Droppings

I don't know what gets dropped around the country in order to countdown to the New Year, but here in central PA, there's a plethora of gatherings a person can go to with all kinds of things being dropped in celebration:

Hershey--what else but a giant Hershey's Kiss?

Lebanon--of course a 150 pound 12 foot long Lebanon Bologna, which will be donated to a local food shelter

Lancaster--no, nothing Amish will be dropped but Lancaster is the Red Rose city, a red rose will be raised, not dropped. It might be kinda fun to find out what they drop in Blue Ball, Intercourse and Paradise?!??

York--the white rose city will raise...a white rose.

Harrisburg--a strawberry. I don't know why.

Falmouth--a town between Middletown and Bainbridge has the famous goat drop. Your guess is as good as mine as to why! They are also known for the goat races that take place there. Apparently, they have a thing for goats.

Dillsburg--a pickle

Carlisle--a mini-Indy car. Carlisle is well known for its car shows.

Mechanicsburg--a wrench

According to the local news there are also towns that drop a spring, a bag of potato chips, a shoe, a lollipop, an M&M, a cow, a canal boat, a huckleberry and the list goes on.

No matter where you are, I hope you have a wonderful, safe New Year!

Ice Storm 2007

Of course, this was a couple of weeks ago, and the ice has gone completely since it has been in the 50's many days.

This is the big pine tree that bit it, because of all the ice on it.

I'm Baaaack!

We're now back in the 21st century with Internet capabilities. Seems our telephone line was disconnected during the clean up of all the trees from the storm. Hope everyone had a great Christmas and has a wonderful New Year!!!

There's No Place Like Home

Ok, so rewind back to Sunday. A peaceful Sunday afternoon on the couch, watching movies and wondering where all the snow was that was predicted for the night before. Instead we got a nice, thick coating of ice on everything. It was actually quite beautiful, especially when the sunlight was on it. (Pictures to follow!)

Quickly this pastoral setting ended with a thud. Literally. And then all the lights and t.v. went dark. We quickly ran to the back window to see what happened. There it was, the approximately 40 year old pine tree, that has to be at least 50 feet tall was uprooted and laying on it's side with the power lines to my house underneath.

Immediately, a fire was built as it was late afternoon and it would soon be getting cold inside. And, I frantically began searching for the phone number for the Pennsylvania Power and Light (PPL) company. It was almost impossible to even get a recorded message with PPL as many residents in our area were without power due to the ice storm. I finally got to a person and was able to plead my case. She recorded my information and said, according to our information, the best estimate we can give you as to when your power will be restored is Wednesday at 6:00 p.m.

Needless to say I wasn't happy but we dug out flashlights and lit the candles and tried to make the best of it. We decided the next day to pack up the troops and move into a hotel till the power was back on. We just returned today. The hotel was full of people (and animals) just like us that had no power.

The good from all this: The outpouring of concern from friends and coworkers. Some of these people I barely know and were offering up their place for us to come stay. The hotel workers also enjoyed seeing us come through the lobby to take the dog out and were extremely accomodating. La Quinta rocks!!! The hotel bill wasn't as expensive and we even checked out really late and they didn't charge us for an additional day. The animals quickly adapted to their new surroundings without any "accidents." We also found that running up and down the hallway was a fine source of entertainment. And finally, yay for insurance!

Thanks to our friends who offered up their homes and showers and sympathized with our predicament. It's really good to be home!

A Christmas Meme

Welcome to the Christmas edition of getting to know your friends. Anyone who wants to play along, feel free. Try not to be a SCROOGE!!!

