AuburnChris

I don't like the tone that this thread is taking, on both sides. I'm locking this thread for a day or so to let people cool off, and if people can't be civil, I'm going to move it to the debate thread so you can yell at each other all you want to about it. There's an interesting discussion to be had here, but it's been lost in everyone trying to score rhetorical points by sniping at one another.
I especially do not like it when you make up a name for the group of people who disagree with you. That way leads to community fracturing, and I will not have it.
It is perfectly OK for people to think that the Fort is, overall, a pretty great campsite (because it is!), and it's also OK for people to think that Disney has not managed it well in the past, present, and future (because they haven't!). People who hold these views are not enemies and, I believe, should stop arguing with one another.
I swear I feel like Dad stopping the car sometimes...

I don't like the tone that this thread is taking, on both sides. I'm locking this thread for a day or so to let people cool off, and if people can't be civil, I'm going to move it to the debate thread so you can yell at each other all you want to about it. There's an interesting discussion to be had here, but it's been lost in everyone trying to score rhetorical points by sniping at one another.
I especially do not like it when you make up a name for the group of people who disagree with you. That way leads to community fracturing, and I will not have it.
It is perfectly OK for people to think that the Fort is, overall, a pretty great campsite (because it is!), and it's also OK for people to think that Disney has not managed it well in the past, present, and future (because they haven't!). People who hold these views are not enemies and, I believe, should stop arguing with one another.
I swear I feel like Dad stopping the car sometimes...

I don't like the tone that this thread is taking, on both sides. I'm locking this thread for a day or so to let people cool off, and if people can't be civil, I'm going to move it to the debate thread so you can yell at each other all you want to about it. There's an interesting discussion to be had here, but it's been lost in everyone trying to score rhetorical points by sniping at one another.
I especially do not like it when you make up a name for the group of people who disagree with you. That way leads to community fracturing, and I will not have it.
It is perfectly OK for people to think that the Fort is, overall, a pretty great campsite (because it is!), and it's also OK for people to think that Disney has not managed it well in the past, present, and future (because they haven't!). People who hold these views are not enemies and, I believe, should stop arguing with one another.
I swear I feel like Dad stopping the car sometimes...

I don't like the tone that this thread is taking, on both sides. I'm locking this thread for a day or so to let people cool off, and if people can't be civil, I'm going to move it to the debate thread so you can yell at each other all you want to about it. There's an interesting discussion to be had here, but it's been lost in everyone trying to score rhetorical points by sniping at one another.
I especially do not like it when you make up a name for the group of people who disagree with you. That way leads to community fracturing, and I will not have it.
It is perfectly OK for people to think that the Fort is, overall, a pretty great campsite (because it is!), and it's also OK for people to think that Disney has not managed it well in the past, present, and future (because they haven't!). People who hold these views are not enemies and, I believe, should stop arguing with one another.
I swear I feel like Dad stopping the car sometimes...

I was lost but now I'm found!

I don't know what you're talking about. The Info tab has always been the Info tab. 
Oceania has always been at war with Eurasia.

Of course! It's so simple and easy to understand!
(please note the sarcasm in the above sentence. It is drenched in sarcasm.)
So, some definitions:
USER NAME: What you logged in with before The Great Upgradening Of 2016
DISPLAY NAME: The name attached to your posts above your avatar- for all intents and purposes, your "public" name.
Before The Great Upgradening, you could have a USER NAME of, let's say, FortFiend71. But you had changed your DISPLAY NAME to be, for sake of argument, FortFiend....Larry.
When you went to log in, you'd log in as:
Username: FortFiend71
Password: cupcakes
After The Great Upgradening, that won't work. You'll have to log in with:
Username: FortFiend....Larry
Password: cupcakes
Make sense now? I hope so.
 

