Quick! Name your favorite weather app for your smart phone!
Oh yeah, that’s a pretty good one… They really give you a lot of information.
Well, then name your second favorite!
There we go! Get ready to part ways with that program, cause there’s a new app in town!
Check it out at Google Play! (Coming soon to iPhone)
The Magic Weather Van app is finally here Continue reading
Happy Hannukah Vanners!
Who knew Hannukah had entered the holiday inflatables market in such a grand way?
Hope your night shines bright and you are eating lots of fried, oily treats to celebrate! Our Vantry is packed with jelly donuts and latkes. Jellous? Come over!
xo
molly
Wondering what to get that special someone for your anniversary? Wish you could say “you’re sweet!” with something a little more special than a daffodil or a petunia? Well, then Rafflesia Arnoldii might just be the flower for you!
We call him Arnie Raffs for short. Look at him all cute and rainbowy!
Arnie Raffs has everything! He’s red – the color of Love! He’s got big Hawaiian looking petals – Aloha! And he’s the biggest flower in the whole world!
And he's made of yarn over at Dessy TAB's Zpiderd Zigh blog!
But just like with anything that’s really worth it, this flower’s not easy!
First off, Arnie only grows in Southeast Asian Rainforests… so he’s a little tricky to get to.
And Arnie’s a growing boy. He gets too hungry to live on just sun and dirt. He likes meat! Specifically bugs. And he can’t exactly floss and brush his teeth. So he’s got a little case of halitosis…
Some meanies call him the corpse flower. But we don't like to judge.
But hey, since Arnie’s technically a parasite, he doesn’t have any messy leaves or roots to deal with. Although, he still might be a bit of a handful…
"Look, Susie! It's a giant smelly flower! Maybe you should stick your hand in it's spike-hole! Yeah... there you go."
Happy Thanksgiving from Froggy and the rest of the Magic Weather Van crew!
Don’t forget to call your Grandparents!
We’ve been on the road for a couple of days and we just caught wind of Sandy the Hurricane.
Different Sandy. (But thanks Nickelodeon!)
And Sandy’s not the only news! There’s a Nor’easter bringing in some nippy windy stormy goodness too. Plus, we could even get snow! In October!
And so, we’re officially calling it the - Snor’eastercane!
Or at least we were yesterday.
But no… That just doesn’t have the right ring to it. After all, Halloween’s coming up. And this is spooky. It needs to have a corny joke thrown in there.
Jeff Masters of Wunderground gave it a shot:
“Mother Nature is not saying, ‘Trick or treat.’ It’s just going to give tricks.” (Thanks, Associated Press! and Google!)
Wow. Jeff. Really? I mean, they put you on the spot, but that’s what you came up with? Are you implying that this is all just a trick? No storm after all? Or do you believe the weather’s magic too?!?! Would you like to hop in our van with us? There’s plenty of room!
But it looks like an unnamed group of “some” people have cracked the code and found the secret combo of spooky and major weather event – Frankenstorm.
We really don’t like to criticize. Frankenstorm is great. It’s only a couple of letters off of Frankenstein. It’s a mish-mash of weather events just like Franky’s made up of all kinds of different people. It’s really got something for everybody.
It's an instant classic! (Thanks Dr. Macro and NASA!)
But we feel that a real opportunity has been missed. This is a halloween hurricane. Nobody’s really interested in the Nor’easter part. And the snow’s cheating. That just comes with the Nor’easter territory, and it’s not guaranteed anyway.
To truly show the power of this storm, we have to call it what it really is – the Horrorcane!
And one bold, edgy media outlet has broken the chains of the Frankenstorm elite and set out on their own path to proudly say, “Sandy is our Horrorcane!”
Of course that publication is…
Allentown, Pennsylvania's Finger on the Pulse - The Morning Call!
But no! Tragically, even the trailblazers at the Morning Call have finally given in and changed their headline.
But what could be the cause of this silence on such a perfect storm of horror and cane?
And then it hit us. In an election season, we are all a little sensitive. And unfortunately Horrorcane just hits a little too close to home.
Did you say Hermancane? (Thanks Gage Skidmore and NASA!)
It’s all coming together… Oh well. Maybe next year!
In 1492,
Christopher Columbus did what no one else could do.
He packed his ship and headed to sea,
To find a new world! (Or was it spices and tea?)
His journey was long but he finally arrived,
And some of his crew also made it alive.
So now we can celebrate on this Columbus Day
By making small ships out of egg cups and clay!
Happy C-Day everybody!!
Happy Autumnal Equinox y’all! Today’s the day we celebrate all that green stuff spring and summer gave us turning brown and falling off! Yay!!
