Bowling Gems

Ok, fellas, Valentine's Day is approaching, so here's some free advice -- nothing gets quite the reaction as a beautiful piece of bowling jewelry. Trust me, the tennis bracelet is just an expensive gutter-ball. On your romantic evening out at the local lanes, just slip the lovely brooch over your sweetheart's pin-shaped bottle of beer. The love and thank yous will fly like pins at a PBA event.

And for you single folks, go bowling too! That's what our friend Drew Barrymore is doing. (And by friend I mean employer of a relative, although I did have the pleasure of once meeting the starlet.) You may find your soulmate throwing strikes in the next lane. And at the very least, you can have fun making bad jokes about "striking out." Let the games begin!

Good Soldiers

It was so cold my pipes froze (and I'm talking about the ones in my house), but it wasn't cold enough. Not to stop a few Bears fans from tailgating outside Soldier Field from noon until the big game was over. Apparently these true Chicago believers warmed beer cans over barbecues just to watch the Super Bowl in sight of the home field and some outhouses. I know the Bears lost, but can we really deny that man in the picture above the title of "winner"?

In honor of him and LYF's Lake Michigan polar bear excursion, I make this vow: if you torment yourself with icy cold and risk frostbite for the sake of sports or just for kicks, we will enshrine you in our Virtual Igloo of Fame. Five Pin Bowling, after all, has always been a favorite cold weather game. But please, be careful out there and dress appropriately -- even if it means donning goofy looking earmuffs.