After Nexxxt!!1!

Well, I survived my doctor's appointment, including the dreaded Six-Foot Prostate Challenge. I won't get into the details of that, but it appears that all is well on that front─or should I say "rear?" Other things are OK, too, though I need to drop a few dozen pounds. But I already knew that. Apparently I have earned an insurance-approved visit to a full-fledged endocrinologist to look deeper into the mysteries of Eric─to learn what makes him tick and what might get him to breathe easier and keep his blood sugar levels better controlled. See what getting to the bottom of health issues can get you?

Someday I'll be serious. Probably not today, though. But it's on my agenda. Time, patience, and Diet Coke will help.

The last few days have been...interesting. Between today's adventure at the doctor, hearing Led Zeppelin's Kashmir inside the grocery store the other day, actually finding a possible job at a place straight across the highway and railroad tracks behind our house (it's only a part assembly job, but better than nothing), and being told that I look like I'm just sitting and waiting to die, I've had a few things to write about. My last couple of posts have been evidence of that, even though I didn't address everything.

Taking life day by day is the way to go. For me at least.

Nexxxt!!1!

Now that you've gotten off of Eric's Crazy, Cuckoopants Coaster of Calamity─aka, my previous post─it's time to jump into that ever-mysterious subject of "what's next?" for yours truly. I've written similar posts over the years so this is merely the latest.

The title of this post is "Nexxxt!!1!," and having the letter "x" three times in a row within a single word and a mish-mash of punctuation and numberage after that, it could mean just about anything. However, for the record, it won't be much about coaster #20 out at Six Flags Magic Mountain. I did mention SFMM's 20th coaster in that post, but for reasons known only to corporate, Six Flags did not announce any of their plans for 2021 during the last week of August, as has been tradition for many years now. It's probably due to the COVID-19 pandumbic that isn't letting up anytime soon. (The rumor mill says that SFMM's Coaster #20 will be a clone of Six Flags Great Adventure's 2020 project, Jersey Devil, which is under construction, but has not opened yet.) My guess is that whatever was planned for this year at most parks will simply carry over to next year. It's no biggie because none of the theme parks in California opened anyway. Any new attractions would have just sat there, feeling all abandoned and unloved. The announcement will come, maybe after the election. Then they can reveal their Trump card or keep Biden their time. (Bad Abysmal political humor) Sorry...just had to...

Now that I've coughed out all of that phlegm (how do they come up with words like that?), let me get to the nexxxt part of this post. Not being employed and not being well is a miserable combination. In fact, someone very recently told me that I look like I'm "just sitting and waiting to die." I'm not sure exactly what that meant, but I get the feeling that I appear less-than-well to various people─some of whom could be unimportant folks, like recruiters, hiring managers, etc. Actually, I've wondered about that a few times and have asked a few friends whether I look well or otherwise. I said that honesty is appreciated, even if their evaluation wasn't positive. Most everyone said I look fine, though doing some walking would be a good idea. (I strongly agree.) A few noted that my movements have become slow and a bit unsteady, I look tired, I should get rid of the mustache, etc., but otherwise OK. How and why this one person made their observation was...interesting. But s/he was the only one, so I'm not taking it very seriously─if at all.

I have made an appointment to see the doctor early next week. His office is set up for the now-normal COVID-19 parameters for social distancing, obsessive sanitizing, face masks, etc. We're going to work toward getting to the bottom of my issues. (Getting a prostate exam from six feet away might be a challenge, though, but I'd better not go there in this post.) The thing is that my problem isn't merely diabetes. Everyone from here to the rings of Saturn knows about my adventures with the Insulin Shooters Club. Sometimes this disease messes with your body in ways you'd never guess. But it's high time to find out where the problem really lies. And with the help of a real physician, not the armchair variety.

If I had to guess, I'd say that all of this will be resolved in some way, sooner or later. Not going to ramble anymore. I'll write an update as things progress.

August DOES have a holiday

When you stop and think about it, August is the only month of the year without a holiday. Normally I'd make a stupid joke like, "Of course August has a holiday! I was born in that month, so my birthday is the holiday." Well, a lot of other people were born in August─my mom included. But if you do a little digging, you will find that almost any day of the year has been designated as a day to honor something. How convenient it is that my birthday month holds the day to honor one of my favorite things. August 16 is National Roller Coaster Day.

