SUPPOSEDLY if you've seen over 85 films, you have no life. Mark the ones you've seen. There are 239 films on this list. Copy this list, go to your own Facebook account, paste this as a note (minus anything I've added in brackets). Then, put x 's next to the films you've seen, add them up, change the header adding your number, and click post at the bottom. Have fun.
() Rocky Horror Picture Show
(X) Grease
(x) Pirates of the Caribbean
(x) Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man's Chest
(x) Pirates of the Caribbean 3: At World's End
() Boondock Saints
(X) Fight Club
() Starsky and Hutch
(x) Neverending Story
(X) Blazing Saddles
(X) Airplane
Total:8
(x) The Princess Bride
(x) Anchorman
() Napoleon Dynamite
() Labyrinth
() Saw
() Saw II
() White Noise
() White Oleander
() Anger Management
(x) 50 First Dates
(x) The Princess Diaries
(x) The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement
Total so far: 13
()Scream
()Scream 2
()Scream 3
()Scary Movie
()Scary Movie 2
()Scary Movie 3
()Scary Movie 4
(x)American Pie
(x)American Pie 2
(x)American Wedding
()American Pie Band Camp
Total so far: 16
(x) Harry Potter 1
(x) Harry Potter 2
(x) Harry Potter 3
(x) Harry Potter 4
(x) Harry Potter 5
() Resident Evil 1
() Resident Evil 2
() The Wedding Singer
() Little Black Book
() The Village
(x) Lilo & Stitch
Total so far: 21
(x) Finding Nemo
(x) Finding Neverland
(x) Signs
() The Grinch
() Texas Chainsaw Massacre [the original!]
() Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning
() White Chicks
() Butterfly Effect
() 13 Going on 30
(x) I, Robot
(x) Robots
Total so far: 26
(x) Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
() Universal Soldier
() Lemony Snicket: A Series Of Unfortunate Events
() Along Came Polly
(x) Deep Impact
(x) KingPin
() Never Been Kissed
() Meet The Parents
(x) Meet the Fockers
(x) Eight Crazy Nights
(x) Joe Dirt
() King Kong
Total so far: 32
() A Cinderella Story
(x) The Terminal
() The Lizzie McGuire Movie
() Passport to Paris
() Dumb & Dumber
() Dumber & Dumberer
() Final Destination
() Final Destination 2
() Final Destination 3
() Halloween
() The Ring
() The Ring 2
() Surviving X -MAS
(x) Flubber
Total so far: 34
(x) Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle
() Practical Magic
(x) Chicago
() Ghost Ship
() From Hell
(x) Hellboy
() Secret Window
() I Am Sam
(x) The Whole Nine Yards
() The Whole Ten Yards
Total so far: 38
(x) The Day After Tomorrow
() Child's Play
() Seed of Chucky
() Bride of Chucky
() Ten Things I Hate About You
() Just Married
() Gothika
() Nightmare on Elm Street
() Sixteen Candles
() Remember the Titans
() Coach Carter
() The Grudge
() The Grudge 2
(x) The Mask
() Son Of The Mask
Total so far: 40
() Bad Boys
(x) Bad Boys 2
() Joy Ride
() Lucky Number Slevin
() Ocean's Eleven
() Ocean's Twelve
() Bourne Identity
() Bourne Supremacy
() Lone Star
() Bedazzled
(x) Predator I
(x) Predator II
() The Fog
(x) Ice Age
(x) Ice Age 2: The Meltdown
() Curious George
Total so far: 45
(x) Independence Day
() Cujo
() A Bronx Tale
() Darkness Falls
() Christine
(x) ET
() Children of the Corn
() My Bosses Daughter
() Maid in Manhattan
(x) War of the Worlds
(x) Rush Hour
(x) Rush Hour 2
Total so far: 50
() Best Bet
() How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
() She's All That
() Calendar Girls
() Sideways
(x) Mars Attacks
(x) Event Horizon
(x) Ever After
(x) Wizard of Oz
(x) Forrest Gump
(x) Enchanted
(x) The Terminator
(x) The Terminator 2
(x) The Terminator 3
Total so far: 59
(x) X-Men
(x) X-2
(x) X-3
() Spider-Man
() Spider-Man 2
(x) Sky High
() Jeepers Creepers
() Jeepers Creepers 2
(x) Catch Me If You Can
(x) The Little Mermaid
(x) Freaky Friday
() Reign of Fire
() The Skulls
(x) Cruel Intentions
() Cruel Intentions 2
() The Hot Chick
(x) Shrek
(x) Shrek 2
Total so far: 69
() Swimfan
() Miracle on 34th street
() Old School
() The Notebook
() K-Pax
() Krippendorf's Tribe
() A Walk to Remember
() Ice Castles
() Boogeyman
(x) The 40-year-old Virgin
Total so far: 70
(x) Lord of the Rings Fellowship of the Ring
(x) Lord of the Rings The Two Towers
(x) Lord of the Rings Return Of the King
(x) Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
(x) Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
(x) Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Total so far: 76
() Baseketball
() Hostel
() Waiting for Guffman
() House of 1000 Corpses
() Devils Rejects
() Elf
(x) Highlander
() Mothman Prophecies
() American History X
() Thor
Total so Far: 77
() The Jacket
(x) Kung Fu Hustle
(x) Shaolin Soccer
() Night Watch
(x) Monsters Inc.
