Greetings from a plane headed towards the East coast for vacation time and to have “fun”. I’m a bit apprehensive though because it’s supposed to be freezing out there. Brrrrr! I never got used to the cold. I’d rather sweat like a penguin in Africa than freeze like an iguana in Virginia.

My first experience with snow was traumatic. I had just started college in GWU and my big brother invited me to join him for the holidays and visit his girlfriend in upstate New York. Although I was covered from head to toe except for my eyes I was still frozen inside. Imagine a Popsicle wearing a coat and that would be me.

The girlfriend’s family treated us as part of the clan. Then one of the gals got this great idea to go cross country sledding. I never knew there was even a term for this winter torture. “It’s easy,” she said. “Just slide one foot after the other.” You kidding me? After my 10th slide, my thigh muscles seemed to be sliding down my ankles. While the girls were giggling and having so much fun frolicking in the wintry wonderland I was struggling to keep up. But the macho man in me would not accept defeat. So I endured the pain, the cold, the damp puddle inside my shoes. After the ordeal, everybody went for the hot cocoa waiting in the kitchen. I went for the soft bed in my room.

Since that day, I have never been friends with frozen water. I will face my demons in a few hours and I know I’m gonna die. I will be meeting my college friends and I will be meeting my son and his New York family. I’m praying for a miracle that the warmth of people will overcome the cold of winter.

Oh the things we do for our loved ones … and the things we do for fun!

TGIF people!

Friday Bike Ride

Contributed by Don of Kelowna, B.C.

I went to the liquor store Friday afternoon on my bicycle, bought a bottle of whiskey and put it in the bicycle basket.

As I was about to leave, I thought to myself that if I fell off the bicycle, the bottle would break.

So I drank all the whiskey before I cycled home.

It turned out to be a very good decision …

… because I fell off my bicycle seven times on the way home.

TGIF Videos

Staring Ice Cream Man
Drexel of Covina, California

So you’re enjoying your meal at the mall. Suddenly, you feel a strange sensation. Someone’s staring at you! What do you do?

This is a good video to understand body language.

WATCH

Parting Shot

Thanks to Don of Kelowna, B.C. who provided this photo
From a Conservative Blog that can make fun of themselves. CLICK below for complete article

Baron Trump Gets Hold of Dad’s Phone, Sends Numerous Tweets, No One Notices the Difference

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This very ingenious (should I call it an apparatus?) comes from the inventive mind of Eric Staller, an American living in Amsterdam, Holland. Four years in development, this innovative means of travel has six people pedaling while one steers the contraption. Each bike is hand crafted in Germany and weighs in at 400 pounds. Asking the owner of our bike tour in Dresden what each unit cost, he took my breath away by saying it was more than a small car – around 9,500 Euros, or about $12,750.   I Googled “Cost of Conference Bikes” and saw a wide range of prices. The company that makes these incredible machines only produces them in attention getting red.

Trying to describe to one’s friends what it’s like to actually ride this bike for seven, is something of a challenge – and the description I liked best is the one given to us by our Munich guide. “It’s like walking while driving or, conversely, driving while walking.” Right! The bike has 4 wheels, and 7 comfortable seats situated around a circular handlebar that everyone grasps for stability while the driver, and in our case our guide, sits in the back facing forward and does the actual steering – we provided the pedal and motion power.

I must own up to the fact that I liked “the intense interest getting aspect” of riding these odd looking, but very comfortable, machines. Because they’re so, well, unique, when you start pedaling down the streets and highways of the city you’re in, everyone (well, just about everyone!) stops to stare and then gives you the Hi Five sign of happiness. In short, you and your friends are a tourist attraction in your own right!

Their popularity has skyrocketed, as they’re now enjoyed in 16 countries. It’s a tour bike in Berlin, Moscow and Budapest. In San Diego it’s used as a tool for corporate team building, and (now get this clever idea) a way for blind people to bike in Dublin. It’s in theme parks in Japan and Spain, and how about this, in Jerusalem it’s on display at the Science Museum, and in France at the “Pavilion des Sciences.” Whatever you call it – tool, vehicle, bike – it’s a super way to literally “bring folks together.”

Consider: Use it to be a huge hit with your business colleagues, or, as a unique way to bring in new clients that’ll give you a gigantic head start over your competition. Check out the Conference Bike website here.

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