Auld Lang Syne....

In every blog that I have had over the years, I have always played this video on New Year's Eve. It is a tradition, and a lovely one at that! Here's wishing you and yours the happiest of New Years! Enjoy!!

Miracles

It's Pet Shop Boys, my dears! Enjoy!!

Madonna's Diva Christmas Nightmare

A few days late, but, worth the wait!

Weird But Wonderful Wednesday

The song is called "Eye of the Storm" and it is performed by Ben Lovett. This type of music falls into the catagory of a genre known as "Steampunk". Enjoy!!

Dhanno!

A little bit of heaven with my darling Akshay and the dashing Arjun Rampal, and I love how it ends! Enjoy!!

Boxing Day

Things always get out of hand around here the day after Christmas, once the houseboys get into the leftover eggnog...

Merry Christmas!!!

Wishing you and yours the happiest of holidays!!

The Power of Love

God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen

The faaaaabulous Ms. Annie Lennox! Enjoy!!

The Meaning of Christmas

Weird But Wonderful Wednesday

This is SO something that I would do!

12 Days of Christmas

Not really Bollywood, but appropriate for the holiday! Enjoy!!

Ab Fab Christmas Special Sneak Peek!

As most of you may or may not know, the creators of Absolutely Fabulous! are coming back to do three specials!! (Two at the holidays, and one next year during the London 2012 Olympics)!

I have been concerned, because, truth be told, I didn't think that their most recent revamp a few years ago was as good as the original series from the 90's. However, having just seen a clip from the upcoming holiday special, I think that they're back in rare form once again! Enjoy!!

Doctor Whoville!

Hanuman Chalisa

It Doesn't Often Snow at Christmas

Long time readers know that I ADORE the Pet Shop Boys! Here's their contribution to the Christmas music catalog! This was originally only available to members of their fan club, but, then they released it to the general public. (Unfortunately, there was never an official music video.) Enjoy anyway! :)

Science Fiction Book Meme

Ever since I was a kid, I have always loved science fiction and fantasy. So I was very happy to come across this festive little meme! Enjoy!

Science Fiction, Fantasy or Horror?
Science Fiction, with Fantasy as a close second. Except for some of H.P. Lovecraft's works, I could never get into Horror.

Hardcover, Paperback or Ebook?
Depends. I have a gorgeous hardcover edition of Lord of the Rings, and all of my Harry Potter's are hardcover, but lately most of what I buy is through my Kindle.

Heinlein or Asimov?
Asimov. I first discovered him through his "I, Robot" collection and after that I read just about everything that I could find of his, including of course, his Foundation Trilogy. I had read Heinlein's "Stranger in a Strange Land" of course, but, the rest of his work didn't really interest me.

Amazon or Brick and Mortar?
Amazon.  Especially when they came out with the Kindle.

Barnes & Noble or Borders?
Even if Borders hadn't gone out of business I would have said Barnes and Noble. When they finally opened a Borders around here a few years ago, I was less than impressed. And now, sad to say, Barnes and Noble seems to going downhill as well. About the only time I still go to B&N anymore is if I'm looking for a specific magazine.

Hitchhiker or Discworld?
Hitchhiker. I could never get into the Discworld books.

Bookmark or Dogear?
Bookmark of course! People who "dogear" aren't fit to own books! Why, the very idea! Gads!!!

Magazine: Asimov's Science Fiction or Fantasy & Science Fiction?
Does anyone remember "Galaxy"? That was the sc-fi magazine that I always bought back in the day! I suppose a close second would be F&SF.

Alphabetize by author Alphabetize by title or random?
Alphabetize by author's last name. I'm anal.

Keep, Throw Away or Sell?
I keep my specially chosen hardcovers. I usually sell or donate my read-once paperbacks.

Keep dustjacket or toss it?
Who the Hell tosses a dustjacket?!!!

Read with dustjacket or remove it?
Read with it on.

Short story or novel?
Novels. Unless it's a really good anthology of short stories.

Harry Potter or Lemony Snicket?
Harry Potter. I tried to get into the Lemony Snicket books, but, I just didn't care for them.

