My "east side" so-called life..

My apologies to all who are SICK TO DEATH of my "Jared Leto" and "30 Seconds To Mars" Posts on Facebook!

2011-09-24T10:56:00.005-04:00

I am enjoying another fantasy phase (adding to the list of former boyfriends and as far back as David Cassidy) into my currently stalled life. This sector has introduced Jared leto, and his band, 30 Seconds To Mars into my daily thoughts. I have no idea why this has entered my pshcyche all of a sudden this month, as I was first introduced to their music less than just a mere year ago. I am thinking it may have been out of survival and desperation, also known as "lonliness and boredom". I saw them in concert in Detroit, Michigan in April 2011. I was even a bit disappointed with the show itself, due to the one song I really drove up 50 miles ALONE to see, was rushed right through at the show. It was nothing like the live concert video like I had imagined it would be. But recently, the more I listen to the rest of their music, the more I love it. And as Jared has this sexiness and confidence (that most rock star gods have) that attracts 20 year olds, certainly not ever 51 year olds like me; though I HAVE always had a "young" mind. And I refuse to believe that my body shape and age can hold me back from living a dream...even if it is a certain unattainable dream.
So until I start getting out fo the house more, and meet an attractive man who accepts me as I am, like my dreams permit me to do, I will continue in this phase and frame of mind.
There is no doubt that soon I will find something to distract me to move on with my life's progression. Turning on "30 Seconds To Mars" music, every day, right from the time I get up in the morning, and continue enjoy listening to while perusing Facebook, makes me pretty happy. I particularly enjoy live bootleg pieces, as much as I can find to download, that were saved by concert-goers from their phones. I am grateful to many of them on Ares and YouTube.
I hope I can proudly continue to proclaim that I am a full-fledged member of "The Echelon" (30STM fans) and hope to meet new friends from that association in the future. So, here's to my favorite band, writing more new music, (as if anything can top my favorites: "Closer To The Edge", "The Kill" and "A Beautiful Lie", in that order,) AND to them touring again in 2013 - so I can drive up again and actually hang out with real-life new friends who love Jared and the band as much as I have come to love them.

Some Impt TOLEDO, OHIO info!

2011-09-01T08:20:00.000-04:00

Tuesday, June 26, 2007
MORE IMPORTANT TOLEDO OH reference and stats...
FROM: Britannica Concise Encyclopedia

City (pop., 2000: 313,619), northwestern Ohio, U.S. It is the principal Great Lakes port, located at the southwestern end of Lake Erie. The area was opened to white settlement after the 1794 Battle of Fallen Timbers. Formed by the consolidation of two villages in 1833, it figured in the so-called Toledo War of 1835 – 36, a bloodless dispute between Michigan Territory and Ohio over the location of their common boundary. Industrial development was spurred in the 1830s and '40s by the arrival of canals and railroads. Glassmaking, now a major industry, was introduced in the late 1880s. A major commercial, industrial, and transportation centre, it handles considerable foreign commerce, and its port is one of the world's largest shippers of bituminous coal. Its educational institutions include the University of Toledo (1872).

FROM: US History Encyclopedia

Toledo, the fourth largest city in Ohio in the early twenty-first century, began in 1680 as a French trading post. Ceded to the British in 1763, it became part of the U.S. Northwest Territory in 1787. Canals and railroads helped establish Toledo as a major inland port and center of industry. During the Progressive Era, Toledo won national recognition for urban reform. Historically, Toledo has been a major producer of glass and automotive products, but these industries declined, and from 1970 to 2000 employment in the Toledo metropolitan area decreased markedly. During this same period, population declined from 383,062 to 313,619, although city leaders question the accuracy of the 2000 federal census. Toledo has experienced other problems. A 1967 race riot caused extensive property damage, injuries, and arrests. Public schools were closed for several weeks in 1976 and 1978 because of teacher strikes. In July 1979 a bitter dispute between the city government and police and firemen led to a two-day general strike and costly arson fires. In the 1980s and 1990s, Toledo sought to emphasize its strong medical, cultural, and higher educational institutions. New downtown buildings and the Portside festival marketplace along the Maumee River were indicative of business leaders' commitment to the city.

FROM Columbia Encyclopedia

Toledo (təlē'dō) , city (1990 pop. 332,943), seat of Lucas co., NW Ohio, on the Maumee River at its junction with Lake Erie; inc. 1837. With a natural harbor and its railroads and highways, Toledo is a port of entry and one of the chief shipping centers on the Great Lakes. Oil, coal, farm products, and motor vehicle parts are exported; iron ore is the principal import. Toledo is also an industrial and commercial center, with oil refineries, a glassmaking industry, shipyards, and plants that manufacture vehicles, powertrain assemblies, machinery, and chemicals. The health-care industry is also significant.
Gen. Anthony Wayne built Fort Industry there in 1794 after the battle of Fallen Timbers. The city was settled (1817) as Port Lawrence on that site and in 1833 was consolidated with nearby Vistula as Toledo. In 1835–36 occurred the “Toledo War,” an Ohio-Michigan boundary dispute, which was settled by Congress in favor of Ohio when Michigan became a state.
Toledo grew and prospered with the opening of the canals in the 1840s, the arrival of numerous railroad lines, the development of the Ohio coal fields, the tapping of gas and oil deposits in the late 19th cent., and the establishment of the Libbey glassworks in 1888. When Samuel M. Jones became mayor in 1897, an era of municipal reform was initiated. Jones died in 1904 and was succeeded by Brand Whitlock. The Toledo plan of labor conciliation (1946) has been adopted by other cities.
The city is the seat of the Univ. of Toledo. Points of interest include the Toledo Museum of Art with its Glass Pavilion, a large zoo, and the Anthony Wayne suspension bridge (1931). The site of the battle of Fallen Timbers, a national historic landmark, is in a nearby state park.

FROM Wikipedia

Toledo is on the western end of Lake Erie. It is the county seat6 of Lucas County, and the principal city in the Toledo Metropolitan Statistical Area. In the 2000 census, the city proper had a population of 313,619. As of July 1, 2005, however, the U.S. Census Bureau listed the city with a reduced population of 301,285, allowing Toledo to maintain its place as the fourth-largest city in the state. Toledo is known as the Glass City because of its long history of innovation in all aspects of the glass industry: windows, bottles, windshields, construction materials, and glass art, of which the Toledo Museum of Art has a large collection. The Jeep vehicle has been manufactured in Toledo since 1941. Automotive glass supplier Libbey Owens Ford has long been a staple of Toledo's economy.

Geography
Toledo is located at 41°39′56″N, 83°34′31″W (41.665682, -83.575337).1 The city sits astride the Maumee River at the southern end of Maumee Bay, which is the westernmost inlet of Lake Erie. Toledo is north of what was formerly the Great Black Swamp, giving rise to another nickname, Frog Town. An important ecological site, a sandy oak savanna called the Oak Openings region, lies just west.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 217.8 km² (84.1 mi²). 208.8 km² (80.6 mi²) of it is land and 8.9 km² (3.5 mi²) of it (4.10%) is water.

Climate
Main article: Climate of Toledo, Ohio
Toledo, like many other cities in the Great Lakes region, experiences a continental climate, characterized by four distinct seasons, with significant variations in temperature and precipitation between them. The city's location just off the western end of Lake Erie moderates its climate somewhat, so that it is less extreme than if the city were further from the lake. The city also shares many climatic characteristics with the Ohio Valley, such as slightly warmer winters and increased precipitation that is more evenly spread throughout the year.[citation needed]
The warmest month of the year is July, when high temperatures average 87°F (30°C), and overnight low temperatures average 68°F (20°C). January is the coldest month, when high temperatures average 33°F (1°C), and low temperatures average 22°F (-5°C). The wettest month of the year is June, when 3.84 inches (97.5 mm) of precipitation falls. The driest month is January, when 2.00 inches (50.8 mm) of precipitation falls. The warmest temperature ever recorded in Toledo was 105°F (41°C) on July 31, 1999. The coldest temperature ever recorded was -16°F (-27°C), on January 21, 1985.

Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there were 313,619 people, 128,925 households, and 77,355 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,502.0/km² (3,890.2/mi²). There were 139,871 housing units at an average density of 669.9/km² (1,734.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 70.23% White, 23.55% African American, 0.31% Native American, 1.03% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 2.28% from other races, and 2.57% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.47% of the population.
In 2000 there were 128,925 households in Toledo, out of which 29.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.2% were married couples living together, 17.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.0% were non-families. 32.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 3.04.
In the city the population was spread out with 26.2% under the age of 18, 11.0% from 18 to 24, 29.8% from 25 to 44, 19.8% from 45 to 64, and 13.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 91.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.7 males. There was a total of 139,871 housing units in the city, of which 10,946 (7.8%) were vacant.
The median income for a household in the city was $32,546, and the median income for a family was $41,175. Males had a median income of $35,407 versus $25,023 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,388. About 14.2% of families and 17.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.9% of those under age 18 and 10.4% of those age 65 or over.

Neighborhoods
Toledo consists of the following neighborhoods,
Beverly
Birmingham
DeVeaux
Downtown
East Toledo
Five Points
Franklin Park
Glendale-Heatherdowns
LaGrange
Northriver
North Towne
Olde Towne
Old Orchard
Old West End
ONYX
Ottawa
Point Place
Reynolds Corners
Roosevelt
Scott Park
South Side
Southwyck
Warren Sherman
Westgate
Whitmer-Trilby

Suburbs
The Toledo Metropolitan Area consists of the following suburbs
Bedford, Michigan
Bowling Green
Holland
Maumee
Northwood
Oregon
Ottawa Hills
Perrysburg
Point Place
Rossford
Sylvania
Waterville
Whitehouse

Economy
Historically, Toledo is best known for industrial manufacturing, although these industries have declined considerably in past decades. The Big Three automakers all have factories in metropolitan Toledo. The city is home to two Fortune 500 companies: Dana Corporation and Owens Corning. Another Fortune 500 company, formerly located at One SeaGate, is Owens-Illinois. O-I has recently relocated to suburban Perrysburg. HCR Manor Care is an up and coming Fortune 1000 company headquartered in Toledo. Though the largest employer in Toledo was Jeep for much of the 20th century, this honor has recently gone to the University of Toledo. Manufacturing as a whole now employs fewer Toledoans than does the healthcare industry, now the city's biggest employer. In 2001, a taxpayer lawsuit was filed against Toledo that challenged the constitutionality of tax incentives it extended to DaimlerChrysler for the expansion of its Jeep plant. The case was won by the city on a technical issue after it reached the U.S. Supreme Court in DaimlerChrysler Corp. v. Cuno, 547 U.S. ___ (2006).
Toledo is the primary market city for northwest Ohio, a region of nine counties with a population in excess of 1 million. As such there is a high concentration of retail establishments and medical facilities in Toledo. The city's location near the intersection of I-80/I-90 and I-75 (i.e. "The Crossroads of America") has made it a popular hub location for transportation companies such as UPS and BAX Global. Toledo is also the nation's third busiest rail hub, 15th-busiest air cargo hub, and one of the busiest ports on the Great Lakes.
To promote economic development, the City of Toledo has announced that it will cover the 81 square miles of the city of Toledo with Wi-Fi internet access for government, business, and personal use. This will create the nation's sixth largest Wi-Fi network, and will be funded with private dollars.[2]

Education

Colleges and universities
These higher education institutions operate campuses within the city of Toledo:
University of Toledo, including the former Medical University of Ohio, which merged in 2006.
Owens College
Davis College
Mercy College of Northwest Ohio
Stautzenberger College
Toledo Academy of Beauty

Schools
Toledo Public Schools operates public schools within much of the city limits, along with the Washington Local School District in northern Toledo. Additionally, several private and parochial high schools are present within Toledo including Maumee Valley Country Day School, Central Catholic High School, St. Francis de Sales High School, which was recently named as one of the top 20 Catholic high schools in the nation for academics by Catholic High School Honor Roll for the second time [3][4] , St. John's Jesuit High School, Notre Dame Academy, and St. Ursula Academy. The sixth Catholic high school in the area, Cardinal Stritch High School, is located in nearby Oregon.

Media
Main article: List of Toledo, Ohio media outlets
The following are media outlets located in the city of Toledo. Also serving the city are a number of other radio and television stations, and newspapers located outside the city limits, including many such media outlets in the Detroit, Michigan, area. Some of these newspapers and broadcasting stations are listed below, with the city of publication or license noted when occurring outside of Toledo.

Newspapers
The Blade, a daily newspaper, is the primary newspaper in Toledo and was founded in 1835. It considers itself to be one of the best local newspapers in the United States. Page one of each issue asserts "One of America's Great Newspapers." The city's arts and entertainment weekly is the Toledo City Paper. In March 2005, the weekly newspaper Toledo Free Press began publication, and it has a focus on news and sports. Other weeklies include the "West Toledo Herald," "El Tiempo", La Prensa, Sojourner's Truth, and the Toledo Journal, as well as type A magazine, a quarterly publication focused on Toledo's anarchist community. Toledo Tales provides satire and parody of life in the Glass City.

Magazines
Clamor was a bi-monthly magazine published in Toledo, Ohio. The focus of the magazine is alternative culture (covering art, commentary, cultural criticism, photography, interviews, politics, and music), often from a politically left-wing perspective.
The Old West End Magazine is published monthly and highlites "The Best in Urban Historic Living". Monthly issues are also published on the Old West End Association web site. http://www.toledooldwestend.com/main.aspx

Television stations
05 WT05 - CW (cable only/non-broadcast in NW Ohio on various cable systems, usually cable channel 5)
11 WTOL - CBS

13 WTVG - ABC
22 W22CO - TBN (formerly channel 68)
24 WNWO-TV - NBC
27 WBGU-TV - PBS (in Bowling Green, Ohio)
30 WGTE-TV - PBS
34 WBTL-LP - HSN, Infomercials (formerly broadcast channel 5)
36 WUPW - Fox
38 W38DH - America's Store (formerly channel 64)
40 WLMB - Christian, FN , Worship
48 WMNT-CA - MNTV and America One
BCSN Buckeye Cable Sports Network (cable only)

Radio stations

AM
730 WJYM - christian (licensed to Bowling Green, Ohio)
1230 WCWA (Fox Sports 1230) - sports
1370 WSPD - news/talk
1470 WLQR (The Ticket) - sports "Formerly AM1470 - WOHO"
1520 WDMN - christian
1560 WTOD (SuperTalk 1560) - talk

FM
88.1 WBGU - Return to Radio Freedom (Bowling Green State University)
88.3 WXUT - Alternative (University of Toledo, part-time)
88.3 WXTS - Jazz (Scott High School, part-time)
88.7 CIMX (89X) New Rock Alternative (Licensed to Windsor, Ontario)
89.3 WYSZ (Yes FM) - Christian Rock (licensed to Maumee, Ohio and marketed online to Detroit)
90.3 WOTL - christian
91.3 WGTE-FM - Classical
92.5 WVKS (KISS FM) - Top 40 Toledo's #1 Hit Music Channel
93.5 WRQN - Oldies (licensed to Bowling Green, Ohio)
94.5 WXKR (94 Five-XKR) - Classic Rock (licensed to Port Clinton, Ohio)
95.3 WQTE - Country (Adrian, Michigan)
95.7 WIMX (Mix 95.7) - Urban Adult Contemporary (licensed to Gibsonburg, Ohio)
96.9 WXQQ - Satellite Contemporary Christian (licensed to Wauseon, Ohio)
97.3 WJZE (Hot 97.3) - Rhythmic Top 40/Mainstream Urban
98.3 WTWR-FM (Tower 98) - Top 40 Toledo's Hit Music Station
99.9 WKKO (K100) - Country
100.7 W264AK - Christian
101.5 WRVF (The River) - Adult Contemporary
102.3 WPOS - Christian (licensed to Holland, Ohio)
102.9 WWWW - Country (Ann Arbor, Michigan)
103.7 WCKY - Country (Findlay, Ohio)
104.7 WIOT - Rock
105.5 WWWM (Star 105) - Hot Adult Contemporary (licensed to Sylvania, Ohio)
106.5 WRWK (The Zone) - Alternative Rock
107.3 WJUC (The Juice) - Urban Contemporary (licensed to Swanton, Ohio)
107.9 WMLZ-LP (Z108) - Classic Rock (Bedford Public Schools/licensed to Temperance, MI)

External links
The Official City of Toledo
Toledo.com
Maumee Valley Heritage Corridor
Greater Toledo Convention and Visitors Bureau
Toledo Blade (newspaper)
Toledo-Lucas County Public Library
Toledo Public Schools
Toledo Museum of Art
Toledo Anarchist Movement
The Toledo Zoo
COSI Toledo
Toledo Explorer
The Toledo Mud Hens Baseball Club
Clamor Magazine article on the North Toledo riot on October 15, 2005
Toledo Talk
Swamp Bubbles
The Two Toledos Documentary
Toledo Sister Cities International, Serving Northwestern Ohio
Old West End (historic district)

TONS MORE INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND AT:
http://www.answers.com/topic/toledo-ohio?cat=travel
INCLUDING NOTABLE RESIDENTS, MAJOR ROUTES, & ATTRACTIONS

A post from July the 13th 2007...and more about FRIDAY THE 13th!

2011-09-01T08:17:00.002-04:00

Friday, July 13, 2007
A "Hecky's" Pond Mystery for FRIDAY THE 13th in East Toledo
Does anyone else out there have GOOD luck on Friday the 13th, or when a black cat crosses your path? I usually do! Today is FULL for me, with an all day bus ride across town and a store "walk", so I hope it goes well...

I'm hoping to make it over to Hecklinger's "Hecky's" Pond, here in East Toledo, off of Consaul St./Ravine Parkway on the way to "Hunky"town, to witness the draining of the water, after 30 odd years of it being off limits to fishing due to pollution, and ice skating due to thin ice. They started emptying it yesterday, and so far they have found 2 cars, & 2 safes (one unopened).

Of course, never being one to ignore a good mystery, most, including myself, are hoping that the empty pond leads to a dead body or tow; a mystery solved or a new search for a killer to be begun.(sp)

God Bless all of you, and if you have any good Friday the 13th true stories, please send them in as a comment, would you?

By the way, the Pond will be cleaned, restocked with fish and refilled once they are finished cleaning it. I'll let you know if anything interesting turns up.

TTR

PS. Here's some history behind Friday the 13th:

There have been a number of events known as "Black Fridays" in history. Usually, these events are devastating. Some historians propose that the origin of the "Black Friday" was the simultaneous arrest of hundreds of Knights Templars on October 13, 1307 (Friday), to be later tortured into "admitting" heresy.Today, the concept of Friday the 13th has been extended through the 'black Friday' concept to incorporate anything really bad that happens on a Friday. In history there have been a number of events that happened on a Friday and are known as Black Friday:Black Friday (1869), a financial crisis in the United States Black Friday (1889), the day of the Johnstown Flood. Black Friday (1910), WSPU took militant action when the Conciliation Bill failed. Black Friday (1919), a riot in Glasgow stemming from industrial unrest Black Friday (1921), day on which British dockers' and railwaymen's union leaders announced their decision not to call for strike action against wage reductions for miners Black Friday (1929), a stock market crash in the United States Black Friday (1939), a day of devastating fires in Australia Black Friday (1945), largest air battle over Norway, over Sunnfjord Hollywood Black Friday (1945), the day the six-month-old Confederation of Studio Unions (CSU) strike boiled over into a bloody riot at the Warner Bros. studios leading to the eventual breakup of the CSU. Black Friday (1978), a massacre of protesters in Iran Black Friday (1982), known in Britain after Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands, sparking the Falklands War Black Friday (1987), the day an hour-long F4 category tornado ran through the city of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada Black Friday (2004), a crackdown on a peaceful protest in the capital city of Maldives, Malé Other uses of the term include:Black Friday, a name used for any Friday which falls on the 13th of a month Black Friday, the Friday preceding Easter, also known as Good Friday or God Friday. Black Friday (shopping), the day after Thanksgiving Day in the United States, the first shopping day of the Christmas season and one of the busiest shopping days of the year "Black Friday" is the name given to the last Friday before Christmas in the United Kingdom. It is a day when widespread anti-social behaviour due to public alcohol consumption is expected to occur, and police are given additional powers to combat it Black Friday (1940 film), a science-fiction/horror film starring Boris Karloff, Stanley Ridges and Bela Lugosi Black Friday (2005 film), a Hindi film on the 1993 serial bomb blasts in Mumbai, directed by Anurag Kashyap "Black Friday", a title of a song by Grinspoon "Black Friday", a title of a song by Steely Dan "Black Friday", a title of a song by Megadeth "Black Friday Rule", a title of a song by Flogging Molly "Black Friday", the nickname for game 3 of the 1977 NLCS baseball championships. Philadelphia Phillies fans gave the nickname because the Phillies blew an early lead against the Los Angeles Dodgers and a controversial call was made during the game "Black Friday", a title of a poem written by Dennis Rader, the BTK killer

Source(s):Excerpts from Wikipedia:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/friday_the_...http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/black_frida...

Search Hecklinger's Pond at http://www.toledoblade.com
or read a FLICKR entry w/photo map by Patrick T Power at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/17607628@N00/8816521

NOTE:
HECKLINGER'S POND was named after the family who owned it.
They owned a floral company here in Toledo for many years.
[info provided in part from Patrick T. Power. Thank you.]
Swimming was forbidden at the pond, due to a number of drownings there while I was a child, during the period between 1960 and 1970, if I recall correctly.
I remember wanting to go there to ice skate as a small child (my father took me to nearby Oregon's Pearson Park to ice skate instead.
They rented out the skates back then, and had a lovely shack
with a fireplace next to the one area of the pond to warm up.
I can picture myself falling and being cold, as if it were yesterday!

A RANT AND RAVE WORTH SAVING from July 2007

2011-09-01T08:15:00.001-04:00

Thursday, July 19, 2007
IN RESPONTS TO RANTS for the TOLEDO CITY PAPER, July 26, 2006!!
Dear "TOLEDO CITY PAPER": I am addressing the invitation to "RANT" as offered in your July 26, 2006 issue,(OMG - I JUST NOTICED THIS ARTICLE IS A YEAR OLD, AND I ALREADY SENT IN MY REBUTTAL! WHAT A MAROON!!), as well as online, at: http://www.toledocitypaper.com/view_article.php?id=789&highlight=RANT.

Thank you for this opportunity to get up on my soapbox and shout: I am so tired of folks here in TTown complaining about what is lacking in our fair city! I am shocked at how attitudes have shifted over the past 10 years, and how so many more more of our residents have become "reactive" and negative, instead of "proactive" and POSITIVE!!

Just for a moment, those of you who can't think of anything great to say about TOLEDO, please try to imagine yourself living out in Lindsey, (pop. 504), Van Buren, (pop. 313), or Metamora, (pop. 563), to name a few. Imagine trying to think of something to do inexpensively on a weekend night. There are many folks in those Ohio small towns who would LOVE to have all the resources that we have, within a half-an-hour's drive. With a day of pleasant weather and the ability to be adventurous, there's no excuse for ANYONE in TOLEDO to be complaining about a lack of things to do, places to go and things to see! Whether or not you have a pocketful of money, here is a list of ideas (inspired by Sarah Pierce, who writes for hitchedmag.com), of mostly FREE things, or things that cost no more than $20 to do here! Upon leaving TOLEDO, you may have to travel more than 2 hours to find many of these same amenities. AREN'T WE LUCKY?!

* Did you know that the TOLEDO ZOO is free on Mondays to Lucas County residents if you arrive before 11 am? You could pack a lunch and some bottled water, and make a day of it. If you search around, you will find coupons where children can get in free with a paid adult, if you wish to visit on other days besides Mondays.(2700 Broadway, 419-385-5721). How about "them apples"?

* You knew this was coming...When is the last time you went to the TOLEDO ART MUSEUM? It's FREE and if you even remotely like art, you could spend hours there. You can even stroll the museum outdoor surroundings and enjoy the sculptures while taking in some fresh air. It's always air conditioned in the Summer months.(2445 Monroe St. at Scottwood, 419-255-8000 / 1-800-644-6862, www.toledomuseum.org). You also have the opportunity to explore TOLEDO'S local galleries and artists. Some smaller shops don't mind at all if you drop in and take a look around...outside of TOLEDO, shops maybe, ART MUSEUM, I doubt it..

* Many of those small cities have festivals and fairs, but not as large a scale as our annual LUCAS COUNTY FAIR. It is held just outside the Toledo city limits, in Maumee, and offers FREE admission on certain days, every year. Last year, you could donate a canned good to get in free. This year, the FREE dates are/were: July 24th, 25th, and 26th, from 11 am to 2 pm. only. If these dates have passed, remember it for next year. It really is fun to watch the sheep and pig judging, the wood carvers and the magic shows. I can honestly say we have gone there with $5.00, and have eaten 4 of the most delicious corn dogs on the planet, split a can of soda, AND had a wonderful time, without even riding one ride..(Lucas County Recreation Center 2901 Key Street, Maumee, 419-213-2230,http://www.lucascountyfair.com/)

* You could enjoy a romantic or educational hike anywhere, I suppose. Have you ever walked along all the trails in our lovely TOLEDO METROPARKS? (419-407-9700) If not, you're in for a real treat. We have all this beauty around us and all we seem to do is complain...Why not let loose your inner child, and play tag, red rover, roll down a hill or bird watch at any local grassy knoll.

* You can fish at many of the parks as well, but be sure to invest in a fishing permit first. You can purchase one online by going to: http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/wildlife/fishing/fishregs/. Can you catch PERCH anywhere else besides LAKE ERIE? You could bring a backpack and surprise your partner with juice, fruit, crackers and cheese. How many tiny cities have carry-outs all over town; ours only doubles the prices, out- lying areas TRIPLE the prices!

* The TOLEDO BOTANICAL GARDEN can be an all-day visit for those of you who already know about "stopping to smell the roses" and is is located at:
5403 Elmer Drive in TOLEDO (419-936-2986, http://www.toledogarden.org/)There is an awesome boardwalk to view deer and LAKE ERIE at MAUMEE BAY STATE PARK too! (91750 State Park Road, Oregon, OH, 1-866-644-6727 for camping, 1-800-282-7275 for the lodge, http://www.ohiodnr.com/parks/parks/maumeebay.htm).
For more fun, if you happen to own one, bring your digital camera and have a blast pretending you're a professional photographer. If you enter an especially good photo, you might even win a prize: a possible free bonus! Many small city businesses or web sites do have the budgets to offer these incentives.

* How many outer-lying cities offer FREE or low-cost public swimming? Bake in the sun at one of our TOLEDO CITY POOLS, LAKE ERIE, or MAUMEE BAY STATE PARK beach. TOLEDO authorities have gone to great lengths to make sure the waters are tested and clean in designated areas. Some of the high taxes you complain about help to fund these tasks. Bring some water toys, a Frisbee, a floaty, and/or a good book and have more fun than the kids.