Ah.. Isn't it beautiful. Take that summer! (Thanks Live Science!)
There’s lots to look forward to this fall!
Oktoberfest!!
It's all about pretzels, flowers, beer, white carrots, and organ transplants.
Halloween!!
Get it? It's a mummy made of clock. Halloween in New York!
Thanksgiving!!
"Run for fun on Thanksgiving!" says Gobbly the Turkey. "Then I won't look so suspicious!"
The weather should be nice too with light jacket days and cuddle up nights. And you might have noticed the humidity is dropping already. That’s right! No more diapered armpits for you, Louisiana and Florida!
Although we’re not sure how that works in Arizona… Does the dust get dustier?
Either way, you might need to start feeling a little more parched than usual soon. But don’t worry, we’ve got you covered with some fail-safe Magic Weather Tips on keeping cotton mouth and dry eye at bay:
- Keep your mouth closed at all times. (You might need to brush up on your sign language for this one to work.)
- Cry: Nothing moistens the eyes like tears. And they’re all natural! Just think of something super sad. Or better yet, laugh really, really hard!
- Wear a couple of layers more than the weather warrants and enjoy a nice sweat bath! (For the sake of those around you, bring extra deodorant when attempting this technique.)
- Stay away from dry-out foods like saltine crackers and shredded wheat. (also known as the Diabolical Dry Dusters)
- Put your clothes on immediately after a shower. Towels are your enemy when trying to keep in moisture. Savor the wet cotton clinging to your skin!
So there you go! You’re ready for a successful fall. Enjoy!!
hey sky-watchers! tonight we get a second chance at turning into…
michael j. fox!
keep your ears tuned for howling because not only is it a full moon this eve, it’s a…
blue moon! we put a bird on it.
what exactly is a blue moon you are wondering because you’re kind of curious? it’s when a month has 2 full moons. there is some controversy about this definition and if you are more curious than me in mooning over the finer details, read this. there is something romantic and mysterious about a blue moon, perhaps because it’s pretty rare and you usually don’t pay attention to it but when you do it’s a little bit exciting. remember this?
bruce n' cybill AKA maddie and david cracked cases at the blue moon detective agency. i loved this show and cannot remember a single plot line. i just know as a kid i wanted these two to get together so badly.
so salute the moon tonight, cuz you won’t see another blue one until 2015! which is many moons away.
let chris isaak’s swoony croon to the moon sweep you away in this clip art heavy tribute:
happy BM!
love,
molly
July’s a great month for lots of people. School’s been out just long enough to forget about it, and it’s not coming up again quite soon enough to worry. Pools are splashing. The beach is waving. And it’s a perfect time for a Road Trip in your favorite Magic Van! (Our’s is weather flavored.)
But July’s not so kind to everyone. Especially Snowmen! Take this little guy for instance:
"My name's Shivers! I'm super hot right now!"
Yes, Shivers may have a winning attitude, good posture, and a remarkably well starched beanie hat, but he still could use some snow, right?
But hey, maybe we’re being a little pessimistic. And Shivers wouldn’t approve of that. Maybe it’s not so bad! Maybe everybody’s going to come together and start suiting up for winter with him! Maybe we’ll have a Merry Christmas in July after all!
Or maybe not. Sorry Shivers!
Wow! The Fourth of July! Independence Day! Geraldo Rivera’s birthday! How could this day be complete without a brilliant display of colorful light in the sky?
So what were this year’s sky-light highlights? Let’s take a look:
Coming in a solid third is - "Bright burst with an American Flag"
Sure a single bright burst might not steal the show all on its own. And the fact that it’s pretty standard color doesn’t win it any points either. But this display makes it into 3rd place by somehow getting a giant American flag up in the sky above the display. Kudos!
It’s simply a classic. You can’t go wrong with red, white, and blue. If it weren’t for that pointy tower in the way, this might have been a perfect shot. Even so it feels like a little something’s missing…
And the winner is - The Moon!!!!
While it didn’t have the pop or the zazz or the fizz of this year’s other festivities, the moon was a tough contender. It stayed lit long after all the others had disappeared. It lit up the whole sky constantly. Last night was the Buck Moon - the first full moon of summer – so while it wasn’t quite full for the 4th, it was close enough.
And where the Magic Weather Van was parked tonight in Atlantic City, NJ, it was colorful too! Thanks to high humidity and thick air, we were treated to a deep orange glow that made it hard to concentrate on the 3D smiley faces and ringed planets exploding over the ocean.
So better luck next year to all the rest of our contestants. It was a hard competition this year, but those Rockets’ Red Flares were no match for those Sweet Moon Beams.
