Along the way, there are some of us who have lost a love, or are looking to start a new life, or maybe are just looking for a little excitement in our lives.

Online dating may hold the answer. Here are some sites that we recommend... sites where you  can meet other Boomers... or just about anyone else.

Sites for Mature Singles

Prime Singles
SilverSingles.com
Senior Friendfinder Senior Singles at Date.com
Senior Singles at Metrodate.com
SeniorMatch.com

General Dating Sites:

Great Expectations
e-Harmony
Perfectmatch.com
Match.com
FriendFinder
Metrodate.com
AmericanSingles
2 Of A Kind
Date.com
HurryDate
Yahoo! Personals
 

Smart Links

These links will take you to some useful, helpful, and informative websites where you'll find a large selection of goods and services... just about everything from soup to nuts.

Buy.com
ShoppersChoice.com
Click here for eBay!
SHOP.COM
Best Buy

No matter what generation you are from, if you're a music lover, you remember certain events: those of the Baby Boomer's generation remember where they were when Elvis died, those of Generation Jones remember where they were when John Lennon was shot, and those of the MTV Generation remember where they were when it came out that Milli Vanilli were fakes. Different generations tend to remember different things. But, there is one event - due partly to Don McLean's tribute song - that transcends eras: if you love music, then you probably know about the day it died.

The Day the Music Died is the term often used to describe a plane crash that took place on February 3, 1959 in Iowa. One of the biggest musical tragedies in history, this crash killed Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, J.P. Richardson (The Big Bopper), and Roger Peterson, the pilot.

The events that led up to the crash were protocol in the music business. Holly, Valens, and Richardson, as well as their respective band members, were on "The Winter Dance Party" tour, a tour that was to stop in 24 Midwest cities in the span of three weeks. When they had an open date, their promoters called The Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa and booked a show. The Surf Ballroom, until that spur of the moment decision, was not a scheduled stop.

When Buddy Holly arrived at the ballroom, he suggested that he and his band mates charter a plane to an airport near Moorhead, Minnesota, the destination of their next performance. Holly, and many of the other musicians, were tired of riding in the tour bus. Not only was it crowded and confining, but it also suffered a broken heating system, causing all the band members discomfort and one band member to be taken to the hospital with frostbite.

The musicians found a plane they could charter and a pilot, Roger Peterson. The plane was a Beechcraft Bonanza, a single engine aircraft with three passenger seats. Holly and Waylon Jennings had two of the original seats but The Big Bopper, having grown ill, asked Jennings to give him his seat. Jennings obliged.
Tommy Allsup, Holly's other band mate, procured the third seat but Ritchie Valens, having never flown in a small plane, asked Allsup if he could have it. Allsup agreed to a coin toss, whomever won the coin toss won the seat. Valens proved victorious, at least initially.

Dion DiMucci, the fourth act on the Winter Dance Party tour, was also offered a seat. He, however, refused, stating that the price was too high.

As for the crash itself, no one can say for sure what happened. A little after one in the morning on February 3, the plane left Mason City Municipal Airport. Peterson, at the controls, had planned to file a flight plan once he cleared the tower, but instead, he never called. Before take off was the last anyone ever heard from Peterson or the three musicians on board.

At nine a.m. that morning, Jerry Dwyer, the owner of the plane Peterson was piloting, boarded a plane to search for the missing Beechcraft Bonanza. This came after several unsuccessful attempts by Dwyer to reach Peterson.

After searching by air for only a few minutes, Dwyer spotted the plane's wreckage in a cornfield below. The plane was found at a downward angle, sloped to the right. It was estimated to be traveling 170 miles an hour when it struck the ground, rolled 570 feet, and ended up balled against a wire fence. The pilot died inside while all three musicians were thrown from the aircraft. The medical examiner concluded that all four onboard died instantly from trauma to the head.

As investigators sought to piece together what happened, they concluded poor visibility brought on by bad weather conditions played a huge role in the crash. They also believed Peterson may not have been well versed in using flight instruments and may have been used to relying on his own vision. Investigators also believed he was not given an accurate account of the severity of the weather. Had he known how bad the conditions were, he may have never taken off.