Stop reading when tired or at chapter breaks?
Chapter breaks. Again, the anal thing.

"It was a dark and stormy night" or "Once upon a time"?
"Once upon a time."

Buy or Borrow?
Buy.  (And I never lend!)

Buying choice: Book Reviews, Recommendation or Browse?
Book reviews to start with. From there I usually will read a small portion of the book to get a flavor of it, and then make my decision based on that.

Lewis or Tolkien?
Tolkien. I read Narnia as a kid, and it was okay, but it couldn't hold a candle to Middle-Earth.

Hard SF or Space Opera?
It depends on the author. I usually lean towards Space Opera though...

Collection (short stories by the same author) or Anthology (short stories by different authors)?
I will buy an anthology depending on the theme of it (i.e. dragons, werewolves, etc...) and I only will buy a collection if I really like the author.

Hugo or Nebula?
Neither really influence my book buying decisions.

Golden Age SF or New Wave SF?
Both have their gems and their embarassments...

Tidy ending or Cliffhanger?
Tidy ending. If you want to get me to buy a sequel, write a real sequel, rather than just finishing the book I've already paid for.

Morning reading, Afternoon reading or Nighttime reading?
Whenever I have the time!

Standalone or Series?
It depends on the author, but, I tend to choose series.

Urban fantasy or high fantasy?
Again, it depends on the author.

New or used?
New, unless the book is out of print, then Used.

Favorite book of which nobody else has heard?
Zenna Henderson's "The People" series. And it's not so much that no one has heard of them, but, I think that they're probably out of print and anyone younger than 40 will probably never have heard of them. But they are special!

Top X favorite genre books of all time? (Where X is 5 or less)
1.  The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley
2.  Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke
3.  Lord of Light by Roger Zelazny

X favorite genre series? (Where X is 5 or less)
1. The Parasol Protectorate by Gail Carriger.
2.  The Amber series by Roger Zelazny.
3. The Eight Worlds series by John Varley.

Weird But Wonderful Wednesday

Now, why don't they show this kind of commercial in America, I ask you?!!

Dil Ki Hai Tamanna

Here's a sweet romantic song from the luscious John Abraham's latest film Force.  I found it to be especially enjoyable starting at the 0:44 mark. Enjoy!!

Godzilla Christmas

This is an actual Christmas tree in a Tokyo mall! SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!! :)

Coming Out at Christmas

Faaaaaaaaaaaabulous!!!

Santa Claus is Coming to Town!

So be good for goodness' sake! (or bad for that matter!)

Last Christmas

It's WHAM! Sweetie-Dahlings! How funny to see George Michael with a woman! Oh, those crazy Eighties! Enjoy!! ;)

I Wouldn't Want Their Holiday Electric Bill...

Weird But Wonderful Wednesday

I have no idea what country this is from, but, isn't it faaaaabulous?!!!

Awara Pagal Deewana

Here we have my darling Akshay in his younger days (1997 to be exact. Gods! He was gorgeous!) in a festive little song from the film Lahu ke Do Rang. Enjoy!!

I Can Spot a Guilty Person a Mile Away!

I will have the dubious privilege of jury duty today!

Ack.

If anything interesting happens you'll read about it here first!

TTFN!

Update: 2:25PM

I didn't get picked and they were done with needing jurors by Noon, so no courtroom drama for me! :(

My Baloney Has a First Name!

I wish we had a Piggly-Wiggly around here!

I've Gotta Order Me Some Rosetta Stones!

All I Want For Christmas Is You!!

The only song of hers that I like! Enjoy!!

Holiday Meme

To start off December with a bang, I present you with this faaaabulous Holiday Meme! Enjoy!!

1. Egg nog or hot chocolate?Hot Chocolate (with some Peppermint Schnappes!).

2. Letter to Santa? Dear Santa,
All I want for Christmas is Peace on Earth, Goodwill to Men and a Kindle Fire....

3. Does Santa wrap presents or just set them under the tree?They are just set under the tree. That's how you know they're from him!

