Woke up to more snow. Had coffee and breakfast, got dressed, went outside to shovel...and discovered my neighbors had already done it for me!

Our beautiful Schodack Island State Park is on the closure list




NYS State Parks Closing List:

Long Island
Brookhaven State Park Suffolk Close Park
Bethpage State Park Suffolk Eliminate Winter Sports;
Reduce picnic area and polo field
Caleb Smith State Park Preserve Suffolk Close Park
Cold Spring Harbor State Park Suffolk Close Park
Connetquot River State Park Suffolk Close Weekdays
Heckscher State Park Suffolk Close Swimming Pool
Jones Beach State Park Nassau Close West Swimming Pool;
Eliminate July 4th fireworks
Montauk Downs State Park Suffolk Close Swimming Pool
Nissequogue River State Park Suffolk Close Park
Orient Beach State Park Suffolk Close Park
Trail View State Park Suffolk Close Park

New York City Region
Bayswater Point State Park Queens Close Park
Riverbank State Park New York Reduce Operating Hours;
Close Outdoor Swimming Pool;
Eliminate Seniors Classes; and
Community/Cultural Events

Palisades Region
Fort Montgomery Historic Site Orange Close Historic Site
Harriman SP– Anthony Wayne Orange Close Park Area
Harriman SP – Group Camps Orange Reduce Maintenance
High Tor State Park Rockland Close Pool
Knox Headquarters Historic Site Orange Close Historic Site
New Windsor Cantonment SHS Orange Close Historic Site
Schunnemunk State Park Orange Close Park
Stony Point State Historic Site Orange Close Historic Site
Tallman Mountain State Park Rockland Close Pool

Taconic Region
Donald J. Trump State Park Westchester Close Park
FDR (Roosevelt) State Park Westchester Reduce Swimming Pool Season
Hudson Highlands State Park Putnam Close Arden Point Area
James Baird State Park Dutchess Reduce Golf Course Season
Mills Norrie State Park Dutchess Reduce Golf Course Season
Olana State Historic Site Columbia Close 2 Days per Week
Philipse Manor Hall Historic Site Westchester Close Historic Site
Rockefeller State Park Preserve Westchester Eliminate Interpretive Programs
Taconic Outdoor Education Center Putnam Eliminate Interpretive Programs
Taconic State Park – Rudd Pond Dutchess Close Rudd Pond Area
Wonder Lake State Park Putnam Close Park

Saratoga-Capital Region
Bennington Battlefield State Park Rensselaer Close Historic Site
Hudson River Islands State Park Rensselaer Close Park
John Boyd Thacher State Park Albany Close Park
John Brown Farm Historic Site Essex Close Historic Site
Johnson Hall State Historic Site Fulton Close Historic Site
Max V. Shaul State Park Schoharie Close Park
Schodack Island State Park Rensselaer Close Park
Schoharie Crossing Historic Site Schoharie Close Historic Site
Schuyler Mansion Historic Site Albany Close Historic Site

Central Region
Chittenango Falls State Park Madison Close Park
Clark Reservation State Park Onondaga Close Park
Fort Ontario State Historic Site Oswego Close Historic Site
Helen McNitt State Park Madison Close Park
Herkimer Home Historic Site Herkimer Close Historic Site
Hunts Pond State Park Chenango Close Park
Oquaga Creek State Park Broome Close Park
Old Erie Canal State Park Onondaga Close Park
Oriskany Battlefield/Steuben SHS Oneida Close Historic Site
Pixley Falls State Park Oneida Close Park
Robert Riddell State Park Delaware Close Park
Selkirk Shores State Park Oswego Close Public Swimming Beach

Finger Lakes Region
Beechwood State Park Wayne Close Park
Bonavista State Park Seneca Close Park
Chimney Bluffs State Park Wayne Close Park
Newtown Battlefield State Park Chemung Close Park
Springbrook Greens State Park Cayuga Close Park
Two Rivers State Park Tioga Close Park
Buttermilk Falls State Park Tompkins Close Public Swimming Area
Seneca Lake State Park Seneca Close Lake Swimming Beach
Stony Brook State Park Steuben Close Public Swimming Area

