Tampa Say

Snow in Florida?

2008-09-28T10:38:00.000-04:00

Since we are in Florida, we rarely get snow. Well, to satiate my need, I came across a way to create my own snowflakes on the site zefrank.com. Very cool! And a fun way to play! Even better, I don't miss the snow at all anymore!

Fresh-Picked: The New Yorker

2008-09-27T21:04:00.000-04:00

Fresh-Picked: The New Yorker, a slideshow I just came across in "The New Yorker" magazine covering the 2008 Plant City Strawberry Festival Queen and her court. This photos are borderline campy, but the accompanying article is quite insightful. Access it HERE.

Free "Parking" for All!

2008-07-06T10:58:00.000-04:00

The Florida State Parks has announced free entry to all of the parks in the State system on July 13th! I nice way to get outside and enjoy what Florida has to offer.

In Tennessee, Goats Eat the ‘Vine That Ate the South’ - New York Times

2007-06-05T19:36:00.000-04:00

In Tennessee, Goats Eat the ‘Vine That Ate the South’ - New York Times: Yes, it's true--it is time to rejoice! Someone has ingeniously figured out that goats eat kudzu. How many will Florida decide to let loose??

Lowry Park Zoo: Penguins SOON!

2007-04-21T11:13:00.000-04:00

The Lowry Park Zoo African Penguin Exhibit will be opening in the Summer of '07. How exciting! Although my guess is that they won't be chilly when they arrive! But back to the point of the posting--the zoo is offering a way to support the penguins. Purchase a commemorative paving brick with your choice of wording. The pricing varies between $75 and $250, depending on the size. And you will permanently become a part of the zoo's landscape. Cool! (Literally, for the penguins, that is.)

Gossip Time!

2007-01-13T16:48:00.000-05:00

Howard Stern is in town for the big wedding (Bubba the Love Sponge's, that is) at the Don Cesar. Others attending: Steven Tyler from Aerosmith and Hulk Hogan and the fam.

There's an article in the St Pete Times about the couple. Bubba's site also has a song in honor of Howard's visit HERE.

Sarasota International Design Summit 2006

2006-10-03T11:47:00.000-04:00

Sarasota International Design Summit 2006 is coming! From October 9th to the 11th, a host of design luminaries will be converging on Sarasota for this conference. It is hosted by the Ringling School of Art & Design and is sure to help you include design elements into your business.

Google Transit

2006-09-27T19:16:00.000-04:00

Google Transit is still quite new--it's still in the Google Lab, but it has managed to include the Tampa Bay area in it's six cities. We should feel honored! Actually, I am being quite serious, as this is a really cool concept. Building on their Google Maps technology, Google Transit allows you to plan a door-to-door trip using information from HART (the Hartline to us). Check it out, even though I'm sure you have a car...

Florda Heritage Month 2006

2006-04-08T12:59:00.000-04:00

The poster above "Five Flags/Florida" by Xavier Cortada is this year's Heritage Month Commemorative poster. Florida Heritage Month 2006 was created to "encourage a better understanding of and appreciation of Florida's history..." The site has a listing of events. Sorry, it ends on the 15th, but I just found out about it myself!! Also, you may get a free copy of the poster (details on the link provided).

image courtesy Florida Heritage Month.

Florida Memory Project

2006-03-27T11:34:00.000-05:00

Just came across the Florida Memory Project page. Very interesting!! It's a sort of online tribute to Florida's heritage, with photos, music and lots of items. Have fun with it!

Coldplay: Finally!

2006-03-09T11:29:00.000-05:00

Coldplay were supposed to play the Ampitheater in Tampa back in September. Unfortunately, this show was canceled due to Chris Martin's bad pipes.
But yay! they finally made it back last Sunday!

