KNOTT'S BERRY PLACE

Oh my gosh I'm tired, but in a good way. I spent the entire day at Knott's Berry Farm with my nieces and nephew and a bunch of their friends and moms. I haven't been to Knott's in a long time so a lot of it was new to me again. When you grow up in Southern Cali, one of the things you are exposed to is amusement park mania. There are so many over here that it is nearly necessary to go to every single one, even the dumb ones. Knott's isn't a park that competes with Disneyland, but they do like to think of themselves as one of the major amusement parks of Southern Cali (along with Universal Studios, Six Flags Magic Mountain, etc.). There are two reasons Southern Cali boasts so many parks - one of course, is the weather and two is all the room they have to build down here.

Around 10am, when we first arrived at the park, I began to regret not having eaten breakfast. I'm not a breakfast eater. A few years ago, I was eating breakfast pretty regularly, but since then, I don't find much use in it. Everyone says its the most important meal of the day, but I can't totally agree. I've gone without breakfast for years and look where I'm at. Hmm, wait a sec . . . I'd better re-think that! Could there be a link between eating breakfast and other facets of life? In fact, according to the Nutrition Explorations website:

• One study found eating cereal at breakfast may help teenage girls form healthy eating patterns that support nutrient intake and healthful weight. In addition to the nutrients directly contributed by cereal, the researchers conclude that other factors related to cereal consumption, such as enjoying milk with cereal, may have a beneficial impact on girls' diets.

• Another study found adult breakfast cereal eaters had a lower prevalence of overweight and obesity, a better nutrient profile and higher intakes of calcium and milk. The authors of this study noted calcium's role in weight control. Editor's Note: Keep in mind that the weight-loss science is applicable to adults only. There is a growing body of research indicates that adults who get three servings of dairy foods each day and follow a reduced-calorie diet are more successful at weight management and weight loss than those who don't.

So today's lesson, boys and girls, is eat your breakfast!

Anyway, the first ride was Ghost Rider, a wooden roller coaster that reminded me of Colosus at Magic Mountain. All wooden roller coasters are fashioned after the one in Coney Island (which made me snap my fingers wishing I had gone there during my visit - shucks!). If you haven't noticed, I'm kind of into rides, even at my old age. 8) However, unlike Colosus which was, at one time, the tallest wooden roller coaster in the world, Ghost Rider isn't about height - it's about speed. It is easily the fastest wooden roller coaster I've ever been on and was probably the most enjoyable ride for me for the day. First because it was so fast and second because it didn't get me dizzy like most of the other rides.

The next ride was the newly built Silver Bullet. It's very similar to Magic Mountain's Batman except that there are many more twists and turns due to lack of space. The Batman ride is also faster. After the Silver Bullet, I was officially dizzy and starving my ass off. I realized at that point that there is hardly any other feeling worse than being hungry and dizzy. I've had some hangovers in my days and I gotta tell you, being dizzy and hungry is very, very close to this feeling. So if you ever run into a Mormon who wants to know what it feels like to have a hangover, starve him and make him spin around in circles.

Our "worst experience of the day" came during lunch. Although Knott's is an amusement park that is well-known, it has always felt like a second or third-tier business. At one point, it was really a farm where Walter Knott and his wife would sell fruits and vegetables and have some entertainment by the side of the road. So in a sense, they've almost kept that tradition up, but in a bad way. Here we are, about twelve hungry folks and we waited in line one and a half hours just to get an order! I say "we" loosely because it was actually the mothers that waited in line. I, of course, was sitting on the picnic bench in the shade with my head on a backpack with the kids pointing at me and whispering, "look at Uncle Gio - he's dying of starvation." Then, the cashiers had to stop taking orders from time to time because they were so backed-up. Needless to say, but we all ate at different intervals and our lunch lasted about two and a half hours. This delay cost us serious riding time and ultimately, a very late departure.

However, a Knott's tradition is eating Mrs. Cordelia Knott's famous fried chicken. Although I have recently been watching my weight (I've watched it go up four pounds but I wonder if that's lean body mass or fat - probably fat, I just like wondering), I am one who can, with only extreme willpower, stop myself from eating fried foods. I've often thought that I may have some Southern blood in me given that I enjoy reading Mark Twain and love that Southern drawl. But I think it has to do with Filipino genes because I don't know too many Filipinos that can stop themselves from eating anything fried.

So we ordered ourselves the traditional chicken dinner and had ourselves a feast. One thing I noticed (other than the delicious, juicy fried chicken, boysenberry pie and on and on) is that I think I am a different person when I am not around my immediate family. I tend to layback a little more when I'm around the family. I suppose I realize that I don't need to worry about entertaining anyone so I end up entertaining the kids while the grown-ups talk amongst themselves. And although I sometimes want to change this odd habit, I really think it's just in my nature.

I got back home and blew my nieces and nephew a kiss since they were all very tired and knocked out in the mini-van. They'll be going to the river tomorrow for some water sports. They invited me, but I think I'll wait until it gets a little warmer. There's really nothing like going to the river when it's a hundred degrees out. It kind of clears your skin and and revs-up your sweat glands.