Christmas Cheer

Merry Christmas, Friends!!!

First, in honor of "Jason Crisp"...



Some funnies...

"A Great Big Sled" by The Killers

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Last, but not least...

Hopefully your Christmas morning will look like this!

American Gladiators

Is anyone else looking forward to this show's return? I know I am. I was a big fan of the original. Erin and I used to watch it on Saturday mornings after, what else, "Saturday Morning Cartoons." That was when Saturday morning television was actually good. Aaah, yes, the good ol' days of Laser, Nitro, Turbo, Ice, and all the other gladiators. Well, I will be tuning in to see how this one compares to the original. From the previews, it looks very much the same. So, we will see!

Turkey & Stuffing...& Cranberry Sauce...& Potatoes...

I forgot many other foods in my title, but anyway...

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Nirvana Unplugged DVD

Nirvana's Unplugged in New York is finally getting released on DVD after almost 14 years.

This performance was recorded for MTV in December 1993, just 4 months before Kurt Cobain's death. I've had the CD since it's release back in November 1994. Every time I've listened to it, though, I've gotten a very sad and eerie feeling, and I'm sure the DVD will do much the same thing. Nevertheless, I'm looking forward to buying the DVD anyway, as it is, in my opinion, one of Nirvana's best live performances.

I'll always remember a certain haunting camera shot of Kurt, where he looked up from his guitar...his blue eyes were piercing as he stared off into his own thoughts. Thinking back on that, it has always left me unsettled, as if he knew of things to come.

Rogue Wave

No, I'm not talking about massive freak waves...I'm referring to one of the best bands you've never heard of. Well, maybe you have. If you are a Heroes-watcher, you may remember hearing their song, Eyes, in an episode last season. (You can hear the track on their website, here).

I saw them in Philly last weekend with my friends, Patrick and Kendra, who also happen to be fans. We saw them at a small venue called Johnny Brenda's, which had a balcony overlooking the stage. Fortunately, Kendra and I pushed our way into a prime spot along the rail (we were standing at one of the balcony's pillars, which you can see just to the right of center in this picture).

In my opinion, it was an outstanding show. Rogue Wave has very melodic music and manages to use a range of tempo. Perhaps one of my favorite qualities, however, is their ability to incorporate harmony without it sounding overdone or out-of-place. It suits them perfectly.

Below are some pictures I snapped with my camera phone. (There are a few shots where it looks like there are about 15 people on stage. This is when the band invited the local Philly men's chorus group, The Silver Ages, on stage to add their harmony to the set.)

Happy Halloween!

First, here's some candy for ya...just take one!

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Have you ever heard of Darwin Chamber? Well, that's not his real name; it's a stage name. His real name is Mark Greenfield. DC/MG is well-known for his "environment" albums...you know the ones where you hear the sounds of a particular environment? He's got everything from Thunderstorms to Oceans to Rain Forests to Birds to Whales to Frogs...and the list goes on. Darwin Chamber also does trance-y electronica-type music as well.

Some of the best environmental sound effects he's done are those for Halloween. It sounds very real. If you have a good surround system, you can especially hear the sounds playing back and forth among your speakers. It's amazing and creepy all at the same time. His work is most accessible on iTunes, where some tracks are 30 minutes in length, but only cost $0.99. Well worth it.

Here's a little sample of his SPOOKY Halloween sounds...

3D 2007 Halloween Sampler

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And, finally...if you are in the mood for some scary stories or podcasts, go here!

Have a happy and safe Halloween!

Watch Out For That Hole!

So, if you haven't seen this video yet, here's your chance. A model named Sarah Welch fell through a hole in the runway during Fashion Week. Apparently she was a former contestant on The Bachelor. Her name sounds familiar but I'm drawing a blank on remembering her on the show. Anyway, if you watch Heroes, you might recognize the guy who helps her up...yep, that's Jimmy Jean-Louis, The Haitian (mind-eraser guy)!




Back to the fall at hand. My first reaction really was not laughter, but shock...I couldn't believe that she somehow didn't see the hole before she stepped into it. And, at the very least, why didn't anyone backstage warn the models? Duh. Perhaps next time a big orange cone will be more effective...I'm sure they can work it into the show somehow!

Let's Say Thanks

I want to share a great website my sister sent me (thanks, Kel). Xerox is sponsoring the "Let's Say Thanks" program. Basically, people can visit the site and view cards to personalize and send to our troops. All of the card designs were done by kids from across the country. Once you select your design, you choose a pre-written message (or write your own) and then send. It's that simple! It's all done electronically and takes no more than 5 minutes. (Well, I used all 5 minutes because I couldn't decide which card to choose...they were all so cute!) Now, go send a card and then pass the link on to someone else so they can do the same!

www.LetsSayThanks.com

Mad Skills

Apparently, my family and friends have caught on to the fact that I like to cook and bake. So every once in awhile I receive homemakerish type gifts. For example, for my last birthday, my sister Erin bought me an ice cream maker. This one, to be exact. This summer, I used to it to make a Vanilla Custard Ice Cream...it was delightful...so delightful, in fact, that my cousin told me that I had to make it every weekend from then on. My next attempt at ice cream will probably be for Thanksgiving next month. Erin would like to see, er eat, the fruits of her gift to me, so she has requested that I make a Pumpkin Ice Cream. So, I found this recipe on my beloved Food Network website.....sounds yummy, so I'll give it a go.

In addition, I have inherited the job of making my Grandmother's cole slaw for Thanksgiving (as well as for any other holiday or picnic it's requested), which I have been doing for the last few years now. I call it "Grammy's Famous Cole Slaw" because no one makes it like hers, not even Mr. Ron. Sorry, Mr. Ron.

And, finally, my friend Jon really likes Pumpkin Pie...I mentioned to him that my Mom-Mom makes them at least once every year, and will most likely be making some for Thanksgiving. His exact words were, "Steal me some! I'm serious." No need to steal! I'll just get her recipe and make it myself! He and my other buddy, (Jon's roomie) Tom, will just have to fight over it!!!!

