Blogs from Syracuse, New York, United States, North America

Oh haaaaaayyy! Hello again everyone! I am currently writing this blog from Syracuse, New York. It's been a little over a week since my last blog. Sorry if any of you have been waiting long. I try to do it at least every week, but sometimes writing reports and having meetings just sucks the fun out of me. Oh well, I suppose I have to do them though; it's only my job. Well as you can see I've been through New York quite a bit now, starting my tour of Delta Chi's Region VII (essentially everything from New Jersey through Maine, excluding Pennsylvania.) I went from Penn State at Behrend, on to Hobart and then to Hamilton, and now I am currently at Syracuse before I head to Gorham State in the south of Maine. With ... read more

Luckily, we didn't have any outdoor activities planned today because it rained all day. Allison is really, really tired of getting her hair wet one way or another. We did stop at the Erie Canal Museum in Syracuse on our way out of town, and we are glad we did. Lots of info about how the canal changed New York and the US, and how it created a way of life in the towns that srung up along the way. There was a replica of a 'packet boat', which was a passenger vessel that could take you from Albany to Buffalo in six days - before the canal the same trip took six weeks. So the canal was a great way to get goods from New York City to the west inexpensively. Lots of photos of ... read more

Our first full day in Syracuse - the weather was just OK, kind of overcast. We ventured out to Herkimer, about an hour east, to board another Erie Canal Cruise. The captain of the boat was very knowledgeable about the canal and it's history, and I think she told us EVERYTHING she knows. She barely took a break during the entire two-hour cruise. While interesting, the barage of facts was relentless. But it was pleasant enough, and different than the Lockport canal cruise we took on Monday. Since it wasn't a very pretty day, I gave the shutter finger the day off - so no photos. After our cruise, we went to the town of Ilion. There we tracked down the Herkimer County Cheese Company and acquired some product for certain relatives (you know who you ... read more

In a surprising turn of events, my much anticipated solo trip across the United States got a surprise partner- yesterday my mother said that she would come with me. Not surprising was the fact that we started out late today. It was almost noon by the time we were leaving the state of Maine. (Before we could leave, the cats needed to be taken care of.) But that was alright because today was a beautiful day for driving. Not too hot, not too sunny, and barely any rain. We drove all afternoon and arrived in Syracuse just in time for dinner. The lack of excitement gave me a chance to lay out the time line for the trip: * Thursday night- Syracuse, NY * Friday night- Toledo, OH * Saturday night- Chicago, IL * Sunday night- ... read more

And by popular demand, here are some pictures of snow. Taken when I was crossing upstate New-York. Enjoy.... read more

I'm going to California in a week. By going I mean visiting, and moving. I am checking it out for an undetermined amount of time. Even in this bad economy, when California is bankrupt and has no jobs, I am going. It is a perfect time to see what I'm really made of. When I first came back to Syracuse I was expecting to stay for only a few months tops, and get the hell out, on to bigger and better things. Well, it's almost a year later. I didn't walk, jog, or run out of this place, and when I leave next week I won't even be skipping. That isn't to say I'm not excited to leave. I'm not going to be dragging my feet and missing my plane so that I can stay in ... read more

It is an overcast August morning in Upstate NY and, to me, there aren't too many things better than soft flannel sheets on my bed. If I am in Upstate NY in December I will be saying the same thing, and adding to the description of bedding quilts and comforters. This is my first full summer here in 5 or 6 years. Back to the place of my youth. (Although, in my head I am still a youth, the societal view is pushing me further into adulthood.) Perhaps flannel and summertime don't go together, but here, in a place that seldom reaches summer temperatures in the 80's, flannel is a lasting comfort. As an even younger person I used to day dream about a bed that could be driven, so that I could stay inside the ... read more

This past Saturday the Bank of America in my neighborhood was robbed, by a man with a knife. I don't know the details like how much money he managed to get away with, what he looked like or his age. I only heard snippets of the case. He was caught by police about an hour later. In this day and age is it even possible to rob a bank (if you aren't Bernie Madoff...who really was stealing from people more or less...digitally)? I mean get a brown paper bag full of cold hard cash, rubber banded stacks of $100 bills, and get away with it? Or is this crime now gone the way of fantasy? Who hasn't wanted to rob a bank? I used to think about it in high school all the time (during class ... read more