I needed that.
Posted in Humor, Life, Photography, Weather
Tagged cold, commentary, heat, heat relief, Humor, life, photography, weather
It ain’t easy being pale. That’s why, some 11 years ago, I founded the PPA.
Pasty People of America
I’m not only the president, I’m a member…the pastiest member by far. You know that pale skin that kinda has a bluish glow?
That’s me.
A friend in Kansas City — also pale, also self-deprecating — inspired me to use the word ‘pasty.’ He too is a member for life. (No choice, really.) Today I am inspired by people who have a choice and stay pale, even at prom time.
The Melanoma Foundation of New England asked teens to sign a ‘no-tan pledge’ — a promise not to intentionally tan or visit a tanning salon before prom. There was a similar pledge for college students before spring break.
The pledge reads: “I realize that by getting a tan I am sharply increasing my chances of developing melanoma, which can be fatal if not caught in time. I have read the “Facts of Tanning” and understand the dangers of tanning beds and lying out in the sun.”
It was a contest, of course. The winning school — the pastiest party-goers come prom time – won $1,000 for their class.
This year’s winner was Waltham High School in Waltham, Massachusetts.
Hey — I think I recognize that one student.
Cheaters.
Posted in Beauty, College, Commentary, Education, Family, Health, Humor, Life, News, Summer, Weather
Tagged beauty, college, college students, commentary, education, family, Fashion, Health, high school, high school students, Humor, life, melanoma, melanoma foundation of new england, no-tan pledge, pale, pale skin, pasty, pasty people of america, pasty skin, prom, spring break, summer, tan, tanning, tanning booths
Today The Sticky Egg dedicates this space to its mighty alma mater, the University of Kentucky Wildcats, the first team to earn a spot in the Sweet Sixteen of the 2011 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament!
GO CATS!
It’s also the first day of Spring, and I can’t help but notice — everything is coming up blue!
But that’s March Madness for you.
Gotta love it.
Posted in Basketball, College, Green, Humor, Life, March Madness, Sports, Weather
Tagged alma mater, basketball, college, college basketball, green, Humor, life, March Madness, NCAA men's basketball tournament, seasons, Sports, spring, spring fever, Sweet Sixteen, The Sticky Egg, UK, University of Kentucky Wildcats, weather
With all the talk about the weather — you did hear about the snow, right? — a new meteorological phenomenon has become the hot topic on both cable news and the Internet.
It’s called thunder snow, a rare kind of thunderstorm where snow is falling – instead of the usual rain — accompanied by thunder and lightning. You don’t see it very often, but it’s more common with lake effect snow in the Great Lakes Region.
The Weather Channel’s Jim Cantore was an on-air ‘victim’ of thunder snow recently in Chicago, and the footage of his very entertaining reaction has gone viral.
That Jim.
Personally, I’ve been having more fun with the term ‘thunder snow;’ I’m sure it’s been trending on Twitter. I believe thunder snow has the potential to go beyond the world of weather and find a unique place in pop culture.
Having a baby?
Thunder Snow would be a cool, androgynous name…and people might assume your child’s parents are movie stars. (Who else would choose something so nonsensical?)
Starting a band?
Thunder Snow evokes ethnic imagery and a rock sound. Plus, ‘snow’ is inherently cool (or illegal, depending on how you choose to interpret it).
Creating a new brand?
Thunder Snow could appeal to a large demographic and is appropriate for apparel, sporting goods, furniture — even beer.
Plus, if you’ve got enough money in your marketing budget, Jim Cantore would be a heck of spokesperson.
Holy smokes!
Posted in Advertising, Beauty, Business, Celebrities, Commentary, Entertainment, Environment, Humor, Internet, Life, News, Television, TV, Weather
Tagged advertising, Business, celebrities, commentary, entertainment, gone viral, Humor, Internet, Jim Cantore, life, news, Television, The Weather Channel, TV, Twitter, viral video, weather
Once again, I’ve managed to visit Miami without making it to the beach.
Yep. My shuttle is driving me back to the airport, and I never stepped foot outside the hotel.
Wait…I did take a couple of photos off of my balcony this morning — does that count?
This is not the first time this has happened. Work takes me to a warm, sunny clime…and I don’t even make it outside to enjoy it.
I’m an embarrassment to business travel.
I could blame my schedule, I suppose. Or my skin, which is very fair and shouldn’t be exposed to the sun much anyhoo.
But the truth is…beaches just don’t appeal to me up close and personal. They are beautiful to look at in photos, and lovely to dream about from afar. But once I’m at the beach, I really don’t want to spend that much time on it. Looking at it out the window will suffice.
So off I go, back to the cold wintery streets of Manhattan.
I can hardly wait!
Posted in Airplanes, Business, Commentary, Entertainment, Holiday, Humor, Life, Philosophy, Travel, Vacation, Weather
Tagged airport, airport shuttle, beaches, Business, business travel, commentary, entertainment, hotel, hotel balcony, hotel shuttle, Humor, life, Manhattan, Miami, Travel, winter
By the time many of you read this, I will be back home in New York City.*
Yes, I was one of the thousands stranded by Snowmageddon 2010.
In my case, I was snowed out of NYC; my flight home Monday was canceled and today — four days later — is my first opportunity to wing my way back home.
It’s my longest layover to date.
But I was one of the lucky ones. I didn’t sit in an airport for days, waiting for the next available flight. I didn’t have to bed down in some cheap airport hotel and watch snowy basic cable. I didn’t even go to the airport the day my flight was nixed.
I simply kept on driving and started Christmas Vacation Part Deux.
Thanks to my sister Lou and brother-in-law Chuck, I was able to hitch a ride to Kansas City and spend a few days visiting my old stomping grounds.
