No, this blog post does not refer to Vanilla Ice’s white-man anthem to hip hop in the early 1990s, although I guess since I’m referencing it, it most certainly does now, but rather, this blog post is about the fact that winter has hit the Big Apple.

After a few weeks of mild temperatures leading up to Thanksgiving, New York has turned cold. Not freezing cold yet, but still cold, and as a result this past weekend marked a few milestones. First, on Saturday, a day that will live in Florida Gators infamy, it snowed. It didn’t stick and it was more of a wintry mix, but there was definitely snow.

Here’s what it looked like from inside Lansdowne Road, the bar in which we watched the Gators lose to Alabama.

Looks like winter, no?

Next, after a wonderful brunch on the Upper West Side with our Tennessee transplant friends on Sunday, we headed over to Bryant Park for a little ice skating in what they call Pond, NY.

Now, if you know me at all, I’m sure you can easily chuckle at the mental picture of me on skates, and thankfully, no visual of photographic evidence has appeared yet of me wobbling around the skating rink holding on to Stacey’s hand for dear life. If it wasn’t for her, I wouldn’t fallen and never would have gotten up.

As a matter of fact, the last time I stepped foot in a skating rink was in Brandon, Fla., where I decided I’d be more comfortable at the bar sharing a pitcher of beer than pretending I was Brian Boitano. I had no problem with that then, but this time, it was different. It’s the holiday season, it was a nice, chilly, sunny day. I figured, what the heck.

So, I went for it, and I skated. You want proof? How about this picture I took of Stacey skating? She looks comfortable on skates. That’s because she’s from the Poconos. Me, I’m from South Florida, where the average temperature in the winter is 68.5 degrees. Not quite conducive to growing up on skates is it?

That’s not to say I’m not starting to enjoy the holiday season. The beginnings of our decorations are up around the house. The menorah is out in preparation for Hanukkah on Friday night and we’re picking up our tree on Thursday.

Here’s some of our decorations.

 Manny and his friend atop the bar.

 The Menorah waiting to shine so bright.

Kissing reindeer on top of the air conditioner in front of a window of spray-on ice frosting.

Stockings hanging in the kitchen.

I’m also enjoying listening to holiday music on my XM/Sirius satellite radio on my commute home. It doesn’t make the commute any shorter, but it does entertain me. For instance, tonight I heard a reggae/dance version of “Little Drummer Boy” by Sean Kingston. I don’t think I ever heard a reggae Christmas song before. That was entertaining. Much better than any Christmas songs by ‘NSYNC or 98 degrees. I turned those off right away. I also turned off an awful version of Jingle Bells by Singing Dogs. That was odd.

So, now, for fun, here’s a list of some of my favorite holiday songs. In no particular order. I’m not big on rankings.

Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer - Growing up I always enjoyed singing this — you surely don’t ever want to hear me sing, ask my two sisters — and especially the ad-lib parts such as “like toothpaste” or “like George Washington.” Didn’t really get into the racier version. We kept it clean.

Santa Claus is Coming to Town — the Bruce Springsteen version. ‘Nough said.

Frosty the Snowman — I like this song because it tells a story. I like songs that tell a story. This song kind of reminds me of Jimmy Buffett’s “Jolly Mon Sing.” I know they’re totally different, but I make a connection somehow.

All I Want From Christmas is You — by Mariah Carey. Watch the video.

The Hanukkah song — by Adam Sandler. There aren’t very many good Hanukkah songs, but this is one of the best.

O’ Christmas Tree — Again, my sisters can testify that I used to love this song. Every year after going to see “the world’s largest Christmas tree” in Lantana, I’d endlessly sing this song over and over again making up lyrics the whole time.

Of course, this whole exercise is really just an excuse for me to link to this. My Port Tampa Tree video, formerly hosted on TBO.com. It’s disappeared, but luckily, I saved a version and it’s now on YouTube, hopefully forever. Click the link or watch below. Either way, enjoy.

There’s been a lot of flip flop hate out there these days, what with the two weeks of summer here in NY now coming to an end. Yes, it’s the end of August and we had only about three days I would actually consider hot this summer. Tonight, as August turns to September, there’s rumblings that temperatures are going to dip down into the 40s. Freeze me in carbonite now.

First, thanks to my new sister-in-law, I was made aware of a story on msnbc.om with the headline, Can your flip-flops kill you?. It’s similar to this story in the New York Daily News. The msnbc link is now broken, but basically the story detailed all the germs and bacterial microbes that collect on the bottom of one’s flip flops. Well, yeah, duh, there’s all sorts of nasty stuff on the bottom of anyone’s shoe. A flip flop is no different.