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Both!
2. Real tree or Artificial? None :(
3. When do you put up the tree? Sorta answered this already
4. When do you take the tree down? Don't have to worry about that.
5. Do you like egg nog? Yeppers! YUM!!
6. Favorite gift received as a child? Probably a bike or TV
7. Do you have a nativity scene? Yea, but it's in the attick and I think about digging it out and putting in on my fireplace mantle.
8. Hardest person to buy for? Brian, he usually buys what he wants and never says, "oh, that's cool, I'd like that."
9. Easiest person to buy for? Patrick, he likes food and is a college student.
10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail, there is no other way.
11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? Exercise equipment/gear
12. Favorite Christmas movie? Christmas Story
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? If I see something anytime I get it and will save it, otherwise, whenever I really start thinking about what people would like.
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? I don't think so.
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Christmas dinner and/or cookies.
16. Clear lights or colored on the tree? If I put one up, colored, that wasn't a racist remark either.
17. Favorite Christmas song? In the Bleak Midwinter
18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Depends
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Yes, and Olive is my favorite!
20. Angel on the tree top or star? I think I have a star.
21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Hopefully I have a ton of gifts to open, so BOTH!
22. Most annoying thing about this time of year? People out on the roads going to the mall.
23. Favorite ornament theme or color? I have an angel ornament that is really old. A mouse chomped the wing and it's kinda funny.
24. Favorite for Christmas dinner? Veggies, stuffing, mashed potatoes
25. What do you want for Christmas this year? To take a trip somewhere warm.
26. Who is most likely to respond to this? Brian and Interstellar Lass, maybe Bone, maybe Michael
27. Who is least likely to respond to this? That's hard to say.

Remembering

I believe in God, but not as one thing, not as an old man in the sky. I believe that what people call God is something in all of us. I believe that what Jesus and Mohammed and Buddha and all the rest said was right. It's just that the translations have gone wrong. -John Lennon

I Am Penn State

Bet you never thought you'd see these words written on this blog at least. Well, it's true. I was accepted at Penn State as part of their graduate program where I'll be majoring in American Studies.


American Studies focuses on the culture, society and folklore in America with some classes dealing with museum studies and administration. And since I want to work in a museum or some sort of historical preservation job when I'm done with all this, are two of the reasons I decided on this area of study.


I was beginning to lose hope in hearing from Penn State as it has been a couple of months since I had submitted my paperwork and had asked my professors from my undergraduate studies to send in letters of recommendation to PSU. I was just starting to get lazy again to; enjoying the couch a little too much, and not having to worry about homework. That's a good feeling!


On the other hand, I'm looking again for a challenge and have that goal of having a job that I go to every day that I really love.









Disclaimer: The aforementioned information in no way indicates that the claimant has forsaken Notre Dame as her favorite college football team. Nor does she claim allegiance to named university for anything other than academics.

You Know You're From Pennsylvania When....

The first Monday after Thanksgiving is a big deal around the great state of Pennsylvania. It's the first day of Buck hunting season and is a school holiday. You know deer hunting, that all time favorite sport of getting out into the woods before the sun has had time to rise as the stealthy hunter cracks open is first beer of the day. He hunkers down as he waits for his prey to enter his domain. If the hunter is lucky he will not have fallen asleep nor will have finished his entire 6 pack before the deer makes his appearance.

I can't help making fun of the first day of Buck season. These people beg for it. It all starts with the monster trucks they drive 365 days of the year complete with a gun rack. The back of their trucks are usually covered with NRA stickers, Bush/Cheney stickers, the mandatory Nascar stickers of the Calvin and Hobbes character peeing on a particular car number and the occasional Confederate flag. They dress in camo on days when they aren't hunting, chew tobaccy, and often behave in the sterotypical "You might be a Redneck" manner. I think you can figure them out on your own.

Perhaps instead of giving kids off for the first day of deer season, they should make them go to school and learn all the state flags. Pennsylvania is considering changing their state flag to actually read "The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania" on the flag since many people aren't able to identify the flag on their own. Geesh.

Oh, happy Cyber-Monday by the way. This is also the first "official" day of on-line shopping season. And yes, that's the name I heard a news reporter call it. That makes it official.

Yea, It's The Big Day

I Can't Believe I Ate the Whole Thing

Turkey Day

It's almost the big day! Is everybody ready to stuff their faces? Lay around and watch football? Take long naps? Give thanks?

What's everyone doing? Going? Having for dinner?

Le Beaujolais Nouveau est Arrive!!

This is a long French tradition celebrating the first wines of the fall harvest. We get it in the U.S. probably tomorrow. Go out, buy, enjoy!!!

