tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65710919108592595562024-03-12T18:01:34.480-07:00Daily Dose o' Donna: Such a Random LifeSometimes silly. Sometimes sarcastic. Sometimes sentimental.Query-A-Dayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06403531785846541267noreply@blogger.comBlogger207125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6571091910859259556.post-83769650726899590162008-12-10T19:40:00.000-08:002008-12-19T11:28:11.005-08:00NEW HOME FOR BLOG! (Please go there for new posts!)Not only do I like to move a lot in real life, I like to move my blog, too.<br /><br />I just moved <a href="http://www.dailydoseodonna.com">www.DailyDoseoDonna.com</a> from Blogger to Wordpress. The domain will now point there, however I'll leave this blogger blog (http://randomthoughtsfromdonna.blogspot.com) up for a little while incase people have it bookmarked the blogspot address ... so, please rebookmark the URL <a href="http://www.dailydoseodonna.com">www.dailydoseodonna.com</a> to always get to the new, current blog.Query-A-Dayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06403531785846541267noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6571091910859259556.post-41614795049707767972008-12-10T16:06:00.001-08:002008-12-10T16:35:39.131-08:00Congrats to the Top 40 Under 40!I saw a Times Leader insert at work on Monday about the Top 40 Under 40 in Northeast Pennsylvania. I flipped through the pages and with each turn of the page, I was like, "Wow...." Over the years I have worked, attended school, or was a part of some community project with many of these amazing folks. One is even my <a href="http://www.backmountaindental.com/">dentist</a>. And one is the Co-Founder/CEO of my company, <a href="http://www.solidcactus.com/">Solid Cactus</a>-- who I am so proud of for earning this award because I see his efforts every day. One has my last name. One is even in a position I used to hold at a local radio station, even though I don't know him, I thought that was pretty cool. I am just so super proud of these folks, some I knew since they were college freshman! It's just awesome to see them have such success-- but even better yet- making such a positive impact on our community.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_O_xtCsYBiOY/SUBdB94Ug4I/AAAAAAAAA_g/NNBYImRtcf4/s1600-h/kidsinthehall.bmp"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 184px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_O_xtCsYBiOY/SUBdB94Ug4I/AAAAAAAAA_g/NNBYImRtcf4/s320/kidsinthehall.bmp" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5278321051650261890" border="0" /></a>Then I remembered that three years ago, I pitched a story idea to <a href="http://www.theweekender.com/">the Weekender</a> about profiling some local, civic-minded young professionals - <a href="http://www.wilkes-barre.pa.us/">downtown Wilkes-Barre </a>was on the upswing finally, and many of these folks played a role. It was a cover story, which is shown above. (That was a fun photo shoot on the roof, too!) Today, three years later, three of the people were named Top 40 Under 40. You can click on the article below to see what they had to say three years ago! I just reread it and was inspired! So many of the things these "kids" were excited about working on are done-- downtown is happening, the river project is here-- things have changed and a lot has to do with what started three to four years ago with the new administration in the city!<br /><br />Here is some more information about this cool Top 40 Under 40 program:<br /><a href="http://blog.solidcactus.com/news/honored-to-be-honored/">Scott's post on the Solid Cactus Blog</a><br /><a href="http://www.timesleader.com/community/40under40/">Official Times Leader Site</a><br /><a href="http://www.geocities.com/donnatalaricowrites/youngprofessionals">Link to the PDF of the Weekender story I did </a><br /><br />Congrats ladies and gents!Query-A-Dayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06403531785846541267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6571091910859259556.post-56770354321969072742008-12-10T14:41:00.000-08:002008-12-10T14:50:16.476-08:00One More Year of School- the MFA in Creative Writing from WilkesYay! I am stoked. I was accepted into the <a href="http://www.wilkes.edu/pages/412.asp">MFA in Creative Writing at Wilkes University</a>- I'll be finished with the MA in Creative Writing in January, and with a dozen or so of my writing pals, we're continuing on to the terminal degree and I'll be done in January 2010. The MFA differs from the MA in that it's a terminal degree, like a PhD. I am excited about having the higher degree and would love to teach a class or two part-time once I am able, but I am most excited about more creative writing residencies and being a part of this creative community longer. Write on!Query-A-Dayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06403531785846541267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6571091910859259556.post-80901864946447158582008-12-09T17:24:00.001-08:002008-12-09T17:33:48.031-08:00Packages in the MailMaybe it was my childhood obsession with pen pals, Ed McMahon and dreams of being an actress with thousands of fans, but I LOVE mail. Real, postal mail. To this day. I used to have pen pals that I found in my Teen Beat magazine. When I moved away to Oklahoma, I corresponded to friends with letters. I loved when we received Publisher's Clearinghouse packets because I loved scratching off the sweepstakes stuff and taking one sticker off one insert and sticking it on the proper place on another. I loved tearing out the stamps for the magazines I wanted and licking them, and placing them on the envelope. And finally, I always wanted to get fan mail. I dunno. I just did. I swore I'd write back to anyone who wrote me a letter because sending mail was fun, too. <br /><br />Mail isn't as fun when you are an adult because it's mostly bills, or junk. But, I still get excited. I recently placed a few orders for myself and for Christmas gifts online, so today when I saw a white package in my mailbox, I got excited. I wondered which company it was from, and I secretly hoped it was the shirt I ordered for myself from Wet Seal. But it wasn't. I was a Christmas present for someone who shall remain nameless because he, she or it may read this. I am stoked about giving this present, too.<br /><br />Which leads me to this being a very different Christmas. I am single. The longer you are with someone, the higher the budget is for exchanging gifts. And on year five, we were getting up there. This year, I have hardly anyone to buy for. I have a small family, I don't have a lot of close friends- more like a ton of acquaintances- so this year is very different. Cheaper, yes. As fun? I dunno. I don't remember what it's like to be single on Christmas actually, so we'll see. Maybe I will just buy myself an iPhone, finally!Query-A-Dayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06403531785846541267noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6571091910859259556.post-85911437997684953312008-12-08T18:30:00.000-08:002008-12-08T18:54:03.125-08:00"Plato Says..." Yeah- the Dude Rocks<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_O_xtCsYBiOY/ST3dYUXsqKI/AAAAAAAAA_Q/eUd7yxv2OUM/s1600-h/plato.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 264px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_O_xtCsYBiOY/ST3dYUXsqKI/AAAAAAAAA_Q/eUd7yxv2OUM/s400/plato.