Next, there’s all the flip-flop fear-mongerers who claim that flip flops are bad for your feet and can lead to long-term health problems for middle-aged people. Now, I’m an unabashed fan of flip flops. Have been ever since college, but I realize they are not for everyone. First off, some folks just have nasty feet, others don’t want to wear thongs (a good excuse to show this photo. It is football season, after all) between their toes and still others just have bad feet for whatever reason.

So, it’s all about personal accountability folks. If wearing flip flops hurt, stop doing it. I could blame the Northwestern girl’s lacrosse team for getting this whole flip flop craze started, but it’s not their fault. Flip flops are cheap (at least some of them), easy to wear and comfortable. Who’s not a fan of that?

What flip flops are not are event specific. I’ve worn flip flops to weddings, to night clubs (along with shorts, OK?), just about everywhere. My flip flops are always not disrespectful. Maybe it’s because I wear Reefs, and only Reefs, which are high quality flip flops. Plus, really, shouldn’t people have more important things to worry about than my feet?

This is all said as a way to show you this video. In it, Kid, the dude with the footlong top fade of Kid ‘N’ Play, is hocking suits  out west. He claims that you should buy a suit because there’s three occasions when shorts and flip flops just won’t cut it.

Just watch, I won’t spoil the rest for you.

After not blogging for exactly two months, I’ve decided to make a comeback, albeit however paltry. I’ve been thinking for a good few days about how I would want to make my return to blogging, and then, this afternoon, speeding through the streets of Long Island, inspiration hit.

Thank goodness for this guy, Mr. IM AWESM, who decided to buy a vanity plate expressing his lameness for all of us to laugh at. Not only does he think so much of himself that he decided to express it to the whole world on his license plates. He thought it would be cool to do that while driving a Hyundai Tiburon.

Yeah, dude, you’re gonna get all the ladies driving that. A little research: Buddy shelled out somewhere between $16,000 and $20,000 on his awe-mobile, a car that is described as “Hyundai’s entry-level sports coupe” and “this coupe looks champagne expensive with a beer-bottle price tag.”

Oh, and it’s being discontinued. Awesome. No doubt.

It’s reasons like this guy that Long Island has this reputation.

A Hyundai Tiburon is not awesome. This is:

After spending two weeks away from the Big Apple for the big wedding and honeymoon,  and then a week later flying out again for a kamikaze trip to  a friend’s wedding in Niceville, Fla., then out to Los Angeles a few weeks later for a surprise birthday party, I’m finally back and settled here in NYC.

That’s not to say I’ll be blogging any more than usual, but as of right now, laying on the couch with an achy back, and with my beautiful bride playing the role of happy housewife for the time being, there certainly will not be any long distance traveling in our near future.

Luckily, we have friends and family throughout the northeast and mid-Atlantic area who can visit throughout the summer, or, any of you can always visit us here! We do live in NYC, the greatest city on Earth!

So, I hope to have lots of more stories of my travails throughout the five boroughs in the coming weeks. Stacey’s mom will be visiting next weekend and we’ll be heading to the Bronx to see the Phillies play the Yankees, so I’ll report on the new Yankee Stadium then.

I’ve already been to Citi TARP Field, and it is beautiful. If only the home team were the Marlins, not the Mets. I hope to be going back when the defending American League Champion Tampa Bay Devil Rays visit next month. I’ll try to post my report on that experience then.

Until then, you can always follow me on Twitter.

Nothing too earthbreaking here. Look up, read the banner headline. See something different? Yeah, am now married as opposed to being almost married or engaged.

Need proof? How about a slideshow?

Oh, and the weather, just might, be finally breaking. Not like it matters to me this weekend, I’ll be in Niceville.

Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday	Monday
58° F | 45° F	68° F | 50° F	74° F | 50° F	56° F | 40° F	49° F | 45° F
Clear	Clear	Clear	Chance of Rain 20% chance of precipitation	Chance of Rain 50% chance of precipitation

Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday	Monday
74° F | 54° F	74° F | 56° F	74° F | 58° F	76° F | 59° F	76° F | 52° F
Partly Cloudy	Partly Cloudy	Partly Cloudy	Chance of T-storms 40% chance of precipitation	Chance of T-storms 20% chance of precipitation

I could use the fact that I only expect to spend one weekend in the month of March actually home in the Big Apple as a reason for my paltry blogging prowess, but well, that’d just be an excuse.

The fact is that I figured this would happen at some point. There’d be long gaps in my blogging followed by days of constant blogging followed by long gaps, etc., etc., etc.

I’m a manic blogger I guess. Ya’ll just have to deal. Please, please, please, deal. I don’t want to lose either of the two of you who might be reading this.