Poor Ellen

If you happened to see the Ellen DeGeneres Show today, you probably saw her crying over a dog she gave to her hairdresser's family.

Here's the scoop in a nutshell...Ellen had adopted this dog, Iggy, from a non-profit agency but realized, even after spending thousands of dollars for the dog to be neutered and trained, that he just had too much energy and was causing problems with her cats. She wanted to make sure Iggy had a good home; she had talked about it with her hairdresser, whose daughters would have loved to have the dog. Ellen decided to give them Iggy because she felt it would be a better place for him to live. The agency found out about it when they called Ellen to check in on the dog and she told them she gave him to a friend. Unknowingly, Ellen had violated the adoption agreement, so the agency went and took Iggy away from the family. So, this ended with Ellen sobbing on air today when telling the story.

Here's a pic of Iggy with a blog post by Ellen from her site.
You can view the snippet of Ellen crying on her show here with an AP story.
Look at all this stuff and then come back here for my opinion!

My Opinion

Basically, I feel bad for Ellen. I think the agency could have handled it in a more appropriate and civil manner. Ellen admitted she did not read the agreement carefully enough and thought she was doing the right thing by finding a good home for the dog. Perhaps the agency could have worked out a new agreement with the new family instead of being so harsh with its actions. It's apparent that Ellen feels terrible for how things played out...I think if she didn't care about the dog or for the feelings of those girls then she probably wouldn't have attempted to make things right.

What do you think?

Priceless

This is my favorite commercial right now......so cute!

NL East Champs

I was fortunate enough to be at the Phillies game yesterday as they beat the Washington Nationals...and, boy, was it exciting! As we watched the Phillies, the whole park had a collective eye on the scoreboard showing the Marlins/Mets score. Each time the Marlins' score increased or the Mets went out of another inning without scoring, the Phillies fans cheered. The energy was indescribable. After the win, as we poured out of the park, fans were cheering and high-fiving all over the place. The celebration continued up Broad Street as people honked horns and waved their rally towels out car windows. It was madness...in a good way! Here are two pictures from my camera phone, but I'll have a few more to share as soon as I get them uploaded. GO PHILS!

Fall TV Season

I'm looking forward to some new shows this fall, but there are also quite a few I've been hooked on for awhile. Here's a breakdown of what I'm interested in watching as of the present time. I will have to work magic with recording some and watching some On Demand or online, especially with having an exercise class 2 nights a week and whatever else comes up!

My Rating System:

**** (4 stars) - must watch; will record if necessary
*** (3 stars) - will make the effort to watch; might record
** (2 stars) - might watch; chance of lost interest; won't be devastated if missed
* (1 star) - will watch if I can; mostly non-serial or game shows; no upset if missed

~Note~ I've automatically given NEW shows 2 stars (**) because I have no idea if I'll stay interested.


Sundays

(Not really much of a Sunday-night-TV-watcher anymore...I can take or leave the ABC shows Desperate Housewives & Brothers and Sisters. I usually just watch The Food Network. So, we'll see...I can't wait for HBO's Entourage to come back next Spring!)

Mondays

Heroes (NBC)****
The Bachelor (ABC)**
CSI: Miami (CBS)****

Tuesdays

Dancing With The Stars (ABC)***
House (FOX)***
Law & Order: SVU (NBC)****
(ABC's Cavemen scares me, quite frankly...I liked the Geico commercials, but I think the TV show will ruin the charm!)

Wednesdays

[NEW] Pushing Daisies (ABC)**
Dancing With The Stars (ABC)***
[NEW] Kid Nation (CBS)**** [Saw the pilot last week]
Deal or No Deal (NBC)*
[NEW] Private Practice (ABC)**** [Saw preview last season]
[NEW] Dirty Sexy Money (ABC)**
CSI: NY (CBS)****

Thursdays

Ugly Betty (ABC)****
Grey's Anatomy (ABC)****
CSI (CBS)****
Scrubs (NBC)****
[NEW] Big Shots (ABC)**
Supernatural (CW)***

Fridays

Deal or No Deal (NBC)*
Las Vegas (NBC)****


~Check out the following networks' fall preview sites for more info:

ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, CW

For The Birds

I hate job hunting. Just when something was looking promising, it turns out I still have to wait...

I went on an interview yesterday for a position in the field of Education, although not teaching. Unfortunately the first training day is also the same day I have a screening interview with a very well-known (and well-paid) school district in the area. I can't miss the screening interview because it's my one shot at getting noticed in this district. So, that means I can't start the new job right away; it is broken down into project periods, so I have to wait for the first project to be finished since I can't train for it. Anyway, I have to wait about 4 weeks to be picked up for the second project. But, this is just my dumb un-luck.

When it rains it pours....It's feast or famine...Boom or bust. I've got a thousand of these lines, but they all fit so perfectly.

In the meantime, I will keep searching out a teaching job, because ultimately that is still what I want to do. This is the hand life has dealt me right now, so I just have to roll with it.

Bye Bye Bloggie

No, not this one. This blog is here to stay...at least for now. I decided to let go of my second blog "Just Me From Here." It wasn't worth having, as most of my updates come on this site.

Exciting news, ain't it?

Even more exciting is that I just used "ain't" in that last sentence!

Watch Out For Those Flying Crayons!

Am I the only one who finds this funny? Click the link below to read the article!

Educational Puppet Pelted With Crayons

EVERETT, WA-In an attack denounced by teachers as "uncalled-for," Donny Dungarees was struck down with a barrage of crayons.

Another Update on Logan

Much has changed since my last post. What the doctors initially thought to be an infection was actually a tumor. The mass they removed from her brain is an anaplastic meningioma. Anaplastic means it's malignant...and it's on the World Health Organization's Grade III stage of Cancer, with IV being the worst.

