For those brave souls who can muster up enough strength after all of that Thanksgiving turkey, it’s time for another set of six questions.

But first, Carly gets the nod as the first one to play last week’s set, but if you takes a close look at the time the comments came in, you’ll notice that she and Scott actually tied by submitting their answers within the same minute! Talk about a heated race!

Remember, to be recognized as the official first player of the week, you must be first to answer the questions in a comment here or to leave the specific entry’s address in a comment here. A generic link to your journal doesn’t count.

Also, welcome to the following first-time players: April, Kay, Donna, Kasey, Amanda, Kate and Lisa. Be sure to visit their journals and say hello to the newest members of the group!

Now, on to this week’s questions. To play you can either answer the questions in a comment here, or put the answers in an entry on your journal…but either way, leave a link to your journal so that everyone else can visit! (And if you’re playing for the first time, please be sure to say so in the comment!) Enjoy!

1. How long do your Thanksgiving leftovers usually last, and at what’s the first non-Thanksgiving item you begin to crave when you tire of turkey?

6. READER’S CHOICE QUESTION #33 from Tara: What is your favorite classic 80’s video game?

MY ANSWERS:
1. Mine usually last through Saturday or so…and then I’m ready for an Outback steak!

I learned something new about book editions on Tuesday.

My little lesson actually began a couple of months ago when I purchased a hardcover edition of James Patterson’s “1st to Die.” I had found it on the bargain table at a local bookstore for just $4.98, a price that I don’t mind paying for a hardcover, when paperbacks generally run about seven bucks!

When I was half-way through the book, I was at the bookstore again and found Patterson’s “3rd Degree” on another bargain table for the same price, so I quickly scooped up that bargain, too.

Patterson has produced a variety of books that focus on different characters, but these two are part of a series of three that focus on the “Women’s Murder Club,” four serial characters who collaborate to solve crimes. If you know me, you already know that I’m just anal-retentive enough that if I have the first and third books in hardcover, I want the second one in hardcover as well.

The local bookstores told me that they couldn’t get the second book, “2nd Chance,” in hardcover anymore. For some reason, there was apparently a surplus for the first and third books, but not one for the second. That led me to Amazon.com, where I found the hardcover edition at $16.65.

That was more than I wanted to pay, of course, but I considered that for roughly the cost of one of the books at full issue price, I would have all three, so I went ahead and ordered the book.

Yesterday, the parcel arrived and as soon as I picked it up, I knew something was wrong. It was too light. I immediately thought, they must have sent me the paperback by mistake. I was almost right!

When I opened the box, I found that what I had received was basically a paperback with a glossy textbook cover. Instead of the heavy white paper used in hardcover editions, the paper inside was the lesser paperback quality, (and the book was so sloppily produced that some letters at the edge of some pages were just trimmed away). Instead of the hardback cover with a nice dust jacket, the dust jacket’s artwork was reproduced — again, sloppily — and scaled down to be printed on this hardcover. And instead of the hardcover size, it was literally the size of a paperback, as you can see in the photo! All of this for $16.65!

I was already fired up since I had just turned 35…so I was ready for a fight. I’ve never had a problem with Amazon.com before, and I quickly learned that it is impossible to reach them by telephone: you can send their customer service division an Email and wait a day for a reply, but that’s about it. When I arranged the return, they provided a printable return label, but informed me that since the return wasn’t “their fault,” I would be charged the amount of postage, and that it would be deducted from the refund they issue me.

Still suspicious about this ridiculous book, I called a local bookstore and described the “midget” book I had received. It turns out that this is a “library archive” edition. (I swear that I’ve checked out paperback editions at libraries that didn’t have hard covers!!) There is nothing inside the book that states that it is any kind of “library” edition. In fact, the printing information inside would suggest that it’s nothing more than a paperback.

I therefore E-mailed Amazon and explained that it was certainly not my fault that they misrepresented the book they were selling, and that I therefore expect a full refund. (I don’t expect to stop doing business with Amazon.com over this, because they do have good prices on DVDs and most books, but I’ll certainly think twice before ordering any book that’s not currently on the bookstore shelves!!) Their customer service representative informed me (by E-mail) that she’d make a note of it. Hmm…

Eventually, I was able to persuade Amazon.com to refund the whole amount including shipping, since it was their fault. I ordered the book from Books-A-Million a few weeks later, and got the same kind of miniature “library” book. Needless to say, I didn’t take it.

I did finally manage to get a copy of “2nd Chance“ in hardcover…I bought it used on eBay.

People assured me that turning 30 would be one of the most traumatic days of my life. One of my cousins moped around for days when he left his 20s. I took no notice of it. It was just another day, as all birthdays seem to be.

