It's Friday...the day to kick back and just let it happen. As my favorite shrink, Dr. Sidney Freedman would say, "Ladies and gentlemen, take my advice, take down your pants and slide on the ice." In that spirit, it's time for FFF. A collection of unconnected musings from my twisted little top and also from famous folk and important folk like you. You are always encouraged to contribute to FFF. Just send your stuff to "rdefranco@wwnytv.net" or send your goodies as a comment to this web page. Now, fellow cyberspace traveler...we're off!

I had to pick up some suits from the drycleaner this week. Is it just me, or do you ever have the urge to ride around on their electric clothes rack?

Holiday tid-bit: In early colonial times, pumpkins were used for the crust of pies, not the filling. They must be out of their gourds.

"I kissed my first girl and smoked my first cigarette on the same day. I haven't had time for tobacco since"--Groucho Marx

I love the weekend. I can't wait for my favorite bartender to serve me a bourbon and soda. She makes it just the way I like it. Within reach.

According to the cable TV channel ANIMAL PLANET, If a cockroach touches a human, it runs to safety and then cleans itself. How does that make you feel, bunky?

Who needs amusement park thrill rides...we've got Arsenal Street at 5pm.

"I go for younger women
Lived with several awhile
Though I ran 'em away
They'd come back one day
Still could manage a smile
It just takes awhile
It just takes awhile"
--Jimmy Buffett, "A Pirate Looks at Forty"

So that's the problem with my house budget. I earn for five days a week and spend for seven.

"Every time you flush, an angel gets its wings"--Graffiti from a Watertown restaurant restroom wall.

I read that there are more than 520,000 deer related traffic accidents every year in the United States. And by my count, 519,000 happen in NNY.

A new study has just been released that says movie theatre popcorn is really bad for you. The study claims a medium size bag of theatre popcorn has over 1100 calories and 60 grams of fat. Is this really a surprise? Take a look at how saturated the bag is after you swallow the last kernel. There’s enough grease left to lube a tractor trailer.

Okay, I don’t want to get off on a rant here, but people are so freaked by the swine flu, They are getting me sick from the smell of the 18 gallons of hand sanitizer used every day at the TV station.

It's Thursday, the day this blog answers your questions. This week's questions were asked of me while in line at the grocery store, at the gas pump, at a bar (I hope I understood the question she asked), in my man cave and via e-mail. BTW, if you want to ask a question, it's okay to ask me while I'm sipping a bourbon, but you're likely to get a more lucid answer if you send me an e-mail. "rdefranco@wwnytv.net" is my cyberspace place. Or you can leave a comment on this web page. Feel free to ask me any questions about weather, forecasting and 7NEWS casts. However, as you know, I can't answer questions about dating habits, likes, dislikes, shoe sizes, most loved movies, addresses, height, weight, and favorite thing to do on Saturday night - of the 7NEWS reporters and anchors. That would just be wrong. It would be fun, but it would be wrong. So with that said, here goes...


QUESTION ONE: Western New York off Lake Erie doesn’t get as much lake effect snow as the Tug Hill area off Lake Ontario. Why is that?

ANSWER ONE: The most important reason is Lake Erie often freezes over by mid to late winter. Lake Ontario, on the other hand, only freezes over twice in a hundred years because of its great depth. Once the lake freezes over, lake snow is pretty much history.


QUESTION TWO: Is it true that because it’s so mild right now, we will get a bunch of snow and cold at the end of winter to even things out?

ANSWER TWO: Not necessarily. Mama Nature doesn’t really keep a score card. We could sail right through winter and stay mild. Or the large scale weather pattern could change in a week and the pounding could begin and last until July 4th. That date was just an exaggeration for effect. I hope.


QUESTION THREE: Of the 6pm news team on 7NEWS, who is the most quiet and shy off air?

ANSWER THREE: Me. Except on some Saturday nights. And an occasional Friday night. And the odd Wednesday.


QUESTION FOUR: My Dad said when he was young they called the Celsius temperature scale something else, but he can’t remember what. Do you know?

ANSWER FOUR: Probably what he is referring to is the Centigrade temperature scale. Celsius and Centigrade are the same scale, but the term “Centigrade” is not used much anymore. Kinda like your mom’s old cassette tape player.


