Virginia State Inspections Stay

With apologies to all those drivers who came into the shop in December and January to have their vehicles inspected saying, "this will be the last time I have to do this!" I am sorry to inform you that HB130 and SB125 which would have eliminated state inspections in Virginia did not pass. I am happy to inform the citizens of Virginia, and all drivers who drive through Virginia, that HB130 and SB125 did not pass.

So now you're probably thinking oh, this blogger's husband is a mechanic so, of course she's happy Virginia did not do away with inspections. Not true. Yes, my husband is a mechanic, but our livelihood is not based on a $20.00 inspection, but our lives and yours are safer because of that $20.00 inspection.

In 2018 20% of vehicles inspected in Virginia failed, that's one in five vehicles. Out of the 8.2 million inspected, 1.6 million had critical defects, 725,000 of that number were faulty brakes. By the time your foot goes all the way to the floor while pressing that brake it's too late. Your brakes have failed. When your brakes are going bad not everyone can "feel" it or "know" it. I am driving a 2015 vehicle and until my car was on the lift for an inspection I had no idea I needed brakes. I can guarantee you the mechanic (my husband) was not trying to "rip me off," but was performing the duties his inspection training mandated to keep the vehicle, passengers, and others safe. I can guarantee you he takes the same pride and effort for every vehicle's safety that he inspects as he does for his family and friends. After all, we are all on the same roads.

When I first heard the bragging from the Delegate who introduced the bill claiming it was bipartisan and it was about time Virginians were able to keep more money in their pocket by eliminating yearly inspections, it made me scratch my head. Did he seriously think $20.00 per year would greatly improve anyone's quality of life? Is saving that $20.00 on inspections way less than what Virginians are now going to be spending in the added gasoline taxes that they will be paying not once a year, but every single time they fill up their vehicle? I seriously doubt it.

Some folks said it shouldn't be up to the state to dictate to its citizens when they should get their vehicle inspected as we could keep our vehicles safe without having to pay $20.00! Other states don't have it, why should we? Well, let me tell you a story of what happened yesterday and is really the reason why I am writing this blogpost today.

Someone, let's call her "Jane", rolled into the shop yesterday for an inspection. The first thing Jane said of her 1993 vehicle was, "there's nothing wrong with it." Usually when someone says that, there's usually something wrong with it. Another sign that there might be something wrong is if the vehicle is used as a garbage can and ashtray. You see, that shows the occupant doesn't take "care" of the inside of the car, so there's a good chance they don't maintain the rest of the car either. No judging, just protecting, so a thorough inspection is done. Sorry Jane but your brake lights are out. "No they work." I'll show you, they're out. "Oh open the trunk and jiggle that wire." So Jane does and after a while the lights flicker on and then off. "See, I told you." Sorry, Jane the brake lights are not working. That's a hazard for you and others. "Well my boyfriend will fix it." Ok, that's fine. "So you're going to pass me, right?" No. "But he really is going to fix it." That's fine. Have him fix it, and if you come back within 15 days, the vehicle will be reinspected and if there's no problem you will get an inspection sticker. "Why should I have to pay for another inspection?" If you come back within 15 days you won't have to. Jane left with a rejection sticker and hopefully she will get those brake lights fixed before someone crashes into the back of her.

You see, just because a shop spent all that money on getting the proper equipment and hires trained mechanics who undergo testing to become an inspection station, if the vehicle fails, the shop does not have to be the one to fix the problems. You can bring it anywhere and get it fixed and if you don't want to pay for another inspection, as long as it truly is fixed and within 15 days from the rejection, you get your sticker. Now less you think shops are really racking up the funds, you should know for vehicles it's $.70, and for motorcycles is $2.00, of that $20.00 fee (which was $16.00 until last July) goes to the Dept. of State Police.

So how do the State Police feel about losing the inspection program? They are totally against it. And it's not just for the safety issue. The State Police also have an aviation unit. Guess who came up with the funds to replace the helicopter that crashed outside Charlottesville in 2017? The State Police. Not only are the helicopters used at the pleasure of the Governor to fly him here and there, but they are used to perform medical and search and rescue missions. I have a feeling the Governor did not realize that if he eliminates the income for safety inspections, he's hurting the State Police, oh, and himself.

Let's forget about the money for a second. Let's talk safety. Do you really believe that a person jumping up and down for joy because they will be saving $20.00 to have someone give a thorough going over on their vehicle is going to spend money maintaining that vehicle every year? Or, is it more likely that they will wait for that vehicle to break down before getting it looked at? They probably don't realize it actually costs more to repair a vehicle than to prevent a problem from happening. Fixing those brakes before they fail will cost a lot less than crashing into someone when they fail, and I'm not talking just money. Or maybe during a torrential rainstorm that you've just run into on the highway, you realize those wipers are shot to shit and you can't see a darn thing and crash. Could have been easily prevented.

You know who else would not benefit from eliminating yearly inspections? Consumers who buy vehicles from used car lots. At least now they are offered some protection if there is a current sticker on a vehicle they're thinking of buying. I still believe you should take the vehicle you're thinking of purchasing to a mechanic to look over before doing so, like many of our customers do, but a lot of people don't. Some used car dealers are less than, ummmm, honest shall we say, in reporting what the vehicle has been through and many people don't know what to look for. Free tip...kicking the tires will not tell you anything. It's unfortunate that we see too many people who have been taken advantage of after the fact, such as many immigrants who don't speak English well. They don't understand and are probably intimidated to seek any recourse when they are sold a lemon. I can only imagine how much worse it would be if the vehicle didn't have to undergo an inspection before being sold.

We've had jalopies come in held together by spit and duct tape, plastic bags serving as windows, cracked windshields about to fall out, red magic marker covering a rear light bulb, worn out tires with barely any treads, and many other head-scratching conditions that people think are ok to drive around with. They're not. Not everyone "gets it" and I don't want to meet those folks on the road, while driving with them, next to them, bicycling near them, and walking where they drive. So yeah, I'm thrilled Virginia is keeping its state inspections, and you should be too.

