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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
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SPQR
Central New York place names are chock full of allusions to Classical Antiquity. We’ve got Homer, Cato, Cicero, and Brutus. You’ll also find municipalities named for Ithaca, Carthage, Syracuse, Marathon, and Utica. With all that, it should go without saying that our region contains a city named Rome. It is said that 19th-century travelers on Continue reading
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Dueling Fandoms
A week or so ago, I was following a baseball game that my favorite team, the Baltimore Orioles, were playing in and a thought struck me: This year’s Orioles squad is simply a lot of fun. They are a young team, loaded with talent, and they have a knack for come-from-behind victories. This team, I Continue reading
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Cold Spring
As I write this, a full month after the vernal equinox, the weather outside is 43 degrees, overcast, and threatening to rain. That is to say that it’s a typical spring day in Central New York. When I talk to people from outside this area, they will sometimes ask me about our famously harsh and Continue reading
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The Winter Beard
There are beards and then there are beards. I’ve regularly worn a beard of the unprepossessing, neatly trimmed variety for the past decade or more. A few months ago, when the weather started getting cold, I decided to grow it out a bit. Why? For the same reason most men do anything with their facial Continue reading
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Staying Useful
“One must imagine Sisyphus happy.” – Albert Camus The first quarter of the year has been laborious for me. It always is. There is an annual project at my job that starts in the fall and wraps up in late February or early March. I’m writing this the day after putting said project to bed 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. 