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All posts for the month December, 2014

Rochester Finally Out of Last Place in Snow Contest

Posted by The Snowman on December 31, 2014
Posted in: new york snow contest.

Updated 1/1/15 – WTG Rochester and it’s about time you joined the snowball fight 😉  It had to be pretty embarrassing siting at the bottom of the snow hill for all of that time.  It really has to be embarrassing when you were even losing to our vacation city to the East, Albany 🙂

All of the snow stats are up to date and it is a really close snow race with all 5 cities in the hunt for the king of the snow hill.  Maybe The Roc was just hanging back and will start making their move now.  Stay Tuned!
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From my family to your family I wish you all a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year! I also wanted to say Thanks to all of you have visited the site over the past year, took time to make a donation, leave a comment or dropped me an Email 🙂

Thanks to ALL of you who visit and the media for spreading the word about the snow contest. Our fun little snow site continues to grow each and every season. Of course if it doesn’t start snowing pretty soon that could change this season 🙁 Joking, a lot of time left… Here is an unofficial look at the traffic for the last few years and keep in mind it is for the entire year and not the Seasons.

Visitors to the Golden Snowball Contest

Year               Unique Visitors         Total Visitors             Page Views
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2011                   7,873                    14,846                        44,386 (Oct – Dec)
2012                 51,432                  102,042                      335,866
2013                 72,048                  175,565                      452,907
2014               143,445                  311,800                      649,169

Buffalo is just a few flake out of first place in the National Snow Contest, the Golden Snow Globe and it will be interesting to see if they can pull ahead of Grand Rapids, Michigan before the end of the year. Buffalo could actually end the year in the lead and start the new year with the lead in just a matter of hours time. Good Luck Buffalo ;)Buffalo continues to hold on to a slight lead and as I am typing all of the cities are within striking distance of taking the top spot on the snow hill this season, INCLUDING Albany 😉 Of course that could change pretty soon because it looks like Buffalo is expecting to get some decent snow today and tomorrow. If that pans out they should be able to add to their lead in the Golden Snowball Contest.

Have a Happy Safe New Years Eve Everyone!

Merry Christmas to My Family, Friends and All of You

Posted by The Snowman on December 25, 2014
Posted in: golden snowball contest. Tagged: , , , , , , , , .

A BIG thanks to Lawrence R. from N.Syracuse for making a donation to the site and to me. Again it couldn’t have come come at a better time and helped out a lot. Thanks Lawrence for taking the time and Merry Christmas…
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My family has always been about spreading tradition to different generations and it’s what I love the most about the Christmas holidays. I love watching our family coming together and sharing the same traditions that has gone on in our family for many decades.

I think this is one of the reasons I love this song so much. Two different generations so far apart and two different cultures so far apart that come together for the holidays.

It also brings to mind another favorite song by John Lennon, Imagine. Wouldn’t it be nice if it wasn’t just the for holidays and was year round that all of us could come togehter across the globe. JMO!

From my family to yours we wish you a very Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and what ever it is that you celebrate during this time of the season. For myself and my family it’s Merry Christmas!

Enjoy the time spent with your family my friends and have a Very Merry Christmas 😉

Melissa Balmain Author of “Walking in on People” From Rochester

Posted by The Snowman on December 17, 2014
Posted in: Golden Snowball, Shopping. Tagged: , , , , , , , , .

First off I want to give a Big Thanks to James M. for your kind donation. It was perfect timing and it really helped out a lot. All of the donations do. Thanks James for taking the time and to all of you who have made a donation to the site 🙂
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Wow and Congrats Rochester! You may be in last place right now in the snow contest but when it comes to humorous poetry authors living in Rochester you are in the lead 😉 Author Melissa Balmain who recently won the Able Muse Book Award for Poetry for her book of humorous poems “Walking in on People” is from Rochester, New York 🙂 If you’re looking for a great Christmas idea for the poetry lover in the family, well here you go…

I met Melissa during last years snow season when she dropped me an email that she was going to mention our fun snow contest in an article she was writing. The article appeared in Success Magazine which she also writes columns for. Just the mention of success and something I’m affiliated with should give you an idea of her witty offbeat sense of humor 🙂 Myself and Success don’t seem to see eye to eye 🙁 That said we became online friends and believe me she is a very down to earth person with a great sense of humor.

Melissa Balmain teaches at the University of Rochester and her book which has gotten great reviews BTW. I haven’t had the chance to read it (Yet) but I will still strongly recommend it (Just pretend I’m Oprah Winfrey) for the fact that I have read several of her articles and columns and I have found them all to be humorous and witty. Below is all the info you need to find out more about Melissa Balmain’s new book of poetry, Walking in on People including reviews and links where to order her book.

