arrowfanman

I thought Maverick was great, random-fun. It was like California Screamin's adventerous and expirimental younger-brother. Whereas CA-Screamin has graceful, swooping-turns that ensure a balanced ride, Maverick sort of went where it wanted to go and did what it wanted to do. I very much enjoyed it. -Jahan

Just starting to go through Midwest Photos... When they say "Keep your arms and legs inside the vehicle", they MEAN IT! Rockin the coaster hair! Pretty much the GREATEST photo EVAR. I title it "Chilling in front of a Waffle House."

Great photos Hanno! I certianly look forward to more from this PTR. You have a talent of catching emotions on film--and of catching cute girls in the front row of coasters. -Jahan

This thing was f**king AMAZING! Amazing PTR Wes! I feel as if I were right back on the trip! -Jahan

<--- Waited 30 minutes for Maverick at closing. Anyway, that video was much fun. Those frustrations were echoed by all, even those not in Maverick's line. -Jahan

^ I totally agree with Dave. Some parks even actually requested that we remove the nametags while riding during ERT sessions. Wrist bands are safer and actually far easier to notice. -Jahan

^ No. I am allowed to recycle general-ride-pictures every now and then, you know. -Jahan

Hey folks! Well, in an effort to make up for my obvious lack-of-updates for the past few months, I skipped down to the park and decided to shoot a “mini-Update” before departing tomorrow for the TPR Midwest Trip. It’s really short, but I hope you enjoy it regardless! The first matter of business, I suppose, would be a “Sell Out Pt. 2” update. As I mentioned in my last update, SFMM has been absolutely plastered with advertisements and such, in an effort to pick up spare change like a ride op at FreeFall. They’ve added yellow ‘footprints’, as to suggest for passers-by to attempt the various “Starbursts Poses”. But despite this addition and the use of the parks recently re-vamped TV system to push advertisements, my personal favorite would have to be Dejavu’s horrible “Heinz” advertisements. From here, the ride still appears to carry some dignity…. …but it begins to lose it when Heinz greets you at the entrance… …and tells really crappy jokes!... …And the crew is sporting sexy Heinz hats and “shake it up!” pins!... (appropriate for a Vekoma!) …and tells you to conclude your “Dejavu experience” by smothering crappy SFMM food with lots and lots of ketchup! In other news… They now offer an “all you can drink” promotion, with $15 souvenir cups. The new smoking area near Tatsu has “opened” up. Peekaboo…I see you! And then finally, the last order of business, way back in March I showed some pictures of the then-recently repainted Ninja and of how sexy it is. I also said that I had learned of what the next ride to be repainted is… …that’s right. Superman is slated to be the next ride to be repainted, most likely this fall. But no, it wont be painted white, grey, or anything that resembles it’s current scheme. Test-paint samples, as seen from Goliath. That’s right—Superman is supposed to be repainted the traditional “Superman” colors, the colors of Six Flag’s other Superman rides. I personally don’t know how to feel about this. It should be “interesting”, I suppose—but I rather just see the ride removed all-together! Finally… I wouldn’t expect to see the Falls back until at least 2008. Well, that’s it for your mini-Update! I hope you enjoyed it! I’m off for the Midwest now! See you all later! -Jahan (arrowfanman@yahoo.com)

SPOILER I loved it. I loved the ending. It ended properly, the way it was supposed to end. You cant finish an epic with "All was well." if all wasn't well. It was charming to see her put so much sentiment into the book. I feel like the deaths were on the heavy side, admittedly--well, I didn't think so until Fred died. To see the embodiement of "fun" die got me choked up more than any other character, for some reason--so did when Harry is walking into the Forrest at the end and tells his mom, "Stay close to me." That made me shiver. But yes, I loved the book. As I was telling some friends, I felt rewarded for investing the past 7 years of my life into the books. -Jahan

