So all the sudden friends are adding this link to their blog pages. I feel like people will be disappointed when they don't find deep thoughts about life, religion, and politics. Oh well.. they will have to be disappointed... I guess you can compare this more to beach reading :)
In other news....
** Latest HOKIE Football Paraphernalia: TEAM * UNITED
** I'm spending a weekend in Blacksburg!!
Draper Road and Blacksburg Drama
Posted in on 10:31 AM by Jilian
Apparently this is what I miss when I go away for the weekend. Now I know my neighbors names :)
Blacksburg crash stirs traffic spat
By Tonia Moxley
The New River Valley Current
BLACKSBURG - Angela Bookout knew something was wrong Saturday night at 10:35 p.m. when she heard a car revving its engine and speeding the wrong way up the Draper Road extension.
Seconds later, a spectacular impact shook the neighborhood as the car, driven by a 19-year-old man from Vienna, hit a utility pole, two houses and two parked cars and ruptured a natural gas line, police said. Just up the street, Bookout was so startled by the noise that "I went out the window," she said. And looking toward the neighbors, she said she saw partygoers "scatter like roaches."
The accident prompted police to suggest that some residents leave their houses until the gas leak was fixed. The crash also reignited a dispute between the Miller-Southside Neighborhood Alliance and town officials about traffic concerns on Draper Road.
According to police, the crash happened like this:
Ryan E. Melissinos was attending a birthday party at a rental house at 1005 Draper Road when another partygoer asked him to move his car. Melissinos backed his 2004 Infiniti out of the driveway and drove a few hundred feet down the one-way street. He turned around at the Children's Nest child care center.
Then Melissinos headed back to the party, driving in the wrong direction at nearly 80 mph, according to a statement given to police by 18-year-old Nathaniel J. Mallory, who said he was a passenger in the car.
As the car raced toward a house at 1009 Draper Road, next door to the party, Melissinos lost control. The vehicle careened through the yard, ripped the handrails out of the front stoop, collided with the corner of the house and tore off a gas meter.
The car then went airborne across the driveway - clearing a flower garden without damaging it - ripped out a laurel bush and deposited it on the lawn at 1005 Draper Road. The car struck the side of that house and stopped.
Along the way, Melissinos hit two parked cars and a utility pole, snapping all four of its steel support cables, police said. Melissinos' blood alcohol level measured 0.12, one and a half times the legal limit, according to Police Chief Bill Brown.
Steve and Tina Lee stepped out of their house at 1013 Draper Road after the crash and said they could hear gas escaping from the ruptured line. Tina Lee likened the sound of the escaping gas to the sound made by the 66-foot Cascades waterfall in Giles County.
On the advice of police, the couple took their two young children to Wal-Mart while firefighters and utility workers capped the gas leak. Police cleared the Lees to return home at 1:30 a.m., Steve Lee said.
Melissinos, who is not a local student or resident, was not injured in the crash, but Mallory bruised his knee, police said. Anne Pandapas, the elderly owner of the house at 1009, was not at home when the crash occurred and could not be reached for comment Tuesday. Melissinos was arrested, charged with driving under the influence and held at the Blacksburg jail until Sunday, when police released him on a $1,000 unsecured bond.
Police estimate the crash caused $55,000 in property damage, and the investigation is ongoing.
Chuck Hoover, president of the Miller-Southside Neighborhood Alliance, fired off an angry e-mail Sunday to Mayor Roger Hedgepeth and copied to The Roanoke Times and others. It accused town government of ignoring traffic problems in the neighborhood.
"We've had neighbors hit, pets killed, parked cars totaled, property damaged and now houses hit and neighbors evacuated in the middle of the night because of our continuing traffic problems," Hoover wrote. "If you are not up to the task I suggest that you step down and let someone else address the situation."
Hedgepeth responded in an e-mail Tuesday. He emphasized his commitment to citizen safety and pointed out that the accident was an essentially random act by a driver who made "very, very stupid and dangerous" decisions.
"Your linkage of this regrettable accident to a breakdown in the performance of the Town Council and Town Staff or to my leadership abilities is totally bizarre," Hedgepeth wrote.
In a telephone interview Monday, Hoover said the 200-plus-member alliance is frustrated because it has worked with town government through Blacksburg's Neighborhood Traffic Control Program to find solutions to speeding and cut-through traffic on and around Draper Road but seen no action from town officials.
