Boilermaker

I've never been more proud to live in and be a Utican. I volunteered this year for the first time. I got up at 5:30 Sunday and left my house at 6:45 - on my bike. Every road near my house is closed for the Boilermaker, but at least I can ride my bike. So I rode up to the golf course and the DPW - found my friend Brenda. We got our shirts, got all of our cups of ice ready - 2-3 deep covering the table. Everyone talked about how they always run out of ice, and most of these people have been doing this for 15 years or so. We had a demonstration of how to handle the cups so as not to make the runners fight for them or get soaking wet. It was funny - but important too.

The wheelchairs started at 7:30am and the runners started at 8:00 am. The first wheelchair was just a little after 8 (I think ) and then the elite runners were around 8:15 - it's poetry in motion watching them. They don't even look at the water or the ice! LOL!

As the rest of the pack came through we all yelled "Ice, Ice, Ice" - you don't want a runner to grab a cup from you thinking they are getting water and they instead end up with a chipped tooth or choking. So for about an hour and 30 minutes that's what we did. The runners that got ice - 90% of them said "Thanks" - which I found amazing because they are so focused on running! Then you get those who thank you for volunteering! I just did it because I can't run and want to be a part of the excitement, the action, the camaraderie.

But here is the best part of all. I went down to the Brewery for the post Boilermaker party, I'd never been there before so I was curious. It was awesome - huge - totally cool and lol - "smelly"! I mean it in a funny way - but you have 10,000 or so people who have been running - you have the sun beating on them, add some beer and it's going to smell a little. I was walking around, ran into a few people that I know and talked to them and then I ran into a family from Albany. They saw my volunteer shirt and asked me where to find Tomato Pie! My mind blanked! I could not think of a place that would have it on hand on a Sunday morning! How horrible! But then I remembered Roma's and my friend S - who's husband works there. I got Roma's number and was able to give them directions to it from Schuyler street. It was a blast to try and help them. But then the wife said to me that she was very impressed with Utica and Uticans! "The Boilermaker", she said, "is one of the best organized and friendliest races that she has ever been a part of". This made me very proud to be from Utica! Utica gets a lot of bad publicity and stupid comments - but it is a great place to live, work and be proud of!

Thank you to all who volunteered, participated in and worked at the Boilermaker! Every year I am amazed by the great stories I hear of people helping others and just the whole 'family' feeling that the race invokes in people.

Utica Rocks!

Before... and After...

This is my garage. It doesn't match my house at all. My house was sided by my brother in a beautiful sage green a few years ago. Well - with the way things have been the last few years we never painted or did anything with the garage so it's really just been an eyesore. Plus the roof leaked and it was dark and dank inside. The garage is 20x20 feet and my back yard is maybe 40x30 so we didn't have a lot of space.



This is in the middle of after! This is a friend of my brother's who could make this machine do anything. They had the garage down in 5 minutes. Wooo Hooo! and then they brought in some dirt so that it could be flattened out. They also took out all of the asphalt - we now have a beautiful BIG lawn (well, big for a small lot).

This is the final after. We're going to plant grass in quite a bit of it. Then in the back there is going to be a garden. My mom's friend actually told her some veggies that we can plant now even though it's later in the season. We have a lot more work to do, but my brother and his friends really did a fantastic job on this. Thanks Dannie!

It's been awhile!

I've been thinking about what to write. The weather has been incredible, my yard looks better than it has in a long time because my mom is spending so much time out there planting, moving, and cleaning up. She found a couple of Jack in the Pulpit plants - now I had never seen one so I didn't get it at all. She told me that they are endangered and a protected plant and lady who used to own our house was very good about planting and gardening - so she must have put these guys in years ago. Mom says they are the oldest ones she has ever seen - they are quite large. Now I just read about them in the wiki and they look like they are dangerous too if handled incorrectly. LOL!

My cat has it all figured out...

He is out all night with his 'kitty friend' Sweetie from the next street over. She is very pretty and sweet - and has Mr. Sissy pants Einstein completely cowed. For a few days he wouldn't go out when she was on the porch, now he will and they do the whole nose to nose thing. Einstein has to tow the line or she swats him. I digress, he comes in after prowling all night and while I read the paper he curls up next to me but when I get up to go upstairs to get ready for work he goes to the bench in the dining room and curls up. This is his new favorite place.