QUESTION FIVE: For as long as I can remember you have called St. Lawrence County, “The Big County” during your weather report. I read that St. Lawrence County is now using that phrase to promote themselves. Did you get credit for coming up with the name? Did you get any financial reward?

ANSWER FIVE: NO, I DIDN’T! HEY, WHERE’S MY FINANCIAL REWARD?!!! Honestly, I don’t know if I am the first person to use the phrase. And even if I am, I’m thrilled they are using it and no credit is expected or necessary. Go SLC!

It's important for us to know the real news of the day. Stuff like who will represent us in congress, how much our taxes are going up and when Sarah Palin will pose for Playboy, but the fun news of the day doesn't always make the cut in the paper, news websites or newscasts. So what follows is a collection of recent headlines and stories that are a little bent, twisted and off the mark. And just so you don't think I'm goofed on skunkweed, these stories are culled from the Associated Press and other legitimate news sources...I didn't make them up!

MOIRA, NY (AP)--56-year-old Gerald Dabiew is recovering after being attacked by a 10 point buck while he was stacking firewood. Dabiew was dropping wood into a bucket and the theory is, the deer attacked because the sound mimicked that of antlers knocking together when male deer joust during maiting season. Dabiew - who says he doesn't hunt - wrapped his legs around the animal's neck and held onto its antlers as it battered him. The attack lasted several minutes before the deer ran off.

EAU CLAIRE, WISC. (WQOW)--Mary Strey, 49, was driving home from a bar around 11:28 pm on Saturday night when she called 911 to report a drunk driver. When the dispatcher asked Strey if she was following the drunk driver, she told police SHE was the drunk driver. The dispatcher asked Mary to stop her vehicle on the side of the road and turn on her vehicle's flashers, which she did. Police found her parked on the side of the road. At the time of her arrest, officers say her blood alcohol level was 0.17.

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA (Herald Sun)--A man caught driving while using two mobile phones has told police it was ok because he had one finger on the wheel at all times. The one-fingered hoon was seen holding a mobile phone in each hand and driving his car with his knees while travelling through the Eastlink tunnel about 3.15pm Saturday. The driver explained he needed to transfer information from one phone to another and that he had been driving with one finger. The driver was issued with more than $500 fines and six demerit points.

OCTOBER 20--In the market for a set of used grills once worn by a perp? Well, Tennessee cops may have some gold for your cash. The Nashville Police Department is auctioning a confiscated "set of custom made teeth grills," with the proceeds of the sale earmarked for the Police State Drug Fund.

LUBLIN, POLAND (Ananova)--Baffled bank staff refused to fork out cash when a robber threatened them - with a spoon. The ginger-haired crook burst into the branch in Lublin, Poland, brandishing the cutlery shouting: "This is a stick up." Staff and customers threw themselves to the ground until they realised the 'gun' was simply a stainless steel spoon. The would-be robber fled empty-handed with the laughter of his 'victims' ringing in his ears. But police are not taking the incident lightly and have launched an investigation into the attempted robbery. Police spokeswoman, Renata Laszczka-Rusek, said: "It's a weird one but he broke the law and we want to find him."

JACKSONVILLE, FLA. (Jacksonville News)--Shoplifters have been known to hide things down their pants, but a live ferret may be a first for Jacksonville Beach. A homeless man was spotted Tuesday afternoon stuffing the ferret into the front of his pants at the Pet Supermarkert at 609 Beach Blvd., according to the Jacksonville Beach Police Department. A 17-year-old witness alerted store employees and followed him to a nearby parking lot on First Avenue North, the arrest report said. After a confrontation and tussle, the man shoved the ferret in the teen’s face squeezing it. The ferret bit him, leaving two puncture holes in his ear. Rodney Bolton, 38, was charged with theft and battery using a special weapon. The ferret, which sells for $129, was not injured.

...That's what I heard at the gas station when I told an enquiring woman I didn't see the chance for snow until after Thanksgiving. This poor lady nearly dropped her gas nozzle.

Medium range forecast models suggest no whole-scale air mass changes until the final few days of November. Until we get a colder air mass, forget the snow. And that's a little confusing because our nights have been in the 20's. Isn't that cold enough for snow? The answer is yes, but if we had the clouds needed for the snow, the overnight lows would be in the upper 30's and lower 40's and for the most part, that IS too warm for snow. You'll remember, clouds at night hold in much of the day's heating and keep us much warmer.