4. Colored lights on your tree/house or white?Colored.

5. Do you hang mistletoe?No, there's plenty of things "hanging" around here already, if you get my drift...

6. When do you put your decorations up?Usually the weekend after Thanksgiving.

7. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)?Brocolli Casserole.

8. Favorite holiday memory as a child?Christmas morning! Some years it was like a toy store!

9. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa?What truth?

10. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve?If we bugged our parents enough, we were allowed to open one gift.

11. How do you decorate your Christmas tree?There is an order to this so pay attention! First the lights go up, then the garland, then the ornaments and then the tree topper! Certain parties F who shall remain nameless have tried to change this order. It is not permitted!

12. Can you ice skate?No.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift?Nothing specific comes to mind.

14. What’s the most important thing about the holidays for you?Being with family and friends.

15. What is your favorite holiday dessert?Pumpkin pie.

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition?Bloody Mary's on Christmas morning!

17. What tops your tree?An angel.

18. Which do you prefer, giving or receiving?Both.

19. What is your favorite Christmas Song?It Came Upon a Midnight Clear.

20. Candy Canes! Yuck or Yum?I like candy canes but what I really love is Peppermint Bark! YUM!

Weird But Wonderful Wednesday

The faaaabulous Miss Judy Tenuta with "I LIKE BOYZ"! Well, who doesn't?!!!

Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham

Here we have the song Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham  from the film of the same name. It's not a bouncy dance number, but, I still find it very enjoyable just the same. The song takes place during a religious puja (ceremony) and while I am not familiar with the specifics of the ceremony itself, you can see that they are honoring Lord Vishnu in his avatars of Rama and Krishna. Enjoy!

Should I Do This With My Goatee?

If Only it Came With a Matching Hat...

Hanuman Chalisa

The Mystery is Solved!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Weird But Wonderful Wednesday

Wow. Just....wow. Enjoy!!!

Chori Chori Chupke Chupke

We're going old school here today (all the way back to 2001!) , with the faaaaabulous song from the film of the same name; Chori Chori Chupke Chupke starring Salman Khan. While Mr. Khan is easy on the eyes, he's something of a cad, so I don't care much for him. The song is faaaabulous though, so enjoy!!

To All of the "Twilight" Fans Out There....

I Think That I'll Just Stay in Bed Today...

TTFN!

Hanuman Chalisa

Breathe

Here's some Erasure to start the weekend! The video itself is sad and a little strange, but the song is faaaabulous! Enjoy!!

Madonna Leaked Demo

Weird But Wonderful Wednesday

Once again, I stumbled upon this quite by accident. We have a group similar to these folks in my area called the Young at Heart Chorus. (There was even a documentary on PBS about them!) I wonder if they do any Lady Gaga...

Dhoom Again

Here we have the delicious Hrithik Roshan in Dhoom 2. The song's not so hot, but, I assume that you will all enjoy the dance number!

The Gay Meme

1. How old were you when you knew you were gay?
I was around 11 or 12.

2. Have you ever had sex with the opposite sex?
No.

3. Who was the first person you came out to?
My best friend in high school. Turns out that he was Gay too!

4. Are you out to your family?
Yes.

5. Do you want children?
No. I'm quite happy being the eccentric uncle!

6. Do you have more gay friends or straight friends?
More gay friends.

7. Were you out in school?
Yes and no. Remember, this was the late 70's-early 80's. Some friends knew, but most people didn't.

8. Is your best friend the same sex as you?
Yes.

9. If your best friend is the same sex, have you ever had sex with them?
I married him.

10. Have you ever done crystal meth?
No.

11. Have you ever been in a sling?
No.

12. Have you ever done a 3-way?
Only in my fantasies.

13. Have you ever dressed in drag?
Yes.

14. Would you date a drag queen?
If I wasn't already married, I'd like to think that I wouldn't rule out a boyfriend for that reason.

