Jeff Linder

Shamelessly stolen from my friend Ned over at Consumer Traveler Forums (www.consumertraveler.com)

Here's a stab at a security romance novel for your enjoyment.
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He grasped me firmly but gently just above my elbow and guided me into a room...his room. He quietly shut the door and we were alone, completely and utterly alone. He approached me breathlessly, from behind, and spoke in a low, reassuring voice close to my ear. "Relax, just relax."

Without warning he reached down and I felt his strong, calloused hands start at my ankles, probing, gently, but with great self-assurance and confidence. He moved upward along my calves slowly but steadily. My breath caught in my throat. I knew I should be afraid, but somehow I didn't care. His touch was so experienced, so sure.

When his hands moved up onto my thighs, I gave a slight shudder. I shook my head almost in a shiver, and partly closed my eyes. My pulse was pounding, reaching new heights never attained before. I felt his knowing fingers caress my abdomen, my ribcage.

And then, as he cupped my firm, full breasts in his hands, I inhaled sharply almost passing out.

Probing, searching, knowing what he wanted, he brought his hands to my shoulders, slid them down my tingling spine.

Although I knew nothing about this man, I felt oddly trusting and expectant. This is a man, I thought. A man used to taking charge. A man not used to taking `no' for an answer. A man who would tell me what he wanted. A man who would look into my soul and say ............






"Okay, ma'am, all done. You can board your flight now."

I needed a replacement cable.  No big deal.  Hopped over to the Marlton Apple store.  The store was busy, busier than I expected, but well staffed.  Within a minute of entering the store, I was asked if I needed help, the person pointed me towards the cables.  I selected the one I wanted, went to stand in line at the counter.  Another 30 seconds and associate asked me if that was all I needed.  I said yes, he pulled out an iPod touch (or maybe an iPhone), scanned the bar code, gave me a total, swiped my card, and asked if I wanted the receipt emailed.   I was out of the store in 4 mins max.

Part 4 - Tow Trucks, Bees, Rhinos, Giraffe's and a Hilton.

After a mediocre nights sleep, we ordered room service breakfast so we could finish packing.  I should have realized it was a bad omen when they were out of smoked salmon.

Our plan for the morning was to pack up, grab a cab to the local Avis depot, pick up a rental car and head for the San Diego Wild Animal park, where we had a 1:00 PM 3 hour photo caravan scheduled.  The first part of the plan went fine.  It was about a 30 minute drive to the park area, but when we pulled off the highway and turned at a light, the car shuddered as it tried valiantly to get back into gear.   When it did it again at the next turn, and the dashboard started to light up like an early Christmas tree, I knew we had a problem.  The GPS said we were less than a mile from the park, so I nursed the car there, telling the parking attendant that I would be calling Avis, she indicated no problem.

I found a parking spot in the lot and called the Avis road service number, waited on hold for 10 minutes, explained the problem and was told a new car would be there in about 45 mins.  I was happy with that (at this time it was just after 10:00 AM), we went to the entrance, got our tickets, checked into our tour and explored the front of the park.  Beautiful park, totally different atmosphere than the zoo.  We saw an armadillo display with his keeper and looked at some of the closer exhibits, then I left the wife in the park with our bags (once we found a place without bees, they were EVERYWHERE.  I don't like bees.  Not at all.  They creep me out.  Omen #2.)

10:50, I am back at the car.  No tow truck.  Talk to a park security guy driving around the lots, he indicated the gate had advised them of the situation and he sent the location of my car out to everyone in case they saw one.  At 11:00, my phone rings, its an automated message from Avis asking if service has been performed yet.  I hit no, wait another 10 mins on hold, and find out that the first agent gave me wrong info, it was going to take the driver 45 mins to GET the car and another 45-60 to get there, so I shouldn't have expected them until around 12.   Grumble, run back to the park, and Pam and I went to check out the Condor ridge area (with a detour to see BABY ELEPHANT!  I mean when you see a sign with BABY ELEPHANT and an arrow, you kind of have to go that way!)  Condor ridge gave you a great view, and an inquisitive bighorn came down to check us out as well.  Then, it was time to run back to the car.  Again.  Remember, I was full blown sick with a cold at this point too.  More bees at the car, but no tow truck.

