Ethan said that I would be better off making a blog about this instead of saying it all in this thread and ignoring the "no more posts after this" rule, so I think I will.

Look, we all should realize that while most of us are thrilled to go to a forum where we can take part in constructive discussion about the show we love, there are some obvious flaws to the way it actually runs on a daily basis.

There are some people on the forum who are more mature than others, but if you think about it, that's how life in the outside world works too. Yes, there are some people who are still nothing short of a headache after several years who continue to haunt the boards. But is it really fair to start a full fledged rally against a new member when they may not be used to the site just yet? Every time I see a new thread pop up that I know goes against everything that the members who give a crap about the guide are striving for, I sit back and watch the fun begin. Someone posts a reply explaining why the thread should not have been made, a reason why, and information for future reference (and "no more posts after this"). Then someone else adds their opinion on it ("no more posts after this"). Then someone else comes up with something to say (again, "no more posts after this"). Is it just me, or does "no more posts after this" never seem to actually work the way we'd like it to? If you're not a moderator or an editor, you have no authority other than reporting the posts to somebody who actually is.

In theory, thread check is a great tool to combat the problem. The problem is that new members tend to just search for the threads that are of most interest to them first, and if they don't, they just go and start up a new one. I doubt any member who knows nothing about the guide would even think to go to thread check beforehand. Hell, when I first came here, I didn't even know topics were referred to as threads until I actually got involved a little more and learned some forum lingo.

I guess my question is this: does the Thomas forum even need any additional threads? We are already faced with 28 pages chock full of topics that make up the Thomas forum at this very moment. Chances are that if someone wants to talk about something Thomas related, there is probably an existing thread in which to do so. It seems that for the past few months, there haven't been all that many new topics that have actually become active; exception being any sort of notable event or speculation about the future of the show. I know David, he's one of my closest online friends. I seriously feel that constantly turning to him to delete threads that should have never been made in the first place is just unfair to him. His job is to moderate submissions and take care of serious matters on the forum, not the nonsense that his inbox must be flooded with day after day.

So yeah, the bottom line is that we should stop allowing new threads to be made unless it is a topic that will spawn off constructive discussion, which will be determined by either David or a certain number of other forum members. I'm not expecting any progress to be made or anything because it rarely ever does, but I hope you'll at least give it some thought.

While I'm at it, I might as well go ahead and tell you about my summer in one paragraph or less. It's been stressful, relaxing, depressing, and thrilling. I got things set straight with my girlfriend, even though my family still hates her. I went to a three day orientation at college where I was thrown out of bed at two in the morning so my roomate could have sex with his new girlfriend. I went to Atlantic City and Disney World, had a lot of fun at each. I'm going to Cooperstown on Friday, then I'm doing nothing until I start college. In short, the remainder of my summer has consisted of sleeping until noon every day and hanging out at the station once in a while to watch trains. What an awesome life.

Oh, where's my manners? Forgot that you can have a song too. That would be Rum is for Drinking Not for Burning by Senses Fail.

Here's another awesome survey, brought to you this time by rusty005.

1. Have you ever met anyone named Curtis?

No. Unless they were lying when they told me their name, in which case there is a small chance.

2. Have you ever tried to fix your television?

Many times, experiencing both complete success and total (quite spectacular) failure. I'll just say this, if you ever see a kid trying to put a peanut butter and jelly sandwich into a VCR, please grab him/her before they do. DVDs are better anyway.

3. Have you ever eaten anything with a smilely face on it?

Yeah, those puppies are always rather happy. Seriously, I have also had those hash brown things that was referred to in the original blog.

4. Have you ever been lost in the desert?

...I live in New York? Kinda have no desire to go to the desert anyway, not much to do other than playing with undetonated nuclear warheads until you start glowing in the dark.

5. Can you stand on your head?

No.

6. Have you ever been dumb enough to eat a dollar bill?

Again, no. Just...no. I value my money too much anyway. Sort of like a real life Mr Krabs.

7. Has your dog ever bitten you?

I don't have a dog. But the dogs that I've been around usually tend to like me, with the exception of one that nearly made me, shall we say, less of a man.

8. Do you think that you live in a parallel universe and the other side of the mirror is the real world?

You know, I've always thought it was the other way around, but these days, I wouldn't be surprised. So, yes.

9. Ever thought about robbing Wal-Mart?

Not sure how good I would be in a serious robbery, too much stuff to keep track of. Think I'll just stick to pocketing M&Ms.

10. What's the longest time it's taken you to finish a chocolate Easter bunny?

No idea, someone else usually ends up getting to it before me anyway.

Well gang, that sure was fun. Remember, Ronnie's blog was brought to you today by the letter Æ and the number -11.27. Hope to see you again soon.

Song for this blog is Warriors of Time by Black Tide. Really awesome band, if you haven't heard them, check 'em out.

Wow, I finally posted a new blog.