Apparently, this type of aggressive meningioma is very rare in children. Not all meningiomas are malignant...in fact, most are benign. Unfortunately, however, in Logan's case, it is malignant. Her oncologist only found 19 reported cases of this in children worldwide since 1971.

Logan and her family have a tough road ahead. In mid-to-late August, she will begin 6 weeks of radiation, going 5 days a week (Mon.-Fri.). Needless to say, she will need all the strength and bravery her little 6-year-old heart can muster.

As I say goodbye for the summer to her two sisters at camp next week, I will probably find myself thinking of them often. Please keep Logan and her family in your thoughts and prayers.

One more thing...just wanted to share this song. Logan's mom said it has helped her in getting through this...so, this is for Logan...

John Mayer's "The Heart of Life"


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Life

[Update on 7/12. Original post follows.] Much has happened over the last week. She--Logan--had surgery to remove a small mass on her brain that the doctors believed to be the source of the seizures. Going into the surgery, they thought it was a cavernoma, however, during the removal, they realized it was not. Further tests of the mass indicated it was a dormant encapsulated infection causing the seizures. Currently, Logan is on anti-seizure medication, but will be weaned to smaller doses over the next 3 months. Thankfully, a post-op MRI showed that there is no trace of the mass left on her brain.

Logan's aunt set up a web page that friends and family could visit for updates on her progress and to leave messages of support. It looks like all the prayers and well-wishes that this little girl has received have been working. I've been visiting the site daily and am happy to say that, as of yesterday, Logan was released from the hospital! Hopefully she will come and visit us at camp before the summer is over. One of her sisters went on our trip today and I knew that she wanted to bring some little prizes home for Logan, so I gave her the few prize tickets that I had, to contribute to her collection.

***************************************************

Today was one of those days where I had to remind myself to be thankful for what I have.

The morning started routinely with the Camp Director, Chris, and me going over the activities for the day. A group Leader came in to our office and explained that one of her Kindergarteners was complaining that her leg was hurting and that she couldn't walk. The group had been playing Simon Says at the time. So Chris walked down to the Kindergarten room to see what was going on. He expected to just see that the girl was making excuses not to play the game. But, what he saw was that the girl was right...she couldn't walk. She appeared very stiff and her right leg started to twitch. Chris picked her up and carried her into our office. At that point, she was mostly just whimpering and saying that she couldn't stop her leg from twitching. I knelt beside the chair where she was sitting and tried to comfort her and keep her calm. Chris proceeded to take out her registration form and see if she had any medical conditions, etc., that we needed to know about immediately...there were none. The twitching then began in her right arm. Over the next minute or two, she started slumping over closer and closer to me. She was drooling on me and her left fingers clenched up as her right arm continued to twitch (pretty violently at this point). I was holding her around the waist to keep her from banging against the chair...Chris immediately called the township police (which we had a direct number for in our camp cell phones) so that they could dispatch the ambulance. Chris called her mother as well. At this time, the little girl was unresponsive to my questions...I noticed that her eyes began to twitch as well, and it appeared they were slightly rolling back into her head. I continued to cushion her head, as I knew it was obvious she was having a seizure. She had no history of epilepsy so we were very frightened. Chris ran outside to wait for the ambulance so he could direct them to the nearest entrance. I was so worried that the girl would bang her head on the arm of the chair, that I sent a counselor to get Chris to come back in to help me move her to the floor. He picked her up and laid her down on the floor, as I cushioned her head with a rolled-up t-shirt. We noticed that she had wet herself, as she lost control of her bodily functions (which usually happens with a Grand Mal seizure). The ambulance was there within 1 minute of getting her on the floor. She began coming out of the seizure as they were standing above her...as she became more lucid, she began to cry, frightened and confused as to what was happening.

Chris went with the paramedics in the ambulance, as they needed someone to ride along because Mom would be meeting them at the hospital. At the hospital, Chris said the little girl began to cry at the sight of her mother. Throughout the rest of the camp day, we were very worried about this little girl. She has two older sisters at our camp, that we were also concerned about...we didn't want them to be upset over what happened.

Chris talked to the girl's mother late this afternoon and we found out that she had had a CAT scan...apparently, the doctors did not like what they saw on the scan and decided to fly her to Children's Hospital. Needless to say, this can't be good news.

Please keep this 6-year-old girl in your thoughts and prayers. She's all I can think about and I nearly cried after she left in the ambulance this morning. I will make sure to update once I find out more.

Today...

...was a crazy day at work. The Upper Camp kids (grades 5-8) were going on a field trip this morning, and the staff let the buses leave without our Director, Chris. He was not happy. They finally got the buses turned around to come and get him. Fun.

...is my birthday (and my twin's...duh!). Contrary to what you see in this picture, I did not turn 45:


...my sister, Kelli, bought me ice cream from the Jack and Jill truck that comes to our camp at the end of the day. It was Snickers ice cream, and it was delightful.

...I was contacted for an interview for a Middle School English teaching position. That made me very happy, but anxious!

...was a beautiful day. Weather was perfect and the sky was clear.

...I got up at 6:30 a.m. to be at work for a 8:00 a.m. staff meeting.....I'm still yawning.

...a kid told me that he had dried throw-up on his leg. Yeah, that was interesting.

...my cousins came in to my Office at the end of the camp day to give me a birthday present. That made me smile :o)

...I received numerous phone calls and messages wishing me a happy birthday....I've got great friends and family.

...I ate too much at dinner, but found some room for cake :-P

...I'm skipping my exercise class because I feel like it (AND...did you forget? It's my birthday!).

...I laughed hysterically at Preston and Steve on the radio.

...is not over yet, but I look forward to getting some sleep tonight!

Birthdays and Doggies

Yesterday was my sister Kelli's 19th birthday and we had our family over after dinner. Since the weather was so nice, we wanted to sit outside. My twin sis and I had decorated our outside deck with a Tiki theme for Kelli's birthday (gotta love Party City!!) . Anyway, we were having a very nice time.