Phone rings again.  Avis automated.  No.  Wait 10 mins.  Now I am pissed.  Avis calls the tow company.  Driver can't find the SAN DIEGO WILD ANIMAL PARK.  Hasn't tried to call me or anything, they had my cell.  I'm yelling at Avis, Avis is yelling at tow company.  Driver finally calls, he's lost and speaks almost no english, has no GPS and no clue.  It's now 12:30.  Remember, I have a very expensive tour at 1:00, I am sick, and have not had lunch yet.  I EXPLODE on this poor driver, who pulls into a random driveway where there are people.  He hands his phone to the nice people, I explain the situation, they draw him a MAP, he arrives at car, escorted by park security at 12:50 and apologies profusely as I am literally moving suitcases from car to car and praying I didn't miss anything while he is still taking it off the truck.  12:57, I am tearing pell mell back through the lot (that lot is not so small), racing back through the entrance and to the tour spot just in time to be the last one on the truck, gasping for breath.  Thank god they had water on the truck.

There was a quick safety briefing, then we were off.  A couple of notes about the park.  The Wild Animal park is HUGE, and only about 1/3 of it is open via walking.  Another section is only visible via a tram tour or other tours, and a huge section only visible by the photo caravans.  There are two caravans, Africa and Asia, or you can do a combined trip like we did.

There's not a lot to describe about the caravans themselves.  You are in the back of a large flatbed truck, with benches, wooden railings and a cover.  You have a driver in the front and a guide in back with you.  The truck drives a preset route through a number of enclosures, trying to get as close to the animals as possible while your guide tells you about them. 

You do get very close to some of the animals, especially giraffes and rhinos.  The antelopes and bison couldn't really care less about you unless you have food for them.  One animal I have to note was Nala.  Nala is a 30 year+ old white rhino and apparently one of 7 of that breed left in the world.  She was a very gentle sort with her trainer, and sadly she is sterile.  It was definitely odd to look at an animal and realize you can count every other one like her in the world on less than the fingers on your hands. 

We drove around for about an hour before taking a break.  They provided drinks and snacks (all I had to eat since breakfast) and then we headed off to the rest of Africa and Asia sections (we did E africa first, the S africa and Asia.    In the Asian section we had to the opportunity to feed Giraffes and Rhinos, both of whom came right up to the truck.  You weren't allowed to pet the giraffes, but you REALLY REALLY wanted too.  A cool sight was two brother giraffes play fighting, or 'necking'.   Finally, we headed back to the park.

Now, the caravan was nice, but after a while it seemed very repetitive.  Look, more giraffes.  Rhinos..  Antelopes.  More rhinos.  Boks, which look like antelopes.  Giraffes.  You get the idea.  In hindsight, I think just doing the Asian side would be sufficient.

Also, by the time the tour was over, the park was closing in 45 mins.  I was totally wiped from the morning and the cold, so we ended up not exploring the areas we had not been able to cover earlier.  Instead, I polished off a large bottle of water and we headed back to the car, since we had a 2 hour drive to the LA area at best.

I was planning to get food on the way, I forgot CA doesn't believe in rest stops and I didn't want to get off the highway in areas I didn't know, so I ended up just pushing myself and driving straight through.  We only hit brutal traffic for the last 10 miles or so, took about 2 3/4 hours. 

Then, when we tried to get to the hotel, the road was blocked for Universal's Halloween event.  The driveway to the hotel was RIGHT there but they wouldn't let us turn (I was THIS close to running the guy over).  We had to get back on the highway, loop around and go a longer way, adding 20 mins to the drive.  When we got there, suddenly Valet parking was a much better option, as was a bellman. 

At this point, we had our first plus of the day, they upgraded my points stay to a very nice huge alcove room and there were some nice in the room.  I can't say enough about the Hilton Universal staff, from the valet up they were all extremely nice and professional.

