Redefining the American Dream

Taken with Instagram at New York State Capitol

Thu, 27 Oct 2011 18:17:14 -0400

Taken with Instagram at New York State Capitol

Photo

Mon, 17 Oct 2011 10:54:56 -0400

Open Letter to that 53% Guy

Fri, 14 Oct 2011 09:51:29 -0400

I haven’t posted in forever and I haven’t commented much on the Occupy Wall Street Movement but this letter really speaks to me. I think it does an excellent job of explaining what the American Dream should be.

If walls could talk

Wed, 27 Jul 2011 07:28:00 -0400

The great local history blogger, Akum Norder, posted a great piece on a 20th century Albany home builder. And it got me wondering if the same guy built my house and if not, who the heck did?

We’re currently planning on making some home improvements at Chateau de Jen & Martin (& Murphy, Guinness & Squirt). It’s been a headache and a half. Our house is 100+ years old, which means it was built before there was electricity in the walls and before there was such thing as a dishwasher or washing machine and clothes dryer. There’s few lighting fixtures on the ceilings or walls throughout the house and adding any is always more difficult since the walls are plaster.

I love our old home… on most days… but it’s when we attempt home improvement projects that I have to shake my head and think “what were we thinking.” Better yet, “what the heck was the guy who built my house thinking!” The telephone and incandescent light bulb came about before our house was built. Didn’t they anticipate home electrification? I wonder what our house looked like when it was first built and how it changed throughout the years. If our walls could talk I think the story would follow this timeline:

It would be easier to call a landlord and ask another poor soul to foot the bill and take the time to replace dead appliances and fix annoying gaps in the kitchen cabinets and what not. In fact lately I’ve been asking, “why don’t we rent.” But then we wouldn’t be able to use our own creative juices to fix and improve things how we’d prefer them or rack up lots of airline miles with all the exercise our credit card is getting. There’s a plus and a minus to both scenarios. I just need to better appreciate the plusses of our scenario: homeownership.

There are many things about Long Island that I strongly...

Mon, 25 Jul 2011 12:57:00 -0400

There are many things about Long Island that I strongly dislike. Yet, I managed to spend an incredibly beautiful weekend down there drinking local wine & eating delicious foods. Albany needs more wineries & distilleries. Or perhaps I just need to explore more?

A Bicycle Love Note

Fri, 17 Jun 2011 10:43:06 -0400

A Bicycle Love Note:

This is one of the most inspiring bike blog posts I’ve ever read. If you have any reservations about riding a bike I highly recommend you read this then head over to the Troy Bike Rescue.

I dumped the pump today and rode my bike to work for the first...

Thu, 16 Jun 2011 09:50:00 -0400

I dumped the pump today and rode my bike to work for the first time! In the past the idea of riding down Central Ave scared the begeezus out of me so I had originally planned on biking only as far as Westgate then completing my trip on BusPlus. I left early enough to avoid most of the morning traffic so I felt comfortable enough to ride all the way to Colonie Center then cut through the mall parking lot to Sand Creek Rd.

The 6+ mile ride took me about 30 mins. Slightly faster than walking to WAMC and taking BusPlus & only slightly longer than commuting by car. If I bike tomorrow too I’ll save $15.67, reduce my CO2 emissions by almost 40% and burn 1,245 additional calories (based on CarFreeDiet.com Calculator) this week.

It was quite cool this morning so I was able to commute in my business casual work attire without getting overly gross. I’m not going to lie and say I didn’t break a sweat at all but it was nothing a little deodorant and office AC couldn’t take care of.

Having CDTA BusPlus and local routes as a backup in case of mechanical issues or anything else is reassuring. I can easily ride, or walk my bike, to the nearest bus stop (and there are many along my route) if I have to. And since I took CDTA’s Dump the Pump pledge, I have a free day pass coming my way which will surely come in handy!

