...I swear. No kidding.

Early on in the saga that is the frog I got the nasty surprise of finding my account blocked. Locked up. Inaccessible. Needless to say, that never got solved and the frog had to start anew with a slightly modified moniker.

Now, I'm convinced that this place hates me. I recently made Level 14 (Whoo-hoo, you'd think), but someone in their infinite wisdom decided to demote me to a Level 1. Now, I'm left with no ability to post to the guides and many, many questions.

Is this place seeking revenge because I don't post much in forum here? (Have a look at the conversations in some of these places and ask yourself why.) Are TPTB miffed because I inhabit several places very similar to here? At this point, there isn't much else to be done to me--I've been effectively stripped of my ability to submit to guides, and that was what I liked about this place.

Either fix the problem, or tell me why it happened. Please.

I have to say that since I've moved my blog (I run my own forum now), I've been missing out on the good traffic blogs. Just got done reading LadyCatherines about Michigan driving, and I have to say that, as a fellow Michigander, she's absolutely right.

Michigan, for those who don't know, is the home of the car. We also are the home of the amateur NASCAR league on Michigan expressways and back roads. I live in Mid-Michigan, and we have our races on I-75, US-10 and all major state highways. All drivers go at least five over the speed limit (except for I-75, where the limit is at least 80) and turn signals are a joke.

What always amuses me is when I go traveling and I see how other states attack the roads. My fiance lives north of Chicago, and the planners up there just don't understand that cars were meant to go fast, not drive on twisty roads that only allow 45mph on a good day. And all the roads there are like that. In Rhode Island, I've learned that leaving the lone major expressway is a bad idea: once you get off, you can't get back on. Ever. You may as well dig out the old AAA map and plot your escape. I-90 out of New York state is a nightmare, simply because it's so damn boring. At least on M-46 I get an ice cream stand or a cow or something to look at.

Plus there's the bridge to contend with. Not the Mighty Mac, which is a treasure (but not the best in windy conditions), but the Z-Bridge. The damn thing actually sags in places and everyone wonders when it's gonna fall apart. There's also a lot of smaller drawbridges in town, so wasting precious fumes waiting on a slow freighter is always a joy. Couple that with the psycho trains (the ones that stop, backup, and go about eight times before clearing the road), and LA traffic is nothing.

As for the crazy lefts, we've got 'em here. And they are a royal pain.

For those of you familiar to the frogboard, I have some bad news.

 Betts's husband passed away early Tuesday morning.  He had gone in for angioplasty earlier that weekend, and went into arrest Tuesday morning around 3 a.m. 

H-man and I are in the process of getting a card and sending it around snail mail to those who want to sign it.  If you want to be on the list, please go over to the frogboard and send me a PM.