I love to blog but I am also an IT Manager, a real estate salesperson and a father so my time is limited. I would rather work with others that enjoy blogging and turn Bloggaville into something bigger. I have no details yet on my vision but if you are a blogger and you think you write well, please email me at tsedgar @ gmail.com (without the spaces).

I have covered many different topics and would love to have a wide range of topics covered daily. Email me if you are interested.

Thanks - Tom

I am going to post article as I can but I am having trouble getting them to post. I have a number of things I am writing about but getting them to publish has been a problem. I would love to share more of my experiences with dial-up. We have been out and tried the St. Louis style pizza and I want to share that with everyone. We are seeing some nice places in the St. Louis area, including a couple Cardinal’s games. This is my first time at new Busch Stadium and all I can say is wow.

I will get the articles posted when I can but wanted everyone to know why I may miss some postings. I hope everyone is having a great summer. This is a great vacation but I didn’t think it would cause trouble for this blog.

I love pizza, as do most of us, so I know I eat more than 23 pounds in a year. In fact I love pizza so much I make it a habit of finding the best pizza places when I travel just so I can taste some of the greatest pizza’s. Now I have yet to make it to New York so I can’t tell you how good their pizza is but I have been to Chicago many times and I can attest to the fact that they have great pizza.

If you like deep dish pizza you will love Chicago. The Chicago style is something you have to try at least once if you enjoy pizza. Some of the more famous places in Chicago include Lou Malnati’s, Gino’s East, Pizzeria Uno and Due’ and Giordano’s. I have tried every one of them except for Pizzeria Uno and Due’. My favorite is Lou’s Malnati’s but Gino’s East is a close second. I have tried Giordano’s thin crust and it was excellent too. The next time the wife and I go to Chicago we will have to try Uno or Due’ because I have heard they are as good or better.

This week we are in St. Louis and I have seen a few places talk about a St. Louis style. I am not sure what that is but I plan to find out. Even when not on vacation I have tasted some great pizza’s around my home. I work in Iowa City and they have Sam’s Pizza which has great pizza and calzone’s. I have been to the Summit in downtown Iowa City and they have awesome calzone’s but I am not sure about the pizza. Pagliai’s is located in both Iowa City and Grinnell, Iowa and they are both awesome pizza. If you are ever in Iowa and in either town you have to try Pagliai’s pizza.

Last year we were in Milwaukee for a Cubs game and we had some local pizza there too. I can’t remember the name of the place but it was a small little place just south of the airport. It was very good pizza too. Once I get a chance to try some good St. Louis pizza I will make sure to report on it as well. If anyone out there has some great local pizza please reply to this post and let me know where it is located and what the name is. I don’t mean national brands either, I like local places that aren’t everywhere.

I just read a story that 3,000 Lou Malnati’s pizza’s were being sent to Iraq. They are some lucky soldiers because those are some great pizza’s. Granted, they are not as good frozen as they are fresh but for the guys in Iraq, they will be like a taste of heaven. If any of you have been to Chicago and tried a few of the different places I mentioned I would love to know your favorite. A few of my buddies prefer Gino’s and I do love it to.

Just about any Chicago pizza is better than what I can get where I live. We will be eating some pizza in St. Louis and also in Chicago a couple times in August. I will be working on the 23 pounds I am supposed to eat this year. Are you doing your part?

You shouldn’t have to put a number on your life. Maybe someone can put a number on it for you. You could do like Ian Usher did and put your life up for auction on Ebay. He sold his home in Perth, Australia, his motorcycle, a jetski, his friends and all his other worldly belongings including a trial for his job at a rug store. All he does is walk away and says he will now look for a new life.

What did his life cost the highest bidder? $380,286. That’s it. A 41-year old man, coming off a divorce from a 5-year marriage, sells everything he is for less than what a new decent size home costs in many big cities.

If you were Ian Usher what would you do now? You have just sold everything you had, including your friends, and walk away with enough money to get started somewhere else? Being from Australia I would probably move from there to another continent and try something totally new. If he was working at a rug store I think he could easily find a new career that is much more exciting. If he doesn’t have a college degree maybe he goes back to school. He is still young and could have a new career in four years. In another 10 years maybe he has a great new life and he can turn around and sell that one for close to $1 million. Maybe his career is starting new lives, building them up and then selling them off.

