Meteornotes

OK, got to watch the show last night after our return from FL. The two that lost deserved to lose. How dumb can you be when you go and get specific directions and manage to go 2.5 hours the wrong way?!? And shouldn't a clue be that the ocean does not equal mountains?!? God, they were so dumb. And they are a bit more than "best friends", I think... Anyway, we're cheering for the gay guys. They are hilarious! At least they have a personality, a lot of the other teams are kind of generic. Oh, and there's no way in hell I could eat four pounds of meat. The idea is just disturbing... dt

^Agreed, though I think SFMM has a better collection of rides than PKI. But yeah, since I lived in LA, I do know how to get around SFMM when it's busy, and would probably have liked PKI a little more if I knew the same tricks. I guess it just seems odd that PKI is one of the busiest parks in the US, and instead of installing some sort of very high capacity ride (like a hyper coaster or B&M inverted), they keep putting in these themed but very low capacity rides. Just seems odd... dt

Laying around on my desk: Fates Warning - X Hollow - Modern Cathedral Helmet Of Gnats - s/t Andromeda - Extension Of The Wish Deadsoul Tribe - The January Tree Canvas Solaris - Sublimation Queensryche - Empire Pain Of Salvation - The Perfect Element Neal Morse - One I mostly listen to music in the car on my Dell MP3 player. But you still have to rip stuff from CDs to get the MP3s. ITunes and other online services are so not going to have the music I want to listen to on them... dt

Yeah, they were previewing this the other day when I was at the park, but the show wasn't until 3, and considering that shortly after opening ToT had a 65 minute stand-by line, I really didn't feel like hanging out until then for the show. Plus, I figure I'll see the original one this summer. I'm not much of a park show person either, but if stuff blows up, it should amuse me for a few minutes... dt

^Damn! I forgot all about that!!! Yes indeed, collecting the free porn ads while walking around Vegas is amazing fun! Try and get a complete set of those hooker trading cards... dt

We just went to Orlando. On the weekend, Mary and I enjoyed IOA/USF. Monday - Wednesday, she had a conference to attend, so I visited WDW on my own during the day, then met back up with her at night for food and general making fun of things. Anyway, I had fun, but not as much fun as I would have had if she or someone else had been with me. There are advantages to being at WDW by yourself, like just being able to do whatever you want whenever you want, and being able to walk really fast and not having to worry about anyone else keeping up or getting lost in the crowd. But the downside is waiting in line with no one to talk to, though listening to the bizarre conversations that go on around you can be amusing... Anyway, I probably wouldn't take such a long trip on my own. It wasn't so bad on this trip since we were staying together, just not together during the day, but I don't think I'd want to take a trip like this on my own. Just my opinion... dt

Stuff we're watching lately: 24 Lost Alias The Shield Deadwood ER Pretty much any of those HBO shows (Sopranos, The Wire, Six Feet Under) kick all sorts of ass... dt

^Paula Dean scares the living hell out of me! I think she speedlines a bag of sugar into her body before each taping. I thought my cat had too much energy...but I will give her some positive points if she was performing a tribute to Elvis. Everyone's home should have a shrine to Elvis... A Cook's Tour is AWESOME. You gotta love a show where the host wanders around foriegn nations drinking and eating random bizarre things. Comedy classic. dt

Diet Coke is the greatest liquid substance in the history of the universe. All other liquids are like used motor oil in comparison... dt

I haven't been to Vegas since 2000, and have no idea when I'll get back (Mary HATES Vegas!), so my advice is pretty much out of date. LV amuses me, mostly for the collection of mutants, trolls and other disturbing folks haunting the casinos. I don't gamble, and have horrible memories of having to stand around watching someone dump quarters into a slot machine for hours on end...*shudder* Anyway, like Robb said, you can probably get all the credits in a day. The only place in town I've stayed is at Excalibur, which was OK. 90% of the time I've been to Vegas it was for business, and since they jack up the room rates when there's a convention in town, I usually stayed out at the state line at Whiskey Pete's. Why? Well, rooms were $20 a night, it was only about a 20 minute or so drive to LV, you get to pass by a prison (complete with a sign warning you not to pick up hitchhikers) and the hotel has (among other amusements) The Bonnie & Clyde Death Car. I don't know about you, but any time the phrase "death car" is used, entertainment is sure to follow... dt

