Just for fun

There's a link out yonder that can turn any website into the dialect of your choice - for example, I put in our website under the Elmer Fudd dialect... pwetty dern funny!

Gift tag worth a free doughnut

Hot Now! through December 25th, buy a dozen doughnuts at Krispy Kreme and you'll receive 12 gift tags. Each of the gift tags can be redeemed for one free doughnut in January... it's the gift tag that keeps on giving!

Mail a million dollar wish

Here's an outstanding thing to do and a super easy way to do it. Have the kids write a letter to Santa, address it to: Santa At The North Pole, put a stamp on it, bring it to any Macy's, and drop it into the special Santa Mailbox. You can even download holiday-inspired stationery to suck-up to Santa extra good!

You can also Be Claus - upload your picture, Claus it up and send it out.

Here's where the outstanding part comes in... Macy's will count up the letters, and for each one received, they'll donate a dollar to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, up to $1 million dollars!! They'll also make sure the letters get to their destination!

350 jobs up for grabs

You may have seen the new hotels going up on Ft. Lauderdale beach? One of them is a W Hotel, the first in Florida. While the W is scheduled to open March 1, 2009, reservations can already be made. The company also plans to hire 350 workers and is holding a job fair now through Saturday at the Galleria Mall. Good luck!

I-95 takes a toll

Beginning Friday morning at 6am, I-95 will charge for travel in the High Occupancy Vehicle/Toll or HOV/HOT lanes (Northbound only, for now). Basically, the only reason you would get in the HOT lanes is if you want to pay for a straight shot from Downtown to Golden Glades. You will not be able to get out of the HOT lanes once you're in them, so if you have to exit anywhere between downtown and the Golden Glades, you can not use 95 Express. You also either have to have a SunPass, ride a motorcycle, drive an emergency vehicle, or register your hybrid for an HOV decal, or register your carpool vehicle. The cost of using the tolls lanes will vary, a supply and demand scale, if you will. During peak rush hour, the toll could be over $6... no, that's not a typo.
So, is 95 Express a good idea? Post a comment and let me know what you think!
Remember what a nightmare the flyover was when it first opened? The confusion and many, many accidents? Has it really saved anybody any time?
You may also recall the fiasco months ago preparing for 95 Express...when the traffic sticks were put up to separate the left two lanes from the rest of 95? All the accidents? Ringing a bell? You may want to avoid I-95 from Downtown Miami to the Golden Glades until this is fully understood by the masses. I'd say around 2020. Good Luck, we're all counting on you.

Update on Alley Lease

Another public hearing to discuss the leasing of Alligator Alley will happen tomorrow (3rd), 6pm at Signature Grand, 6900 State Road 84 in Davie. The lease would be for 50-75 years and would go to a private vendor. The cost for us to cross the Alley could be raised significantly if the lease is awarded. The Department of Transportation has extended the bidding period for said vendors until January 9th.

Locally created gift ideas

Do you have a beach bunny or gym rat in your life? A spectacular gift idea is courtesy of our Weston neighbor. Mort Perlman is the creator of Vacation Vault , a plastic case with a combination lock; it's lightweight, durable, and strong. You can toss in your cell, keys, camera, etc, and attach it to a chair, treadmill, or the like. You've got nine colors to choose from and a lifetime guarantee!

Okay, this one is too good yet it's true: Popsy Cakes! It's a cupcake on an edible stick - I know, are we in heaven? An 18-year-old Miami genius by the name of Jessica Cervantes came up with this brilliant idea - my coworker wants to marry her, this without even tasting a popsy cake!
Yes, we take our cupcakes seriously 'round here.

And if you've got a bit more in the way of bucks, you can give the gift of a ScootCoupe. Dominick Livoti got inspired on Deerfield Beach, and the rest is 3-wheeled history. While it's classified as a scooter/moped, it looks like a tiny car (yes, tinier than a smart car - more like a mini dune buggy) and gets up to 70 miles on one gallon of gas. There are 2 models for 2009 - the smaller, 30mph ScootCoupe retails for $6,300 and the faster, up to 55mph model goes for $6,600.

Holiday happenings

What to do, what to do.... so many holiday hootenannies, so many sound like fun! Many ways to see The Nutcracker, or perhaps you've a humbug to see A Christmas Carol, and there's holiday concerts a plenty.
If you're planning another large holiday dinner, utilize all the help lines out there.
No matter what you decide to do over the holidays, remember the Tow to Go program is in effect!

Holiday mailing tips

Some mailing tips courtesy of the Miami Herald and U.S. Postal Service including the recommended deadlines to ensure delivery by the big day:

Domestic Mail
Dec 16: Parcel Post packages
Dec 20: Priority Mail or First Class Mail (letters)
Dec 23: Express Mail

International Mail
Dec 04: First-class Mail & Priority Mail to Africa and South and Central America
Dec 11: First-class and Priority mail sent to other foreign countries
Dec 12: Express Mail International to Africa and South and Central America
Dec 17: Express Mail International to Asia and the Pacific, Australia, New Zealand,
The Caribbean, Mexico, Europe and the Middle East.
Dec 18: Express Mail International to Canada
Dec 19: Global Express Guaranteed Mail to Africa, Asia, and the Pacific, Australia, New Zealand,
Central and South America, and the Middle East
Dec 22: Global Express Guaranteed Mail to Canada, the Caribbean, Mexico, and Europe

Pembroke Pines is #1

When it comes to raising kids, anyway. So says Business Week's 2nd annual Best Places in the United States of America to Raise Your Kids! Each state got a "best place" city based on school performance, crime rates, air quality, parks, theater and arts, affordability and diversity. Sunrise and Ocala were runners-up.

Old school toys

Lite Brite, Lincoln Logs, Rock'em Sock'em Robots... any of these ring a nostalgia bell?!!
You can still find these and many other toys to bring back hopefully happy memories!

Free samples

If you like freebies, this may be for you - sign up at Start Sampling and, as a member, you can get free samples of new products. There's everything from beauty product to household cleaners to food...

Lower cell & credit card bills

Do you text like crazy? Or not at all? You're more likely to use the Internet on your cell? Well,
there's a free service you can use to determine the best calling plan for your cell phone habits. It could save you oodles each month. You can also use this service to save a bunch on credit cards!