Here in Savannah, we have a different definition of what fall weather means. From one day to the next we find ourselves in a different weather pattern—from cool and cloudy to hot, humid and sunny. That doesn’t mean we don’t want to celebrate the awesomeness of autumn: the changing leaves, the warm night fires that begin again, the smell in the air signaling that summer is finally at rest. The way in which we traditionally define these changes varies from person to person. Over the past couple weeks I have photographed people that love the traditional fall garb of sweaters, jackets and scarfs with mostly grays and blacks as the basic colors. Others have chosen to rebel against the coming season by featuring summer-like colors in their getup which is so much fun to see. So how are you “falling” this year? [Click through for a full gallery of images!]

People who think getting sick is bad these days (ahem, all of you freaking out over the Swine flu) should, in comparison, consider yourselves lucky. That’s right. Sure, the flu is a pesky, sometimes scary contender, but it is far from the horrifically deadly epidemics that once swept the streets of Savannah, ravaging the population and killing thousands. Take for instance, the yellow fever outbreak of 1820. On top of the fact that hundreds of people were falling ill and dying, people didn’t even know where the disease was coming from, so their fear and panic was magnified causing all out hysteria.

Yet, the singular good thing about the historic plague which filled up the hospitals once and sent confused doctors into frenzies as they tried to manufacture a cure, is that it supplied the city with some of its most legendary ghost stories and chilling tales of widespread death. Now known by some as “The City Built on Bones,” stories of the suffering masses and their lingering ghosts are still widely circulated in Savannah.

[Ed note: What the heck are whuffies? Well, Guest Lifestyle blogger Kevin Lawver, a locally based web developer and blogger working with Music Intelligence Solutions on Broughton Street, is ready to fill you in on the details.]

In Cory Doctorow’s Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom, all the world’s shortages have been solved. There’s no need for money, because there’s no lack of supply. Even death has been conquered. In a world with no need for money, what’s the currency? Doctorow’s solution to this problem is called whuffie, a currency based on reputation. Everyone has a bank of whuffie, and anyone can give you a little boost or ding you based on your actions. My favorite part of the concept is that there are two types of whuffie – left-handed and right-handed. When you meet someone in that world, you get a little graph that shows you the whuffie that person got from communities or people you basically agree with (right-handed) and the whuffie that person got from communities or people you don’t (left-handed). In Doctorow’s book, the people with the most whuffie are those that do the most menial jobs: the janitors, plumbers, garbage men, etc.

I read the book on a flight from San Jose to DC, and for five and a half hours, I was hooked. I finished the book about halfway through the flight and spent the rest of the time frantically scribbling in a notebook, trying to design a way to implement this concept in the real world, or at least on the internet. I was so fascinated that I spent the next several months trying to convince my company that we could actually implement it, and I still think it’s possible, and have implemented a crude whuffie system on Ficly.

What better way to start of Halloween week than with the colorful and quirky Warhol exhibit, now at the SCAD Museum of Art. Some of his works are on display downstairs but the vast amount of them are upstairs in a room full of “silver clouds” that float up and down playfully as you check out the prints and photos.

Andy Warhol never ceases to amaze me with his vast array of work and this show really highlights all the different mediums he explored. His photographs are so captivating and I can’t believe he knew so many famous and interesting people. His work is so recognizable too, no matter what medium, which I think is an aspiration of all artists and not easily accomplished. The gallery is organized so that many of the brightly colored screenprints are juxtaposed against dozens of sort of washed out, individual portraits of friends and celebs.

[Ed. Note: In the midst of national economic hardships, Business Blogger Dan Tice takes a look at the ways in which Savannah’s real estate business community is rolling with the punches and helping to turn things around for the entire business community.]

If you’ve tried to sell or purchase a home in Savannah—or really anywhere in the country in the past two years—you’ve no doubt found an entirely new set of rules in place. Residential real estate is just not the win-win situation it once was in the 1990’s and early part of this decade. How have some of Savannah’s real estate brokers and agents worked to keep sellers and buyers engaged and happy? Read on for some interesting answers.

I spoke with Lori Judge, the owner and broker at Judge Realty Company, Kimberley Fox of Fox Properties/Century 21 and Jason Bishop of Mopper-Stapen. All three agreed that for the past year and a half being a part of the business of listing, selling and buying homes has been difficult. Lori Judge places it all on one word, financing. She argues that there has been no money to lend for closer to two years and that most lenders and mortgage companies have been locked in a stalemate. Jason Bishop says there is still a lot of uncertainty in the market and that, perhaps understandably, no one wants to make a commitment with continually declining home values and the threat of the foreclosure rate still rising. Kimberley Fox explained in an e-mail that sellers need to be more realistic about pricing. Once sellers open their eyes to that way of pricing, says Fox, the market will proceed in a typical fashion where buyers are buying homes for fair market value.