Wildlife in the weirdest places...

I had to go to Rome to attend a wake on Wednesday. When I left there I headed to Walmart in Rome - I usually only go to the North Utica and New Hartford ones so I figured I would go somewhere new. I parked my car and there was Momma and Poppa goose and their babies...Poppa goose was very protective, thank goodness I didn't seem to ruffle his feathers but there were a couple of other geese that got a tad too close and he was not putting up with that at all...

This is how my spring has been so far - scattered... I have ADD - the adult variety - I start one thing and that leads to another and another and another and it never ends and I NEVER finish anything!

There are some great things coming up. July Fourth celebrations in Utica are in a new place. I won't actually be here - going camping on Seneca Lake! Woo Hooo!

I'll be posting more tomorrow as I'm going to try my hand at 100 Miles of Nowhere! Not sure that I'll be going too far but it should be fun! Plus I have the t-shirt!

H.R. Jones and Hughes Elementary Schools

The Genesis group and the Hugh R. Jones Elementary and John F. Hughes Elementary schools had a Career Exploration Program for the 5th graders. They put this on at Jones Elementary - and bussed over the 5th graders from Hughes. There were 130 (approximately) students involved - my main thought about this whole thing would be that I would have an incredible headache and lots of stories (not good ones) to tell my co-workers.

Not so... These children were FANTASTIC! They were interested, they asked questions, they didn't interrupt, they wanted to know more. My group was made up of 5 professionals - we had about 5 minutes each to tell the kids what we do and how we got to where we are, etc. There was me - the computer geek, Kara - a licensed dietitian from the NYS Beef Council, Joe B - a retired teacher, mortician, truck driver, author, etc. Mr. J (can't remember his first name) - a prosthetist and orthotist, and Mike K - an editor from the OD. We all had different stories, but I think that we were able to get the kids to understand that you have to learn, work and never quit to do what you love.

So - Utica Elementary Schools are doing something right. The kids were interested, well behaved, and the teachers were fantastic. For someone who gets stressed out with too many kids running around - I didn't have any issues! Woo Hoo!

Thank you to Genesis Group and Ray D'Urso for all that you do for the Mohawk Valley.

My favorite app in the whole world!

That's my MacBook sitting in front of my iMac on my very messy desk. I have some things that I work on exclusively on my laptop - and so I like to put it on my desk in front like in the picture. Here is where I was going insane. I would try and use the mouse on the laptop to control the iMac - or worse yet I'd try and use the keyboard to control the iMac - can't do it! NOT! My co-worker was in here last week and said "There is an app for that!"

I was stunned, "No way!" - well Ladies and Gentlemen there is an app for that! Woo Hoo! It's called Teleport, it's so easy to use and free! Of course it's a Mac application so to all you Windows users - Get a Mac! (or two or three!).

I set up my laptop as the 'controller' and 'shared' my iMac - so I just use both computers from my laptop and have so much fun! Even while working! Can you believe it?!
Okay - too much coffee today. We got a Keurig and drinking coffee has become addicting!

Oh - you probably want to know how it works! Not the Keurig - the Teleport.

After installing, you set up one of your computers to share and the other to be the controller. In this case - my laptop, the smaller of the two is the controller and I just move my mouse out to the upper right corner and it goes into my iMac - the one I set up to be shared. I could feasibly do this to my coworkers computers and drive them insane when their mice start moving in other directions - LOL - but I would need a camera or something so I could control the mouse better. :)

Ok - so this post isn't about Utica - exactly. But I guess it is, because I am lucky enough to work at a company that allows me to play with new apps - learn new things and let me 'play' and have fun sometimes.

Update on the Cleanup!

I just spoke to Jim Z - who is meeting people at the corner of Sunset and the Arterial next to Carl's Furniture at 8:30am. There is a 'kick-off' at City Hall at 8:00am tomorrow and then people will head out to their areas to clean.
Anyway - I told Jim I was looking forward to getting the area up by Burrstone cleaned up - LOL - Wrong thing to say! I'll be heading down that way with a crew! So keep an eye out for me! I'm the one with the Toastmasters bumper sticker on my car! Plus I'll have tools for digging and trimming too!
I'm meeting Jim at Carl's Furniture then I'll head further south on the Arterial to get more of the area cleaned up. It's going to be a wonderful day and Utica deserves a clean up!