As a dedicated, lifelong fan of those crazy gravity-powered contraptions, I can't not write something about them. To be honest, I hadn't planned to write a post being that I haven't ridden one since January. Here in California, most businesses deemed as "non-essential" have been closed to help slow the spread the disease known as COVID-19. Everyone already knows about that so I won't elaborate further. Amusement parks are considered non-essential to our daily lives, so they've been closed since mid-March. Not getting out to ride minimizes the experience of taking rides, but makes us fans yearn for the day when we can ride once again. Parks in many other states have reopened with face coverings required and social distancing encouraged. So here I am writing about something I can't do...yet. My friend Jim Kula reminded me about National Roller Coaster Day and suggested that I write about it. So here you go.

At a very early age, I fell in love with amusement parks. Most people like them for the rides, food, games, whatever. In my case, I became obsessed. I enjoyed the same things as others did, though, strangely, I was scared of roller coasters. It actually took till age 12 for me to enjoy a coaster ride. And I haven't looked back. While I do enjoy the rides themselves, I'm also interested in their design and construction─sometimes more so than taking the ride. At one point, I wanted to design rides and coasters, but those opportunities are few and far between.

During my time as an enthusiast, I've attended many events open to a select few and have experienced rides before the general public was allowed to ride. Parks treat us like VIPs with food and drink, exclusive ride time, the chance to be seen on TV, etc.

So what is it about these crazy contraptions that has fascinated me for so long? The speed, the wind in your face, the mechanics of the rides themselves, the technology (and, boy, are they getting technical! No longer just a ride to the top and a speedy ride for a minute or two.) These days, many coasters have done away with the long, slow climb to the highest point with an old fashioned chain. Sophisticated electromagnetic motors are common now. These linear induction motors (LIMs) and linear synchronous motors (LSMs) are becoming almost the standard way coaster cars or trains are getting up to speed in seconds. Not only quick, but an added thrill as well. If you're interested in the difference between LIMs and LSMs, you can look it up. If I explained it, you'd be asleep in no time.

It just so happens that my home park (generally the closest park to where an enthusiast lives) is Six Flags Magic Mountain (SFMM for short). Currently, this park holds the record for having the most coasters in one park with 19. In the coaster community, rumors are always flying as to which park is building what ride. There are websites devoted to posting those rumors, and it's up to the readers to determine whether the rumors are true. Speaking of rumors, one is currently flying that SFMM will be getting Coaster #20 to celebrate the park's 50th anniversary in 2021. Six Flags normally announces its plans for the following year during the last week of August, so we'll see.

Yes, Virginia, there are clubs that we enthusiasts belong to in order to share our passion with other like-minded souls. The biggest and best known is the American Coaster Enthusiasts, or ACE for short. I've been a member since 1988. There are some small regional clubs as well.

I thought about going into the history of roller coasters for this post, but decided that if you're truly interested, there's a ton of good information online, and it's a lot better than what I could tell you here in a blog post.

So there you go. Eric's roller coaster story in a nutshell. If you live in an area where your local parks are open, go out and take a coaster ride. And since I can't right now, kindly take one for me. I'd appreciate that more than you'll ever know.

Going out for a Tesla drive

It isn't every day that someone hands you something that looks like a car alarm clicker (it actually is the clicker, but also the key to the car), directs you to a car with a price tag north of $100K, and tells you to get in and go wherever you want as long as you're back in a half-hour.

Well, that happened to me today.

I found myself behind the wheel of a bright red Tesla Model X, which is their version of a crossover. When I was contacted by Tesla by e-mail, I had a choice of which vehicle I wanted to drive. Since I already drive a crossover (a Honda CR-V to be exact), I figured that the Model X would be a good comparison. (Before anyone gets any funny ideas that I'm going to lay out that kind of money for a new car, don't worry. My beloved CR-V is alive and well at 18-1/2 years old with over 250K miles on the clock.)

