The very first episode of Mike & Alex’s Travel Show is now live! iTunes subscriptions should be available later this week, meaning that you’ll be able to listen to future episodes on your iPods, iPhones, iPads and whatever else you use to take audio with you*.

For now, head over to the show site to give us a listen and please leave us some feedback. This is a work in progress. Heck, even Conan sucked when he started his first show and look how things worked out for him.

* Mike & Alex’s Travel Show is not available on cassette tape unless you press record on your boombox and hold it up to your computer.

Word leaked on Twitter yesterday (in no small part due to my not so subtle hints) that Alexander Basek and I are launching a travel podcast. Mike & Alex’s Travel Show will focus on travel, news, pop culture and humor.

For more information, check out our official site, follow us on Twitter, be our friend on Facebook and listen to the show when we launch next week!

I’m heading down to Miami for a long weekend. As always, I’m looking forward to enjoying some Latin food, warm weather and the leatheriest skin on the Eastern seaboard.

Be sure to follow me on Twitter for updates. The people watching in Miami is fantastic (and often better than the weather, which doesn’t appear ready to break 80 just yet). If you’re in the Miami area, drop me a line if you’d like to meet up or share any recommendations.

Have a good weekend, kids. Keep on keepin’ on.

I’m off to New Brunswick and Newfoundland, Canada for the next eight days. I’m heading to Moncton, New Brunswick today via Toronto because all Air Canada flights seem to take me through Toronto. I’ll then make my way to Deer Lake, Newfoundland on February 7 (arriving in time to find a bar that will be showing the Grey Cup Super Bowl).

While I’m there, I’ll be snowshoeing, snowmobiling, dog sledding, ice fishing, caving and zip-lining. I’ll also be tracking down some seal flipper pie and cod tongues to satisfy the hunger that those activities will work up.

I’ll check in periodically and return to NYC on February 11. In the meantime, watch the video from my last dog sledding adventure in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, Canada to see how I handled my last visit to the Great White North.

Stay out of trouble and keep an eye on Calvin while I’m gone.

Some people think I’m lucky. They like to point out that I travel frequently, live in New York and generally live a charmed life. But the truth is, I live alone and wake up everyday feeling like something is missing. After turning 31 last month, I knew it was time to take matters into my own hands. That’s why I finally decided to adopt. And yesterday, my life changed. I’m a parent now. A father. And we’re a family. Just me and Garden Yeti.

We had an eventful first night together. Get to know my new bundle of joy, won’t you?

He arrived in a giant box. He was nestled in a styrofoam womb. And, almost immediately, he could walk! Like his father, he’s a prodigy.

We spent the evening dealing with the initial awkwardness, getting comfortable, breaking the ice and becoming a family.

There’s so much for us to learn about each other and incredible new memories for us to create. I’ll be sharing more stories as we go on adventures and share our lives together. But for now, I’ll leave you with these first lessons that I’ve learned about living with a Garden Yeti.

You don’t own a Garden Yeti. You adopt a Garden Yeti. You raise a Garden Yeti. You love a Garden Yeti. And you hope beyond all hope that he loves you back.

Meet Calvin. He’s a Garden Yeti. And he’s my son.

Special thanks to the good folks at SkyMall for bringing Calvin into my life.

“When all it takes is a text, laziness is no longer an excuse to not help others.” That was what I tweeted last night and it bears repeating. After the devastating earthquake in Haiti, all it takes to donate $10 to the Red Cross for disaster relief is a text message.

Simply text “Haiti” to 90999 and $10 will be added to your phone bill. It will go to the Red Cross’ efforts in Haiti and you won’t even have to find your wallet.

For you lazy yet thoughtful Canucks, text “Haiti” to 45678 to donate $5 to the Salvation Army Haiti Earthquake Disaster Relief fund. Like the Red Cross’ program, the money will be added to your phone bill.

After you send the text, you will be asked to confirm your donation. You will then receive a confirmation that it has been received. It’s really that easy.

Lest you think that texting is a futile endeavor, the Red Cross’ text to help program has already raised more than ONE MILLION DOLLARS for Haiti relief efforts.

So, get to texting! It’ll be the best use of your thumbs all day.

Update: Text donations to the Red Cross have surpassed THREE MILLION DOLLARS. Keep at it!