Maybe I'm the most distant (furtherest? - I like correct grammar too!) Fodorite <BR>as I live in Australia, about 100 miles from Sydney. <BR>We have a very warm and humid summer, so I'm looking forward to some cooler weather in the USA in December. No terrorist will stop me! My husband and I enjoy travelling in America and Canada, as it is fun, different, affordable despite our low dollar, and the scenery is magnificent. We love your accents too. <BR> <BR>I will be 60 this week, and can't believe it. Don't feel it at all. I'm a retired pharmacist, and enjoy travelling when I can, and swim, cycle or walk daily. <BR> <BR>One day, I hope to welcome a nice Fodorite to my city! <BR>

hi kelly, i think this is a great thread...saw the europe board one, this is a good idea. lots of people on the europe board say the US board is friendlier, and i hope they post here, too. <BR> <BR>where: london, england, formerly honolulu, hawaii <BR>age: 31 <BR>status: married <BR>occupation: used to work in travel industry, now taking time off to have kids(!) <BR>hobbies: travel, travel planning, net surfing, reading, movies, food, throwing sticks and balls for the dog to fetch, the occassional hike and drinking a cup of chai while hanging out at borders bookstore. <BR>dislikes: freezing weather, smokers who blow in your face, those who don't respect other's culture, religion and customs, watercress and having to listen to my husband's choice of music on long drives (although i put up with this last one for obvious reasons :). <BR>

Eric, <BR> <BR>I share your ambition to visit all the ballparks. I have a website dedicated to doing so. Check it out... <BR> <BR>www.ballparkroadtrip.com

Message: Where: DC metro area(Maryland) <BR>Age: 23 <BR>Status: single <BR>Occupation: engineering consultant Likes: traveling, drinking, friends, people, cars, all types of music, outdoor activities <BR>Dislikes: rude people, terrorists, people stuck in the 80s, narrow minded people, stay-at-home-moms, baseball games (they take too long)

Age 27 <BR>Southern California, I am a native Californian but would love to move to ANY other state regardless of weather. <BR>Stay at home mom of 3. I finally have them all in school so I have some free time!!! <BR>Likes: Reading, Orielly Factor, Digital Photography, figuring things out without a manual, traveling without a guidebook, Jamaica, online message groups, Vegas, finding a bargain, neighbors, researching. <BR>Dislikes:People who hate stay at home moms, daycare, year round school, my tax bracket, renters who vote for bond meassures that increase property taxes for homeowners, Jerry Falwell, Jesse Jackson, censorship, Gray Davis, red meat, fancy restaurants with no pasta dish on the menu, Disneyland, traffic, customs, jet lag when I really want to get out and see where I am.

Way to go, Monique! Why would anyone hate a Mom for putting her kids first?

Why do not like year-round schools? I'm not a parent so I probably shouldn't be in this discussion, but I'm nosey. Anyway, the year-round schools are more desirable than the traditional calendar schools where I live. And it's from families with and without stay athome parents.

I don't understand what a "stay at home mom" does. If you have a baby, that is one thing but if all children are in school say 7:30 am to 3:00pm everyday, who are you staying home to take care of? What do you do during the day? Don't you get bored? There are only so many errands to run and floors to vaccum! Most of us make time for these activities in the evening or after our children are in bed while we work during the day. Is that why stay at home moms always look so refreshed and rested? Obviously they are are not burning the midnight oil every night until 1 am like I am so that I can work during the day, spend time with my kids (go to ballet lessons and soccer games) in the evenings, and get my housework done late at night after kids got to bed. All this to get started at 6:30am the next day (5:30 am on days I want to get up and go running before work)!!!!!!!!

I don't like year round school since my daughters pre-school is on a traditional schedule. So I have a son who is off at different times then my girls. When my daughters finally do attend the school myu son does they will all be on the same schedule for 1 year before he switches back to traditional schedule. So right now the only time we are all off at the same time other then Christmas and Thanksgiving is the month of July. It makes it hard to get a family vacation scheduled since hubby is very busy in July at work. <BR> <BR>To gloria steinam I said I was a stay at home mom, not a maid. I can't remember the last time I vacumed. Am I bored with my life? No, I feel lucky to be able to enjoy and know my kids. I wish everyone had the choice or want to stay home with their kids. I know it isn't possible for everyone but I wish it were.

Gloria-As a stay at home Mom I can honestly say that I do not get bored. My daughter goes to preschool 3 mornings a week. While she is in preschool I do my errands, take an excercise class, shower, catch up on bills etc. When she is not at preschool we do things together like go to the zoo, the library for story hour, the park, we paint, bake cookies and yes, I get my vacuuming and cleaning done in between. I enjoy my child and spend time with her. Kids grow so quickly and I will never regret spending time with my daughter. <BR> <BR>I don't understand why everyone has to bash Stay At Home Moms. Most of us are college-educated and far from the dumpy sweat pants and sweatshirt image we are portrayed as. <BR> <BR>

To Gloria Steinam, <BR> <BR>I'm a stay-at-home mom wannabe. I work while my kids are in school except that I leave early so dad gets them off to school in the morning. The misconceptions about staying at home amaze me. There is tons to do at home that makes life better for the mom and the whole family. My attempts to make sure my kids do not feel the effects of me working make me tired all the time. Like you said, burn the midnight oil and all. In addition to my job I work in my childrens' classrooms every Friday, my day off. I am also the PTA president. My kids are in a suburban school where the majority of moms do not work or work part time. They all seem busy to me, and not with vaccuuming either! I know this subject becomes an emotional one but I don't understand why. Live and let live. If ya wanna work all the time do it, if ya wanna stay home when the kiddies are young do it. Be happy with the choices you make and let everyone live out the life they want. Hey, God Bless America - We have the choice!