When Buddy Holly's .22 pistol was found in the cornfield a few months later, theories of foul play began to surface. However, no evidence ever supported these theories and the accident was ruled just that: an accident.

More devastating than the loss of musical talent was the loss of youth. At the times of their deaths The Big Bopper was 28, Buddy Holly was 22, Roger Peterson was 21, and Ritchie Valens was 17.

In memory of The Day the Music Died Ken Paquette, a music lover from Wisconsin, built a monument of stainless steel. The monument contains a steel guitar, and three records. It bears the names of the three musicians who perished as well as the pilot's. It is located near the sight of the crash.

A similar monument was unveiled on July 17, 2003 outside the Riverside Ballroom in Wisconsin. The RiverSide Ballroom was where Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper played on February 1, 1959, roughly thirty hours before the world of music changed forever.

About the Author: Jennifer Jordan is a senior editor for http://iturbocharge.com. Possessing an infatuation with pop culture - and a gift for stalking - she keeps up on the latest news of the musical world.

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In the late 1940's, the 45-RPM record replaced the 78-RPM record. The 45 was smaller, less breakable and could be made and sold more cheaply. Despite these advantages, it took ten years before the 78 became obsolete, and in the meantime, record companies sold their product in both formats. In 1982, the major record companies introduced the compact disc, which offered a smaller size, "perfect" sound, and less likelihood of damage in day to day use.

As the compact disc offered a much larger profit margin than did the long-play record album (LP) the record companies were eager to rid store shelves of records once and for all. Given that the 78 lasted ten years after the introduction of the 45, it seemed likely that the LP would be gone from the market by 1990. The expected disappearance of the LP never happened. Despite the efforts of the music industry, music fans and collectors not only continue to buy records today, but sales of records and record-playing equipment are on the rise.

Each year in January, the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is held in Las Vegas. At this event, audio and video manufacturers show off the latest and greatest in their product lines. An unusual sight this year was not the large number of cutting-edge compact disc players, but the largest number of record turntables that had been seen at the event in years! Sales of both new and used records are hot, and equipment manufacturers are eager to reintroduce the turntables they quit making years ago. Why are record sales increasing when compact discs are supposed to provide perfect sound in an unbreakable format? There are several reasons:

Price
Price is always a factor when consumers buy anything and the prices of new and used record albums are less than the prices of new and used compact discs, respectively. Used CDs may sell for $5-8; used record albums sell for $3-5

Physical size
A lot of people prefer the larger size of record albums. They don't store as easily as compact discs, but the covers and lyrics are easier to read, and the product feels more substantial. Buyers feel like they're getting "more" for their money, even if it's just extra weight.

Sound
The digital sound of compact discs has a certain cleanness and purity to it, but many listeners find the sound of compact discs to be "artificial" or "metallic", lacking the "warmth" of the sound of a record. Arguments have been going on for years, and fans of compact discs claim that there really is no difference in sound, but millions of record fans would probably disagree.

Nostalgia
A lot of Baby Boomers grew up listening to records, and records have a fond familiarity to them that listeners like.

New record albums continue to be released every day. Aided by artists who are still recording who demand that their albums be released as both records and compact discs, such as Diana Krall, Pink Floyd, and Metallica, record album sales continue to thrive. Despite industry efforts to kill the format back in the 1980's, It appears that the record album will continue to live on, well into the twenty-first century, and music fans couldn't be happier about it.

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Scrapbooking has been popular for many generations all over the world and seems to be gaining in popularity once again. Wanting to preserve special moments has encouraged us to collect mementos such as pictures and small souvenirs, and then arrange them in a creative manner to remind us of those memorable times. While some scrapbookers prefer to use traditional methods using paper, scissors and paste, many have gone hi-tech with digital scrapbooking. It is the 21st Century version of a photo album or a journal.

