Malone and I do lunch every couple of months or so. We Syracuse bloggers have to stick together, I figure. Besides, I’ve come to more and more admire the way the mind of this guy works, this fellow who writes The Infinite Abyss(es) here on WordPress as well as The Inevitable Coffee Ring on Tuesdays and The Espresso Shot on Thursdays over at the Syracuse New Times, the same site for which I toil to produce film review and news blogs on Mondays and Thursdays.
I send out the initial email. (Hint-hint, young Christopher.) He doesn’t look. I put a comment on his blog. He comments back and reminds me of the more technologically advanced ways in which he can be reached. (Hint-hint, old Mark.) And thus we meet and eat, and talk about writing and our city and employment search statuses and all sorts of interesting topics.
This week he chose The Brooklyn Pickle, arguably Syracuse’s finest maker of sandwiches and soup, not to mention a potato knish I sometimes bow to and the freshest dill pickle chips, which I always ask for in black plastic side cup because then they always give you more than when they enclose them in the white paper wrap.
I chose to bring up the topic of our common blogging friend Sandra, whome I knew we both consider to be missing in action too much and too long. I came equipped to take a shot — three shots, literally — at luring her back to post again.
Chris Malone makes his plea.
Malone misses the beautiful photography and words of her blog Square One Notes.
I make my case to the blogger I consider my little sis.
Sandra tells me that we come from the Bialdez family, a West Coast/East Coast, Mexican/Polish hybrid. So I make the case for mi hermanita.
Sandra can turn our frowns upside down with a week’s worth of posts. Are we getting greedy?
And while we were leaving, we knew it was time for Malone and Bialczak to make their photographic debut together for the cause, forlorn-selfie style beside the Brooklyn Pickle brick.
We understand busy and life and all of this, Sandra, we really do. Of course this is all meant in fun. But I know we’re not the only bloggers on the WordPress block who miss having you around. Some have asked me of your whereabouts. So I have a pretty good feeling some of them will prove it with comments below.
In any case, Happy December out there in California to you and Erik and Little Flower Oliva!
I’ll pick the post where Sandra drank too much wine with Erik at a family wedding reception and gave us the great before and after photos. What’s your favorite Square One Notes post, and why? Sandra loves listing her fave bands and songs. What’s a sad song to describe your reaction to the non-Square One Notes period? What’s your happy song to coax Sandra out for a post?
Mark Bialczak 
Pingback: The Square One Bialdez Abyss | Square One Notes
How cool to actually be able to meet another blogger like that. No, seriously, I would be so pleased to have a HUGE wordpress hangout with all the people we all know on here. OK so I don’t think we will find a coffee shop big enough, but still… imagine! 😀
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I do imagine that when I dream of winning the Megamillions and the bash I will throw, Belinda. You will RSVP yes, I hope. It is going to have to be one large place for us all to fit in, you are so right. 🙂
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I would want to be there like a bear!! lol! You know what, just to make it easier for everyone – just hire out a stadium and put on some awesome bands 😛
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That would be a lot of plane tickets to buy, Belinda!
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I s’pose… 😉
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Okay, for my favorite Happy Song, I gotta go with anything by The Partridge Family. You can’t listen to them and not smile! LOL! But if you meant something CURRENT, my favorite Happy Song is “Marry You” by Bruno Mars. And the reason is this: http://www.kptv.com/story/18628052/live-lip-dub-marriage-proposal I can’t watch that and not be happy! But honestly, Mark, if your AWESOME photos above don’t coax her back to us, then I don’t think a song will help. COME ON BACK, SANDRA! Mark and Chris worked hard on this! 😀
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C’mon, Get Happy! Oh, the Patrridges. My youth. Yikes, Rachel. And Bruno Mars and that video. Thanks loads more, Rachel. You rock.
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Wasn’t that the BEST proposal EVER? It makes me laugh and cry at the same time!
I always play The Partridge Family when I’m in a down mood. That always makes me smile. Have you ever seen David in concert? I think he lives up there by you now, doesn’t he?
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I have not seen DC in concert, Rachel. I will have to investigate if he indeed is an upstate New Yorker, but somehow the Woodstock area/Hudson Valley is ringing a faint memory bell!
