Famous and From PA

A few weeks ago, a blogger buddy of mine sent me an email. It said, "I didn't know Bret Michaels from Poison was from Harrisburg." As if I would hold out on information like that!!! Bret technically isn't from Harrisburg, but if I said he was from Mechanicsburg, would you know where that was?!? So, I got to thinking, who else is from PA that is famous? So, a couple of friends and I got our three good brain cells together and came up with a list. So, don't say I never told you these famous folks were from PA:


Trent Reznor....Nine Inch Nails
(the band) Fuel
Pink
Christina Aguilara
Louisa May Alcott
Edgar Allen Poe
Daniel Boone
James Buchanan
Alexander Calder, modern sculptor
Rachel Carson (a person I think was way before her time regarding the environment!)
Mary Cassatt, Impressionist painter
Bill Cosby
Jimmy/Tommy Dorsey
W.C. Fields
Lee Iacocca, CEO Ford
Ed Kowalczyk (lead singer from the band Live)
Brett Michaels, Rikki Rocket (from Poison)
Dan Marino
Reggie Jackson
Jim Kelly
Margaret Mead
Arnold Palmer (who's wife taught Sunday school with my mom!)
B.F. Skinner
Gertrude Stein
Jimmy Stewart
Andrew Wyeth
Fred Rogers (as in "It's a beautful day in the neighborhood...")
Andy Warhol

Reality Check, Please!

Who freaking cares that:

there's a war in Iraq
there's genocide in Darfur
Korea's got nuclear weapons and isn't afraid to use them
there's global warming
there's a presidential election next year
yesterday was Tony Blair's last day as PM of England
there's torrential rain in Texas
Liz Claiborne died
there's no cure for cancer, AIDS, and diabetes

Why don't we care? Because Paris Hilton is out of jail. Everyone breathe a sigh of relief. It was thoroughly amusing to be out last night where every television was tuned to CNN (which I thought was a reputable news station) and see Larry King (who I thought was a reputable news person) interviewing Paris Hilton, fresh from jail, while the real headlines of the day were passing by unnoticed beneath Paris's pretty little face. Geesh.

Cities of the Underworld

Has anyone else been watching this show in the History channel? This show takes a look at what's under the streets of the biggest cities in the world like London, Paris, Budapest, New York and Philadelphia. Did you know that there are underground bunkers and hospitals under the city of London that were used by Churchill. The only thing they forgot to build within this underworld was a bathroom which meant Churchill was peeing into a bucket while he was hidden away.

There's also a secret subway stop under the Waldorf Astoria Hotel that was used by F.D.R. so that he wouldn't have to get out of his car and walk anywhere that the public would see that he was handicapped due to polio.

The Freemason Underground show was just on Monday and in watching it we discovered there is a fort in the Philadelphia area called Fort Mifflin that we never were aware of before. It's apparently near the airport and from the looks of it, it isn't open to the public. This particular show revealed the Masons that were our founding fathers designed buildings and even cities that mimicked the Masonic symbols.

It's on Monday's at 9:00 EST, and totally engrossing if you're into things that are secret, underground and off the beaten path!

The Seed Has Been Planted

Since graduation, I've been looking for a job in my field. That would be museum or archival work, historic preservation, anything along those lines. Surprisingly there is plenty of work like this in my area since I'm not willing to relocate at this point. The down side, is that the jobs require either a Bachelors Degree with tons of experience or a Masters with a little less experience.

Can you see where this is going? I'm thinking a Master's Degree is in my future. I'm not willing to settle for a job that I could do prior to getting my B.A. That would be silly. So, I've started looking around for a school with a curriculum I'd be interested in. Luckily, there are many colleges in my area, one in particular that would get me the degree I need and want. Here's where there will be an ironic twist of fate. For as many of you know, during college football season, I'm a huge Notre Dame fan. Looks like I may become alumni of Penn State should I decide to pursue my Master's Degree. No laughing!

Happy Summer!

Vamos a Nuevo York

If you haven't figured out by now, I'm taking a Spanish class this semester, so I'm trying to practice as much as possible. Anyway, took a trip to NYC yesterday. It was a gorgeous sunny day, not too hot (at first) and not as wet as it would be later in the afternoon.


