Bobbie's Big Beaver Weekend

Someone actually spoke these words to me recently. They were simply talking about their sister going to visit some family members in the city of Beaver, near Pittsburgh. Kinda takes the wind out of those dirty thoughts you were just having huh?

So, I got to thinking about how some of the cities in PA were named. Many are the same as those in Britain/Europe: York, Carlisle, Derry, Manchester, Hamburg, Dublin. Some are Native American: Catawissa, Catasauqua, Monongahela, Nesquehoning. So I thought that it would be fun to collect a short list of all the funny named cities in the state of Pennsylvania. Those of you in PA know that I'll leave the best for last.

Apollo
Bath
Beaver
Bethlehem
Big Beaver
Black Lick
Blue Bell
Dallas
Forty Fort
Lick Run
Lightstreet
Mars
Mt. Joy
Mt. Pleasant
Scalp Level
Scott
Slickville
Snow Shoe
South Fork (Move over Ewing's!)
Sugarnotch
Towanda (Fried Green Tomatoes anyone?)
Versailles (Home of Louis XIV-not!)

I'm not 100% sure what the founding fathers of Pennsylvania were thinking of when they decided on a few cities located in Lancaster County. See, you may find yourself in Intercourse, but if you miss it, you will then arrive in Blue Ball just a short time later. Just after you pass Blue Ball you'll find in Bird-in-Hand. Hmmm, wonder what was on their mind?!?

I'll bet you have some strangely named cities in your state too. What are they?

99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall

I have written before about how conservative the state of Pennsylvania is. We do allow you to ride a motorcycle without a helmet, which I think they are reconsidering since the motorcycle death rate has gone up since the laws changed. And recently a select few Wine and Spirit shoppes have been permitted to sell wine and liquor (insert silly liquor joke here) on a Sunday. However, up till now, you could not buy beer on a Sunday (at least at a beer distributor.) Well hold on party people! I just saw a sign on the local beer distributor that as of Sunday September 4, 2005, you can now purchase beer at the distributors! I may actually have to start drinking!

Do You Like American Music?

If this title sounds familiar, you might be a Violent Femmes fan! If you don't know this band...I'm going to come find you and beat your ass!! Just a short 1 1/2 hours from where I live is Baltimore*, MD (*pronounced Balmore if you're from Balmore.) It was there that the Femmes performed live at an outside venue called The Power Plant Live. One of the best parts about this? IT WAS FREE! This place was like a complex. It had several restaurants and bars which all spilled out onto this plaza. They gave a wrist band to those over 21 upon entry. At my age, I certainly didn't expect to be carded, but they tried. I thanked them very kindly and told them to put the damned wrist band on me. Geez!

Prior to the show we ventured down to Fell's Point. This place is a very old harbor town, cobblestoned streets, lots of shops and bars. Fell's Point is very synonymous with bars. You may also remember several years ago on NBC there was a television show called Homicide. That show was filmed mostly in this area of Baltimore. Another bit of trivia from this area is that the rats are the size of cats. Yikes! We had a bite and a pint at Slainte (slan-cha) and Irish pub. And, it was on their TV's we sat back and watched The Bad News Bears, I mean the Baltimore Orioles get their asses beat. What the heck? That was just a pathetic game. 7 runs in the first inning?? One of the players for the O's is from a town called Sunbury, about an hour away from where I live. Of course, he was sitting in the bullpen twiddling his thumbs. (Dean, can you do something about that guy?)

After we left Fell's Point, we went to Federal Hill. This is a more residential area of Baltimore, with bars, shops and an enormous farmer's market. But of course, if you've ever been to Baltimore, you know for the most part it's a scary freaking place. One wrong turn and you are in the heart of the ghetto, another turn and your back to safety.

