FINALLY, A TRIP REPORT!!

Good evening from a quaint place called Rocky Mount, Virginia; population, who cares? Anyway, thanks to my mother's friend's computer with a very high-speed Internet connection, I'm finally doing a report so far on my two weeks here in the South while Golden Days has already kicked off back in Fairbanks. And knowing that I would miss out on all the fun including the parade tomorrow, I took a bit of Golden Days with me with a button I bought on Sunday before I would leave.

But the weather here throughout wasn't anything but golden. On the first full day of my vacation Tuesday (I arrived at Piedmont-Triad International Airport in Greensboro late Monday night, despite leaving my boarding passes on the plane after landing though I did ask the baggage claim office to print out my itinerary), the temperatures were hovering between 90 and 95 degrees! As a certain skanky mega-socialite would say, "That's really hot!"

My grandmother lives in one of those apartment buildings for seniors in Winston-Salem, and yes, she does have cable...analog cable. Come on; she's in her eighties and she doesn't have the money for an upgrade to digital -- which my cousin does have (as well as video-on-demand) and she's across town.

On Wednesday, we dined at Red Lobster for the first time in our lives. The occasion was capped off with those lobster beads the waiter gave to us after finishing our meals. Lobster beads, huh? Sure beats one of those "Jerry Beads" the female audience members flash their breasts for on "Jerry Springer!"

And last night, before heading to Virginia, I had lunch at O'Charley's restaurant across from the Hanes Mall, Winston-Salem's main shopping center. The Red Lobster bill was $86, but since O'Charley's was a regional chain the lunch total there was over $60, which is good.

What's also good about O'Charley's is at the bar section, they have two tabletop Megatouch touch-screen game machines. They're not gambling, but the games range from cards (including poker), quizzes, word, puzzle, and more. One of the games, "Mystery Phraze", has a very popular game show I won't even bring up (alright, its initials are WOF) cry out "RIPOFF!!!" Anyway, I hope some of the Fairbanks area restaurants/bars will get ahold of those Megatouch machines anytime soon; I'm sure that'll equal more customers.

Of course, I've been keeping an eye on the major happenings while down here. So far this week, three stories have dominated the headlines: Hurricane Emily tearing through Mexico but leaving Texas with nothing but winds, the nomination of John Roberts to pick up where Sandra Day O'Connor left off; and another series of explosions in London on Thursday morning. And I have an open message to the Tour de France people: JUST END THE RACE NOW; THERE'S NO WAY SOMEBODY WILL STOP LANCE ARMSTRONG!!!!!!!

Anyway, that's an abbreviated look back so far. After a shopping spree back in Winston-Salem for hard-to-find DVDs (there are those that we would never buy in Alaska except for online), it's off to Atlanta to spend the weekend there, followed by the second half of my Southern tour in the Mississippi coast. Barring any chance of another hurricane about to threaten to coast, will week #2 be more fun-filled than week #1? We'll find out on Monday. Until then, bye y'all from Virginia!!

IT'S ALL SET NOW!!!

That's right!!! After all those months of planning and booking (all right, more like five months), everything's now ready, set, go for my two weeks in the Deep South. More on that later, but first...

As a suicide bombing killed 22 people in Baghdad over the weekend, the stage is now set for the real trial of the century (sorry, Michael Jackson): Saddam Hussein. The former Iraqi dictator will be facing trial for a massacre of over 150 Shiites he orchestrated back in 1982. Since this one won't be like Jackson's, it's going to be quite more interesting as it moves along. Then again, it's Saddam, so who cares?

Meanwhile, Sandra Bullock has married that tattooed biker from "Monster Garage", Jesse James on Saturday. Give it two months for that to last.

Now, on to a preview of what I could be expecting during my two-week vacation....

Week #1: This may be the last time I could be seeing my grandmother Mildred in North Carolina; she's in her eighties, but with diabetes and a stroke you know she ain't going to live on much longer. I'll be sharing with her some videos of the events I've filmed, including the 2003 Iditarod restart here in Fairbanks (I'll get to Golden Days in a bit). I'll also be visiting other relatives during the three to four days I'll be down there, and since New York is scrapped, there could be a chance I may hit Washington D.C.!

After spending the weekend in Atlanta for some family reunion, it's on to:

Week #2: My fifth time to the Mississippi Gulf Coast; the last four were in 1985, 1989-91 (when I lived there), 1992, and 2000. I know the first week will be more humble, but during the second week...who knows what's going to transpire! The coast has become more like Las Vegas South with casinos aplenty, and with poker becoming big, there could be a chance for me to either hold 'em or fold 'em? Will I go "all in" while trying to learn this? And who occupies our old home in Gulfport now? Find out during the second half of the trip!

