Umbrella in Bottle

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Umbrella in Bottle

Sunflower and Heart Day

Nice to have a coffee next to a sunflower and heart. 

Sitting and relaxing under a blue umbrella. 

Great way to start off a day!  ;-)

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Sunflower and Heart Day

Sad Sad Umbrella

Not an umbrella that you'd want in the sun or rain. 

It's the saddest umbrella in the world.  ;-)

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Sad Sad Umbrella

Japanese Umbrella

Waiting on line with a Japanese Umbrella. 

Anime boy and girl with big eyes

Rain on one side, and sunny on the other. 

Big sunshine in the middle and flowers all around.

Definitely another standout!  ;-)

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Japanese Umbrella

Pineapple Umbrella Drinks

Those are some cool Pineapple Drinks!

Has pineapple slices hanging off the sides.

A big plastic straw and don't forget the umbrella on top of a grape. 

I think they said that they paid $27 for two. 

It's a bargain!  ;-)

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Pineapple Umbrella Drinks

Fight With Umbrella

Looks like a fight with the umbrella.

And the umbrella lost!  

It's down for the count.

But the opponent is waiting to see if the umbrella rises again to continue and fight. ;-)

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Fight With Umbrella

Happy Umbrellas!

These are happy umbrellas. 

Designs and color give them life!  

Not sure how good they are for shielding from the soaking rain. 

But they do add some shade in the blazing hot sun. 

Florida tends to be hot, hot, hot.  ;-)

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Happy Umbrellas!

Birds Dropping In For Lunch

These birds decided to swoop in for some lunch. 

It was funny to see the people go scrambling from the table.

The birds were completely unabashed and took their time over the chow. 

One couple in the corner had ordered this truly enormous meal (don't worry, I was good and ate only the salad).

Each of them had a full lunch plate PLUS in the center of their table was "The Volcano" of nachos, cheese, chili, guacamole,  sour cream, and jalapenos. 

That was certainly no bird food with The Volcano punching in at 3,500 calories!

I have no idea how any two people could possibly eat that much food.

Probably good that the birds decided to drop in.  ;-)

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Birds Dropping In For Lunch

Love Is Like Cows

So had three funny instances today of the tales of woe when it comes to love.

The first was when someone was telling me that they are trying to meet women through online dating. 

But he goes, "No one gives anyone a chance anymore."

It's like if there is one thing wrong, it's over.

He said, one lady wrote in her profile that if you are a fan of XYZ sports team, do not even bother contacting her.

Another was like if you're of ABC political affiliation, forget about it!

He said people just don't seem to want relationships anymore. 

Then I was talking coincidentally to someone else, who I knew was going out with someone already. 

I politely asked how things were going. 

He said, "Fine, but she is pressuring me to marry her."

I said, "So if you love her, what's wrong with that?"

And he responded, "Well then my whole life will change. I won't be able to go to parties or on vacations anymore."

Basically, he's just happy being with her but on casual terms.

Then I told him (considerably younger than myself) how years ago mothers would warn their daughters about men's thinking of "Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free."

This guy was laughing like crazy when I said that. 

Finally, someone at the kiddush today told the joke about the Rabbi or Priest who lost his umbrella in the synagogue or church. 

His first thought was darn it, one of the congregants stole my umbrella. 

So he decided that for his sermon he would lecture the people about the Ten Commandments, one at a time from the beginning. 

But then when he got to the sin of adultery, he stops and says, "Oh forget it, I just remembered where I left my umbrella!"

Funny day for love and relationships--it's something in the air, maybe cow patties.  ;-)

(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Love Is Like Cows

Travel in Metro DC Snow

I took this photo yesterday in the Metro DC area. 

This brave--or should I say crazy--dude is bicycle riding in the snow.

Car is turning in front of him with the lights on.  

But the bike and rider has no lights or reflective material to speak of. 

Seems like a death wish or just plain stupid. 

Only more ridiculous thing I've seen with a bicycle recently is the rider plowing hard through a rain storm while holding an umbrella with one hand. 

Perhaps, there is a gene that makes people look for trouble in bad weather or is it the economy stupid (maybe sadly, the guy can't afford a car or even an uber)?

