moinab

Where do I sign up for one of those? --Robb "Bump...Bump...Bump..." Alvey Ah! The theme for the next TPR meet! :shock:

Marge: It's easy to criticize... Homer: and fun, too!

Well, most of it has been said already, but here are my reasons: -Love, love, love the photo TRs and videos! -Love the sense of humor. -Love the multicultural, multigenerational, international community. -Love the mutual respect displayed in the forums. -Love the requirement for reasonably proper grammar! -Love that you don't have to be a coaster enthusiast, per se, to participate -Love Soren's random photo TRs. -Love living vicariously through others' trips. -Love the rodents!

OMG, Dennis - the "Homo No Mo' Halfway House" has me LMFAO!

I'm thinking we will be taking a trip up to Chicopee next year to visit my mom. I haven't been to SFNE since I graduated from high school, when it was still Riverside. I'm dying to go and check out how much it has changed. BTW, I've never been to Cracker Barrell or Bob Evans, so I guess I can't vote. Maureen "displaced Yankee" O'Donnell

As others have mentioned, the baby is just too cute for words, but I have to mention that your daughter is beautiful, too! Great TR, as always. It reminds me of so many of the parks I went to when I was growing up, that don't exist anymore.

I asked my 5 year old son the other day what he wants to be for Halloween. He said, "A blanket." "A blanket?" "Yes, like Charlie Brown." He's been watching the Charlie Brown Halloween special. I guess we never got around to teaching him what ghosts are.

Congratulations, Robb and Elissa! Very well deserved!!! This site is a lot of fun, and has attracted a great, eclectic community from around the world. I'm really glad to be a part of it.

That's awesome, Chris! Of course, I got a 1996 Sentra for free from one of my classmates. It has over 150K miles, needs a headlight, and the CV joints are shot, but it runs, and it gets 35 mpg!

Yeah, that's a good idea. Maybe next time you'd prefer to go without the medication. As a nursing student who is learning how to do IV insertions, I would just like to say that it is not the easiest thing to do, even for experienced nurses. I will grant you, however, that if a nurse can't get the vein after three tries, an IV specialist should be called in, if available. Most of the nurses I have worked with will call after 2 failed attempts. (And yes, I've been the victim of multiple sticks, and I have really good veins.) Maureen "veins roll around under the skin" O'Donnell

The first time you have to pay to replace an automatic transmission, you will develop a true appreciation for the beauty of a 5-speed manual.

Another vote for Rush! Hold Your Fire tour, December, 1987, Worcester Centrum. I've been to a lot of amazing smaller concerts - Richard Thompson, Joe Jackson, Squeeze and Crowded House are among my favorites, as well as lots of local bands in Minneapolis. Nothing can compare to a Rush concert, though. Maureen "haven't been to a concert in years" O'Donnell

^Allergy shots and testing are subcutaneous and intradermal - just a quick jab. IV injections, which have to puncture a vein (and not blow it out), are quite a bit more difficult and painful.

We have two Minnies, one Mickey, one Goofy, and two Chip and Dales. Maureen "I really need a Stitch, Donald, and Pluto" O'Donnell

We got our Chip & Dale Happy Meal toys from McDonalds this week. Hmmm, McDonalds......Chip & Dale.......who does that make you think of?

Wow, Soren! I'm sorry to hear you are ill. That must be a very nasty infection. Being a nursing student, I am also sorry to hear that you got stuck so many times. I'm not very skilled at sticking veins, yet, so I am nervous about doing this to people! I hope you are 100% better very soon! {{{{hugs}}}} Maureen

^For us, it was worth it just for diapers, wipes, and milk, even if we didn't buy anything else.

We've been going to BJs (east coast chain) for 4 years, because it is closest. My parents have been going there for a long time. We're happy with it, but I'd consider Costco, if it were closer. I've heard a lot of good things about it.

Framingham State College for 3 semesters, as an English major. I wanted to be near Boston. Then I transferred to UMass, Amherst, because FSC was small and boring. English major for one semester, then switched to theatre. Loved it, but kept either running out of money or getting a few too many Fs from skipping classes, thanks to the "4 year experience." LOL Left after 2 years to move to Minneapolis, to work in theatre professionally. Did that for two years, then took a couple of years off to get divorced and figure out what to do with my life. Decided to go back to school for dietetics. Spent 2 years at Minneapolis Community College, getting all of my science credits, then transferred to University of MN, Twin Cities, in the coordinated program in dietetics. Had less than a year to go on my degree and internship, when I dropped out and moved back to MA while my stepfather was battling cancer. In the meantime, I met my husband, got married, had a baby, moved back to MN, moved to FL, and had another baby. Now I'm less than two semesters away from getting my Associate Degree in Nursing from Florida Community College in Jacksonville. Will I actually complete a degree this time? We shall see.

^That was then, this is now. And now, the Bears suck! Maureen "New Englanders endured suckiness for a long time" O'Donnell

Stupid Vikings! My bleed-purple husband has been in a funk for two days. When are they going to stop sucking, so I don't have to put up with his pouting all season? In the meantime, GO PATS!!!!!!! I miss Tedy, though.

I agree that different things work for different people. My concern with Atkins is that, over the long term, a high protein diet is very taxing on the liver and kidneys. The average person does not need a huge amount of protein. Any extra protein consumed will be converted into glucose by the liver. The glucose will be burned for energy, if needed, or stored in the body as fat. The difference between a protein molecule and a glucose molecule is an amine group attachment, which is stripped off by the liver, converted to urea and excreted by the kidneys (amine = ammonia > urine.) All of that extra protein means a lot of extra work for the liver and kidneys, which, over time, could start to wear out prematurely. Of course, lots of simple carbs (sugar and white flour) in the diet is bad for the pancreas, leading to type 2 diabetes, which is becoming epidemic in this country. I see the effects of that every day in the hospital. A diet moderate in lean protein, high in complex carbs and low in simple carbs is far more preferable than what most of us eat. Maureen "had less than a year to go on my dietetics degree before switching to nursing" O'Donnell

Whoohoo! Only 3 years to go!!!

Argh! Argh! Bad memories of organic chemistry flooding back into my brain! Maureen "former Gopher" O'Donnell

You hit the nail on the head, Lou. When I worked in the pub, I used to see this all the time with the college-aged girls. They would make out on the dance floor and feel each other up, trying to get attention from the guys, who, of course, loved every second of it. I always found it to be a rather sad and pathetic spectacle (the attention seeking part, I mean.)