Gaylord Opryland and All The Lights In Between

Post contributed by Leonard Phelps

Going to look at Christmas lights is a family tradition in my home. Christmas time is simply amazing, and the lights are such a beauty to the city. Some people do so much in the way of decorating and lights, and it is a joy to see them all. We especially enjoy going to Gaylord Opryland each year to see their decorations. They always go above and beyond anyone else in the city. The humongous Christmas tree that they decorate is also a wonderful site to see.

Myself, my two daughters, and husband load the mini van up and head out, but of course not before we set our home security alarm system (pricing home security)! Christmas time is a great time for thieves, and I would not want to come back home to an empty house after such an enjoyable evening with my family. We spend the entire evening at Gaylord, and driving around town looking at all of the houses and businesses that have put up their lights. Going to see the Christmas lights is one of the best things about the entire holiday season!

The Tradition of "Miracle on 34th Street"

Thanks to Olga Quinn

Ever since I was about eight years old, "Miracle on 34th Street" has been my absolute favorite Christmas special of all time. Though I also loved the animated Christmas specials like "The Little Drummer Boy," "Santa Claus is Coming to Town," and "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" as a kid, "Miracle on 34th Street" is one of the few movies that I somehow enjoy even more as an adult than I ever did before.

My mom and I watch it together every year when it comes on Satalite TV Specials. We love to reminisce about watching it in years past, because we always incorporate some kind of Christmas tradition into our viewing of it. Some years we'll wrap Christmas presents while we watch, while other years, we decorate the tree during it. My favorite thing to do while watching the movie is Christmas baking. It's both fun and delicious!

"Miracle on 34th Street" is the type of classic movie that I hope to continue watching all my life and to share with my own kids every year someday. It tells such a beautiful story of love and hope during the Christmas season, along with the basic goodness of people and human compassion. Best of all, the Santa in "Miracle on 34th Street" is by far the most realistic looking Santa in any Christmas movie I've ever seen!

Winter Solstice Lunar Eclipse dazzled Sky Watchers

A rare event occurred the other night that kept sky watchers up all night in hopes of catching a rare glimpse. If you are a fan of celestial shows, then you know that the winter solstice lunar eclipse happens once in a lifetime.

Snowflakes on My Head

Thanks for the guest post by Bradly Watkins


The first snow of winter is the most romantic day of the year. The crisp air is invigorating. Hand in hand, we walk. The snow is falling slowly, not enough to crunch underfoot yet. It feels like magic, like we are in one of those toy snow globes. I look up into his face, his beard is covered in snowflakes, and my heart melts. Walking with him in the fading sunlight as the snowflakes gently fall on our heads I think I have never felt so alive. I have always enjoyed the first snow fall of the year, but never as much as I do tonight. Soon, we have rounded the corner, heading back to his house. I take off running, looking back to see if he's going to take me up on my challenge. Breathless, I reach the porch before he does and turn around just in time to see him bounding up the steps. Laughing, we head into the kitchen. With our coats hung by the door and our boots kicked off, we start up the tea kettle. Soon we are cuddled under blankets on the couch, watching our favorite show on satellite television from www.direct.tv/direct-tv-packages.html. The steam rises from our cocoa mugs and disapates in thin air. Being with my man on a snowy wintry evening is one of the most romantic dates in the world.

Arctic Blast puts much of the world in deep freeze

Has the polar north shifted to cover half the globe? I wonder because of the arctic blasts that keep coming. These blasts affect large parts of the earth simultaneously so I am curious about the cause. A magnetic north shift is one possibility but there are others to investigate.

Florida woke up to thirty degree temperatures yesterday morning, December 14th in Miami where sunshine is normally rampant and temperatures are in the 70's. The night before temps dipped into the upper teens leaving a wake of icicles in its path that covered the plants.

Scotland is bracing up for a winter blizzard that could rival the London blizzard of 1927. Temperatures are extremely frigid and winds are clocking at 60 miles per hour. Transportation is reaching stand stills and power outages are causing problems for homes, businesses, hospitals and everyone. Flights are canceled, trains stopped running last week and with this storm promising to be much worse than last week, Scotland is experiencing a rare weather catastrophe. The outcome of all this is uncertain but I am alerted to severe weather like never before.

The Midnight Writer

A Statesboro Black Friday

Contributed by Cameron Hodge

I haven't been shopping on Black Friday in quite a while, but once when I did, I hit Goody's in Statesboro. They opened at four in the morning on a cold Friday in November. You'd think that Thanksgiving would have worn out everybody, but there they were waiting for the doors to open. Goody's wasn't the only store in the mall open but it was hands down the most crowded.