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277617748202793122" border="0" /></a><br />I was looking for quotes about Nature vs. Nurture to include in my book because I thought it would make a nice touch between the dedication and acknowledgments, since that is really the underlying theme. In my web search, I was given a page full of Plato quotes-- none of which had to do with Nature vs. Nurture- but there were some that I never saw before, or at least forgot about. A lot of these hit home, or made me think of certain people in my life, or certain experiences I've been through. It's amazing to think how long ago these words were uttered, yet they still apply today. It shows that no matter what civilization or century- we're still human. Here are some of my favorite Plato quotes- some are witty, some are beautiful and most are just smart:<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">At the touch of love, everyone becomes a poet</span>. -Plato (I like this because I have been in heated moments where I immediately felt like writing poetry, and I am being serious, not sarcastic.)<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle</span>. -Plato (And I always am! My philosophy sometimes is I may be the first person that was nice to someone, or the first person to smile at someone that day!)<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">He was a wise man who invented beer.</span> - Plato (He really said that? Wow! Love this guy!)<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Human behavior stems from three main sources: desire, emotion and knowledge</span>. - Plato <br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Necessity: the mother of invention</span>. - Plato (So, so true!)<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">There are two things a man should never be angry at, what he cannot control and what he can</span>. - Plato (Again, love this one. I try to be laid back at all times. Why waste energy getting mad?!)<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Music is moral law: it gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything. </span> - Plato (Ah, so true. So many friends I have that are so into music that would love this one.)<br /><br />And my favorite:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Life must be lived as play. -Plato</span><br /></span></div>Query-A-Dayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06403531785846541267noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6571091910859259556.post-20629327443087955382008-12-07T16:28:00.000-08:002008-12-07T16:39:48.542-08:00Where's the Menu Board?A few weeks ago, on Black Friday, I headed to work and en route, stopped to get a McDonald's breakfast at the Luzerne location. When I pulled up to the order speaker, something was very different. There was no menu. None. There was just an empty, metal, red circle thing which I am guessing held the menu. I felt at a loss intially, so I just ordered a coffee with three creams and a hashbrown. I mean, I know what McDonald's carries, but without the menu, I felt a tad lost.<br /><br />I figured the Luzerne McDonald's just chose a holiday weekend when less people would be eating Big Macs to change/upgrade the order board. Then, fast forward today. I wanted a fountain soda. Bad. So, I pulled into the Luzerne McDonald's and again, NO menu. It's been a little while; you'd think they'd have it replaced by now.<br /><br />I seriously thought of asking into the speaker box, "Hey-- what do you guys have here?" You know, throw them off a bit. Pretend I've never been to the Golden Arches before!<br /><br />What is so funny about this situation is that most Americans would do just fine without even looking at the menu at the McDonald's drive-thru. Seriously! And that should scare us. We've been groomed to know what McDonald's serves, from the Big Mac to even lesser knowns, like the Asian Chicken Salad. We know about the fries. We know about the shakes. We know about the pies. We don't need the menu board. Yet, it's a source of comfort. It's pictures can perhaps change one's mind. It can help the indecisive, decide. <br /><br />But really- I wonder how long it takes to replace a menu board. There may be someone in Luzerne county who never ate at McDonald's, and may very well need it.Query-A-Dayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06403531785846541267noreply@blogger.com29tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6571091910859259556.post-28484713280753951202008-12-06T14:14:00.000-08:002008-12-06T14:34:33.615-08:00Lucky's Sportshouse is a Nice Addition to NEPA<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_O_xtCsYBiOY/STr8bmPizHI/AAAAAAAAA_A/ytuE5Hcwxgc/s1600-h/November2008BeerTurkey+016.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 417px; height: 313px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_O_xtCsYBiOY/STr8bmPizHI/AAAAAAAAA_A/ytuE5Hcwxgc/s400/November2008BeerTurkey+016.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5276807464470367346" border="0" /></a>I meant to write this post a few weeks ago, and in fact, even took a picture of my dinner to use in the blog post. For months when folks drove on upper Coal Street past Wegman's, past the big superstore that is ruining America and toward the arena, they were greeted with the old Uno Pizza building be remodeled, with a sign that said, "new concept restaurant coming soon." The owners teased us-- no one knew what was being worked on inside the old pizza shop.<br /><br />Then, it was announced that it was going to be Lucky's Sporthouse. The logo is pretty cool, so even though I do not care for sports, I was interested. Then, two of my friends were meeting there one Monday for a game (something with a ball or stick, I am not quite sure) and food and beer. When I walked into the place, I was pretty impressed. Huge, open, airy, lots of TVs.... a real, super nice place. The bar was HUGE. The bartenders certainly have a lot of room to move around, which I am sure makes their jobs a lot easier. Lucky's Sportshouse has tons of beers on tap, which is great. Not as many as Arena Bar & Grill, of course- but that's the Arena's speciality. Lucky's is all about providing sports fans a more upscale place to watch a game and get some good eats.<br /><br />The menu is fantastic! There's the token bar food, of course. Everyone at the bar seemed to be ordering pizza- Lucky's Sportshouse had a good selection of speciality pizzas. I opted for a real dinner. Something really caught my eye- Grits and Shrimp. I know- grits. Reminds ya of My Cousin Vinny, right? This prompted me thinking- is this a chain? I was pretty sure Lucky's was a local place because in my travels around the US, I have never seen another Lucky's, but grits? In NEPA? So I asked our extremely nice bartender (his name is escaping me, dammit- I knew I should have posted this that night), the scoop. Turns out one of the owners worked in the South for a while and learned just what you could do with grits while there.<br /><br />This grits and shrimp thing was one of the most unqiue things I've tasted. It was two grit and cheese cakes- I had only seen grits look like a lumpy side dish before- but here, they were formed into cakes, either deep friend or pan friend until they were golden and crispy. Then, between the two cakes was spinach. All around the tower were pieces of shrimp and cherry tomatoes in this amazing cream sauce. I could barely drink my beer because this was so filling- I couldn't finish all of it, but did my best. It was just incredible. I'd order it again, but definitely want to try the pizza.