Digital scrapbooking is steadily growing in popularity. Many traditional scrapbooking magazines have written special issues featuring how to make a scrapbook on your computer. Some hobbyists have introduced digital art to their paper scrapbooks by just crafting certain elements on their computer and then printing them out to put in their normal paper albums. However, there are many testing the waters and making their scrapbooks entirely on the computer. They are finding that it saves time and materials, as well as provides many more options that are not available with traditional methods.

Many digital scrapbookers are also avid photographers using digital cameras and have their pictures stored on their computers. The beauty of their work would be wasted if they were relegated to be stored there forever in folders. Some interesting ways to showcase them have developed. Not only can a digital scrapbook be made relatively quickly, they can also be easily distributed and shared with nearly anyone with a computer.

Digital scrapbooking is really quite simple. There are few must have items in order to make digital scrapbooks though. First, you will need a computer with a relatively decent graphics card. Next, you need digital imaging software such as Adobe Photoshop or software specifically designed for digital scrapbookers such as Scrapbook Max. The advantage of having Photoshop or other similar software is that not only is it designed to edit photos but it can also be used to make layouts such as used on scrapbook pages.

Obviously, you need to have the photos. You may also use scrapbook templates such as those that are available online. They can help beginners with design ideas. If you are wanting to print your work, a good quality photo printer and photo paper is also needed.

Once you have assembled these materials, digital scrapbooking is a breeze. Like traditional scrapbooking methods, it essentially involves designing backgrounds, adding the pictures, inserting accents, adding text and titles, and so on. You can make the background look like 50's wallpaper or something far out from the future. You can even scour the internet to find pictures of historic or news events that would add a time frame to your page.

The great thing about digital scrapbooking is everything can be easily edited and mistakes can be quickly fixed. If you don't like how a piece of paper is torn, put it back together and do it again!

Go ahead and manipulate the photo itself adding color to a black and white photograph or make a color photo black and white. You can crop it, make it fade, or add a celebrity to it - digital scrapbooking totally removes all of the limitations and allows your creativity to flow.

Making your scrapbook digitally also means that you will be able to e-mail it or even display it on the internet. There are many places online these days that allow you to store your images and share them with family and friends just by giving them a simple URL to view them. On the other hand, you could choose to print out copies of your scrapbook pages to give as gifts. If you are printing them, you will want to be sure that you have purchased the correct size binder to go with the paper you have chosen. You could also burn it to a CD to have it printed at a copy center if you prefer. Not only is your creativity unlimited, you aren't limited to a single option for sharing them.

About the Author: Patricia Frye is an avid scrapbooker and has most recently
enjoyed the fun and creative freedom that designing digital scrapbook pages and elements for her own and her family's scrapbooking endeavors have given her and blogs about it at: http://www.digitalscrapbooking.marketingmainstay.com

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There is something to be said for a bit of nostalgia. You might be cleaning out and find old love notes or the CD you burned for your now ex-girlfriend. A song comes on the radio and you find yourself singing along. Fashions you thought had come and gone are back again and you just can't decide if you want to give them a second try. After all, the first round of the eighties wasn't too great for you style wise.

On a rainy afternoon, when you just happen to be thinking about your old self, you might try bringing back of those few old memories just for the simple amusement of it. Certain television shows even specialize in creating shows about the 70s, 80s or 90s. You can make your own mini-show right over your computer.

Your past is all over the internet. You can look through the white pages or do a more complex people search to see what happened to all your old buddies. MySpace actually has divided people into high schools and colleges which means you can spend hours reading about your ex girlfriend or crush without feeling like too much of a stalker. When you get bored with that, you can go back and relive even earlier memories.

The Early Stuff Most of the toys you loved as a child are still around. Light-Brights, Barbies, Legos and more can be bought online and enjoyed again. If you feel funny buying yourself toys and don't have a niece or nephew to use as an excuse, consider trying something else. Coloring pages and paper dolls are online now, too, through websites like TheDollPalace.com. You can spend time carefully shading in the coloring pages on the site and playing with the doll makers.