Here I Go Again

I was at the store the other day thinking I needed to highlight my hair. So I was shopping for the right product; have to make sure it's Revlon since they don't test on animals. Then, I have to find the right highlighting product, I wasn't interested in "coloring" my hair. Then, I stepped around to the endcap and saw the Revlon sale products. Hair color, two for the price of one. Well, let's not pass up a sale!! They were all dark hair colors, which I'm not opposed to, I've done it before, I'll do it again. But, do I really want to go that route again? I decided against it and went for the blonde highlighting like I had originally planned.

But, I'm feeling the need for a change. Hair color, cut or something. I've been in love with her hair for a while. I think I'd like to just do it!!! That's Victoria Beckham, (a.k.a. Posh Spice) by the way.

Thank You

All Souls Day

In the Christian calendar there are two holidays that follow closely behind Halloween. They are All Saints Day and All Souls Day. On Sunday, we celebrated All Souls Day by lighting a candle and ringing a bell to honor the people from our congregation that had passed on to the

great church in heaven. At the end, the pastor then asked everyone to stand who had lost someone that year that didn't belong to our congregation but had played a role in exemplifying the Christian faith in that persons life. Many, many people rose to their feet. I sat there thinking how lucky I was that I hadn't lost anyone close to me over the past year.

Later that day however, I heard a knock at the door. It was my neighbor fellow. He and his wife have been living there since I was born. In fact, he and his wife fed my dad and sister on Thanksgiving the year that I was born since mom and I were at the hospital tending to more important matters. She always made sure that whenever they were helped with shoveling snow or mowing the lawn or
whatever, that homemade food was promptly sent over. Especially her homemade pierogies.



As usual, Jasmine ran out to greet him and he told me about his daughter who was up visiting and that she had brought her dog. And then he said, "my wife died today." He explained what had happened and that she died in her sleep just a few hours before he came to my door. This couple had been blessed with living on their own, and able to take care of their own home well into their nineties. In past conversations, they told me the story about how they met, that they liked to go dancing and that they had been married for over 60 years. How do you say goodbye to someone that you've loved and lived with for that long? I used to love to see them taking a walk around their yard hand-in-hand seeing what work needed to be done.



Later I thought how appropriate that we had just celebrated All Souls Day in church. She was a devout Byzantine Catholic and lived a long Christian life. She was truly a wonderful soul and will be sorely missed.

William Bouguereau (1895-1905)

Where I Live

I've been tagged by Interstellar Lass into telling you all about the wonderful things about central Pennsylvania. And so I will.

Best Place to Eat Since there was no limit on what could be spent at this best place to eat, I'm just going to the top of the list. That would be dining at The Hotel Hershey. This place has been a favorite of mine since I've been a little girl. The 75 year old hotel sits atop a hill that over looks the rolling hills of Hershey, PA. There's golfing and a world-class spa. There are four dining areas but my favorite is the Circular dining room serves contemporary American cuisine and provides views that look over the gardens and the Greek-styled architecture within the gardens.

The best treat in the Circular Dining room is Sunday brunch. I can't describe it, you have to experience it.

The Best Shopping Mall The best shopping in the Harrisburg area is to go out of the Harrisburg area. There are tons of "outlet" malls in Lancaster and Reading which are a short drive from Harrisburg. And there is the King of Prussia mall located just outside Philadelphia. This mall would take you days to visit in its entirety if you were a true shopper.

Famous Landmark This is a difficult one for me to decide on with all the Civil War history in this area, but I'm going to pick one of my personal favorites, The Harrisburg Cemetery. In this great cemetery just across the State Street bridge from the capitol building lies many notable figures including a former governor William Findlay, American sculptor George Barnard, many members of the U.S. House of Representatives as well as both Union and Confederate soldiers of the Civil War and soldiers from the Revolutionary War.

Best Tourism Attraction Hershey (the sweetest place on earth) which includes Hersheypark, which celebrated its 100 year birthday this year, Hershey Chocolate World, The Hotel Hershey, the Hershey Museum, Hershey Bears Hockey, and the Hershey Chocolate Factory which makes the town smell like chocolate.

Best Place for Kids The Whitaker Center which has an Imax Theater, and a Science Center that has interactive science exhibits that allow the kids to play and learn all at the same time. Currently there is an exhibit called Aliens allowing kids to use their imagination and learn about the science of extraterrestrial life.