* Beat the heat with an ice cream, or iced coffee. If you have a car, you can pop through a drive through, and head over to the nearest scenic walking area, like EAST TOLEDO'S INTERNATIONAL PARK, NEAR THE WILLIS P. BOYER ship (26 Main Street,East Toledo, 419 936-3070 ), or take a walk downtown and go people watching. It really is safe; trust me! Folks from tiny little cities would give their right arm to have a drive-through restaurant at their disposal!

* You could visit a "cheapie" movie theater. They almost always have excellent movies playing out at the theaters next to SPRING MEADOWS SHOPPING CENTER, that show second-run features. Pick a rainy day and have a movie marathon. A couple of bucks is a small price to pay to beat the heat. What tiny town would give to have a place like that to go?

* If gas were just a bit less expensive, I would suggest taking a scenic drive. Along the way you could pull over to have coffee and dessert at a nice café. Instead, you have the opportunity to drive to a parking area near the scenic area, park the car, and get out and walk or ride a bike or scooter (roller skates? skateboard??). Yes, you COULD do that near a smaller city, but you would not have so many areas to choose from within the city limits of a small town.

* Where else could you take a DOWNTOWN TOLEDO walking tour? The Downtown TOLEDO walking tours for 2007, started for the season on July 5, 2007, and continue Thursdays and continue through Sept. 13, 2007 from noon to 1 p.m., rain or shine. Volunteer guides trained in Toledo history and architecture will lead each tour FOR FREE! (http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070628/ART03/70628018)
OR,
* A personal favorite TOLEDO walking tour of my own:
Start at the ERIE STREET MARKET (237 S. Erie Street, 419 936-3743), spend the day there, split the day between the TOLEDO FARMERS' MARKET, just outdoors at 535 Market St.(419 255-6765) OR continue down ONTARIO STREET. You will be surprised to find inexpensive food eateries if you keep your eyes open, some that offer free samples, as well as window shopping (for gift ideas and/or clearance sales this time of year).

Continue another block toward the heart of downtown and you will discover inspiration at ARCHITECTURAL ARTIFACTS at 20 S. Ontario Street. (for hours call: 419-243-6916).

Just a short way up the block you will find a place to buy $2.00 New York style pizza and an ice cream parlor with rod iron tables and chairs outdoors: SCOOTERS: 140 N. Ontario St., and DOUG'S ICE CREAM HOUSE AND EMPORIUM, next to the Greyhound bus station, not far off the path.

Are you goofy like me? "Cop a seat" at the bus station and welcome people home!) Goofy is always free...(unless you're at Walt Disney World.)

CLASSIC ANTIQUES AND COLLECTIBLES is just up the road and if you continue, you will arrive at a dead end at the historical TOLEDO COURTHOUSE building to tour, or to take photos of. Go early, and you will hear the sound of the bells playing hymns at ST. PAUL'S LUTHERAN CHURCH, across from the courthouse, at 8:30 am.!

There are MANY TOLEDO WALKING TOURS, historical and architectural, in and around TOLEDO, so if you have any questions please feel free to write, or consult one of our local historians, like LARRY MICHAELS, the Pastor of historical MARTIN LUTHER CHURCH on Nevada Street in East Toledo. If he doesn't know it, he can refer you to someone who can. (Books about historical TOLEDO by Larry R. Michaels are available on-line from Barnes and Noble, or email: michaelsoh@aol.com ) For more historical information about TOLEDO, go to:http://www.toledosattic.org/...and by the way, how may cities have all these web sites and historical venues? Many have one or two, we have LOTS!

* 'What these small towns wouldn't give to have a public transportation system!!? We are fortunate enough to have TARTA: Toledo Area Regional Transit Authority. Where else can you ride from one side of town to the other for a dollar ($1.10 one-way with a transfer to change buses). With this service we get: $1.00 rides to Mud hens games, (www.tarta.com/hens.htm), and FREE transportation on ozone action days! (419-243-RIDE 7433..Routes & Maps: www.tarta.com/routes.htm, Call-A-Ride: www.tarta.com/callaride.htm)

* In any city you can be a kid again, but TOLEDO has bowling alleys in every area of town (check for buy-one, get-one-free coupons), some nice miniature golf locations, where you can golf, or ride go-carts (if you have more than $10.00). Where else within a 60 mile radius will you find a "PUTT-PUTT GOLF", WITH a cave and a waterfall?

* TOLEDO offers some really safe, manicured places to (legally) pitch a tent. Maumee Bay State Park campground, just north of the city area, only charges $26.00 for a fully electrical site. (Yes, it's a LITTLE over $20. but think of all the FREE things you get to do while you're there! All you will have to purchase besides the site if you already have a tent (or can borrow one) is food and firewood (and even that can be free from a neighbor or friend). Go camping and roast hot dogs as you gaze at the stars. Invite your friends out and save them some money too! You are allowed up to 6 or 7 people and 2-3 tents on one site! (http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/parks/camps/campingfees.htm)

* Many Toledoans complain that there are bars on every corner. Those of you who LIKE it that way can relax and shake off the negativity, by searching for the best and "most economical" happy hour in town. Look through our FREE publications that are packed with activity ideas, like our own TOLEDO CITY PAPER, or search online for local restaurants and bars with happy hours. Most places offer half-price food and drink specials, allowing you to get two drinks and share an appetizer for less than $20.

* Stop in any hotel lobby in TOLEDO pick up a free visitors guide or a handful of FREE brochures, for more date ideas. Call or look up on the computer: the GREATER TOLEDO CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU 419-321-6404/800-243-4667, 401 Jefferson Ave.,
www.toledocvb.com. You could also open a map, pick a spot, grab about $10 bucks to take with you, get out of the house, and stop RANTING!

Life will always have bills, shortages, and disappointments. But if you start the day with a smile, and a POSITIVE ATTITUDE, you'll learn that you will be happier, those around you will be happier, and you'll all be THANKFUL TO LIVE IN TOLEDO, OHIO.

If you STILL REALLY WANT TO RANT, why not visit http://www.toledotalk.com/, register, and fire away. A happy TOLEDOAN is a POSITIVE TOLEDOAN.

CEDAR POINT - post from 2007

2011-09-01T08:11:00.003-04:00

Saturday, August 4, 2007
COOL THING ABOUT LIVING IN TOLEDO: Cedar Point!
Today is the first time in as long as I can remember that I HAVEN'T gone to Cedar Point at least once in the Summer. It has been common place that I take my daughter to Cedar Point (in Sandusky Ohio, about an hour and 15 minutes away, as the crow flies) every year on or for her birthday at the end of June. She went with her boyfriend and his sister and her fiance' today.It wasn't for any special occasion; her boyfriend's parents had free tickets and gave them to the kids. Even if I would have had a ticket, I have no idea who I would have asked to go with me, and you REALLY SHOULD go in groups of two, so no one is waiting around to ride a ride. That happened to me last year AND the year before! We had invited Richard, my daughter's best friend (that recently moved to Knoxville, TN, and whom I REALLY miss having around ) to go with us. They wanted to run from ride to ride, and ride coasters that I can't ride (the wooden ones and ones that jerk my neck) so I just wandered around by myself, window shopping, eating, and got so bored that I actually went out to he car and TOOK A NAP! AT CEDAR POINT!! I vowed this past year that I would not go again without a friend of my own. And lately, for me,m they are few and far between. Although, I must note that my old grade school friend, Judy Gawronski has been getting in touch with me, which is awesome, and my friend from the corner., Jeremy, (WHOM AS OF SUMMER 2011 I NO LONGER SPEAK TO BC OF THE LIES HE PASSED ALL AROUND THE NEIGHBORHOOD ABOUT ME!) has been in touch and we actually went out last night down to the docks. We had 3 Long Island ice teas , took the water taxi across the River over to the Rally By the River, downtown, had a bloomin' onion, ride the taxi back, and danced our butts off till the bar almost closed. I had a GREAT WONDERFUL FUN AND LONG NEEDED GOOD TIME. But back to the Cedar point story.Many friends that I COULD have asked to go, IF I would have had a free ticket and a ride (I have no car at the present), either work a lot, or have children that they may have wanted to take..NO THANK YOU. NO KIDS. NOT WHEN I GO TO CEDAR POINT..Well, unless I am getting paid to babysit them. Then that's different.. As far as the kids that went today, as it turned out - they unknowingly chosen the most awesome day they could have gone so far this month. We have had temperatures in the 90's for well over a week, and more to come next week, but TODAY: 80 and cloudy. GREAT for CEDAR POINT. No HOT sun to burn you like a lobster, and no threat of rain either to speak of, just a only slightly humid summer day with clouds. AWESOME. One of my favorite things to do when someone I know goes to Cedar Point is to find them on one of the web cams...I love to look for them periodically throughout the day on one of the 4-5 web cams that are USUALLY working, and didn't have bugs stuck to it.. Today only one seems to be up, and that is the Sky Ride web cam. I have attempted to include it in with my post, in case someone you know is at the "ROLLER COASTER CAPITAL" Today!!

LINK TO WEB CAM PAGE FOR MAIN CAUSEWAY AT CEDAR POINT: http://www.cedarpoint.com/public/fun/webcams/webcam.cfm?chip=1

END OF SUMMER EVENTS 2011

2011-09-01T08:03:00.002-04:00

37th Annual Greek-American Festival
Dates: September 9, 2007 - September 11, 2011, Friday, Saturday, Sunday
Location: Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral
Join Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral as we celebrate our 37th Annual Greek-American Festival! The Greek-American Festival is the perfect place to spend time with the family or enjoy a night in downtown Toledo. Come celebrate with delicious Greek food and more!

Black Swamp Arts Festival
Dates: September 9, 2007 - September 11, 2007, Sunday Friday Saturday
Location: Downtown Bowling Green
The mission of the Black Swamp Arts Festival (BSAF) is to connect art and the community by presenting an annual arts festival and by promoting the arts in the Bowling Green community.

(NOT SURE ABOUT THIS ONE!) Sylvania Area Chamber of Commerce 50th Arts Festival
Dates: September 11, 2007, Sunday
Location: Lourdes College
The Sylvania Area Chamber of Commerce celebrates its 50th annual Arts Festival on September 9, 2007 at its new location at Lourdes College, 6832 Convent Blvd. Sylvania, Ohio. The festival, one of the largest one-day events in the country..

(NOT SURE ABOUT THIS ONE EITHER!) Clyde Country Fair
Dates: September 16, 2007 - September 18, 2011, Friday, Saturday, Sunday
Location: Downtown Clyde
The Clyde Country Fair is celebrating its 21st year. The fair is held in beautiful downtown Clyde and is the home of Ohio’s largest running street go-kart race. Come and join us for free nightly entertainment, together with rides, crafts, and...(more)

Harrison Rally Day
Dates: September 17, 2011, Saturday
Location: Downtown Perrysburg
Enjoy fun for the whole family in downtown historic Perrysburg. Music, Art, food, fun!!! Music Children's Art Youth Band Parade Prize Winning Fine Arts ARtists Reception

AND THE PIECE DE'RESISTANCE: THE ANNUAL GRAND RAPIDS Applebutter Fest
Dates: October 9, 2011, Sunday
Location: Downtown Grand Rapids
Always held the second Sunday of October, this festival features Heritage Craftsmen, juried crafts, entertainment,great food, vintage farm equipment, re-enactment groups and pioneer demonstrations, the traditional apple butter stir,and shops brimming with goodies.

FIVE YEARS AGO THIS WEEKEND! Labor Day 2007

2011-09-01T07:59:00.003-04:00

Wednesday, August 22, 2007
LABOR DAY:An OPPORTUNITY to show your PRIDE & PATRIOTISM

I ran across a wonderful website today, that offers to send a FREE AMERICAN FLAG, as well as the opportunity to write a thank you note and send a card to a disabled veteran. I wish I would have seen this site sooner! I plan to send as many cards as I can to thank the men and women for the sacrifice they may have made or are still making to allow me, and my family and friends to live free and safe.

Here is the link, if you'd like to send a THANK YOU NOTE TO A VETERAN, yourself:
http://www.pva.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ECRD_homepage

Here are some of the links that you can choose from on the right side of the page:

Be a Hero for a Hero
eBay Giving Works
Honorary & Memorial Gifts

Send an eCard
Free Address Labels

While you're there, you might want to take the opportunity to nominate TOLEDO as the "most patriotic" city. You can do so by going to the same site: http://www.pva.org
and look for the link to go where you wish to go.
The winning city/town will be notified and announced September 2007 and publicized on www.pva.org.

BY THE WAY: LABOR DAY FIREWORKS HERE IN TOLEDO ARE GOING TO BE HELD ON SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 2nd, and can be viewed from downtown Toledo and International Park, on the East Side, as usual. I CAN'T WAIT....hope I find someone to go with! Maybe I'll take my "mate" tried and true, who loves me more than anyone, my dog, Punkin.

For more info about Labor Day weekend, go to http://www.citifest.org

Here's what it tells about labor Day celebrations in Toledo at Toledo.com:
RiverFest & Pandemonium VIII Fireworks
CitiFest 20th Anniversary Bash
@ Promenade Park
Sunday, September 2nd, 2007

5:00 pm – National Recording Artist TBD
8:00 pm – UPDATE!! EDDIE MONEY admission $5.00
9:30 pm – FIREWORKS LIVE!

(NOTE - 2011 - CITIFEST IS NO MORE!)

Celebrate CitiFest’s 20TH birthday during the annual RiverFest celebration. CitiFest closes the summer season with a bang as RiverFest and Pandemonium VIII Fireworks present the summer’s grand finale. The Labor Day tradition continues to rock the riverfront with electrifying music and explosive illuminations in the sky. Pandemonium VIII Fireworks, one of the largest and loudest Labor Day fireworks shows in Northwest Ohio, will take to the skies shortly after the sun goes down. The fireworks soundtrack will be broadcast live on a local radio station. With the best in national entertainment, food vendors, and fireworks, RiverFest is a high-charged ending to the summer for the entire family, benefiting the Toledo Zoo.

Enjoy what's left of Summer!
XOXO TTownRobin

OLD POST _ UNSOLVED CRIME - THI BITCH WAS NEVER CAUGHT

2011-09-01T07:53:00.005-04:00

FROM: Saturday, September 29, 2007
This is an EAST SIDE white-trash story, but Toledo needs to know..ANOTHER UNSOLVED CASE that the Toledo Police didn't help me on - they advised me to do MY OWN investigative work!

DO YOU KNOW "KEL"?

This morning at 6 am, on Saturday, September 29th, a wasted dyed-blond, trash-mouthed 29 year old ** named KEL ** (petite about a size 3**) with thick lips and a weather-worn, partied-out face, broke into my back door, after coming out of my screen room screaming to let her in to let her go "pee".
She was yelling and calling me every name in the book at the top of her lungs and not one neighbor came out to help me. The men (who act like spoiled boys) neighbors on my right side were up with the lights on and they didn't even come over after it was and said and done to see if we were alright.
**The white trash down the street a few houses from the Bowling Alley came down about 1:45 to see if I knew where she went because the tramp left her little (around) 3 year old at their house and had not been in touch or come back to get her, as well as her purse (full of make-up only**) and her jeans were still hanging from the outside of my fence along the sidewalk (that she took off out on my sidewalk evidently before she came in my house with just her white cotton undies and t-shirt on), but JUST before they came to ask me this, the jeans disappeared.

This was about 1:30 this afternoon...(same day)

I looked out the front door, and there the tramp was, talking to the 13 year old that she had gone out partying with the night before, the mother, and sister, handing over her daughter to her in a stroller. As soon as she saw me, she took off down the street with the stroller and the daughter in tow. I followed her for 6 blocks, up White Street, then nvada, then Plymouth, then Willard, taking her picture with the digital the entire way. I was determined to find out where she lived or hung out at because it was evident that the police were going to do absolutely nothing about her break-in. I finally got up to the area of Idaho and Willard, and she had hid somewhere there..and learned from the mother of the 13 year old that that is where her girlfriend lives and where she hangs out.

When the police FINALLY came back a 2nd time (about an HOUR after 3 of us called about her...oh it was longer than that...THEY GOT HERE AT 5:00 PM!!) they said they would drive over to that area and see if they saw her. WELL DUH! Who with any brains (especially a white-trash girl who had already lost 3 of her kids, and must be familiar with the law) whatsoever would stay in a place with the one kid they have left (that isn't in Child Protective Services out of the 4 total she has**) knowing that so many of us had called the police and that I knew where she had gone and had a picture of what she looked like.

So yeah.
She'll be back.
And I'll be ready.

She threatened to kick my ass, and I have no intention of starting anything with her. She will end up here one day again, wasted, and that time something will happen. There may just be a body - either her's or mine.

I refuse to allow this to just drop. She terrorized my child, broke all the screens on the street side of my house and broke the front and back doors as well as the screen room door. They're trashed. I don't have the money to fix them! And the officer this morning said, "well, if you find out who she is through Block Watch or something, then you can press charges", and he took a report of some of the damage..I found more damage after he left) just because some waste-case chose my house randomly to be the one where the white-trash tramp decided to want to go to the bathroom at.
HOW IN THE HELL AM I SUPPOSED TO FIND OUT HER LAST NAME AND ADDRESS!!?? THAT'S THEIR JOB!!
THIS IS BULL SHIT!

I never claimed to be a vigilante. But when no one will tell you her last name, (even the MOM who claimed to have given that girl a"all her money and she lost it our of her pants pocket' (WHY WOULD SHE GIVE A TRASHY GIRL WHOSE LAST NAME SHE DID NOT KNOW< ALL HER MONEY??? WHAT DO YOU THINK??? I CAN PRETTY MUCH TELL YOU WHY IF YOU DON'T FIGURE IT OUT) but everyone in the neighborhood knows her...I refuse to be a victim again.

And with the dispatcher for the police dawdling around asking stupid questions, my phone number TWICE, my spelling of my FIRST AND LASTNAME JUST WASTING TIME!! WHILE THAT GIRL WAS SCREAMING SO LOUD THAT THE DISPATCHER COULD BARELY HEAR ME - I KEP SAYING SEND THEM NOW _ I'LL GIVE YOU THE REST _ JUST PLEASE DISPATCH THEM NOW and she wouldn't until she was all done taking information..when my child is screaming and crying - I will never wait on them or depend on them again. I'm done.

One of us could have been lying in the road by the time the officers got here the second time (AN ENTIRE HOUR!! AFTER I TOLD THE DISPATCHER I HAD BEEN THREATENED! THEY DROVE RIGHT BY ME AND WAVED AND WENT TO ANOTHER CALL!) I can't wait for them anymore.

We are virtually ON OUR OWN PEOPLE and everyone needs to make sure they have a weapon to protect their homes and their children in case someone comes into YOUR HOME and then comes back and threatens you like what happened to me. I have protection - do you? All it would have taken was one more footstep into my door...(of course I could have dragged her in, but I was trying to give the drug-addicted-whore the benefit of the doubt)...At the time, I actually felt sorry for her. Not any more.

STAY INVOLVED WITH YOUR LOCAL BLOCKWATCH BECAUSE WE HAVE TO DEPEND ON EACH OTHER FOR HELP (like the wonderful neighbor that came by in her car to help me find that girl when I was on foot). We can't sepend on our law enforcement, especially with the budget cuts adn the fact that we have ONE UNIT from 7 pm to 7 am. If they need another one, it has to come from Downtown. LIKE THEY CAN SPACE A UNIT!

IF SOMEONE COMES INTO YOUR HOUSE YOU HAVE THE LEGAL RIGHT TO PROTECT YOURSELF. DONT WAIT AROUND FOR THE POLICE TO DO IT. They might not ever show up at all.

I found out also that the girl went into another man's house before mine and he pushed her out too, but not without a fight**

Everything with the stars behind it ** I found out from the 13 year old girl "Jordan", that the 29 year old girl went out with, or her mother. NICE, HUH? A 29 year old went out with a 13 year old. And they kept the baby of the girl that they didn't even know what her last name was..(When I moved in 6 yrs. ago, the 13 year old was 7 and was smoking cigarettes on the corner and cussing like a sailor, an I wouldn't let my child assocoate with her. When I told the mother, nothing happened or changed.)

I used to love East Toledo. I FOUGHT to make it nice. But today is one of my bad days. I could tell you so much more. But I'd rather go to bed and start all over again tomorrow. Today sucked.

Keep up that East Side Pride!!
That old fashioned TOLEDO PRIDE!!!
Toledo can take a big suck of my ass today. I'm tired of beating a dead horse.

Later,
TTR

If you give last name or info leading to her arrest, there will be a reward:
GO YOU KNOW THIS GIRL NAMED "KEL"?

The last time my brother & I will ever spend a fun time together

2011-09-01T07:43:00.004-04:00

DUE TO HIS PISS POOR ATTITUDE ANDJEALOUSY OF ME, THIS IS THE VERY LAST TIME my brother & I will ever spend a fun time together - Saturday, October 13, 2007

Saturday, October 13, 2007
My VAN HALEN CONCERT/Cleveland, OH TRIP EXPERIENCE

(Above: The pic we took of the overhead screen of Eddie & Wolfgang singing:
Below: me and my Brother, in front of the "Van Halen" mustang, across the street from the Arena & the bar where the local radio station held the concert psyche-up party)

Aside from the trip to Cleveland being a chance for me to get out of the house and out of Toledo for a day or two, it was also a teary eyed (for me) reunion for my little brother and I. Though I am now 47 and he's 42, when we get together it's always like old times, the good ones anyway..(and we have definitely had some bad years apart here and there.)
After comparing how old looking we'd gotten and laughing our asses off, we got down to the plan of settling into the hotel: the Holiday Inn Express, downtown Cleveland (nice: Mezzanine floor offers 2 pool tables which I didn't see until the next day, going down for a tray of breakfast goodies, which were awesome, to take back up to the room, as well as a copier and 2 computer/work stations. The staff was very cordial and professional, and quick to bring us extra supplies. (though the guy at the front desk was a smart-ass to my brother, he was nice to me). The bathrooms were super-nice and I can't wait till I'm rich enough to buy a shower head like the ones they offer!

Check out this page to see how nice the bathrooms were:
http://www.awardhq.com/Custom/48323_HIExpress/cat_bath_collection.html
There was a CVS drug store across the street in case you'd like to get pictures developed at the one-hour-photo (like we did) and to pick up batteries, film, snacks, drinks and/or beer & wine. Before the show, we kind of stupidly decided to try to find a party or concert psyche-up bar event, which we did, across from the Quicken Loans Arena (near Jacobs Field) and it was there that we saw the Van Halen painted camero. The bar was so crowded with rick-looking people squeezing in & out of the door, that we thought for a minute that the band might just be in there too. We got our picture in front of the Camero, and went in and talked to a few people about the difference between the "Sammy" Van Halen & the "Dave' Van Halen, while waiting for our beverages. We left soon after though, because the prices were really up there. We also were asking around about a Van Halen party AFTER the concert, with no luck...it was drizzling and we couldn't find a liquor store ANYWHERE in the area, which dampened our plans in more ways than one. You can't go to the hotel where the band is staying (the Radisson, I'm assuming, across from the Arena and one of the most expensive if not for the 119.00 a night special by showing your event ticket _ AND SOLD OUT THE FIRST DAY AFTER THE ANNOUNCEMENT) and try to fit into a party without a bottle of some sort...or SOMETHING to share.
Anyway, as the rain got heavier, we headed down to the Quicken Loans Arena..We had our glow sticks that my brother brought to sell or give away, in vain, before the show, but got looks like I'd NEVER seen from a group of supposedly happy people...then we found out upon entering that glow sticks aren't allowed inside. What a bunch of maroons! We hid them in the bushes and took them back to the hotel afterward.

The arena was really nice. The acoustics were great from where we sat. We paid $6.25 for a very large draft beer in a cup, and there were plenty of food and drink booths, as well as commonly located concert souvenir tents, inside and outside. The most inexpensive t-shirt was $35.00 with most of them being $40.00 each. Most of them were black, and one was grey. My brother only likes the white ones, and hasn't been to a concert, evidently in a long while, because he thought $40.00 was too much for a t-shirt. I, being the experienced concert-goer (LOL), knew that $40.00 was commonplace. And it hurt my belly that I left without one. (I checked Ebay today though, and I'm sure that sometime before the tour is over, I will find each of us one, for little more than the shipping cost. over what they were charging at the Arena.) i personally didn't care for the cheaply made designs on the T-shirts. They reminded me too much of Journey with the wings coming out from the "VH". I would have preferred a Van Halen shirt that had the dates of the tour on the back of the shirt, much bigger, and a glittery or IDK, something "cool" on the front than just the teeny "VH" with wings and a crown on top...maybe a picture of the 4 guys, showing Wolfgang with them and Dave in the Center or something.

Kai Mani Marley, youngest child of The great Bob Marley, sounded wonderful, as the opening act, mellow and refreshing, but definitely not a band that I would recommend to "warm-up" for the great Van Halen. With TONS of new rocking music out there (hell, we met a great bass player at the Greyhound station that was on tour with a band called: "RUN". He gave us a CD to listen to and THEY would have been a GREAT band to warm Van Halen crowd up!) Which reminds me, my brother saw the guy doing the main sound board on his Greyhound bus from Baltimore to Cleveland, and do you think they guy would give us a hello or a tip of the head once we got into the venue? Hell no!
Anyway, until the lights went off and on for Van Halen to come on, we squeezed in a couple cigarettes out at one of the 3 smoking areas outdoors. THANK GOD there was a little overhang or we would have been soaked. That's where all the COOL people go - the smoking area. Everyone at any one I have ever been at, has been cordial, friendly, and talkative. That's usually where you get a party invite too..We weren't that lucky that night. Just so you know: the website that tells ANYTHING you would ever need to know about the Quicken Loans Arena stated that there were little TV screens at the smoking areas, and there weren't. And we never did find the smoking area outside of Gordon's Sports Bar in the back of the Arena, only the one down by section 120, about 50 yards away.

FYI: Here's the EXCELLENT website for Quicken Loans Arena: http://www.theqarena.com/

OK, back to the concert... The band stuck to the online posted set-lists like glue, and unfortunately, just seemed to zip through many of the songs. We were lucky enough to be the the show where David Lee Roth was celebrating his birthday (October 10th, 1954) and had made a really cool sign/card for him with glitter, lights and - well it was just cool, but even though my brother had PURPOSELY paid the big bucks for floor seats JUST SO HE WOULD BE ALLOWED TO GO UP BY THE STAGE, the Q.L. Arena staff quickly rushed us back to our THISCLOSETOGETHER fold-out chair seats every time we tried to get up closer. Now that made my bro' a sad little boy..We were no more than I'd say 20 rows back from where the s-curve stage came out into the crowd, and I couldn't see worth a shit. An I wore 3 inch heeled boots just in case! Everyone stood the entire time, which was all fine and good, but no one stood on their chairs, so I couldn't see, except for the big screens that the Arena offered. THANK GOD. So that is what many of our pictures were of - the screens showing what the tiny band members were doing on stage. IF YOU EVER GO THERE< AND CAN'T GET WITHIN THE FIRST 5-10 ROWS, GO AHEAD AND TRY TO GET THE NEXT LEVEL UP OR YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO SEE.We were 3 seats from the sound guy, on the floor. I got claustrophobic for a while, and went and got a beer and watched the guitar solo (after the 9th song) from the upper level. it was a MUCH better view and AMBIENCE up there. PLUS I COULD BREATHE! The chairs were just entirely too close together.
The very nice girl I met next to me apologized because she had to talk the guy she came with into coming because someone had just died in their family - so they weren't yelling much, and the folks behind us were pretty quiet too. If they don't have a mosh pit. they should at least have a "rowdy area" for us concert freaks, I think. Here's how the stage was set up:

My favorites were "Atomic Punk"...it had an awesome intro, "Everybody Wants Some" (Dave did a cool introduction to that one), and of course, "Hot For Teacher", "Ice Cream Man" and "Panama". "Jump" was ok, but not as crazy as I would have hoped for the end of a show...I got the impression that they were glad that this whole monotonous set was over. They brought out that huge blow-up microphone, with Dave riding it, then did nothing else with it.