We stopped by to see the progress at Ground Zero which looks quite similar to what it looked like when I was there in December 2001. A nearby very old church served as a place where the rescue workers could sleep and get fed after 9/11. It has now become a museum. It also has a really cool cemetery.


















The extensive damage done to things other than buildings on 9/11 can be seen on the sculpture that stood outside the World Trade Center buildings for years. They have moved this sculpture to Battery Park where you catch the ferry to Ellis and Liberty Islands. There is an eternal flame burning there as well.



We also went to Ellis Island for the first time which includes a trip to Liberty Island. I've been to the Statue of Liberty before but that was pre 9/11. Post 9/11 trips to Liberty Island and Ellis Island are somewhat similar to boarding a jet. Metal detectors, take off your shoes, etc. as well as an hour wait just to get on the boat.


Ellis Island is very interesting and to have been part of the restoration of the building and its contents must have been a fantastic experience for those involved. You certainly can get a feel for the suffering this immigrants went through to get to America, the tight cramped quarters on the ships, waiting in line for hours or days and losing their belongings, their names and family members must have been quite a comprimise for freedom. There are passports, photographs, luggage, clothing musical instruments and other personal belongings to look at as you walk around the building. You can even trace your own family roots if they came through Ellis Island.














Graffiti was a way for the immigrants to pass the time and leave messages maybe for other family members. There are a couple of columns in the building that have been preserved with the original graffiti on them.



The views from the boat to and from the islands are beyond compare.

Oy! Yo! Hoy!

Estes deberes españoles me dan un dolor de cabeza!!

I Gotta Cut Loose, Footloose!

I saw this on Smoke and Mirrors and just couldn't resist since it's music related, and for me 80's music related. Here's how it goes:

These are the rules:1. Go to this website (scroll down and you’ll seen them separated by decades on the left in the sidebar)

2. Pick a year you were in high school

3. Get yourself nostalgic over the songs of that year

4. Pick 5 songs and write something about how these songs affected you

5. Pass it on to 5 more people

Cyndi Lauper-Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

Aside from thinking Ms. Lauper was the coolest thing because of her partially shaved head and flaming red hair and thrift shop clothes, this was one of my favorites back in the day. I remember asking one of my friends to buy this for me for either my birthday or Christmas, which she did. After I opened it, she told me how embarassed she was to have to actually walk into a record store and purchase this kind of music from a person that looks like she does. Mmmk...get over yourself!! The album is called "She's So Unusual" shouldn't that be your first clue??

My parents were sort of taken aback from the looks of Cyndi Lauper too. But when they saw her on an interview and found out she has like a 3 octave range voice, and was classically trained, they were o.k. with things.

U2-Pride in the Name of Love

U2 was pretty new on the scene in 1984, still playing small clubs, etc. When the album Under a Blood Red Sky came out (yea, I know, this song is not even on UBRS, just hear me out) we played the heck out of that vinyl. These guys were gods to us. Our friends that were in bands all played their music and we sang our hearts out with them.

I remember buying The Unforgettable Fire on cassette (which does contain Pride) on my trip to Ireland back in 1990.

Prince-Purple Rain

Speaking of gods..my friends and I went to see this movie like a million times. Each of us was totally ga-ga over Prince. I remember one of my "guy" friends asking me what was so cute about him. I still can't put my finger on it, he just is. The down side is his waist is probably as big as my arm.

Every song on this album is a classic. We 'specially loved "Darling Nicky" because it was dirty.

Billy Idol-Rebel Yell

Billy was/is an enigma. I had demo albums and mainstream albums of his. One album cover in particular was a huge picture of his head complete with spiky hair. I loved to freak out my elders with is. They thought for sure I was a satan worshipper.

I had a friend who was in a band that was nuts about Billy Idol. He was the first person I knew to go see him in a club in NYC. Billy actually sweated on him!!! Because of my friend he introduced me to the band Billy was in previous to his solo career, that was Generation X. They're on my iPod right this minute.

Stray Cats-Look At That Cadillac

Love, love, loved this band! I was a member in the fan club and actually got to see the band back in the 80's (not on a recent reunion tour.) I got to touch both Brian Setzer and Slim Jim Phantom too. I have washed my hand since then, just in case you're wondering. This was another band I had U.S. and import albums of. I remember the imports being such a big deal. Guess there is no such thing anymore since and mp3 is an mp3?!?!

