Adele’s “Easy On Me” has been at or near the top of the charts since it made its debut a few months ago. Enter Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker.
He took to his Instagram account this week to post a 30-second drum cover of the hit song. The result is a rock version of Adele’s pop ballad that works very, very well.
Take a look at the video. He posted it on his YouTube account as well. The only bad part is that it only lasts 30 seconds!
Travis Barker posts more fun drum covers like this on his social accounts. Here’s one of the Christmas classic Little Drummer Boy…
There’s nothing like a great hidden image brainteaser!
On today’s newscast, our producer challenged us to spot the gnome in this winter scene drawing. It’s one of the hidden image challenges from the people at Power Sheds in England.
The image is at the top of the post. Do you see the gnome? How long did it take you? According to the New York Post, the average time to spot the gnome is 1 minute and 36 seconds. They say the record is 56 seconds, although our meteorologist Mike Janssen spotted it faster than that. I wasn’t able to find it until he pointed it out for me!
Did you find it?
Still looking?
Want a hint?
Have you really given up?
OK, I’ll give you a hint.
Look closer at the bottom left hand corner.
See it yet?
Keep looking!
Check out the leaves in that corner.
NOW do you see it?
OK, if you STILL need help…
I’ll post the image with the gnome circled below.
But keep trying.
Nobody likes a cheater.
I’m trying to come up with other things to write so I can get this answer image far enough down the post.
Players on the NHL’s Anaheim Ducks thought they were recording a simple promo for the holiday season.
What they didn’t know? Their teammate Kevin Shattenkirk was hiding inside a giant teddy bear, ready to jump out when they least suspected it.
Meanwhile, their other teammate Max Jones was watching a live feed of the cameras behind the scenes, telling Shattenkirk what to do in that big bear costume. A few players seemed to know something was up from the start. Others were shocked enough to jump right out of their seat.
The Impractical Jokers would be proud.
Watch the Anaheim Ducks holiday prank video here….
Legends are made every day and you could be one of the greats!
That’s how six year-old Callan Perks started his pre-game speech for the Peterborough Petes in Ontario, Canada. The team held a contest for kids to join the Petes hockey operations and entertainment staff for a day. Overall, 10 kids between the ages of 5-12 were selected, all signing one day contracts in a press conference over the weekend, according to PTBO Canada.
Petes assistant coach Andrew Verner introduced their new six year-old Coach Cal to the team before he delivered a rousing pre-game speech on Sunday. Take a look…
Callan says he wants to be a hockey player in the NHL when he grows up. He plans to have a career as a hockey coach or a general manager after his playing days are done. Best of luck, Coach Cal!
It’s becoming a Thanksgiving weekend tradition for our family – we love to attend the first weekend of the Holiday in the Park Lights event at Six Flags Great America.
If you’re not familiar, the Gurnee theme park is open for about a month or so in the winter with millions of Christmas lights thrown up all over the park. There are some holiday themed shows, you can meet Santa Claus and most of the flat rides are running. The major roller coasters may be closed but that didn’t stop us from having plenty of holiday fun.
We visited the park on Saturday, November 27th. There was a bit of rain in the early evening which may have led to smaller crowds. I love that first moment when you enter and see the Columbia Carousel all decked out for the season. The Elegance Light Show happens up here, all of the lights timed to different holiday music. It’s also the perfect spot for a family pic!
Six Flags has done a good job setting up all kinds of spots for a photo. Enter and walk to the left and you’ll find this giant wreath in Orleans Place. It took some bribing but we got the kids to jump in there and even SMILE!
Something else we noticed for the first time this year, you can order Starbucks Lattes and hot chocolates at the Go Fresh Cafe, also located in Orleans Place. The prices weren’t too bad, either!
As mentioned, the large roller coasters are closed, but many of the family rides are open. We stopped at the Big Easy Balloons first. The lines for pretty much every attraction we saw were about 10 minutes or less.
Holiday in the Park really isn’t about the rides for me, though. I just love walking through the park, especially all of the bridges. Some are packed with disco balls while others are just glowing bright with light.
As for the new elements this year, we absolutely LOVED the Holiday Funhouse! Look for it in the back of the park in the Kidzopolis section, near the American Eagle. It appears they took one of the haunted houses from Fright Fest and rethemed it for the holiday season. As one of the characters inside kept saying – this is a CHEERFUL house not a FEARFUL house! That didn’t stop my wife from sneaking ahead and jumping out at the rest of us lol. There are some fun mirrors, a room that makes you feel like you’re spinning, and a fun little maze. We went through this a bunch of times and loved it. Don’t miss it – I hope they do more things like this in the future.