Usher had other plans though. In fact on his website, www.alife4sale.com, he said that once the auction ended, this was what he planned to do, “My current thoughts are to then head to the airport, and ask at the flight desk where the next flight with an available seat goes to, and to get on that and see where life takes me from there!” It is an exciting idea but yet scary at the same time. Who knows where you could end up but I guess you have to take a chance. You have a new life to start.

An attractive blonde from Dublin arrived at a Las Vegas casino and 
bet $20,000 on a single roll of the dice.
 
She said, “I hope you don’t mind, but I feel much luckier when I 
completely nude” With that, she stripped from the neck down, rolled 
the dice and yelled, “Come on, Baby, Mama needs new clothes!” As
the 
dice came to a stop, she jumped up and down and squealed, “Yes, Yes, 
I Won, I Won!”
 
She hugged each of the dealers and then picked up her winnings and 
her clothes and quickly departed. The dealers stared at each other 
dumbfounded.
 
Finally, one of them asked, “What did she roll?” The other 
answered,”I don’t know. . . I thought you were watching!”
 
Morale of the story:
 
Not all Irish are stupid and not all blondes are dumb, but all men, 
are men!

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I also got this video from a colleague this week. I thought it was cool but also thought it wasn’t real. It turns out it was a sales ad

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This isn’t really a joke, but the concert goer’s get the last laugh. I guess a guy in the front row was roughing up a woman during a Tim McGraw concert so Tim yanks him out of the crowd and kicks him out of his show. The guy even comes back wanting a piece of Tim McGraw.

This first video talks about an EPA email that is sent to the White House and the White House won’t open it. They then rewrite the policy to please the White House and to get them to read the email. It is like the EPA sent the White House one of those Spam Boner Pill Ad’s.

This is a great one. I guess Entertainment Tonight reported that Angelina Jolie’s babies were born before they actually were. There’s a shock. Jon Stewart has fun with it though. To this point I have seen no reports the babies have actually been born. While I am thinking about it, I don’t care either.

Here is another that where Jon has a guest on to discuss how Hillary Clinton was treated negatively and ends up removing a piece of clothing for each sexist comment that was made.

I have heard a lot about faith healing lately. In fact, it was only 3 months ago in March that the boys cousin, a 15-month old baby died from bronchial pneumonia and a blood infection.

This isn’t a new subject. Chris Wallace actually did a story on the Follower’s of Christ, on 20/20, back in 1999. During that show Wallace spoke about one little boy, only six years old that woke his parents because it turned out he was suffering from a hernia. What could have been fixed had his parents taken him to a doctor ended up killing him when his parents decided to pray instead.

Now you might wonder how could someone do this and let their child die? Well they don’t think they are doing something wrong. They believe that if they pray and the person dies, it was god’s will. I don’t agree with that thinking. The church has been around for a lot longer than most of the medical procedures that are available today. If it is God’s will why has the average life expectancy gone from 47 in the year 1900 to age 77 today? Has God’s will changed? No, the art of medicine has improved greatly and what they can treat now has changed a lot in 100 years.

Going back to the story on 20/20. The Followers of Christ were based out of Oregon. Back in 1999, when the story came out, Oregon was looking for something to help solve this problem. A bill was introduced and passed later the same year that repealed the religious beliefs defense to charges of manslaughter, homicide and child abuse. The parents of the 15-month old baby that died are being charged with manslaughter and criminal mistreatment, and have pleaded not guilty to both charges.

I have five kids at home with another out of the home. I can’t imagine sitting by and letting any of them die. If I followed any of their beliefs I could be without one of them. My youngest son had a hernia and if I would have tried to pray instead I would have likely lost him like the parents in the 20/20 story. I understand that there are times when “medical miracles” happen and that could be divine intervention or it could be our bodies helping to heal itself. I can’t explain it either way. I just know that if praying isn’t working, I say you take the person to a doctor and use the technology we have available.

Praying to God is the way many try to heal their kids. Well maybe God’s will is for the parents to take the kids to the doctor. If it was God’s will to allow us to find way to extend people’s lives and to fix health problems, why can’t everyone take advantage of them. Their thinking for using prayer and not a doctor reminds me of a joke I heard. I think it relates very well.

