Though my daughter loves The Wiggles, she is growing more and more fond of Sponge Bob Square Pants. I have to admit that I like this show as well, though it isn’t exactly educational. I don’t want to be one of those parents that shove educational activities down their children’s throats, and I think Sponge Bob is just perfect for her when she just wants to watch or do something fun. Kids should be able to be kids and just have fun sometimes.

I knew about Sponge Bob Square Pants long before I even had a daughter, and I have to admit that I would watch it by myself when I was flipping through the channels. My young sister-in-law loves the show and she made me watch it one day. Despite my best efforts to the contrary, I fell in love the Sponge Bob Square Pants and all of the silliness that the show has to offer. We’ve all had a Mr. Crabs in our lives haven’t we? Quite honestly, you also have to admit that Squidward reminds you of someone you have known in your life, right?

Perhaps the best thing about Sponge Bob is his square pants. I guess every sponge needs pants and if you are square, then what other choice do you have? Though I suspect that no one else seems to need square pants, we are talking about a cartoon. I also wonder how someone who lives underwater manages to empty his tub without sucking down the entire ocean, but perhaps that debate is too mind boggling for even me. Let’s not forget the beach complete with waves that they have and the fact that a squirrel has decided to come live with them. Are there even squirrels in Texas?

Square pants or not, Sponge Bob is a lot of fun and I have no problem with him being in my child’s life, and if I have issues with anything that I see on there, then we simply have a discussion about it and that’s that. For the most part, Sponge Bob Square Pants is just silly and the show is something that keeps her giggling the whole time she watches it. She’s still young and I don’t mind her believing that his bubble buddy was real, or that perhaps you can be best friends with a starfish. We should all be so lucky.

Do you enjoy a good mystery? I will play the odds here and say that you do. I think most humans do. We are a species that like solving puzzles. It must be in our DNA or something. One reason I can state this with confidence concerns all the television shows. How many of them are mysteries of some sort? I can name several that I watch weekly. There’s “CSI,” “CSI Miami,” “Bones,” “Cold Case,” “Close to Home,” “Law and Order, Special Victim’s Unit,” and my favorite, “Criminal Minds.” These television shows all present us with a new mystery each and every week. Once we start watching them, we hate to stop. This is because we want to know who did it. I swear these show became a craze after “CSI” hit in 2000. Now there are too many to keep up with. Well, if you ever get tired of them, you can always resort to the old-school mystery fix known as “Clue.” Yeah, I think everyone is familiar with that game. Or, you can take the more contemporary route with mystery online websites.

Are you ready to solve a puzzle, crime or good old fashioned mystery? Of course you are. This was only a rhetorical question. Well, it may be high time to click off your television and click on your computer. Cyberspace offers an array of mystery online options to pick from. I remember back in high school when I used to play a mystery game on my brothers PC. I believe it was called “The Seventh Guest.” Regardless of it’s title, I loved this game. You were basically stuck in an old mansion. You had to make your way through the various rooms and solve a puzzle in each one. This retro video game was no joke. I never did beat that darn thing. Sure, I solved some of the puzzles, but others were too difficult at the time. I’m sure they offer a much cooler upgrade of these games now days.

Have you seen all that the web offers? I seriously doubt it. With new age mystery online games and puzzles, you can have a blast sitting on your sofa. Take advantage of a variety of websites that offer new and exciting mystery online options. If you’re into stories, no problem. There are plenty of these as well. I personally like to read the real life ghost stories that are posted. Pretty intriguing stuff.

If you plan on doing much rock climbing, you’re going to need some climbing equipment.  Though renting climbing shoes from your climbing gym is a great way to get into the sport, once you’re hooked you’re going to need some of your own gear.  How much climbing equipment you buy and what sort you get will depend on both your commitment to the sport and what sort of climbing you plan on doing.

