I love it. Flakes of white, fluffy snow pouring down from the heavens. There is nothing better than waking up to a winter wonderland outside your window. Even as I trudged through the snow to brush off my car this morning, I couldn’t help stopping to appreciate the beauty of it all.

The world feels so at peace and comfortable under it’s snowy blanket of freshly fallen snow. It’s just the right weather for curling up with a cup of hot cocoa and a good book. Or don your snow shoes and trek through the fields and forests.

Sure, there’s the downside. I know that the heavy wet snow piled on the branches can have a detrimental affect and it certainly can make the morning commute treacherous. But it still makes me glad to be home.

I know, I know. I just moved back from Colorado. Yes, they have snow there. But other than the highest elevations (where all the famous winter resorts are located), I think Upstate New York still has them beat.

When I first moved to Colorado, I lived in a little town on the Western Slope of the Rockies not far from Glenwood Springs. To put it in perspective, the local school hadn’t had a snow day in something like 20 years. (They finish their school year by the end of May, rather than late June.)

I vividly remember, not long after I got there, telling one Colorado native where I was from. “Wow,” he said. “They get a lot of snow there.” Apparently his son had attended Syracuse University and was intimately acquainted with lake affect precipitation.

And I definitely don’t want to hear anyone complain about the plowing abilities of our county, town and village highway departments. They are certainly head and shoulders above what I encountered out there. Other than the state plows that ran almost constantly on I-70 (spreading that nasty magnesium chloride), it didn’t seem like anyone was ever out taking care of the other roads.

So, yes, I am happy to be home in Chenango County and I’m thoroughly enjoying our first big(ish) snow storm of the season. Hmmm. I wonder if I could round up enough of the Evening Sun crew to have a snow ball fight at lunch.

When a link to get a sneak peek at People Magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive line up appeared on my web browser yesterday, I couldn’t resist. I’m not normally a big follower of the entertainment industry or a self-proclaimed “media whore” like some of my colleagues. But once I saw this year’s top pick, Hugh Jackman, I had to delve deeper. I am definitely a fan.

I could also support their second choice, Daniel Craig. Although he is certainly not attractive in a traditional sense, there is something raw and appealing about him. The photo they chose, however, didn’t do him justice.

Nor did I object to the additions of David Beckham and Jon Hamm (don’t know who the heck he is, but he’s cute!) on the list.

But a few of the others kind of lost me. Some of them were just babies and others were too much of a stretch. Some piano player? Penelope Cruz’s boyfriend? Ick. I closed out of the page and didn’t give it another thought.

Until today. When another link appeared. This time it was a review of those who had formerly topped the list, but weren’t quite as dreamy any more.

I was more than a little offended to see Val Kilmer high (or low as it may be) on their bottom 10 list. He’s one of my favorite actors of all time. Everyone always thinks of Top Gun, but I much preferred Real Genius, The Saint and Tombstone (where, as Doc Holliday, he proved that he could actually act as well as look good).

Mickey Rourke, Nick Nolte. They weren’t so much of a surprise. I’m just not sure how fair it is to use their mug shots as the “after” shot.

And really, there is no need to pick on Jude Law.

I did find it rather funny that Tom Cruise is on the “sunken dreamboat list” despite the fact that he looks almost identical in both pictures displayed. He’s just a little paler (and crazier) now.

The whole experience made me laugh. It’s all so subjective. We’ve all got our own taste and who cares, really?

I know who I would cast my vote for, and it is none of the above. Sweet, funny and good-looking. And he’s already mine.

Hunting season this year just doesn’t feel the same. In the days of yore, opening day was always the Monday before Thanksgiving, effectively heralding in the biggest holiday of the year for my family.

Everyone took the day off from work or school. Scores of out-of-towners made the trek, cars loaded with blaze orange cold weather gear. Our house was always packed with relatives itching to spend some quality time in the woods.

This year is the first I’ve been here for hunting season in quite a while, and I must admit that I was a little disappointed. Opening day should be crisp and cold with a layer of snow on the ground. Not 50-ish and miserably rainy. I’m glad I wasn’t out there. None of the family was up this year. They are either waiting for next week or forgoing the trip altogether.

My father went out to sit in the woods for a couple of hours in Saturday morning’s pouring rain. I think it was more out of a sense of obligation than anything else, but I admire his dedication.