Virginia is for Tyrants

From Merriam Webster - Definition of tyranny

1: oppressive power 

every form of tyranny over the mind of man

— Thomas Jefferson

especially : oppressive power exerted by government

the tyranny of a police state

Tyranny is defined as that which is legal for the government but illegal for the citizenry.  - Thomas Jefferson

When I woke up this morning and found articles all over Facebook regarding Virginia Delegate Chris Hurst's recent driving while impaired episode, which took over three days to actually get to the "news," and his subsequent slap on the back (not even hand!) release with not so much as a ticket, along with the non-apologetic, cavalier attitude, "it is what it is," it really irked me. Mr Hurst, for those that don't know, was an on air anchor at the same station as his girlfriend, Allison Parker who was shot and murdered along with her cameraman Adam Ward in 2015 while covering a story. The killer was a psychotic former co-worker.  After Hurst left the station, he pretty much ran on gun issues platform citing Allison's death as the reason for his run for office.

FYI...In 2017, 1,014 died from gun violence in Virginia. Out of that 65% were suicides. I do hope Hurst  is exploring mental health issues besides restricting gun rights. According to Virginia Traffic Crash Facts published by the VA DMV, in 2017 almost 250 people were killed in Virginia due to the actions of drunk drivers. 7,285 crashes were caused by drunk drivers. These crashes led to 4,430 injuries.

So, Virginia Delegate Christ Hurst who's concerned about "the safety of Virginians" blows over the alcohol limit and gets released with a warning. By the way, for the rest of us, drunk driving laws make it illegal nationwide to drive with a BAC at or above 0.08%. But the same laws apparently do not apply to Virginia representatives because get this: Article IV of the constitution says that during a session, legislators may not be arrested for anything short of “treason, felony, or breach of peace.” Click here to read the article.

You may talk of the tyranny of Nero and Tiberius; but the real tyranny is the tyranny of your next-door neighbor. - Walter Bagehot

And now with SB240, aka Red Flag Law, beware the tyrannical neighbor even more so. Despite heavy opposition, it's going to go through. Have a beef with a neighbor? Have a beef with an ex? Have a beef with a cop? Have a beef with anyone who doesn't like you? You can now be red-flagged.  Read the full summary at the end of this article. 

Don't get me wrong, some of the law makes sense, but it needs tweaking for sure to protect innocent people. As a recipient of some piece of shit making a false charge against me, warranting an after-midnight bang on the door from a couple of cops, I can attest to the danger of this law. I wasn't able to pursue charges that time because the officer was astute enough to not file any report, and I was naive enough to think it would be impossible for a cop to act on something so absurd it defied logic, but now I'm wiser. I realize I will always be an "Eye-talian hot-head" (his words) Yankee no matter how many decades I live in Virginia, and the police are not always my friends. By the way, this was before the time the same cops came to my house in a no-knock raid and held guns to mine and my husband's heads after going to the wrong address! Now I have cameras everywhere and will prosecute to the fullest extent, and the sue the shit out of anyone that files a false claim against me.

Tyranny cannot defeat the power of ideas. - Helen Keller

I have to wrap up this post quick before HB1627, an attack on the First Amendment, becomes law. According to the legislation, it bars anyone from insulting “the Governor, Governor-elect, Lieutenant Governor, Lieutenant Governor-elect, Attorney General, or Attorney General-elect, a member or employee of the General Assembly, a justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia, or a judge of the Court of Appeals of Virginia.” So I best not say Governor Blackface, or Coonman (even though that was his nickname in college) under the penalty of crime. You can still read about the governor's blackface forays here in an article from the NY Times and see all the folks who called for his resignation before he sold his soul out.

All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent. - Edmund Burke 

Riddle me this Virginians...How in the world did Joe Morrissey, who had sex with a minor, was arrested five times, disbarred, indicted on federal charges of possession and distribution of childhood porn not only get elected as a Virginia senator, but become the "biggest player in Richmond?"

You know why? Because the Republican party of Virginia did not run anyone against him. In fact the Republican party of Virginia did not put up a candidate in 29 districts! And word is there were lousy candidates in many of the districts they did have someone running. People say elections have consequences and it's true, you have to get out and vote. But, how can you vote against someone if there's no one running against them?! Time for fresh ideas, fresh faces, fresh candidates to step up to the plate. The swamp needs to be drained at all levels. May be long overdue to retire the two party system.

Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem to lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing its value. - Thomas Paine

Right now Virginia is under the total control of the Democrats, and frankly, it's like they're mad with power. Actually, even some of the bills put forth by Republicans are making me scratch my head. Every day is a new "adventure." It was getting to the point that I thought you know what, maybe it's time to get the heck out of Virginia. We had a good run. My kids are older now. I'm about ready to retire. Why do I need to deal with this insanity? The people were never really that friendly with me, and southern hospitality is a myth. But then I think, maybe more than I'd like are unfriendly and not accepting of this damn Yankee, but not all are like that. I look around at the beautiful vistas, my mountains, streams, rivers, valleys, wildlife, fresh air, no rush hour traffic, no subways, no alternate side of the street parking hell, all around a just easier lifestyle, and I say, heck no! I'm not leaving. I'm a fighter. I will stick it out. This too shall pass. Maybe I need to start writing again to "let it all out" and hope they won't come for me. There's plenty of people fighting for the 2nd amendment...we need people to fight for the 1st too.

Make Way for the New Punk

I have to give the Roanoke Times credit, not only for running my commentary which they gave a great headline to, "Make way for the new punk" on the front page of the Horizon section, but for running another commentary lamenting "Suddenly, everyone is a published writer" right next to mine.

The major difference in our attitudes is made clear in the first paragraph of Betsy's commentary when she writes..."In fact, my brother's book came out a week before mine. But don't buy his. Buy mine. It's funnier, or at least, the cover is. I haven't looked at the inside of his yet." I would never tell someone to not buy my brother's book, or that mine is "better," especially if I hadn't "looked at the inside of his yet!"

No, I'm of the mind set that independent anything...authors, artists, musicians, etc. should be celebrated, not only for their talent, but for having the tenacity to overcome all the negativity that is often thrown their way by people who think they're "better" than them.

That's why I am thrilled that so many musicians and artists have agreed to share the stage with me on December 15th, 6:00pm, at Roanoke's Main Library Downtown for an event called, "NYC...Live in Roanoke!" which not only celebrates the release of "Fractured Facade," but the re-emergence of the independent.

"In breaking away from the conventional format of what one might expect from an author’s book release event, Elena DeRosa, local author of the recently published eBook “Fractured Façade,” and Roanoke Public Libraries, are collaborating to present “NYC...Live in Roanoke!”

