Corkscrewed

Wow, total craziness! I was finally able to ride Space, and when I went into the station, I couldn't notice major differences either. There's new paint. There's a new projected movie that looks a lot more crisp and pretty. The airgates are totally cool looking. But that's about it. They also sharpened the lighting, I think, but yeah. Nothing drastically different.

Geez, 8.5% increase at Disneyland. No wonder it's been ridiculously crowded.

Wow, thanks for the tips (and keep them coming if you've got more). Now, if I went to some of these parks over a weekend, would that imply I'd have to find some place to stay near the park, or I just sleep on the train ride back? Knowing that I might be able to visit three great parks like Parc Asterix, DLP, and Port Aventura is very promising, since two of them are on my list of parks I gotta visit someday, and Parc Asterix looks really fun too (it'd probably be on echelon below). USC's had the program in Saintes for a while, at least to my knowledge. I'm pretty excited, altho it does mean I gotta take 19 units this next semester, since they've finally enforcing the "must take a French class" requirement. We'll have fieldtrips to various places too, but I doubt I'd be able to get a chance to visit nearby parks during those excursions. I'd have to go on my own (or with a few willing friends). So I guess my most important question now is: if I were to do one of these "weekend trips," what would be the best way to do it? Say I wanted to visit the Disneyland Resort (well, just the Magic Kingdom I guess). What would I need to do specifically and how much (approximately) would it cost me?

I don't feel drops anymore unless they're in the 250 foot range. In other words, I only feel drops on Supreme Scream and Goliath (out of all the ones I've been on). Ghostrider will occassionally do it. Other than that, I don't really get that "stomach lurging" feeling anymore. Interestingly, I used to really be afraid of that feeling when I first went on coasters, and now I love it! Launches definitely have more of a sustained effect. Even something like Montezooma's Revenge will affect me if I haven't been on it for a while. Xcelerator's launch is still awesome after all this time.

So last week, I found out that I had gotten accepted to my school's study abroad program with architecture in France. So naturally, one of the first things that came to my head was what possible theme parks I might be able to visit. The gist of this post is two-fold: to find out if there are any parks near where I'll be staying (at this point it appears not); and what types of things I should know in travelling abroad (if we have any French posters or people familiar with the culture, they may be able to help). Now, "unfortunately," USC's France program is actually centered in Saintes, France. That's in the southwestern sector of the country, kinda by the sea. I *think* it's about 200 miles from Paris. That means if I wanted to take a trip to Disneyland Paris, it'd be a nice 4-5 hour trip. Parc Asterix, to my knowledge, is even further. http://www.foreverfrench.com/images/France%20Map.gif If you take a look at this map, Saintes is on the left, slightly below halfway. It's below the red text that says "POITOU-CHARENTES" and relatively close to the text that reads "ATLANTIC OCEAN." Saintes itself is a pretty small down. It'll definitely be a change of pace from the LA area.I did a quick RCDB check, and it doesn't look like there are a lot of parks nearby. On the other hand, I'm not really familiar with French mass transit, so it could be that destinations such as DLP and Parc Asterix are actually doable over, say, a weekend. In any case, if anyone would happen to have information on nice places to visit, that'd be pretty neat. Theme Parking would have been a lot easier if I'd gone to the Paris summe thing they had this past summer, but I wanted to work; plus the whole thing was sorta last minute. Secondly, I suppose it'd be good to know a little bit about the culture. I'll be taking a class, but it's always good to know as much as possible, there may be people on this board who know little things that they wouldn't teach in a classroom. Minor customs that Americans might not be familiar with but are regarded as basic manners in France. Any other suggestions for places to visit nearby would be welcome as well. The program is sort of rigid in its scheduling, so I really am not quite sure if I'd be able to make it to various points of interest even if I did have the time, but at least I can be prepared! Thanks in advance!

So THAT'S what everything was about! I saw this posted on HHN and wondered how exactly all these clues went. Definitely awesome of Universal to go to such great lengths! Very, VERY cool!

Here's a thing I've never quite understood... how come the vast majority (perhaps all, but I'm not sure) inverted coasters choose Immelmans over dive loops? I'd think that a dive loop would feel more exciting on an inverted then an Immelman. Maybe that's just me though.

Yeah. Robb lured Elissa to Knott's with promises of candy and a good time on Boomerang.

Brian: So, uh, where's your good buddy James Woods? Peter: Eh, turns out he wasn't so good at catching stuff in his mouth. So where's your girlfriend? Brian: Same problem. Brian and Peter: Wooooaahh!! (They both laugh)

I guess it's cuz I've worked the ride before, so something like that wouldn't really scare me. Leave me confused, maybe, but not scare me. But yeah, "slipping" does happen enough times to call it "routine." Part of the problem is that Supreme Scream has three towers but two tanks. They never have bothered to get the third one back online. So if you send all three up too closer to each other a few times, you're bound to have that happen. And sometimes, the tanks just plain fail to build enough pressure. It's "normal" and nothing serious. Just a glitch that happens once in a while. We'd usually send riders up again, and if it slipped a second time, shuffle them to another tower and then call maintanence to clear the tower. S&S towers are ridiculously safe. So many safety backups... it's practically impossible for them to incur mechanical failure that results in rider injury and stuff. [/sS spiel over]

Like ride Psyclone repeatedly all day?