Getting up before dawn to tramp around in the cold, sitting in one place trying to be absolutely still? Definitely not for me. Staying snug in my bed and waking up to the smell of fresh venison and eggs? That’s just my speed.

My Dad will get some company out in the woods this coming weekend. I hope they are more successful. After all, last year’s stores of venison are depleted and I have a craving for venison chili.

If they do get a deer or two, I’ll no doubt be dragged into the process. My place is at the kitchen table with cutting board, freezer paper and masking tape close at hand. Yep. They have all the fun and I get to cut it up.

Coming back to work after being on vacation is like jumping into a pool of icy cold water. Once you’re in the water for a while, you get used to it. You might even enjoy it, but when you first jump in, it’s a shock to the system.

I took a mini-vacation last week, and it was awesome. I didn’t go anywhere. I used the time to finish a million projects that I had left half done. I had a lot of projects started, but with the craziness of life, work, parenting and running a million errands a day, few of the projects I begin are ever completed. I spent the week trying to finish the dozens of things I had started. It was a nice, relaxing week, and it went by quickly.

The shock to the system came first thing Monday morning with the vast number of unread e-mails, unheard phone messages and my mental list of events I had missed. After a week of doing nothing, the stress of catching up with everything you missed while on vacation is almost enough to require another vacation.

It’s fair to say my commentary on the behavior of select fans and players after the final home football game touched a nerve or two. A losing season is a tough pill to swallow, failing to win any games is a horrible legacy to leave on the program. Let’s do the numbers quickly: It’s the second winless season for the UV-E Storm over the past four years, and in that time, the team has six wins and 29 losses. In spite of that inauspicious mark, I believed the program was about ready to turn the corner. In 2007, UV-E was in contention for a winning season until losing at the tail-end of week nine’s game against Delhi. The staff piloted a club that was statistically among the best defenses in Chenango County giving up less than 13 points a game. With so many solid players returning from that club, head coach Jack Loeffler had reason for optimism. As a bit of background information: I went to grade school with Mr. Loeffler’s son Aaron over 30 years ago, and I’ve known the family most of my life. Speaking to him during the preseason, I had never heard such upbeat, positive words come from his mouth. My first day visiting Loeffler, I was on site strictly to shoot pictures of practice and individual headshots of players. Without asking a question of his team, he was giving me headline-like quotes. I told Jack, “save those for my interview.” There was no question in his mind: He sincerely thought he had one heck of a group of players. Many times he told me, “we’re stinkin’ tough.” I had no reason to doubt him, and I picked the Storm to beat Bainbridge-Guilford in week one. B-G’s head coach was unsure of his group, whereas Jack was confident in his corps. That final went the Bobcats’ way by touchdown. With the advantage of hindsight, B-G ended up a playoff team. The Bobcats were better than expected, and in fact, half the teams UV-E played this year were playoff teams., Seven of the nine UV-E opponents were in playoff contention until the final week of the season. It was, by no means, an easy schedule. Still, the unrealized expectations of this 2008 season was such an affront to some people, it led to immature, rude behavior by a select few following the game with Oxford. You would think Mr. Loeffler and his staff had no idea what they were doing. May I remind readers, last year’s UV-Edmeston club had one heck of a defense. This staff didn’t suddenly forget how to coach. Since I used a quote in the previous blog that seemed appropriate, another one seems to apply here: “Coaches get far too much credit for winning, and way too much of the blame for losing.” Should the coaching staff at UV-E get a free pass for this past season? No, and I don’t believe those gentlemen would want one. It is incumbent upon the staff to address mistakes made this past year, and then correct them. My first suggestion: Hire another full-time varsity assistant coach. The benefits of an extra set of eyes – and ideas – is extraordinary. Not to mention, it would allow more attention to detail and individual coaching by position. Reader responses note that UV-E has a good group of young men stepping up to varsity next year. The best thing going for the newcomers: The slate is clean, and the program has nowhere to go but up.

