Three Contemporary PA Artists:

It's true, I've officially finished my very first master's class. Last night was the final night and pretty much all we did was turn in our class project.

You may remember that this class was Museum Studies. So, the final project was to design an exhibit, draw the floor plan to scale, write a script (that the document that identifies labels to objects within the exhibit and shows word for word what is on the label or the introduction), and finally the elevation plan (which is a scale drawing of the wall from floor to ceiling with all the artifacts flush to that surface.) Lucky for me, I have my trusty, handy-dandy partner Nittanybri and his one month trial of Auto-CAD to thank for getting my drawings done quickly and very professionally. I'm so getting an A!!

The nice thing was that there was no constraints like how much I could spend on the exhibit, the room space and the staff it would take to install such an exhibit. The exhibit could be imaginary as well. I couldn't do an exhibit about aliens that landed in my backyard, because that's never happened to my knowledge. But I could have done an exhibit on the works of famous women artists from late-Renaissance Italy.

So, I took the low road along with some shameless self promotion and did my exhibit on "Three Contemporary Pennsylvania Artists, a contrast in color and design." The artists are my father, me and my friend Renee. Here are some examples of the paintings from my exhibit:

This is a painting of my father's that actually did hang in the PA State Museum back in the 60's. His work is quite similar to that of the Impressionists; perspective, thick paint, choppy brush strokes.

This one is mine. The quality isn't that good because of the glass on the front. This is a watercolor. And it's too difficult for me to critique my own stuff so I won't.

This one is Renee's. Don't you just love the colors?? Her paintings are very abstract and full of color. I think my paintings and my fathers compliment each other and Renee's provide the contrast.

Terrific/Terrible Tuesday

This Tuesday, my fellow Pennsylvanians and I will have some very important choices to make:

Never Say Goodbye

It was in the spring that we met. Actually, you found me and you insisted upon never leaving my side. It's hard to believe that was sixteen years ago. You were wirey but always a source of laughter and enjoyment.

You were my friend when there was no one else around. You would cuddle with me and protect me and if I wanted to, you let me cry my eyes out until your fur was completely soaked.

You didn't want much, just to be fed and loved. And boy were you loved. You knew when warmer weather was on the way because you wanted to be left outside so you could walk around the back yard, chase butterflies and grasshoppers, nibble on grass and claw on a tree. You were always a part of whatever festivities were going on outside. You were the king of your domain.

You were such a bright spot in my life. I couldn't wait to get home to see you at the end of the day. You were also my alarm clock never letting me sleep too long or I would suffer the fate of those long, tickely whiskers or the occasional poke from your long claws letting me know it was feeding time.

It was in the spring, with flowers blooming and the morning bird songs filling the air when you went on without me. I'm so thankful I was able to be there with you and could hold you and be with those that loved you.

You will be forever missed and forever loved. Rest well my buddy.

Thanks Oprah!

Today's Oprah show is an inside view of puppy mills. Living about 45 mins outside Lancaster County, a big farming community, one learns about puppy mills pretty quickly. They are quite abundant there.

Puppy mills are apparently a way to make a good, quick profit by over-breeding dogs. I'm sure most are aware of the Appalachian Mountain inbreeding jokes, well, it works the same for animals. These dogs are kept in cages, are constantly pregnant and the puppies are often deformed or have bad characteristic traits and health problems because of the over-breeding.

Needless to say, one should never purchase an animal from a puppy mill, and I believe through awareness people are becoming wise to these mills and legislation is in the works to have them abolished.

In support, I'm asking each of you to email Oprah to thank her for producing a show like this to bring further awareness on this issue. Even if you didn't watch the show (I couldn't bring myself to watch), a thank-you in support will still help.

Here's a link to the Oprah web site: http://www2cdn.oprah.com/email/email_landing.jhtml

Yet Another Installment

I know all three of you have been anxiously awaiting another installment of the Spring Break (did you forget to do the Whoooo! with the rock hand?) 2008 Mexico trip. So, here 'tis....

This was on the front of the Hard Rock Acapulco. It was a waterfall. There was water trickling down over the words. How can one go wrong with a quote from The Beatles?

I love a good sick-sense of humor. Since it's impossible to see it in this picture, the license plate on the car reads "God is my co-pilot."

A stunning view of Acapulco Bay.

This is the beach we layed on/swam in every day. This is a view from the cliffs in Acapulco. The evil air-traffic controllers make sure that every plane that leaves Acapulco airport flies directly over this beach when departing the city. We watched the planes go over each day knowing full well when our day came to leave we'd get one last view of the beach.

