Meteornotes

Heat Miser & Snow Miser are the greatest characters ever!!! Thanks for reminding me to start blasting their song at unsuspecting strangers... dt

I'm thinking from the event name that night rides will be available? If so, I'm in! dt

I don't think anyone likes this season. No one talks about it here, no one talks about it on other boards (where there were usually 10+ page threads about the show), every magazine and online article I've seen about this season has trashed it. And with good reason: IT SUCKS. They totally screwed up the show with this idiotic family edition, and I cannot imagine them ever trying this again. We're still watching, only because we keep hoping the Jesus family will fall into an active volcano or something. There have been some moments of amusement, however, like when the family from New Orleans got eliminated because they got lost in an area FIVE MINUTES FROM THEIR HOUSE. Or the Jesus family's amazing knowledge of geography ("I think Pennsylvania is a state"). But for the majority of the show, it has been really bad. I think the best thing I can say about it is that at least for one hour on the CBS schedule, it's not another version of CSI... dt

Got this yesterday, but won't get a chance to watch it until later this week. The T&J DVD is always a highlight of the year. Car Karaoke RULES!!! dt

^Agreed, and considering that many TV engineers thing that NTSC stands for "never the same color", I think many people agree PAL looks better. Of course, HDTV kicks the ass of everything. I'm looking forward to HD cameras getting cheaper... dt

I like Robb's idea of reducing the number of stickies in the Random board. I'm thinking that having another board is going to keep people from reading everything, but I might be wrong on that one. Just my dumb opinion... dt

Don't forget about being burned on Fire Dragon! Dave "injures myself at parks all the time" Thomas

I can't recall a ride that has made me sick. I can recall rides that have caused me pain, and those I'll avoid. I skipped Outer Limits until the OTSRs were removed, and I highly doubt I'll ever ride SoB or many SLCs ever again... dt

Yes, it is that good. I had heard about this coaster for years, and figured there was no way it could live up to the hype. I was wrong, as it was better than I could have imagined. It is likely as close to coaster perfection that we will ever get. dt

Cool pics. I haven't been to Vegas since '99, though I'm probably going to get out there next year. I still don't have the Speed credit... dt

Short of shutting all the parks down, I doubt Red Zone could do a worse job. I do think the one really bad idea in their initial proposal is the selling off of all the excess land around the parks. This is a really bad idea to not have space to expand. You also have to wonder about the "Clean, Safe, Fun" motto, which will only work if the parks are all those things. Which they are not now. It's going to take a LOT of work to bring them up to that level of quality, and change the public perception of what the usual Six Flags experience is like. Will Snyder have the stamina to see this through, or will he show the same level of patience that he shows with Redskins head coaches? Time will tell... dt

I'd love to know what this means. I thought Holiday Park was a pretty cool place. And Lisebergbanan kicks ass! I'm not sure where it will rank, since I've never done the steel coaster poll before, but I wouldn't be surprised if it ends up in my top 20. dt

Please tell me you're using a Cher song... dt

I read a lot of horror, SF and fantasy. And lots of technical books, mostly animation/computer graphics stuff. I'm currently reading A Clash Of Kings by George RR Martin, which kicks complete and total ass. dt

A long walk? I think Derek walking to the ice machine will be plenty of time! Happy Anniversary you two. dt

It's not fake. The guy posted somewhere on how he did it, using something like 88 different light controllers! I still think this kicks ass. I'm so inspired by this, I'm going out and buying a bunch of light-up penguins and am going to do something like this using Opeth's "Black Rose Immortal"... dt

Robb has just created a serious contender for Post Of The Year. That was awesome! dt

That is 100% Grade A Badass! The fact that he uses Trans Siberian Orchestra for the music doesn't hurt either... dt

It would be interesting to see a study done with people who ride coasters and thrill rides on a regular basis. I'm guessing that the heart rate of people like this wouldn't change nearly as much as it does when an "average" person rides a coaster. Be an interesting experiment, anyway... dt

^Agreed. Still one of my greatest park visits ever was a visit to SFMM on an October weekday when there were less than a thousand people in the park. Probably the most number of rides I've ever had at a park, including six rides in a row on the rapids ride. We only got off because someone else showed up and would have gotten into our raft! My experience with Corporate Events at various parks have been pretty good. The crowds usually spend more time standing around and talking rather than riding, so you can usually get a good number of rides in. I remember marathoning S:ROS at SFA at a buy out two years ago. I guess I got my fill of it, as I have not been back to SFA since then... dt

My MP3 player died while I was at the gym the other day, so now I have to re-rip many, many CDs to the new one. Ah well, at least I can blast music all day while doing it. Currently scaring the cat with Balance Of Power - House of Cain! dt

^I believe there's a law in CA that would prevent that. Back when I lived in LA, the AMC theater chain started a program that would not allow anyone under 13 into an R rated movie, whether or not a parent was present. This was done to stop idiot parents from bringing toddlers to things like "Pulp Fiction" so they wouldn't have to pay a babysitter. But there was a lawsuit (surprise!) and it was tossed out because of some existing CA discimination law. I'm sure if SFMM tried to limit visitors based on age, it would face the same sort of legal action in about three seconds. I think that SF season passes in general are underpriced, but if the park is packed every weekend (and Robb would certainly be in a position to observe this), I guess they're doing something right. Most US parks have problems, Mt. Olympus included. I saw some slow-ass operations when I was there this summer, including the WORST ride operator I have ever witnessed at any park on Pegasus. I didn't think it was possible for an actual living human being to move that slow, but I was wrong. That park in general needs some staffing updates and training, as I witnessed a lot of strange stuff when I was there. If they want to move into the "big time" as they seem to, they're really going to need to upgrade their customer service. Then again, so will Six Flags, if they want to use that "Clean, Safe, Fun" motto that's been tossed around, but that's another story... dt

Wow, I had no idea there was an avatar gallery! Shows how I pay attention. Anyway, good job! dt

^I did, but I've been visiting this park since I was a kid. Dorney used to be a park we visited every year, but it's really just dropped off my list of parks I like, just like Knott's. Ah well... dt

I like the 90 second idea. It would keep it from getting repetitive, as people are unlikely to use all the same shots from 8 minutes of footage in their 90 second video. dt