15. Are you a top/bottom or truly versatile?
I’ve been told that I’m a talented boy.

16. Have you seen an uncircumcised penis?
Yes. A few.

17. Have you had sex with someone of a different ethnicity?
Yes.

18. Have you ever barebacked?
Just with my spouse.

19. How many Cher CDs do you own?
A handful.

20. Name of your first love?
Larry.

21. Do you still talk to them?
Once in a while.

22. Does size matter?
Most definitely!

23. Biggest turn on?
Eyebrows and arms.

24. Biggest turn off?
Cruelty and ignorance.

25. Ever been harassed due to your orientation?
Yes.

26. Worst gay stereotype that applies to you?
Being less than the epitome of masculinity. That and show tunes.

27. Ever been to a pride rally?
Several.

28. Would you marry if you could?
I can and I did!

29. Would you rather be rich and smart or young and beautiful?
Rich and smart. Youth and beauty fade, but if you're rich enough and smart enough you can buy them back.

30. Do you sculpt your eyebrows?
I trim them now and then.

31. Do you trim your body hair?
Once in a while.

32. Ever had sex with more than one person in a day?
No.

33. Ever been to an orgy?
No, more's the pity.

34. Have you dated your best friends ex?
No.

35. Would you vote for Hillary Clinton if she ran for president?
Maybe in 2016...

36. Do you want monogamy in your relationships?
Yes.

37. Do you believe in true love?
Yes.

38. Do you have any tattoos?
No. I have been FORBIDDEN to get one.

39. Do you have any piercings?
One in my left ear.

40. Would you date a smoker?
No.

41. Do you get HIV tests every 6 months?
No.

42. Do you know anyone who has died from HIV?
Yes.

43. Do you know what Stonewall was?
Of course!

44. Strangest place you have had sex?
Men's locker room at a public beach in Rhode Island.

45. Strangest place you’ve woken up?
I've never been so drunk that this sort of thing has ever happened to me.

46. Are your best years behind or in front of you?
I hope still ahead of me.

47. Favorite porn movie?
None that I can think of.

48. Are you in love now?
Yes.

49. Ever been in love with a straight guy?
Yes. It sucked.

50. Did you ever have sex with him?
Almost.

51. Have you ever been to a nude beach?
No.

52. Have you ever been to a bath house?
No.

53. Ever had sex in public?
Sort of.

54. Have you ever been/stayed in a relationship for Money or Security, instead of Love and Friendship?
No.

Green? Purple? Decisions, Decisions...

The Voice

Let yourself be swept away by the unparalleled splendour of The Moody Blues!!

Lest We Forget...

Is She Named Sam, Gail or Oprah?

Weird But Wonderful Wednesday

As I was living in the dark ages for the last week, I didn't have much opportunity to surf the interwebs. So this week's entry is an oldie, but a goodie! From the wonderful Weird Al Yankovic we have Amish Paradise! Enjoy!!

Rola Pe Gaya

My darling Akshay is featured once again in this song from one of his latest films, Patiala House, and the end of the clip looks very dramatic! I can't wait to see it! Enjoy!!

Some Photos From The Snowstorm

And this is just a small percentage of what the rest of the street, not to mention the city, looked like! Scary!!! (Click on the photos to embiggen them!)

Yes, that's me in the last shot! I repeat...scary stuff!

Getting Back to Normal

The power finally came back on at around 7:30PM last night.

Which meant that we had been without power for EIGHT F**king days!!!!

Ack.

You don't realize how much you take for granted the wonders of modern day living, until you don't have them anymore.

I'm glad and grateful to have them back.

We will resume our regular broadcasts tomorrow.

TTFN

Update 11/03/2011

Hello All

As of today, they are still saying that most of Springfield will not have power restored until sometime this Saturday.

I am sure that I will be in with that lot, if not later, just because of the huge number of downed trees and branches on my street alone. (I took pictures and will get them posted once we have power again.)

Add to that the fact that the power line that connects my house to the utility pole was knocked down by a falling branch. It looks to be intact so it should just be a simple matter of reconnecting it. And I did call the electric company yesterday to have them note that for when they come down our street.

Fortunately, F's brother "M", who lives about a mile and a half from us got his power back last night, so we are staying with them (Teddy-ji too!). It wasn't the most ideal situation, but, it was a relief to have warmth and light.

Unless things change tomorrow or over the weekend, you may not hear from me again until next week when I'm back at work. Take care and keep those prayers a'coming!