Of course! It's so simple and easy to understand!
(please note the sarcasm in the above sentence. It is drenched in sarcasm.)
So, some definitions:
USER NAME: What you logged in with before The Great Upgradening Of 2016
DISPLAY NAME: The name attached to your posts above your avatar- for all intents and purposes, your "public" name.
Before The Great Upgradening, you could have a USER NAME of, let's say, FortFiend71. But you had changed your DISPLAY NAME to be, for sake of argument, FortFiend....Larry.
When you went to log in, you'd log in as:
Username: FortFiend71
Password: cupcakes
After The Great Upgradening, that won't work. You'll have to log in with:
Username: FortFiend....Larry
Password: cupcakes
Make sense now? I hope so.
 

Before the day goes any farther, I just want to say that I do not hold a high opinion of the athletics teams from the University of Alabama, and would be well pleased if they won no more athletic contests between now and the heat death of the universe.
 
Thank you.

Before the day goes any farther, I just want to say that I do not hold a high opinion of the athletics teams from the University of Alabama, and would be well pleased if they won no more athletic contests between now and the heat death of the universe.
 
Thank you.

Let's review, shall we?
 
1. OP had a mistakenly-canceled reservation for 5/21-5/24, can't re-book it, wants to share a site with someone.
2. Resident TA's confirm there's no availability for those dates.
3. TCD finds sites available, but for a wider range of dates- 5/20-6/3, wonders what OP's problem is.
(Note: We now know Disney is not allowing reservation-trimming anymore, so that's not a solution either.)
4. ? ? ?
5. Internet Drama!
 
Let's all remember that internet forums are not optimized for perfect communication. People can and do word things awkwardly, and other people can and do misunderstand them. From what I can tell, I don't think anyone here had any sort of bad intent- the OP was not a troll, and everyone seems to have been trying to help in their own way.
 
To the OP: If you received any negative or abusive PM's, please use the report function to let us know about them.
 
To everyone else: Be nice to each other. It's like, the one rule that we have.

Here's our three finalists for our Tackiest Fiend contest! Voting begins now, and ends at 9PM Central time on Sunday night, the 10th.
 
Without further ado, here are our contestants!
 
Finalist #1:

 
Mickey-themed tie-dye, two separate floral prints, and horizontal-striped leggings. We should have sent a poet. Most importantly, no two items match.
 
 
Finalist #2:

 
We have a soft spot for cupcakes around here, and that blanket is covered with 'em. What's the bag for? Nobody knows. But what puts this over the top is the comb on top of Vader's head there. Why does Darth Vader need a comb?
 
Finalist #3:

 
Someone made those gloves on purpose. They said to themselves, "You know what the world needs? Creamsicle-colored striped gloves." Then they followed their dream, and made it happen. That's America right there, is what that is. Plus, he's wearing houndstooth pants, and you know what Jen and I think about how tacky houndstooth is. 
 
WHO WINS? YOU DECIDE!
Your votes will decide the winner! To recap from the entry thread:
 
1st place: A day pass to a Walt Disney World theme park of their choice and some snazzy Snarky Fort Fiends gear from our store.  (retail value over $200)
2nd place: A Snarky Fort Fiends package of shirts and stuff (retail value over $50)
3rd place: A Snarky shirt and sticker (retail value over $20)
 
Get to voting, people!

TCD, congratulations to your daughter on her impeccable taste in graduate education facilities. :)
 
Some of the stories you were told either were wrong or have changed since I last heard them, though, and I would be remiss in my duties as An Insufferable Auburn Fan if I didn't elucidate:
 
The University Seal set in the concrete in front of Langdon Hall is not to be stepped on, true, but the consequences for doing so were that you would not graduate from Auburn if you did, and no amount of pond-water chugging would change the fact. 
 
The lathe, I was told, would rotate exactly once each time a virgin walked past it. (It has not moved since 1936.) You may have gotten the "Approved For Telling Prospective Students' Parents" version of the story, I suspect.
 