So THAT's why he hates Knotts..... kidding! kidding!

Awesome Donald pic. Albert "Donald wouldn't have squashed the castle if he fell on it unless he was at Disneyland Anahheim... or Hong Kong... " Lam

I guess in comparison, California isn't that bad...

I've been waiting a long time to see that sort of almost inverted vertical loop inversion. That is seriously kickass! A double corkscrew would have been pretty cool, but an airtime corkscrew hill followed by an actual corkscrew sounds pretty awesome as well! Who cares about the name... the layout rocks!!

Yeah, it looks totally staged. If the ridiculous number of cuts didn't give it away, it was the fact that it went over the LONE lift hill... twice. The only thing I could imagine was that he unlocked himself in a separate sequence w/o the train running, then jumped off in another sequence just before the train came by (relying on his own dexterity not to get himself killed). Or they just plain did it with green screen. Or if they did have the coaster running as he tried to escape, they had it so that the mid course brakes would stop it if he was behind schedule, but that's pretty risky as well, so I vote for the green screen/two shot theory.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! Rest in peace, my precious bunny hops.

DOH! There's so much in here that it's hard to remember everything! But that was pretty damn awesome, Dave. EDIT: I've slipped a mention of your dance into my review. Pretty seamlessly too, I might add. I'm proud of myself. Also, I should mention that Soren is one crazy guy.

As promised, here ya go! Theme Park Review Coaster Expedition Vol. 6 “European Extravaganza” By Albert Lam Last year, they conquered the Far East. This year, they go east, but not too far, in order to tackle (and I quote) 26 parks, 100 roller coasters, 8 countries, and 43 McDonald’s hamburgers. Yes, the Alveys invade Europe in Theme Park Review’s latest volume of theme park roller coaster goodness. Volume 6 is a bit more mature than last year’s version, but it’s all in light humored fun. This year’s escapades feature Robb and Elissa in their usual goofy characters and Dan Argona reprising his role of the serious Italian (who doesn’t like water). Joining the trio, however, is Westcoaster’s resident Jew and Hebrew Hammer, Joey Mandel, who delivers a performance of a lifetime. But more on that later. At first glance, this might seem similar to TPR’s European Coaster Odyssey set from three years ago, since they do visit many of the same parks. But the Euro Extravaganza DVD achieves a depth that ECO could only dream of. Every year, Robb and Elissa outdo themselves, and this year is no exception. Taking advantage of their connections, the TPR ringleaders managed to secure special permission to restricted access areas in several parks. This means viewers get unique shots from lift hills, mid course brake runs, transfer track areas, and other zones that only professional film crews might access. It’s pretty darn cool seeing Expedition Ge-Force speed up the elevator lift, crest over the lift hill, and plunge down its first twisting 90 degree drop, all from up close. Then there’s the on-ride POV footage, which is the smoothest it’s ever been thanks to Robb’s nifty little hip-mounted lipstick camera. This gives footage that is so steady it looks like it came out of a Discovery Channel special! And it’s certainly a testament to the great lengths Robb and Elissa will go to make a great product! The lone side effect of the lip stick cam is that it sometimes creates a hue or saturation shift when a coaster crests a hill or bottoms out on a valley, since the vertical direction change confuses the pixel interlacing, but that problem is only noticeable on cloudy day conditions, and it’s not much of an issue when the tradeoff is superior smoothness. Enough about the technical stuff, though, this DVD contains what all five previous volumes have: FUN! Granted, there’s the usual assortment of gorgeous theme park atmosphere views and thrilling coaster shots. But then there’s the spontaneous hilarity of random Elissa-smothering, Joey-taunting, and Dan-wetting. With Elissa, then there’s an orca mascot at Hansa Park who really likes her. And I mean REALLY like her. In a very close, touchy, “lets hug forever” manner! Indeed, a laugh is never far away, especially considering that the usual Robb and Elissa antics are now accompanied by the stellar performances of their Westcoaster brethren, Joey and Dan! Joey, especially, takes the cake for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his part in “Monkey Bars over Water,” a delightful saga set in Farup Sommerland where Joey tries his best to swing across a set of monkey bars located over a waterway, but can’t quite seem to muster up the willpower to try. It’s in-the-moment humor at its best, and although Joey probably won’t appreciate everyone having a raucous laugh at his expense, lets all laugh at him anyway. As for Dan? Just watch what happens when he interacts with water. Or rather, when water interacts with him. There are plenty of other incentives besides random goofiness though. Exhibit A: the girls. Plenty of beautiful, young European girls, providing scintillating eye candy for all the guys out there. From hot Danish chicks to hot Swedish lesbians to hot Italian dancers, this DVD has them all. Adding to the risqué… NUDITY! Well, animated nudity anyways. Animated animal nudity. Confused? Just peruse the Bon Bon Land segment (or as I like to call it, the European Park of Sex Ed on Farms). Cows having wardrobe malfunctions, ants urinating in buckets, dogs farting and defecating… this park is definitely messed up! If that’s not enough, there are promiscuous animatronics in Parc Asterix and naked statues in Europa Park. You know, in case footage of awesome coasters like Balder, Falken, Booster Bike, Kanonen, Expedition Ge-Force, Colossos, Heiße Fahrt (the most amazing wild mouse I’ve ever seen), Daemonen, and the MICHAEL JACKSON COASTER aren’t enough to entice you. Yes, this DVD set has it all. Roller coasters, gorgeous theme parks, sexy ladies, perverted animals, huggy mascots, fantastic cinematography, even Dave doing his hilarious (and perhaps superior) version of the world-famous Elissa Escalator Dance—all packaged in 22 video segment synched to an upbeat and happy mix of rock, pop, and dance music, the kind we’ve come to expect from any Theme Park Review video set. The bar has been raised… again… and I defy any coaster fan to watch this video and not be entertained. And with a second disc of ride footage as well as a third disc with half of the 2005 TPR Video Contest qualifiers (the other half will come out on the next DVD, due out early 2006), Coaster Expedition Volume 6 will literally provide hours of wonderful theme park goodness. A round of congratulations to Robb and Elissa, who’ve done it yet again. It’s definitely a good thing you didn’t quit doing these. Information and ordering procedure is available at the Theme Park Review website: http://www.themeparkreview.com/coastervideos.htm The 3-DVD set retails for $30. Buying other sets can decrease the cost per volume. *** This DVD is rated PG-13 for mild language, sexual innuendo, animated animal nudity, sexual animatronics, naked statues, on-ride goofing off, and way too damn many Vekoma coasters. *** Running Times: DISC 1 – 76 minutes DISC 2 – 78 minutes DISC 3 – I didn’t bother to measure Song List: Um... yeah... I'm going to let Robb edit this post and either post the song list here, or just delete this last line.