Popular Outdoor Activity It is difficult to choose just one because outdoor activities change greatly depending on the weather. There's skiing and nature trails as well as hiking and biking trails. There is the PA Rennaissance Faire, and summer art festivals galore. In the fall, the leaves change so just taking a drive can be a treat. There are also apple festivals beginning in September where you can get apple pies, dumplings, dried apples, fritters and so on.

Breath-taking Views The views of Harrisburg that are my favorite can be seen by crossing over the Susquehanna River and seeing the Harrisburg skyline. The bridges over the Susquehanna are always eyecatching as well.

Only Found In This was probably the easiest for me. There's only one place to find Three Mile Island, site of the nuclear accident on March 28,1979 and that would be here. I remember getting sent home from Jr. High. It was kind of warm outside but there was a strange yellow haze hanging around. My family packed up and went to my aunt's near Allentown for the weekend till we heard that it was o.k. to return to our homes. I don't often travel by TMI, but I'm still fascinated by the awesome site of the cooling towers planted firmly on the ground, on an island, in the middle of the Susquehanna River. It's funny, the TMI jokes never seem to get old, there have been movies made referencing it, and many songs have been written including lyrics about it. The Clash, Alice Cooper, Kraftwerk, and Aerosmith. My favorite would have to be courtesy of Mr. Jimmy Buffett: "Don't want to land on no Three Mile Island, don't want to see my skin a-glow."

Let's Groove Tonight

All this weekend, the folks at my favorite radio station will be in Central PA. This once small station from the University of Pennsylvania has grown much bigger and is now "officially" in Central PA.

This weekend, they will be all over the place. But it's tonight when we get our funk on at our first ever Funky Friday party at the Whitaker Center! David Dye, host of the funk will be there playing everyone's favorite funk classics. Can't wait!!!

This Is My Life

Happy Halloween!

The Big Moment

A few weeks ago, I posted that my favorite radio station from the University of Pennsylvania was counting down the top 885 top musical moments as voted by their listeners and their extremely knowledgeable staff. Today was the big day, the final countdown to the number one event. And as I was driving home from work, I found out what it was. See if you can guess from this picture:

Yep, it was the 1968 festival of music and arts called Woodstock. God, that would have been fabulous to be there. I was two, I wonder why I wasn't allowed to go!?!? The entire countdown results are posted here.

A Beautiful Fall Day

Tobacco drying, Lancaster, Co.

There's nothing....

There's nothing like finding your place in the sun.

Or, on the piano.

Rivalries

Ya gotta love a good rivalry. When I went to school, our big rivalry was a school just down the road. I'm not sure why they were our rivals, we went to middle school with these kids and often the football team was pretty much a pushover. But, the name calling and pranks went on and apparently have continued. I found out today that the mascot costume (a ram) was recently stolen, perhaps by those darned panthers down the street at the rival high school. Not only was the costume stolen, they made a video depicting the rivalry.

It's somewhat amusing, however, the stealing of the mascot costume (which unfortunately constitutes a felony), and the apparent use of the school computers to make the video as well as the somewhat overtly sexual portrayals in the video have everyone's panties in a bunch.

Whatever happened to stealing each other's macots? Now it's a crime? The video is kinda funny, some things went a little too far, but at least they weren't out on the sidewak beating the crap out of each other. Have a sense of humor please!!

The video is below.

CD East High '08 Prank

Was That Really Necessary?

Happy Birthday to my sister Emily!

There's a link to a web page called Found Magazine to the right here. I guess it is actually a magazine where people send in things they find in books or on the street or in desk drawers. It's actually quite an interesting site. I did see a note on the sidewalk I could have sent in to Found Magazine while I was on my way to work the other day. I was going to pick it up and didn't. It said "Cheesy Handbags." Because if I were in the market for a handbag, I would certainly want it to be "cheesy."

When I go to work, even though it's in the city, I park in a residential area. Nice tree lined street, houses, small shops, etc. I got to my car yesterday afternoon and noticed there was a note stuck behind my windshield wiper. Thankfully it wasn't the fluorescent green color that indicates you have a parking ticket! I thought perhaps it was an advertisement or something. It wasn't. I think I should send it into Found Magazine.