"Every beach has its dog." Jimmy, if you like these lyrics, call us. There will be a small copyright fee. This is Aqui....(come here in Spanish, though I probably have it spelled wrong.) He was a perfect gentleman. He just wanted to be petted. I just wanted to take him home.

This is Aqui's girlfriend, Alli (a distorted "there" in Spanish.) I really don't know if she was Aqui's girlfriend, but at least that's the story I conjured up in my mind. She was adorable and chased the birds away when we asked and again, just wanted to be petted. And again, I wanted to just take her home.

All together now....Ahhhhh!

Happy Easter

This pretty much sums up our Easter Sunday. Hope yours was wonderful.

Side Trips

Our trip to Acapulco wasn't all about lounging around the pool and the beach. However, we did have our rear-ends parked in these chairs from about 10:00 a.m. each morning. We waited here all day for sunset. We also worked pretty hard at making our own Corona commercials. You know the one's...crystal blue water, white sand beach with a bucket of icy cold Corona's without another soul around...ah!!! We did take a couple of side trips during the week. The first one was to Taxco. That's about three hours outside Acapulco to the north. This little excursion should have only taken us 3 hours, however, we got a little lost and drove about an hour away from our destination. The scenery was gorgeous, the town we discovered was fabulous but the roads into this town were winding, and mountainous. I was pretty nauseated by the time we finally got to Taxco. The drive was like a never ending roller coaster ride. I was glad to have my feet on the ground finally.

For all you devoted QVC watchers, you are probably already familiar with the town of Taxco. That's were much of the silver is mined in Mexico. It's a great little town with a most wonderful church on the square.

Inside Santa Prisca church, Taxco. The amount of sculpture in this church was just amazing. It was as impressive as any cathedral in Europe I've ever been in. The church was built by a Frenchman in the mid 18th century. The enormous pipe organ was imported from Germany and was sent to the port in Acapulco. It was then brought piece by piece on horse and donkey up into this tiny mountain village of Taxco.

The second side trip we took was to Palma Sola Archaeological Site. That was located just outside Acapulco (so there wasn't much chance of getting lost) however, we did have to battle the horrific traffic in the city. I'm glad I wasn't driving, but watching the way these people drive was quite entertaining. This site is a natural setting for the native petroglyphs (rock carvings). The hike took us approximately 1200 feet above sea level. It was a tough climb too. But the petroglyphs were quite amazing. They have dated the carvings as far back as 600 BCE.

The view from the highest point at Palma Sola....breathtaking!

Spring Break 2008

For the following post, it will be necessary for audience participation. Every time you see the words Spring Break, please insert a WHOOOO! (with the obligatory rock hand sign, devil horns, whatever they're called.)

Last week was spring break for many colleges including Penn State. And like any good college students, we decided to get away to someplace warm since we didn't have any school work to worry about so we went to Acapulco, Mexico. The sun and sand was hot, the beer was cold!

Over the next couple of days, I'll cover the good, the bad and the ugly of the trip, including some pictures.

We flew out last week from Newark airport which is just across the river from New York City. It was tough to be able to see the city and not actually go for a visit. The flights both to and from Spring Break, (did you forget what you were supposed to be doing here????) were part of the bad category. See, we weren't the only Spring Breakers going to or coming from Acapulco. The others were of the 20-something variety however, complete with their iPods, iPod players, Louis Vuitton luggage, iPhones and Blackberries. I only have two out of this list and I've been making a living for longer than these kids have been alive.

During both flights, there was lots of seat exchanging, going to the bathroom, chatting, laughing, standing in the aisles eating and of course drinking then finally some sleeping. Most of this was completely annoying to the over 20-something passengers on the flights.

A major part of the good of this Spring Break trip was where we stayed, The Mayan Palace. I swear, their motto was "how may I kiss your behind today?" This place had three restaurants, not including the outdoor restaurants where you could order drinks and food from a thatched cabana on the beach. One of the restaurants served Crepas (Crepes) both savory and sweet all the time. The other restaurants had buffets of sea food, prim rib or breakfast.

The Palace also had the world's largest pool (and I'm not kidding), it went on forever. There was also a "Lazy River" pool where you could kick back on an innertube while the water slowly moved you along the way. Until you got to the giant bucket of water that dumped about one hundred gallons of water on the people below. I think I drank most of the water on one pass by this bucket while someone who shall remain nameless watched with glee. I'm thinking paybacks....