Another staple is the fully lit up Southwest Territory with the Peppermint Swirl attraction at the center. They take the Chubasco spinning tea cup ride and turn off the lights, add some lighting effects, holiday music and even snow blasting in the air. Here’s a video of me on it from a few years ago…
One thing to note, this ride can be a little hard to find if you haven’t been to Great America before. It’s located INSIDE of the big Kalightoscope building at the center of Southwest Territory. See the archway gate in the next photo? That’s the entrance to Peppermint Swirl! There are usually some employees standing out there, but I saw a few people walking by a bit confused, looking for where you get in line for the ride…
You have a chance at a new experience every time you ride Peppermint Swirl. They have a sign in the queue listing all of the possible songs you might hear. Take a look…
Again, this is another attraction the kids absolutely love. My son says Cup #2 spins the most, in case you are looking for that – or looking to avoid it lol. There are a bunch of benches outside of the ride as well. My wife and I sat there and watched the kids ride it over and over until the park closed at 9pm.
We arrived a little bit later this time because of the rain, but if you get there early you can see the main Christmas tree lighting every evening. It’s located in Hometown Square – you can watch the tree lighting then hop on the classic Triple Play attraction.
There are other activities we didn’t have time for on this visit. You can roast marshmallows and making smores. Some of the larger attractions are open like Justice League: Battle for Metropolis and The Dark Knight indoor roller coaster.
Overall, it was a really great visit. There were some shows and rides we wanted to hit but we just didn’t have enough time – another reason to come back! I want to give a special shoutout to the employees dressed up in character. They were all outstanding interacting with our kids. It made for a special visit and some fun memories made.
ONE MORE THING that is not Holiday in the Park related. You can’t ride it right now, but you can take a look a the Vertical Velocity roller coaster that has gotten a new paint job! Rumors suggest the ride is being rethemed for The Flash in 2022 – the sign outside seems to confirm it. You can see the yellow track is now being held up with red supports. It looks sharp! Here are some photos…
Holiday in the Park Lights runs weekends and some select weekdays through the holiday season. Daily tickets are $24.99, however the event IS included with your membership or season pass with no extra cost required. You can find the full operating schedule on the Six Flags Great America website.
They are also doing the Holiday in the Park Lights Drive Thru experience again this year. This event requires a reservation in advance. The full schedule is also on the Six Flags Great America website here.
Last week I wrote about the 100 Day Health Challenge my wife Jonna and I were about to begin. The idea is to commit to different health related things or improvements to accomplish every day for 100 days. Here is a reminder of what I’m doing every day:
Follow a nutrition plan – For me, I am working on increasing my protein intake every day and cutting super carb-heavy / junk foods. No desserts, no soda, no alcohol.
One 45 minute workout per day
Drink around 100 ounces of water per day
Bible devotion every morning
Read 5 pages of nonfiction, self improvement book
I’m happy to report my first week has been a success! There were a few challenging moments. Most of them came on the weekend. I didn’t find myself tempted to get off of my plan, but I found myself most disturbed by the change in routine. During the week, I’m eating, reading and working out at the same times for the most part. That ALL changes on the weekend! I’m waking up at different times, the kids are home, the dog is confused – everything gets messed up! However, I kept coming back to my “why” – meaning the reasons why I am doing this – and I was able to stay focused and get everything done.
One week in, it feels great and the motivation is still there.
I have also been blown away by how many of you responded to our idea to do this – and how many of you said you are doing your own version of the challenge! Here are some examples:
“Playing along but not daily for cardio. Starting off with 45 minutes of cardio three days a week and 2500 calories a day. Had done that about 5 years ago and lost 85 lbs. I also learned to not go so hard so fast; I’m cautious this go around so that I don’t get hurt again. I ended up with an Achilles strain in the first few months and that took forever to heal. On track and motivated.” – Brian G.
“I think this is a great idea! I’m going to commit to working out each day as well as walking. I also need to cut out carbs and sugar! Thank for motivation.” – Sylvia B.
“I’m going to use my bike every night for 15 minutes or more, and cold shower at the end of a hot shower (it really works). And trying to cut back on some other things. Thanks for the kick in the butt to do something!” – Sue B.
“I’m in! No pop, 100oz of water daily and exercise 3x a week!” – Nikki R.
“I read this as I eat at Buona beef…” – Charles E.
The Buona Beef comment made me laugh. There was comment that came up more than a few times and I think it’s a GREAT one.
“Why in the world would you start something like this RIGHT BEFORE THE HOLIDAYS?! See you on January 2nd!”
I have a long answer for that…
Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite holidays. Before Jonna and I started our health program a few years ago, Thanksgiving was all about THE FOOD. At least it was for me. I looked forward to loading up my plate with everything. And I mean EVERY THING. Multiple times.
And don’t forget the desserts. All of them. After that course, you would make your way to the couch, watch whoever the Cowboys were playing that day and try to keep your eyes open. It was a glorious day.
HOWEVER – we would go home with containers full of second, third, even fourth Thanksgiving dinners. I would continue to eat them over the next few days. That would turn into cravings during the week for carbs and sugar. Next thing you know, the Christmas season is here with parties and drinking and cookies and more carbs and sugar.
