JamesMC

No- If there is such a thing as colorblindness, do you think that somewhere, someone can't see in Black and White

Infinitely bored by all the bourgeois comings and goings that constitute the life of the Alveys. However, in the "Lost Closet" at the Alvey's house, Vekoma the Gerbil was mindlessly chewing up the last purse that Elissa had the notion to purchase outright, and upon breaching the outer shell of said purse, pulled out a scrap of paper from the Faribanks Alaska Hyatt Hotel. Had Vekoma not chewed this hotel stationery into non-existence- Robb would have been incensed at the words written herein, as they were addressed to Elissa from . . .

I would like an address to send Elissa a dollar to buy a new purse. Just kidding- but I'll be honest- all of us WERE wondering about the trips you take and how you are able to do it- that clears up a lot of questions that were rolling around in the back of my mind. It boils down to what's important to you and how you want to spend your money. It makes sense.

Welcome back to the station and thanks for riding. For those of you disembarking, please move ahead to the Vekoma Neck Brace Kiosk in the exit queue and enjoy the rest of your day here at . . .

A few things about Vegas (from my perspective) Coasters: Speed- cool but short, worth going on a couple of times though Desparado- I've always had a blast on this ride BUT- call ahead first- it's operating schedule is VERY touchy- I have been there when the casino is crowded and it's NOT operating and I have been there when the place is a ghost town and it's running all day. Canyon Blaster- a good Arrow, no block brakes- fun but no BIG thrills. Mahattan Express- when it opened at it only cost $5 to get your head knocked around it was kinda fun to say you went there and did that- now it's like $12 a pop and if I wanna spend that much to have someone beat me up I don't think I should ride- please note- they have just modified the trains which I hear are smoother with new restraints, but I haven't heard that it's a great ride again or anything. Hotels: Best bet is to stay in the "middle" of the strip grouping- places like Mirage, Treasure Island (which I love), Flamingo, Harrah's Imperial Palace and I had a great (inexpensive) last trip where I had to stay at Stardust (and I was thoroughly impressed- not as fancy as some of the others and I hadn't stayed there for 10 years, BUT I got a lot of bang for the buck considering how much time anyone actually spends in their room while in Vegas.) Please note, for the little money I spent on my room there I had probably the 2nd best view of The Strip in a half dozen years at more expensive hotels. Figure out what's important to you because you can always find a place to fit your budget. Check your rates at Vegas.com, especially if you can make your reservations ahead of time- there are some Great deals to be had. MOST IMPORTANTLY- get on the rides at the Stratosphere- Big Shot is the best. The tilt ride is ho-hum unless you are in the front seat. The Spinning ride is not that scary-EXCEPT- for the fact that you are dangling over a thousand feet off The Strip- it's got a real disquieting thrill inherent in it- I had a blast.

Well I just got the official word and we were all wrong- Who knew that this coaster was going to be propelled by burros (see donkeys) tethered to the coaster walking alongside of it? At least we know that it will be a fairly long ride though. The water element will just be drinking troughs for the mules as they make their way around the circuit.

Five Thousand Two Hundred Eighty Feet Why can't they develop a Gourmet Fast Food Restaurant with a Drive-Thru?

Keep downloading your ringtones- The idea IS, you are supposed to ANSWER your phone when it rings- I really think you are COOL when you let your cell go on and on to IMPRESS me with your Ringtone- I am AMAZED- WOW- wish I was YOU Put it on Vibrate and shut the &*^% up! Thank You, And enjoy the rest of your day here at . . .reality

Don't have a pic- but I WAS on this ride a number of times in the 80's- short and compact layout, short wait, and lot's of fun. At the time, the only other coasters in the park were Screamin' Eagle and River King Mine Train (the side that got removed for Ninja- which was FAR better that the side they left standing).

Son Of Beast at King's Island (wooden) Flight Of Fear (before new seat restraints) Manhattan Express (I hear the new restraints are much better) Vortex at King's Island is getting rough- if they would just pad the seats it would be SO much better- When it first opened I couldn't get enough of this ride!!!