The absence of cloud cover also means the absence of precipitation, white or wet. November is historicallly second only to September in terms of total precipitation. Climatologically speaking, we average a little over 4 1/2 inches of precip in November. So far, the first half of this month has registered a scant 1 inch of precip. And there's nothing in the models to suggest we will add much rain or snow in the next 7-10 days.

One thing to keep the snowmobilers and skiers smiling is the lake is not cooling down much and that gives us a big pile of potential lake effect snow when the air finally does get cold. The Lake Ontario surface water temperature is just a smidge under 50 degrees. You might expect that number to be in the lower 40's right now. Warm lake water is one of the two key factors for lake snow development.

The upper air pattern is bringing the cooler air and precipitation out west while we are relatively mild and dry...the exact opposite of normal for this time of the year. And whether this anomaly is El Nino driven or not, the bottom line is the weather is a little screwy. But have no fear winter lovers. It's soon to be winter in northern New York and that will prove the age of shovelry is not dead. Just delayed.

I have a friend who has a theory...the more calendars a diner has on the walls, the better the food. The type of calendar also plays a role, but the number is the more important factor. And years ago when I was doing a lot of road tripping for work, we put this theory to the test.

We ate at every diner from Ogdensburg to Oneonta for a period of five years or so. We took our research seriously, so If we were in an area with several diners, we'd have several meals. Meatloaf and coffee at one, beef stew and coffee at another and chicken n' biscuits and coffee at a third. From all the food and cups of joe, we were wide awake chunky monkeys, but sacrifices has to be made in the name of research.

America has a love affair with diners, but not all diners are created equal. Some bad diners are obvious. For instance, you know it's a bad diner if you watch your waitress thaw out hamburger patties by placing one in each underarm. After seeing that, it might be a little frightening to consider how they might thaw out the hot dogs. But all bad diners are not this obvious to pick out before you order so what follows is the All-American Diner Guide Based on Calendar Numbers and Type.

0 Calendars: This is likely a diner to be avoided. The lunch special may very well have been donated by a trucker who walks in carrying roadkill raccoon and yells, "I just got tomorrow's lunch special for ya, flo!"

1 Calendar: Not as bad as 0 calendars, but it's probably the type of diner where the cook looks like a character from a Stephen King movie. Maybe he/she can cook, but do you really want someone like that alone with your food?

2-3 Calendars: Likely a pretty good diner. After eating the pork cutlet sandwich lunch special you may need tums but you won't get ptomaine.

4 or More Calendars: This diner is heaven on earth. The specials will be delicious and the soup will be homemade and tasty as opposed to the 0 calendar diner where the soup broth could've been strained from the kitchen mop bucket. This diner will have great service and someone called mom will be lovingly cooking the food.

And a quick note on the type of calendar. Add an additional point for any calendar with pictures of tractors, babies in bib overalls, waterfalls and rolling green meadows. Subtract a point for any calendar with pictures of oil filters, cat food and scantily clad attractive women holding power tools. Fully clothed attractive women holding power tools is just cool and no points are subtracted.

Bon Appetit!

Every Friday in this blog I just let it flow. Whatever is on my mind, whatever is on your mind, whatever I just read, whatever I just heard...it's all fair game for Free Form Friday. So that means sometimes the items are thought provoking, sometimes interesting and fun, sometimes just the rantings of a full-blown wackaloon. Your contributions are always welcome. And encouraged. Send your thoughts to "rdefranco@wwnytv.net" or send a comment to this web page. Strap yourself in, it's time to let it flow...

Headline: "MAN JAILED AFTER CALLING 911 AND ASKING FOR SEX." He ought to be all set now.

I LOVE this mild weather! Usually this time of year when I'm out for my walk, I have more layers than an Italian wedding cake. But today, just a hoodie.

A sense of humor is a major defense against minor troubles--Mignon McLaughlin

Headline: "SPITZER TO GIVE ETHICS LECTURE AT HARVARD UNIVERSITY." With warm-up act Bernie Madoff.

