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For all of you that missed Channie's costume party on Saturday, here's the scoop: there were contests for the most creative costume, the most realistic costume, the king and queen, and the prince and princess costumes. The results are as follows:

 

Channie Rose, Tammy, Jesusfreak012 and Sephra g.k invite you to share a theme picture event at the Auld Lang Syne Pool. Use your creativity and dress as a princess, prince or character from your favorite TV show. Hang out, swim, have fun and take plenty of photos to post back here. As Channie Rose says, “It’s going to be a blast!”

In case you guys have forgotten or are new, there are endless opportunities here to get together with friends and host parties. If you want to throw a bash with friends and announce a theme, tell us and we’ll do it for you! In the meantime, we have a member event taking place this Saturday at the Auld Land Syne pool, so don’t forget and come by ready to relax, catch up, and just have a good time. The party will be co-hosted by a lot of people, so you should definitely drop by and say hi—see you all there!

If you still haven’t seen or heard about it, you should definitely go check out RandyLH’s new underwater aquarium. It’s HUGE! I consider it a must-see and a great tourist spot for newcomers to SI.

If you’re an island regular, well, you have to see it. There’s even a dolphin doing tricks inside! Its huge dome-like structure allows you to sit and stare at the mermaids and cool things inside. Not only is it a good place to meet up and hang out with friends, it’s just plain neat-o looking! Has a touch of the Monterey Bay aquarium while still keeping the island’s habitat and theme of a fun and exciting summer hot spot.

Come check it out … and you may even be able to catch a glimpse of the killer whales!

 

 

Guess where I'm at right now? Yep, you guessed it, I'm in none other than the city that is represented by a gigantic fruit—New York City!

It takes me a full two hours in a cab to get to where I'm staying in Manhattan because the streets are sardine-packed with tons of people! It's like everyone here doesn't sleep, or they're sleepwalking—it makes no sense. It's like 2 in the morning, and the streets are stuffed like an over-congested jar of PB&J, except much less appetizing. Hot dog and food stands still have long lines over flowing into the streets. Wow. Must be some darn good hot dogs.

NYC is not only filled with fan-tasmic billboards and show light ads at every corner, but it also represents a center for finance: the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE)  and its home, Wall Street. You're probably wondering what makes something like the NYSE so awesome. Well, if you think about the skim-milk double latte you drink every morning, or that one indulgence of large fries you eat a week, someone somewhere decides how much those companies that made those products are worth.

The NYSE is just like you pictured it: a bunch of high-stressed peeps hanging out in a cluttered room, answering phones all day. It may not sound like the most fun thing to do, but it's here on Wall Street that brokers meet and shout all their prices to make a deal. You can read more here, or if you want to learn more, let me know—I can blog more about it.

In the meantime, I'm off to Times Square, and I just drove past "The Late Show" studio. I've got lots of sightseeing to do, so I can tell you all about it when I'm back. Watch the island for me, and I'll bring back a piece of the Big Apple to share with all of you!

Do you know how many ATMs are on Stagecoach Island? There are actually five right now—but do you know how they came to be such a humongous part of our culture? Let's take a fast ride back to the past, Magic School Bus-style , and check out how they came to be.

We'll travel back to 1967, when the first makeshift "ATM" was installed in north London's branch of Barclays Bank . Basically, it was a crafty metal box, a couple of numbers on the keypad, and BAM—it was ready to go. I know it kind of sounds like your arts and crafts project where you use milk cartons to build something—but there's more to it than just a box! Around the early 1970s, ATM banking became "online," which meant that these metal "boxes" actually communicated with the banks, and in turn, this created a system by which banks still operate today. Pretty awesome, huh?

As for who invented the first ATM machine? Well, there have always been tons of arguments over it (you can read about it here ), but they all have one thing in common—make getting moola easier for us common folk.  I admit I don't have a ton of patience, so this invention comes in handy for all our "on the go" lifestyles. The Smithsonian Institution  credits Don Wetzel  for the invention of the ATM, but who knows—maybe Atlantis was already bustling with ATMs and funnel cake shops back in the days of Plato. You tell me.

Over the weekend I got a chance to finally catch up with Rosabelle and Restless Mind. I visited Lostpoet’s Sky High hangout to check out his cool new soda Machine that actually pops out a soda when you click it—it’s super cute! So I grabbed a soda and toured Lostpoet’s new home on Isla Del Sol. You’ve got to check it out—he has a primped-out aquarium (at 166S 108W) and it’s just so creative and different. Check out the pic.

The coolest part about the whole weekend, though, was viewing the construction process of RandyLH’s awesome new football field. Not only is it equipped with full-blown bleachers, it’s stocked with stadium jumbotron screens and scoreboards.

After chatting a bit with him, RandyLh told me he was interested in holding auditions or casting (whatever you like to call it) for football players and cheerleaders. We’ll have our very own Stagecoach Island football teams!