Every rock climber is going to need two basic pieces of equipment - climbing shoes and a chalk bag.  Climbing shoes are the most important piece of climbing equipment and you should spend a good deal of time looking for the right pair for you.  There are lots of choices, from slip on, down cambered technical shoes to lace ups that you can comfortably wear all day, it may take awhile to make a decision.  Be sure that whatever climbing shoes you buy that they fit properly.  Climbing shoes should be very snug, most climbers wear the smallest size they can fit into without completely curling their toes.  If you buy your shoes too loose you’ll lose sensitivity and have sloppy footwork, but if you buy them too tight you’ll be in pain every time you go climbing.  A chalk bag and chalk is indispensable in keeping your hands dry on the rock.  When your hands get sweaty you’ll start to slip off of holds.  Though some gyms and crags outlaw the use of chalk, it’s acceptable in most areas and pretty much required any time it gets warm.

Climbing shoes and a chalk bag are all the climbing equipment you need to start with, if you plan on doing any roped climbing you’ll soon want your own harness.  With harnesses you won’t have as many choices and usually fit and comfort are the most important features.  When testing harnesses, try to find somewhere where you can sit in the harness for awhile, since a harness that feels comfortable when walking around the store may not be so comfortable when you’re setting up a hanging belay.

Speaking of belays, another important piece of climbing equipment is the belay device.  Opinions differ, a tube style belay device like the ATC (air traffic controller) is pretty standard, with a few manufacturers producing variations on the theme.  If you’re planning on doing much outdoor climbing you’ll probably want a rope as well.  Your first climbing rope should be a dynamic rope.  Allowing you to lead climb with it and can either be dry treated or not.  The decision is usually dependent on local climbing conditions and climate.

From The Gong Show to Star Search to Pop Idol to American Idol - Americans are a very spoiled bunch of talent show viewers.  If it sings, we listen.  If it wants to sing, but cracks and flounders, we watch.  If it makes it to singing and nearly flopping then returning to sing again we vote.  And if it, now glamorous and far ranging, now inventive and iconoclastic, can withstand the back biting, the front stabbing, and the hisses, boos, cheers, cries and laughs, it  might just become the apple of our American Idol eyes, the center of our American Idol focus and the priority of our American Idol purchases.

I am 46 years old and have no problem admitting I am utterly fixated on American Idol.  I wanted to be after a writer for hire, a singer.  So I identify with the challenges and the competitiveness that is attached to climbing the musical tree to be the star at the top.  I also appreciate a great, nurtured voice, as one with a kick ass country rock style that once riveted her own listeners, ahem.  I respect singers who can stand in front of the practiced, experienced wisdom of Paula, the in crowd understanding of what works musically of Randy and the caustic, but honest brutality of what works financially of Simon.

Like thousands, I’m sure, I cry when a song reaches celestial greatness, has an impact on the viscera that moves bowels, has an unerring and seamless delivery made by the intense and sustained focus of Clay Aiken, offered as bedroom innocence and cool by Ruben Studdard, given as heart wrenching and body calling energy and devotion by Fantasia Barrino.  During the state-to-state auditions, I too laugh and snap invectives at the dimwit with the exaggerated sense of self auditioning so badly my cat startles.

When it’s time for the audience decided rounds, I anxiously, literally hold my breath as I phone in to vote and have to hit redial until the automaton says thanks for voting for Nadia Turner, Constantine Maroulis, Vonzell Solomon and especially Beau Bice.  Sorry Carrie, can’t stomach the balloon with a wig persona attached to a not all that remarkable in range or creativity or wisdom voice.  And at the final show of the season, I dress up and prepare special award ceremony foods and enlist my friends to participate in the hooting and hollering.

The only American Idol behavior I stop short of is holding up signs, which no one, but my poor, overwhelmed roommates would see.  But I use the right names a lot, chanting for Vonzell, cooing about Clay, and Canvassing for Beau as if I had some stake in the show.  After Fantasia, who was the most musically effusive, most physically immersed and most adeptly skilled beyond the margins vocal genius since Janis Joplin and Patti LaBelle and Bette Midler combined.  I was proud of the rockers who invaded the otherwise “eh” American Idol genre choice, though I am well aware that pop sells and that the largest album buying crowd right now is the bubble gum snapping pre-teen.  As a former 70s adolescent, I screamed and groaned in ecstasy whenever a rocker ripped off a brilliant version of songs by Sting, Nickleback, Greg Allman, Otis Redding, Lynnard Skynnard, and more.  Of course, that’s when the singer nails it.  When the performer sings a slow, mournful ballad, but is hopping and grinning, or when she is cracking and unsure and destroying the memory for me, I am less than pleased and thinking up ways to ensure that boob never sings again.

