I've always thought the phrase with which I titled this post was kind of funny. Sounds like something I would have come up with, though it was in fact the wit of someone else. Regardless, it ended up being the perfect way to kick off the post.
For whatever reason, as of late, I seem to have become an active participant in the fine art of falling. About eight months ago, I fell while I was mowing my lawn. In case you missed that comedy of errors, read about it here. And for an incredible encore, I fell again a couple of days before this past Thanksgiving, which is what inspired this post. I'll get to that in a bit.
Why am I falling all of a sudden? I didn't inherit this from my folks as they moved through life rather gracefully from what I've been told. They danced, they played sports, they drove cars with three-speed column shift manual transmissions and never ground the gears. The truth is that I've never been graceful; I'm actually pretty clumsy, really. That's why I never went out for sports. I knew I wouldn't do well with that. Even as the official team benchwarmer I'd probably fall backward off the bench and land in the water bucket at some point.
So on the fateful day that inspired this post, I was over at the local AAA office to pay Lori's car registration. They'll take a credit or debit card for AAA stuff, but since auto registration fees go directly to the DMV, you have to pay with a check. I didn't remember whether I had the checkbook in my car, so I went out to my car to find out. There was a car parked next to me with some people hanging out behind it. Rather than walking through the middle of their group, I noticed an opening in the bushes that I could simply walk through. However, simplicity can be deceiving. On the way through, my foot must have caught the bush or something because the next thing I knew, I tripped, fell off the curb, and slammed against the car next to me. I was in too much pain to call out to the few people there (most had left). They had to have seen this, but then they were gone. I noticed that my arm seemed to be in a weird position. First thought: I've broken it. Great! But I could wiggle my fingers freely without any pain, so I figured there weren't likely any broken bones. Somehow I stood up and my right arm was still in that weird position. Could I have dislocated it?
I did go back into the AAA office and said I'd "had a little mishap" and that my checkbook was at home, so I'd have to come back tomorrow. They said no problem. Where I went next was to the ER at St John's Pleasant Valley Hospital about a mile away. Fortunately, my car's gear selector lever is mounted high on the dash, so I was able to reach over the steering wheel with my left hand to put it into gear.
At the hospital, I parked and walked in to the ER and checked in. They said I'd be seen in about 20 minutes. Within a half-hour, I was taken into a room and they had me lie face down on a padded table. The doctor tried as hard as he could to get my arm bone to pop back into the socket at the shoulder. No such luck. So they took me into a different room and had me lie on a bed, then gave me something to knock me out. And I was out cold.
Forty-five minutes later, I was awakened and told that my arm was now back in place, and that it had been quite an ordeal to get it that way. Apparently I tried to resist for some reason, but brute force won out.
I couldn't reach Diana to come get me, but Lori was able to come. Just as we got home, Diana pulled up in the driveway next to us. She and Lori went to get my car and brought it home. As for the registration, Lori took it and paid it online herself. In hindsight, I should have gone that route in the first place.
If nothing else, my life seems to have a theme: "You never know what's coming next." And believe me, I never do.
Sunday, November 25, 2018
Thursday, November 1, 2018
Let's hop on the bus and go somewhere
Everyone who's known me long enough knows that there is a special place in my heart for transit buses. It's undoubtedly a weird thing, and it goes way back to my single-digit age days. Over the 50 or more years I've had this fetish interest, I have wondered a few times how it came about and why. After years of thinking it over, the conclusion I finally reached actually makes a lot of sense.
From the time I was about two till I was seven, we lived in a house along a turnaround loop for the Line 16 and 74 buses running under the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) and later the Southern California Rapid Transit District (SCRTD—RTD for short). After passing our house, the buses made a left turn and went about two blocks, past our church, and parked next to a bank building to lay over until it was time to head out on their next run. They left the layover and turned left onto Lankershim, heading north.
I think what fascinated me so much about buses was the fact that they took people places. Going somewhere—anywhere—was something our family did very little of. When I saw people riding a bus, it meant that they were going somewhere. Could have been the dentist, could have been the grocery store, could have been work, whatever. It didn't matter. They were going somewhere. And I wanted to do that, too.
My Grandma McCormack never drove a car. Whenever she had to go (or wanted to go) somewhere, the bus was her ride. She lived less than a block away, so she was at our house often. I'm guessing that she must have noticed that I closely watched buses going past the house, and, knowing that she rode, I must have asked her about what it was like. One time after church, she asked if I wanted to take a bus ride with her. You didn't exactly have to twist my arm.
When we were ready to set out on our adventure, we walked over to Lankershim Blvd to wait for one of these to show up:
From the time I was about two till I was seven, we lived in a house along a turnaround loop for the Line 16 and 74 buses running under the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) and later the Southern California Rapid Transit District (SCRTD—RTD for short). After passing our house, the buses made a left turn and went about two blocks, past our church, and parked next to a bank building to lay over until it was time to head out on their next run. They left the layover and turned left onto Lankershim, heading north.
I think what fascinated me so much about buses was the fact that they took people places. Going somewhere—anywhere—was something our family did very little of. When I saw people riding a bus, it meant that they were going somewhere. Could have been the dentist, could have been the grocery store, could have been work, whatever. It didn't matter. They were going somewhere. And I wanted to do that, too.
My Grandma McCormack never drove a car. Whenever she had to go (or wanted to go) somewhere, the bus was her ride. She lived less than a block away, so she was at our house often. I'm guessing that she must have noticed that I closely watched buses going past the house, and, knowing that she rode, I must have asked her about what it was like. One time after church, she asked if I wanted to take a bus ride with her. You didn't exactly have to twist my arm.
When we were ready to set out on our adventure, we walked over to Lankershim Blvd to wait for one of these to show up:
 |
| 1950s-era General Motors "old look" bus (RTD 2100 series). Photo by Southern Cal Transit Fans Facebook group |
In those days, RTD served Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino Counties. The entire RTD service area was broken into fare zones. The fare structure was 30¢ to ride through the first two zones, and 8¢ for each zone beyond that. A trip to downtown Los Angeles was 54¢—two initial zones plus three more. (Interesting because that 54¢ in 1965 works out to $4.32 today; today's fare of $1.75 works out to only 22¢ in 1965.) So much for adjusting for inflation...
Anyway, Grandma and I had a good time in downtown L.A. We ate lunch at Clifton's Cafeteria, walked along Hill Street, and I was able to see Angel's Flight operating among what little was left on Bunker Hill. (This was during Bunker Hill's renovation from the late '60s into the mid-'70s.) I asked Grandma if we could ride it, but she said in her soft-but-firm Texas accent, "Well, no. I don't think it's safe." Maybe she thought it was some sort of amusement park ride. Who knows? But that was interesting because despite the accidents that Angel's Flight has had since reopening in 1996 a half-block down Hill Street from its original location, it operated from 1901 till 1969 accident-free. Maybe being closed and moved a half-block did something to it. You never know...
Grandma and I took many bus rides over the years, even riding some of RTD's newer buses. One time we caught a ride on one of these:
This type of bus (RTD 6000 series) had a different type of engine from previous buses they had. It was a Cummins diesel engine that sounded like a semi-trailer truck, which was unlike anything that MTA/RTD had ever ordered. Grandma commented that it sounded "like a tiger roaring." Sometimes the things that get caught in your memory are funny.
A few years later, when I started going to Sun Valley Jr High, we had the 6000-series buses to take us home. A few weeks later, though, we got out of class and found these:
We didn't notice anything different till we climbed aboard. The seats were dark brown and orange, not light green. The interior was a light tan, not dark green. One of the kids commented, "Hey, this is a new bus!" And honestly, it was one of RTD's newest ones. I noticed that the bus number was 71xx. We always had ones numbered 60xx. (I thought that the new 1971 model buses had 71xx numbers because of the year. My theory went out the window when I realized that the 60xx numbered buses couldn't have been from 1960, and the GM old look buses numbered in the 2100s couldn't have been from 1921. They were too modern. Oh well.)