We ordered room service for dinner (yay for Ultimate Chicken Soup Bowl - it was huge and again, service was excellent.   Finally, we hit the sack.  Our VIP tour was at 10 the next morning so at least we could sleep in.

Pictures:

http://loonbeam.smugmug.com/Travel/2010/SoCal2010-Day3/14207057_B3k5K#1049284975_zRPSH

A followup on the Avis story:  They did a lot to win me back yesterday.  I had planned to write them concerning the above, but the online form didn't really seem to fit, and I kept forgetting to call to get a better email address.  I finally called yesterday.  I explained to the nice lady on the phone that I wanted a direct email to report a problem and she gave me one, then said some magic words.  "I'll be happy to listen to you and see what we can do about your problem."   And she meant it.  I explained the whole story to her and she indicated that she would contact the CA region to have the tow processed reviewed, at the very least so that every contracted driver has a GPS.  Then she asked what Avis could do for me.  Since we lost most of the non-tour day at the park, I requested Avis refund me the cost of our park tickets (not the tour) and she put in a request for that, she said if approved it will take 3-6 weeks.  We'll see what happens but her demeanor and concern really made me feel better.

Day 3 - In which large aquatic mammals fly through the air with the greatest of ease!

Friday of our trip was scheduled for Sea World.  We didn't have that many specific goals for this particular day, one was to see Shamu and the other as many dolphins and penguins as possible.  I am a huge Dolphin and Penguin fan, deciding between the Dolphin and Penguin backstage experience was one of the hardest choices I had to make.  But, Epcot has Dolphins and we will be there in 2013, so....

Breakfast was at the Broken Yolk again, then a cab ride to Sea World.  We turned in our city pass page and checked in for our afternoon Penguin Encounter, and were given directions on where to go.  It's not a huge park but can be confusing. 

Based on some tips we had read, we headed for Wild Arctic first.  Wild arctic is a simulator ride that emulates a helicopter trip to a remote arctic base.  Of course, something goes wrong, winds, etc make for a bumpy ride.  If you have ever done Star Tours at Disney?  Same ride.  Actually I think they might have just rethemed an old ST simulator.  It was ok, but its what's after that's cool.

After you land (you can skip the ride portion, BTW), you walk into the arctic base at which you supposedly arrived.  They did a GREAT job with the theming, and located back here are viewing areas for the beluga whale and walruses, along with an ice wall, exhibits on arctic exploration, etc.  We got lucky and they were feeding/training a few of the belugas when we came in, so we stopped there for a while.

After watching the Walrusii for a bit (they are so graceful for their size and bulk), we left.  As if an omen, the penguin exhibit was right there, and even though we would be back later, I dragged my wife inside.  I mean, after all, PENGUINS.

They have two display areas, one for penguins (a mixture of Emperor, Macaroni, and some other breeds) and one for Puffins.  Finally my wife dragged (literally) me away from there and we headed for Shamu stadium to see Beleive.

The stadium wasn't open yet, but we found a vantage point where we could see some of the whales being exercised and then went down to the underwater viewing area, where they swam right by.  A nice Sea World trainer was there to name the various whales (time to burst your bubbles - there is no longer a 'Shamu'.  Shamu is whichever main whale they are using that day for the Shamu soak the crowd tail slam).

Heading back up, we were among the first in line and got great seats in the shade, center area, above the soak zone.  The soak zone is about 2/3 the stadium mind you.

Even for a slow day, the stadium filled in almost 100%, this was the first show, we were told the second would be a lot slower.  Vendors were out selling everything, and I do mean everything...  I think I could have made an offer on one of the whales...

BTW, a friendly reminder.  Wear sunscreen.  It doesn't SEEM like the sun is baking you in SD, but oh yeah, it is.  I forgot to do the neckline of my shirt and that night it was RED....

They had some videos and trivia to warm up the crowd, then the show started.  The story is hokey, but the show is amazing.  These incredibly huge animals leap higher in the air than I thought possible, with amazing grace.  The trainers do get some kids from the crowd involved (and soaked).  The last bit is the Shamu Slam, where the crowd chants Shamu and the whales BLAST water with their tails into the crowd.  Great fun, and they do reach up the whole 16 rows of the soak zone!