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Hmm… I know he and his wife sold (or were selling) their Ft. Lauderdale house when she filed for divorce last year. And I believe his most recent DUI was IN upstate NY, though I don’t know if he LIVED there at the time. I’ve got a friend who plays guitar for him. I’ll ask him.
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Shonky … what i meant was you 2 guys look a lot like our used car salesmen, when they have not had a ciggie break or badly dressed undercover cops.
Dill pickle chips. mmm interesting!! we have 2 of the worlds largest growers of dill pickles ( cucumbers) here in oz… Is that place been on Chow Masters yet?love watching that show because of the huge portions of food you americans eat.
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OK, I will go with Shonky for us, indeed, Louise! I don’t think Brooklyn Pickle has been on Chow Masters. But we Americans do love to eat. I confess to it.
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So…..it’s possible if one disappears from WP we might get two handsome fella’s looking quite depressed to beg us to come back??????
I will hop over and check out this blog on you and your sad looking friend’s words alone. Well, and your pathetic faces. 😦
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I would do this for you, Colleen. Or go west and knock on your door. How scary would this face be live? 😦 Keep posting, keep posting.
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Hahahahahahahaha! Honestly? I don’t think it would scare me at all. I think I would burst out laughing!!!!!!!!!!!!1
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You have just put my tail between my legs, Colleen. Whimper.
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😉 I highly suspect that if I opened the door to find your face (and Dear Wife Karen’s) and I burst out laughing…YOU would burst out laughing. And the day would be perfect. 🙂
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Yes it would. Indeed!
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Yesterday you mentioned Maine and today it’s Brooklyn. It’s like this blog is speaking directly to me! 🙂
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Now I feel like eating Chinese food, too. Go figure, Austin. 🙂
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It’s weird how that works. 🙂
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It all sounds delicious, loved the photo, Mark! I am going off to see the movie, “Everything is Relative” about Stephen Hawking’s younger life. I am fascinated by his genius and enjoy my good old Bill, who is First Friday’s ‘date’ once a month…. Hope you have a marvelous weekend, Mark!! (and Ellie B. and Karen, too. . . oh and daughter and son in law…)
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Have a good date with good, old Bill, Robin. I passed on that movie. I hope you enjoy Hawking’s genius!
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There are many kinds of food I don’t like but I understand why other people would like it. But dill pickles? I can’t figure that one out… But the egg salad and olive on pumpernickel sounds wonderful and it’s lunch time!
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I think everyone born in Brooklyn automatically likes dill pickles, Roslyn. Maybe our moms used them iinstead of pacifiers or something. 😦
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Great pictures Mark!
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Thank you, Colleen. Two hams after eating sandwiches. 🙂
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That is the best kind! 🙂
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iHermano mio, Bialdez! And my east coast music twin! This post made me misty eyed. Some day I would love to meet up with you both at that lunch spot. I don’t see why that can’t happen. I miss you lots! I’m so thankful for friends like you. You know I love to play music games! Here are my choices
-Sad: Patience, Guns n Roses
-Happy: Roadhouse Blues, The Doors “Keep your eyes on the road, your hand upon the wheel.”
Now please excuse me while I go and knock the dust off my blog.
Tu hermanita
xoxo
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Success! Sandra, mi hermanita, we have a sighting. Guns n Roses and The Doors, I expected greatness and I got it. 🙂 But how about some Natalie or 10,000 Maniacs for old time’s sake? 😮
You, me and Malone will meet, don’t you just know it. ❤
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I will have to check your two buddies out Mark. It’s so nice that you look after other bloggers like you do. No wonder you have such a great rep on here! 🙂
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We have to be strong together, Jackie P. We are a unique group, writers are!
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so true! 🙂
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What a sweet post! I enjoyed reading this.
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Thank you, PJ!
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mark – so glad you are trying to get sandra back to her blog – I have missed her (as you know!). In that last photo you look a little scary to me. A photo like that would get me blogging again pronto!
Well done for figuring out how to get as many dill pickle chips as you can. Are they anything like the dill pickles we get in MacDonalds?
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They are like those McDonald’s dill slices, Rachel, except cold and crisp and with more dill bite to them!
And yes, I put on my best scary face for the photo, indeed.
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very impressive scary face! The dill crisps sound delicious.