The rear window on the 7100s was partially obscured by some big thing at the top. Could have been some sort of oddball sheet metal tumor, but we learned that it was the air conditioning system. (You can see the top of it in the rear of the bus in the photo above.) Air conditioning on transit buses was a new concept in the mid-to-late '60s. But who cares? During my first week of junior high (fall 1971), the Los Angeles area was in a major heat wave that, by law, actually put us on a minimum school day. An air-conditioned ride home would have been a treat. Too bad those 7100s were still a while into the future. But at least they arrived.
Over the years as I got older, I ventured into Hollywood, downtown L.A., the far end of the San Fernando Valley, and other places and discovered different types of buses than I was used to seeing around North Hollywood. Who knew that there were so many different types within the same agency? Discovering this only fueled my interest even further. At one point, I kept a list of the buses I rode.
In 1975, RTD completely restructured the bus system in the San Fernando Valley and South Central Los Angeles. The idea was to have buses running on most major north/south and east/west streets, thus cutting down on the number of buses that riders needed to take. (Many of the RTD's previous routes were patterned after ancient streetcar routes and many made little to no sense. The so-called GRID systems fixed that problem to some extent. Rather than having bus lines that zigzagged randomly all over the place, lines were pretty much straight and only required one transfer if needed.)
Over the years, RTD acquired new equipment, added new routes, changed existing routes, deleted old routes, and eventually reintroducing something that hadn't been seen by folks in Los Angeles for an entire generation: light rail. We voted for its funding during the 1980s, and in 1990, it became a reality with the Blue Line between downtown Los Angeles and downtown Long Beach. The Blue Line was the rebirth of a former Pacific Electric line, following nearly the same route.
The 1990s brought the Red Line subway, which traveled from Union Station to Wilshire Blvd, then to Hollywood, and finally reaching North Hollywood by 2000. Additional light rail lines were also added, and to this day there are additional rail lines under construction or planned. Being a fan of trains, it's no surprise that once Metro started adding rail lines, I jumped right on board. To date, I've ridden every Metro rail line from end to end. With the $7 all-day pass loaded onto your TAP card, it's easy and affordable to spend the day exploring the city.
As SCRTD was created in 1964, the Los Angeles County Transportation Commission merged with SCRTD in 1993, creating the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA). Known as "Metro" for short, this agency handles both bus and rail transportation throughout its service area, which includes Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, and parts of Ventura County (Source: Wikipedia).
For those who are interested in the various RTD/Metro buses used over the years, click here and check it out.
Throughout the years, 99% of my bus riding has been aboard SCRTD/Metro vehicles. Now and then I've taken a ride aboard a municipal system like Santa Monica's Big Blue Bus, or a local one like Thousand Oaks Transit.
A few years ago, I joined a Facebook group devoted to public transit in Southern California. It's a fun group, and they hold events where we can get together and ride the bus. Back in 2014, a bunch of us got together and rode all over downtown L.A., over the soon-to-be-demolished Sixth Street Bridge (read about my own adventure here). One member of the group owns a business where he rents out buses to TV studios for use in commercials, TV shows and movies. Recently, he held an open house at the yard where he stores those buses. It's in a rural area far from the city. We had a good time hanging out in the yard, cruising around the area, and even had our own "cruise night" to a local mall for dinner. Eight buses made that trip. I'm sure local motorists were wondering what was up because it's unusual to see a hodgepodge of buses traveling together. No two of the buses had the same paint scheme and were of very different types. (See the second picture below.) It was a bus gang terrorizing the city!
It was a fun day. There's nothing better than spending a day riding buses with a bunch of people who like buses as much as you do. For so many years, I thought I was some sort of a weirdo for liking something so...so off the beaten path. But I've learned that I'm not the only one out there. The chances are, no matter how "strange" a hobby or interest might be to you, there is very likely someone or a whole bunch of someones who like the same thing. You just have to keep your eyes and ears open to find them.
 |
| Angel's Flight car Sinai waiting for passengers at the bottom station on Hill Street. |
Grandma and I took many bus rides over the years, even riding some of RTD's newer buses. One time we caught a ride on one of these:
 |
| 1965 Flxible "new look" bus (RTD 6000 series). Photo by Southern Cal Transit Fans Facebook group |
This type of bus (RTD 6000 series) had a different type of engine from previous buses they had. It was a Cummins diesel engine that sounded like a semi-trailer truck, which was unlike anything that MTA/RTD had ever ordered. Grandma commented that it sounded "like a tiger roaring." Sometimes the things that get caught in your memory are funny.
A few years later, when I started going to Sun Valley Jr High, we had the 6000-series buses to take us home. A few weeks later, though, we got out of class and found these:
 |
| 1971 Flxible bus (RTD 7100 series). Photo by Southern Cal Transit Fans Facebook group |
We didn't notice anything different till we climbed aboard. The seats were dark brown and orange, not light green. The interior was a light tan, not dark green. One of the kids commented, "Hey, this is a new bus!" And honestly, it was one of RTD's newest ones. I noticed that the bus number was 71xx. We always had ones numbered 60xx. (I thought that the new 1971 model buses had 71xx numbers because of the year. My theory went out the window when I realized that the 60xx numbered buses couldn't have been from 1960, and the GM old look buses numbered in the 2100s couldn't have been from 1921. They were too modern. Oh well.)
The rear window on the 7100s was partially obscured by some big thing at the top. Could have been some sort of oddball sheet metal tumor, but we learned that it was the air conditioning system. (You can see the top of it in the rear of the bus in the photo above.) Air conditioning on transit buses was a new concept in the mid-to-late '60s. But who cares? During my first week of junior high (fall 1971), the Los Angeles area was in a major heat wave that, by law, actually put us on a minimum school day. An air-conditioned ride home would have been a treat. Too bad those 7100s were still a while into the future. But at least they arrived.
Over the years as I got older, I ventured into Hollywood, downtown L.A., the far end of the San Fernando Valley, and other places and discovered different types of buses than I was used to seeing around North Hollywood. Who knew that there were so many different types within the same agency? Discovering this only fueled my interest even further. At one point, I kept a list of the buses I rode.
In 1975, RTD completely restructured the bus system in the San Fernando Valley and South Central Los Angeles. The idea was to have buses running on most major north/south and east/west streets, thus cutting down on the number of buses that riders needed to take. (Many of the RTD's previous routes were patterned after ancient streetcar routes and many made little to no sense. The so-called GRID systems fixed that problem to some extent. Rather than having bus lines that zigzagged randomly all over the place, lines were pretty much straight and only required one transfer if needed.)
Over the years, RTD acquired new equipment, added new routes, changed existing routes, deleted old routes, and eventually reintroducing something that hadn't been seen by folks in Los Angeles for an entire generation: light rail. We voted for its funding during the 1980s, and in 1990, it became a reality with the Blue Line between downtown Los Angeles and downtown Long Beach. The Blue Line was the rebirth of a former Pacific Electric line, following nearly the same route.
The 1990s brought the Red Line subway, which traveled from Union Station to Wilshire Blvd, then to Hollywood, and finally reaching North Hollywood by 2000. Additional light rail lines were also added, and to this day there are additional rail lines under construction or planned. Being a fan of trains, it's no surprise that once Metro started adding rail lines, I jumped right on board. To date, I've ridden every Metro rail line from end to end. With the $7 all-day pass loaded onto your TAP card, it's easy and affordable to spend the day exploring the city.