<br /><br />So- to all in NEPA who are looking for somewhere new to try, check out Lucky's Sporthouse. I am not a sports fan but still had a blast. The place draws a good crowd, has a really, really nice staff and just an overall great atmosphere.Query-A-Dayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06403531785846541267noreply@blogger.com189tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6571091910859259556.post-64787070999328607602008-12-02T06:11:00.000-08:002008-12-02T06:18:48.226-08:00Reflecting Back to the Inner MakeoverDid you ever re-read something you wrote a year or so ago? I used to post a lot of articles on <a href="http://www.associatedcontent.com/join.html?refer=5363">Associated Content</a>- an user-generated content site-- where I also earn recurring revenue each month. I was really, really active there for some time. Things got busy with work and school, so I haven't posted anything new in nearly a year. However, my stuff still gets read and commented on. Today, I received an e-mail notification that I had a new comment on my article, "<a href="http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/305798/how_i_gave_myself_an_inner_makeover.html?cat=43">How I Gave Myself an Inner-Makeover</a>."<br /><br />I had to go re-read it. In July 2007, right after I left one job for another, I really made some changes. And, I still feel great that these changes are still in my life. I still live by "It is What it is." I am no longer in that relationship, however (I guess I kept on with the negative energy removal...), and yes, I succumbed back into meat eating- but everything else is still the same. It's just neat to go back and read something that you pledged to yourself a long time ago, and it feels great to know that I kept up!<br /><br />So that's my shiny, happy thought for the day. = ) What can you do to change YOUR life for the better? What can you get rid of that's bringing you down? Small changes can be HUGE!Query-A-Dayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06403531785846541267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6571091910859259556.post-10958101424452223042008-11-29T14:58:00.000-08:002008-11-29T15:03:16.198-08:00QWERTY Keyboards Great for Texting- Not So Great for Trying to Dial By LetterI haven't worked in radio for some time- geez, about six or seven years. It feels like yesterday. But at any rate, I felt it was time that I could actually call a radio station to win something. A local station here is giving away a holiday party- you qualify a few times a day to win a prize and then get entered in a grand prize drawing, yada yada. So anyway, I heard the Santa sounder and wanted to dial the station to try to be the Nth caller. When I realized my Q has a QWERTY keypad, I was in trouble. There was no way I could figure out what numbers spelled out the radio station name in time to win. Haha!<br /><br />The other day when my computer was going haywire at home, I went to campus. My password to get on Wilkes was reset and saved on my home computer. I never memorized it, so I had to call the HELP desk, which is 408-HELP. I couldn't dial by number, again. So I called the main Wilkes switchboard and asked to be transferred. <br /><br />Just a silly observation.Query-A-Dayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06403531785846541267noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6571091910859259556.post-22689304872464651152008-11-26T12:12:00.000-08:002008-11-26T12:25:52.561-08:00Forget the Sound, How About The Smell of Music<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_O_xtCsYBiOY/SS2v73owjGI/AAAAAAAAA-4/9RUl-9kIMXI/s1600-h/Harajuku-Lovers-Music-Womens_D845BA82.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 230px; height: 230px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_O_xtCsYBiOY/SS2v73owjGI/AAAAAAAAA-4/9RUl-9kIMXI/s400/Harajuku-Lovers-Music-Womens_D845BA82.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5273064181802765410" border="0" /></a><br />I had a nice little trip to the mall last night, ending with a massage from the new Massage Store, ran by authentic Eastern practitioners. (That's my PC way of describing the place.) I sooo needed a massage from my long work days and long work nights on the memoir draft the past few weeks- my neck and shoulder and arms were tight as hell from all the time typing and in the computer chair. It felt pretty amazing and I slept like a rock.<br /><br />I stopped at Macy's to pick up another pair of Donna Karan New York -DNKY- jeans because they fit me better than any other denim product, ever! Love DKNY. I wish I had found them sooner. I also found a cute shirt to wear for the First Annual Turkey Day Pub Crawl, a term for tonight's festivities my co-worker coined. Then, I found this cute, gray Hilfiger sweater on sale 30% off!! Score.<br /><br />On the way out of Macy's, something really cute caught my eye- adorable bottles of perfume with anime-looking character shaped bottles. The brand is <a href="http://www.hlfragrance.com/#/about/4">Harajuku Lovers</a>. I am a sucker for packaging so I perused over to the counter. I sniffed all the samples and found that I liked Music the best. Then I remembered that last week I spritzed on the last spray of Flirtasious, my previous perfume. I was in need of something new and I was in front of a very cute bottle that contained a very nice smelling perfume. So, I grabbed a tiny bottle of <a href="http://www.hlfragrance.com/#/about/4">Harajuku Lovers Music</a> for $25.<br /><br />Today, I Googled the perfume to get a picture for the blog post and found that this is Gwen Stefani's perfume! This makes me extra excited because she's hot and talented and kind of a girl crush I have. The perfume was inspired by Gwen's first trip to Tokoyo in the Harajuku section, where people have their own style and attitude. The website for the perfume says Harajuku stands for "anything goes, outrageous, layered and eye-catching...." Apparently, there will be a float for Harajuku at the Macy's Day Parade... another Macy's connection there... The website is super cute and fun but has a lot going on and slowed down my PC.Query-A-Dayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06403531785846541267noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6571091910859259556.post-25234465333202234682008-11-26T09:39:00.000-08:002008-11-26T10:32:20.103-08:00Video from Non-Profit Summit 2008: Three co-workers and I presented at the Blog, Blog, Blog session<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_O_xtCsYBiOY/SS2WC-Gr9qI/AAAAAAAAA-w/9TA8-nlThDg/s1600-h/nonprofit.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 142px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_O_xtCsYBiOY/SS2WC-Gr9qI/AAAAAAAAA-w/9TA8-nlThDg/s320/nonprofit.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5273035716495668898" border="0" /></a><br />A few weeks ago, I spoke on a panel called Blog, Blog, Blog at the <a href="http://www.wbnonprofitsummit.org/">Nonprofit Summit 2008</a>, sponsored in part by <a href="http://www.cdscreative.com">CDS Creative</a>, the company ran by my new friend <a href="http://www.cdscreative.com/cds_blog/">Catherine Shafer</a>. The CEO of my company, Scott, an SEO expert from my company, Jeff (and fellow blogger), Catherine and I talked about all the advantages of blogging for nonprofits-- not to mention how easy it was. I had a great time! After the session, I was <a href="http://www.cdscreative.com/cdscreativevideos.htm">interviewed for the video presentation</a>-- check it out. You must wait until the very end to see me, but there's a lot of good stuff there pertaining to managing nonprofits-- if you wish though, you can move the dial up to around 5:00 to see my interview and B-roll footage of Catherine and the Solid Cactus gang. Click on the video for the '08 summit.