The Rock shows his sensitive side, and it’s a nice touch

When his part in the reshooting of “Fast and Furious 7” was completed, The Rock gathered the filming crews around him and had somebody take a shot with his phone, or iPad, or something like that. Anyway, it was a personal moment for the world-famous big man, because soon enough, Dwayne Johnson posted the photo…

I dreamed of Genies

I see the signs and the stores when my dear wife Karen and I drive through our state of New York into Pennsylvania. Fireworks for sale. I have regularly looked over to one particular emporium of boom from our usual McDonald’s and wondered what was in the aisles, I must admit. Then one time, on…

Syracuse Chiefs win on the field, now the fans should follow

The season of baseball promise fulfillment continues on the north side of Syracuse. On Saturday night, my dear wife Karen and I went out to NBT Bank Stadium with a whole bunch of her co-workers at the Syracuse Media Group. The company that publishes The Post-Standard, syracuse.com and the glossy magazine bought section 118, reserved…

Paul Russo was a jazz guy who wanted everybody to be, too

If jazz music in Syracuse was part of your life, you knew Paul Russo. The man made certain of that. The Syracuse native loved the style of music to its heart and his core. His son Craig played Latin jazz, put out albums. His brother Victor taught jazz, won awards as educator of the year.…

Diamonds in my dreams

We stepped off the top step at NBT Bank Stadium Saturday and I looked across the concourse and out over the beautiful green grass. It hit me again. Every time time I go to a baseball game at a professionally kept field or watch a major league game on TV. I have lawn pattern envy.…

Why did I hate the 4th Transformers? Let’s start with …

As I walked to my seat in the Destiny USA Syracuse theater for the “Transformers: Age of Extinction” Friday matinee, I noticed a whole lot of parents with young kids sitting on both sides of them. I couldn’t help but keep noticing as I settled in for the four, five, six, seven trailers. The little…

Gopher gone, we have a lovesick dog

As we settle into the second day full day of the separation of Ellie B aka Dogamous Pyle and the backyard gopher, the sniffing and scratching continues. And my beloved 3 1/2-year-old rescue mutt looks up at me with puppy dog eyes again and seems to say: Where did my furry friend go? On Saturday,…

Bye gopher, don’t come back now, ya’ hear

Broccoli, cantaloupe and watermelon. The Syracuse-based animal control guy knew his gopher bait. Within three hours of our phone conversation today, our backyard nemesis wandered into our humane trap, and the June nightmare, the battle of wits, the terrorization of Ellie B aka Dogamous Pyle, was over. The furry was stuck inside the bars and…