New Year's

Well, we’ve reached the end of another year.  New Year’s Eve has never meant all that much to me.  I am not a drinker so going out and partying was never my thing.  At my age, it’s not worth feeling like crap in the morning so I don't bother.  

And, we're back ....

I didn't care much for the new template I was trying out.  It was too white, and I wasn't able to change the background colors for some reason.  So I've returned to (more or less) what I had up and running.  I like red.

Patience, please

I am trying out a new layout.  I am not sure if I like it or not.  It may change back, or it may change to something new.  If you like it, let me know.  Thanks!

Merry Christmas

Jesus is the Reason for the Season.

Merry Christmas, Everyone!

SOURCE:

http://www.hopeisthewordblog.com/2007/12/18/works-for-me-wednesday-the-nativity-story/

You Really Can't Go Home Again

Once upon a time when I worked in downtown Rochester, I could walk at lunchtime in any kinds of weather and not get wet.  There used to be an extensive skyway system.  It was a walk that usually took 30-40 minutes and was a nice break away from work. Parts of the tunnel/skyway system were a bit chilly, but the walk could be taken in all sorts of weather – even snowstorms and high heat and humidity.

Bridge from Chase to Midtown

I would leave my desk in Clinton Square, take the elevator downstairs and then go out the back of the building into the Chase Tower.  I then took the escalator in the Tower up to the 2^nd level. From there, I walked across the skyway bridge into Midtown Plaza.  After taking a loop of the second level of Midtown, I walked out the back of Midtown and walked through another series of skyway bridges.  I eventually ended that arm of the route at the Washington Square garage.  I turned back to retrace my steps. 

Just before entering Midtown Plaza again, there was another skyway bridge that lead off towards Xerox (where Eric used to work).  We walked to meet each other at lunchtime several times over the years.  From the Xerox side of the skyway, there were also underground connections that lead over to the Bausch & Lomb building and also to elevators that went up into the Rundell library expansion.

After doing the B&L loop, I went back into Midtown and back into the Chase Tower.  Going down into the Chase Concourse of Shops, there was a hallway off the back that lead down underground and hooked up to the South Avenue parking garage. If you kept going, the escalators lead to the skyway bridge that connected with the Convention Center.  You could walk through the Convention Center and follow the skyway bridge into where it ended at the Radisson Hotel.  I would then loop around the second floor of the hotel and turn back to retrace my steps back into Chase Tower and back to work at Clinton Square.

I went out at lunchtime the other day, hoping to explore some of the old walkways.  I left the Crossroads Building at the Four Corners and walked up Exchange to Court Street.  I went East on Court Street and kept going past the Blue Cross Arena. I passed the Rundell library and the Bausch & Lomb building.  As I approached Xerox, I could already see that things looked different.  As I turned North on Chestnut Street and approached the block where Midtown Plaza used to stand, I was devastated and stood speechless looking at the barren lot where the old Plaza used to stand. I was so saddened that I couldn't even take pictures of the empty lot.

What Midtown Plaza used to look
like from the back

View of Midtown today

It became very clear as I looked at what used to be the heart of the skyway system and its connections that the skyway system as I knew it is no more.  The center of it has been removed.  I still (after all these years) cannot believe that there wasn’t a way to keep Midtown Plaza open and preserve it as a landmark of some sort.  The City was so hasty to tear it down and make way for Paetec and its corporate headquarters.  Paetec’s plans changed, of course.  “The new downtown headquarters for PAETEC was to be part of a redevelopment plan, with the state of New York using a 40 million dollar state grant to clear the Midtown site”.  “With the economic recession of 2008–2009, PAETEC scaled down their plans significantly, first to a much smaller new building, and then to a simple re-use of the existing Seneca Building. With PAETEC's acquisition by Windstream Communications, the new plan will involve only two-thirds of the Seneca Building; the city is considering options for the corner parcel on which the Tower would have been built”. How sad that the Mall had to go for a project that fizzled and failed.

Here is an interesting article I found about the future of the skyway system - http://www.rbj.net/print_article.asp?aID=192011. The connection I mentioned to the B&L building and the Rundell library cost $4 million to build, and now it likely gets limited use. According to the author, the City planners believe that the street life is far more important than the skyway system.  I say “Boo!” to you, Rochester planners.  I believe that there was a place for both indoor and outdoor connections. I also believe that there was a place for a revitalized Midtown Plaza.  Instead of raising rents and driving all the shops and stores out of the plaza (does anyone remember when Wegmans used to sit in the back corner?), you should have been trying to attract more and better stores.  Downtown used to be something to behold, especially at Christmas time.

I did walk part of the old skyway system when I was out the other day.  I went into Clinton Square and over into Chase Tower.  You can’t take the escalators up to the second floor anymore – they are blocked off since there is no connection to Midtown Plaza now.  The lower level of Chase Tower is also horrifying. It’s all empty.  All the old storefronts are still there advertising a pizza shop, a restaurant/grill, a hair salon, and several others. They are all vacant except for a barber shop.  