There was an old man sitting on his porch watching the rain fall. Pretty soon the water was coming over the porch and into the house.

The old man was still sitting there when a rescue boat came and the people on board said, “You can’t stay here you have to come with us.”

The old man replied, “No, God will save me.” So the boat left. A little while later the water was up to the second floor, and another rescue boat came, and again told the old man he had to come with them.

The old man again replied, “God will save me.” So the boat left him again.

An hour later the water was up to the roof and a third rescue boat approached the old man, and tried to get him to come with them.

Again the old man refused to leave stating that, “God will save him.” So the boat left him again.

Soon after, the man drowns and goes to heaven, and when he sees God he asks him, “Why didn’t you save me?”

God replied, “You dummy! I tried. I sent three boats after you!!”

God has sent us doctors, doctors, and more doctors. God has showed them how to heal and cure diseases. Through the expertise of the doctors we now live an average of 30 years longer than we did in 1900. God is trying to save us and we are not getting in the boat. I understand it, I am just sorry that some people do not. Please don’t sit by and watch people die when they could be saved. That is not God’s will.

For example, when we went to Branson three years ago we took advantage of a Super Saver plan. Silver Dollar City, Celebration City and White Water water park had a package deal that allowed us to pay $500 for four days worth of easy entry to any park. It meant we could spend as little or as much time at any of the parks and not have to pay anything additional.

There are seven of us so when you break it down it is about $71 per person. When you spread that over four days it is less than $125 per day. Now that isn’t cheap or free but I was just giving an example that you can find some good deals. If you paid $30 per day for four days at the same parks you would spend $840 so we saved good money with that deal. They can be found anywhere if you look.

 If you want to vacation inexpensively you can do it. Below is just some of the places you can go and either do it free or pay very little.

1. National Parks - inexpensive yet National treasures. Below is just a few well know parks and the cost to enter each.
   1. Grand Canyon - $25 per private vehicle for 7 days
   2. Mount Rushmore - $10 for an annual pass
   3. Yosemite National Park - $20 per private vehicle for 7 days
   4. Yellowstone - $25 per private vehicle for 7 days
2. Museums - there are many excellent museums that charge little to enter or are often free.
   1. Smithsonian Institution - most, if not all, of the Smithsonian Museums are free.
   2. Children’s Museums - if you have kids they will love a Children’s Museum. They are common is medium to large cities. They are also usually free or very affordable ($5 to $8 per person)
3. Science Centers - most big cities have some type of Science Center. Most of them are free or very inexpensive. If you have a trip planned to a city do a search for Science Center and check the prices.
4. Government Buildings - do you want to see how the Government operates? Tours are available.
   1. White House - yes, you can tour the White House, click here for info
   2. United States Capitol - visit our Congressman and Representatives, tour is free.
   3. United States Mint’s - tours are free in the Denver and Philadelphia Mint’s. See how our money is made. Tours are free.
   4. National Archives - see the Constitution, Bill of Rights and Declaration of Independence
5. Presidential Libraries - learn more about our various President’s. Located in 20 different states. Find one close to you or where you will be vacationing.
   1. Ronald Reagan
   2. John F. Kennedy
   3. William J. Clinton
6. Zoo’s - another thing that many medium to large cities have. Prices range from free to a small fee.
   1. Lincoln Park Zoo (Chicago) - a very nice Zoo that is free.
   2. Omaha Henry Doorly Zoo - not free but inexpensive. $11 - Adults, Kids (3-11) $7.25
   3. St. Louis Zoo - free admission but a charge for some attractions.
7. Miscellaneous
   1. Public Beaches - wherever there is water, there is likely a public beach.
   2. Exchanges - NY Stock Exchange, Chicago Mercantile Exchange, Chicago Board of Trade

That is a sizable list of places to see that are inexpensive or free. If you like to come home from vacation and feel like you didn’t spend a fortune you can take advantage of many of the places listed above. Many of them are fun and while I was writing this I discovered some places I would really like to visit. If you have been to any of them I would love to hear what you thought about your experience.

While writing this article I came across a great site. I would recommend it. You can find a ton of free places to visit when you vacation or in your own home town. www.free-attractions.com

Now this may be cheating but I am allowed to choose places that I have been before. You have to think that if I liked it enough the first time and want to go back, it could be worth your time to go visit as well. Wouldn’t you agree?