Our dog, Murphy, was playing with my cousins but, every once in awhile, would go over to the neighbor's gate to see his dog. However, the neighbor's dog (a male rottweiler) does not like Murphy. At all. It's not a new dog, but is new to the neighbor's house...he's only had him for a few weeks. Since both the neighbor's dog and our dog are males, we think that's why the other dog doesn't like ours. (Murphy tried to like him, but would get barked at every time he tried to make nice.) Murphy assumes this dog is friendly because he grew up with the neighbor's former dog (a female rottweiler) who treated Murphy more like her puppy. They got along very well, but unfortunately she was sick and died earlier this year.

Murphy, who is only a little rat terrier, can fit his head through the bars of the neighbor's gate. He's done this before, but previously just got barked at. For whatever reason, though, last night the neighbor's dog lashed out at Murphy and bit him. He's got 3 or 4 puncture wounds on his snout. We think that the other dog was really worked up from all the activity in our yard and just didn't want Murphy invading his territory. My sisters, cousins, and I were especially upset. None of us realized right away that he had been bitten, until he cowered away and my cousin Gina said she thought she saw the other dog actually bite Murphy. It took a few minutes of looking over him until the blood came to the surface of his snout. I felt so bad because Murphy looked so upset. We put peroxide on the wounds to keep out infection and iced it to reduce swelling, but it's still a little swollen today. Murphy was following my sisters and I around everywhere today (which he usually does when he's frightened or upset about something). Thank God, though, he's had all his shots, and will be going to the vet soon anyway for a nail-clipping and check-up.

Hopefully Murphy will learn to not be so trusting of other animals he doesn't know. I wouldn't want to see anything like this happen again!

Jeremiah Was A Bullfrog

Yesterday morning, my sister and I had CPR/First Aid certification for our summer camp job, so we were up early. As we were getting ready, our mom had let our dog out. He, of course, was taking his good old time coming in, but my mom noticed that he seemed to be looking at something in the driveway. So, she went out on the porch to see what he was doing and saw him tiptoeing around and sniffing something. I heard her say, "Murphy, get back!...what is that?" (Murphy has a tendency to eat random things, so we have to watch him.)

I went outside into the driveway to see what it was and it was a bullfrog! I got Murphy in the house and called my sister out to see it. He was pretty big! We could hear Murphy jumping and whining at the screen door (surely he was jealous, because when we came in, he sniffed us like crazy...as if we were out there petting the thing or something!). I grab my camera phone to take a picture and then we tried to figure out if it is still alive.


Kelli skipped a small pebble in its direction (not to hit it...just to see if it would move). The pebble doesn't hit it but kinda skips right by it. Nothing. I also noticed that it wasn't making any sounds or blinking its eyes, and the pouch at its throat wasn't moving at all. So, we figured it was dead and went back in the house. A half-hour later, when Kelli and I went back outside to leave, the frog was gone. We don't know where Mr. Frog came from or where it went, although we do have some creeks in town (but not near my house). Hopefully he made it to the water safely though!

Need to Brag About My Twin

My twin sister, Erin, plays for The Baltimore Blues in the Eastern Women's Baseball Conference. The Washington Post did a story about their league.

Yay, Air!!

Most Haunted

There is a series on the Travel Channel that I like to watch sometimes (as long as I'm not alone or trying to go to sleep). It's called Most Haunted. The premise is that they have a team of people, made up of parapsychologists, mediums, historians, etc. go into a place reported as haunted. Usually the kinds of places they visit are ones that are still open to guests and visitors--like inns, restaurants, museums, and historic homes. The team aims to confirm what workers and/or guests claim to see or feel.

This Friday, June 1st, starting at 8 p.m. Eastern, the Most Haunted team will be broadcasting live for 7 hours from the Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia.

A few years back some friends and I went to the ESP for their Terror Behind the Walls Halloween tour (remember, Michelle??). It's definitely a creepy place. At one point, the tour led us up to a second level cellblock where there was a row of dark cells. The catwalk along the row was only but 2-3 feet wide. There was a guide standing at the start of the row to send a few people down the catwalk at a time. My friend Lauren and I stepped up to begin our walk arm-in-arm. But the guide, noting our fright, made us separate and walk down the row by ourselves. I remember being terrified because the cells were these dark, steel-doored holes in the wall. Some of the cells no longer had the doors on, so they just looked so dark and scary that I was certain that someone or something would jump out at me. I covered my eyes for most it because I really didn't want to look inside the cells. Here's a screen capture to show what I'm talking about, taken from the ESP's online tour:

Cellblock 12

You can see a 360° view of the cellblocks and other areas of the Penitentiary here.

I hope to catch as much of the Most Haunted Live special as I can, depending on what I'm doing Friday night. If not, I'll have to fire up the old VCR.

Annoyance

I am so frustrated right now because my site feed is not updating correctly...my posts are listed in the wrong order. I think it has something to do with me going back and trying to add labels to posts that were missing them (from the old version of blogger). It's treating those old posts as new and bumping them to the top of my feed. UGGGHHHH.

Unless you subscribe to my feed, you won't notice this......so, carry on. Rant over.

EDIT: I am no longer annoyed. A kind soul on the help group told me how to fix the problem. Yay!

New Pictures

I've uploaded pictures from this month, including Mothers' Day and Memorial Day Weekend.

From Steve & Kathy's BBQ on Sunday, pictures at Flickr.

From Mothers' Day & Memorial Day with my family, pictures at Yahoo Photos.

Woah...

From The View - May 23, 2007 - Elisabeth vs. Rosie

They're at it again...

Inappropriate

So, last night at work I was tutoring a 2nd grader in Math. We were doing word/story problems and we came upon one that talked about "rock music tapes." To this, my student replies, "Cool...rock music." I said, "Oh, so you like rock music?" He says, "Yeah, but I can't talk about my favorite band."