Chase Concourse

I went over through the South Avenue garage into the Convention Center and to the Radisson Hotel.  Here is a photo of a gingerbread version of the White House on display in the Convention Center.  This was the highlight of my walk and the only reason for a smile or two.

You really can’t go “home” again. It makes you sad.

SOURCES:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PAETEC_Headquarters

http://www.rbj.net/print_article.asp?aID=192011

http://www.loopnet.com/xNet/MainSite/Listing/Profile/Profile.aspx?LID=14254266

http://rocwiki.org/Skyway

http://www.slideshare.net/tentaclifton/midtown-plaza-6754459

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midtown_Plaza_(Rochester)#Clock_of_Nations

http://www.nathanbense.com/2011/12/holidays-memories-traditions.html

http://www.playle.com/listing.php?i=SABASUSH1209&PHPSESSID=a

Tradition and Gramma's House

Christmas, to me, has always been about tradition.  Now that my boys are no longer “boys” but men, I miss some of the old traditions we shared.  I still bake cookies, but we no longer put out cookies and milk for Santa. We used to put out carrots for the reindeer, too.  There was always a note for Santa, and Santa always left a “thank you”.  I miss those days.

The recent posting of my grandparent’s house for sale on nothnagle.com brought back even more happy memories. Their house (according to the listing) is 792 square feet on 0.10 acres.  Somehow, it always seemed much larger.  My current house is only 1,000 square feet, and it seems small at times to me, but then I share it with three good-sized men.  We used to fit 10 people in my grandparents’ livingroom. It is hard to believe, but we all fit just fine.

Gramma's livingroom today

Gramma's livingroom "then" and a rare photo of Gramps
on the sofa instead of in the diningroom chair

Every Christmas Eve we went to my grandparents’ house.  I was always told it was “because Grandpa can’t wait”.  I’m not sure if that was it or not, but it was a wonderful tradition.  We gathered and opened presents and shared lots of laughs and good times. 

6 of the 10 of us in Gramma's livingroom and
Grandpa in the diningroom.  From l. to r. -
Grandpa, my Dad, my Mom, Charlotte (behind the
sofa), Mary Ellen, Gramma and Wesley.
I believe David is taking the photograph.
I am not sure where Carole and I are.

There is only one “bad” memory from all those years.  That was the year it was slippery, and my Dad lost control of the car when he turned to head up my grandparents’ driveway.  We ended up on the neighbor’s front lawn – up on their hill of a lawn.  All the houses along that stretch had hills for front yards with fairly steep driveways.  The layout of the lawns made them difficult to cut the grass, and Grandpa always had sticks on his front bank to keep us kids off of it.  We liked to slide down the hill on our butts, but that killed the grass. (We liked to go bumpety-bump down the upstairs stairs at Gramma’s house, too, but they didn’t like us doing that either!) That Christmas Eve we ended up on Mrs. Christian’s front lawn, I remember being scared and crying and having to climb out of the car in the deep snow.  Dad and Grandpa somehow got the car off the lawn and into the driveway where it belonged. No harm was done.

Christmas Eve always meant Gramma and Grandpa and family.  Christmas day we did on our own – we Fords opened gifts and saw what Santa had brought us.  Later in the day, we either went to the Rigsby’s house or they came to ours, and we showed off our new gifts. Christmas Eve was Gramma's house and gifts like matching flannel pajamas or Mary Poppins dolls and Gramma’s silver Christmas tree with the color wheel that made it change colors. Gramma also had all the cards she'd received hanging around the diningroom doorway - you can see them in the photo above.

A tree similar to Gramma's

Gramma’s livingroom was a sofa, a chord organ, an armchair and the Ed Sullivan show or Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom with Marlin Perkins on the television. There was a boat (Grandpa's boat - dubbed either the "Olive" or "Olive 2", named after my Grandmother) in the backyard under the redwood and green corrugated plastic patio. Warm weather meant flowers in the backyard – tulips, grape hyacinths and forsythia.  At one time trains ran behind the house and also were heard from the tracks through the woods across the street. We used to play in the street out front since it was a dead end at the time and didn’t have much traffic. It's a cul-de-sac now, and the woods were torn out years ago and houses built across the street.  That ruined it somehow.

Carole, Charlotte and Donna (and those sticks on the bank)

I remember Gramma’s cut-out cookies – they were always thicker and softer than my Mom’s.  Mom made hers thinner and crispier.  Gramma made great pie crust, too – also different from Mom’s.  Grandpa used to sit in the diningroom all the time.  He played cards at the diningroom table – I remember him teaching me how to play “War”.  He played a great game of "Rummy", and we also played "Gin". Grandpa watched television (in the livingroom) from his chair in the diningroom or read his Westerns novels. 

Yes, there were many, many happy memories made in that house.  I hope that some family again makes happy memories and traditions there.  It’s a nice, old house, and it needs a loving family.