After that we grabbed lunch of some surprisingly decent BBQ and headed to the Penguin Encounter, with me grinning like a schoolboy.

There were 12 of us in the group, including a young female couple very attached to each other and even more insanely fond of penguins than I am!

The penguin tour starts in the area that we saw before, with an explanation of the different kinds of penguins in the exhibit and some basic penguin facts.  Then, you go backstage to the penguin keepers area where they show you the different types of eggs each species produces.  You are taken into a kitchen area.  Over the fridge was mounted a TV monitor that immediately grabbed the attention of everyone in the group.  BABY EMPEROR PENGUIN!  OMG LITTLE FUZZY BUNDLE OF ADORABLE CUTENESS.  We all thought it was a video playing until I realized the hands in the video were attached to the person bending over we could see in the room next to us through a window.  That was a LIVE little BABY PENGUIN.  When I told the two girls I think they almost fainted.

The tour guide promised us a look at the baby if we promised to let her get through the first part, and when she brought out the Macaroni penguin, we managed to tear our eyes away from the BABY PENGUIN.  Macaroni 153 (they don't have names) was very curious, a little nippy, liked to snort salt water all over you and had the softest feathers I have ever felt.  He loved being petted too.

Everyone got a chance to pet the penguin, then we were taken in 2 groups into the penguin display area to see if any others wanted to come up.  Hindsight - going into a damp freezer with a cold?  Not the greatest idea.   A few of the macaroni's came over for a pet or a peck as their mood warranted, but the emperors couldn't care less about us.     It was also fun waving at the people on the other side of the glass, who I am sure were wondering what the heck we were doing...

After the freezer, they took us past the incubator and there, in the window, doing a little dance was BABY PENGUIN (gender undetermined yet, code was EMP-082. I am calling her Peep).  Peep was born about 7 weeks prior and had just been announced to the public that week.  This was the first emperor penguin chick born there in 8 years and was going to be hand raised, otherwise the females would fight over her and she would get hurt.  

She was so cute.  They had a beanie baby 'friend' in there for her, along with a block of ice, some snow, some towels....   All of us just crowded around the window and made collective aww sounds (some of the staff too!)  It had only been 5 days since she came out of isolation, we were some of the first non Sea World people to see her.  Finally the other group came out and we had to move along.  Reluctantly.  Very reluctantly. 

The tour concluded with a quick trip to the aviary and then back into the park.

A little tired, we made our way to the Blue Horizons theater to wait to get in.  Blue Horizons is a dolphin show mixed in with Cirque style acrobats and some black whales.  Fun to watch, and some of the stunts with the Dolphins were really cool.  Honestly though, I just kept squeaking 'Baby Penguin!!!'

Once the show was over we checked out some of the rest of the park.  Pam wanted to ride Journey to Atlantis (a basic flume with an elevator in the middle) so she did that, we also checked out the sea turtles and some other exhibits before heading back to the cab stand, totally pooped.

I had promised my wife on Wed that we would go back to the Hello Kitty store we found in the mall, so we dragged ourselves over there and had some good organic burgers before buying HK stuff and then heading back to the hotel to pack for our 3rd hotel of the trip..

Pictures from Day 3:

http://loonbeam.smugmug.com/Travel/2010/Southern-California-2010-Day-2/14206542_U5D4d#1049244516_PWUPc


Next Up - Avis makes me quite unhappy.  But there are Giraffes.

Day 2 - In which we visit the SD Zoo and love it. But first, tissues!

When my wife sneezes like that it means one thing. She's got a cold, stage 1. That in effect means 3 things. First, I needed to find a CVS (there was one right near the hotel) and get tissues, robitussin and halls for her, DayQuil and NyQuil for me. That's because #2 is that I will have a cold within 24-48 hours. #3 is that at some point my cold will (and did) probably turn into bronchitis)

I'm not going to go into the details of our varied and sundry expectorations, but suffice to say we were not at our best health for most of the trip (she recovered by Universal Studios. I....managed.