Well this clearly piques my curiosity, so I question a little further, wondering what his favorite band is and why he can't talk about them...The dialogue goes like this:

Me: Why can't you talk about them?

Him: Well, because they're inappropriate.

Me: Oh...It's okay though...you can at least tell me the name of the band.

Him: It's the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

At this point, I'm laughing inside because it's definitely an odd choice for an 8-year-old, and I'm figuring he probably knows them from his parents.

Me: Oh, I know the Red Hot Chili Peppers...I like them too.

Him: (wide-eyed, smiling) You do?!

Me: Yes, but tell me why you called them inappropriate.

Him: Well, because in their songs they talk about girls and stuff so I didn't think I should talk about them.

Me: I guess your parents know you like them, right?...Do they listen to them too?

Him: Well, they know...and my Dad also likes them. [I think he also muttered something about listening to them with his Dad in the car.]

Me: Okay....let's get back to work.

Such is my life working with kids. They crack me up. You never know what they're going to say or connect to next, which is half the fun of teaching.

"She's A Sudoku Maniac"

Have you ever seen that Comcast commercial with the turtles named The Slowskies, where the male turtle says 'She's a Sudoku maniac' referring to the female? Yeah, well, they might as well be talking about me. I am addicted to Sudoku. Well, okay...not addicted in a bad way. I just like it a lot.

I've always been more drawn to the logic-type puzzles...you know, the ones where you have to make inferences and use deductive reasoning to figure out the answer. I guess that's why I like Sudoku.

Here's a quick run-down of the objective in case you are not familiar with the game:

• The object is to fill a 9x9 grid so that each column, each row, and each of the nine 3x3 boxes contains the digits from 1 to 9. The puzzle setter provides a partially completed grid. Your job is to figure out the missing digits.

Wanna play? Go ahead...give it a try. Just click in the boxes and type your numbers! Click the check mark below the puzzle to "check" your answers.

Philly Rock Radio Gets A New Contender

I still miss the days of WDRE (103.9). That's when I had to tape my favorite songs from the radio onto cassettes....I had various mix tapes in my collection. Here's a little tidbit for you too...Pearl Jam's "Alive" was the first (and last) song played on WDRE. You can hear the dramatic sign-off from "Bitterfest" here.

Thank God for WMMR (93.3) and WXPN (88.5) -- which features "Y-Rock" for fans of the former Y100 (still bitter about that one). Now, there's a new radio station for the Philadelphia-area listeners. It's at 104.5 on the frequency and professes to be entirely listener-controlled. So far, I like what I hear, with regards to the music. I don't know about the creativity though...It's actually called "Radio 104.5." I've been listening to it off and on while driving my car this week. I heard Pearl Jam's "Yellow Ledbetter" on it, so that's a plus. Just before the change-over, it was a Spanish station. However, I remember while I was growing up it was a pop/soft-rock station....wasn't it Sunny 104.5? Anyone?

Anyway, this new listener-driven 104.5 is yet another Clear Channel creation (surprise, surprise). I wonder how long it will take for them to jerk this one away or change it to a more pop-friendly theme.

In any event, I hope this one stays awhile. You can also listen online, so check it out, and tell me what you think!

M.I.A.

Yes I've been missing in action and neglecting my blog. I've been so busy lately with work, interviews, and other things. I promise to have a longer update coming soon. Now I'm off to watch the rest of A.I....Melinda better not be voted off!!

edit: Melinda went home :-( Blake and Jordin are in the finals....guess all the teeny-bopper girls voted for Blake, even though Melinda was much better.


P.S. check out my new label cloud in the sidebar..........SA-WEET!

Blah...

In addition to being so crazily busy this week with freelance writing, I got the FLU. I got through most of the week without it...which is good because I had to tutor a few nights, an interview on Thursday morning, and a tight writing deadline. However, I went to work on Thursday afternoon not feeling quite right. That night when I came home I knew something was up...I was aching all over and had the chills. A temperature check showed I had a 100-degree fever. Ugh.

I called out of work yesterday morning and spent a good part of the day home alone in bed. Although the fever is gone, I am still dealing with stomach pains and not being able to eat much but toast, soup, and rice.

Unfortunately since I am in close contact with kids who think nothing of coughing in your face when you're sitting right next to them, I am always going to get these annoying little bugs. I think I need to take double doses of vitamins! Where's Dr. Oz when you need him?!

Spider-Man 3

I am so excited for this movie which, by the way, opens this Friday, May 4th! Contributing to my excitement are the trailers I've seen, especially during Heroes on Monday nights. What a cowinkydink, huh? A Spider-Man trailer during Heroes?? Yes, I know...I'm sure it was very non-coincidental.

The soundtrack looks great as well, including artists like Rogue Wave, Snow Patrol, The Killers, and Wolfmother. You can hear all the tracks on the movie's myspace page (I really like "Move Away" by The Killers).

Beautiful

How To Get From NYC to Paris

I got this from a friend, and apparently it's all over the 'net....but I am sharing because it's hilarious. This is yet another way to get from New York to Paris. Who cares about the boring old traditional way of flying? These are the directions I will follow if I ever get to Paris someday...

Follow these steps:

1. Go to Google Maps
2. Click on "Get Directions" tab
   
3. Type in From New York To Paris
   
4. Search by clicking "Get Directions"
   
5. Scroll down to #s 23 & 24
6. Read and laugh.
   

I Don't Want to Vote For Sanjaya!

Jimmy Kimmel is hilarious. Here he is revealing how Sanjaya is staying on American Idol:

Discovery Channel

A new 11-part mini-series entitled Planet Earth begins this Sunday, March 25th on the Discovery Channel. It looks very interesting, so I have to remind myself to try to watch it each week. The website has a lot of features, including a "guide to the planet" and a "google earth tour."

If you're a nerd like me, make sure you check it out!

Vacation Stories Are the Best

So, I was in Fort Lauderdale visiting my Grandparents last week, enjoying the beautiful warm weather...