Mike and I wholly enjoyed this show. Yes, some folks say Coldplay are too slow and boring. But in reality, their music is as passionate as any "loud" band. Their live show was filled with emotion and exuberance. So much so that Chris Martin even fell, injuring his leg, while performing. However, he never skipped a beat and continued to finish the song without even missing a word. The visuals were also a great feature: not the usual "video on either side of the stage" effect. They placed a large horizontal screen at the back of the stage, where images were projected, even slighty-psychodelic live feeds of the band members performing. It gave the impression of an art-house film. Very nice, indeed.

The only complaint: the MAJOR traffic. Having been to this venue before, it as quite a surprise. We completely missed opening act Fiona Apple, only hearing her slightly from the highway next door. (Why are the neighbors complaining about the noise anyway??) And on the way out, they had completely "controlled" the traffic to the point of major gridlock. We were lucky enough to be near the exit road. Some other brave soul maneuvered through the bushes and created a second exit for the rest of us. Whoever you were--thanks!!

New HGTV Coming To Tampa

2006-02-24T22:16:00.000-05:00

Done something interesting to your home? Well, here's your chance to show it off! HGTV is coming to Tampa to film a new series "Look What I Did". It's your opportunity to let everyone see what you designed and constructed for your home.

Long time, no write

2005-11-03T17:41:00.000-05:00

Yes, I've been on a slight hiatus. But I'm back now, so please keep stopping by!

Friday: Shuffleboard

2005-11-03T17:38:00.000-05:00

The highly popular St. Pete Shuffle continues its reign this Friday evening in, yes, St. Pete. In a slight twist, this week there will be live music! But as always, there will be fun for all ages.

Saturday: Art with Tes One & Bask

2005-11-03T17:34:00.000-05:00

Saturday go see some terrific art from Tes One and Bask. They exhibit together quite often, but they do have distinct styles. I would highly recommend a visit!

Taste of Clearwater

2005-09-19T19:05:00.000-04:00

The annual "Taste of Clearwater" event will occur tomorrow the 20th at the Harborview Center. With over 50 local restaurants, it looks to be a fulfilling night out! I've never been so I'm looking forward--a great way to try the food from the locals! The chamber of commerce site has all the info.

The Vineyard of Oz

2005-09-16T13:45:00.000-04:00

"Travel with Dorothy and her crew (Toto, too!) to the Emerald City to enjoy dinner by munchkin-sized bites from select area restaurants, samplings from choice wineries and a unique silent auction (oh, my!), in Tampa's only motion picture movie-palace.

This year's targeted food and wine lineup include Bonefish Grill, Cafe Ponte, The Capital Grille, Michael's 717 South, Salt Rock Grill, SideBern's, Andre Lurton, d'Arenberg, Illuminati, Laurent-Perrier, Lolonis, Merryvale, Peju, and Pierre Sparr.

The Vineyard of Oz is Tampa Theatre's 4th annual movie-themed wine tasting and whether you're a good witch or a bad witch, we really most sincerely guarantee you'll laugh the night away in the merry old Land of Oz. Previous themes were Saturday Wine Fever, Raiders of the Lost Cork and Gone with the Wine.

There really is no place like Tampa Theatre!"

I would agree with that statement. This looks to be a very fun event--and a great way to taste some of the yummy vittles from area restaurants. I'm just sad I can't attend!!

For tickets, go here.

Coldplay on 9/14

2005-09-09T10:23:00.000-04:00

OK...so this is a bit of a weird post. I am really excited to go see Coldplay. And I was so excited when the tickets went on sale that I bought 2 extra. So, now I have 2 that I don't need. If anyone is interested in purchasing these, let me know (gailany@yahoo.com)! Here's the DL: Section 201, Row G, Seat 1 & 2. Face value is what I'm after: $160 for both.

Tampa Bay Library Consortium

2005-09-07T09:45:00.000-04:00

The Tampa Bay Library Consortium offers a large digital book catalog. Once you have a library card from one of the local libraries listed, you will be able to download digital books for free! With the software available on the site, you will be able to "check out" each title for 7 days (longer for certain titles). It looks like a very cool idea, especially for driving. It is a similar idea to a podcast...Hmmm, now I just need to get a library card!!

