Category Archives: commentary

The Cake Incident

Posted on January 12, 2012 by mohawkvalleygirl

I don’t usually blog about work, but something happened the other day that I said would make a good blog post. You be the judge.

A nice lady that works in the same vicinity I work in (it’s a BIG factory) makes cakes sometimes, usually for people’s birthdays. Monday she made a red velvet cake with white frosting in honor of some people that were leaving her section.

There was some discussion as to what made the cake red, one pundit maintaining that it was actual red velvet.

“Yes,” I said, “and now Joanie doesn’t have a dress to wear to holiday parties.”

As she was cutting it, I told her not to cut me a piece.

“Oh, I wasn’t going to,” she said.

Now, we work in the same area and use the same break room, but we actually work in different departments and have different bosses, so I thought I had said something quite tactless. I must have had quite the look on my face, because the whole table cracked up laughing. Joan assured me she had just been kidding; I was welcome to some cake. I’m a few pounds up from the holidays, so I resisted the temptation.

There was still cake left at the afternoon break.

“Do you suppose there are more calories in a small piece of cake than in a chewy fiber bar?” I asked, a chewy fiber bar being my designated snack. Several people expressed the opinion that the chewy fiber bar probably had more calories, although I suspect they were being nice because they knew I wanted the cake.

“You should have the cake,” one fellow said. “You could die on the way home, and then you’ll wish you’d had the cake.”

“If I die on the way home,” I said, “I probably won’t be thinking about the cake; I’ll be thinking, ‘Dammit, I don’t want to die, I want to live!'”

He shook his head. “You’ll be looking at that tractor trailer coming towards you and you’ll say, ‘Why didn’t I have that cake?'”

I cut myself a small piece.

After a few minutes, I pointed out that the chewy fiber bar would have had the advantage of lasting longer. My co-workers helpfully pointed out the last piece of cake, repeating the advice about maybe I would die before morning.

I admit it, I ate the cake. It was yummy. Much yummier than the chewy fiber bar, which I ate the next day. Yes, as you have no doubt guessed, I did not die either on the way home nor during the night. I was even down a pound when I stepped on the scale the next morning. Let’s hear it for cake!

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Another Saturday Stroll

Posted on January 7, 2012 by mohawkvalleygirl

We have had a couple of pretty nice (for January) days, and I have taken the poocher for a couple of long strolls.

Saturday was not as warm as Friday, but still perfectly acceptable walking temperatures. We set off shortly after Steven had departed for work, me keeping an eye out for bloggable observations and Tabby keeping a nose out for interesting smells. We passed three mail carriers. We got a cheery greeting from two and a polite one from the other. Not bad.

We strolled down Prospect Street, and I looked at the distinctive old building that used to house H.M. Quackenbush’s corporate offices. It is a forbidding looking brick structure, a rectangle with stern corners and some embellishment at the windows and roof. I like embellishment. Why be plain? Except, of course, when you are going for that stark, minimalist look, which can also be very nice. I wish somebody would do something with the Quackenbush building. It seems a shame to let such a historic looking building go to waste.

Speaking of waste, we walked down Main Street past several closed businesses, some of which have been closed so long they no longer show any sign of what they used to be. I slid on the ice on the sidewalk in front of one. I jerked the leash straightening myself and got a “What?” look from Tabby. I reflected that if more businesses were open, no doubt some shopkeeper would be moved to keep the sidewalks cleared and safe.

Tabby did not pull me up to the door at Hummel’s for once. She pulled me to State Route 5, but I declined to cross it with her. Too much traffic for my tastes. We walked along Albany Street to Bellinger instead. When we got to Meyers Park (not Weller; had to think a minute, I often get those two confused. I think it’s the “er” sound) Tabby opted to walk along the sidewalk on the perimeter, which is unusual for her. Usually we walk through the park itself or pass it by entirely.

As we went by St. Frances de Sales Church, I said good morning to St. Frances. I said it in my head, though, because of course saints can hear you think. Somebody put a bright red scarf on the statue of St. Frances in front of the church, and there are red lights in the bushes on either side of the statue. It looks nice, and reminds me I need to find something to do with the box of scarves I’ve made the last couple of years. No sense in letting them go to waste like all the downtown buildings.

Tabby and I had a slight disagreement when we were a block from our house on the opposite side of the street. She always wants to jay walk while I insist we follow the crosswalks, even though the paint is almost completely gone. Something else I wish somebody would do something about. I know, I’m somebody. But can you see me getting white paint and painting the crosswalks? I can’t.