Then it was off to The Power Plant. When we got there, there wasn't many people there and it started to rain almost immediately. I was getting the feeling I was at a frat party. Everyone was of college age, we were probably some of the oldest people there. Kill me now! We saw a bunch of guys walking around backstage that were probably in their 60's with batik print shirts on. I'm thinking, wow, did the Femmes really age in the last couple of years? The Femmes came on soon after the opening band was done. And we soon found out that the guys in the brightly colored shirts were part of the band and played various very odd instruments. I was watching the one guy-he was totally Wavy Gravy. We were front and center and I would have gotten some great pictures. But you never know if they allow camera's or not.

The Femmes were just insane, played Blister in the Sun almost immediately. The bass player is a giant of a man and played an acoustic bass, an electric bass, a bass that didn't have any body to it, just strings on a piece of wood and last I saw he was playing a conch shell. The lead singer played electric guitar and a fiddle. And the drummer, well he played the drums, but as always it was just a snare and bass drum. They were totally bizarre and very much fun. I'm so glad I got to see them!

Cat Personal Ad's

13 year old male SHDT (Short Haired Domestic Tabby) ISO same between ages of 10 and 15. I am an insulin dependent diabetic with a hyperactive thyroid. I like to snuggle and rough-house if you are willing. I also like to bite unexpectedly (those are the best kind, catch 'em off guard!) I will pester the life out of you until you get out of bed. But once I'm fed and have all my meds, I will take a nap. I love treats but especially love chicken. I like walks in the grass which I also like to eat because it makes me throw up on the carpet. If you promise to take naps with me and give me long drinks from the bathtub, I'm your man! Maybe we can catch grasshoppers together.

10 year old female SHDT ISO same between ages of 9-13. I do not like to be picked up or snuggle. I will sit beside you on the couch. I will munch on your hair and rub on your face. Sometimes I even purr. I do not bite and will not pester you for anything. I do have a bit of a snoring problem, so bring earplugs. I love chicken and do not ever wish to go outside. It's scary out there! I like to lay in the tub because it's nice and cool. I also would appreciate you not making fun of my waddle that swings when I run. As you can see I also like flowers. What girl doesn't?

Help!

One of the cats was laying on the keyboard and now everything comes up with a huge font size. The resolution from the control panel is 1024X768. What do I do to get it changed back?

It's My Own Damn Fault!

On my way home from work today I was sitting at a traffic light and hear the radio from the car next to me. It was on 97.3 The River, and they were playing Margaritaville, but it wasn't the usual version. So, I quick flipped on the radio and got the station in. It was a live version of Margaritaville. I crank the song, the windows are open, sun's a shining and I'm singing my heart out! Then the announcer comes on and says, that was for all of you traveling east on the turnpike tonight goin to see Jimmy Buffet at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. DAMN IT! Thanks for reminding me. These tickets went on sale months ago but I was not on top of things and forgot to check Jimmy's web site for updated tour info. Tix for Jimmy's shows sell out very quickly so if you don't get them on the first day forget it. I could be there tonight, I could be there Saturday night, but no.

I did get to see Jimmy a couple of years ago. We got up literally in the middle of the night and drove to NYC to see him perform live on the Today show. People had been waiting since 5:00 the day before, which is just insane. It was great to have seen him in NYC, but I need to go to a concert...before I die. Here's some pics from when he was on the Today show.


This is the 6:00 a.m. warm up...yikes!






The crowd!











Al, Katie and Matt with their "island" look.

Permission Slips

It's been quite since I needed to have a permission slip completed, but I recently was sent these for use now that I'm an adult.

See, they're to be used when one member in a partnership wishes to go out with friends. Girls, the first one is for you to complete for a girls night out. Guys yours is just below. It should be completed when you'd like a guys night out. Feel free to print these off as needed!




APPLICATION FOR A NIGHT OUT WITH THE GIRLS

Name of Girlfriend/Fiancé/Partner/Wife:

I’m going out.