IMHO, Thanksgiving is the second best holiday. There’s great food, family, football and no gifting. Of course the best holiday is Independence Day. There’s great food, family, baseball and no shivering.

“If I held you any closer I would be on the other side of you.”—Groucho Marx

I pulled out a few 70’s classics from my vinyl collection last night. My turntable still works! And so do the Stylistics. Soulful make-out music never gets old.

Our health insurance is going up 14% next year. When’s the last time you saw a 14% raise? Or even a 10% raise? And even though the cost keeps expanding our coverage shrinks every year. Pretty soon our health plan will be a big basket of apples on the boss’s desk with a sign that reads “Take One!”

‘Cause I’m livin’ on things that excite me
Be they pastries, or lobsters or love
I’m just tryin’ to get by bein’ quiet and shy
In a world full of pushin’ and shovin’—Jimmy Buffett

Interesting factoid: From the age of 70, humans gradually begin to shrink. In some places more than others.

Is there anything better than an international breakfast? French toast, Spanish omelet, Canadian bacon and Irish coffee.

Famous lover Giovanni Casanova once worked as a librarian. Maybe there was more to the Dewey Decimal system than we were told in school.

Note to newsmakers: "No comment" is a comment.

The very best part of Christmas for me: I can listen to Bing Crosby without being called an old fart.

Thursday is the day this blog is dedicated to answering your questions about weather, forecasting, our newscasts and other stuff. I don't answer the questions about the personal lives of the 7NEWS staff. I know if Brian Ashley uses Rogaine, I just can't tell you. I know if Chris Onorato sings Eminem songs during commercials, I just can't tell you. At least not in the relatively formal setting of this blog. Now if you catch me out somewhere, you never know what I might tell. I'm easily bribed. BTW, if you have a question you would like to ask, e-mail me at "rdefranco@wwnytv.net" or send a comment to this page. Now to this weeks questions…


QUESTION ONE: You keep saying there’s no good way to make a forecast for the season ahead, but I see meteorologists doing it all the time. Why won’t you give your best guess for winter?

ANSWER ONE: The key phrase is “no good way” to make a forecast for a season ahead. Even though many meteorologists do 7, 10 and 15 day forecasts, I refuse to do it. Five days is tough enough and really is about the limit for any sort of accuracy. In weather forecasting, the further out one goes in time, the closer the forecast comes to pure guessing. Given the fact I’m not a psychic, your seasonal weather guess would be as good as mine, so have at it!


QUESTION TWO: Does it ever get too cold to snow?

ANSWER TWO: No. But the colder it is, the less moisture there is in the air. So in a very cold environment like the South Pole it only snows 10-20 inches a year, but it’s so cold the snow that falls never melts.


QUESTION THREE: Do you accept weather pictures from out of the area? I have some beautiful shots of Pacific sunsets in California.

ANSWER THREE: I do accept weather pictures from out of the area, but I give preference to local pictures. Go ahead and send them to me and I’m sure I’ll use them sometime soon.


QUESTION FOUR: Who is the guy who sometimes fills in for you in the evening? It’s not John Kubis.

ANSWER FOUR: I think you’re referring to Joe LaPlante. Joe is a meteorology graduate of Oswego State, a Massena resident, and works for 7NEWS part-time. You will see more of Joe in January when I’m off for surgery. John will do weekdays and Joe will do weekends.


QUESTION FIVE: The hurricane season ends this month, but has there ever been a hurricane in December or January?

ANSWER FIVE: Yes. In late December 1954 Hurricane Alice formed and lasted into January 1955.


QUESTION SIX: When commercials are on during the news, what do you guys do while you're waiting to come back on camera?

ANSWER SIX: Play Texas hold 'em, text, go to the bathroom, swear at the director. Surely I jest. We do what we hope you do. Watch the commercials.

I read about a woman in England who is deathly afraid of...vegetables. So I thought my blog title was clever. But on second thought, maybe not. I've been in this discussion before. A tomato is really a fruit that we use as a vegetable. So if it bothers you, just pretend the title of the blog is Attack Of The Killer Carrots.

Anyway, Vicki Larrieux is a 22 year-old student who trembles, sweats, screams and has heart palpatations at the mere sight of veggies. And it's not a recent problem for Vicki. She's been this way since childhood. This sounds laughable, but think about the trouble it must cause this poor thing.

