In response to my super lengthy complaint letter to Six Flags Magic Mountain, I received the following letter from the park’s Senior Guest Relations Supervisor: Dear Kevin, Thank you for taking the time to forward your comments about the Ride Lockers and our Loose Article Policy. Six Flags has identified several rides at each park…
Mr. B., My name is Kevin Z, and I live in the San Francisco Bay Area. My girlfriend and I went to a lot of trouble on the weekend of August 15, 2009 to drive down to Valencia to visit Magic Mountain. A one-way car trip takes a little under five hours from where we…
I won’t bore you with the many reasons why I believe the Fox television series 24 has degenerated over the years from a compelling action drama based on an interesting premise into a cartoon-like, farcical melodrama that parodies itself. No show is perfect. The fact is, for all of its ridiculous faults, I’m still a…
I’m not one to make a big deal about art imitating life, but I must confess my admiration for those idiotic, ill-conceived, poorly executed attempts at self expression that unintentionally breach the realm of inspired genius. Behind my apartment building, just beyond the narrow parking lot, stands a modest wall bearing graffiti that is both…
Frankly, I don’t care how you’re doing. I know the feeling is mutual. Why does every conversation have to begin with the inane ritual of each party asking the other how they are doing? It’s a question that we ask to establish some phony sense of rapport, but we all know it’s meaningless and…
Every November on Thanksgiving Day, misty-eyed Americans reflect on all of the reasons that they have to be thankful for being alive. Sometimes on days like today, I feel a little guilty giving thanks for everything that’s going right in my little corner of the world when there is so much human suffering to be…
I give in. After four years of dating my girlfriend, I’ve come to accept a simple truth: Octobers belong to Diana. Because Halloween is her favorite time of year, Diana always insists on packing our October weekends with Halloween-related activities. We spend a lot of time watching terrible and tedious horror movies, carving pumpkins, shopping…
I don’t understand why so many parents insist on taking their infant children out to theaters to watch grownup movies. Parents who attempt to lead normal lives while simultaneously caring for their babies are doomed to fail miserably. If you’re responsible for a an infant child, and you have no way of finding a babysitter,…
I admit it. My guilty pleasure is reading internet forums. Forums are places on the web where people who share a common interest can come together and bicker about all of the things that divide them. Actually, as an abstract ideal, a forum thread is a place for advice, observations, thoughtful discourse, and provocative debate….
By now, I think it’s safe to say that most Americans are aware of those yellow Lance Armstrong bracelets that help fund cancer research. They’ve grown into something of a trend, and I guess rightly so, because supporting medical science is a good thing. But now the fad has outgrown its original concept, and plenty…