Signed: (me) _____________________________







APPLICATION FOR A NIGHT OUT WITH THE BOYS

Name of Boyfriend/Fiancé/Husband:

I request permission for a leave of absence from the highest authority in my life for the following period:


Time of return
Date: Time of departure: NOT to exceed:

Should permission be granted, I do solemnly swear to only visit the locations stated below, at the stated times. I agree to refrain from hitting on or flirting with other women. I shall not even speak to another female, except as expressly permitted in writing below. I will not turn off my cell after two pints, nor shall I consume above the allowed volume of alcohol without first phoning for a taxi AND calling you for a verbal waiver of said alcohol allowance. I understand that even if permission is granted to go out, my girlfriend/fiancé/wife retains the right to be pissed off with me the following week for no valid reason whatsoever.





Amount of alcohol allowed (units) Beer Wine Liquor Total
Location: From: To:
Location: From: To:
Location: From: To:
Locations to be visited



Females with whom conversation
is permitted

IMPORTANT – STRIPPER CLAUSE: Notwithstanding the female contact permitted above, I promise to refrain from coming within one hundred (100) feet of a stripper or exotic dancer. Violation of this Stripper Clause shall be grounds for immediate termination of the relationship.

I acknowledge my position in life. I know who wears the trousers in our relationship, and I agree it’s not me. I promise to abide by your rules & regulations. I understand that this is going to cost me a fortune in chocolates & flowers. You reserve the right to obtain and use my credit cards whenever you wish to do so. I hereby promise to take you on an unlimited shopping spree, should I not return home by the approved time. On my way home, I will not pick a fight with any stranger, nor shall I conduct in-depth discussions with said entity. Upon my return home, I promise not to urinate anywhere other than in the toilet. In addition, I will refrain from waking you up, breathing my vile breath in your face, and attempting to breed like a (drunken) rabbit.

I declare that to the best of my knowledge (of which I have none compared to my BETTER half), the above information is correct.
Signed - Boyfriend/Fiancé/Husband:



Request is: APPROVED DENIED

This decision is not negotiable. If approved, cut permission slip below and carry at all times.
"……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Permission for my boyfriend/fiancé/husband to be away for the following period of time:


Date: Time of departure: Time of return:

Signed – Girlfriend/Fiancé/Wife:

Moral Dilemma

Maybe this isn't a moral one but I'm curious what you folks would do. I live across the street from the church I go to which is currently under major renovations. There is a daycare center in the church too. Because of the renovations going on the daycare play area was moved almost directly in front of my house. The kids must be lead by the adults almost the full length of my street, across the church parking lot and then into the church where the rooms are for the daycare. I was doing my normal stuff round the house after I got home from work this afternoon. I had all the windows and doors open because it was just beautiful out today. As I walked past my front door, I happened to look out and notice that the daycare workers are leading the kids from the play area back to the inside of the church. Nothing odd there, happens all the time. I came past my front door again about 10 minutes later and see a little boy round 3-4 years old unlatching the gate to the play area to let himself OUT so he can return to the church with the other kids. So, here's this small child, completely unattended walking the full length of the street, across the parking lot and into the church. I was freaking out! This is a perfect example of why, if I ever have kids, they will NEVER go to a daycare center.

So, my question for you all; should I report this situation?

Does Scott Adams Know Me or What?

Alive! She Cried

Tonight I went out to hear some live music at a local club/bar. I found two things are apparently alive and well in central PA. One is 80's hair bands. Yep, the opening band tonight did covers of all your favorite hair band songs; Ratt, Guns N' Roses, Twisted Sister, etc. First thing I noticed was that a majority of the crowd also had that 80's long hair with the required attire-tank tops and jean shorts. Some of them even broke out their brand-spanking new "wife beater" tank tops for the big night out.

The other thing alive and well is The Doors. Well, actually they've been reincarnated in a band called Riders on the Storm. This band has been together for 15 years. The lead singer is not nearly as hot as Jim was in the good ole days but he certainly sounds like him. The singer of this band is doing his fat Jim Morrison impersonation, you know beard and all. Funny thing is Ray Manzarek and Robbie Kreiger from the original Doors are touring again. They started out as 21st Century Doors but have apparently changed their name to...you guessed it! Riders on the Storm. I remember watching Jeopardy one evening and the cover band Riders.... was an answer to a question!