Everybody's Doing It

Wed, 25 May 2011 15:21:26 -0400

May is Bike Month and many have been celebrating by ditching their traditional car commute and hopping on their bikes. I have a feeling there will be lots of permanent converts even as we move into June. Just look at all the people tweeting about their bike and/or bike commute… be inspired Albany!

National Bike to Work Day 2011

Fri, 20 May 2011 16:05:26 -0400

Happenings around the U.S. celebrating Bike to Work Day:

Days after Tulip Fest Washington Park is still full of...

Thu, 19 May 2011 21:47:50 -0400

Days after Tulip Fest Washington Park is still full of tulip-admirers.

Car sharing in the Capital Region?

Thu, 19 May 2011 21:44:38 -0400

Car sharing in the Capital Region?

Best margaritas in Albany? El Mariachi, hands down....

Sat, 16 Apr 2011 20:05:31 -0400

Best margaritas in Albany? El Mariachi, hands down. They’re a little pricey, but the free tortilla chips & salsa make them with it.

The Albany Chickens crew organizing after a 3-1 vote to move the...

Thu, 14 Apr 2011 21:11:00 -0400

The Albany Chickens crew organizing after a 3-1 vote to move the ordinance out of committee. The measure will go before the Common Council for a vote in May. *Fingers crossed* I would like to start building a chicken coop this summer.

Highlights of the evening:

“If we change this law does that mean any resident can come back and ask for other laws to be changed?” - Councilman Ron Bailey (3rd Ward)

“If we’re going to allow chickens I would like to add goats to the ordinance too.” - Councilman Lester Freeman (2nd Ward)

“The health and safety of residents is not the City’s responsibility…” -Councilman Lester Freeman (2nd Ward)

Seems like a couple of councilman need to be reminded of what their job is and how government works.

There were many wise words, but I will just point out one particular sentence worth quoting:

“Lets be honest here, a chicken coop next door isn’t going to deter someone from buying a house in the City of Albany, the high property taxes are.” - Albany County Legislator Chris Higgins (6th District)

See local news & blog coverage on last night’s Law Committee hearing:

Oh yea, then there’s this vegan blog against the ordinance

“What is that?” - Packing material made from...

Thu, 14 Apr 2011 12:56:32 -0400

“What is that?” - Packing material made from mushrooms.

This stuff is being made across the River in Green Island by a bunch of 20-something RPI grads. Ecovative has been studying processes and plants in nature that can help replace synthetics and chemicals we use everyday which are ultimately poisoning us. Take that Styrofoam!

And what makes these young scientists and engineers even cooler? They truly believe in what they are doing and commit to a sustainable lifestyle even when away from their business. I had the pleasure of hearing from one of their employees, Chris, last night. Chris road his bike to our meeting in Albany!

Free Parking or Free Markets

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 13:14:53 -0400

Free Parking or Free Markets:

My father didn’t pay for parking, my mother, my brother, nobody. It’s like going to a prostitute. Why should I pay when, if I apply myself, maybe I can get it for free? — George Costanza

Follow @philipeditor and to hear his bike commuting stories and...

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 13:11:58 -0400

Follow @philipeditor and to hear his bike commuting stories and celebrations this season!

A vegan cinnamon bun and chocolate espresso scone from the new...

Sun, 10 Apr 2011 11:18:39 -0400

A vegan cinnamon bun and chocolate espresso scone from the new All Good Bakers in Pine Hills. Made even better by eating them outside on our patio on a beautiful spring morning.

(Re)Discovering the Joys of Riding the Bus

Sat, 09 Apr 2011 10:00:06 -0400

My husband rides the CDTA bus almost everyday. There are days when the bus takes too long so he starts walking and before he knows it he’s at his office already. As the weather gets nicer those days become more frequent. I envy his ability to walk to work if he wants to. When we lived in Hudson Park I took the bus a couple days a week.