The author won’t be signing any books, but through vignettes, will share her journey, and the stage. Rather than read a chapter or two from her book, the author endeavors to create a bridge between the tale’s settings of Roanoke, VA and Brooklyn, NY, through the talents of other independent artists. Inspired by a New York City theme, musicians will perform live and visual artists’ exhibit their work.

The evening, “NYC...Live in Roanoke!” promises to continue the tradition of Roanoke Public Libraries celebrating our creative community, showcasing talent through unique events that have become synonymous with the downtown library.

In the spirit of the holiday season, a request is made to bring an unwrapped new toy for Toys for Tots, as well as a non-perishable food item that would be donated to the Rescue Mission.

We're hoping that this event will be the pinnacle of events so far at Roanoke Main Library in terms of cultural creativity.

A big part of the inspiration for this event came from a recent blog post titled:
Independent Authors & Punk Rockers
http://mselenaeousrants.blogspot.com/2011/10/independent-authors-punk-rockers.html

Refreshments served - authentic NYC menu of course.

Free."

Just so you know, I'm damned proud of the written result of three years' worth of blood, sweat, and tears that I spilled on my keyboard to bring my tale to light, but I'm no better than anyone else...

Fractured Facade is available at Smashwords, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and all eReader stores. You can read a sample and see if it's worth $4.99 to you ;)

Renovating the Renovations

The other day I heard this loud crashing sound, so loud it actually made me jump up from the kitchen table where I was snapping green beans. I couldn't decipher exactly where it emenated from, but it felt as if it was above me. I ran outside to see if a huge branch had just fallen on my new roof. Nope, nothing there.

I ran downstairs to see if maybe the water heater exploded. Nope, that looked good. I searched and searched and could not find the source. I thought maybe the spooks were acting up because of all the recent renovations, and had caused a disturbance in my attic. As soon as my husband came home, I asked him to please go check it out. He wasn't too happy, as it's not easy to get into the attic, and once you're in there, it's not easy to manuever through the fiberglass insulation in a space you cannot stand up in. He checked it all out and nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

I insisted I heard something, but I had the feeling my husband didn't believe me. After dinner he went into his closet and found the source. The bottom shelf of the closet had fallen out of the wall, spilling his clothes to the ground. The super-contractor we had hired way back when to build the closet, had used plasterboard as the main support wall. As if that wasn't bad enough, he also had made the bottom shelf too low.

We had a "run-in" with him when he first built the monstronsity -- he had the audacity to talk down, while raising his voice to me, when I told him he had done a half-assed job -- so my husband had to set him straight, and we threw him the hell out of here. My husband had raised the shelf himself.

This time, my husband said he would reinforce the shelf until he actually replaced the back wall with plywood. Unfortunately, when he took the measurements to build the wood supports he used the handydope's original holes instead of the ones he made. So, this is what it looks like when we renovate someone else's renovations...





Guess what my husband will be doing tomorrow? On a positive note, I was able to fix my clothes dryer, which would not stop buzzing after it finished the cycle. I GTS it, and with a screwdriver and some black electrical tape, got it done!

I Hate Renovating

During the 15 years we've lived in this 1957 Roanoke house we've had to use quite a few contractors. A painter, a closet builder, a wooden floor refinisher, a ceramic floor tile installer, a plumber, an HVAC tech, a concrete patio designer, a window installer, and most recently, a vinyl siding and roofing crew, have been hired. The majority of them did not perform the job they were paid to do, to my satisfaction. And, I am a forgiving customer. It's because of contractors that I hate renovating.

Why is it the homeowner is promised the job will be completed "as if it was my house" only to realize many contractors must live in a dump. With the prices they charge, I find that hard to believe. In the beginning, they're always so gung-ho. Some even show up on time. But it's more than likely there will be days when they don't show up. Period. The increase of that possibility happens with the increase of the cash in their hands. Suddenly the job doesn't have the same urgency when the contractor was hungry. There's always an excuse, but I cannot understand why a mere phone call telling the homeowner what's up, cannot be placed.

Now, even when they eventually do show up, the quality of the work is something less than desirable. Over the years, dealing with Roanoke area contractors, my expectations have gotten lower and lower. It doesn't matter whether they're a big name company, or anyone else who does work "on the side." The results are usually the same -- I'm aggravated, stressed, disappointed and a lot poorer.

I really had hopes with the last crew. This roofer came recommended very highly. Initially, I said no, solely because he took too many days longer to call than he had said he would. To me that was a flag. My husband thought we should give him slack because he was a fireman and might have been on duty those days. I agreed to meet in person. He brought the samples. I picked what I wanted. He promised it would be done in 2 days, and I wouldn't have to wait 8 weeks for him to start like I would have, had I gone with the other possibility. He quoted a price. I didn't haggle. Let's just do this.





I was impressed when he showed up only one day late, and with a full crew. When I saw how much they had accomplished in only one day I thought, "Wow, finally a contractor who sticks to his word."



The following day, he didn't show up, but three crew members did. I was less impressed when I saw the quality of work concerning the siding, et al, and insisted they redo some of it. They did, and it looked much better. Still, I couldn't understand how they would think I would allow their work to remain in the state they had left it.

Then the metal flashing was discovered to be damaged. Some of it. Half of it was already on the house. He had to order more so the house would not be ready in two or three days. I already began to suspect that, as each day less and less workers showed up, until there was one. The snow white flashing was nowhere to be found. Fed Ex wouldn't be arriving until Monday. It was already Friday. The completion wouldn't be until the following week. Monday comes, but the flashing doesn't. Tuesday arrives, and so does the contractor with the flashing. He finally ending up going to the people I was going to hire, and asked them what color they had used around my windows. I thought snow white was the closest, but that manufacturer could not get it. Luckily the new metal matched.

They finished Tuesday evening...9 days from the start. Considering what I've endured in the past, I was actually content with that time frame. He said he was done, I paid him, and he said the gutter guy would come Thursday. I immediately suspected the gutter guy was not a local, but a transplant, as he arrived a half hour before he was supposed to. He originally came from upstate New York and had been living here about as many years as we had. He had his crew and they set right to work. Before he was finished, he realized he needed another bend and said he had to go buy one. He promised he'd be back within the hour. He was.

As he was on the roof, he asked me if I knew that there were about five feet of tiles missing near the vent. No, I didn't. He said there was just tarpaper but nothing on top of it and that would be a problem. Well, duh, yeah. I just had a new roof installed...where's the rest of the roof? Since there was no way we would have discovered it -- we couldn't see it from the ground, and we don't climb on the roof -- I would never have known I'd been screwed until I was getting water in my sunroom.

