Universal Orlando Reopens For Passholders, Jurassic Park Coaster Construction, And Some Personal Thoughts

Greetings internet dwellers!

I'm not going to sugarcoat this. 2020 is fucked. Really fucked. Like, fucked. Fucking fucked. There is a lot of shit happening in the world. A lot. Everyone is stressed. Everyone is angry. Everyone is frustrated. And if you're not, you probably should be. I've always lived my life, as an open accepting person. I don't judge. I am also an honest person. If you've followed me for this long, one has to think it's because you like what I have to say (and thank you for that). 

I am also a really shy person. I tend to bottle things up until they boil over, and things can get ugly. I sort of attribute that to my New York upbringing. I still have a little of that fight in me. That being said, I have a tough skin. Most of the time, I just let things go. I try not to let things get to me. Today, things got to me. 

There are things in my life that I hold very close to the vest. My family. My Friends. Film. Yes, theme parks, specifically Universal Orlando (and HHN of course), is one of those things. I'm going to tell you now, I struggled really, REALLY, hard with the decision to do that park today. It weighed on me. A lot. I did not make the choice to go down there lightly. 

I decided, I needed some kind of relief. A break. A breath of fresh air. Some might know, I work for the news industry as well. Since going into quarantine in mid-March, I have been like many of you. However, I still had the good fortune to be working. I, like many of you, have done nothing outside my home aside from going to work, the occasional store visit, and running three times a week. 

Between quarantine, being bombarded by the news both in TV, and in person, the death of George Floyd, the protests, genuine hatred towards members of our leadership, and other personal things, I reached the end of my rope. Quite literally. 

I can get emotional rather easy. When I walked into the Studios for the first time today, I cried. Not just because I was back in a space that is practically my second home, but because of everything. Bottled up anger. Bottled up sadness. Bottled up stress. This was the first place I had been outside my home, longer than 15 minutes, that wasn't work, or fucking Walmart. 

Add to all of this, social media. If you're on social media, you know what kind of a wasteland it can be. It's full of assholes (especially Twitter). It's full of a lot of stuff I hate. People are always willing to start shit at the drop of a hat, for the stupidest of things. There's a reason I don't usually associate myself with other theme park entities. Most people I have met from other entities, are backstabbing asshats. I don't trust a lot of those other people. So I genuinely keep to myself. 

Being bombarded on a constant basis on social media, by the scum of the internet, also takes its toll. That whirlwind came head-on this evening. In an already emotional day for me, someone decided to start shit. Because they were trying to be some kind of "enforcer". By so doing, I was made out to be a bad person because I went down to the park today. 

I wasn't the only person out there today. Other, bigger blog sites were out there today. Hell, some were there on Monday. Big, powerful blog sites. With actual money to do things. Why not pick on them? I'm used to the general bog trolls of the internet, and their shit. However, today, was not the day. I am broken. I have been broken. 

I guess, what this long-winded thing is, is me saying I might take a break. I don't know. I love doing this. I love the parks. I love interacting with the genuine people, who love the parks as much as I do. There is just so much vitriol and hate out there these days, and so much uncertainty in the world, I don't think my psyche can take it right now. 

I just don't know. Overly judgemental people really annoy me. Just don't be a dick to people. How is that hard? I don't know if it was the right time to go down to the parks or not. However, I know for me, I needed it. But it's not just about that. It's the general hatred out there. People have forgotten what it means to be kind. What it means to just be a nice human being. I'm going to stop before it gets to be too much. 

I did take some photos of the new JP coaster construction. A lot happened while we were away.

With that, I just say please, just be nice. Just be nice. 

​Hasta La Bye-bye for now.