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Rachel, I have missed you too dear pal! I’m trying to get back into the swing of things. Hearing encouragement from friends like you is moving. Thanks so much!! xoxo
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It’s always fun looking out for fellow writer/blogger pals. Lunch is always a great go-to. Brooklyn Pickle is always a wonderful place to grab a bite and catch up as well. Great post, Mark. I’ll see you soon!
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Yes, Malone, onward we march!
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what fun you are having with your bloggy friends, Mark 😉 (sorry, “bloggy” not very manly) I would like to lunch at your Pickle spot. Creative and clever are you both. Though a shot of your food would have been nice 😉 What did you have to eat?
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Oh, the food went fast, Liz. I had egg salad and olive on pumpernickel with a cup of chicken noodle, and I don’t even remember what Chris had, and that’s why I left the sandwich details out of the post!
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Reblogged this on Martha Keim-St. Louis' blog and commented:
This is one of my favorite bloggers-who-are-local
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Nice to read about more area bloggers
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I miss her, too! Come sing with us again, Sandra. “Sandy, can’t you see–I’m in misery?…”
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Your voice sounds so good calling for Sandra to come back out to play in our sandbox, Kerbey. I knew you’d have your toes in quickly. 🙂
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This is so sweet. I do miss you WP friends. False start a while back, gonna try again to reboot the mission of being a better pal. xoxo
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Okay, so Monday you can talk about your current favorite TV show, on Tuesday you can give your opinions on green chiles (I’m eating hatch chiles right now), on Wed your favorite band in 1994 for a 20 yr throwback, on Thurs the cutest thing your daughter did lately, and on Fri your favorite Christmas song. Off you go now.
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Yes, Sandra, exactly what Kerbey has drawn up for week one, and then freestyle a little wiggle room on your own. 🙂
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Nice dedication to your blogging buddies. Think I’m gonna like it here.
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I sure hope so, Marissa. And a blog by a self-proclaimed Rock n Roll Mom. Your place rules Thunder Road, too.
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Why thank you Mark!
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Aww. Sandra make those two smile, please. 🙂
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Thanks, Aud, for adding your two-smile-cents. 🙂
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I have to check, but I think she has been MIA from Instagram recently.
I want to hug you both now…for looking out for my PunkRockSister and because you look so sad in that last picture.
I love all of her pictures, with or without her stories added to them.
Sad song: OK, not sad but slower is “I Want You Around” by The Ramones. Because I want her around!
Happier song: Well, upbeat tune at least, “Here Comes Your Man” by The Pixies.
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I knew you’d be here and pitching in, Sheena. Her photos are art. Simple as that. And great song choices, my friend. 🙂
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PunkRockSis! Yet again, I love these choices of yours. I need to be a better pal/sis and get back in touch. It’s been a rocky road. Not the tasty kind. I hope you’re well. Hugs
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No rush and no worries. You know where I am in different places whenever you get a chance or if you need anything.
(((HUGS)))
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Mark, I can’t believe how different you look when you don’t smile!
C’mon Sandra – get blogging and turn those frowns upside down!
Diana xo
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Different face muscles, I guess! Thanks, Diana.
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This was fun! Now I have to follow Malone and Sandra and see what’s up!
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Ah, wait until you see his dating frustrations and her glorious and artful photos of California!
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Such pitiful expressions! They look like they’ve been sentenced to the chair!
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Chris is a member of Syracuse Improv. I don’t know what my excuse is, Thorton!
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You guys are the best!!! Love to both you and Mr. Malone!
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We have to stick together. We’d do the same for you, you know, darling. Thanks, Helena.
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Chris and I discovered a mutual love of music several months ago and we occasionally trade banter on Twitter and elsewhere. He generously let me guest post on his blog as well. A gentleman and an excellent writer. You, Mark, well, the jury’s still out on you, darling. =)
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I remember the guest post, Helena. If that means anything. 😮
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=D
Hey, just enduring Upstate NY winters endears you to me, darling. It takes a special kind of man to make it through that.
And I always look for your smiling face whenever I post anything — I know you’re always there!
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I am, indeed, through many chapters and more than one author, my friend. And it’s worth it. 🙂
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what a coupla shonky looking dudes.. sure your not auditioning for austins black ops crew?? hope you had g8 time
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Thank you, I think, Louise. Shonky? Please explain. 🙂
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Forlorn? More like mug shots!
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No horizontal stripes or blaze orange!
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