Since we moved to Pine Hills I’ve driven to work in Colonie every Monday-Friday. Lame. The nearly mile walk plus easily 40-minute bus ride wasn’t worth it to me. There were many weeks that I planned to bike to the bus stop and use the awesome bus bike racks but it never happened. So I continued to drive and feel guilty and tell myself I would get back on the bus one day.

CDTA forced that “one day” upon me by rolling out their new enhanced bus service, BusPlus, and offering free rides the first two weeks (Apr. 4-17). Let’s see, gas is $3.77/gal and I have a bathing suit to fit into in a few weeks - walking a mile to a free express bus sounds good to me!

When I woke up Wednesday morning, it was 6:00 am and the weather forecast looked remarkably better than the last two mornings. So I decided Wednesday was the morning I get back on the bus. I transferred my work stuff from my usual messenger bag to a backpack so I could fit my gym clothes too. Picked out an outfit that would pair well with comfortable shoes and headed out the door.

I planned on stopping at either Hudson River Coffee House or Sunspot Cafe for coffee and breakfast but was disappointed to find they don’t open until 8:00 am. Who can wait that late in the morning for coffee? I guess college students who have a much more leisurely schedule than I. So I soldiered on to the Quail St./WAMC BusPlus stop sans caffeine.

The 0.8 mile walk took less time than I had anticipated. The fancy silver and red bus arrived barely 2 minutes after I got to the ~~stop~~ station. The inside of the bus looked about the same as the other CDTA buses, which was slightly disappointing. I’m not sure what i was expecting but something slightly new and improved would’ve been nice. I noticed the bus announcer voice called each stop a “station” to make it feel a little bit like riding rail. I appreciate small things like that.

I thought I had time to catch up on emails but before I knew it we were stopped at Colonie Station. When I got off the bus I wrestled with whether to cut through the mall parking lot or follow the sidewalk along Central to Wolf. I tried to be a good pedestrian and followed the sidewalk. I then spotted Starbucks and darted across Wolf midblock so that kind of ruins the “good pedestrian” effort. Walking down Wolf was scary. Cars crept into the crosswalk while I was IN IT and I felt like everyone was driving a drag racer because even with earphones in it was very loud.

Anyway, the important news I have to report is how much money I saved… and a few more neat details. According to a few calculations I figured out:

Every mile I drive:

Spend $0.66

Release 1.0 lbs of CO2 into the atmosphere

Burn 3.9 calories

In a week of driving:

Spend $47.35

Release 70.3 lbs of CO2 into the atmosphere

Burn 278 calories

This week:

Spent $14.44 (BusPlus was free)

Release 33.7 lbs of CO2 into the atmosphere

Burned 1,035 calories

So I saved $32.91, 36.6 lbs of CO2 and burned 757 extra calories. Time wise, driving is obviously faster, but not by enough that the other things I gained from taking the bus make it worth it. I also recognized things on Quail St and Central Ave I had never noticed from my car. Did you know there’s a vacuum repair shop on Central near Westgate? This is good because our vacuum needs some serious repairs.

BusPlus will continue to improve. They are planning on adding real time information to stations, install queue jumpers at several locations along the route and enhance their smartphone apps. Get excited folks, this is the next best thing to light rail!

I’m going to go spend that money I saved and fill those calories with Bombers burritos and margaritas and tasty baked treats from new bakery in the ‘hood.

Sunspot Cafe flourless chocolate cake - om nom nom. A well...

Fri, 08 Apr 2011 12:04:00 -0400

Sunspot Cafe flourless chocolate cake - om nom nom. A well deserved dessert after finishing the long and laborious process of filing our taxes. It was nice to sit by a warm fire, sip delicious coffee and use free wifi for a bit. Although just a few blocks away it was a much needed change of scenery. Glad to have this new business, and glorious baked treats like these, just a short walk away.

Good things happen in the Pine Hills neighborhood

Fri, 08 Apr 2011 12:00:19 -0400

Good things happen in the Pine Hills neighborhood:

Amid the recent negative press Pine Hills has been getting for their “student ghetto” area of the neighborhood, this news provides hope.