Beach Party

Woke up feeling better, thankfully. We’re on our way to Virginia Beach for a daytrip.

As a citizen of Virginia Beach for 22 years, I’ve seen Hampton Roads change and change again. As a location for Pat Robertson, PETA, the world’s largest naval bases, a melting pot of cultures from white to Latino to black to Asian, and an age range from young to old to everything in between, the Tidewater area is almost a microcosm of the political spectrum of the United States. We struggle at times with our identity, and find it difficult to find the “culture” of Hampton Roads, mostly because we are such a stew of ideals and viewpoints.

Moral of the story: Let’s just get some Democrats elected in Virginia Beach. I’ve only lived here for 1.5 years and I’m already sick of the stupid GOPper games. What a waste!

Regardless of whether or not it’s effective, this pix is pretty damn cool! Can we do similarly in Virginia Beach?

“Do Not Use Your Shift Key!” I think that’s what this sign says down at the oceanfront in Virginia Beach.

Anyhow...No sleep for both of us equals two crankies at each other's throat. We haven't spoken for two days now. Not because we can't, but because we don't want to. *sigh* The benefit to that is my house is spotless. *Anger motivates me to Clean.* Our 8th wedding anniversary is Dec.2 and we're going to Virginia Beach for a little over-nighter. Not sure where we're staying or what we're doing, I left that all up to the hubby. My only stipulation was the hotel room be ocean front (I'm a beach girl). So here's to hoping we'll get a little R&R together.

I’m going to try and catch an early-evening flight tomorrow to go visit my parents, girlfriend, and grandma in Virginia Beach. I’m looking forward to a little mini vacation because work has been pretty hectic lately with the launch of the new website and all.

Now this is an OLD photo. It was taken in 1980, I believe, when we had a big blizzard in Virginia Beach.

The Virginia State Bar is hosting the first Virginia State Bar Golf Tournament in Virginia Beach tomorrow June 16, 2005 at Heron Ridge Golf Course. Good luck to all the particpants. Good luck surviving the heat, Virginia Beach has been experiencing temperatures in the mid 90’s the last few days. The heat index is well over 100.

A word to the wise regarding tickets for reckless driving to or from your vacation in Virginia Beach: Virginia Beach General District Court traffic judges give jail time for reckless driving.

I just pulled into Virginia Beach, for the first time ever -- after 13 hours on the road. Being a Florida native, and at first glance, I would compare the oceanfront area to the strip at Daytona Beach, only Virginia Beach seems cleaner and more upscale. Even the t-shirt shops look cleaner.

Spc. Jeremy M. Dimaranan, 29, Virginia Beach, Va., June 16, 2004, Iraq

Capt. James C. Edge, 31, Virginia Beach, Va., April 14, 2005, Iraq

Chief Warrant Officer Travis W. Grogan, 31, Virginia Beach, Va., Nov. 27, 2004, Afghanistan

Yesterday we spent the morning in Virginia Beach. A little girl walked over with this in her hand and showed us what she found. After I took this photo, she carried it into the beach house to show her mom, who I’m sure was more than happy to have this fine specimen in her kitchen.

» My latest adventure in transportourism*: The Cheseapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, a 17.6-mile roadway that connects the eastern shore with the mainland of Virginia. This bridge is so long that you cannot see one end from the other. With some time to kill in Virginia Beach Saturday, I drove over the bridge and back in my Ford Escape rental. The bridge-tunnel, first opened in 1964 and expanded in 1999, includes four lanes of low-level and elevated bridges, plus two one-mile underwater tunnels where traffic narrows into two lanes. The bridge-tunnel...

The thing that baffles me about all of this growth is where is the money coming from? And what audience are they trying to cater to? Virginia Beach has always been growing, but this kind of growth is different–it’s the affluent kind of sprawl you see in Northern Virginia or Raleigh/Durham. And unlike those areas, VB doesn’t have the economic factors to justify these kinds of development. There’s no spillover effect from the free spending federal government. There’s no “Research Triangle.” All there...

In Richmond, it is illegal to flip a coin in any eating establishment to determine who buys a cup of coffee.
It is illegal for a man to kick his wife out of bed.
It is illegal for a man to pat his wife's derriere.
There is a state law prohibiting "corrupt practices of bribery by any person other than candidates".
It is against the law in Virginia Beach, Virginia for a woman to leave her house not wearing a corset

The National Association of Transpersonal Hypnotherapists, sister to AHU, is a national spiritual hypnosis organization with its annual convention at the Virginia Beach-Front August 25-September 2. We conduct the AHU graduation ceremony there. This grand event, packed with multiple educational workshops and seminars, offers accelerated 1-5 day certification programs in hypnotherapy, reiki, and much more. Examine our schedule of events, past newsletters, books and CDs, and more on www.holistictree.com. Just look at the tree on our home page and click...

Anyways back to reality.. we went to bid on the foreclosure today and it was canceled at the last hour before the freakin auction.. how disapointing. Seriously it is impossible to find a decent house in virginia beach right now. I don't have 250K to spend. What are families like ours supposed to do? Anyways we have decided to wait it out and look at possible houses but plan on trying to rent in a good school district when AJ starts school in september.

Paden said the billboard will not be near the Shafer home and he also has written Orange officials, urging them to adopt an ordinance that prohibits chaining dogs or limiting the length of time that a dog can be tethered.

“The fact is, an unprovoked attack is a calling card of a chained dog,” Paden said.

In Virginia, only Norfolk, Virginia Beach and Northampton County restrict chaining, according to PETA. Norfolk and Northampton limit chaining to 12 cumulative hours in a 24-hour period, Paden said, while Virginia Beach limits the practice to three hours.

Chaining restrictions have spread across the nation in the past few years. In early 2003, about 40 localities had adopted such ordinances, Paden said. Today, 68 localities have them on the books, he said.

A 54-foot fin whale that washed ashore in the Sandbridge section of Virginia Beach on Easter weekend died from injuries sustained in a collision with a ship, according to results of a preliminary necropsy.

i dont know what it is about being home in Virginia Beach that drags up old wounds, old fears, old selfish desires to be seen and noticed and recognized.

Sprawl is a bit of a sore point for me. I come from a city (Virginia Beach) that is essentially a giant petri dish of sprawl gone wild. I’ve seen what can happen: overpriced, shitty homes in crowded subdivisions, overtaxed transportation systems, packed schools, local businesses pushed out in favor of mega-chains, loss of community identity. And now it’s coming to the area I live in now. All over hills are being leveled for subdivisions and mega-stores. Strip malls are popping up like weeds. I imagine if we end up leaving this area, the coming sprawl monster will be a large factor in our decision.