Movieguy

Rocky Balboa. 8/10 This film definitely makes up for Rocky V. While it's not perfect, it's a wonderful way to bring the franchise to a close.

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It's a miracle...really a miracle. I went to Wal-Mart earlier, at 1:00 PM, to look for a DVD to get for my sister. I found it, but seconds later, I heard one of the workers yell. "Hey Wii lady!", and she came over with a small stack of Wiis. I asked her if they were on reserve or something, she said no, and I helped myself to one! I'm gonna open it yet though...I'm gonna wrap it up, and surprise my sister with it at Christmas, since we'll be sharing it. Talk about being at the right place, at the right time.

The only other possible problem I can think of, is if this lawsuit is taken up by some big shot lawyer who wants to make a name for himself by busting Nintendo. Paranoid imagination at work again.

I dunno...I have a bad feeling that Sony may try to get behind Inerlink, and push the hell out of this lawsuit, in order to eliminate the PS3's competition... But that could just be a paranoid fantasy.

I originally put the Wii on my christmas list, but I just found out that no one in my family can find one...so it's up to me to track it down... So what should I do? What's the best way for me to get my hands on one of these systems? Should I bug Best Buy about it over and over, or should I try to go online to find one?

The thing is, there ARE hard-working Americans out there...I'd like to think I'm one of them. I show up every day and stay busy. I've never resorted to government assitance, I've never abused my union benefits...and I'm just barely getting by, financially...I've got money in the savings account, but it's slowly starting to dwindle as the bills pile up. Can you imagine trying to pay for food, student loans, car payments, and other things on a Wal-Mart salary (I don't work at Wal-Mart, remember, I'm speaking hypothetically)? Even if you're the hardest working guy around, and work almost every day of the week, like I have as of late, it's not going to make much of a difference with the pay you get...But I continue to do it, because it's the only thing I can do now. And god forbid I get sick, or injured somehow...do you know how expensive health care is? It's frightening. I'm not trying to be greedy...I'm trying to have a little perspective here. There are fewer and fewer jobs out here for guys like me, who are just trying to make money... enough money to LIVE off of, and support my family when possible.

I work at a grocery store, where I have been for 3 years now...It's a union job, I get decent hours and benefits. A couple of years ago, a Wal Mart opened near us...now our entire chain is up for sale, and I have no clue whether or not I'm going to lose my job... My family's been devestated by the sudden death of my father back in late August, and my mother hasn't worked since the late 1980's...I'm currently the only one with a job. I had plans to finally move out of my old home, but because of what happened, I need to put those plans on hold for now, for the sake of my mother and sister...my biggest fear, if I do get laid off, is that the only job I will be able to get, is at a place like Wal-Mart, where they will pay me even less then my current job, and offer no benefits, and obviously no union to turn to. I think my all time favorite bumper sticker is one that says "A living wage is a moral value..." But of course, if you said that aloud these days, you're likely to be met with cries of "Communist! Communist!"

The Matrix Re-loaded "There is no racial bigotry...I do not look down on n***ers, k***s, wops, or greasers! here you are all equally worthless!"

I think Michael Richards is losing his mind, basically. He can't cope with the fact that he'll always be Kramer, no matter what he does now, and he'll never be able to top his Seinfeld days. Jason Alexander, Julia-Louis Dreyfuss, they're all suffering from this...Richards was just the first to crack, and do something controversial out of this frustration. I do think that he was on some sort of substance when this happened, too. Again, given his current situation in his life and career, I wouldn't be a bit surprised if he's turned to drugs (I don't say drugs AND alcohol, because that's a redundancy...Alcohol IS a drug).

This is why I usually avoid the political threads...

OK, OK....I wasn't trying to start an argument with you, Rob.... Geez, you try to make a little joke, and you get a tongue lashing for your troubles.

The KKK's not a religion...however, I can see a push towards making southern baptism the country's official religion... I understand where these people are coming from, I really do, and I really do think that English should be widely taught, for practical reasons...I just find it a bit humorous that most of the people saying that immigrants need to learn English, don't really have a mastery of the language themselves, when you think about it.

Natalie Alvey and Cindy Alvey both sound pretty good to me. Nola Alvey also sounded pretty good to me...but it's probably too "different" for most others, including Rob and Elissa, hehe.

I saw two movies yesterday: Stranger Than Fiction: 8/10 It's refreshing to see Will Ferrel in a movie where he's not acting like some hyperactive man-child. It's also nice to see a film that's funny, yet thoughtful at the same time. This film is just a bit flawed, and really doesn't pay attention to some of the details that it should, but it was pretty good, overall. The DaVinci Code: 6/10 This film was decent...not great, but decent. It didn't help that I could see one of the film's major twists coming from a mile away. Plus, Tom Hanks was completely miscast in his role. I know how tight he is with Ron Howard, but I really think that someone else would have been a better choice to play Robert langdon.

I wonder how much longer it's going to be before he cracks and finally confesses? We all know he did it. It's not a question of race, it's a question of EVIDENCE! OJ should not have walked because of ONE crooked detective.