(x) Titanic
(x) Monty Python and the Holy Grail
(x) Shaun Of the Dead
() Willard
Total so far: 83
() High Tension
() Club Dread
() Hulk
() Dawn Of the Dead
(x) Hook
(x) Chronicles Of Narnia: The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe
(x) 28 days later
() Orgazmo
() Phantasm
(x) Waterworld
Total so far: 87
(x) Kill Bill vol 1
(x) Kill Bill vol 2
() Mortal Kombat
() Wolf Creek
(x) Kingdom of Heaven
() The Hills Have Eyes
() I Spit on Your Grave aka the Day of the Woman
() The Last House on the Left
() Re-Animator
() Army of Darkness
Total so far: 90
(x) Star Wars Ep. I The Phantom Menace
(x) Star Wars Ep. II Attack of the Clones
(x) Star Wars Ep. III Revenge of the Sith
(x) Star Wars Ep. IV A New Hope
(x) Star Wars Ep. V The Empire Strikes Back
(x) Star Wars Ep. VI Return of the Jedi
(x) Ewoks Caravan Of Courage
(x) Ewoks The Battle For Endor
Total so far: 98
(x) The Matrix
(x) The Matrix Reloaded
(x) The Matrix Revolutions
(x) Animatrix
() Evil Dead
() Evil Dead 2
(x) Team America: World Police
() Red Dragon
() Silence of the Lambs
() Hannibal
Total so far: 103
Now Add them up and...
Put "I've seen... out of 241 films" in the subject line and repost
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Summer so far
Wow so it has been a long while since I last did a serious update here, I mainly blame laziness for that. I think this is mainly due to just simply being distracted by other things combined with not really feeling like writing anything. So by the time that I do get around to writing anything it turns into a long ass wall of text, much like my last serious post and this one. So I guess what it comes down to is that I just need to try and force myself to write here more, with the exception of during the semester, as school does kind of gets in the way. Any way a lot has happened since my last post, mainly the end of the semester, trip to Disney World and Anime Expo. I will talk about each in turn and my impressions of each.
So first up was the end of the semester, which was a lot like all my other end of semester time.
AE 302 High Speed Aerodynamics: Ended up with a B in this, my grade got hit by not doing so well on some of the home work assignments, but this was the most enjoyable class I had this semester.
AE 303 Experimental Aerodynamics: I went into this class with high hopes, as we would be getting to play with the wind tunnel and learn how to use it. However we got stuck with a prf. who had never taught this class and honestly did not know what he was doing, and could not convey the information. Hell the only reason I got a halfway decent grade in that course was because I was in almost frequent communication with the grader, who REALLY knew his shit. On the upside since I was one of the first people down to the lab each time I always got to use the software so I at least know how to work it pretty well.
AE 310 Aerospace Structures: WORST TEACHER I HAVE EVER HAD!!!!!!! Seriously, the guy was horrible, granted this was his first time teaching but that was no excuse for how he acted towards us. Got a B out of it, but I seriously believe that all of us are flat out screwed for AE 410 next semester as we did not learn anything in that class.
CIVE 301 Solid Mechanics: Another good class, had a great prf. learned a lot and walked out of there with an A.
ENGR 510 Methods of Analysis: This was the course that I knew that I was going to get butt fucked by, since I had to repeat the first course. Fortunately that did not happen, as I did alright on the second midterm and really lucked out on the final and got problems that I really new how to do.
RWS508W Scientific Writing: Another course that I was concerned about and even contemplated drop during the first few weeks of the semester due to the amount of writing that was required. I am glad that I stuck it out as it means one less course that I need to take care of in my final year. I took this course to fulfill my school’s graduate writing requirement as I did not score high enough on the written test to not take the course.
So with the exception of two prf. that I am glad that I will NEVER have to take a course with again my semester was pretty good, learned a lot and now just need to get through one more year and I will be done with undergrad studies.