As SCRTD was created in 1964, the Los Angeles County Transportation Commission merged with SCRTD in 1993, creating the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA). Known as "Metro" for short, this agency handles both bus and rail transportation throughout its service area, which includes Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, and parts of Ventura County (Source: Wikipedia).
For those who are interested in the various RTD/Metro buses used over the years, click here and check it out.
Throughout the years, 99% of my bus riding has been aboard SCRTD/Metro vehicles. Now and then I've taken a ride aboard a municipal system like Santa Monica's Big Blue Bus, or a local one like Thousand Oaks Transit.
A few years ago, I joined a Facebook group devoted to public transit in Southern California. It's a fun group, and they hold events where we can get together and ride the bus. Back in 2014, a bunch of us got together and rode all over downtown L.A., over the soon-to-be-demolished Sixth Street Bridge (read about my own adventure here). One member of the group owns a business where he rents out buses to TV studios for use in commercials, TV shows and movies. Recently, he held an open house at the yard where he stores those buses. It's in a rural area far from the city. We had a good time hanging out in the yard, cruising around the area, and even had our own "cruise night" to a local mall for dinner. Eight buses made that trip. I'm sure local motorists were wondering what was up because it's unusual to see a hodgepodge of buses traveling together. No two of the buses had the same paint scheme and were of very different types. (See the second picture below.) It was a bus gang terrorizing the city!
 |
| Out at the end of the line waiting to head back to the yard. |
 |
| We rode old buses to the mall for dinner and back to the yard. Can you guess which bus I chose to ride to dinner? |
 |
| If you chose this classic Crown school bus, you guessed correctly. |
It was a fun day. There's nothing better than spending a day riding buses with a bunch of people who like buses as much as you do. For so many years, I thought I was some sort of a weirdo for liking something so...so off the beaten path. But I've learned that I'm not the only one out there. The chances are, no matter how "strange" a hobby or interest might be to you, there is very likely someone or a whole bunch of someones who like the same thing. You just have to keep your eyes and ears open to find them.
Wednesday, October 31, 2018
Are we driving ourselves over a cliff?
Almost 50 years ago, I sat my butt on a bench seat in some big contraption where I had to insert a key to make the thing start; hang onto and turn a giant wheel to steer it; work some buttons, levers and pedals to make it do tricks; and pay close attention to where I was taking it in order to not hit anything. Or, worse, anyone. Someone referred to that thing as an "automobile." Funny, I always called them "cars." Strange word...sounds like something they'd say in the '30s or '40s, but it'll do.
Welcome to the wonderful world of driving. Getting the opportunity to take control of a motor vehicle for the first time is the pinnacle of our growing up. Once you can drive, the world is at your doorstep. Or at least at the hood ornament. You can't always tell.
Welcome to the wonderful world of driving. Getting the opportunity to take control of a motor vehicle for the first time is the pinnacle of our growing up. Once you can drive, the world is at your doorstep. Or at least at the hood ornament. You can't always tell.
Driving a car is a HUGE responsibility. So huge that I had to bold, italicize, underline, and change the color of the word "huge." Why is that? Because it takes a fair amount of skill, and a lot of common sense to drive a car correctly. "Correctly" meaning avoiding contact with other objects and people, obeying all of the laws in place to regulate traffic, and stepping up to take responsibility when your actions (or misactions) result in a collision or some other situation that causes damage to another person and/or their property. Unfortunately, nowadays, common sense isn't very common.
Sad to say, and well known among drivers, is the fact that there are a lot of people who are out there driving around in two- to ten-ton vehicles who aren't exactly on top of their game. They're distracted by their electronic devices and other things that really should be set aside for the duration of their trip when they're behind the wheel. Laws have been passed regarding using such devices while driving, but many people simply ignore those laws.
Distraction by electronic devices is only part of the problem. I'm not sure if some people simply think that they're the only ones allowed on the road, or that they flat out own the darned thing. Shouting at other drivers. Using obscene hand gestures. Yelling inside their own car: "You're going too slow. Speed up or I'll ride your bumper till you do." "After me, you're first." "The light turned green one whole entire second ago, what are you waiting for?" (followed by a long honk of the horn). "Get out of my way!" "I'm in a hurry!" The list goes on. Impatient, nasty people are nothing new. They've been around since at least the '70s. You just have to deal with them.
Here in California, our law says that we need to renew our drivers license every five years. To renew, we have to pay a fee. For some reason, I seem to recall that we had to take a written exam whenever we renewed our license, but the last few times I went to the DMV, I remember only paying the fee and having a new picture taken.
Not everyone will agree with me, but I think that a license renewal should also include a good, comprehensive behind-the-wheel driving test, even more so than the one we took to get our license in the first place. And this test shouldn't be something ridiculous like "go around the block and come back." Everyone should have to take the same driving exam, regardless whether you're young or a senior citizen. Since we all have to share the road, then we need to follow the same laws and procedures with no exceptions. If, say, an older person can't turn their head and look before safely changing lanes, then we can't just let him pass because, "well, he's old." Doing so would be a recipe for disaster. [ducks prunes and dentures being thrown at him]
Over the years, our cars have gotten safer. All we need now are people who will make the effort to drive with courtesy toward others and safety in mind. I'm sure that everyone would benefit from that.
Distraction by electronic devices is only part of the problem. I'm not sure if some people simply think that they're the only ones allowed on the road, or that they flat out own the darned thing. Shouting at other drivers. Using obscene hand gestures. Yelling inside their own car: "You're going too slow. Speed up or I'll ride your bumper till you do." "After me, you're first." "The light turned green one whole entire second ago, what are you waiting for?" (followed by a long honk of the horn). "Get out of my way!" "I'm in a hurry!" The list goes on. Impatient, nasty people are nothing new. They've been around since at least the '70s. You just have to deal with them.
Here in California, our law says that we need to renew our drivers license every five years. To renew, we have to pay a fee. For some reason, I seem to recall that we had to take a written exam whenever we renewed our license, but the last few times I went to the DMV, I remember only paying the fee and having a new picture taken.
Not everyone will agree with me, but I think that a license renewal should also include a good, comprehensive behind-the-wheel driving test, even more so than the one we took to get our license in the first place. And this test shouldn't be something ridiculous like "go around the block and come back." Everyone should have to take the same driving exam, regardless whether you're young or a senior citizen. Since we all have to share the road, then we need to follow the same laws and procedures with no exceptions. If, say, an older person can't turn their head and look before safely changing lanes, then we can't just let him pass because, "well, he's old." Doing so would be a recipe for disaster. [ducks prunes and dentures being thrown at him]
Over the years, our cars have gotten safer. All we need now are people who will make the effort to drive with courtesy toward others and safety in mind. I'm sure that everyone would benefit from that.
Tuesday, October 16, 2018
2018 means two new coasters under my belt
Earlier this week, I had a follow-up with my doctor regarding the progress of my case of diabetes. It's something I do a couple of times a year. I must be doing OK because my doctor still says I'm going to live to be 120. Since I'll be 60 next summer, I'm about halfway there. To be honest, if I get to 60, that's plenty for me. But I'll save that for another post.
However, this post isn't about how long my life will be. Life is about the things you do during your journey. Somewhere in the title of this post are the words "new" and "coasters." And in that order, too. Could be related. Do I sense a theme of some sort? With me, you never know. But in this case, it certainly does.
Somehow, some way, I never managed to write anything about two trips I took to two parks I don't visit very often to ride two new things that I hadn't ridden before. It's only been five months, so I'm a bit overdue to write something. So now that you're three paragraphs in, you're committed to reading the rest. If you want to get out, beware: Chimi's guarding the door. And I don't think he's eaten yet...