Grocery shopping must be a nightmare. She must lose it when she walks near the cabbage bin. Especially with the way they stick those bins out in the middle of the aisle. How about when she brushes by the brussels sprouts? And then there's the close call with the creamed corn. Yes, Vicki can't even stand the picture of a veggie on a can. If she completely loses control at even the sight of any vegetable, fellow shoppers must hear, "Clean up on Aisle three!" an awful lot when Vicki is there.

Going out to dinner must be brutal. It's easy enough to keep the string beans off your own plate, but what about your dinner date's love for lettuce? It could be death by dinner salad. And what about the guy at the table next to this woman? Everything is fine when he orders turtle soup. But imagine the mayhem when he changes his mind and says to the waiter, "Hold the turtle and make it pea!"

And in case you think this woman is just being difficult or acting like a spoiled child rising up against the rutabagas, She's not because this disorder has an official name. Lachanophobia. And a few thousand Brits suffer from it. So it is real. And although I kid about it, I probably shouldn't. There are lots of people with lots of phobias. And it's not just confined to other countries. I recently read about a woman in Florida with a fear of toilets. I don't even want to think about how she deals with that problem. But I can't wait to see the fund raising telethon!

I put my Harley in storage last week. I shouldn't have. Not only do I miss staring at it adoringly, but Monday was a day I could've had a terrific November bonus ride. The first motorcycle I saw go by got me a little jealous. Then a group of bikers went by and my envy went up by a factor of ten. I did spend every moment outside from the time I cleared the sleep out of my eyes until I had to dress for work on Monday. When my thermometer soared into that rarified November air of 70 degrees I got a little tear in my eye from the shear joy. 70 degrees on November 9th in the north country...sell my clothes I'm goin' to heaven!!!

Our 70 degree high on Monday afternoon, believe it or not, was not a record. Back in 1975 we hit 72. But, no complaints. And no complaints for the rest of the week. A big and lazy area of high pressure is going to build in today from the midwest and put down roots. We should have quiet and relatively mild weather for most of the next 5-7 days. I don't see 70 degree highs, but low to mid 50's should be the rule and with the average high at 47, that's pretty sweet. Throw in partly to mostly sunny skies and we've got a November week that could make the biggest curmudgeon smile. I didn't mean to mention my boss but he never reads this anyway.

Speaking of late season weather anomalies, Hurricane Ida, now reduced to a tropical low, came with just a couple of weeks left in the hurricane season. With weak upper level winds, the remains of Ida look to languish in the Gulf coastal states for a while then ride up the eastern seaboard before going bye-bye altogether. So if you were wondering, it shouldn't be an issue for us.

So does this heavenly warm spell portend a mild winter? Not likely. Let’s just say, it is what it is. A nice shot of warm air to help shorten winter. If you’re a cold weather lover, you’ll be skiing or snowmobiling before I can say, “One ticket to Key West, please.”

I like summer. OK, that's an understatement. It's like saying bears like honey. Or your wife likes shoes. Or guys like to watch a "little" football on Sunday. "Little" being defined as 12 straight hours with occasional beer, pork rinds and bathroom breaks. No, I don't LIKE summer...it's pure LOVE between me and that lovely season. And I can't seem to let it go. Even with the cold, I still spend more hours in the man cave than I do in the bathroom. And for a guy, you know that's a lot.

All through the summer I hosted man cave parties almost every Saturday night. That's what my garage is. The man cave. At one time it looked like a garage. There probably was even a car in there at sometime. Not since I bought the house, of course. The car would displace the ping pong table. Or the hot tub. Or the stereo and TV. Or the sports memorabilia. Or, god forbid, the beer fridge. My Harley can live there. It's too cool to look at to move out of the man cave. But the car? Forget it.

So there we were, a group of friends and I hanging in the man cave Saturday night. November 7th in northern New York. It was 39 degrees outside the man cave. It was 39 1/2 degrees inside. You see the man cave is not heated. It's against the law to heat a man cave. I believe it's a felony and I'm pretty sure it breaks international law and probably some treaties. But I can't put the "Closed For The Season" sign up.