The X crew does haul in my opinion. A few weeks back us Santa Claritians and Chris went to a Chipotle that sits on a hill, where you can see the whole park throught the windows. X had a train on lift, like, every 3 minutes! It was crazy. And I've been in there and the ground crew works very quickly. Dispatches just depend on how many people are socializing at the panel on the bridge. I'm going to try to do a mini-update soon, before I go on Midwest. I'll try. -Jahan

^ Scream has seats in rows 4 and 5 designed to accomodate larger riders. That is all that I'm aware of. -Jahan

I dont see why you would want a coaster-obsessive chick, for that matter. That's called competition. For example... -"Hey baby--the water on Pirates of the Caribbean is 2 feet deep." -"Actually, that's a common misunderstanding. The water actually averages out at about 2'4"." -"I hate you." Or... -"Hey, do you wanna go wait for (insert coaster here). -"Erm, no, not really. I already have that credit." See my point? Am I allowed to have an opinion about this? Anyway, I think what you should look for is a chick who likes theme parks and doesn't mind your obsessiveness. -Jahan

This is really the smartest thing said in the ENTIRE thread. I havn't ever built a model. But I've tried. I've actually stopped fussing with rediculous design programs, got up, walked into a hobby shop and hardware store, purchased supplies, and began to assemble something. I'm actually rather proud of the single log-flume lift hill structure I was able to complete--that's right...a lift was all I was able to complete before losing time, interest, and money. But what I did complete taught me so much that no paper, protractor, or CAD could do. I dont think Jack is dooming him to failure. I think by not heeding Jack's keen advice, he has doomed himself to failure. -Jahan

^ Prizoner of Azkaban has been my favorite as well. And you cant exclude an option merely because YOU THINK (aka guess) it's popular! That's pretty retarded. The point of a poll is to find out what a general consensus is, so that you dont HAVE to guess. -Jahan

^ And they also now come in less "leash-like" arrangements, such as ones that look like teddy-bears and double as backpacks. Sorry...I've been around a lot of kids lately. -Jahan

Robb loves DaThemeing. -Jahan

Happy Birthday friend! I didn't know what to get you, so keep me updated! -Jahan

That looked like fun! I still dont know who Erasure is though! And I love how you went to take that picture of X. -Jahan

Every time I was taken to a theme park as a kid, we went through a "ritual". This ritual concluded with my parents stopping at Guest Relations on the way into any given park and explaining "if we get separated, this is where you need to go to find us. If you dont know where this is, ask the nearest employee and he/she will help you." It became such a ritual, that I remember it vividly to this day. All I'm saying is, it's important to take preemtive action in situations like this, such as informing your child what to do in these cases. And on a different note, I suggest splitting up your text and NOT TYPING LIKE THIS...it'll make it easier on the guest relations representative reading your letter. -Jahan

OMG so true! Best analogy ever. Anyway, very nice PTR. I was in Washington last year getting that very credit myself. It was very beautiful up there. Did you get any Mt. Saint Helens action? -Jahan

^ I agree! Of all the updates, I really am getting a "feel" for the parks most through this one! Thanks for posting what you have so far! -Jahan

As long as you dont go on a weekend, you'll be fine. Even in the midst of summer, if you show up in the morning on a weekday, the lines should be short. And yes, the Tatsu crew still sucks. I'd say their dispatches are averaging out at 5 minutes an dispatch. -Jahan