If dolls aren't your thing, there are other sites out there with free access to the original Atari or Nintendo games. There is no time like the present to reclaim your position as Donkey Kong champion or see if you can still find all of the warp zones with Mario and Luigi. Even PacMan and his wife are still around and chomping.

Who Cares? Even if you claim to hate every minute of your own childhood, or more commonly, your teenage years, there is no reason you can't make up a new one. If you were deprived of Barbies and coloring pages as a child, make up for lost time now. Grab a hairbrush and sunglasses and jam out the way you always wanted to the tunes of Tiffany or Slayer.

If you had a pretty normal childhood and still don't care about the memories, you just haven't fully experienced them yet. Have you kept up with old friends? Do you have all your favorite songs from high school on your iPod yet? If not, you probably just don't know what you're missing!

About the Author: This article was provided by The Doll Palace - creator of doll makers and fashion dress up games for girls.

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With so many forms of entertainment available today, games and puzzles remain a fun way to pass the time, a means of instilling good sportsmanship in children, and a way to bring families together. In fact, there are addicting games for people of all ages. Monopoly, however, has to rank on almost everyone's list of the most addicting games of all time.

When thinking about addicting games, Monopoly is one of the first board games to come to mind. Who hasn't spent hours scheming to trade railroads, or hoping beyond hope that they will manage to avoid landing on the Boardwalk space with the hotel on it? Debates continue to rage as to whether money paid to the banker goes in the middle of the board and the lucky person to land on Free Parking rakes in the cash (the official rules say no, but every family seems to have its own tradition of rules).

There are over two dozen great versions of Monopoly, some of which incorporate themes and others of which are designed as kid's games. Monopoly Jr. is a great way to get the younger ones involved in and excited about Monopoly, and is still fun for adults. In fact, a child's movement from the Junior version to the "real" version of Monopoly is almost like a rite of passage.

When it comes to themes, there's a Monopoly game for virtually everyone. Star Wars and Lord of the Rings Monopoly themes appeal to the sci-fi crowd, while the NFL and Dale Earnhardt Monopoly editions are a sure bet for sports aficionados. Those who love nostalgia will enjoy playing the I Love Lucy version of Monopoly, while kids of all ages enjoy the Pokemon, Spider-Man, and Disney Monopoly editions. Other themes include Harley-Davidson, The Simpsons, Scooby-Doo, and Peanuts - and there's even a .com version!

Of course, while two people can play Monopoly, the best Monopoly games involve at least three or four players. When it comes to addicting games for twosomes, card games are always a favorite. Kid's games include educational card games like Learning Journey and card games that feature historical figures like the Pioneers in Medicine Card Game or the Inventors Card Game. For adults, rummy cards are a fun way to pass the time, as are cribbage, Uno, and Skip-Bo.

Completing jigsaw puzzles are on the top of many people's list of addictive activities. It's a great solo activity, as well as being a fun family pastime. Puzzles come in all shapes and sizes, and are suitable for kids as well as adults. Especially appropriate for rainy days, jigsaw puzzles keep idle fingers busy and make the time go by quickly.

When it comes to addicting games, no one can dispute that video games are completely absorbing. Even so, Monopoly is one of the few unique board games that people of all ages can play, enjoy, and become addicted to.

About the Author: Chris Robertson is an author of Majon International, one of the worlds MOST popular internet marketing companies. For tips/information click here

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Since I grew up in the 1950's it is fun for me to reflect on some of the nifty things during that era.

Drive In Theatres
Known then as the "passion pit", Drive In Theatres bring back many happy memories! My birthday being in July was the prime season for Drive In movies. I would invite all my friends over to celebrate my birthday complete with my mother's homemade barbeque sandwiches which was my favorite. She would make it from sliced rump roast and then lay the meat in an electric skillet smothered in barbeque sauce. Just before dark we would all pile into a car and head for the drive In.