Increase Donations to Hurricane Katrina Victims!

2005-09-06T09:38:00.000-04:00

Planning on donating to help Hurricane Katrina victims? Make the most of your money with matching donations! Here are a couple I've come across:

*The Ellen DeGeneres Show & Warner Brothers will match your donation to the Red Cross! Up to $500,000 matched. Here's the spot.

*Lowe's will match any donations to the Red Cross up to $2 million made *in-store only*. See box at bottom of their home page.

*Until Sept. 30th, Best Buy will match any online or in-store donations to the Red Cross up to $1 million dollars.

*Sears/K-Mart will match in-store donations to the Red Cross up to $500,000.

*The McCormick Tribune will match $.50 of every $1 donated to it's fund of the first $2 million received.

*Join the Oxygen "Oh! Speakup!" Campaign (free sign-up) and Oxygen will donate $1 to the Texas Children's Hospital up to $10,000.

*Also, check to see if your employer matches any charitable donations!! An easy way for it to add up!

Don't forget our animal friends...Donate to the ASPCA!

For a pretty darn complete list of donations made by corporations, CNN is on it.

If you don't have money you can spare, a local Corpus Christie business called Coffee Cup is collecting "comfort items" for the estimated 250,000 people for whom Texas will be caring. You would simply have to ship items to them.

Tampa-Florida's Largest Home Show

2005-08-30T15:36:00.000-04:00

This weekend "Florida's Largest Home Show" will be here in Tampa at the Convention Center. These things are a bit fun, and overwhelming. But I am now going to admit what I am most looking forward to: The Friskies Living House. Yes, you may now think I am off my rocker. I don't care though! This looks hilarious!! There will be live performances by The Cat Team. And free samples to be had. At any rate, it looks to be fun for all ages.

Bodies: The Exhibition

2005-08-18T18:18:00.000-04:00

Bodies: The Exhibition has been garnering much protest lately--but it seems to only be on TV. Honestly, no one I know sees the thing as that big a deal, only that it would be interesting to actually see a three dimensional representation of the body's inner workings.

It seems to be yet another case of sensationalistic media coverage. For instance, the current article on the Bay News 9 site quotes a woman who laments the "poor little life" shown in the Fetal Development area, even though one visitor had said it was the most interesting area.

A breath of fresh air, the St Pete Times article seems to present only the facts surrounding the exhibit and its ensuing Board intervention.

For more info, check out the MOSI site directly here.

Cheap Gas

2005-08-18T14:59:00.000-04:00

Cheap Gas...don't we all need some? Yes, I'm talking about the car...heh heh. Anyway, this site combines GasBuddy and Google Maps to present you with cheap local spots for gas. The info is submitted by users on GasBuddy, so there's a chance for error. But hey, if we can save some money, it's "a good thing."

The Coral Castle

2005-08-12T11:57:00.000-04:00

I must do a post on this one...I am so intrigued! The Coral Castle consists of over 1100 tons of coral built into a sort of monument to a love. Who could resist this idea? Ed Leedskalnin supposedly built this all by himself--no one is quite sure how he moved all this coral. And it took him about 28 years! I'll have to report once I get to finally visit this treasure. Has anyone been here? If so, please let us know about it via comments.

Tori Amos

2005-08-09T18:53:00.000-04:00

Tori Amos will perform at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center on Thursday night. I am thrilled, especially because my tummy hurt at her last show in the area at Ruth Eckerd Hall. For any fans that can't make the show, Ms. Amos has launched Tori Bootlegs. There are two CD's currently available, both from shows this past April. For those of you who aren't too familiar with her work, Ms. Amos shines onstage--she was a child prodigy on the piano, so hearing her live is almost better than recorded in a studio.