Since 30 wasn’t a problem, I figured I could get through all of my thirties without any worries until I reached 39, at which point I would borrow a page from Jack Benny and just remain at that age no matter what.

Today, 35 has officially thrown that theory out the window!

This week, there’s a new rule that I’m implementing after last week’s controversial first responses. To be recognized as the “first to play,” you must be the first respondent to either actually post their answers in a comment here, or to post the complete link to the specific entry in your journal where you answer the questions. In other words, it won’t be enough to just give your journal’s generic address.

And welcome to Candy, Charles, Justine, Lici, and Kell who played for the first time last week.

Now, on to this week’s questions. To play you can either answer the questions in a comment here, or put the answers in an entry on your journal…but either way, leave a link to your journal so that everyone else can visit! (And if you’re playing for the first time, please be sure to say so in the comment!) Enjoy!

1. Other than news, sports, editorials and weather, which specific features or columns of the newspaper do you always read?

6. READER’S CHOICE QUESTION #32 from Chantal: What cheesy sitcom (from any era) most describes how you grew up? Your family, location, dynamics, details…

MY ANSWERS:
1. I always read “Dear Abby,” the horoscope and the “Ask the Doctor” column. I don’t know why…but they’re just part of my daily read.

6. Hmm…cheesy sitcom…hmm… It’s a great question, but my life didn’t really seem like any cheesy sitcom. I’m going to have to think about that one and get back to you!

In the never-ending race to outdo each other, the fast food industry is reeling from the newest burger creation: Hardee’s Monster Thick Burger.

The new sandwich boasts two-thirds of a pound of beef, four strips of bacon, three slices of cheese, and mayonnaise on a bun…a buttered bun. With 1400 calories and 107 grams of fat, one nutritionist calls it a “heart attack on a bun.”

So who’s ready for one? And who’s daring to order it as a combo…supersized?

Fans of the CBS hit CSI: New York were probably ready for blood when CBS interrupted the last four minutes of the program last week to announce the death of Yassir Arafat.

It didn’t take long for fans to get their wish.

CBS News announced that the senior producer who made the call to interrupt the crime drama just moments before the mystery was solved did so as a result of poor judgement:

“An overly aggressive CBS News producer jumped the gun with a report that should have been offered to local stations for their late news. We sincerely regret the error,” the Network said in a statement.

CBS immediately made plans to rebroadcast the interrupted episode on Friday of last week…then took one more step to deal with the error, according to Broadcating & Cable magazine: it axed the producer, who worked for their overnight news program, Up to the Minute.

As one writer put it, the network learned quickly that “hell hath no fury like CSI fans deprived of their whodunit moment.”

Last week, in addition to cleaning house in anticipation of my parents’ visit this weekend, I was juggling my already-busy November sweeps schedule to arrange three separate visits to three different doctors. Talk about a hypochondriac’s worst nightmare!!

My regular doctor scheduled a visit to a neurologist to determine the problem that was causing some tingling and a loss of strength in my left hand. Naturally, being the hypochondriac, not only did I think that this was the start of something much worse, but my mind began fabricating new symptoms to support my dark theory. So, on Wednesday, I lay on an exam table while the neurologist zapped my arm with bursts of electricity to determine exactly where the problem was. Just for good measure, he zapped my right arm a few times, too. Heaven forbid that my right arm should feel left out! (Please pardon the pun!)

It turns out, he says, that I am suffering from an Ulnar impingement and corresponding neuropathy. In other words, I have a pinched nerve. My regular doctor had already warned him about my chronic worrying, so he took great pains (I couldn’t resist!) to explain that this was not part of something worse.

On Thursday, I was off to the second doctor: a hand surgeon who reviewed the findings from the neurologist’s office and decided that surgery was the only way to correct the problem. His plan is to make an incision around the elbow (where the problem is) and move the nerve around a little to get it off of the funny bone. This, he says, should completely take care of the problem. I’m having the surgery in January. I’m not looking forward to it, naturally, but given the fact that I was contemplating much worse findings, I’m certainly not about to complain.

Friday, it was back to my regular doctor. Last month, he prescribed a mild medication to assist me in getting my anxiety under control. It turns out that Generalized Anxiety Disorder, the delightful condition that I’ve had for at least twenty years, is quite common, and results from a combination of genetics and learned behavior. Since my doctor gave me that “official” diagnosis, I have learned that at different points, both my mother and father have had bouts of anxiety and periods during which they went through anxiety attacks. Both of them experienced this in their mid thirties. I mentioned this to my doctor, who wasn’t particularly surprised, but did say that most people who have GAD only get it from one side of the family. Leave it to me to have a double dose!! (On the other hand, that explains a lot to me!)