When I was younger, this really wasn’t a problem. But once I hit my 30s or so, it became a problem. I felt like crap for most of the holiday season. By the time January hit, we found ourselves in the situation that millions of Americans do every year – vowing to try some fad thing or get back to the gym, without any kind of system that would lead to sustained success.
As mentioned, we started a health program a few years ago that taught us how to form good EVERY DAY healthy habits. That means going into a holiday event like Thanksgiving with a plan – what am I going to eat and why? Do I need to eat that? Do I want to? How much of this or that am I going to eat? And will I be able to get back on my daily routine the next day if I do? As a result, I still enjoy all of my favorite holidays, I eat some of the things that I do love, and I am still on track with my overall goals.
But back to the question – why start a 100 Day Health Challenge right before the holidays?
The answer for me is simple – a challenge like this keeps me focused and intentional this season. Even though I have a system for myself that I do follow, I get tempted like everybody else – and sometimes I just like a challenge. For example, I’m not eating any desserts during these 100 days. Can I make it through Thanksgiving without eating any pumpkin pie and not hate my life? I am 99.9% certain I can.
The point is, even though we are focused on our health journey each and every day, it’s still hard at times, especially this time of year. I enjoy the push and extra motivation from challenges like these. It also helps that my wife and I are doing this together and comparing our progress.
I encourage you to join us in this challenge, even if you didn’t start the same time we did. Is there something you can do over the next 100 days that would make you feel better? And remember, every person is different. My list will probably look a lot different than yours. But is there something you’ve been wanting to do that you keep putting off? A change you’ve wanted to make? What are you waiting for? As always, don’t forget to check with your doctor before you start any kind of big change to your health routine.
I’ll be posting random updates on my social media over the next few months. Don’t forget to follow along and let me know how things are going for you!
We had another big announcement at the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions Expo yesterday – a new roller coaster called Palindrome is coming to Austin, Texas!
Palindrome is an infinity shuttle roller coaster from the German manufacturer Gerstlauer. It features a 95-foot vertical lift hill, a top speed of 51 mph and two inversions – that’s before you hit the “hopstall” and experience the entire ride again backwards. This will be the first Infinity shuttle roller coaster built by Gerstlauer in the United States.
The coolest element might be the zero-g stall that happens over a roadway. You flip upside down and travel right over the road with cars traveling beneath you.
Check out the video…
This is a major thrill addition for Cotaland, a small park at the Circuit of the Americas racetrack in Austin. Right now they have a few rides for young kids. The park is aiming to open this coaster sometime in late 2022.
According to the official release, Palindrome is currently being manufactured by Gerstlauer in their Münsterhausen, Germany factory. The ride will be assembled by Ride Entertainment once it gets to Austin.
The International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions – or IAAPA – kicked off their annual convention in Orlando yesterday. We usually get a few reveals at this expo every year and we had a big one yesterday.
Fun Spot Atlanta officially unveiled their new ArieForce One roller coaster designed by Rocky Mountain Construction. It was no secret that Fun Spot had been working with Rocky Mountain on a coaster – they’ve been teasing the project for a while now. Yesterday we got our first official look at the full layout and all of the specific elements that will be featured.
You might be wondering about the name. ArieForce One is named in honor of Fun Spot’s founder John Arie, Sr. The ride’s theme comes from his love of flying and all things space travel. The park says the queue line will continue this theme as well.
So what about the ride itself? Here are some of the details from the park’s official press release…
Themed queue lines based on John Arie Sr’s boyhood passion for flight;
Two state of the art 20 passenger steering axle trains that just scream high speed thrills;
3,400 feet of RMC’s award-winning patented steel Ibox track;
A HUGE tension-building ascent up a towering,154-foot lift hill;
Reaching incredible speeds up to 64 mph;
Intense ride elements including a steep, 83-degree first drop and the largest Zero-G Stall in America;
Four exciting inversions including a first ever Raven Truss Dive, two Zero-G Rolls and a 180-degree stall.
Fun Spot Atlanta put out a teaser video that shows a lot of these elements in action. Take a look…
And the team from CoasterForce was at IAAPA for the reveal. They captured these shots of the car after its big unveiling…
Here’s a shot they took of the ride’s full layout. I love how all of the great Rocky Mountain Construction elements are incorporated, from overbanked turns, tons of airtime to a QUAD DOWN to finish the ride.
Fun Spot is spending $13 million on this coaster, the largest single investment on any ride in the company’s history. It’s a big play for them, a move that will put them on the map for enthusiasts like me. I know I will be going out of my way to get to Atlanta to ride this when it opens. I suspect many others will do the same. It’s not clear when the ride is scheduled to open – right now the website says “coming soon.”
What do you think about ArieForce One? Are you as excited for this as I am?
Fun Spot is spending $13 million on this coaster, the largest single investment on any ride in the company’s history. It’s a big play for them, a move that will put them on the map for enthusiasts like me. I know I will be going out of my way to get to Atlanta to ride this when it opens. I suspect many others will do the same. It’s not clear when the ride is scheduled to open – right now the website says “coming soon.”