<br /><br />http://www.cdscreative.com/cdscreativevideos.htmQuery-A-Dayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06403531785846541267noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6571091910859259556.post-18941373304624766692008-11-25T14:02:00.001-08:002008-11-25T14:16:36.598-08:00Another Round of Funny Keywords That Brought People to My BlogA few months back, I posted some funny keywords that showed up in my Google Analytics account. To those unfamiliar with the e-commerce tool, Google Analytics pretty much tells you everything about your site- where people are coming from, etc. I have it on my site just for shits and giggles to see how much traffic I get and how far visitors are from- but what I find most entertaining is HOW people find the blog. <br /><br />There are some expected keywords, like my name (people search for me for some reason)- various spellings of my name and blog name, too. I also must have blogged about a few well-searched topics like Office Space, Green M&Ms being an aphrodisiac (about 40 different versions of a search for that appeared), expired driver's license and bars (almost 100 searches for versions of that), fecal matter in ice (about 30 different keywords phrases on that), lots of Pocono and Wilkes-Barre businesses since I blog a lot about what I do and where I go... But here's some strange ones-- somehow my content must have looked good to the search engines when people searched for:<br /><br />are you supposed to rotate in a tanning salon<br />beer internet publicity tattoo (My comment: WTF?)<br />cats for cakes<br />cool laundromat names<br />dive bar dancer blog<br />donna l. white naked (My comment: Thank goodness is wasn't my name with naked!!)<br />elmo drink trucks<br />hoochies guitar<br />health issue, i smell a mold smell everywhere, my house, my car, my office (My Comment- that's a long search term!)<br />how to use a pooper scooper (My comment- freaking hysterical)<br />my cat is eating too much<br />my boyfriend caught me smoking<br />nightmare cat eating body<br />screw the banks<br />status orgasmus<br />where did okie dokie come from<br /><br />Maybe I'm a complete dork- but I love this stuff!Query-A-Dayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06403531785846541267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6571091910859259556.post-42212821560031153362008-11-25T10:14:00.000-08:002008-11-25T10:38:15.520-08:00Children Do NOT Buy Cars, So What's the Beef?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_O_xtCsYBiOY/SSxGEqkV7nI/AAAAAAAAA-g/6dZwKxyVmHA/s1600-h/adage.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 60px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_O_xtCsYBiOY/SSxGEqkV7nI/AAAAAAAAA-g/6dZwKxyVmHA/s320/adage.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272666309704150642" border="0" /></a><br />I subscribe to a few e-mail newsletters from Advertising Age magazine for career reasons- lots of great info on trends in traditional and new media. I learn a lot.<br /><br />Today's e-mail subject line was: <span style="font-weight: bold;">Parents Television Council's Worst Advertisers; CW's New Sunday; Macy's Windows; It's Ad Age's MediaWorks</span>.<br /><br />The article I would like to focus on is <a href="http://adage.com/article?article_id=132818"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Parents Television Council Pillories GM and Nissan.</span></a> PTI isn't griping about the content of ads, but specifically where companies are advertising.<br /><br />I don't have children, and as a child, I was exposed to R-Rated movies and adult content from the get-go so maybe I just don't get the whole censorship thing, but I really dislike organizations like these. As Ad Age puts it, PTI is shaming companies who advertise on risque shows. They discredit GM for advertising on the "most shocking episode" of Family Guy and also, Nissan for helping "fund the bloodiest episode of Dexter."<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">So the F what.</span><br /><br />Children do<span style="font-weight: bold;"> not</span> buy cars. Adults do. Adults like me, who watch <a href="http://www.hulu.com/watch/37768/family-guy-i-dream-of-jesus">Family Guy</a>. And guess what? I am a GM fan. I like to buy American. I kinda like the Pontiac Vibe, in fact. So therefore, isn't it smart that GM and these other companies are advertising WHERE THE TARGET DEMO watches?<br /><br />Ads on child-safe programming should be for things they will beg their parents for, like dolls, video games, toys and Disney vacations. Keep the car ads on the shows the adults watch.<br /><br />So what are the Top Ten Worst Companies, according to the conservative PTI? Loreal, Pepsi-Cola, GlaxoSmithKline, Reckitt Benkisser (I have no idea what that is), Target, Kohl's, Verizon Communications and Toyota. This strikes me as interesting because I made the switch from Coke to Pepsi a few years ago, I shop only at Target when going to discounters, love Kohl's and have a Verizon Phone. So you see, these companies effectively advertised to me by choosing the right medium for the message.<br /><br />Guess what? People who like sex, drugs, rock and roll, violence and other risque stuff really do buy stuff, too. And judging from the morals of America today, that's an incredible amount of people. I'd say these companies are just doing some smart business. = )<br /><a href="http://adage.com/article?article_id=132818"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></a>Query-A-Dayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06403531785846541267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6571091910859259556.post-65767110602483814482008-11-25T07:43:00.000-08:002008-11-25T07:50:42.741-08:00Back to Normal- Normal as I Can Be, AnywayAhhhhh.<br /><br />That's a sigh of relief that my memoir draft is complete for the purposes of submitting it to the MA in Creative Writing Office, to then be sent to an outside reader. Of course, I still have a long road ahead of me to polish and rewrite and edit until it's truly ready to be submitted for publication. The past two weeks, I kicked it into high gear and just cranked out work. My housework as fell to the wayside, and now that I am done, I have laundry, dishes, floors to clean. <br /><br />At so many points the past few weeks I've been inspired to write a blog post, but then my mentor's words came into my head. I was a slacker. I lack self-discipline. I think a lot of writers do. But the thing is, with her pushing me and me ultimately finishing, I realize that I CAN write something that long. I CAN finish a book. <br /><br />Now, I can get to work on all the other ideas I have now that I know I can do it. And since I have no looming deadline or due date, I can get back to my random blog posts and get back to doing some freelance writing. <br /><br />I have to say, too, that I am so super proud of everyone in my program at Wilkes. On June 22, 2007 we met for the first time in Breiseth Hall at Wilkes- all eager writers with lots of ideas, but not all of sure where we wanted to focus our MA efforts, which genre we'd choose, which story idea we'd run with. Now, TODAY, we are all dropping off our final drafts. Wow. I cannot believe we've come this far. Many of us (hopefully I will be accepted) will be continuing on for one more year for the M.F.A in Creative Writing. I just want to be part of this community longer. I am not sure that I'd start a new project, as I may continue to polish my memoir... choices....Query-A-Dayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06403531785846541267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6571091910859259556.post-1997371232334273302008-11-15T11:14:00.000-08:002008-11-15T11:25:03.283-08:00The Reasons it Hasn't Been a "Daily" DoseLast night, I received an e-mail notification that I had a new blog comment. It was from an anonymous reader who made the point that I now have an Internet connection at home, yet am blogging less. On the surface it doesn't make a hoot of sense. But, here's why.