After the semester ended I spent a lot of my time just hanging around the house working on my hobbies and pretty much distressing from the semester. I am glad that I had a lot of space between the end of school and the Disney World trip as both my mom and sister were both stressing to get all of their stuff finished and turned in before we left. Now for this trip we left out of Palomar airport, as the rout from there to LAX to Orlando was the cheapest. This was the first time that I had ever gone out of this airport, my mom and sister had gone out of there a couple of time before, so it was a much different experience than going out of San Diego. While the puddle jumper was a fun ride the ride to Orlando was not. The person in front of me was literally sitting in my lap the entire trip. I was about 5 mins from going bat shit crazy due to not being able to move my legs, when we finaly got to Orlando. So as the maximize our time in the parks we took a red eye flight and got into Orlando around 7 in the morning and got to our hotel, the Wilderness Lodge, around 8:30 and finally checked in some time after 9, however our room was not ready at that time so we went over to the Magic Kingdom. One nice thing about our hotel was that it had two ways to get to the Magic Kingdom, by boat or by bus, so it help ensure that you had quick access to at least one of the parks. So we spent most of our day there before returning to our hotel for an afternoon nap, which we really needed. Now the room we got had an unbelievable view, one which we did not pay for, that looked out right to the castle. So the nights that we came back to the room early we could just sit out on the balcony and watch the fireworks over the castle. Now I spent the majority of my time at Disney World over at EPCOT, as I just liked that park. I enjoyed the attractions, the shops, the shows, everything. I also spent some time over at Disney Quest on the days that were extremely hot or had bad weather. The place is fun, essentially a 5 floor arcade with every time of game and virtual experience under the sun. Now since I am starting to ramble a little a figure I should just move on and talk about the rides and attractions, since that is what most people go there for. Now I will not bother mentioning anything that is at Disneyland or California Adventure since it is pretty easy for you to go and do them yourself.
X – Terrible
XX – Ok
XXX – Good
XXXX – Great
XXXXX - Epic
Magic Kingdom
Enchanted Tiki Room (under new management)
Description: Interesting new take on the classic attraction by adding Zazu from the Lion King and Iago from Aladdin.
Rating: XXX
Notes: Nice place to cool off on a hot day, and usually the line goes pretty quick.
Country Bear Jamboree
Description: Same attraction as the one they used to have at Disneyland, so if you have seen that than you know what to expect
Rating: XX ½X
Notes: We saw this the first day that we were there so I was extremely tired as I had not really slept on the plane so I actually slept through this but have seen it in the past.
Hall of Presidents
Description:
Rating:
Notes: Was closed while we were there, as they were adding the new guy in office.
Mickey’s PhilharMagic
Description: Musical 3D adventure with Donald as he tries to recover Mickey’s Sorcerer’s hat.
Rating: XXXX
Notes: Get musical show, which includes some interesting elements and is just some classic Disney fun.
Tomorrowland Transit Authority
Description: People mover ride through tomorrow land
Rating: XXX ½X
Notes: Same ride as the people mover which we once had, and hopefully they will add back. Great ride if you need to site down. Unfortunately it was closed for renovations while we were there.
Carousal of Progress
Description: Tour through the daily life of the American family has progressed through the last century.
Rating: XXX
Notes: Another ride that has almost no line and is nice and cool on a hot day.
Stitch’s Great Escape
Description: Attraction that was converted from the earlier Exterterrorestial attrachtion, which had a Alien ala Alien movies escape and attack the crowd. The new version features Stitch from Lilo and Stitch doing much the same thing, minus the scare the crap out of you part
Rating: XX ½X
Notes: Ride that you only really need to do once, maybe twice, though if you have kids probably more.
Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor
Description: Comedy club based on the end of the movie Monsters Inc.
Rating: XX
Notes: If you have done the Turtle Talk with Crush over at California Adventure than you have an idea about what happens
Stitch’s Supersonic Celebration
Description: Interactive musical show featuring Stitch that uses technology from Turtle Talk with crush
Rating: XX
Notes: Apparently this show closed right after we left, and according to the article linked off of Wiki it was due to having to line up in the summer heat with no shelter.
EPCOT
Spaceship Earth
Description: Tour through human history and how communication has helped to shape it
Rating: XXXX
Notes: The recent renovation that they did to this ride has in my opinion really hurt it. They added an interactive part to the ride that is all but not used save for at the very end of the ride. Also it seems like they really dumbed it down, as compared to the last time that I rode it. Additionally they have a new narrator, Judi Dench. Unfortunately she is by far the worst narrator for the ride that they have had. By far the best was Walter Cronkite followed by Jeremy Irons.
Mission: Space
Description: Centrifuge based ride that simulates launch and space flight on a trip to Mars.
Rating: XXXXX
Notes: BEST RIDE EVER!!!! The only way that they could make it better would be to do a simulated shuttle launch with the full 8 min ride to orbit. My biggest complaint is that they added a pussy ass Green team less intense version, ie not g load. This completely defeats the purpose of the ride and makes the standby line a lot longer than it needs to be. I’m sorry but if you can’t handle a ride like this they should not be screwing it up for the rest of us by making shutting down half the ride for these people.
Test Track
Description: High speed ride showcasing the test that cars go through before they reach the street.