I'm here to talk with you about a new disease. It's not something you're going to read about in medical journals. It's not even a disease you're going to find in living organisms. No...this particular illness exists in coasters. Wooden coasters to be exact. Actually, I take that back. A wooden coaster is very much a living, breathing organism, as I once heard in a NOVA documentary on the subject. This is why, unfortunately, a wooden coaster is vulnerable to disease, like all other living organisms. I have recently come across a disturbing phenomenon, a degenerative disease that has been plaguing wooden coasters, particularly those built back in the late 1980's, through the 1990's. I have dubbed at as "Summers Syndrome", named after the firm that built many of the first modern woodies, Summers/Dinn As many of you may recall, there was a boom in wooden coaster building that started back in the late 1980's, going into the early 90's. The Summers/Dinn corporation brought forth many different and intriguing variations on woodie design. These included many sharp turns, twists, and sudden dips. Many of us remember the names from their opening days onward, "Psyclone", "Raging Wolf Bobs", "Predator", "Mean Streak, "Hercules", among countless others. Unfortunately, we also remember the slow decline of each coaster. Each year making it a bit rougher, and a bit slower. Hercules of course got so bad that it was eventually removed. The first full casuality of Summers Syndrome. The Summers/Dinn corporation came and went, and was soon supplanted by both CCI and GCI in the mid to late 90's. A new era rushed in, with the coasters "Roar", "Raven", "Ghostrider", and "Gwazi", among countless others lining up the parks. We all thought this would be the start of newer, and better woodies, improving upon the supposed mistakes of Summers/Dinn. Sadly, as we all know, cracks are beginning to appear in this facade. We're all too familiar with the slow declines of both Ghostrider, and Gwazi, among others. It is clear that Summers Syndrome has struck again in a new wave. Not every CCI and GCI coaster has been affected so far. But from the looks of the low prevention rate of Summers Syndrome among most modern woodies, statistics are clearly not in their favor. Sadly, even the best of woodies these days, including Balder and The Voyage, may not be fully immune from this debilitating disease, that gets worse with each passing summer. I have watched painfully as Summers Syndrome has slowly wracked both of what once were my favorite woodies, CP's Mean Streak, and SFDL's Predator. Don't let this happen to your favorite woodies! Stay informed. Keep parks aware of Summers Syndrome, and encourage them to take steps towards prevention. Don't let today's smooth tracker become tomorrow's ribcage cracker! Thank you for your time, dear reader. PS. I have also noticed a similar disturbing disease creeping up on some steel coasters, which I have dubbed "Arrow's disease", which is much more early onset in some cases. I shall elaborate on this more when I have properly researched it. Douglas "Together we may find a cure!" Booth

Well, think about this...would you rather it spent a long life as a neutered woodie, or shorter life as the wild coaster it used to be, without trims? The brightest star burns twice as brightly.

Just one part, huh?....hmmmmm... I guess I'd take off the trim brake on Mean Streak's first hill.

I hate to rain on everyone's parade, but you have to keep in mind, that this is in New York State...ok? Up in Syracuse, they've been planning this big expansion of the mall called "DestiNY USA" since the year 2000, and nothing has happened yet because of the damn city council, and the damn state bueracracy. Anyone who lives in New York, like I do, knows perfectly well that this place is full of nothing but talk. NOTHING ever gets done in this state. It took us almost 10 years I think to even approve a new state budget, for god's sake. I hate to say it, but this revitilization plan for Coney Island seems destined to remain a pipe dream.

Weight has always been a struggle for me. I exercise, I get out to the gym when I can, but I'm still flabby. I'm 5'7 and weigh about 225 the last time I checked (I used to be about 245 three years ago). My dad, who also had a gut like mine, died of a heart attack at 53, which scares me. I want to change this, but there are certain problems... - I work at a grocery store...too many temptations, especially in the break room vending machines. - The way work schedules me, they give me no choice but to eat dinner at night frequently, which I know is bad. Often I have to have dinner at work, which usually involves microwaving something that's probably not good for me. - I like fruit, but frankly, I hate vegetables. Most of them anyway. I can eat a salad made of mostly lettuce, but I physically gag when I try to eat most other vegetables. I know eating should be about nourishment, but I don't want it to be an unpleasant experience either. - Portion control's an issue with me too. I always think I need more food than I really do. I end up stuffing myself, feel like crap about it later, but once I'm ready for my next meal, the same urge to stuff myself comes up again. It's a vicious cycle. If anyone's got any advice to help me out, I'd love to hear it.

Strange...I've seen plenty of other anti-bush "artwork". I don't know why the government would single her work out.

Well, I was at SFDL recently, and that's definitely a park that's seen better days. Superman was the only redeeming coaster in that park, while the others were just dull and painful. The food was so-so, the water ride wasn't open, and the staff didn't strike me as all that courteous. Then again, they work at SFDL, so who can blame them? Last year, I went to WDW, and I skipped Animal Kingdom completely. I may have gone there if Everest had been there, but otherwise, AK just comes off to me as a glorified zoo with a few rides. I went there in 99, and left as quickly as I came.

These are some of the best photos I've ever seen of Europa Park. Good job! As I've gotten older, I've come to appreciate themeing in a park more and more. I've never been to Europa park, but some of that theming looks excellent...almost disney-level in some sections, or Busch Gardens level at least.

One song of theirs I find particularly poignant these days is "Who Wants to Live Forever". I think you can tell just from listening to Freddie sing that song, how strongly it related to his own life at that point, just years before his succumbing to AIDS.