Paul's Comments

The 1950s song "Teen Angel," by Mark Dinning, tells the story of a teenage boy and his girlfriend, who are involved in an automobile accident at a railroad crossing, and they both escape the wreck okay, but she runs back to the accident to get the high-school ring her boyfriend gave her, and in the process is hit and killed by the train.

I guess we can say something like "thank goodness she got killed," which sounds callous and cruel, but think about it. If she's stupid enough to run back to an automobile to get a memento which they probably could have bought another one for the equivalent today of $50 (probably bought for $3-$5 then), she probably would have married this kid, and they'd have popped out a bunch of kids with the same defective genetic material that makes them stupid enough to run into danger for trivial reasons.

I crossed a railroad crossing without enough room once, and only once. I made a stupid mistake in which I wasn't thinking. It was the longest 30 seconds in my life waiting for the light to change, and probably praying to God a train didn't come by. I never made that mistake again. Harmless error, but I learned.

But what causes someone to run onto a railroad track to get a probably replaceable trinket merely because of sentimental value? Someone who isn't thinking. Now the question comes up, did she not know the train was coming, or did she hear it and think she could retrieve his ring in time?

Maybe I'm overanalyzing an old pop song which might simply be a story the writer made up, but if something like that did happen, I wonder sometimes how so many people lived long enough to grow old. Perhaps it's a matter of chance; I made a mistake once crossing a railroad track without making sure I had escape clearance, but it was harmless because nothing happened. Other people weren't so lucky.

[Update 5/18/2010] No, wait, there is a difference - a big one - from a momentary lack of care and concern, a minor error either of carelessness or forgetfulness, like my railroad track incident, and someone who, in a position of safety throws themselves into a clear place of obvious danger over something as trivial as a memento of minor, mere sentimental value that can be replaced, and probably cheaply at that. It might be one thing if it was the other way around, if he had gone running, oblivious to the consequences, for the high school ring that she had given him, if, say, she had been killed or died in some other incident, and he was in an accident and wanted to get her ring because it is irreplaceable, but that too represents close to rank insanity. But it's still stupid to put one's own irreplaceable life, of which, once you die, you're quite probably gone forever, at risk over a possession, no matter how much sentimental value it has. If it was a dog or a cat, that I can understand, people bond to pets as strongly as if they were their own children, but dying over the retrieval of a lost posession is stupid!

On the other hand, I'm almost 50 years old, I do know I'm going to die, (and it's a lot closer now than the beginning of my life was), this was a 16-year-old, and one thing 16-year-olds don't realize yet is that their existence is finite and their life is easily lost if they act carelessly. This, of course, is the reason military organizations draft young people like 18-year-olds (international treaty obligations prohibit inducting child soldiers but it goes on anyway), they think they're immortal and are extremely moldable and easily turned into the mindless zombies their superiors want who are willing to follow orders even where those orders very likely might get them killed.[End Update]

I've had various passes for bus service over the years. Basically, it's the same as the article below on amusement parks: you buy a pass because you're a frequent user and a pass is cheaper than paying cash every time.

I even went so far as to take one class once a week in college back in California, which I wasn't really interested in but I did it in order to get a student pass which cut the price of bus travel in half. (I am a messy cheapskate.)

I remember when RTD, the bus company for Los Angeles and vicinity (now called LACMTA), had a special bus pass, which was, I think $20 for three months, for students, and gave unlimited use anywhere in Los Angeles County. I had thought it was system wide, and bought it. They actually put your picture on it. Well, as it turned out, the bus drivers were apparently as uninformed as I was, because I used it once to take a trip all the way to Riverside (about 50 miles) and come back. So I did get my money's worth over that summer.

I remember that the bus stopped in front of the Riverside Greyhound terminal, and I went inside - to use the restroom if nothing else - and looked around. A few years later, I had the opportunity to visit Riverside again, and this time there was a bus-bay system for everything: RTD, the local Riverside county transit, and Greyhound, and the Greyhound terminal had been closed. Funny thing is, I took a look inside, and in the shell of the former station, I could remember from years back how it had looked.