TTFN!

Update on Me

Hello All

I had scheduled the last few day's postings ahead of time as I thought that I would have a busy weekend.

Little did I know...

The massive storm that hit Massachusetts Saturday evening hit us hard.

Trees and branches took down power lines all over the area and only now three days later are some places getting power. Our street looks like a war zone and we had a nightmarish evening listening to branches from our huge oak trees snapped and crash all around us, some grazing the house with their branches.

I can only attribute Divine Intervention to the fact that our home escaped unharmed except for one large branch that is resting against the house. As far as we can see it caused no damage. We just need to get a saw to cut the larger part of the branch so we can move the branches away from the house.

The last few days we have been going to a nearby shelter to warm up, to gratefully accept some hot food and to charge our cell phones during the day, and then returning home at night to bundle up for bed and be with our dog. (The shelter doesn't accept pets, otherwise we would have moved there lock, stock and doggie dish!). The house has been staying at around 55 degrees Fahrenheit so we put a sweater on Teddyji and he seems to be fine. Plus we have a southern exposure so we have been getting some passive solar heating into the house which has made the house bearable during the daylight hours.

I'm currently writing this from work today as we have emergency generator power due to the nature of our business. Some gas stations in Springfield have power now so I was able to gas up the car to make it in to work. F took his mother to the shelter again today and we learned that his brother in Agawam now has power so we may pack up and camp out over there for the duration.

The authorities are saying right now that we should have power by the weekend.

I'll post any updates on our situation as they come.

So for now take care and say a prayer for all of us over here.

P.S. In the last five months we have had a tornado, an earthquake a hurricane and now a massive snowstorm. What's next?

BOO!!!

This was the scariest photo that I could find! Happy Halloween!!!

Liza Outtakes

Yes, Please!

Who cares if I'm old enough to be his father older brother? I would not kick Taylor Lautner out of bed for eating crackers! I'm just sayin'...

I Heard a Rumour!

It's Bananarama, my dears! FAAAAAAAAAAAAABULOUS!!!

Madonna's Nightmare

Weird But Wonderful Wednesday

This week's entry is the late, great, Klaus Nomi!

Alas, this musical genius left us far too soon! If you haven't checked out the documentary on his life, you really should. He was a fascinating individual. Enjoy!!

My Dil Goes Mmmm

Here we have the cute Saif Ali Khan from the film Salaam Namaste. It was a very controversial film at the time, because it showed a man and a woman living together, and they weren't married! (Something still frowned upon in Indian society.) Enjoy!!

And We're Back!!!

Well! What an exhausting week we have had, my dears!

Good thing that we always have our House-Boy "Raoul" at the ready with a refreshing beverage when we return from our daily escapades!

Monday we explored a faaaabulous little shopping venue called The Promenade Shops at Evergreen Walk. Very posh!

It had everything from Amy's Hallmark to Williams-Sonoma! And we hit them all! (Well, except for the women's clothing stores. We just judged and commented in those places!)

Afterwards we made the mistake of having lunch at Golden Corral.  The food was good, but, it was just too tempting and we ate far too much! (Ack! Needless to say, we skipped dinner!)

Tuesday we decided to stay home and do some yardwork to prepare for the upcoming cold weather. Four hours and countless yard-waste bags later we were done in, but, a refreshing cocktail courtesy of Raoul brought us back to life in time for a lovely evening entertaining some friends! A good time was had by all and no one called the police this time.

Wednesday was rather rainy and dreary so we went shopping! This time it was a bit closer to home, at the Holyoke Mall at Ingleside. (The largest mall in New England!)

We did get a few fabulous little things and then finished it off with lunch at The Olive Garden (yes, I know my dears, we have been slumming it a tad, but, we had a gift certificate, so what can you do?!!). The food was good, and you knew that it hadn't been sitting around for the waiter to deliver it to us for long, as it was BOILING HOT! No worries about cold food at that place! Yikes!

Thursday we decided to have a quiet day at home enjoying "inside activities". Nuff said!