How could somebody do that? The roofer never said, "I ran out of tiles, I have to come back." No, he said, "We're finished." When my husband finally got him on the phone, the roofer/fireman said, "I know, I have the tiles in my truck. I'll get there as soon as I can." Now to us, as soon as I can, means a lot less than 4 days. During those 4 days our calls went unanswered. It was only after the person who recommended him to us called him and asked him what the hell was up, "I got busy," was the reply, did the roofer say he would be there the next day. He never did bother calling us.

I didn't even know he was here until I heard banging on the roof. By the time I got dressed and went outside, he said he was finished, and that he had the wrong tiles so he had to wait for the right ones. When I told him I couldn't believe he left just tarpaper, and without telling us, he said it would have stopped the rain, and never addressed the not telling us part. He was very arrogant and never once offered an apology. I am convinced if he hadn't gotten caught, he never would have come back.



Is it that local contractors deride great pleasure in screwing with a Yankee, or, are they just incompetent and lazy? We can't be the only ones who go through this every single time.

Who is Roanoke County "Protecting?"

Just as I predicted in this post a couple of weeks ago, the Board of Supervisors voted for the wind energy ordinance. Actually, they voted to make the original ordinance less restrictive regarding setback requirements!

Any amendment Ed Elswick, whose district these behemoths will be the first (but not last) place to wind up in, put forth hoping to protect the citizens of Roanoke was voted 4-1 against. When he saw the writing on the wall, and realized his was a futile effort, he got up and left the meeting. Although this Roanoke Times article says he "stormed out" I disagree with that description. I thought he blew out of there in in disgust.

When Elswick tried to get the other supervisors to lower the decibel levels allowed, they disregarded him. Once again, discussion was held on how on their visit to a wind farm, they noticed how "quiet" the turbine was when they stood underneath it. Well, duh. I've seen enough wind turbine videos on YouTube to know the sound projects out. Also, how long did they stand there on their visit? A half-hour, one hour, two hours? Was it in the dead of night when nature is silent? If they wanted to get a real feel for what it's like living near a wind turbine they should have set up camp for at least 24 hours at the setback requirement location.

Butch Church said the new ordinance provides protection for the people. You call that protection? Maybe for the wind companies, but certainly not for the residents on Poor Mountain.

What happens if the wind energy company goes belly up like that solar energy company we gave over a half billion dollars to did, after only one year? What happens if the wind energy company does not stick to the ordinance and the sound levels are too high, etc. When I heard Roanoke County's attorney describe the steps they had taken in the past when someone was not in compliance with County code, it made me laugh. Dealing with a wind turbine violation will be a far cry from dealing with a house that's been built a couple of feet too far.

And please...these are not windmills! So stop calling them that...Sheesh. The Board of Supervisors can't get that right, how can we expect them to get an ordinance right?

Roanoke County Wants a Wind Farm? E I E I O!

Last night I watched about four hours of Roanoke County's Board of Supervisors meeting. Yeah, I do things like that sometimes, although I was playing Blackjack on my Kindle as I was listening. All of the speakers were either "for" or "against" establishing a wind farm in Roanoke County on Poor Mountain. A couple of observations...

I think more people spoke "for" the wind farm than against it. However, most of them did not live on Poor Mountain, or in Roanoke County. Some live many counties away and there was one person from West Virginia who takes people on tours of the wind farm that's established there.

The "for" people were well organized. For weeks little green lawn signs proclaiming "We support wind energy...It's Patriotic!" have been dotting the area. I've been asking who paid for them and have been ignored by the local media. Finally someone answered my question on a blog and said it was the local Sierra Club. I figured it was them, but was perplexed as to why they wouldn't "take credit." I could only imagine the outcry from the local media had an "anti-wind farm" organization planted signs and proclaimed "It's Patriotic!"

The "for" speakers last night clearly had been well prepared and directed as to what talking points needed to be established, over and over and over again. It was like they were reading from the same bullet-point sheet. One thing that struck me was how they all had a problem with the setback requirements. They felt they were too stringent!

I noticed the more initials and degrees they had after their names, the more annoying and disrespectful they were. At times I felt like I was watching the smug Prius owners "South Park" episode where they loved the smell of their own farts.

Before each person got up to speak I would turn to my husband and say, "for" or "against" just based on their look. Once they opened their mouth I was usually correct. I felt many were very condescending to the folks who live on Poor/Bent Mountain. It's like they think of them as rubes, and too stupid to realize how "wonderful" this wind farm will be.

I felt bad for the local residents who are fighting these behemoth life-altering wind turbines. When they got up to the lectern for their three minutes you could feel their pain. Many of the residents are elderly and have lived on Bent Mountain their whole lives. I imagine anyone who chooses to live on the mountain has done so because they love that way of life. Although it's beautiful and serene, it's not for everyone. It's not easy to get there, residents are often "stranded" in winter months, and there's not much up there, other than stunning vistas, abundant wildlife, a tight-knit community, and a peaceful existence. And that's all some people want.

The "against" folks aren't necessarily against different energy resources, including wind energy. They're just against it in their backyard. After hearing some of their concerns and doing quick research I can't say I blame them. Although they didn't throw a multitude of facts, figures and fancy shmancy degrees around they spoke from their hearts and did bring up some pertinent points...

The sound level -- right now the Board of Supervisors is looking to allow the noise factor to be no higher than 60 decibels. At the end of this post you can hear for yourself what an actual wind turbine at the level sounds like, but I think one speaker was more effective when he said what 60 dbs sound like. He said something to the effect, "This is me speaking a couple of feet away from you and it's about 60 dbs...not bad, but picture me speaking to you at this level 24 hours of day, 7 days a week -- blah, blah, blah, blah, blah -- and you can't shut me up." With my low tolerance of sound, that alone would drive me insane.

The setback level -- too close to homes. It's not like people do not live on top of the mountain. They do. Obviously the closer these turbines are to their homes the louder it will be. I don't understand why the "for" people want the turbines even closer.

There were a couple of teenaged boys who brought models to scale of the enormous size of the turbines -- 440 feet tall if I'm correct, higher than the Statue of Liberty. The tissue box sized home was dwarfed. The blades themselves are 165 feet in length and this made me pause. How the hell would they get up Bent Mountain? The road is twisty curvy and barely navigable to me in my Jeep. I can't imagine a tractor-trailer navigating it with those blades on its bed.

