Sunday, July 19, 2009
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Baby Whisperer?
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Julia
at
7/18/2009 05:14:00 PM
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Morning After
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7/18/2009 01:17:00 PM
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Friday, July 17, 2009
Early 5th Anniversary Dinner
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7/17/2009 07:46:00 PM
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Saturday, July 11, 2009
How We're All Connected
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7/11/2009 04:51:00 PM
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Labels: Family
Jimmying Open Jimmy's Car
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7/11/2009 04:14:00 PM
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Labels: Family
Wednesday, July 08, 2009
CD Review: Pet Shop Boys - Yes
Originally published in the Chautauqua Region Word 6/25-7/08/09 Issue
Pet Shop Boys - Yes
Yes is the tenth release by Pet Shop Boys. The 18-year old band has created an album that has a familiar, yet fresh sound. Overall, it plays like a soundtrack for happy hour at the local gay bar. You could dance to it but you prefer to just listen while enjoying your drink before heading home to your not-yet-legally recognized husband who is waiting with dinner on the table. It's fun, but it's grown up.
First single and opening track, "Love Etc.," off the new release is instantly recognizable even though you've never heard it before. The album begins with a statement about the things we surround ourselves with to make us happy when maybe we just need love.
A clip from Tchaikovsky's ballet "The Nutcracker" lends a demented edge to the otherwise anthemic, clap-along "All Over The World."
Neil Tennant has filled Yes with songs like "Did You See Me coming" that cause one to simultaneous smile and cringe: "..I think I'm starting to believe in fate because it delivered you.." Hopefully we all experience that crazy delight of falling in love and the unabashed lack of cynicism that causes rational people to start presenting their friends with metaphorical daisies in their bliss.
Mix in a few songs with a political bent and Yes tidies itself up nicely. It's an accessible album that PSB fans will enjoy thoroughly.
Posted by
Julia
at
7/08/2009 09:41:00 AM
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Labels: Books-Literature, Music
Guest Editorial - The Say
Originally appeared in the Chautauqua Region Word (5/28-6/10/09 Issue)
Ten years ago I graduated from college and was on the casual search for a job. By casual I mean I waited about three weeks after I crossed the stage at Commencement to start idly sifting through online job listings. I didn’t know that in another week and a half I’d be packing up my car and moving to Jamestown to start a job in radio news.
My first impressions of Chautauqua County were shaped by the people I met while interviewing. A future co-worker gave this ringing endorsement, “This may be a small town, but it’s a great place if you want to raise a family. The schools are great. It’s a beautiful area.”
Being 22 at the time, my immediate internal reaction was, “Well, they have a Wegman’s, so I’ll make do for now.” I realistically only planned to live in this county for two years. Plus, growing up near a city, I couldn’t fathom the idea of being away from the “civilization” of coffee shops open until midnight, radio stations that played music I liked, cool little restaurants of varying ethnic variety, and a Target.
I didn’t count on Chautauqua County being a place that had a way of sucking me in ever so slowly.
One hot summer day in 2001, I found myself eating lunch in Lakeside Park in Mayville. An idyllic scene floated in front of me. Kids fishing off the boat landing. The weeping willow dripping tendrils of leaves just above the water's surface. And the horizon shimmering in the summer's haze across the lake. I wondered how I had found this place. It was then that I realized I had fallen in love with Chautauqua County.
A few years later I married a guy I met at that first job. Questions of whether we’d stay here were quieted for awhile when we bought a house in Jamestown a year after that.
I’ve been blessed to meet so many people in this county. Living here is a bit like being part of a slow cooked meal. All the ingredients are in the pot. It’s just going to take some time and patience to make it all come together. When it does, it’ll be extraordinary.
During the past ten years, I’ve seen downtown Jamestown transform - with just the opening of a few places - into somewhere you can get a cup of coffee at 8 p.m. on a Thursday night, catch an up-and-coming music act that’s doing a stop-over performance before a gig in New York City, watch a hockey game, or just hang out with friends over drinks in a bar sans televisions.
There’s the reality of living here. The county had a 9% unemployment rate in March. I’ve watched and read the news reports of lay offs in our community and the closures of some local businesses. Friends have lost their jobs, others are taking jobs they would never consider just because it’s preferable to unemployment. I don’t think it’s too pessimistic to think that given the current economic climate across the country that our county will continue to feel the economic pinch for some months to come, hopefully not years. I call it the reality of living in New York State and Western New York.