Choices

In Pennsylvania we're still waiting for our chance to cast our vote in the primary elections. Ours don't roll around till April. I watch the news to get the latest on which candidate is ahead and who is lagging behind.

It fascinates me how much the media truly does dictate where we shop, what t.v. shows we watch, what we believe about the Iraq war and how we vote. Any time the primary elections are discussed, the news mediators speak only about McCain and Huckabee, Obama and Clinton. There are other candidates that are still clinging to life in the primaries.

Ron Paul-he is a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, and he's a medical doctor, he has been a member of the House Banking Committee and served on Congress. He's not polished or a smooth-talker so when he participates in a debate he often sounds like a bumbling idiot. I can't say that I'm totally in favor of Ron Paul's ideas. I'm not totally in favor of any candidates ideas. It's nice to have options.

Ralph Nader-consumer advocate, but I really have no idea what his political ideas are. And, I found nothing supported by Mr. Nader on the Internet that says anything about his campaign.
Regardless, he is another option to what the media rams down our throats.

I hope everyone that votes in the primaries seriously considers all options, no just the ones the media hypes the most.

It's Coming....

Answer To The Question

By now, you have probably heard the latest news stories about the largest recall of beef where the slaughter house was under scrutiny because of allegations of cruelty to the animals. You may have eaten it, it may have been served to your children in school cafeterias. And people ask me why I don't eat meat? This exact situation is is just one of the the many reasons why I have chosen not to eat meat. It's not the fear of getting sick from the meat, it's how the animals are treated.

I know I'll never change the world, people will always eat meat. People will argue that God put animals on the earth for us to eat. But certainly God didn't put them on this earth to be abused before they are slaughtered. This kind of human behavior absolutely disgusts me. I know there's a surveillance video that the news has been showing in regards to this story and I cannot nor will I watch it.

I hope when people sit down to dinner tonight, they think about this ugly story before they dig into their juicy steak. Is it really worth it?

Be My Valentine

For those of you that celebrate and are not traumatized by this day, I hope it is filled with love.

MCI=$&@&%!!

Last night after completing my taxes, as if this wasn't enough aggravation for one evening, I decided to go through the less important mail laying on the kitchen table. Much to my dismay I found a postcard from MCI who I was using for long distance on my home phone. They had sent the post card to notify me that they would be charging me $5.99 per month for their service, which I never use. Instead, I use my cell, like most folks.

I tried to use their website to make this change but in order to log into their system I had to have a randomly generated PIN number which would be sent to me by mail in 7-10 days. That wasn't going to work because I'm not paying a service charge for a service I don't use.

So, I get on the phone and dial into their customer service line. The prompt told me that there was unusually high call volume and it would take a really long time for them to answer my call. Gee, I wonder why? Could it be that the masses got this same post card and thought "aw hell no!" So, I wait, I listen to the non-descript music playing, and I wait some more and about an hour later a human finally answered the phone ready and willing to help me.

Needless to say by this time I'm fuming. I tried not to be mean to her, she's just the messenger. (Yes, this comes from years of working in call centers where people scream and yell at you.) I told her I wished to cancel my MCI services. Sadly for her, she responded "we're very sorry to hear that will you please tell me why?" I was more than happy to tell her why. I bet she was sorry she asked.

It's a "Happy" Day!

Today is Nittanybri's birthday. Stop by his not-recently updated blog and wish him a happy one!

We're going to Spamalot tonight. Not on Broadway but in Hershey, PA.

Happy Fat Tuesday, Shrove Tuesday, Fasnacht Day, Carnivale, by the way.

Puppy Bowl IV

Just in case you're not a New England or NY Giants fan, there's always the Animal Planet Puppy Bowl. There will be kitties too!

U2 3D

We got to see this spectacle this weekend. If you like the band, you should go see this movie if it is in your area.

It was showing at an Imax theater near us. It's not just a typical concert movie. There's other nifty stuff goin on. And I'm not going to spoil it by telling you.

This movie gave the viewer the vantage point of the concert-goers, the view the guys in the band have and some views that can only be seen by sitting in an Imax theater.

It was certainly something to see!

Night At The Museum

Tonight had to be one of the best school nights ever. This is the second week of my Museum Studies class and we got the full frontal, behind the scenes, only for select audiences tour of the State Archives and some of the State Museum.