The last day of the football season for UV-Edmeston was one that I will always remember – although, preferably, I wish I had selective amnesia. UV-E hosted Oxford on a Thursday evening in a non-league matchup to round out each team’s nine-game schedule. The two clubs had exactly one combined win, so as expected, we saw some good moments, and plenty of bad ones. The Storm looked to avoid a winless season, and Oxford hoped to salvage a rebuilding year with its second win. At the outset, I told Evening Sun photographer, Frank Speziale, that I expected a tight, competitive game. It was. Statistically, there was little difference, and each team scored three touchdowns. The final difference – two points – was the Blackhawks’ success on one more two-point conversion. What followed the game was plain ugliness and disrespect – from an unruly fan/parent or two, as well as a couple of players. No one, and I repeat NO ONE finds a winless season acceptable. That includes all of the players, coaching staff, along with the program’s supporters. The time to air grievances is not in the middle of a playing field. What I observed first was the loud berating of the UV-E coaching staff as it prepared to go through the handshake line – in full earshot of the players. Subsequently, a couple of players walked away – spurning their teammates in the post-game huddle. The discourse that ensued is not printable here. It’s easy to pass the blame on to someone else rather than take responsibility for one’s actions. Sure, a player may not agree with every tactical decision made by a coach, but the coach isn’t on the field missing blocks, missing tackles, dropping passes or fumbling the ball away. I am reminded of a quote from Remember the Titans: “We will be perfect in every aspect of the game. You drop a pass, you run a mile. You miss a blocking assignment, you run a mile. You fumble the football, and I will break my foot off in your John Brown hind parts, and then you will run a mile. Perfection.” As most people know, the movie was based on a true story, and the man who uttered the quote, Coach Herman Boone, ran a fairly simple offense with just six plays – six! Even the most basic of offenses I see today are more complicated than the one Coach Boone used to win championships. Perhaps more than any other sport, proper execution is the key to success in football. And football is an ultimate team game where the success or failure of the team may hinge on any particular player on the field at any time. It is unfortunate that the emotions of the moment override good sense. It is even more unfortunate that my final impression of the UV-E team is one of the more sour moments in my 14-year career covering football.

I always cry at parades. I’m not sure what it is about them, but I always get choked up. If you’ve ever wondered why I have my sun glasses on during these events regardless of the weather, now you know. I’m probably bawling my eyes out.

Today’s Veterans Day parade and ceremony in Norwich was no exception, except perhaps that it was more touching than most.

Veterans and their families started gathering at the East Side Park well before 11 a.m. Despite the chill in the air, they stood with flags in hands and waited for the slow, steady procession to make its way down East Main Street.

The American Legion Riders from Norwich’s Warren Eaton Post were the advance guard. They drove through once, flags snapping, and then circled back around.

Lines of veterans marched to the mournful sound of a lone piper, followed by scouting groups and the Norwich High School Purple Tornado Marching Band. The band performed America the Beautiful, which once again brought tears to my eyes.

Color guards from local veterans organizations as well as the Norwich City Police Department arranged themselves around the park. Attention was divided between the flagpole and the bandstand, where Norwich High School’s Madrigal Singers waited to perform the National Anthem.

The ceremony itself began precisely at 11 a.m., marking the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month and commemorating the armistice which ended the First World War.

Following a few words from Terry Bresina and a moving invocation by a chaplain from Sidney, the Madrigal Singers gave one of the most beautiful performances of the Star Spangled Banner I have ever heard. The veterans in the crowd stood at attention while they sang.

Dr. Edward Erickson, a veteran and military historian who teaches at Norwich High School, gave the keynote address.

In a moving speech, he spoke about being sometimes embarrassed by “flag waving” and people thanking him or calling him a hero, when he felt he was doing his duty to his country.

Echoing William Shakespeare, he said he truly felt like those who had served in America’s armed forces were a “band of brothers,” and he was proud to be counted in their numbers.

He said that, like his father, he did not need a day to remember those who fought before and beside him. But rather that he remembered them every day.

His address was followed by the ceremonial laying of wreaths, a salute and the playing of taps. I found it all very humbling and very moving.

I lived for several years in Arlington, Virginia. I was but a stones throw from Arlington Cemetery and D.C.’s grand monuments.

In my time there, I witnessed countless ceremonies and honor guards. All of them inspired in me the same emotion that I felt today in our little downtown park. It is a mixture of awe, admiration and heart-felt gratitude for all those who have sacrificed to keep our great nation free.

While am sometimes overwhelmed by those emotions, I make not apology for them.

Let us never forget the dedication, commitment, effort and sacrifice of those who have served in our military. They deserve our continuous respect, recognition and appreciation.

And Dr. Erickson, please don’t be offended, but I feel I need to say it. Thank You.