SOURCES:

http://pinterest.com/karolwitherow/holiday-christmas/

http://www.nothnagle.com/Properties/Details.aspx?MLS=19&M=R194995

Scrooge Review

Another tradition here at our house is the annual viewing of the Dickens’ Christmas Carol movies.  There are several out there, and so far this year we’ve seen five of them.

First we watched one of the latest ones – the computer-animated motion capture version (similar to The Polar Express) from 2009 with Jim Carrey as Ebenezer Scrooge.  This was probably my least favorite of the movies.  I think I would have liked it better had it been done live and not by computer animation.  The actors involved also voiced several of the characters.  After a while they not only sounded the same, but the characters all looked the same to me. It received similar criticism from its reviewers – they liked the special effects but found it bizarre and would rather have seen live faces.

Next we watched an old favorite from 1970.  We call it the “singing Scrooge”.  It’s the musical version with Albert Finney. I was 11 when this movie was made, and I remember watching it with my Mom every year.  We both enjoyed it. Yes, it is rather silly, but the songs are catchy and you find yourself singing along or singing them out loud later. Albert Finney was only 34 when he played this part, and he is very believable as a crotchety old man. This is the only live action Scrooge to earn any Academy Award nominations – it received four. Finney did win a Golden Globe for the part. This is my personal favorite version.

We also saw one of Eric’s favorites – the 1984 made-for-television version with George C. Scott as Scrooge.  This is the only “fat” Scrooge.  Although Scott is a great actor, I had a hard time seeing a fatter man as a miser or someone who was stingy.  Scrooge didn’t seem to indulge at anything and certainly not with food.  Scott was nominated for an Emmy for his portrayal. Edward Woodward’s portrayal of the Ghost of Christmas Present is my favorite portrayal of that character, but then I always liked Edward Woodward. This version is classed as “the most beloved adaptation”.

Next up was another television film adaptation - Patrick Stewart’s version from 1999.  Stewart is also a great actor, but I have seen him as Captain Picard for so many years I kept waiting for him to say, “Engage”.  There was also something a little weird about that bald head sticking up out of a high-collared frock coat.  His clothing looked too fine to me.  Everything he wore looked expensive and brand new.  It didn’t fit the character.  Scrooge didn’t spend a lot of money, and he wore things until they wore out.  Everything Stewart had on looked like designer clothing. The part towards the end where he starts laughing was just weird.  He starts choking and gasping, and it turns out he’s just laughing. I am assuming he was trying to portray that Scrooge was out of practice with laughter.

The latest one we watched is Bill Murray’s 1988 Scrooged. This was a bizarre version and was the biggest departure from the real story line.  There is no Ebenezer Scrooge in his version although Murray is Scrooge-like.  There is no Tiny Tim although his secretary’s son is small and mute (instead of lame). I remember thinking it was funny when it was first out, but Murray was also at the height of his popularity in the 80’s.  It’s not quite as funny today; it’s just a little odd.

An interesting trivia fact – the actress who played Mrs. Dilber (Scrooge’s housekeeper) in the Patrick Stewart version was also Mrs. Dilber in the George C. Scott version.  This actress was Liz Smith. She also played Grandma Georgina in Charlie and Chocolate Factory in 2005.

There are more Scrooge movies out there, but I'm not sure I can get the boys to sit through any more of them this year!

SOURCES:

http://www.cedmagic.com/featured/christmas-carol/1999-xmas-thieves.html

http://www.cedmagic.com/featured/christmas-carol/1984-xmas-thieves.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Christmas_Carol_(2009_film)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066344/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Christmas_Carol_(1984_film)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Christmas_Carol_(1999_film)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scrooged

Baby, It's Cold Outside

The Weather Channel says it’s 31 and feels like 27.  AccuWeather says it’s 33 and feels like 24.  It looks like it will be a white Christmas after all here in Rochester.  

My back yard this morning

The roads are mostly clear, but there are some icy spots on the side streets.  Eric, of course, found those with the Buick this morning when he did a “donut” in the parking lot beside his big truck when I dropped him off for work.  He heads out early Sunday morning and should be back sometime on Christmas Eve (tomorrow).

There were icy spots on the front steps and walk this morning, too, so I took care of those when I got back by spreading some salt around.  As I tossed salt out, beside me on the lawn, Seraphina sat happily munching on her Critter Crunch. The birds were happy, too. I put out some old hotdog rolls all crumbled up last evening.  This morning I put out some seed left over from our inside finch and lovebird.  Then I went out and added some wild birdfood to the feeders.  Everyone is busy filling their tummies as I write.

Seraphina Burying Food for Later

I love Winter, but it’s a hard life for little critters. I can’t imagine being a little bird or a squirrel and trying to stay warm in a storm. Some of my critters don’t seem to mind, though.  I have to practically beg Chase to come inside from the garage.  He loves to sit in the back doorway and watch the backyard birds through the screen.  I think he only comes in for the tooties (cat treats) he gets. 

Chase "working" the back door

So, as we wind on down to Christmas, stay warm, everyone.  Keep those you love close. Enjoy the snow, and don’t eat too many tooties.