I have been going to the State Museum since my dad took me there as a kid. Surprisingly some of the exhibits haven't changed since then. I'm ashamed to say, I haven't been in the museum in quite a number of years. Though I've worked near it and really have no valid excuse for not going.

We started out in the 4th floor board room which has a spectacular view overlooking the city of Harrisburg, the Susquehanna River and parts of the west shore. After a discussion he took us down to an area where some of the archives are stored. After leaving the freight elevator, we all stood collectively near the doors marked "Archives" waiting for the professor to find the key that unlocked the door to reveal the mysteries that room held. I felt like one of the kids in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory when Mr. Wonka was about to open the door to the room where everything was edible and the chocolate river flowed.

He opened the door and switched on the lights and there were metal shelves heavy with baby cradles, dress forms with formal gowns worn by governor's wives, quilts, teddy bears, blanket trunks, household utensils, etc. I could have stayed in there all night and had a blast!

We went to an area where they date archaeological finds. This is one of the largest department in the museum. There are some 3.7 million artifacts there. There were cases upon cases of American Indian arrowheads, pottery, beads, effigies all right next door to the palaeontology department. Unfortunately, we didn't have enough time to get to see what was in there. Maybe in a couple of weeks. If you'd like to take a virtual tour, click here.

The visit tonight just sealed my fate. If I don't get to work in that museum at some point in my life, I will be a very unhappy girl!! Luckily, the professor is the head curator of the museum. I think I may have the connection I need to find myself a very fulfilling job! Now I'm thinking, I wonder what the archives are like at The Met?!?

McNuggets

I absolutely love this commercial. The tune is catchy and these guys crack me up! They have names too...Fernando and Thomas. Now, I'd never actually eat a Chicken McNugget, that's just gross.

Susan Maurer in NYC New Year's Day 2008

Thought I'd share a bit of poetry read by my friend and published poet Susan Maurer. She's reading at The Bowery Poetry Club in NYC.

Warning! You may need a cigarette or cold shower after you watch this!

Things I Think About

I've been finding this presidential campaign pretty darned interesting. Though I've always been registered Republican, I think I'm as far from Republican as I can be. I'm not sure what I'll do when I get to vote in the primaries since most of the Republican candidates quite frankly scare me. I just took a "Straw Poll" on line and it showed the demographics of the U.S. based on who is voting for which candidate. According to this poll, Hillary is clearly the choice among Dems, but when it comes to the GOP....there is no one clear winner. That makes me feel better.

I've taken The World's Smallest Political Quiz, and according to that I'm a Liberatarian. That's how Nittanybri is registered. I don't know that I'm ready to take the step to actually register as one. Though I'm all for government change.

There's a gentleman I work with that is preaching the word of Ron Paul. I want to like Ron Paul, but every time I see him in a debate he looks like an incompetant, senile old man who makes no sense when he responds to a question. I really do not think there will ever be any change to our goverment until we finally elect someone representing another party besides Republican or Democrat. And I don't see how anyone that's not Dem or Rep will ever get elected.

On a completely different note...I begin my first masters class this coming week. The class is Museum Studies. I'm really looking forward to it. It's just one night a week. I'm also hoping there's not alot of homework. I'm getting lazier.

I've finally gotten smarter too about buying books for my classes. When I first started school, I'd buy books from the book store. Then in more recent years, I learned to buy them used on line because they were cheaper. Now, I'm not buying books at all but borrowing them from the library. Hopefully this doesn't backfire on me.

And finally, I just heard on the news where one of Hillary's political advisors (I think) got a DUI over the weekend. Recently in my neck of the woods, a former Commander of the PA State Police was arrested for DUI and you may remember the head of MADD was also arrested for DUI. A couple of weeks ago, several of us were playing a game of Trivial Pursuit and the question was "What's the most common arrest in the U.S.?" Guess what it was? DUI! So, all these arrests, jail time, fines, and supposed behavior modifying therapy are doing what???? It seems these laws have been concocted just to make the counties, cops, and counseling services richer. But it's not solving the problem, nor will it ever unless, in my opinion, prohibition is reinstated.

Attention Wordsmithers!

If you like words, know the meaning of lots of words, need to learn to use more words, enjoy a challenge AND a chance to donate food, you MUST check out this website: FreeRice

This website asks you to choose an answer that best defines the selected word. Every time you get it right, this organization donates 20 grains of rice to the United Nations World Food Program. I just got 700 grains donated, now get to it!!!

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!!!