Hell, the rock music isn’t the only compelling element of American Idol.  I get goose bumps just writing about American Idol or every time I see the new promotions for the new season.

My brother is an avid hockey fan. He has always loved the game and I think that he still has daydreams about playing the sport professionally. He played street hockey for years and years. My brother still plays when he gets the chance. Some of my fondest memories of my brother revolve around the sport, specifically our air hockey table.

I loved to spend time with my older brother, but since we were four years apart and I was a girl, we had little in common. However, we would spend hours playing with an old air hockey table my parents found at a second hand store. The table was a dinosaur. It was huge and awkward but we absolutely loved the thing.  The air hockey table did not work properly, but this only made the game more interesting. Some of the air holes were plugged up with debris and the forced air did not flow through some of the holes in sections of the table. We called these areas “dead zones” and played around the extra obstacle.

We also got many nicks and bruises from the hard puck and the hard hand pieces. When my fingers got caught between the puck and the hand piece, it was time for a break. After a few minutes, I forgot all about my little injury and got right back on the air hockey table. My brother usually preferred to play with his male friends so he didn’t have to push the puck gently, but he loved the game so much, he would play with just about anyone who would oblige.

My brother’s son now plays ice hockey and sometimes I think my brother is living vicariously through his son. I think that he still daydreams about playing the sport professionally. Right now, he is excited about my nephew’s skill as a skater and as a player. Of course, my brother owns a newer air hockey table that he shares with his son.  Occasionally, I will turn the air hockey table on when I stop by for a visit. My brother is still cautious with me when we play and sometimes this gives me a great advantage. I am very impressed by how much air hockey tables have improved over the years. The puck glides effortlessly over the air and the hand piece is very comfortable to use.

I am thinking about buying an air hockey table of my very own. I can’t skate very well and I don’t see myself engaged in a game of street hockey any time soon. I do see myself sharing an indoor table game with my husband and children. Those kinds of games leave us with memories that last a lifetime.

People looking for the video or DVD “A Foreign Affair” once got one search result.  However, those looking for the title, “A Foreign Affair” now will find two results.  Two very, very different ones.

We are typically accustomed to remakes of great films, both versions having Academy Award redeeming qualities, or each version being touted as the better or the more popular one.  Think about, for example, the film “The Postman Always Rings Twice”.  In the first 1946 version, based on James M. Cain’s novel and the screenplay by Harry Ruskin, Lana Turner’s Cora Smith is sexy, spoiled, bratty, but undoubtedly appealing because of her attitude.  John Garfield’s Frank Chambers is wily, thuggish and even suggests a low class background, but yet is endearing in his submission to the allure of Cora. Cecil Kellaway’s Nick Smith is indulgent and devoted, in an ignorant way.  The sets are realistic, the black and white neither contributing to nor taking from the riveting and twisting plot.

In the 1981 version of Postman, Cora and husband are now Cora and Nick Papadakis, possibly pointing to ethnicity as important.  They are portrayed by Jessica Lange with her more subtle, sultry, smoldering sensuality usually eclipsed only by her industriousness running of the roadside restaurant and John Colicos, who stays close to Kellaway’s rendition, but he is a tad flashier and more demonstrative.  And Frank Chambers is Jack Nicholson, whose animalistic charm elevates Chambers to a more autonomous lover to Cora, leveling the playing field between them without weakening the inextricable attachment he feels.  The sets in the later version are similarly convincing and the plot as it is played out is equally compelling.