Ah, that was fun! I miss the 80's. I'm gonna go put on my wayfarers, make my hair real big and listen to some music!

A Few of My Favorite Things

One sure way to get me out of a funk is to have me talk about food! Thanks to M over at Smoke and Mirrors who tagged me for this meme about food. And after reading his blog about all the fantastic places he lives close to including those places in Hyannis on the Cape....I'm so totally jealous!!! His daughter an I apparently have the same taste in food. She's a Moe's kinda girl and so am I! I love that place, but it's not on my list!

Here’s how it goes; I list 5 of my favorite area restaurants and I'll be nice and won't tag anyone, but if you want to, have at it!! This is one serious meme. The best local places to eat recommended by the local people that have actually eaten the food there. It just doesn’t get any better than that, does it?



El Rodeo This place has the best darned food in town. They're all over the central PA area, though I'm not a huge fan of chain restaurants, but this one certainly gets my vote. The food is inexpensive, and they have a huge selection including many vegetarian choices. The margarita's are pretty good, the wait staff are true blue Mexicano's and just about every month there is a mariachi band on site. When you first arrive, you get a big basket of homemade corn chips and a bowl of homemade salsa. I know it's homemade because it tastes different every time you eat there. Sometimes it'll set your mouth on fire! The guacamole is also homemade and there's nothing like the real thing. That grocery store variety is for the birds!


Paxtang Grill This place has been in business for over 40 years. It is small, unassuming with great crab cakes and drink specials every night. You can get a prime rib dinner for $12.99 or a NY Strip for next to nothing. They have a full "tini" menu for those martini snobs in the crowd. There's not a lot of atmosphere but the food is great. Nick is in the kitchen, girls, he's tall and lanky and kinda looks like a Greek God. It's all worth it!!

Sandwich Man This is the place I worked at over the summer last year and claimed it to having the best Reuben this side of NYC!!! You cannot beat the sandwiches here. Take for instance their "Visions of Utopia"...it's rye bread, lettuce, turkey, bacon, another layer of rye bread, tomato, roast beef, american cheese, onion, another layer of rye bread, corned beef, swiss cheese, and another layer of rye bread. Or, you could try the "Salad Split Sub" which is lettuce, chicken salad, american cheese, tomato, egg salad, provolone, tuna salad, onion, potato salad, and pickle wedges. DEAR GAWD!!!

The Warwick Hotel It is truly a hotel nestled between Harrisburg and Hershey in a little town called Hummelstown. The thing I like best, is that every salad you can get with eitherportobello mushrooms, steak, chicken or shrimp. There is their cajun salad, or the salad with apples or pears with glazed walnuts. YUM!!! You can get a dinner or sandwich whatever you want in a great homey atmosphere.

Ceoltas This is not your run of the mill Irish pub. Located in downtown Harrisburg, you can find fresh salads or fish and chips. There is often live Irish music on any day of the week, sometimes with local firefighters behind the bar serving drinks in KILTS! Hello LADIES!!!!! They have the best "black velvets" in town which for this place is a Guiness and cider layered in a pint glass. You meet the most interesting people here with authentic Irish bartenders serving you a pint! "'Bhí an-chraic againn."

And even though I'm not 'supposed to, I'm including a sixth....Neato Burrito. This place serves mission style burritos that could bust the gut on the most hearty of appetites. They have vegetarian and meat-aterian delights. Three different kinds of rice and salsas, if you cannot find somthing you like here, there's something wrong.

And o.k. just one more, because I cannot resist....Isaac's. Their broccoli and tortolini salads are to die for and they have a sandwich called the Tufted Tit Mouse...any questions???

This Pretty Much Sums It Up

Reading, Reading and more Reading

I have come to realize that I have no reading comprehension. I read, I think I understand but apparently I do not. I seriously think I have some form of ADD. But aside from that, I've been doing quite a bit of reading lately. One of the classes I'm taking is an American Literature class. In this class we are reading often short stories from the late 19th to 20th centuries. Through this I've discovered an author whose writing I love! Kate Chopin. You may know her work called The Awakening. This story set in Victorian times in the southern U.S. is about a woman and her self discoveries of independence from her husband and children, her discovery of unrequited love and her love of art. She has one final "awakening" which I will not disclose because it will ruin the ending. One of her other stories, called The Storm revolves around emotion and love with some illicit love affairs thrown in for good measure which is why many of her stories are "chick" stories but as with most artists and writers, her work was considered inappropriate for the time. She died soon after writing her last piece. Her descriptions and word choices were amazing, some almost brought tears to my eyes!

