Lessons Learned: More Retrospective

First off.... I AM NOT AFRAID ON DROP TOWERS! I just don't like the part when you are really high up.

Dawn, I totally forgot that we talked about the whole "silly" thing. That was correct, although I still say Jeff and I said it first. ;)

Brian, thanks for the nice comment on my supposed coolness. I would like to think that regardless if I look like a dork, at least I don't always act like one.

I have to thank ThemeDesigner Brian for hooking a brother up on a very long trip. I got to sleep in a waterbed in a nice part of town (just prior to my sleeping in a "prostitute hotel") and eat fresh chocolate chip cookies to boot. It was swell. Thanks!

I learned that you can be surprised at a park, when your pal from SoCal shows up when you least expected it. What a great moment, and truly satisfying. :)

I too learned that 2 grown men can (comfortably, in fact) ride Whizzer together. Why... they can even hug, and.... well, it is a family ride. ;)

I finally got all the hubbub about Intamin Drop rides (2nd gen, I mean). Suh weet! They still scare the piss out of me.

Pretzel loops make me cough. All damn day.

I like Raging Bull a lot more than most of you.

Seeing EV was a great time, and made very sad by his Anti-Enthusiast friends. Rain? What rain? Still, it was great to serenade you in line for Steel Force, Eric. Glad we became pals this year.

I learned that MF hurts a lot in the rain. Much more than I imagined, actually. Steel Force came in a close second.

I still haven't ridden X, and that pisses me off.

I learned that I am the Ben and Matt of the coaster world, but honestly, don't you think it should be Trey and Matt? "Blind chicks rule!"

I learned that slipping a ride op $10 gets you at least 30 revolutions, all maddening, on a Skyscraper. I also learned the Peabody actually can hold his urine regardless of the extreme nature of said 30 revolutions.

I learned that I can have more friends than I deserve, and one of them owns a website that I totally step all over.
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Help me come up with something new to put into this space. Please?

I'd buy Trey and Matt....or Beavis and Butthead....which one is which? :)

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- "I used to be in the audio/visual club, but I was kicked out because of my views on Vietnam........and I was stealing projectors" - Homer Simpson

I learned not to take idiots with you to any park, earlier this year in june my gf brought along a friend she works with and her bf, that was the absolute worst day of my life. Later that year we took my gf's niece and nephew and there like 7 and 9 or something like that and they seemed more grown up or mentally mature than the morons we brought earlier in the year. But I also learned that I can visit CP and only ride MF once and just chill with the kids in the kiddy areas and not go nuts. Also don't go to SFWOA with my one drunk buddy and his drunk buddy that just got out of the joint, and then suprises everyone with his shirt of and racist tatoos, I'm stayin away from that dude.

I learned KW is closer to home than I thought, for some reason I never realized or actually looked at how close it is, I mean I know Pitt is about 1hr 45min to 2hr 15min from my house depending on traffic but didn't really put 2 and 2 together and now well if time allows it along with CLP, CP, and SFWOA(hate it but got a great deal on SP's) will be a multiple visited park for us for now on.

I realized bigger, better, and tip top shape isn't needed to have a blast at a park, this season I had the best time at Conneaut Lake, we had about 10 give or take a few trips their this season and I had more fun that any other park this season.

I learned a few things about coasters in general this season. a) I figured TTD was just going to be a waste of time, but the ride is sweet, not in the top percentile but definatly a good ride. b) I have always like Magnum but have been wondering how the heck it stays ranked so high, but to me this season it seemed to run better each time I hopped on the thing and by the end of the season I think its my steel coaster. c) I learned well I learned this a long time ago but continue to practice it, stay off Mean Streak, unless the every other line is unberably long, then maybe its okay to ride, but other than that there is no reason to ride it.

Another thing I do now is if I have a problem with a ride op, I don't argue with them, I get their name and either email the park later or go to park operations and complain there, then next time the employee is more than nice.

Finally I learned that finding a gf that is a legitimate hadicap comes in handy, first off you don't have to park in the middle on now where, you park way up front, really good at KW don't have to pay but you still park right up front. Also at larger parks the special access pass comes in handy. The down fall is you have to walk really slow and on some days push a wheel chair, because she's to cheap to get a rascal scooter, maybe a xmas present.