I went from seeing this...


...to seeing this...


It was quite depressing when I got home on Saturday (St. Patty's Day). We had to wait in a massive line in FL just to check in, and during our wait, we met a lady who was trying to get to Philly for a bar mitzvah. She told us that she had originally tried to fly out on Friday, and was already out on the tarmac when the passengers were notified the flight was canceled. How's that for luck? Fortunately, our Saturday flight was on time, and this lady got a seat. She asked us about the Philly airport because she had never been there before. We obliged her by answering her questions.

But, here's where the story gets funny....not really funny "haha" though...well, maybe a little. My mom, sister and I get on the plane, and more people continue to board. There's only 1 young guy sitting in the row behind us. Up the aisle comes an obnoxious spring-breaker, saying to her friend, but purposely out loud, "Oh no, that dude is not sitting in my seat" (referring to the guy behind us). He realizes immediately that she's talking about him. At this point, she's standing along his row, going "I don't mean to be a bitch, but...I need my seat." All along I'm thinking, 'Yeah, thanks for sharing with the whole plane.' Anyway, the guy was very apologetic and explained the only reason he was sitting there was because another girl was in his seat (which was the other side of our row).

Turns out, this guy and the girl in his seat were both assigned the same one...Yep, the same seat...on a full plane. So, then the flight attendants get involved and realize there are no open seats. This poor guy is literally standing in the middle of the aisle along side us, shaking his head, saying, "I just want to get home."

I kid you not, the flight attendants start doing an auction of sorts over the intercom, calling for any 1 volunteer who would opt to get off the plane, attempting to entice them with a free flight in the future. At first, no one bites (you could tell that people needed to get home, as there were mostly families and spring-breakers on the plane). So they call out two free flights. Nothing. Another spring-breaker somewhere in the back, calls out "How about unlimited?!" Everyone laughs. Still nothing. Three flights...we have a taker.

It's the bar mitzvah lady! My mom looks at me and says under her breath, "Oh...my...God..." I just look back at her and chuckle. Apparently she didn't have to get to Philly that bad.

This is why we go on vacation....just so we can have stories to tell. Of course I enjoyed the time I spent with my Grandparents, but who doesn't enjoy a good story??

Josh Groban

I went to see J.G. in concert last night in Philly. One word to sum it up: AMAZING. He has an absolutely unbelievable voice. I've been a fan of his for a few years now. Those who know me might be surprised that I listen to him because, well, he doesn't fit into my usual taste of musical genres (rock, alternative, indie)...but, that really doesn't matter to me...I have a deep appreciation for all types of music, as long as it's good and the artist is talented! It's hard, though, to specifically categorize his music, because it's a little bit pop, opera, rock, instrumental.

Josh Groban definitely has talent...of course he has a very operatic, powerful voice, but he also plays piano and the drums (both which he played a little last night). Who knows, he may play other instruments as well. What I loved, though, about the concert was that, in addition to his own band, he had a string section of local Philadelphia musicians. His own band and backing musicians consisted of a drummer, percussionist, pianist/keyboardist, bassist, guitarist, cellist, and violinist. Together, they all sounded incredible.

A note about his violinist...her name is Lucia Micarelli. She is only 21 years old but sounds like she's been playing for 40 years! About halfway through the concert, she did a violin solo and it was none other than Led Zeppelin's Kashmir!!! As soon as I heard those oh-so-familiar notes, my jaw pretty much hit the ground in my disbelief.

In any event....the concert was one of the best I've ever been to.

I'll leave you with my favorite song from his new album, Awake..."February Song" which was co-written with John Ondrasik of Five For Fighting.

Listen at my Stickam site: February Song ENJOY!

I'm Confused

No, really...I am. Yesterday I was doing some "research" online (well, not real research...hence, the quotes)... actually, I was just looking for some ideas for Theme Days to bring to a meeting next week for my summer camp job. For the past 10 years that I've worked there, we've recycled many of the same Theme Day ideas and I was just looking for something new. Well, I came across a 2002 article from the Austin Chronicle and I was a little baffled by the ideas thrown out there for Theme Days for SCHOOLS.

Here's a snippet:

Raver Day - Sideways cap, large pants (UFOs a plus); Boys: button-down white shirt; Girls: anything that shows your midriff. And lots and lots of "kandy."

So, apparently, "Kandy" is not just a city in Sri Lanka...Kandy can also be the trippy glowy friendship bracelets that ravers exchange at raves. Hmmm...who knew? Maybe you did and I'm just out of the loop. See Wikipedia, since we're not talking official research or anything. I love this line from the Wikipedia article, though:

"Candy ravers may or may not use recreational drugs."

Sorry for the digression...back to why I'm confused. Ok, I'm confused about why you'd 1-encourage girls to come to school with bare midriffs, and 2-suggest the "kandy." Maybe it's just the teacher in me, but isn't this going a little too far? Why have the kids, essentially, "celebrate" the acid culture? I'm assuming the Austin Chronicle article is talking about high school kids here, not college kids...which would be a very different story...one I'd probably not be concerned with.

Here's another one...I love this idea too (does my sarcasm come across?):

Pimps & Hoes Day - Girls: short skirts, too much make-up; Boys: flamboyant suits, big hats with feathers, and canes.

Again....a school, in a sense, is sponsoring this, as if it's a commendable lifestyle? It's one thing if a kid dresses up as this for Halloween or something---on their own, at home, with parents' permission...But a school would basically be saying "C'mon everyone, let's be Pimps and Hoes!!"

Aren't schools supposed to be setting an example? I'm not naive to think that high school kids don't know what pimps and hoes are or that they aren't dressing overly provocative on their own, but why encourage the lifestyle by putting it out there for a school-sponsored event.....what purpose does it serve? Just my 2 cents.

