Reading a Childhood Favorite

When I was younger, my sister, dad and I would curl up before bed time and read There's a Hippopotamus on Our Roof Eating Cake.  I can't say exactly why we loved this book so much, but it was a frequent withdrawal from the school library.  In high school, I took a children's literature class and one of our assignments was to bring in a copy of our favorite book and give a little speech about it.  My efforts to locate a copy of There's a Hippopotamus on Our Roof failed, and I settled for The Velveteen Rabbit, a book that I had liked that my sophomore lit teacher had given to me as a present.  Disappointed, I gave up hope of ever finding it.

Until... a month ago my boyfriend located it on Amazon.  After hearing me talk about it, he bought it for me.  It finally showed up Thursday, just in time for me to show it to my sister who is normally off at college, but is visiting my grandmother's this weekend for Easter, as am I.

As soon as I arrived at my grandmother's house last night, I whipped out the book and showed it to my sister.  Later, we had story book time and read the book to our boyfriends and grandmother.  We even showed the pictures as we read.

I have to say, we were quite surprised by what happened in the book... the little girl kind of sounds like a creeper.  For example, she mentions that the hippopotamus on the roof likes to watch television.  The text reads, "He watches. I know he does."  The "I know he does" sounded a little creepy.  It's weird looking at things you loved when you're an adult.

New "finder" subplot hijacks latest Bones episode

Tonight's Bones episode left fans divided.  Some tweeted their excitement at the possibility of a new spin off series about Walter, a man who finds things using his special magical finding ability.  Others felt as though their usual Thursday night favorite had been hijacked by some attempt to introduce a new series that seemed like some copycat of Burn Notice.  (okay, that part about how "others" felt is really referencing my own opinions specifically, BUT many fans were bored and uninterested in a show that bore little resemblance to the popular series).

The feel of this "Finder" show, as fans on Twitter seem to be referring to it, conflicts with Bones' strive to find rational explanations for mysterious situations.  While Booth does offer a foil to the prevalent scientific objectivity and disregard of aspects of belief and religion, the show is science based.  (Shh, no one say anything about Angela's [magical] computer).

Walter's supposed "finder" power which allows him to locate objects is regarded as a msytical superpower.  In the content of Walter's rant about everything being connected, it puts this episode in the category of fantasy.  Bones is science fiction.  Temperance Brennan prides herself on her ability to use logic and refute seemingly supernatural occurrences with rational explanations.  Especially in juxtaposition of last week's episode, this episode seems random and out of touch with the series.

My biggest question is WHY?  Why sacrifice an episode of a popular show to test run a television series with opposing themes?  According to this article on TVGuide, it seems like the executive producer of Bones, Hart Hanson, discovered this book series on which Finder is based, The Locator, and thought it would make a good series.  Perhaps so.  But is that any reason to commandeer an already great show?  

Honestly, if they had decided to air "Finder" as its own show, even in Bones' timeslot, I much would have preferred that. Instead I was teased into thinking I would actually get to see an episode of my favorite show tonight - and thoroughly disappointed.  Or, other thought, introduce Finder & his friends, but cut back their appearance.  Don't focus on them for the whole episode.

In that TV Guide article, they talk about angering friends with new characters.  While I didn't like Cam when she was first introduced, I grew to like her.  I didn't like Daisy but changed my mind on that, too (honestly, how can you not like Daisy & Sweets?).  But there is a difference between the way that these characters were written in and the way that this Walter guy was written in. Walter's story took up the whole episode, and I just do not think that is right.  It's called Bones, not "Hart Hanson's popular tv show to be used as a platform for his other ideas".  Had Walter been a side character in this episode instead of the main protagonist, my opinion of tonight's episode would be much different.

Now, one final area to cover.  This guy is supposed to be a love interest for Brennan?  I have an idea.  Let's bring Hannah back --- after all, didn't she say she'd be back? --- and then she and Walter can ride (erm, sail?) off into the sunset.  And then we can finally get back to our regularly scheduled Bones & Booth.

Travel Day Dreams

E-ZPass Follow UP

My E-ZPass came in the mail today! April 11. So it took five days. I still have to install it, but I’m really excited! Will now have to plan a trip so I can use it, hehe.

Monday Musings

My sister just got back from spending her spring break in the Caribbean. I'm quite jealous. Apparently she ziplined, drove a dune buggy, and went parasailing. Oh, and also tried caviar and escargo. Quite the exotic adventure. Looking at her pictures reminded me how much I missed travelling. I got to do a lot of travelling in the latter half of 2008, and so seeing her have these wonderful experiences reminds me of mine.

No, I didn't do anything crazy like zip lining or parasailing or, scariest of all, trying escargo (blech!). But I did spend 20 hours in a van driving to New Orleans, to spend a week waking up at 7 every morning, working in the blistering heat, and going to bed at 12 (I am not a morning person). I did stand on the narrow, ridiculously high Marienbrucke, look out over the beautiful German countryside and tour the fairy tale Neuschwannstein Castle.