I will follow a strict format this time around. Along with the location I want to visit I will include what made me choose that spot and a few of the tourist attractions would be at the top of my list. With that in mind, here we go.

1. Hawaii - The wife and I actually have a trip planned for Hawaii in November. We may switch it and move it to January though. I really want to go when it is cold, snowy and miserable and get off the plane and enjoy the 80 degree weather. Hawaii in the winter is great, that is why we chose it. Tourist spots - Pearl Harbor, Diamond Head, Waikiki Beach, Dole Pineapple farm
2. Washington D.C - If you read my story yesterday you know I have already been to D.C. As I said yesterday, it was a short time and I have so much more I want to see. Washington D.C has so much to see and that is why I want to go back again. Tourist spots - Smithsonian Institution (we didn’t see any of the museums last time), National Archives, Library of Congress, US Capitol
3. New York City - I have never been to NY City and my wife and I would both like to go at some point. Our dream would be to go and watch the ball drop in Times Square but I hear that is crazy. New York is the biggest city in the US and I want to see it. Tourist spots - Statue of Liberty, Rockafeller Center, Times Square, Central Park, Empire State Building, Wall Street
4. Orlando - This is another place I have been but this time I would be the parent taking the kids. I still love Orlando and all it has to offer. My youngest kids are about to the age when I went and I think they would be in awe. I obviously chose Orlando for my kids, although I still love it. Tourist spots - Walt Disney World, Universal Studios, Sea World, and Cape Canaveral
5. Seattle - I went to Seattle on a business trip and really loved the city. I want to take my wife back and show her a beautiful part of the US. I remember driving into Seattle from nearby Redmond. You get to a point where you see the city around Lake Washington and I remember saying WOW. Great city. Tourist spots - Space Needle, Pike Street Market
6. Scotland - I love to golf and I would love to see where golf got its start. It would be even better if we could go at the time the British Open is being played so I could watch some golf at the same time. St Andrews is one of the most famous courses in the World and I would love to see it. I realize there are other things to see but I want to go there mainly for golf. Tourist Spots - St. Andrews links, Edinburgh Castle, Royal Troon Golf Club, Loch Ness
7. Boston - When I think of Boston I think of Fenway Park and that would be one place I would love to visit. There is so much history in Boston it kind of falls in with Washington D.C. as a city with a lot of history.  Tourist Spots - Old North Church, Paul Revere’s house, Fenway Park, Harvard University

These are the places I would love to go the most. There are so many places on my list but if I was allowed to take a trip anywhere it would be one of these. Now some of the places, like New York and Boston could be done on one long trip. I could even include Washington D.C. in that trip.

There are some states I would like to visit that I have never been to as well. Texas, Colorado, South Carolina for starters and then I would love to go back to Arizona and California at some point.

When you are a kid you really don’t appreciate things. I visited Tombstone, AZ but didn’t realize what significance it had but now I do. I have seen the movie Tombstone enough times know that I would love to visit it again.

These are the places I have thought of for the last few years and would really like to visit. I would again love to know what places others would love to visit and why.

Tomorrow for Part 3 of the series I will offer up a large list of great places to see in the US affordably or better yet, free.