Invariably, there is a girl that always shows up to the Riders show. She's quite scary and I think may have ridden the short bus to school if you know what I mean. She's always all over the lead singer and makes lewd gestures to him while he's singing. She dances like Elaine from Seinfeld. This time she brought a friend, and she too was quite scary, so, the lead singer had double trouble on his hands. And also without change, I think both of them ended up on their asses because of a slippery dance floor before the evening was over.

So, you've probably guessed by now I'm a Doors freak, and, you would be correct! I met Ray Manzarek once, got his autograph, spoke to him briefly after I found my voice which had apparently been stolen. Then, I sobbed uncontrollably all the way home. Yea, I'm crazy. I have visited Jim at Pere Lachaise cemetery in Paris just about every time I'm there. And, as you know, it is the only place I go, only thing I talk about. So, I have for you here a couple of pics from one of my visits with Jim. Yes, people still visit and leave flowers. There are usually tour guides, not official ones, but tour guides non-the-less in the cemetery that will help you find your way to Jim. $1.05 to anyone who knows what the line means beneath the dates on Jim's stone.

Mission Accomplished!

Today was a very big day. My nephew Patrick took his driving test. And yes, he passed!
The scary part was after he passed his driving test and he drove to his high school for the remainder of band camp. There were a few near misses! I was thinking maybe the department of transportation wanted to reconsider giving this child a license. I'm sure the weather had much to do with it. Doesn't it always seem people are more stupid when the roads are wet?

It's All About Me, Deal With It!

I am borrowing the following questions from my friend Aaron's blog. Feel free to copy and paste to your own or answer in the comments.

1. When you look at yourself in the mirror, what's the first thing you look at? Probably my nose, to make sure nothin's hangin'.
2. How much cash do you have on you right now? $277.00 which is way too much, I must go shopping!
3. What's a word that rhymes with "TEST"? best
4. Favourite plant? Uhhh, flowers?
.5. Who is the 4th person on your missed call list on your cell phone? Neal
6. What is your main ring tone on your phone? Ring 4
7. What shirt are you wearing? Old Navy t-shirt
8. Do you "label" yourself? Don't think so, I'm too busy labeling everyone else. I'M KIDDING!
9. Name brand of your shoes currently wearing? Parade
10. Do you prefer a bright or dark room? Bright!
11. What did you have for breakfast? Nuthin
12. What were you doing at midnight last night? Sleeping
13. Last thought you had before you had a wreck? I know many of you will find this hard to believe, but it's been quite some time so I don't remember.
14. What did your last text message you received on your cell phone say? I don't text.
15. Do you ever click on "Pop Ups" or Banners? Only by mistake
16. What's an expression that you say a lot? Fuck you, you fuckin' fucker!
17. Who told you they loved you last? Now this is sad...I don't know.
18. Last furry thing you touched? My cats
19. How many hours a week do you work? Way too freaking many...37.5
20. How many rolls of film do you need to get developed? None, got a digital!
21. Favourite age you have been so far? 24
22. Your worst enemy? Myself
23. What is your current desk top picture? Palm trees/sunset
24. What was the last thing you said to someone? Ewww!
25. If you had to choose between a million bucks or to be able to go back in time and fix mistakes which would you choose? Million Bucks baby!

Can I Get an Amen?

Got the final grade....Statistics is officially behind me, I passed with a more than fabulous C-. I did the happy dance!!


Here's s'more pics from the shore.





When driving a long distance, do you ever see something and go..."what the...?" Yea, that's what we thought when we were passing by a SPHINX in the middle of Maryland or Delaware or wherever the heck we were!

Game Results

If you read Interstellar Lass's blog, you know she recently played a game. And, since I was away, I didn't see it until last night. So, after much kicking and screaming, she obliged me. Here are the questions she answered about me, because, isn't is always about me? Thanks IL!