April 7 != SNOW!

For those who don't do java, c++, PHP - != means not equal.

It's April 7 - it should be raining or sunshiny - not snowy. Of course my mom loves to remind me that it has been known to snow in May! Well - I am here now and now I want it to stop snowing. It's been going all day - but now (I just looked out the window) the bloody stuff is sticking.

Elden had a post last week showing a picture of snow out his window - wondering when he was ever going to get to ride his new bike.

And Ree was talking about the whopper storm that was heading their way last week ( I tried to find the exact post but couldn't). But check out her site! She is all around everything.

I know that spring is here - and winter is just trying to hang on a little more. It's just got me in a funk....

Seth Horan Part II

The first time I heard/saw Seth Horan play was in 2001/2002 at Virgo Bat & Leo Phrog's on Genesee Street in Utica. He plays a bass guitar and sings - and does it in a way that it just unforgettable. He manages to get notes out of that bass that I've never thought possible AND the way he plays it sounds as though he has percussion as well.

Every time that Seth was in town after that first meeting I went to hear him play - well as often as school and work would allow. I bought all of his CD's and even had a couple of email conversations with him. Yes, this is leading somewhere....

The last time I went to see him, he had van trouble in NYC (or in that vicinity) and didn't make it. I haven't had the opportunity to see him again in 4+/- years. He got married, lives in Vegas, is all over Europe playing and it just didn't happen.

Then last night...he finished playing. I went over and said, "I don't know if you remember me?" and he said he did and gave me a big hug. Now I will admit that I figured he "thought" he remembered me but just figured he was saying yes... But, he really remembered me, it meant a lot to me. He mentioned the email address/yahoo id that I used to email him from and it stunned me. This isn't about "he remembered me", this is about what a genuine, talented, very nice man that Seth is, and how that really comes across in what he sings and plays.

I sincerely hope for the best for Seth and his wife. They are moving to California soon.

Here are a couple of places to look for information on Seth and hear some of his music.
Reverb Nation - with some of his songs

Wiki information on Seth

These following songs are newer ones and mellow compared to Something Pretty and Conduit. I love the second one, I heard it for the first time last night. I hope you enjoy!







This one isn't the full song, but it shows how he can get a lot of sound out of the bass.

Good morning !

I woke up this morning to 4 more inches of snow! LOL the weather people aren't getting it right this year - that or I don't hear the updates! We had a good melt off last weekend - but now we are covered up again. It took me three trips outside to get it all shoveled. I was too lazy (I know it makes no sense) to get the snowblower out. Actually sometimes just shoveling allows me to just listen to what's going on outside - otherwise the snowblower is so loud that I can't think of anything!

Happy New Year!

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Fall is coming...

I have been trying to ignore the signs for awhile now, but my neighbors tree is turning fast. It's only the 13th!?!?!? I still have to get out and mow, but haven't had the urge. Cooking waffles right now for mom and I, then we have little things that need to get done.

I noticed the other morning that the city parks are getting spruced up, there was an article in the OD about it today. Of course the OD always has to add a spark of pissiness to everything and got the former Mayor Ed Hanna all cranked up that his name wasn't in all the places it had been before. Just leave it alone - Holy Cow - the city is starting to look much nicer all around. And it's just really nice to see.

There was a singles ad - yeah I'm looking - but this guy was so anti-upstate I just wanted to send him a message and tell him to move! If you don't like it here - do what you can to change it or just go away. I would guess that most people that bitch about it here would bitch no matter where they were. The OD annoys me because they feed off of the negative - and while they do have the two little good news sections for Oneida and Herkimer counties - I know that there are more heartwarming stories and stories that could have been spun differently.

Ah well, that's my rant for the day. I hope to go for a ride today - but need the weather to behave.

20 Miles on the Erie Canal

Victory at 10 miles! I love this picture - it was too bright out for us to see how well it turned out!

