Mer

Lol I've seen that outtake! That's a LOT of sick!

Oh hai, I'm Mer9!

May as well show off my Vampire bear too! :PI just got the Vampire Bear, not the XXI one, but I did get the XXI pin and Vampire Bear is wearing it Loving the Chessie merchandise

Agree with Mark, was a brilliant day!Trip report for Alton Towers Tuesday 19th AprilSo, had a lovely 4am start, although I didn't actually get out of bed until Mark called me saying he and Ian were on their way to pick me up! Had a lot of food and sweets and energy drinks for the journey, fun times! We picked Tommy up from Watford and the journey up to Alton was fine, got there nice and early for the early rides.The monorail was quite amusing, we had the "Celebration train" with random bubble noises playing!First we headed to X Sector for Oblivion, which was walk on. Great first ride, very refreshing and a good wake-up! Sausage surprise on the drop too!Then we headed over to RITA (to get it out the way lol), the trick is to keep your head forward to avoid the pain of that first, silly corner! Next was Nemesis, still my favourite ride at Towers and probably my favourite ride overall. We got the back row which gave a pretty intense ride! No matter how many times I go on it (and regardless of where I sit), the intensity of it always gets me, especially the first corkscrew and that corner, the photo section...aaah!Then we headed to Duel, which I was quite excited about, not sure why, I just was! Was a fantastic ride, definitely better than Tomb due to the faster pace, although it does make it more challenging and for people like me who don't have much experience on these rides, it's not always a good thing! Although I did get a better score than I did on Tomb at the Chessie meet. Also the effects were brilliant, I jumped so much! I probably jumped more in there than all the times I've been in all the Thorpe mazes put together! Absolutely love it!Next up was Runaway Mine Train, great, fun ride, great interacting staff.The others were starting to get hungry but I wasn't, so we decided to do the Flume, as we thought the long ride time may give me more time to become hungry =P Not much to say, a good laugh but it's so bumpy!Then I was feeling hungry! Success! So we headed to the Coutyard and all ended up having Lattice Fries, om nom nom.Headed towards the Dark Forest and did Hex. We were in a good group of people, most of them interesting in the storyline which was good, and they loved the ride! Then we did Th13teen which was about a 30 minute queue. This was my second time ever on it, and we sat at the front, which obviously gives better views but makes the first drop pretty dull (the last time I went on was near the back and my stomach did go over a bit at the bottom of the drop!). The drop in the tunnel didn't get me as much either. The best bit is clearly the launch into the station ;)Headed back to Forbidden Valley for more Nemesis action, but riding Blade beforehand. Bumpy, wobbly Blade. Lol.This time we rode Nemesis at the front, which was a fab view and in some ways felt more intense than the back row. After the first corkscrew, up unti after the photo, I was greying out pretty badly! And my legs...aah! So crazy. Aaaah love love love it! :DRode Duel again, this time I sat on the left which didn't seem as jumpy as the right hand side, and the trigger on my blaster was really stiff so I got a naff score, grr! And very painful fingers/wrist.It was warming up, the sun was shining, so obviously it was time for Congo River Rapids! The queue looked long but was very fast moving and pleasant in the sunshine. The ride was brilliant! We were sat with a mum and her son and daughter, which was nice, and the ride was such a laugh. Lots of big waves, which mainly got Ian, though I had a lot down my back! Then an enormous wave hit the mum, which we could all see coming, it was like it was in slow motion! But she and her children were laughing and really enjoying it, we all couldn't stop laughing...brilliant!Then we did RMT again, bit of a bigger queue but again, not too bad, can't remember exactly but definitely no more than 30 mins. Had a great ride, random poking going on, random photo, higih fiving staff as we went through the station, and the interaction between Congo in the tunnel, everyone waving and cheering at each other! We then headed over to Mutiny Bay for Marauders Mayhem, which Ian sat out. The spin on this ride is far superior to Thorpe's Storm In A Teacup. We had such a laugh on this ride, I could hardly breathe!Met up with Ian at the Courtyard and the Golden Parrot pirate show was just finishing. What we saw looked good for its target audience, and had some good fire and water effects. I think it's great that Alton does these shows, the small bit I saw I found enjoyable, because I know the children and families will enjoy it, and I love how the park puts the effort in :DUnfortunately this good mood soon dissolved, when we queued for Th13teen. The pre-recorded breakdown announcement played in the queueline, and we were expecting the operator to make one, as it was barely audible and as others said, is ambiguous. But no, we didn't hear anything, just more pre-recorded announcements. No staff communication whatsoever. Grr! Eventually the ride started again, and we eventually got on. No batching in the station, lol. And as Mark said, his lapbar was for some odd reason, not checked, but the attendant went to check it. Strange indeed. We all tried to look moody on the photo but none of really looked it, I know I was trying not to laugh!So we headed over to Sonic Spinball and saw the ridiculously big queue, which prompted us to go to Guest Services and have a good old moan! Well, we mentioned the abysmal staff at Th13teen and added at the end that we really wanted to ride Sonic but due to Th13teen (if we'd had announcements from the op we would have left the queue), we wouldn't have time...so got ourselves a priority pass. I hate saying it like that, but why should I feel bad? Staff failed to do their job, which made us unhappy and caused us to waste time, so it's only fair we get compensated tbh.Luckily our ride on Spinball was good! We got to the top of the lift hill when Ian said "I hope this spins" (and there's me going "Sausage Surprise!")...and the moment we drop, wow, we DID spin! Woop! Still, Fury is better.Jumped on the Monorail, this time in a Splash Landings themed train. I was in fits of laughter at the Caribbean guy who talks! We went to the Splash Landings bar for a drink and a well-earned chill, it was a shame we couldn't stay over. I love that hotel, the Caribbean atmosphere, the music, the view of Cariba Creek...eee! Definitely my best ever Alton Towers trip! Lots of laughs and wasn't actually that busy, our second ride on Nemesis was a 20 minute queue!Then, sadly, it was time to leave. Stopped off for McDonalds, which was pretty busy, probably Alton guests! Journey back was fine, just all very tired. Once again, thank you to Mark for picking me up and driving to and from Towers, and to Ian for dropping me off home =)Infact, thank you to all three of you for such an awesome, brilliant, fantastic, fun, hilarious time! I have been feeling so happy recently, it may just be the anti-depressants, but seeing you TPM peeps cheers me up so much, and I hate leaving you all! Hopefully will see people again soon!