I've droned on and on about how I feel poorly much of the time (thank you, diabetes!) and don't get out very often. So when I do get out, I like to make it well worth my while. My last post was about going to the thee-a-tuh. I've mentioned a good thousandteen times that I like a good roller coaster, so I get out now and then to take a ride or twelve. Even more fun is getting to try one out before the general public gets to ride. Such was the case with the two new coasters I got under my belt back in May.
We'll start in Buena Park. Why Buena Park? Because that's where Knott's Berry Farm is. For such a small park, Knott's has done some very interesting things over the years. They had the first modern day roller coaster to take riders upside down back in 1975. The Roaring '20s Corkscrew. Short, but sweet. I took a couple of rides that summer and was sooo proud that I'd ridden a coaster that actually sent its riders upside down—not once, but twice!
When Corkscrew was sent to Idaho in 1989, its spot became home to Boomerang in 1990. Boomerang was an off-the-shelf production model shuttle coaster with three inversions forward and three backward. Sort of rough and tumble, fun the first time, not so much the second, it drew riders off of the midway for a quarter-century before being removed to clear some space for their new-for-2018 coaster, HangTime. (That's one of the new coasters I'll discuss here, but later.)
A year after Corkscrew opened, Knott's opened a modern day version of the classic, legendary Steeplechase ride at Coney Island in New York, but with fiberglass motorcycles riding a modern, tubular steel track instead of wooden horses riding a single-rail track. The Motorcycle Chase at Knott's was later converted to a soapbox racer theme due to some reasons that I won't get into here. Fortunately, the Wacky Soap Box Racers was well liked and operated till the mid-'90s when it was closed and removed.
Into its spot went the (thankfully) short lived Windjammer. Or was it called NeckJammer? HeadSlammer? Doesn't matter, really. Its existence of less than two years kind of spoke volumes. Horrible ride, best left in our unfondest memories. In fact, when it was removed, the track was not unbolted and carefully stacked. It was torn apart with a blowtorch and sent to the scrap yard. That's a true story. Read more about Windjammer gone wrong here.
Currently in that same location is Xcelerator, a prototype coaster from Intamin with a hydraulic launch system. This coaster opened in 2002 and is still operating, and whose rate of acceleration—0-82mph in 2.3 seconds—still gets me every time. My only gripe is that the ride is only 30 seconds long. But what a half-minute it is!
And now, lady and gentleman, it's time for HangTime. Boomerang and RipTide were removed to make way for this, so you'd better like it. I know I did. So much so that I took six or seven rides after eating some pizza, and didn't feel the least bit nauseated afterward.
A quick description of HangTime: HangTime is an Infinity model coaster built by the German company, Gerstlauer. It has a custom layout specially designed for the site on which it's built. Riders aboard a train featuring four cars, each with four-across seating, are taken to a height of 150 feet by a vertical chain lift system, then paused on a track aimed 60° downward. After a few seconds, the train is released onto a beyond vertical drop (96° to be exact) and off on a 2200-foot course featuring five inversions. There are a few good pops of airtime (that floaty feeling we coaster lovers like). In less than two minutes, the train pulls back into the station, ready to let you out and take on 16 more brave souls. I found a well animated POV of the entire ride as seen from the front seat. It's from Knott's Berry Farm, and I found it on YouTube. Enjoy the ride. Click here to watch it.
I managed to find a post on the ACE Facebook page about an event at Knott's, so I signed up. So did my friend Albert; his daughter, Alyssa; and her friend, Scarlet. We had to be at Knott's by about 2pm that day, so we jumped into Albert's Ford Flex and were Buena Park bound! Since this event involved some video recording of actors, we did a lot of waiting around. Knott's was kind enough to feed us pizza and soda for dinner, then it was on to the ride! We rode by day, and even by night when the spectacular LED lighting package came on. I have never seen a coaster lit up like this. Take a look at another Knott's video here.
After a fun Tuesday at Knott's, we weren't done yet. Only two days later, we had spots reserved to ride the brand new Electric Eel at SeaWorld in San Diego. I was kind of looking forward to this one because these rides have begun to appear all over the U.S. (we even have one up in Vallejo at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom and I haven't ridden it yet. While on a business trip, my friend Jim rode Tempesto at Busch Gardens Williamsburg, which is a clone of this one.
Real quick technical stuff, Electric Eel is an off-the-shelf production model known in the industry as a Sky Rocket II, built by Premier Rides. (You know you're an enthusiast when you know the actual production name of a ride.) This a type known as a shuttle coaster, meaning that its train travels forward and backward along the same track, and only one train can run at a time—unless you want a different kind of lighting package...
For our Thursday adventure, Albert left the girls home, and we had Roger with us. Initially, Albert was going to drive us, but his wife needed the Flex, so I did the driving. (My CR-V managed to get over 30 mpg on the trip, which wasn't bad, though I would have felt better if my two front tires had some more tread on them...) We left my house at just after 2 and reached San Diego around 4:30. After breakfast at a McDonald's a few miles away, we got to SeaWorld to check in. It was nice seeing some ACE members whom I haven't seen in ages, as well as meet a few new ones. And I had to get a photo of me by the sign.
Admittedly, Electric Eel (and all of the Sky Rocket II coasters) look kind of strange. The sun wasn't completely up, which is why it looks sort of overcast in this photo.
There's only one inversion on this ride—a corkscrew—but it's taken so slowly that you feel like you just might fall out and plunge 150 feet to the ground. But the restraints are reasonably secure.
Here's a quick video of Electric Eel in action, courtesy of In The Loop, via YouTube. Click here to watch.
After a few rides, the three of us wandered around SeaWorld to explore the park, eat lunch, and catch a final ride on Electric Eel before making the nearly 200-mile trip back home. As for getting something to eat, Roger wanted to stop at Dave & Buster's, but not having slept since Tuesday (!) meant that I wanted a bite to eat in a quiet place, and get back on the road quickly. No time or energy for loud music and video games. The sooner I get home, the sooner I can take a shower and start sawing wood. We found a Five Guys in Mission Viejo and that made do.
Albert pretty much crashed in the back seat and Roger and I kept the conversation going (and me awake) for the trip home. We pulled up to my house about midnight-ish, and Albert and Roger headed home. It was a long day—a long week, really—and it was good to hit the hay once I got inside.
Lesson of the day: don't go two days without sleep and then attempt to drive almost 400 miles and squeeze in roller coasters.
However, this post isn't about how long my life will be. Life is about the things you do during your journey. Somewhere in the title of this post are the words "new" and "coasters." And in that order, too. Could be related. Do I sense a theme of some sort? With me, you never know. But in this case, it certainly does.
Somehow, some way, I never managed to write anything about two trips I took to two parks I don't visit very often to ride two new things that I hadn't ridden before. It's only been five months, so I'm a bit overdue to write something. So now that you're three paragraphs in, you're committed to reading the rest. If you want to get out, beware: Chimi's guarding the door. And I don't think he's eaten yet...
I've droned on and on about how I feel poorly much of the time (thank you, diabetes!) and don't get out very often. So when I do get out, I like to make it well worth my while. My last post was about going to the thee-a-tuh. I've mentioned a good thousandteen times that I like a good roller coaster, so I get out now and then to take a ride or twelve. Even more fun is getting to try one out before the general public gets to ride. Such was the case with the two new coasters I got under my belt back in May.
We'll start in Buena Park. Why Buena Park? Because that's where Knott's Berry Farm is. For such a small park, Knott's has done some very interesting things over the years. They had the first modern day roller coaster to take riders upside down back in 1975. The Roaring '20s Corkscrew. Short, but sweet. I took a couple of rides that summer and was sooo proud that I'd ridden a coaster that actually sent its riders upside down—not once, but twice!