I needed pillows and a warm comforter for my bedroom and I could have used a pair of curtains for my daughter's bedroom and so I hit the home department. You would not believe the carnage. Stuffing was all over the floor and single pillowcases littered the shelves where people had opened them to see if they'd fit. I grabbed a couple pillows that were on sale for four dollars each and the comforter was a blessing. It was deep blue and fluffy and it looked warm. It was only twenty nine dollars, down from fifty nine. The curtains I could not find but I got a pretty single bed sheet that I could sew into a curtain for her window and it worked out great. Only cost me fourteen dollars.


I shoved my way out of Goody's and went home with my treasures and watched satellite TV from http://www.directstartv.com, happy in the warmth of my bed.

Avoid the credit card pitfall with payday loans

The budding astronomers on your Christmas list will want to find a new telescope under the tree this year so they can enjoy star gazing. With all the new galaxies and planets being discovered, your gift will be a delight. If you are concerned about finances to fulfill the desires of the star gazers in your family, consider getting payday loans instead of the traditional bank loan. This next year promises to be filled with exciting solar flares from the sun and new planet observation so get your money quickly by applying online and get a deal on that special telescope today. It only takes a few minutes to apply with approval being virtually instantaneous.

The holidays mean lots of things to different folks and standing in line is one of them. Avoid this less pleasant part of the holiday shopping season by using the internet to your advantage. You can save lots of time by getting online payday loans and then use the extra gift money to shop your favorite online stores. There are internet catalogs for everything to include telescopes and special glasses and cameras perfect for stargazing. There have been some exciting comet appearances this year so don't miss the next astronomy event because of cash shortages. Online payday loan providers specialize in emergency funds for emergency needs. They will become your best friend this holiday season because of the stress and time that will be eliminated from your hectic schedule.

There is only so much time in a day and only a couple weeks left to shop for Christmas. Itemize your gift list today and use your calculator to figure how you need to buy the remaining gifts on your list. Then calculate the amount you can borrow on your incoming paychecks and finish shopping with payday loans today so you can relax and enjoy the remaining holiday time with family and friends. Tell them how much time and credit card interest you are going to save by using the easy to pay back instant cash loans and share the real joy of the holidays. Remember to check the calendar for the next great astronomy event so you can enjoy the gifts you are giving with all the extra money you'll have on hand.

The Midnight Writer

Europe blasted with arctic air, snow and power outages

If you follow the news these days, you will notice that weather is usually the top story. One disaster or extreme after another seems to dominate our world's weather and it is enough to make even the most doubting person give second thoughts to prophetic predictions for the last days. Now when I say "last days", I am referring to the last days on the earth as we know it for I believe the Bible to be the word of God insofar as it is correctly translated. In the Bible, a reference is made in the book of Revelation that "there shall be a new heavens and a new earth for the former shall pass away". Well, if anything can make the earth pass away or melt with fervent heat, I believe solar storms that send balls of fire to earth and comets or asteroids are pretty good candidates. The elements are commanded by God so it's all according to His Will and I'm not promoting any fear, only relaying spiritual and physical facts. Somthing to consider, at least....

Europe has been hit with a deep freeze of arctic weather that has sent temperatures plummeting to sub zero digits causing power overloads and outages. Snow has made travel difficult to impossible in places like Ireland where cars sit in the streets covered in snow and looking like a scene out of the last days on earth. Trains and plane flights have been canceled. Buses have been canceled or runs postponed and everyone is trying to just keep warm. Groceries are scarce on some shelves because delivery trucks can't make it through on icy snow covered roads in winds that can put a semi on it's nose.

A magnetic filament from the sun headed to earth

More frequent stories are appearing in the news about solar flares, solar winds, radiation sickness for frequent flyers and coronal mass ejections. The latest eruption caused a solar filament to eject from the sun that is headed directly to earth. Exactly what does this mean for the earth? I'm not posting this story to cause panic, merely to help document the intensified frequent occurrance of solar events that directly effect earth, us, and our weather.

"This filament erupted Tuesday in the sun", according to the news reports. Click the link to read the whole story. This means a disturbance in the earth's magnetic field and the possibility for some great auroras especially in the polar regions on Friday, December 3, 2010. If you are a skywatcher you don't want to miss this one. It could be spectacular due to the size of this filament.