I’ve been reading a lot lately on just how much money people owe. The nation debt is about 52 trillion and I didn’t calculated the math but a BBC website told me that for every man women and child currently living in America we’d all have to pay $80,000 to get our country square with the house again.

Want a real challenge try searching for who we exactly owe all this money and its building interest too … you’d think that information would be a little more comprehensive and easier to find… hmmm.

Anyway I read that New York State has almost made it to the 50 billion dollar debt level and that Wall Street accounts for roughly 20 percent of our income. (Again BBC info) If that is true I think it’s about time I moved to a different state because being in one of the highest taxed and bureaucratic states in the union particularly from a region basically shunned by the down state money makers I’m starting to see the greener grass.

I found an image that supposedly shows what a trillion dollar bills looks like stacked together. The pile, according to the chart, is the size of a couple of sky scrapers.

Whenever I start reading about these huge sums of cash it’s lost on me. It takes me back to a time in science class when we learned about astronomy. The infinite depth of the universe, the 200 billion stars in the Milky Way and the width of celestial objects that stretch for light years. It’s sad that the only thing I can compare our finances to is the enormity of the cosmos.

The human mind has some logistical limits and our debts have exceeded our capacity to rationally conceptualize them. Maybe that’s why it’s so easy not to care about the 700 billion dollar bail out or the 1.5 trillion dollar Iraq War. Sometimes though I feel my inability to understand the complete effect of these drastic expenditures may revisit us in the future with a stern education of harsh reality.

I’ve always been a believer in giving credit where credit is due. I’ve always thought that giving credit for a job well done is the mark of a true leader. There is nothing worse than slaving away and someone else taking the credit.

We’ve all been there. We spend hours agonizing over someone else’s wedding favors, compiling information for a report, making your boss look good. Only to hear them take all the praise for your hard work. Would it kill them to say, “Thank you, but I couldn’t have done it without (ENTER YOUR NAME HERE)”?

It was brought to my attention that I myself have been guilty of this heinous act.
Last Thursday, I was faced with a dilemma. I had two important meetings scheduled at the same time. Although I was able to attend the afternoon PSC public statement hearing regarding NYRI, the evening session conflicted with a board of education workshop in Oxford, which I was loath to miss.

My editor stepped in to make it all possible. Jeff agreed to go to the evening PSC hearing to allow me to go to Oxford.

When I arrived at work Friday morning, I found the neatly typed notes from the forum in my inbox. Other news reports of the event included only the afternoon session, but thanks to the quotes Jeff had culled from the 3 hours of evening testimony, we were able to be a little more thorough with our coverage of the hearings.

Alas, in my hurry to put my lengthy report together, I left something out. A very, very important something. I neglected to give Jeff credit for his contribution.

I hope my dear editor will accept this most humble of apologies for my omission and I beg his forgiveness for the oversight.

I’m sorry, Jeff. I suck.

Now, what are your plans for Wednesday night. There’s this meeting…

As I drove through Norwich yesterday, I saw men hanging holiday wreaths on the quaint wrought iron lamp posts that line the city’s main thoroughfare. There is no denying the warm, cozy holiday glow inspired by these evergreen boughs and the decorative banners interspersed among them.

Those feelings seemed warmer than usual yesterday. Probably because it was nearly 70 degrees. The unseasonable warmth snapped me out of my hot-cocoa and peppermint striped reverie, and reminded me that it’s only the first week in November.

Every year it seems that we start gearing up for Christmas a little bit earlier than we did before. I remember when stores and the radio started playing Christmas music the day after Thanksgiving. This year it started the day after Halloween.

I’ve seen shop owners re-doing their window displays this week, but Walmart got a head start. When I went to grab a few last minute Halloween items on Oct. 30th, there were already Christmas items on the seasonal shelves.

Seeing all the Christmas decor this early stresses me out. I start to feel the panic rising when I think about the fact that I haven’t started my holiday shopping yet. What? Only 46 more shopping days ‘til Christmas. (Dramatic sigh) Whatever will I do!

And aren’t we forgetting something here? Like Thanksgiving? Now, I realize that this is a less commercially lucrative holiday for retailers, but it’s still important to me. And I don’t like feeling rushed. It’s detrimental to proper digestion.

Let me eat my turkey in peace and then I’ll start pulling out my Christmas decorations and make up a shopping list.