(Image from BlogsNRoses.com)
It would have been cool if they would have let the crowd surf it a while. OR, maybe it was just ME, being bummed because the concert was over at that point...who knows.

Here was the set list: (with the albums that they came out on listed afterward)
The group's set list was as follows:

Set list:

01. You Really Got Me (from Van Halen, 1978)
02. I'm the One (from Van Halen, 1978)
03. Runnin' With the Devil (from Van Halen, 1978)
04. Romeo Delight (from Women and Children First, 1980)
05. Somebody Get Me a Doctor (from Van Halen II, 1979)
06. Beautiful Girls (from Van Halen II, 1979)
07. Dance the Night Away (from Van Halen II, 1979)
08. Atomic Punk (from Van Halen, 1978)
09. Everybody Wants Some (from Women and Children First, 1980)
10. So This Is Love? (from Fair Warning, 1981)
11. Mean Street (from Fair Warning, 1981)
12. Pretty Woman (from Diver Down, 1982)
13. Drum Solo
14. Unchained (from Fair Warning, 1981)
15. I'll Wait (from 1984, 1984)
16. And the Cradle Will Rock (from Women and Children First, 1980)
17. Hot for Teacher (from 1984, 1984)
18. Little Dreamer (from Van Halen, 1978)
19. Little Guitars (from Diver Down, 1982)
20. Jamie's Cryin' (from Van Halen, 1978)
21. Ice Cream Man (from Van Halen, 1978)
22. Panama (from 1984, 1984)
23. Guitar Solo (incl. "Women in Love" intro, "Cathedral", "Eruption")
24. Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love (from Van Halen, 1978)

Encore

25. 1984 (from 1984, 1984)
26. Jump (from 1984, 1984)

The only difference between our show and those that I had read at http://vanhalentour2007.blogspot.com/ , was that during the guitar solo that Eddie did, he goofed around with "Romeo Delight" on the guitar a bit as well.
There wasn't much dialog at all that I can recall, except for Dave saying that this was one of the best birthdays he had had in a long time, but somehow I just didn't believe it (unless maybe it was because he met up with his daughter and granddaughter - see my last "research' post..who knows...not really my business anyway..)

But PLEASE don't take this wrong. I KNOW it's coming out sort of negative, but it was an AWESOME VAN HALEN SET AND SHOW and I enjoyed it IMMENSELY! I whooped it up and hollered the entire time (my brother is still a little hoarse, 2 days later) We "danced the night away" became "atomic punks" and "jump(ed)" till we were "unchained". it was a great show and I will remember it always. See, i wasn't one of the lucky ones who had seen Van Halen tour with Diamond Dave back in the day, this was my first time seeing them, and it was fantastic. How many concerts to you get to go to where the main band plays 26 SONGS??!! None I can recall!

I feel it necessary to mention a few things that I noticed that took me by surprise:
Eddie Van Halen had a gold wedding band on his right hand. I felt compelled to do research on this, which is in the next or previous research post..(entitled "wedding band on..!") Also the fact that Eddie looked SO BAD. Oh God, of course I know he's been through a lot, but his ribs were all sticking out, and he had a little bit of "old-man" boobs" hanging down. If I didn't know how old he was, I'd swear he was 60 and had dyed his hair. He didn't move a whole hell of a lot around the stage, and neither did Dave at this show for that matter. I do remember ONE high kick.
Wolfie was one cool 16 year old young man. he played it up and wore aviator sunglasses. he was cool and having fun, and sang JUST EXCELLENT. OH, and yes, My brother noticed that Dave forgot the words about 5 times, but I didn't catch it. And he was all huggy with Eddie at this show too. Eddie and Wolfgang held hands when they walked off the stage which would have embarrassed the hell out of my 16 year old, but more power to 'em. I would have been so proud I would have squeezed the crap out of him and gave him a big fat kiss too.
In conclusion, about the concert,, I wish we could have gotten close enough to allow the band to read our posters and notice us...just like 75 percent of the auditorium probably wished too. Isn't that what it's all about? Being cool and being noticed? At a concert, I always thought it was.

The next day, having until 5 pm to have to catch our perspective busses to return "home", we enjoyed the Rock-and-Roll Hall of Fame, which is right at the end of Ninth Avenue near Lake Erie and about a 10 minute walk from the Arena and downtown hotels. (http://www.rockhall.com/ ) I had been there when it FIRST opened and saw the ABSOLUTELY STUPENDOUS once-in-a-lifetime-9-hour concert for the grand opening of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (so now maybe you see that my point of view may be a bit jaded...I have been some MIND BLOWING concerts in my life, and some from the first row..Examples: Pink Floyd; Detroit, 3rd Row with "groceries", Mellencamp, first row center, Styx right in front of the stage, Melissa Etheridge, at a tiny bar on her first tour, the list goes on and on..) it and will never forget the "in Memoriam" floor (THEN, and ENTIRE floor with dimmed lights and no talking, now just a corner on the 2nd floor with 3 photos in frames - talk about disappointed..) The entire 5th floor was shut off while they were working on a Beatles tribute. So the first time I went, it took more than 5 hours to see everything, this time we zipped through, in a matter of 2 and a half hours, and that included the 3rd floor which was the teeny little cafeteria (don't get the hamburgers, they are pre-made and microwaved and like rubber...NASTY.) The store on this tip was the best part, OH and the video put together of all the funny things said by the inductees at the various inaugerations...none included anyone from Van Halen though, who was just inducted in may of this year.

I thank the Lord and my brother for this opportunity, and for keeping us safe, and wish the entire Van Halen tour continued good health, fun shows and lots of happiness, and the most awesome memories from all the work that they put into this tour, that will last a lifetime.

'Till I get 'em all uploaded into this blog, here's the link to the
(kinda crappy but what do you expect from section 4 row O with a disposable camera??)
VAN HALEN CONCERT PICTURES from the CLEVELAND SHOW ON OCTOBER 10th, 2007...

http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewPicture&friendID=152734660&albumId=2209431

THANKS FOR READING! PLEASE ADD SOME COMMENTS!!
XOXO TTownRobin

I was just a tad offended by this concert review, by
but I did understand his point to a certain extent because I felt the same way on a few occasions. So I went ahead and added it on to my review...I hope I don't confuse anyone..:

FOUND AT: http://www.courant.com/entertainment/music/reviews/hc-vanhalenrev1007.artoct07,0,6937883.story
PRINTED OCTOBER 13, 2007

Van Halen Reunion Nothing Special
By THOMAS KINTNER | Special to the Courant
October 7, 2007

"The whether and when of a Van Halen reunion with original lead singer David Lee Roth have been subjects of frequent speculation ever since Roth quit the enterprise in April 1985, a rabbit that would not come out of its hat until at last the band kicked off its current tour last month.

The famously combustible band brought its signature brand of boisterous, hard-charging rock to the Mohegan Sun Arena on Friday for a show that had some impressive moments but was generally more serviceable than special.

Although the signature presences of Roth and guitarist Eddie Van Halen were sufficient to satisfy most nostalgia, the band's lineup was not quite its original, as bass player Michael Anthony has been replaced by Van Halen's 16-year-old son, Wolfgang. That role has never been the band's lynch pin and remained secondary as drummer Alex Van Halen hammered out a back beat for the rowdy opener "You Really Got Me" while his brother Eddie tore into the melody with sharp-edged electric licks.

Roth's role requires little more than an ability to bark festively in a manner sufficiently assertive to match up with full bore rock anthems, and despite having accrued some additional rasp on his voice's high end over the years, he remained game enough to handle the chore as he yelped "I'm the One" and pushed along the chunky "Runnin' With the Devil." Short-haired relative to the flowing locks of his glory years, the 53-year-old Roth was more tentative and less kinetic than the memories he was trying to evoke, almost asking for the crowd's approval where once he would have commanded it as he battered the lyric of "Somebody Get me a Doctor." He looked fit and frequently punctuated his performances with spinning high kicks, twirled microphone stands and other colorful touches that were the closest things to spectacle in a generally straightforward show.

The storied antagonism between Roth and the Van Halen brothers was nowhere to be seen as the singer went out of his way to vamp Eddie's still-incendiary playing as it formed the centerpiece of the roaring "Everybody Wants Some." The tour is most assuredly a marriage of convenience for two factions that desired the buzz - and payday - their reunion would bring, but the band members seemed almost surprisingly cordial in ways that went beyond the couple of hugs the always-grinning Roth and Eddie Van Halen managed during the show.

With the exception of a snippet of "316" during Eddie Van Halen's lengthy guitar solo near its end, the entire set was built from tunes from the Roth era, which meant everything was at least 23 years old. Much of it remained a dynamic mix of hard rock and pop, from the springy "Unchained" to the rugged throb of "And the Cradle Will Rock." Roth opened "Ice Cream Man" by reminiscing his way through a solo acoustic guitar bit (in fact, Wolfgang Van Halen was the lone member of the quartet who didn't take a solo turn), and his voice was a touch creaky during a blowout trip through "Panama."

The set ran to two hours by the time it closed with a pulsating rendition of "Ain't Talkin' `Bout Love," and then extended with a brief encore of the band's lone chart-topping single, "Jump." The tune closed with Roth riding a big inflatable microphone across the stage, but the prerecorded keyboard line was more in line with how adornments fit into the program, a light touch in a show that tied up more efforts in raw energy than gimmicky flair."

DAMN! My Hair looked GOOD! Too bad it went flat as soon as we started walking in the drizzling rain to the show..At least I got a (dark) picture of it...!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This song sounds to me like The Van Halen boys may have lived in Toledo a while back:

Mean Street

Written by:
Edward Van Halen, David Lee Roth,
Michael Anthony, Alex Van Halen.
© 1981 Van Halen Music ASCAP.
All Rights Reserved.
---
At night I walk this stinkin' street
Past the crazies on my block
And I see the same old faces
And I hear that same old talk
And I'm searching for the latest thing
A break in this routine
I'm talkin' some new kicks
Ones like you ain't never seen
This is home
This is Meanstreet
It's our home
The only one I know
And we don't worry 'bout tomorrow
Cause we're sick of these four walls
Now what'd ya think is nothing
Might be something after all
Now you know this ain't no through street
The end is dead ahead
The poor folks play for keeps down here
They're the living dead
Come on down Down to Meanstreet
They're dancing now
Out on Meanstreet
It's always here and now, my friend
It ain't once upon a time
It's all over but the shouting
I'll come and I'll take what's mine
We're searching for the latest thing
A break in this routine
Talkin' some new kicks
Ones like you ain't never seen
This is home
This is Meanstreet
It's our home
Only one I know
(This is home) See, a gun is real easy
(This is Meanstreet) In this desperate part of town
(This is home) Turns you from hunted into hunter
(This is Meanstreet) Go and hunt somebody down
(This is home) But hear me now, somebody said "Fair Warning, Lord !"
(This is Meanstreet) Lord, strike that poor boy down

SAD BUT TRUE - FOR EAST TOLEDO ANYWAY....TTR

Originally written Oct 2007 and the TAXES ON CIGARETTES ARE STILL GOING UP!!

2011-09-01T07:39:00.002-04:00

Monday, October 22, 2007
FOR THE 1ST TIME EVER THAT MARCY KAPTUR LET ME DOWN

"Please see below, how your legislator voted
on the Federal Excise Tax Increase"

Legislator Name Vote Position

Rep. Marcy Kaptur (DEM) Y Yes

copied from:
http://www.stopthefetincrease.com/legis_scorecard.aspx?LegisID=KaptXMar06171946

CONGRESSWOMAN MARCY KAPTUR HAS BEEN THE ONE TO WRITE TO WHEN EVERY CONTACT HERE IN TOLEDO HAS FAILED ME, AND SHE HAS ALWAYS COME THROUGH FOR ME AND FOR US TOLEDOANS. SHE HAS BEEN A CRUSADER FOR US FOR MANY YEARS...BUT I JUST FOUND OUT THAT BECAUSE OF HER VOTE, WE SMOKERS WILL BE PAYING ANOTHER $6.10 FOR A CARTON OF CIGARETTES STARTING NOVEMBER 1st, 2007.

WHY DO SMOKERS HAVE TO CARRY THE TAX FOR EVERYTHING NEW?

IF THE PROPOSAL FOR THE NEW HEALTH INSURANCE FOR CHILDREN GOES THROUGH ONCE CONGRESS HAS RE-VAMPED IT TO BE STATED PROPERLY, THAT NEW TAX WILL ALL BE OUT OF OUR POCKETBOOKS TOO!

I AGREE, I NEED TO QUIT SMOKING. I AM HAVING A HELL OF A TIME DOING IT. I HAVE TRIED THE NEW STOP-SMOKING MEDICINE: CHANTIX, WHICH CAUSED ME TO EXPERIENCE HORRIBLE NIGHTLY BAD DREAMS, WEEK LONG HEADACHES AND A LACK OF RESTED SLEEP, PLUS CONSTANT BITING THE INSIDES OF MY CHEEKS...BUT EVEN WORSE THAN THAT, I AM SIMPLY NOT READY TO GAIN 100 POUNDS.THE LAST TIME I STOPPED SMOKING, I GAINED 10 POUNDS IN 13 DAYS! I HAVE NOT GIVEN UP ON MEETING THE MAN OF MY DREAMS YET AND AS LITTLE AS I GET OUT, IT'S NOT LOOKING VERY GOOD RIGHT NOW EITHER, WITH WINTER COMING.

SMOKING IS MY ONLY VICE. I DON'T DRINK TO SPEAK OF, I DON'T DO STREET DRUGS, I DON'T EVEN GO AND SEE MOVIES OR GO SHOPPING! I CAN'T AFFORD IT!! MY ENTERTAINMENT IS SMOKING AND MY COMPUTER AND GARDENING. THAT'S IT! SAD BUT TRUE. AND UNTIL I CAN GET MY MIND AROUND QUITTING, IT LOOKS LIKE I WILL BE STUCK AT HOME EVEN MORE, PAYING $37.10 a CARTON FOR THE CHEAPEST CIGERETTES I CAN STAND RATHER THAN $31.00 (the least expensive at my local carry out within walking distance BECAUSE I CAN'T AFFORD A CAR!!)

PLEASE HELP LET OUR LEGISLATURE KNOW THAT WE DO NOT WANT THIS TAX!!

VISIT stoptheFETincrease.com
or call: 1-866-527-4494

THIS YEAR I already missed the Pemberville Summer Fair - I DON"T WANT TO MISS THE FALL FESTIVAL TOO!

2011-09-01T07:37:00.002-04:00

ORIGINALLY WRITTEN ON: Tuesday, October 23, 2007
A Reminder:
The Pemberville Fall Festival is THIS WEEKEND!
Here's the date, details, and web site:

Pemberville’s Autumn Fest on the River

(Address? not found yet, the main drag I suppose) & Phone:
Downtown Pemberville
Pemberville, OH 43450
419-287-3274

Hours:
9am- 5pm

Description:
Pemberville has become famous for hosting this special historical day! This festival will feature historical reenactments, living historians, specialty foods, and demonstrating artisans. The Opera House will be featuring special, surprise performances starting at 11am and running at the top of each hour with the last show starting at 3pm. Sponsored by the Pemberville Freedom Area Historical Society.

Tickets:
Free.

Reservations:
Reservations not required.

Dates:
10/27/2007

~~~~~~~~~~~
http://consumer.discoverohio.com/searchdetails.aspx?detail=49701
~~~~~~~~~~~

Pemberville Autumn Fest Craft Show

Address & Phone:
Pemberville’s American Legion Hall/ Pemberville School
405 E. Front St.
Pemberville, OH 43450
419-287-4000

Hours:
9am-5pm

Description:
Sponsored by the American Legion Post 183 Marching Units. This craft show will feature over 60 craftsmen!

Tickets:
Free.

Reservations:
Reservations not required.