It was a nice walk, and I hope an acceptable blog post. I have plans for this afternoon. I may have an Ilion Little Theatre project to blog about soon. As always, stay tuned!

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Lame Grammar

Posted on January 7, 2012 by mohawkvalleygirl

This morning a guy reporting on sports said a team “could not rest on their previous laurels.” The expression is “rest on one’s laurels” and does not include the word “previous.” A laurel in this context is something you did well and were lauded for. All laurels, therefore, are previous. It is redundant to say so.

Welcome to Lame Post Friday. The only thing I can come up with today is certain things people say that bother me. I thought it might make a fun read, and it will certainly do me good to get some things off my chest.

One of my biggest peeves: Very unique. Nothing is very unique. It is unique or it is not unique. Unique does not mean the same thing as unusual. Something can be very unusual or even the most unusual. Unique means there is one. You can’t be the very only one. I know some people use the word “onliest,” but it is not really a word.

Unique even sounds better without the very. There is an ad for the Bank of Utica on television in which a man asserts, “Utica is unique.” I believe him. Actually, now that I think of it, the word “very” does not help in a lot of circumstances. Just find a better adjective.

Here’s another peeve: “different than.” The correct usage is “different from.” “Than” is for quantifiable comparisons: A is bigger than B. You can measure it. Different is qualitative, which is different from quantitative (see what I did just then?).

How about using “myself” when you mean “me.” “The committee consists of Harold, Caroline and myself.” People seem to think it sounds more formal, but it’s wrong.

I could go on to talk about there, their and they’re, or it’s vs its. However, those are only a problem in the written word. Today I’m being bothered by the spoken word. Perhaps on a future Lame Post Friday I shall tackle the written word. Actually, these days it’s usually typed, and that opens up a vista of initials, abbreviations etc. that make my head ACHE. Ah, something to look forward to. Happy Friday, everybody.

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Grate Potatoes on New Year’s Eve

Posted on January 6, 2012 by mohawkvalleygirl

I made potato pancakes for New Year’s Eve. I read that potato pancakes and latkes are the exact same thing, but I have always called them potato pancakes and will continue to do so.

I grated the potatoes mid-afternoon, so they would have plenty of time to drain. I put a colander in a big pot and brought the potatoes into the living room so I could continue to watch a movie while I grated. Normally I do my cooking chores in the kitchen. However, the first time I ever made potato pancakes, I grated the potatoes while watching Psycho with Steven. We were just dating at the time. It was romantic. Since then, I like to grate potatoes in front of the television. Saturday it was The Blair Witch Project, in case anyone is wondering. I do like to watch Halloween movies all year long.

I grated three large-ish potatoes and half a yellow onion. It is good to let the potatoes set for at least a couple of hours to let some of the potato juice drain off. When I was ready to start frying, I emptied the shredded potato and onion into a bowl, added an egg and some flour, then kept stirring it and adding flour till I liked the consistency. I thought about adding garlic but decided for once to cook without.

It was at this point I realized my cast iron frying pan was dirty. I bought this frying pan for $8.99 at Whites Hardware in Potsdam, NY in the late ’80s. I use it all the time and not to hit people with. Come to think of it, I could do a whole other blog post about what I had cooked in the pan that it was dirty from. Perhaps another day.

Anyways, I scrubbed the pan and fried the pancakes. I used canola cooking spray instead of actual oil, dropped the pancakes on by the spoonful, flattened them with a spatula, flipped them a couple of times and declared them done when I liked the way they looked. We put sour cream on them, which we had remembered to purchase. We had forgotten to purchase applesauce, so had to do without.

Steven and I discussed homemade applesauce, which his mother used to make and my mother made at least once and a niece of his made in a crock pot recently. It was nice to talk about but hardly practical for my New Year’s Eve menu. Perhaps at some future date. That would probably make a good blog post, especially if I used Mohawk Valley apples. I’ll have to check out area orchards. Stay tuned.

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New Year’s Movies

Posted on January 5, 2012 by mohawkvalleygirl

I thought it was time to stop writing posts about Christmas, but nobody said anything about New Year’s.

It would be nice to report that I did something really exciting, maybe involving a noted Mohawk Valley landmark or establishment. Alas, no. My husband had to work New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, so we planned a quiet evening at home. Left to my own devices during the day of New Year’s Eve, I did not do much but take the dog for a couple of walks. They were long walks and we enjoyed them, but nothing of particular note happened.