Now while I'll be enjoying some southern comfort (no, I won't be drinking any Southern Comfort), back here in Fairbanks we've got the annual Golden Days festivities that'll be capped off with the big parade on Saturday. But don't worry; thanks to one of those buttons -- which usually prevents anyone without them from going to "jail" -- I'll be bringing a bit of Golden Days with me.

It's going to be a very exciting two weeks down there, so with that in mind...

SEE YOU IN THE SOUTH!!!

WHO'S IN -- AND OUT OF -- THE EMMY RACE!

Well, the nominations for the 57th Annual Emmy Awards were out early this morning, and surprise surprise, the "Desperate Housewives" lead the pack with 15 nods. But as for the cast, only Marcia Cross, Teri Hatcher, and Felicity Huffman are up for Comedy Actress, while Eva Longoria and Nicollette Sheridan were out of the running. In Comedy Series, "Housewives" will have to battle with "Scrubs", "Everybody Loves Raymond", "Will and Grace", and last year's winner "Arrested Development" for that prize.

Another ABC savior, "Lost", scooped up a Drama Series nod, as well as HBO's "Deadwood and "Six Feet Under", Fox's "24", and NBC's "The West Wing." On the reality competition side, will it be a three-peat for "The Amazing Race", or will "American Idol" sing and scheme their way to Emmy gold? By the way, "Project Runway", "The Apprentice", and "Survivor" are also in too. Meanwhile, "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" may need more than a miracle to grab the Reality Program trophy with "Antiques Roadshow", "Penn and Teller: BS!", and Bravo's "Project Greenlight" and "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" standing in their way.

And Alan Alda has scored a triple threat: A supporting drama actor nomination for "West Wing" to go along with his Oscar ("The Aviator") and Tony ("Glengary Glen Ross") nods this year.

Then there were those whose bubbles were burst by Emmy; among them, Lauren Graham (Gilmore Girls) and Kristen Bell (Veronica Mars). Sure, the critics and viewers loved their work, but not in the eyes of the Emmy voters.

In the end, HBO as always leads with 93 nominations, followed by CBS with 59; NBC, 54; and Fox, 49.

We'll find out if Lady Emmy doesn't seem "Lost" or "Desperate" after all when the 57th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards will be handed out September 18 on CBS.

Tomorrow...the progress of my last (and extremely important, because I'm broke) garage sale so far. Good night!!

IT'S ALL SET BUT THE SPENDING MONEY (or what's left of it)!

Hello again...at last. Since February when I booked the plane tickets, I've been counting down the days,weeks, and months till my two-week vacation in the South that'll start on Monday. The first week will be spent in North Carolina, where my grandmother Mildred still lives. Despite her diabetes, she's still in good health in her early eighties. Then that weekend, it will be Atlanta for some family reunion. After that, week #2 will be one of my old stomping grounds, the Mississippi gulf coast. And yes, LOTS have changed there since I moved out in 1991 after living there for two years. The casino industry helped make Gulfport the state's second largest city.

Alright, so the last time I visited there was in April 2000, but for a regrettable reason: That being seeing the then-red-hot Britney Spears in the first of her two concerts I attended that year (the second one being later that summer in Los Angeles). I explained it all in full detail on the old "Allen Report" website -- that is, if any of you remember it well. But this time five years later, it's going to be just your usual summer vacation...hoping that it won't cut short if any hurricane comes Mississippi's way!

Because I'll be gone for two weeks, that also means I'll be missing out on the annual Golden Days festivities (as well as the Grande Parade) back here in Fairbanks. I'm certain they'll try to outdo last year's parade as they always have.

Everything's all set, except for the spending money...or what's left of it, since I've spent some on garage sale signs, newspaper ads (for the second sale), and other necessities. For the last two weekends, I've been holding a series of garage sales at my house to raise me some spending money for the trip. Because of the weather, things have been moving kinda slowly (except for the first sale on July 2 which was very successful), and for the third and final sale on Friday and Saturday, I'm pulling out all the stops.

Almost all the videos I bought until 2001 -- when I got a DVD player -- still need to go fast, and they as well as a few DVDs and CDs/CD-ROMs -- will go at $1 a pop. Many clothes have yet to move out quickly, and I've ranged the prices on them from 50 cents to $1.50 to make sure every piece goes during those two days. Prices on all other items will be lowered to make sure all or some of them won't be making their way to the thrift store. Just like a "winner take all" Game 7 in the NBA Finals or World Series, this equivalent is EVERYTHING MUST GO before we go!!!


Will this one pay off big time with just a few days to go? I'll let you know on Sunday, the eve of my trip.

Tomorrow...my instant take on the Emmy nominations. Will all or some or none of the "Desperate Housewives" be in or out? See you then.