Someone else spoke about all the wind farms that have been abandoned because they didn't work, or the companies went out of business, and just left the turbines like rotting corpses. A quick Google search shows there are thousands upon thousands of dead rusting turbines dotting the landscape. No one is removing them. I wonder if they still offer "tours?"

Another person reported that electricity use in the Roanoke Valley is at its peak during summer months. Wind barely blows during those same months. I don't know if or how the electricity is stored, but I would think wind production would be a factor in deciding where to put a wind turbine.

I don't know anyone who is not "for" finding clean, renewable energy sources. I don't know anyone who would be "for" having an industrial wind turbine farm in their backyard. So after watching over 4 hours no action was taken, and won't be taken until September. The Board of Supervisors have a very difficult task ahead. The smell of money is wafting under their noses. If they allow this farm to proceed it will set a precedence. Any mountain top will be up for grabs. Will Sugar Loaf Mountain be next?



If they don't establish regulations that can be enforced we're screwed. What happens if the sound goes over 60 dbs and its intolerable? What could be done after the fact? Once they're up, they're up. Oh, of course all the supervisors will wag their fingers and say how much they want to protect the valley, yada, yada, yada but in the end I predict the wind farm will pass with a 4-1 vote. The only no will be Ed Elswick who lives on Bent Mountain. At one point I thought Butch Church might say no, as his district is Catawba and there are quite a few mountain tops there as well, but this is an election year. I believe he'll say this will bring jobs to Roanoke, so with a "heavy heart" or something to that effect, he has no choice but to vote for it.

Anyway, in case you'd like to read a family's personal experience, check out "Our Life with DeKalb Turbines" blog. Below is a video of what they listen to every...single...day.

No Sleep in West Virginia

For the first weekend alone without children, ever, I decided to bring my husband to Nitro, WV for a relaxing time at the Mardi Gras Resort and Casino. My husband had suggested we head to Atlantic City, but I didn't want to drive that far, and figured a three hour trip rather than an eight hour one would give us more "fun-time." Haha! What a mistake!!!

I'm sure many of you in Roanoke have seen the commercials for Mardi Gras. It looks like a really nice place, and the reviews on Trip Advisor were glowing, so even though I thought it was a little expensive for West Virginia, I figured it would be well worth it. And, it was way less expensive than the Greenbriar! On our way up we stopped at Tamarack for lunch where they claim the food is from the Greenbriar. After a less than stellar-tasting meal, I was glad we hadn't bothered going to the Greenbriar.

The Mardi Gras is so new that even our GPS system couldn't find it. No matter how many variations of the address I punched in, Ms. GPS said the place didn't exist. When we got close to the resort I saw a car next to us that had fuzzy dice hanging from their rear-view mirror and thought they looked like "casino people" so directed my husband to "follow that car." We followed them and ended up in Walmart's parking lot. They did know the way to the nearby casino so I was right.

The place still has that new hotel smell and clean carpets. The room was just okay, but hardly what I would consider "resort-like." I could spend this entire post dissing the "resort" and the crappy casino but will instead spend time on the absolutely worst part of the rooms...no sound-proofing! It was the worst hotel room I have ever stayed in. I spent four days in Midtown Manhattan on the busiest block in NYC and experienced less noise and a more comfortable stay than in the isolation of Nitro, West Virginia.

At first we thought that children were left alone in the room above us while their parents went gambling. It sounded like the little elephants were jumping from bed to bed, running around (which I couldn't imagine how since the rooms were so small), stomping, dropping things, scraping the one chair around, etc. I figured they got into the mini-bar and drank all of the expensive energy drinks in there. The noise was non-stop from 9:00pm on. We went back to the room early figuring we could have some nice quiet alone time. Haha! Impossible with all the noise. Every time we'd settle down BOOM!!! the room would shake. What the hell??? At 1:00am we heard the "parents" get back announcing loudly they had sangria, merlot and beer to frenzied cheers. Apparently these were not parents and little kids after all. Once Lady Gaga kicked it up another notch and the stompings became even more unbearable we finally called the Front Desk. They said they were sending security up there. Well, the noise NEVER stopped, so either security joined the party, or never went up there.

At 6:00am I turned to my husband and said, "We are outta here!" I could not see paying all that money for the antithesis of what this weekend was supposed to be. He looked so relieved. The casino sucked too and I call "shenanigans" on the slot machines. One of the slots I was playing had 2 blue 7's pop up (a very nice payout) and then suddenly "malfunctioned" so the attendant had to reset the machine causing me to lose those two 7's. When I questioned him as to what the heck happened he said I pulled the lever too hard. Haha! Yeah, my arthritic right hand has super human strength. That as they say, was that...I wasn't giving them another penny. And for a Friday night the casino was empty. Yet they had only one $5.00 blackjack table open. Clue -- if no one is playing the $25.00 table, open up more lower ones. Couldn't get near it.

Anyway early Saturday morning I went downstairs to the front desk and told them to cancel that night's room. When they asked if everything was okay I unloaded on them. The woman told me there was a bachelorette party with 17 year olds above us, 6 girls and 4 guys! "Oh you should have seen how worn out the bride looked, and she's getting married today!" Never mind the bride, look how worn out I look with no sleep! They did drop $30.00 off the room but only because we had lodged a complaint the night before. $30.00 wasn't enough becuase actually there were two complaints the night before. The first time I called was because the television signal kept breaking up, tiling, freezing and fading to black. I felt like I was home. The front desk said that happens with satellite so she had to reset the system which took over 15:00. Now I really felt like I was home!

Oh, and when we had gotten back to the room on Friday night I went to put my cellphone in the drawer and discovered a case on top of the bible. I wondered what it could be and opened it. Lo and behold it was filled with jewelery! Who would bring that much jewelery to a resort and why wouldn't they put it in the safe??? I figure they might have been hung over since there were college graduation rings in there amongst other trinkets. Now, if I was one of those bachelorettes I probably would have said, "Score!!!!" but I'm not, so I headed down to the front desk with the pouch. Apparently the cleaning staff doesn't look in drawers either as evidenced by the plastic pieces of something I found, and the fact that the jewelery was still there after they cleaned. I turned it in and asked them if they would call the people who had my room before. They said they would put it in lost and found and wait for them to call. If it was me I would have called the previous guests as I'm sure they're quite upset at their loss. Oh well, I did what I could do and hope the hotel does the right thing. I know if I had left all my jewels (which I wouldn't bring to a room anyway) I would hope someone would turn them in.