I ate at favorite restaurants. Did some shopping. Saw some movies. In other words, I wasn’t productive at all. No office organization, tax preparation, or housecleaning could be completed from afar. Instead, I took a real vacation following the hustle-and-bustle of my initial trip home for Christmas.
On Facebook, I reported this turn of events as ‘making lemonade.’ While some mistook this as new code for ‘using the bathroom,’ I was turning a trip FAIL into a big trip bonus.
As usual, the fates knew what I really needed. See? There can be a silver lining to the wollop of Snowmageddon 2010!
Now, to tackle mailmageddon waiting for me at home…
* It is sleeting/snowing this morning in Kansas City. Crossed fingers…
Posted in Airplanes, Automobiles, Christmas, Commentary, Family, Friends, Holiday, Home, Humor, Life, Philosophy, transportation, Travel, Vacation, Weather
Tagged airport hotel, basic cable, canceled flight, Christmas, Christmas vacation, commentary, Facebook, Facebook status, family, Holiday, home, Humor, Kansas City, layover, life, mailmageddon, New York City, philosophy, snow, snowmageddon, stranded in airport, Travel, weather, when life gives you lemons made lemonade
Snowmageddon has inspired mayhem across the country, much of it expected.
Closed streets. No school. Travel delays. Grouchy neighbors. Dogs in coats and booties.
But in Lafayette, Indiana, snowfall there inspired a local sculptor to create a different kind of snowman — or rather, to focus in on a particular, male-specific part of the snowman’s anatomy — and enlarge it for all to see.
That’s right. There be snow penises in Lafayette — two, to be exact.
Neighbors were outraged. Children scarred for life. A nearby news station even gave the matter some very pointed attention.
But the local police? They laughed when they saw the snow genitalia and drove away.
Of course, once they realized how mad everyone was — and that they actually had jurisdiction (heh) — they returned and promptly destroyed the artistic salute to yellow snow.
Pricks.
Posted in Art, Comedy, Commentary, Entertainment, Home, Humor, Life, Travel, Weather
Tagged art, comedy, commentary, entertainment, Humor, Lafayette Indiana, life, snow, snow genitalia, snow penis, snow penises, snow sculptors, snow sculpture, snowmageddon, snowman, snowpocalypse, Travel, weather
During my trip home for the holidays — and really, any time I am out of town — people ask me what they should do when they come to New York City for a visit.
It’s a hard question to answer.
There are so many choices. That’s why my recommendation varies from person to person, depending on what they like to do and how much time they have to spend in the city.
But there is one activity that I think everyone should do if they plan to be in Manhattan before year’s end:
Add a wish to the Times Square Visitors Center wall
The Wishing Wall is a simple 8′ x 10′ space covered with small scraps of brightly-colored paper, each containing the wish of a person who has traveled to NYC. “Please talk to your mother.” “I want a job.” “I need to graduate.” “Help me win the lottery.”
Leaving a wish is free. It’s for the entire family. And it’s a welcome low-tech activity located in the midst of the neon frenzy that is the Theatre District. Plus, all the wishes will be released like confetti over Times Square when the ball drops on New Year’s Eve.
Talk about being a part of the action!
I haven’t added my wish to the wall as of yet, but since it’s such an inherently public display, I think it’s okay to tell you what it would be:
Safe, timely travel thru the blizzard
(Living in NYC is already a wish come true. Don’t wanna be greedy.)
Posted in Airplanes, Christmas, Holiday, Humor, Life, New Years, Travel, Weather
Tagged Christmas, Holiday, Humor, life, Manhattan, New Year's Eve, New York City, Theatre District, Times Square, Times Square Visitors Center, Travel, visiting New York City, wishing wall
Oh, what a difference a day makes!
Was it just yesterday I was waxing nostalgic about the unexpected White Christmas in Kentucky?
Today I’m checking The Weather Channel and airline websites for updates on the blizzard that is predicted to dump up to 16 inches of snow on New York City today and Monday.
Well…that should make the trip home more interesting.
So as my warm feelings toward the white stuff turn increasingly frigid, I find particular giggles and grins in this video of a snowman getting a bit of a jolt (probably from a bitter traveler who was stuck in an airport for a few days due to weather-related delays).
Enjoy…and safe travels everybody!
Posted in Beauty, Christmas, Environment, Family, Holiday, Humor, Life, transportation, Travel, Weather
Tagged blizzard, Christmas, exploding snowman, family, Holiday, Humor, Kentucky, life, New York City, snow, snowman, The Weather Channel, Travel, weather, white christmas
Just in cases
Here in New York City, we’re awaiting the arrival of Hurricane Irene.
The calm before the storm and all that.
(Wow — I’ve been celebrating daily for years.)
Some folks on Facebook think people who remain in their homes in the path of Irene are taking the holiday a bit too seriously.
Now, if I lived in an evacuation zone, I would be gone in an instant. But I don’t. So I’m staying…because it’s home. I’ve been out-of-town for the past week, and home is comfortable and reassuring and the only place I want to be.
I’ve got food and water and batteries and my dog. I’ve got books and magazines if — say it isn’t so — the electricity goes out and I can’t watch HBO OnDemand.
Heck, I’m acting too sane for Just Because Day.
Gotta work on that.
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Posted in Commentary, Environment, Family, Friends, History, Humor, Internet, Life, News, Weather
Tagged calm before the storm, commentary, evacuation kit, evacuation zone, Facebook, family, friends, Holiday, Humor, Hurricane Irene, hurricane kit, hurricanes, illogical, Internet, just because, Just Because Day, life, Manhattan, New York City, news, no rhyme or reason, path of the hurricane, path of the storm, storm kit, weather