So, as I was saying.. Zoo.

Well before that, breakfast. In lieu of the hotel restaurant (pricey), on our wanderings the night before we had noted the Broken Yolk cafe about 1/2 block from the hotel, open for lunch and dinner. We asked the doorman at the hotel and he actually recommended it over the hotel so we headed there. Great choice. Very reasonably priced and HUGE breakfasts. We ended up chatting with a local dining next to us who gave us a 50% off coupon from the local paper expiring that day (we passed the unused tabs off to another diner).

Thus fortified, and with camera in hand and meds in backpack, off to the zoo. The cab ride was about $20, plus a nice tip for a very friendly and informational driver. From the cab stand we walked right past the ticket counters (we had pre-purchased a CityPass/Disneyland combo via our TA) and waited for the zoo to open in the little restaurant at the entrance. We also were able to pick up lanyards that came with the Backstage pass tour we had pre-registered for, which included priority bus boarding and show seating (the zoo was quiet enough we didn't need those).

We had our battle plan, so when the doors opened we headed off into the Zoo. Scratch that. We headed off into the San Diego Animal Educational and Entertainment facility. Though I shall refer to it as such, this place is not just a Zoo. I say that because so many of the habitats, shows and presentations are designed to showcase the animals and their lifestyles as opposed to "Hey, look at the Monkees!"

We hung around the entrance area for a bit, because we wanted to do the Double Decker bus ride first and it started 30 mins after the park opened, so we checked out a presentation on rare owls and the flamingos, then boarded the bus (top deck, front row - probably not the best choice when incubating a cold, but you will find this is a recurring theme).

The bus tour (as opposed to the shuttle) is a non-stop circuit around the Zoo. This zoo is bloody huge. According to the guide to walk every inch of every trail takes approximately 6.5 hours. I believe them.

After the bus tour was done, we set off on a hike to cover as much as possible before our backstage pass at 1 PM, our primary goals being to see the koalas (CUTE!) and Pandas (CUTER!). Our dining companion that morning had suggested Alberts for lunch, a fine restaurant within the Zoo but we never made it there and grabbed fast food for time before heading to the BSP meet point.

The BSP is a fairly new program where for a moderate fee ($99 pp) in addition to the benefits noted above, you get a 90 minute presentation. The max is 40 people, but it being a slow day, we had about 10 or 12, which was perfect. Before you sit down, they take your picture with a miniature donkey (one free print is included with the package, plus they take lots of pictures which you can purchase or buy them all on CD - we did, it was $40 for 135 very good shots, AND they give you written print and post rights!)

There's a private viewing area, with complimentary drinks, and the keepers bring in a variety of animals up close. Some you can pet, like the bearcat, some, not so much, like the Arctic Wolf, and they talk a little about each animal, how they are raised for educational programs, etc. One thing they do there we thought was really cool was they raise big cats (like a cheetah) with companion dogs from birth so that they are more comfortable in crowds. Animals we saw that day in the show area were cervil cats, a bear cat, arctic wolf, kookaburra, cheetah, miniature burro.

Also as part of the program, they have it set up with a walking area that takes you into a fenced off part of the Rhino enclosure. The program is held in an area of the park called the Urban Jungle which we think was pretty much designed around this program. In the Rhino area you get to feed, brush and pet a Rhino. Much coolness! You also are taken into one of the Flamingo areas to feed them (and its very disturbing when you sit there because these birds are looking you in the eye!). On the way there we got to pet a kangaroo as well and interact with him.

It's important to note they do vary the elements of the program depending on the size of the group and also at random, for example you may feed giraffes instead of flamingos.

After some final photos, we said goodbye to the keepers and explored as much of the Zoo as possible before our legs gave out, even using the shuttle bus and skytram (included with city pass) to move around. We made it everywhere but tigers (we can see them in Philly) and Hippos (kind of disappointed in that, but they were WAY off on the side and we had no go left).