I still remember the intermission jingle "Let's all go to the lobby" with the hot dog, soda drink and popcorn dancing across the screen. The Drive In was the favorite place to go on a date and the after the show we would go to the Steak n Shake for a hamburger and fries. At that time you stayed in your car and your food was brought to you. A tray holder was placed on the drivers side window to hold the food. It was just brought to my attention from my teenage grandchildren that "going steady" is no longer used. I asked them what do you call it now? They replied just "going out".

Makes no sense to me, but that is how times change. Back in the 50's and 60's when you were "going steady", the girl would be given her boyfriends ring to wear. Because they were always too big to fit, we would wrap the back with white bandage tape and then cover that with fuzzy angora yarn in different colors.. way too cool! The only place you could buy the angora in my town was a department store downtown and I can still remember that they did not have cash registers at the counters, but instead the clerk would send your money through a vacuum tube that led upstairs to the cashiers office. It was much like the drive in banking tube that is used today.

Rock n Roll
The summer of 1955 with Bill Haley's song "Rock Around the Clock" changed the music we listened to forever. I was hooked. Then came Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, Chuck Berry, Fats Domino, and the rest is history.

Every Saturday I would walk downtown to Lindstrom's Record store and listen to the latest hits and always come home with at least one new 45. In my bedroom next to my bed was my radio that I would listen to every night just to hear the newest songs. Radio at that time was AM only and at night with less interference in the airwaves I could pick up a station from Little Rock which was about 600 miles from where I lived. The commercial that I will never forget was for White Rose Petroleum Jelly.

I was so excited the night I heard the song "Sea Cruise" that I ran down to Lindstrom's to buy it only to find out that it wasn't available yet. My parents did not like Rock n Roll and would say it sounds like noise. They did however "put up" with it and allowed me to play my record player as loud as it would go which was not very loud when compared to today's stereos.

Now we have a stereo in the living room, a portable stereo in the garage complete with subwoofer, subwoofers on our computers and a subwoofer in the car. My love for music has stayed with me and the music and the equipment to play it with just keeps getting better.

Clothes
Cuffed bobbie socks worn with suede "buckskin" shoes or saddle shoes that came in all color combinations and styles from light weight to the original heavier oxford in black and white. The sleeves were always cuffed and rolled on the girls short sleeve shirts, and finished off with a scarf around the neck. Wool skirts with the length at the middle of the calf with a slit in the back.

The favorite hair styles were pony tails, and shoulder length hair that was rolled at the ends with bangs and usually a side part. Barrettes were often used as decoration and to hold the hair away from the face. The boys typical clothes were blue jeans with cuffed legs, a t-shirt with rolled sleeves, or a shirt with the back of the collar turned up. They wore various short hair styles ranging from the butch to slightly longer Elvis style that was combed back and held in place with VO5 Hair Dressing into a duck tail or DA as it was called. Going to church on Easter Sunday was a sight to behold! All the women and young girls (me included) wore a hat adorned with artificial flowers along with white gloves.

Toys and Hobbies
I wasn't much into dolls as a child because I preferred to be outside exploring or making something with my hands. The one doll that I did enjoy for a short time was the Ginny Doll that is tucked away in a closet complete with all the clothes, accessories and furniture along with a Toni Doll still in the original box almost untouched.

The Toni Doll was a Christmas gift and I was evidently at the age that it just didn't interest me much. Easy Bake Oven has been around for 50 plus years as I was given one for Christmas when I was 8 years old and made and ate all the cakes the first night. Needless to say, I got very sick later that night!

One of my weekly downtown stops was the local Hobby Shop that sold Paint by Number products. I would sit at a desk in the sunroom and paint for hours. I painted a black tole waste basket and Kleenex box holder that was given to my Mother as a gift. They also sold magic tricks that fascinated me and I would give magic shows at home on the piano bench covered with a black antique crazy quilt. Two other toys I have fond memories of was the Hula Hoop and the Slinky.