So how did I get roped into this, you're asking? Let me explain. Last year at the Los Angeles Auto Show, Tesla joined the many other brands of cars that offer test drives. I signed up, but the show closed before my reservation time came up. At the time, I was a bit annoyed, but didn't think anything more about it. I just wasn't meant to drive such a car. What I'd forgotten was that my contact info still lurked somewhere deep in the bottom of Tesla's archives. Eight months after what would have been a mere one-mile test drive in congested downtown L.A. along a pre-determined course, I got a chance to take a much longer and better drive in my own neighborhood.

I wanted to drive up in the Estates section of Camarillo, but wouldn't be able to if I stopped by home to see if Diana wanted to go for a ride. When I got there, she was home, but on her way out so she took a pass on the ride. But at least she did get to see the car. (And probably thought, "NOW what's Dad up to?")

On my drive back to the outlet mall, I took the back way for a chance to speed down a country-ish road. Unfortunately, there was a slow truck up ahead, so a speedy ride was out the window, so to speak. And for even less fun, I got stopped by the red light near the fire station on Las Posas. That light never turns red unless fire trucks are coming out or if Eric is driving a Tesla along there. Go figure.

If you've never driven an electric vehicle, I will say that they're quite interesting. I've driven about a half-dozen or so. In all of the models I've driven, I've noticed that regardless of the size of the car, they all pretty much jump when you push the accelerator. With the amount of torque from the electric motors driving the wheels, power is instant─and plenty. If you stomp on the accelerator, it feels like one of those launched roller coasters. It'll push you back into the seat and get your adrenaline going. But of course you'd better not drive around town like that unless you want a ticket. I wish I would have had the time to cruise around the Estates or the Heights to see how this car handles curvy, winding roads. The heavy lithium-ion batteries sit under the floor, which adds some stability.

I didn't sit in any seat except the driver's seat, so I couldn't check out the leg room and comfort, but I'm certain that five adults would be reasonably comfortable in any seat.

The Model X has an interesting door configuration. The front doors are the typical swing open type, but the rear doors are like the gull wing doors found on some exotic sports cars. They swing upward in such a way that the car doesn't need extra space in parking lots. All doors open, close and lock electrically.

So in my half-hour with a nice car, I did have some fun. In order to figure everything out, I would need an entire day with it. It's a bit daunting having familiar controls like radio and ventilation controlled by a giant touch screen in the center of the dash, but it will undoubtedly become familiar the more you drive the car.

Maybe someday when I'm rich and famous I'll pick up one of these. You never know...

How did a disease become a political issue?

So here I am, quietly celebrating my 61th birthday, when all of a sudden an idea for a blog post pops into my head. With no one home, Chimi all fed, and no more trains passing by till tomorrow, conditions are right for writing about a few things that have been on my mind as of late.

By now, we're all too familiar with COVID-19, the novel coronavirus disease that's currently making the rounds. Relatively few of us are experts by any means, but apparently there are many who seem to think otherwise. We all have the misfortune of knowing at least one person who knows everything about this—and won't let you forget it.

Even worse, we've all seen a few people who think the whole thing is some kind of scam or government conspiracy to control us. [tries to stifle laughter] They're the ones who claim that being expected (or required in some businesses) to wear a face covering is somehow in violation of their inalienable rights as an Amurrrican Citizen™. Others have gone so far as to give mask wearers or opposers certain political labels, as if whether they wear a mask determines which candidate or political party they support.

It's getting deep in here, folks.

Way too many Facebook users have gotten caught up in this and the place is ablaze with discussions, arguments, insults, namecalling, misinformation, unfriending and many other things we enjoy so much. Of course, Facebook erupts anytime a political issue or personality heats up. Everyone has their take and needs to have their say. Some people make sense with their reasonable outlook on the issues.

I have my feelings about the issues of the day, but generally I keep it all bottled up. That's the result of catching all kinds of flack about my opinion. It really is better to get things out into the open, though.

How a disease became a political issue is beyond me. Some people apparently just like to stir up trouble. When you look for trouble, you'll find it. Unfortunately, you may hurt some people you love in the process. Perhaps stepping back for a moment to think about the possible consequences of your words before launching the attacks is a wise idea.