So, thankfully for me and my sensitive ears, I missed the blizzard of all blizzards that hit the northeast last weekend because, well, I was in Las Vegas!

What a great place to be while the east coast is blanketed in the fluffy white stuff. It was dry, 70 degrees, sun shining the whole time. I even spent one whole day of the three pretty much full days I was there outside at a park. Definitely not something I normally do while in Vegas, but a ton of fun. Nice to be out in the sun finally. Am so, so tired of having to bundle, layer and be uncomfortable the whole time.

The only thing that would’ve made that day better is if I had thought to pack some flip flops. I didn’t think we’d made it outside or it’d be warm enough, so I suffered wearing tennis shoes. I know, I know, woe is me.

I won’t be making that same mistake this weekend, however, as Mike’s magical North American tour hits Nashville, Tenn., aka NashVegas, baby! I can’t wait to see good friends again, and especially, the not-s0-lil Latino Tornado, my godson, Joaquin.

Then, after that, it’s just a matter of a couple weeks before I head down south and get transformed from being an almost-married man to being full of wedded bliss.

Immediately after that, the lovely lady and I come back to our home back in NY for a night before taking this trip international. We’ll be heading to Punta Cana, DR, for most of a week for a nice, relaxing honeymoon that’ll last right up into my favorite time of year, Opening Day.

Of course, at this point, all my vacation time will be used up, so everybody come to NY this spring and summer. We got a pull-out couch you can crash on. Or, seriously, hotel rooms are cheap right now. Our neighborhood rocks and we’re only a quick subway right into Manhattan. So visit often!

So, checking out the weather for NY and NV(NashVegas) this weekend, I’m pretty excited. It’s supposed to get warm here in NY this weekend, even possibly flip-flop weather. I’ll miss it, just like I missed the blizzard, but it’s supposed to be even nicer in Tennessee, so I’m not complaining.

Yes, the flip flops are already packed. I can’t wait.

Friday	Saturday	Sunday	Monday	Tuesday
50° F | 40° F	54° F | 43° F	65° F | 43° F	54° F | 38° F	52° F | 34° F
Fog	Chance of Rain 30% chance of precipitation	Chance of Rain 40% chance of precipitation	Chance of Rain 20% chance of precipitation	Chance of Rain 40% chance of precipitation

Friday	Saturday	Sunday	Monday	Tuesday
70° F | 54° F	74° F | 54° F	72° F | 52° F	67° F | 49° F	67° F | 49° F
Partly Cloudy	Partly Cloudy	Chance of T-storms 40% chance of precipitation	Chance of Rain 30% chance of precipitation	Chance of T-storms 50% chance of precipitation
Hourly	Hourly	Hourly	Hourly	Hourly

And, of course, nothing beats Tampa

Friday	Saturday	Sunday	Monday	Tuesday
76° F | 56° F	79° F | 58° F	79° F | 61° F	79° F | 63° F	79° F | 63° F
Partly Cloudy	Partly Cloudy	Partly Cloudy	Partly Cloudy	Partly Cloudy

Took one of those lame online quizzes on Blogthings recently. This one was called “What Kind of Shoe are you?”

Of course, the respone: I am Flip Flops.

Shocking, no?

Now, before you judge from all your glass houses, I know all of you do things like this also. Whether it’s 25 things on Facebook or other quizzes, you really shouldn’t be talking

But, go ahead, tell me how lame I am. At least I just posted the results of this, not for instance, what kind of cookie I am.

For the record, I’m a chocolate chip cookie. Again, not much of a surprise there either.

See, isn’t this so much fun.

And now, your Valentine’s Day weather forecast!

Saturday	Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday
79° F | 58° F	74° F | 54° F	70° F | 41° F	70° F | 49° F	76° F | 58° F
Partly Cloudy	Chance of Rain 50% chance of precipitation	Partly Cloudy	Partly Cloudy	Partly Cloudy

Saturday	Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday
43° F | 29° F	40° F | 25° F	36° F | 25° F	40° F | 29° F	38° F | 36° F
Mostly Cloudy	Clear	Partly Cloudy	Partly Cloudy	Chance of Snow 50% chance of precipitation

Every time I think I’m getting used to the cold and the weather — despite my constant bitching about being freezing, driving in the ice and snow and constant wearing of layers — Mother Nature decides she wants to mess with me some more.

This time, she, also known as karma, helped me break my second ice scraper. This one was even called an “ice breaker.” Yes, I broke an ice breaker.

My first ice scraper incident occurred the weekend before Christmas when about four or five inches of snow fell. We planned to go visit my uncle in Port Washington on Sunday, so on Saturday, while Stacey went upstairs to wrap Christmas presents we just bought, I decided to get a head start on scraping the snow off.