Thousand Islands Region
Canoe Island State Park Jefferson Close Park
Cedar Island State Park Jefferson Close Park
Eel Weir State Park St. Lawrence Close Park
Keewaydin State Park Jefferson Close Park
Macomb Reservation State Park Clinton Close Park
Mary Island State Park Jefferson Close Park
Point Au Roche State Park Clinton Close Park
Sackets Harbor State Historic Site Jefferson Close Historic Site

Genesee Region
Hamlin Beach State Park Monroe Close Swimming Beach 3 Days per Week
Oak Orchard State Marine Park Orleans Close Park
Regionwide Multiple Eliminate Camper Recreation Program

Niagara Region
Joseph Davis State Park Niagara Close Park
Knox Farm State Park Erie Close Park
Niagara Falls State Park Niagara Reduce Interpretive Programs
Wilson-Tuscarora State Park Niagara Close Park
Woodlawn Beach State Park Erie Close Park

Allegany Region
Allegany State Park Cattaraugus Close Quaker Area Swim Beach;
Close Quaker Cabins Area on December 1st;
Eliminate Winter Trails Maintenance;
Reduce Recreation Programs
Long Point State Park Chautauqua Close Park

I certainly got my work out this week! I'm quite proud of myself, actually. This was definitely what I always considered too much snow for me to shovel alone, but I did it! It took me a total of 4 hours - that's 1 hour the first night clearing the initial snowfall from the sidewalk, 2.5 hours on Wednesday doing what fell overnight on the sidewalk and along the curb in the street, and a half hour yesterday morning, to shovel out the car from the church parking lot. Yesterday morning had the most unpleasant conditions, since the second storm was just beginning, and it was nasty. I got soaked through. Wednesday was exhausting - the snow was as heavy as cement. We got almost entirely rain from the second storm, so I don't have to shovel today.

Amazing. The TU's reporters really take the cake when it comes to animals. Here it is again: "Don’t get me wrong, I’m an animal lover..."

First time it PO'ed me: HA HA HA HA. And, since the source here is the TU's most ditzy/snarky: LOL LOL LOL LOL.

In a world where this "reader" is thought to be normal, and the question posed is considered reasonable, is it any wonder that scum like Michael Vick and the dude who recently drowned and burned his cat in Albany walk free?

Lots going on, none of which I feel comfortable posting here yet. I've been busy, as usual, with the semester. It looks to be a stormy week - better have my shovel handy!

Snow today! I shoveled for about an hour but I am going to have to do more. This storm is right on the border for me - not quite enough to justify hiring someone but almost.

Having some hassles in two of my classes. Doesn't happen often but when it does, it is usually during the spring semester. In one class it is sort of an overall negative vibe and the other is due to one student acting up. As a result I am really happy to have a couple of days off (abbreviated Winter break).

Bob found out his surgery date: April 27.

District 9 was nominated for best picture? Huh? Got to be kidding! I had to do a double-take, thought maybe it was a list of Razzie, instead of Oscar nominees. I don't care if there are 10 nominees this year, no way should that movie be on the best picture list! It was one of the worst movies I have every watched, one of those films where you walk out mad because you were cheated! You wasted money and time, and it results in your not feeling like going to the movies for a while. If I had been home instead of trapped in a movie theatre, I would have turned it off. Bob fell asleep during it, and he loves sci fi.

In one way, it reminded me of Starship Troopers - great concept, wonderful beginning, then after a half hour, it descends into ridiculous. That wasn't so bad in Starship Troopers - I mean, you kind of knew all along where it was going: bug war. In District 9, they completely blow it. It was nothing more than 10 ideas copied from other popular recent movies, blended together into a meaningless extended chase scene. I always envision a bunch of "kids" sitting around a conference table throwing out ideas...hey, wouldn't it be great if we took that scene from the Matrix and combined it with that scene from War of the Worlds and got that guy who was in X to play the hero? "Wow dude that's genius!!!"

I suspect it landed on the list only because of the interesting setting, and the beginning was good, because aside from that, it sucked.