The past month or so has been hectic to say the very least. I have been coping with a painful breakup, my usual amount of bullsh!t school responibilities, and tons of other stuff over which I'm sure anyone else would have taken a shower with their best toaster or simply hanged themselves by this point.

With all the crap that I have been dealing with in my life as of late, I seriously needed a little something to take my mind off of everything. So I ask you, how exactly do you get Ronnie's adrenaline pumping full force and actually get a smile on his face for a couple of minutes? Simple, just take him to a park which offers some of the fastest rides in the world, and a completely free lunch.

My day did not start off well. We were an hour late leaving my school because, well, I was surrounded by pinheads once again. Story of my life. But thanks to a noticable lack of traffic through the city and into Jersey, that little delay did not mean much at all. We actually made it there in less than four hours, which gave us sufficient time to do a ton of stuff.

I have not been to Six Flags in a number of years, so obviously, there was a great deal of new stuff that I hadda check out. We started off with Skull Mountain. A kiddy roller coaster compared to the rest of the collection of thrill rides, but definitely a good choice to get warmed up on. I was eventually able to go on that ride three times, the Batman coaster twice, and Superman Ultimate Flight once. Medusa and Kingda Ka were closed in the morning, but we were able to make Medusa later on. Sucks, since I really wanted to go on Kingda Ka, but since we didn't waste time on that two hour line, we were able to squeeze in some other things.

I got to ride some smaller stuff later on such as the runaway train and go karts, but for the most part, me and my friend were far to tired to go on Nitro or anything wild like that. Nevertheless, we really had an awesome day, and it was a great chance to clear my mind. I may have a pounding headache and an inability to walk in a straight line at the moment, but trust me, it was totally worth it.

Hope everything is going well with you guys as well.

Today's song is Ex's and Oh's by Atreyu. Rock on and enjoy.

See ya whenever,

~Ronnie

1. How tall are you barefoot?

Around 5'9" or 5'10" when I'm happy, can dip a few inches if I'm sad

2. Have you ever smoked heroin?

Most people who use heroin don't smoke it anyway. But I don't do it at all.

3. Do you own a gun?

Other than my upper arms? No

4. Who is your best friend?

C Dawg

5. Do you get nervous before "meeting the parents"?

Not really. In my case, it was after

6. What do you think about hot dogs?

Uh...they're awesome?

7. What is your favorite Christmas song?

Mr Hankey the Christmas Poo

8. What do you like to drink in the morning?

Personal favorite is pineapple juice

9. Can you do pushups?

Hell yeah, that's why I'm friggin' jacked

10. Is your bathroom clean?

Compared to other places I've seen, it's clean enough to eat off of

11. What is your favorite piece of jewelery?

My sword necklace

12. Do you like painkillers?

Sure, why not? Vicadinland is an AWESOME place

13. What is your secret weapon to lure the opposite sex?

Do something that involves a dead animal, a ski hat, and a cigarette. Always good to get girls laughing before you start any real stuff.

14. Do you own a knife?

Yeah, got a pocket knife, as well as a Spanish dagger

15. Do you have ADD?

Nope, grew out of it

16. Middle name?

Robert. Now you have to figure out what the J stands for

17. Three thoughts at this moment

- When the hell am I gonna finish my essay?

- I'm want some more music on itunes

- Hope I can find something to do this weekend...

18. Name the last three things you bought

- Black wristband from Spencers

- Chinese food at the food court

- A box of fruit roll ups (I never grow up)

19. Three things you drink regularly

- Dr Pepper

- Pepsi

- Peach Snapple

20. What time did you wake up today?

A little before 11

21. My own question! Have you ever saved someone's life and got a key to the city?

No

22. Current worry?

When is this snow gonna go away?

23. Current hate?

My brother for kicking my @$$ in Monopoly

24. Favorite place to be?

Anywhere near the water

25. Least favorite place to be?

My school at 7 in the morning

26. Where would you like to go?

Palm Beach, Aruba

27. Do you own slippers?

Yeah, I guess you can classify them as slippers...

28. What are you wearing?

A shirt that says "I do what the voices in my head tell me to do"

29. Do you burn or tan?

Tan

30. Favorite colors?

Blue and green

31. Would you be a pirate?

Yeah. A real pirate though, not a butt pirate

32. Last time you had an alcoholic drink?

Actually, think I've been completely dry since New Year's Eve...

33. What songs do you sing in the shower?

I don't. But I do sing them in my head. Usually some hard rock song or something like that

34. What did you fear was going to get you at night as a child?

The government...

35. What is in your pockets now?

My phone, my pocketknife, and my wallet

36. Last thing that made you laugh?

My teacher telling me "if I wanted to listen to an @$$hole, I would have farted"

37. Best bed sheets you had as a child?

Gotta be the Thomas ones...

38. Worst injury?

Broke my wrist

39. Make up another one Do you have more than a day's worth of songs on itunes?

By far!

40. How many TVs are in your house?

Five

41. Who is your loudest friend?

That would have to be my girlfriend, no questions...

