Meet Me At Oglethorpe Square? Good Luck

It's our 6th St. Patrick's in Savannah and today was my 4th parade (missed two out of town on work), and this was by far the worst experience - not that it was so bad. But a number of things became evident to me.

First, plot out your plan weeks in advance. Meeting friends at a square on the parade route isn't a plan. You need more specific direction, i.e. northeast corner, or specific tent or a particular garb. "I'll be in the green felt hat" isn't good enough. Especially with this many people in a concentrated area, and the same amount of cell phone service that Oglethorpe had.

Also, one adult lugging two kids plus chairs, snacks and gear isn't a great mix. Especially when one is hyper involved "Look at that! Look at that!" and the other is the opposite "I'm so bored, I want to go home. Where's my DS?" Google Maps puts our house 1.7 miles from our destination, so doing it all by foot - the kids were troopers. (Though they could have been much better getting up and out of the house!)

It was more work than party. I was in the spirit too, with the kelly green cords and lime green linen dress shirt over my Borat tee. But being a guardian doesn't lend itself too the free-spirited wild man, no matter how many dozens accosted me with, "Very Nice!"

You'll always run into someone, even if it wasn't your intended party. This year it was my daughter's elementary school teacher, who had room in the front row for the kids to watch for their Mom in the parade while I foraged for a much-needed cold beverage.

Then there was the 1.7 mile walk home. Fortunately Forsyth was a natural midpoint, and the kids got to relax and play. When we got home a little after 2 PM, we flopped for the rest of the day. Next year there will be a real plan with less energy spent.

Savannah Forecast: Fair

In my 5 years in Savannah, I've had more issues with the weather forecaster than the actual weather. And while the northeast buckles down for a massive storm, we had kind of an ideal fall weekend here.

I actually fell for the rainy, windy forecast upon my arrival back home Saturday morning, so I whisked the kids and my parents off to the movies instead of messing with the outdoors. We saw Frankenweenie, a typical mildly-scary, messagy Tim Burton flick. It wasn't at all too intense for the primary school kids.

We left the theater and it hadn't rained yet, so we returned to Ottawa Farms and got our exercise zig-zagging through the corn maze for the better part of an hour. This time we made it for the pig races.

Today was one of the picture-perfect, chamber of commerce days that is common in the Savannah spring and autumn. We made the team decision to forego the Jets-Dolphins game at 1 PM, which in hindsight was the best move of the weekend - maybe of my entire life. We hit Shalom Y'all at Forsyth Park instead. It was packed as usual.

It was the fifth straight year I made it to the event with the kids, which runs 11 AM - 4 PM. But if you schmooze, you lose. They run out of pastrami and blintzes long before closing. So after the playground, we chilled back at the homestead before the trek to the The Coastal Empire Fair, which was actually quite well-run.

The beautiful weekend capper is pictured up top. It's a good thing Halloween falls on, and is actually practiced on, a Wednesday this year. There wasn't room for it this weekend.

Now we figure out how long Grandma & Grandpa will be stuck in the house with a return to New York very much as questionable as the weather. Unless you live in Savannah.

Sweet Tees! Cost Effective Fashion Statements

I don't have some killer wardrobe. I work behind the scenes in television. On-air types have dozens of suits, and women talent have been known to amass much, much more. My fashion statements are made through my T-shirt collection, mostly during the summer when I'm off the job.

Signature tees are an emerging internet industry. Like anything unique, you're likely not going to find it at the local department store. CafePress and Zazzle are two of the leaders in terms of selection, irreverence, and design. Amazon and Ebay are mainstays, but they don't specialize in tees. Be careful as many places have good stuff, but are are fly-by-night. Try to use PayPal whenever possible in those cases.

Anyway, without (much) further ado, here's Backtime's summer rotation Top 5, and where they came from:

5. Yankees ~ Melky Cabrera #28. Yankee Stadium, 2008.

Since the purchase, Melky changed his number from 28 to 53, won a World Series with the Yanks, was traded to the Braves, stunk for a season, and was released after 2010. He signed with KC in '11 and had a great year, was traded to SF - where he's currently batting .355 and is a legit MVP candidate. My faith in him has been well-rewarded.

4. Sesame Street ~ All My Homies are from the Street. Target, 2009.

This one's faded a bit, but it fits great and the kids laugh every time I put it on. Perfect for school events, camp pickups and afternoon activities. Lots of chuckles from young moms of all races.

3. Sportvision ~ 1st & 10. SWAG, 2008.

A real rarity, only received by a few in the TV football community. Sportvision is the technology company behind the incredible innovations in TV sports. In addition to many of the mind-boggling race tracking gadgets in NASCAR and MLB's K-Zone, they created the single greatest invention in TV sports in 1998: The 1st & 10 "yellow line" on football. What did we ever do without it? The T-shirt is beyond a collector's item, it is a historical treasure.

2. Breaking Bad ~ Los Pollos Hermanos. CafePress, 2011.

The establishment is dead, along with its proprietor Gustavo Fring (should I have issued a spoiler alert?), but brand recognition in the meth community and on Tybee is still king. I saw that season 5's new "front," Vamonos Pest Control shirts are already out. Get 'em while they're hot.

1. Mr. Clean. Zazzle, 2011.

Of extraordinary value. It's the moniker bestowed on me by my martial arts Master. I followed through with the shirt when I reached a certain level of achievement. I rarely bust it out for ordinary events, like a lap or two around Forsyth. I almost feel like ironing it before I wear it.

The honorable mention title shirt "Kalamazoo" (some mall in K'zoo, 2006) from the closet is suffering from too much use over the years and frayed around the collar. Treat your tees with respect and they will pay you back handsomely for years!