Musical Moments

It was a warm day, I think in August, maybe September, when my dad and I took a trip an hour and a half away to The "Great" Allentown Fair. I was probably about 8 or 9 years old and I saw my dream, my heartthrob, the love of my life for the first time, in real life. Donny Osmond. My dad some how mustered up the courage to take his young daughter to her first concert, The Osmonds.

It was almost impossible to hear the music over the shreiking that was going on around us. And I was looking around the crowd and seeing a girl who was perched on top of a railing pass out and fall off. Wow! There even came a point when my brain went haywire and I started waving frantically at the stage where the entire Osmond clan was there on the stage in front of me. Their toothy smiles and glittering costumes singing the songs I had memorized from their Crazy Horses album.

Years later, I had to let Donny go for the newest, hottest guy, Shaun Cassidy. My mom had the honor of taking my friend and I to that concert. We were in the nose-bleed section amongst other screaming girls. I can still remember the name of the opening band....Virgin. They played a Queen song. Somehow I thought I'd never survive the crushes I had on these guys. But I did since there was always a new crush on the horizon.

My favorite radio station WXPN from the University of Pennsylvania is counting down the top 885 top musical moments as voted by the staff and listeners. You can even listen on line! These were a couple of my biggest musical moments, though I don't think that I'll be hearing Puppy Love or Da Do Ron Ron on the countdown anytime soon.

How The Sandwich Man Saved My Life

Perhaps you've seen him on TV or maybe you've read the book by Michael Gates Gill called How Starbucks Saved My Life. This is the story of a privileged kid who grows up, goes to Yale, gets a fabulous job on Madison Ave. at one of the most prestigious advertising firms in the world. Unfortunately, he was fired from his job, his on-going affair resulted in a divorce and he was diagnosed with a brain tumor. As I heard Gill say today in an interview, he was enjoying one of the last "luxuries" he thought he would have in a while by sitting at a Starbucks having a latte. Starbucks was having a job fair that day and the supervisor asked him if he'd like a job. He said yes, was hired and now makes about $10.50 an hour and is quite a happy camper from the looks of it. I've been seeing a lot of him on TV lately because his book is being made into a movie starring Tom Hanks as Gill.

For all you movie producers out there....I'd like Drew Barrymore to play me!

Carolina In My Mind

Thanks for all the well-wishes on our vacation. We had a good time! The weather tried to be difficult because their were strong winds coming off the ocean and every time we opened the third floor balcony door, a gust of wind would blow everything hither and yon. The wind nor the upper 70's weather kept us off the beach, though it did keep us out of the ocean for the most part. The winds made the ocean very rough, the undertow was very strong as were the rip currents. We also had a pool which was very chilly to get into for most of the week, so several of us, one prune-boy in particular rarely got out of the hot tub.

By the end of the week, the wind died down and the day we left was so stinkin hot that you perspired just from standing. There was almost no wind that day and combined with the heat, I'm sure we would have been eaten alive by mosquitoes.

Bri and I did take a drive down to Ocracoke Island and took a look at the sights there. We had to make a stop at Howard's Pub, the place to go on OINC!

Here's a few pics from the trip.

The beaches on Ocracoke are virtually deserted. You could potentially walk far enough that you probably wouldn't see anyone the entire day. I love the designs the wind makes on the sand.
This little bird is undoubtedly looking for something yummy to eat. There are little sand crabs all over the beaches in NC. They are very entertaining to watch because they run sideways after each other and you can get close enough to them to watch them bringing armloads of sand up out of their holes when the tide goes back out. On these deserted beaches, some of these crabs can get pretty big!

These horses, at the Pony Pen on Ocracoke are descendants of the Spanish mustangs that roamed the island freely. Similar to the ponies of Assateague Island, VA, these horses are rounded up yearly.

We Are So Outta Here!

Have a good week, talk to you soon. We are Outer Banks bound!

A Sad Farewell

I was very sad to find out that Anita Roddick, founder of The Body Shop had passed away yesterday. She was remarkable in so many ways and it doesn't take long to figure that out. She had a blog that she updated regularly where she spoke of the issues that she was passionate about. Many of those issues included being against the war in Iraq, and she was a supporter of human rights through Amesty International.

