planetkris

Sit back, relax, and enjoy the crash…

I’m hard it work on the ever popular “Kris’s Web Christmas List 2004.html” and I’m popping links off the big retail sites.

I get to Amazon. Sure, I have some favorites that I want. Some Breakbeat Science. Some hip soundtracks, maybe add to my classic rock collection. Let’s see what they have for best sellers. Techno, Trance, Drum & Bass… I’m scrolling down. I recognize the cover art for a grunge band from the 90’s.

Amazon put the band “Sponge” (you may remeber their one hit wonder ‘Plowed - or not…) as the number FOUR best selling D&B album. *chuckle.

Link - Screenshot

Much like a bad tax hoax that won’t go away. California’s new chief of the DMV is suggesting where to get the tax money they are losing because of newer fuel efficient vehicles and the Govenator is listening. A proposed GPS device that’s attached to the car and tracks how many miles you travel in California is causing an uproar with privacy groups and political talk shows across the state.

Yeah, but will they do it? Oregon was thinking about the idea last year and will begin a trial usage of a system designed by two engineering professors at Oregon State University. If they are thinking about it enough to pour money into it, sell your Prius now!

We have a lot of bicycle lanes here in Irvine. They are part of the “road way.” It costs money to maintain these lanes just like any other. We should tax bicycles per mile! Why not runners too! You and your fancy bi-pedal locomotion!

I’m not too worried. This is a systems integration nightmare equally double any complex transponder system. What’s to prevent me from leaving my GPS transponder hooked to a 12v battery in my garage? I can see the slashdot articles already.

I believe in the cosmic universe of balance. Where random positives and negatives cancel out to nothing. There is as much white as black, heat as cold, big as small.

I’ve spent the last few days riding the cosmic waves. Starting a temp job that I thought would be boring and tedious, turned into a good challenging full time gig. (awaiting the “official” announcement - i.e. to cash the check) Listing the Subaru in AutoTrader for 3 weeks and getting zero calls, so I popped it on eBay and now have a serious buyer. The boat is lashing to and fro. Hang onto the mast or we’re going swimming!

There was some pretty low fog here this morning and I didn’t see the shiny tangle of sharp metal on the right side of the road until the last second. Shkrrrring! POOF. Thud, thud, thud, THUD, THUD, PULL, OVER, THUD, flap… fwip. I’m like 1/4 mile from work. Shit.

The rear right tire on the Malibu has a 2″ gash in the sidewall. There is no way I could plug or save the tire. I get back in the car, put the hazards on, and thud to work. I’ll go out during lunch and change over to the spare. I’m glad we just rotated the fronts to the back two weeks ago. I can get away with getting only 1 new tire at $112 mounted and balanced for Christine’s car. This, plus the new job and the sale of the Subaru brings the cosmic tally back to zero.

Check out this link to the Travel Channel / Discovery Channel on coasters. The have a great selection of coaster videos, both steel and wood. I was impressed with the quality of the video. On most of the videos they mounted the camera right up front. If you have enjoyed the “Worlds Best” and “Extreme Machines” shows, check this out.

You would think after adding “Top Thrill Dragster” to your coaster list, you would have no fear. No stomach turning would occur while you looked up at a little shuttle coaster that goes a measly 100 miles per hour. No nervous twitch in your voice when you said - “I don’t know if it’s worth waiting in line for.” Superman Great Escape - SFMM.

My girl dragged me down the ramp to the queue. “You’re going on it.” she said. “Right. Yeah. Of course I AM! I was all along!” We waited in possibly the shortest line in the park. (Sundays in November are great for us coaster freaks!) I had too little time to decide. I had no time to back out, or make excuses. Was I a super man?

Wow. Not as bad as I thought. The ride to 100 is ultra-smooth. The hangtime is great. Going backwards is no more gut wrenching than Deja’Vue. I suprised myself. Why was I scared of this ride? Why was I relieved the last time we came and I saw it wasn’t running? Maybe it just built up the fear. It’s the loudest coaster in the park and it’s not always running. It’s still way up on the top 10 steel coaster rides in America. I think all this contributed. It’s great that after all the coasters I’ve been on, I can still be delightfully scared.

Headed up the I-15 with the other 1.2 bajillion people wanting a weekend in the desert. We left Saturday morning and made quick work of the 275 miles. Christine and I hit the strip for the second time.

Now we had a plan. Having been here before prevented us from suffering sensory overload. We started at the Aladdin, looked for grandma. Got a hold of Tine’s Aunt Linda - still couldn’t find the elusive grammy. Went up to the NY-NY to hit the Manhattan Express Coaster. Worked our way over to the Sahara and hit the Speed Coaster. At this pont we had satisfied our requirements for the weekend.

Back to the Aladdin to meet up with Grandma and crew. We grabbed the car and hustled over to the Rio. Hustled being a better word for “Drove like I was in New York.” Cars going everywhere, taxis, no-U-turns. Zip-zip.

At the Rio they have one of the famous Vegas Buffets we couldn’t find last time we were here. I settled in to the first strike. Here there are no rules like “no breakfast with dinner” or “no cookies with meat.” It’s anything goes! So I grabbed 4 tuna rolls, 2 CA rolls, some soybeans, and a pound of pulled pork. Sushi & BBQ - Andrew would be proud.
We played the slots a little. We enjoyed ourselves. But this trip cemented the fact that Kris & Christine are not Vegas people. I have a bit of a sore throat and Tine has a cold. The smokers everywhere didn’t help. If you time portaled from 1950 with a pack of Chesterfields in your pocket you would be happy to see that you can still enjoy a smoke. Smoke two. Ashtrays in the urinals.

Sunday it rained… This happens apparently whenever we show up. It’s a sign. Enjoyed another brunch buffet with some more of Christine’s aunt’s friends. We left in the downpour at 2:00.

I got a temporary gig working for a tech company in Irvine. It’s easy work and it pays better then the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. I have other things on the horizon as well.

This Saturday, Christine and I are headed out to Las Vegas. Her grandmother and aunt are making a big trip out. We decided to book a cheap hotel and spend a night out there. We want to hit some of the coasters out there - but I’m not sure we’ll have a lot of time. More of a trip to see Gram and company then a trip to see sin city.