Hey everybody! Well, it has been over two months since I have posted an update and I’ve had several people asking me in all sorts of ways, “Where the hell is a SFMM Update?!?!?1”. The truth of the matter, is there hasn’t really been anything to update on! It really is hard to believe how little has changed in the past few months! And trust me, I’m not kidding! I’ve actually been in the park visiting at least 15-20 times since the last update on random walks and visits. Well, I’ve finally managed to milk out a small update out of the happenings the past few weeks. Don’t get too excited now! You’ll have to treat this update as you would treat Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage—you waited forever for it, and it was a good, but probably not worth the wait. Hope you still manage to enjoy the update. Here you go… A Little More, Here and There As I had explained several times, if you were listening, the obvious lack of updates was due to the fact that nothing has really been going on at the park! The summer is here and the large volume of crowds makes it no longer convenient to shut down large areas to refurbish the park. That doesn’t mean however, that the park has stopped with little improvements, here and there. The most obvious and apparent has to be the new Tatsu and Scream paintings, on the “Greatest Coasters EVAR” wall, but you would be surprised to see some of the other stuff happening. Let us take a look! As stated, the Psyclone and Flashback paintings have been replaced with Tatsu and Scream. As Robb said, this is “something that didn’t NEED to happen”, but did anyway. Impressive! The Scream painting. LOLz at the trees in the painting. It really makes you wonder why there is no X or Dejavu. Hmmm…*strokes chin* A new pathway/rest area is growing adjacent to the Rapids Camp Crossing area. My guess is a new “designated smoking area”. In my 4th of July PTR, I mentioned how the Riddler’s sign has been broken for over a year….. …well, about a week after posting it, the sign was fixed! Yay for looking super-sexy again! Maybe they pulled a Mark Twain once it was reported. Just kidding…I’m glad I’m no Al Lutz. The bathroom behind Mooseburger is being refurbished. Don’t know if this was mandatory or voluntary, but it is rather extensive. Very exciting, I know. There are now strobes on the hill, where the waterfall should be. After fireworks, they use them to make the hill “sparkle”, similar to what they use on the former Tom Sawyer Island during Fantasmic!. It actually looks very nice. Goliath has now received loose-article storage! The cabinet appears to be designed to handle 3 train operation, but I doubt it will ever be used for that. Either way, it’s a welcomed addition. Cheap Plug Position #47 As I heard one wise-man say today, “the theme park industry is so large and saturated, parks have turned to in-park advertising and new ticket options to improve profits”. Well, that isn’t truer than in SFMM, a park that has sold out by selling seemingly every blank-space in the park to some sort of advertiser. Starbursts, TBS, Home Depot, Listerine, LA Looks, and several others now advertise beside numerous park-promotions. I suppose it isn’t a problem, as they don’t really get in your way. Just cheapens the park even more though, in my opinion. A park-promotion board, over by Thrill Shot. Many of these boards are in the park now. They were mere foundations when I last posted an update. They’re advertising on walls, stairways… …on lampposts… …on free-standing signs (the park-related H.D. signs are my “favorites”)…. …even in the smack-dab middle of midways! There is also advertising on the park’s TV system, which mostly has been working lately, as well as over the park PA (it isn’t uncommon to hear multiple “Marines” ads over the park PA). …I realize by posting all these “update pictures”, I’ve only further perpetuated the advertisements, so I’ll cut it out now! Entertaining Changes In my last update, the focus seemed to fall upon SFMM’s foods department, with the opening of 3 new foods experiences. This update I’ll cover entertainment a bit. It is true that SFMM entertainment has been out in the park with full force this year! Character meet-and-greets (now with scheduled appearance boards), random midway entertainers, stage shows, stunt demos, as well as daily parades and on weekends, nightly fireworks. Seriously…it’s pretty crazy! First up will be the new “street-sports demo”, called Ride the Mountain. There are several ramps set up in front of Gotham City and in front of the Riddler’s Revenge, for various skateboard and BMX “stunt demos”. Personally, I found the “demo” to be rather lackluster. I am also baffled as to how they are allowed to let minors perform these “stunts”. Either way, I guess it is something new and I’m sure the little boys in the park will love to see some skateboarder ollie or grind or something. For more info, you can visit the show’s Myspace at: http://www.myspace.com/ridethemountain . There is also a “mad science” presentation in the Magic Moments Theater. I actually want to see this one, as it’s an air-conditioned experience. SFMM needs more of those! A nearby poster to attract guests to the show. I also went to go see the Batman Stunt Show last week. I also love fire. I guess the Tumbler was down for maintenance or something, because Batman came out on the much less-impressive “Batmobike”. It was a fair supplement until… …well, until Batman’s cape got caught in the drive chain and they had to cancel the show. That being said, it still is an impressive performance. I was with a first-timer during this show and despite the humorous canceling, he said he would never thought he could find something like it in SFMM. And yes, he said it as a compliment. They also have a really splendiferous photo-op after the show! Finally, I leave you with the “Bucket of Spontaneous Fun”, or what I personally call the “fun bucket”. It basically drives around, playing music, with a spieling host/hostess trying to get the crowd “pumped”. I cant decide if it’s cute or annoying. Random Crap and Closing It would appear that the train in Bunny World has been causing problems. I mean, the freakin’ caboose is just sitting on the walkway! “We here at Magic Mountain hold safety as our highest priority. That is why we ask all guests to pass through a metal detector and watch our talented security attendants fail to make recognizable balloon animals.” ...WTF?! As of today, for the past two days, the fountain has been completely shut off. One can only hope it’s in an effort to bring back the waterfalls, but I don’t know why for sure. Let us all cross our fingers! …Yup. It’s still there. …although, remember the lengthy process of removing electronics and such from Psyclone before the teardown? Well, word on the street is that they have already done that for Flashback and are just awaiting crowds to die to tear down, probably after Hurricane Harbor closes. As for the Metro’s return, it is safe to say that absolutely no progress has been made on that project. Finally, I have been told that SFMM has gotten yet another new Director of Operations. Seriously, that position is like “Harry Potter’s” “Defense Against the Dark Arts” teacher!—it is cursed and constantly changing! Although, from what I’ve heard about the guy, he is definitely bringing a positive attitude to Magic Mountain’s operations, particularly in the area of efficiency. One can only hope he is successful and doesn’t get “broken” like SFMM’s past DoO’s. Well folks, that is it! Like I said—this is like Nemo. If you didn’t have high expectations for this update, you might have very-well enjoyed it! Not much is physically going on at Magic Mountain as the park attempts to focus on its operations instead of messing with refurbishments during the busy summer season. And supposedly it’s working! Remember last year, in mid-July, all that the park had worked for in the Spring was in ruins and chaos by this time. Well, I’ve had a few problems this year (such as the smoking/cell-phone employees at Jet Stream), though a higher-volume of people means a higher-volume of problems. I think it’s safe to say that for the most part, SFMM is holding together this year. I don’t know why and am personally surprised, but something is working. And with that, I conclude today’s update. Thank you all for waiting all this time and reading! I really appreciate it! Feel free to post any questions, comments, concerns, and/or/maybe praise! -Jahan (arrowfanman@yahoo.com)