When Steven got home, we commenced the movie watching portion of the evening, usually our favorite part. We watched two New Year’s Eve movies: Sunset Boulevard and Mystery of the Wax Museum.

A note about how I categorize movies might be in order here. I call a movie a Christmas movie if the movie takes place on Christmas (Die Hard), has a scene or two during Christmas (LA Confidential), or even mentions Christmas (Almost Famous). The same rule applies for New Year’s. Also, since many of our New Year’s Eves have been spent watching movies, I have designated a few other movies New Year’s Movies, just for the sake of argument. Sunset Boulevard and Mystery of the Wax Museum are in the former category. In case anyone wants to know, the latter category includes Murder By Death, Sleepy Hollow (also known in our house as The Headless Everybody), and any Marx Brothers movie.

Sunset Boulevard is a delightful piece of Gothic art. Not a love letter to Hollywood, not exactly a poison pen letter… I’ll call it a love/hate letter. Gloria Swanson is wonderful as an aging silent film star who cannot accept the passage of time. Swanson was, of course, a silent film star, but from anything I’ve read about her, she aged gracefully, vibrantly and with an eye always on what she would do next. A pivotal event happens on New Year’s Eve. William Holden attends two very different parties: an elegant, surreal soiree for two, and a crowded, boisterous gathering of young folks. I can’t quite decide which I’d rather be at (not that anybody’s invited me to either kind, so I’m not too worried about it).

Mystery of the Wax Museum stars Fay Wray of King Kong fame. She gets to play a girl with a lot more character and spunk this time out. The movie opens New Year’s Eve 1933 and Wray’s job as a reporter is on the line if she can’t bring in a story. While chasing the story of a stolen corpse, Wray stumbles upon greater crime and terror. The movie was remade as House of Wax with Vincent Price in 1953, but without the Wray character and with no New Year’s connection.

After the movies, we peeked at the World’s Dumbest marathon on TruTV, then went to bed shortly after our midnight smooch. And now it’s 2012, and I have a whole year ahead of me for Mohawk Valley adventures.

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One More Post About Christmas

Posted on January 4, 2012 by mohawkvalleygirl

I hate to see the Christmas season end. I tried to stretch it out a little by playing Christmas music on Monday, and I was glad to hear a few songs I had not heard yet this season.

One was on a mix tape I happened to have in my truck (see previous post about how I like happy, peppy tunes, not ballady, emotional ones): The Count from Sesame Street singing “All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth” (or is it just “All I Want for Christmas”? But that opens up worlds of possibilities).

I’m not a huge fan of that song in general. I find the usual version, with the whiny kid whistling on every “th” and “s” sound, to be really annoying. The lyrics are fairly moronic, too. “Seems so long since I could say/Sister Susie sitting on a thistle.” OK, even assuming you have a sister named Susie, how often do you really have occasion to mention that she is sitting on a thistle? Even assuming she tends to do that sort of thing. I’m thinking it’s not usual. Oh, and he’d be so happy if he could only whistle. He makes a whistling noise every “s” he sings! How much damn whistling does he intend to do? I bet the kid in that song lost his two front teeth because somebody punched him in the face. Which just goes to prove that violence is not the answer.

Having said all that (I do go on, don’t I?), I like the Count’s version. For one thing, I love the Count. He’s fun, he’s a vampire, and he brings thunder and lightning wherever he goes. What’s not to like? His version of the song has an Eastern European swing to it. He even says at one point, “We love to dance in Transylvania!”

I would like to see a TV Christmas Special of the Count. They could call it “Christmas in Transylvania.” Maybe in 2012. In the meantime, I’ll pack away my Christmas music with a wistful smile and look for something else to blog about tomorrow.

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Christmas Carol Rant

Posted on December 26, 2011 by mohawkvalleygirl

I’ve actually ranted this rant a number of times. Most recently I went off on this stuff Christmas Eve, then said to my nieces they didn’t need to read my next blog post; they’d just heard it. The next day one niece asked if I had indeed blogged about it. I had not. So here it is.

I love Christmas music. I think it is one of the best things about the best time of year. I love Christmas music so much, sometimes it makes me cry. That said, I really REALLY HATE what some singers do to Christmas songs.