By far the most interesting occurrence happened while I looked at our room window. There I saw what looked like a white deer. I took these snapshots so if anyone is familiar with deer let me know what you think of it. One of the other guests said it was a goat, but clearly it's not a goat.





When I saw the animal it reminded me of a spirit familiar of a Native American Indian. I don't know why but that was the vibe I received. Oh, and I do believe the room may have been haunted because of all the knocks I heard. I could tell the difference from the ones above and next to us. These were in the room and when I asked aloud, "Is there someone in here who wants to speak with me?" I kept getting a response. Unfortunately I did not have my digital recorder with me to conduct an evp session. The Indian presence was so prevalent that when I came home I GTSed American Indians and The Kanawha Valley and found this page. I was particularly fascinated about Mound Builders..."These burial mounds were monuments to the dead, and only important community or religious leaders were buried in the large mounds. Common people were buried in stone mounds that are often found on the hills and along the ridges overlooking the Kanawha Valley. The dead were sometimes cremated and their ashes were also buried in mounds." Hmmmm, like the hill right behind the hotel? But I digress.

I also saw a wild turkey, the first one I ever saw. My husband thought it was odd since turkeys usually don't travel alone. I wouldn't know.



Anyway we left early Saturday morning without trying out the pool, or jacuzzi, and headed back to Virginia. I was determined to salvage something out of this trip so suggested we check out a different city on the way home. Beckley was my choice. Haha! Bad choice. Not one person in Beckley could direct us to downtown. It was like it didn't exist. After about an hour, a visit to a smelly antique shop (the smell of it stuck in my hair) and eating a crappy cheesesteak sandwich at some dump, we gave up. All we saw were depressed areas, and spoke to people who we couldn't understand.

Although the first trip ever without children wasn't as "wonderful" as I had planned, we still had a lot of fun. It's good to laugh...and laugh we did. It's also good to take trips like this because every time we go out of town to a different southern city it makes us realize how much Roanoke and Salem have to offer.

Is That A Sign?

Being Sicilian, knowing how to read signs seems to come naturally to me. Some people call it intuition or that little voice inside, but my "signs" usually come in the form of slapping me across the head. So when I ventured outdoors yesterday and found a dead cardinal lying on the table under my carport I wondered what it meant. I quickly called to my husband to remove the bird asking, "What do you think it means?" "It means the bird probably flew into the window and cracked her neck." "Do you think it's a sign about JMU?" "Why would it be about JMU?" "Duh, because we're going there today to check out the campus and maybe the bird represents our daughter." He looked at me like I was crazy.

We piled into the minivan and headed 112 miles from Roanoke to Harrisonburg to check out my daughter's "dream college." About 20 miles into the trip the air conditioner stopped working. The fan was blowing, but it was hot air. WTF? My husband, the mechanic, just checked out the van the day before to make sure the POS was ready for our excursion -- changing motor mounts to stop the rattling I complain about -- adding an additional cigarette lighter so I could have my Sirius & GPS system (only so I could bring to his attention when he's going way over the speed limit since that's a handy little feature in the right hand corner of Ms. Garmin) -- fixing the AC vacuum leak so that when we go over 40 mph the air doesn't stop flowing -- and boosting the freon in the AC since it's never quite cold enough for me. So when he began cursing saying the AC compressor had just blown -- a compressor he had just installed at the beginning of the summer -- I probably sounded like a lot of customers he hates who say, "Well that wasn't broken before you fixed X, Y, & Z." His customers probably wouldn't ask my next question, "Do you think this is another sign?"

It was already over 90 degrees outside and probably over 110 inside the van. Although I didn't want to open the window and ruin my perfectly straightened hair because I didn't want to make a bad first impression at my daughter's "dream college" I had no choice. When we could go on no more we stopped at Cracker Barrel where I downed three lemonades which is probably my sugar intake for the century. After we left CB we saw a hawk fly right in front of the van carrying a huge snake in his mouth. Was that a sign?

We stayed off the highway so we could see the road that leads to JMU which is basically a strip filled with car dealers, a tattoo parlor, a couple of restaurants and Spanish churches. The whole two miles or so we were accompanied by a truck carrying turkeys.



The smell was God awful even when we closed the windows. Finally we arrived at JMU.



We were grateful that the tour started in a nice air conditioned auditorium. I have to say I was getting a little miffed when after the presentation we were asked if anyone had any questions and I asked a couple and I kept getting told "that information was on the website." I found it odd that the one reason my daughter wanted to attend this "dream college", the School for Media Arts & Design was not mentioned once and had no literature about it. Frankly, that was the only reason we were there and had I known I should just check the website I would have saved eight hours and $60 in gas. My annoyance turned to hope when one of the student tour guides said he was a senior in SMAD. He would be the one we would go with. A good sign that was quickly wiped away after all the student guides introduced themselves adding where each of their favorite places was to take a nap during the school day.

We broke into groups and began our journey touring the campus which is huge and has I-81 and railroad tracks running through it.



Unfortunately most of the buildings we went to see were locked so we had to look in the windows to get a view which we couldn't see because the rooms were dark. That didn't make much sense to me since we had scheduled a campus tour so it's not like a hundred people just showed up and the school had no idea they were coming. I know what a library looks like. I know what a cafeteria looks like and wish they would have allowed us at least a glass of water since it was 100 degrees. I would have gladly paid for a drink after walking what felt like miles in the hot blazing sun. So, we didn't get to see one classroom, not one lab, and we didn't get to see the one building I wanted to see, the one that housed SMAD.

We did see the model dorm room which is like every other college crappy dorm room, except this one does not have a sink in it and is unable to handle wireless internet. I hate the idea of my daughter being in a dorm room with a total stranger and sharing a "common area" with five other strangers and a bathroom with eleven other strangers. I thought of the turkey truck. I hate the idea that she would be virtually stranded up there as she's not allowed to have a car in freshman year. I hate the idea that she should use the "community drive" or whatever its called system where strangers post where they are going and you sign up to hook a ride with them. Yeah, not gonna happen.

Our tour guide was a nice guy who clearly loved the school, remarked how he was shocked that people held open doors, and thought it was awesome that they had flash mobs. I had to explain to my daughter what a flash mob was by bringing up the stupid Sprint or whatever cellphone commercial it is that runs twenty times a day showing the moron who shows up at Grand Central Station too early to dance. Yeah, flash mobs, people holding open doors, and taking naps during the day for that matter, are not a big draw to me when deciding on a college.