Oh and lastly I learned to try and skip inner city bus trip and or white trash trip days and enthusiest event days, those days can be hell. And since the only time I basically leave my house in summer is to go to a park I like to try my hardest to make it a good day.

I learned that after watching Greetings from Conneaut Lake Park that I am even more saddened that the park was closed when I got there during my trip through PA this summer. Darn weather!

I learned that Steak-on-the-Lake did not live up to my expectations but the hotel is just so kewl to wander around in. (Maybe the Steak-on-the-Lake was subpar that day since the park was closed.)

I learned that I can have a great time in line for TTD for 3 hours and still not get a ride on it. (I had ridden it the day before so I was not to bummed out. I just wanted that rollback so bad I was willing to wait 3 hours which is truly the sad part.)

I learned I can have a ton of fun with other coaster enthusiasts and not actually talk about coasters.

I learned I can have fun at Cedar Point even it rains more than half the day.
*** This post was edited by beast7369 11/7/2003 3:17:02 PM ***

Rob, when I see you and Jeff sitting in a hot tub discussing the finer points of DVDA, next to an inexplicably unexplained third party (mOOSH, perhaps?), then the two of you can claim to be the Trey and Matt of the coaster world. Until then, your still Ben and Matt.

Or Ben & J-Lo ;)

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The only 2004 Wood Coaster Calendar still available, plus holiday & all-occasion cards. All at S&D Greetings.

DVDA? If you ask what it means to me... it's just "hey, you know? DVDA." or "Let's all hang out. You know? DVDA." Ahhh, the life of a simpleton. ;)

Moosh, don't even bring J-lizzo into this here convo. I can't stand that talentless wench.
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Help me come up with something new to put into this space. Please?

I learned this season that it really is all about the people. From early season, with my good CBuzz buddy JFNJ and our respective significant others, to the last rides of the season with a certain Michigander and Ohioans that I only see once or twice a year, the friendships there really are solid and true. Last year, I abandoned everyone and did a lot of riding alone...this year, I realized how foolish all that is. I may not have gotten 100 Nitro laps this year, but the 30-some I did get were some of the best yet. It's all about the company.

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[Nitro Dave -- 145 Laps] [Track Record: 89 and counting...]
Princeton University -- Class of 2007
In the Nation's Service, and in the Service of All Nations

*** This post was edited by Nitro Dave 11/7/2003 4:45:12 PM ***

First off, I have not been to any parks besides my home parks (Belmont,Knott's,SFMM) for a little over a year now. Rather than gripe about missing out, I am looking forward to a great year in 2004. This past coaster season, however, has stood out for me due to the hours I have spent online reading TR's, Forums, and checking out pic's of coasters. Having the Graveyard shift and a speedy connection at work provided me with this. I haven't been a member of a ACE for about 5 years; their newsletters and Rollercoaster! magazine, along with AT, kept me updated. Now it's Coasterbuzz, so for that, thanks Jeff, whomever you are! :-) I did learn some things, significant or not, and here they are:

1.)CB Rocks!For the most part, the regular posters here are hysterical. Especially the "CPG" ones. I rarely post, but thoroughly enjoy the jokes and coaster banter. CB is my first and only experience w/ forums, and it is addictive! (Does this make me a "troll" because I don't post often?) Since signing up in March I check CB almost everyday.

2.)SFMM can be fun! After years of sporadically visiting the park and footracing around and being stressed about perfect rides I finally learned to relax and enjoy. If I only had done this on my only trip to CP several years ago (Coastermania, the year Mantis opened).

3.)One ride on Dipper on a cool evening with a perfect sunset can beat out entire seasons from previous years. It's all about the quality, man!

4.)Buzzers are nice people. I haven't personally met an CBers, but did get some good tips from you guys via e-mail (thx M). I look forward to possibly meeting any and all CBers, anytime in the future. Patience is a virtue! Solace, anyone? :-)

To sum up, CB filled the void coasters were unable to this past summer. Thank you to all.....

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Scott, who needs to get his act together and come up w/ a decent sig.

Woot! Love for the CPG!!!1!

Oh, and Scott, A "troll" is someone who insults, enflames, and in all ways is annoying and counterproductive to intelligent and/or fun discourse. A troll is always bad (beyond the cheap entertainment value of trolling them back , of course), whereas a "lurker" is inherently neither bad nor good.