<br /><br />I'm a slacker by nature, like a lot of creative people are. I realized that I was quite behind where I should be with my memoir draft- and with the help of my mentor I had to set a VERY aggressive deadline to get the draft done in time to graduate-- without having to take an extra semester. She made the comment that I blog a lot. If I had put this much effort each day onto my memoir, I would not be in this perilous situation. She's absolutely right. There are other, more personal reasons, I've been struggling with the memoir, but I wanted to check in and let the folks who read by blog regularly why I haven't had a new post in a while. <br /><br />What's worse, is that as soon as I got my Internet connection- I was infected with something. I thought I fixed it- until today when the same thing happened. For that last hour and a half, I've rebooted six times. I think I am killing this computer in Office Space fax destruction styles. Or, if you watch family guy, the way Brian and Stewie destroyed the "Bird is the Word" record. <br /><br />I keep the Internet closed, and Word up (haha, that sounded funny) to focus in my story. But the porn and loan and other advertisements still pop open. The only way to prevent this is to unplug my Internet. But in some cases, I needed research-- in going through the draft today, I wanted to add some stuff about George Carlin and "A Place for my Stuff" since that was a big part of my family's nomadic life. I wanted to get the wording just right, so I came to my blog where I had posted the video several months ago. That's when I realized that I no longer had flash. I tried to download it. Firefox wouldn't let me. Something must have happened when I wiped out all of my viruses and tried to increase my security settings. So, after spending an hour with help files, I got it to work. And that's how I came back to my blog- to see if the video was there. And then I decided, what the hell, let me take a break, vent and blog for a minute.<br /><br />Please wish me well- I don't have much time to finish this. It won't by any means be publishable by next week, but it will have a beginning, middle and end and be able to get me to graduate. I have a lot of work to do to really finish this, but this is only the beginning.Query-A-Dayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06403531785846541267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6571091910859259556.post-3740478666654300002008-11-04T19:41:00.000-08:002008-11-04T19:59:59.121-08:00Eating the Red Crayon<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_O_xtCsYBiOY/SREXDRXUJbI/AAAAAAAAA-Y/GxvhvGQGB0Q/s1600-h/childeatingredcrayon.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5265014784341058994" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 378px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_O_xtCsYBiOY/SREXDRXUJbI/AAAAAAAAA-Y/GxvhvGQGB0Q/s400/childeatingredcrayon.jpg" border="0" /></a>I just updated my Facebook status to let the Facebook Kingdom know how happy I am that the map is getting filled up with blue states. So, I wrote:<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;color:#cc0000;"><strong>"Donna is liking what she sees so far on the map that's getting colored in on CNN.com. Now if a small child could just come and eat that red crayon, it'd be swell!"</strong></span><br /><br /><blockquote><p>Then, just out of curiosity, I did some quick but thorough research and I found a little baby named Maddie who has her own website who is qualified for the job. This litle tyke will surely eat the red crayon so no more states get colored in with red this evening. </p>She only likes red. She will safely protect the periwinkle, the Cerulean, the royal blue, the sky blue, and the standard blue.<br /><p></p>And here's a little tidbit of Binney and Smith trivia that has nothing to do with the 2008 presidential election but really everything to do with the election: <strong><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color:#3366ff;">BLUE</span> <span style="color:#000099;">IS </span><span style="color:#33ccff;">THE</span> <span style="color:#3333ff;">MOST</span> <span style="color:#330099;">POPULAR</span> <span style="color:#3333ff;">SHADE</span> <span style="color:#00cccc;">of </span><span style="color:#333399;">Crayola</span> <span style="color:#330099;">crayons</span>. </span> = )</strong></blockquote>Query-A-Dayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06403531785846541267noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6571091910859259556.post-73365911619880727462008-11-03T21:04:00.000-08:002008-11-03T21:11:57.045-08:00Don't Pick Trash This Election DayA portion of Kingston Township in Pennsylvania is a whole lot cleaner, while a few co-workers and I are a little dirtier. I don't want to re-write the whole post, but you can <a href="http://blog.solidcactus.com/news/solid-cactus-cleans-up-its-adopted-roadway-in-kingston-township/">read about the my company's Adpot-a-Roadway program here</a>, and how a half-dozen of us volunteered the Saturday after Halloween to clean up some very strange litter. (Normal litter, too.)<br /><br />However, what I could not share on my company blog was this photo. In a sheer moment of genius, I said to a pair of co-workers, "Holy crap, look at that big piece of trash. I've got that one boys!" So, I ran over and tried to bag it up. You can see it here, in Exhibit A:<br /><br /><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5264665105293260610" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_O_xtCsYBiOY/SQ_ZBRZmN0I/AAAAAAAAA-Q/FxOqHj39Cxc/s400/PB010702.JPG" border="0" /><br />Okay, so I didn't really steal the sign. Why would I incriminate myself anyway? But really, it's garbage. It's not even Red, White and Blue!<br /><br /><br />Consider this blog post a PSA. A lesson that the McCain/Palin signs don't belong in yards-- they belong in dumpsters.<br /><br /><br /><div align="center"><strong><span style="font-size:180%;">Go Obama. Don't pick trash on Election Day.</span></strong> </div>Query-A-Dayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06403531785846541267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6571091910859259556.post-25204217139578650822008-11-03T20:41:00.000-08:002008-11-03T20:44:53.448-08:00Dude- if you're in e-commerce, this is the place to be.Since I did not have Internet at home the past month, I was not privy to this lovely YouTube video that my coworker created from a collage of pictures from <a href="http://bootcamp.solidcactus.com/">Solid Cactus E-Commerce Boot Camp</a>, October 2008. For more information on upcoming Boot Camps, <a href="http://bootcamp.solidcactus.com/">click here</a>.<br /><br />In the meantime, enjoy this little montage. I had to spread the word. And yes, I had fun as you can tell. = )<br /><br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/rVmOHwPIcZk&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/rVmOHwPIcZk&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Query-A-Dayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06403531785846541267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6571091910859259556.post-43768637508794978552008-11-02T12:31:00.000-08:002008-11-02T12:43:55.131-08:00Relief!! I Feel Like Me Again! Finally! Internet at Home!The lack of Internet saga got even better. I was notified Friday that my Internet was ready. I didn't have time to mess with it Friday since it was Halloween, so I got to it Saturday. I was so exctied! I thought all I had to do was plug in everything and install the software from Verizon. No signal. I went through all the trouble-shooting with no luck. I tried it on the three jacks in the house. No luck. So, I called tech support. I explained to her that I just moved and was patiently waiting for two weeks for this date, and told her that I was unable to connect, and that the DSL light was not staying static green, instead, just blinking.