I haven’t been on the Velocicoaster so not sure how it compares, but the Guardians of the Galaxy coaster was amazing. My top roller coaster ever. Since you are at Disney, be sure to ride it. When I was there you had to sign up online to get tickets. They were offered twice each day and went in a minute or two.
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The Hagrid’s coaster at Universal is also up there. It’s not as extreme as the Velocicoaster but has some really unique elements.
We were there briefly, so we didn’t go to universal, but did Disney in the spring right after all the April breaks. I thought Guardians of the Galaxy felt like everything Space Mountain was aiming for, done better. Superb coaster. It felt like the best coaster of its era I’ve ridden.
Tron, however, felt like it introduced a new era. Shockingly smooth yet feels incredibly fast. It doesn’t seem like it’s trying to get any of its thrills out of jerking you around, just terrific sensations. Absolutely my favorite ride of any kind that isn’t sex.
I thought Hagrids was great, I went into it completely blind, so the surprises in the ride were really cool.
Yesterday we did Disney’s Hollywood studio - We did the Millennium Falcon ride like 4 times, it was so much fun. I thought Rise of the Resistance was fun, I really appreciated that they tried to put you in not just a single scene of a story (like Star Tours or Millennium Falcon) but in multiple scenes. I could not get my wife and daughter to wait in line for it again though.
Today we did the Animal Kingdom - The Avatar “soaring ride” is incredibly well done. The first time I know of something like that is at Disney’s California Adventure and Soaring Across California was incredible - this takes that to a whole new level. I also liked the Mount Everest rollercoaster, kind of a cross between Big Thunder Mountain and The Matterhorn with some elements that also remind me of the Hagrids coaster at Universal.
We also did the Safari ride, which we all think is neat to see the animals. I still love the fact that the Hippo is the deadliest land mammal.
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So today I got the news that my Dad has less than 24 hours to live, following a couple of weeks in hospital and being put in an induced coma a day or so ago. Look like he has a complex mix of skin cancer, blood cancer, lymphoma, lung infections - basically his body has failed.
He is 70 and pushed his retirement out by a couple of years because of covid and finally hit on the road in Australia with his wife and caravan and had made it half way around before medical issues caught up with him in Melbourne.
I was not particularly close, parents were divorced and we live either interstate or internationally - my kids have probably only met them a dozen times (if that).
The hard part is I that although this was brewing, I only got the definitive “say your goodbyes in next 24 hours” 30 mins before I had to leave home to jump on a plane for a 2 week work trip, coincidentally that includes a stop in Australia.
It will be sad, mostly for his wife who is now on her own, and my wife/kids in US were super worried about me going on the trip. I am sure I will be sad and impacted, but it is probably better to be in the Australian time zone / country to help resolve some of the death admin.
Thought I would share here. I will likely put on the brave face and just work through it, especially since I will be away from close family and don’t really do “rest” very well.
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Damn, I am so sorry to hear that. Sounds like a complicated situation.
Ouch, that’s rough. I’m sure your dad expected to have a few (many?) more years to enjoy retirement … this story seems like a wake-up call to remind us all not to put off enjoying life while we can.
Meanwhile, rallying 'round to help his wife sort through things is a good thing to do.
Thanks all! I landed in Tokyo to the news that he has now passed away. Cancers seem multiplicative and not additive.
Feels better to know and to also know he is no longer in pain.
Already seeing the various family opinions etc kick in, which I refuse to involve myself in.
Almost time to jump on the next plane to Singapore.
But yeah, men in my family do not live long (the women do…), so might have to give some thought to life goals/timing etv
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My condolences… I lost my father 3 years ago, he also lived in another country and he was quite sick. I was waiting for his OR to be determined, so I could be there for it, but he suddenly passed away before that… I couldn’t say goodbye, nor do I remember when or what the last telephone call was like. Quite sad about that, but it’s just gone from my memory.
I managed to go to funeral the next day and everything, helping my mom organize a lot of the formalities afterwards, but then I had to travel back for work, then came Corona… so my ability to help her out in those times were very limited, I couldn’t travel. But I’ve managed to find a job where my mother lives and now we’ve located here. I am happy that I am living close to her and manage to pass her home every other day or so…
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I’m very sorry for your loss. I’ve lost relatives both close and not-so-close, and it sucks regardless. And there’s no right way to deal with it. Just hope you’re as well as can be.
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Thanks all for your support, I really appreciated. Still get a little sad sometimes but pretty solid.
Today we are off to Sequoia, kings canyon and Yosemite. Wish us luck! Hopefully we don’t need snow chains…
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Hitting up all the Sierra National Parks! I hope you have a great time. I like all of them. Looks like rain today but clear for most of next week. But definitely bring chains. Better to have them and not need them than need them and not have them.
@Baelnor After a year in the area, do you have an assessment of how you feel about living in Chicago?
My son is a high school senior looking at colleges where he can play for the baseball team. We’re coming in 2 weeks for a visit to the Illinois Institute of Technology, which looks to be about 3 blocks from where the White Sox play. He has lived his whole life in Southern California, so I’m not sure he’s ready for the culture shock of moving to the city (even if it will be living on a university campus).
Any thoughts you can share would be appreciated.
Is CSUF on the list for him? When I went there, it was one of the best baseball programs in the country.
Hey!
My thoughts about Chicago are actually okay, for the area I settled in and frequent - which is the North Shore. It seems like each area in Chicago is structured kind of like a bubble, with unique characteristics.
I find it pretty safe where I am, though I dont head to areas which would be considered dodgy. Downtown demographic changes through the day. But have never felt unsafe (don’t go out at night - I am old ;))
My wife wouldn’t let me take the kids to a white Sox game, she feels super uncomfortable at the unknown, but we have been to a couple of bulls games which was fine.
I am not sure that helps you with respect to the area you are considering, I am sorry
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It absolutely is. Especially in the suburbs where you have country roads lined with trees that get a nice blanketing.
Snow is great, as long as you don’t have to shovel it.
More years ago than I care to admit, I bought a house on a corner lot, where I had about 3X as much sidewalk to tend as most of my neighbors (and city ordinances requiring that I tend it). I had plenty of time to regret that during the winters. But I just moved into a condo where keeping the sidewalks clear is somebody else’s problem, and I can go back to enjoying white outside 
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Thanks for your feedback. We’ll be there for a visit on Wednesday after a stop in Albany on Tuesday.
My only point of reference on the White Sox is the “shooting” during a game this summer, but the details that have been released on that don’t seem to add up, so it’s unclear what actually happened.
I use https://www.gunviolencearchive.org/ if I want info or feel bad about how many people die from guns.
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