The song or movie reminds IL of me: Girls Just Wanna Have Fun-Cyndi Lauper (excellent choice, because we do love to have fun!!)
The flavor/color of jello she would wrestle me in (everyone grab your cameras!): Mango Rum (absolutely mon!)
This will only make sense to me: I'm booking my flight (yippee!!)
IL's first memory of me: She likes cool shoes!
The animal I remind her of (this one could be dangerous!): A white tiger (they have pretty blue eyes too) awww! Thanks IL!
Something IL has always wondered about me: What time do the bars open in PA? Can I get in a run and then go straight for a drink? I know of one bar that is open at 7 and all the guys that work at night go in there. It's a dumpy bar, but you could definitely go for a run and go to the bar! Otherwise you'll have to wait until round 11 ish. Remember, we still think we're Quakers around here.

Greetings from OCMD!

Mysrey and I are back safe and sound from our long weekend in OCMD! That's Ocean City, MD for those of you reading this from the far reaches of the world. From where we live, that's about a four hour drive. The roads are much better than when I was a kid, which always resulted in my dad getting lost somewhere round Avondale (mushroom capital of the world...I'm talking the kind you'd eat on a pizza or feed your kids, geez!)

Got to the beach early on Friday and we promptly hit the sand, which was quite hot the entire time we were there. We lugged our chairs, umbrella, towels, and sunscreen to a prime spot near the water. The water was chilly mostly due to that darned hurricane sitting in the Atlantic. The waves were pounding the crap out of us and there was a pretty strong rip current as well. Needless to say, we didn't spend too much time in the ocean. Also due to the strong waves, our bathing suits had a nice collection of sand in them. God knows what other kinds of critters may have gotten in there! Friday night was spent up on the boardwalk where we found a nice pizza shop on a rooftop. The breeze was nice there and the beer was cold, and didn't last very long.

Saturday a.m. I was up at the crack of dawn and down to the beach for some pics. The sunrises in OC aren't that great. The sunsets are much better. It's always pretty hazy there in the morning which obscures the sunrise. I parked myself on the lifeguard stand for a while and enjoyed the quiet, peaceful morning.

After I got back, Mysrey and I went for a bike ride on the boardwalk. We did this Sunday morning as well. Sometimes this can be a little perilous because of other slow bikes or kids on bikes. I had a few near misses myself. Here's some pics from our Sunday bike ride.




Life Saving Museum, OCMD. Notice in the far right of the pic is a ginormous shark caught off the coast of OC in the 80's. Also notice that annoying thing that looks like a car but is really a bike? You can fit about four adults in the stupid thing and go at a snails pace. They are the things that clog up the boardwalk in the morning. Hate them!

Here you have the ever present sand sculptures, always done with a religious theme.
And here's an example of the fine cultural centers one can find in OC. Do people really buy "art work" from this place???

So, after our morning rides, we went to Hall's for the breakfast buffet extravaganza! Lots of yummy fruit and my favorite, Tater Tots with the pool of ketchup on the side. On Sunday morning I introduced Mysrey to an OC landmark-The Fractured Prune. They make donuts to order. They are cake donuts, still hot with whatever toppings you want. They are deeelish! Monday morning we went for breakfast at the Bayside Skillet. They make huge omelets, blintzes, and crepes. My omelet had cream cheese, brown sugar and topped with strawberries. It's heaven!!

Dinner Saturday night was just across the street at the Bonfire. This place boasts a 100 foot buffet. I still feel bloated and fat when I think about it. I had crab legs galore! Sunday's dinner was at Fager's Island on the bay side. We sat out in the wonderful sunshine and enjoyed a nice meal. Here's Mysrey giving the menu a really good once over!