Currently, the class is reading The Adventures of Huck Finn. I've read parts of it before, but never got through the entire story and here I am again struggling to finish the book. I don't know what it is about that story that I cannot get through. Perhaps it's the dialect it is written in that is distracting to me. I know there's going to be a quiz on Tuesday so I better get to reading!

Finally, today is also my book club meeting. This month's book was one that I chose. I didn't even finish it because of all the other reading I've been doing. After the semester is over, I will pick it up again! The book is Suite Francaise. It is a story about several families who leave Paris during the German invasion in WWII. The author's personal story is almost as tragic as the book itself. Irene Nemirovsky left Russia for France during the war to escape the Nazi's. She was eventually captured in Europe and sent to a concentration camp where she died. Her writings were not discovered by her family until after her death. I love her style of writing, her story is a beautiful testament to a tragic time in the world. It is a fine piece of modern day literature.

Big Mac Attack

I'm willing to bet that the majority of you remember the song, go ahead, sing it with me....

"Two all beef patties,

special sauce,

lettuce, cheese,

pickles, onions,

on a sesame seed bun."

Ah, the Big Mac. I remember them well, I miss them. I haven't eaten meat in years...like 20 or so, so it has been quite some time since I have had a Big Mac. It is one of the three meat items that I miss. I sometimes get a hankerin' for bacon cooked extra dark, pepperoni, and a McDonald's hamburger. The kind with mustard, ketchup, pickles and the little onions. Mmmm, do I miss them!!

We've been watching a lot of the Food Network and they've been doing lots of shows on grilling and of course what are they grilling? Hamburgers. So NittanyBri and I get to talking about the Big Mac. And, since he has experience in the fast food arts, specifically from McDonald's we get it in our head we need to make some Big Mac's. Tonight that's just what we did. Oh-my-gawd! Yum! I know, you're all thinking, she broke down, she gone to the dark side, but I have not. I made mine with a veggie burger and I didn't make it double sized (like I should have.) We even had the fries to go with it. Mmmmm!!!!!

Memorial Day

Memorial Day

by Michelle R. Christman
As we stand here lookingAt the flags upon these graves

Know these flags represent
A few of the true American braveT
hey fought for their Country
As man has through all of time
Except that these soldiers lying here
Fought for your country and mine
As we all are gathered here
To pay them our respect
Let's pass this word to others
It's what they would expect
I'm sure that they would do it
If it were me or you
To show we did not die in vein
But for the red, white and blue.
Let's pass on to our children
And to those who never knew
What these soldiers died for
It's the least we can do
Let's not forget their families
Great pain they had to bear
Losing a son, father or husband
They need to know we still care
No matter which war was fought
On the day that they died
I stand here looking at these flags
Filled with American pride.
So as the bugler plays out Taps
With its sweet and eerie sound
Pray for these soldiers lying here
In this sacred, hallowed ground.
Take home with you a sense of pride
You were here Memorial Day.
Celebrating the way Americans should
On this solemnest of days.
Poetry by Michelle R. ChristmanUSMC from 87 - 91, Desert Storm Veteran.
I am also the Commander of Royersford VFW, PA

Weekend Update

OK, I'm back...I've been back just didn't really have much to blog about. Well, the beach trip was nice, the weather was a little chilly which didn't stop us from sitting out on the beach goosebumps and all. Sunday was particularly nice and we got a little more toasty than we probably should have. The water, well that was downright freezing but I stuck my feet in, I can't resist. Because of the colder water temps we did get to see a lot of dolphins passing by. That's always a treat for me!

The primary reason for going to the beach this weekend was that there was many of our friends that were making the journey to the Outer Banks. The first night stop over was in Ocean City, Maryland for a birthday party, party party gathering. The folks travelling on to OBX had to turn in early but the rest of us stayed out till closing time, then had the nerve to go to breakfast! That meant we didn't have to get out of bed early the next morning to go to breakfast!