Dates:
10/27/2007

~~~~~~~~~~~~

FROM NOV 5 2007 - WHAT I LEARNED FROM DR. OZ (and still use today! 9-1-11!!)

2011-09-01T07:34:00.002-04:00

Monday, November 5, 2007
Things I learned from OPRAH and DR. OZ today!
3 DRINKS
that will make you feel like a NEW PERSON
HI!
This post is not only about the 3 drinks, but also about Oprah Winfrey's friend, Doctor oz's Anti-again plan. I am reprinting most of this as a reminder to myself, to really think about how much better I could feel if I would just spend a little more on groceries for a month or two (yeah, right, LOL - I get groceries from the church half the time because we're so poor!)

1) THE GREEN DRINK THAT CAN MAKE YOU FEEL YOUNGER AND LIVE LONGER

"The Green Drink" aka, according to Oprah: "FRESH" in a glass!

Serves 1-2
Ingredients:
2 big handfuls of Spinach
1/2 cup parsley, chopped
1 rib of celery
1 thumb of ginger, skin peeled
1 lemon
1 medium cucumber
2 apples
ice cubes (optional)

In a juicer, place all ingredients except optional ice cubes in a juicer until juiced. Serve in your favorite wine goblet or other favorite glass of choice. If desired, add ice cubes for a refreshing cold beverage.

As always, you can adjust these ingredients to your own liking. Perhaps you really really like cucumber. Great! Add 2 cucumbers instead!

For a starter green juice, I recommend additional apples until you get used to the taste. There is no requirement to start out with swamp water that tastes like swamp water. Start with something fruity. Then over time if you want you can add more greens and less apples. That is why green smoothies are so popular - they are usually 60% or more of fruit, and 40% or less of greens.

The green color is a good indication that you have enough greens in the juice. As long as it is green, you know that you are getting the alkaline benefits of greens.

2) Dr. Oz's second drink might not be as pleasant, but it's still important:

a shot of cod liver oil.

"First of all, cod liver oil has the right kind of vitamin D in it—vitamin D3. That's why people who live in the north lands who don't get any sun at all can still survive. It's got the healthy fats that you want in it," Dr. Oz says.

3) Xango Mangosteen Juice and the Magosteen Fruit:

"Why Drink Mangosteen Juice?
There are two very good reasons for having a daily hit of mangosteen juice. First there is the flavour, and then there are the health benefits. Many people like to kick start their day with a glass of fruit juice and, sure, most juices are very good for you, but none have the combination of taste and goodness provided by the fruit of the exotic mangosteen tree.

Take orange juice, for example: great flavor and lots of vitamin C, which is, of course, a well known antioxidant. Mangosteen, however, has been shown to contain over 40 different antioxidants. In fact, laboratory tests have shown that juice from the whole mangosteen fruit is 20 to 30 times more effective at neutralizing dangerous free radicals than juice from most other antioxidant-rich sources.

Mangosteen fruit have been used for centuries in Asia, both as a delicious foodstuff and as a one-stop pharmaceutical gift shop. In more recent times, health researchers from around the world have conducted studies to establish whether the fruit may have a role to play in treating a whole raft of conditions, from cancer to mental illness. Although there is still much work to be done, the results thus far have been able to verify what has been accepted folklore for generations of Southeast Asians—mangosteen is one of Mother Nature’s great gifts to mankind.

So, if you are going to have a morning fruit drink, why not drink mangosteen juice?

Mangosteen Fruit

Rarely has a fruit that has been so unknown to the common man of the western world been so studied, examined, researched, and scrutinized by science than the remarkable Mangosteen. Study after study, research paper after research paper all extol the extraordinary benefits of the Mangosteen and its rich supply of antioxidant xanthones.

"The body's immune and other systems produce homemade antioxidants and some vitamins, such as E and C. But there exist other antioxidants even more potent than vitamins, and these powerful protective substances are only found in certain plants," writes Fred Templeman, M.D. "One such class of substances called Xanthones has recently been identified by scientists in a rain forest plant ... the Mangosteen."

Dr. Templeman continues, "Our secondary research has unearthed over forty scientific papers in which biochemically active components of the Mangosteen have been rigorously examined in the laboratory. . . It is already evident that the multiple health benefits of the fruit are supported by scientific investigation."
For centuries, the people of Southeast Asia have known all about those "multiple health benefits." Now science supports what they've known all along. The ancient wisdom of Southeast Asia. The certainty of modern science.

The Power of Our Whole Fruit Puree

It is not simply the juice of the Mangosteen. Instead, it is a whole fruit puree, utilizing the pericarp as well as the pulp of this extraordinary tropical fruit. As a whole fruit puree it delivers all the benefits of Alpha Mangostin and Gamma Mangostin, the xanthones that have proven to be so rich in life-enhancing qualities.

"Studies are showing that xanthones have positive effects on nearly all the body's systems," says researcher Fred Templeman, M.D. "From increased energy to protection from free radical damage, xanthones delivers a wide range of benefits."

A Taste Sensation

And the best part it is absolutely delicious! We're all familiar with tonics and potions derived from natural plants and herbs. Most have genuine beneficial properties, but the taste leaves so much to be desired. The naturally sweet and tangy flavor of the Mangosteen is a taste sensation you have to experience to believe. It has no artificial flavors, no artificial colors, no added sweeteners. We don't need them!

In magosteen juice you get all of the miraculous benefits of xanthones: powerful antioxidants protection against free radical damage, support for cholesterol concerns, a natural energy enhancer, and more. And you get all this in a drink that you'll look forward to tasting!

The Mangosteen fruit is composed of the following:

Pericarp (rind or skin)- it is smooth, 4-8mm thick with a dark purple color
Pulp (fruit) - consists of 4-8 snowy white colored segments. It is soft & juicy with an exquisite unforgettable taste.
Seeds - one mangosteen fruit usually contains 2-3 well-developed seeds ranging between 1.5 and 2.5 cm in length.
Inside the Mangosteen
Size: Roughly the size of a tangerine
Color: Smooth, dark purple pericarp (rind)
Color Inside: "Snow white" colored fruit
Taste: Unbearably exquisite, impossible to forget

Did you know?

The pericarp, or rind of the mangosteen contains more xanthones than any other source on earth! These are the same powerful xanthones that make the Mangosteen the super star of health and nutritional supplements."

ALTHOUGH MANGOSTEEN JUICE WAS RECOMMENDED BY DR. OZ, THE INFORMATION ABOVE WAS NOT FROM HIM OR FROM THE OPRAH SHOW, IT WAS FOUND AT:

http://trythisjob.com/Whatismangosteenjuice.html

THE AVERAGE PRICE FOR 1 CASE OF "Xango" MANGOSTEEN JUICE ON EBAY, IS ABOUT 50.00 PLUS SHIPPING.

WHAT IS WRITTEN BELOW ABOUT A GUEST ON OPRAH IS EXACTLY HOW I LIVE!! BOY, I NEED TO START LIVING SOME OF THIS ADVICE..

MORE FROM TODAY'S OPRAH SHOW:

"Brenda, a 48-year-old single mother, is the first to admit that she had an unhealthy lifestyle. "I ate a lot of sugar. A lot of junk food. I do not exercise," she says.

Brenda says she received a major wake-up call when she started having heart palpitations while driving in the car with her daughter. "At the time in which this was going on, I thought I was going to die," she says.

After running a biophysical on Brenda, Dr. Oz found that on top of being anemic and vitamin D deficient, Brenda had a thyroid problem. "Your thyroid levels were the worst they had ever seen," he says. "You weren't making any at all. That actually was leading to your muscle literally breaking down." Dr. Oz says this may have caused Brenda's heart palpitations. "Over and over again, especially in women, we see the thyroid gland not functioning correctly. And when it happens in the severe nature, you actually fall apart—and your heart muscle, which is one of the muscles, can also stop."

Since Brenda has been following the You: Staying Young plan, she says she is feeling much better. "I'm better able to handle stress, I work out regularly and I'm not as tired," she says.

Dr. Oz stresses the importance of taking care of thyroid problems by having your thyroid levels checked. "It's one of the key blood tests you have to get on yourself," he says."

I AM GOING TO ASK MY DOCTOR FOR A THYROID TEST NEXT TIME I SEE HIM!

AND THIS IS ME TOO:

"Maureen says she had a serious problem with her energy level. "I had brain fog to the point where I could not concentrate or focus on the tasks and duties. Just simple things at home—helping my daughter with her homework—and definitely the career and the job."

Dr. Oz discovered that Maureen was anemic. "You've got to check your blood count," he says. "That's one of the tests you've got to get, no matter how you get it done."

By following Dr. Oz and Dr. Roizen's anti-aging plan for eight weeks, Maureen receives the good news that she has brought up her low levels of iron. "Now I have more energy and I'm able to handle the day-to-day things," she says."

A REMINDER FOR ME TO TELL MY FRIEND BRENDA ABOUT/an 8 week anti-aging diet!

"Lisa also went on Dr. Oz's anti-aging plan for eight weeks to help treat her fibromyalgia, which is a chronic syndrome that can cause symptoms like pain and fatigue. "Seven years ago I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia and I have been on a gamut of medication," she says. "It would work for a few days, maybe a few weeks, and I would be in constant pain—my neck, my back, my arms, my legs."

Since then, Lisa has been following Dr. Oz's advice and working with a doctor who specializes in fibromyalgia. "About a week after I was on the supplements and walking, I could feel my body is warming," Lisa says. "I have energy. In fact, I have so much energy I have to kind of put a little reserve on because I'm back to being better than what I was before."

"I hope a lot of the audience members' eyes [are open] now to a problem that afflicts 8 million Americans," Dr. Oz says. "You don't have to live with that agony."

MORE WAYS TO HELP YOU LIVE LONGER, INSIDE YOUR OWN HOME!"The smallest particles are the ones that do the most damage.."

Regularly open up windows to air out your home of all the fumes and particles trapped inside.
Making your house healthier starts right at your front door. Take off your shoes when you enter to avoid tracking in pesticides and lawn chemicals.

When you microwave food, don't leave it in plastic containers or with plastic covering. That plastic could leak into the food. Instead, use glass or other microwave-safe containers.

Instead of using toxic chemicals to clean your sink and bathtub, Dr. Oz recommends using baking soda. And you can use white vinegar to clean your windows. Or look for brands like Shaklee's Get Clean line. Oprah says she loves their Basic H2 spot remover.

To avoid the chemicals used in dry cleaning, take your clothes out of the bags while you're outside and throw the bags away. Then, let your clothes air out for at least a day before wearing them.

Use a dehumidifier to cut down on potentially toxic mold in places like garages.
If you must store old cans of paint and varnish, only do it in well-ventilated places that are far from your living area.

Include plants like spider plants, golden pothos and philodendrons in your home. They are experts at converting carbon dioxide to oxygen.

ANOTHER BREAKFAST DRINK:

The Quick Magical Breakfast Blaster
2 servings, 136 calories per serving

1 scoop (1/3 cup) Soy protein (like Nature's Plus Spiru-Tein)
1/2 tablespoon flaxseed oil
1/4 cup frozen blueberries
1/2 large ripe banana (or other fruits of your choice)
1/2 tablespoon apple juice concentrate or honey
1 teaspoon Psyillium seed husks

Peel banana; break into chunks. Put all ingredients in a blender. Add 12 ounces of water and ice, as well as powdered vitamins. Cover, blend until fairly smooth.

THE ONLY FOUR EXERCISES YOU NEED TO KNOW ACCORDING TO DR. OZ:

"You don't need balls, mats and elastic bands to get a great workout. Dr. Oz says there are only four exercises that you'll ever need to know—and none require fancy machinery!

First, Dr. Oz suggests that people walk for at least 30 minutes each and every day. "Walking is the foundation for all other exercises because it increases your stamina and prepares your body for strength training," he says. You should strive to walk 10,000 steps a day.

The second step is to build muscle by lifting weights for 30 minutes a week. You can lift a dumbbell, a gallon of milk or your toddler…just start lifting!

Now that you're on the right track, Dr. Oz says you have to work up a sweat for about an hour a week. "The number one predictor of how long you're going to live is how well you can exercise your heart," he says. "If you can push yourself to sweat for an hour a week, that's great. You can break it down into three little segments of 20 minutes each."

Finally, you have to stretch so that you don't get hurt. Dr. Oz likes to do yoga, but he says you can get the same benefits from stretches you learned in high school gym class.

There's one secret fat-burner that you can do anywhere—fidgeting!"

THE 14 DAY PLAN RECOMMENDED BY DR. OZ

http://www2.oprah.com/health/oz/programs/young/plan/plan_main.jhtml

Why 14 days? Because that's how long it takes for many healthy behaviors to become healthy habits.

The 14-Day Plan: Week 1

1 of 9

DAY 1: TAKING STOCK

1. Get out and go shopping! Buy these items, which should run you less than $125.

A tape measure
A heart-rate monitor (We use Polar products—they have chest straps and monitor watches)
A pedometer
A good pair of walking or running shoes
A hand-grip tester
A blood pressure cuff (Many have memory and download options…or you can use the one at the drugstore)
A notebook or access to computer website to record your results

2. Determine your real age at RealAge.com—that is, the actual age of your body (and mind) based on your health and habits, not your calendar age based on when mama thrust you into the world covered in goop.

3. Measure your blood pressure. Most drug stores have a device that can be placed on your arm if you haven't bought the home device yet.

4. Measure your heart rate in the evening, as well as the highest heart rate you achieve during your most intense exercise.

5. Measure your waist size. Circle the tape measure around your waist at the belly button, while you're taking a deep breath and sucking in. You would anyway, but it is the right way of measuring it as it gets the muscle we do not want to measure out of the way. Also measure your weight. The ideal is for your waist to be half your height.

6. Leave a space to record the average number of steps you take this week.

7. Make a doctor's appointment so you can get the medical tests you need.

8. Answer these questions.

Are you living life from (A) fear or from (B) passion?
Are you playing life (A) to avoid losing or (B) to win?
Are your goals based on (A) preserving the status quo or (B) achieving growth?

If you answered (A) to any of them, it's an indication that you're not moving forward in life. Remember, the only times that your vital signs are completely stable are when you're dead. Like sharks, we need to keep moving in order to live fully.

9. Ask yourself these questions to really determine whether you're really happy.

Are you happy most of the time?
Are you as happy now as you were 5 years ago?
Are you still expecting much from life?
Do your days seem to be passing quickly?
Are you often sad less than 10 percent of the time?

We obviously want you to have positive answers for these questions. If you're not there, our program, as well as professional help, can help you get there.

10. Ask three strangers how old you are. Asking friends and family doesn't count, since they either know or have a vested interest in not hurting your feelings. This will help give you some kind of baseline as to how others perceive you—based on appearance and demeanor—and can be a strong indicator of how healthy you actually are. In addition, you can ask a friend you trust to be honest with you about how you are aging compared to others.

11. Ask your friends what your three biggest strengths are. Identify how you best use them.

12. In your notebook, draw a little box with an amoeba that fills up 70 percent of the box, but also goes outside of the box. The box is your job, and the amoeba is you. The empty spots in the box are where we often focus all of our effort, but perhaps you should focus on the part of the amoeba that lies outside of the box, as this represents your strengths.

13. Ask yourself this simple question: How have you aged over the last five years? Use a picture to compare how you looked between then and now. Your initial thought:

My oh my, I look like I did in high school, dahling.

I'm steady Eddie—about the same.

I'm about what you'd expect—little fatter, little wrinklier, and little more worn down.

I look like tree bark.

14. Ask yourself this: What activities did you do five years ago that you can't do today?

15. Ask yourself these big-picture stress questions, which can help you identify things to work on while using our program:

Is your perceived level of stress more than you enjoy? Remember that actual stress is a more predictable driver of aging than our perception of stress, so push yourself to be honest with yourself.
Do you control most of the stress in your life or are you a rat in someone else's experiment?

GO HERE TO READ ABOUT THE VIATMINS YOU NEED TO FEEL GOOD AND AGE WELL:

http://www2.oprah.com/health/oz/slide/20071105/oz_20071105_350_108.jhtml

DAY 2: RE-TOOL YOUR HOME AND MIND

Shop for vitamins and calcium supplements. Buy calcium tablets that have at least 500 milligrams of calcium, 200 international units of vitamin D and 150 milligrams of magnesium. Get your vitamin shopping list.

Shop for non-toxic cleaners.

Purchase and install water filters for your home.

Do the Chi-gong Workout to build your coordination and mind-body connection.

If you have any addictions, start a cessation program to quit. Smoking the issue? Try the program here: http://www2.oprah.com/health/oz/programs/young/extend/extend_smoking.jhtml

FOR THE REST OF THE SUGGESTIONS FOR PART TWO, START AT THIS PAGE:

http://www2.oprah.com/health/oz/programs/young/plan/plan_105.jhtml

DAY 3: START THE THREE-DAY BODY-BASIC DIET

"Start a calorie-restricted diet, and continue for three days. The goal of this body-basic diet: Recalibrate your settings to eating better foods—and more sensible amount of them.

Here's how it works: Eat about three-quarters of the amount of food you usually eat every day using only healthy foods now. You can do it by eyeballing, or literally filling your plate as usual and taking one-quarter of the meal away and storing it for tomorrow. If you find this too difficult, reducing your calorie intake by even 15 percent will work. And if that is too challenging, then just eat healthy foods in the usual amount for you.

Why? We're trying to get you to feel what calorie restriction, the only proven senility eraser, feels like. It will be a little uncomfortable, but you'll only do it for three days. Drink as much water with lime or lemon juice or fresh brewed green tea as you want, which will help clear toxins and prevent dehydration. Please take your vitamin supplements while on the program since we don't want to starve you if you're already nutritionally depleted from a life of kielbasa with mayonnaise.

When you add back a little more food on Day 6, chances are that even in three days, you'll have trained yourself and your stomach to need less food than you're accustomed to eating."

FIND THE REST OF PART THREE HERE: http://www2.oprah.com/health/oz/programs/young/plan/plan_105.jhtml

ON THIS PAGE YOU WILL FIND THE LINKS TO 2 WORKOUTS RECOMMENDED BY DR. OZ, INCLUDING AN EXCUSE-BUSTERS WORKOUT (that's what I need):
http://www2.oprah.com/health/oz/programs/young/extend/extend_workouts.jhtml

Long post but IMPORTANT! Have a great day!

FROM NOVEMBER 24 2007 - combining posts from blogs

2011-09-01T07:31:00.005-04:00

UPDATE - THINGS HAVEN'T CHANGED MUCH! Sept 1 2011
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Toledo Budget: Good News & Bad News

(thanks a lot Carty!)
There's lots more to talk about regarding the proposed Toledo Budget that Mayor Finkbeiner has announced, but these things stuck out in my mind:

There will be an elimination of two city pools, Roosevelt and NAVARRE! No more junior pool for our East Toledo children under 13.
That means more punks roaming the neighborhoods with nothing to do this summer.

B. He actually has the odacity to include another UTILITY hike!
Electricity @ 2.5% per annum
Gas @ 2.5% per annum
Water 5% per annum
Sewer 5% per annum
We just had a new charge added to our water bills this past year for refuse collection and a hike in the water/sewer charge...now he plans to raise it again!? We have some of the HIGHEST UTILITY RATES IN THE ENTIRE US!!
I didn't ask (nor was I given the opportunity to vote on it!) for a multi-million dollar bridge to be built, not a WAY TOO EXTRAVAGANT Mud Hens Stadium, and personally, I LIKED the Sports Arena before they tore it down and decided to build a huge one downtown (that was just started this past month) why should I have to pay for it? Because our mayor tells us, as he chuckles, "Bend over and take it up the ass!"

You can see this on page three at this location:
http://www.toledo.oh.gov/Portals/0/2008%20Proposed%20Operating%20Budget(f).pdf

The only good news to speak of is that we will have a ferry dock at the area along Front Street in East Toledo, called the new marina District, that will be gearedtoward the up and coming upper class professionals in the way of housing, shops and other things most East Toledoans can't afford. But it will provide a possible service to Put-in-Bay, Cedar Point, and maybe Windsor.
Completion:
The RF's were posted Friday, November 9th as scheduled. The RFPs are due December 7 with a recommendation scheduled to the New Project Development Committee on December 12.
The facility is available for banquets and rentals.

More info about this can be found at: http://www.toledoportauthority.org/pressroom/marinepassengerterminal.asp

If you want to try to sell your home (good luck) one of the inexpensive ways, AND get the hell out of here, to live somewhere more affordable, try going to:
http://www.toledohomes4sale.com/

FROM WINTER 2007 - posts combining from one blog to another

2011-09-01T07:28:00.002-04:00

Thursday, December 13, 2007
GLOBAL WARMING OR JUST TOLEDO WINTER?
From the TOLEDO BLADE, DECEMBER 11, 2007:

"Freezing rain that has blanketed northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan contributed to a crash in Sylvania that killed two people from Perrysburg, authorities said.

Those icy conditions were expected to continue into this morning with more freezing rain overnight, but temperatures were predicted to warm up into the low 40s by this afternoon.

Authorities believe that an ice-slickened U.S. 23 caused a crash in which Heather Richie, 26, the driver, and her passenger, Joseph Lee Bekker, 26, both of Perrysburg, were killed after their sport utility vehicle traveling southbound struck a guardrail and went over a bridge railing near Holland-Sylvania Road between Monroe Street and Sylvania Avenue and plunged about 40 to 50 feet onto Norfolk Southern railroad tracks.

The crash likely occurred late Sunday or early yesterday, but the SUV wasn't found until noon yesterday by some children walking along the railroad tracks, authorities said.

THIS WAS ONE OF THE SADDEST WINTER STORIES FROM TOLEDO THAT I'VE EVER HEARD! THOSE POOR PEOPLE COULD HAVE BEEN ALIVE THROUGH THE NIGHT, BUT WEREN'T DISCOVERED UNTIL THE NEXT DAY. I PRAY TO GOD THAT THEY BOTH PASSED AWAY UPON CONTACT>>>

They called police; the woman and the man were pronounced dead at the scene at 12:22 p.m., said Bob Hannon, an investigator with the Lucas County Coroner's Office.

Ms. Richie was wearing a seat belt; Mr. Bekker was not and was partially thrown from the SUV, authorities said.

Conditions have been just about perfect the last couple days for dangerous, icy conditions, said Mike Abair, a meteorologist at the Cleveland office of the National Weather Service.

As a result, schools across the region closed for the day yesterday, many events were canceled, and there were numerous traffic accidents."

THE ICY CONDITIONS ACCOMPANIED BY SNOW, POSSIBLY UP TO 4 INCHES, ARE GOING TO BE APPROACHING THE NORTHEAST U.S. TODAY AND TONIGHT. HOPEFULLY IT WILL DISSIPATE AND BECOME LESS OF A HORROR AS IT DID FOR US LAST NIGHT AND THIS MORNING. WE WERE SUPPOSED TO HAVE FREEZING RAIN IN THE PRE-DAWN HOURS< BUT BECAUSE IT TEETERED AT 32 DEGREES, IT MERELY RAINED.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'd also like to mention the terror of having no heat or electricity like many (at least 20,000 people!) throughout the "tornado belt" including Oklahoma City and all the surrounding area. Can you imagine being a new mother and your brand new baby risking getting a too-low body temperature? or Having to be on life-support in the hospital and have to spend on a generator, or in a home and worrying about the carbon monoxide that a generator puts out to care for an elderly adult that may be on oxygen to begin with? PLEASE PRAY FOR THESE INDIVIDUALS, THAT THEY FIND COMFORT AND RESCUE TODAY!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The weather that Georgia and the Southeast is having this week has to be a global-warming effect, I believe. When cities that should be very cold, have temperatures from 75 to 82 in early December, something's not right.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?? PLEASE SEND YOUR COMMENTS! THANK YOU, TTOWNROBIN

PS. THERE ARE AMAZING ICE STORM PHOTOS AT TORNADOVIDEOS.NET FROM AN ICE STORM THAT OKLAHOMA HAD IN JANUARY OF THIS YEAR...I HAD NO IDEA THAT THIS AREA HAD BEEN HIT SO HARD WITH THIS TYPE OF EXTREME COLD AND PRECIPITATION ALREADY THIS YEAR!! NOW do you think it might from the effects of GLOBAL WARMING???

HAPPY EASTER & me the lazy Procrastinator

2011-04-24T06:20:00.004-04:00

WELL I GOT UP WHEN THE ALARM WENT OFF, BUT MYSELF IS TRYING REALLY HARD TO TALK ME OUT OF GOING TO CHURCH..LAZINESS, sure, SHYNESS, of course with me (People i don't know) excuses (hard pews and my back/neck - always hurts after service, that's why I don't go other times to STA)..almost have myself completely talked out of it even tho my hair is 3/4 curled and I am running right on time. NEED PRAYERS FOR HOLY SPIRIT TO PUSH ME PLZ!

ACTUALLY - I'VE DECIDED - I WILL BE ATTENDING THE CHURCH ON STRAYER (in Maumee). LIVE ONLINE STREAMING HERE; http://thechurchonstrayer.com/livestreaming
Won't have to go out in the rain. THANKFUL!! Hope to see someone I know there at 9 or 11 am!

HAPPY EASTER TO ALL, including GOD'S BLESSINGS and a reminder of HIS PROMISE TO US, that keeps me going on!

XOXO TTR

Official Announcement - posting my thoughts on my blogs in stead of FACEBOOK from now on!

2011-04-20T14:39:00.005-04:00

Just chose to "FOLLOW" the blog "RV LIFE IS GOOD"...you bet it is!! One day - somehow - I want to live this way so badly. Will elaborate more later. Have decided to stop 'blogging" my life on FACEBOOK, and take it back over here to my blogs WHERE IT BELONGS...that way none of my friends are FORCED to listen to me bitch, or go on and on about my new favorite band 30 SECONDS TO MARS.

TTFN
TTownRobin
xoxo

PS. THE real END of Summer in Toledo

2010-09-05T22:24:00.003-04:00

I HOPE I can AT LEAST get a ride of the Black Swamp Arts Festival- I LOVE THAT ONE!! I could walk to the Greek Festival, but it's too expensive to go in and pay again just to eat...There's not much else to do there, except drink Ouzo and watch Greek dancing. Not worth 8.50! (that's what the admission was in 2008! Then as soon as we got our food, it started pouring buckets and we couldn't get any of our edmission money back!)

September 10, 2010 - September 12, 2010

Greek-American Festival

Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral, Toledo

September 10, 2010 - September 12, 2010

Black Swamp Arts Festival

Downtown Bowling Green, Bowling Green

HERE's WHAT'S GOING ON NEXT WEEK:
http://abclocal.go.com/wtvg/story?section=resources/lifestyle_community/community/events&id=6032829

Toledo's Labor Day parade to include Biden, Strickland - Topix

2010-09-05T21:45:00.002-04:00

Here is the info for September 6 2010, if you happened to find my OLD OLD post while conducting a GOOGLE search:

All the other festivals and events that were in downtown Toledo are OVER. And there was NO FIREWORKS AGAIN this Labor Day, just like 2008, but there WERE fireworks if you were at the MUD HENS GAME. I just head them, with a rounding applause after ward, at 9:30 pm on Sunday night Sept. 5.
TOMORROW, Monday, all that I can find to do nearby is the PARADE in the morning, from 9 am until 11:30 am., along the parade route in downtown Toledo (I will post the photo for the parade route map)
I'm not sure if Blockwatch is going to march in it, but if they are, and usually they do, I will just join in when they come past me, IF I CAN GET UP EARLY ENOUGH TO CATCH THE TARTA BUS and get downtown before they close the streets off. I really doubt it. If I had a car, mind you, I would NEVER miss a parade, AND I WOULD TAKE MY DOG!!
Still Love, TTR 2010!

Toledo's Labor Day parade to include Biden, Strickland - Topix

MOST EAST TOLEDO RENTERS REALLY RAISE MY BLOOD PRESSURE!

2010-07-20T09:51:00.001-04:00

RENTERS!!
95 percent of renters do not care about their neighbors. They let weeds grow all along the fence that turn into trees, they leave papers in their yard and walk past them without a thought of picking them up, and they let their kids bother all the surrounding neighbors while they are inside their homes watching TV. I AM SO SICK OF THE NEIGHBORS I KEEP GETTING! All the homeowners on my street take care of their homes...oh sure, not all of them will pick up a cup if they walk by it either, and none of them pick up their dog shit that they let their dogs do in everyone else's yards, but at least they give a damn more than MOST renters do. If you disagree, come over here and I'll show you..AND give you examples of what I've had to tolerate for the past 11 years, just to get along with my renter-neighbors.

Is it SPRING or SUMMER?

2010-05-23T07:50:00.002-04:00

Summer has arrived- in the 80's (HIGH 80's) this week! So sorry I didn't post about Spring..I was too busy enjoying it! Well, it is STILL SPRING but it won't be feeling like it for the next 4 days...here comes the sweat..

New Beginnings and clean yards in East Toledo

2010-04-11T08:53:00.001-04:00

Everything seems a lot less dismal in the Spring...Thank you God!

SAVING MONEY SHOPPING WITH "COUPON CODES"

2009-11-05T00:01:00.004-05:00

I am having fun Christmas shopping, with no money. I have recently learned that you can save LOTS of money by getting coupon codes that you link to different store sites with, then the savings show up when you check out. I am filling up "wish lists" right now..that way if something goes on sale, it will show the new price when I come back, ready to purchase things.
Normally I would post these links at my TTown Bookmarks page, but I think lots of people in my neighborhood and family would like to save some money this year, so I am going to post them here on my "main" blog:

Offers.com: Save Offers - Save Time - Save Money

www.dealspl.us
www.couponalbum.com
www.mycoupons.com

I'll add more as I run across them!
Have a happy, stress -free holiday "shopping" season!

XOXO TTownRobin

Famous? Not for this I hope!

2009-09-25T03:58:00.005-04:00

"Toledo City Paper Bachelor and Bachelorette Poll "

Thur, 20 Aug 2009

http://www.toledocitypaper.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1915:backelor-a-bachelorettes-poll&catid=96:cover-stories&Itemid=508

"Yes, there are still plenty of proverbial fish swimming around in the Toledo dating pool — and we’ve caught some of the best. Peruse our roster of eligible bachelors and bachelorettes, then visit www.toledocitypaper.com to read more of their answers and cast your vote for who should be named Most Eligible Bachelor and Bachelorette of 2009! "

the photo I submitted...this was done on a whim..I NEVER thought I'd make the cut. I think I might need to thank my friend from the All America City competition, Jason Webber, as well..he may have put in a good word for me....THANKS JASON.

Name: "TTownRobin"
Age: 49
Occupation: mother, homemaker, Blockwatch Leader, human being
Best pick up line: "Hi, I'm Robin."
Favorite love song: "Love Song" by Tesla
Never would I ever: smoke crack
Three words that describe me: creative, neat, private (smoker)
When I get a day off work, I: move the furniture
In High School I was voted most likely to: be a writer

THANK GOD MY FRIEND, MARY TOTH, VOTED FOR ME OR I WOULDN'T HAVE GOTTEN ANY VOTES!! THANK YOU MARY! - you are so sweet, kind, and thoughtful!

Oh sure other people noticed, and mostly just poked fun at me.

At least my friend and neighbor, Vickie, met someone at our nearby neighborhood block party! A really nice guy too - just goes to show ya, love finds you when you LEAST expect it!

Not that I'm looking. I just wanted to see if aanyone would notice, I guess.

I am so content right now with my life, I could do a cartwheel. Seriously!

(I probably just jinxed myself.)

XOXO TTownRobin !!

2009-08-13T06:44:00.000-04:00

2009-08-13T06:30:00.002-04:00

Well, it's finally here, The NASCAR race at Michigan Int'l Speedway. I never thought I'd get to go to a race. Kathy Sebetto and I are going.Just got food and MAD search for plastic bag withing 18 X 18 X 4...ended up with a mesh bag and baggies that are way too small (Jumbo)..oh well. All we need now are some wine coolers in a can and to pack it all. Hope I can stay awake all day and not have a horrible neck ache from sitting so long. Will be doing a lot of walking around...about every 1/2 hr. My row is going to hate me. Kath is going to get annoyed too I think.
Will update if I survive it!!
XO TTR

GETTING MOTIVATED: When you're BROKE, Transportation-less, and ALONE

2008-10-22T02:16:00.007-04:00

Getting Motivated When You're Down
Also known as: "I can dish it out but I can't take it"
OR
"You can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink"

FOUND AT: http://www.ahealthyme.com/topic/printview

Chris Woolston
CONSUMER HEALTH INTERACTIVE

Below:
• When you're feeling stuck
• Exercise: The original antidepressant

There may come a time in your life in which the days go by in a monotonous blur. None of the activities that you used to enjoy so much give you any pleasure; nothing excites you; no one makes your pulse race. You feel listless and empty, although plagued by a vague anxiety and dread. Family members may accuse you of being irritable and snapping at them for no reason, and it's true that at present their demands seem overwhelming. Even the smallest task defeats you: All you really want is to be left alone.

Curiously, when we're depressed, retreat may seem the easiest way out. But health care professionals strongly disagree. If you're feeling hopeless and blue, they say, it's the worst time to be alone with your thoughts. Your reverie will likely be peppered with stinging self-criticism and feelings of worthlessness. Not surprisingly, the increasingly bleak cast to your mental landscape will worsen your mood disorder and sap your remaining energy.

If the scenario above describes your mood and has lasted for two weeks or more, you need to seek professional help: You're in the grip of a punishing depression. Both antidepressants and some forms of therapy can bring you relief. But say you're in treatment and still find it difficult to even get out of bed. The pain of depression has diminished, but you're still distant from your friends and family, since you want nothing more than to close the blinds, pull up the covers, and hunker down.

What can help pull you out of this vicious cycle? For one thing, you can learn to slow the stream of the negative thoughts that darken your mood. But just as important, you can find a way to stay active. Walk the dog, call a friend, work in the garden -- almost anything will help distract you from your dark thoughts. No matter what you do, you can probably expect to feel better.

Choosing some activities that put you in contact with other people is especially important. In his classic book Finding Flow: The Psychology of Engagement with Everyday Life, Mihaly Czikszentmihalyi, a psychologist and researcher who is widely published in the area of work and creativity, explains the benefits of even the simplest encounter with a friend or stranger. "Over and over, our findings suggest that people get depressed when they are alone, and they revive when they rejoin the company of others. Alone a person usually reports low happiness, [little] motivation, low concentration, apathy, and an entire string of negative states such as passivity, loneliness, detachment, and low self-esteem. The moods that people diagnosed with chronic depression have… are indistinguishable from those of healthy people, as long as they are in company and doing something that requires concentration. But when they are alone with nothing to do, their minds begin to be occupied by depressing thoughts. This is also true, to a less pronounced extent, of everyone else.

"The reason is that when we have to interact with another person, even a stranger, our attention becomes structured by external demands... By contrast, when we are alone with nothing to do, there is no reason to concentrate... The mind begins to unravel, and soon finds something to worry about."

When you're feeling stuck

As anyone who's been clinically depressed knows, feeling good doesn't come easily -- or quickly. As psychiatrist David D. Burns explains in his book Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy (Little, Brown, &Co., 1999), depressed people often feel that there's nothing they can do to feel better. Nothing seems fun anymore; nothing seems worthwhile. Or else there's so much to do that it's exhausting even to think about. To someone who's depressed, these gloomy thoughts have the force of law.

Of course, some laws deserve to be broken. In Feeling Good, Burns has come up with a very practical plan for people so depressed that the smallest activities -- from taking a shower to eating lunch -- seem beyond their grasp. He suggests keeping a Daily Activity Schedule, a simple but effective tool that can help you organize your day and regain your motivation.

Here's how it works: At the beginning of each day, write down what you'd like to accomplish in each hour. (A daily appointment calendar could be a helpful place to keep these notations.) And what you plan to accomplish, at least until you feel better, may be very basic. From 8 to 9 am, for instance, you may write eat breakfast, balance checkbook, or read the paper. At the end of the day, record what you actually did. Burns further recommends marking each productive activity with an M (for mastery) and each fun activity with a P (for pleasure.) According to Burns, many depressed people do not plan any activities that could give them pleasure; a mix of both practical and pleasurable activities, he says, is important.

After listing your activities you can score them on a scale from 0 to 5. Something really fun or challenging gets a 5; anything dull or simple gets a 1 or 0. You can set different goals that you want to reach each week, raising them slightly each time.

Czikszentmihalyi has also suggested engineering daily activities so that you reap the most rewards from them. Of course, he says, this is easier said than done. "This sounds simple, but the inertia of habit and social pressure are so strong that most people have no idea which components of their lives they actually enjoy, and which contribute to stress and depression," he writes. "Keeping a diary or reflecting on the past day in the evening are ways to take stock systematically of the various influences on one's moods. After it is clear which activities produce the high points in one's day, it becomes possible to start experimenting."

People with an artistic or creative bent don't need to feel at all constricted by a schedule, he adds. "Creative people are especially good at ordering their lives so that what they do, when, and with whom will enable them to do their best work. If what they need is spontaneity and disorder, then they make sure to have that, too."

If you keep your schedule for several weeks or so -- and really try to stick to it -- you may begin to regain a sense of control over the most basic parts of your life. According to Burns, you'll see that you can enjoy yourself and get things accomplished. As he points out, life doesn't seem so overwhelming when you take it one hour at a time.

Exercise: The original antidepressant

If at all possible, make some room in that schedule for some exercise. According to a recent report in The Physician and Sports Medicine, exercise is a potent remedy for depression. A walk around the neighborhood or a good swim can enhance self-esteem, provide a sense of accomplishment, and burn pent-up anger and stress. Exercise may also boost the brain's supply of serotonin, mimicking the effects of Prozac and many other antidepressants.

If you haven't had much exercise lately, take it slow at first. Your doctor can help you find an exercise program that's right for you.

Whether you decide to go for a jog or read a book, remember: Something is much better than nothing. Whatever it takes, try to resist the temptation to curl up and hide. Depression may drain your energy, but it doesn't have to bring your life to a halt.

-- Chris Woolston, M.S., is a health and medical writer with a master's degree in biology. He is a contributing editor at Consumer Health Interactive, and was the staff writer at Hippocrates, a magazine for physicians. He has also covered science issues for Time Inc. Health, WebMD, and the Chronicle of Higher Education. His reporting on occupational health earned him an award from the northern California Society of Professional Journalists.

Further Resources

National Institute of Mental Health 5600 Fishers Lane Rockville, MD 20857 Phone: (800) 421-4211

National Foundation for Depressive Illness, Inc. P.O. Box 2257 New York, NY 10016 Phone: (800) 826-3632

References

Beck, Aaron T., MD. Cognitive Therapy and the Emotional Disorders. Penguin, 1976

Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy. David D. Burns, MD. Avon Books, 1999.

Artal M. Exercise against depression. The Physician and Sports Medicine. October 1998. Vol 26(10)

National Institute of Mental Health. Depression. May 2006. http://www.nimh.nih.gov/publicat/depression.cfm

Mayo Clinic. Depression. February 2006. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/depression/DS00175

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
THIS IS WHERE I'M AT. AT LEAST I'M TRYING TO LOOK UP STUFF TO HELP ME FEEL BETTER AND GET MOVING AND MAKE ALL THE CHRISTMAS GIFTS I WANT TO START MAKING.

My Step-Mom, Nan, (who doesn't like me very much and is mean to me on the phone when I call to see how she is) has colon cancer and is not doing very well. I don't think she will be here by this time next year. Who is going to take care of my Dad?
STRESS DEPRESSES YOU.

ANYWAY....Have a nice day!! Happy Halloween!!I get to go out FINALLY to karaoke with my neighbor friend Vickie for her birthday on Halloween! There's something to look forward to! I even got my "Sober-X" Hangover prevention sample patches in the mail today!!
:o)
TTownRobin

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This Article was First published May 25, 2001
Last updated February 14, 2008
Copyright © 2001 Consumer Health Interactive
Copied with permission from the website at: http://www.ahealthyme.com/

COOLEST MINI-INSTRUCTIONAL VIDEOS ON INDOOR HOUSE PAINTING, EVERwhat a purdy paint doctor he is!

2008-08-18T22:33:00.007-04:00

LISTEN TO THE "PURDY" PAINT DOCTOR AT:

http://www.purdycorp.com/dvd/playqt/purdy

UPDATE: 8-18-08 "KEL HAS BEEN LOCATED. There is still a reward for info leading to her arrest!

2008-08-18T20:56:00.009-04:00

I JUST SAW HER ON HER FRONT PORCH...A YEAR LATER.

....AND SHE SAW ME AND MY DOG TOO.

She lives at 1308 NEVADA STREET IN EAST TOLEDO,

and she STILL owes me a new back door which is still all busted up from her kicking it in, and some new screens.

Is she a DRUG-ADDICT, an idiot, or just plain stupid, or does she just want to lose her kids (from what the neighbors have told me)..again ?
The lady who watched her daughter told me that she had given this "Kel" all her money to "get something" (some mothers are real idiots) and allowed her 13 year old daughter (who was smoking and cussing like a sailor at the corner at 6 years old) to go out to a party and get wasted till dawn with this 20 something nasty woman, whose last name she did not even know, then actually complained to me that "Kel" left her kid there and never came back for her and then...ACTUALLY ASKED ME ID I KNEW WHERE SHE WAS!!

CAN YOU BELIEVE SOME PEOPLE???
It's people EXACTLY LIKE THIS THAT GIVE EAST TOLEDO A BAD NAME.

PLUS THIS LADY WAS UPSET BECAUSE THIS "KEL" USED UP ALL HER MONEY!! awww.
What a bummer, huh? You didn't get your drugs "Mom", your daughter and her friend you barely knew, did them all up. Gosh DARNIT!! What a world; what a world!

Yes folks. I am still bitter. i actually forgot to pray to ask God to help me forgive Kel for this. Seeing her is actually a reminder. So for that I am thankful.

This was one time then the TOLEDO POLICE let me down though, and I cannot forget that. Well, this was actually 2nd time...The male officer that responded after an hour and a half and expected me to do the detective work myself.

WELL - I DID. NOW LET'S SEE IF ANYONE ELSE CAN COME THROUGH FOR ME. FOR PEOPLE EVERYWHERE WHO ARE TIRED OF GETTING RIPPED OFF AND THE LAW DOING ABSOLUTELY NOTHING ABOUT IT.
BUT LIKE I SAID, THERE HAS BEEN, AND STILL IS, A REWARD ALL THIS TIME FOR HER LAST NAME AND INFORMATION WHICH WILL LEAD TO HER ARREST (that part is very important). AND THIS STILL STANDS, as of AUGUST 18th, 2008.
PLEASE EMAIL ME VIA THIS BLOG.

If I had done what she did, which I never would, I would, at the very least, apologise, when she was drunk and drugged out of her mind and managed to break halfway into my back door, screaming every name in the book at me and telling me she had to pee..As explained once again, below, she must of thought it was her house...who knows. She hasn't been around this part of the neighborhood since that incident.

But the gig is almost up MISS "KEL".
Charges are soon to be pressed.

HERE IS THE INFORMATION REPEATED FROM A YEAR OR SO AGO, WHEN THE INCIDENT FORST OCCURED:

DO YOU KNOW "KEL"?
"This morning at 6 a.m., on Saturday, September 29th, 2007, a wasted-out-of-her-mind, dyed-diswater-blond, trash-mouthed 29 year old ** named KEL ** (petite: about a size 3**) with thick lips and a weather-worn, partied-out face, broke into my back door, after coming out of my screen room screaming loudly, to "let her in because she had to "piss".
She was yelling and calling me every name in the book at the top of her lungs and not one neighbor came out to help me. The men (spoiled 20-something father-babied-boys) neighbors on my right side were UP with the lights on and they didn't even come over after it was and said and done to see if we were alright.

**About 1:30 p.m. this afternoon, the white trash parent who lives down at the end of the street, a few houses from the Sports Center Bowling Alley, came down about 1:45 p.m. to see if I knew where she went because the tramp left her little (around) 3 year old at their house and had not been in touch or come back to get her, as well as her purse (full of make-up only from what we could see using a stick to open the top**) and her JEANS (!!) were still hanging from the outside of my fence along the sidewalk on Greenwood Street(that she took off out on my sidewalk evidently before she came in my house with just her white nasty cotton undies and t-shirt on),

...but JUST moments before they came to ask me this, the jeans disappeared.

I looked out the front door, and there that trampy-looking-girl was, talking to the 15 year old (named Jordan) that she had gone out partying with the night before, the mother, whom had just been at my door,, and sister, handing over her daughter to her in a stroller. As soon as she saw me, she took off down the street with the stroller and the daughter in tow. I followed her for 6 blocks, up White Street, then Nevada, then Plymouth, then Willard, taking her picture with the digital the entire way. I was determined to find out where she lived or hung out at because it was evident that the police were going to do absolutely nothing about her break-in. I finally got up to the area of Idaho and Willard, and she had hid somewhere there..and learned from the mother of the 13 year old that that is where her girlfriend lives and where she hangs out.

When the police FINALLY came back a 2nd time (about an HOUR after 3 of us called about her...oh it was longer than that...THEY GOT HERE AT 5:00 PM!!) they said they would drive over to that area and see if they saw her. WELL DUH! Who with any brains (especially a white-trash girl who had already lost 3 of her kids, and must be familiar with the law) whatsoever would stay in a place with the one kid they have left (that isn't in Child Protective Services out of the 4 total she has**) knowing that so many of us had called the police and that I knew where she had gone and had a picture of what she looked like.

She threatened to kick my ass, and I have no intention of starting anything with her. I have better more productive ways of dealing with this. It may take some time, but I believe in fate and God's laws.

I refuse to allow this to just drop. She terrorized my child, broke all the screens on the street side of my house and broke the front and back doors as well as the screen room door. They're trashed. I don't have the money to fix them! And the officer this morning said, "Well, if you find out who she is through Block Watch or something, then you can press charges", and he took a report of some of the damage..I found more damage after he left) just because some waste-case chose my house randomly to be the one where the white-trash tramp decided to want to go to the bathroom at.
HOW IN THE HELL AM I SUPPOSED TO FIND OUT HER LAST NAME AND ADDRESS!!?? THAT'S THEIR JOB!!
THIS IS BULL SHIT!

I never claimed to be a vigilante. But when no one will tell you her last name, (even the MOM who claimed to have given that girl all her money and lost it out of her pants pocket or whatever (this was told to me later - like I care - (WHY WOULD SHE GIVE A TRASHY GIRL WHOSE LAST NAME SHE DID NOT KNOW, ALL OF HER MONEY??? WHAT DO YOU THINK??? I CAN PRETTY MUCH TELL YOU WHY IF YOU DON'T FIGURE IT OUT) but everyone in the neighborhood knows her...I refuse to be a victim again.

And with the dispatcher for the police dawdling around asking stupid questions, my phone number TWICE, my spelling of my FIRST AND LAST NAME JUST WASTING TIME!! WHILE THAT GIRL WAS SCREAMING SO LOUD THAT THE DISPATCHER COULD BARELY HEAR ME - I KEEP SAYING SEND THEM NOW _ I'LL GIVE YOU THE REST _ JUST PLEASE DISPATCH THEM NOW and she wouldn't until she was all done taking information..when my child is screaming and crying - I will never wait on them or depend on them again. I'm done.

One of us could have been lying in the road by the time the officers got here the second time (AN ENTIRE HOUR!! AFTER I TOLD THE DISPATCHER I HAD BEEN THREATENED! THEY DROVE RIGHT BY ME AND WAVED AND WENT TO ANOTHER CALL!) I can't wait for them anymore.

We are virtually ON OUR OWN PEOPLE!! and everyone needs to make sure they have a weapon to protect their homes and their children in case someone comes into YOUR HOME and then comes back and threatens you like what happened to me.

I have protection - do you? All it would have taken was one more footstep into my door...(of course I could have dragged her in, but I was trying to give the drug-addicted-whore the benefit of the doubt..sorry, Lord)...At the time, I actually felt sorry for her. Not any more.

PLEASE NEIGHBORS AND CITIZENS!!
STAY INVOLVED WITH YOUR LOCAL BLOCKWATCH!!
BECAUSE WE HAVE TO DEPEND ON EACH OTHER FOR HELP
..Like the wonderful neighbor, DEB - I will never forget your kindness..) that came by in her car to help me find that girl when I was on foot.

We can't depend on our law enforcement, especially with the budget cuts as they continue to be, and the fact that we have ONE UNIT from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. some days, as I was told by a local officer. If they need another one, it has to come from Downtown. LIKE THEY CAN SPARE A UNIT FROM CENTRAL CITY!

IF SOMEONE COMES INTO YOUR HOUSE YOU HAVE THE LEGAL RIGHT TO PROTECT YOURSELF. DON'T WAIT AROUND FOR THE POLICE TO DO IT. They might not ever show up at all.

I found out also that the girl went into another man's house before mine and he pushed her out too, but not without a fight**

I used to love East Toledo. I SUPPOSE I STILL DO. I HAVE EAST SIDE PRIDE - THERE's NO DOUBT ABOUT THAT...BUT I'VE FOUGHT TOOTH AND NAIL to make it nice. Today is just one of my bad days. I could tell you so much more. But I'd rather go to bed and start all over again tomorrow. Today really sucked.

Keep up that East Side Pride!!
That old fashioned TOLEDO PRIDE!!!
Toledo "LAW ENFORCEMENT" can take a big suck of my ass today. I'm tired of beating a dead horse.

Later,
TTR

If you give last name AND info leading to her arrest, there will be a reward:
GO YOU KNOW THIS GIRL NAMED "KEL"?

East Toledo is only a "stones-throw' fom OREGON,OHIO

2007-10-18T22:37:00.000-04:00

I am so sorry I have neglected oregon for so long!! I was raised in Oregon, Ohio and Oregon is actually THE PLACE where most East Toledoans wish they lived if they could afford it (if we had to live in this area anyway..)

So here is the run-down on th history of OREGON, OHIO as well as a few links to give you more information:

Oregon - City History

Oregon was once part of the Great Black Swamp. The swamp area was rich with oak, hickory, ash, walnut, elm and maple trees. This led to the establishment of numerous sawmills and settlements.

The harvested forests created rich farmland, but the area remained swampy and there was a need for storm drainage. Major ditches, usually along roadways that followed the path of old Indian trails, were constructed. These ditches continue to provide storm drainage today carrying storm water into Maumee Bay.

"The town was name Oregon by Pierre M. Irving, a nephew of Washington Irving, author of the popular book Astoria. This book attracted considerable interest in John Jacob Astor's trading lands which were located in what is now the city of Oregon. The story, however, is an account of Astor's fur trading in the territory of Oregon; but since the nephew was representing Astor's interest in fur trading east of the Maumee River, he succeeded in having the town named Oregon. In 1838, Mr. Irving accompanied by his wife, went to New York expecting to remain there for the summer; but for some reason he never returned." Quoted in the "History of Oregon and Jerusalem" book, authored by Josephine Fassett.

The first government was Oregon Township, formed in 1838. The land was surveyed and there were public sales for settlements. The area that was the township, is now the City of Oregon, which is bounded on the west by the City of Toledo, the North by Maumee Bay/Lake Erie, on the east by Jerusalem Township (Lucas County) and on the South by the City of Northwood (Wood County). In 1856 the township took ownership of two cemeteries which remain owned by the City today.

The 1800's and 1900's saw the development of an extensive rail system. The Port of Toledo began operations on the south bank of the Maumee River in the early 1800's and developed port operations on the Maumee Bay in Oregon in 1955. These operations continue in the Northwest area of the City.

Because of the water, rail, and surface transportation access that was available in the City, two major refineries, British Petroleum (BP) and Sun Marketing located in Oregon around the turn of the century. These two refineries have historically been two of the City's largest employers..

The northwestern end of the City grew as an industrial center with a coal powered electrical generating facility and several chemical plants. Pipelines were laid to carry petroleum products to and from the port facilities and other regions. Buckeye Pipeline has the largest pipeline distribution system in Oregon.

As industrialization continued, commercial and residential growth followed. Generally, urban growth continued eastward from Interstate 280 - one of the nation's first Interstates. Recently, residential growth has also occurred south of Maumee Bay in the waterfront areas and with perimeter development in the more rural areas.

In 1954 Oregon Township trustees sought to zone the area. At about the same time, City of Toledo officials sought to annex the northwest industrial area of Oregon Township. The annexation failed, and in 1957 there was an election for Oregon to become an incorporated City. The vote was 3,660 in favor and 2,925 opposed. A key issue in incorporation was to have Oregon own and operate a water and a wastewater plant.

The City of Oregon adopted their Charter in 1958. The new City adopted a slogan of "City of Opportunity." In the mid 1980's the City added Oregon on the Bay to the City of Opportunity. In 1959 voters approved an "earnings tax" now known as the municipal income tax. The water plant was constructed in 1964 and currently over 90% of the land in Oregon is serviced with waterlines. Plans for an estimated $17.9 million in improvements to the water plant continued in 1998. The

original water plant was paid for by a combination of local and federal funds. The City also has a wastewater treatment plant, constructed in 1977, with local and federal funds, which can process up to eight million gallons per day. In 1997 a major upgrade to the wastewater plant was completed. Approximately one-third of the land in the City is serviced by sanitary sewer lines. The City's water and wastewater operations also service portions of Jerusalem Township, northern Wood County and northwest Ottawa County.

Form of Government
The original Charter adopted in 1958 called for a Mayor/Council form of government. The City was divided into five wards, each represented by a councilman, and there were two at-large members for a total of seven councilmen. The Charter named the Mayor as the Administrator. The Mayor and Council were elected for two-year terms. In 1968 the Charter was amended to elect all councilmen at large. In 1988 the Charter was amended to change the term of the Mayor to four years. In 1993 there were two Charter changes: one was to create the position of City Administrator who would report to the Mayor; and the other was to abolish the position of Clerk Auditor and to create the positions of Finance Director and Clerk of Council. Other technical charter changes, such as reading the title of an ordinance instead of the entire ordinance, have been periodically approved by the voters.

Location
The City of Oregon is located in northwestern Ohio in the Toledo Metropolitan area. Oregon is Lucas County's largest suburb with 28.5 square miles and a population of 18,326. The City has approximately five miles of shoreline along Maumee Bay/Lake Erie. The City's elevation is approximately 606 feet above sea level. Local temperatures average 73 degrees in the summer and 25 degrees in the winter. The City has approximately 120 miles of roads with I-280 (which links the east - west Ohio Turnpike, I-80/90 with north-south I-75), State Route 2 (Lake Erie access road) and State Route 51 (Wood County and Ottawa County access road). The port facilities service foreign and domestic cargo for shipment in the Saint Lawrence Seaway and the Great Lakes.

The City of Oregon provides a variety of recreational opportunities for residents, workers, and visitors to the area. The City is home to Pearson Metropark, Maumee Bay State Park, South Shore Park and the Coontz Recreational Complex. Maumee Bay State Park has over 1,800 acres. The northern border is one mile of shoreline on Lake Erie. Maumee Bay has an eighteen hole Arthur Hill golf course, lodge and conference center, cabins, campgrounds, inland lake, nature trail, tennis courts, sledding hill and amphitheater. Wave runners, parasails, paddleboats, bikes and canoes are available for rent at the park. Pearson Metropark has 320 acres for biking, a nature center, fishing, picnicking, and paddle boating. The City of Oregon has two municipal parks, Coontz Park for active recreation with eight lighted ball fields and South Shore Park with a sledding hill, picnic area, and fitness trail.

Oregon schools offer a full range of programs from advanced placement courses to vocational education. The Oregon City School District includes a high school, two middle schools, and four elementary schools, one of which is located in Jerusalem township. Also located in the City is Cardinal Stritch High School, a coeducational parochial school. In addition to the Oregon schools, the region is serviced by the University of Toledo, Medical College of Ohio, Lourdes College, Owens Community College and Bowling Green State University. All of these schools are within approximately one-half hour drive time of the City.

Municipal Services
The City provides a wide variety of services authorized by its Charter and administrative codes. City services include police and fire protection, emergency medical service, municipal court, planning and engineering, zoning, code enforcement, street maintenance, traffic control, parks and recreation, building inspection, cemetery, community development, curbside recycling, solid waste collection and disposal and general administrative services. The City does not operate hospitals, schools or landfills. In 1998 the City continued to receive federal funding for persons, with qualifying income levels, to rehabilitate and/or receive down payments to purchase homes.

The City also operates two enterprise activities: water treatment and distribution, and wastewater collection and treatment. The enterprise funds are used to account for activities operated in a manner similar to a private business. The intent of the City is that the costs of providing the services to the general public on a continuing basis be financed primarily through user charges. The cost of capitalizing the water and wastewater plants is subsidized with a voter-approved designation of approximately twenty percent of income tax revenues for said purpose.

The City's enterprise activities are not subject to rate review or determination by the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio or any similar regulatory body. The City Council has the necessary authority to establish and to amend appropriate user rates as required. The rates are monitored on an ongoing basis to insure their adequacy to meet operational and maintenance needs. The rates remain competitive in Northwest Ohio. Responsibility for the frequency and amount of rate change lies solely with the City Council.

FOUND AT: http://www.ci.oregon.oh.us/history/history.htm

THIS PAGE OFFERS LINKS TO THESE PAGES OF INFORMATION ABOUT OREGON, OHIO AS WELL:

Mayor Welcome and Link
City Departments
Schools
City Council (I was searching for the 2007 City Council candidates, and ran across this site...unfortunately, I STILL haven't found the 2007 candidates and their afiliation for my Aunt Sissy!)
Attractions
Directory
Search

MY FAVORITE THING ABOUT OREGON IS THAT IS IS MORE ACCESSIBLE TO LAKE ERIE and offers the beautiful MAUMEE BAY STATE PARK (and campground!).

HOROSCOPE=Real Life ALSO: "LIFE" on NBC

2007-10-17T21:51:00.000-04:00

THIS - REALLY, honest to God, happened to me today:

October 17, 2007
Capricorn (12/22-1/19)

"You can expect to start this day with a lot of high energy -- so much so that you might jump out of bed and dance the tango! There are a lot of ideas swimming around in your head right now, and they are giving you a blast of physical strength that will carry you through the entire day. There is no question that you will have all the drive, rhythm and stamina you need to tackle all your tasks -- and complete them with the grace and ease of a real dancer."
Ever since Jo told me that she started playing her Bob Seger every day and trying to dance around and move (even if it's just tapping a foot) constantly, that she took off 4 more pounds, i have started trying to at least listen to more music and MOVE MY BODY.
OH SURE...I DID lie in bed and sleep off and on till almost 3 pm today...it was a cloudy, moist, cool morning, and I had stayed up all night on the computer looking for "writing programs, and grammar checker" downloads, as well as material to use in my NEW, UPDATED WEBSITE that I am going to begin re-vamping this month and throughout the winter..which is at http://www.geocities.com/webscoollinks
THEN when it's complete, I will purchase the domain for it again, but this time under a catchier name.
ANYWAY...GTG - "LIFE" my new favorite Fall program, Channel 24, 9:30 pm, is on. I Can't miss it.
TTYL!!
God Bless,
TTR
PS. LIFE on NBC:
http://www.cinemablend.com/television/2007-Fall-TV-Preview-Life-on-NBC-6264.html

Life - Season 1

Premieres: Wednesday, September 26th at 10:00 p.m. EST
Network: NBC
Creator(s): Rand Ravich
Starring: Damian Lewis, Sarah Shahi, Adam Arkin
Website: NBC.com

Watch Life on NBC
Don't Miss the New Series - Life on Wednesdays at 10/9C only on NBC!
www.NBC.com/Life

THE RUN-DOWN:
Charlie Crews (Damian Lewis) was a succesful Los Angeles detective before he was sent to jail for a triple homicide he did not commit. After years in prison, in solitary lockdown because of his reputation as a cop, Charlie is finally exonerated and sent back to the force. He’s partnered with Dani Reese (Sarah Shahi), who served her own time in rehab after her career working undercover in the drug world got a little too real. He’s also got the help of Ted (Adam Arkin), a friend from the inside who’s genius with money-- even though he’s an ex-felon. Now Charlie has to do his duties as a detective while still coping with the new reality of life on the outside.

"PREVIEW PULP"
Meh. Police procedurals do little for me unless they’ve got a neat hook (the upcoming New Amsterdam, for example). The idea of a cop who’s been in prison just doesn’t intrigue me-- don’t all TV cops act like they have some special insider knowledge? It’s also strange that there’s been virtually no promotion for this show, given that it comes right after Bionic Woman, which NBC is clearly expecting to be their new cash cow. As someone who can barely watch House without getting annoyed at the formula, I have my doubts that Charlie Crews will be a character worth watching this show for.

Social Media: scholarship for blogging

2007-10-03T02:12:00.001-04:00

Social Media: scholarship for blogging

2007-10-03T02:12:00.000-04:00

Social Media: scholarship for blogging

IF YOU KNOW "KEL" - you COULD get a reward for telling her last name and address!

2007-09-30T00:11:00.000-04:00

DO YOU KNOW "KEL"?
This morning at 6 am, on Saturday, September 29th, a wasted dyed-blond, trash-mouthed 29 year old ** named KEL ** (petite about a size 3**) with thick lips and a weather-worn, partied-out face, broke into my back door, after coming out of my screen room screaming to let her in to let her go "pee".
She was yelling and calling me every name in the book at the top of her lungs and not one neighbor came out to help me. The men (who act like spoiled boys) neighbors on my right side were up with the lights on and they didn't even come over after it was and said and done to see if we were alright.
**The white trash down the street a few houses from the Bowling Alley came down about 1:45 to see if I knew where she went because the tramp left her little (around) 3 year old at their house and had not been in touch or come back to get her, as well as her purse (full of make-up only**) and her jeans were still hanging from the outside of my fence along the sidewalk (that she took off out on my sidewalk evidently before she came in my house with just her white cotton undies and t-shirt on), but JUST before they came to ask me this, the jeans disappeared.

This was about 1:30 this afternoon...(same day)

I looked out the front door, and there the tramp was, talking to the 13 year old that she had gone out partying with the night before, the mother, and sister, handing over her daughter to her in a stroller. As soon as she saw me, she took off down the street with the stroller and the daughter in tow. I followed her for 6 blocks, up White Street, then nvada, then Plymouth, then Willard, taking her picture with the digital the entire way. I was determined to find out where she lived or hung out at because it was evident that the police were going to do absolutely nothing about her break-in. I finally got up to the area of Idaho and Willard, and she had hid somewhere there..and learned from the mother of the 13 year old that that is where her girlfriend lives and where she hangs out.

When the police FINALLY came back a 2nd time (about an HOUR after 3 of us called about her...oh it was longer than that...THEY GOT HERE AT 5:00 PM!!) they said they would drive over to that area and see if they saw her. WELL DUH! Who with any brains (especially a white-trash girl who had already lost 3 of her kids, and must be familiar with the law) whatsoever would stay in a place with the one kid they have left (that isn't in Child Protective Services out of the 4 total she has**) knowing that so many of us had called the police and that I knew where she had gone and had a picture of what she looked like.

So yeah.
She'll be back.
And I'll be ready.

She threatened to kick my ass, and I have no intention of starting anything with her. She will end up here one day again, wasted, and that time something will happen. There may just be a body - either her's or mine.

I refuse to allow this to just drop. She terrorized my child, broke all the screens on the street side of my house and broke the front and back doors as well as the screen room door. They're trashed. I don't have the money to fix them! And the officer this morning said, "well, if you find out who she is through Block Watch or something, then you can press charges", and he took a report of some of the damage..I found more damage after he left) just because some waste-case chose my house randomly to be the one where the white-trash tramp decided to want to go to the bathroom at.
HOW IN THE HELL AM I SUPPOSED TO FIND OUT HER LAST NAME AND ADDRESS!!?? THAT'S THEIR JOB!!
THIS IS BULL SHIT!