I don't think that I would have done this on my own. A friend - who I knew way back in 7th and 8th grade, emailed me about the blog and we kept talking about stuff we're going through in life. Somehow it ended up that he and I were going to ride together. LOL - it took us awhile - his bike needed emergency tire surgery and timing was off, but yesterday we did it. And he can ride like the wind! At least compared to me! :)

My average speed is about 9.5 mph when all is said and done - I tend to dawdle when looking for a good picture. Well yesterday our average speed was about 11.5! But we did it! I did tell him that I would be saying mean things about him today - I figured I'd be in pain - but thank goodness I am not. I've got the typical soreness -but nothing special.

He took the bugs for me too on our way out - LOL but he wasn't so kind on the way back! :)~~~
We were both spitting and sputtering. We are going to ride together again - there were three people older than us on the trail that kicked my butt - my friend probably could have gone faster were it not for me.

Remember this?

Pink flamingo anyone? This one was shivering to death!

Isn't it beautiful outside right now? Perfect blue skies - 80+ degrees, dry and wonderful! I just figured I would remind us all that summer in upstate is a wonderful thing - and winter is long - so enjoy it as much as possible!

Coffee in Utica!

Well, like all towns we have Dunkin Donuts and other donut places with pretty darned good coffee. Holland Farms has been voted best of the best forever.

Well, that's all and good, but for someone like me who enjoys latte's and cappucino's that are made with espresso from fresh ground coffee beans and the milk (or soy milk) is steamed to the correct temp and poured together in the right way. That is wonderful...and oh so decadent. About 4-5 years ago Cafe Domenico opened on Genesee Street, it's only a couple of blocks from my house. That wasn't a good thing for awhile there because I was stopping every morning for a latte and a scone and it was costing me more for that than gas (this was when gas was 1/2 what it is now). So, I stopped going daily and now it's a treat when I do go. Actually I went there tonight and enjoyed a latte, while trying to work on my next speech for Toastmasters.

But I do have a new favorite place! Tramontane Cafe - it just seems more relaxing and homey to me. Robin - the owner or one of the owners - has been in the coffee and food business for a long time - and she does it well. She used to own the Virgo Bat and Leo Phrog coffee house on North Genesee Street back in the late 90's early 00's. (I know I am getting some of this wrong - please let me know the 'real' story) Tramontane does lunches - homemade soups, special sandwiches, quiches - and yummy baked goods. Not to mention the wonderful hot coffee, latte's, cappuccino's etc... They offer specials for Vegans and Vegetarians.

So, while we don't have a Starbucks in Utica. And truthfully I am glad of it, we have these two coffee houses and others that have their own personalities, specialties and uniqueness. Thank goodness Utica is a city with a small town heart!

15 Miles on the Erie Canal

LOL - well it's true. I road 15 miles on the Erie Canal trail from Utica to Oriskany and back again. It was a lot of fun, but very BUGGY! LOL - the bugs were swarms between Marcy and Oriskany and it was Gross! But I am so glad that I went. I got some pics too!
This tree was just too cool - it was so stark in contrast to the rest of the Marsh and canal area. Plus I have a thing for clouds and the sky.

This was wicked funny! I took this picture then saw the people fishing - I almost yelped. They weren't there on my way through 20 minutes prior.

This bridge is cool - there is a water fall below it (man-made) but the bridge is wooden, so it kind of sings when you go over it.

Lot and lots of space for birds and wildlife - of course we have made our mark with the powerlines.
The Marcy Lock - There are a lot of concerts here in the summer time. The park was full - lot of family picnics - I saw volleyball being played and people fishing and relaxing.

I forgot

I think that I was going to blog about this and it fell out of my head....I went to Saranac Thursday last week with my brothers and sisters in law. I have to admit it was my first time down there in like 4 years. We met down there at Sickenberger Lane, right next to Hollyrock. My youngest brother and his wife were staying with my middle brother and his wife and they were coming in from Whitesboro. Since I only live a few miles away - I drove down and parked past Huntington Street on Cooper. LOL - it's good that I always wear comfy shoes.

I know that people love it down there at Saranac - but I must be showing my age - it's cool - but the blaring music - 5 different kinds from all the bars fighting to be heard is not pleasant to my ears. I knew quite a few people down there - but I also saw a lot of young women that didn't look any older than 15! LOL - that really shows my age!

But - not trying to bash Saranac Thursday - I think that it could be a ton of fun! Plus don't forget I'm a tad stressed these days - so not really my scene. But it was great to spend time with my brothers and sil's. I only stayed for a couple of hours, 5:30 in the morning comes early.