When Corkscrew was sent to Idaho in 1989, its spot became home to Boomerang in 1990. Boomerang was an off-the-shelf production model shuttle coaster with three inversions forward and three backward. Sort of rough and tumble, fun the first time, not so much the second, it drew riders off of the midway for a quarter-century before being removed to clear some space for their new-for-2018 coaster, HangTime. (That's one of the new coasters I'll discuss here, but later.)
A year after Corkscrew opened, Knott's opened a modern day version of the classic, legendary Steeplechase ride at Coney Island in New York, but with fiberglass motorcycles riding a modern, tubular steel track instead of wooden horses riding a single-rail track. The Motorcycle Chase at Knott's was later converted to a soapbox racer theme due to some reasons that I won't get into here. Fortunately, the Wacky Soap Box Racers was well liked and operated till the mid-'90s when it was closed and removed.
Into its spot went the (thankfully) short lived Windjammer. Or was it called NeckJammer? HeadSlammer? Doesn't matter, really. Its existence of less than two years kind of spoke volumes. Horrible ride, best left in our unfondest memories. In fact, when it was removed, the track was not unbolted and carefully stacked. It was torn apart with a blowtorch and sent to the scrap yard. That's a true story. Read more about Windjammer gone wrong here.
Currently in that same location is Xcelerator, a prototype coaster from Intamin with a hydraulic launch system. This coaster opened in 2002 and is still operating, and whose rate of acceleration—0-82mph in 2.3 seconds—still gets me every time. My only gripe is that the ride is only 30 seconds long. But what a half-minute it is!
And now, lady and gentleman, it's time for HangTime. Boomerang and RipTide were removed to make way for this, so you'd better like it. I know I did. So much so that I took six or seven rides after eating some pizza, and didn't feel the least bit nauseated afterward.
A quick description of HangTime: HangTime is an Infinity model coaster built by the German company, Gerstlauer. It has a custom layout specially designed for the site on which it's built. Riders aboard a train featuring four cars, each with four-across seating, are taken to a height of 150 feet by a vertical chain lift system, then paused on a track aimed 60° downward. After a few seconds, the train is released onto a beyond vertical drop (96° to be exact) and off on a 2200-foot course featuring five inversions. There are a few good pops of airtime (that floaty feeling we coaster lovers like). In less than two minutes, the train pulls back into the station, ready to let you out and take on 16 more brave souls. I found a well animated POV of the entire ride as seen from the front seat. It's from Knott's Berry Farm, and I found it on YouTube. Enjoy the ride. Click here to watch it.
I managed to find a post on the ACE Facebook page about an event at Knott's, so I signed up. So did my friend Albert; his daughter, Alyssa; and her friend, Scarlet. We had to be at Knott's by about 2pm that day, so we jumped into Albert's Ford Flex and were Buena Park bound! Since this event involved some video recording of actors, we did a lot of waiting around. Knott's was kind enough to feed us pizza and soda for dinner, then it was on to the ride! We rode by day, and even by night when the spectacular LED lighting package came on. I have never seen a coaster lit up like this. Take a look at another Knott's video here.
After a fun Tuesday at Knott's, we weren't done yet. Only two days later, we had spots reserved to ride the brand new Electric Eel at SeaWorld in San Diego. I was kind of looking forward to this one because these rides have begun to appear all over the U.S. (we even have one up in Vallejo at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom and I haven't ridden it yet. While on a business trip, my friend Jim rode Tempesto at Busch Gardens Williamsburg, which is a clone of this one.
Real quick technical stuff, Electric Eel is an off-the-shelf production model known in the industry as a Sky Rocket II, built by Premier Rides. (You know you're an enthusiast when you know the actual production name of a ride.) This a type known as a shuttle coaster, meaning that its train travels forward and backward along the same track, and only one train can run at a time—unless you want a different kind of lighting package...
For our Thursday adventure, Albert left the girls home, and we had Roger with us. Initially, Albert was going to drive us, but his wife needed the Flex, so I did the driving. (My CR-V managed to get over 30 mpg on the trip, which wasn't bad, though I would have felt better if my two front tires had some more tread on them...) We left my house at just after 2 and reached San Diego around 4:30. After breakfast at a McDonald's a few miles away, we got to SeaWorld to check in. It was nice seeing some ACE members whom I haven't seen in ages, as well as meet a few new ones. And I had to get a photo of me by the sign.
 |
| Me by the Electric Eel sign |
Admittedly, Electric Eel (and all of the Sky Rocket II coasters) look kind of strange. The sun wasn't completely up, which is why it looks sort of overcast in this photo.
Here's a quick video of Electric Eel in action, courtesy of In The Loop, via YouTube. Click here to watch.
After a few rides, the three of us wandered around SeaWorld to explore the park, eat lunch, and catch a final ride on Electric Eel before making the nearly 200-mile trip back home. As for getting something to eat, Roger wanted to stop at Dave & Buster's, but not having slept since Tuesday (!) meant that I wanted a bite to eat in a quiet place, and get back on the road quickly. No time or energy for loud music and video games. The sooner I get home, the sooner I can take a shower and start sawing wood. We found a Five Guys in Mission Viejo and that made do.
Albert pretty much crashed in the back seat and Roger and I kept the conversation going (and me awake) for the trip home. We pulled up to my house about midnight-ish, and Albert and Roger headed home. It was a long day—a long week, really—and it was good to hit the hay once I got inside.
Lesson of the day: don't go two days without sleep and then attempt to drive almost 400 miles and squeeze in roller coasters.
Monday, September 24, 2018
Sometimes you just have to get out and do something...different
Most of my friends know that I'm more or less a creature of habit. While it's true that you never know what I'm going to say or do next, there are occasions where you can bet good money that I will do a certain thing, buy a certain thing, eat a certain thing, say a certain thing, and you'll be right. Even at fast food places, the clerks who know me have said, "You always get the same thing!" To which I have replied, "If I didn't get the same thing, it would be different. And different just isn't the same..." Laughs a-plenty. Tee hee and haw haw!
But life can get pretty boring if you do the same thing over and over. There comes a time when you need to change things up a bit. Funny how I know that, but never seem to do anything about it. Well, actually, sometimes I do. And sometimes it's on purpose. Last Saturday evening was a good example.
I took myself to the thee-a-tuh. (That's the hoity-toity way of saying "theatre.") I went not to see a movie, but to see an actual, live bunch of actors performing on a stage in front of a group of actual people keeping the chairs warm in anticipation of the entertainment they had paid for. And this wasn't any old performance. I carefully selected this show because one of the actors is a friend of mine. Chris is just getting into acting, and this was his first gig.
The show is a collection of short plays called Taboo! and was playing at the Actors Workout Studio (AWS) in North Hollywood, CA. I grew up in North Hollywood, and these days I go there to visit my family. We even eat at Little Toni's a couple of doors up from AWS. For whatever reason, I never even knew AWS was there.
But it's Saturday night and time to go out on the town. I put on some business casual clothes and headed on down. Lately I haven't gone many places or anywhere too far because my two front tires were worn to the wear bars. Luckily, I recently managed to get two new tires to replace them. Now I can go just about anywhere. All I have to do is point my car to wherever I want to go and...zoom!
It isn't a night at the theater unless you eat a gourmet meal before the show. There happens to be a Habit location right across the street, and that's gourmet enough for me.
After dinner, I set out to look for a place to park, which can be frustrating in the NoHo district. As I drove down Lankershim Blvd, I had to stop for a pedestrian crossing the street, headed toward the theater. And whaddaya know, that pedestrian was none other than my afore-mentioned friend Chris Higgins himself! Funny thing...he didn't recognize my car or me! But we did get to hang out for awhile after the show.
No matter...I had my ticket and went into the lobby at AWS to check in. The guy working was pretty cool and we chatted a bit. About 7:45, we were allowed to go into the theater and sit down. Right about 8, the lights went down, the people behind me kicked my seat (normal for me—long story), and the show got started.