Never mind that when I took the cover off the hot tub the 102 degree water created a fog bank thick enough to reduce visibility to 1/2 an inch. Never mind that the beer pong players had to blow on their fingers to warm them up enough to get the proper grip on the ping pong ball. And so what if I had to break a little ice off the top of the Diet Pepsi before I poured it into my bourbon cup. We were reliving summer in the man cave! And it was good. Even if a friend’s ears became bright red enough to guide in the 10:55 flight at Watertown International.

And now as I think about it, maybe I'm not the only one who can't let go of summer. After all, there were a bunch of other people shivering with me. Why can't we move on? Is it because we didn't have much of a summer? Is it because winter claims too much of our time and attention and this is our way of fighting back? Is it because my friends are as brain damaged as me? I don't know, but at the end of the night on Saturday we made a plan to reconvene at the man cave soon. Like around Thanksgiving, if not before. However it was suggested I quietly sneak in a heater. Even if it breaks the law.

It's Friday...the day this blog goes stream of consciousness. In other words, whatever is wandering through my gray matter eventually drips out of my head and onto the blog. I would be happy to use your brain drippings as well. Send your thoughts to "rdefranco@wwnytv.net" or send a comment to this page. FFF material sometimes is thought provoking, sometimes wacky and sometimes undefinable. Sometimes there are even quotes from famous people. And there will always be a line or two from a Jimmy Buffett song. Reading the FFF blog is like wandering through a flea market. You never know what you're going to see. Like the last time I was at a flea market I saw a wicker bathtub. How nuts is that? Of course I bought it. OK, time to let it drip...

How come I have to pay more at burger joints for extra ketchup, but I don't get money back if I don't want the pickles?--From a reader of the blog.

Written on his tombstone: "Nothing's so sacred as honor and nothing's so loyal as love"--Wyatt Earp. Who knew Wyatt Earp was a metrosexual. If I read he also got manicures and pedicures my image of the old west is shattered.

I love the Yankees. It's in the blood. My Dad went to Yankee Stadium as a nine year-old when the stadium opened in 1923. He told me more about Babe Ruth than about his father. My Dad did tell me he had the first dollar his father ever made. And the FBI has the machine he made it with.

Middle Age: When pulling an all nighter means not having to get up to go to the bathroom.

"I quit smoking. I feel better. I smell better. And it's safer to drink out of old beer cans laying around the house"--Roseanne

One of President Theodore Roosevelt's sons was named Kermit. No, he wasn't green. As far as we know.

Sometimes I may get a little drastic
Sometimes I just let my feelin's show
Sometimes I may be a bit sarcastic
Most times that's the way the story goes --Jimmy Buffett

I mentioned a while ago I might wear a pirate's eyepatch on the 6pm weather one night just to see if any one notices. A reader/viewer sent me an eyepatch. My bluff has been called. Stay tuned.

I had celery stuffed with peanut butter the other night. It's really very good. I'm not kidding. In case you were wondering, yes I was sober.

"When I'm around hard-core computer geeks I wanna say, Come outside, the graphics are great!"--Matt Weinhold

What are these? Hourglass, Pear, Inverted Triangle, Rectangle. According to experts, they are the four categories of women's figures. I get hourglass, pair and inverted triangle, but rectangle? I always was bad at geometry in school. I had trouble passing on the curves.

I'm going to my daughter's for Thanksgiving and Christmas. It's the last holiday season I'll get to think of her as my little girl. Next year at holiday time, she'll have a little one of her own. I wonder how long it will be before that little one shakes me and says, "Grampa, wake up, it's time for Christmas dinner!"

"The fool doth think himself wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool."--Willie Shakespeare

In some areas of New England they call it bonnyclabber. We call it cottage cheese. I'm glad. I like cottage cheese. I don't think I'd like it if we called it bonnyclabber. It just sounds unsavory.

Dandruff of the gods, Anijo, Yuki, natures cool whip, the white stuff, Aput, Neige. We just call it snow. Know why? All the other four letter words were taken.

It's Thursday, the day reserved on this blog to answer your questions. I will answer all weather related questions, most 7NEWS cast questions, but no 7NEWS staff questions. I know all the dirt on the 7NEWS staff's personal lives, but it wouldn't be right to talk about that. Until my tell all book comes out. BTW, if you have a question you would like to ask me, e-mail me at "rdefranco@wwnytv.net" or send a comment to this page. Now on with the show...