Are you ready to hit the field? I know I’m ready to grab some nachos with extra cheese and jalapeños to watch a game. Go check it out! The coordinates are 158S 95W.

 

 

Thank you to all the fellow islanders who have been dropping by our MySpace page, showing some love and adding us! For all of you who are just joining us here on Stagecoach Island, check us out at www.myspace.com/stagecoachisland . Have you guys created your own avatar page yet? Shelly  has—check hers out. When you do, remember to add us and stop by to say hi!

We've all had this dream before, so don't deny it: In a perfect world, money would grow on trees. On occasion, when they're ripe and ready, we'd just go and pluck the nice crisp bills right off the branches. If the tree bore fruit (coins), we might as well use them, right?

Unfortunately, my friends, this delicious dream just plain old doesn't exist. In the meantime, we have to stick with what we have, which are trees that bear fruits and jobs that bring us income. And yes, you islanders will be able to get jobs very soon and work for your moola! What kind of awesome jobs will we offer, you ask? Well then, here's a sneak peak into Stagecoach Island's future.

Rock Star—You're just cool, rock out.
Psychiatrist—Assists with people who are going through hard times and talks to them to help ease their sorrow, pain or suffering. All patient information is confidential.
Architect—Designs and helps give ideas on people homes.
Lifeguard—You're just an awesome beach bod out to save people who can't swim. Your profession: Look good and get a tan.

But wait, that's not all—it's just a teensy-weensy glimpse into what we have store for you. Are we rockin' or what?

I was in world on Sunday casually checking out new buildings and stuff when Adeline invited Rosabelle and me to go check out the new hotel "Firefly Inn" on the island! It's owned by Freckles, RichardT and Adeline, and the place is really posh and decked out. Get this—each room has a specialized theme, and I'm absolutely in love with the names of them. There's the Rose Room, Midnight Room, Garden Room, and much more.

You don’t have to worry about getting bored during your stay—there's a complimentary theatre, pool and a hangout room that's completely disco-ed out (check out the photos). If you're curious to know who's already made their guest appearance in this hotel, check out the guest book located in the front lobby. See what other cool islanders have made their mark at this new hangout.

To make a reservation, just shoot Adeline a telegram, and she'll book your reservations. I'm booking the Garden Room—where are you staying?

 

 

Here on the island, we do lots of exercises to keep in shape like flying, running, jet skiing and building. You know the old phrase "An apple a day keeps the doctor away?" Whether or not it's a myth I'm not sure, but extra fruits or veggies a day can't possibly be bad for you. All the yummy whole grain wheat and earthy fruits are all a part of our healthy diet.

It's weird—we never think about eating all the right foods, but we always crave junk food and sweets. I'm not going to lie, I can't live without dark chocolate. It's like taking the ice cream cone away from the ice cream. It's just not right. Someone says "cupcake" and I say "where?"

Here we are eating loads of junk, then worrying about why we are so unhealthy. Hello? It sure isn't rocket science. It's like the same example I use every time: Why order a fat-infused burger and fries meal still dripping with oil and then grab a diet soda with a comment like, "I'm watching my weight." You know what I mean? It's just weird. I can't ever seem to put my thumb on it. Wish we had an island nutritionist!

So instead of scarfing down loads of sugary sweets (which is hard—trust me, I know), eat some more greens and veggies, and take that parking space that's farther away so you can walk. It's a new age of health, so let's get healthy!

Come to the beach house, Coconut Grove on Isla Del Sol, on Thursday for a Hawaiian party hosted by Stella. Come join the fun and remember to put on something beachy and fun. Party doors open at 6 p.m. PT, so don't be late—Aloha!

Does "taxation without representation"  ring any liberty bells? Yeah, that was a bad joke—but hey, the way I figure, you can never know too much about this special day. This little tax jingle forced all 13 colonies to pay taxes to England’s King George III with no representation in Parliament. Of course, most of the people were anything but psyched with the idea. I mean, imagine working your whole life to support other people when you can barely feed your family! Then along came Richard Henry Lee of Virginia—he introduced a resolution on June 7, 1776, that the Continental Congress should declare the colonies free from British rule.

July 4th is important not only because of the pretty fireworks and awesome barbecues but because it celebrates Independence Day, the day of July 4, 1776 , when the Continental Congress officially adopted the Declaration of Independence, crafted by Thomas Jefferson. This day ultimately changed the course of Americans! Yeah, big deal, I know ... but realistically, take away all the shiny fireworks and smoky grills, and all you have is a group of brave people standing up for what they believed in.

So for this July 4th, don’t do the same old traditional stuff—bake a cake, make some blue, white and red cookies, or even try this recipe I found for some yummy cheesecake ! Check out our fireworks on Stagecoach Island and celebrate this national event!