I know her not as a person but as the woman that started The Body Shop. You may have noticed a link on my side bar for this company because I have loved Body Shop products for quite a long time. Even more than that, I love what these products stand for. Their products are nature-based, they support fair community trade so that people can make a decent living, they never test on animals, all the containers are recyclable and their products are purchased from places where workers are treated in an ethical manner. Often the profits on some of the products they sell are directly donated to stop domestic violence and help children that have lived in a violent home.

Anita Roddick, a woman to be emulated and admired.

Gabrielle Needs to Leave!

With less than 7 days before leaving for the Outer Banks, NC, Gabrielle needs to move on out!

A Glimmer of Hope

Good, old fashioned customer service is alive and well. Most of our experiences purchasing anything nowadays may result in a thank you, if you're lucky, but then there are the times when you just stand back and say "wow!"

Because I had a dead battery but was able to get my car juiced up enough to get it back to my house, I had a small dilemma. I was working until 6, the battery store closed at 6. So, I was going to just purchase a new battery over the phone, have my friend go pick it up and I'd intall it on my own time.

In telling the battery store employee this, he asked where I lived, said it was near where he lived, he'd stop by on his way home. I said I'd meet him there. Sure enough, there he was when I got home last night. He unhooked the old battery, put in a new one and that was it! No money exchanged hands, nuthin. I said I'd be in first thing in the a.m. to pay for the new battery which he was good with.

There I was at 8:10 this morning, he tested the old battery, and sure enough, it was dead. Charged me for my new one and off I went. WOW! Now that's what I call good customer service!

A Friend Indeed

Over the last couple of days, NittanyBri has been doing some work "important to national security." (I think those are the exact words.) I knew he'd be out of town for a couple of days. I was kind of excited that I'd get the bed to myself. Well, mostly to myself with a couple of furry exceptions.

I was also waiting to see if our dog Jasmine would show any signs of his being gone because Brian seems to think he's been replaced as the most important human in Jasmine's eyes. I told him she was eating, a lot actually, and didn't seem to be phased by his absence. That is until last night. I had the doors open and she sat by the front door patiently watching and waiting. She didn't come up on the bed until after I shut the doors. Yea, she misses dear old dad. So do I for that matter. Even with the thrill of having the entire bed to myself.

Aside from that, my car battery decided to die yesterday too. And, with Brian gone, I had to call a friend to come rescue me. Thank goodness for friends nearby! That same friend will be my chauffeur today as well so that I can get to another friends birthday celebration on time this evening. Thankfully, I always seem to be taken care of and for that, I am thankful!

A Good Weekend

Hope everyone is enjoying their holiday weekend. The weather has been beautiful in this neck of the woods. I always dread the Labor Day weekend since it seems to mark the end of summer.

This holiday also brings with it, the thoughts of last year at this time. It was this weekend last year that the veteranarian had told me to put my cat Lester to sleep because of his declining kidney health. As with most things, I didn't listen. I decided to take things into my own hands and take him off all medications both for his diabetic condition as well as his thyroid issue. Instead lieu of them, I began taking him to the vet weekly to get subcutaneous fluid injections.

Thankfully, one year later, he's still with us. We have to chuckle when he goes to the vet because they seem to be on some sort of "death watch." The vet tech will come to take him and says grimly "how is he?" Um, he's fine, he beats up the dog, rips and tears after pooping and is still king of the backyard. I know he won't be here forever, but as long as his health seems good and he's eating and not in pain, I'll continue with what I have been doing.

In Memory

Raptor--Rapture

Several months ago I received a lovely graduation gift in the mail from a friend that lives in NYC. I've written about her before. She's living the most fabulous life of a poet in New York.

She had been telling me of the trials and tribulations of getting this booklet published but finally, it all came together, and there it was in my hands. Her latest compilation of work. I love the play on the words Raptor/Rapture! Certainly, this isn't her first published work. She's been published worldwide and has read her poetry in some of the most celebrated poetry houses such as St. Marks' Poetry Project and The Bowery Poetry Club to name a few.

We've all sat through endless literature classes and poetry classes where the students and instructors could only hypothesize what the author was thinking and feeling. But with Susan's work, I knew the story that developed the poem. I felt like I had discovered a secret.

With Susan's permission, I have chosen a favorite piece from the book to share with you. This poem made me laugh and demonstrates Susan's sense of humor and kind of reveals what a morning in a quiet city park may offer!

