Saturday June 7, 2008 - The 3 H's

Today will be hazy, hot & humid. And the National Weather Service has issued an Excessive Heat Warning effective through Tuesday. The air temperature is expected to soar into the upper 90's. Combining the scorcing temperature with high humidity; it will feel more like 100-104 degrees.

So, here are some Heat Safety Tips to get through this first heat wave of the season ...

1. Drink plenty of fluids. 2. Wear light colored & loose fitting clothing. 3. Stay out of the sunshine and spend as much time as possible in air conditioned facilities.

Also, always, be sure to check on your elderly neighbors and pets.

Leave a comment and let me know what you have planned to beat the heat!

Saturday May 24, 2008 - My Old School

Recently I was lucky enough to visit My Old School. My high school, that is. In case you've missed the My Old School series so far; it runs every Friday at 5pm and entails every locally "homegrown" NBC 10 reporter and anchor returning to their alma mater and relaying their high school experience. The good, the bad, and the ugly! You can check out the stories that already aired by going to this link: http://www.nbc10.com/myoldschool/index.html.

I don't know about you but I am absolutely loving the stories so far! In fact, I've watched all the stories more than once. Guilty pleasure, I guess.

My high school experience at Central Bucks East, in Doylestown, was common in so many ways. I was anxious, nervous, insecure, etc. All those feelings that rule our teenage years. But my experience was unique in that I wasn't the only one, from my family, to graduate in 1994 from C.B. East. My twin sister, Megan, did too! Interestingly, we were not the only twins in our graduating class. There were 6 other sets!!!

It was truly wonderful to go back to high school. There is something so comforting and yet so terrifying about returning to those familiar hallways. And it's amazing how fast you are catapulted back into those high school years and feel like it was just yesterday. It couldn't be 14 years, can it? A big part of my high school experience was being a member of the cross country and track teams. And simply standing on the track and smelling the freshly cut grass, ignited memories I haven't thought about in years. Fun!

Now it's your chance. Drop me a comment ... I would love to hear all about your high school experience.

Wednesday May 21, 2008 - Unofficial Start of Summer

Well, we are in store for another cool and cloudier day. It seems like we just can't seem to shake this dreary pattern. In fact, we have only reached the 70s once in the last 5 days. Today will make it 6!!!! Great news if you like the lower temps (some do), not so good news if you are pining away for summer-like weather.

Here's the good news, big changes are on the way for the unofficial start of the 2008 summer season this weekend. Yep, we'll finish out the workweek on a cool note but warmer weather will return just in time for Memorial Day. Here's a sneak preview ... Saturday will be in the 70s and temperatures will soar to the 80s by Sunday and Monday. And for the icing on the red, white and blue cake, the skies will be sunny!

I'm working this weekend but will definitely fit in a little BBQ action. Send me your holiday plans; I would love to hear about them. Anyone headed to the beach, the mountains, or their own/neighbors backyard? Also forward any celebration pictures you have. I'll post them right here on my blog.

Whatever you choose to do ... have fun and be safe!!!!

May 7, 2008 - First Friday

Last Friday night, I was lucky enough to be invited to be part of the First Friday celebrations in Doylestown - - my hometown. Here’s a link in case you want to check it out: http://firstfridaydoylestown.com. The turnout was fantastic. Great music, art, and the weather couldn’t have been more cooperative. A beautiful 75 degrees and lots of sunshine (thank you very much)!

Even more special, is that the Hepatitis B Foundation sponsored the event. Their role, as a foundation, is to educate the community that 1 in 20 individuals, in the US, is affected by Hepatitis B. Here are some photos from the event http://www.flickr.com/photos/furiarubel/. And even O’Liver, the foundations mascot, made an appearance. What a ham!

It was wonderful to chat with everyone... and I even ran into some “old” friends. Fun!

April 22, 2008 - Spring Fever

This is my very first blog for NBC10. Quick bit about myself, I am the newest member of the Earthwatch team and couldn't be happier to be here. I grew up Bucks County; Doylestown to be exact. And am thrilled to be working in my "hometown" city. It is literally a dream come true! Okay, enough about me ... let's blog.

Since we are embarking on another stretch of sunshine and mild temperatures, I thought that it would be fitting (& fun) to talk about spring fever. I am a warm weather enthusiast, so the idea of the mercury continuing to rise over the next few months is very exciting! Just to give you an idea of how hot I like it; I was in Birmingham, Alabama last August, when it was close to 110 degrees, and I thought "ahhhh, now this is more like it!"

To me, there is something freeing about ditching the winter coats, hats, scarves, etc. and trading them in for flip-flops, short sleeves, and shorts. I actually feel a little bit more carefree and I don't know about you, but my mood actually lifts as the weather warms.

Now in all fairness, I know that there is many that love the cold weather. And don't get me wrong; there is something very special about cozying up to a fire, reading a good book while drinking a mug of hot chocolate. And, in fact, at my former work "home," NBC Weather Plus, I had a lot of friends that were winter weather enthusiasts. They can't get enough of the white stuff. Unfortunately, this year didn't exactly work in their favor. But if I had to choose between either scenarios; I'm going with the heat.

So, I would love to hear from you and why you are excited that spring is here. Or why you are already counting down the days to winter 2009.