Despite this, I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else. I think we have people here who have figured “it” out. “It” being that magical formula that can lead to a vibrant downtown, successful businesses, and less brain drain. “It” is that something that asks someone who has done it the same way, over and over, to change. And change is a bitch. It’s that whole slow-cooker notion again. We’ve got what we need. We just need to turn up the heat a little more and see what we can make out of this city and this county.
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Julia
at
7/08/2009 09:00:00 AM
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Labels: Books-Literature, Chautauqua, Jamestown, Personal
Saturday, July 04, 2009
Deepening Skies
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Julia
at
7/04/2009 09:10:00 PM
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Labels: Chautauqua, Holiday
Friends on the Fourth
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Julia
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7/04/2009 09:09:00 PM
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Labels: Chautauqua, Holiday, Wegmans
Pie Consumed
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Julia
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7/04/2009 08:20:00 PM
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Labels: Chautauqua, Holiday
Fun By The Lake
Posted by
Julia
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7/04/2009 07:17:00 PM
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Labels: Chautauqua, Holiday
Rolling
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Julia
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7/04/2009 01:00:00 PM
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Labels: Personal
Pie Crust
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Julia
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7/04/2009 11:52:00 AM
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Labels: Personal
Memory Pie
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Julia
at
7/04/2009 11:35:00 AM
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Friday, July 03, 2009
At the Liberty Street Cafe
Matt, Laura and me at the Liberty Street Cafe. For about 20 minutes, I wasn't sure if we were going to follow through with our dinner plans since I was bumming out about my Aunt Margie dying. Then I figured she'd kick my ass if I just sat around the house moping and crying. Dinner was the right choice. We got to see a lot of friends who we hadn't been in touch with for so long.
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at
7/03/2009 10:33:00 PM
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Labels: Personal
Time With Our Warren Friends
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7/03/2009 10:28:00 PM
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Labels: Personal
Thursday, July 02, 2009
Pass The White-Out
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Julia
at
7/02/2009 01:31:00 PM
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Labels: Personal
Wednesday, July 01, 2009
Tea for Tune
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Julia
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7/01/2009 07:29:00 PM
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Summer Storm
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7/01/2009 07:04:00 PM
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Monday, June 29, 2009
The Children Have Returned
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Julia
at
6/29/2009 05:41:00 PM
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Labels: Personal
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Chilling Out
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Julia
at
6/27/2009 07:15:00 PM
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Labels: Personal
Lana, The Bride
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Julia
at
6/27/2009 07:02:00 PM
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Labels: Personal
King Rail at Wedding #4
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Julia
at
6/27/2009 07:00:00 PM
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Labels: Personal
Friday, June 26, 2009
Blog World Meets Real Life
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Julia
at
6/26/2009 08:40:00 PM
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Me and Matt at My Cousin's Wedding
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Julia
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6/26/2009 06:34:00 PM
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Monday, June 22, 2009
Imagine That, Julia at a Baseball Game
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Julia
at
6/22/2009 09:12:00 PM
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Being Goofy At the Jammer's Game
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6/22/2009 09:09:00 PM
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Jamestown Jammer's Opening Night
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6/22/2009 07:56:00 PM
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Sunday, June 21, 2009
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6/21/2009 06:18:00 PM
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Saturday, June 20, 2009
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6/20/2009 08:17:00 PM
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6/20/2009 06:20:00 PM
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6/20/2009 06:09:00 PM
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6/20/2009 05:03:00 PM
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6/20/2009 04:56:00 PM
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6/20/2009 04:50:00 PM
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6/20/2009 04:48:00 PM
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Friday, June 19, 2009
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6/19/2009 07:37:00 PM
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Monday, June 15, 2009
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6/15/2009 07:30:00 AM
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Saturday, June 13, 2009
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6/13/2009 11:03:00 AM
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Saturday, June 06, 2009
Balloon Above
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at
6/06/2009 07:33:00 PM
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Setting and Spiking
Posted by
Julia
at
6/06/2009 06:22:00 PM
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Labels: Chautauqua, Personal
Weather Perfection
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Julia
at
6/06/2009 05:13:00 PM
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Labels: Personal
Midway for a 30th Birthday Party
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Julia
at
6/06/2009 03:27:00 PM
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Labels: Chautauqua, Personal
Friday, May 29, 2009
Julia Makes Dinner
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Julia
at
5/29/2009 05:50:00 PM
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Labels: Personal
Thursday, May 28, 2009
10 Things To Do This Summer
Borrowed liberally from All Things Jennifer and Mary Kunz Goldman, here is my list of 10 Things To Do This Summer (2009 edition):
1. Have a drink whilst sitting in a rocking chair, watching the sun set at the Hotel Lenhart in Bemus Point
2. Plant dahlias, an azalea bush, and maybe some begonias and geraniums in my garden
3. Dance at three of the four weddings we're invited to before Labor Day (the fourth is a Muslim celebration, no drinking or dancing).