Rating: XXXX ½X
Notes: OMG the line for this was never less than 90 mins and at one point was up around 120 min. For this ride get there early and get a fast pass
Journey into Imagination with Figment
Description: Ride that makes you use your senses and imagination
Rating: XX
Notes: Cute ride, but not a show stopper
Club Cool
Description: Store featuring Coke memorabilia and free samples of different products from around the world
Rating: XXX ½X
Notes: Free liquid refreshment, can’t do better at Disney than that.
Grand Fiesta Tour Staring the Three Caballaeros
Description: boat tour through Mexico with the Three Caballaeros as they search for Donald
Rating: X
Notes: Fairly bland ride, only need to ride it if your in the area or have already done everyting else
Maelstrom
Description: Nordic themed ride that looks at the history of Norway in relation to their dependence on sailing
Rating: XX
Notes: Interesting ride, though the line can get long at times
Reflections of China
Description: a 360 degree tour through different parts of China
Rating: XXX ½X
Notes: This show gives you a great view of the shear grandeur of the Chinese’s countryside
The American Adventure
Description: stage show showcasing the history of the United States
Rating: XXXX
Notes: If you don’t walk out of this with a great sense of pride and patriotism than your citizenship should be revoked
O Canada!
Description: circle vision tour around Canada
Rating: XXX
Notes: Not one that I was really interested in seeing but its worth a stop
Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure
Description:
Rating: XXX
Notes: Fun way to get around and see the different parts of the pavilions; though defiantly do it as a group as it’s not as much fun alone
Disney Hollywood Studios
(Small off topic note, on the bus ride over to this park they play music from different films, and for some odd reason they have music from Star Wars come on right after music from Star Trek)
The Great Movie Ride
Description: pay homage to several classic movie in this ride
Rating: XXX
Notes: Great classic ride, which they update the end every now and again to show off new movies
Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster featuring Aerosmith
Description: Insider roller coaster set to music from Aerosmith
Rating: XXXX ½X
Notes: One of the few intense rides at any Disney parks
Animal Kingdom
(The main problem with this park is that we here in San Diego have been spoiled for many years with both the Zoo and Wild Animal Park. As such you really don’t need to spend more than a day there as a lot of the stuff you can see at home.)
Festival of the Lion King
Description: Musical performance featuring songs and characters from the Lion King
Rating: XXXX
Notes: a worthwhile show to see, one of the few things that they have at this park
Kilimanjaro Safaris
Description: Tour through the African wilderness allowing for viewing of animals in their natural habitat
Rating: XX
Notes: Not as good as the tour at the Wild Animal Park
Conservation Station
Description: Disney’s center for promotion conservation efforts.
Rating: XXX
Notes: Only way out here is by a small train ride, fortunately it is out of the way so you can easily get on without much wait. In addition to promoting conservation they also have close up animal encounters.
Flights of Wonder
Description: Show featuring various birds such as hawks, vultures and even a Bald Eagle
Rating: XXXX
Notes: Great show, really wish I had brought my DSLR with me
Kali River Rapids
Description: Ride down a Indian white water river
Rating: XX
Notes: No where near worth the wait for the ride
Expedition Everest
Description: runaway train ride down the largest mountain in the world
Rating: X
Notes: OK there has been a lot of hype about this ride so I was really looking forward to it. It almost immediately disappointed me. It is not very long, has a backwards section, something I HATE on roller coasters, even worse at one point of the backwards you feel like you are going to go inverted, and while they say there is a Yeti in the ride, we did nto see one.
Finding Nemo the Musical
Description: Musical jurney through the story of Finding Nemo
Rating: XXX ½X
Notes: Get there early as you may not get a seat
Downtown Disney
Disney Quest
Description: 5 floors of video games and simulators
Rating: XXX
Notes: Great place to spend time when the temp is unbearable or when there are thunder storms
Water Parks
Typhoon Lagoon
Description: Set about the aftermath of a sudden typhoon having hit the area, it feature appropriately themed slides and attractions
Rating: XXX
Notes: Has a little bit of everything for everyone
Blizzard Beach
Description: After a freak snow storm a ski resort was set up and still operates despite the rising temperatures turning all of the slopes into rushing slide.
Rating: XXX
Notes: Has a lot more slides and rides than Typhoon Lagoon and is more geared for those in the young adult age range. Also fair warning, if you do ride summit plummet be prepared to have to surgically remove your suit from your ass.
So that about does it for Disney World, after we finished up here we went up to Jacksonville to visit my relatives there before heading home. We did have lunch at a Sonic, and it was not half bad, especially their happy hour, half price drinks after 2.