42. Who is your most silent friend?

Probably my friend Scott, but he's usually too apathetic to do anything

43. Does someone have a crush on you?

I would think so, yeah

44. Do you wish on shooting stars?

See, the thing is that it's really hard to see any stars where I live. I'm better off just eating a bowl of Lucky Charms

45. What is your favorite book?

I'd probably have to go with The Outsiders

46. Favorite candy?

Airheads, Reeses, Skittles, Starbursts, Jolly Ranchers, and other stuff I'm too lazy to think of

47. What song do you want to be played at your wedding?

Far Away by Nickelback

48. What song do you want to be played at your funeral?

Seize the Day by Avenged Sevenfold

49. What were you doing at midnight last night?

Listening to music, watching TV, and talking to a few people on MSN

50. What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up today?

Oh crap, do I really wanna look out the window?

Have yourselves a song too. Make Me Bad by Korn.

Well, hope you're happy, bro. Here goes...

1) Have you ever been in a physical fight? Well, not really. Punched a couple of kids when I was little, but nothing past that.

2) What cell phone service do you have? AT&T / Cingular / whatever the hell it's called now

3) Do you like going out to dances? If it's got a mosh pit and crowd surfing, I'm there

4) Do you have any secret crushes? Can't say. After all, they are secret (in other words, no)

5) Ever been to a funeral before? Yes. One for my grandfather, and one for my goldfish

6) Ever been to a wedding before? No, not even a domestic partnership

7) Are you considered popular at school? Nah, I don't need to follow the crowd to feel good about myself.

8 ) Who was the last person you talked to today? Who made me take this survey?

9) If you had one wish, what would it be? Legalize fireworks in New York

10) What are you looking forward to in 2008? Graduating my "fantastic"high school

11) What do you think about Bush? Ask him that, should be an interesting answer. But I'm a Republican myself and I despise the guy...

12) Name one person who you would like to meet. Gotta be Mike Piazza. #31 forever!

13) Who do you look up to as a hero? Whoever is responsible for the invention of the iPod

14) What can you say about your best friend? Well...he's definitely fun to talk to...

15) Have you ever seen your parents cry? Yes, and it usually involves me in some way

16) When was the last time you cried? Probably last July when my grandmother kicked me out for two hours

17) Do you believe you will find someone special this year? Probably. I like making friends with potato chips, but they always seem to disappear for some reason...

18 ) Do you believe in miracles? I met a girl who actually likes me. If someone can explain that one, then I won't believe.

19) What is your catch phrase? If life gives you lemons, make lemonade. Then find someone whose life has given them vodka, and have a party.

20) Who would you tell something that had to be kept private? Ooh, I'd have to say Charlie and Tori. But it kinda depends on what's going on

21) Which five peopleshould take this survey? Barak Obama, Hillary Clinton, John McCain, Mitt Romney, and Rudy Giuliani. Wonder if they'll actually do it.

Wow, there's a half hour gone to hell. But it was kinda worth it, at least I'll be able to look back on it in a couple of months and laugh.

Hope everyone is doing okay, and I hope to talk to you all soon.

~Ronnie

First off, I'd like to wish everyone here a very merry Christmas, and hope that your Christmas Eve has been just as enjoyable so far.

Quick update on my life. I have recently been accepted to Stony Brook University, and this has really taken a lot of stress off my back (for now at least). The fear of not being accepted anywhere has finally left me, and I can pretty much ride out the rest of my senior year without too much to worry about. But still, I can't believe how much work I am getting in a year that is usually a well-known slack off year. Papers are suddenly a minimum of 5 or 10 pages, tests are getting more and more intense, and to top it off, I still have another pending college application. Listen from experience, senior year in high school is not all it's cracked up to be.

Now, onto the unavoidable subject of...what else...Christmas. I guess you could say that my Christmas started two weeks ago when I saw my dad. Got a few things, mainly gift cards and a watch, and got to see my babybrothers for the first time since August. This past Saturday was also pretty meaningful to me. This is the first Christmas that Tori and I have been together, and we really wanted to make it worthwhile. She got me a Mets shirt and a Thomas and Percy ornament for the tree, and I got her a bracelet with her birthstone, along with her own little ornament and a skull necklace. And give it up for Charlie for sending me the two videos that I needed to complete my collection of Thomasvideos, I'd say that was probably one of the nicest gifts I'vegotten in a while. I really don't know whether this is funny or sad, but I'm 17, andthree different people have given me Thomas related gifts so far. Oh well, some things never change.

I went by my grandparents today for a few hours, mainly so I could get gifts from them and eat like I had two @$$es. It was a little strange, since it was the first time in a good number of years that I did not see my dad on Christmas Eve, but we got through it pretty smoothly. Right now I'm waiting for my second meal of fish in one day, and hoping that I'll be able to save enough room for tomorrow (I'm having duck tomorrow, so...yeah, it's a big deal). And the awesome part is that it's not even remotely cold outside. Feels almost like a spring day. Whoever said that global warming was a bad thing must've beensmoking crack...