1. Florida 1976 - I was just a kid and we went to Florida to spend time with my aunt and uncle. They were living in Ft. Lauderdale and we went to visit for a week or so. Swimming in the ocean was a new experience for me but the best was our trip north to Orlando and Walt Disney World. We stayed at the Polynesian Resort on the Disney property. As a kid it was amazing. It was like a different world. I remember seeing a water slide through a rock and that just added to my amazement. I still remember many of the things that I did on that vacation.
2. California 1985 - I will always remember this trip too. We were there for the 2nd year in a row. My grandpa had died the year before and we found out when we got to the Grand Canyon. Every time I think of the Grand Canyon I think of losing my grandpa. The next year my grandma went with us and we saw a lot of places. We left from Sacramento and went through Las Vegas, to Phoenix, down to Tombstone, we saw Old Tucson before heading to San Diego. After that we hit LA and then up the PCH to the Hearst Castle, Carmel, and Pebble Beach before heading back to Sacramento. It was a great vacation and I will never forget it either.
3. Branson 2005 - My mom had given us a week of her timeshare and we chose Branson. We had never been there but thought we would give it a try. It turned out to be a very enjoyable time. We went through St Louis and hit the Gateway Arch and took a boat ride on the Mississippi. After that it was on to Branson and with the kids we spent a lot of time at Silver Dollar City, Celebration City and White Water water park. We did only one show, Dolly Parton’s Dixie Stampede, but that was enough for us. It was also so enjoyable because of the timeshare. We had plenty of room to spread out and we were comfortable. It wasn’t long after that and we bought our own timeshare.
4. Illinois/Wisconsin 2002 - This was a trip of many cities. We started in Chicago with a visit to Santa’s Village for the kids. We spent some time downtown seeing the Sears Tower. After a couple days there we headed north towards Milwaukee and visited the Renaissance Festival at Bristol, IL before heading to Milwaukee. We had planned to visit the Milwaukee Zoo but the temps were in the high 90’s so we passed and instead headed to the Wisconsin Dells and the water parks. After spending a couple days there we headed further to the Stevens Point to a cabin owned by my aunt and uncle. We enjoyed the lake, did some boating and fishing for a couple days before heading back home.
5. Washington D.C. 2000 - This was a business trip with a small vacation at the end. My future wife went with me and she would find things to do as I was working. We had a few days after I was done to enjoy our nations capitol. We have said we wanted to go back because it is a great city to visit. There was so much to see but we didn’t come close to hitting everything we wanted.
6. Milwaukee/Lake Geneva 2007 - A lot of our trips focus on an ability to see the Cubs play if possible. This trip was no different. We bought tickets to see the Cubs play at Miller Park, the Cubs won too. Before the game we toured Miller Park and I would recommend that to anyone that loves baseball. We visited Miller Brewery, Betty Brinn Children’s Museum, the Zoo and also went down and walked along the beach. We stayed 3 nights in Lake Geneva to take advantage of a benefit we have through our timeshare.
7. Minnesota 2006 - This was a long weekend which included a Cubs game at the Metrodome. We didn’t have all the kids but we did the Mall of America, and the kids were amazed by the size of the mall. We took the train down to the Metrodome and the kids enjoyed that. Minneapolis has a very clean and nice public transit system. The Cubs lost but it was still enjoyable.
8. Florida 1993 - This was a trip with my ex-wife and her parents. They paid for us to go down to Florida with them and this was a very pleasant trip. Besides the Cubs I love to golf and on this trip I had the opportunity to play golf at Lake Nona and the Osprey at Walt Disney World. These are championship caliber courses which was a lot of fun. We stayed at a timeshare and that added to the comfort of the trip. A lot of golf, a lot of fun and a few of the sites.
9. Chicago 2006 - Chicago is a favorite of me and the wife and this trip was truly enjoyable. It didn’t actually involve a Cubs game but we did spend some time downtown. We took a double decker bus tour on a great day and saw a lot of downtown Chicago. We drove up to Gurnee Mills and did some shopping there and also at one of the two Ikea stores. Chicago has some great food and we always have to get some pizza. Lou Malnati’s, Gino’s East and Giordano’s are a few that we have tried. At this point Lou’s is our favorite with Gino’s a close second. One of our next trips will include a trip to Pizzeria Uno and/or Due. 
10. Wisconsin Dells 2007 - Last year for Spring Break we took the kids to the Dells in March. There are a ton of indoor water parks and we found a great one at Chula Vista. We also found a great rate on a 2 bedroom condo unit and we were very comfortable. The kids enjoyed the water park and they got their fill of that. We also went downtown and did some shopping and on our way back we stopped at the House on the Rock. That wasn’t as fun but was still interesting, since I had never been there. It is worth a stop if you are close by.

That does it for my top 10 vacations. Many of them are recent but my top two come from my childhood. All trips have been memorable and I would do them all again. We have a lot of places we want to visit and the timeshare allows us to do that. Not all people like timeshares but with our large family it works well. One of these days I will tell you how we got our timeshare very cheap. If anyone reading this has a vacation spot they absolutely love please share it. I would love to know what others have enjoyed.

Tomorrow I continue the series with some trips we are planning for the future.