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Eternal Recurrence
Yesterday, I was doing some lecture prep for the course I am teaching in Integrated Marketing Communications. This week’s module delves into communication theory and how traditional communication models can be used as a framework for understanding advertising, public relations, direct marketing, etc. The textbook features a standard model of the communication process very much Continue reading
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The Other Side of Summer
The calendar says that summer of 2024 ends on September 21. Tradition says it will end the day after Labor Day. For me, summer is effectively over on this, the evening of August 25. Fall classes start tomorrow at SUNY Oswego, and I will be there on day one teaching a section of Integrated Marketing Continue reading
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Corning Museum of Glass
Back in 1980, my sixth-grade class took a field trip to the Corning Museum of Glass (CMoG). I wasn’t all that excited about the museum going into it, but I saw a few things there that made an impression on my young mind, including a shard of glass dating back to ancient Egypt. My final Continue reading
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Summer Reading: On the Road
Jack Kerouac’s On the Road is a book that I’ve seen referenced all through my adult life, but I never thought much about actually reading it. To be completely honest, I didn’t even realize it was a novel until a few months ago. For the longest time, I was under the impression the book was Continue reading
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Stanwix Redux
My wife and I have decided that we want to, over the course of however long it takes, visit all 429 sites in the U.S. National Park System. No, really. To butcher an old proverb, a journey of 429 sites begins with a single step. For our first step in this undertaking, we chose to Continue reading
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Wolcott Falls
This past weekend, I got it in my head that I wanted to visit a waterfall — not the shallow, industrialized falls that we have here in Fulton, but something out in nature with some height. Fortunately, there are a lot of options within a reasonable distance from home. (When it comes to waterfalls, this Continue reading
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Peonies
The peonies in our front yard are in full bloom. I get sentimental seeing peonies as they remind me of my late mother, who always enjoyed them. Their blossoming is also a welcome sign that summer has arrived. I’m no botanist, but there are two things I know about peonies. The first is that, as Continue reading
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Classics Every Day: Mid-Year Update
Back in January, I took it upon myself to start reading some classic fiction, poetry, philosophy, or history every day for an undetermined period of time. I called the project “Classics Every Day.” Now, in this first week of June, I’m happy to report that Classics Every Day is still an ongoing project. I have Continue reading
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Among Fallen Giants
Sterling Nature Center, in nearby Cayuga County, has a trail that leads to a secluded beach. This beach is like many along the Lake Ontario shoreline — rocky, windswept, and bounded by high bluffs. It is distinct in one regard though; the beach is strewn with fallen trees. The beach timber is a result of Continue reading
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A Boat’s-Eye View of Baltimore’s Inner Harbor
Call me a stereotypical tourist, but I really enjoy taking a boat tour of a city. I’ve toured London by boat on the Thames, Paris from the Seine, and Cologne by the Rhine. I’ve done Duck Boat tours of Boston and Philadelphia, and yes — I’ve taken the Circle Line around Manhattan. The sightseeing by 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. 