We decided to bypass our usual nap after the beach on Sunday for some fun at Seacrets. This place is just absolutely insane! It's like a city unto itself. You can wear your bathing suit there because they have rafts in the bay you can float on and have the waitress bring you drinks. You can play volleyball in the water as well or stay under the shade of the palm trees and snack on a jerk chicken sandwich. There's about 20 bars in the place and they all serve Seacrets signature drink a Pain in the Ass. It's a layered drink made from frozen Rum Runners and Pina Coladas. If you have too many you may end up on your ass! Check out the Seacrets link above, you have to see it to believe it! Check out the live web cam too!

Last night, Mysrey and I met up with our friend Kelly who was originally from central PA but decided to follow her heart and move to the beach. We met Kelly and company down at M. R. Ducks. That's not Mister Ducks...it's M.R. They sell t-shirts with the following conversation on the back...see if you can follow along: M.R. Ducks, M.R. not, O.S.A.R., C.M. Wangs?, L.I.B. M.R. Ducks. Got it?!? So, there's a live band there, lots of dancing, scarily close to the water I might add. The outside bar is on a boat dock. There's no railing anywhere to prevent someone from falling into the murkey depths of the bay. Gives me goosebumps just thinking about it. I just love what the humid beach air does to my hair...yikes! Kelly introduced me and Mysrey to Jager Bombs. Yea, that's a shot of Jagermeister and Red Bull. Kelly has her very own special cups for drinking this concoction. I lost count how many I had but the Red Bull seems to take the hallucinogenes out of the Jager, thank goodness! After a couple of drinks there, it was off to The Bearded Clam, a few more Jager Bombs and a couple of renditions of "I've Got Friends in Low Places" and "Margaritaville" and we called it a night. I'm betting Kelly and crowd continued on! Kelly, thanks for the Jager Bombs and all the fun...and do you remember how to spell shut up?? Shuuuut uuuup!

We had a great weekend, no sun burns, blisters, or poisoning, just great memories!

Raise the Jolly Roger!

The flag is a-flying and the poop deck has been swabbed. It must be time for vacation! Me and Mysrey will be trippin' to the beach on Friday for a long weekend. I'm sure there will be plenty of stories and pics to follow.

I had my cat Lester outside this afternoon. He's allowed only supervised outings, sometimes on a leash, sometimes not depending on his mood. He's grown accustomed to jumping up on the wall in my carport to get a nibble on the cat nip I have potted there. I happened to find a sprout growing out in the yard in the spring. It actually got pretty big. That is until one of the neighborhood cats annhililated it one night. I noticed the main stem was broken and there were pieces of cat hair stuck to it. But, the little plant hung on. Now this is all that's left after the constant nibbling:

And those other "things" in the pot are locust shells. I've been collecting them for my little friend Sophia, my friend Stacy's daughter. She's 4 and loves bugs.

My dad used to find these shells for me and I still look for them in the summer. Sophia loves me too, because we play "the running around game." That consists of me chasing her up and down the long hallway in their home with lots of screaming at the top of our lungs. Yea, mom and dad LOVE that game!

It's Just Not Fair!

Is it me or sometimes when you find out that someone is sick, say Peter Jennings for example that you say to yourself or even outloud...oh, he was a smoker. And, somehow that justifies the fact that the man had a terminal illness that finally took his life. He quit smoking 20 years ago! Here's another example. Christopher Reeve's wife Dana, who stood by her husband, took care of him until his dying day has found out she has lung cancer.

No, she wasn't a smoker. There's no justification here.

So You Think You Know Everything?

