Yesterday, the Sarasota Herald Tribune ran an article I wrote about all the fun, completely FREE, things to do during the dog days of summer.

It’s got everything from free “street” music to where to find a summer-ending splash bash for your kids, complete with a free dinner from Lee Roy Selmon’s, free movies, free ways to fire up your brain cells, to getting your thrills watching Nik Wallenda doing a high wire act and maybe being filmed by the Discovery Channel in the process …

Photography by Herb Booth Booth Studio, Inc. Sarasota Florida; courtesy of Lazy Fairy Improv

including how to get free lessons in “improv” — with the Lazy Fairy Improv teaching you how to make ‘em laugh — yes, all for free.

The story was the cover story in the paper’s TICKET section. You can read it online at: Free Fun!

I’ve been pretty lucky to see some pretty gorgeous fireworks from some pretty inspired places — at the Shell in Boston with about a million other people; gliding slowly on a bateau-mouche down the Seine during a July 4th American Embassy party in Paris; and my personal favorite was in Ashland, New Hampshire, a gazillion years ago with fireworks that I still haven’t forgotten — I think it was literally some sort of display that enacted a scene of two boats firing missiles at each other.

Last night I went to see some fireworks in Sarasota. And though they were pretty subdued … the end of the show was, as they always are, ahhhh-inspiring. Read more »

Last night, I had a few people — men and women — over for food and drink and conversation. I’ve been so crazy-busy the past year, it seems as if I just never take the time to be social anymore, so last night was wayyyyyyyyyyy overdue. Read more »

What a great way to start a long weekend. Sarasota Magazine editor Pam Daniel let me know the wall plaque recognizing me as “Best Blogger 2010″ — according to the magazine’s Readers Poll earlier this year — was ready and waiting for me to pick it up at her office.

So I swung by, said hello, and swung back out again, plaque in hand and huge smile on my face.

Say I’m a big dork. Go ahead. But it made my day. Just something fun — and meaningful at the same time. It means a lot to me that Sarasota Magazine readers and readers of this blog voted for me in the blogging category. It means a lot that people enjoy the blog and cared enough to take the time to cast a vote.

Plus, it’s just plain fun!!!

Wishing everyone a super fabulous Fourth!

I wish Beethoven could be my lover. I’m sure he smelled bad, had yellow teeth, and was probably a difficult man, but still … he gets me. Or at least his music does … and it’s certainly spent enough time playing in my bedroom.

While I’ve written in the past about being in bed with the Bard, I have to say, if I had to choose, I’d choose the other bad boy of the arts and make my lover Ludwig von Beethoven.

In fact, I did quite a long time ago, Read more »

When the working day is done, oh, girls, they wanna have fun … girls just wanna have fun.” — Cyndi Lauper

Photo courtesy of the Sarasota Herald Tribune website

The Sarasota Herald Tribune TICKET is running a piece I wrote about how girls can have fun in the Sarasota area — in and out of the bars. The piece is running in today’s paper, the TICKET section on page 4E — it’s the cover story, actually — whoo hoo!.

You can read the story here: From Bar Hopping to Kayaking, It’s All About Camaraderie.

If you like the story, or have any comments about additional things women can do together for an evening (or even a day) out on the town, either leave a comment on the H-T site, or come back here and comment.

Coincidentally, I’m actually going out tonight for a mini-kind-of-brief girls’ night out … just meeting up with a great girlfriend to chat over a glass of wine — however short it is, it still counts! Whoo Hoo, can’t wait for this workin’ day to be done.

Holy Cow! Back in early January I posted a short blog inviting readers to vote for me — if they felt like it — in Sarasota Magazine’s Annual “Best of” issue for 2010. Well, apparently, at least a few of you did just that because guess what? I won! Read more »

Hey, has anyone seen the Bird/Magic documentary on HBO? It’s so interesting. I’m only thinking about that because I’m thinking about dunking … and I thought, up until last Friday, that dunking only occurred in basketball.

Little did I know there’s dunking in baseball too. But I digress a bit.

Here’s the story … Read more »

CLICK ON THE POSTER TO LEARN MORE!

I did manage to have some fun in February … to wit:

I spent one afternoon at my Mom’s house — clearing an area of weeds and vines, laying down a supposedly-weed/grass-stopping fabric, and then topping it with pretty stones (gravel) I’d bought for her as one of her Christmas presents. It wasn’t really hard work, and it was actually fun. I find it really gratifying to work on a project and complete it and I especially enjoy improving home and yard … even though in this case, it was my Mum’s. Wish I’d taken a picture of the before … but at least here’s one of the after.
Read more »