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JESSICA FINCH Associate Editor

+ AIR-CONDITIONER MYTH - I have been surprised by the number of people I see driving with their windows up during these warm days because I can only assume they are using air conditioning - or they are just cold by

nature. I love having my windows open during sunny, hot days. What also surprises me is that people are choosing to use air conditioners with gas prices topping $3. I think they are being very wasteful.

So I did some research to find out if I should be shocked. The Web site www.bankrate.com released an article, "10 ways being a smart driver saves you gas," and No. 8 was, "Go easy on the air conditioning. Roll down your car's windows and let in the summer breeze. Using the gas-hogging air conditioning as sparingly as possible will give your car's fuel economy a real boost."

But people wrote the Web site, saying that is wrong. The site had a follow up article and the experts sounded off again, stating, keep windows open when traveling at speeds below 40 mph but as your speed increases to 45 mph, or highway speeds, use the air conditioner because the open windows cause a drag on your vehicle, resulting in decreased fuel economy.

So I guess I was right to be shocked by the Main Street drivers with their windows up but not by those on Interstate 290.

+ WEDDING SEASON - And just like that "my" wedding season has begun. Saturday I attended the first of six weddings I am invited to this summer. Held at Samuel's Grande Manor it was a beautiful wedding and a perfect day - despite missing the entire Sabres' game. We waited for our cell phones to buzz from friends sending scoring updates.

Just hours before, I was down the street at Bridals by D with one of my best friends looking at wedding dresses for her July 2008 wedding, along with another friend who just a week prior announced her engagement for a November 2008 wedding. Those are in addition to two other 2008 weddings I already know I will have to schedule.

This season I will be traveling to Kentucky, Syracuse, Alexandria Bay and back to Samuel's Grande Manor for four more weddings. Due to a double booking I will be at my cousin's wedding when a fellow Oswego alumnae ties the knot, or else Rochester would have been on that list. That doesn't even include the engagement parities, bridal showers and bachelorette parties I need to attend. There is a joke that Buffalo has five seasons - fall, winter, spring, summer and construction. I think it's more like six with wedding season.

+ MUSIC'S HEALING POWER - Amateur and professional performers looking for an audience should look no further. Roswell Park Cancer Institute is expanding its "Music in the Lobby" program and is inviting vocalists and musicians to volunteer their time and entertain patients, their families, visitors and employees. The "Music in the Lobby" program is an initiative of the Roswell Park Alliance Foundation. The program has been credited with cultivating an atmosphere of healing and hope. School choirs, soloists and instrumental groups are welcome. The lobby can accommodate up to 50 performers and a baby grand piano is available. Performers have a 30-minute time block. For information, call 845-5708.