Bad Typist bvzqaDES 5TR66;PIKASZW5TR6

Because you are supposed to answer your cell phone when it rings! Why have my two pairs of work pants lasted over 4 years?

Nobody's Fool (with Paul Newman) Cookie's Fortune Laurel Canyon The World According To Garp

In no particular order: Thorn- from the novels of James W. Hall Alex Delaware- from the novels of Jonathan Kellerman Lincoln Rhyme- from the novels of Jeffery Deaver Frank Corso- from the novels of G.M. Ford Robert Langdon- from the novels of Dan Brown Mitch Rapp- from the novels of Vince Flynn Gabriel Allon- from the novels of Daniel Silva

Michael- it's the M in James MC

April 24th same as Barbara Streisand and Shirley McLaine How boring

Red Hot Chili Peppers- Staduim Arcadium/ Mark Knopfler (w/ Emmylou Harris) All The Roadrunning. (bought same day) Next albums I am going to purchase: Tom Petty - Highway Comapnion Edie Brickell & The New Bohemians -(4get the title- nice to see them back together) AudioSlave - Revelations (gotta wait til Sept 5th for this though) ABBA & The Deeply Tanned Albino Man - Older And Whiter

I am gonna limit this post to Burger Joints: Love: Schoops (local favorite), Wendy's, White Castle's (Sliders For Everyone-YAY) Culvers (mostly Mid-west franchise- plus they've got Cheese Curds) Fuddruckers Like: McDonalds, A&W Loathe: Burger King (I loved them as #1 as a kid, until they changed both their meat supplier nationwide and their fries- I will go hungry before I get a burger there anymore- PUTRID!!!) I Miss: Tastee-Freeze

A Buy-One, Get-One coupon for the local charity car wash, hosted by none other than the former members of ABBA and the Deeply Tanned Albino Man. Much to the chagrin or those reading the actual fine print on the bottom of the coupon, it merely stated that they would wash one car twice in the same day and not two different cars. While waiting in the impossibly long line in his restored Edsel, Robb picked up his cell phone and called . . .

Live (the band) got to sit in 4th row (for free) in VIP section (free beers-yay) and got to meet the band memebers after the gig. I still think their first two albums are their best, almost indespensible- but they've got some good songs from the rest of their catalogue too. Pretty damn cool.

Not so much Do you have a junk drawer in your kitchen?

This might actually be a repost of something I said a long time ago (I haven't been posting for a while-mea culpa) but regarding Flashback: I was at the media day for Tatsu (still one of the highlights of this year) and while we had some downtime for a promo shot on the other side of Tatsu (media side) I talked to a park rep from the office who gave me this impression when I asked about the status of Flashback point blank--- That it will likely not reopen, and that it will likely be SBNO Until the park needs the space for something else and then it will be dismantled. Until that time the park will just kinda try to hide it in the open. Sorry for the sad news- I got to ride this ride many times while it was still at my home park of SFGA (known as Z-Force there) and then twice while it was at SFMM. I wish it would re-open, but the odds are stacked against that almost 99% My first post in forever and YAY- it's a bummer!!!

Diet Caffeine Free Vanilla Mango Dr. Pepper With Lime And Strawberry. However, 10000 miles in the other direction, Vekoma the Gerbil was scampering about, having been left to fend for himself after Not Dead Elissa went to "The Lady's Room" to "Powder Her Nose", was digging around near the couch and pulled out the last vinyl L.P. recorded by . . .

Leinenkugel's Red-----YUM---

As the crow flies, it's only a 40 mile drive. Time-wise it truly depends on what day of the week you travel, what road, and what time. I live in Northwest Indiana and I have gotten to Great America (70+ miles from me) in as little as an hour and ten minutes, and as long as two hours and twenty minutes. I can give you a better estimate if I know exactly where in Chicago you are heading from and what highways you are close to.