Feel free to weigh in on any of this........by the way, I didn't find anything but the usual camp theme day ideas, ya know--Hawaiian Day, Costume Day, Crazy Hat Day, etc.--so I'll keep searching. If you've got any ideas for me, let me know!

Many Hearts Find One Home

This weekend (Feb. 16th - 18th) is Penn State's annual 48-hour Dance Marathon, aka THON. The theme this year is Many Hearts, One Home. 2007 marks the 35th anniversary of THON. It is also the first year it is being held in the Bryce Jordan Center to accommodate the growing number of participants and families. For the last several years, it had been held in the smaller campus venue, Rec Hall. The money raised goes to the Four Diamonds Fund, benefiting Penn State Children's Hospital at Hershey Medical Center.

I was extremely fortunate to be a part of THON '99 as a member of the CCSG THON Committee. I worked in communications with the dancers of the University's 19 Commonwealth campuses.

Above is a picture of me at the Four Diamonds Carnival in November 1998. Standing in front of me is Tanner, who was diagnosed with Cancer. Our committee sponsored his family for THON through the Adopt-A-Family program. The carnival was when we got to meet Tanner, his brothers, and their mother for the first time. All the work and time that went into preparing for THON weekend was well worth it.

When THON weekend finally came, each committee member had shifts to cover on the floor, supporting the dancers and having fun with the kids. Nothing could prepare you for the feeling of being on the floor...no matter how many people tell you about it ahead of time. It's just one of those things you have to do for yourself. If I could give you three words to sum up what it's like being on the floor (especially during Family Hour), they'd be FUN, EMOTIONAL, INSPIRATIONAL. THON was an absolutely amazing experience...one that I will never forget.

You can support THON by making a donation. To see what THON is all about, you can view tons of pictures and the live webcast.

THON -- For the Kids...Go State! Beat Cancer!

Eddie Vedder to Sing With The Doors Again?

The Doors were inducted into the Rock N' Roll Hall of Fame back in 1993. Eddie Vedder filled in for the late Jim Morrison at the induction ceremony, singing three songs (Roadhouse Blues, Break on Through, & Light My Fire) with the remaining band members. I happen to have the audio of this performance on an old Pearl Jam bootleg CD that I've had for more than 10 years now. At the time I first heard the Vedder-led Doors songs, I remember thinking how much he sounded like Jim Morrison. In my opinion, he did a great job covering the songs by paying homage to Morrison without copying his exact style.

There are now rumors of a 40th anniversary Doors reunion this year, even though two remaining band members (Robby Krieger and Ray Manzarek) have already been performing under the name The Doors of the 21st Century, led by singer Ian Astbury (of The Cult). Apparently, drummer John Densmore would not participate in the collaboration with Astbury, seemingly because he doesn't feel Astbury lives up to Jim Morrison's standard. Well, that's how I took it after reading an article from Starpulse. Read for yourself...see what you think.

However, Densmore had only compliments for Eddie Vedder (after working with him in the past) saying that the reunion would be possible if Vedder signed on to the project.

"Eddie Vedder? My God, there's a singer."

~Doors drummer, John Densmore

So, who knows what will happen? I would love to see this collaboration take place, being a fan of both The Doors and Eddie Vedder [Pearl Jam].

If you haven't ever heard Eddie Vedder's peformance with The Doors at the RnR Hall of Fame induction ceremony, here are videos of two of the songs:

Break On Through




Light My Fire

Lost...woo hoo!

Yay! Lost returns tomorrow night. It feels like it's been forever and a day............oh wait, it has. All I know is...there better be some questions answered because I can't take it anymore. And, Kate, gosh darnit, pick a man....Jack or Sawyer...who's it gonna be?

Some questions I want answered...

Is there really a polar bear on the island?

What's with the black smoke?

What do The Others have to do with this whole situation?

Where is Walt and will we ever see him again?

Is entering the numbers into the computer really keeping them alive?

Who is Jacob and what is this list of his?


p.s. don't forget that Lost is now on at 10 EST!

My TMJ

I hate my TMJs (temporomandibular joints). Actually, I hate my left TMJ more than my right...and it definitely hates me.

This hate/hate relationship started when I was in high school. The last day of school during my sophomore year, I woke up not able to open my jaw much past an inch. So basically I went to school that day feeling like a freak. My mom made me a peanut butter and jelly sandwich because it was soft and easy to chew. But, at the lunch table that day, I didn't feel much like eating. I ripped off little pieces of the sandwich and shoved them through the one-inch opening I could muster. Needless to say, that day sucked.

Since then, I've had bouts of TMJ pain every so often....times of stress or a "certain" time of the month may make it worse. Part of the problem for me is that I have a very small mouth, which my dentist has confirmed on numerous occasions, especially when they can't get the adult-size films to fit in my mouth for routine x-rays (that's always a fun visit). I've learned to cope with it, for the most part, by avoiding too much gum-chewing and by staying away from hard breads and large sandwich rolls.

My dentist fitted me for a night-guard that is supposed to alleviate my jaw-clenching when I sleep, which makes my TMJ pain worse.......oh, yeah, jaw-clenching? Yet another part of the problem. However, I've stopped wearing the night-guard because it was actually making the pain worse and I was waking up feeling as if my jaw was pushed out of alignment; plus there were clicking noises when I'd eat. So, no more night-guard for me.

Although the clicking has stopped, the pain in my left TMJ continues...at times, it feels like a really bad earache. I've been doing some jaw exercises and putting a hot compress on the area to help reduce the spasms causing the pain. Needless to say, I don't think this will ever completely go away for me. I've been reading up on this a lot lately, and other contributing factors weighing against me are that I'm female, I have hormones, and am already prone to neck pain.

Anyone else deal with TMJ pain? Please offer any advice!

Downtown Harvest

It's not very often that you come across a local band that is easy to get into right away, especially the first time hearing them...many times, the band sounds a little rough. If they are just starting out on the scene, unfortunately they might be soon forgotten.