I never claimed to be a vigilante. But when no one will tell you her last name, (even the MOM who claimed to have given that girl a"all her money and she lost it our of her pants pocket' (WHY WOULD SHE GIVE A TRASHY GIRL WHOSE LAST NAME SHE DID NOT KNOW< ALL HER MONEY??? WHAT DO YOU THINK??? I CAN PRETTY MUCH TELL YOU WHY IF YOU DON'T FIGURE IT OUT) but everyone in the neighborhood knows her...I refuse to be a victim again.

And with the dispatcher for the police dawdling around asking stupid questions, my phone number TWICE, my spelling of my FIRST AND LASTNAME JUST WASTING TIME!! WHILE THAT GIRL WAS SCREAMING SO LOUD THAT THE DISPATCHER COULD BARELY HEAR ME - I KEP SAYING SEND THEM NOW _ I'LL GIVE YOU THE REST _ JUST PLEASE DISPATCH THEM NOW and she wouldn't until she was all done taking information..when my child is screaming and crying - I will never wait on them or depend on them again. I'm done.

One of us could have been lying in the road by the time the officers got here the second time (AN ENTIRE HOUR!! AFTER I TOLD THE DISPATCHER I HAD BEEN THREATENED! THEY DROVE RIGHT BY ME AND WAVED AND WENT TO ANOTHER CALL!) I can't wait for them anymore.

We are virtually ON OUR OWN PEOPLE and everyone needs to make sure they have a weapon to protect their homes and their children in case someone comes into YOUR HOME and then comes back and threatens you like what happened to me. I have protection - do you? All it would have taken was one more footstep into my door...(of course I could have dragged her in, but I was trying to give the drug-addicted-whore the benefit of the doubt)...At the time, I actually felt sorry for her. Not any more.

STAY INVOLVED WITH YOUR LOCAL BLOCKWATCH BECAUSE WE HAVE TO DEPEND ON EACH OTHER FOR HELP (like the wonderful neighbor that came by in her car to help me find that girl when I was on foot). We can't sepend on our law enforcement, especially with the budget cuts adn the fact that we have ONE UNIT from 7 pm to 7 am. If they need another one, it has to come from Downtown. LIKE THEY CAN SPACE A UNIT!

IF SOMEONE COMES INTO YOUR HOUSE YOU HAVE THE LEGAL RIGHT TO PROTECT YOURSELF. DONT WAIT AROUND FOR THE POLICE TO DO IT. They might not ever show up at all.

I found out also that the girl went into another man's house before mine and he pushed her out too, but not without a fight**

Everything with the stars behind it ** I found out from the 13 year old girl "Jordan", that the 29 year old girl went out with, or her mother. NICE, HUH? A 29 year old went out with a 13 year old. And they kept the baby of the girl that they didn't even know what her last name was..(When I moved in 6 yrs. ago, the 13 year old was 7 and was smoking cigarettes on the corner and cussing like a sailor, an I wouldn't let my child assocoate with her. When I told the mother, nothing happened or changed.)

I used to love East Toledo. I FOUGHT to make it nice. But today is one of my bad days. I could tell you so much more. But I'd rather go to bed and start all over again tomorrow. Today sucked.

Keep up that East Side Pride!!
That old fashioned TOLEDO PRIDE!!!
Toledo can take a big suck of my ass today. I'm tired of beating a dead horse.

Later,
TTR

If you give last name or info leading to her arrest, there will be a reward:
GO YOU KNOW THIS GIRL NAMED "KEL"?

I hate to talk against "my people" but...MEN!

2007-09-27T09:22:00.000-04:00

I'm noticing something about a male "neighbor" of mine that I picked up on right from the week he moved in...
He was a typical East-Side dude: cocky, self-assured, no job (at the time. In his case, living off of worker's comp, not looking for a job and falsifying some of the info that he was looking moe than he really was), had a nice car which was unusual (but it's a sport racy-type car), but it was broken down, and had a broken windshield because an ex-girlfriend had smashed it. (probably, because he was unfaithful, I'm guessing): TYPICAL!

He was just the sort of guy that I am sucked in by, and attracted to most of the time...and I noticed it right from the git-go.

He wasn't really awesome looking, but not bad; it was mostly that cockiness that made me feel the same ol' feeling but, going what i had gone through with my last ex, i know now (finally0 to fight this attraction off and move on. My "Old" Doug had it, Paul Bertok had it, Larry had it...and they all broke my heart, and in some cases had fooled around on me. Actually Doug is STILL a jerk and Larry is a big bragger, and both of them are fast-talking, don't-want-a-regular-job-because-they-owe-child-support, eat-the-women's-food and get them to buy their beerm SLEAZES! But they were cute. i thought so anyway. Most of my friends would beg to differ.

This neighbor guy, I am noticing, since he has gotten a job (from what he told me, it sounded good - desk job - so easy he could nap at it!) worked for about 10 days...then (he told me) called off this past Saturday (I almost went over and woke him up - something in me just wants him to succeed! But it wasn't my place! It was 4 am, which was when he usually leaves, and I am usually up because of my insomnia), Now, today, here is his car sitting there again on a weekday. WELL SURE! One usually has a 90 day trial period. If you call off within that period of time, forget it, you're done; fired;kaput.
I would be VERY surprised if he still has this job.
BUT LIKE I SAID - IT'S NOT MY BUSINESS. NOT DO I CARE. I am just making an observation, like I said.

Now you are probably seething - who am I to even be noticing, a nosy-neighbor? Well, like I said, I am simply making an observation: that I will never meet a man that I am actually attracted to that is worth a damn here in East Toledo.

"I gotta get outta this place, if it's the las thing I ever do," "We gotta get outta this place, GIRL(S) THERE'S A BETTER LIFE FOR ME AND YOU" (THE BYRD'S IS IT?)

PLEASE - FEEL FREE TO CORRECT ME IF YOU THINK I'M WRONG!
Have a good one,
TTR

My "One Saturday Mornings" (for the last 10 years)

2007-09-22T12:30:00.000-04:00

"ONE SATURDAY MORNING" Disney cartoons have been a tradition with me and my daughter ever since she graduated from Barney and Sesame Street children's programming to regular cartoons, and for both, we have always watched them together.
Either with Oreos and milk, or potatoes, eggs, and toast, or curled up in a quilt on the floor or the couch.
Now that My baby girl's 16, we've, just this year, stopped watching them together, but I still love them so much, I set my alarm so I can be sure to get up to watch "my cartoons". Even the re-runs...

The best period of time was when they still were broadcasting "Doug" and "Pepper Ann" in my opinion. If I had cable, I could still watch some of the old ones.If you enjoy any of these cartoons too, please write and let us know what your favorite episodes or cartoons were!

You can find links for all the shows below at: http://tv.disney.go.com/disneychannel/
or by clicking on each of the program names.

The Emperor's New School(33 Cartoons)Based on the Disney movie "the Emperor's New Groove".

The Replacements
(3 Cartoons)
..(NO WAY! bcdb.com says 3 episodes; I know there are at least 6 because they play them alternately, every Saturday, over and over!)

That's So Raven

EPISODE CAST AND CREW
Actors
Raven Symone............Raven Baxter
Orlando Brown...........Eddie Thomas
Kyle Massey.............Cory Baxter
Rondell Sheridan........Victor Baxter
Anneliese van der Pol...Chelsea Daniels

Hannah Montana

EPISODE CAST AND CREW
Actors
Miley Cyrus/Hannah Montana...Miley Stewart
Billy Ray Cyrus..............Robbie Stewart
Emily Osment.................Lilly Truscott
Mitchel Tate Musso...........Oliver
Jason Earles.................Jackson

The Suite Life of Zack & Cody

EPISODE CAST AND CREW
Actors
Kim Rhodes......Carey
Dylan Sprouse...Zack
Cole Sprouse....Cody
Phill Lewis.....Marion Moseby
Ashley Tisdale..Maddie

*ACTOR'S NAMES POSTED IN HONOR OF MY SPECIAL LITTLE BUDDY, WHO KNOWS ALL THE NAMES: Cody Benore

WHEN THESE ARE OVER, I CHANGE THE CHANNEL OVER TO WGTE "Qubo" cartoons for an hour...till the morning concludes for me at 12:30 pm. The Power Rangers weren't too bad, (I watched them for about 6 months) I just happened to like those last two "Qubo" toons better.

These include:

Jane and the Dragon

and

Jacob Two-Two

THEN..sometimes I'm lazy and fall back to sleep for an hour or so, or sometimes an afternoon movie begins at 1pm on FOX and I continue to lay on my fat lazy butt and watch that. But if I decide to be good, my daughter and I start on our Saturday chores as soon as the main set of One Saturday Morning Cartoons are over.

HERE'S A LIST OF SOME OTHERS THAT WERE SHOWN ON "ONE SATURDAY MORNING" on ABC OVER THE YEARS:

(information and links supplied from http://www.bcdb.com/cartoons/Walt_Disney_Studios/Television/)

The Adventures of Lilo & Stitch
(59 Cartoons)

Disney's Lloyd In Space(21 Cartoons)

The Proud Family (53 Cartns.)

Disney's Kim Possible (88 Cartoons)

Pepper Ann
(60 Cartoons)

Cast
Kathleen Wilhoite - Pepper Ann Pearson
Pamela Adlon - Margaret Rose "Moose" Pearson
Danny Cooksey - Milo Kamalani
Clea Lewis - Nicky Little
April Winchell - Lydia Pearson
Kimmy Robertson - Gwen Mezzrow

Luke Perry - Stuart Walldinger *FROM ANOTHER OF MY FAVORITE SHOWS FOR 11 YEARS:
BEVERLY HILLS 90210!*

Jenna von Oy - Trinket St. Blaire *AND FROM ANOTHER OLD FAVORITE: BLOSSOM!*

Don Adams - Principal Herbert Hickey

The finale of Pepper Ann aired November 18, 2000.

Disney's Fillmore!(26 Cartoons)

Disney's Hercules (65 Cartoons)

The Lion King's Timon and Pumbaa(140 Cartoons)

Disney's The Weekenders
(78 Cartoons)

Disney's Teacher's Pet(47 Cartoons)

Disney's Recess (131 Cartoons)

If you've watched it as much as I have, you may enjoy this RECESS QUIZ:
http://www.funtrivia.com/trivia-quiz/ForChildren/The-Disney-Cartoon-Recess-64832.html

Out of all of them, my VERY FAVORITES were:
"Pepper Ann", "Recess", and, "Doug":

Disney's Doug

YOU CAN PURCHASE THE ENTIRE DVD SET BY GOING HERE!:
http://www.nickclassics.com/store/product.php?productid=21803&gclid=CMXikLa0144CFSadIwodTiIM8A

The complete original 4 Season Enhanced DVD collection of the hit show on 8 disks- which ran from 1991 to 1994. All 104 commercial-free episodes, plus bonuses in one great collection. Each of the 52 - 30min episodes consisted of 2 seperate episodes making it 104 total. We have chosen to only include the original series (seasons 1-4) and not the later Doug airings as they do not compare to the original show. Professionally packaged in a sealed box set, ready to make a special gift for you or someone else. Get this classic DVD Set before it's gone, only limited quantities are available at this price. Only Available from nickclassics.com.
(My daughter was born in 1991 and I was dating someone named Doug by 1994!)

YOU CAN JOIN THE DOUG FUNNIE FAN CLUB BY GOING HERE:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dougfunniesfanclub/

Buzz Lightyear of Star Command
(I never watched this one - didn't like it even though I LOVE TOY STORY..)

W.I.T.C.H. was shown for a short while. I thought this was AN AWFUL cartoon to show children. That's all our kids need is to want to become witches!! Thankfully it didn't last long at all.

Jane and the Dragon Song Lyrics

There once was a lady in waiting
Let's call her Jane.
That girl wasn't ordinary-

No way for me a lady stuck in waiting
I'd rather battle fire-breathing dragons
I knew I could prove that a girl could be a Knight
Though my friends all laughed at me
but...

I wouldn't be discouraged and trained in secret
Then a dragon pinched the Royal Prince
and everyone was freaking
So I went alone to the dragon's home
to slay the dragon

Hey now, hey now now

Jane and the Dragon are best friends now
Dragon's sweet, he let me save the young Prince
Then the King made me a Knight apprentice

Hey now hey now now...

With Dragon's help I'll be a Knight someday

Composed by Martin Kucaj
Lyrics by Arlene Bishop
Published by Cinesymphonies, Nelvana Limited 2005

Link to all Disney Cartoon Guide: http://www.bcdb.com/cartoons/Walt_Disney_Studios/Television/

VAN HALEN, thanks to my brother, I'M GOING!

2007-09-02T17:47:00.000-04:00

This was so important (to me) that I posted it on BOTH of my blogs:

....Cleveland: Quicken Loans Arena
OCTOBER 10, 2007

I'm so excited I could cry.

I still have to find a hotel under $50.00,(my little brother's treat as well!), I have a plan of just about what I'd like to wear (ruffled-front shirt, short motocross-type black jacket, straight-leg Levis. etc.)...the planning and anticipation is ALMOSt as fun as the event itself, I think.
I ABSOLUTELY CANNOT WAIT.

Any of you other readers going to see them play this tour?
I can share some awesome tracks with you to help get you psyched up!
LET ME KNOW!

OH AND WHAT A RELIEF
...after I read this story, I don't feel so bad about going to a concert, making signs to hold up, & rocking out at 48 years old:

Eddie Van Halen, Acting His Age

As we grow older, so do our icons. Suddenly the latest "hot young things" seem barely legal (Keira Knightley, Lindsey Lohan) and Keith Richards' decomposition is finally somewhat age appropriate.

And, although apt to grumble about our own advancing years, we also make excuses for ourselves. We don't tend to be as forgiving of our objects of idolization. If they show their age, we mercilessly take note of every sag, every wrinkle. If they try to hide it with makeup, dye or surgery we tend to disparage their refusal grow old gracefully. In short, we want it both ways. We seem to expect our icons to always just shine on as is, forgetting that the camera can be unkind to someone who has lived in front of the flash for a few decades.

(AP)Still, it was jaw-droppingly upsetting to see this photo of Eddie Van Halen come across the wires from Sunday's Oscar after parties.

This is almost too much to bear. 1984 - both the album and the year - may have been two decades ago, but in 1984 Eddie Van Halen was generally agreed to be the hot Van Halen brother (sorry, Alex)... at least around my junior high. And he is over a decade younger than the afore-mentioned Mr. Richards (who has been considered the extreme example of an aging rocker for about a century now).

At 51, Van Halen has had a rough past decade or so. He lost his mom, split with wife of 24 years Valerie Bertinelli, battled alcoholism and cancer and weathered so many reconfigurations of Van Halen that even I'm drained. Also, he's never traded on his looks; he staked his claim on his guitar wizardry.

This time, let's give him a pass -- let's remember Eddie in 1984 and remember that after what he's been through, he's a survivor in 2006. But maybe we can have it both ways. We can agree to look at Eddie with a forgiving eye, but maybe Eddie could agree to tame the hair, see a good dentist and stand up straight. And maybe we can hope, just a little, that the rumors about Van Halen being the next "Rock Star" reality band are true.

FROM: blog.washingtonpost.com/celebritology/2006/03... by Liz | March 7, 2006; 11:00 AM ET | Category: Celebrities
Previous: Tuesday Morning Mix | Next: Wednesday Morning Mix

AUGUST 22: MySpace 6 hr. streaming concert including MY FAVORITE BAND: My Chemical Romance!

2007-08-22T03:14:00.000-04:00

'DECIDED TO HELP TOM OUT AND FORWARD THIS MESSAGE:

MySpace Announcement from Tom
Latest Update: Aug 21, 10:00pm PDT

"i wanted everyone to know about the linkin park, my chemical romance, taking back sunday / projekt revolution concert that's showing live tomorrow on myspace: check it out here myspace.com/nowwhat"

Get this widget!

GO HERE FOR MORE DETAILS: http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=217700935

ENJOY! (hope I remember tomorrow...)TTR

RAINED OUT: the Hungarian Festival and MY LIFE

2007-08-19T17:58:00.000-04:00

East Toledo's famous annual Hungarian Festival is still going on, but without me. I am SO DEPRESSED! True, it has been raining off and on all day, but I talked to someone who is already there and the festival is still going strong, and plenty of people were there milling around, buying awesome Hungarian food, listening to great music (a friend of mine, Bill Leonhardt, who played in Pictures, my band ex-husband played bass for, is playing drums in another band at the festival today. I REALLY wanted to go and listen to them! AND see a BUNCH of people who I haven't seen in a while - that's the MAIN ATTRACTION of the HUNGARIAN FESTIVAL!)..until 9 pm tonight in fact. I called anyone I could think of that might want to go with me, and that could pick me up (since I no longer have a vehicle) and had no luck. One person I knew That might want to go with me, had already left for it, one person was working, another one who offered to take me and hang out, either decided to go after telling me he wasn't going because of the rain or isn't calling me back, or went and didn't feel like getting me now, and the other two are evidently avoiding me because I know they have their phone with them and didn't return my page or cell call.
(sigh)...This reminds me of last winter...
The Hungarian Festival is actually the beginning of Fall for me, because after this festival (Ethnic Festivals = Summer here in Toledo)it's the Greek Festival, the weekend of Sept 8th, then school is in (our's starts August 27th already!!) and the Fall just flies by, then the cold weather starts. Before you know it, it's Halloween, then Christmas,(Christmas has become SO STRESSFUL for me with family shit and lack of money to make my daughters holiday something to really look forward to) then the THREE UNGODLY MONTHS OF DEEP DEPRESSION FOR ME, when the only thing that makes me feel better is eating.(I still have ONE MONTH to get off 5 pounds, almost impossible for me when all we have to eat is crap in the house and no money to get fruit and healthy food, and get under 200 at least!)Throughout the winter, I don't hear from anyone, no visitors, no calls, no going-out, nor do I have any extra money. (Hell at this point, I probably would give-in and go to the bar just to be around some PEOPLE!)

But....the NASCAR Race up at Michigan International Speedway (about 45 minutes away) was rained out, and that was the only other thing I had to look forward to today. In the past 5 years, I used to AT LEAST be up at Sunny's Campground, camping behind Karl (who passed away last month) and JJ, trying like hell to talk someone at the campground into driving up to MIS to LISTEN to the race and be in the mix! I didn't even go camping in the past 2 years,(except once for my daughter's birthday out at Maumee Bay). Anyway, the race is supposed to re-air tomorrow at noon. The forecast says rain for the next 3 days so I guess we'll have to wait and see.
The "Hunky" Fest will not be postponed. They are all partying right with the rain. This is it for the year. And this is my life for this summer.

I need to find a friend that LIKES ME. And I need a boyfriend even worse (I'm finally READY I DO BELIEVE), and I need to get my finances in order (Oh I have a water line leak, a mushy area in my grass too - it looks like I have a leak in my pipes and that costs about $1,200.00 to fix, my neighbor, Victor said..that's all I needed to push me over he edge. Time to sign up for counseling again....

GEES! I HOPE THIS IS PMS! I HATE TO THINK I HAVEN'T PROGRESSED AT ALL THIS YEAR! I'm still spinning my wheels.

Ta Ta for now,
TTR
PS. Please pray for me.

Channel 13 news: thank you for exhibiting what IDIOTS LIVE IN EAST TOLEDO

2007-07-27T23:05:00.000-04:00

Just now, on the 11 o'clock news, Channel 13 showed construction workers getting frustrated because places that were just steamrolled (to prepare them for paving..the intersection of Fassett and Oak has been closed for MONTHS) were driven over by idiot-twenty-something drivers, actually it showed a woman in her 20-30's with a cigarette in her hand, watching them steamroll the road to get it ready to pave, ANYWAY, SHE DRIVES RIGHT OVER IT AND THEN THEY HAVE TO DO IT ALL OVER AGAIN. The news clip even showed the construction guy shaking his head and talking to his co-worker like he was saying 'Can you believe these people?" and then the chick drives away like nothing's wrong!! OMG - this is CLASSIC East Side behavior and it really pisses me off. I mean, here I am, sitting down and opening my blog and writing about it, it purturbed me so much! It gives all of us East Toledoans a bad name.
Here are some other examples of the ignorance that I witness on a weekly basis:

"Don't-Know-Who-My-Baby's-Daddy-Is" white teenage mothers, with their mixed-race babies all walking together, talking "black-talk" or bitching loudly on their cell phones, with their fat stomachs hanging out of their tight little crop tops, showing how STUPID they were, while collecting welfare, food stamps, and WIC.

Teens and "kids" in their early 20's, hanging out all night long, some on their little teenager bicycleses, being extremely loud and disrespectful, then THROWING THE BOTTLE THEY DRANK (beer/liquor) OUT OF, INTO THE STREET OR SIDEWALK, busting the glass all over the place, THEN thinking nothing of it, laughing. When you ask then to please pick it up, they say back, "F*&K OFF".

Black guys who pull their "privates" out in public and try to get girls attention when they are walking by; THEN some girls actually walking over to them and letting them feel under their shirt...and follow them in the door...not knowing them at all!

Women who have nothing better to do - usually older ladies but not seniors, walking their dog at all hours of the night, making all the neighborhood dogs bark inside their houses, then LETTING their dogs poop in others yards!! (I have a neighborhood lady that does this nightly - SO RUDE!!)

OH there's more...I'll come back to this when I need to let of some more steam. I'd rather write about positive things...And I really do not ENJOY making MY area of town look bad. I have LOTS of East Side pride. I just wish we could ship these LOSERS to the mountains or something, and then we would never hear from them or see them again.

HAVE a NICE DAY! TTR

WHAT'S UP WIT' ME (a memior) from letters I've written this week

2007-07-26T01:10:00.000-04:00

"Through each person under the sun,
Let the Will of the Creator be done,
Namaste, Shalom, As-Salaam Alaikum;
>>>I have never heard of these names for God.
What religion are you two into these days?
I AM, Joyfully, Don"

THAT'S HOW HE SIGNED HIS LAST LETTER..

SEE ROBIN'S EGGS http://www.robinseggs.blogspot.com
FOR A POST ON DON WALTON. MY VERY GOOD FRIEND,
AND FIRST AND FOREMOST, MY BROTHER'S VERY BEST FRIEND EVER SINCE HIGH SCHOOL
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

HELLO MY LITTLE WALTONS!!
(to Don and his new wife, Lori as of New Year's Eve at mignight, 2007)
Ok - now what new thing are you two into???
I wondered why I haven't heard back from you.
Are you two trying a new church?

I wrote you a long letter a month ago...nothing back. WAAAAAAAAAAAA
you are losing touch with me!!! I AM GETTING SCARED!

FYI - in case he hasn't gotten a hold of you, Ron got a job where he is traveling all over the 5 state area. He is doing well and keeping in touch with me at least every two weeks. I AM SO HAPPY.

He works 12 hours a day - he said he has NEVER worked this hard in ANY job he has ever had. But he says he still is a fatty. He says he has a BIG OL' GUT. Because he is eating fast food all the time. They pay for the hotel and they have to buy their own food. he said that even if he did buy food to cook in the room's microwave, that when he gets off work, he is way too tired to cook.

Any way - just so you know where he's at from now until December, here is his schedule: (NOT POSTING FOR PRIVACY REASONS)
NY OH PA WVA, etc..

We are doing fine here. I am unmotivated as ever. Don't know if it's depression or laziness. It's been about a month since I busted ass and got a ton of cleaning and organizing done.
I sold my car - it needed engine work supposedly (Auto Zone guy said he had a car Just like mine and I needed valve work and they are inside the engine. Then I got REALLY lucky and sold it the next day to a neighbor for $200.00, and it wouldn't even drive over 25 mph! Come to find out that it was THE EXACT THING THAT I WENT TO AUTO ZONE TO BUY!! A GAS FILTER. IT WAS ONLY 8 BUCKS!! Well it really was a blessing because then, the next day after she got it fixed by her mechanic, the transmission started slipping...it would wait a long time before going into 2nd gear.
So I am going to have about an extra $70.00 a month with no car ins. and gas $$, and maybe can buy food when we need it for a change and/or pay on a bill. It feels very "freeing" to not have a vehicle, but it may also be why i am isolating myself worse than I was before. It could be PMS too.

So anyway - actually there's MUCH more to tell but I don't feel like typing it all.

SEE ROBIN'S EGGS http://www.robinseggs.blogspot.com
FOR A POST ON KARL WATKINS, A VERY GOOD FRIEND THAT I MET AT SUNNY'S CAMPGROUND.

A very dear friend of mine, Karl, from my Sunny's Campground gang (he and his wife let us camp on their lot ever since we started camping there for free..) passed away from pancreatic cancer that had spread to his liver by the time he went to the doctor. Once he finally went to the doctor and was diagnosed, he passed away 6 weeks later. He had lost 100 pounds and refused to go to the doctor before that. He just told everyone that he lost weight because he gave up french fries! I just went to his funeral last Friday. I've been pretty sad all week. I was so glad that my (was my ex-friend for the past year) friend Kathy

SEE ROBIN'S EGGS http://www.robinseggs.blogspot.com
FOR A POST ON KATHIE SEBETTO, WAS MY VERY BEST LOCAL/EAST SIDE/CAMPING FRIEND TILL LAST YEAR WHEN SOMETHING HAPPENED..

sent me a letter and told me he was sick or I would have never had the chance to go and visit him and tell him how much he meant to me before he got too sick. I just don't understand why none of those people ever called me for a whole year, but I am sure glad we are back in touch again.

If you get a chance to call - like if neither of you feels like telling me everything that"s up with you in an email, the best time to call is AFTER 2 pm...I've been staying up all night and sleeping most of the day - that's my dream life...till school starts anyway. My daughter is gone most of the time with her boyfriend and his family. She just got back from going to Disney World with them for 9 days about 2 weeks ago!! They are very nice and John's (her BF's name: John Toth)Mom comes to pick her up and drop her off all the time.

SEE ROBIN'S EGGS http://www.robinseggs.blogspot.com
FOR A POST ON JOHN TOTH, FROM POINT PLACE; WHO GRADUATED FROM MY DAUGHTER'S SCHOOL THIS PAST JUNE,AND IS VERY TALENTED, INTELLIGENT, CUTE AND NICE.

It was my kid. She came in, argued with me when I asked her why she hadn't checked in with me since 2 pm then went to bed. So I sat here and waited up all this time just for that. I'll name my ROBIN'S EGGS posts, but then will work on them this week.

I'M GOING TO BED.
XOXO g'nite, TTownRobin
God Bless

Blog-City is a nice place to live, but it's sure gotten EXPENSIVE!

2007-07-12T07:57:00.000-04:00

This is what my Blog USED to look like:

I really miss it. It was called toledoeast.blog-city.com.

I could add music that would play automatically depending on the entry (like a theme song) , we could view our posts in WYSIWYG, preview, or standard HTML , and photos & music we're stored on their servers, so that if we chose to use something again, it would post much more quickly. The best part was that you USED to be able to completely design your entire layout: no "widgets", no templates if you chose not to have them, and no limited fonts. It was great, for 3 and a half years. I am now going through withdrawal.

I left Blog-City for good, about 2 weeks ago. The price to pay had become too high. Although I had the premium membership which was $3.50 per month, the option to stay there for free was always available. Then came the "takeover"...

Widgets were forced upon us, unless we chose to forfeit support. That meant if I were to choose to keep my unique layout, that took YEARS to perfect, I would lose any possibility for available assistance. I felt betrayed.

To make matters worse, a monthly fee of $4.50 was imposed with no option to choose. Long-time faithful members were told to "pay up or get out". I had no choice but to leave. A yearly fee of $54.00 would take away two Christmas gifts from my child in the long run.

So if you ever pass by a blog at Blog-City, think of me, if you would, and all the wonderful, cleansing posts I had there. And, please, give my regards to the Mayoress.

http://www.blog-city.com/

Just a few things I miss about living in PENSACOLA FLORIDA

2007-06-26T16:06:00.000-04:00

THINGS YOU LEARN WHEN LIVING IN THE SOUTH:

Possums sleep in the middle of the road with their feet in the air.

There are 5,000 types of snakes and 4,998 live in the South.

There are 10,000 types of spiders.

All 10,000 live in The South plus a couple no one's seen before.

If it grows, it sticks; if it crawls, it bites.

Onced and twiced are words.

It's not a shopping cart; it is a buggy.

People actually grow and eat okra.

Fixinto is one word.

There is no such thing as "lunch." You eat Breakfast, Dinner and Supper.

Iced tea is appropriate for all meals and you start drinking it when you're two.

And they do like a little tea with their sugar!

"Jeet yet?" is actually a phrase meaning "Did you eat yet?"

You don't have to wear a watch because it doesn't matter what time it is.

You work until you're done or it's too dark to see.

You don't PUSH buttons, you MASH them.

YOU KNOW YOUR FROM THE SOUTH IF:

You've ever had to switch from "heat" to "A/C" in the same day.

You use "fix" as a verb. Example: "I'm fixing to go to the store."

All the festivals across the states are named after a fruit, vegetable, grain, insect or animal.

You install security lights on your house and garage and leave both unlocked.

No one wants an angry burglar.

You know what a "DAWG" is.

You carry jumper cables in your car . . for your OWN car.

You only own four spices: salt, pepper, Tabasco and ketchup.

The local papers cover national and international news on one page,

but require 6 pages for local gossip and sports.

You find 100 degrees Fahrenheit "a little warm."

You know all four seasons: Almost Summer, Summer, still Summer and Christmas.

Going to Wal-mart is a favorite past time known as"goin' Wal-martin" or off to "Wally World."

You describe the first cool snap (below 70 degrees) as good pinto-bean weather.

A carbonated soft drink isn't a soda, cola or pop... it's a Coke, regardless of brand or flavor.

Example: "What kinda coke you want?"

Fried catfish is the other white meat.

They don't need no stinking driver's-ed... if your mama says we can drive, we can drive.

You understand these jokes and forward them to your friends from The South

(and those who just wish they were, OR WISH THEY WERE BACK "HOME", LIKE ME).

POSTED IN MEMORY OF MY EX-MOTHER-IN-LAW,

whom I think of OFTEN:

MATTIE EMMA WARD

(WHO IS UP IN HEAVEN NOW, WITH MY OWN MOTHER,

and they never really hit it off - hope things are better now!)

Why Doug didn't call.. and WHY IT'S A GOOD THING

2007-06-12T02:40:00.000-04:00

Another pissy, dull day. Better than being dead tho....

Doug didn't call I found out, because they guy I met with him up at the bar on Doug's birthday,
Tim, died. He called me yesterday, all broken up and teary, to let me know that Tim had shot himself in the head and was dead. Sad. Things were really shitty for that guy, I was saying
how much Tim was complaining that night, and I didn't want to go back the night time he
invited me because I didn't want to hear Tims bitching again...here it was something he
needed to do. he needed to vent and for someone to care. Maybe not me,
I barely knew the guy, but maybe for someone not to mask his problems in alcohol,
but maybe to show him a better way to move on. he must not have found a better way
and decided that nothing was good for him here anymore. he supposedly drank
3 bottles of booze, say on the edge of him bed at his parnets home
(who lives in Florida now I guess) and shot himself in the head.
They found him with his shirt up, and Doug was thinking that maybe
he tried to stop the bleeding because he didn't die right away.
Here is his obituary: http://www.legacy.com/toledoblade/Obituaries.asp?Page=LifeStory&PersonID=19201555
I went to the guestbook to leave an entry and the family deleted it.
It mentioned about Tim reaching out, and being sad and depressed,
and they MUST HAVe thought that it was innapropriate. GEES MAYBE
THEY FEEL GUILTY BECAUSE DOUG SAID NONE OF HIS FAMILY
EVER KEPT IN TOUCH WITH HIM...not his brother Ray or his Mom anyway.
Not so much as he had to sleep in his truck for part of the 7 months
here was back up here in Toledo...(Doug said that Ray wasn't even
going to go to his memorial (yesterday). Ray is one of the guys that my
ex-friend Kath dated a year or so ago. He's a bar-fly too. )
Seven months ago, Tim left Florida where he lived, after he left his wife
whom he caught fooling around on him after 9 years of marriage,
and who he told me, wouldn't let hm see the kids.
I'm not saying that none of it was his fault, I only wish I would have
listened a little bit more instead of not wanting to be around him
because he was so negative. I am still pretty pissed about the family
deleting my entry, so I wrote another one.
http://www.legacy.com/toledoblade/GB/GuestbookView.aspx?
PersonId=19201555
If you knew Tim laBounty - above, is the link to the condolences book.
I pray that Tim did not feel any pain-he'd had quite a bit before that
...May God rest his soul.

And here is just a forward I recieved about WHAT EVERY WOMAN SHOULD HAVE;
I kinda liked it...
WELL SHIT - I CAN'T GET THAT THING TO POST SO
SINCE I LIKED THIS BETTER I'm POSTING IT INSTEAD. DAMMIT.

HOPE YOUR MOOD IS BETTER THAN MINE.
I HATE IT WHEN PEOPLE SPRING SHIT ON ME for the
NEXT DAY when I ALREADY HAVE PLANS.
THAT'S WHY ELSE I AM IN A SHITTY MOOD.
I GET A CALL AT 9:30 PM TONITE...ready to go to bed..."I'll be there tomorrow morning"
I HAVE TO GET MY DRYER FIXED WHEN I GET THE OFFER FROM SOMEONE. I REFUSE TO CHANGE IT.
SO SORRY- YOU'LL JUST HAVE TO WAIT OUT THERE TILL
I'M FREE FOR ME TO CALL YOU BACK AND GO OUT AND MEET YOU.
I CANNOT BELIEVE I COULDN'T GET A LITTLE MORE NOTICE
THAN 9:30, THE NIGHT BEFORE!!
ANYWAY, Y'ALL HAVE A NICE WEEKEND.
TTR
:P

UPDATE:
STILL NOT CALLING AND I AM GLAD.
HE IS WITH SOMEONE AND WE WILL NOT EVER MAKE IT AND THAT'S A PROVEN FACT. WE HAVE GOTTEN ALONG SO MUCH BETTER AS FRIENDS. I GUESS I JUST ENJOYED GETTING THE OCCASIONAL "GUY" PHONE CALL NOW AND THEN (I DON'T WISH TO BE PHONED EVERY SINGLE DAY AND TALK FOR AN HOUR THO - NOTE TO NEW-BUT-GONE-DOUG..)
BESIDES, WINTER IS COMING AND MY DEPRESSION IS SETTLING IN ALREADY - HARD.

I have spoken to him about athousand times since the date this was originally typed.. Most of the time he was driunk. At first i didn't mind. Then the less i began to drink, the more his drunk-calls annoyed me. The last time we spoke THIS TIME, he got mad because he "loaned" me 20 dollars to buy food, (he owes me aver 200.00 from when he lived with me for a year and i bought all his Christmas gifts!) and i said something to him about him calling and bigging me for the money back - which HE DID NOT - he kept calling to "see if the Fergie CD he asked me to burn was done yet". I know his sly calls. I am not ignorant to Doug's ways any longer...

This was taken in 2003. He has aged, like all of us.

He now has a HUGE beer gut, and a buzz cut haircut. But he still gets a good tan.

UPDATE AGAIN: 06-12-07: I broke down and called and left a voice mail message for him today. I hope he calls me back...

My Baby Computer

2007-06-12T01:46:00.000-04:00

(buy "Computer Love" by Mmechelle McLendon-Simmons, at http://www.amazon.com/Computer-Love-Mechelle-McLendon-Simmons/dp/images/1401035590)

Sometimes I hve a little excitement down in the pit of my stomach,when I wake up in the middle of the night, and know that I can get up and come out to the computer and read, write, or get lost. That is how I feel right now.

It's 2 am; a group of idiot black loud-ass disrespectful girls was just walking by the hous, yelling and calling each other names. They madethe dog next to me wake up, and then they woke me up.

The comfort of my baby computer, out here waiting for me to type on, make it all okay.

It's a beautiful, starry summer night. It's cool outside; enought to allow the windows to be open and be covered up with a light blanket in your bed.

I am so grateful to have Internet, and my computer, out here to help me enjoy the moments I am up when it's late. I am content. I need to go back to bed so Ican get up early and take my little one to her first day of art classes tomorrow.

Good night and God Bless

(a quote from a much loved and missed comedian and actor: Red Skelton),

TTR xoxo

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A Wonderful Spring Day

2007-06-08T18:37:00.000-04:00

Today is June 8th, 2007, and it's hot, very hot. We had a monstrous thunderstorm with vicious lightening, while I was driving across town to the doctor's office, and it only lasted for about 15 minutes. I prayed that it would hit the other side of the river, so I wouldn't have to water the plants and flowers in the yard tonight, and it did! I finished moving the furniture (I also prayed I don't suffer tomorrow for moving as much as I did, but I probably will..) Lindsey even offered to have John come over and help move the furniture. I took that as a hint that she was bummed that the house was all still in disarray from when I cleaned the carpet on Monday night...
I am thinking about Dar, my cousin, and praying that she got through her 90 day rehab okay, and that she is facing each new day with her bright happy smile again. I NEED TO SEND HER A CARD!
I decided to take on a new look about my house and not being able to afford it. I am going to fight for it as long as I can. I paid the damn 615.00 mortgage and prayed that God would make something come up so that I could afford to give my daughter SOMETHING for her birthday.
We are going camping that day, and Paul and little (but now big, I hear, about 5'10"!) Paulie are coming out and camping right next door! I am so GLAD!! party on! AND BETH IS COMING FRIDAY NIGHT and MARTI MIGHT come out on the same night which is LINDSEY'S 16th BIRTHDAY!!
OH - right before I left to go across town, and before it rained, I picked up all the weeds I pulled out yesterday and pulled out a little more. The sunflowers are growing so fast! I can't wait till they're big again! And all kinds of weeds are coming up REALLY FAST. I have to wait to pull many of them because I planted about 30 packs of seeds, and I don't want to pick new flowers by mistake. The yard really looks great.
Pumpkin has no signs of parvo yet today. Praise God. One more day till the incubation period is over. Her best little girl doggie-friend is getting better every day out at East Suburban Animal Clinic. Praise God again and again. My friend Jeremy, Lissie's Daddy was so distraught. I tried to call him but I have the wrong number.
I feel like I have gotten all caught up with my phone calls and am in touch with everyone again. I don't know if it's my short time-of-month, or my Effexor, that I just started taking 5 days ago (but not today - forgot) or the Fat-blocker I took this morning combined with the 1/3 of Monster Energy drink I drank on the way to the Doctor. But i really got a lot done. Even checked up on my checkbook! RIGHT AFTER I GOT UP! Usually I lie there for an hour or 3, trying not to fall back asleep, dreading the day full of stress. I know one thing for sure, it was less stressful because l went to her friend's today after school. They still have to go to school till next TUESDAY! Everyone else is out of school as of today!! Bummer, huh?
The only thing I still need to do is get ready for that Block Watch meeting that is coming up fast - on Thursday of next week. IN 6 days! Ii still haven't made flyers OR passed them out (all 500 of them) or dropped them off at the CSO (Community Service officer's) office yet to be copied. I haven't worked on the agenda except for deleting things from last month. 'Just don't feel like it. I REALLY need a partner. Feeling not so good about my work for Block Watch this month. I lost control of the meeting last month and it left me with a apathetic feeling. I pray that gets better. I'm sure it will now.

Anyway - that my life, praise God, in East Toledo today!
Hope things look as good for you too,
XO TTR

PS. IF ANYONE finds a Spell-Check that fixes small "i"s and changes them to capital "I"s, PLEASE LET ME KNOW - I WASTE SO MUCH TIME FIXING THEM ALL!

THANK GOD the Justice System works right SOMEWHERE!

2007-06-08T17:16:00.000-04:00

If my little brother, who has back problems and depression, and REALLY want to see his kids, and his ex-wife won't let him (it's been about 8 years now!! - she won't let any of us see them) and IS TRYING SO DAMN HARD TO STAY ON THE STRAIGHT AND NARROW, has to go to jail for something he did almost 7 years ago - GOT BEHIND ON CHILD SUPPORT and an old DUI- (and a warrant was issued) THAN DAMMIT that prissy assed-rich-bitch Paris Hilton, should have to serve for her DUI AS WELL. In Jail. Man, my bro would have GIVEN ANYTHING just to be OUTDOORS for a week, let alone at home. He has a "medical condition"..

And while we're on the topic, this NEVER has made sense to me:

Why send someone to jail who is behind on child support, just so they can get FURTHER BEHIND on child support, and the jail sentences go on and on...they NEVER can get caught up! Those children need that money to contribute to the family income to pay for their expenses.

I'm so sick of the justice system sometimes. It all needs to be reviewed.

Thanks 4 listening,

TTownRobin

Screaming Paris Hilton sent back to jail

By LINDA DEUTSCH,

AP Special Correspondent

LOS ANGELES -
SEARCHNews News Photos Images Web'

Paris Hilton was sent screaming and crying back to jail Friday after a judge ruled that she must serve out her sentence behind bars rather than in the comfort of her Hollywood Hills home.
"It's not right!" shouted Hilton, who violated her probation in a reckless driving case. "Mom!" she cried out to her mother.
Hours earlier, the 26-year-old hotel heiress was taken handcuffed from her home in a black-and-white police car, paparazzi sprinting in pursuit and helicopters broadcasting live from above. She entered the courtroom disheveled and weeping, hair askew, without makeup, wearing a fuzzy gray sweat shirt over slacks.
She cried throughout the hearing, dabbing her eyes, and her body shook constantly. Several times she turned to her parents, seated behind her in the courtroom, and mouthed, "I love you."
Despite being ordered to serve the remainder of her original 45-day sentence, Hilton could still be released early. Inmates are given a day off their terms for every four days of good behavior, and her days in home detention counted as time served.
Superior Court Judge Michael T. Sauer was calm but apparently irked by Sheriff Lee Baca's decision to release Hilton three days into her sentence due to an unspecified "medical condition."
"I at no time condoned the actions of the sheriff and at no time told him I approved the actions," Sauer said. "At no time did I approve the defendant being released from custody to her home."
The hearing was requested by the city attorney's office, which had prosecuted Hilton and wanted Baca held in contempt for releasing Hilton despite Sauer's express order that she must serve her time in jail. The judge took no action on the contempt request.
A member of the county counsel's staff said Baca was willing to come to court with medical personnel. The judge did not take him up on the offer.
Assistant City Attorney Dan F. Jeffries argued that Hilton's incarceration was purely up to the judge. "Her release after only three days erodes confidence in the judicial system," he said.
Hilton's attorney, Richard Hutton, implored the judge to order a hearing in his chambers to hear testimony about Hilton's medical condition before making a decision. The judge did not respond to that suggestion.
Another of her attorneys, Steve Levine, said, "The sheriff has determined that because of her medical situation, (jail) is a dangerous place for her."
"The court's role here is to let the Sheriff's Department run the jail," he said.
The judge interrupted several times to say that he had received a call last Wednesday from an undersheriff informing him that Hilton had a medical condition and that he would submit papers to the judge to consider. He said the papers never arrived.
Every few minutes, the judge would interrupt proceedings, state the time on the clock, and note that the papers still had not arrived.
He also noted that he had heard that a private psychiatrist visited Hilton in jail, and he wondered if that person played a role in deciding her medical needs.
The last attorney to speak was another deputy city attorney, David Bozanich, who declared, "This is a simple case. There was a court. The Sheriff's Department chose to violate that order. There is no ambiguity."
Hilton's twisted jailhouse saga began Sept. 7, when she failed a sobriety test after police saw her weaving down a street in her Mercedes-Benz on what she said was a late-night hamburger run.
She pleaded no contest to reckless driving and was sentenced to 36 months' probation, alcohol education and $1,500 in fines. In the months that followed she was stopped twice while driving on a suspended license. The second stop landed her in Sauer's courtroom.
Back before Sauer on Friday, Hilton's entire body trembled as the final pitch was made for her further incarceration. She clutched a ball of tissue and tears ran down her face.
Seconds later, the judge announced his decision: "The defendant is remanded to county jail to serve the remainder of her 45-day sentence. This order is forthwith."
Hilton screamed.
Eight deputies immediately ordered all spectators out of the courtroom. Hilton's mother, Kathy, threw her arms around her husband, Rick, and sobbed uncontrollably.
Deputies escorted Hilton out of the room, holding each of her arms as she looked back.
___
Associated Press Writer John Rogers in Los Angeles contributed to the report.

FOUND AT: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070608/ap_on_en_tv/paris_hilton

Slideshow: Paris Hilton going back to jail

What I was doing at this time LAST YEAR

2007-06-03T23:43:00.000-04:00

FROM A LETTER TO MY FRIEND, SHIRLEY, IN PENSACOLA, FL:

"Today is the 1st day our heat index was even showing up anything-near 90 but the temp is about 85. Rain rain clear all weekend then two more days of rain.
The sunflowers that I planted all around the street sides of the fence around the yard are gonna be huge. GOODY.
I'm at a 4 way stop and every one can see in the house if my drapes are open - not to mention the BUMP BUMP BUMP - noise. I gotta have SOME privacy. So I plant huge sunflowers all the way around the house. When they come down in the Fall, I feel nekkid'.

I have an appraiser coming Monday - so I am painting a few things today to cover up water spots (my bedroom ceiling) and cleaning - besides the studying with Linz this weekend.
As soon as I am done with this email I am going to paint the walk up stairway to the attic. There's another bedroom up there. Plus storage...It's HUGE the whole size of the house. If I could add a stairway from the living room instead of the stairs going up from the laundry room (very narrow too I could double the value of the house.
I am getting refinanced - I am currently in a predatory loan and the Fair Housing Dept is helping me get tout of it. Want more info just ask. Long story.

Other than that. Nothing for me. no love life at all since Larry left me last July.
Linz saw him on the bus 2 days ago and she said Mom - his teeth are getting bad. YUK. You are better off. I totally agree. But Ii still miss him every day.
Another ex (Donnie) stopped by, the last night of the American Idol singing competition (I was so upset! I was flipping between the Country Music Awards - I wanted to see Carrie Uunderwood sing "Jesus take the Wheel" - and American Idol, and I missed the last half of them both.) We went for a walk - he wants me to like him but I just don't feel romantical about him, and I can't help it. Too bad, too, because he is the sweetest, most thoughtful man I have ever known. There's just no chemistry...He has been my brother's best friend since forever and he is just too young for me. Kinda dorky too, BUT CUTE and super nice. Anyways, we chatted for while about him moving down to Tennessee, and then he left. He only lives about 5 minutes from me by car.
Then my other ex (Doug) stopped by the NEXT DAY - CAN U BELIEVE IT? - It must be a full moon. All these "exes' and no boyfriend for a year. SUX! He just drove by and stopped to say hello. He has been with Jodi for 3 years now. Longest relationship in his whole life except me. We were 3 1/2 years plus 25 more between marriages. He is still so cute. He wants anything but a relationship if you know what I mean. No thanks.
SO no one all winter then 2 in 2 days.

Gotta go - write soon
Love ya and miss ya.
Robin xoxo

COMING SOON - AN UPDATE, COMPARING THIS BLOG FROM LAST YEAR, TO NOW!

My Fantasy Nascar - in 82nd percentile WOW!

2007-05-30T12:25:00.000-04:00

I can't believe with my slow start, that I have gotten up to the 82nd percentile already - by the 13th race! I must be pretty good at this. Well, -plus I really do a lot of research before I pick my "guys" for the week.
Here's my picks for the upcoming race on June 3rd in Dover:

Drivers/Fantasy
A List
Jeff Gordon
Jimmie Johnson
B List
Ryan Newman
Denny Hamlin
Mark Martin
Kurt Busch
C List
J.J. Yeley
Reed Sorenson
I had chosen Johnson and kenseth at first but my Aunt just called and said that on NASCAR NOW last night they said nothing about Johnson. Even though he won this race a couple times before. So against my better judgement, I put (ick) Gorrdon in there and took out Kenseth. I will probably regret it. I am always better off going with my first intuition. i still have time to change them though...
BBS
TTR xoxo
I'll be back to change as needed after I see what the experts say.

To Move or not to Move

2007-05-25T03:46:00.000-04:00

It sucks to not have money..
Especially when you don't have help with living expenses or a partner or spouse. At least they help decide what to do by putting thier two cents in.

It seems my daughter doesn't not give a damn if we have a house, she just want to be able to be a normal teenager, and not be poor all the time. The drama class next year gets to go to Scotland - she wants to go really bad, but it costs at least $1,200.00 - a real bargain..there is No possible way I could even give the kid $20.00, let alone $1200.... AND I'M SICK OF IT.

My adjustable rate mortgage goes up to $615.00 per month next month, and I am getting virtually no assistance from the predatory loan department at the Fair Housing Bureau, after an entire year stringing me along - I learn that I cannot afford to keep my house so there goes my help!
Because they told me to give them my house payment to hold in escrow, then AFTER MY PAYMENT WAS ALREADY PAST THE DUE DATE, they call me to tell me, Oh sorry, we can't hold your money - you CAN afford your home - we can only hold it if you CAN'T!!
THANKS A LOT!!
NOW MY CREDIT IS F*&$KED worse than it already was!!

So, let's see what is available in the way of apartment rentals....IF I can get approved for one that is! Well let's see...this one sounds affordable: 2 BRM apt. Springfield Schools, 1st floor, a/c, laundry. $450mo.+$99 dep. No lease. 419-841-5755

BUT WHAT ABOUT SUNSHINE, M&M AND PUMPKIN!? We'd have to at the very least, give up the cats! They would get euthanized I know it! They are too old to be adopted. They are such good cats. Especially Sunshine. She would never make it out in the wild. I'd have to kill my cats. GOD, NO. I don't think I can give up my baby Pumpkin. It would break my heart. Is the $615. 00 per month here in this house that I can't afford to keep after my daughter turns it, worth keeping for my pets? I can't tell ya. All I know is that my daughter is more important. But my sanity is important too. When she and I arent't getting along, I have my other "babies' who I love, and love me. Maybe I can find a house to rent that will allow me to keep my pets...OH YEAH, I KNOW I'd have to pay 100.00 a month extra to keep them. So I'd add on 100.00 more to the rent cost...

Here's another one that sounds good: STUDIO, 1 & 2 brms, 2707 Pickle, heat incl., appl., laundry, pool. $399, $460, $575+dep. 419-698-3994 That sounds like it's out in Oregon. Nice area, sort of, probably Picadilly. NOISY - DRUGS - punks...too far to the bus line. Ok. That's out. have to stick with Toledo... LGE 2 brm apt, patio, CA, 1st floor, appl., intercom entry doors, low deposit, $475 + util. 419-698-3171...I'm going to call and see if they accept pets.. BRB.... Oregon Arms - Starr Ave - 960 sq feet - nice -1st week June - 460 mo. - behind bakery - no patio 50 10 mo. cats if declawed - small dogs under 12 lbs ok 250.00 deposit -10 extra pr month ... OH WELL THAT LEAVES BOTH CATS OUT _ NEITHER ARE DECLAWED. too cruel. Pumpkin would bark her fool head off and get us kicked out.

Just an example...this is going to be tough. OH GREAT so I call one in a NICE area like OREGON and my daughter bitches - "I DON"T WANNA MOVE FURTHER OUT!! That's too far!!" Anywhere else is going to be expensive...What she wants is Point Place bc that's where her friends live. Well it's not up to her.

I'm stopping.
Now I'm pissed.
PLUS I'd have to not pay the house payment for 2 months to save up enough for a deposit and a moving truck and moving expenses.
CRAP.
Good luck to any of you out there going through what I am.
I sure could use some advice!
I need someone to TELL ME WHAT TO DO!!
Pray for me please.
TTR xoxo

Todays Issue: My Nephew's birthday and no one called to invite my daughter

2007-05-20T15:09:00.000-04:00

My nephew Matthew's birthday is today, and my family on my Dad's side always has birthday parties for the kids. I sent him a birthday card. Of course, like always, I never got a thank you phone call. They have never thanked me for anything ever since day one, except thier Christmas presents, and that just started last year 9they are in high school now). Why don't they invite my daughter to the birthday party we know they're having? Why don't they fight for her? Why do I have to have such a lame family that is so selfish? All that side of my family done is hurt us. Now they continue to hurt my daighter since I have cut off all ties with them, to keep them from hurting me.
I hope they are all very happy together at thier perfect little rich parties and perfectly clean houses. I hope one day it hits them how they have crushed a little girl.

Hate the Phone - LOVE EMAIL

2007-05-15T15:29:00.000-04:00

I hate talking on the phone.
Ninety-five percent of the people that call me regularly, (thank God they still try!) make it difficult to let me hang up.
Either they won't say good bye when Ii say i have to go, or they come up with a new subject or question to talk about and we end up being on the phone another hour. And I must say, with the latter, I am just as much to blame, WHEN I feel like talking and HAVE TIME TO TALK.
Most days, when I am HOME, and I DO have time to make a telephone call, I have so many things to catch up with like the gardening, mowing grass, house cleaning, dishes, laundry, etc, that I can't get on the phone or nothing would get done. And when I get on the phone, I have doctors to call, places to call to take care of business, and messages to return, from when I didn't feel like getting on the phone, usually days old.
I envy the people who have the cell phones that clip right on your ear, because if I had one, I could do everything and keep in touch with everyone.
A close relative, (whom I love very much and who, by the way, HAS a clip on the ear phone, and who likes to talk to everyone else while she on talking on the phone, and won't say goodbye most of the time. Example: "OK, well, I have to go, I gotta leave to get so-and-so from school...then I get: "____", silence...nothing. She won't say goodbye..at least until the second or third time I've said I have to go. THEN I say "OK...GOODBYE, LOVE YA, Talk to ya later, then, again I get: "____ " nothing........OK.......alllright.......then I say "OK BYE", all frustrated, and hang up, and talk to myself for the next 10 minutes, complaining.) ANYWAY - SHE gave me a headset to hook up to my telephone so I could do dishes and the like and still talk on my phone, which is a cordless. Well, the clip on it isn't sturdy enough and won't clip on my shirt or pants and stay there. It falls off, and if it would break I would have NO PHONE. I can't afford a cell phone. If I could, I would make all my calls in the car, where I think of everything. I would stay in touch with all whom I love and miss.
I wish more people understood what it's like to not want to talk on the phone, but knew how much they are loved and still thought of.
Or at least, if people thought more about the meaning of I HAVE TO GO, and say "OK, LOVE YA - BYE"...
OK, Love ya, Bye!
TTownRobin

2007-04-12T20:10:00.000-04:00

VAGABONDING by Rolf Potts

2007-04-12T19:35:00.000-04:00

Hi - A man that was on (my damn memory arrggghhh) on that show with meredith Viera that asks questions, just mentioned a book that tweaked my travel-bug interest. Thank God I have a computer. I don't know what I would do without it! It is called VAGABONDING...with reaserch I learned that is is by Rolf Potts. I found his own web page that offers web excerpts, as well as forums that discuss topics, and even a link for finding someone to travel with you while you are being a "vagabond"..sounds FUN to me. I can't wait to get my finances under control so i can meet new people, and see the U.S. I pray that day comes before I get sick now that my daughter is growing up. I've waited for this for 16 years...I have bad luck though, and God "owes" me for some bad things I've done (I'm a Christian but I also believe in "what goes around, comes around") I'D LOVE TO HEAR FROM ANY OF YOU IN MY SAME "predicament" !! Send me your thoughts by posting a comment, if you would!
Here 's the link to the book on AMAZON:
(people like us like to buy USEd books much cheaper than new versions.
We're vagabonds!
They're gonna get dirty anyway!)..http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0812992180/vagabonding
and here is the link to Rolf Pott's web site for the book, as well as links for the forums and such:
http://www.vagabonding.net/book/
http://www.vagabonding.net/forums/
Please, if you've read it, please let me know what you think about the united States part of the book.
I also think it's important to mention what I REALLY wish for is a travel trailer to live in and travel around in. Just thought that was important! Till next time, XO TTR

Need motivation to help me loose 10 pounds. Lipovarin ? I found something cheaper that WORKS!

2007-03-28T04:22:00.000-04:00

a href="http://www.vitabase.com/r-ttr729/Supplements/5-Dollar-Deal.aspx">The $5 Supplement Deal from Vitabase

THIS WAS BACK FROM MARCH 28, 2006, IT IS NOW MAY 2007:

I have only lost about 10 pounds, and the fat burner supplements are the best for boosting metabolism and giving you energy, as well as decreasing your appetite. If I could just change my diet, i'd be loosing weight like crazy...I DEFINITELY recommend checking out the weight loss supplements at VITABASE...Thier prices are awesome. PLEASE be sure to check with your doctor before taking these though..I found out that I can't take anything with green tea in it because of taking coumadin (blood thinners)

VERY IMPT! AT LEAST ASK YOUR PHARMACIST!

I have spent the day trying to figure out the cheapest way to get some weight off. I REALLY want to join LIFESTYLES for Women.

There is one at Woodville Mall in Northwood, and (READ THIS GIRLS) THEY ARE OPENING UP A BRAND NEW ONE ONE AT THE CORNER OF WOODVILLE ACROSS FROM NORTHWOOD HIGH SCHOOL NEXT YEAR.
That is one reason why I haven't joined; it smells bad in there.

THEY HAD A SPECIAL FOR ONLY 20 bucks a month BUT you have to sign a three year contract...THAT LEAVES ME OUT -
I can't commit to ANYTHING till I get all my old bills paid off. and until I know we are going to get child support on a regular basis. otherwise i can only afford to pay the VERY basic monthly bills, and THAT'S IT. MAN IT SUX!
HEY>>>>
I am so fat.............that when I dance, the band skips.

I am so fat, that when I take my sweat pants off, I could use them for a bedspread.
I crack myself up...
I have gained around 20 pounds since me and Larry broke up. That was last July. HEY I WAS BORED! Then I got on that Coconut Creme Pie addiction around Christmastime. Then all through Jan. and Feb., I was depressed and BROKE that and all I did was sleep all the time - just to get the time to pass by, so I wouldn't smoke so much or drive the car and need more money.
I stayed home, like I always do after Christmas, EVERY SINGLE DAY except for appointments.

and WEEKENDS?? WHAT ARE WEEKENDS?

I forgot what it feels like to look forward to the weekend...YEAH I KNOW WAA FRIGGIN WAH.
EAST SIDE LIFE..nooo, MY LIFE..no reason to blame all this on my entire side of town..That's what I'm trying to get across to ya in this Blog. SAME day - different year. Until last week when it got nice and I "landscaped" out in the yard for hours, I was getting no exercise whatsoever.
My ass has the imprint from my computer chair material on it.

ANYONE ELSE??? I am ALONE HERE?

Just in case I'm not, I did some research today that I'd like to share:

There are pills you can take that help you loose weight.

And I just read that Oprah talked about these too and I never heard about it before.
But they don't help very much unless you have already changed your eating habits, started working out and stuff that would make you loose weight anyway. WHICH I HAVE NOT. I AM TOO LAZY. But more than that, I am not motivated. Why should I do it. I NEVER see anyone special (like cute guys) No one EVER comes over and I NEVER go out.
Might as well make the most of my home life, don't cha think? I am really seriously VERY CONTENT!
But I HAVE to think about my health. I am sick of weazing when i go to bed. This just started this year. I am sick of getting out of breath when I climb stairs, and I am sick of looking in the mirror and never thinking that I look nice.
To quit smoking I HAVE to get some of this weight off first. Or I can guarantee, I will shoot right up to 300 pounds. I know me and it WILL happen.
The last time I quit smoking, I arranged my day between sleeping and eating because that was all I had to look forward to.
That lasted 13 days, and it was pure hell.
MY DREAM IS TO JOG AROUND THE BLOCK EVERY MORNING WHEN I GET UP, easily. I want that SO BAD. I get out of breath walking a 1/2 a block I am so out of shape.
I also have that stupid addiction to Nestle's Java and milk that I can't seem to shake.
ha no pun intended.
WELL THE TIME HAS COME. STARTING TOMORROW- I AM GOING TO DRINK 10 GLASSES OF WATER A DAY, and EXERCISE FOR AN HOUR A DAY, THREE TIMES A WEEK. I have to make sure i can at least do THAT, before I commit to buying/starting on this
Lipovarin System.
Here is why I decided to try it:

According to Consumer Health Online - the BEST pill you can take, in comparison to 29 others, is Lipovene. Here's the location of the chart they made up with why it was chosen as the best:
Top 30 Weight Loss Products
http://www.consumerhealthdigest.com/top25.htm

Product
MetabolismEnhancement
WeightLossPotential
Appetite Suppression
IngredientQuality
Total Score
Thermalean-RX™
4 of 5
4 of 5
4 of 5
5 of 5
94/100

Anorex-SF™
4 of 5
4 of 5
3 of 5
4 of 5
91/100
Leptoprin-SF™
4 of 5
4 of 5
3 of 5
4 of 5
91/100

Leptopril™
4 of 5
4 of 5
3 of 5
4 of 5
91/100

Lipo 6™
4 of 5
4 of 5
3 of 5
4 of 5
91/100

Lean System 7™
4 of 5
4 of 5
3 of 5
4 of 5
91/100

Zantrex-3™
4 of 5
3 of 5
4 of 5
3 of 5
88/100
ALL CHART WORK ABOVE WAS WORKED ON AND PUBLISHED BY:
Ernest Carbone III, I.F.P.A. - CPT, CSNC
ConsumerHealthDigest.com
~~~ * ~~~
BE SURE YOU MAKE AN INFORMED DECISION
BEFORE YOU MESS WITH ANY OF THESE PRODUCTS!!
I STRONGLY RECOMMEND THAT YOU NOT ONLY CONSULT WITH YOUR DOCTOR
BEFORE STARTING ANY OF THESE SUPPLEMENTS,
BUT THAT YOU READ THE ENTIRE PAGES FROM ALL THE LINKS IN THIS BLOG ENTRY.
~~~ * ~~~
Please also read:
LAWSUIT BY THE FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION
regarding FiberThin and Propolene
http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2005/06/fiberthin.htm
I have concluded that MY miracle pill (s) is going to be the
Lipovarin 3 Week Weightloss System!
Weight loss and dieting is hard enough. Who needs to deal with a sluggish metabolism slowing your progress and frustrating you to a point where quitting your weight loss program is your only choice? Lipovarin™ will enhance your diet and exercise program by super energizing your workouts and ramping up your metabolism for maximum fat loss. Lipovarin™ is formulated with the highest grade of patented, clinically proven ingredients that will energize your body and put you on the path to a new leaner, healthier you. How Will You Succeed With Lipovarin™?
Supports Thermogenic Fat Burning
Safely Increases Metabolism
Supports the Suppression of Appetite Thereby Reducing The Urge To "Binge" On Unhealthy Empty Calories
Helps Control Sugar Levels and Cravings
Promotes Sustained Energy Levels Throughout The Day
Contains Patented and Clinically Proven Ingredients (***KATH ***)Diminishing results from dieting and diet products can be traced to the fact that the body recognizes the reduction in caloric intake and thereby reduces the production of thyroid hormones. Thyrotril™ not only supports and maintains optimal thyroid function but maximizes your diet product's fullest potential.
How Will You Succeed With Thyrotril™?
Increase Metabolic Rate and Thyroid Function Leading to Faster Weight Loss.
Help Optimize Thyroid Hormone Levels
Provide Complete Glandular and Nutritional Support Necessary for Adequate Thyroid Function While Dieting.
Increase Energy Levels
Supply Your Thyroid and Body With Essential Nutrients
Improve Hair Texture
Aid In Digestion
Decrease Mood Swings and Irritability
Improve Skin Texture Aquadrene™ is designed for individuals who have a problem with excess water retention and “puffiness”. For many individuals mild symptoms of weight gain, swelling of extremities and overall bloating are the result of excess water that just won't go away. Aquadrene™ is a perfect solution for anyone looking to lose those last few uncomfortable, water bloating pounds. It can also be used to jump start the weight loss process for individuals who are just beginning a weight loss program.
How Will You Succeed With Aquadrene™?
Reduce Water Retention Quickly Using a Potent, Synergistic, All Natural Diuretic
Safely Maintain Water Equilibrium Without Depleting Essential Electrolytes
Promote a Healthy Urinary TractSynergy is the KEY to Effective Weight Loss These products work so well together is because they all perform a specific function that when combined, produce a synergistic effect. The Lipovarin™ will help increase energy levels, suppress appetite, and increase your metabolism. Most, if not all, weight loss regimens involve dieting of some sort. Dieting (or a restricted caloric intake) causes a decrease thyroid output. This can actually slow your weight loss to a crawl. Thyrotril™ helps support healthy thyroid levels and aids in the conversion of T-4 to T-3, the more active and metabolism stimulating of the two hormones. Thyrotril™ literally jump starts your weight loss again! Aquadrene™ is the perfect finish to this stack because it helps rid the body of excess water and prevents bloating. Aquadrene™ targets the subcutaneous water between your skin and muscle, so you can achieve a nice, defined look!
Days 1-11
Lipovarin™ (3 caps per serving) once in morning before breakfast and once before mid afternoon meal.

Thyrotril™ ( 2 caps per serving) once in morning before breakfast and once before mid afternoon meal.
Days 12-21
Lipovarin™ (3 caps per serving) once in morning before breakfast and once before mid afternoon meal.

Thyrotril™ ( 2 caps per serving) once in morning before breakfast and once before mid afternoon meal.

Aquadrene™ (3 caps per serving) once in morning after breakfast and once after mid afternoon meal.

READING THESE 5 PAGES IS WHAT REALLY CONVINCED ME:
REVIEWS AND EXPERIENCES:
WEIGHT LOSS FORUMS
http://www.weight-loss-forums.com/about141-15.html
(Here's just a few examples:)

"I havent weighed myself yet. I will probably do so after the 1st 7 days.
But I wanted to share that I am definitly experiencing a nice little energy & mood boost. "~~~ * ~~~
"Is it possible for the effects of these products to wear off so quickly? I started the 3 week Rapid weight loss system a week ago today. The 1st few days I really felt like it was working. I had a good energy/mood boost & I felt like I had better control over cravings/snackings. Now I feel almost nothing when I take these."
HMM....NOTE TO SELF>>>CHECK ON THIS FURTHER ALSO
~~~ * ~~~
"I started the 3 Week Rapid Weight Loss System after seeing it in Oxygen Magazine. I am 17 days into it and I have lost 11 pounds. I have to tell everyone that this System is ABSOLUTELY AWESOME!! I don't feel hungry, I have a bunch of energy and I feel really good. I have tried all the products out there and the Lipovarin/Thyrotril/Aquadrene system has worked the best. I see all of the commercials with the Trim Spa Anna girl and I know it don't work. I gained 5 lbs. on it. Total BS. Don't believe that hype. I am going to start the system again once I am finished with this one. Love it!"
~~~ * ~~~
"I've used both products. Lipovarin works better. I lost 6 Lbs in one month. I lost 4 Lbs in 1 month with liporexin. But Lipovarin cost me $72 for a 30 day supply. Liporexin cost me only $9 per bottle on ebay. I bought 3 bottles and got 1 free. Lipovarin works better. But costs much more and made me feel a lot more jittery than liporexin. You can't go wrong with either."
~~~ * ~~~
"Lipovarin definitely gave me a huge burst of energy – Vanna “my mouth is still really dry....that is the only side effect I have felt” – Vanna “I do believe it seems to be a pretty good product. Helped to decrease my appetite without feeling jittery or nervous” – Starr “Today the Lipovarin was great. NO HEADACHES and i had awesome energy!” – Starr “I am now in my 6th month and I have lost 80lbs” - Scotty Bass “I have been on Lipovarin for 4 days and it feels like it's working. I'm not as hungry and I tend to eat a lot less during mealtimes. My cravings for fatty foods is gone.” – lbinsocal “I haven’t experienced any jitters or irritability, but the capsules give me no energy at all.” – EjnCA “It is friday, feb,11 and all is good.. .so for I have lost 5lbs woohooo! "
MORE FROM THIS POST AT:
http://www.weight-loss-forums.com/viewtopic.php?t=246&highlight=lipovarin
~~~ * ~~~
"Check out this link for ordering Lipovarin. http://www.weight-loss-forums.com/www.evitamins.com/lipovarin.html This is the best price I could find for Lipovarin. "
~~~ * ~~~
I HAVE TO INVESTIGATE THIS FURTHER...ONE ENTRANT ON WEIGHT LOSS FORUMS NOTED THAT THEY BOUGHT
"...Lipovarin combo (Lipovarin, Ultra Carb, & Fat Block)"
THE LAST 2 PILLS ARE DIFFERENT..