The reason that "AGRICULTURE" and "MECHANICS" are over the doors of Samford Hall is that before Auburn was known as Alabama Polytechnic Institute, it was Alabama Agricultural & Mechanical College. (It was never known as Alabama A&M, however.) Before that, it was founded as East Alabama Male College.
 
A personal note: My first college job was in the art department of the bookstore you visited there on Toomer's Corner.
 
The stadium looks smaller on the outside than it does from the inside, because it's built into a natural valley. Ground level outside the stadium is about at the level of the middle of the lower bowl.
 
Cliff Hare (the stadium was known as Cliff Hare Stadium until 1976) was a member of Auburn's very first football team, then became dean of the Chemistry department, and also served as the rough equivalent of Athletic Director at Auburn, as well as president of the Southern Conference (which later became the SEC.) Ralph "Shug" Jordan was Auburn's coach from the 50's to the mid-70's, and won Auburn's first National Championship in 1957.
 
Neither of them shot any Yankees, but then again, they never met BuckeyeFortFan. Shug Jordan actually landed on Omaha beach on D-Day, does that count?
 
Actually, from what I can recall, there's not really that many buildings at Auburn named for Confederate veterans- most of them are either named for people in Alabama with a large amount of disposable income (the Lowder Business Building), or important names from Auburn history (All of the Hill dorms, for example, are named for the first women to graduate from Auburn (after it stopped being East Alabama Male College)).

TCD, congratulations to your daughter on her impeccable taste in graduate education facilities. :)
 
Some of the stories you were told either were wrong or have changed since I last heard them, though, and I would be remiss in my duties as An Insufferable Auburn Fan if I didn't elucidate:
 
The University Seal set in the concrete in front of Langdon Hall is not to be stepped on, true, but the consequences for doing so were that you would not graduate from Auburn if you did, and no amount of pond-water chugging would change the fact. 
 
The lathe, I was told, would rotate exactly once each time a virgin walked past it. (It has not moved since 1936.) You may have gotten the "Approved For Telling Prospective Students' Parents" version of the story, I suspect.
 
The reason that "AGRICULTURE" and "MECHANICS" are over the doors of Samford Hall is that before Auburn was known as Alabama Polytechnic Institute, it was Alabama Agricultural & Mechanical College. (It was never known as Alabama A&M, however.) Before that, it was founded as East Alabama Male College.
 
A personal note: My first college job was in the art department of the bookstore you visited there on Toomer's Corner.
 
The stadium looks smaller on the outside than it does from the inside, because it's built into a natural valley. Ground level outside the stadium is about at the level of the middle of the lower bowl.
 
Cliff Hare (the stadium was known as Cliff Hare Stadium until 1976) was a member of Auburn's very first football team, then became dean of the Chemistry department, and also served as the rough equivalent of Athletic Director at Auburn, as well as president of the Southern Conference (which later became the SEC.) Ralph "Shug" Jordan was Auburn's coach from the 50's to the mid-70's, and won Auburn's first National Championship in 1957.
 
Neither of them shot any Yankees, but then again, they never met BuckeyeFortFan. Shug Jordan actually landed on Omaha beach on D-Day, does that count?
 
Actually, from what I can recall, there's not really that many buildings at Auburn named for Confederate veterans- most of them are either named for people in Alabama with a large amount of disposable income (the Lowder Business Building), or important names from Auburn history (All of the Hill dorms, for example, are named for the first women to graduate from Auburn (after it stopped being East Alabama Male College)).

It misses you too. I just asked it. :)

Write it out in crayon for the 'Bama fans, it seems to help. You might have to explain some of the longer words.
(I can't resist.)

ND has a few shady ones as well, I'm sorry to report. They claim a NC from the year of the Four Horsemen ('24, if I'm not mistaken) which was retroactively awarded about 15 years later. Back in those times, if teams were ranked at all, it was a regional ranking, because the idea of a national champion was simply not feasible given the state of transportation technology and the popularity of the game.
I'm not saying those old ND teams weren't worthy of the title "champion," it's just that such a title didn't exist at the time, so it's not entirely honest to claim it.