But yeah, I hope that you all have an awesome time doing...whatever it is that you do on Christmas, whether it's burning Santa out of the chimney for bringing you coal, or having a game with your friends to see who is the best at peeing their name in the snow. So to all of you, be a rebel, and have a Happy Christmas and a Merry New Year.

Your song of the day (why do I call it that anyway? should be "song of the month") is Snow by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Hope you enjoy the video, I kinda sorta made it. Oh yeah, and thanks to Charlie and Nimo for their part in making it. Without them, it wouldn't have been possible. So if you see them...I dunno...give them a hug or something.

Oh yeah, and thanks to anyone who has given me any sort of Christmas gift (that would be...Charlie), or anyone who is planning on doing so. I really appreciate it.

So that's about it, see you guys whenever...

~Ronnie

Well, the title kinda speaks for itself. Tomorrow marks the seventeenth anniversary of my entry into this crazy world,an event whichI have been looking forward to for quite some time now. Basically, it means that I can drive on my own, and therefore, have the freedom that I have so desperately been searching for lately. I've heard rumors that some of my online friends have created some sort of "virtual gifts" for me, and even that I might be getting some "actual gifts" sent to me. I really don't expect any of this stuff from you guys, but I can assure you, it is greatly appreciated. But anyway, I'm dying from the anticipation. And yes David, I will finally be matching your new age after a week and a half.

So far, I havereceived four gifts in all, and countless cards (with money$$). The gifts included two replica ligthouses (which I collect), a pocketknife (which I find very useful), and a new iPod nano (which I love). Still, my day would really be made if I got one thing in particular. A car. But even if I don't get one, tomorrow is looking pretty good. I'll be going out to dinner with my family and girlfriend, and doing god-knows-what with my friends in school all day.

On a more serious note, I'm very sorry that I am not able to come here as frequently as I would like to anymore. There have been a series of situations going on with me. Issues involving school, my home life, and various other things have taken their toll on me the past couple of months, andI probablywent through a period of minor depression at some points. But I seem to be getting past it day by day. Have no fear, I should be my normal self again in no time.

I do have one importantmatter thatI would liketo address to those involved in the Thomas the Tank Engine sector of TV.com. I have recently gained control of the Reverend Awdry guide through benb15's absence, and I would like to get those pages tidied up and hopefully transform it into a concise page where someone can quickly learn some basic information about Mr Awdry, and not have to read through dozens and dozens of unnecessarily long trivia blurbs. I would smile upon anyone who wants to help with the triviaguide, and hope to see some more activity on the guide in general, particularlyin the forum and reviews areas.

As a lot of you know, one of my favorite bands is Avenged Sevenfold. And if you like them as much as I do, you will know that their new self-titled album was releases just a few weeks ago. I highly recommend it if you like nu metal, metalcore, or even some lighter elements of rock. But anyway, I'd like to share my favorite song from that album, entitled Afterlife. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

That's about all I have to say at the moment. Until I decide to come around next, have a nice life...

~Ronnie

Man, seems like forever since my last blog. I've just been so busy with school, work, and other various commitments for the past month, so I haven't had much time to come on here.

First off, I would like to announce that I plan on returning to the Thomas guide as a relatively active member once again. I was very happy to learn that David hasfinallyreached the position that he hasdeserved for so long, and I now feel that the guide will be in good hands for the first time since I first arrived. Therefore, I expect that the forum and guidewill be in ship-shape from this point forward. Riiiiight?

I can probably say that a big reason for me not being around here as much as I used to isn't just because of stuff in my private life, but also the fact that I've gotten so used to life on Sodor Island that I have somewhat neglected my roots here. And to those who have known me here from the day I first came, I apologize for just leaving the way I did. Instead of continuing to confront what was frustrating me, I chose insteadto just leave. I justhope that we can just let bygones be bygones, and move along doing what we do best.

Anyway, as some of you may know, I am currently in my senior year of high school. It's strange, as sometimes I feel like I have a ton of work, while other times I feel like I don't have enough to do. But overall, I'm having a rather good year so far. Great things have happened to me already, and even better things await me furtherdown the road. I can say that this is the first time in quite a while that I am actually feeling optimistic about things. Everything just seems to beclicking for meat the moment, let's just hope this all holds out for the remainder of the year.

As I said before, it's nice to be back, and I hope thatI'm able to get back into the swing of things again soon. This site means a lot to me, and I would really like to remain a part of it.

Today's song is Almost Easyby Avenged Sevenfold. Enjoy.

~Ronnie

Hey, it's been quite a while since my last blog, eh?

First off, I would like to say that the vacation I went on last month was absolutely brilliant. Other than some very mild seasickness and the fact that thesupposedly "lovely" island of Grand Turk was the dullest place on the face of this whole planet, I had a very enjoyable escape from the daily routine that I have learned to hate so very, very much. I put some pictures from this trip onto my maj.com page (mostly in the ligthouse folder), and if you'd like more, find me on MSN. I'd be happy to show you some...interesting stuff.

