F.O.Y...yi yi!

Let me first point out that this is the most ingenious blog title I've ever come up with. So enjoy it!

Nemacolin Woodlands is a resort area located south of Pittsburgh near my old hometown. Fayette County is a rather economically depressed area, so it's an odd juxtaposition to have a five-star hotel and resort nearby catering to political dignitaries, sports figures and celebrities, though it does make for some interesting news headlines from time to time (such as when the founder and owner gets married...AGAIN).

As Nemacolin Woodlands and 84-Lumber founder Joe Hardy continue to be the only game in town, so to speak, the number of facilities at the secluded retreat grow in conjunction. "The Wildside" is one of their newest attractions, and it seems as impressive in its offerings as the other themed areas, featuring bowling alleys, pool tables, an indoor climbing wall and a few dozen arcade games.

The mascot of the Wildside, as it turns out, is a Yeti. Why? It does seem a bit tangential...I mean, I guess the Yeti supposedly lives in the wild...but so do pretty much all animals. I guess the Yeti, being a mythical creature and all, has that attraction to it. If you sign up for their newsletter, you become a Friend of Yeti (is that its name??), which, again, seems like they pulled it out of nowhere with no regard for acronyms that also spell things or at least could conceivably be a word. ("I can't wait to be a FOY!" doesn't exactly roll off the tongue.)

A friend of mine handed me the notepad you see pictured at top. He was distressed because he thought that Nemacolin Woodlands ripped me off in the depiction of their Yeti. In truth, the comic book Yeti is designed after the fairly consistent general legendary depiction, as is this mascot Yeti, so there's obviously no foul there. But it is interesting that the resort 20 miles from home decided to use a "thumbs up!" Yeti as their logo.

As Mr. Hardy and Nemacolin Woodlands have billions of dollars in funding, I'm open to a sponsorship deal. MAKE IT HAPPEN!