I’m slowly beginning to feel better…but then again, the problem with anxiety attacks are that they tend to come on when one isn’t necessarily worried about anything in particular. They seem to appear out of the blue, and can occasionally be so intense that they convince the unfortunate victim that they’re about to meet their maker within a couple of minutes. They’re not exactly something I’d recommend if you’ve never had one. A root canal might be more enjoyable.

I understand that there are those who think that George W. Bush is the worst thing that ever happened to this country. I understand that there are those who feel that John Kerry should have won the election because, if for no other, better reason, he simply wasn’t Bush. I am aware of the fact that there are those who feel that this country is going in the wrong direction, and that they will likely continue to feel this way until that magical day that a Democrat is elected to the presidency again. Presumably, on that candidate’s inauguration day, all of the country’s problems will vanish as if cast off by magic spell.

But I’m just curious: is there a point at which those who constantly complain about every conceivable thing that’s happening in the country begin to lose their credibility?

I’m not saying that we shouldn’t question what our leaders say; I’m not saying that we shouldn’t be willing to speak out.

I’m just wondering when it becomes apparent to the casual observer that certain people aren’t going to have anything positive to say no matter what happens…and whether those observers will stop observing.

Another week has flown by…a friend of mine likes to remind me that noticing how quickly time passes is a good sign that you’re getting old! In any case, it’s time for the “Saturday Six!“

Chris was first to play last week, beating Scott by a mere four minutes. The keen observers might notice that both Chris and Scott are in Hawaii. Hmm…

And Kate gets a big welcome for playing for the first time last week!

If you’d like to join the fun, it’s quite simple: to play you can either answer the questions in a comment here, or put the answers in an entry on your journal…but either way, leave a link to your journal so that everyone else can visit! (And if you’re playing for the first time, please be sure to say so in the comment!) Enjoy!

1. Who is the last house guest you invited into your home and was it a pleasant visit?

6. READER’S CHOICE QUESTION #31 from Cherie: We have all watched movies and TV shows that have inspired us to want to do what the characters in the show are doing, (doctors, lawyers, politicians, fire fighters, etc). Has there ever been program that you watched that made you realize that the occupation of the characters was something you could NEVER become?

MY ANSWERS:
1. The last house guests I had were my parents. It was a very pleasant visit…they stayed the weekend. (And they’re coming back this weekend!)

6. One of my favorite shows as a kid was “Emergency,” but I knew that being a paramedic or firefighter was something I’d never want to do. That’s why I have so much respect for them.

Did the 30+ ABC affiliates overreact when they elected to pre-empt the movie “Saving Private Ryan” last night? Was it unreasonable to believe that they might be targeted by viewers who would complain?

It depends on who you ask.

It turns out that The Parents Television Council, a watchdog group that monitors content of television programming for concerned families, gave its stamp of approval for last night’s airing of the movie, despite the graphic violence and phrases that included the f-word, according to a report on Lost Remote.

But this same group filed a complaint with the FCC just a few months ago, after NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt, Jr. said the s-word in a post-race interview.

Meanwhile, the Hollywood Reporter reports that OneMillionMoms.com and OneMillionDads.com, a pair of groups affiliated with the Tupelo, Mississippi-based American Family Association, plans to file thousands of indecency complaints against local ABC stations that did air the movie. You read that right: thousands.

When even the watchdog groups have double standards and can’t come to common ground when it comes to what is and isn’t appropriate, you can’t completely blame local stations for being a little nervous about being reported.

An eleven-year-old California girl has been suspended from school for doing cartwheels on school property.

It sounds like a ridiculous story, but it’s true.

The child, who has practiced gymnastics for five years, likes to perform cartwheels on the school playground. School officials apparently asked her not to do so on repeated occasions, citing concerns that she could injure herself or a classmate.

The child proceeded to continue doing the cartwheels, claiming that she always made sure no one was in her path. So, the school disciplined her. The child’s father told NBC News that the suspension is absurd when other students are allowed to play basketball and other contact sports.

“That is about citizenship, and that’s how things get changed: by confronting, politely, issues and rules that are unreasonable,” he says.

That’s funny…when I was in school, I learned that the first responsibility of being a citizen is to obey the rules. If she felt the rule was unreasonable, the responsible thing for her to do was to go to her parents and ask that they contact administrators. The responsible thing for her parents to do, then, would have been to contact the principal and explain the situation from their point of view, hoping that the policy might be adjusted.