Onto another subject, things got a bit worse in my relationship after the whole ordeal on the Fourth of July. Turns out that she would be spending the rest of the summer in Florida, and I would not see her until school starts up again in September. I knew that the rest of my summer would be very dull, with nothing except for work and solid boredom at home. At this point, things couldn't get any worse for me, so they got better. I'm happy to say that she'll be back in two weeks.

Still, I feel that I have accomplished almost nothing during this entire summer. All I do every day is go in the pool, work on my model railway (which is coming out great by the way), and take an occasional drive down to the stores. I will be going to Atlantic City as well as Connecticut this month, but I miss not making my annual trip to Pennsylvania. I've been going there for years, but my family decided not to go this year. It's really not helping my feelings at the moment either. I just want my girlfriend back, she made things seem so much more worthwhile to me...

Anyway, I am proud and thrilledto announce that my redub, "Thomas and the Emo Engine", is FINALLY in production, and should be ready for viewing in the next couple of weeks. After all this, Nimo and I sincerely (and I mean sincerely) hope that it acheives the popularity that we are expecting. Many thanks to all who have provided voice clips and/or assisted us in the making of this project in any other way.

Today's song is my second music video, Christie Road, by Green Day. Hope you enjoy it, I know I did.

Outside of that, there's nothing more to talk about. The Fortune Cookie has spoken, Ronnie out!

This was gonna be the best Fourth of July ever. I had the biggest supply of fireworks I could ever imagine, more food than I usually eat in a week, and best of all, I'd be spending the evening with my girlfriend who was looking forward to sharingthe events of the evening with me.

But naturally, nothing went according to plan. My girlfriend was unable to come over due to a conflict I had with my mom, which disappointed both of us. And heavy rain and thunder storms soon put a stop to my plans for a massive barbeque and a fireworks party. So now I sit here with a bunch of fireworks, unable to use them until next year, and hoping that my girlfriend isn't too upset about this whole situation. Weird, considering I never get depressed about anything!

But I'm starting to feel a little better about it. After all, if my girlfriend had actually been able to come around here, what would we have been able to do anyway? Besides, I'm sure we'll be able to do something in the next few days. It may not be the fireworks we wanted, but our time together is always something special. As for the fireworks, have alook at the bright side. At least I'll have double the load for the summer of 2008, making for one helluva graduation party

The next couple of weeks are going to be rather eventful for me. Wednesday is the premiere of the fifth Harry Potter movie, so Tori and I will be dying to see that (on that day). Thursday, I will be going to a Mets game with my grandfather, dad, brother, and...me. And then on Saturday, I will be leaving for my vacation which will last until the 22nd. It's a cruise that is leaving from the tropical port of Brooklyn (), and I will be going to Bermuda, Saint Thomas, Grand Turk, and San Juan, Puerto Rico. After that, I really have no idea what I'm doing the rest of the summer.

I also think I owe you guys an update on "Thomas and the Emo Engine". We are still waiting on lines for two roles, and hope to have it ready sometime this summer. I apologize greatly for the delay (and confusion for that matter). If anyone can do a female voice worth listening to, feel free to send a sample to either me or Dockside Salty.

Today's song is Shadow of the Day by Linkin Park. Sorry ya gotta download it, but after all, it was made by me.

That's about it for now. If anyone would like to add anything, feel free.

Well it seems to be a trend, better do one for me I suppose.