QUESTION ONE: You talk about the jet stream a lot on your forecast. What causes the jet stream and how fast does it move?

ANSWER ONE: The jet stream is a ribbon of fast moving air at about 30,000 feet. It is caused by temperature differences which, in turn, cause air pressure differences and that produces wind. Jet stream winds range from about 80 mph to over 170 mph.

QUESTION TWO: How do you pick the U.S. cities you give temperatures for?

ANSWER TWO: I use two different national temperature maps. Each map highlights different cities. I randomly change the two maps just to keep it fresh.

QUESTION THREE: I would like to be a TV meteorologist. I am still in high school, but I'm making plans for college. Do you have any recommendations?

ANSWER THREE: I received my geoscience training from Mississippi State University. It's a very good meteorology school. But there's a very good meteorology program just down the road at Oswego State. Penn State is one of the best. Lyndon State College in Vermont is also outstanding. And there are many more. I would also suggest that you try to get a part-time job at a radio station to help you learn how to ad lib. Speaking in front of groups is also a good idea. You can be a great forecaster, but if you can't present it well you will be limited as a TV meteorologist. Good Luck! And as soon as you get your training, come see me. I'm always looking for extra part-timers because I like to play hooky.

QUESTION FOUR: Can our area get lake effect snow and regular snow at the same time?

ANSWER FOUR: Yes, it can happen. But usually winds from a synoptic snow producing system come from a different direction than what is needed for lake effect snow to hit us.

QUESTION FIVE: Before all the computers, radars and satellites, how did weather people make forecasts?

ANSWER FIVE: Coin flips. I'm kidding. Before our current technology, forecasts were done with great difficulty and a lot of inaccuracy. Even though, as you know, our forecasts are far from perfect today, they are 75% better than the old days. But when things are tough, I'm still tempted to flip a coin.

First of all, there's not too much gray anymore. My moustache, sideburns, temples and various other areas of hair growth are partly white. Or as I prefer to call it, salt and pepper. And I'm Ok with that. But a female viewer of 7NEWS apparently is not. She cornered me in the produce aisle of the grocery store. I guess she didn't really corner me. She sort of blocked my getaway with her cart. There we were, right in front of the rutabagas and swiss chard when she broke the news to me that a little touch-up might make me "kinda handsome."

I would like to say she was being very sweet and sincere, but she sure thought that a young man such as I would want to apply a dollop of JUST FOR MEN on those pesky gray and white hairs. She told me Aisle four had everything I needed to make me seem fifteen years younger. I said, "Really? They've got quarts of bourbon in aisle four?" That formula made me think I was fifteen years younger on Halloween night. But that is a whole other blog.

I am very aware of my gray and white and I am very comfortable with it. You see, I earned it. Because of my two-fers. Raising two kids, losing two parents, enduring two big-time health problems, blowing two marriages and working two jobs. And I'm still here and I'm doing fine! So, my dear reader, and 7NEWS viewer who blocked me in front of the fresh veggies, my gray and white is like a badge of honor. Every time I look in the mirror, I'm reminded that I've been traveling that long and winding road for sometime and I'm still not road kill.

I have no problem with you if you wish to tint, color, highlight, nip, tuck, bleach, tat, tighten, staple, shave, pierce or tan any part of your person. Go for it. But it's not for me. As an old sailor said way back in the 1930's, "I Yam What I Yam!"

But who knows, maybe my feelings will change and next year I’ll shave my head, pierce my nose and get a tat of Isla Fisher across my chest. The TV station said I couldn’t shave my moustache but there was no mention of head shaving, nose piercing or Isla, so…it could happen.

Three words I heard one co-worker tell another as I was picking up my evening coffee at the convenience store. And all because I uttered the word "snow" during the forecast. There are worse four-letter words I could have uttered on the weather. Well maybe one worse four-letter word, the mother of all bad words sure to send me packing. The one that got Ralphie a mouthful of soap in "A Christmas Story." The one that could curve your spine, make your ears bleed and win the war for the enemy. I didn't use that one. But I wanted to. You see, I'm not ready for snow either.