I like peppy, happy Christmas songs. I can be-bop to Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” all day long. I don’t like ballads in the best of times. And what I really can’t stand is a drawn out, slowed down ballad that you have no idea when it is ever going to end.

Singers, like all of us, can be self indulgent. Sometimes they indulge themselves with long, drawn out notes in ballady, emotional songs (my computer is telling be ballady is not a word, but I think it is descriptive). Sometimes they sing as if they are being paid by the hour, adding syllables where none existed or making the syllables that are there last way beyond their natural life.

I studied music in high school. I know that the different shaped notes mean you hold them for specific lengths of time: this note lasts a quarter beat, that note lasts two beats. How long a beat is may vary, but within those confines we have a specific rhythm which the songwriter intended. This is comforting to me. It means that a song, however many verses it may have, will eventually end. There is one — only one that I know of — symbol which placed over a note means you can hold it a little longer. This symbol usually is placed on one only one note in a song, often the last note. Many singers behave as if this symbol is over every damn note in the song.

I hate it! You never know when the song is going to end — you never even know when you are going to get to the next line! I listen to the song saying, “Get on with it! Go to the next note already!” I imagine there are songwriters turning over in their graves, or at least cringing as they cash their royalty checks.

This happens in music all the time, but I tend to notice it most often at Christmas. I believe it springs from a number of factors: I listen to music more at Christmas, and many Christmas songs tend to lend themselves to this sort of emotional self-indulgence. Christmas is an emotional time (hence my crying over Christmas songs).

One may ask, why am I being such a Scrooge or Grinch about this (choose your favorite fictional reference)? This person would say to me, “Let the singers sing how they want to sing! Some of us like to hear it that way!” Oh well, to each his own as the old lady said when she kissed the cow. If you like that sort of thing, listen away. You have plenty of opportunity. For myself, I will make some more mix tapes of my favorite peppy, happy tunes and dance and sing the rest of this Christmas time away. Happy days, all!

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Another Christmas Rant

Posted on December 22, 2011 by mohawkvalleygirl

I get a little stressed at Christmas time. There, I’ve said it.

I don’t like to admit it. I love Christmas, and I get a little impatient of the bah humbuggers. Of course, people have a right to like or dislike what they want. But that’s my point. If you don’t like Christmas, don’t celebrate it! I’m talking about all the nasty people crowding the stores. They have made themselves quite miserable and all to no purpose. I say enjoy Christmas! So I feel just a little hypocritical when I start to feel the pain myself.

My problem may be that I take things to an unhealthy extreme. I love Christmas so much, I feel I should be blissfully happy at all times from Thanksgiving through the Epiphany. This is not realistic. Sometimes I worry that I can’t be truly happy when it’s not Christmas. I know in my heart that’s not true, and I do realize it’s a little neurotic.

I feel stressed first because I usually plan my season with an overly optimistic estimation of my talents and capacities. I’ll make this present and this present. I’ll decorate this and attend these events and watch all my Christmas movies and listen to all my Christmas CDs (the last of which I have never done in one season; we have a lot of Christmas music). Then I start to feel down and I feel stressed because I’m not happy.

“Where’s your Christmas spirit?” that voice in my head yells. “This season only lasts a short time and you’ve got to enjoy ALL of it! Get happy NOW!”

Have you ever tried to order yourself to get happy? I can never make it work. Finally, a little common sense kicks in. I tell myself to just relax, feel what I feel and drive on. I look at my list of things to do and decide what I can realistically handle. Actually, sometimes I have to first make an actual list, which is a lot less intimidating than the never ending scroll that runs through my head. And I sing a Christmas carol for good measure.

So today I’m waiting for that common sense to kick in. I sang a few Christmas carols at work, and I may start writing that actual list. First on the list will be Write Wednesday’s Blog Post. Then I can get the ineffable satisfaction of crossing it off. Hope you’re enjoying your December.

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Snowman Rant

Posted on December 7, 2011 by mohawkvalleygirl

I suppose one could find a metaphor for life in my problem. One could say, with a philosophical shrug, you snooze, you lose. One could say sententiously that you have to take advantage of the good things in life when they are available, because you never know when they will be taken away from you.

Frankly, I think the last mentioned person is overstating the case, and is a trifle obnoxious to boot. We’re not talking about spending time with my parents or taking my dog for a walk (both of which I ought to do more often, but that’s another rant). It’s just… we want one of those plastic light up snowmen for the front of our house.