That time I broke the scraper end of the combo scraper/brush given to Stacey by her dad way back when while trying to pry huge clumps of snow off of the rear window of my car. I heard a crack and then the scraper broke off. I was then forced to finish prying snow off with the scraper in one hand and the brush in the other, wax on, wax off-style.

This time, it was ice, not snow that did in my trusty “ice breaker.”

The incident happened at about 9 p.m. Sunday night in the parking lot of Laguardia Airport after returning to the icy mess here from a wonderful warm weekend in Tampa. I thought I was in good shape after getting the ice off the rear window, but had some trouble with the windshield. I turned on the defroster inside while scraping and banging the scraper against the glass. Then, all of a sudden, half the scraper goes flying across the car while I’m left holding the handle.

Incredulous I was. Obviously, I finished up the scraping, paid my $75 in parking and then set out today after work to get myself a new scraper, because the temperatures here aren’t scheduled to get above freezing this week, if they ever do make it to the 20s after Tuesday.

Here’s what I bought this time. Wish me luck that I don’t break either of these.

And here’s what’s facing us here in the frigid northeast for the next few days. Brrr. Yikes.

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
31° F | 25° F	40° F | 20° F	25° F | 18° F	31° F | 9° F	16° F | 7° F
Partly Cloudy	Mostly Cloudy	Partly Cloudy	Chance of Snow 30% chance of precipitation	Partly Cloudy

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
67° F | 58° F	67° F | 45° F	59° F | 40° F	61° F | 38° F	58° F | 38° F
Chance of Rain 20% chance of precipitation	Rain Showers 60% chance of precipitation	Partly Cloudy	Partly Cloudy	Partly Cloudy

Although this is New Year’s Eve, don’t be expecting a long, poetry filled post reflecting on the past year; the ups, the downs, the unexpected, the wonderful happenings of the past year in my life.

Hooey to that I say. Hooey. Gosh, I hope I spelt that write. I only wrote it twice.

Instead, what you fine people get is perhaps the most perfect blend of couture to exemplify me and this blog: flannel flip flops. Yes, sirs and madams, my esteemed future mother in law somehow, someway, somewhere found these hot pieces of shoeware.

I know, they ain’t Jimmy Choos, but I wouldn’t get caught dead in a pair of those. These, however, have my name written all over them, albeit not literally.

Check them out.

For the record, although it’s currently snowing and expected to 16 degrees tonight with a wind chill of 0, I’m still not going to wear these ninja-style, like another fellow New Yorker we all know.

The “wintry mix” that fell today, a deadly combination of rain, snow and sleet, forced me to pull the Mack Truck boots out of my closet today. I should’ve worn them to work, but thought that’d be overkill. Before I left Tampa I bought a pair of brown “Alpine” shoes on sale at Sports Authority. I figured those would be fine.

And for most of the day they were. Of course, I spent most of the day playing Wii bowling and not out in elements.

So, after I got home, I fished out the Mack Trucks, a big pair of brown boots I bought as part of my hurricane gear while in Tampa. We brought all of our hurricane stuff up here from Florida, joking that it’d be just as useful in a blizzard. So far, some of it has. I wore a pair of lined wind pants that go with my big red rain jacket to keep warm during a walk the other day and now I made use out of the boots.

And did I mention these were Mack Truck boots. I’m not talking little wimpy things. These are steel toe Goliaths.

Take a further look.

I fully expect to be wearing these beasts for a while as it’s only going to get colder, snow more and then even get windy. There definitely will be no flip flops in my future anytime soon. Oh how I am so not in Florida anymore.

Saturday	Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday
29° F | 27° F	36° F | 20° F	31° F | 18° F	36° F | 29° F	45° F | 34° F
Chance of Snow 40% chance of precipitation	Snow 90% chance of precipitation	Partly Cloudy	Clear	Rain 60% chance of precipitation

Saturday	Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday
79° F | 61° F	76° F | 52° F	63° F | 47° F	70° F | 59° F	74° F | 58° F
Partly Cloudy	Partly Cloudy	Partly Cloudy	Partly Cloudy	Partly Cloudy
Hourly	Hourly	Hourly	Hourly	Hourly

I know I’ve been here almost a year now, but the winter is still getting to me. I’m used to warmth and sunshine and am realizing how ill-prepared I still am. The boots were just the beginning. I’m still figuring out how I’m going to dig my car out on Sunday. I have a snow scraper and a snow brush to deal with the ice and white fluffy stuff that accumulates on my car but no snow shovel to clear a path to get the car out after potentially being plowed in. Who knew I was supposed to have a snow shovel? No one ever told me. Well, now I know. Anyone know where I can get a snow shovel?