My trip started Friday after work. I drove to Union station in DC and caught the train at 7:30PM. I got seated next to a nice lady who was traveling to Florida for her brother's funeral. Accross the aisle from me was another lady who was trying to tell everyone on the train that there was a crazy lady that had yelled and cursed at her two seats in front of us. I listened to her complaints, but hoped it wasn't as bad as she insisted. A mere 20 minutes into the 14 hour train ride, cell phones started to ring all around me. Panicked family members were calling because a freight train had derailed and fallen into the river just a few miles from where we were at the moment. Luckily, it was not the train I was on, and we didn't even get delayed, but it sure did cause some panic for a few minutes. The rest of the ride was alright, but I was a bit disappointed in the selection of food. The 'real' dinner had already been served by the time I got on the train. Good thing I had some sushi at the train station earlier. I tried my best to sleep that night but really didn't get a good rest. The seats are pretty comfy - almost like sleeping in a recliner, but for some reason I just couldn't sleep. I had earplugs with me, but there was a little boy two seats behind me with a piercing cry that penetrated straight through the earplugs. He didn't stop crying the whole night. As soon as the sun came up in the morning, we all got a taste of the crazy lady mentioned earlier. I thought she was talking on a cell phone, but it turned out she was carrying on both sides of an argument with herself. It was like something straight off of Jerry Springer. Every other word out of her mouth was a curse word and she had all the body language to go along with it. We were somewhere in Georgia at that point and a few passengers complained to the crew. One of the conductors came back and very politely spoke to the lady only to get a royal telling off. Nothing else happened for a little while and then the train made an unscheduled stop. Several police officers boarded the train and escorted the crazy lady off. Later on, a crew memeber came back to our section and asked if anyone knew where she had gotten on the train. Turns out she didn't even have a ticket and somehow managed to slip onto the train undetected. That was the last we heard of the crazy lady.

With as much as I have been running around lately, you would think I actually like to travel. First it was Philly, then West Virginia, and now this weekend I am going to Florida. This trip is a little different though because I'm leaving the kids with their grandma and taking the train.

Amtrak is awesome. If you have never taken it, I highly recommend you give it a try. Last year, I took the auto train from Florida to DC which is the one where your car rides the train too. The coach seats are like first c1ass seats on a plane where they lean way back so it's pretty easy to sleep. Also, you can walk around from car to car and there's a 'lounge' with tables, snacks, and tvs to hang out in plus the dining car. They actually serve you a sit down dinner and breafast with several menu choices and a waitor. A trip that long takes about 12-13 hours, but most of that time is overnight and you sleep right though it. Really it is very relaxing way to travel. Even the bathrooms are much more roomy than the typical airplane bathroom. I didn't splurge for the sleeping room, but I'd love to give that a try sometime. Oh, and did I mention how much cheaper it is. I bought the train tickets only two days in advanced and the round trip from DC to Florida was only $179. I looked at flights first and they were around $450-$500 with all of the taxes and fees added in.

My final destination is Saint Augustine, Florida. My husband is on a work trip there and I am off Monday so I thought why not.

Sorry for not being on here or commenting much lately. I have been pretty busy at work. I probably won't be on much this weekend either with this big trip, but I may stop by occasionally.

I can't believe 2007 is nearly over. This year just flew by. Does everyone feel like that or is it just me?

Hello there! It's been a while since I've blogged. Mostly because I've had a bit of a cold/flu so I've been trying to recover. I took a day off work yesterday and slept until 3:30PM. Not like me at all. Anyway, I'm feeling much better now and I'm really glad because I have been planning a to take a trip this weekend and I was worried I would have to cancel it if I wasn't feeling well. My younger brother just had his first baby (actually his wife had it, but you get what I mean) the first week of October and I've been dying to go visit them. This is the first time for me to be a real aunt. :D There's one kid on my husband's side, but I'm not technically related to his brother so it's just not the same. So I am leaving today for a 6 hour drive into the hills of West Virginia.