I later ended up having a full-time job in La Mirada, which is about as far as you can go east in Los Angeles County and not end up in Orange County. In fact, down about five houses and across the street was a 20-foot chain-link fence - to keep golf balls from ending up flying off the property - for the back of a golf course which was located in Orange County. The fence didn't always work, however. Occasionally a golf ball came out of the golf course; the place where I worked - which was a private residence - would have golf balls land in the backyard or on the roof from time-to-time. One time someone came by to visit, and when they walked out to their car, parked on the street, discovered their car had changed from the way they originally parked it, with a shattered windshield and a golf-ball sized strike in the center. It was suggested they contact the golf course. I think the golf course did pay for the replacement windshield. Which makes sense, it's probably cheaper - and keeps good relations with the neighbors - to pay a legitimate damage claim than to try and wuss out of it.

[Update 5-17-2010] I found out that Google Maps has street view where they took lots of pictures and can now show you what a place looked like when they took them, probably within the last year or so. I have since discovered the golf course isn't there any more; it's now condos. I probably should have expected this, I was there in 1987; after over 22 years it's bound to change.[End Update]

I digress. Anyway, La Mirada is right on the county line, so there are two ways to get there from Long Beach. First way: take Long Beach Transit to the end of the line on Alondra Boulevard in Norwalk, then either RTD or Norwalk Transit to La Mirada. The other way: take Long Beach transit either to Cal State University, Long Beach, or to Seal Beach, in Orange County (I forget which), then take OCTD (now OCTA) to Knott's Berry Farm, then another OCTD bus from there to Beach Boulevard, which runs next to the county line, and walk three blocks on La Mirada Blvd back into LA County. Another way was to walk five blocks from where I lived at 4th St. and Orange Avenue, to Ocean Blvd. and Orange, then take RTD express to Disneyland, and transfer to the bus that goes on Beach to Malvern St. near La Mirada.

The problem in this is it requires using (at least) two different transit agencies. None of which accept each other's monthly passes, meaning I'm basically a cash customer who gets a transfer to use on the other agency's line. (You can't get an interagency transfer if you're a pass holder, which basically makes a pass worthless to me.)

It's also a long trip, about two hours each way. And woe to me if I missed the RTD bus going down Alondra Blvd. or the Beach Blvd. bus from OCTD, if I'm too late - which is about 6 on weekends or about 7 on weekdays - the only other option is to walk about a mile north to the nearest regional bus, the RTD that runs on Rosecrans Blvd. That runs until about 10 or 11, and at least twice I had to walk it. A couple of times my boss drove me up to Rosecrans so I could work late. Two times she had to drive me all the way home: once when we had to work really late, and the time when she bought me a computer so I could now work at home - and have my own computer - and only have to come out on weekends. Oh I didn't get it for free: she took $10 a week out of my check to pay for it. And that took 18 months (a no-name XT clone really did cost $700 back then). I had that computer for six years, I think, before it was just too weak and underpowered to use for current applications. Basically I wanted to play Wolfenstein 3D, and it required a 286 at least. But I got a lot done with that machine while it was useful.

Again I digress. Anyway, now, because I have Metro Access, which grants me use of the handicapped van service, I get free use of any local transit except Alexandria Transit, which does not give any discounts, it's full price for everyone including seniors and disabled. Actually, Metro is the only one requiring a special ID; Prince George's County The Bus and Montgomery County Ride-On give free transport to senior citizens and disabled. I think Fairfax (City of Fairfax and Fairfax County) in Virginia does too, but I have not used either in a long time.

It's rather interesting that they're relatively generous that way here. Both Richmond and Baltimore as well as the MARC commuter rail do have discount fares for disabled and seniors but they don't offer free service. I remember back when I lived in Long Beach - which would be about 25 years ago (personally I don't remember; my brother remembers the exact date - and the day of the week, no less! - that we moved here) - that Long Beach Transit did offer free trips to wheelchair patrons. I just looked it up; what was RTD and is now LACMTA charges disabled and Seniors about 1/2 price (55c for one trip, $1.25 for an all-day pass), Long Beach Transit charges seniors and disabled 1/2 price but wheelchair patrons still ride free.