I'm gonna say yes, mainly cos my brother said he'll be voting yes and he's a sensible guy. Also he knows a lot about politics and explained it to me, and going by his explanation, I say yes. I can't remember word for word what he said, and do bear on mind I've been awake 20 hours, just got back from Alton So rather tired! But he was basically saying with the system at the moment, the party with the most votes wins regardless of whether they got 50% or more of the vote. With AV they would have to have at least 50% of the votes to win. Like, this year the Tories had the most seats but didn't get 50% or more of the vote. Exactly :angry2:As I said, don't hold me to that 100% but it was something along those lines. If I'm wrong, please don't get all "Grr" cos I'm far too tired and dehydrated

I think we need to arrange another meet

Same...Chilling on the sofa with the cat snuggled up next to me ad a big bar of Cadburys Caramel

Oh yeah and a huuuge thank you to Sheepie and Ian for making the meetup possible

Aaah how I miss the old Vampire :(I only went to Chessie 3 times as a kid, my family weren't really theme park people unfortunately. Not that my mum went - first time I went was with dad, brother and dad's mates and their kids, second time was dad, brother, next door neighbour and her son, third time was with my friend from school for his birthday. My dad and brother enjoyed it (although not as much as me!) but yeah, apart from trips down to Brighton and going on the pier, not much childhood theme park-age. Having said that, we did have a lot of nice holidays, quite a few in the Caribbean, which is not cheap!So yeah, basically I wish I paid more attention/appreciated the theming etc more at the time...I remember the old trains (epic!) and I kinda remember the station, but I never really appreciated it...but then again, would a 9/10 year old pay attention to that kinda stuff?Now here comes the shocking question...why did they change it? Fangirl doesn't known fan info! OMG! Well I remember being told why, but I forget now Something about maintenance/money?Yes, Mer is having nostalgic times...

Aww that video Sad times.

I never went on it before it was Tomb Blaster! Why does it have two names (Forbidden/Terror Tomb)?And all the effects in Tomb Blaster, where they part of the old ride (obviously without the targets!)?

Dam you Jord you got there before me!Yes I also have the meet photo for my desktop background.