We took a cab back to the hotel, freshened up and had dinner in the hotel restaurant, JSix. Highly recommended, even if service was a little slow. The restaurant is known for sustainable and organic food, I had the chef's whim (farm raised salmon cooked perfectly with a wonderful sauce) and my wife really enjoyed her grilled shrimp. The house made gelato was excellent as well.

Then, it was an early bedtime, for tomorrow was Sea World, and unbeknownst to us, BABY PENGUIN!!

Pictures from Day 1 (except for the ones that we bought from the zoo, will have them up shortly):

http://loonbeam.smugmug.com/Travel/2...49203387_FTLgb

All the pictures are up in galleries, and you can look ahead, but that would be cheating!

Part 1 - Getting there (Tuesday and Wednesday)

Twas the night before vacation and all through the house, many creatures were stirring, because Jeff couldn't find his packing list and was trying to shove everything into 3 suitcases.

In recognition of our 7 AM flight the next day, we decided to spend the night prior at the Philadelphia Airport Marriott, as we do with most early flights. Once we finally got everything packed, we drove to Preflight parking, where the nice shuttle driver, since we were the only ones on it, was nice enough to drop us right at the hotel entrance. Transportation wise, this was probably the high point of the trip until the end.. Checked in, got a nice basic room overlooking the rental car lots (paid with points, what do you expect) and hit the sack early, after setting a wake up call for (dear lord) 4:30 AM. For the record, I am not a morning person. My normal work hours are 10-6, I wake up at 9:45.

The wake up call came in at 4:30, followed by the backup on my iPhone. Checking the iPhone, I noted the Tripit Pro had sent an alert that our 7:00 flight was now delayed till 11:30. Bad sign. Got on the phone with US Air, but we could not identify any really better options that would let us keep our FC seats, so since the flight was still going, decided to stick with what we had. Got dressed, etc without rushing and headed down to the check-in.

CANCELLED. Ah yes, the lovely word that every traveler wants to see. Fortunately, or so I thought, we were flying FC and therefore could use the FC line with US Air's top employees to get rebooked. One out of two. The gentleman we had was clearly not familiar with the computer system, and thanks to his one fingered and slow typing, it was actually painful to watch him work. Plus, he had no conception of finding alternate flights. Finally, I started using my iPhone to work ahead of him. I won't go into details, because I don't need that kind of stress, but eventually I told him to move us onto a United flight departing in about an hour and a half via Denver. He said "United has control of your itinerary" and thus we dragged ourselves to Terminal D, where we presented ourselves at the United FC counter (I figured it was worth a shot, since technically the tickets were FC). We waited in line for a few moments, until the nice lady there was done with the person in front of us (I WISH I could remember her name, we were just so tired and stressed!).

We explained the situation and she said that while no FC was available, she wasn't going to boot us into the regular line. Then she went into the system to find that yes, the USAir person had transferred the itinerary BUT NOT THE TICKETS!!! With the flight time approaching, I called the USAir Preferred reservations center, handed the phone to the United agent and they were able to work it out. I will say that the agent must have seen how stressed we were before the vacation started, she did put us in Econ Plus with Priority boarding, etc, with very good seats on each plane. Finally, we had valid boarding passes.

Clearing security, we grabbed airport food and waited for our flight to depart. While not FC, the seats were nice, so at least I was able to put on United channel 9, the ATC channel and zone a bit.

Arriving in Denver, I put our names on the standby list (2 of us) for an upgrade, and lo and behold they called my name. For one seat. Mine. Couldn't do it. Back to Econ plus it was. We told the very nice FA about how I 'gave up my FC seat for my wife' and she ended up giving us a bottle of wine from up front. Also, the middle seat was empty, add that to the exit row and almost as nice as FC. Right.

Finally, we got to SD, got our luggage (all made it, yay!) got a cab, got to the Kimpton Solamar where we experienced the excellent service I have come to expect from them. Check in was quick and efficient.

We had booked a Master Suite at a nice rate, and it was a very nice room, with a sitting room, bedroom, and large bathroom with a Fuji Soaking whirlpool tub. This was not your standard hotel room whirlpool. You had to climb down into this thing. It was VERY nice and we used it every night.