The next major event for me this summer was Anime Expo. Unfortunately I could not get a hotel near the convention center for a price I was willing to pay so I stayed about 10 mins away at a comfort inn, but more on that later. On day one I parked near the entrance to the exhibit hall, as that was the nearest entrance to where I had gotten off of the freeway. Now for some reason they decided this year that they would repeat the mistake from 07’ where they had both the preregistered and onsite register in a single line, which took a while to get through. Fortunately it only took about an hour to get my badge, as compared to 3 hours in 07’. For the next couple of hours I mainly spent my time running around snapping shots of cosplayers, before getting in line for the exhibit hall. Once inside a lot of the big exhibitors, most notable Bandai, were not there, or were drastically smaller than previous showings. Anyway I spent most of my time in the exhibit hall or running around the halls snapping cosplay shots. Did run into Vi and her friend Karen, though I wish I had gotten to the cosplay shot they were at sooner as I’m guessing that there were some great photo ops that I missed. So once evening fell I headed over to the Gundam model panel that I go to every year. However this year the guy who does it also added on a workshop and managed to get one of the dealers to donate kits. So that was fun, worked on a kit with a couple of n00bs, and actually got a pretty efficient assembly line going, and managed to be just about the only group to finish a kit that night. (Apparently though a lot of group basically grabbed and ran and did not come back for any of the other workshops) Further more after looking at the AXbackstage video that they shot, which I did not know that they were doing at the time as I was focusing on what I was doing, I am actually in a few of the shots. After the workshop I headed over to my hotel. Now when I had booked the hotel I only saw the one front shot of the hotel and a road map of where it was. My immediate first impression on seeing the area that it was in was not the best; the area was run down and defiantly not a neighborhood that I would normally go into. What made things worse was that the hotel was doing renovations, so the entire front was blocked off and a decent chunk of the underground parking area. While I did not have to park on the street any of the nights I stayed there it was really disconcerting. The one really nice thing about this hotel was the breakfast. It was filling and the best part was that it was complimentary. What was also nice about the hotel was the free internet, great for checking on prices of stuff you find in the exhibit hall that you never thought of. So for day two I spent doing a lot of the same things as day one, went to the Gundam 30th panel which was fun. Ran into Vi again, though this time with her entire group of companions. Got some great shots there, spend that night doing much the same thing as the first. Day three saw much the same as day 1 and 2. Though I spent a lot more time with Vi and her group before breaking off from them when we went to the masquerade. The masquerade was A LOT better this year than it was last year, even though we got screwed out of the Nokia theater next door because of MJ’s funeral. The major problem that they had this year was the audio, specifically it not really working or otherwise screwing up. This really made me sad as one of the funniest groups that perform at cons every year got screwed as the audio messed up so they were unable to do their performance. Though as a testament to their professionalism they basically did their performance, up until the audio crapped out, twice. Day 4 I spent most of my time running around the exhibit hall doing last minute shopping and otherwise tiring to see if there was anything else there. Did meet up with Vi and her group again, making it 4 for 4 woot me, and spent the last bit of the con with them. After they left to head home I went to the Gundam 00 panel which was fun. Overall this year’s AX was different and interesting. Next year I am defiantly planning on booking my hotel VERY early so as to get one close to the convention center and ideally book with one of the convention hotels so as to get a free main event ticket. It was also nice to see Vi again as it had been a year since I last saw her. It was also nice to more formally meet her group of friends as I had only really met them in passing before. With regards to the photos that I took, which numbered just shy of 2200, I plan to put them up on my Deviant Art page, but do not plan to even start doing them until after comic con as I am now encountering a major problem with my computer and that is hard drive space, specifically the lack there off.
So since AX I really have not done much of anything, mainly spent my time relaxing and looking forward to Comic Con next week. After looking at the recently released schedule I am very excited since there are a lot of panels that I want to go to this year. As such I am literally going to be running all over the place either: shooting, shopping or going to panels. Hopefully I will find time to eat somewhere in there but no guaranties. For now that just about does it, there was a few other things I had thought about adding on to this post but I think that they will be better saved for their own individual posts. I will defiantly post again with a report of this years Comic con, so till then.
So first up was the end of the semester, which was a lot like all my other end of semester time.
AE 302 High Speed Aerodynamics: Ended up with a B in this, my grade got hit by not doing so well on some of the home work assignments, but this was the most enjoyable class I had this semester.
AE 303 Experimental Aerodynamics: I went into this class with high hopes, as we would be getting to play with the wind tunnel and learn how to use it. However we got stuck with a prf. who had never taught this class and honestly did not know what he was doing, and could not convey the information. Hell the only reason I got a halfway decent grade in that course was because I was in almost frequent communication with the grader, who REALLY knew his shit. On the upside since I was one of the first people down to the lab each time I always got to use the software so I at least know how to work it pretty well.
AE 310 Aerospace Structures: WORST TEACHER I HAVE EVER HAD!!!!!!! Seriously, the guy was horrible, granted this was his first time teaching but that was no excuse for how he acted towards us. Got a B out of it, but I seriously believe that all of us are flat out screwed for AE 410 next semester as we did not learn anything in that class.
CIVE 301 Solid Mechanics: Another good class, had a great prf. learned a lot and walked out of there with an A.