At least our guide was able to answer my questions about the program that my daughter wants to go into. Other than taking one media introductory class, she wouldn't even begin it until sophomore year. He told her how excited he was that in his senior year he'd finally get to learn Dreamweaver. My daughter has mastered Dreamweaver in her junior year of high school and said it sucks. He also mentioned that in their senior year the students can produce a video. My daughter has already written, edited, produced and directed videos, one which will be airing on RTV. For his internship he said for the last two years he was able to work with a company that makes walkers. For my daughter's internship she is working with a local news station and loves it. I don't imagine creating a promo for a walker teaching folks how to use it then sending out the promos would be quite as fulfilling to her, although with all her operations and personal knowledge of walkers she'd be a natural. When I asked him what his plans were upon graduating, our guide said he still had no clue but was thinking about maybe switching to screenwriting so he could "put words in people's mouths." By the time he answered all my questions I hoped my daughter realized that maybe this wasn't the school for her. She still has plans to apply. Sigh.



Now I'm not saying JMU is not a fine school, it must be since they said they were, and that they get over 20,000 applicants a year and only take a couple of thousand. Everyone I know who went there, other than my son's two friends who dropped out after their freshman year, probably because they hated that they didn't get enough bandwith in their dorms, or something to that effect, love it. And it is very pretty, interstate and railroad and all, but it's just not what I think would be best for my daughter. I have major concerns when it comes to her, including the inability to be able to get to her quickly if health issues arise, so please do not send me hate comments because you think I'm dissing JMU. I'm not.

I want her to go into a school where she is going to learn more than she already knows and where it will be put to practical use. She doesn't need to study in Florence. I'll send her there on my own dime and guarantee she will have a fulfilling and educational experience. If I'm going to spend that much money on a piece of paper I want a good return. For what she's already learned, accomplished, and what she wants to do for a living, frankly I believe she doesn't even need a college degree. She doesn't want to waste time being a perpetual student. She wants to dive right into the marketplace and work, but it's been ingrained into her head that she "needs" a degree. I think it's bullshit and experience certainly trumps a piece of paper, but since that's the way of the world now, I want her to get a useful, and not wasteful education.

The highlight of my tour was about two hours in, near the end. As we were walking past another locked building I saw a sprinkler watering the grass. I asked my daughter to hold my pocketbook and walked over to the spraying water and waited for it to come to me. When it did, there I stood, basking in the glory of cool sprinkling water imagining I had driven to the shore instead. So much for me worrying about making an impression. As I walked back to the group wiping the drips off my glasses on the hem of my dress I was happy to see my daughter and husband smiling instead of being mortified. One mother had her hand to her face in shock but the tour guide said, "I like the way you think."

On the way back to the car we chatted some more and I almost stepped on a dead, half eaten squirrel. Another sign? We got to the hotbox car and noticed the rear view mirror had falled from the windshield. At least the mirror didn't crack.



We got into the sauna on wheels and headed towards Main Street. After checking out the downtown I said we wouldn't be bitching about Roanoke any more. I'm sure it has a different feel when school is in session but the sketchy druggies I saw stumbling down the sidewalks were put there for me to see. A sign for sure. That clinched it. I don't care what she thinks, my daughter is not going to JMU, her "dream college." Oh, she can apply if she really wants but I'm not comfortable with it. I got a bad feeling, and mother's instinct trumps all.

Smile girl, this will be the last time you pose there...



Next stop Roanoke College...but we'll wait until after this heatwave breaks.

Museum of Modern Art

The next museum we visited was the Museum of Modern Art. Back in the day, I used to go with my dad to see films there. That, and the cafe, were the only parts of the museum my father would visit. Here's a shot of the lovely courtyard...



Although there were a couple of works of art I finally got to see "in person" including some favorites from Van Gogh, Monet and Warhol...











...for the most part my daughter and I were quite disappointed with MOMA. As we couldn't feel moved by a lot of the "art" I guess us rednecks aren't quite as "cultured" as many of the people parading through the rooms. A string hanging from the ceiling, a pile of bricks, torn sheets from a notebook with 1 + 1 = 2 written over and over again, a video of a woman pinching her face over and over again, photos of pimples on asses and then this "masterpiece" left us scratching our heads...



Really? That's art? I'd like to know how much they paid for that piece of crap. In fact, had they put little price tags next to each piece I would have found that fascinating. I wonder if they'd be interested in the pitted wooden plank the boys use for target practice. If you look really close at the holes I think you could see Warhol's face. And I've got piles of bricks in my yard that have more character than the ones we saw in the middle of a room.

Although I became quickly bored, my daughter actually began getting angry..."You don't know how pissed off I am. Most of this crap is not art. It looks like shit I drew when I was three. I could have given them torn pages from my calculus notebook. That would have been more interesting. And the people are so pretentious, torturing their little kids who would much rather be anywhere else...'Look at his masterpiece Francois.' You know Francois wants to pull that string off the ceiling."

More interesting than what was dangling or hanging inside were the views looking outside from MOMA.





My daughter said this was a statue of a woman trying to drown herself after spending all day at MOMA. I said it would have been me if we had to pay $20 a head. Yup, we got in free and we still feel like we got ripped off.



We couldn't wait to get the heck outta there and head downtown to visit Chelsea and Tribeca...

Metropolitan Museum of Art

My daughter and I decided we would be New York tourists and stay in Manhattan rather than at the house in Brooklyn during our girl's getaway. After perusing Trip Advisor, looking at what hotels go for, and its close proximity to Penn Station, we chose to stay at the LaQuinta on 32nd Street, aka Korean Way, so named for the Korean restaurants that line that particular block. If you like Korean food you will be in heaven, if you don't, like us (bad experience at a local Roanoke Korean restaurant) you'll probably wind up at the Japanese joint like we did. Great move on our part.

Unless you can afford one of the luxury rooms in an exclusive hotel, this hotel is what you would expect for Manhattan...small, yet functional. This was the view outside our window.



If we strained our heads towards the right and looked up we could see the tippy top of the Empire State Building.



Seeing as we hardly spent any time in the room, the hotel suited us just fine. The girl and I loved the Temperpedic bed. We both have bone issues and we found the mattress quite soothing. I've got to look into how much they cost because we both want one. The best part of the hotel is that we felt safe. This was our first trip alone in the Big City and we couldn't have picked a better location. The street was always bustling, but not with riff-raff. There was even a film crew from some show called White Collar taping in front of the hotel a couple of days.