I've never really understood the idea of amusement parks that sell season tickets - unlimited access passes - where they increase the price of the pass after a certain date, as if having less time to use it somehow makes it more valuable. This practice is being done by both major amusement park operators in the area, Six Flags - which has a park right here in Prince George's County - and Kings Dominion, which is in Doswell, Virginia, about 15 miles north of Richmond.

The only thing I can figure is I'm missing the point and the pass is being sold before the park opens for the season. Then that would make some sense, I suppose. But I wonder how many people actually get full use out of a season pass.

I guess I haven't been to an amusement park in a long time - when you're wheelchair bound you don't have much use for one - as I was surprised at the prices.

King's Dominion: I've been there twice, I think, ironically it was owned by Six Flags then. (Wikipedia does not say that it was owned by Six Flags but I believe I remember it was called "Six Flags Kings Dominion" at one point.)

I think Paramount - the movie studio - owned it at one time. (This is correct.) I saw it long before I went there when it was one of the targets in the George Segal and Richard Widmark movie Rollercoaster.

A one-day pass is $56.99; a two-day pass is $59.99. This does not include parking, which is $10. However they have some wierd specials. If you buy a "picnic in the park" for which "Your menu will include an all-you-can-eat buffet of crispy fried chicken, PLUS quarter-pound USDA choice beef hamburgers and all-meat hot dogs, homemade baked beans, potato salad, assorted frozen desserts, Coca-Cola® and iced tea, condiments and toppings, rolls and butter," this includes park admission for $48.99. If you already have admission - say you have a pass - you can buy this for $15.99, which considering it's in the amusement park - where prices for everything are much higher, it's a captive audience - this isn't bad. I mean, I can drop $8 for breakfast at McDonalds ("the food that almost killed Morgan Spurlock") and all I get for that is two steak, egg, and cheese bagels and two chocolate milk. Yeah, I'm sure the steak, egg, and cheese bagel is horribly bad for me. But it's soooooo tasty!

You can also buy a specific admission date online for $33.99. Now, the season ("value") pass is $79.99, or $69.99 for four or more passes bought at the same time (and you have to give the person's name for the pass.) A "VIP" pass, which includes parking, is $94.99 (or $84.99 four or more). A "platinum" pass is $160 ($150 four or more) which is the same as a VIP pass, plus grants admission to all Cedar Fair parks during the 2010 season.

VIP admission gets some interesting benefits: a special VIP parking area for the first 500 cars and admission 10 minutes earlier than the regular start time through a special entrance, plus a $25.00 discount on a second guest for their ticket (one person per pass).

For the Platinum Pass, it includes all that plus admission to the other 10 or so parks it operates in the U.S. and Canada and free parking at any of them. Oh, the same company operates Knott's Berry Farm in California. I went there once and used to transfer at the bus stop there occasionally when I worked just outside of Orange County, and it was faster in some cases to go through OC to get to my job than to go north and east through Los Angeles County.

The numbers indicate that the "break even" point is at or slightly over two visits, considering the cheapest admission is a web booking at $34, vs a value pass at $80. (Or $70 for four or more.) But a two-day pass, as I pointed out earlier (you don't have to use it on two consecutive days) is $60. So I come to to the conclusion that the season pass requires you to use it three times to make it worthwhile. So three visits is $80/70, but the parking is another $30, meaning the three trips cost $110, so for one person, if they are going to go three or more times, buying the $94.99 VIP pass makes more sense. Now, if you had, say, five or more people going, one buys a VIP pass (to get the free parking), and the others get a Value pass at $70 as opposed to paying $85 each. But if you had only four people planning to go three times, "Value" at $70x4+30 parking= $310, 4 "VIP" at 85x4=$340, vs 1 VIP + 3 "value" is 95+240 or $335. So if you want you can slice-and-dice these for some interesting figures; basically a four-person party might as well buy the VIP pass for everyone as the difference is only $5. Over 3 visits and the VIP pass does make more sense.

Six Flags: I mostly remember them for the commercials with a creepy old bald guy that does wierd dances and travels around in a 1960's-style transit bus (the kind with an eggshell-type curved rear and two windows in the back, like a school bus).