A dime has 118 ridges around the edge.
A cat has 32 muscles in each ear.
A crocodile cannot stick out its tongue.
A dragonfly has a life span of 24 hours.
A goldfish has a memory span of three seconds.
A "jiffy" is an actual unit of time for 1/100th of a second.
A shark is the only fish that can blink with both eyes.
A snail can sleep for three years. (I would like to be able to do that!)
Al Capones's business card said he was a used furniture dealer.
All 50 states are listed across the top of the Lincoln Memorial on the back of the $5 bill.
Almonds are a member of the peach family.
An ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain.
Babies are born without kneecaps. They don't appear until the child reaches 2 to 6 years of age.
Butterflies taste with their feet.
Cats have over one hundred vocal sounds. Dogs only have about 10. (that's cause cats are better!)
"Dreamt" is the only English word that ends in the letters "mt".
February 1865 is the only month in recorded history not to have a full moon.
In the last 4,000 years, no new animals have been domesticated.
If the population of China walked past you, in single file, the line would never end because of the rate of reproduction.
If you are an average American, in your whole life, you will spend an average of 6 months waiting at red lights.
It's impossible to sneeze with your eyes open. (I had a friend that tried to do this all the time, she swore she could too)
Leonardo Da Vinci invented the scissors.
Maine is the only state whose name is just one syllable.
No word in the English language rhymes with month, orange, silver, or purple.
On a Canadian two dollar bill, the flag flying over the Parliament building is an American flag.
Our eyes are always the same size from birth, but our nose and ears never stop growing. (now there's something to be happy about!)
Peanuts are one of the ingredients of dynamite.
Rubber bands last longer when refrigerated.
"Stewardesses" is the longest word typed with only the left hand and lollipop" with your right.
The average person's left hand does 56% of the typing.
The cruise liner, QE2, moves only six inches for each gallon of diesel that it burns.
The microwave was invented after a researcher walked by a radar tube and a chocolate bar melted in his pocket.
The sentence: "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog" uses every letter of the alphabet.
The winter of 1932 was so cold that Niagara Falls froze completely solid.
The words 'racecar,' 'kayak' and 'level' are the same whether they are read left to right or right to left (palindromes).
There are 293 ways to make change for a dollar.
There are more chickens than people in the world.
There are only four words in the English language which end in "dous": tremendous, horrendous, stupendous, and hazardous
There are two words in the English language that have all five vowels in order: "abstemious" and "facetious."
There's no Betty Rubble in the Flintstones Chewables Vitamins. (hmm, I never noticed)
Tigers have striped skin, not just striped fur.
TYPEWRITER is the longest word that can be made using the letters only on one row of the keyboard.
Winston Churchill was born in a ladies' room during a dance.
Women blink nearly twice as much as men.
Your stomach has to produce a new layer of mucus every two weeks; otherwise it will digest itself. (eww!)

Now you know everything!

It's the Beginning of the End

I stepped outside round 8:30 and felt the breeze.....IT WAS COLD! Cold for me is anything below or around 75 degrees. The skies were cloudy, breeze blowin. Now if I was sitting outside for any period of time, I would have definitely needed a jacket. That is so wrong for the beginning of August. A couple of years ago I had a 16th birthday party for my nephew. I had it at the community pool at the end of August. His birthday is in September. It was freezing. Only the kids got in the pool because the adults would have simply frozen!

Key point here is that it's August. We should be complaining about the heat and humidity. But no, it's chilly outside...I've even turned off the A/C and opened the windows. It's not fair, where does the summer go?

I'm going to stick my head in the oven!

Got Ketchup?

For those of you that put up with me on a daily basis are well aware of my love affair with ketchup. Actually I know there are other ketchup lovers out there like my friend Stacey. We have to check the fullness of a bottle when out to eat to ensure we will have plenty for our food. It's not just for breakfast! It's not really a condiment, it's a food group! I don't love ketchup to the point of putting it on things like mashed potatoes, or potato chips or anything like that but I do love it on eggs, tater tots (yum!), grilled cheese sandwiches, onion rings, pierogies (does everyone know what they are?) and french fries of course. Since I don't eat meat, the obvious hamburgers, hot dogs etc. are not on the list.

I must apologize for the embarassment I cause my family and friends with my obvious ketchup addiction. This is especially important when at a restaurant (or work) where a bottle of ketchup is not available and I'm forced to grab 10-20 packets of ketchup, even sometimes requiring help from my friends (hey, another Beatles song) to grab some packs too.