I'm not going to give the show a big, long, detailed review because that isn't the point of this post. But I will say that it was a fun show and well done. For a couple of hours' worth of entertainment, Taboo! is a good choice.
It's hard to get out when you're not feeling well, which is the case for me much of the time anymore. I won't get into the hows, whys, whatnots, whatevers and wherefores now. An evening out is fun, even if it's only an occasional thing.
But life can get pretty boring if you do the same thing over and over. There comes a time when you need to change things up a bit. Funny how I know that, but never seem to do anything about it. Well, actually, sometimes I do. And sometimes it's on purpose. Last Saturday evening was a good example.
I took myself to the thee-a-tuh. (That's the hoity-toity way of saying "theatre.") I went not to see a movie, but to see an actual, live bunch of actors performing on a stage in front of a group of actual people keeping the chairs warm in anticipation of the entertainment they had paid for. And this wasn't any old performance. I carefully selected this show because one of the actors is a friend of mine. Chris is just getting into acting, and this was his first gig.
The show is a collection of short plays called Taboo! and was playing at the Actors Workout Studio (AWS) in North Hollywood, CA. I grew up in North Hollywood, and these days I go there to visit my family. We even eat at Little Toni's a couple of doors up from AWS. For whatever reason, I never even knew AWS was there.
But it's Saturday night and time to go out on the town. I put on some business casual clothes and headed on down. Lately I haven't gone many places or anywhere too far because my two front tires were worn to the wear bars. Luckily, I recently managed to get two new tires to replace them. Now I can go just about anywhere. All I have to do is point my car to wherever I want to go and...zoom!
It isn't a night at the theater unless you eat a gourmet meal before the show. There happens to be a Habit location right across the street, and that's gourmet enough for me.
After dinner, I set out to look for a place to park, which can be frustrating in the NoHo district. As I drove down Lankershim Blvd, I had to stop for a pedestrian crossing the street, headed toward the theater. And whaddaya know, that pedestrian was none other than my afore-mentioned friend Chris Higgins himself! Funny thing...he didn't recognize my car or me! But we did get to hang out for awhile after the show.
No matter...I had my ticket and went into the lobby at AWS to check in. The guy working was pretty cool and we chatted a bit. About 7:45, we were allowed to go into the theater and sit down. Right about 8, the lights went down, the people behind me kicked my seat (normal for me—long story), and the show got started.
I'm not going to give the show a big, long, detailed review because that isn't the point of this post. But I will say that it was a fun show and well done. For a couple of hours' worth of entertainment, Taboo! is a good choice.
It's hard to get out when you're not feeling well, which is the case for me much of the time anymore. I won't get into the hows, whys, whatnots, whatevers and wherefores now. An evening out is fun, even if it's only an occasional thing.
Thursday, September 20, 2018
Major air disasters in the U.S.—a vanishing species?
This is sort out in left field for my blog, but it's something that I've been thinking about for awhile. After reading this post, you may well have a little food for thought. And the food could even be from McDonald's. That's where I ate tonight, and notice that I'm still here, fully coherent. Well, mostly coherent. As coherent as I get. Coherent-ish?
Anyway, I'll bet that not many people think of things like this, but remember that I'm not like regular people. Things in my world are a bit...different. But that's what keeps things fun around here. What's going to happen next? You never know...
Before I jump into the meat of this post, let me say a few things. (Yes, there's meat here on the Planet, and it meets all health and manufacturing standards.) This post is about air travel, something I haven't done since May 2008 when I stepped off of a Southwest Airlines 737 at Burbank Airport. At the rate I'm going, the 2010s may be the third decade of my life during which I never flew anywhere. (The '50s and the '70s are the other two.) I'd better come up with a trip of some kind if I want to be consistent. There's only one more year left of this decade.
Occasionally, my mind wanders and some pretty random things sneak into it. Here's one and it's the subject of this post. Most of us can remember when it was fairly common to pick up a newspaper or turn on the news and learn that yet another airliner fell from the sky either because of weather, colliding with another plane, mechanical failure, or who knows what. Up to several hundred people lost their lives as a result, as well as neighborhoods decimated as the aircraft or what was left of it rained down. Horrible images filled our TV screens and pages of photos filled the papers.
Then came 9/11. Four planes were hijacked by pilots whose sole intent was to crash the planes and kill everyone aboard along with taking out a major building. Both 110-story towers of the World Trade Center in New York City were lost, and another plane crashed into the side of the Pentagon. One other was headed to an still-unknown destination, but passengers aboard that plane managed to take over and stop the suspected terrorists from reaching their intended target. That plane was brought down in a field in Pennsylvania. Everyone aboard was lost, but the passengers were given a posthumous honor for thwarting the loss of another target.
Later that day, all American planes were grounded until further notice. No flights could be made until things were sorted out. Eventually, a new government agency was created to assure the safety of people flying to their destinations. Known simply as "the TSA," it actually stands for the Transportation Security Administration. Boarding planes went from a simple pass through a metal detector to a more thorough screening of both passengers and luggage. Tight restrictions were put into place as to what could be packed into checked luggage as well as what can be brought aboard the plane by passengers.
Now that I've told you a bunch of stuff that you probably already know, let me get into what popped into my mind back in the fourth paragraph. All of those air disasters I mentioned in the '70s, '80s and '90s—why are there fewer air disasters in the U.S. today? Don't get me wrong; I'm plenty thankful for that. But it does makes me wonder...now that the TSA has stepped up screening passengers, could things that passengers used to bring aboard or pack into their checked luggage have contributed to bringing down some of those planes over the years? You have to wonder if, for example, an aerosol can of hairspray exploded inside someone's suitcase, ignited that bag, causing a fire that spread, burning wires or destroyed mechanical parts or systems that rendered the aircraft uncontrollable. Few, if any, were alive and able to tell the tale.
And yet, we still read about foreign airlines whose planes go down in other parts of the world.
Lots of questions, and there's room for a discussion or two. To me, increased scrutiny on the part of the TSA at the same time as a decrease in disasters involving large jetliners seems like more than just a coincidence. This is definitely something to think about—and be thankful for.
Anyway, I'll bet that not many people think of things like this, but remember that I'm not like regular people. Things in my world are a bit...different. But that's what keeps things fun around here. What's going to happen next? You never know...
Before I jump into the meat of this post, let me say a few things. (Yes, there's meat here on the Planet, and it meets all health and manufacturing standards.) This post is about air travel, something I haven't done since May 2008 when I stepped off of a Southwest Airlines 737 at Burbank Airport. At the rate I'm going, the 2010s may be the third decade of my life during which I never flew anywhere. (The '50s and the '70s are the other two.) I'd better come up with a trip of some kind if I want to be consistent. There's only one more year left of this decade.
Occasionally, my mind wanders and some pretty random things sneak into it. Here's one and it's the subject of this post. Most of us can remember when it was fairly common to pick up a newspaper or turn on the news and learn that yet another airliner fell from the sky either because of weather, colliding with another plane, mechanical failure, or who knows what. Up to several hundred people lost their lives as a result, as well as neighborhoods decimated as the aircraft or what was left of it rained down. Horrible images filled our TV screens and pages of photos filled the papers.
Then came 9/11. Four planes were hijacked by pilots whose sole intent was to crash the planes and kill everyone aboard along with taking out a major building. Both 110-story towers of the World Trade Center in New York City were lost, and another plane crashed into the side of the Pentagon. One other was headed to an still-unknown destination, but passengers aboard that plane managed to take over and stop the suspected terrorists from reaching their intended target. That plane was brought down in a field in Pennsylvania. Everyone aboard was lost, but the passengers were given a posthumous honor for thwarting the loss of another target.
