If you're a Chicago Cubs fan (or a loyal to baseball in general), you can thank the Phillies play-by-play announcer Harry Kalas and the TV production crew for helping you in the 9th inning. Kalas had openly stated several times "Eric Milton is X outs away from a no-hitter" and they ran highlights of previous no-hitters (Milton's in '99 and Millwood's in '03) right before the top of the 9th inning.

Update: Ok, so the Phils won anyway. But just know that Kalas helped make it interesting for ya's.

A student group of whom I am an alumnus went to Hershey Park this past weekend, and I experienced probably the best roller coaster ever built.

First things first, on another ride in the park I was amused when I saw this sign posted at the entrance to the line: "Approx 1 Hour wait from this point when queue is full." Only the true computer geek would understand the humor in their use of the word queue vice line. Alas, I only noticed it on the one ride.

I would not call myself a roller-coaster enthusiast. I dont hop from park to park each summer just to see what new thrill has just been built. But I do enjoy the big bad coasters and make sure to ride them when I am visiting an amusement park. Hershey had so many we didnt actually get to all of them. But this one, Storm Runner, just had to ridden.

Storm Runner is Hershey's newest big ride for the season, and what makes it unique is that the ride does not utilize the traditional big climb up a hill to the opening drop, rather it uses a series of electro magnets to throw the train from a dead stop into the first incline.

The ride for me actually started before getting in line. Getting off one ride led us to a spot where you walk under the tracks and see the riders take off. We noticed other members of our group on board about to become the latest victims, er, riders, and watched them get thrown into the ride itself. We quickly walked to the line, which started on the other side of the loading dock, and saw a train pulling in and noticed the same people on board. The collective thought: "Are they done already?"

After watching a few trains pull out and return, we clocked the meat of the ride to 28 seconds from launch to when the brakes are hit at the end. The "brakes" were actually magnetic plates that bring the train to a dead stop, but very silently unlike conventional coasters. In fact, the most noise other than the screams were the pistons that moved pieces of switchtrak on each side of the loading dock, allowing the two trains to each have their own loading platform.

Finally, we board. We get brought out into the launch area. A pair of speakers provide a deep male voice reminiscient of an old horror flick. What the voice says at first I could never figure out, except that it pauses for a few moments during which a heartbeat is sounding, and then that stops suddenly. A few clicks from below the track and the train begins to roll backward very slowly. The voice says, "Now get ready, here we go!" and not a moment to spare later, you're sent down this long straight and horizontally level section of track about a football field long into an incline that goes straight up.

According to the brochoure to the park, you're moved from 0 to 72 mph in 2 seconds and go up an 18 story-tall tower. The tower is shaped like an upside-down U, so when you go straight up, you come straight down. The ladies are screaming bloody murder. Myself, I'm shouting in enjoyment, at one crying out "This is f*ckin' brilliant!!"

A loop, a corkscrew, some fast hills and a close call with the underside of the monorail track later, and you're finished. Your heart is thumping and even your eyes have begun to water. Anyone silly enough to wear their hats have long lost them, and possibly even some sunglasses that weren't tucked away.

If you visit central PA this summer, make sure you try this out. For us, it was only about a 45 minute line the two times we rode, and it was well worth it. The computer-generated preview movies on the Hershey Park website are decently representative of the ride, but just dont do this thing justice. It must be ridden.

Wow. I cant believe they lost. Time for them to join the long line of Philly teams... 2003 & 2004 Eagles, '64 Phillies (IIRC on the year), 1998 Flyers... the list goes on....

Uh oh. The undefeated St Joe's Hawks having trouble against Rhode Island......

Is this an upset in the making?

Update: No upset. SJU gutted it out to win by two. 57-55.

On Friday, the Phillies held an auction and sale of leftover items from Veterans Stadium. At one point, the man inside the Phanatac's suit (the mascot) took a break, took off the costume, and walked around for a while. Upon return to the dressing room, the headpiece was gone.

A guy here at work who holds season tickets went to auction and bought a few things (small bottle of dirt, square of turf, square of wall).

Monday night into Tuesday word of the theft had leaked out into the press, and the joke was made that the co-worker was responsible. So last night I threw together an official-looking Wanted poster, complete with Phila Police Dept badge emblem and official-sounding description. Except I didnt have a picture of the guy. A co-worker went into the folder containing our ID pictures, and got me one (dont worry, it's a full 3x5 image, not a thumbnail).

I hung the 8.5x11 poster on the bulletin board near this guy's cube, and it didnt take long to be noticed. The connection was quickly made that the photo was from the guy's ID, pointing the finger at the guy who provided it to me. He thus far has played along, especially since he's the better known office prankster :-)

So I had a meeting to go to this morning at 10:30. The building is about two miles away, and the meeting itself only lasts about 5-10 minutes, with only about 86 seconds worth of actual official business, the rest is people bs'ing about various stuff.

So I planned on leaving at 10:15. At 10:05, the guy who told me 10:30 walks by my cube saying "Why are here? Meeting's at 10." I'm like "You told me 10:30." Back and forth for a few seconds, and I throw on my jacket and such, and race over.

Then I couldn't remember my PIN code to get in the building. It had been awhile since I needed it, so I wasn't surprised. Being in a rush didnt help.

The guard coudln't look up PINs on his terminal, but he took pity and let me in, and I got there in time to catch them on their way out. Got all the paperwork and made copies of someone's notes, and saved my @$$.

While I've never gotten pulled over or anything, I do drive with a leaded foot. I was probably going 60+ on the country road that goes to the building, that has a limit of 45. Never thought that kind of driving would come in handy, but it did today.

why cant people check their home life at the door?

I have a girl in the next cube on the phone with (I think) her fiance regarding problems with the babysitter. Yesterday it was something involving insurance for their new house. A few weeks back it was the interest rate on their home loan. And now it sounds like troubles with DYFS over her ex-b/f, who's the father of the baby.

Every day she spends time on lengthy phone calls over all these and other problems. You would think I'd get some peace when she goes to have a cigarette - nope - she leaves her cell phone at her desk which is guaranteed to go off at least once during her brief absence. And not on silence or vibrate - but with an seranading yet annoying ringer.

ok - rant over. but she's still yapping.

What will Eagles fans do for the off-season?

http://www.philly.com/mld/dailynews/news/opinion/7746442.htm

So, since I'm pretty much gonna be on my own soon (been living w/ my parents for about 6 months and working full time, thinking about a townhome or something), I'd like to get my finances under control and planned. I think some simple accounting software might help me out with budgeting, forecasting, spending projections, etc. Integration with my bank's online account access wont be necessary.

Suggestions?

In a recent JE, I commented that I was planning on using a Dilbert strip of some sort to the replace a cartoon on the chart listing who gets the job of assembling our group's weekly report.

Here's what I've come up with:

I started with this strip of PHB and dilbert having a brief discussion. I removed all the text and, in the third frame, spun Dilbert around to face PHB and removed PHB's left arm from view. The script now reads (PHB is the only speaker):
Frame 1: We're required to do a weekly report. All the engineers will e-mail you their status each Thursday.
Frame 2: Your job will be to compile these reports into a single document.
Frame 3: I will then make incomprehensible changes and send the report to management with your name on it.

The above strip will go at the top of the sheet listing each month's "stukee." While searching through dilbert.com's archive, I also found this juicy nugget which I plan on placing at the bottom of the sheet.

No one in my group knows of this quite yet. The guy in the next may have seen me working on it, but he may not have noticed.

I plan on drafting up the sheet and passing it out via email as a late christmas present to my group :-)