On our first evening in town we went out to dinner with a good friend of mine. Seeing as you can't just buy a bottle of wine at the local supermarket like we can in Roanoke, she brought a bottle to the room. After we polished that off we headed to Patsy's for a nice Italian meal. Another bottle down. We then headed over to Eataly, a huge marketplace with restaurants that has gotten rave reviews. Not from me. I thought it was over-priced and under-tasted. The desserts looked amazing but tasted like the ones found at Fresh Market. The gelato was subpar and the price of cheeses were twice what they should be. Most people shop while drinking wine, as we did, which I think they promote on purpose so as you'll be drunk and not realize you're getting ripped off.

Needless to say I totally over-indulged our first night in town. Not too smart. It was tough getting up early and brutal walking around town the rest of the day. My cousin was our Docent for the weekend...



His precious Museum membership card got us into the Metropolitan Museum of Art for free.



Here's a fraction of what we saw...



















We loved it, and even spending four hours there wasn't enough to see it all. Outside the museum were typical New Yorkers spreading their talents...





One of my favorite works of art...the New York City hot dog cart...



Next up...MOMA.

Nacho Blogger Award

Over the last week Blogger has been riddled with problems. Today is the first day I can sign into my dashboard but only using Firefox and not Internet Explorer. When I tried signing in with IE it would take forever and then I'd get an error message saying the URI is too long. Clearly it's a problem with Blogger as others have experienced it as well. I've been following the "help" boards which Google and Blogger have chosen to ignore. Fellow bloggers have been able to help others with their suggestions, alas, it did not work for me. I think it's terrible that Blogger is announcing everything is back to normal when clearly it isn't.

I don't even care anymore as I don't have the same desire to blog as I've had over the years. Still, I'd like to be able to sign in now and then when the urge strikes without getting frustrated. For all the rants and raves I've written over the years I've decided I should receive an award so I proudly bestow upon myself the Nacho Blogger Award. Thank you, thank you.

I'll Be Back NY

As I wrote at the end in my last post, the best part of New York City is New York City. It's the city's feel, the lights, the action, the anticipation, discovery, the unlimited potential one feels when one is in a New York City state of mind. There's something always going on and you'll never hear "I'm bored" from me when I'm there.

Although one would think that the "city that never sleeps" would be done by now with rebuilding at the World Trade Center site. Nope, not yet...



Every time we go I try to introduce my daughter to another site she hasn't seen and this trip it was going up the Henry Hudson Parkway to The Cloisters.



I took so many pics there that The Cloisters deserves a pictorial post by itself so when I get some time I'll do just that.



I also brought her to my old stomping grounds, the Village. Irving Plaza was one of my favorite clubs and I'm glad it's still standing.



I couldn't believe how much Union Square Park and the area surrounding it has changed. At one point even the Park Department workers didn't want to go in there but now it's all cleaned up and surrounded by great shopping. My daughter's favorite stores were Forever 21 and Sephora, naturally. I didn't even know Trader Joe's had found a home on 14th Street until we drove past it on the way to the FDR. I'll have to stop in next time we're there. She did get to have a meal in a real New York Diner. Except for the egg cream it was the crappiest one I've ever eaten at.



Which brings me to another point...the food. In the past I've always marvelled at New York's culinary treats. This trip I noticed something distressing...the food wasn't the same. At all our normal eateries something tasted different, and not a good different. Tasteless is the best way to describe too many meals. Thank you Mayor Bloomberg. His edict that restaurants now cook with no salt, no trans fats, etc. has resulted in no taste. I'm really annoyed he stirred the cooking pot. Do I really want low-fat skim mozzarella on my pizza? No, no I don't! Frankly, I'm old enough to make my own decision if I want to clog my arteries or not and I don't need the government sticking their nose in my mouth.

This trip was also an opportunity to spend time with family and friends. I was thrilled I got to spend a night with my friend Barb who I haven't seen in over 15 years. As is the case with good friends it felt like we only hadn't seen each other in 15 minutes. She looked great, so thin and lithe which she attributes to walking everywhere, and probably not having sausage gravy smothered on biscuits, grits or fried chicken and waffles. None of which I eat, by the way, however my walking is hampered because without sidewalks in my Roanoke neighborhood I have to drive my car to a greenway to walk.

We also saw my cousin who lives in the Bronx, literally on top of Bruckner Blvd and underneath a flight path.



You can't imagine how loud it is sitting on his porch. As someone who complains about the noise when they pick up one trash container a block away I could never live where he does. They say they're used to it, and at least inside of his house is quiet. Two surgeries later my cuz is still disabled but on the road to healing from his shower accident, and still joking away...



Another stop was made to see my 100-year old Grandmother. A blizzard in February prevented us from attending her celebration and I was glad I made good on my promise to her that we'd stop by the next time I was up there.



I brought her a vastedda (a traditional Sicilian specialty made of cow spleen and covered with ricotta and grated cheese...yum, yum) which she said she hadn't had in decades. She looks great and her mind is as sharp as a whip for her age. God bless her!

From the centurion to the newborn my husband met his six-month old granddaughter for the first time. She is a doll.



His grandson is a trip...my stepdaughter certainly has her hands full with him.



Here's a shot of my husband, his son who got back from Afghanistan (thank God) and was on leave for Easter, my husband's brother, grandson and my daughter.



There was very little drama on this trip and we left before we got sucked into anyone else's. Always leave them wanting more. My daughter really enjoyed hanging with family since we don't have any in Roanoke. According to her, "You, your cousins and your friends are all cut from the same cloth...you're warped. And I love hanging with them. You guys crack me up when you're all together!" I agree we are warped, know how to laugh, and always have a good time.

I miss them all terribly and feel so lonely being back in Roanoke so have decided the time has come when my daughter and I can travel alone to NYC. Thank you Amtrak. We're planning a Manhattan only girls getaway and the search for an affordable, yet decent hotel is underway. I can't wait to get back home...Yes, home will always be New York City for me.

Roanoke has served its purpose. Sixteen years ago I put my children first and brought them to an area that has good schools, a good environment and was family friendly. I tossed out my career and the New York life I lived along I-81. I don't regret a moment. My kids have thrived here and have good solid footing for their future. I've done my part...the rest is up to them. And now the time has come for me to start living for me again. Leave the lights on New York City, I'll be back soon and I can't wait...