I appreciate a good chuckle. There is no better feeling than a sore set of abs after a lengthy laugh-fest. I remember the first time I saw Napoleon Dynamite and left the theatre with a tear streaked face and a slew of new quotable lines. There is no feeling in the world like laughter. It is one of the most sought after reactions and is almost a drug.

This morning I discovered and endless pit of laugh inducing material in the form of AwkwardFamilyPhotos.com. The website is a collection of user-submitted photos of families, often times with pets or props, that are unintentionally hysterical. With Categories such as Graduation, Birthdays, Holidays, Pregnancy and an entire offshoot website called Awkward Family Pet Photos, there is truly something there for everyone.

My absolute favorites are group shots where it is obvious that the subjects of the photo, usually wearing outdated ensembles paired with teased hair, think they are the bees knees and their portrait may one day hang in the Louvre. The less intentionally outrageous the better!

Below I have posted a photo to pique your interest. It combines some of the worlds greatest things: turtlenecks, unnatural posed stances, and a reality television star before he hit the big time!

If people enjoying their 15 minutes of fame aren’t your cup of tea fear not! There are plenty of pictures for every sense of humor. If you can walk away from your computer with dry pants, well you have managed to retain more dignity than yours truly!

‘Til next time, with a set of rockin’ abs and some Depends,

Allie

We Got a Turtleneck Situation!

While this past summer has so far been astoundingly beautiful, I still find myself yearning for southern sun and beaches, so this past weekend I jetted down to Boca Raton, Florida to visit my brother. He has an apartment that is placed nicely between the Intracoastal and the Atlantic Ocean, so setting is ideal to say the very least. South Florida is an amazing place to relax, party and play, plus there aren’t many other places you can get away with wearing a swimsuit as clothing! There is always great music, great people and a great amount of fun to be had.

My brother, his friends and I spent most of our time going from pool, to ocean to pool again.  While it was truly glorious, visiting a place such as Boca reminds me of how happy I am to be living in a place like Buffalo! We are blessed with so much culture, creativity, and most importantly, appreciation for the good things in life! When every day is sunny, we can take it for granted. We need the rain, the snow, the wind to remind us that each sunny, warm day is a gift that shall not be squandered!

So I, with my recently remembered sense of gratitude, say thank you summer for the unending warm days, sometimes stifling heat, and gorgeous sunshine! Come December I’ll be missing you!

‘Til next time, with a sun-kissed glow,

Allie

Miami Skyline in Nikki Beach!

It was a busy busy weekend in the life of yours truly!

It began with a trip to the movie theater. After a long day of work on Friday, I was perfectly content to head home, make dinner and relax on my couch. My decision to be completely lazy was challenged a bit when I drove through the Subaru 4 mile race on my way home, but I was determined to expend little to no energy for the rest of the evening. My plans changed, however, when my boyfriend suggested we go see Christopher Nolan’s latest film Inception.  I was initially hesitant but I figured the walk to and from the car probably wouldn’t kill me. The film was well worth my effort, and then some! I am not much for special effects, I generally feel they distract from the plot of the film and allow for lapses in story line and quality of acting. I hate when films take a break from the story so we can watch people shoot guns and buildings blow up. Rarely do I think effects contribute to a story, but I was shown otherwise! The dream-like setting of the film made every effect an element of fantasy and interest. It was also a brilliant story with a wonderful cast.

Saturday I spent a day by the pool, which was much needed, then on a whim went to see Great Big Sea at Artpark. I have seen Great Big Sea a number of times, once at Thursday at the Square and last year at Buffalo Place Rocks the Harbor. Each time they play an amazing show, and Saturday was no exception. The band seemed to have been thoroughly “refreshed” before the show, which allowed for some song improvisation and banter between the members, which made everything that much more personal and enjoyable.

On Sunday was the much anticipated Pulaski Day Parade. I was nervous about my duties as co-emcee to begin with, but when Don Postles arrived complete with polish phrases and a knowledge of who’s who in Buffalo, I realized I wasn’t anywhere close to a nervous as I should have been!  Despite my inability to pronounce a single polish name other than Szmanski correctly (I apologize again to individuals whose names I sufficiently butchered), it turned out alright and was a great learning experience. I had never been to the parade before and it was astounding to see the strength of the Polish community in Western New York. I’ll be brushing up on my polish so hopefully I can take part in the fun again next year.

Overall the weekend was busy, yet thrilling, and I hope to have many more like it!

‘Til next time, from Poland, with love,

-Allie

Don and I at the Pulaski Day Parade

Summer is just about half over, or depending on how you look at it, we still have half our summer left!

It has been amazing weather-wise in Buffalo this year, thus prompting a few outdoor projects.  Having no outdoor space of my own, my cousin Katie and I teamed up to create Katie’s Backyard Club, a fantasy land complete with solar lanterns, flower sprinklers and tiki torches. We are lucky we still have half of our summertime left, because we are far from half finished! Does anyone happen to know where we might find some lawn flamingos?

The taste of Buffalo was truly stellar this year, despite the heat! Thanks to everyone who stopped by the Channel 4 and CW23 tent, it was really an amazingly fun time!

Now, one might be inclined to look at the calendar, count the days, and assume that fall is just around the corner, but fear not! There is still a whole lotta summer left!!

Buffalo Place rocks the Harbor and Thursday at the Square seem to be saving their best shows for the end of the season, so there is still much to be seen!

On July 21st- July 25 University at Buffalo is hosting the Empire State Games. This is really a huge deal and is a great opportunity to see some of New York State’s best athletes compete! I will be at the opening ceremonies on Wednesday and will be catching a whole bunch of games on Friday.

Canalfest begins soon, and the Italian Festival got underway yesterday. The Elmwood Art Festival is in August, so there are plenty more festivals and outdoor activities to take part in while we still can!

One event I am truly looking forward to is the all female case of Macbeth at Shakespeare in the Park. From July 22- August 15th you can see a truly unique interpretation of Shakespeare’s tragedy on greed, revenge, guilt and atonement. Having seen Macbeth performed a number of times and being a bit of a Shakespeare junkie, I am very interested to see how a female cast brings new light unto the story. To get more info head to http://www.shakespeareindelawarepark.org/.

‘Til next time I shall bid you all good Day,

And I, methinks, will be well on my way.

-Allie