<br /><br />After hearing that, her first question was, "When was the last time your Internet worked?"<br /><br />Duh! No listening skills whatsover. Then, she tried to look up my account info. She kept saying she can't find me. I repeated to her how to spell my name:<br /><br />T-A-L-A-R-I-C-O<br /><br />"Okay. I-R-C-O she said back," to which I corrected her again twice.<br /><br />"I still cannot find you. Are you sure you ordered service from Verizon?"<br /><br />"Yes. The number on the screen says to call you."<br /><br />"Okay, it's T-A-L-A-I-R-C-O, right?"<br /><br />I wanted to kill myself. She FINALLY got it right.<br /><br />Then, she proceed to ask all the dumb questions like if my power was on (yes) and if I plugged the filter between the wall jack and the modem. <br /><br />"No. I am not an idiot. I can follow directions, and plus, there is a huge red sticker on the modem that says not to use a filter between the wall and the modem," I told her back. "The problem where is that the DSL is not present..."<br /><br />Thank goodness the call with her didn't last terribly long, but I was on hold for quite a while to get over to their dispatch department. I got to another lady who was able to help me. Luckily, Verizon has technicians that come out on the weekends. So, she scheduled me for Sunday, which is today. Chuck from Verizon just left and I know have Internet at home! The problem was that the inside line was not connected to the outside or something like that. A big thank-you to him for taking care of things!<br /><br />So, I can now do all the things I couldn't do for over a month. I am so overdue on all those Facebook requests, e-mails that I needed to reply to that I didn't want to from my phone (takes too long), playing online word games, getting reconnected to WebCT for my MA at Wilkes, doing work from home, blogging, and more. I've managed to do some blogging from wi-fi hotspots, but no much else. <br /><br />And the funny thing is- I am so tired from last night that I really want to take a nap instead of play online....Query-A-Dayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06403531785846541267noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6571091910859259556.post-67016271874689908632008-10-31T15:25:00.000-07:002008-10-31T15:35:22.099-07:00Halloween 1988: The Year I Dressed Up as a BarI wrote about this as a chapter in my memoir, and I just had to dig through all my pics to find these. I am not supposed to have them. I took them from my mom years ago to show someone and never gave them back. Inadvertantly, I lost them in a sea of other pictures. A few weeks ago, I found them on a whim stuffed in a photo envelope of some concert photos from my radio days. Thank goodness I found them! Now I have electronic copies and maybe will give these back to my mom. Maybe.<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5263449466606809186" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 252px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_O_xtCsYBiOY/SQuHZyZRcGI/AAAAAAAAA-E/E57P_kiHgIc/s320/bar2.JPG" border="0" /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5263449464396588258" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 262px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_O_xtCsYBiOY/SQuHZqKUJOI/AAAAAAAAA98/BtB5B1-rHcQ/s320/bar1.JPG" border="0" /> <div></div><br /><div>I may post a portion of the chapter I wrote, but here's the nutshell version. When I was 10, my mom created this bar costume for me. I won "Most Creative" at the two fire hall Halloween parties I went to. The costume is made of cardboard, covered in contact paper that looks like wood and decorated with all the bar staples superglued to the bar- bottles, cans, shot glasses, napkins, cigarattees, etc. I was dresses as a bartender underneath with a white blouse, black slacks and suspenders with beer buttons up and down. </div><br /><div></div><div>Now that I am 30, I can see that perhaps I was corrupted by the bar scene at a very young age and this explains a lot! haha. Seriously though- my mom was a creative and a whiz at Halloween costumes. I was very lucky. Maybe I'll go as a bar next year.</div>Query-A-Dayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06403531785846541267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6571091910859259556.post-5085063668278180152008-10-30T15:17:00.000-07:002008-10-30T15:23:37.033-07:00Post II of the Day: Internet Awaits Me at Home<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_O_xtCsYBiOY/SQoz2q1cCGI/AAAAAAAAA90/aORrx_18D2U/s1600-h/verizon.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5263076128840222818" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 242px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_O_xtCsYBiOY/SQoz2q1cCGI/AAAAAAAAA90/aORrx_18D2U/s320/verizon.bmp" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Before I get too excited- I haven't tried the Internet at home, but today is the day the Internet is supposed to be on at home and today I even got the e-mail from Verizon, as show here in Exhibit A, saying its true. I already hooked up my modem and everything and keep turning it on everyday to see if it works incase they turned it on early. No luck. Can't wait to get home today to try it out.</div><div></div><br /><div>I must send a big Thank You to the VP of Customer Service at the local office of Frontier Communications. Someone forwarded my blog post to them and he e-mailed me offering to help. I wrote back saying I appreciate his response and willingness to help, but I had already signed up for Verizon. It's a shame that things only get taken care of in some cases when a little noise is made. I do hope the company- not this local office- but the company as a whole makes some changes to make service a little easier. It is nice to know that this VP cared enough to contact me and offer help. It happend too late, but it was a very nice gesture and says a lot that there are some good people with customer's best interest at heart. I feel I need to post about it to even out my complaint post from a few weeks ago- nothing is more frustrating that not getting someone on the phone, having wrong hours posted, etc. But it's all over as of today. I think. I hope. </div><br /><div></div>Query-A-Dayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06403531785846541267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6571091910859259556.post-82446132276438875532008-10-30T15:01:00.000-07:002008-10-30T15:17:02.217-07:00Centralia and Halloween Party I - A little late of a post<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_O_xtCsYBiOY/SQowlLTXgNI/AAAAAAAAA9s/5Uobu8OdaGU/s1600-h/Centralia+040.