Flasher: Passer

My dreamy parkcoffee mornings

have become less pleasant since

I've been hassled by a flasher.

Caught me twice.

I've called the cops and told park authorities.

It's not that I fear death by dick sight

but it is distinctly not cool.

The third time he sat near

I just continued to feed Passer

(a little sparrow) and he turned up his

boombox to get me to look and so on.

Next time he stormed by with an angry look on his face

I suppose because I didn't look.

Passer is so cute, jumps up,

takes tiny bits of bread from my hand

and today she revealed what makes her so cheeky.

She has a baby to feed so cute; that was a better morning.

Told Eric who got quite steamy

wanted details. (The dick was huge,

limp and seemed to be coated with baby oil.)

Eric told me his flashing was not going well,

maybe he needed some baby oil,

I mailed him some baby oil and

he was quite incensed I would do

something so unmaidenly.

I haven't laughed so hard in ages.

I needed a good laugh.

Simply The Best

Around here, going to a restaurant, business or just driving around town you begin to notice these stickers or signs at businesses. As the sign indicates, Harrisburg Magazine takes a Readers' Poll to ask, based on set categories, what the Readers' think is the best.

This poll is an interesting way to find out about new restaurants and businesses in the area. But, one has to wonder exactly how accurate this readers' poll is. I mean, it's pretty easy to say what you favorite diner, Mexican restaurant and club is. But how many people can determine what is their favorite Pest Control, Paper Hanger, Architect, Funeral Director and Auctioneer? Apparently quite a few. I would have no way of determining what company would be considered my favorite for pest extermination.

Doesn't this readers' poll seem to point to simply name recognition? As if some of these categories aren't outrageous enough, they get even better. Readers were asked to name the best: Themed Fundraiser, Volunteer Organization, Accountant, Criminal Lawyer, Family Lawyer and Divorce Attorney. Do you think the people that responded actually used these services or are thinking "well I saw a commercial for these guys" or "I think I passed that listing in the phone book." You know, it's pretty much similar to the way people decide on who to vote for when election time rolls around.

Could This Be Any More Ridiculous?

"Nicole Richie was released from jail Thursday after serving 82 minutes of a four-day sentence for driving under the influence of drugs."

On a more important subject, Happy 40th Birthday to the Big Mac!!!

Being Productive

Don't you just love productive days? I was lucky enough to have one today. I took the day off so that I could be productive. Darned work always gets in the way. I guess if I'd win the Powerball drawing tonight, I wouldn't have to worry about work ever again. And neither would any of my friends!! The jackpot is $245 million!

Anyway, having a productive day is kind of like a recharge of the batteries, getting the cobwebs out or something like that. I got up fairly early since the furnace guy was coming. The furnace needed cleaning. And thankfully it was cleaned early in the day because by afternoon it was downright chilly in the house. I actually turned on the heat! This has to be the early date on record for turning on the heat!

While the furnace guy worked for three hours in my basement, I got dishes and laundry done, changed the bed linens, chatted with friends on line, even organized my wrapping paper containers and checked out the graduate degree requirements on the Penn State website. That alone made me tired. I'll need two letters of recommendation, two transcripts from each school I attended previously and a 1000-1500 word essay why I want to go to school there, plus the initial application, financial aid forms, etc. etc.

What I was looking forward to most was dinner, I was starving and thinking Mexican food was in order. The end of my most productive day was walking to dinner. Though it was kind of chilly, it was a nice walk, didn't take long at all. And when I saw the big, yellow hummer driving through the parking lot, I was glad I had walked and maybe prevented a little less CO2 from going into the atmosphere.

Sympathy Pains

I think the weather here in the northeast is feeling sympathetic for those that are experiencing hurricane Dean, but thankfully on a much less intense level. I hope that Dean doesn't cause too much destruction.

It has been raining for three days, pretty much non-stop. The highs have only gotten to about the low 70's. It makes for great sleeping weather, but they are the kind of days when you don't feel like getting out of bed. And getting from point A to point B can be somewhat of a headache particularly if you have to walk.

I think I need a fake sun lamp to simulate some sunshine. I'm feeling kind of deprived.

Sun Dance by Alfred Gockel