In 2002, town officials hired two consultants to study traffic patterns in the neighborhood. The study calculated the average speed of traffic at 29 miles per hour and concluded that speeding was not a big problem, town spokeswoman Heather Browning said.
But the study did confirm a high rate of traffic cutting through the residential area to avoid congestion on Main Street.
After several meetings with council and residents, the alliance twice drafted a list of measures to discourage drivers from cutting through the neighborhood but couldn't get the 67 percent agreement among neighborhood residents that the town requires to go forward, Browning said.
The alliance has requested another meeting with town council on the issue.
Blacksburg crash stirs traffic spat
By Tonia Moxley
The New River Valley Current
BLACKSBURG - Angela Bookout knew something was wrong Saturday night at 10:35 p.m. when she heard a car revving its engine and speeding the wrong way up the Draper Road extension.
Seconds later, a spectacular impact shook the neighborhood as the car, driven by a 19-year-old man from Vienna, hit a utility pole, two houses and two parked cars and ruptured a natural gas line, police said. Just up the street, Bookout was so startled by the noise that "I went out the window," she said. And looking toward the neighbors, she said she saw partygoers "scatter like roaches."
The accident prompted police to suggest that some residents leave their houses until the gas leak was fixed. The crash also reignited a dispute between the Miller-Southside Neighborhood Alliance and town officials about traffic concerns on Draper Road.
According to police, the crash happened like this:
Ryan E. Melissinos was attending a birthday party at a rental house at 1005 Draper Road when another partygoer asked him to move his car. Melissinos backed his 2004 Infiniti out of the driveway and drove a few hundred feet down the one-way street. He turned around at the Children's Nest child care center.
Then Melissinos headed back to the party, driving in the wrong direction at nearly 80 mph, according to a statement given to police by 18-year-old Nathaniel J. Mallory, who said he was a passenger in the car.
As the car raced toward a house at 1009 Draper Road, next door to the party, Melissinos lost control. The vehicle careened through the yard, ripped the handrails out of the front stoop, collided with the corner of the house and tore off a gas meter.
The car then went airborne across the driveway - clearing a flower garden without damaging it - ripped out a laurel bush and deposited it on the lawn at 1005 Draper Road. The car struck the side of that house and stopped.
Along the way, Melissinos hit two parked cars and a utility pole, snapping all four of its steel support cables, police said. Melissinos' blood alcohol level measured 0.12, one and a half times the legal limit, according to Police Chief Bill Brown.
Steve and Tina Lee stepped out of their house at 1013 Draper Road after the crash and said they could hear gas escaping from the ruptured line. Tina Lee likened the sound of the escaping gas to the sound made by the 66-foot Cascades waterfall in Giles County.
On the advice of police, the couple took their two young children to Wal-Mart while firefighters and utility workers capped the gas leak. Police cleared the Lees to return home at 1:30 a.m., Steve Lee said.
Melissinos, who is not a local student or resident, was not injured in the crash, but Mallory bruised his knee, police said. Anne Pandapas, the elderly owner of the house at 1009, was not at home when the crash occurred and could not be reached for comment Tuesday. Melissinos was arrested, charged with driving under the influence and held at the Blacksburg jail until Sunday, when police released him on a $1,000 unsecured bond.
Police estimate the crash caused $55,000 in property damage, and the investigation is ongoing.
Chuck Hoover, president of the Miller-Southside Neighborhood Alliance, fired off an angry e-mail Sunday to Mayor Roger Hedgepeth and copied to The Roanoke Times and others. It accused town government of ignoring traffic problems in the neighborhood.
"We've had neighbors hit, pets killed, parked cars totaled, property damaged and now houses hit and neighbors evacuated in the middle of the night because of our continuing traffic problems," Hoover wrote. "If you are not up to the task I suggest that you step down and let someone else address the situation."
Hedgepeth responded in an e-mail Tuesday. He emphasized his commitment to citizen safety and pointed out that the accident was an essentially random act by a driver who made "very, very stupid and dangerous" decisions.
"Your linkage of this regrettable accident to a breakdown in the performance of the Town Council and Town Staff or to my leadership abilities is totally bizarre," Hedgepeth wrote.
In a telephone interview Monday, Hoover said the 200-plus-member alliance is frustrated because it has worked with town government through Blacksburg's Neighborhood Traffic Control Program to find solutions to speeding and cut-through traffic on and around Draper Road but seen no action from town officials.