I was indeed in Florida, but I have returned! And yes, Comet pre-brakes was KICK ASS! It was many years ago, but I remember being slammed into the buzz bars on the second half of the ride. This was a great coaster and it now runs nothing like it should. I doubt it will ever run like that again, sadly. Even during the ACE con in 2001, the park refused the groups request for a brakeless ERT session, saying the that structure just could not take the stress. I'm not sure about that, as I think it's likely a bit more structurally sound, but it seems that the Comet giving the sort of ride that it used to be known for is just a memory... dt

We were just at IOA last weekend. We got to the park a bit after 8:30, and the gate was open and rides were running. We rode all the major rides (except the two water rides, as it wasn't warm enough to get soaked) by 11:30. Our longest wait was for One Fish Two Fish at fifteen minutes. You MUST get to this park early to take advantage of the shorter lines. After lunch at Mythos (which everyone visiting IOA should do), all the lines were MUCH longer as the park population had swelled to what you'd expect on a Saturday. It sucks to get up so early in the morning, but it's worth it when you can get on most of the major rides with almost no line... dt

I just returned from Orlando, and all the effects are working on Test Track. Since it's one of two rides that have a single rider line, I took a lot of rides on it! As for The Italian Job, I'm in no rush to get there. Like Elissa, I just do not like PKI. I know the park has lots of fans, but I just don't "get" the place. The other thing about TIJ that is concerning is the capacity, or the lack of it. The lines for this are going to be INSANE. Curious to see how they end up running the ride... dt

Mary has to go to some sort of computer programming conference that would no doubt increase the damage on my already well-damaged brain, but it's in Orlando, so I came along to enjoy the sun and visit some parks. We left a few days early to visit IOA/Universal, and here are some quick thoughts: Mummy - One word:GODLY! One of the best attractions in any park ever, and perhaps the best attraction now at USF. Great theming, amazing effects, and the coaster kicks ass! I got some amazing air time in the back on my first ride. And it has a single riders line, which made it easy to get multiple rides quickly. Worth the price of admission itself. The rest of USF - We had an excellent time. The park was very busy, but they do an excellent job of moving people through the attractions, and we also maximized our time by getting to the park before opening each day and banging out stuff that takes longer. Mary had an excellent time, and we rode every major attraction at least one (even the ultra-lame Twister!). Shrek 4D was also excellent and a lot of fun. IOA - Again, the park was exceptionally busy (there was some sort of cheerleading competition going on), but they can handle the crowds well. Plus, our first day we were there at about 8:40, and the gates were opened and rides were running, so we managed to get on every ride but the two water rides (wasn't quite warm enough for them) by 11:30! Everything was a near walk on that morning, except for One Fish Two Fish, which took us 15 minutes. With all of the attractions out of the way, that meant it was time for...MYTHOS!!!! Mythos is the best park restaurant EVER, and it still has amazing food. We enjoyed our excellent food (I almost ordered two of the tomato salads, as they are that damn good) and were also impressed with the excellent service - that guy got a good tip! Anyway, we had a great visit to IOA/USF, and though we rode almost everything the first day, having the two day ticket allowed us to take our time and ride stuff more than once if we liked (which we certainly did with Mummy and Spiderman!). Mary's conference starts today, so I'm spending the next three days at WDW. Should be fun... dt

^^Well, I was talking to Mary about Marble Madness and she gave me that blank stare. Of course, she does that with almost anything I say to her. My wife is video game challenged... Dave "almost older than the combined age of the last two posters" Thomas

Yeah, Amazing Race is pretty much the only one I'll watch. I did like Dream Job on ESPN, but this time around it's all former NBA players trying for a basketball analyst job, and since I don't watch basketball, I don't care this time around. I have to say, Craft Corner Death Match is among the best TV show titles ever, though I'm sure the show is not as entertaining as it would be if I was in charge... dt

Red Lobster is the craphole of the damned. Ok, perhaps it's not that good... And yes, the sushi at the California Grill at WDW is excellent. I'm hoping to eat there again on our upcoming trip. I don't know where it is, but there is a godly indian place in Orlando. Robb and/or Elissa should be able to point you in the right direction. dt

Are there gators running wild and attacking random people? Because if not, that would make it more exciting... dt

That is indeed odd. I do know that some science centers and such here in the US have attractions where you walk through giant replicas of human hearts and such. I remember the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia had a display like that. I can't imagine this going on display at a US park. Then again, you get the chance to see all sorts of exposed body parts at parks in the summer. Of course, they're often NOT what you wanted to see exposed, but... dt