ENGR 510 Methods of Analysis: This was the course that I knew that I was going to get butt fucked by, since I had to repeat the first course. Fortunately that did not happen, as I did alright on the second midterm and really lucked out on the final and got problems that I really new how to do.
RWS508W Scientific Writing: Another course that I was concerned about and even contemplated drop during the first few weeks of the semester due to the amount of writing that was required. I am glad that I stuck it out as it means one less course that I need to take care of in my final year. I took this course to fulfill my school’s graduate writing requirement as I did not score high enough on the written test to not take the course.
So with the exception of two prf. that I am glad that I will NEVER have to take a course with again my semester was pretty good, learned a lot and now just need to get through one more year and I will be done with undergrad studies.
After the semester ended I spent a lot of my time just hanging around the house working on my hobbies and pretty much distressing from the semester. I am glad that I had a lot of space between the end of school and the Disney World trip as both my mom and sister were both stressing to get all of their stuff finished and turned in before we left. Now for this trip we left out of Palomar airport, as the rout from there to LAX to Orlando was the cheapest. This was the first time that I had ever gone out of this airport, my mom and sister had gone out of there a couple of time before, so it was a much different experience than going out of San Diego. While the puddle jumper was a fun ride the ride to Orlando was not. The person in front of me was literally sitting in my lap the entire trip. I was about 5 mins from going bat shit crazy due to not being able to move my legs, when we finaly got to Orlando. So as the maximize our time in the parks we took a red eye flight and got into Orlando around 7 in the morning and got to our hotel, the Wilderness Lodge, around 8:30 and finally checked in some time after 9, however our room was not ready at that time so we went over to the Magic Kingdom. One nice thing about our hotel was that it had two ways to get to the Magic Kingdom, by boat or by bus, so it help ensure that you had quick access to at least one of the parks. So we spent most of our day there before returning to our hotel for an afternoon nap, which we really needed. Now the room we got had an unbelievable view, one which we did not pay for, that looked out right to the castle. So the nights that we came back to the room early we could just sit out on the balcony and watch the fireworks over the castle. Now I spent the majority of my time at Disney World over at EPCOT, as I just liked that park. I enjoyed the attractions, the shops, the shows, everything. I also spent some time over at Disney Quest on the days that were extremely hot or had bad weather. The place is fun, essentially a 5 floor arcade with every time of game and virtual experience under the sun. Now since I am starting to ramble a little a figure I should just move on and talk about the rides and attractions, since that is what most people go there for. Now I will not bother mentioning anything that is at Disneyland or California Adventure since it is pretty easy for you to go and do them yourself.
X – Terrible
XX – Ok
XXX – Good
XXXX – Great
XXXXX - Epic
Magic Kingdom
Enchanted Tiki Room (under new management)
Description: Interesting new take on the classic attraction by adding Zazu from the Lion King and Iago from Aladdin.
Rating: XXX
Notes: Nice place to cool off on a hot day, and usually the line goes pretty quick.
Country Bear Jamboree
Description: Same attraction as the one they used to have at Disneyland, so if you have seen that than you know what to expect
Rating: XX ½X
Notes: We saw this the first day that we were there so I was extremely tired as I had not really slept on the plane so I actually slept through this but have seen it in the past.
Hall of Presidents
Description:
Rating:
Notes: Was closed while we were there, as they were adding the new guy in office.
Mickey’s PhilharMagic
Description: Musical 3D adventure with Donald as he tries to recover Mickey’s Sorcerer’s hat.
Rating: XXXX
Notes: Get musical show, which includes some interesting elements and is just some classic Disney fun.
Tomorrowland Transit Authority
Description: People mover ride through tomorrow land
Rating: XXX ½X
Notes: Same ride as the people mover which we once had, and hopefully they will add back. Great ride if you need to site down. Unfortunately it was closed for renovations while we were there.
Carousal of Progress
Description: Tour through the daily life of the American family has progressed through the last century.
Rating: XXX
Notes: Another ride that has almost no line and is nice and cool on a hot day.
Stitch’s Great Escape
Description: Attraction that was converted from the earlier Exterterrorestial attrachtion, which had a Alien ala Alien movies escape and attack the crowd. The new version features Stitch from Lilo and Stitch doing much the same thing, minus the scare the crap out of you part
Rating: XX ½X
Notes: Ride that you only really need to do once, maybe twice, though if you have kids probably more.
Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor
Description: Comedy club based on the end of the movie Monsters Inc.
Rating: XX
Notes: If you have done the Turtle Talk with Crush over at California Adventure than you have an idea about what happens
Stitch’s Supersonic Celebration
Description: Interactive musical show featuring Stitch that uses technology from Turtle Talk with crush
Rating: XX
Notes: Apparently this show closed right after we left, and according to the article linked off of Wiki it was due to having to line up in the summer heat with no shelter.