1. Real name - Ronnie

2. Nicknames - Fortune Cookie, Ronster, and other things I can't say here.

3. Married? - Not yet

4. Zodiac sign - Sagittarius

5. Gender - Uh....male.

6. Age - 16 years, 6 months, 10 days, and seven hours

7. Height - 5'8"

8. School - Bay Shore High School

9. Hair color - dark brown

10. Hair length - four or five inches

11. Health freak? - Won't take no for an answer? How about hell no!

12. Eye color - brown

13. Crush? - crush? Hell, I have a girlfriend!

14. Do I like myself? - usually, yeah

15. Piercings? - no

16. Tattoos? - no, but still a possibility in the furture.

17. Left or right handed? - right

18.  First surgery - Nothing I haven't done myself.

19.  First piercing - none yet.

20.  First best friend - Jimmy from kindergarten.  Whatever happened to him...

21.  First award - Presidential Education Award (5th grade), signed by Bush himself.

22.  First sport - Little League baseball

23.  First pets - Goldy and Swimmy the goldfish

24.  First vacation - Disney World at the age of four

25.  First concert - amazingly, I've never been to anything too serious...

26.  First crush - This girl named Christine in kindergarten...

27.  Food - BBQ ribs, roast duck, and roast beef sandwiches

28.  Drink - Mojito

29.  Currently in - my room of course...

30.  I'm about to - have a look at TV.com and SiF, watch some TV...

31.  Listening to - Giving In by Adema (there's yer song of the day)

32.  Watching - the news of our perfect society...

33.  Waiting for - the last day of school

34.  Want kids? - yup.  Ronnie IV, Zack, and Thomas are name possibilities.

35.  Marriage? - Yes indeed

36.  Careers - anything with law or government

37.  Kissed a stranger? - no, but I've been kissed BY one...

38.  Drank bubbles? - if I have, it wasn't intentional

39.  Lost glasses? - Don't wear them, but I did lose my sunglasses last month

40.  Ran away? - only for a few hours

41.  Broke someone's heart? - don't think so...

42.  Been arrested? - no, but came close (see a previous blog)

43.  Turned someone down? - yes

44.  Cried when someone died? - haven't had anything that traumatic that I was able to understand at the time.  In other words, no.

45.  Liked a friend? - very much.  Love ya Tori!

46.  Believe in myself? - no, but it all seems to work out in the end...

47.  Believe in miracles? - I have a girlfriend, so yeah

48.  Love at first sight? - no, you can't judge people by looks

49.  Heaven?  Yeah, otherwise life would be pointless...

50.  Santa? - no, the whole story is just not practical in a number of ways...

51.  Sex on first date? - no

52.  Angels - only one

53.  One person you want to be with now?  yeah, guess who

54.  Multiple girlfriends? - no, that's kinda messed up

55.  Believe in God? - yeah, we don't talk often but always get Christmas cards from each other...

56.  Money or Family? - family, they give me the money.

It's been a while since my last blog, huh?  Well, this has been quite a month for me in many ways, and all I have to say is that I am happy that summer is within sight, and I'm looking forward to having even more fun in the upcoming months.

First off, I participated in a "Lighthouse Challenge" last weekend.  In a nutshell, it involved visiting roughly ten different lighthouses over a span of two days.  The weather was kinda crappy on Saturday, but Sunday proved to be an absolutely brilliant day.  If you would like to see pictures, they can be found here.  And something else from that weekend, I happened to come across an old turntable in my travels, and I just couldn't resist taking a picture.  And for the record, this was actually in a windy place close to the sea (inside Thomas joke).

And then we come to this weekend.  Friday was a 93 degree day, so there was no way I was gonna stay indoors!  I spent most of the day at the docks, and then spent the evening at my girlfriend's house.  On Saturday, I worked down at the lighthouse as usual.  But this is Memorial Day weekend, so that place was MOBBED.  Still, I made some money, and even went to the beach for a little while.  Yesterday and today have been kinda boring, but I'm still enjoying myself at home.  Activities include watching the sprinkler go back and forth, and playing frisbee.  I'd like to have my pool open these days, but what can you do?

In other news, my Bachmann collection has also been upgraded with the addition of Henry, as well as my first switch track (wow, I really am a beginner ).  I plan on creating an actual model railway once I get a nice size table.  But for now, it's still on my basement floor.  Here's a short video if ya wanna see.

Anyway, I have no more than ten days of school left, and I'll finally be on summer vacation.  I'll probably be at the beach most of the time, if I'm not on vacation somewhere.

Today's song is Overrated by Less Than Jake.

Today was a rather eventful day for me, to say the least.

I took the SATs this morning.  I had to get up early on a Saturday, and I was understandably not too keen on spending five hours of my rare weekend hours taking what I thought was going to be a terribly difficult test.  But it turned out that I found the test to be pretty easy, and I feel confident that I did fairly well.

Then in the afternoon, I completely switched gears.  I talked with my girlfriend, and we wound up going to the movies to see Spiderman 3.  But first, I had to go through the always difficult, and inevitable process of meeting her parents for the first time.  However, they were actually very nice, and had no problems with me being around for the evening.  I hope to spend some more time with her later on this week, especially since I'm going to be busy (again) tomorrow.

And of course, I gotta talk about the movie itself.  I won't give away too much, but I will say that I was a bit suprised with the ending.  Anyway, the movie was full of action, romance, and occasional comedy, and I highly recommend that you go and see it.

I came home to find a $#!+load of homework waiting for me, as if I didn't have enough educational fun for one day.  I watched some of the Mets game, and now I am officially exhausted.  And to add to that, I gotta get up early again tomorrow to go by my grandparents' house.  So that means shortened sleep once again.  WHERE'S MY CAFFEINE?

Hope you all had a fun day too.

 Today's song is Land of Confusion by Disturbed, because after today's events, I feel like I'm living in a land of confusion.

First of all, happy Friday to all!  I for one am quite exhausted from everything this week... 

As some of you may already know, I was involved in my school's annual "Law Day" yesterday.  And despite one of the judges completely screwing me and my team over, I can not be prouder of my team's performances.

The first case went well, with my team representing the plaintiff in a slip and fall case.  The judge said that he was pretty impressed with my team, although we later found out that it was his low scoring of us that potentially kept us out of further contention.  Had a little talk with my teacher about it, and she told me that I wasn't the only person complaining about him.