Later that day, all American planes were grounded until further notice. No flights could be made until things were sorted out. Eventually, a new government agency was created to assure the safety of people flying to their destinations. Known simply as "the TSA," it actually stands for the Transportation Security Administration. Boarding planes went from a simple pass through a metal detector to a more thorough screening of both passengers and luggage. Tight restrictions were put into place as to what could be packed into checked luggage as well as what can be brought aboard the plane by passengers.
Now that I've told you a bunch of stuff that you probably already know, let me get into what popped into my mind back in the fourth paragraph. All of those air disasters I mentioned in the '70s, '80s and '90s—why are there fewer air disasters in the U.S. today? Don't get me wrong; I'm plenty thankful for that. But it does makes me wonder...now that the TSA has stepped up screening passengers, could things that passengers used to bring aboard or pack into their checked luggage have contributed to bringing down some of those planes over the years? You have to wonder if, for example, an aerosol can of hairspray exploded inside someone's suitcase, ignited that bag, causing a fire that spread, burning wires or destroyed mechanical parts or systems that rendered the aircraft uncontrollable. Few, if any, were alive and able to tell the tale.
And yet, we still read about foreign airlines whose planes go down in other parts of the world.
Lots of questions, and there's room for a discussion or two. To me, increased scrutiny on the part of the TSA at the same time as a decrease in disasters involving large jetliners seems like more than just a coincidence. This is definitely something to think about—and be thankful for.
Thursday, September 6, 2018
Why the profanity?
One of my friends posted an article on her Facebook page. The subject was something about why we hate Costco shoppers. If you want to read it, click here. I started to read it, but after a paragraph or two just sort of muddled through the rest of the article because my interest was no longer there. This article was one that could have been very funny if it weren't for the ridiculous amount of needless profanity spread through it. There are too many other words and phrases that could make a written piece humorous and interesting to read without resorting to the nasty variety.
"What a prude!" some people would say of me. Fine, whatever flips your pancakes. I choose to keep things clean and on a more adult level rather than open the floodgates and release a torrent of verbiage more appropriate for the high school crowd.
One exception to what I'm spewing about this time is what are known as "dirty jokes." Get it? Dirty joke. Those are supposed to be filled with profanity and suggestive language. That's the point of them.
When I decided to write this post, I gave some thought to writing something vile and laden with profanity—partly for the shock value and partly to make my point. But I decided to merely address the subject straight on and keep it clean. It's what all both of my readers expect of me, and I'm not going to let them down.
"What a prude!" some people would say of me. Fine, whatever flips your pancakes. I choose to keep things clean and on a more adult level rather than open the floodgates and release a torrent of verbiage more appropriate for the high school crowd.
One exception to what I'm spewing about this time is what are known as "dirty jokes." Get it? Dirty joke. Those are supposed to be filled with profanity and suggestive language. That's the point of them.
When I decided to write this post, I gave some thought to writing something vile and laden with profanity—partly for the shock value and partly to make my point. But I decided to merely address the subject straight on and keep it clean. It's what all both of my readers expect of me, and I'm not going to let them down.
Wednesday, August 15, 2018
I'm a kid at heart, but have the body of an old fogie
The title of this post describes me with some accuracy, but it does leave you thinking, "Huh?" Therefore, as sort of a souvenir for making the long trip out here to the Planet, I'll explain—or at least try to explain what I mean. Then you'll have something to take home as proof that there really is life out here. Maybe it'll fit on your dresser, in your closet, or on your front porch. Y'never know.
The title can more or less be broken into two parts. I'll tackle the "kid at heart" part first, then take on the "old fogie" part after that.
We've all heard the expression "kid at heart" and I think we accept that it refers to a person who thinks young, does "young" things; for instance, a 60-year-old person who still loves the roar of a nice V8 engine (with power!) while driving a car with a manual transmission. Or in my case, getting on a roller coaster—any roller coaster regardless of how big it is. Yeah, I still get on those contraptions even though my body is telling me to stop doing that. I happen to live less than an hour from Six Flags Magic Mountain, which at this writing has the biggest collection of coasters in the entire world—nineteen to be exact, with rumors of No. 20 coming next year. (We'll know later this month when Six Flags announces their projects for 2019.) There are a couple of coasters at Magic Mountain that I haven't ridden because they're kiddie coasters with seats that I can't fit into anymore. I've had the displeasure of taking the dreaded Walk of Shame™, so if there's any doubt about whether I'll fit, I avoid them. (For those who don't know, as coasters go, the Walk of Shame™ is when you're denied the chance to ride because you're not tall enough, the restraints won't fit you because of your size, etc. The proper way to take that walk is with your head down and a frown upon your face—mostly for the effect. You'd be right if you think I play that up and have a little fun...)
Aside from roller coasters, my sense of humor really hasn't changed much from when I was a lot younger. Like my taste in stand-up comics, I don't think profanity adds anything to humor. In fact, I think it takes away from it. Therefore, I avoid using it. My friends know me for my plays on words and punnery. That's how I roll. Strangely, I don't laugh out loud or smile a lot, but I have been told by some friends and acquaintances that I'm a funny guy nonetheless. If I can bring a smile to someone's face, that makes me feel good. Smiles and laughter are good for the body by keeping your blood pressure down, and for your soul by making you happy.
Now for the "old fogie" part...
Behind that heart of a kid lies a guy who is actually very sick. I don't look sick, but diabetes is one of those "silent" diseases where you look perfectly fine, but are far from it. I've written about my ails and the brokenation of my body many times. Unfortunately, most chronic diseases age the body more rapidly than it already ages here in our wonderful world. Physical and mental aging. I recently had my 59st birthday. Almost 60. Almost retired. Almost picking out my burial spot. Funny thing, in this recent selfie that I took when Jeff, Wendi and I went to Union Station last month...
...I look like I've taken a few years off of my face. Maybe it's because Union Station is one of my happy places. To be honest, I actually like how that picture turned out. Very few wrinkles, and *BONUS* I even shaved—which helps. In my opinion, I look a few years younger than I really am; that gray patch of hair below my nose doesn't help, so it may be headed to the endangered species list, having been there since ninth grade. But that's only my opinion. As we all know, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. However, there are plenty of beholders, so there are plenty of opinions.
For even more laughs, here's yet another photo of myself at another happy place—the one mentioned previously with all of the roller coasters. I don't look too bad here, either, but, again, we always look good when we're in a happy place.
I'd like to think that a young heart and mind will counteract the effects of the aging body. You can't turn back time, but maybe you can slow it down a little.
Now for the "old fogie" part...
Behind that heart of a kid lies a guy who is actually very sick. I don't look sick, but diabetes is one of those "silent" diseases where you look perfectly fine, but are far from it. I've written about my ails and the brokenation of my body many times. Unfortunately, most chronic diseases age the body more rapidly than it already ages here in our wonderful world. Physical and mental aging. I recently had my 59st birthday. Almost 60. Almost retired. Almost picking out my burial spot. Funny thing, in this recent selfie that I took when Jeff, Wendi and I went to Union Station last month...
...I look like I've taken a few years off of my face. Maybe it's because Union Station is one of my happy places. To be honest, I actually like how that picture turned out. Very few wrinkles, and *BONUS* I even shaved—which helps. In my opinion, I look a few years younger than I really am; that gray patch of hair below my nose doesn't help, so it may be headed to the endangered species list, having been there since ninth grade. But that's only my opinion. As we all know, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. However, there are plenty of beholders, so there are plenty of opinions.
For even more laughs, here's yet another photo of myself at another happy place—the one mentioned previously with all of the roller coasters. I don't look too bad here, either, but, again, we always look good when we're in a happy place.
And besides, after I took this picture I had Chinese food for lunch. For free. Nothing wrong with that.
