Enjoying Mat Maessen’s Birthday Party at Sushi X

Let me make things perfectly clear.Β  If you’ve ever done something for me – something unexpected and unrequested and kind and considerate, something that just completely made my lousy day just a little bit brighter – then you are my friend. Which is why, when I received the invitation from Kari Vanalstine to visit the…

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“Pan Am,” “The Playboy Club,” and other period dramas that don’t get the history right – and why they don’t care

I commented on Kevin Marshall’s blog about this already, but I’d like to expand on the concept in my personal blog. There are two period dramas that will appear on network television in the new fall season.Β  One show, “Pan Am,” will air on ABC and will chronicle the lives of four flight attendants –…

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Start your TV shows with the NBC “Peacock”

You don’t see these very often any more. They were called network identifiers, and they would appear at the start of a prime time broadcast schedule, or after a TV show’s closing credits. What I’m going to show you now is a collection of network identifiers from the National Broadcasting Company – what we know…

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The Χ€Χ•Χ©Χ§Χ’ Project: Correcting a Grave Oversight

I’ve blogged in the past about my beloved grandmother. She was as close to being a saint as there is in Judaism.Β  And every year, whenever I get a chance to visit Boston, I always make an effort to pay respects to my grandmother and grandfather, who rest in eternal peace at the Hadrath Israel…

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Peanut Butter and Jelly Chicken Wings at Brown’s Brewing… yumm-o

Let me preface this by saying, for the record, this is not a food review blog.Β  You want to go read a food review blog – go to Daniel Berman’s Fussy Little Blog or read DerryX.Β  Or maybe Albany Eats or a few others.Β  Trust me – I’m one of those people who have no…

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Dear E-ZPass: I fixed the mistake, have mercy

It’s Saturday morning.Β  I have to visit a friend on the other side of the Capital District, who just moved into a new apartment.Β  As I picked up Exit 23 of the New York State Thruway, I could see the trafficΒ  building up at the cash-enabled section of the toll plaza. No big deal, I…

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1930’s Movie Handouts from the Madison Theater

My buddy Jay Pregent is going to lose his mind when he sees these. Jay and I go back a long ways, we were both part of the “Open Mike” crew that would do Wednesday night comedy routines at The Comedy Works.Β  A few years ago, Jay was part of a group that purchased Albany’s…

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Bowling Ennui in the Capital District

I’ve taken the turn off I-90 to Exit 5, the Everett Road exit, many times.Β  And among the various hotels and car dealerships that dot the landscape between I-90 and Central Avenue, one can see the YNN news studios. Of course, if you lived in Albany long enough, you don’t recall those as the YNN…

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Competition #6 – The Troy Photo Center 5th Annual Members Show

I joined the PhotoCenter of the Capital District (also known as the Troy PhotoCenter) earlier this year.Β  If you want to learn more about photography, Nick Argryos and Jacqueline Lynch are definitely the people you should contact.Β  The Photo Center holds workshops and seminars, they have salon nights where you can bring in your work…

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