EPCOT
Spaceship Earth
Description: Tour through human history and how communication has helped to shape it
Rating: XXXX
Notes: The recent renovation that they did to this ride has in my opinion really hurt it. They added an interactive part to the ride that is all but not used save for at the very end of the ride. Also it seems like they really dumbed it down, as compared to the last time that I rode it. Additionally they have a new narrator, Judi Dench. Unfortunately she is by far the worst narrator for the ride that they have had. By far the best was Walter Cronkite followed by Jeremy Irons.
Mission: Space
Description: Centrifuge based ride that simulates launch and space flight on a trip to Mars.
Rating: XXXXX
Notes: BEST RIDE EVER!!!! The only way that they could make it better would be to do a simulated shuttle launch with the full 8 min ride to orbit. My biggest complaint is that they added a pussy ass Green team less intense version, ie not g load. This completely defeats the purpose of the ride and makes the standby line a lot longer than it needs to be. I’m sorry but if you can’t handle a ride like this they should not be screwing it up for the rest of us by making shutting down half the ride for these people.
Test Track
Description: High speed ride showcasing the test that cars go through before they reach the street.
Rating: XXXX ½X
Notes: OMG the line for this was never less than 90 mins and at one point was up around 120 min. For this ride get there early and get a fast pass
Journey into Imagination with Figment
Description: Ride that makes you use your senses and imagination
Rating: XX
Notes: Cute ride, but not a show stopper
Club Cool
Description: Store featuring Coke memorabilia and free samples of different products from around the world
Rating: XXX ½X
Notes: Free liquid refreshment, can’t do better at Disney than that.
Grand Fiesta Tour Staring the Three Caballaeros
Description: boat tour through Mexico with the Three Caballaeros as they search for Donald
Rating: X
Notes: Fairly bland ride, only need to ride it if your in the area or have already done everyting else
Maelstrom
Description: Nordic themed ride that looks at the history of Norway in relation to their dependence on sailing
Rating: XX
Notes: Interesting ride, though the line can get long at times
Reflections of China
Description: a 360 degree tour through different parts of China
Rating: XXX ½X
Notes: This show gives you a great view of the shear grandeur of the Chinese’s countryside
The American Adventure
Description: stage show showcasing the history of the United States
Rating: XXXX
Notes: If you don’t walk out of this with a great sense of pride and patriotism than your citizenship should be revoked
O Canada!
Description: circle vision tour around Canada
Rating: XXX
Notes: Not one that I was really interested in seeing but its worth a stop
Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure
Description:
Rating: XXX
Notes: Fun way to get around and see the different parts of the pavilions; though defiantly do it as a group as it’s not as much fun alone
Disney Hollywood Studios
(Small off topic note, on the bus ride over to this park they play music from different films, and for some odd reason they have music from Star Wars come on right after music from Star Trek)
The Great Movie Ride
Description: pay homage to several classic movie in this ride
Rating: XXX
Notes: Great classic ride, which they update the end every now and again to show off new movies
Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster featuring Aerosmith
Description: Insider roller coaster set to music from Aerosmith
Rating: XXXX ½X
Notes: One of the few intense rides at any Disney parks
Animal Kingdom
(The main problem with this park is that we here in San Diego have been spoiled for many years with both the Zoo and Wild Animal Park. As such you really don’t need to spend more than a day there as a lot of the stuff you can see at home.)
Festival of the Lion King
Description: Musical performance featuring songs and characters from the Lion King
Rating: XXXX
Notes: a worthwhile show to see, one of the few things that they have at this park
Kilimanjaro Safaris
Description: Tour through the African wilderness allowing for viewing of animals in their natural habitat
Rating: XX
Notes: Not as good as the tour at the Wild Animal Park
Conservation Station
Description: Disney’s center for promotion conservation efforts.
Rating: XXX
Notes: Only way out here is by a small train ride, fortunately it is out of the way so you can easily get on without much wait. In addition to promoting conservation they also have close up animal encounters.
Flights of Wonder
Description: Show featuring various birds such as hawks, vultures and even a Bald Eagle
Rating: XXXX
Notes: Great show, really wish I had brought my DSLR with me
Kali River Rapids
Description: Ride down a Indian white water river
Rating: XX
Notes: No where near worth the wait for the ride
Expedition Everest
Description: runaway train ride down the largest mountain in the world
Rating: X
Notes: OK there has been a lot of hype about this ride so I was really looking forward to it. It almost immediately disappointed me. It is not very long, has a backwards section, something I HATE on roller coasters, even worse at one point of the backwards you feel like you are going to go inverted, and while they say there is a Yeti in the ride, we did nto see one.
Finding Nemo the Musical
Description: Musical jurney through the story of Finding Nemo
Rating: XXX ½X
Notes: Get there early as you may not get a seat
Downtown Disney
Disney Quest
Description: 5 floors of video games and simulators
Rating: XXX
Notes: Great place to spend time when the temp is unbearable or when there are thunder storms
Water Parks
Typhoon Lagoon
Description: Set about the aftermath of a sudden typhoon having hit the area, it feature appropriately themed slides and attractions
Rating: XXX
Notes: Has a little bit of everything for everyone
Blizzard Beach
Description: After a freak snow storm a ski resort was set up and still operates despite the rising temperatures turning all of the slopes into rushing slide.