(It is a joke. Alabama claims 14 "national championships," but 6 of them are from the very early parts of the 20th Century and are highly disputed (unless you are an Alabama fan, in which case they are absolute fact). Also, they didn't claim any titles from before 1934 at all until around 1982 when their sports information director decided to bump up the numbers a bit.)
At least two of Alabama's "National Championships" are claimed for years in which they lost their bowl game. At the time (1964), there were no polls after the bowls were played, so Alabama got to claim a "national championship" after losing their bowl game. (The following year, the AP started releasing a final poll after the bowls.) Again in 1973, Alabama had the audacity to claim a UPI national championship, because the UPI (coaches' poll, equivalent to todays USA TODAY poll) didn't have a post-bowl poll. Alabama (#1) played Notre Dame (#2) in the Sugar Bowl, and Alabama lost 24-23. No sane person would claim that Alabama was National Champs that year. But since the UPI didn't release a poll after the bowl games, Alabama claims that year as a national championship.
It'd be like LSU proudly hoisting a "2011 National Championship" banner at Tiger Stadium this year. They'd be laughed out of the SEC. But Alabama gets away with it, because (as far as I can tell) they're Alabama, and if you mention these sorts of things in public around them, they yell at you until you leave their general area.
It is my understanding that if you choose to play as Alabama in a full season of NCAA Football '13 on Xbox, and win the national championship with them, they will raise a banner at Bryant-Denny in your honor.

This might be near the Meadows, I'm thinking. Maybe the exit of the 900 or 1000 loop?

Well folks, not many people have seen what the old Cypress Gardens has turned into, but you will see now. All my pictures did not upload to Photobucket, but I will get in as many as I can as fast as I can. We used a day trip on Good Friday as an incentive for the son to behave in school and it worked so we were off to Winter Haven to see the sights.
It also helped that both Chris and I got in free. :jumpforjoy
So after about two hours of stopping here and there to use the restroom, (we did not have the RV, so we had to stop :argh:) here we were pulling up to the parking area.


We get out and start walking up. Note to self, bring $12 for parking. They take debit cards though.


We took lots of pictures outside the gate for yall to see.



Ticket booth.


Main ticket entrance. I like theirs better than Disney because they just scan your barcode. But I am all for not standing in line either.

We really don't like having to edit stuff like that, but the combination of language and holiday really wasn't appropriate. And as Snarkalicious said, it's not a "we hate bad language, oh my virgin ears" thing, it's a "we don't want the site blocked for those of you who like to visit us at work" thing.
Having said all that, Merry Christmas! :)

We really don't like having to edit stuff like that, but the combination of language and holiday really wasn't appropriate. And as Snarkalicious said, it's not a "we hate bad language, oh my virgin ears" thing, it's a "we don't want the site blocked for those of you who like to visit us at work" thing.
Having said all that, Merry Christmas! :)