I haven't lived there for six years now, but West Virginia will always be my home. I've got a few songs to go along with this blog so I'll start out with John Denver singing 'Country Roads' in honor of my home state. I have (more than once) been sitting in a restaurant in WV when this song came on and the entire place burst out singing along. Corny I know, but it's just one of those things. I've lived in several states, but I've never seen the level of state pride that exists in WV anywhere else I've been.



Something else that I'm very excited about is all this RAIN!! It has been sooo dry here for sooo long that I just stood in the rain for a while yesterday and got soaked. So much for trying to recover from a cold. :D I actually had to carry an umbrella to work today! That was another song link to 'Umbrella' by Rihanna. Yay!! It's raining!! I'm so happy I think I'll put in another song link. (Garbage - 'Only Happy when it Rains')

In honor of the upcoming holiday, I have a personal ghost story to share.

It was a warm weekend in January 2002. Me, my husband, and my husband's friend (we'll call him Joe) decided to go to a park for a picnic to take advantage of the nice weather. All three of us had just moved to the area in the previous 3-4 months so we hadn't heard any stories and we weren't expecting anything unusual. Since it was winter, the sun set fairly early. We were still packing up the picnic items and carrying them back to the car while the sun was setting. It's actually a very pretty park and the sun was setting over the river making a lovely orange glow. Joe had walked back to the car carrying some things and my husband and I were standing watching the sun go down. Suddenly I saw and heard my husband shiver and when I asked what was wrong all he could say was, "I'm not sure, but all of the sudden I feel like I'm in a horror movie." We took that as our que to get the rest of the things and head to the car. It seemed a little odd that Joe had not returned to help to carry the rest of the stuff like he said he would, but we just assumed he was moving slow or waiting for us. When we got to the car, Joe was sitting in the driver's seat revving the engine and as soon as the two of us shut our doors he peeled out of the parking space like a race car driver. Odd behavior, but still we didn't question him since we had only recently met and maybe he needed to go to the bathroom or something. It wasn't until nearly a year later that we were all together again after getting to know each other much better that the events of that day finally came to light. When Joe went back to the car alone, at the same moment my husband had a creepy feeling that made him go pale and shiver, Joe had seen an apparition in the trees in front of the car. He was so scared that he got in the car and started revving the engine and did not return to the picnic site as planned. We also later realized that park is considered one of the most haunted places in the country. Here's an exerpt from an aritcle about the park...

"When the Civil War broke out, the owner sold the property to the government as a site that could be used as a military hospital. The Hammond General Hospital was soon built, but it was quickly decided that the area would best be served as a prison camp.
Officially, the place was known as Camp Hoffman. There were never any barracks built and the prisoners had to sleep in tents. Later, when the place became overcrowded, they were not even afforded that luxury. The low, marshy land of the area bred disease among the prisoners and men soon started to die from smallpox, dysentery and scurvy. The place was a hellhole and instead of the 10,000 prisoners it was supposed to hold, more than 20,000 were crowded in at one time, making it the largest prison camp of the Civil War."

So there you have it. Something happened that day to two different people at the same time in an area known for paranormal activity without anyone having previous knowledge of such. We weren't out hunting ghosts, and none of us have strong convictions about the existence of ghosts. I guess these things tend to happen when you least expect. Maybe they were trying to tell us to leave some food behind from the picnic. ;)

First, I've got a couple of stories about my kids.

On the way home from Philadelphia last week, I was driving along a highway with lots of billboards and I hear from my 3 year old son's corner of the back seat, "Look mommy it's you - you're so beautiful!" So I look around and realize he is referring to a billboard with a gal on it advertising a 'gentleman's' club. Oh my! Now you all know what I look like. :P

As I was doing laundry last night, the rest of the household was searching for a DVD that we rented a while ago from blockbuster. I looked everywhere for it a few days ago but it was nowhere to be found. Then when I got to the bottom of the washer I saw a shimmer of light. That's right, The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles had taken a spin in the washing machine. I still don't know how it got there, but I highly suspect the kids had something to do with it. I popped it in to check if it still played and sure enough it did so I'm just going to return it to the store to get my $20 back.