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Mike Miller - Less lurking, more posting

Thanks, BaSS! Glad to know I'm not what those consider a "troll".
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-Scott, who is glad he's just a lurker. -Would you like some making @#$% Beserker! (now I can't get that "song" out of my head)

Song stuck in your head? Here...this will help:

"I want my baby-back, baby-back, baby-back, baby-back, baby-back ribs! I want my baby-back, baby-back, baby-back, baby-back, baby-back ribs!"

Better now?

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The only 2004 Wood Coaster Calendar still available, plus holiday & all-occasion cards. All at S&D Greetings.

How about, "I'm a Barbie Girl, in the Barbie wor-orld."

I had the great pleasure of meeting many buzzers this year and once again confirmed that I'd much rather hang out with cool people not at a park than ride the biggest bestest by myself (which doesn't stop me from taking the occasional afternoon to blow off steam by myself).

I really need to get off my butt and figure out how to get to Solace.

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Be polite and ignore the idiots. - rollergator
"It's not a Toomer" - Arnold Schwartzenkoph
"Those who know don't talk and those who talk don't know." -Jeff

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Antuan said:
I learned that If I prayed hard enough, I would be able to ride X (And God did bless me 5 times).

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Interesting that you mention that. On my second attempt (out of 3, when I finally rode it) I prayed pretty darn hard that it would be up and guess what? It was down. I still had a really awesome day anyway. I think God just gives us what we need to realize that it's all about Him. (Sorry for the religious editorial).

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Be polite and ignore the idiots. - rollergator
"It's not a Toomer" - Arnold Schwartzenkoph
"Those who know don't talk and those who talk don't know." -Jeff

I agree Andy. I also think God has a personal vendetta against me with X, as I was at SFMM 3 days last August, and it didn't open one day. How're them apples?

I do wish I could spend more time on the east coast, as there are many rides in Pennsylvania that I have yet to conquer. Hershey will happen next year, that much is certain. I guarantee it. I guess you all know where I will next summer.

Andy, see you at Solace. :)
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Help me come up with something new to put into this space. Please?

Hey, I spent a whole week at SFMM and X wasn't open. ;-) Do you hear me complaining? ;-)

Don't worry Rob, your time will come, as well as mine. :-)

-Tina

<------who is looking forward to visiting the sweetest place on earth again next year and showing Invy (as well as Rob if we are there at the same time) my favorite woodie on earth.....The Lightning Racer!!!

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Gimme speed, height, airtime and plenty of LAUNCH!!!

*** This post was edited by coasterqueenTRN 11/7/2003 7:09:44 PM ***

Tina, if I spent any time with you and Invy, I'm sure I would regret it in all the right ways. ;)
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Help me come up with something new to put into this space. Please?

Goodness gracious, did I learn a lot.

-I seem to prefer rides over anything else , which made PKI rate just a little above Holiday World.

-I simply MUST get back to SFKK for about two hours solely to ride Thunder Run.

-Airtime is all that and a bag of chips.

-Laterals are none of that and like pancakes with licorice on them.

-Spider-man is Mind blowing. My absolute favorite ride.

-Don't trust other people's opinions.I found myself to LOVE SOB and Vortex , but hate the beast. I loved SFKK as a whole because of Thunder run.And Raven takes Legend Down.

-My cousin Winship is so much fun on trips. He makes THE best on-ride photos.

-Drop rides are not scary. Drop zone was a piece of Cake. Plus , Intamin First-Gens own all.

-Forums.You people at coasterbuzz are so much fun :):):)!!1!1!11!!!!!

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Gotta(heavy breath) get myself(breath)funnier for(breath) offseason.(breath)So unfunny(breath) must.....try....harder.

Oh jeez, I'm now a Barbie Girl who wants her baby back baby back baby back ribs. Thanks, guys ;-)

For those who have missed out on X so far, your time will come. Just think how awesome it will be when you actually get to ride it!

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Death to Chili's I say, Death!

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nasai said:
Tina, if I spent any time with you and Invy, I'm sure I would regret it in all the right ways. ;)

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And all the right places. :P

Hershey sounds delicious. ;) Just make it early or late in the season as I'm hoping to spent the peak months in the midwest somewhere.

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Be polite and ignore the idiots. - rollergator
"It's not a Toomer" - Arnold Schwartzenkoph
"Those who know don't talk and those who talk don't know." -Jeff