How PA Does New Years

Some dude on MSN says that Pennsylvanians will drop anything they can get their hands on for New Years. He wasn't kidding, check it...

Akron- shoe
Bethlehem - marshmallow Peep
Blain - a cow made of wood, dropped from a silo
Bradford - a ball
Carlisle- an Indy car
Cleona- a pretzel
Dillsburg- a pickle
Duncannon- a sled
Elizabethtown- a giant M&M
Falmouth- a stuffed goat
Frogtown - a frog
Gratz- a wildcat
Harrisburg- a strawberry
Hershey- a Hershey Kiss
Hummelstown- a lollipop
Ickesburg- a french fry
Lancaster- a red rose
Lebanon - a large Lebanon bologna stick
Lititz- a Moravian star
Liverpool- a canal boat
Lewistown- a bag of Hartley's potato chips
Manheim - a ball
Mechanicsburg - a wrench
Middletown - a ball
New Bloomfield- a huckleberry
New Oxford- an antique trunk
Newport- a plywood hard hat
Newville- a big spring
Pittsburgh- a ball
Pottsville- a bottle of Yuengling beer
Red Lion- a wooden cigar held by a lion
Richland - a cigar
Seven Valleys - a broasted chicken
Shippensburg - an anchor
Steelton - a steamroller
Strasburg - ping pong balls
Wilkes-Barre- a chunk of coal that turns into a diamond
York - a white rose

Christmas In NYC

There really is no better place to visit during the Christmas season than NYC. With all the decorations and good cheer from the nearly 20 million people living there, you can't help but get the warm and fuzzies.

Of course there is tons to do, but here's a fun guide for the Christmas season:
Holiday Fairs- stands are set up throughout the city that sell holiday gifts and decorations, much in the German tradition. Be sure to check out the fairs in Columbus Circle, Union Square, Bryant Park, and Grand Central Terminal.

Rockefeller Center- it's packed shoulder to shoulder but you can't miss seeing a magnificent tree.

Down the street from Rockefeller are all the department stores with their window displays. I promise they aren't chintzy like in your little old town with mannequins dressed in store clothes with a velvet drop cloth. No, this if full throttle fancy shit. So whimsical, so fantastical, you will totally get why lines form early.

I really love New York during Christmas.

Christmas Shopping Guide for the Impossible: The Doomsdayer

Yes, we've all got crazies in our family, but what do you get them for Christmas? These scrooges would probably be happy with a lump of coal but what about this...a survival kit. There are some great new products out on the market and some tried and true items that you can never have too many of. Here are some things I picked up for my little doomsdayer. Listed are approximate prices for items depending on the brand you choose.

Emergency blanket: less than $5
Magnesium flint: around $7
Flares: 4 pack for $24
Water sterilization UV wand: $80
Blood clotting compress: $20 (probably better for an advanced first aid kit)

Packed together is a great starter kit. Added to the stuff already around the house, like a compass, flashlight, guidebook, and first aid kit can really round out the bunker.

Christmas Shopping Guide for the Impossible: The Dad Who's into His Family

If you know someone (not just dads) that takes pride in their heritage or family, I picked up a great software packet called Family Tree by Ancestry.com. It gives you all the tools to track your family tree and a free trial subscription to Ancestry.com to help in your research. I just thought it was a great idea for a father-in-law who is into his Irish heritage.

Family Tree software: $40, but I saw it on sale for $30 at Target.

Christmas Shopping Guide for the Impossible: The Athlete/ The Gadget Guru

This has probably been on the market for a while but just read about it recently. There's this gadget that you hook your ipod to your sneakers up and data from your run shows up on your ipod.

Nike running shoes supposedly already have a slot in the sole to place the sensor, but you can buy a strap or something if you don't wear Nike shoes. Then when you start running, something like your mileage and time pops up on your ipod screen. That sounds cool. Also Nike hosts a website to keep logs and share with other runners or something.

Nike Ipod Sports Kit $30.

Gun Nut

I don't have a problem with people and their guns anymore. For a while I did. But I've had a change of heart with a caveat. I'm only okay with the right to own guns. I'm not okay with the people. Why can't a person own a gun and just be normal? Why does every gun nut have to sound and act like Yosemite Sam and be intent on housing a full armory in their basement. You're the only ones driving up the price to your guns. Duh.

Blog Catch Up

Sorry I haven't blogged since May. I just plain got lazy and didn't have much to talk about. But I've got a few thoughts on my mind that I will jot down and call it even. Thanks for sticking in there.