Look Back on 2016

Finally found an opening for a few minutes to reflect on 2016. Iceland was a big deal for me in January. It made me realize just how easy it is to lose yourself in your office, deadlines, clients, etc. and not take the time to appreciate what's outside of your little bubble of stress. I didn't even get to see the Northern Lights, and that was all right. I'll make the time to head back again.

February rolled by; I was getting antsy. It's not easy living in NYC metro and don't let anyone's glorification of the city tell you otherwise. You're completely dependent on others to get you where you have to be, you live to work, and the time you have left over is spent networking to get ahead. When March rolled by, it had been enough. And after listening to Katie Kelly, Mark and my good buddy Josh talk about their industry experiences at SkyNEXT, I realized I didn't want to live for status anymore. I took everything I had in Jersey City, packed it up and moved to Orlando, hoping to one day get my foot in the door.

To say I was nervous is an understatement; I knew practically no one in Florida. The projects I started off with were daunting (designing an entire corporate campus hundreds of acres big?!) and the boss kept questioning loyalties (he had an engineer who dipped out very fast before me). Once I got an assisted living facility in Kissimmee to myself, I felt the flow and got enough confidence. Summer rolled through, Greg came to visit to discuss his proposal plans for Jess. I flew home every so often to go to the beach since Florida summers at the beach are brutal.

Fall was a little tough, as I didn't have marching band as a thing to look forward to. I was very elated to discover that Jackson went with my show concept to go along with their music; obviously, flew back to check that out twice during the season. But not having something steady bummed out. Until one night, I was flying home on a Sunday in September. I was delayed like crazy for whatever reason; I was pissed that I'd be getting home at 3am on a work night. I'm loading the passenger van back to the parking lot and pass a pilot who's wearing a DCI lanyard. Was exhausted, but I struck up a conversation anyway to see if he had marched and taught anywhere; turns out, Celebration High School is looking to get some people to help out. I'm in. This eventually led to where I am today, where I'm tech'ing visual on the staff at Heat Wave Drum and Bugle Corps out of Inverness.

I learned that fall means one thing in Orlando: Halloween Horror Nights. I was kind of skeptical. I had heard of the long lines and the extreme over-hype. One night I checked it out with Katie, she didn't seem fazed going in. Man, were we in for a treat. The houses scared the living shit out of us. We almost did all the houses in one night! I was so pumped for it, I came back a few weeks later when Adjoa came to visit for her birthday. A couple weeks later, I turned 33 to some fanfare in the office. Coworkers took me out to a nice spot, met a few new friends and that's where we are today. Since, I've been to IAAPA, done Thanksgiving and Christmas and had my family visit. It's only been a few months, but I feel a base down here that I didn't really feel in Jersey City or Atlantic City, despite being there for 4 years. Now that I'm comfortable, think it's time to really settle down.

Since I moved, everyone's been asking for this. Here's the top ten list of Florida rollercoasters:

1. Expedition Everest - Animal Kingdom: This has everything: above-and-beyond museum-like queue, excellent capacity, prelude before lift hill, scenic lift hill, awesome theming, unpredictable backwards section in the dark, solid drop and, oh by the way, a friggin' Yeti. Disney's second best ride (still Tower of Terror at the top of course).

2. Revenge of the Mummy - Universal Studios: Cave-like queue. Capacity is all right. Love that this ride has stood the test of time. Aggressive lift, some air time, strobes, funny middle brake run. Always a classic to bring a noob on.

3. Mako - SeaWorld: The airtime on this thing is insane. I'd probably rank it lower if I had not ridden it at night in the front row. Whole amazing experience as you look out at Downtown Orlando's skyline in the distance.

4. Cheetah Hunt - Busch Gardens Tampa: The most scenic coaster Busch has to offer, it has multiple launches, some air time towards the end, track riding over the Sky Ride and a trek through the Serengeti.

5. Montu - Busch Gardens Tampa: Almost said best B&M invert anywhere until I rode Banshee back seat over the summer. Every element on Montu seems to be perfectly designed as nothing seems overly aggressive even though you know it is. Track goes through rock structures in Egypt, very nice.

6. Space Mountain - Magic Kingdom: A classic that's still breaking everyone's back but still as exciting as when you were a kid.

7. Rock 'n' Rollercoaster - Hollywood Studios: Thank God Aerosmith's agent can book us a super stretch limo on a whim, now we just have to get to the show on time. Pretty simple track layout, but this gets extra points for being super air-conditioned inside the ride building. Can't beat the Aerosmith soundtracks either.

8. The Incredible Hulk - Islands of Adventure: The launch and opening inversions are the saving grace on this B&M. Patrick Stump provided the new soundtrack which lines up nicely with the ride. Front ride is special but the rest is standard.

9. Sheikra - Busch Gardens Tampa: Florida's drop coaster. They're always the smoothest rides. Pretty short but super fast.

10. Manta - Seaworld: B&M flyer that I actually enjoy. The inversions are smoother than Superman and the water feature is extra nice, especially with its location. The best part is definitely the queue through the Manta tank though!

Dishonorable Mention: Hollywood: Rip, Ride, Rockit! - Universal Studios: Does anyone enjoy this? Seriously. I remember less painful trips to my orthodontist. The capacity is awful, you face the back-of-house areas for nearly 70% of the ride and you can't even bring your phone in line to pass the time. On the plus side, the grand lawn is right next door so I can lay down and let my concussion heal itself.