Rating: XXX
Notes: Has a lot more slides and rides than Typhoon Lagoon and is more geared for those in the young adult age range. Also fair warning, if you do ride summit plummet be prepared to have to surgically remove your suit from your ass.
So that about does it for Disney World, after we finished up here we went up to Jacksonville to visit my relatives there before heading home. We did have lunch at a Sonic, and it was not half bad, especially their happy hour, half price drinks after 2.
The next major event for me this summer was Anime Expo. Unfortunately I could not get a hotel near the convention center for a price I was willing to pay so I stayed about 10 mins away at a comfort inn, but more on that later. On day one I parked near the entrance to the exhibit hall, as that was the nearest entrance to where I had gotten off of the freeway. Now for some reason they decided this year that they would repeat the mistake from 07’ where they had both the preregistered and onsite register in a single line, which took a while to get through. Fortunately it only took about an hour to get my badge, as compared to 3 hours in 07’. For the next couple of hours I mainly spent my time running around snapping shots of cosplayers, before getting in line for the exhibit hall. Once inside a lot of the big exhibitors, most notable Bandai, were not there, or were drastically smaller than previous showings. Anyway I spent most of my time in the exhibit hall or running around the halls snapping cosplay shots. Did run into Vi and her friend Karen, though I wish I had gotten to the cosplay shot they were at sooner as I’m guessing that there were some great photo ops that I missed. So once evening fell I headed over to the Gundam model panel that I go to every year. However this year the guy who does it also added on a workshop and managed to get one of the dealers to donate kits. So that was fun, worked on a kit with a couple of n00bs, and actually got a pretty efficient assembly line going, and managed to be just about the only group to finish a kit that night. (Apparently though a lot of group basically grabbed and ran and did not come back for any of the other workshops) Further more after looking at the AXbackstage video that they shot, which I did not know that they were doing at the time as I was focusing on what I was doing, I am actually in a few of the shots. After the workshop I headed over to my hotel. Now when I had booked the hotel I only saw the one front shot of the hotel and a road map of where it was. My immediate first impression on seeing the area that it was in was not the best; the area was run down and defiantly not a neighborhood that I would normally go into. What made things worse was that the hotel was doing renovations, so the entire front was blocked off and a decent chunk of the underground parking area. While I did not have to park on the street any of the nights I stayed there it was really disconcerting. The one really nice thing about this hotel was the breakfast. It was filling and the best part was that it was complimentary. What was also nice about the hotel was the free internet, great for checking on prices of stuff you find in the exhibit hall that you never thought of. So for day two I spent doing a lot of the same things as day one, went to the Gundam 30th panel which was fun. Ran into Vi again, though this time with her entire group of companions. Got some great shots there, spend that night doing much the same thing as the first. Day three saw much the same as day 1 and 2. Though I spent a lot more time with Vi and her group before breaking off from them when we went to the masquerade. The masquerade was A LOT better this year than it was last year, even though we got screwed out of the Nokia theater next door because of MJ’s funeral. The major problem that they had this year was the audio, specifically it not really working or otherwise screwing up. This really made me sad as one of the funniest groups that perform at cons every year got screwed as the audio messed up so they were unable to do their performance. Though as a testament to their professionalism they basically did their performance, up until the audio crapped out, twice. Day 4 I spent most of my time running around the exhibit hall doing last minute shopping and otherwise tiring to see if there was anything else there. Did meet up with Vi and her group again, making it 4 for 4 woot me, and spent the last bit of the con with them. After they left to head home I went to the Gundam 00 panel which was fun. Overall this year’s AX was different and interesting. Next year I am defiantly planning on booking my hotel VERY early so as to get one close to the convention center and ideally book with one of the convention hotels so as to get a free main event ticket. It was also nice to see Vi again as it had been a year since I last saw her. It was also nice to more formally meet her group of friends as I had only really met them in passing before. With regards to the photos that I took, which numbered just shy of 2200, I plan to put them up on my Deviant Art page, but do not plan to even start doing them until after comic con as I am now encountering a major problem with my computer and that is hard drive space, specifically the lack there off.
So since AX I really have not done much of anything, mainly spent my time relaxing and looking forward to Comic Con next week. After looking at the recently released schedule I am very excited since there are a lot of panels that I want to go to this year. As such I am literally going to be running all over the place either: shooting, shopping or going to panels. Hopefully I will find time to eat somewhere in there but no guaranties. For now that just about does it, there was a few other things I had thought about adding on to this post but I think that they will be better saved for their own individual posts. I will defiantly post again with a report of this years Comic con, so till then.
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