So, trip report...Sunday 10th AprilIan picked me up at 1 and off we went to Chessie! Met up with some ex-Thorpies, had a good time on park. Said farewell to them, then we met up with Mark9, sorted hotel room out, etc (where we could hear Vampire!) and gradually met up with everyone for the meal.The meal overall was good, although there were a few cock ups with food orders/quality, but it was all fine in the end. As Ellie posted, the thing with the ribs/rib-eye steak! Facepalm for sure!Then came the drunk times at the hotel. Not much to say about that, just had a lot of laughs, and everyone who tasted my apple vodka was like "OMG that's so strong, no wonder you're so drunk!" Nice. Me, Ian and Mark made our own TPM Top Trumps as someone forgot to bring them, but it was a good laugh! Played lots of random videos, along with (obviously) "SAUSAGE SURPRIIIIISE!" I also wore some bed throw as a skirt, and we re-created the Bubbleworks fountains without the fountains, but we had the strobes from various iPhone apps! Lots of hilarious photos taken, including some very flattering ones of Mark9! Monday 11th AprilNot too hungover, but very thirsty and felt dizzy/out of it for a bit at the start. Met up with everyone at the park entrance, great to see so many people again and to meet a new member! :(Me, Mark9, Benin and Rich went on Vampire while the others went to the meet-up point. Good ride to start the day with, and on its birthday!Met the others at the meetup point, had photos, introductions etc then went on the mighty Tomb Blaster...where I forgot to say "It is now safe to remove your bladders!" Blast!Went on Kobra, first time on it for me, it's good fun...and yeah.Had lots of nommage at Pizza Pasta, although it took a while to get our plates and pay, dam card machines! But yum yum nice food and refreshing cold Coca Cola! And some BRILLIANT photos!We were heading for Dragon Falls but ended up doing Monkey Swinger and the dodgems in WIld Asia, great group rides and the dodgems were brilliant fun!Went on Falls, etc, then some people went on Rameses and we met up with Marc and Rickaaaaaay.Next we did Runaway Train, again a good fun group ride!Headed over to Bucanneer, where Ian, Mark and Marc had to go on to sit with children, then again with the rest of us. Ian didn't feel too great and had to run to the loo...then we headed to Vampire, where on the way I found some theming spider legs!Headed to Fury, saw some great staff interaction Didn't get the best spin but was still great fun, love that ride! :PLast but not least was Rattlesnake, good laugh as always, although bracing myself against the brakes appears to have hurt my neck!Bought photos, said our farewells and popped to the Chessington shop for people to buy Vampire bears! Unfortunately, thanks to work being slow at paying me, I didn't have enough to buy one, but they'll still be there next time (well they better be!) and hopefully it won't be long before I visit again! Oh and also the big cuddly tiger with the cub in its mouth. Deffo getting one of those too! I didn't want to let it go!Rushed out of the park due to big grey scary clouds, and chilled for a bit at the Monkey Puzzle with Ian, Mark and Daniel9, before leaving and going home.This was definitely one of, if not, the best TPM meet. It was so nice going to a different park, and I have to say, I do actually prefer Chessie to Thorpe, it makes people feel so happy and excited and for a lot of us, it's a park we grew up with. It has an atmosphere which Thorpe lacks, lots of interactive/group rides, and, apart from Rameses, there aren't really any rides nobody wants to go on, which is also something that often happens at Thorpe and causes the group to split/delays. And there's less pressure, it just feels so much more relaxed and enjoyable, and I love seeing all the happy families/children :DIt was so exciting when we arrived on Sunday and a real shame to leave, it felt like a holiday!Thank you to everyone for such an enjoyable time, we really have to do this more often and have more Chessie meets. I don't know how much easier or harder it is for people to get to, but I know for some, myself included, it is much nearer and cheaper than Thorpe, plus there is the bonus of the station being in walking distance from the park, unlike Thorpe and it's overpriced, chavvy 950 transport option!I love you guys so much, you make me so happy when I see you all, I miss you all so much, hopefully see you again soon!RER! My photos on Facebook

HEEEY GUYS...Do you like my new avatar? It just had to be done!