In 2002, town officials hired two consultants to study traffic patterns in the neighborhood. The study calculated the average speed of traffic at 29 miles per hour and concluded that speeding was not a big problem, town spokeswoman Heather Browning said.
But the study did confirm a high rate of traffic cutting through the residential area to avoid congestion on Main Street.
After several meetings with council and residents, the alliance twice drafted a list of measures to discourage drivers from cutting through the neighborhood but couldn't get the 67 percent agreement among neighborhood residents that the town requires to go forward, Browning said.
The alliance has requested another meeting with town council on the issue.
VT vs USC
Posted in on 9:28 AM by Jilian
Aug 28
FedEx Field
7:45 pm
ESPN
so.... what are your predictions?
FedEx Field
7:45 pm
ESPN
so.... what are your predictions?
GOOGLE Olympic Fun :)
Posted in on 8:36 AM by Jilian
I've noticed everyday google has an olympic event worked into their logo. They are really cute!! Check out past images and todays :)
Ocean City Maryland
Posted in on 6:59 PM by Jilian
Well we all know what Maryland is like :) (bill that was for you!) I was looking forward to the weekend with the girls, but expecting OC to be crowded, loud, and a bit trashy. Not so. Yeah it's a boardwalk, with lots of junky beach shops, lots of people, and overpriced hotel rooms.. but it was great! Friday we walked the boardwalk, caught dinner, watched the olympics, and caught up on life. Sat I attempted to run 10 miles.. only made it 4. Oh well.. not my day! We laid on the beach chatting (waaayy to windy for frisbee :(), hit Seacrets when you can lay out on rafts in the water and they serve you drinks, got all dolled up :), had an amazing seafood dinner (can't remember the name of the place), sat around telling stories about fun, crazy, and memorable times spent with Kristin (it was fun to hear these from her high school friends), then headed back to Seacrets for a night of dancing and fun! Lots of quality Kristin time which is what a bachelorette weekend is all about :)
Sunday morning since I'm an early riser I spent an hour sitting on the boardwalk people watching. It was great, beautiful weather, people watching. All the families and friends out on rented bikes and those pedal wagon things. People walking and running. Such a mix of folks. The snippets of excited conversation from the kids was priceless. I could have sat there all day enjoying it. By far my favorite was the little ones pumping those little legs on the bikes... adorable :)
So back to Saturday night. It's been a real long time since I've seen that many attractive guys in one place. You could say my brain hit hot guy overload :) Which also equals... really shy, brain not functioning, feel like I'm in 8th grade again, way to nervous and jittery to just go up and talk to some of them reaction from me :) This has got to change. I see a good looking guy and say 'WOW', wonder if he's one of the nice ones of if he's a prick :) Sure most of them are way out of my league... but what would it hurt to go say HI. One of them just might turn out to be decent. Soooooo.... I'm still kicking myself from not talking to a certain 'WOW' on Saturday, and trying to figure out what my game plan will be next time a situation like this arises. If I just had an opening conversation starter that's all I'd need. I'd find out right away from his response if he's worth talking to.. and if not I don't need anything else to say, I won't waste my time :) This is where you guys come into play.. I need some ideas :) I don't think my "HI, Just wanted to come over and see if your personality compliments you good looks" is a good start :) haha
Sunday morning since I'm an early riser I spent an hour sitting on the boardwalk people watching. It was great, beautiful weather, people watching. All the families and friends out on rented bikes and those pedal wagon things. People walking and running. Such a mix of folks. The snippets of excited conversation from the kids was priceless. I could have sat there all day enjoying it. By far my favorite was the little ones pumping those little legs on the bikes... adorable :)
So back to Saturday night. It's been a real long time since I've seen that many attractive guys in one place. You could say my brain hit hot guy overload :) Which also equals... really shy, brain not functioning, feel like I'm in 8th grade again, way to nervous and jittery to just go up and talk to some of them reaction from me :) This has got to change. I see a good looking guy and say 'WOW', wonder if he's one of the nice ones of if he's a prick :) Sure most of them are way out of my league... but what would it hurt to go say HI. One of them just might turn out to be decent. Soooooo.... I'm still kicking myself from not talking to a certain 'WOW' on Saturday, and trying to figure out what my game plan will be next time a situation like this arises. If I just had an opening conversation starter that's all I'd need. I'd find out right away from his response if he's worth talking to.. and if not I don't need anything else to say, I won't waste my time :) This is where you guys come into play.. I need some ideas :) I don't think my "HI, Just wanted to come over and see if your personality compliments you good looks" is a good start :) haha
NEW HIGH SCORE!!