Wow, I went to my customer service center to pick up my laptop that I had sent in to Dell to fix and was expecting back today, and I get an extra package instead! I was quite confused until I noticed the "From" address. Theme Park Review. Volume 6 is in my hands! WEEEE! I'm busy this next week, but as soon as I can get a review up (after rewatching the vid), I'll be sure to post it. Thanks Robb and Elissa!! *love*

Hey, Simon... STOP LEECHING OF MY--er--IRIS' SITE!!!!!

I knew that refresh bot I programmed to latch onto the site would be handy! In all seriousness, congrants, Robb and Elissa. It's good to know all that bandwidth money goes towards something. But I'm wondering why the bleep SIX FLAGS is #1. You'd think it'd be like Disney or something. If only Six Flags' gate numbers were like their web numbers... then they wouldn't have to worry about debt!

Ease up on the poor kid. He's only one.

The best bet is to ask permission. I know that Knott's (and Cedar Fair in general) prohibits filming on any coasters. In fact, you can't even bring anything on the train on any coaster except Jaguar. Disney allows you to film on any coaster, so I don't ask with them. SFMM is a bit of an odd one... some rides allow on-ride filming (like Viper and Revolution) while others don't, and they seem to change depending on if the ride ops care. For example, I've taken my camera on board Goliath before, even though a ride op was riding in the car in front of me. And then, other times, the ride op will spot my camera as I get on and tell me I can't take it... so I just stuff it in my backpack or put it on that counter right in front of the control panel. When in doubt, though, ask. And if they don't let you, don't sneak it on. It's not worth it. Having been a former ride op myself, I know the dangers of loose objects as well. There was one occasion when I was running Supreme Scream (a turbo drop at Knott's Berry Farm). Standard policy is to always keep your eye on the tower, but I'd looked over to the side for a second, and that's when a cell phone crashed into the toe of my shoe, missing my head by no more than two inches. Not surprisingly, I immediately downed the tower and kicked the moron off. Turns out he had TAKEN HIS CELL PHONE OUT OF HIS POCKET because he wanted to hang onto it and prevent it from falling out. - Albert "Irony at its near-miss best" Lam

I thought it's always been at Auntie Pasta's. That way they can get direct food access from the kitchen. Then again... it IS Knott's... By any chance is anyone going this Saturday, October 1st? I'm taking my brother (it'll be his first time) and also meeting up with another friend, but just wondering. Albert "Hope security doesn't freak at my camcorder or anything" Lam