Ride like the wind... ;-)

(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Travel in Metro DC Snow

Not Exactly A Genie

Okay, we all like a genie in a bottle (with G-d's help) to grant us our wishes for the good. 

A colleague told me that if he had a genie in a bottle, his first wish would be to have infinite wishes; his second wish would be for all his wishes to come true; and his third wish would be that all the wishes would be free of ambiguity such that the intent would be fully clear--nice!

But this here is no genie...this is an umbrella in a bottle. 

Twist the top (handle) and pull it from the bottle (case) and whoola, an umbrella. 

Cute design, but when I tried to open the umbrella, it felt functionally, like a piece of garbage (IMHO). 

Oh genie, how about an umbrella that actually works and who cares if it's in a bottle or not. ;-)

(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Not Exactly A Genie

Lessons From Breaking A Leg

Some things I learned from breaking an ankle this week:

1) Beware of the Crazies:  There are a lot of crazy people out there. This guy on the street in Washington, D.C. was yelling and screaming and when I turned to see what all the commotion was about, my foot pivoted sideways off the pavement and crack! I was cussing under my breath at the nut on the street and the pain shooting out of my foot. Thank G-d for the parking meter, which I lunged toward and grabbed to keep myself vertical!

2) Be great: The lady in the hospital that did my cast was amazing. She was so nice to me and talented as a medical professional. She was able to take even a sort of routine task like making a cast (she probably does thousands of them) and do it with an artistic flair and near perfection--I'm telling you this lady was able to make great out of the mundane. All the time explaining to me what she was doing, asking me how it felt, and then helping me test it out. She was like an angel. 

3) Easy is hard: The crutches are large and clumsy--they help to redistribute the weight off the foot, but they are uncomfortable to use and look ridiculous. But getting around on crutches, I am realizing that all the things every day that I take for granted as easy are pretty hard with a broken bone. On the first day, I went courageously out to the Metro and was going to head down to work, but when it started raining I realized this was not going to work--how to you carry yourself on crutches and hold an umbrella at the same time and not get your cast wet and ruin it. The next day, I found myself hopping on and off the escalator trying to keep balanced, keep the weight off the foot, and grab the crutches along with me--this was almost comical. Then trying to stay on the crutches, while using the metro card to activate the turnstile, and go through this narrow passage quickly, I found myself wedged between the turnstile gates. Then the morning coffee was a no-no; how do you carry a coffee while navigating on crutches, which then left me with a caffeine withdrawal headache. I could go on, but you get the picture.

Being sick and injured is lousy, but I appreciate my health anew. And I thank G-d for teaching me some valuable lessons--many refreshers--and keeping me from an even worse outcome. ;-)

(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Lessons From Breaking A Leg

World's Nicest Ballerina Umbrella

So we've had our share of rain in the last few days with Hurricane Sandy.

But with the right umbrella even Frankenstorm can be tamed, a little bit. 

That's why I wanted to share with you this picture of the nicest umbrella that I've ever seen--it has dancing ballerinas all the way around. 

And if you like the umbrella, there are bags and totes to match.

I found these hanging in the gift shop at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. 

Personally, I opted for a music box for someone special, but I still had my eye on that umbrella. ;-)

(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

World's Nicest Ballerina Umbrella

Not A Cloud In The Sky

I thought this picture was sort of humorous. 

This lady is walking down the street with this big green umbrella, but there is NOT a cloud in the sky. 

In fact, you can see in the upper right that it is a beautiful and clear sunny day. 

Also, where she is walking, it is clearly shady and cool--so the umbrella is not needed as a sun screen either. 

From a technology annoyance perspective, it is long past time to invent something more creative than a cheap, crappy umbrella--like from Charlie Chaplin and The Umbrella--to protect us from elements. 

Someone, please come up with a push-button protective bubble that envelops us--clear for visibility, of course--and keeps us dry and temperate. 

A beautiful, futuristic clear dome over the city would be nice too, but probably cost prohibitive and not as adjustable for each indiividual and their respective needs. 

Hopefully, someday soon. ;-)

(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Not A Cloud In The Sky