Of note, I can't help but to think of the theme song to a show from back in the '60s called Secret Agent. Turn on your speakers, then click here for a listen. In my case, it's Secret Aging Man.
Wednesday, August 1, 2018
Hitting the rails with a couple of friends
Recently, a couple of friends invited me to join them for an event at Union Station in downtown L.A. Anyone who knows me knows that an event that involves trains requires little thought on my part about going. "Trains? OK, I'm go..." Wait, where did he go? He's at the train station, dummy. He got there before he finished his sentence.
Back in 2008, Amtrak began holding an annual event known as National Train Day. Held on the second Saturday of May, it was a day to celebrate trains. Old steam locomotives and classic coaches shared the tracks with modern coaches and brand new diesel-electric locomotives that pull trains today. Visitors to the event lined up for hours for a chance to walk through the cars and see how our parents or grandparents traveled when they were younger. One time I even got to climb into the cab of an old steam locomotive and check it out. (Read about that here.)
I don't know for sure when Amtrak stopped having that event, but it was within the last couple of years. I attended the first one in 2008 and still have a button I got while I was there. In past blog posts, I've written about my adventures. (Click the link in the paragraph above.)
The event I attended with Jeff and Wendi was very similar to National Train Day. This time the event was called Summer Train Fest and was held at Union Station in downtown Los Angeles. I can't recall where I first learned about National Train Day because I wasn't on Facebook at the time. It might have been in the newspaper. But Summer Train Fest was advertised on Facebook, and I saw it there. Between "Going," "Not Going," and "Interested," I clicked "Interested" because I'm never sure whether I'll be up to attending events where I'll be too hot or on my feet for an extended period. (I just can't do a lot of that anymore. The reasons why are for another post.) But I got the invite from Jeff and Wendi, so I decided "what the heck, I'll go." It sounded like fun.
The three of us arranged to meet around 9am at Metro's Universal City station to take the Red Line to Union Station. A twenty-minute ride got us there not long past 10am, which was the official starting time for the event. People were already lined up along the wall in the tunnel that Amtrak and Metrolink passengers use to reach the track where their trains are boarding, or after arrival to get to the Metro Red or Gold Line stops or the main station concourse.
The event was free, so we didn't need to purchase any tickets for anything. We weren't in line long before it started moving. Visitors were led to the middle of the train before boarding and walking through some of the cars. Because I'd seen these cars before, I didn't take any photos. Jeff and Wendi had not walked through these cars previously or in recent times, so everything was new...ish to them. Any photos that appear in this post were taken by Wendi unless otherwise specified. To start, here are the three of us in the dome of Silver Solarium.
There's no question that travel by rail could be quite an elegant experience back in the day. While much slower, it was definitely a hundred steps above the cramped, flying buses that we use today. (Yes, they're buses with wings unless you pay big.) What better way to see the country than at ground level? Someone else is driving, and you can sit back, enjoy the scenery, meet new people, get up and walk around the train, get a snack—you name it. And you can't beat the view from a dome car!
You won't find appointments like these today. The three of us did, however. No cramped seating here; only a nice sofa:
Jeff had never ridden Angel's Flight, and Wendi hadn't ridden it since before its original closure in 1969, when it was located a half-block up Hill St.
After our classic downtown L.A. rail experience, we headed across Hill St to have lunch at the Grand Central Market. Inside, there are a lot of places to eat, but we decided that the Horse Thief BBQ would suit us for lunch. We had to wait a bit, but it was worth it. A little western food hits the spot now and then.
The classic Bradbury Building was only one block away, so we walked over there and went inside. Here we are inside:
By the time we left the Bradbury Building, I was beyond exhausted and we were ready to head back to the Valley, anyway. We had to walk a couple of blocks to reach the Pershing Square station of the Metro Red Line, so we got a-hoofin'. Jeff, Wendi, and I got our TAP cards loaded and pretty much walked onto a train headed to the Valley. It was nice to sit for a few minutes at least.
Back in 2008, Amtrak began holding an annual event known as National Train Day. Held on the second Saturday of May, it was a day to celebrate trains. Old steam locomotives and classic coaches shared the tracks with modern coaches and brand new diesel-electric locomotives that pull trains today. Visitors to the event lined up for hours for a chance to walk through the cars and see how our parents or grandparents traveled when they were younger. One time I even got to climb into the cab of an old steam locomotive and check it out. (Read about that here.)
I don't know for sure when Amtrak stopped having that event, but it was within the last couple of years. I attended the first one in 2008 and still have a button I got while I was there. In past blog posts, I've written about my adventures. (Click the link in the paragraph above.)
The three of us arranged to meet around 9am at Metro's Universal City station to take the Red Line to Union Station. A twenty-minute ride got us there not long past 10am, which was the official starting time for the event. People were already lined up along the wall in the tunnel that Amtrak and Metrolink passengers use to reach the track where their trains are boarding, or after arrival to get to the Metro Red or Gold Line stops or the main station concourse.
The event was free, so we didn't need to purchase any tickets for anything. We weren't in line long before it started moving. Visitors were led to the middle of the train before boarding and walking through some of the cars. Because I'd seen these cars before, I didn't take any photos. Jeff and Wendi had not walked through these cars previously or in recent times, so everything was new...ish to them. Any photos that appear in this post were taken by Wendi unless otherwise specified. To start, here are the three of us in the dome of Silver Solarium.
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| Wendi, Eric, and Jeff traveling in style. |
There's no question that travel by rail could be quite an elegant experience back in the day. While much slower, it was definitely a hundred steps above the cramped, flying buses that we use today. (Yes, they're buses with wings unless you pay big.) What better way to see the country than at ground level? Someone else is driving, and you can sit back, enjoy the scenery, meet new people, get up and walk around the train, get a snack—you name it. And you can't beat the view from a dome car!
 |
| Eric, Wendi, and Jeff enjoying the dome car. |
You won't find appointments like these today. The three of us did, however. No cramped seating here; only a nice sofa:
 |
| Wendi, Jeff, and Eric enjoy a little class. Sofa, so good...
What has always amazed me is how these cars roll down a track with rails only 56.5" inches apart, yet the cars can be as wide as a room in a house. We didn't get photos, but some of these cars have bedrooms with bunk beds and/or beds that can convert into a comfortable seat and vice versa. This is an exterior shot of the car we're sitting in.
Classic railcar from the 1950s
Once we were finished enjoying our 1950s rail trip, we hopped aboard the Metro Red Line and headed to Pershing Square. We stopped there to ride Angel's Flight. It has been shut down for quite some time, and I wasn't aware that it had reopened, so we had to see for ourselves. Sure enough, there was a car waiting for passengers at the bottom station. We wasted no time in getting in line.
Sinai waiting to carry folks to the top of the hill.
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After our classic downtown L.A. rail experience, we headed across Hill St to have lunch at the Grand Central Market. Inside, there are a lot of places to eat, but we decided that the Horse Thief BBQ would suit us for lunch. We had to wait a bit, but it was worth it. A little western food hits the spot now and then.
The classic Bradbury Building was only one block away, so we walked over there and went inside. Here we are inside:
Jeff, Wendi, and Eric rockin' the Bradbury.
Unfortunately, unlike my last visit to the Bradbury Building sometime in the '80s, we were not able to ride the classic, open cage elevators. Guided tours are offered, but you have to sign up and make a reservation. There were no open slots when we were there, so maybe some other time. Here's a shot of one of the elevators:
Going up?
Wendi took quite a few photos of the interior of the Bradbury Building. Here is an assortment of her pictures:
Back at Universal, I drove Jeff and Wendi over to get his car which was parked at a friend's house not too far away. I called it a day and headed home. At some point, I'm sure we'll embark on another adventure of some kind. There's so much to explore in the city of Los Angeles.
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