January 2009
Looking Back... January 2009
27 January 2009 - 3:24pm
A nice round number
It's that time of year again when I breathe a sigh of relief and whisper, "I'm so glad I'm not in Operations."
This year, the sigh nearly sends me into hyperventilation.
For this season, our needs are not few.
Head over yonder for a downloadable application.
23 January 2009 - 2:07pm
Hoogste?
Whenever we come across an article about us that's not written in English, it seems at least one or two words really jump out, almost in a threatening way.
In this article, the word is hoogste.
It's funny how the mind works. Hoogste made me think of hog sty (as in pig sty).
Was a stranger in a strange land calling us smelly?
Thankfully, no.
A quick check on Wiktionary revealed hoogste is the superlative of hoog.
Yes, of course.
And hoog ... is Dutch for "high."
As in tall.
As in the World's Tallest Water Ride.
As in Pilgrims Plunge.
Whew. Another international incident averted.
23 January 2009 - 12:16pm
Please remove your sunglasses before riding, sir...
If you follow us on Twitter, you know I'm a member of the IAAPA Communications Committee.
Chair, actually, as of this week.
We had our first teleconference yesterday afternoon and I must say it was great fun.
Although we did our best to be strategic, forward-thinking and professional, an occasional pun or park story squeaked through, halting all rational thought.
One item on the agenda was to build a list of story ideas. The economy, hiring, what's new at parks, green initiatives, that sort of thing.
This would help the IAAPA communications staff to be prepared (and also to help them prepare the membership) for any media calls they might receive.
Given the national events on Tuesday, I suggested there might be First Family visits to some parks this summer. Those cute little Obama girls deserve to get out once in awhile, don't you think?
One of our members jumped in: Oh, no -- you don't want that! We hosted President Carter's daughter back in the '70s and it was a horrible day. Amy had a good time, but those Secret Service agents kept puking on all the rides!
We had a presidential visit long ago...
Pre-presidential, actually. This photo of Ronald Reagan and Will's two grandfathers was taken in March of 1955.
Thankfully, there are no reports of a regurgitating Gipper on that day.
21 January 2009 - 2:37pm
A meeting of the minds
...could easily lead to brain freeze.
We took this photo of Will, Mike and Tom yesterday morning, when it was about 12 degrees out.
Today temps are back up in the 30s and the cement mixers have returned. There's plenty of activity on our construction cam.
Good thing. According to our "Countdown 'til Open" button, this is our final three-digit day. As of tomorrow, it's 99 days till May 2.
18 January 2009 - 4:23pm
"You're probably wondering why I called this meeting..."
Will marches to the beat of a different drummer.
We like to say that when others "zig" he chooses to "zag."
So when he calls a meeting, it may not be in a conference room.
That's Will in the red jacket, holding a different, uh ... drum stick.
Today's "meeting" is in the Plymouth Rock Cafe kitchen.
It's a "tasting" meeting.
Under consideration: Adding turkey legs to the menu.
The assembled tasters chewed over their decision for a few delicious moments, after which Will made the presidential proclamation: "Let them eat turkey legs!"