In the same respect, sometimes the versions are dead on replicas, only distinguished by their producers and filmmakers’ dealing with limitations or luxuries of technology.  For example, consider the two versions of “Invasion of the Body Snatchers”.  The 1956 version’s black and white might make it the more unnerving of the two, with the light and shadows as threatening as the clones poking out of their pods.  Or the 1978 color version might be more frightening, with it’s special effects and close ups conveying such convincing degrees of verisimilitude we do double takes on our fellow audience members, to ensure they, too, are not morphing from person to pod thing.

Now, there’s another film trend that is in order here, the spoofing of an original.  The “original” “A Foreign Affair,” made in 1948, is a romantic comedy.  Billy Wilder directs Marlene Dietrich, former Nazi lounge singer, Jean Arthur, as the “straight-man” serious Congresswoman, and John Lund, American officer falling for the smoky, slinky Dietrich.  The dialogue is rife with sharp, cracking levity, while the emphasis of plot still stays with the affair.

In the latest work by the same title (2002), there are journeys and goals, but there are no heavily romantic overtones.  There is comic wit, but it is within the relationship of not two lovers of the opposite sex in an affair but two brothers in mourning on a destination to replace their recently deceased mother who did the cooking, cleaning and running of the home.  So in the case of “A Foreign Affair” I and II, the critical preferences will be more directed toward the genre, the turning on it’s head of romantic comedies by buddy movies, and the toward the number of laughs responding to two very different forms of comedy.

Karaoke singing has become popular entertainment for those out on the town brave enough to lose their inhibitions for a few minutes. Quite a few nightclubs and other gathering establishments have declared karaoke nights, and then there are karaoke bars that feature karaoke singing exclusively on a nightly basis. Karaoke singing is a great release, a way to let all the events of the day disappear, to let loose and have a good time! If feeling a bit voyeurish, just sit back and enjoy everyone else’s attempt to sing karaoke. It is quite entertaining, listening to people that are really good, people having fun with it and people that just have no clue whatsoever.

If you enjoy karaoke singing and want to improve your voice or technique, visit an interesting site Dog and Pony Sound at www.dogandponysound.com. There are all kinds of karaoke singing tips (too many to list here!) for anyone who has the desire to sing. The first karaoke singing tips on the list, warming up and breathing correctly, are easy ways to improve your voice immediately. Other tips include how to improve your voice through training, and how to listen to yourself more carefully and always be on pitch. Other great karaoke singing tips include how to sing with a cold, staying hydrated, herbal helpers, and among other things, alcohol, singing, and you. One drink is okay to help you relax, but it’s probably not best to get smashed and then try to sing. Chances are, you will embarrass yourself, and the only person who will think you are good is the person whose had more to drink than you.

Karaoke singing can be a lot of fun and if you want to pursue your interest more intently, you can enter karaoke singing contests in your local area. Some karaoke enthusiasts even go so far as to travel the country from one karaoke contest to another, competing for big cash prizes. I wouldn’t recommend this option unless you are really good or are independently wealthy anyway. Karaoke singing is meant to be an entertaining way to lose all those inhibitions. Just have fun with it! Karaoke singing is great entertainment and is becoming more popular all the time. Anyone can do it, if they are willing! You can even purchase a karaoke machine for your home fairly inexpensively, the party will always be at your house!

Though I do not live in New York City, many times I like to know what is going on. It would take me about four or five hours to drive there, but that does not mean I wouldn’t do so for the right event. It seems there are always New York City events going on and many of them are of some interest to me. The city is just close enough so I could travel there if I want to, but far enough away where it doesn’t affect my daily life. Though I love to visit the city, I moved a way from a city because it all became too much for me at one point.

It seems that there are a multitude of New York City events from which to choose every single day of the week. New York City is a large, vibrant city that has people from all races, ethnic backgrounds and religious affiliations. This can make for some pretty interesting events. If you like something that you cannot find in your own community, chances are good that there will be a few New York City events that will cater to exactly what you are looking for. As long as you know when to go, you can go and have the time of your life.

There are many places to find out about New York City events. I have a friend who lives in New Jersey and she knows a lot about the things that I like. If she finds any New York City events that she thinks I might be interested in, she shoots me off an e-mail or calls me on the phone to let me know. She knows that many times I will not be able to attend, but she also knows that I appreciate her letting me know what is going on. In many ways, it is almost like having my own New York City tour guide.

