Travel Tips - Help!

CLICK ON PICTURE FOR HILARIOUS USE OF MS PAINT

To drive up the interactive nature of this blog, I am calling on all my viewers, (that's right all THREE of you) to add comments on travel.

I am looking to travel to the United Kingdom in early November '08. This will be my first big trip that I have planned on my own. I am wondering where are the best tickets? When to buy? Flight information, etc.

I also would like to hear about your experiences in traveling to the U.K. Where to go, what to eat, what to drink, how to avoid being robbed and murdered. So, please, indulge me with your comments! Thanks!

COMMENT BELOW!

SHARK WEEK!!!

Pick Dave's Place comes to an end!

don't judge a book by its cover

After an overwhelming volume of voting, the "PICK DAVE's PLACE" Contest has officially ended. I would like to thank all THREE of you that participated! Unfortunately, I did not pick one of the two possible locations. Here is my new abode (this place is the bee's knees):

includes the flat oven-top, perfect for 3rd degree burns on the palm

sweet porch abundant with random outdoor furniture

to save $100 monthly, I have turned into a gardener...mom would be proud (note:since these pictures have been taken, those flowers on the right are completely dead)

More pictures will follow. The place has been outfitted with a combination of Craigslist, IKEA, borrowed and other sources of furniture. All four roommates are settled in. I have escaped yet another Slum Lord in exchange for our fantastic land lady Doreen.

PROS: Spacious, too much storage, yard, patio, porch, big rooms, big kitchen, long driveway, street parking, good land lady, good roommates, good location, quiet neighborhood, still close to the Metro (even though I am extremely lazy and will never walk there)

CONS: The house was built well before the Polio vaccine, which means A LOT of creaks. Also, I have a tiny John Malkovich crawl space in my room, the door is always open in the morning, which leads me to believe there is some small mythical creature living (perhaps a gnome?) in my crawl space.

'actual' FINAL THOUGHT: Aside from the house being built before the invention of the helicopter and the Slinky, it is far and away the best place I have lived on my own. I am looking forward to a great year in the pre-WWII lodging.

Chuck Could Do This...

I have all the faith in the world that Chuck could do the same. Only, I suspect he would adopt the "every bunny for himself" mindset and leave me in the house.

VOTE Arrrgh!

Vote for my friend's band We Were Pirates...FOUND HERE. They are the sixth video down on the list. You will recognize them because you will see a bunch of "City Paper" banners and also have your face melted. They are finalists with a chance to open for Coldplay at the Verizon Center in D.C. on August 3.

So vote for "We Were Pirates" whether you love Coldplay or just want to see Gabe Fry kick Chris Martin in the "goods". If Gabe kicks hard enough, he could potentially end the grocery-list legacy of the Martin family.



Update on the housing situation is a-comin'!

WHAT?

I was going to rant about my ordeal at the US Post Office. The 2nd worst place in the world. Ahead of New Jersey rest stops, but just behind the Department of Motor Vehicles. Hell finished a distant 4th.

Anyway, this article in the title is FANTASTIC.

Louise Needs to Shut Up

(I wonder what Segal's take on stem-cell research is.)

Cross-overs generally turn out bad. Think athletes and musicians selling "fragrances", DMX starring in movies and Johnny Depp dabbling in small-business ownership (see: Viper Room). But, with all these double dips there are occasionally bright spots...such as George Foreman and his delicious grill.

That being said, there is ONE instance of cross-overs that I will never accept: the Hollywood Actor/Politician. This multitasking role is the most egotistical, ignorant and biased of all (see Charlton Heston, any Baldwin, Tim Robbins, Sean Penn, Chuck Norris, Ted Nugent).

Today's outburst (I won't even discuss Sharon "Dalai Lama BFF" Stone), came from the thoughtful, tactful, politically-enlightened Susan Sarandon. Ms. Sarandon is known for her artistic prowess in roles from major motion pictures such as Stepmom and Mr. Woodcock and also her "Best Actress" nominated role in The Witches of Eastwick by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films. To be fair, she actually won an Oscar for Dead Man Walking, but in '96 Elisabeth Shue should have received that little statue.

How did this aging actress come to be so politically aware? Ms. Sarandon attended school at The Catholic University of America, earning a BA in drama. Drama? But don't worry, I am sure she took a class freshman year in Politics and Public Policy.

Anyway, Ms. Sarandon decided to broadcast her opposition to the Republican nominee Senator McCain by threatening a move to either Canada or Italy. What? She would really deprive the American people of her presence if Senator McCain claims the victory?!? Nooooo! I don't think I could handle an America without her!

Sarandon has come out in staunch support of Barack Obama (on a side note, I like/may vote for Barack). Susan dropped this tiny knowledge bomb in the NY Post, "I thought the whole point of feminism is that you're not supposed to be defined by gender. I don't understand the reasoning behind that, because I wouldn't vote for Condoleezza Rice, and I hated Margaret Thatcher."

Why is America entitled to her opinion? Who really cares? I can understand that one die-hard Bull Durham fan registering to vote for Obama, but who else?

Not only should she keep her downplay her political fervor, but she needs to recognize how out of touch the complaint is. What average liberal could possibly pick up and move countries in opposition?

Along with the airlines and baby geniuses, celebrity Op-Eds are one of my biggest pet peeves. I believe everyone should take a stand on politics, but to make outrageous claims in the media just publicizes how ignorant some people can be.

I would like to see McCain win, if only to watch Susie-Q eat her words and continue living in America, making light-hearted family movies with Ellen Page and the girl from Little Miss Sunshine, as opposed to mining sand and gravel in the Yukon Territory.