Karaoke...

My 5 year old daughter just loves to sing so I want to get her a karaoke system. Actually, I think it would be fun to play with too. The problem is, I know absolutely nothing about karaoke systems. Do any of you have one or know anything about them? I am thinking about something very basic and hopefully small that I can download songs for and have the lyrics show up on the tv. I saw a PS2 karaoke game and that seems interesting, but the songs are very limited and 90% of the ones on it are not really my taste. Any thoughts?

Sticking with the karaoke theme...
If you were to sing karaoke, what song would you pick? Please don't back out of this one and say your voice is not good or you are too shy. Pretend like all of those things are spot on and name your song(s)!

Since I'm asking you, I'll go first. I think of the current songs I would try Bubbly by Colbie Caillat. It seems fairly easy with clear lyrics and her voice is not too hard to imitate. It's not my favorite song of all time, but I think Bubbly would be a good karaoke choice.

If I got really crazy, I might even attempt to sing one of my favorite songs - Big Yellow Taxi. With the gender references reversed of course. :D

And while I'm up here, I might as well throw an 80s song into the mix. How about Tainted Love by Soft Cell, yeah that's a fun 80s song. :D

Alright, who's up next?

Well, I'm back. Not the best trip I've ever been on, but not the worst either. I went to Philadelphia by the way. It was mostly just to take the kids to play with their cousin. Philly is sort of a half way point for both families to meet. Travelling is exhausting - I try to avoid it as much as possible. I used to really enjoy going places, but it seems like lately my trips have been for someone else's benefit and I am just the driver.

For everyone who I stole from in my previous blog, I would like to return your stuff now.Tammy, you can keep the sheep as long as you would like. Just remember they like to eat grade A grain and only drink bottled spring water. :P Now you know how they get so shiny!

Here's a little quiz about me. Let's see who has been paying attention. :P

How about a game of 'Name That Character and Show'? Don't click on the picture properties or it will be a dead giveaway. Sorry I can't change those from where I am at the moment, but I trust you all.

Hey everyone! I know I've been innundating you all with super long blogs lately, but this one will be short and sweet. I'm heading out of town later today and won't be back home until Sunday evening. There's a chance I might get online briefly, but I doubt if I'll be doing much commenting or blogging. I hope you all have a great weekend!

In the comments on my previous blog, entity0 said that stealing things from people was a sign of affection so I stole a few things and I'll post them here so you all can take turns stealing them to show how much you care too. :D

Krath's car

Entity's Shoes

Sluggy's Katara Plushie

diamond07's Keyboard

theredrobin's Mouse

Tammy's Car Keys

Greta's Television

dancingbeetle's Phone

Kas's Refrigerator

Lin's (LMH68) Favorite Sheep

PB&J's Toaster

IndianaMom's Squarepants Emblem

Julses's Finches

And just for fun I'll throw my laptop into the mix too...

This is a very special blog dedicated to a very special friend. After a three month absence due to a serious illness, our friend krath1 (aka Ricky) has returned! A lot of you are fairly new to my blog, but a while back I had a 'Riddle Tournament' that lasted nearly two months. I just counted and all together I posted 64 unique riddles during that time. Krath was a fan of my riddle blogs, and even contributed a few riddles himself, so to celebrate the return of our friend I give you RIDDLES!!!