If you don’t have a friend like I do, you may have to find another way to find out what is going on in New York City. Luckily for you, this is quite simple. A quick search online will give you more results that you know what to do with. Because there are so many New York City events, there are just as many web sites and online publications that list times, places and suggestions. Once you find a site that gives you what you need, make sure you bookmark it so you can return there in the future. This will cut down on your confusion. Also remember that if you are going to go into the city for any events that you call ahead to make sure all information you have found is correct.

When I was a kid, I used to love going to the Detroit boat show. My dad was an avid boater and so was I. He was an incredible workaholic, but boating was the one thing that he would take time off for from time to time. Every Sunday, we would load up and go off to the lake. My mom would sit in the shade and read while the rest of us would go on the boat. Sometimes we would get to go boat racing, but more often we would just cruise around up and down the lake, enjoying the wind and water. Boat shows were a fantastic time of year for both of us. As a little kid, it felt like a museum to me. I loved getting to see all the big boats filling the room. There were all kinds of different watercraft, from rowboats to luxury yachts, from bass boats to racing boats to pontoon boats.

My dad would go there shopping for boat accessories most times, but I would be there to see all of the big ships. One time, in fact, I got so excited that I tried to pull one of the boats. To my surprise, it moved. The problem was that the boat was tied to other boat trailers in a row. When I pulled the first one, each boat magnified the force. By the time it got to the last one, someone actually almost fell off the deck!

For the most part I wouldn’t get into trouble at the boat show. I knew that if I made a fuss, my parents wouldn’t take me there next year. That alone was too much to bear. Instead, I would wander around the boat show, politely asking questions about the different boats. I would find out how big a boat was, how fast it could go, how long it could stay at sea and then go back to my dad to report the facts. Now I realize that he wasn’t really listening. At the time he pretended to be interested. Giving me something to do at the boat show would keep me busy and stop me from causing any trouble. Getting me to leave at the end was a different matter entirely. Usually, the only way to do it was to bribe me with ice cream. I didn’t mind, it was the perfect end to a perfect day.

The sport of floor hockey has grown in popularity over the years, and intramural and other teams can now be found in communities, schools, and even colleges and universities.  It is a unique game in that it evens the playing field for those who may enjoy the game of hockey, but are not be able to play on ice for physical or other reasons. It gives both children and adults who are not skilled in ice or roller skating the opportunity to participate in the game. Floor hockey also provides an opportunity for those who do not live in cool climates or have access to an indoor skating rate the chance to participate in the enjoyable and fast paced team sport of hockey.

As the name suggests, ice hockey is the foundation for the game. Like ice hockey, floor hockey is generally played in a rink. But instead of ice, the rink is usually made of either concrete or wood.  Because it does not require the ability to skate or move about easily on an icy surface, it is an ideal team sport for many athletes with disabilities. Floor hockey has been adopted as a wheelchair sport and it is also the single team sport in the Winter Special Olympics.

Play involves the use of a puck, stick and goals. In most organized games, teams will consist of five or six players. Floor hockey players must be skilled in stick handling and shooting, as well as in passing the puck to their team members. Points are scored the same way as in ice hockey, and floor hockey goalies must be alert and quick to act to avoid allowing the opposing team to score. Generally, floor hockey players use pucks and sticks specifically designed for indoor play. One of the major differences between floor hockey and ice hockey is that players of floor hockey generally do not wear protective gear, so some safety modifications have been made to the game.

It is a sport that is adaptable to almost any location and an activity that can be enjoyed by players of varying skill levels.  Floor hockey has become an increasingly popular activity. Children and adults can enjoy it in a variety of educational and community settings.

A similar game is floorball, which uses sticks made from lighter plastic materials and a ball instead of a puck. Floorball is believed to have originated from floor hockey, which goes to show how the game of hockey in general has been adapted to allow enthusiasts with various skill levels, resources and geographical limitations to enjoy the sport.