Melissa Balmain Walking in on People Poetry


For More info on Walking in on People Click Here

More Information about Melissa Balmain and Walking in on People

Melissa Balmain is a humorist, journalist, and teacher. She recently became editor of Light, the country’s oldest journal of light verse, which she helped revive and bring online after 20 years in print. Balmain’s poems have been published in such anthologies as The Iron Book of New Humorous Verse and Killer Verse, and in American Arts Quarterly, Lighten Up Online, Measure, Mezzo Cammin, Poetry Daily, The Spectator (UK), The Washington Post, and elsewhere. Her prose has appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times, McSweeney’s, Details, and many other magazines and newspapers. She is a columnist for Success magazine and the author of a memoir, Just Us: Adventures of a Mother and Daughter (Faber and Faber). Balmain has won national journalism honors and been a finalist for the Donald Justice Poetry Prize, the Howard Nemerov Sonnet Award, and the X.J. Kennedy Parody Award. She teaches at the University of Rochester and lives nearby with her husband and two children. Walking in on People, the winner of the 2013 Able Muse Book Award, is her first full-length poetry collection.

Reviews of Walking in on People by Melissa Balmain

In Melissa Balmain’s Walking in on People, the serious is lightened with a generous serving of wit and humor, and the lighthearted is enriched with abundant wisdom. She shows us how poetry can be fun yet grounded in everyday challenges and triumphs, with subjects ranging from the current and hip (Facebook posts, online dating, layoffs, retail therapy, cell-phone apps, trans fat), to the traditional and time-tested (marriage, child-rearing, love, death). Through it all, her craft is masterful, with a formal dexterity deployed with precision in a showcase of forms such as the villanelle, ballad, triolet, nonce, and the sonnet. It is little wonder then that Walking in on People is the winner of the 2013 Able Muse Book Award, as selected by the final judge, X.J. Kennedy. This is a collection that will not only entertain thoroughly, but also enlighten and reward the reader.

Winner of the 2013 Able Muse Book Award

PRAISE FOR WALKING IN ON PEOPLE:
“An infectious, often hilarious blend of the sweet and the lethal, the charming and the acidic.”
~Billy Collins, former United States Poet Laureate
“Poetry these days is rarely so entertaining, so beautifully crafted, so sharp of eye, yet so wise and warm of heart.”
~X.J. Kennedy, final judge, Able Muse Book Award

Resourses:
Melissa’s Balmain’s Website

Have a Great Day Everyone and snow is on the way 🙂

If You Blinked You Missed it, Buffalo Back in The Lead

Posted by The Snowman on December 11, 2014
Posted in: Golden Snowball. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , .

I just want to say Thanks to John F. for your donation to the site. I know this probably gets old but I like to Thank each of you personally. Thanks John, much appreciated 🙂
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Updated 12/11 5:30 PM – Well if you blinked then you missed it. Syracuse took over the lead (read below) from Buffalo after yesterdays snow totals were reported. That didn’t last long and Buffalo won today’s snowball fight picking up 8.0 inches so far and will probably be adding to that.

Buffalo also broke a date record already showing 8.0 inches so far today breaking the old record of 6.4 inches set back in 1970. WTG Buffalo. It may get even better for Buffalo when I do an update in the National snow contest. They have jumped into second place I believe and are launching a heavy attack on Grand Rapids, Michigan right now in an attempt to take over the top spot. I will be updating the top 25 in that contest in a bit. Check out the Golden Snow Globe Contest Here!

Drive Careful All and have an Awesome Night 🙂
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Updated 12/11 – 9 AM – It’s official, Syracuse has taken the lead from Buffalo thanks to snow storm Damon which dropped 11.8 inches of snowfall yesterday in Syracuse. Syracuse also broke a date record while taking the lead breaking the old record of 8.4 inches which dated back to 1978.

Keep in mind that the snow stats are updated as of yesterdays snowfall. I don’t believe any of the overnight snow has been added so the snow lineup will most likely be changing come the next update later today…

The snow race is close and surprisingly all of the cities have a shot at the top spot including (snicker) Albany, NY which is in second place right now and only a couple of inches away from taking the lead. REALLY 🙂 Buffalo dropped down to the number 3 spot on the snow hill and I’m sure they will be back on top in no time.

Surprisingly Rochester is still in last place. I thought they were going to climb out of last place with this storm but all of the Golden Snowball cities cashed in just enough to stay ahead of them. Still seems funny seeing The Rock in last. Then again it seems even funnier seeing Albany in 2nd place and with that much snow on the season this early. Right now Albany already has more than a third of their snowfall for the season. Go Albany!