Where- Chevy Chase, Md. <BR>Age - 32 <BR>Status - married mother of a 3year old daughter and another on the way <BR>Occupation- staffer for a senator <BR> <BR>Likes: travel!, chocolate of any kind, restaurant delivery and internet grocery shopping hooray!, going to movies, museums, Washington in the spring, reading humorous novels, flea markets and antique malls,and cats <BR> <BR>Dislikes: long car rides, math, any long non-moving line, homeschooling, strip malls, smokers who think its their right, tipping (why can't they just up the price for the service instead of making me calculate the tip?), and dime store rags like the Enquirer <BR> <BR>As for the working mom/stay at home mom debate: to each his own. I personally could never stay at home because I ENJOY my work and would go crazy all day without stimulating adult conversation. Some people on the other hand are comfortable with not working and ENJOY being home and spending more time with their children - that's fine too.

I think this was a good idea. I put my opinion out there enough I would like to know who is attached to the name. <BR> <BR>Where: NJ, Central and Jersey City (on river across from where WTC was)hoping to make 2 residents into 1. <BR> <BR>Age: 27 but I lie and tell people I am 25, pretty soon I will forget myself. <BR> <BR>Status: waiting for the man I love to get the stupidity out of his system and marry me <BR> <BR>Occupation: Well I work for IBM (hate it) but I am getting laid off soon so I am in the process of trying to buy a paint your own pottery store. <BR> <BR>Hobbies: Reading, Cooking, Hiking, Boating, The beach, dining out,any type of water sports and of course travel (even if at the present time its just planning my fantasy trips.) <BR> <BR>Loves: My boyfriend(future ball and chain), cake, family,funny how cake came before family! Friends, Good Food other then cake, music, experiencing new things, and learning.Oh and television...I am hooked. <BR> <BR>Dislike: People who post ANON (have some balls), smoking, being in an office with no windows, body odor (my co-worker is stinky), liers, having credit card debt, people who think they know everything but dont (unlike myself of course)selfishness and most important Ignorance. <BR> <BR>Future ambition: To settle down and buy a house and in between working in my pottery store have some great kids that I encourage to be polite, caring, generous and giving to there community. Travel to my top 5 spots: Fiji, Bali, Costa Rica, Africa, and the galapogas islands. <BR> <BR>So that's me................

Mike, <BR>checked out your ballpark website. a real joy! sounds like you got the chicago experience at both of our ballparks.

Hi all, <BR>I so enjoyed reading your entries. <BR>Where: upstate NY <BR>Age: 40 <BR>Status: married for 17 years & still think my husband is hot. Mother of 2 teenage sons <BR>Occupation: Admin. Asst. for a very cool research project <BR>Most favorite hobbie: Planning family vacations, of course. Am far from rich, but have managed one nice vacation a year. Can't put a price on memories. <BR>Likes: Sunshine, change of seasons, walking the dog, a cup of coffee with Bailey's Irish cream. <BR>Dislikes: The whole stay at home mother debate. Been there, did that. I stayed at home while children were small & believe me, we were just getting by. (No doubt in my mind that I would do it all over again though!! Being with kids cannot be beat.) I gradually went back to work full-time and find that it works just fine for us now that the boys are older. To each his own!!

I also dislike the whole stay at home mom/work outside the home mom debate. I dislike the way it goes from, "I can't believe you can leave your kids for someone else to raise" to "how can you stay at home all day I'd be bored." Sounds to me like both sides are justifying. Hey stop the arguing, justifying and critisism. Just stay home and be happy or go to work and be happy. Don't question the other mom's choice.

I have worked in offices for a long, long time and would love to be a stay at home mom to my two dogs. I can't take the looks they give me when I shut the door in their faces in the morning. <BR>I think I will start a new career of beading so I can make my own hours. <BR> <BR>I like to travel, go to movies, esp. foreign or independents, good food at good restaurant finds in ethnic areas of So. Cal., the beach and antiqueing. <BR>I dislike bullies, whimps and bores. <BR> <BR>I live in Los Angeles, can't you tell?

Where - Rutherford NJ, which is 6 miles from the Lincoln (nice residential town quite different from East Rutherford which is predominately commercial). I'm a native of Syracuse NY but moved here two years ago for the adjacency to NYC - have never regretted the move. <BR>Age - 45 (but I look waaaay younger... no... really.... I do!) <BR>Status - Single with a 20 year old daughter in college. Still hoping to meet the right partner for traveling and sharing the joy of life (but not rushing it). <BR>Occupation - Sales/Systems Engineer <BR>Hobbies/Likes - Travel, Music, Film and diverse ethinc food experiences. My latest pursuit is field recording of live music - a great expereince that gets me out to live music events regularly and affords the chance to meet some great people who are fellow "tapers". <BR>Dislikes - Bigotry, narrowmindedness, Limburger cheese, the corporatization of culture... (don't get me started!)

Where: Williamsburg, VA

age: 40's and loving it. <BR>status: married with two school-age children <BR>occupation: veterinary technician <BR> <BR>Likes: traveling, of course, walking, being in the woods, cooking, gardening <BR> <BR>Dislikes: screwing up on the computer, cigarette butts thrown out of car windows, the CNN anchors and Greta.