WELL THIS BLOG ENTRY IS WAY TOO LONG ALREADY...
THE REST ARE LINKS YOU WILL HAVE TO VISIT AND COPY URSELF, OK?
~~~ * ~~~
LIPOSLIM SYSTEMS OFFERS IT FOR $139.00 plus shipping
http://www.liposlimsystems.com/viewproducts.aspx?categoryID=25

~~~ * ~~~
Ebay has it this week for about $114.00 with 21 hours left to bid - OH -IT'LL GO UP
http://health-beauty.search.ebay.com/3-week-system_Pills-Tablets-Capsules
~~~ * ~~~
An Ebay Store sells it most of the time for about #129.99 plus shipping
http://stores.ebay.com/Wholesale-Nutrition_3-Week-Rapid-Weight-Loss_W0QQfsubZ10
~~~ * ~~~
Evitamins has Lipovarin alone for 69.95 PS BUT ALSO has reviews
http://www.evitamins.com/product.asp?pid=5316
~~~ * ~~~
Here's an excellent post from a Dr. regarding the ingredients and more!
Light- Here are some of the benefits of the other "trademarked" ingredients in Lipovarin that you do not have listed: ADVANTRA-Z™ (citrus aurantium) an important component that has been shown to have metabolic boosting effects similar to that of Ma Huang, without the negative side effects. METABROMINE™- provides a thermogenic effect and a euphoric feeling similar to what we feel when we eat chocolate. Imagine a feeling of "Chocolate Euphoria" without the calories. This euphoric feeling can make dieting much easier to deal with. 7 KETO™ is included in the Lipovarin™ proprietary blend for many of its clinically substantiated claims. These claims include the ability to stimulate enzymes in the liver responsible for thermogenesis, increasing the body's metabolic efficiency, greater weight loss results, and maintaining an ideal body weight. SEROTAIN™- supports the suppression of appetite and provides what many users explain as a euphoric effect. This is very important as many people scrap weight loss programs because of irritability and their inability to control their appetite Now to expand on some of your other questions- Lipovarin help me LOSE weight? with EVERY diet pill you need to work out....not just Lipovarin....so that is a given statement. But the extreme formulation of Lipovarin will help you reach you goals faster. Side effects? If the most common is insomnia than that is the consumer's fault. It says do not take after a certain time on thte bottle. Also if you are sensitive to caffeine and such you should go with lower dose to start (2 caps). 1% of consumers will get slight nausea or slight headaches from the 7-Keto. This ingedient is the main active ingredient in Lipovarin but does have some slight effects but the results far outweight the effects in double-blind placebo testing. Tips? Your tips are good and to the point but general. Some people like to know do they have to take with food and how long before meals? Well, you can take with food and you do not have to wait before consuming meals. Also, some people who take the pills and do not feel ANYTHING can up to 4 caps per serving. This is an extreme case though. Testimonials- Most amazing one i read from another site was where this manic depresant girl who was on meds for so long started taking Lipovarin and actually felt "happy and motivated". You could almost feel the joy in her words. To quote her i think she said" it was like every day was dark and rainy and than suddenly the sun started shining and I smiled!" It was a pretty compelling testimonial. Her weight loss wasnt really mentioned but she didnt care at that point. She was finally not depressed! Where to buy- I do not know if you are an affiliate of eVitamins or what but there are only a select few which are reputable to buy from. EBAY remains the cheapest but no refunds. The manufacturer sites are the most reliable and have some good discounts too.
~~~ * ~~~
JUST A REMINDER: CHECK WITH UR DOCTOR 1ST!