Friday we decided to go (what else?) shopping again, so we went to beautiful downtown Northampton, MA. (a.k.a. Lesbianville, USA The Paradise of America). We spent the morning strolling through the fabulous little boutiques, where you can buy anything from a Tibetan thangka to a dildo made from semi-precious stone!

For lunch we went a little more upscale and dined at the famous Paul and Elizabeth's. A fabulous little eatery that has been around since the 1980s! They specialize in "natural foods" and it is delish!!

After lunch? More shopping of course!

This past weekend we were still busy, busy, busy!

Saturday morning was spent doing chores around the house, F went to deal with his mother and I went to see my mother in the afternoon and we then went out to dinner with my sister and her husband at the absolutely fabulous India House restaurant in Northampton. By far the best Indian food in the Pioneer Valley!

Sunday we went to the birthday party of one of the children of some good friends of ours. It was lots of fun, but, thankfully it ended early enough so that we could come home and collapse in preparation for the work week ahead!

And that was our week! I shall be visiting you all shortly to see what has been going on in your lives! TTFN!!

And What's Wrong With That?!!!

On Koro Koro Sendari Matogi Sowaka!

Vacation

F and I are on vacation this week!

We're not going away, but, we are planning some day trips so posting (and blog visiting) will be sporadic at best! TTFN!!

P.S. Enjoy Sportacus!

Hear Me Now

I've discovered a new group! They're called The Green Children and they are pretty fabu!

Critics have described their music as "Searching dance-pop ballads from elfin dreamers…".

See if you agree. Enjoy!!

I Dream of Ur-Spo

Seriously, two posts in one day?!

How lucky can you all get?!!!

I just HAD to share this before I forgot!

I had a dream last night about our beloved Ur-Spo!

He had come up to visit me!

All I remember about the dream is that we decided to go to a tag sale, and for some reason I hadn't gotten cleaned up prior to going out, so I was in my sweats, with my hair not done or anything! (Can you imagine?!!!) 

And in my dream I realized this and I was MORTIFIED but there was nothing that I could do!

The tag sale scene abruptly shifted to a shopping district where Ur-Spo and I went into one of those quaint knick-knack type of shops.

Apparently, the Dear Doctor was looking for a stuffed giraffe(?!) from a certain toy line and every store that he had been into prior to this one had every stuffed animal in the line except for the giraffe!

At this point I woke up from the dream so I don't know if we found that damn giraffe or not!!

So, Herr Doktor! What do you make of that dream?!!!

Oh, Namor.....

I had completely forgotten about this comic book character until I just happened to stumble across an image of him this morning.

Behold! Prince Namor: The Sub-Mariner!!!

How could I have forgotten HIM?!!!! Aside from The Mighty Thor, he was my favorite comic book hero as a kid! This explains my preference for a certain "type" of man as I grew up. Yes indeed it does....

Oh, Akshay! Does that speedo come in green?

Weird But Wonderful Wednesday

I have no idea who this group is, other than they are called "Lamur", but, they obviously took their inspiration from Pierre Et Gilles! Enjoy!!

Sun Lo Tum Chilman Uthegi Nahin

A fabulous little song from the film Kisna starring the very cute Vivek Oberoi (that's him wearing the sunglasses in various scenes).  Vivek only sings a little bit in this number, but, I just thought that it was visually stunning! Enjoy!!

2 Truths 1 Lie

The Stupid, It Burns....

Oh, the irony....

Hanuman Chalisa

Lit De Parade

Another fabulous song from Army of Lovers!

Though I had a tough choice to make my dears.

The version that I am choosing today is a remix, because I like it better! However, it doesn't have a video, because it's not the original song. So, I am including a link to the original so that you can see it, but, I think that you'll agree with me that the remix is the more faaabulous version! Enjoy!!

Pierre et Gilles

Pierre et Gilles. Not familiar with them my dears? Well, you should be...

That first image is my absolute favorite of theirs! And, yes, the fourth image is indeed Jeff Stryker (in his prime, of course...).

Weird But Wonderful Wednesday

A new feature! Every Wednesday I will showcase some "weird but wonderful" video that I come across in my travels. This week's is called "Revival" from a group called Beats Antique.