4. Read 2 books. I set my standards low when the weather is nice.
5. Enjoy limoncello over frozen lemon ice on my porch
6. Play skee ball at Midway Park
7. Eat chicken souvlaki at the Yassou! Festival
8. Drink a super chilled beer outside in the middle of a blazing hot day somewhere I can people watch
9. Take a day trip somewhere near water and just hang out watching the water lap against the shore for a few hours
10. Make caprese salad at home and eat it with fresh Italian bread slathered with butter while drinking lots of red wine and hanging out with friends.
Posted by
Julia
at
5/28/2009 07:46:00 AM
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Labels: Beer, Books-Literature, Chautauqua, Meme, Personal
Latest Issue of The Word Is Out
The latest issue of The Chautauqua Region Word is out. I love the Helga Hulse interview. Oh yeah, and check out my guest editorial.
Posted by
Julia
at
5/28/2009 07:32:00 AM
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Labels: Books-Literature, Chautauqua, Jamestown, Personal
Monday, May 25, 2009
Ye Olde Mix Tape
For about a month, I've been iPod-less. I have my iPod. It works just fine, but it and my computer don't talk anymore. I tried mediation, but they weren't having it. I've threatened arbitration, but since they're computers they just laughingly spit back a bunch of zeroes and ones. The current theory is that the USB ports aren't type 2 and, therefore, I'm out of luck until I get those fixed. Matt seems to think I need a new computer. I think it's just a mad ploy to get another computer in our house. At some point we're supposed to become a dual operating system household when a tech friend gifts us a Mac. But I digress...
The lack of iPod has led to less music listening at work and more cassette listening in the car. I've found mix tapes going all the way back to 1992. My latest find was the first summer mix I ever created in 1994. It starts out with Erasure's cover of the Cole Porter tune "It's Too Darn Hot" before moving onto "Lemon" by U2, "Wild Night" by Van Morrison, "Hey Hey" by Eric Clapton, "Jackie Wilson Smiles" by Van Morrison, "Me & Julio Down By the School Yard" by Simon & Garfunkle and several others.
For one of my first themed mixes, it was pretty chill. I'd like to go back to my 17-year old self and shake my hand. Other mixes I've found aren't as consistently good. I had a penchant for destroying a decent groove of R.E.M., The Cure, and Nirvana with some horrid ballad by Bryan Adams or Kenny G. When I come across those mixes, I want to sit my 15 or 16-year old self down for a serious talk. At least the habits of my youth bring some sense to my occasional clicks on gems by Barry Manilow or James Taylor to add to my music library.
Posted by
Julia
at
5/25/2009 08:41:00 PM
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Guest Spot
The next issue of the recently relaunched/revitalized Chautauqua Region Word comes out this week. I've been asked to provide the guest editorial for this issue. Those who know me best know that I generally avoid the truly controversial, so the editorial was more some observations I've made during the ten years I've lived here in Chautauqua County.
Pick up The Word at your favorite "third place" or read it online when it goes live sometime around Thursday this week. I welcome any thoughts you may have on it here. Full text of the guest editorial will be posted here after the paper has gone to print.
Posted by
Julia
at
5/25/2009 12:51:00 PM
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Labels: Chautauqua, coffee, Forte, Hockey, Jamestown, Music, New York State, News, radio, Rochester, Wegmans, Western New York

























