The second and third cases both saw me representing the defense.  One was a case about an injury sustained in a karate school, and the other was one about an unfortunate accident on the beach.  My team did rather well (and were scored as doing well) for both of these trials, particularly the third one where the judge was simply amazed by my team, as well as the opposing team who admittedly put up quite a fight!

In the end, while we did not make it to the final four teams as I was wishing, we did make it to at least the top ten.  Our final score was a respectable 42.5 out of a possible 75, which was a few points short of the fourth place team who had 46 points.  The highest score was about 50, and that was by the team who eventually went on to win the whole thing.  Believe me, I have every intention of doing this next year, possibly with the same two people, and we will do our best to ensure our space in at least the final four!

Getting off this legal subject for a while, the girl who I had mentioned in my previous blog is now officially my girlfriend!  I can't ask for a better girl, and I hope this will be a lasting relationship between this awesome girl, and the very sexy Ronnie!

Today's song is Hump De Bump by the Red Hot Chili Peppers.  This has a rather funny video, so I hope you all enjoy it.

I am happy to report that the dreadfully long winter conditions that have plagued my region for the past few months have finally left for good.  In it's place is warm and sunny weather, and I'm thrilled to be able to do my usual outdoor activities that I missed so dearly.  And with school ending in less than two months, I'm basically as happy as I have been so far in 2007!

And another reason for being happy, I have a feeling that I'm starting off on my first real relationship!  At first, I thought the person was only interested in hanging out with me in the morning, when we usually see each other.  But she told me today that she'd like to spend more time with me, so we'll just have to see where this takes us!

Also, I am also rather saddened to see the forum on the TV.com TTTE guide suffering from nonsense that I had previously believed was becoming a thing of the past.  One line (sometimes one word) posts, useless topics, irrelevance, and overposting are just a few of the problems that can be seen.  Unfortunately, Jim no longer has the time to regularly screen the forum for these sorts of things.  So it's up to the individual users to decide what's right and wrong.  We all have to use a special thing called "judgement" before we go and make three threads about season 11 topics.  And as far as reviews are concerned, I was not suprised to see this blog of mine completely disregarded.

But all that aside, I'm happy to report that the "Thomas and the Emo Engine" parody (by RRJS3, Dockside Salty, and 01Salty) will now be featuring a suprise scene!  While progress on this dub is still rather slow, we are doing our best to get things to where they need to be.  But at this point, it would be rather foolish for us to speculate a final release date...

Today's song is Linkin Park's live rendition of Wish, originally by Nine Inch Nails.  And that brings me to my final reminder.  Linkin Park's new album, entitled "Minutes to Midnight", is set to be released on May 15th, so everyone go out and buy a copy! (come on, you know you wanna)

Throughout my years of being a fan of Thomas the Tank Engine, I always felt like a misfit.  After all, who in their right mind would still like this sort of stuff at my age?  Then one day, I came across an interesting site.  And after investigating a bit, I discovered a vast system of people just like me who share a very special interest.

That was one year ago today.  Since then, I have made friends with people from all over the world, some of which will be lifelong friends, and some that were only temporary.  It has given me a sense of belonging that I otherwise would never have had, as well as a place to discuss things that no one else would ever understand.  And I have to say, in spite of my usual mental toughness, you guys are the best friends a guy could ask for, and I look forward to even bigger and better things in my sophomore year on TV.com, as well as other sites to which I belong.  While I have the chance, I would like to personally thank a few members that stand out the most to me.

DuckGWR8 - How can you not be first on this list, bro?  You are one of the few people who I have become friends with outside the internet, and quite honestly, one of the best friends I've ever had (despite the cursed voice).

Fierycloud76/dognapee - You've been a great PM buddy, and seem to be the one member here who is similar to me in every way.  If the PM system keeps malfunctioning, feel free to call me anytime!

Nonemaker1 - You're simply an awesome person to talk to on this site, as well as SiF, and I look forward to meeting you, whenever that may be (yes, Rusty can come).

Jim522 - Sorry we don't really talk that much anymore.  You're a "really splendid" part of this guide, and I wouldn't mind talking again if you find the time.

01Salty - What can I say?  You and Dockside Salty have been an awesome addition to my redub staff, and I can't wait for our debut project to be completed!

Bustmybuffers - I've known you since the day you joined, and it's been a lot of fun.  Thanks for allowing me to become a part of your forum.

Gambler42 - Another one of my PM buddies.  Whenever I come on this site, there's always a new message waiting for me.  Thanks for making that possible.

DreamFiend_633/PeanutTriumphs - Shame I don't see you too often anymore, but thanks for all you've done for me thus far.

Dshsmudger15 - In a time when the TTTE forums were taking a turn for the worse, you proved to be one of the few members with a massive amount of effort.  You've also been a great friend since you came, and I recommend joining SiF.

Shining23 - Another great guy who doesn't come on often anymore, but thanks for the staff position on your forum, and all else you have done.