Oh - and when I was growing up - on Erie Street - not far from the brewery, Varick street looked nothing like it does now. The people that have opened the bars and stores and restaurants down there have done a very nice job in cleaning up and making the street look better. The police presence was very welcome, especially when I had to walk back to my car! While parts of west Utica are getting better other parts are still hurting, I hope that that can change soon.

I'm going camping in a few weeks and look forward to posting about that. I'll be on Seneca Lake and spending a few days just getting R&R...

Views from Roscoe Conkling Park

I am always amazed when nature helps out with beautiful pictures - this is a little dark, but I still love the colors. I was working on getting my recyclables together tonight and realized it would be perfect night to go to Roscoe Conkling Park and get some pictures. The sky is clear and the sun was setting. This statue is in the cemetary - but I cannot for the life of me remember who it's there for. If anyone knows - please tell me!
This next shot is from Master Garden Road and the large building in the background used to be the psych center - I believe it's empty now. I know it's spooky over there - Old Main and the other buildings just seem to have a lot of stories to tell and there are times when I've ridden my bike through that property and gotten thoroughly spooked - but at the same time - it's a beautiful place.
The stone with plaque at the top of the hill at Roscoe Conkling Park. The sun was hitting it just right to get the rosy cast to it.

Rainbows

This was a double rainbow - that I just couldn't believe I was seeing
much less that I caught it with my iPhone.

Someone commented on my iPhone pictures. I want to share two of them here that I took about 6 weeks ago. I had been at Dick Sonne's buying my new Trek - and was on my way home (oh and in the middle of all that broke up with my boyfriend of 18 months) - well I saw these rainbows and knew that all was going to be okay. I was on Sunset, heading north, just past Carlyle.

Chicken Riggies

I have had Chicken Riggies in a lot of different restaurants in Utica and the Mohawk Valley. I don't have a favorite yet - but that's probably because I tend to go to different restaurants and not the same ones over and over. But I digress....

I looked up Chicken Riggies on Google - LOL - What a treasure trove of thoughts and ideas and emotions about Chicken Riggies...too funny but very informative.

RoadFood.com - great forum conversation about Chicken Riggies and the festival that now takes place yearly to see who makes the best Chicken Riggies in the area.

The Wiki Definition - The Wikipedia definition and description of Chicken Riggies.

WKTV link - A recipe and small article about Chicken Riggies by our local TV news station.

Cookbook - WikiBooks - This has (yet another) recipe for Chicken Riggies.

Is it ok that at 6:30 in the morning that I really want some Chicken Riggies??? LOL

And I think that Mel in California will be happy with this post as there are about 4 recipes in these links! :)

Happy eating!

Deconstruction and Reconstruction

The Utica Club Brewery was badly damaged - I remarked on it in an earlier post, but they have already started with the removal of damaged building parts. I know that this pic is a little dark, but the sky was so blue and the clouds puffy - plus you can see the outline of what is being moved. I'm very thankful that the Matts are rebuilding, I know that the fire was devastating, but it is good to see them rebuilding and staying put in East Utica.

Val Bialas

Ok - I have to admit, until today I couldn't spell that name. It's only a mile from my house and I drive by it at least twice a day. Please read the following, it's from the City of Utica, Recreation website.

Val Bialas Recreation Center, located on the Memorial Parkway in Utica, is one of only 2 municipally owned ski centers inside city limits in the lower 48 states. Named after local 3 time Olympian ice skater Valentine Bialas this hill is a true asset to the Utica community. The ski center is located in Roscoe Conkling Park on Memorial Parkway. We offer a chairlift, tow rope, night skiing, new ski chalet complete with snack bar and double sided fireplace. We have 5 trails at different degrees of difficulty and separate sledding hill. In addition to downhill skiing, the winter sports complex offers over 7 miles of groomed cross country trails. There are varying degrees of difficulty to accommodate all levels of skiing ability.

I have walked up to the top of the hill by going up the Master Garden Road. It's beautiful up at the top and you can see for miles. It's great to bring the camera and take pictures. In the winter time there are all kinds of sledders and skiers. I think that I will have to go sledding there this winter - I'll be 41 - so I think it's about time I went for my first ride! :)