After seeing it in the Universal pics, I must have: Bad Tree, Do Not Use! dt

Best overall park food: Knoebels. The pizza, chicken fries, tri-taters, the ice cream (hard and soft), pork BBQ...I could go on and on, but trust me, the food here rules, and it's pretty damn cheap too. Best Restaurant Inside A Park: Mythos - Could easily compete with any place out on Citywalk. So looking forward to my meal there soon! I agree that WDW has good food. Except the stuffed baked potato at The Land food court. That was horrid! I'll have to try some places in the World Showcase, as the only places I've been to are Japan (which kicked ass) and France (where we just had bread and cheese). Any suggestions? dt

So in our continuing LA adventures from a few weeks ago, we continue our park journey with a visit to SFMM. Other than Hersheypark, SFMM is the park that I’ve visited the most times in my life. We used to visit almost every week when we lived in Glendale in the ‘90’s, so I’m very familiar with this park and its ups and downs. This place doesn’t exactly have a stellar reputation, though I’ve always thought of it as an “OK” park. They’ve got some decent rides, but the way they handle crowds and other operational issues can be a problem. Since my last visit in January 2001, the park had added three coasters, including X, which I was curious to ride, and Déjà Vu, which I figured I would actually see operate… We decided to go to SFMM on Saturday afternoon, since the park now sells passes for the same price as admission, making a getting a pass a no-brainer, but at the same time no doubt greatly increasing the pass processing time. After getting to the park and seeing the missing overflow parking lot, we headed up to the front. We were slightly delayed at the ticket booth as the two individuals in front of us didn’t have enough money to buy their tickets. I gave them fifty cents, not out of any sort of civic duty, but more to keep the line moving! Pass slip now in hand, we head to the pass processing center, and were surprised to find the line only reasonably short, but the folks inside pretty efficient. The photographer guy, though, was bemused and confused by the shirts Mare and I were wearing (she, Enchant. I, Edguy. Count on us to promote our obscure bands!). We didn’t plan to really ride anything, but decided to take a lap around the park. The place looked pretty much the same as I remembered it, likely a bit worse for wear, but still seemed pretty familiar, unlike Knott’s, which had really changed in four years. The park was very busy and packed with cheerleaders, so the lines were pretty long. We eventually got to Déjà Vu, and I got to see what I had sort of expected: It was not running. In fact, the train and a section of track were gone, so there’s no way it was going to run any time soon. Actually, I was sort of happy about this, as I had now achieved the feat of seeing all the DV’s in the country not operating. I vowed to have my picture taking in front of it tomorrow to capture the honor… We eventually found ourselves over by Scream, and with Fastlane tickets in hand, headed towards the ride. The line was damn long, so the Fastlane tickets were very useful. We sat in the back, and after watching all sorts of screwing around by the operators and guests (There was some sort of VIP crowd that seemed to take over about three trains and involved a lot of switching of seats for some random reason) we were off. Scream is an OK ride. Not horrible, not great. It’s Medusa, without the hot monkey car destruction action like you’d get at SFGAdv. It is kind of weak that SFMM couldn’t be bothered to at least paint over the parking lot where they plopped down the ride almost RCT-style, but it’s not a huge distraction. This is the sort of ride I’d get on if the line was very short, but wouldn’t wait more than ten minutes for it. We headed out of the park after that, and enjoyed an evening of Mario Party and In And Out food. Mary is the burger connoisseur (I keep telling her she should start burgermeister-meisterburger.com and review them), and she enjoyed her first taste of In & Out, though we agree that the fries are ass. Anyway, bright and early next morning we find ourselves back in front of SFMM. Not long after arrival, we meet up with Mr. Six and his cousin Wendy, and DaBear and his friend. We also meet the Supercrack family. Gregg, Kristi and their kids are really cool, and Gregg was wearing a Rush t-shirt, showing that some other folks can have decent taste in music… Not long after that, Gregg got into a wrestling match with his clothing, and seemed to defeat it after a mighty struggle… Now, I was witness to something I had NEVER seen at SFMM: the park opened the gates 20 minutes early! I had never seen that before, but it gave me a chance to join the mad run to X early. And I do mean run, as that’s what everyone does (OK, at my age the run quickly devolved into a really fast walk). You apparently have to run, as if you’re not at the front of the line, you’ll have quite the lengthy wait. I found it odd that park security didn’t seem to care that people were running like madmen through their park, as this usually seems to be a pretty big deal at other parks. But anyway, we soon gathered near the bridge to X (minus Mary, as since X spins there’s no way she was going to ride it) and waited for the ride to open. Not long after that, I noticed something else I have never seen at SFMM: rides running with people before 10! Yes, Viper