Since so many of you are new, let me review the procedures....
Anyone can play. Please add up your points and post them with your comment. 2 points for nailing the answer, 1 point for kinda getting it, 0 for not knowing or missing completely. The person with the highest score wins a crate of assorted cheeses made from sheep's milk including Pecorino, Roquefort, Romano, Belicino, Brebidor, Brebiblu, Montebore, Salignon, Piacentinu, Tuma, Primo Sale, Vastedda, Maiorchino, and Ricotta Salata! Enjoy!

What three letter word can prefix the following three words to make three new words?
Ache, Nest, and Drum. [spoiler] Ear [/spoiler]

The ages of a father and son add up to 66. The father's age is the son's age reversed.
How old could they be? (3 possible solutions). [spoiler] 51 and 15. 42 and 24. 60 and 06. [/spoiler]

After teaching his c1ass all about roman numerals (X = 10, IX=9 and so on) the teacher asked his c1ass to draw a single continuous line and turn IX into 6. The only stipulation the teacher made was that the pen could not be lifted from the paper until the line was complete. [spoiler] Draw an S in front of the IX and it spells SIX. No one said the line had to be straight [/spoiler]

How can you clasp someone's hands together in such a manner that they cannot leave the room without unclasping them? [spoiler] Put their hands around a stationary object in the room, which will keep them from leaving the room unless they open their hands. [/spoiler]

Draw four rectangles on a piece of paper. Put nine x's in the four rectangles so that there is an uneven number of x's in each rectangle. [spoiler] Draw one large rectangle. Then draw the three smaller rectangles within the large rectangle. Place three x's in each small rectangle. There will be nine x's in the large rectangle. [/spoiler]

Take 1000 and add 40 to it. Now add another 1000. Now add 30. Now add another 1000. Now add 20. Now add another 1000. Now add 10. What is the total? [spoiler] The correct answer is 4100. Did you say 5000? [/spoiler]

What 5 letter word typed in all capital letters can be read the same upside down? [spoiler] SWIMS [/spoiler] You have three stoves: a gas stove, a wood stove, and a coal stove, but only one match. Which should you light first? [spoiler] The match! [/spoiler]

And I leave you to add up your scores with some enlightening bumper stickers...

I actually had plans for a totally different blog today, but all this stuff was swimming around inside my head so I postponed the other blog and I present to you my thoughts on Avatar: The Last Airbender!

'The Painted Lady'

Although 'The Painted Lady' was not my favorite episode by far, I feel inclined to point out few things about it that could be meaningful enough to c1assfy it as not entirely a filler episode.

This marks the first time that we see the suffering of the Fire Nation people caused by the current Fire Lord and his regime. The Air Nomads were exterminated, the Southern Water Tribe is close to extermination, the Northern Water tribe is hiding in their ice fortress, and the Earth Kingdom is under the control of the Fire Nation and it's inhabitants are being used as slave labor, but 'The Painted Lady' made it clear that the common citizens of the Fire Nation were also being victimized.

The Fire Nation seems to be similar to Ba Sing Se in that there is a c1ass division. The students in 'The Headband' were probably from the 'upper-middle' c1ass because they were in school, well dressed, and learning how to play instruments. The fishing town in 'The Painted Lady' was the exact opposite. The soldiers who approached the town talked down to the town's people similar to the way Earth Kingdom people were addressed. What I find interesting is that although the town is within the Fire Nation, and the people are of the Fire Nation, their livelihoods come from the water. Is hatred for the other elements so engrained in the Fire Nation people's mentality that they think they are above and beyond needing the other elements to survive? Iroh hinted at the need for the other elements in 'The Chase' and Zuko squarely labeled his ideas as 'Avatar stuff'. I assumed Zuko's attitude was a bit extreme because of his background, but after seeing more of the Fire Nation I think that mentality must be widespread belief.

Although I doubt any of the characters from 'The Painted Lady' will return in future episodes, the impact of the things done and the time spent in that town could carry over. Sokka's 'master schedule' clearly indicates the gAang is in a crunch for time, and Aang hasn't even begun to start his firebending training yet. Both 'The Painted Lady' and 'The Headband' served to show the gAang that Fire Nation people are people too, and they are fighting for their freedom right along with the other nations.