Enjoy!!

Desi Boyz!

It's not out yet, but, I plan to be first in line to see Desi Boyz starring my fantasy husband Akshay Kumar and the utterly delicious John Abraham! Now THAT is a Garam Masala sandwich that I would love to be in the middle of!

Here's a sneek peek, enjoy!!

Thought for the Day

What a Thing to Post on the Sabbath!

Doctor Who Season Finale is Tonight!

Ooh! What does the photo on the cover of the Radio Times mean?

Why is everyone wearing that eye-patch?

Why are Amy and Rory dressed like they are?

Will River Song really kill the Doctor?

How will the Doctor get out of this one?!!!

I can't wait!!!!!!!!

Give My Life

More faaaaaabulousness from Army of Lovers! Enjoy!!

The Big E Adventure

So, yesterday F and I went to The Eastern States Exposition (aka "The Big E: New England's Great State Fair").

The Big E has been around since 1917, and ever since I was a kid ( in the early 60's Mark! Not since 1917!) we would go every year (as it occurred during my birthday, it was an additional "present" to take me there by my parents).

When I became an adult I didn't go as often. Truth be told, the fair doesn't change much from year to year, and really, how many pieces of wood with your name carved into it and how many cowboy hats with dangling roach-clip feathers do you need?! ;)

So I would go every few years and as I got older the gaps between visits would increase. This time it had been close to five years since we had last attended, so we decided to go this year.

And it was okay. Unfortunately, in my opinion, not nearly as enjoyable as it had been when I was younger.

My biggest complaint was the prices. I don't know how a family could go there and not spend less than a few hundred bucks!

The price of admission just to get in is normally $15! And that doesn't include the price of parking($10!), or rides on the Midway. That's just to walk through the gate.

And forget about the food! Now I grant you, there are some delicacies there that you can't get anywhere else (Deep Fried Kool-Aid, anyone?) But what they charge for regular items is just plain highway robbery!

After we had been there for about an hour, F and I decided that we wanted a snack, so we went to this one regular food vendor and split a regular sized order of fries and got two bottles of Dasani (not Perrier, not Saratoga Springs )water. The price? TEN BUCKS!!!

Ack. No. Stench!!!

Fortunately, other than the food, the Midway and any rigged arcade games that you might want to try, everything else is free. So we checked out the farm animals (the fair originated as a traditional agricultural fair and it still has this element.) and the petting zoos. They even had elephant and camel rides (for a price, of course.).

There are also permanent buildings on the property that house "specialty" retailers and that sort of thing (aka "wonder mops", "miracle wax", "Salad Master cookware", etc, etc..). And it is sometimes amusing to watch these salespeople give their "demos", but, we've noticed over the years, especially with the growth of the Internet, that you can pretty much get most of this stuff anytime you want online, whereas in the old days, you had to wait for the fair each year in order for this merchandise to be available.

After checking out the retail buildings we made our way over to the Avenue of States Buildings.

There are six State Buildings in all (one for each state in New England. You see? On my blog you not only get entertained, but, you also get some education!) and each building highlights the attractions and products native to that state (and there are usually a handful of cute state troopers from each state as well!). This part of the fair is usually my favorite, as each state sells specialty foods native to their state.

For example, Maine always has a huge line for their "Baked Potatoes" ( a meal in itself with all of the toppings that are offered!), Rhode Island is always crowded with people buying their Clam Fritters (yummy!), and Vermont always has a line for their cheese and maple sugar products, and usually these food items are more reasonably priced than what you can get on the fairgrounds.

By this time we had been at the fair for about four hours and were starting to get tired. So we took a quick walk through the Midway as F wanted to go for a ride on the Merry-Go-Round, but as it turned out, all they had was a "kiddie" version. :(

And with that we bid The Big E a fond adieu! See you in another five years! :)

We're Off to the Big E!

F and I are off to The Big E today!

I'll post about it tomorrow! TTFN!!

Aaja Mahiya

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Aqua Double Feature

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Thought for the Day

La Plage De Saint Tropez

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Akshay Kumar Thursday