Tbh I just ignore most posts from Kevin, but that last was pretty unnecessary. He doesn't have to put the other girls on here down, a simple compliment would have been fine on it's own. Some people just have to push it every time they post, quite silly really (more than silly actually, but I'm mature and sensible enough not to use harsher words). :PAnyway, back on topic or you shall all be in big trouble Mwuhahaha!

I love how we're all like "Meh I'll post a full report later"

Woo thanks for such a great 2 days guys! I'll be back in a bit with a full trip report, just havin' a cuppa

Lol thanks...

Woooo excited

Woooo extremely excited about this meet :PThe meal will be great, I have been to Beefeater restaurants loads before and as Sheepie said, even though it may be pricier than other restaurants, it IS yummy and worth the money I'm a fussy eater so trust me! :DHotel should be fun times, nuff said ;)The meet itself will be nice as we rarely go to Chessington and there are new faces on the attending list, which is always exciting

Hahah ;)Indeed, in Saw 2 this bloke got burnt alive in a furnace, scared the crap outta me Gory stuff hahaha, plus serious fire phobia! Eeep! :DAnd I think in Saw 3D there was one too? Haven't seen it though but read about it.Not sure about an actual "roasting oven" though. But I get your point

Just to add, a bit of info from my personal experiences with ADHD, and how it is disabling to everyday life...You wake up in the morning after a bad nights sleep, most likely to a messy room because you never get round to tidying it, because you constantly forget and get distracted and lack the motivation, and if you manage to start it, you impulsively move onto something else, and those impulses and distractions are near impossible to control. This makes you less motivated to get out of bed.Or if you want to get up, you get so distracted by your own thoughts whizzing around your head, and a LOT of thoughts at that, it's like 10 TV channels are on at once, or like a pinball machine. Before you know it, an hour or two has gone by! Or you've overslept, so the morning is a big rush, like getting ready in 10 minutes.Or, the process of getting ready takes a stupid amount of time because you cannot remember where you put things, you get distracted etc etc.You probably run out of time to eat or maybe even drink.You leave the house late because of your haywire morning and always nearly miss the bus or train, and your hair is a mess and you're wearing any old mismatched clothes because you were in such a rush getting ready, and possibly forgot AGAIN to do your washing so you are running our of clothes to wear.You forget to do chores you were asked to do or even forget to do thing you planned yourself. Etc etc...I hope people will have a clearer understanding now...although this is NOT a dig at any one person, just a personal description which I feel could be useful. Also bare in mind everyone is different, some experience it worse, some experience it milder.Now if you're thinking "Ok fine, I understand it now, but how does this relate to queueing?" Well...You are in a noisy, crowded environment, buzzing with excitement on top of an already sky high level of activity and impulsiveness. People with ADHD often have trouble regulating emotions due to this, and the way their brain chemicals are (lack of dopamine affecting executive functioning, inhibition etc), so just think how hard it is to control the frustration of queueing, with the excitement of the theme park, the boredom, etc etc...maybe even some nerves too. It's enough to just think about, let alone experience. And not only is the ADHD person suffering, their friends/family have to cope with them, as does the rest of the queueline! Plus most people with ADHD have a comorbid condition, such as an autistic spectrum disorder, learning disability, dyspraxia (which can, in some people, make it painful to stand for long periods of time), Oppositional Defiant Disorder (where they cannot understand aithority and rules), anxiety, social phobias/social anxiety disorders etc...

Agree with Holly. Mental illness is far too misunderstood and I'm sick of people saying ADHD is not a disability. I have it, as well as Aspergers and they are both disabling. My Aspergers causes me to have obsessions and one of them is theme parks, so it kind of toned down my ADHD and I am able to queue and was when able to when I was a child. But some people have severe ADHD and it is very distressing. Plus, I can tell you now from experience that getting diagnosed with the NHS, which most will do unless they can afford to go private, is an extremely long and tiring process. So let's say a family has a severe ADHD child who is awaiting diagnosis, so obviously not on medication. What are they to do? Exactly. This is why the rules should be, as someone pointed out, not just proof of a condiion but a note clearly and professionally explaining why try cannot queue or understand the concept. My doc wouldn't have/wouldn't give me a letter now because they know I can cope. Therefore preventing people cheating the system.

Ok random and possibly stupid question...a lot of you guys have Windows 7, I'm just wondering, is there a way to upgrade from Vista to 7 for free? Getting bored with Vista lol...