Top 10 Things To Do List...During My Week Off

Yes, we are quite behind on our blog posts. As most of you who follow us know (yeah, I know this blog only has one official blogger), this blog as well as our sister blog "The Daily Vampire" has a different entry for each day of the week.

The top 10 lists were supposed to be posted Saturday, and we've omitted a few 'missing entries' so we aren't working on this until 3 a.m. Altoona, Pa., time tonight.

Here is the week's to-do list for my week off:

1. Plan Chapel Hill trip

2. Take Gizmo to the vet

3. Try to see old driver's ed films

4. Actually do work for work?!

5. Wash car (pictured, not me!)

6. Listen to college radio stations online

7. Laundry (what else?!)

8. Read Martin Amis novel from the library

9. Start the exercises!!!!!!!!!!!

10. Learn a catch phrase in Urdu......

Silly Picture to Fill Space- Taxi Cab Driver

If one googles the term 'taxi driver,' they will get one thousand references to a certain 1975 movie with Robert DeNiro. But, being a taxi cab driver can also be a rewarding summer job with lots of good tips, well unless you're working in rural Kentucky.

But, perhaps, Altoona, Pa., is a better place to drive a cab than Harlan, Ky. (asuming they have taxi service there in Appalachia). One with such inclinations may want to visit A1 Altoona Taxi on East 6th Avenue (assuming they're hiring).

We will continue to focus on summer jobs for next week's Silly Picture to Fill Space entry, but we will shift our focus from Altoona to any community somewhere in the eastern part of les etats unis.

Akron, Ohio, Trenton, NJ, Winston-Salem, NC, and Portland, Maine, are among the zip codes in the running. Perhaps, one of their mayors can send me a message on Facebook. We are based in NC, but does not guarantee that Krispy Kreme-town (as we like to call Winston-Salem which is also nicknamed Camel City) will get the bid!

SIDEBAR: Best wishes to Carley Schlentz, 13, of Greensboro, NC, who was bitten by a shark while vacationing with her family in Topsail Island, near Wilmington, NC, over the weekend. She had to have 60 stiches on her foot!

Silly Photo to Fill Space- The Next Twisted Sister?!

Apparently, there are lots of garage bands in Pennsylvania, and as we continue our look at summer jobs in our series Silly Photo to Fill Space, we once again focus on of our favorite zip codes in the USA---that of Altoona, Pa. (even though we have no idea what their zip code is!).

While researching this piece, we found out that there is an '80s hairband tribute band in Altoona called Hair Force One, not to be confused with some silly children's movie of the same name with either talking hamsters or talking gerbils (how did someone pitch this crazy idea?!).

The band Hair Force One is playing lots of dates in Pennsylvania this summer, including a July 17th performance at 30 Something, a bar located on E. Walton Ave. in Altoona.

Another Altoona band, The House Band will be playing at the Old Canal Inn on July 9.

And, as for one of the real '80s heavy metal hair bands, Twisted Sister (lead singer Dee Snider is pictured here) is playing at the Norway Rock Fest in Kivindestal, Norway, on July 7th (man, I wish I could be there, well any excuse to go to Norway!). But, the band returns from the Land of A-ha (they will also be playing in Sweden and other countries in Europe) to come back to the States for a July 23 concert in Oklahoma City.

ROADTRIP?!

Silly Photo to Fill Space- Waitressing in Altoona?

We don't think this particular waitress (I bet her name is Katie?!) works at a King's Family Restaurant in Altoona, Pa., but assuredly some college students who have the summer off are serving up hamburgers and fries to customers there.

King's has two locations (well, I thought there were more actually, but this is according to Google) in Altoona, including one at 3000 Six Ave and one at 201 Sierra Drive.

As for the city's minor league baseball team the Altoona Curve, who we have mentioned in previous entries during this special look at summer jobs in our Silly Photo to Fill Space series, they beat the New Britain Rock Cats (from New Britain, Conn.) 6-5 in a home game on Sunday.

In ten minutes, they will be playing the Trenton Thunder in Trenton, NJ (7:05 start time); we certainly hope there is no thunder in Trenton.

Hmmm.......yeah, that was a lousy pun. We agree. But, in truth, we really don't care!

Silly Photo to Fill Space- Summer Jobs (Baseball Mascots)

We picked on the fine folks in Altoona, Pa., last week with our Silly Photo to Fill Space entry (with a picture of a gas station attendant), so this week we couldn't resist poking fun at them again_ even though I have nothing but love and admiration for the folks in Blair County!

The city's minor league baseball team The Altoona Curve has one of the more interesting mascots around.

Steamer (pictured here) made his first appearance in 1999. According to the Curve web site, the mascot's favorite tv shows are "Thomas the Train Engine" and "Bob the Builder."

His hobbies include four-wheeling, riding roller-coasters and signing autographs for the kids (awwww!).

The Curve lost to the New Hampshire Fisher Cats on the road Sunday by a 5-4 count.

Tonight, they hope to get revenge when they host the Harrisburg Senators from the Pennsylvania state capital at 7 p.m.

We would be there, but Altoona is like a seven-hour drive from here in Durham, NC (not really where I am at, but that town has its own famous minor league team The Durham Bulls) and the game starts in like an hour and a half!

Silly Photo to Fill Space- Summer Jobs (Gas Station Attendant)

If you are a college student coming back from spring semester at Penn State or Duquense to your hometown of Altoona, Pa., and you have found out that they have already hired someone to be the mascot of the minor league baseball team The Altoon Curve and that summer internship at "The Altoona Mirror" (the local newspaper) is unavailable, don't worry!

You can become a gas station attendant at a place like Martin's General Store off Exit-41 on 199 (for legal reasons, we should state that though there is such a place, we aren't sure if they are hiring!).

Apparently, this particular gas station is right across from a Sheetz, which is based in Altoona, and they now have stores as far south as Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (that is a joke, but they are in South Carolina.....?!)

One internet poster said that the store has really, really great pizza but alas they offer no diesel.

As for the Altoon Curve, in my personal opionion (though it may not come across this way I mean this as a sincere compliment), their mascot looks like a cross between Marvin the Martian and Gumby!

The Curve's next home games will be from June 7-9 against the Harrisburg Senators.

Altoona, Pa., is also the birthplace of current Florida governor Charlie Crist.