Burma Shave
The old motels are now a thing of the past having been replaced with travel hotels. More rooms in a smaller space, but not as convenient as the motels where you would park right in front of your room. When our family would take car trips we would see the Burma Shave signs along the road and read them out load as we passed them. DON'T TRY PASSING
ON A SLOPE
UNLESS YOU HAVE
A PERISCOPE
BURMA-SHAVE

If computers had come along 45 years sooner, I think my life would have been very different. Oh well, better late than never.

Barbara Wangelid along with her husband Tobbe are the owners of JackandFriends.com where you can purchase vintage and retro reproduction signs, enamelware, antique labels, 1950's retro, Crosley Radio Replicas and classic American pedal cars.

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Are you sick of reality TV shows and the rest of the garbage that makes up the TV schedule these days?

Oh yes, there are still a few classics around such as CSI, but many people would agree that ninety per cent of what's on these days is hardly worth watching.

There is an alternative and it's one that has a lot of advantages over the square box in the corner of the room. This alternative is called old time radio and I'm going to give you seven reasons why you should switch of your large screen plasma TV and listen-up.

First let me quickly tell you what old time radio is.

Old time radio covers the period from the start of the 1930s through to the very early 1960s. It's often referred to as the "Golden Age of Radio". These were the decades when radio was the main medium of mass entertainment and when America led the way in creating some of the best, and most loved radio shows ever to have been broadcast.

Old time radio covers everything from classic drama like the Lux Radio Show through to spine-tingling thrillers like Orson Welles War of the World and The Shadow. You'll hear hilarious comedies like The Bob Hope Show and Fibber McGee & Molly and shows for children and the young at heart such as Superman and The Green Hornet.

You might be thinking "I'm too young for that kind of stuff" or maybe you're thinking "Okay, but where can I hear those classic broadcasts these days" well let me give you the "7 Reasons Why You Should Be Listening to Old Time Radio Shows".

Reason 1 - Great entertainment has a long shelf life

If old time radio shows were poor entertainment these shows wouldn't have stood the test of time. The fact that there are over 30,000 old time radio show recordings still in existence makes it, without doubt, one of the most well archived formats of entertainment of all time.

Reason 2 - Who needs more misery?

Isn't there enough misery in the world? Wars, famine, crime, corruption. Isn't it good to have a break from all this misery? Old time radio can provide you with that break. Just put on your headphones and escape to mysterious lands whenever you get the urge. It's got to be one of the best forms of escapism ever invented.

Reason 3 - It's not expensive?

For the price of a burger and fries you can enjoy hundred and hundreds of hours of classic radio shows. You can burn them to CD and listen in the car. You copy them onto your MP3 player and listen whilst you jog. You can enjoy the shows again and again whenever you like.

Reason 4 - No bad language

You can listen to old time radio shows for thousands of hours and the worst word you're likely to hear will be "darn". This is a medium that boasted some of the most talented writers in the world, many of whom went on to be best-selling authors or top script writers in Hollywood.

Reason 5 - Ideal for Children

Do you worry about what you are exposing your children to when they watch TV. Even shows that are supposed to be appropriate for youngsters seem to be full of innuendo or even inappropriate language. With old time radio show you don’t have to worry about what they might hear as the shows of this era adhered to far stricter ethical codes.

Reason 6 - Collecting old time radio shows is a great hobby

Not only are these shows great to listen to, but they're also great fun to collect. There are few things more satisfying than tracking down that final elusive episode that gives you the complete run of a series or uncovering a gem that few people have heard for half a century.

Reason 7 - Brush up on your history

Old radio shows are a wonderful way to learn more about history. Without making any effort you'll learn about everything from the Civil War right through to World War II. You'll hear news broadcasts covering events as they happened and even the advertisements will help you to learn about how different things were back in the middle of last century.

Well, that's seven great reasons why you should be listening to old time radio shows. It's a wonderful form of entertainment and more accessible today than it ever has been since its glory days.

So turn-off and tune-in today!

About The Author: Seth Corwin is the webmaster of one of the largest public archives of old time radio shows on the Internet. The archive can be accessed at
www.otr-ftp-server.com

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