I would suggest... -To the left of Batman's entrance and the right of the corn stand, there is a large park-like plaza, with a statue in the middle. Nobody is ever over there and it actually looks decent, surrounded by trees. The only concern is the occasional roar of the two adjacent B&Ms. -As Wes mentioned, the SkyTower is a prime location, with lovely views in all directions--also a perfect place for something like that. My only gripe about it is that the interior is blandly carpeted and inside of the windows just isn't that pretty. -Yes, the fountain is also nice, although the waterfalls dont work. But I dont suggest doing it right in the front plaza, as that's very public. However, the to the right of the fountains is the Plaza Cafe and it has a small terrace on the back-side of the fountains. It's actually very pleasant back there and no one ever is over there. If you can do this at night around closing time, it's even better as the fountains are colored and there are now strobes that make the hill "sparkle". -Jahan

I personally believe 5 to be the weakest book. It has the most pages with the least content--a lot of filler to make the necessary transition. It's for that reason that I'm rather glad how much they were able to axe from the story. Therefore, I was rather pleased what they were able to do with the movie. I still think this one hurt from the apparent absence of John Williams' score. I agree with Homer--this film, they're finally growing out of that "kids" phase and I'm allowed to think Hermione is hot! (She's even legal in the UK ) And Luna was pretty cute too. I think Luna was a delightful character, Umbridge was the flat-out BEST performance in ANY Harry Potter film, and Bellatrax Lastrange was a well done, fun bad-girl! Loved it. So all and all, I respect the movies seperatly from the books and this one was no exception. -Jahan