Book 3 in General

I have read several posts where people were complaining that Season 3 is dragging, and I think I might know why.

First off, there are 20 episodes in season three. I looked at the first two seasons and counted the number of what I consider 'action' episodes or 'plot critical' episodes. Book 1 has about 12 episodes that I would consider plot critical and/or action, and Book 2 has about 13 episodes that I would consider plot critical and/or action. That leaves 8 fillers in season 1 and 7 fillers in season 2. We should probably expect about the same for season three. I'm guessing 6-8 'filler' episodes although I do think a lot of the fillers are excellent episodes in spite of not having much bearing on the overall plot.

Another reason book three might seem to be dragging is because the creators of Avatar have offered us the show as a total package. The frustration of trying to reach a tough goal cannot be expressed in one or even two episodes. If you read the Harry Potter series you will understand this very well.

Avatar in General

I'd like to point out that the creators of Avatar are fans of anime just like a lot of us. Some people don't consider Avatar to be anime, and they are right in a lot of ways, but it certainly is strongly anime influenced. The creators have taken all of the things they love about anime and cranked it up a notch, and they have also taken the things they dislike about anime and either minimized or eliminated them completely.

I personally love the deep story lines of anime that carry over across episodes, seasons, and even entire series. I love the fact that I have to watch a show from the first episode to understand what is going on in the 30th episode. I love the fact that minute details can foreshadow future events and come back into play dozens of episodes later at the creator's design. I think the creators of Avatar have done an excellent job of exploiting this aspect of anime to its fullest and even taking it above and beyond what we see in a typical anime series. They have planned out all three seasons, partitioned them so that each season has a specific goal, and promised us a real ending at the conclusion of season three. I'm not versed in ALL anime, but of the ones I have seen, I have yet to see a real ending so the prospect of Avatar having an ending is very exciting.

Occasionally I do enjoy some of the shipping (relationships) in anime, but it can get frustrating watching 150 episodes of a series only to find out the couple never really admits they even like each other. I think Avatar has a little bit of every type of ship so no one should be able to complain in this category. Let me explain what I mean...

• Sokka/Yue - Fairly advanced, they admitted to liking each other and even kissed, tragic since Sokka lost Yue when she became the moon spirit.
• Sokka/Suki - Also fairly advanced although it started out much more teasingly, they kissed in 'The Serpant's Pass' right after witnessing a childbirth which sort of hints at a lifetime commitment, and Sokka tells Ty Lee he is 'with Suki' when she is dressed up like a Kyoshi warrior. This ship is a potential tragedy as well since we haven't seen Suki since the battle with Azula, but I personally think she will show up again in season 3.
• Zuko/Mai - This ship was hinted at by Azula, but no one really seemed to believe it. I guess we were convinced that, "Azula always lies". Now that we've seen them as a couple I'd have to say this is one of the deepest, most committed relationships I've ever seen in anime.
• Aang/Katara - KatAang as it is often called is more along the lines of the typical anime ship. He likes her and does goofy stuff to show her he cares, at first she doesn't notice him, but eventually she starts to like him back. These are the ships that are usually left up in the air at the end of the show. Everyone knows they will get together, but it will still be a while and there will be lots of blushing, cheek kissing, and stuttering even after the show has ended. If KatAang actually happens - at least a mutual confession and a real kiss - then the creators of Avatar really have gone out of their way to give us closure.
• And then of course you have your lesser, pie in the sky, no real proof ships that are so much fun to support, but have very little evidence. Some examples: Sokka/Toph(the creators are sorta hinting at this), Aang/Toph, Zuko/Katara (sorry, but it's true), Sokka/Ty Lee, Jet/Katara(sorta happened, but didn't really), Zuko/Jen(one date doesn't count as a ship), Zuko/Song, etc. You get the point.
• I can't talk about ships without mentioning my all time favorite - Sluggtara!

