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A Trip to Rudy’s
It was one of those summer nights. Too hot to cook, and nobody in the house had enough energy to prepare a meal regardless of the temperature. Fast food or pizza weren’t going to cut it. After a little deliberation, we did what folks around here do in the summer — we got in the Continue reading
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And to Think That I Saw It All on Wyoming Street
I work on Syracuse’s West Side, in a building at the corner of West Fayette and Wyoming Streets. The neighborhood used to be a manufacturing center back during Syracuse’s industrial peak. These days, it has transitioned into something of an extension of downtown with office space co-existing alongside some of the more poverty-stricken residential areas Continue reading
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Situational Philosophy
Nothing to do. Nowhere to go. No one to be. The three previous sentences express a concept I’ve come across in some Buddhist sources. The idea is that we have to free ourselves of thinking that we need to obtain something or become someone beyond the status quo in order to be satisfied. It is Continue reading
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Oppenheimer
I mentioned in a previous post that I rarely go to the movies these days. In the lead-up to its release, Oppenheimer struck me as a film worth making an exception for. While I’m not really all that much of a Christopher Nolan fan, there’s no denying he is one of our most skilled living Continue reading
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Green Acres Is the Place to Be
This evening, I went for a drive around the back roads of Granby, N.Y. I wasn’t going anywhere in particular, just riding through farm country with the windows open, listening to podcasts, and decompressing from the past workweek. On a few occasions during the drive, I was inspired to pull over and snap these photos Continue reading
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I’m Just Going to Watch the Games
“This (game) is not a must-win; World War II was a must-win.” – Marv Levy, former Buffalo Bills head coach and master of keeping things in perspective. NFL training camps are opening up this week. Most years, that fact would activate Football Mode in my brain and I’d start eagerly seeking out as much news Continue reading
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Along the Canalway Trail in Camillus
A few years ago, during a family trip to England, we took an excursion out to Stonehenge. The thing about Stonehenge is that the idea of it is a lot cooler than the actual sight of it. As a feat of engineering and construction for its time, Stonehenge is nothing short of an awe-inspiring marvel. Continue reading
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An American Thought Experiment
A flight of fancy crossed my mind during this morning’s commute. I guess you’d call it a thought experiment. Let’s say the average current-year American encountered a wish-granting genie who presented them with the following offer: The genie will make the person’s political beliefs, whatever those are, the law of the land. Their vision of Continue reading
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Fort Orange
Growing up, I was always told that my mother’s mother was part Dutch. Nobody knew any names or details associated with this supposed Dutch ancestry, but this family lore was passed down and accepted as fact. Years later, I started delving into genealogy, focused on learning about my English and German roots, and also exploring Continue reading
About Me
Researcher. Marketer. Teacher. Father of adult children and dogs. 20th Century holdover. Central New York native. Long-suffering Buffalo Bills fan. History nerd. Traveler. Vintage advertising enthusiast. Hat wearer.
a.k.a. V.J. 