Below are the storm totals we have so far and as always keep in mind my fuzzy math problem that I have 😉

Syracuse – 11.9
Albany – 9.7
Rochester – 8.7
Binghamton – 7.7
Buffalo – 1.3

Have a Great day and look for another update a bit later 🙂

Can Snow Storm Damon Sled Syracuse or Binghamton to Top

Posted by The Snowman on December 8, 2014
Posted in: Golden Snowball. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

Updated 12/10 – 11:30 PM – Syracuse is reporting 11.5 inches so far for today as of 10 PM. I’m holding off on moving both Syracuse and Binghamton up the snow hill for the fact that the other 3 cities haven’t reported yet as I’m typing and their stats won’t come out until tomorrow, early morning. I’m looking forward to seeing which city is in the lead come morning. I’ll do an update when I wake up. Ummm, Just a heads up that I tend to sleep in every now and then 😉 Drive careful everyone…
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Updated 12/10 6 PM – Syracuse is winning this round of snowfall so far and has slid into the second place slot on the hill as of the last update. Below are the snow stats that are being reported for yesterday and today. Keep in mind that Albany isn’t reporting this update.

Syracuse – 11.6
Binghamton – 7.1
Rochester – 3.6
Albany – 3.6 Yesterday, Not Reporting for Today
Buffalo – Trace
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Updated – 12/10 10:30 AM – Albany slips past Binghamton and moves into second place on the snow hill. I think it’s going to be really interesting to see which city is in the lead by the time this storm is over 🙂 .

Well the snow is finally falling in CNY and it looks like Rochester may be getting in on the fun too. The roads are slick so take it slow. Here is a good up date of some official and nonofficial snow stats measure across NY in the areas that the snow has been falling. Because of the temperatures the snow got a later start than I think was expected so we’ll have to wait and see if we all can make up for it.

Snow Storm Damon Totals so far from the National Weather Service

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Another snow storm is heading up the coast and heading our way and this storm may help Syracuse’s and Binghamton’s snow totals out.  Snow storm Damon is expected to drop several inches and maybe up to a foot of new snow around the Syracuse and Binghamton area.  As always, these storms are hard for the pros to predict because the path of the storm can change plus it also depends on whether the temps stay above or below freezing.

Keep in mind also as always, we are clueless here so check with your favorite forecasters the next few days for your area.  Below are some links to the National Weather Service with the latest snow storm watches and warnings.  Most likely I’ll be updating this section with all of the cities new snow totals as they come in.

It will be interesting to see if the storm moves to the west enough to help Rochester and Buffalo add some snow to their totals.  I think Albany will get something and how much will depend on when it changes over from rain to snow. Right now Buffalo, Rochester and Albany are under Storm watches while Syracuse and Binghamton are under storm warnings. Watches means mean the potential is there so keep an eye on what’s going on. Warnings mean the storm is expected to pan out. Not exactly in those words but I’m sure you get my drift 😉

Nor'easter Snow Storm Damon Syracuse and Binghamton, NY

AGAIN, clueless is typing this 😉  From reading around it looks like it will start with rain in some of the cities, maybe trow in a mix of freezing rain and then switch over to snow as the temps drop.  Check below for the snow storm warnings and estimated time of the arrival of storm Damon.  

Snow Storm Watches and Warnings

Click Here for Albany, NY

Binghamton Storm Warnings

Buffalo Watches and Warnings

Rochester Storm Watches and Warnings

Syracuse Snow Storm Warnings

Stay safe and take it easy on the roads as always 🙂 See Snow – Take it Slow!

Rochester Slips to The Bottom of Snow Pit

Posted by The Snowman on December 6, 2014
Posted in: Golden Snowball. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , .

I want to thank Web Architechs for your donation to the website. I appreciate all of the donations I have received and they do help out a lot 😉 Thanks for taking the time…
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Buffalo continues to stand on top of the snow hill with just a little over half a foot of snow more than second place Binghamton. I think the fun part so far this season is watching Syracuse and Rochester battling to stay out of last place and seeing Albany ahead of them both in third place right now.

Rochester slipped down a spot from fourth place to the bottom of the snow pit the last couple of days giving Syracuse a break from total embarrassment 😉 Now it’s Rochester’s turn and both of the cities should be embarrassed to be behind Albany which is normally where people take a vacation to get away from the snow.

I give credit to Albany though and don’t get too used to that, they were the only city to add to their snow totals this update picking up another 0.3 of an inch since the last update. It could get even better come the middle of next week. I’m starting to hear rumors and read about another possible coastal storm come sometime Tuesday/Wednesday next week.

From what I have read and as always with these storms it’s WAY to early to tell if it will pan out and if it does, which way the storm will track and whether it will be rain, mix or snow. Something you all may want to keep an eye on though. It seems like they tend to help Binghamton and Albany pick up some decent snowfall when they do hit like the last storm did. Maybe Albany can slide to the top of the snow hill?

There was a recent article in the Buffalo News about Buffalo’s snowfall and both of the snow contests.  Thanks for the phone chat and the mention TJ 😉

Buffalo is in 3rd place right now in the National snow contest and Syracuse has finally slipped into the top 10.  Just a couple of sneezes from Mother Nature and Rochester should be able to jump into the top 10 also in the National Snow Contest

Have an Awesome Weekend Everyone 🙂