A Valentine’s Day story about a dog and a bird

My Valentine’s Day started with an Ellie B aka Dogamous Pyle clamor. Bed to floor to French doors to bed to my face. Get. Up. Da! I know the language of our beloved 4-year-old rescue mutt well. The 7:30 a.m. door-open resulted in a quicker exit than usual, and Ellie B scampered haphazardly around the…

A party to celebrate 2 years of spreading Syracuse music

Mark Turley and Nicholas Oliver have a passion for the Syracuse music scene that comes from making art their own way. Do It Yourself, or DIY, as the acronymists of the world like to say. For almost 20 years, Turley has played in bands and Oliver has taken pictures, created art and collected vinyl albums.…

So about this Syracuse snow

I know the snow that’s fallen in the last three or four days cannot compare to the way in which my blogging friends Ann Koplow and Austin Hodgens in Boston and Bangor have been blasted this winter. And besides, our winter-of-2014-15 fate had been relatively tame except for some early December storms until now. But…

Eli Cook will drive from Virginia to spread his vision of the modern blues

Eli Cook will point his vehicle north come two weekends from now and be excited about meeting new people. The solo trip from Virginia to Syracuse won’t be so bad when there’s a guitar in the back, songs in your heart and the tradition of a style of music to modernize and keep alive. And…

Ellie B and I are the only ones who give a hoot

Walking with Ellie B aka Dogamous Pyle through a winter snow in our Syracuse city neighborhood of Eastwood’s nearby Norwood Park, we noticed something sitting on a backyard post just past a fence separating us and it. I pulled Ellie B through the snow to the fence to better see the bird. Ellie B pulled…

Althea’s a team player (and New Fuji’s more tasty than Yummy)

At the latest installment of my Vanity Appointment, my good friend Theresa Constantine pinned me down to the specific night. “You and your dear wife Karen meet me, David and Althea at New Fuji Buffet on Erie Boulevard at 6:30,” my hair and beard stylist implored. “I’ve got coupons.” Indeed we did. It had been…

If winter is what you’ve got, why not throw a big party

There’s a new baby on the Syracuse festival scene. On Feb. 20 at the Palace Theatre on James Street comes the Snow Plow Blues Festival. If you want to read about the who-is-coming and why-is-this-happening, the event is the subject of my column today for my weekly community blog on Syracuse Public Media site waer.org.…

A mix of big time, little city at Syracuse Area Music Awards get-together

Joe Whiting stood at the podium in front of the asssembled and interested folk in the Palace Theatre on Syracuse’s James Street this morning, a quite capable and appropriate choice to fill them in on the 2015 Hall of Fame class and list of nominees for the Sammys ceremonies that will take place March 5…

Snow way that’s right

My dear wife Karen took the day off from work today, so she scheduled a nail appointment for Ellie B aka Dogamous Pyle for 10 a.m. Yeah, our beloved rescue mutt does not like getting the paw nails clipped, so we take her to the vet every couple of months for the chore. It’s better…

Souper Bowl IC

This was my dinner so I could get out quickly for my Thursday night bowling league, what with my dear wife Karen having plans to dine out right from work with her friend Marie without stopping at our beloved Little Bitty in the Syracuse City neighborhood of Eastwood. One can of condensed Vegetable Alphabet soup,…