Starting Tuesday afternoon, a front will begin our temperature descent. Once the cold front passes, we should have a few rain showers and we will be in a northwest flow for most of the rest of the week. A couple of week disturbances could give us rain showers that turn to snow showers at night mid week. The best chance for any real snow accumulation will be Wednesday and Thursday nights and primarily for the Tug Hill and Adirondacks. And even in the higher elevations I don't believe we are looking at much more than a dusting to an inch or two. BTW, I think there will be some lake effect snow this week. But before you overcharge me for coffee, with the wind from the northwest, the lake snows should fall well south of us. Friday will feature some sunshine, but temps below normal at around 42.

The weekend looks to be pretty decent, as of this writing. We should have some sun both days with temps ranging from the mid 40's to lower 50's. If we get enough sun, we could push Sunday to the mid 50's or so. Wouldn't that be sweet. And get me a cheap cup of coffee.

The longer range models seem to indicate a relatively mild start to next week. So we got that going for us. Still, this time of the year, it can all change on a dime and I could be telling you about the first real snowfall of the year on the way. And what the heck, snow would make a lot of people happy, so why not? I kinda miss my snowblower anyway. There's nothing like firing that baby up, puffing on a cigar and sending massive amounts of white high into the air and dropping it all gracefully in the neighbor's yard.

So instead of fighting the inevitable, I say bring on the snow! Even if it will double the price of my nightly coffee.

When my daughter Ericka told me, my mind immediately went back to the early 1980's when I used to hold her in my arms and dance to Jimmy Buffett's "Little MIss Magic." When I sang the lyrics badly, she would throw her little blonde head back and laugh with the pure glee only a child possesses. The memory is as fresh as yesterday. But it wasn't yesterday. It was twenty five years ago. And by spring, she'll start to make life-long memories with her own child.

I know Ericka will be a fantastic parent. She is kind and caring. And she inherited just enough impatience from me to help her child focus and strive as he/she grows into adulthood. There is no question she will do a better parenting job than me because she smartly learned from my mistakes. And her husband Nick will complete a terrific parenting pair. The three of them are going to be a sweet family.

Of course with all the sweetness of a baby comes all the things that aren't so sweet. For instance, you'll learn sleep is overrated. A baby will prove you can go a long time without a full eight hours of shut-eye. Heck, you'll go a long time without a full TWO hours of shut-eye. In addition to becoming a pack animal, you will become a sleep camel.

Remember how you took great pains to keep your house smelling so good? You had all those nice fragrant candles burning. And then there was the amazing aroma of something baking in the oven. Those lovely aromas will get pummeled, pounded and swallowed by just one fully loaded diaper. How can one little bundle of love create such a large pile of yuck? Medical science has yet to answer that, but I suspect it was part of the plan.

In a few months, when the child starts booking around on the floor or in her walker, the bottom four feet of the inside of your house will look like a miniature tornado ripped through, pulling everything away that could be smashed, broken or eaten.

Spur of the moment decisions will be over. Pre-baby you could decide to go out for dinner one moment and be out the door the next. Post-baby, after you've packed the bottles, formula, diapers, rattles and teething rings, you've got to bundle up the child so the biting winter wind won't find one square inch of that gentle new skin. With that all done, you'll be too tired to go out to eat. In fact, you'll be too tired to eat at all.

And a baby shrinks your vocabulary. Instead of using big people words like inventory, projections and equity, you'll find yourself spewing words like binky, bah-bah and poo-poo. Just wait until you slip-up at work and tell your boss you can have the morning meeting right after you go poo-poo.

Oh yes, that baby is so much work! And will be for the next twenty five years. But it will be worth every minute of it. You'll realize it at her wedding when she surprises you with her choice of song for the father-daughter dance. You won't think she remembered. How could she? She was just a little thing. But she did remember. And even though you fancy yourself tougher than boiled owl, you'll have to quickly excuse yourself after that dance to go to the restroom to "adjust your tie." And the words still play in my mind...

Constantly amazed by the blades of the fan on the ceiling
Those clever little looks she gives just can't help but be appealing
I know someday she'll learn to make up her own rhymes
One day she's gonna learn how to fly
That I wont deny

I see a little more of me everyday
I feel a little more moustache turning gray
Your mothers still the only other woman for me
Little miss magic, what you gonna be?