Well, well...quite a day here on the PG thread. And I guess it's good to communicate rather than hold things in...so we owe madonna a debt of gratitude for getting people to get a load off of their minds. Really...that took courage madonna, and we should all be grateful.
I guess I've been around long enough to toss my two cents in as well. But the first thing I did was go back to my last 50 posts on this thread to see how bad I was contributing to the "fluff" on the thread. Of those 50 posts, 41 included a question, a guess on the response to the question, or a confirmation of a correct response to one of my questions. So 18% (including this one) would fall into the "fluff" category....and thus I plead guilty of adding to the "wastefulness" of the thread.
I thought madonna made some great points, as did everyone who posted on the subject of the current direction of the thread. Personally, I thought Higgs had the best suggestions, but I'm willing to go with whatever the majority feels is best.
While I agree with most of the points wdwoldtimer made on his post, I do think that there were some comments that did not contribute to the point being made, and were (despite assurances to the contrary) rather obviously pointed at some regulars here on the thread. To that I took exception, as I can't think of anyone who is looking for self-glorification on this thread.
And I agree with Distriv that we really don't need to push the language envelope here on the boards. It detracts from the argument being made and I'm sure there are some who find it offensive.
Beyond that, I agree that the Shacky award might have been our worst invention as it does seem to spur us to delve deep into minutiae. Surprisingly, the questions that earned Shacky awards are virtually all great questions that were answerable by observant park-goers. So in no way am I taking shots at anyone's awards.
In fact, in the name of lessening the focus on Shacky's, I've removed mine from my signature (I couldn't remember what it was for anyway!). If nothing else, it will shorten the number of pages we go through!!
In closing, I appreciate everyone who has taken the time to post on this thread, in whatever capacity. As I said during the September 17 One Year PG Thread Anniversary celebration:
Id like to let each of you know how much enjoyment I get from the questions that make me picture Walt Disney World parks in my head, the comments that often make me laugh out loud, the camaraderie, the well-wishing for important upcoming events such as weddings and births, the concern and pixie dust when posters and their loved ones need it, and the general level of respect and friendship. Even the family spats end up being resolved in a kindly manner!
And if there was an open question, I'd take a stab at it!
Edit: Oh, an open question! Is there a statue of Pinocchio in the main street near the flag pole in MK?