There are just too many people to list!  If you haven't been mentioned so far, you all know who you are, and you guys should all give yourselves a big pat on the back for what I've accomplished with you, and what you've done for each other.  I may now be more of a SiFer than a TV.com member, but this is my original home, and I do enjoy popping in once in a while.  Well, there's nothing more to say except "roll on another year".  Thanks again for the memories guys, it's made me a better person.

I had a lot of trouble picking out a song that properly fits the event, but I finally came across one that describes it perfectly.  Without further ado, here is Scattered by Green Day.

Again, I am humbled by everyone's friendship and support, and I have no way of ending this, so I'll just say "thank you very much".

~Ronnie "RRJS3"

Hey guys!  I know it's been a while since my last blog, and I forgot to mention that I am now a "Coconut Phone".  Sounds great to me, I could use something tropical to cheer me up.

Anyway, I am now embarking on a relaxing, well deserved, long awaited, and fun-filled 10 day hiatus from school.  The last of the winter weather appears to be behind me, and I am entering my "happy time" of the year.

On a more serious note, I had a bit of a problem today.  If you don't know, I often play baseball with my friends down at the fields in my neighborhood. It is right behind a large shopping center, and the field faces the back of it on the other side of a street. Well, today I was playing with my brother, just messing around like we normally do. I crushed one across the street, and into the bushes that separate the street from the back parking lot of the shopping center. I first attempted to get the ball from the front of the bush, but it was too dense, and the ball was all the way to the fence in the back. So I went into the parking lot, and hopped the fence to retrieve it. But before I could, a security guard pulled up. Now I've had this happen before, and I usually just explain that I'm getting a ball and they leave me alone. But today, I was greeted with a "What the F#%! are you doing?!". I explained what I was doing, but he wouldn't stop. He then proceeded to threaten my life and said he would have his gang hunt me down. I told him that I was going to report him, and he told me to "F#%! off his parking lot". As I went back to the other side to head back, he sped off and spun his tires right behind me (for the record, a few other people were watching from the street). I yelled some stuff at him before I walked away, and then I went to go call my family, who were shopping nearby. They drove me around, and I went into the store to report him. They gave me a number to the security company, and I do intend on calling it.

But now I'm a bit worried about going back to the fields that I love so much.  I mean, I can handle verbal abuse, but this guy was close to getting physical.  Would anyone like to share their advice?

Today's song is Drift Away by Uncle Kracker.  What?  You thought I was incapable of listening to soft music?

That's right, this emblem is all mine!

I've been trying to get this one for a while, so I'm pretty happy about reaching my goal.  My next goal is to get to 1,000 submissions.  I have 173 to go, and I will try not to have more than three denied (but why want anything less than perfection until then?).  And right now, I'm aiming to be on level twenty six before my first TV.com anniversary.

And I guess it's also worth noting that my 750th submission was accepted today.

As for my personal life, things are finally starting to get better.  The snow is melting, and temperatures are creeping upward.  I may have more work than ever, and I may have straight school for the remainder of the month, but I'm really happy that spring is only thirteen days away.  Anyway, I will also be going to the St. Patrick's Day Parade on Saturday, and that means boxes and boxes of Girl Scout Cookies for me (gotta love the peanut butter).

Today's song is Reading My Eyes by Linkin Park.  It's a rare song, I hope you enjoy it.

So that's about it, any questions?

For some reason, all the Thomas sprite icons have seemed to disappeared into thin air.  Oh well, I suppose I'll have to find another suitable picture for me, which shouldn't really be all that difficult anyway...

Also, I am proud to announce two new editorships.  I will now be running the guides for former Mets' greats Gary Carter and Keith Hernandez.  Like anyone is gonna submit anything to those guides anway.  Ah well, as long as it makes me feel good about myself...

On a more personal note, my "climate struggle" is making a fierce return.  Temperatures are plunging again, winds are blowing at least 30 miles an hour, and my area even has some more snow in the forecast in the next couple of days.  And to think spring is only less than two weeks away!  Anyway, at least I have the St. Patrick's Day parade to look forward to this weekend (hopefully with improved weather conditions).

But all in all, I'm still doing just fine, and I hope the rest of you are as well.

Today's song is Beverly Hills by Weezer.  Man, I wish I was there right about now.

As some of you know, I went on a school trip to the county prison yesterday.  And all I have to say is wow.  That was without a doubt one of the strangest experiences I've ever gone through.  The guards actually allowed the inmates to get right up in our faces and use extreme intimidation tactics on everyone in the group (but if you know me, that stuff doesn't sway me one way or another).  But then we saw some out in the open, and they had a shot of actually making contact with us.  At this point, I was more freaked out than I had ever been.  Looking back on it, this was one trip I'm going to remember for the rest of my life.

On a happier note, I finally got my banner to work properly.  I hope you all like it after what I've been through with it.

And outside of that, my life is boring as usual.  Today's song is Funny Little Feeling by the Rock 'N Roll Soldiers (yes, the song from that commercial).