Whaddya know, the sky is falling

The news folks like to talk about snow in Syracuse, N.Y. How much are we going to get? How much have we gotten? How much of this have I heard since I moved here in August of 1983? Plenty. After all, Syracuse is the snowiest top 100 population city in the United States. And so…

The Big Short comes up long on smarts and entertainment

Remember that teacher you had for the subject that was more than tad past your grasp but somehow, day after day, came up with a way to punctuate the classroom with enough street oomph to not only keep your head in the game but make you go home with a stake in the overall picture?…

A low noon January sun casts a gray tone in Syracuse

A noontime errand to the main drag of James Street in my Syracuse city neighborhood of James Street coaxed me to pull the iPhone 6 from my pocket. The low-riding almost-mid-January sun mixed with herringbone clouds carried an almost monochromatic tone to the day. A traffic light allowed a small signal of red as a…

A snowy start to the new year

We’ve had it so easy so far weather-wise in our Syracuse city neighborhood of Eastwood. So I dare not complain about the snow falling the first morning of 2016. In fact, with less than a quarter-foot having graced the grounds of the Little Bitty so far when normally some 30 inches have accumulated in Syracuse…

Moon rise, sun set

As we enter the first day of 2016, I offer a set of photographs I captured with my iPhone 6 the night before Christmas just outside the Little Bitty here in the Syracuse city neighborhood of Eastwood. Elisabeth and George Three had just arrived for our celebration, carrying in their arms full of presents. While…

Syracuse celebrates with the Kingsnakes for Blue Wave’s 30th anniversary

Greg Spencer threw a party to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the union of the record label he started from his home in Baldwinsville and a pretty impressive band from the city of Syracuse, and the Syracuse showed up to party in a big way Sunday night at The Palace Theatre on James Street. “My…

Jennifer Lawrence mops up again in Joy, but don’t let the title fool you

Let’s get one thing straight right away. Joy is not so much a happy movie at its core. Oh, the mostly-taken-from-the-life of entrepreneur Joy Mangano story directed and co-written by David O. Russell (with the help of Bridesmaids writer Amy Mumolo) indeed follows the journey of the harried woman as struggles to take her idea…

Oh, happy day

Elisabeth and George Three figured out the perfect way to keep Ellie B aka Dogamous Pyle from acting like a lap dog upon their arrival at the Little Bitty in the Syracuse city neighborhood of Eastwood. They handed over her Christmas present. Peace on earth for the rest of us that Christmas Eve visit as…

A dress-up party at the Landmark feels right

We skipped my dear wife Karen’s office party last year. For some reason. Saturday night we put on the nice clothes, drove the 3 1/2 miles downtown from the Little Bitty in the Syracuse city neighborhood of Eastwood, and mixed and mingled with her co-workers from the Syracuse Media Group in the beautifully restored Landmark…

OK, now I understand Star Wars, Obi-Wan Kenobi

Buy it, my dear wife Karen said. And so, the Friday that so many folks around America were flocking to theaters to be awakened by The Force, thanks to Amazon Prime we sat in the living room of the Little Bitty in the Syracuse city neighborhood of Eastwood and watched Star Wars: The New Hope…