Have a merry Chucksmas!

Let’s be honest.ย  There’s too many holidays at the end of December.ย  There’s religious ones, there’s secular ones, there’s holidays that were inspired by TV shows, there’s holidays that are barely remembered.ย  You don’t know what to wish anybody any more.ย  Happy Holidays?ย  Seasons’ Greetings? Pop a cold one?ย  Chrismukkah?ย  Festivus?ย  Life Day? So all…

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“Friendly Home Parties” – Albany’s Christmas tradition!

You want an example of history and iconography in the Capital District?ย  Something that our little corner of New York State can call our own? Then check this little picture out. That’s right. It’s the Friendly Home Parties catalog.ย  Just in time for Christmas, 1973. Friendly Home Parties, which actually had its distribution center on…

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The Christmas miracle of the five iPads

My friend and fellow Hamilton College alumnae Laurie Northrup posted this extremely heartwarming story on her weblog, The Consumerist.ย  Suffice it to say that someone ordered one iPad from Best Buy for the holidays. Best Buy accidentally sent the customer FIVE iPads. You need to read the Consumerist blog post to find out more about…

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The GE Show ‘n Tell Picturesound Phonoviewer

And now, dear blog readers, I am going to take you as far back in time to the mid-1960’s. Back to a time when General Electric manufactured something that today still looks kinda cheezy and goofy, but we kids didn’t care.ย  We enjoyed it, and more than four decades later, we’re still enjoying memories of…

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The Internet memes have invaded my blog!!

We’ve all seen them.ย  They’ve been passed around from e-mail to e-mail, posted on Facebook walls, tweeted and pinned and G-plus’d and whatnot.ย  You know them.ย  Internet memes.ย  Ironic, witty, pithy comments juxtaposed with photographs of various thisandthats. So just for a goof, and to give everybody a good laugh, I wondered what would happen…

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Greek soccer team gets brothel sponsorship

Many years ago, when I was covering minor league hockey for the monthly print publication Hockey Ink!, I was told an anecdote about a front-liner in the American Hockey League who had a special “incentive plan” to improve his goal-scoring.ย  Every time he scored at least one goal or two assists in a game, he…

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The 99-cent accounting trick

Some time ago, one of the Times Union-employed bloggers posted a donation link for a charity.ย  There were opportunities to donate $25, $50, whatever amount one wished to donate. Normally, I’m very choosy about which charity I donate to – but this time, I felt that the charity deserved some of my funds.ย  So I…

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The McLand, Air and Sea Burger – I’m loving it…

So my blogreader and all-around decent guy Chad9976 uploaded a YouTube clip yesterday about how he created – ate – and rated an off-the-menu creation from McDonald’s. See the clip here. Well, Chad, that must have been a tasty sandwich. And I hope you enjoyed it. Well, guess what. I can also order “off-the-menu” food…

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“Excuse me… are you a Bronie?”

Last week, I had to drive to Springfield, Mass. as early as possible to pick up my photographs at the Big E.ย  Oh yeah, and pick up my ribbons and pick up my prize money.ย  Every dollar this year goes to help pay off Cardachrome sooner, so that the 2005 Saturn Ion is mine, free…

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