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5263072529783161042" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 261px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 192px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_O_xtCsYBiOY/SQowlLTXgNI/AAAAAAAAA9s/5Uobu8OdaGU/s320/Centralia+040.jpg" border="0" /></a> <div><div>Last weekend was pretty awesome. I would have added a post sooner, but being without Internet at home and sheer laziness of going somewhere with wi-fi kind of got in the way. </div><div><br /></div><div></div><div>Friday night, a few co-workers and I met up with my creative writing bud A. and headed to Gravestone Manor, a theatrical haunted house in Wilkes-Barre, where two of my other creative writing friends work. It was pretty cool. Then, we hit up Old Tyme Charley's in Plains for a little 40lb. Head and a lot of bomb shots- Jager bombs. Grape bombs. Raspberry bombs. I also ran into some old radio buds, so that's always fun!! With a case of heartburn, we then hit up Flaherty's in Edwardsville where we pretty much closed down the place. It was nice little tour of some of the finest bars in NEPA... </div><div><br /></div><div></div><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_O_xtCsYBiOY/SQowkpZKLYI/AAAAAAAAA9k/G_b0wej_iGE/s1600-h/Centralia+038.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5263072520680648066" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 244px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 189px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_O_xtCsYBiOY/SQowkpZKLYI/AAAAAAAAA9k/G_b0wej_iGE/s320/Centralia+038.jpg" border="0" /></a>Saturday, I hibernated all day until it was time to get ready for A and C's annual Halloween bash. I'll post some pics later of that. Fun times ensued as usual. I reigned champion at Beer Pong, and then the Flip Cup team I was on also rocked. My friends may have had a pole, too. And you know what that means for a drunk Donna. There may or may not be videos. </div><div><br /></div><div></div><div>Sunday, it was a hungover road trip to Centralia... you can read more about that on the post below. But I saw a part of Centralia I never saw before- the portion of Route 61 that is closed off. It goes on for a few miles- we walked a lot of it- really getting some exercise, too-- you just don't realized it's a big hill when you go down... haha. The big crack in the road was quite impressive- trees were growing out of it. But what was even more amusing was the graffiti painted on the road. Craziness. </div><div> </div><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_O_xtCsYBiOY/SQowZbvzLAI/AAAAAAAAA9c/mgTtIn7utdo/s1600-h/Centralia+043.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5263072328038951938" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_O_xtCsYBiOY/SQowZbvzLAI/AAAAAAAAA9c/mgTtIn7utdo/s320/Centralia+043.jpg" border="0" /></a>So much changed in Centralia since I first started going- a lot more has been torn down, but there was still cool stuff to see. I just really enjoyed the weekend. I was completely exhausted by Monday! But what a great weekend- a haunted house, a few bars, a great party, a cool road trip and still some good sleep!</div></div><div><div> </div><div>I still have yet to get my TV and washer and dryer, but I guess I'm not really home enough to watch TV. My two new neighbors commented on that fact last night, as I ran into the house to change and then leave again for dinner with co-workers at Rustic Kitchen at the Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs casino. They were outside smoking and said, "When are you ever home?!"<br /><br /></div><div></div></div>Query-A-Dayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06403531785846541267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6571091910859259556.post-81662014638589270222008-10-22T14:59:00.000-07:002008-10-22T15:23:07.692-07:00Spooky Hallo-Weekend Ahead! Costume Party and Centralia!<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_O_xtCsYBiOY/SP-nY6I7uOI/AAAAAAAAA9M/-PzOWgMwkPI/s1600-h/centralia2.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5260106936157452514" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_O_xtCsYBiOY/SP-nY6I7uOI/AAAAAAAAA9M/-PzOWgMwkPI/s320/centralia2.JPG" border="0" /></a> <br /><div>I love this time of year. In fact, I started off a post on my department blog with that same thought. I love sweaters. I love orange. I love pumpkins. I love being scared! By the way- if you are in any way interested in e-commerce (that's sellin' stuff online) or sales in general, you should give the <a href="http://salesblog.solidcactus.com/">Solid Cactus Sales Blog </a>a read! </div><br /><div></div><br /><div><strong>HALLO-WEEKEND Part 1</strong></div><div>I am not sure, but I have to kick-off the weekend somewhere, somehow! Could it be Hops & Barleys??</div><br /><div></div><br /><div><strong></strong> </div><div><strong>HALLO-WEEKEND Part 2</strong></div><div>But on to this weekend. I am looking forward to the annual costume party at my friend A&C's house-- this is their first Halloween in their new house, so it's going to be bigger and better-- and louder I am sure since they are nestled in the middle of nowhere in Hunlock Creek! I am stoked for the chicken wing dip, Jell-O shots, Flip Cup, Beer Pong and seeing lots of folks I haven't seen in a while. They have mad decorations, too. </div><br /><div></div><div><strong>HALLO-WEEKEND Part 3</strong></div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_O_xtCsYBiOY/SP-nZnNmYEI/AAAAAAAAA9U/_rTZGXFLvnQ/s1600-h/centralia1.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5260106948256620610" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_O_xtCsYBiOY/SP-nZnNmYEI/AAAAAAAAA9U/_rTZGXFLvnQ/s320/centralia1.JPG" border="0" /></a> <div>Centralia!! I am so super stoked for this trip. Two girls from work were talking about it, and I told them that I went there so many times as a kid, and then took Dave there a few years ago. In 2003 I went with my dad and step-mom and took some great black and white pics-- I scanned them in here at work, but it didn't work too well because it was a copier and I think it thought the pics were paper. At any rate, I'll still post them here. The one up top is of me in the middle of the smoke, and the one right here is with the house that was going to be razed. Anway... we have plans to drive down there Sunday afternoon and I'll be the tour guide. </div><div></div><br /><div><strong>Oh wait?! What is Centralia you ask?</strong> It's an old mining town in Central PA that had an underground mine catch on fire back in the late 60s. The fire is still out of control. The town is now pretty much a ghost town, but some residents still live there- the diehards that refuse to leave. Most houses are torn down- it's eerie to drive around there- smoke still billows out of the ground. There are driveways that lead to nothing. I am pretty into this wierd stuff, so every time I go, I spend hours exploring. When I went back in 03 I had my picture taken in front of a house that was x'ed off to be torn down. My dad and I went inside the house and there was so much stuff still left there. Mail, even. So now we know who lived there incase we ever want to do an article or something. The story of this town is totally horror movie material. I have plenty of ideas for movies to be set here- I am surprised none haven't been yet. There was one a few years ago about a woman whose daughter is lost in an old mine town, but it wasn't exactly like Centralia.</div><br /><div></div><div>Here are some Centralia links:</div><div><a href="http://www.centraliapa.com/">http://www.centraliapa.com/</a></div><div><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centralia,_Pennsylvania">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centralia,_Pennsylvania</a></div><div></div><br /><div>Before I made this post, I actually just read the Wikipedia entry, and another house I have a picture of was torn down in 2007. It was a house that had brick support on either side- so it looked like it had ten chimneys. I guess we won't be seeing that this weekend. But just to be in this ghost town around Halloween will be so cool!