Before we collapsed, we checked out the Gaslamp Quarter and Petco Park. Many nice places to eat, but we ended up at the food court at the mall there, just because we didn't want anything huge. It was a little quiet, but it was a Wednesday and still light out there. We also checked out Petco Park. Beautiful park, and very odd. They did an excellent job of integrating it with the area, there is a park and playground attached open all year round. The odd thing is that while the park is open, you could literally, if not roped off, walk right onto the field! (Obviously there was some security we didn't see!) I had not carried my camera, too tired and didn't want to scream tourist, and meant to get back there, but for reasons you will see in the next post, some of our ancilliary plans were curtailed.

After wandering, we went back to the room, hit the tub and were in bed by 7, all set to explore the Zoo the next day.

Then, my wife sneezed....

Greg Giraldo dies of accidental prescription overdose..  Age 44..

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/39427081/ns/today-entertainment/

Dear Residents of Gainesville Florida:

Other than the 50 or so members of his church, I suspect most of you would rather see Terry Jones be somewhere else, anywhere else, than your city right now.  But I'd like to point out to you that you have a chance to send a message about the basic value of America, and Gainesville.

On Sept 11, 2010 at 6 PM, every single person in town should be at that church.  With a fire extinguisher.  And if and when this so called minister chooses to carry out his provocative act (as is his right), in the defense of your rights, charge in and extinguish the blaze.  Wouldn't that be the image you would rather represent your community to the world with?

Just a thought.

Comedian Robert Schimmel dies in car crash at age 60..  Daughter, age 19 was driving:

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/39004565/ns/today-entertainment/

Because it was easy enough to snurch from Meredith as we share the same year..

Absence of Malice
All Night Long
American Pop
An American Werewolf in London,
Amy
Arthur,
Berlin Tunnel 21,
Blow Out,
The Boat Is Full
Body Heat,
Bustin' Loose
The Cannonball Run,
Clash of the Titans,
Condorman
Come on, Granpa's!
Chariots of Fire,
Das Boot
Dead & Buried
Deadly Blessing
Deprisa, Deprisa,
The Devil and Max Devlin
Dragonslayer
Endless Love,
Escape from New York,
Escape to Victory,
Excalibur,
The Evil Dead,
Eyewitness,
The Fan,
For Your Eyes Only,
Fort Apache the Bronx,
The Four Seasons,
The Fox and the Hound,
The French Lieutenant's Woman,
Friday the 13th Part 2
Full Moon High
The Funhouse
Gallipoli,
Gangster Wars
Gas
The German Sisters,
The Great Muppet Caper
Halloween II,
The Hand,
Happy Birthday to Me
Hardly Working,
Harry's War,
Heavy Metal
History of the World: Part I,
The Howling,
Inseminoid
The Killing of Angel Street
The Land of Hunger
The Last Chase
The Legend of the Lone Ranger,
Lola,
Looker
Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior
Man of Iron,
Mephisto,
Modern Romance
Mommie Dearest,
My Bloody Valentine
My Dinner with Andre
Neighbors
Nice Dreams
Night Crossing
Nighthawks
Nobody's Perfekt
Omen III: The Final Conflict,
On Golden Pond,
Only When I Laugh,
Outland,
Pacific Banana
Pennies From Heaven,
Pixote,
Prince of the City,
The Private Eyes
Quest for Fire
Raggedy Man
Ragtime,
Raiders of the Lost Ark,
Reds,
Rich And Famous,
Roadgames
Saturday the 14th
Scanners,
Sogni d'oro
Southern Comfort,
Strange Behavior
Stripes,
Suddenly at Midnight
Superman II,
Sweet & Sour Cops
The Looney Looney Looney Bugs Bunny Movie
The Tale of Today, Tomorrow, and the Day After
Taps,
Tarzan, the Ape Man,
Taxi zum Klo
They All Laughed
They Don't Wear Black Tie
Thief,
This is Elvis
Time Bandits,
True Confessions,
Utilities,
Will
Wolfen,
Women We Salute You!
Zoot Suit,