The board just doesn't seem complete without an authentic, hand-made Mickey Ears Lamppost out in front, does it? Here's a good set of instructions, shamelessly stolen from the good folks over at Walt's Basement. Visit the link there for pictures of the process and more.
All the parts you need are available at Home Depot.
The Parts to make a Mickey Lamp Post
The key parts are:
[pre]
Quantity Name              Home Depot            Price
                                  Product Number
1 12 inch acrylic globe          022678331576 $15.96
2 6 inch acrylic globes         022678331620 $5.89
1 Globe holder (fitter)         022618331569 $9.49
[/pre]
If you?re having trouble finding them, scroll down towards the bottom of this post for more details on how to get them.  Now, to put it all together:
1:  Begin with the 12 inch globe. Apply masking tape across the top of the globe along the center line in order to mark the centers for the holes needed to mount the smaller globes. Draw a line at the ?top dead center? of the lamp and then measure down 4 inches on each side and make another mark. This will mark the centers for each ear hole, they should be 8 inches apart.
2. Drill a small lead hole for each ear and then use a 3 ? inch hole saw to cut the ear holes.
3.  Remove the tape and glue the smaller globes into these holes, clamp until the glue is set.
4.  Attach a standard plug to the globe fitter.
5. Now you need to attach the globe fitter to the post.  I used a 2 inch piece of ABS drain pipe as my post.  The mount is simply a connector which joins 2 pieces of this pipe.  First remove the three clamp screws from the fitter:
6. Insert the ABS connector in the hole on the bottom of the globe fitter and drill small lead holes through the holes where you removed the clamp screws.
7. Use small screws to attach the connector to the globe fitter.  This piece will now slide on and off the ABS drain pipe which will be your post.
8.  Now drill a ? inch hole about a foot from the bottom of the ABS pipe and feed the power cord up through the pole.  Add a female receptacle to the end of the cord and you are done.
9. Plug the fitter into the female receptacle you just added, slide the globe fitter onto your post and install a 25 watt frosted light bulb.  Place the globe on the fitter and enjoy your lamp.
You will need to devise a base for the lamp.  I used a cast metal base for a patio umbrella (WalMart ? about $20.00).  You simply use a chisel to knock off the nut which holds the retaining bolt and the ABS post slides over the post on the umbrella base.  I secure it with two long bolts and wing nuts.  Be sure that your base is heavy enough to prevent your lamp from blowing over.  The umbrella base has worked very well for me.
On my last few lamps I have added smaller bulbs to illuminate the ears as well as the larger globe.
10. Begin with a piece of metal strapping, about 4 inches long.  Bend about ? inch on each end so that the ends will create a ?friction grip? on the flange of the 6? globe which is now visible inside the 12? globe.
Make 2 of these pieces, one for each of Mickey?s ears.
11. Cut a length of outdoor Christmas lights so that you have 2 socket and enough cord on one end to attach a plug.  Use pop-rivets to attach each socket to one of the metal straps you just made.  Attach a plug.
12.  Here is a detailed look at the light socket riveted to the strap.  Note the 90 degree bends in the ends of the strap which provide a ?friction grip? on the flanges of Mickey?s ears, inside the larger globe.  Bend them to provide a snug fit and just press them on.
ENJOY!
Here is more detail on the product codes (Home Depot) for the hard to get components:
12″ acrylic globe ? SKU 312840
UPC 022678331576 Part # CP1265
Vendor ? Adjusta Post  ? Price $15.96
6″ acrylic globe ? SKU 312884
UPC 022678331620 Part # CP3086
Vendor Adjusta Post ? Price $5.89
Globe Fitter ? SKU 348480
UPC 022678331569 Part #CP1721P
Vendor Adjusta Post ? Price $9.49
If you cannot get them through your local Home Depot, perhaps your store can order them in for you or do a look-up to see if they are stocked in a nearby store. The Home Depot near the Florida Mall stocks all the parts and always has plenty on hand.  Details of that store: 7423 Southland Blvd., Orlando, FL 32809  (407) 859-3500
If all else fails, call the manufacturer Summit Lighting (a division of Adjusta Post), 3960 Summit Road, Barberton, OH 44203-1052.  Their Customer Service number is (800) 321-2132.  Maybe they can direct you to a retailer in your area.
Now, I don't want to steal the good folks at Walt's Basement's pictures. So I issue a challenge: The first fiend to provide me with new pictures displaying the correct methods for lamppost construction will win a brand new Internet! (Or something else cool that we come up with here in the Fort Fiends Command Bunker.)

Mod note: I am going to allow further discussion here. My spider-sense is telling me that this is not your run-of-the-mill spam situation, what I'm piecing together here is a fluid situation where a company is in the unfortunate position of having their dirty laundry aired in public. I don't think we gain anything as a community by shutting this down, and if we find out what actually happened from both sides (to the extent they're willing to share with us), then we could learn something.
We will keep an eye on things, but for now, carry on. :)

As per TCD's request.