Thursday, March 25, 2004

   Now I'm back, as if from outer space
Well, one and all, I have returned! ^__^ *hugs*

So, how was my vacation, you ask? Well...

On Sunday morning, we arrived at Universal Studios. We spent the whole first day at the original theme park. My youngest sister, Macey, was freaked out by...well, everything. However, I quickly rode Men In Black: Alien Attack (Good), EarthQuake (Fun, but not intense), Jaws (Very fun), Back to the Future (A little dated), and...well, that was it, actually.

I was a wee bit disappointed to see that they removed the King Kong ride, though. Sure, it was lame, but it had camp appeal.

Oh, and a word of warning for the Back to the Future Ride: don't sit in the back row if you're tall. the damn thing kept slamming my head into the roof; I had a killer headache when I was done.

We went too our hotel, which was a pretty decent one my mom hooked up with through military agencies. We apparently got a huge discount, and a surprise: an entirely different suite adjoining ours. It was a large master bedroom with a full bathroom and king size bed.

Turns out we weren't supposed to get it, but hey, whatever. There was a mess in the manager’s office when my mom made darn sure we wouldn’t be charged extra for getting access to a room we didn’t request, so they let us use it. ^__^ I stayed there. Yay.

The next day, we went to Islands of Adventure. IoA, for those who haven’t been, is a vastly superior park. We explored, in quick succession, Super Hero Island, Toon Landing, Jurassic Park land, the Lost Continent and Seuss Land.

Well, here’s the breakdown: Super Hero Island kicked arse, but I’m not impartial. We barely even stopped in Toon Landing, but Seuss world was fun. (My sister got a picture with the Grinch!) Jurassic Park was interesting, and had many great photo ops. (I didn’t want to get wet, though, so I skipped the river rapid.)

The Lost Continent was…ehh, I’ve seen better.

I rode every ride in the super hero island. The best, in my totally biased opinion, was the Spider-Man adventure. It was the most innovative, in any event. The Hulk coaster was neat and all, but a roller coaster is a roller coaster is a roller coaster. The Spidey ride combined the MiB ride with Back to the Future, with several killer effects.

The lamest ride, by far, was Doctor Doom’s Fear Fall. It was such a weak little ride. Gah.

Anyway, some tips I have for you: First, the single rider line is much, much faster than the alternatives. If you don’t mind your party being broken up, go for it.

Second, don’t buy things from their gift shops. Instead, buy them from the various surplus outlets in the malls around the area. All of my souvenirs, save my pressed pennies, came from a surplus shop with cheaper prices.

Third…well, okay, there is no “third” bit of advice. ^^; My bad.

The next day, we ate at Waffle House, that great staple of American dining, and went to spend the day at my Grandmother’s house. Wh00t.

For souvenirs, I got: A set of the four pressed pennies you could get at the exit of the spider-Man Ride, an exclusive Universal Studies marvel comic, an action figure of the Green Goblin from the spider-Man movie, and the Ultimate Venom action figure/statue. Primo haul, indeed.

But now I am back. And, on my first day back, I got in a fight online with Altron Gundam. Sure, his name isn’t Altron Gundam anymore, seeing as he has a new one every time he’s banned for picking fights, but I’m not gonna’ bother rememberizing the new one. ^^;

I know I shouldn’t let it bug me, but I’m not going to let him diss the OB Yu-Gi-Oh players. Well, I’m over it, now. He’ll be banned again in a week or so, anyway.

I’m seeking a new job, and I’ve found one that’s perfect. It’s not a fast food or retail job, but an entry-level white-collar position at Progressive Auto Insurance. Strictly clerical, but I can handle it. The pay is nice, as well. Here’s hoping I get it.

Now that I’m back, I want to write to Stephanie, Ryo-Chan, and Bandit. I haven’t chatted with either of them in a while. There’s probably other stuff I should do, but I can’t rightly remember.

Thought of the moment: The Universal rides all used fire. It’s the theme park of pyromaniacs!

Quote of the moment: “Ah! Death!” –Grandpa, “The Simpsons”

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