Cedar Point, in Sandusky, Ohio, has a new roller coaster — and it looks awesome!
It’s called Gatekeeper, and it’s the first new roller coaster at the Point since 2007. It uses a winged, center rail approach that is supposed to give riders a sense of flying as they plunge, twist, and turn at speeds of almost 70 miles per hour — which is faster than you can legally drive on most Ohio highways. The video above shows the coaster during its early testing phase, when it was running at significantly reduced speed, and it still looks like a fantastic ride. The story linked above includes a video showing the Gatekeeper today, when it was opened to some lucky members of the public for a sneak peek.
I’d be willing to wait in line for an hour or more for a chance to take a crack at this one.
The man uses a wheelchair, and the ride in question was “It’s a Small World.” The man, who suffers from panic attacks and high blood pressure, was stuck for a half hour after the ride broke down and non-disabled patrons got up and left. The story linked above notes — and this is, I think, the most crucial fact of all — that the “It’s a Small World” theme song played throughout the time the man was stranded. Oh, and did I mention that the man also had a full bladder?
If you’ve been to a wedding in the last five years, you’ve probably seen an IFDC. It forms when high-spirited young women forsake the need for a partner and rush the dance floor, forming a circle. They bounce up and down and clap and do some secret dance unknown to anyone over age 30 while one circle member after another moves into the center to cut a rug. The participation in the circle is 99% female; rare, indeed, is the Y-chromosomed human who has the confidence in his dancing ability to break into the circle. And so the IFDC goes on and on, unbroken, a living thing, throbbing and shrieking as each new favorite song comes on.
It seems like every hour you are on a beach vacation is cocktail hour, but on Antigua — which is on Atlantic time, and therefore is an hour ahead of our standard Eastern time zone — cocktail hour is actually here.
They 
We had a fabulous time with our dinner guests last night, but whenever you entertain you can expect to see a scene like this the next morning. As my mother would say, time to roll up the sleeves and apply a little elbow grease to the sink area.
After much careful consideration, Kish has settled on a white cosmopolitan as our signature drink for this evening. Thanks to niece Amy for the suggestion!
I’ve since become a convert. I like the variety of the news, comedy, sports, and music stations, and I like the commercial-free music stations. I particularly appreciate the service when I’m driving from city to city, because I don’t need to worry about losing a signal and searching for a new one.
