Back in 2013, when this blog was part of the Albany Times Union’s blogfarm, I received a message from someone who used to enjoy my college radio station, WHCL, back in the 1980’s. And his favorite show at the time was a reggae program called “Dead at the Controls,” as performed by one of my…
Read MoreThe Idiot Foamer from Ashtabula
The Union Pacific 4014 “Big Boy” steam locomotive is now on its way back to the West Coast. It traveled to Pennsylvania and arrived in Philadelphia just in time for America’s 250th birthday, and now it returns home. And along the way, people want to catch a glimpse or a photo of the train in…
Read MoreThe Royale With Cheese Movie Club: Shaolin Soccer
The Royale With Cheese Movie Club is a personal blog category where I finally watch a film that everybody else in the world has enjoyed. This is what happens when you take 20 years to finally get around to watching Pulp Fiction. And after that, I made a blog category for such movies. So ……
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The Waterfall Light; or how I created artwork from an Old Style tavern lantern
I do not drink alcohol. That being said, I do enjoy the fantastic and creative advertising signs and lights and clocks that used to decorate bars and taverns. You know – the ones where there’s a glistening backlit waterfall juxtaposed with a beer logo. Or the ones with a color-changing clock made from the outline…
Read MoreThe Saturday Blogroll Recap, July 11 2026
Good morning, everybody. Hope your day goes well, I’ve got a few things planned, but it looks like we’re in for some sunny weather in the Capital District. Let’s get outside and enjoy it. But before you go outside … let’s check out the posts from this week’s blogroll, shall we? Have a great weekend,…
Read MoreReturn of the Raskolnikov Bowtie
I’ve developed a routine with my vintage super-ultra-wide film camera, the Ukrainian-crafted Krasnogorsk FT-2 35mm shooter that I’ve colloquially nicknamed “Raskolnikov” – partially because it’s a reference to the main protagonist in a Dostoyevsky novel, and partially because it’s the barnyard expletive Boris Badenov mutters whenever moose and squirrel escape him. When this camera works,…
Read MorePicking myself up and dusting myself off
After giving myself plenty of time to recover from failing at the Iowa State Fair’s photography salon for the second consecutive year (ugh), I received a “Call for Art” message in my Facebook feed. Specifically, this message. The Mohawk Valley Center for the Arts has an upcoming juried photography show that hopes to showcase the…
Read MoreMitch McConnell 1942-2026
Mitch McConnell, the firebrand ultra-conservative Senate leader from Kentucky, probably died a few days ago. And the Republican leadership does NOT WANT YOU TO KNOW HE’S DEAD. Right now, the body of Mitch McConnell lies in state at an undisclosed hospital. He was found unconscious in June 2026, and hasn’t been heard from since. Well,…
Read MoreThe postcard from Iowa, 2026 edition
Way back in 2014, at the suggestion of one of my blog readers, I submitted entries for the Iowa State Fair’s photography competition. All my entries were rejected. Tried again in 2015. More rejections. I skipped 2016 – I didn’t feel like risking three rejections in a row. Then, in 2017, I tried again. And…
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“Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum: Habemus Chevrolet!”
After a couple of weeks of tossing names into a hat – and then tossing the contents of that hat into the trash – I came up with a name for my new-to-me 2017 Chevrolet Malibu. Specifically … this guy. And trust me, naming your car is more important than naming your firstborn. The name…
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Chuck The Writer 
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