A person from Sweden stated:
I took the recommended dosage 3 caps twice daily and had one of the worst experiences of my life. At first everything was fine but then suddenly I started to itch all over and little red marks broke out all over my skin (niacin flush). Then my heart started pounding and my hands where shaking and I felt the worst panic I have ever experienced - this lasted for at least 12 hours, and it took almost 2 days for it to go away completely. Lipovarin might be good for some, but be careful and try one capsule first and wait a day or so to see how your body is reacting to it. It really took away my cravings for food, but not in a good way. I would never try it again.
THIS IS BAD
~~~ * ~~~
Another lady said:
I just started Lipovarin, I've been taking it for almost a week now, so I can't give it a full review, but I can give some information, as it pertains to myself. First of all, I am on depression medication which probably means I shouldn't be taking lipovarin at all. I have been noticing I feel more emotional lately, but I'm not quick to blame lipovarin. Secondly, I am only taking 4 a day, instead of the recommended 6. I'd recommend starting with 2 a day, and work your way up. I don't really have any negative side affects with 4 a day. I definitely notice my appetite is supressed, plus, my mood is improved. I have noticed it's harder for me to fall asleep now. I guess you can adjust the dose accordingly. I am going to start with 3 pills in the morning and only one in the afternoon, to see if sleep comes easier that way. All in all, I find this product to be very good. I used to take Xenadrine, and it did nothing for me. I recommend trying this product, just use caution when you do.
THIS IS LESS BAD
~~~ * ~~~
I thought what ppl said at the WEIGHT LOSS FORUMS were the most informative.
http://www.weight-loss-forums.com/about141.html