and Revolution were both giving rides fifteen minutes or so before the park opened. Very shocking! I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Six Flags park running rides early, so this was indeed unusual. Right at 10, the gate across the bridge is opened, and again a mad dash is made to the ride. Again, I’m shocked that no one at SFMM seems to care that people are running across a bridge and pushing past each other, as you’d think this would be a prime area for guest injury. Perhaps I’m just odd in thinking about this stuff, but I wonder how many people do get hurt here. Anyway, we make our way into the ride (after laughing at people that ran past the entrance! Dumbasses!), and Elissa and I end up the first people in line for the last seat on the train. I have taunted Elissa for years about having to ride X with me, but I never thought she’d actually do it! Considering the face she made four years ago when it was suggested that she should ride with me, she has certainly gotten a lot braver…anyway, about a minute or so later, we’re loading, and a bit after that, we’re off. I had heard all sorts of stories about X, including how rough it is and how it will yank out your spine and beat you to death with it and all that. I had seen video, watched it in action, but still didn’t really “know” the layout. The ride up the lift seems to take forever, but once you’re over the top, I experienced probably the most disorienting ride I’ve ever had on a coaster. And not the most comfortable. It’s not totally brutal, but I did get bounced around a lot, especially my legs, which were bouncing all over the place and taking a good pounding. The ride ends at about the time I was thinking “OK, I’ve had enough” and we exit. I remember saying afterwards I’d never ride it again, but that’s probably not true. I would NEVER wait in a 4 hour line for it, that’s for sure. Not even an hour. X is an interesting idea, but it’s not exactly comfortable, and it might be better with the restraints used on the flying coasters, and maybe with some way to brace your legs better. It was indeed an unique experience, though it certainly would need some design changes if they were going to build more of them. With another credit out of the way (Yay!), we headed into the park, and ran into Eric “EBL” and his daughter and her friend. It was nice to meet someone close to my own age…. They accompanied us on our journey to DV for my picture. I now have my picture in front of all three non-operating Déjà Vu coasters. Woot! Go Vekoma! That task accomplished, we headed over towards Riddler’s and Batman, but noticing no line at Goldrusher, stopped there for a ride. This is still a fun ride, and it would be a shame if they took it out as rumored for their new “xtreme” coaster or whatever the hell they’re going to build. I was looking for random dirt scrapings, spilled paint, broken sticks or randomly scattered trash cans indicating construction, but was unsuccessful. Riddler’s Revenge was next, and it was still running well, and other than the Georgia Scorcher, is the only stand up coaster I like. Not totally forceless, and still pretty smooth. Mary can’t quite get her brain around a stand up coaster, so she skipped this one. Batman was next, and after the near-forceless Silver Bullet the day before, this really seemed to pack a punch. Really, it’s the difference between a ride that offers a smooth graceful experience, and one that kicks your ass and laughs at you while it does it. The Batman rides are still among the best B&M coasters out there, and it’s a shame they don’t build them like this any more. We were going to ride Colossus, but it was down. We thought about heading to Goliath, but it also appeared to be down, so we took another Scream ride. Still miss the monkeys. Maybe they could put a monkey colony in the middle of the ride and let them dismantle Déjà Vu trains. Goliath was running again, so we took a ride near the front. It’s now the tallest coaster Mary has been on, though she and I both laughed when it came to an almost dead stop on the brake run. The Helix Of Death was still pretty intense, though this ride would have been so much better with some bunny hops after it. The ride still doesn’t feel like a “complete” hypercoaster to me. At this point, after a trip through Bugs Bunny land (or whatever it’s called) and getting out picture taken with some characters, we called it a day. It wasn’t a bad visit to SFMM, we had a good time, though more due to the fact that the people we were with than the park. The place just seems sad and a bit run down. The park was pretty dead even though it was a nice day, which contributed to the amount of rides we got on. I’m glad I rode X, and hey, perhaps some day I’ll actually get on a Déjà Vu, or at least see one run with people… We had a great time on our LA visit, though we had just as much fun (if not more) just hanging out and playing video games and stuff as we did at the parks. I missed out on two credits, but then again, have already gotten three times as many as I did all last year. Thanks to everyone we hung out with, especially Robb and Elissa for putting up with us for two days… Next stop for us: Orlando dt

I'm wearing jeans and a black shirt. I'm going to the grocery store and to Best Buy to get some network cables. I lead the most exciting life... dt

Cold Pizza! Dave "ESPN Rules!" Thomas

I'll buy one as long as it has a picture of Goliath on it... Dave "owner of many Goliath shirts" Thomas