However, that is definitely not true for the band, Downtown Harvest. I saw them last Friday night and they were actually really good. They are not a cover band; they play their own music. They have a very refined, tight sound. What is most amazing is the fact that they've only been a band since 2002, but they sound like they've been playing much longer than that.

If Downtown Harvest ever comes to your neck of the woods, make sure to check them out.....they're well worth it! On a side note, they will be playing at Penn State's Dance Marathon (aka THON) on February 17th. You can read more about Downtown Harvest and preview some of their music on their website, here.

"Predator" Returns

I mentioned, back in November, that one of my favorite shows on tv right now is Dateline NBC's To Catch a Predator series. Finally, it is returning tonight at 8 p.m. ET with a new investigation from Long Beach, California. Over the next six weeks, they will also show investigations from Murphy, Texas and Flagler Beach, Florida. You can watch past episodes of the investigations on the series' homepage (midway down, under "Investigations").

Headlines!

Awww, so sad...looks like Katie Holmes will not continue her Batman Begins role in The Dark Knight...boooooo hoooooo. Okay, I'm over it.

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Like coffee and a donut?...Why not have some caffeine with your caffeine? Pretty soon they'll be injecting caffeine into our milk and orange juice too!

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Ahhh, yes....Paula Abdul. She has made a fool of herself once again. While I understand the fact that she may have gotten her signals crossed while talking to multiple news stations during the same interview, I don't quite understand her odd, loopy behavior-- apparently blamed on "lack of sleep." Riiiiiight. Check out two videos, here and here.

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And, finally......no one sums up headlines better than Best Week Ever. Check out my favorite clips from the last two episodes:

• Jan. 22 clip: Commentary on Paula Abdul, American Idol, Britney's Peanut Butter-carrying boyfriend, and the Golden Globes
• Jan. 29 clips:
  
• Act 2 : Commentary on Rachael Ray, K-Fed, Brad Pitt, and LaToya Jackson from Armed and Famous
• Act 3: Commentary on the new Kleenex commercial, Tara Reid, and safety talk from Beauty and the Geek

Corporal Punishment of Children

My comments on this interesting article.......To Spank or Not to Spank:

Spanking is definitely based on Classical Conditioning, or Pavlovian Conditioning. In it's simplest form, the idea is that the child will associate the spanking with the bad behavior...they don't like the spanking...they don't wish to experience it in the future...so they remove the bad behavior.

However, it is not as simple as that. There are so many factors that go into punishment. If a parent does not catch the child in the act of the bad behavior but finds out, let's say, hours later and, at that point, punishes the child by spanking...well, the child will no longer be able to associate that punishment with his/her behavior. Therefore, conditioning is not taking place.

In my opinion (that's for you, Jon), I don't think spanking a child teaches them anything worth learning. Sure, it may teach them that they don't like getting spanked...that it hurts...but, is it truly teaching them why they're getting spanked in the first place?

Spanking will not change a particular behavior any more than another form of punishment. All the child learns is that they need to be more savvy about doing that behavior in the future...like, striving to do it outside the watchful eye of Mom or Dad (from whom the spanking would come). But, I think this creates a deviant behavior....thus contributing to avoidance and an overall devious personality. Is that really what we want to teach our children? How will that help them in life?

Thanks to the work of behaviorists like Pavlov and B.F. Skinner, enter Operant Conditioning...that is, the use of positive & negative reinforcement, as well as positive & negative punishments. And, yes, there are differences. In a nutshell, these are ways to teach the child consequences for a bad behavior or to reinforce a good behavior. With Operant Conditioning, children are much more likely to continue to apply what they've learned to future situations.

Due to my Developmental Psychology class in college, I find this extremely interesting and could go on and on about this topic...but, where do you weigh in? Feel free to comment.

All You Need is Some Water and Sunlight

This picture is amazing...Notice the contrast in brightness between the area within the rainbow and around it.

EDIT: This picture has been removed from the original link. A smaller version can be seen here.

Random Bits

Did anyone see Grey's Anatomy last night? I cried like a baby when George's dad died. Of course, my sister laughed at me...I'll remember that the next time she gets but a tear in her eye.

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Back on December 12th, I talked about Pearl Jam's cover of The Who's "Love, Reign O'er Me." At the time, I only heard a snippet of the song in the trailer for the movie, "Reign Over Me." Well since then, Pearl Jam has put the entire track on their MySpace page and it is awesome...so, go listen to it right now...well, not right now...but, after you're done visiting my blog.

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In my last post, I put up the trailer for Zach Braff's upcoming film, "Fast Track." However, Mr. Braff himself recently reported in his hilarious MySpace blog that there has been a name change. So, if you go looking for the movie and don't find it, you can't blame me for not telling you! It is now called "The Ex" because apparently it had nothing to do with a track. Go read his blog though....it's quite funny...BUT (need I remind you twice?) only when you are finished here.

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I've been crazy busy lately (hence the reason for the lack of updates)...I have taken on three part-time jobs. First, I've been doing freelance writing in Education for a little less than a year and I've been doing many assignments for that recently. Also, I started tutoring back in the fall after my summer job was over. Now, I've just picked subbing back up again, twice a week.

In addition to the jobs, I've been taking steps that will hopefully lead to a permanent teaching position...By "steps," I mean this:

1. I sent in my application materials for New Jersey State Certification, after passing a required Praxis test called Elementary Education: Content Knowledge (they don't use this particular test in PA).
   
2. Plus, last Saturday I took two more tests for certification in Middle School English and Middle School Math to widen my certification area. I should have those results in about a month.
   
3. As if that wasn't enough, I am taking one more test in March, called Fundamental Subjects: Content Knowledge to prove my "Highly-Qualified Status" as a teacher in PA, due to requirements by No Child Left Behind.
   
4. And, no I haven't gone broke....yet.
   

Wow, I'm exhausted just writing this. I officially release you to listen to Pearl Jam and read Zach Braff's words of wisdom. But, I'll be back...