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Done Done
Every early December and early May, it seems that a smattering of people who know that I teach part time will ask me if I’m done with the semester yet. If they catch me during the period between final exam week and when grades are officially submitted to the registrar, my stock answer is, “Well, Continue reading
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Andor
When Star Wars hit theaters in 1977, I was an eight-year-old boy. That is to say, it was more or less biologically guaranteed that I was going to lap up everything that George Lucas had to feed me. And I did. As much as I enjoyed the original trilogy, the toys, the novelizations, the comic Continue reading
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Pulp
About a month ago, I started reading a novel by Charles Bukowski called Pulp. I selected it on a whim. I was in the mood for something short and I had seen enough about Bukowski’s persona as the “poet laureate of Los Angeles low-life” that I was intrigued. Pulp is a quirky little book. It’s Continue reading
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House Arrest
“I’m alright now, but last week I was in rough shape.” ~ Rodney Dangerfield Take Dangerfield’s quote above, swap out the word “week” for “month,” and it would serve as a good summation of my February. Last month was tough. Mostly, it was tough because of the weather. This area is currently recovering from the Continue reading
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Old Man Winter
I could tell you in this post that it’s been frigid and snowy in my part of the world. Or I could just tell you that it’s a typical January in Central New York and the weather part would go without saying. This “typical” January has come after several much milder-than-normal winters. It’s been a Continue reading
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Browns at Ravens, Jan. 4, 2025
Back at the beginning of this NFL season, my cousin — a Baltimore Ravens season-ticket holder — invited me to join him in Charm City for a game. My schedule was such that the only game I could get to was the season finale against the Browns. Given the state of the Browns, I didn’t Continue reading
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Fatti Maschii, Parole Femine
I spent most of today trekking to Maryland. I’m here for a football game and a family reunion of sorts. Details and photos of the festivities are sure to follow in future posts. In the meantime, I wanted to share this most Maryland of images from the lobby of my hotel: I’ve long admired the Continue reading
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Restoration Project
I go to a lot of antique stores these days. Usually, I just browse and don’t buy anything, but occasionally an item will speak to me and I’ll have to take it home. One such object on a recent trip was a 1970s era Snoopy watch. When I was in elementary school, I was all Continue reading
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Irresolute
I am writing this on the first day of 2025. I kicked off the year with a couple of my New Year’s Day rituals. First, Jen and I completed a short “First Day” nature hike at Sterling Nature Center. We tromped through drizzle and high wind gusts, guided by a naturalist. The weather could have Continue reading
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Goose Egg
The thermometer just hit zero degrees Fahrenheit. There’s not much to say about that, but it is a temperature that, when experienced firsthand, is pretty much impossible to refrain from acknowledging. Around here in December, twenty degrees doesn’t even warrant a shrug. Anything in the teens might inspire an exaggerated “brrrrr” sound, or some remark 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. 