Ahoy Matey!

My nephew Patrick and I set sail aboard the R.M.S. Titanic today.

The exhibit is located at The Whitaker Center in Harrisburg.

Upon entry to the exhibit, you are given a boarding pass which details the real life passenger's information as seen here on our boarding passes. You don't find out if you survived or not until the end of the exhibit. Patrick was a 25 year old man from Sweden traveling in second class named Kurt Arnold Gorrfrid Bryhl traveling with his sister and her fiancee. He was going to America to stay with his uncle in Rockford, IL. He boarded the ship at Southampton (isn't there a Beatles song in there?) I was a 53 year old woman traveling first class named Mrs. Helen Churchill Candee from Washington D.C. and traveling alone (hello sailor!) I had spent several months in Europe doing research for my latest book Tapestry. I was attempting to get home to care for my son Howard who had been seriously injured in a plane crash. I was a practical and freethinking woman who had written a book titled How a Woman May Earn a Living which gave advice to women on how to get along without a man to support them (kinda eerily coincidental?)

In the exhibit, there were film reels of the ships construction, rivets, bolts, and stories of the men that helped to build her. These men worked six days a week for nine hours a day to meet the deadline of completing the ship. Once the ship was put into the water it took 10 months to completely outfit the ship with the amenities that made it the luxury liner of the time.

There was fully constructed state rooms for first and third class. The third class travelers bunked with three other people per room. While the first class travelers had sitting rooms, fine tiled bathrooms (found examples of each of the tiles from the different classes were on display), access to the smoking rooms and the Turkish baths. A top notch, first class ticket on board Titanic cost $4500 ($79,000 in today's money.)

Other found objects were perfume bottles, medicine bottle (with the contents still in tact), hair brushes, cuff links, money, blankets, uniforms, a porthole, plates, cups, silverware and a first class chandelier.

At the end of the exhibit, was a real iceberg. You could touch it and see how long you could keep your hand on its 32 degree surface. The water these passengers were dumped into was 28 degrees. Most died from hypothermia not drowning. There were story boards that detailed the life of some of the more prominent passengers and their fate. These boards told the very sad stories of human nature in a time of crisis. Like that of Bruce Ismay, the directing manager of the White Star line who pushed in line in front of women and children just as the life boat was being lowered to safety. He was rescued by the Carpathia and even asked for an isolated state room there. He was ridiculed for the rest of his life because of this. There was another story of a woman that was separated from her infant child who were later reunited but only after another survivor claimed the child as her own. The best stories (and yes, I almost shed a tear) were those of the band leader and band members who played (purportedly Nearer My God To Thee, the song the band leader wished to have played at his funeral) on the deck as the ship sank. There was also the priest who was returning to America to perform the wedding of his brother who saved the souls of those who knew they were going to die and prayed on the deck as the ship went down. There was also the wife who could have been saved but had been with her husband for 50 years and said as in life they would also die together. Much of this was portrayed in the move Titanic but to actually be there and read it for yourself is so much more moving.

By the way, Helen Churchill Candee survived, Kurt Bryhl did not.

It Wasn't Pretty

...the test that is. I think the overall feeling from the students was the test was pretty hard. I sat down, looked at the first question and had no clue even how to begin. I started somewhere in the middle of the test till I got some of the answers (thank God for multiple choice!)

I finally surrendered and turned my paper in. I didn't do well, but I don't think it's going to affect my final grade too badly. I'm just glad it's done!!

Again, thanks for all the support!!

SE%=SEsum/nX100

Drum roll please...

Tonight is the final for the dreaded Statistics class I've been taking. I've studied, I've been tutored. I feel like I'm going to sit down tonight with the test in front of me and have no clue what I'm doing.

My plan of attack is drink more water....you know, for clear thoughts. Keeping your fingers crossed, burn a candle, say a prayer for me, whatever it takes, it is greatly appreciated. I will do the same.