Fillers and anime go hand in hand, and Avatar is no exception. The only thing I can say about this is that I'd rather watch a filler episode than have a single battle scene dragged out over 10 episodes. Also, I think most of the 'fillers' in Avatar have been fairly good quality fillers that somewhat fit into the overall plot. The one that everyone complains about is 'The Great Divide', and I agree that of all the episodes so far that one was my least favorite. 'Tales of Ba Sing Se' and 'Appa's Lost Days' were both examples of what I would consider 'good' fillers. 'The Headband' and 'The Painted Lady' were both fillerific, but hopefully some parts of them will have bearing on the overall plot.

I could go on and on, but I know you all have many blogs to attend to so I'll stop here. The bottom line is; if you are a fan of anime and haven't seen Avatar, I really think you would like it. Even if you are not a fan of anime you should give it a try. Avatar was my gateway into the anime world so to speak. I started watching it half way through season two and got totally hooked. In the ten months we waited for season three, I started watching anime and now I'm hooked on that too. Don't dismiss Avatar as a kids cartoon. The creators of Avatar are extremely intelligent and produced a work of art that can be thoroughly enjoyed by all age groups. I'm 29 and I watch the show with my 3 and 5 year old kids and 15 year old sister-in-law. The whole family is glued to the tv when Avatar comes on.

It seems like so many people have been down in the dumps lately according to their blogs. For those of you who are feeling blue, I dedicate this blog to you! These are in no particular order...

To SugarMeSpice who was recently voted "most emo" in her group of friends. I would say "cheer up emo kid", but cheering up could cause you to lose your title. Big hugs to you Morgan!

To krath1 who is still recovering from a serious illness. You have been missed Ricky. Big hugs and well wishes.

To Greta (gmvail) for taking her (unpaid) job here at tv.com very seriously. You are the best of the best Greta, and we are lucky to have you in our online community. Big hugs, cookies, cakes, sandwhiches, and lots of other goodies for all you do.

To Heylingalwho has been dealing with a lot of negativity from friends and teachers. There is no shortage of closed minded people in this world, and you seem to be running into a lot of them. Big hugs to you, and know we are all here for you to use as a sounding board.

To animegamer5892 who is stressed by the bad characters at school. I personally hated middle and high school and was really glad when it was over with. Like you, I did great acedemically, but I had a really tough time dealing with people. Hugs to you, and I hope tv.com offers you a better crowd to hang out with.

To Black_Grace who has been battling depression. It's a rollercoaster I have ridden on many times myself. Hugs to you! I really hope you feel better and stay feeling better.

To YamiNarutoBrief who seems to be the butt of all tv.com glitches. Hugs to you - may the next glitch send your level soaring through the roof!

To TheDiamondDog who was having a wardrobe malfunction. Hugs to you - may your bruises heal quickly!

To Angelic_Anime who is feeling unnoticed. You inspired me to make this blog. Big hugs to you - may all your blogs get hundreds of comments!

To sega1226 who is bogged down with homework. Hugs to you Atari - you really do have the coolest name!

To noahcrash who cares to the point of causing himself pain. Hugs to you - may you always have tons of friends who love you back!

To 2wingo who has had all of his Zutara dreams crushed by the first two episodes of Avatar season three. Hugs to you, and hang in there - it's not over till it's over!

To cherokeelady42 who is dealing with both health problems and an impossible neighbor. Many hugs to you my friend. You are in my thoughts and prayers.

To Lisa31468. There has been a saddness between the lines of your blogs since your fall out with Nickelodeon. Big hugs to you Lisa, may Avatar be pure for you once more.

To unicorntammy who's excitement is intoxicating. Tammy, I don't think I've ever seen you down. Big hugs!

I hope I didn't leave anyone out. I'll give a blanket hug for anyone else who needs one.