Intentionally breaking rules and being punished for it doesn’t change anything: it merely teaches the simple truth that there are consequences for our actions. That her parents would support her in her blatant disregard for those rules would seem to me to indicate that the child is learning that it’s okay to do whatever you want, no matter what anyone says. Is this the kind of lesson our kids need to hear?

Well, they’re still at it. Supporters of John Kerry are still complaining about the results of the election, and some of them are now attacking Christians for causing Bush’s victory, citing the sudden desire for a more “moral” country as the reason Kerry lost.

I guess that makes them feel better.

They overlook the fact that there are plenty of Christians who voted for Kerry. There are plenty of Christians who aren’t entirely happy with the Republican party or President Bush.

They overlook the fact that there are plenty of heterosexual voters who really couldn’t care less whether gays have the right to get married or not; they have nothing against gay people and don’t mind if they have the same rights…it’s just that this one issue isn’t important enough to them to get them to the polls.

They overlook the fact that there are plenty of Christians who don’t believe it’s right to use abortion as the sole method of birth control, but who, at the same time, feel that they shouldn’t have the right to tell a woman what she can and can’t do with her body.

They overlook the fact that there are plenty of Christians who aren’t entirely happy with the way that the country has gone in the last four years, and who aren’t entirely convinced that going into Iraq was the right thing to do, whether they genuinely believed that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction at the time.

And they overlook the fact that this was John Kerry’s election to win and George W. Bush’s election to lose. I know of virtually no one who was entirely happy with George W. Bush’s administration: even those I know who supported him had things to complain about.

Why overlook all of these points? Why throw blame at the “evil” Christians? Because they don’t want to admit the fact that despite all of the country’s problems and all of the reasons to be unhappy with Bush, just over 50% of the country didn’t trust John Kerry enough — or feel that they understood his position well enough — to believe that he would make things better.

Whose fault is that?

Did you watch the movie “Saving Private Ryan” on television last night? Did you even have the chance to see the World War II drama?

About a third of ABC affiliates decided to pre-empt the movie out of fears that they would be fined by the FCC because of the film’s graphic violence and language. Though ABC aired the movie at least two times before, recent concerns about decency over the airwaves since the Janet Jackson “wardrobe malfunction” prompted the local stations to bow out.

ABC, according to some sources, had already notified its affiliates that it would cover the cost of any fines an affiliate was charged, but the affiliate owners were more concerned about challenges to their broadcast licenses when it comes time to renew.

Should ABC have run the movie? Certainly. Did the affiliates that didn’t run the picture do the right thing? Probably. Yes, it’s a war movie. To portray a war as anything other than violent, and to suggest that soldiers never use colorful language on the battlefield is ludicrous.

But the biggest problem I see is ABC’s contract with the movie’s director, Stephen Spielberg, which prohibits the network from editing the film in any way. This means that even the “f”-word, which is sprinkled throughout the film, would have to air. That kind of language is inappropriate for broadcast television. Some of the graphic scenes in the first few minutes of the picture probably cross the line as well. If ABC hadn’t agreed to such a restrictive contract, the problem would have never happened, and the entire nation would have had this great film to watch as a tribute to soldiers on Veterans Day.

Viewers who want unedited versions of theatrical films are used to having two options: buying the movie on home video or watching it on one of the cable movie channels. Broadcast channels, like it or not, do have a responsibility for decency; their network should have never put them in this position to begin with by agreeing to air the movie “as is.”

Did you wish everyone a Happy “Veteran’s” Day yesterday? If you did, you had one apostrophe too many!

The names of holidays often inspire unintentional grammar errors, because some of the holidays take on a possessive form while others take on only a plural form.

So here is a list of which holiday falls into which category:

SINGULAR POSSESSIVE: (Use ’s)
New Year’s Eve
Lincoln’s Birthday
Valentine’s Day
St. Patrick’s Day
Mother’s Day
Father’s Day
Secretary’s Day

PLURAL POSSESSIVE: (Use only an apostrophe)
Presidents’ Day
April Fools’ Day
All Saints’ Day

SIMPLE PLURAL: (No apostrophe at all)
Armed Forces Day
Veterans Day
United Nations Day

I hope you enjoy your holidays whether they need an apostrophe or not!

“Those who have long enjoyed such privileges as we enjoy, forget in time that men have died to win them.”
–Franklin Delano Roosevelt

Veterans Day salutes those who have died in the service of their country. Originally called “Armistice Day,” intended to mark the anniversary of the truce that brought World War I to an end in 1918, the day was renamed in 1954 to honor the servicemen of all of America’s wars.

I hope we never take the sacrifices of the soldiers for granted as easily as we do the liberties they won for us.