From Jack Curley on January 17, 2013 at 2:16 PM
Congrats on moving up to the big boy table, Jeff!

From Anon Mouse on January 17, 2013 at 2:40 PM
Demolishing of the Gibson amphitheater will happen!!! Oh, I didn't expect that. I thought it will survive five more years.

From 66.87.91.183 on January 17, 2013 at 4:37 PM
What about the rumors of expanding jurrasic park?

From Jeff Elliott on January 17, 2013 at 5:46 PM
The rumors about Jurassic Park seem to run counter to other rumors claiming that the Cartoon Lagoon is going to be completely redone with Lord of the Rings...

On stuff that is just a murmuring, I usually try to sit it out until we have a solid rumors. Unless I have something really sarcastic to say about it...

Needless to say, IOA is looking at improvements which is always a good thing.

From 69.254.236.159 on January 17, 2013 at 7:16 PM
Is that supposed to be Captain America not Caption America?

From 98.117.50.239 on January 17, 2013 at 7:41 PM
"While everyone in the English speaking world was in awe of how quickly Universal is throwing together the Transformers ride in Florida, Universal Studios Japan is doing the same thing, but in their case, they are doing it with their Harry Potter expansion, and by this point should have topped off their Forbidden Journey ride building…"

Duffy Bear is crapping his pants and getting ready to go on welfare right now at Tokyo Disneyland.

From 216.170.146.245 on January 17, 2013 at 8:20 PM
Welcome to the big leagues, Jeff!! And thanks for the reference to @FakeThemeParks... Just makes me think about all the hi-jinks in Carl Hiaasen's "Native Tongue" -- a great novel for theme park aficiandos with a sense of humor :-).

From Mike Gallagher on January 18, 2013 at 8:26 AM
I've never read a Carl Hiaasen novel. Always read good things about him, and he collaborated with Warren Zevon, so he's got a head start with me. Anonymous poster, would that be a good book to start with? I may be at Barnes and Noble tonight with a gift card balance remaining...:)

Don't know how I posted on the wrong thread a moment or two earlier..getting old, I guess...

From Robert Niles on January 18, 2013 at 10:09 AM
Mike, theme park fans have to start with Native Tongue. But don't overlook the kids' stuff, either. Hoot and Chomp are quite good.

From Mike Gallagher on January 18, 2013 at 10:44 AM
I didn't know Hiaasen wrote kids' books. I read the summary of Native Tongue on Amazon..I think I WILL buy it..it sounds interesting.

From Joe Schwartz on January 18, 2013 at 2:11 PM
Nice job Jeff.

From Melanie Howe on January 18, 2013 at 5:00 PM
Mike, the anonymous person citing Hiaasen was me.... I forgot I wasn't logged in! Anyway, Robert's right that "Native Tongue" would be a good one for you to start with. All the books stand on their own for the most part, though you'll meet an awesome recurring character called Skink who first surfaces in "Double Whammy". My personal favorite is "Stormy Weather". And I also second the kids' books -- "Chomp" is hilarious!!

From Mike Gallagher on January 18, 2013 at 6:54 PM
I had a hunch that was you, Melanie ;)

I found Native Tongue at B&N tonight, but they only had the trade paperback, and I didn't want to spend $10 on top of my gift card balance. Also, I prefer the smaller mass-market paperbacks. I don't have an e-reader and don't want one..I prefer actual books. Call me old-fashioned, call me tech-challenged, just don't call me late for dinner, I'll look on Amazon..I've got about 50 bucks on a gift card there. I'd like to read Strip Tease and Basket Case, too. Maybe I'll get a trilogy if the price is right...

*EDIT*.. I just ordered a used copy of Native Tongue from Amazon for $4. If I like it, maybe I'll try one of the others mentioned by others or in the main body of this post.

From Melanie Howe on January 19, 2013 at 6:11 PM
Cool, Mike!! Let me know what you think of it :-).

P.S. -- I almost forgot -- Native Tongue is one of his few books with a specific Zevon reference, so it really is perfect for you!

From Mike Gallagher on January 19, 2013 at 6:27 PM
Cool, Melanie! Hope my 48-going-on-80 year old brain picks up the reference....

From Todd Houts on January 22, 2013 at 12:29 PM
Re: Rocky Mountain Coasters next project - a couple of years ago I would have agreed that Mean Streak should have been next for the Iron Horse treatment - but something happened between 2011 and 2012 and it was like a whole new ride in May of last year. How long that lasts remains to be seen but at least last May, it is no longer in desperate need of a new exoskeleton. Timberwolf (at Worlds of Fun) on the other hand...