Meteornotes

You know, you have posted many great pictures and TRs in the past (including the infamous axe-murdering duck) but the Jesus picture is the BEST PHOTO EVER! Amazing photo. I'm still laughing... dt

I posted about five times this morning, and I've seen no errors. I've also not gotten any "connection" errors, and it does seem faster. dt

Well, it is worth watching for lines like "I think a hanger is an airplane" or "who wants to do 3 GIs?". But yeah, it's nothing like the past seasons. And all of these families are annoying! Plus, I thought it was lame last night that once they got to the bus part, there was no way for anyone on the second bus to pass anyone on the first. How much of a race is that? Making people wait in line for the challenge was boring. And having everything so close together is not much of a challenge. What's next, "you need to go upstairs to find your next clue"? Of course, given some of the mental capabilities of these people, finding stairs may be more difficult than thought... dt

What thread doesn't? Dan needs more email. And I hear he likes pictures of water rides... dt

I remember the smurfs at PKD. I might have photos of them somewhere. I know I have a ton of ancient Hersheypark photos buried away somewhere. I'll have to look for them... dt

^OK, you get to stay on the island. For now. I expect constant updates. Like a blog. dt

Well, at least the parks would be run by a company that is involved in the park industry. This is certainly in contrast to Snyder and his group, who really don't seem to have any interest in the park business, other than using it to make themselves rich. On the other hand, I think that CF parks have really gone down in quality in the last five years or so (especially Knotts) and I'm not sure that I want to see them running any more parks. I think that eventually SF is going to sell off parks to the highest bidder, and close those that are in bad locations (like SFKK). We shall see... dt

Yesterday, I got a large package in the mail. Well, actually, I got two, but I don't think anyone wants to hear about the books I bought on Ebay. Anyway, inside was the long anticipated new DVD production from Robb & Elissa, so last night when Mary came home from work we fired up the DVD player and checked out the assult on Europe on the giant TV. Now, since we on the trip and present for abou 99.5% of the filming of this, there were not as many surprises as in the past, but that doesn't mean that it is not entertaining. In fact, I'd tie this with the Japan DVD as the best in the R&E video library. Tons of cool ride footage, lots of funny stuff, and the music selection is actually pretty good (with one or two exception). I'm not going to go through the DVD and describe every segment, but I really liked the Holiday Park segment (the song was excellent and went well with all the footage of the godly Expedition GeForce), Europa Park (still one of the best parks in the world), Farup Summerland and Liseberg (even if it proves what a dork I am!). There's not a bad segment on the disc, and there are lots of laughs, including the many antics of Joey, and Dan avoiding (or attempting to avoid) water. So for those that have already ordered the DVD and are awaiting it's arrival, you're in for a treat. For those that have not ordered yet, well, get to it! It's damn entertaining, and we haven't looked at the footage DVD or the contest DVD yet (though I saw all the contest videos during the contest). Personally, I'm really glad we have this, as it will be a great record of all the fun we had in Europe this past summer. This trip was still one of the best times of my life. So, um, buy it already! Oh, and if you still are not convinced, I leave you with these two words: GIANT RABBIT! dt

I saw we kick off Wes unless he promises to update his 41190 site! Personally, I think it needs more pictures of Dio... dt

This place needs to be installed next to Bon Bon Land. It's a perfect fit! dt

Someone should put Paris Hilton in a tiny bag and forget to poke some holes in it... dt

I had no idea that you could send international packages from the self-service machine. That's pretty cool... Dave "self service/self checkout RULES" Thomas

Good to hear that Leap The Dips is running again. I was a bit worried when I heard reports from people that it wasn't running this summer. We missed PPP for the first time since 2000. The weather here was awful on Saturday. I instead opted to go up to Reading with horror author Brian Keene, who was doing a book signing there. Perhaps not quite as much fun as Knoebel's but WAY dryer! dt

I only had a chance to ride DF on one visit to BGW, since I lived in CA the entire time it was at the park. I don't remember a lot of details, but I do remember liking the ride and didn't think it was all that rough. I also remember we were the only two people on the train, as like Kip said, I don't think most people visiting the park even knew it was there. I'm sure if it was still around today it would be a skull destroyer of epic proportions, but I remember it back then as being a fun ride... dt

Bon Bon Land was amusing for awhile, and then the themeing just got on my nerves. It was like being trapped inside a bad comedy routine. It is totally bizarre, and I'm glad I experienced it, but I will not be upset if I never go there again. The Disk-O did rule, though... dt

^I can give Dan all my candy?!? Cool!!! Dave "avoiding sugar death" Thomas

I vote No. Typhoon is horrible, the employees are worse (I've heard less foul language from intoxicated truck drivers), the park looked like it had not been taken care of in about fifteen years, there were many closed rides, and many others that looked like they were about to fall apart. It seems like the people running the place just don't care, and would be better off out of the amusement industry. Then again, so would most of Six Flags management, but that's another topic. The only redeeming quality of the place was hearing Mr. Roboto being played at the bumper cars... dt

Um, SF parking prices need to be higher? Are they not already the industry leader in this category? I think he's crazy if he thinks people are going to pay $20-$50 like it's a football game. Selling off the land is potentially a HUGE error. Not having expansion space could be a major disaster down the road. Plus, the closer you let housing developements to a park, the more problem you're going to have with dumbass homeowners that will simper if they hear someone using a trashcan in the park, despite the fact the park was there long before their McMansion. Higher priced season passes are a good thing, though. SF passes should be a minimum of $100, if not more. It would keep people from using the parks asa baby sitting service. Not sure about the rest of it. Most parks are already full of corporate merchandising, so that's not really all that different. SF food blows for the most park, so outsourcing it can likely not make it worse. I'm thinking that all of this is likely going to result in a lot of lawsuits back and forth, only making the lawyers rich. We shall see... dt

And that's why we're not going! Well, and the fact that we just do not want to deal with 2000+ people. To those that are going, have fun. Perhaps next year... dt

2500+ on my Dell Digital DJ. Works just as well as an Ipod and is cheaper. dt

I thought it was going to be a tribute to the musical genius of Cutting Crew... dt

I'm thinking the guy that threw them in the hole might be from that small plane crash they found last year, the one that was full of heroin. It seems that a lot of people have crashed on the island over the years... dt

OH MY GOD. That was great. And I was so right... dt

^Yeah, I thought the production cost idea was a bit weak, though I do know that the budget for these types of shows is usually pretty low. Then again, it's not like they have to pay actors or anything, and I'm sure they do get great deals on plane tickets. It is really odd to change the format this much. But like you said, it's a train wreck that you can't help but watch. I'm just hoping they make the challenges tougher as they go along, as they've been pretty weak so far... dt

Fun photos. My brother did something like this with a stuffed bird when he went to Hawaii many years ago. On another topic, until a year ago, I had no idea what Teletubbies were. I had heard of them, but that was it. Last year, we were sharing our Outer Banks house with some of Mary's family, which included a one year old. They put the TV on in the morning for the kid, and after about fifteen minutes of Teletubbies, I decided that porn would be less harmful. I could not believe that this was supposed to be "educational". Of course I didn't suggest that out loud, though I did suggest that it was never too early to get kids watching Sports Center and/or Cold Pizza in the morning... dt