I missed last week due to circumstances beyond control of anyone but my AP US History teachher, but I’m back at it this week. This week, however, thinking ahead to summer, list a few places, that, if you had the time, resources and money, you would visit, in the continental US, Canada and Mexico.

 Where are places you love to go? Any oddball places you would HAVE to visit? Why would you visit the places you visit?

I remember earlier in the year, around election time, there were stories of Obama, Japan. It’s a Japanese village located about 4 hours by train from Tokyo. Obama means little beach in Japanese. I found the town interesting not only for it’s name, but for the fact that it is incredibly modern. It’s town hall looks like something from the future.

Short post this week, I’m heading to a Vox meeting. Have you ever visited Japan? Do you want to?

Note: I’ll get the map in later. I can’t figure out how to crop it.

It’s not Antarctica, but it’s darn close. We are heading to the southernmost city in the world, Ushuaia, Argentina. It is 745 miles from Antarctica. Ushuaia is a popular tourist attraction, especially for cruisers to Antarctica. It used to be the site of a prison, because of it’s distance from other settlements.

Some popular tourist attractions are the End of the World train, from Ushuaia to Tierra del Fuego National Park, multiple day cruises to Antarctica, museums about the settlement, and skiing in nearby mountains.

Would you be interested in visiting this Argentinan city? How about Antarctica? Anything to add?

After the demise of the Quotes and Recipes of the week, I am starting a new weekly post, focusing on a specific place in the world every week. The first place is The Big Apple- New York City. New York has the largest population of any city in the United States, and the 13th most populous city in the world.

New York is famous from everything to it’s food to, more recently, it’s Wall Street failures. The city has a newspaper that is world famous, the New York Times. One thing almost everybody has heard about is Broadway. Did you know that Broadway is actually 39 very large theaters located along or very close to Broadway street in New York?

Have you ever been to New York? Do you have anything interesting to offer the conversation? What is your favorite thing to do in big cities?

Side Note: I, like Chloe, need a cool name.  I don’t like Oh, The Places You’ll Go! It would be nice if it were 2 or 3 words. Any ideas?

Another Note: The map below will ave more lines added to it as we ’travel’ more places. I set it up on Travellerspoint. There are 2 reasons for this; I won’t remember where I’ve ‘visited’ unless I have some way to track it and it’s kind of a cool visual.

As I already mentioned on the Quotes of the Week post, I have decided that this will be my last Recipes of the Week post. I’m not sure what I’m going to do, but ideas would be appreciated. What is your favorite thing to eat in the world?

What is your favorite type of cuisine (Chinese, Italian, Mexican, et cetera)?

Do you have a favorite recipe to follow?

I’ve decided that this will be the last Quotes of the Week. I’m going to start something new next week, but my 2 weekly posts, this and Recipes of the Week are going to be ending. I want to try something else, and want things that bring up a bit more discussion. So, for this quote of the week, come up with your own quote. We’ve done Barack Obama and Abraham Lincoln; why can’t we have a Rae F. or Jeremiah S. quote? Make them funny, make them serious. Make them quotes you’ve heard or quotes you’ve made up. Make them inside jokes just for you to laugh over.

Mine would have to be “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself… and spiders and snakes and the list goes on. But fear is pretty much it.”

What is your quote?

I’m leaving it open this week. I’m going for song lyrics, but feel free to add any you like. I’ll put 2 or 3 in under 1 theme

Theme 1:

Finding Yourself

 Song 1:

Amazing Grace by John Newton

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.

Song 2:

Chasing Pavements by Adele

What are your favorite songs to listen to? Any that really strike you as fitting this theme?

In honor of President’s Day, the quotes from this week are from US presidents.

Quote 1:

Liberty cannot be preserved without general knowledge among the people.
John Adams

How much knowledge do you have of the American government? What is the most interesting part, to you?

Quote 2:
A house divided against itself cannot stand.

Abraham Lincoln

Do you agree? This was said about the Civil War- anything interesting to share?

Quote 1 and 2 from Brainyquote.com

Quote 3:

Our kids hopefully are watching and saying, ‘You know what, there are no shortcuts.’

Barack Obama, in his first press conference as U.S. President, on Yankee slugger Alex Rodriguez’s admission that he used performance-enhancing drugs

Did you watch this press conference? What was your reaction to the A-Rod thing? Did you care?

Quote 3 from Time Magazine online.

Quote 1:

Life wouldn’t be worth living if I worried over the future as well as the present.

W. Somerset Maugham

Are you a worrywart? What are the things you worry about most?

Quote is here.

Quote 2:

Calvin Trillin, US columnist

What health foods do you enjoy? Anything you hate? What’s your favorite healthy meal?

Quote is here.

Quote 3:

I didn’t even buy a dress. I am really, really shocked.

Meryl Streep, while accepting the Screen Actors Guild award for best actress for her role in Doubt

Did you see Doubt? Did you watch the awards show?

Quote is here.

Chloe, you have inspired me. :) This week’s recipes are all about chocolate.

Recipe 1: Mexican Chocolate Icebox Cake

Recipe is here. Looks good, but cold- maybe not the best cake for a 7 degree day.

Recipe 2: Chocolate Chip Scones

Recipe is here. Scones=amazing.

Recipe 3: Original Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookies

Recipe is here. I had to do it. I mean, what kind of a blogger would I be if I didn’t post a classic chocolate recipe?

Recipe 1:

Homemade Dog Food. Video is here.

Does anybody make dog food for their dogs? I could totally tell stories about what my grandma makes for her dog. It involves pumpkin, cottage cheese, bacon, and kibble.

Recipe 2:

Homemade Donuts. Video is here.

Have you ever made donuts? What’s your favorite kind of donut?

Recipe 3:

Taco Salad. Video is here.

What kind of tacos do you like? Any favorite Mexican foods?

Quote 1:

What exercise do you like to do? Any favorites?

Quote found here.

Quote 2:

I know that’s true for me. When you have extra money, what do you do with it?

Quote found here.

Quote 3:

I felt humiliated, betrayed, disrespected and disregarded.

Richard Batista, a Long Island, New York, man currently divorcing his wife, explaining his demand that she return the kidney he donated to her or pay him $1.5 million in compensation

Does anybody else find this hilariously stupid? Because I totally do.  

Quote and explanation found here.

Quote 1:

You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view - until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.”

Harper Lee in To Kill a Mockingbird

Quote is here.

Any thoughts on this quote? Have you read To Kill a Mockingbird?

Quote 2:

There are books of which the backs and covers are by far the best parts.

Charles Dickens in Oliver Twist

Have you read any great books lately? Have you read any horrible books? Any recommendations- or lack of?

Quote is here.

Quote 3:

The interest from around the world … has demonstrated the worldwide appeal of Winnie the Pooh.

Philip Errington, a Sotheby’s specialist, on the record-breaking $2 million sale of a collection of E.H. Shepard’s original drawings from the Winnie the Pooh books by A.A. Milne

Did you watch Winnie the Pooh when you were a little kid?

Quote and explanation found here.