Posted in on 4:33 PM by Jilian
32 MPH this morning!
This going fast thing is growing on me :)
This going fast thing is growing on me :)
Olympics!
Posted in on 10:07 AM by Jilian
I've been successful in watching more of the Olympics this year. Mostly swimming and gymnastics after 9pm when really I should be sleeping. Sleep is overrated though.. 5 hours is plenty!
Last night was the guys gymnastics all-around competition. I think Paul Hamm is adorable so he's my little olympic crush (last night at least). Of course I'm pulling for him anyways cause he's american and he'd be the first american to ever win the gold in the all-around. I get all caught up in the stories and excitement, I get nervous for them, and always feel emotion when someone wins (whoever wins).. don't know why.. just the way I am. So Paul does great in the first three events, has the lead. Disaster strikes on the vault. He not only doesn't stick the landing, but lands on his butt. I wanted to cry for him. It's like a lifetime of work and you miss the grand prize cause you make a mistake on the night it really matters. He went from first to 12th in the standings. So everyone knows this won't be his night for gold, maybe he can still win bronze though. At this point I decide since I was riding at 6:30 this morning I should go to bed instead of watch the rest. I set the sleep timer on my TV for 30 min. I guess I was asleep cause I roll over and see Paul's up on the horizontal bar.. well since I'm awake (half asleep) I'll pay attention. He walks up to the bar... jumps up.... zap TV goes black. STUPID SLEEP TIMER!!! Where's the remote! So I get to watch him kick butt on the bar and win the gold by .012 points!! Amazing :) These are the moments the Olympics are all about! I'm just sad I missed the parallel bars routine!
Read a better summary of the night here :)
Last night was the guys gymnastics all-around competition. I think Paul Hamm is adorable so he's my little olympic crush (last night at least). Of course I'm pulling for him anyways cause he's american and he'd be the first american to ever win the gold in the all-around. I get all caught up in the stories and excitement, I get nervous for them, and always feel emotion when someone wins (whoever wins).. don't know why.. just the way I am. So Paul does great in the first three events, has the lead. Disaster strikes on the vault. He not only doesn't stick the landing, but lands on his butt. I wanted to cry for him. It's like a lifetime of work and you miss the grand prize cause you make a mistake on the night it really matters. He went from first to 12th in the standings. So everyone knows this won't be his night for gold, maybe he can still win bronze though. At this point I decide since I was riding at 6:30 this morning I should go to bed instead of watch the rest. I set the sleep timer on my TV for 30 min. I guess I was asleep cause I roll over and see Paul's up on the horizontal bar.. well since I'm awake (half asleep) I'll pay attention. He walks up to the bar... jumps up.... zap TV goes black. STUPID SLEEP TIMER!!! Where's the remote! So I get to watch him kick butt on the bar and win the gold by .012 points!! Amazing :) These are the moments the Olympics are all about! I'm just sad I missed the parallel bars routine!
Read a better summary of the night here :)
Corolla...
Posted in on 3:46 PM by Jilian
....FUN :) So Charley dumped some rain on us, but the weekend was filled with family, running, shopping, yummy food, frisbee on the beach, lighthouses, driving on the beach, funny stories amd good memories :) I only wish it had lasted longer. Back to the beach this weekend for more of the same :) Prob a few more crazy stories :)
Amazing how time flies!! The half marathon is just around the corner, only two more longs runs until the race! Very exciting! Running on the Ocean City Boardwalk should provide enough entertainment to pass the hour and forty minutes painlessly this weekend :) We've ordered our race shirts :) Our friend at work is going to kindly Tie Dye them hokie colors for us. So we are geeks.. it will be fun! Now coming up with the best way to attach our names so people can cheer for us is the last step :) I'm super ready for labor day weekend at the beach with good friends, lots of live music, and running :)
Amazing how time flies!! The half marathon is just around the corner, only two more longs runs until the race! Very exciting! Running on the Ocean City Boardwalk should provide enough entertainment to pass the hour and forty minutes painlessly this weekend :) We've ordered our race shirts :) Our friend at work is going to kindly Tie Dye them hokie colors for us. So we are geeks.. it will be fun! Now coming up with the best way to attach our names so people can cheer for us is the last step :) I'm super ready for labor day weekend at the beach with good friends, lots of live music, and running :)
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