These plastic light up decorations have been around for as long as I can remember, which is pretty far back, because I have not lost my entire mind yet. My family never had one when I was growing up. For one thing, the guy that plowed our driveway used to pile all kinds of snow in our front yard. Great for minor sledding, King of the Hill and other fun in the snow. For decorating the front lawn, not so much. And we almost never used our front door, so there was no compelling reason to shovel the front porch and decorate that.

When Steven and I bought our house, we hung lights on the front porch for the holidays almost as a matter of course. I’m pretty sure we didn’t discuss “should we?” Actually, when it comes to Christmas the word “should” rarely arises, unless it’s a the sentence such as, “Of course we should; it’s Christmas!”

We got a plastic lighted Santa when I saw some that looked old fashioned. The one I picked looks similar to a Santa candle my Mom has had as long as I can remember (as I said: a long time). I surprised Steven with it one day when he was at work and I was off. I walked to the store and walked home with Santa under my arm and felt pretty cool doing it. We were content with our Santa for a number of years (probably five; who counts these things?), but this year, Steven suddenly conceived the desire for a snowman to keep Santa company. I liked the idea.

Do you think we can find a plastic light up snowman anywhere? Nobody has them! We’ve checked department stores, hardware stores, consignment stores, thrift stores, every place I could think of. It’s all huge blow up things or wire with little bulbs. Both very nice in their own way, I suppose, but Not What I Want. One place had two plastic light up decorations: Snoopy and a penguin. Neither is right as a companion for our Santa.

As to why we did not buy a snowman when they were readily available, I have no reason. It never occurred to me to want one till Steven suggested it this year. And now I WANT one!!! And it’s not like I want one only because we can’t find one: we got the idea before we started looking.

A voice in my head says, “It’s no fair!” A singularly useless observation. We all know that Christmas is not fair. Look at all the rotten brats that get lots of great presents. And some well behaved angels get crap. OK, I don’t personally know any well behaved angels (I’m certainly not one), but I’ve heard.

I can’t even make a real snowman, because there isn’t any snow. I’ve only made about three snowmen in my life. The most memorable was when I was a little girl. I needed my Mom’s help, because I rolled the snowballs too big. I named him, with no sense of irony, Mr. Snowman. He lasted a long time, especially since my little brother (no angel himself) did not knock him down.

We will not have a completely snowman-less Christmas. We have, in fact, a rather extensive collection of indoor snowmen. And it may snow so I can try my hand again. But for the rest of my life, I’m afraid I will recall 2011 as The Year We Couldn’t Find a Plastic Light Up Snowman.

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Blog, Blog, Blog

Posted on November 19, 2011 by mohawkvalleygirl

It’s back by popular demand (mine): Lame Post Friday!

I guess many of my posts lately have been fairly random. Too much overtime to allow for real Mohawk Valley adventures. But, as I often point out, I’m trying to post every day, so I reserve the right to be a little self indulgent.

Blogging is a pretty self-indulgent medium anyways. Nobody asks us to blog (actually, I encouraged one sister to start a blog, but she hasn’t yet). We just think if we put our words out there, somebody will like to read it. Sometimes we’re right. And I think some of us are inspired by stories of people who started with a blog and ended with a book deal. Hey, it could happen to us (I buy lottery tickets, too).

I’m sure there are purists out there who disapprove of blogging. After all, we’re not paying our dues. We’re not professionals. We didn’t get a dozen or a thousand rejection slips before we published our blog. And I believe there are some slimy blogs out there. Bloggers who tout their opinions as fact or offer as irrefutable fact something they just now made up. Or stole from another slimy blog. When commentators disparagingly refer to the blogosphere going crazy about this or that, I believe that is what they are referring to.

Of course, there are other kinds of blogs that do not call for disparagement. Some people blog about trips abroad or new babies or loved ones dealing with terrible health crises. Some people blog about their passion or hobby or area of expertise. Some people blog about their personal events or thoughts, because they think it’s fun or they want to share.

In fact, the more I think about it, the more I think: don’t be so hard on blogs! So what if blogs are sometimes a little self indulgent? If some of us want to put our words out there, let us. Read us or don’t. Oh, hell, I guess I don’t even care if you want to criticize me or make fun of me. My family and friends have been doing it for years.

Well, that was an interesting stream of consciousness, or train of thought, or whatever if was. To me, anyways. I feel kind of happy that Lame Post Friday is back.

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