I started my new classes this week. I know, you thought I graduated. I have 7 more credits to go. I am taking two classes at a local community college so the 7 credits will be earned by the end of June. Official graduation is August. I guess that means I will have to have another party!

Be Back Soon!

The Graduate

What a great day Saturday was!! The weather was beautiful, but got a little hot just in time for the graduates to sit in the sun for hours. This graduating class was the biggest in the schools history with over 400 graduating on Saturday.

The morning started with the Baccalaureate service in the chapel with lots of music and worship with a former LVC grad that has now become the leader of the first Hispanic diocese in Lancaster, PA. After a bit of breakfast, it was time for the graduates to make our way to the gym so we could line up for the next round of ceremony.

The graduates led the procession to the field where the ceremony was held. We were lead along the pathway by two bagpipers. We stopped part of the way there and split into two lines to allow the faculty to process between us so we could show our appreciation to them by applause.

There were several awards given away to exceptional students and faculty, there was the standard commencement address by a faculty member who was a math professor. One that I never had, though he was very funny and I was wishing I had had him for a class. But when I asked the classmate closest to me if he was that funny in class he said "NO!"

Once everyone had received their diplomas we made our way back off the field this time the professors parted into two lines and allowed us to make our way between them while they applauded for us.

The ceremony lasted a couple of hours and I had guests coming over by 3:00 so we needed to get home and get the festivities going. By 4:00 there was a packed house with friends and family coming from near and far to celebrate with me.

The sensible folks left as they probably saw things spiraling downward as the night drew on. All I will admit to is what I found the next morning when I went outside to clean up. There was an array of shoes and clothing, sunglasses, including just the lenses to my sunglasses, the frames are no where to be found, various items of food, and cigarette butts strewn about. Luckily, there were no bodies still in the backyard the next morning. Thank you to everyone that made Saturday a wonderful celebration!!!

The Final Countdown

Ladies and Gentlemen...The Video You've Been Waiting For!

Don't Dream Its Over

For those that do not live in the central PA area, you may not be aware of the man behind the candy bar, the Hershey candy bar.

He was born and raised in the Hershey area, which wasn't yet called Hershey since it was named after him. When he was young, he learned to make candy from a local man and then went abroad to learn more from the European masters. He then built the factory that stands in Hershey, PA today with the vision of having the ideal community surrounding the plant. This town would have comfortable homes and public transportation for the employees of the plant, a public school system as well as recreational and cultural activities for the community. It was that vision that created Hersheypark that is still in operation today as well as the Hershey Theater which is one of the most stunning theaters I've ever been in. The picture below with the clouds, that's inside the theater, the clouds move over the ceiling in the dark and in the light!

He also created a home for orphaned boys since he and his wife were unable to have children. This school as well is still in existance today. Though (I don't believe) it's only for boys anymore. Along with all these philanthropic endeavors, he built the Hotel Hershey (my favorite place to get dipped in chocolate), the rose gardens and the Hershey Museum. Hey, maybe I can work there!!

One thing I love about driving through Hershey, besides her Hershey Kiss street lights, is the smell that comes out of the factory when chocolate is being made. I remember my father taking me to the factory for a tour, but like Willie Wonka, they closed the factory to the outside many years ago. You can get pseudo tour by going to Hershey Chocolate World nearby, but it's just not the same.

It seems thought that the desire for profit and cheap labor far outweigh the desire to see Mr. Hershey's dream through. The Hershey Company has decided to close several of its plants; one in California, one in Reading, PA and one in Connecticut so that our neighbors to the south (Mexico) may have jobs and make the candy many of us love to eat. So much for having a dream.

Big Day

Today is important for a couple of reasons. First, it's the last day of classes. Second, I have two presentations to do today. One is in my Color: Culture and Context class. I will be discussing the paper I did on the color orange and its usage mainly throughout art history. My thoughts and words were artfully put into video format for me by Mr. Dorman. The video rocks!!! I cannot wait for the class to see it.

My second presentation is based on the semester-long research I did on female patrons of architecture in late-Renaissance Italy. This presentation is open to anyone who wants to come including all the art and art history department professors. I hope they go easy on me!

Honey, have a drink ready for me when I get home, I think I'm going to need one!