I feel coaster enthusiasts have lied to me. And speaking of this, my #1 disappointment...STUPID COASTER ENTHUSIASS WHINING! Seriously, whether it's bitching about trims or lockers or front of line passes/Qbots or ride names or other nonsense, I don't think I've encountered more self-entitled people outside of Los Angeles. Seriously, how hard is it to appreciate what parks do for you, especially at an event? Like Robb, I was offended by people booing the management at KD just because they wouldn't jump up and remove the trips because some asshats wanted it done NOW. I realize that the people always bitching about stuff are a small minority and all, but seriously, not everything is a giant conspiracy to screw people that like coasters. Some people really need to learn how to have fun... dt

Hello and welcome to my latest experiment in entertaining you, the TPR member. I'm Dave, and together with my constant companion (aka one of the many reasons no woman will talk to me) Ice Bat, we are going to be using this thread to post all sorts of pictures and related stuff. I have thousands of photos I've taken on TPR trips and stuff over the years, and have decided to try and be better about posting them. There will also be occasional contests, and likely photos of Ice Bat with food and/or cleavage. You have been warned. As always, before we begin, we must go over the Rules Of Engagement for this thread: - I am a writer. I get paid to do this. There will likely be a lot more words here than you are used to. Think of it as a learning opportunity. - While most of the photos and stuff will be park/coaster related, there will likely also be entries featuring food, the ocean, and other stuff. You can scroll past this stuff if it really offends you. - I am completely insane (but in a fun way, not the roaming through the neighborhood with a chainsaw way. Though that could be fun for some...), and will likely say something here that will offend someone and/or make zero sense to anyone that does not have the same random nonsense rattling around in their heads all day like I do. I apologize in advance. And no, I'm not paying for your therapy. You've been warned. Now that we've covered all of this...LET'S BEGIN! First up, we're going to review the past year, with ICE BAT'S TOP 10 PHOTOS OF 2010! While I didn't travel as much this year as in the past, I did make it on one TPR trip (Mid-America), plus the journey to Wisconsin, and some other random stuff. I have gone through my photos, and have chosen the best ten of the year. Note that best does not mean "best picture", as my photography skills are, um, not good. It's more about the most entertaining photos, at least to me. So let's start with NUMBER 10! And remember, check back every day until the Top Ten is complete. You'll be excited. Trust me... dt Lou apparently is gathering a harem...

^Agreed. I think a much tougher challenge would be to ride Titan five times in a row and stay awake. Most Americans are babies. And there are too many lawyers. Both of these problems could be solved by the creation of giant flying sharks... dt

I really have not seen this improve capacity in any way (I honestly think the only way you're going to improve capacity at a SF is through the liberal usage of tasers), but it is odd to complain about a dollar. In the overall scheme of things, this really adds almost nothing to the amount you're going to spend to visit a park for a day. I don't bring a lot of stuff to a park anyway, so I don't normally use any of these systems. I do hope that they have some sort of card swipe system built in, so you don't have to go around searching for change or whatever. But that's like the only downside I can see to this. I'm far, far more annoyed with parks that don't have "Guests Without Bags" lines at their "security" checkpoints. dt

^This will not shock, well, anyone. dt