The sense of awe a person gets when they see something for the first time... in my life I've never experienced anything more grand or powerful. Whether it's how huge the sky looks in New Orleans or how high the Marienbrucke stretches over a steep ravine, I can't even think of the words to describe the excitement and wonder that I experienced in those moments. I'm sitting here in the New Jersey humidity racking my brain and the words just aren't there.

Unfortunately today those trips aren't as easy to come by. While living a semester in England, Ireland, Germany and Italy were just a short plane ride a way - a little skip over the sea. With bills to pay and a 9 to 5 job to report to every weekday, it's not as easy to plan these epic journeys.

But hopefully in the coming weeks, I'll explore short getaways for the every day person that can't afford that Mediterranean Cruise or a week exploring old castles -- and of course, find ways to save up for those. Because everyone deserves an adventure now and then.

E-ZPass: Your Ticket to a Stress-Free Drive

When most people think of “travel”, they probably picture planes soaring over mountains of clouds, trains speeding through rolling plains, or ships steaming across vast oceans. But what about the car? This humble little vehicle may not seem as romantic or grand, but still faithfully transports us where we need to go, tirelessly motoring along the open road. A car means freedom and flexibility. And there is something to be said for the sense of adventure that comes with navigating across the country with the wheel in your hands and your friends by your side.

A month ago, I finally bought my own car (yay!). I had been borrowing my dad’s car for years, taking it on long weekends to Washington DC. Naturally you can imagine how this situation was not ideal for my father, who is quite thrilled to have his car back for his own use. New car (which is going to be named, but I have been struggling to find the right name) has already escorted me on a voyage to Beantown.

Why is Boston called "Beantown"?
I looked this up and discovered some rather interesting information about Boston’s history. It is called Beantown because beans baked in molasses was a Boston favorite back in colonial times. And the interesting tidbit discovered when looking this information up – apparently there was a killer flood of molasses. Yes, you read that right, molasses. The Great Molasses Flood of 1919 killed 21 people when a tankard of molasses exploded. Source

On said voyage to Beantown – and that’s a nickname for Boston, btw – I finally noticed the absence of E-ZPass. My dad has it on his car, but surprisingly enough, cars don’t automatically come with E-ZPass and I was once again relegated to having to wait in the endless toll booth lines.

I am someone who greatly values her time, so E-ZPass is a thing of wonder to me. Speeding past the suckers waiting in line provides endless enjoyment. (Seriously, my boyfriend always comments on how gleeful I look when driving through the E-ZPass lane. E-ZPass makes me happy).

If you are in the northeast area, I would highly recommend getting an E-ZPass tag for your car. Unfortunately it does not cover the whole nation, but it will work in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and New England as well as other states. I do happen to take long car trips across Pennsylvania, as I have relatives in Harrisburg and in Ohio. (The Pennsylvania Turnpike is horrifyingly endless, although quite scenic. I like the windmills near the Somerset rest area).

What is E-ZPass?

E-ZPass is an electronic toll collection system that allows drivers to pay a toll without having to stop at a booth.  Special sensors use the E-ZPass tag to connect with a prepaid E-ZPass account and withdrawal the necessary funds.

What states does it cover?

The program covers 14 states overseen by the E-ZPass Interagency Group (IAG), which is comprised of 25 different agencies. Basically it can be used in the northeastern part of the United States, going as far west as Illinois and as far south as Virginia, all the way north up to Maine. Check out this map of of the 14 states in the IAG for more details. (Note: it is a PDF file). Not in the northeast? Check out a list different electronic toll collection systems.

How to Get Your E-ZPass

Go to the website for your agency and look over the different plans that they offer for your state. (I admit I was a little overwhelmed by the variety of options they provided and just chose the standard plan). The cost varies for different states and different agencies. Once you’re signed up, they’ll send you a tag in the mail. Follow their instructions for how to put it in your car (you have to put it in a specific spot). Then, when you are driving on a toll road, you stay in the EZPass lanes and cruise by while non-E-ZPass users get stuck in long lines as they frantically dig for loose change.

E-ZPass Agencies

The IAG is comprised of twenty-five different agencies in fourteen different states. You can purchase your E-ZPass from any of the agencies, and they all have their own website, so do your research, as the different agencies do have different costs associated with them.

E-ZPass for Out of Area Visitors

For the out of stater travelling through the northeast, and does not want to deal with long toll lines, they do have an option called E-ZPass On-The-Go. You can purchase an E-ZPass at a participating retailer and activate it via the phone, through the internet or in person. You can use their website to search for nearby locations (the best thing to do is to look this up ahead of time).

So what are you waiting for? Seriously - get an E-ZPass. It is your ticket to a stress-free drive. And if anything, it means you can leave ten minutes later without having to worry about those darn toll lanes.

Proposed Posting Schedule

For now, I plan on updating this blog midweek and over the weekend. For midweek posts, I will focus on travel tips and advice, with topics ranging from how to find the cheapest hotel tickets to apps to use during your travel. On the weekends, I'll write broader stories about my past trips to New Orleans, Peru, England, etc, as well as more recent trips and weekend excursions. As a New Jersey resident, my posts will primarily be focused on travel within the north east area, although as I have mentioned I do intend to write about my past adventures (I am a "World Traveller", you know, or at least that's what my British Airways ticket proclaimed for my flight to England).