The Midnight Writer

The #1 Movie To Watch In Surround Sound

This guest post from Lenny Mcknight

What is the first movie that comes to mind when someone says they had it on surround sound and it was awesome? Come on, you should know this. If you answered Top Gun, you are correct. There is no movie in history, other than Saving Private Ryan, where surround sound makes such a difference. When you watch Top Gun in surround sound, you can hear the engines of the fighter jets in your brain. It's an incredible experience, and it's something I was able to enjoy last night. Once I saw that Top Gun was coming on Cable TV in HD, I set up my surround sound, popped some popcorn, cracked open a soda, and threw myself back on my leather couch. Oh man, it was heaven. I even shut off the ringer on the phone and put a 'Do Not Disturb' sign on my front door. It was 11 p.m. on a Thursday night, so it was doubtful anyone would knock on my door, but I still felt it was a necessary precaution. Luckily, I was able to enjoy the movie from beginning to end. I wasn't that into the whole love story part, but the rest of it was great. The fighter jet scenes alone make this my favorite action movie of all time. And while the ending was a little corny, it was still neat.

Style is all about the shoes

Shoes reveal a lot about a person. Style and personality shine through the type of shoes you wear. Whether you like sports or are fashionably inclined or even your financial status shows in how you dress your feet. So why not wear quality shoes regardless of your style or personality? Try the tasteful line of Burberry shoes and dazzle your friends with a touch of finesse. They have something for everyone whether you are a business man, an artist, a dancer, or a gymnast or someone seeking comfort with style.

This blog features stories about 2012 and comets and other fantastic climate events so why talk about shoes? Well, that's easy. I travel a lot and work hard in many situations as a freelance writer so shoes are important to me. You will hardly ever see me wearing Pumps but if I did, I would purchase a comfortable pair from Zappos in the Burberry line. I mean, if I'm going to dress up in heels of any height, I will wear the top of the line.

CME's and solar flares are daily talk in the news these days. The solar winds are bringing heavy rains so gear up for an emergency with a well made pair of Rain boots to make sure your feet stay dry in the next wave of storms. They are perfect for every day weather and casual rain as well. Check out the styles for yourself and keep integrity in your entire selection of footwear. The prices are reasonable and the quality is unsurpassed. Don't take my word for it. Add some new shoes and boots to your wardrobe and let your feet do the talking.

The Midnight Writer

A Surprise Visit To Grampa's

Posted by Filiberto Garcia

It's already November, and Thanksgiving is coming around the corner quicker than I thought. No arrangements were made for dinner yet and the shopping definetley hadn't been done either! What were we going to do this year?

Well Grampa Stone lived about 3 hours away from us and we rarely had the opportunity to visit with him. Often on holidays, Grampa spends his time at the senior center playing checkers and watching the game with other seniors his age. We decided it would be a great time to give old Gramps a surprise visit!

Had the kids grab their best clothes and a couple toys or hand-held video games to bring along for the ride and told them a book wouldn't hurt either. When my wife and I were ready to go we packed everyone up in the car, set our home security system from allhomesecurity.com/ and were on our way!

Three hours later we arrived at the senior center. We were surprised to find he wasn't there this time! It had been a few weeks since I had last talked to Grampa, and it turns out; he found himself a girlfriend! We decided to call him from up the road to wish him a happy Thanksgiving, but stopped at a diner to eat instead of interrupting.

Nasa's Solar Shield promises protection from CME's

I'm searching news headlines and updates from NASA for information regarding new technology that is geared for the sun's onslaught of coronal mass ejections. It is my goal to post regular updates on this blog in an effort to keep my readers informed. The first article link I want to share with you comes from a site titled "GIZMODO" with the featured article NASA’s ‘Solar Shield’ Will Protect Power Grids From Space Weather. This article was authored by Clay Dillow.

Solar flares remind me of liquid fire. They reach temperatures that the human mind cannot fathom nor could the human body withstand. The name assigned to an emission of this liquid fire from the sun is CME, which means "Coronal Mass Ejection". The damage to our power grids is daunting when a CME reaches into our atmosphere. So NASA has been researching for several years to find ways to protect earth's power system from these fiery electromagnetic attacks. This is the purpose of "Solar Shield", which serves as an early warning device so that power systems can be shut down during a storm. Theoretically, this will prevent a blackout caused by the CME pulse which will damage electrical grids that would take days or weeks or months to repair. According to the theory, a forced blackout by shutting down the power will prevent damage from the CME's. Let's hope it works.

Really funny and a little scary

Guest post written by Brent Weiss

I love reading horror books and stories, but every once in a while I have to read some stuff that's funny so that I don't get completely depressed. But I recently discovered this author that's funny and has some supernatural stuff in his stories.


I'm really not sure how I never heard of Christopher Moore until now because he is a really popular writer. But I came across a blog post about him a few months ago. When I was looking some more into him, I saw http://www.cleartvbundle.com/ and after reading through it I changed my internet provider over to that company.