Six Flags sells a season pass (to Six Flags America, here in PG County) for $49.99, at a $20 discount from the list price, and the same price as a one-day admission. (That's the "at the park" price. Some of their locations - Atlanta for one - offer discounted one-day tickets.)

What's weird is the season pass for Magic Mountain, which is in Valencia, California (Six Flags' website calls it "Los Angeles" which is off by about 50 miles), is $54.99, even though the pass is good at all 14 Six Flags parks (same as the one issued at Six Flags America). The Chicago park pass is even more expensive at $64.99, or $10 more than regular admission there. The one for Lake George, NY is $69.99. So it seems to make sense in some places to buy it for a different (less expensive) park then use it at the more expensive one. This one or the one in Atlanta are the same price. Parking is $15, but after 3 visits you get a voucher good for free parking. They mention you can get a season parking pass for $45, or $60 for two cars. Not sure if it's for one park or can be used at more than one.

Basically, it seems that for both companies, the season pass tends to be directed toward people doing at least three visits during the season. Except that where the pass is the same price as a single ticket, you might as well buy the pass, even if you never use it again that season.

So anyway, a single visit to an amusement park can be expensive but those who do want to go more than once will find multiple visits cheaper.

But unless you're a rollercoaster junkie or you're planning to go out to the amusement park every weekend I think most people probably don't get full use of a season pass.

I remember when our family (me, mother and my brother and sister) went to Colonial Williamsburg, which isn't an amusement park - it's a "snapshot" of history during the period near the American Revolution, the 16th century - but the same idea applies. There are some things you can see for free but to see everything requires a paid admission. I think, then - about 1993 or so - it was like $29 per person or $34 for a season pass, or the ticket was a season pass, I forget. My mother - as bad a messy cheapskate as I am, she's an even worse cheapskate than I am - gasped at the price. Well, seriously, I'd just spent two 1/2 hours driving there, I wasn't about to turn around and go back, and besides that, I didn't expect to get in for free. We did end up visiting a second time so the tickets were worth the extra fee (if there was an extra fee for an upgrade.)

I remember when I and my mother visited on the second visit, and I had to visit the restroom, and I went back to find her, and asked one of the cast members - I know that's a term Disney uses for its employees in uniform or costume but it still fits - if he had seen an older woman, giving him a general description of my mother. He pointed off in a specific direction, and said, "oh yes, I saw your wife over there."

I had a thing about a bus pass but I'll do that in another article.

I tuned to The Weather Channel and saw the description blurb that Comcast Cable shows when you change a channel, and what I thought it said was the title of the current show was "Jesus Christ Superstorm," which kind of amazed me, I was wondering how they were going to tie in the 1970s broadway show and movie ("Jesus Christ Superstar") to this program. The title actually was "Corpus Christi Superstorm."

So I guess it kind of confirms what Paul Simon said in the song "The Boxer," where (paraphrased) "A man sees what he wants to see and disregards the rest." (Yes, I know he said "hear" rather than see but don't spoil my story, please.)

Around August, 2002 I got this idea for a story, about a man who dies and winds up in an afterlife which is somewhat similar to our own but with a few twists. The name of the book is In the Matter of: Instrument of God.

I've been working on it since. Things have happened including working on other things, being busy and so on and so forth. I was down to needing to finish one scene that I was putting off. Finally, I got stuck on a programming project I'm working on that was so unpleasant that I used finishing my book as an excuse to put it off.

So now it's finished. I need to change a couple items, about one page near the end to make a part of the story funnier, but it's done; I've tied all the loose ends together. It will probably end up being two books because it's about 750 pages.

Now I have to go on to the other book, tentatively called Willis and Friends which got created when I was writing an intermediate chapter of Instrument but then realized it worked better split off as a separate book. That one is currently about 175 pages.

This was not my first book. That one I wrote about 12 years ago, called The Gatekeeper: The Gate Contracts, is a full book, about 350 pages, and if I ever finish all of the interconnected story, is two more books.

Now all I have to do is figure out how to get them published.