Being that Halloween is quickly nearing, masks are definitely coming back into season. And lets face it, hiding behind a mask or costume is what often makes this holiday so much fun, as dressing up is a rarity that allows people a brief chance to get out of their own skin and their ordinary lives. It’s an opportunity for people to let their alter egos take over and break all the rules. And we all know how exciting that can be every once in a while.

But, I think few masks this year will compare with the fabulously elaborate costumes that I saw on Friday night at the Masquerade Ball that Union Mission and Spine and Sport hosted at the 2 Car Garage Art Gallery. Just as I expected, with great Southern style many women wore elegantly feathered and bejeweled masks that matched their impressive evening gowns. But much to my delight, the gentlemen at the event showed up in equally good spirits and took the opportunity to channel their wild and artsy side. [See more event pictures after the jump!]

Two Sunday’s ago, the Jepson Center for the Arts was rocked by the sounds of Shepherdess Connie Brown echoing through the atrium. The Jepson Gospel Brunch is a monthly event, but one I had never previously attended until last week. After being blown away by the music and feeling from that Sunday, I am glad I did.

Following a delicious southern-style brunch, Shepherdess Connie Brown took her place at the bottom of the stairs. She is a petite, beautiful woman, but the size of her voice is magnificent, and a little shocking when it comes out of such a small-framed woman! She was very engaging, speaking to the crowd, getting us to sing and clap along with her. She sang some gospel tunes that I had not heard before, and some that were familiar to me. The little girls sitting behind me knew all of the songs and were not afraid to sing right along with her the whole time, loud and proud. So cute.

Have you sunk your teeth into a piping hot slice of pizza from a national pizza chain recently and instantly questioned not only the strange texture of the cheese, but more importantly, its lack of any distinctive flavor? If so, then you’ve probably experienced evidence of an alarming trend by many national pizza chains, who in an effort to generate a larger profit margin, have resorted to using this strange, gooey, bland alternative to real mozzarella to top off their pizzas, naively thinking that “the masses” surely wouldn’t notice. Well, this is “one of those masses” who has clearly taken notice and who personally considers it a crime against the American palate.

My mission (which I’ve accepted): To find a 100% REAL, old-fashioned pizza SOMEWHERE in Savannah. My search was for a pizza being created the way it was intended to be by the immigrant women from southern Italy who brought their beloved recipes here with them in the early 1900s. Starting with freshly-risen, hand-tossed yeasty dough, smothered in a robust, flavorful, Italian tomato sauce seasoned to perfection, generously sprinkled with 100% AUTHENTIC mozzarella cheese, layered with a myriad of delectable toppings that make biting into a slice of pizza like biting into a slice of heaven. That was my quest.

It has been my experience that there isn’t anyone who can stand up and fight for women—their rights, their ideas, and their health and well being—quite like another woman. Just look at Betty Freidman, Susan B. Anthony, and many other women who showed their true colors in support of the cause to make women’s lives better. The SCAD volley team also falls into this category as they pump themselves up for their “Dig Pink” match tonight in support of breast cancer.

And while I do realize that breast cancer is not limited to women, according to the National Breast Cancer Foundation, there are nearly 200,000 women diagnosed each year (in comparison to about 1,700 men). So, every time these strong ladies spike or serve the ball during their match tonight against Webber University they’re playing mainly with the thousands of women’s lives who are affected everyday by the disease in mind.

According to SCAD player Arynn Nease the team set a $3,000 goal for the month of October (breast cancer awareness month) and will be selling t-shirts for $10 and baked goods, auctioning off hand designed volleyballs, and taking donations at the match.

We all know that Savannah is famed to be America’s Most Haunted City, and while this might be a popular reason for folks to flock to our fine city, it may also be the reason you want out! If you’re searching for a few horrifying Halloween hotspots, check out these three gruesome getaways that are sure to scare you silly.

Hollywood’s Horrors: Universal Studios’ Halloween Horror Nights in Orlando, Florida offers eight haunted houses, six scare zones and two live shows. Admission is $69.99 per person and with themes based on silver screen scares such as SAW, Chucky, The Wolfman and Fangoria this evil evening is guaranteed to have you checking the closet for monsters for months to come.
** Beware: This is for Halloween-lovers 13 and older only. For a slightly less terrifying evening try Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party.

Big City Scare-Fest: Las Vegas is a lecherous choice for those of the more sinful persuasion. On top of all their normally wicked ways, most hotels offer special spooky shows and host elaborate costume bashes during which they give away more than a quarter-million-dollars in cash for costume contest winners.