It ends up that author Christopher Moore has a lot of fans besides me, because almost everything that I googled about him was really positive and praising all of his writing. The first book that I read by him is Fluke, which is about these scientists that do whale research in Hawaii that end up finding out more than the whales want them to. I know it sounds crazy, because it is. But itÕs crazy in a really funny way.

To Kill a Mockingbird

This guest post from Zack Hinton

Ive always loved watching the satellite I got after looking up cable vs satellite tv and catching up on my favorite shows, but there are certain books that suck me in. Since reading it for the first time when I was 13, To Kill a Mockingbird has been my absolute favorite book. Ive read this book by Harper Lee over five times and each time I am more touched by it. The plot of the book is based on the observations of a ten year old girl growing up in the south named Scout. Scout has a first hand look at many different moral dilemmas, growing up as the daughter of a lawyer who is defending a black man accused of raping a white woman. The story is a wonderful mixture of humor, warmth and social behavior. The many different elements of the story is what makes it one of my favorite books.

Harper Lees ability to tell a story is magnificent. Her writing style and form of narrative is unlike many books. Writing from the view point of a ten year old girl, Lee manages to write a novel that flows well and picks up on all different aspects of human nature. I find myself picking up on a different aspect of the book every time I read it.

Virginia

We have been living in Virginia for almost seven months now. Long enough to feel local and loved in our new community. This truly is one of the most beautiful spots in America. When we first moved here, we were a little apprehensive. Coming from Portland, Oregon we did not know what to expect. My mom helped us get this wonderful house, but we only got to visit once before we moved in so it was pretty surreal at first. For one thing, it is so quiet here. No traffic noise or sirens. Being a single, working mom, I knew I would be at the hospital a lot. I wanted to make sure the house was a safe spot for my kids.

We have a dog named Larry, but he is pretty small. The only way he scares people is if they hear him bark but can’t see him. The first thing I did was I put up Beware of Dog signs on our fence. My mom had the locks changed before we moved in so that was one less thing to do.

My dad wanted to put in an alarm system and was looking into a Chesapeake Adt alarm system when I started to meet our neighbors. The worst crime in the last ten years here was a gardener stole a gas grill from the Birkes family. There are a lot of retirees here and they are pretty vigilant neighbors. All in all, this is the best spot I have ever lived in and I feel completely safe.
Written by Carly Yells

It's good to know that vehicle repair is easy to find

Texas is a big state and for the traveler who needs auto assistance, finding help can be a little intimidating. That's why I was happy to learn about Houston auto repair from a friend. I'm traveling across Texas in an old vehicle which often needs repairs without giving much warning. I've been on the side of the road a few times without knowing where to turn. Now I travel prepared with the Repair Pal website bookmarked and maps marked with Wi-Fi locations in case I need to search using my laptop.

Recently, I bought a phone with internet capability. This is a great relief when I travel because I can look up my vehicle model and find all sorts of estimates for repair costs, towing fees, garage locations. The website is adapted for mobile applications which is nice. It's so much easier to carry than a laptop and I can call for help right from my car. The website helps me find listings for a tow truck or garage who can get me off the roadside very quickly.

For example, type in Acura TL to see how many listings come up for that make alone. Additional listings include details for specific year and models as well. A section trouble shoots for you to help decide if you should buy the part yourself and fix it or hire a professional mechanic. Either way, this handy resource describes what to look for if your car is having problems to help decide if you need an oil change or a complete tune up. Perhaps your problems are more serious but you have a friend who knows how to fix certain mechanical parts of a vehicle with a little instruction. Repair Pal gives extensive detail in their handy repair encyclopedia. It's like having an instructor by your side.

Some repairs are essential and a little more complicated. Before you decide if you need a brake job read the signs of trouble listed for your vehicle make and model. Once you determine the problem, look at the costs to repair that are listed for your vehicle compared to making the repair yourself. Find auto parts stores just as easily so you can drive to the nearest one and make price comparisons using the same website on your cell phone. Traveling safely is so much less a burden to me just knowing that even I can troubleshoot if I need help on the road. Help is as close as my cell phone thanks to Repair Pal and their extensive research. They will save hours of time and stress.

The Midnight Writer

A Crack opened in the Earth's Magnetic Field

                                                     Aurora's on May 29, 2010
According to spaceweather.com, a crack opened in the earth's magnetosphere and the sun's solar flares poured in causing a G-1 class geomagnetic storm. The northern lights were visible all the way to Wisconsin. 

NASA captures 3D video of comet plunging into sun - CSMonitor.com

NASA captures 3D video of comet plunging into sun - CSMonitor.com

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