I'm gonna try it.
I like the idea that they make you in a good mood too.
If ANYONE lost 11 pounds in 17 days - I'm IN.

UPDATE!!!
I FOUND THE MOST INEXPENSIVE SITE FOR WEIGHT LOSS SUPPLEMENTS!
Vitabase Health Supplements

43 THINGS BLOG - AWESOME! ...why don't we link all our own blogs together?

2006-09-09T07:34:00.000-04:00

Boy, this "COPY & PASTE" thing is getting easier all the time!!

WHY DON'T YOU CHECK OUT AND REGISTER AT:

http://www.43things.com

ttownrobin
Robin wants to do 12 things
Lose 75 pounds 80 people
add an entry
live in an RV 3 people
add an entry
meet my soulmate 315 people
add an entry
Quit Smoking 3369 people
add an entry
get in shape 3808 people
add an entry
buy all the sex and the city DVDs 4 people
add an entry
Visit and/or live in New York City 4 people
add an entry
organize all my pictures 16 people
add an entry
be a better example for my daughter 2 people
add an entry
be free and brave 1 person
add an entry
create the ultimate playlist 6 people
1 entry add an entry
stop complaining 163 people
add an entry
Lists Robin Bird is working on Edit
LISTS that other people gave me the idea to write 0% complete
→ See more
Some list ideas
Click to add them to your page
Top 10 Proudest Accomplishments
Or, create a new list
Your most recent entries...
be more honest with others about how I am
Worth doing!

NOW TOTALLY HONEST, but no boyfriend — 8 minutes ago

Read my description of me at my MySpace;

http://www.myspace.com/ttownrobin

Sep 09, 08:09PM PDT | Edit | Delete | 0 comments

create the ultimate playlist
Right now it's on my Project Playlist on my MySpace — 16 minutes ago
IF I CAN GET THE SONOFABITCH TO WORK!

I wanted to have a music player for my myspace page that plays multiple songs. After using the one that everyone else had, and noticing that it didn’t work most of the time, I found Project Playlist.

http://www.projectplaylist.com/

Their server is sometimes overloaded because they’re pretty popular, especially from the time that kids get out of school until after 6 pm weekdays, and it takes a lot of patience to find the music you want; but I really like the service.
The player will load automatically, and play the songs in order, or viewers can click on it and play what they like. It then defaults to playing the next song in order, and continues unless you click on another song.

A HUGE THANK YOU TO:
“NurseHealer”
for writing the words to help me say what I needed to say about this..
NurseHealer at myspace:
http://www.myspace.com/***********
ME on MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/ttownrobin

Sept 10, 11:00PM EST

Sep 09, 08:02PM PDT

Celebrate Mardi Gras in New Orleans (read all 2 entries…)

Not worth it!

It was St. Patrick's Day, and that was enough.. — 1 hour ago

New Orleans is way too crowded during Mardi Gras, and I don’t appreciate the disrespect and nudity.
St. patrick’s Day is much less crowded, has a wonderful parade with all the beads and everything. It’s a very expensive place to go. I can get drunk anywhere. Like on a beautiful, queit white sandy island…

My Aunt Susy has been there during Mardi Gras.She called me from her cell phone (March 2006)
http://www.myspace.com/susygolfer

Sep 09, 06:57PM PDT

Celebrate Mardi Gras in New Orleans (read all 2 entries…)
Not worth it!

It was St. patrick's Day, and that was enough.. — 1 hour ago

New Orleans is way too crowded during Mardi Gras, and I don’t appreciate the disrespect and nudity.
St. Patrick’s Day is much less crowded, has a wonderful parade with all the beads and everything. It’s a very expensive place to go. I can get drunk anywhere. Like on a beautiful, queit white sandy island…

Sep 09, 06:54PM PDT

Fall in love
Worth doing!

I'd fall in love again - but this time I'll be more choosy — 1 hour ago
“Tis better to have loved and lost, than to never have loved at all..”

Doug, Terry, Doug again, Mike, Doug again, Larry, Doug again, well maybe not so much Doug anymore...

Sep 09, 06:50PM PDT

move 29 things in my house
Worth doing!

I move my furniture every 2-3 months — 30 weeks ago
I am stuck at home so that is the only way I feel any change in my life. I love it so much after I get it done, that I sleep on the couch for a couple of nights afterwards, then I can enjoy the new look more. I can’t explain why I do it, much more than that. I’ve moved my furniture like this ever since I had my first apartment, 25 years ago. I really get off on it. Usually I start by picking the one thing I really NEED to change (like for the last week or so, my computer chair wasn’t comfortable enough and had been bothering my neck) so I moved my recliner there instead, and moved the rest of the room in a way that a)it would all fit, and b) in a way that it had never been (which is a big accomplishment for me, since I have already moved it 30 times, AND I have 3 windows and 2 doors to work around!) Let me know if I can help you “take a trip and never leave the farm”!

Feb 09, 05:28AM PST which is Feb 09, 11:28PM EST !

Cheers available: 5
Your subscriptions: 4 people

Robin Bird has done 5 things
be more honest with others about how I am 1 person Worth doing!
1 entry
make my yard an enchanted garden 1 person Worth doing!

Celebrate Mardi Gras in New Orleans 19 people Not worth it
2 entries
Fall in love 9207 people Worth doing!
1 entry
move 29 things in my house 0 people Worth doing!
1 entry
I want to:

What do you want to do...?
listen to better music stay in shape learn sign language play strip poker join an orchestra get stronger Visit Japan juppski wants to Never to go to McDanalds again Learn to not shy away from confrontation learn a new language write science fiction be an actress go to more concerts Design and build a house babygangster424 wants to diet pills be a good mommy learn haskell Build a bar in my basement earn my bachelor's degree take a photography class Visit Spain be a millionaire before 40 drink eight glasses of water a day
finish my project Learn to say no go back to school have clear skin

Cold and Warm, East Side Pride and Winter Blues

2005-02-15T01:40:00.000-05:00

The weather, my love life, my finances. I am a true East Toledoan.
I suppose you COULD say all I do is bitch, but how else would I even recognise that things need to change or somehow be made different by myself, OR seen differently through my eyes - if I did not mention them out loud??
DOES ANYONE AGREE WITH ME OUT THERE?
I'm TIRED OF BEING TOLD ALL I DO IS BITCH. I am one of the most positive persons you will ever meet. I love my life (I don't always say it though) I love waking up every day, I love the weather WHEN IT'S WARM, I am so thankful for my man - on our good days, I am so thankful for EVERYTHING!
What does being an East Toledoan have to do with it??
Well, most of us in this neighborhood, anyway, are in the same income bracket. We make enough to pay most of the bills, but are stuck at home all winter because we can't afford to do anything else. That's why many of us walk around here. Either the car is broken down, or you can't pay the insurance this month for some reason, or you can't afford the gas for anything except for the "essentials".
Many of us single women, attractive East Toledo women I might add, keep getting stuck with these LOSER, ALCOHOLIC MEN, who are someone else's leftovers, either don't want to work, or do work but don''t make enough money to move out of Mommy's house, or spend too much on partyin' or beer to be able to afford rent, let alone buy something like a VALENTINES GIFT for their loved ones. ...us beautiful East Toledo Women. And yet, we continue to put up with it. Because that is all that is available to us here on the East Side. We don't make much money ourselves! Hell, some East Toledo women are drug addicted to be able to tolerate this lifestyle day after day after day. We don't go places to meet executives or doctor's (like many of our mother's dreamed for us), we are basically country women at best, who like to cook, keep clean houses, take care of our men... "servasa", you know, and we have to settle for, basically, who will settle FOR US!
Personally, I am thankful to have this - NO - REALLY I AM!- I am thankful to live where I live, to be living at all, and to have the man that I have for NOW - I pray to God our East Side Pride holds out and things get better. Our "East Side Motto". Things can ONLY get better. I need to make some changes, I know that.
But then everything changes as soon as Spring weather hits, and all is well with the world again.
This is ALL winter-blues, you know. I refuse to believe it is totally East Side mentality.