1) graduation was horrible and rainy and boring... but YAY for being done! on another note, congrats to all of us who are finally out of school, for the summer or for the foreseeable future. <3

2) after a whirlwind of showing my folks around chicago, i'm back in LA for the next few weeks and finally settled in enough to do some posting. on that note, i'll be making a 'to do' list for admin/staff that you guys can add to if you think of anything.

3) i have something due for work training this sunday so posting might be sporadic til then, but things will get rolling in earnest by monday i promise!

4) JOEY IS IN JAPAN. I MISS HIMMMMM.

hey all, sorry i haven't posted recently to those i'm threading with. summer school is coming to an end soon, so i should be able to post soon.

for those aware of the G20 summit - OH. MY. GOD! they destroyed my beautiful and beloved Toronto!

VIDEO

the majority of the destruction happened around my school and the areas where i hang out downtown, which breaks my heart. : / its so hard watching this kind of footage and recognizing where all of the rioting is happening, completely different than watching coverage of riots happening in a city i don't know.

:c

The rioting is unfortunate. It's not the way Canada runs, I know.

I felt like that when that same kinda thing happened in Vancouver when the Olympics were happening and people kicked in the Bay windows : (

Summer is here and I have nothing to do. What is this.

I guess I should clean my room...eventually.

i should clean mine.... but i don't wannnna... too much clothes to fold.. just burnnn it all.. rurrgh..

liz i'm so sorry to see all the destruction and chaos - plz take care and be safe!

gettin' back into the groove of posting...

twilight mania has reached an all-time fever pitch. it's insane.

Yeah the lines at the theaters this week were nuts

Shout out to wedding attendees...final thread for that event in motion now.

Calling Tamora to try to snatch the bouquet from Chase's hands!

Busy but I'll try to post

Jennifer will try for the bouquet!

Disturbing, hope the girl's Okay (the actress that plays Padma attacked)

http://wonderwall.msn.com/movies/potter-st...tory/?gt1=28135

The pirate attack. Some of you will get an email about this, or a PM.

Post if you have time, or post confusion if you don't

sorry i've been gone.... my computer died and i had to replace it then i was sick.... fun times all around.

my lil bro gets married next month.

need more time in the day

A little cleanup of very old threads is in progress. All are in archive and can be resurrected as desired.

Summer...

boop! <3

summer school is officially over! : )

board needs life support. :c

Now that we've returned from the summer swelter of Florida, I have a little time to give you guys a review of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

To start off, I can say that it exceeded my expectations in every category. It was excellent as an attraction; as a set of rides, and the way it captured the atmosphere of the books and movies. See it if you are in the Orlando area doing Disney stuff (which we also did).

The Wizarding World is just part of a theme park called 'Islands of Adventure' built by Universal Studios to compete with Disney's Magic Kingdom. HP forms one of 6 lands that you can walk around and through. It's now clearly the best thing they have going, although some of the other areas were pretty well done as well (the Sinbad area is kinda cool)

Hogwarts castle is huge, and contains the adventure ride that you queue up for. I won't give much away, except that its a compilation of Harry's adventures where he leads you on a tour of Hogwarts, and things go wrong. It's a thrill ride with animatronics and great holographic/CG scenes, and it's really well done. The castle itself serves as the lead-up to the ride, with vignettes (also holographic) of Harry and Ron and Hermione. and Dumbledore greeting the visitors. There's also artifacts along the hallways to examine, and the Dark Arts classroom. Talking portraits and fine details round out the castle experience. It's not a museum of movie artifacts (although that might have been nice as an add-on) but it's a really accurate, and many fans will spot little details all around the place. (Rowling signed off on all creative aspects).

Hogsmeade is the rest of the Wizarding World. Again, its faithfully rendered, and looks great, with all kinds of fine detail. There's also two rollercoaster, one large and one small, that are purposed for Harry's world. The ambience of the town is at its best at night, when you can't see the hordes of muggles wandering around. Zonko's Joke Shop, Honeydukes, and Ollivanders are key elements (takes forever to see someone choose a wand, but you HAVE to do it). The Three Broomsticks was also a high point. The food is just average, but as an eating place, it was great. It really was fun to sit and drnk butterbeer, and soak up the surroundings in the evening. I can also say the butterbeer was really tasty (very sweet, like cream soda with extra cream on it), and there's even a cider-ish pumpkin juice as well as traditional drinks. There's also a bar for the adults (The Hog's Head) that serves whatever you want, including a pretty good ale.

The buildings aren't cheaply done, but you really feel like you're there. There's as much detail inside (like at the Three Broomsticks) as outside.

It's a theme park, so its designed to make you spend money on stuff, and we did. However, It's nice stuff, and it enhances the overall experience. Needless to say we spent most of our time in the Islands of Adventure in the Wizarding World during the two day jaunt through Universal's parks.

There's also a couple of cute shows with a choir and Triwizard cheer squads.

If you go, be prepared for crowds, and figure out a way to go bagless (no backpacks) which makes your experience easier, or you have to wait to check your bags before getting on the rides. (It's a Universal thing, and they really don't tell you much) The staff is not like Disney, they know just enough to be helpful, but not much more, so you have to ask very specific questions to learn anything. Clearly, they have the best people in the HP world, but they're not like a Disney attraction for handling crowds and lines, and general organization.

Could they have done more? Maybe. A few more weird wizarding shops and classrooms and attractions might have been fun. No reason they can't add those later. You have to remember its not intended to be a static representation of Hogwarts and its environs, but an interactive experience.

However, here's some ratings for you if you go:

Theme: A
Ambience: A
Rides: B+/A- depending on age of your party
Shops and Attractions: B+ (they could have done more, but whatever)
Convenience: B- (long lines, hot weather, disorganized staff)

Overall: A Was definitely worth the visit, very unique.