« May 2005 | Main | July 2005 »
June 25, 2005
Gadget fun at Six Flags over GA
Continuing our vacation activities, Rob and I headed for Six Flags on Thursday hoping the crowd would be light. This did not prove to be the case but more on that later. The day didn't start off very well, thanks to a two hour drive through Atlanta traffic to get there. Being the gadget hound that I am, I packed a couple of cameras in my fanny pack so I could capture the "fun". The one that got the most use was a tiny little thing, a Philips Key019, that fits in the palm of your hand. It does all sorts of things but it's best feature is shooting video. You can see a photo below of it's diminutive size.
 |
Admittedly, the video isn't great and it only shoots it in 320 x 240 resolution but this is a decent size for web posting. Due to the camera's size I thought it would be perfect for shooting video of roller coaster rides. Now, you're probably thinking... weren't you scared you'd drop it? Sort of but I attached a safety strap to it that I then strapped to myself so I felt fairly confident. Besides, I wasn't about to miss the opportunity to use a gadget.
To read more and see some cool videos click the link below...
Now for the videos. The first one is the Mindbender, a great looping coaster. It had a horrible 2 hour wait time with people constantly breaking in line. To make matters worse those same line cutters were breakdancing! But I digress... Download instructions: You can just click the link and Windows Media Player will be open and play but if you think you'll want to watch the videos more than once please Right click and choose "Save Target As...". That way you can save it to your PC and watch them over and over at your leisure.
 |
Ride: Mindbender |
The next video is of the Ninja. Another looping coaster with a thankfully short wait time.
 |
Ride: Ninja File Size: 2.4 MB Another awesome looping coaster. I think this was Rob's favorite ride we went on. Again, I began the video at the top of the hill to reduce file size. |
I've saved the "best" for last... Acrophobia! This ride consists of a 200 foot tall tower with a circular row of seats. You sit in a seat with your feet dangling and a shoulder harness holding you in. It slowly rises up and rotates to give you a lovely view of the park. Once you're at the top you are given a few brief moments to say your prayers, the seats tip forward slightly so that you are looking straight down and then boom... you drop at a mind-numbing 70 mph! It was terrifying, like you just jumped off a building to your death... but once it was over I loved it! The videos just don't do this ride justice! I really wanted to go again but Rob wasn't havin' it!
 |
Ride: Acrophobia File Size: 970k This is a view from the sidelines. It gives you an idea of what the ride is about. Simple but effectively scary! |
 |
Ride: Acrophobia
(ride) File Size: 2.8 MB This is the view from the ride itself. As it rises it rotates one full rotation. The ride operator taunts you as it goes up and before it drops. The scream you hear is me... |
As you may have noticed we didn't ride many rides. The lines were really long and Rob and I are no spring chickens. The 90+ degree heat quickly ate up any energy we had and the crowd was unreal. (and unbelievably rude!) We still had fun though.
Posted by pixelbrat at 11:27 AM
June 21, 2005
Happy 34th Birthday to me! :o)
Today is my 34th birthday. Yikes, that sounds old when I see it in print... Anyway, no real special plans, just the hubby and I going out for lunch. I'm on vacation from work this week so that is sort of a present to myself. It's a bit of a family tradition to get together and celebrate Father's Day and my birthday on the same day so we celebrated this past Sunday. My mom got me the cutest gift that I am absolutely in love with!!!
 |
 |
Isn't he adorable? I love the look on his face. The tag that was on him says it all, "Tastefully Tacky". To read more about my day click on the link below...
I also got some special handmade gifts from my three nieces. The butterfly on the left was made by 5 year old Madison, the star in the middle was made by 3 year old Abbie, and the pencil/pen holder on the right was made by 8 year old Courtney. Aren't they gorgeous? If I still have a job when I return from vacation they will be lovely on my desk. (more on that later..)
 |
I am a big Looney Tunes fan so in honor of that my mom made a Bugs Bunny cake for me. Check it out.
 |
At the last minute Rob and I decided to go bowling. Neither one of us has been in more than 10 years. I have only been twice in my life so of course I sucked but Rob used to play in a league so you can imagine how much he kicked my butt. It was still really fun. Plus, check out the stylin' footwear!
 |
All in all it was a pretty good birthday. 
Posted by pixelbrat at 8:04 PM
June 11, 2005
What is love: A shiny new tach!!
Six years ago today Rob and I pledged our love to one another till death do
us part. We don't usually celebrate anniversaries or birthdays, usually
opting to just buy stuff we want, when we want it, rather than waiting for
special occasions. I made the assumption that we would just do that this
year. Well, after spending most of the day with my sister and 3 nieces at
the local swimming hole I came home to the hubby. There he was, waiting
for me with a big guilty looking grin on his face. Much to my surprise,
rather than spending his day playing his computer game he went to the Victory
dealership and bought me an anniversary present! 
I ripped open the paper eagerly and
guess what I find... a shiny new tachometer!!! I am so excited!!!
Some women want jewelry, others want appliances... not me! I want
toys! Toys for my bike are a bonus! Isn't she a beauty?
 |
I can't wait for him to install it so I can test it out! Thank you my love! You have given me the best 6 years of my life and I love you with all my heart.
Posted by pixelbrat at 6:22 PM
June 9, 2005
Check out this paint job!
We saw this on the way home from my sister's house this past weekend... I couldn't help but chuckle.
 |
 |
Posted by pixelbrat at 7:44 AM
June 7, 2005
Quick lunchtime post: Cool additions made to my logo design
I've made some really cool additions to my logo design that I am completely stoked about! I decided that the plain black logo needed some extra punch. After several failed attempts I decided that a flame design would be best. Again, I picked up the sketchbook and proceeded to draw flames by hand... which completely SUCKED, I must add. I scanned it into Photoshop last night and cleaned it up. After 3 hours and no dinner I came up with the following two designs... and I must say, I am completely in love with both. I say that not in a boastful way but rather in a completely surprised sort of way! I am extremely critical of my own work, more than anyone else ever could be, so for me to be this happy with a design is very unusual for me.
 |
 |
I've already begun adding the new stuff to my store but I ran out of time and energy last night to do it properly. Midnight snuck up on me quick so I kept it simple. I'll probably spend most of tonight revamping the store. On a side note, I got an email from CafePress a few days ago stating they had picked my store to be featured on their coveted Grand Openings page this week so I'm in a bit of a hurry to get it done before that happens. Wish me luck!
Posted by pixelbrat at 12:00 PM | Comments (2)