</div>Query-A-Dayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06403531785846541267noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6571091910859259556.post-56638014721010070052008-10-18T08:57:00.001-07:002008-10-18T09:52:06.450-07:00Barely Connected at Wegman's, But It's Better Than No Connection At HomeOctober 30th. That's the soonest I can get hook-up at home from Verizon. Ugh. Who do I have to blow to get service quicker? Or how much extra do I have to pay? I'd do either at this point. Seriously! I can't stand this wait. I'll be living there about seven weeks without phone or Internet. My cell just doesn't cut it.<br /><br />I came up to Wegman's today to TRY to do some work/play online. I was up unusually early today. Around 8:23 to be exact. I hit the sack last night right after work. I had kind of a late night Thursday and was just dragging all day. I knew if I took a nap I wouldn't wake up again to go out later, so I just caught up on sleep-- about 14 hours of it. So, I woke up and made scrambled eggs with cheese and whole wheat Eggo waffles and set off to run some errands during part of the week I always miss-- before noon on a Saturday.<br /><br />I was amazed at how many people are awake before noon on a Saturday. I mean, really.... I just assumed everyone was lazy like me. I headed to the bank first, where I had to wait in line-- again, hard to think this many people want to wake up early on a weekend to run errands. I got my security deposit back from my old place and am stoked about that. Hello new washer and dryer!<br /><br />Next, I went to Spirit Halloween store by the Wyoming Valley Mall and was helped by two friendly gals who helped me try on various costumes. I settled on Viking Girl but will absolutely need tights for underneath. Anyone behind me in the bobbing for apples line will thank me for those tights. It's amazing how small Halloween costumes are. I wanted to be Wednesday from the Addams Family because I really liked the wig, but they only had the outfit in a small and I am most definitely not a small.<br /><br />Then, I needed a new lamp for my nightstand- I've been wanting something Eastern-themed with a red shade and I knew TJ Maxx would have one. So, I headed up to TJ Maxx and lo and behold, they had EXACTLY what I pictured in my head. I have to remember to get an extension cord, too. I can't wait to light it up and read by it. I can't wait to hang the rest of my Asian stuff up and have a really cool bedroom.<br /><br />While in the aisle I saw these cool minisculptures that were inspired by Leonardo Da Vinci's Virturvian Man. They are a combination of art and history and a tribute to the way the human body moves. I went to a great lecture a few years ago at Wilkes by Leonard Shlain (who I also got to interview!) and have been since marveld by the combo of art and science. At any rate, I got one of the human hand making the peace sign, very fitting for me. I got one of a human foot with a wing on it, no doubt referring to Icarus and finally one of a man huddled up in the fetal position with wings- I will have to look that one up. But I think they are really cool and different. I was trying to find a picture of them online, but I don't remember the name of the company, but I did Google "Virturvian Man Collection TJ Maxx" and a <a href="http://voices.washingtonpost.com/shoptoit/2008/08/finding_the_unpredictable_in_t.html">Washington Post shopping editorial came up, but the page will not load here</a> at Wegman so I don't know if it is about these figurines, but I'll link to it anyway....<br /><br />That brings me to here, Wegmans, where the Internet is unbelivably slow, just like when I was here last week. I am struggling to load pages in other windows right now. Last time I was here, I could not upload pics to my blog. So, for three weeks now people have not been able to share the rest of my San Fran pics or see my pics from Solid Cactus Boot Camp. This makes me sad. I may have to unplug and go to Panera Bread, but that place is way too small and always so loud and busy, and so is Dunkin Donuts. They just aren't the right atmospheres to be in to work. The cafe at Wegmans in Wilkes-Barre is huge and I have a private corner and access to a great coffee bar, sushi bar and more. And if you did not see the beer selection here- oh my goodness! I am happy they got the license to sell six packs. I am going to buy an assortment of beer when I leave - Harvest Moon by Blue Moon is out. Mmmm. So much good beer in the fall! And, I am surrounded by it all right now and I am getting thirsty!<br /><br />Regarding the net, I asked for help, but the guy said there is nothing wrong. Wi-Fi works fast for me everywhere else so I don't really know what the problem is, but I am growing frustrated- for example, like last time I was here, it's going on 40-minutes for 20 pictures to be uploaded. It's insane. So, here I am. Still alive without the Internet at home, but it's like I am on life support. Barely breathing. Barely connected. I miss the Internet.Query-A-Dayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06403531785846541267noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6571091910859259556.post-27445708403810435252008-10-16T06:14:00.000-07:002008-10-16T06:24:00.727-07:00Bill Maher is Pretty Much God in My Eyes Now. Wait. The Defeats the Purpose of the Movie<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_O_xtCsYBiOY/SPc_-_wn4oI/AAAAAAAAA9E/wmHOnnysV40/s1600-h/relig.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5257741441478156930" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_O_xtCsYBiOY/SPc_-_wn4oI/AAAAAAAAA9E/wmHOnnysV40/s320/relig.bmp" border="0" /></a><br /><div>I never saw a documentary in a movie theater, but I'll be darn, it was one of the best cinematic experiences I've ever had. I saw Bill Maher's <em>Religuous</em> with a friend last night and it was pretty much one of the best projects I've ever seen. </div><br /><div></div><div>Basically, Bill Maher travels the Bible Belt in the US straight on to the "most sacred sites" in the world-- getting kicked out of many of them, might I add. The mission of <em>Religulous</em>? To create doubt. To make smart people reconsider their beliefs. To stump believers by asking logical, rational questions that they end up not having answers to and really look like complete asses because they can't even explain what they believe in. He interviews people from most all mainstream religions, as well as followers, including visitors to a Jesus theme park in Orlando.<br /></div><div>I'm like Bill Maher. I am against organized religion and am a complete skeptic.- always have been. All that said, this movie was so enjoyable. I encourage everyone to check out <em>Religious </em>so they can be enlightened, or just learn a new way of looking at things. It doesn't matter what religion you are or aren't, this movie needs to be seen. </div><br /><div></div><div>Of course in Bill Maher style, the movie is filled with comdey as well-- clips of various movies, old stand-up, clips of televangleists and all sorts of unbelievable stuff, all edited in such an enjoyable fashion. In post-editing, subtitles were thrown in to make fun of what interviewees were saying- showing facts to the mistakes they make. A complete riot!</div><div></div><br /><div>I think I am going to go see this again this weeked. </div><div></div><br /><div>To learn more about the movie:</div><div><a href="http://www.lionsgate.com/religulous/">http://www.lionsgate.com/religulous/</a></div>Query-A-Dayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06403531785846541267noreply@blogger.com0