Flying the Coop
Summer is a cheery time of year. So to create a bit more balance in everyone’s lives, here’s the non cheery thought for the day.
Everything ends.
Now sure, I may be feeling a bit extra melancholy because I’m coming to the conclusion of The Blacklist’s third season. No spoilers. But it’s looking pretty bleak. On the plus side, I just had a lovely Independence Day with the family, my mother is coming to visit for her birthday today, and next week I’ll be sharing some rental house with old friends.
Still, it’s important to remember that part of the what makes everything so special is the knowledge it won’t be here forever. The universe is in a constant state of change. Which means not only do we have to keep adapting, but we have to take time in the present and enjoy the good things we’ve got.
Case in point. Tomorrow is National Fried Chicken Day. And you can celebrate it at a bunch of places. But Friday, July 7 will be the last day for The Flying Chicken in Troy.
There is at least a little bit to be thankful for in this inevitabile conclusion.
AskTP – Getting to Independence
Nobody has the patience for a week of question and answer posts. But it’s Independence Day today. People aren’t online. They are grilling, or heading out to watch fireworks, or sitting around doing some day drinking in the summer sunshine.
There are even some crazy people who will be running around Saratoga Springs this morning for something called a firecracker run. It’s probably impolitic to suggest that the runners might go faster if you actually threw firecrackers at them. On the other hand, perhaps that’s actually modern day presidential.
Who am I to judge.
Actually, I am known to do some judging. But largely it’s about food. Just so it’s clear, today we are doing a second installment of Ask the Profussor, as I try to break free from the bonds of my commitment to answer all reader questions, just so long as they are posted in the comments section with proper punctuation. And fair warning, the mystery link of the day may be a little bit self promotional.
Now without any further ado, onto the questions.
AskTP – Asserting Independence
What is independence if not getting out from under those obligations that hold you down? Tomorrow is July 4, and it’s our national day of independence. But independence doesn’t just happen, you have to work for it.
This seems like a perfect time for me to start the process of getting out from under a heap of reader questions which have gone unanswered since March. What can I say? I’ve been a little bit busy. While I do love my Yelp responsibilities, they take up precious time.
But I made a commitment when this whole thing started that I would answer any question asked in the comments section of the blog, just so long as it included proper punctuation. I’m not going to get to them all today, but let’s get started.
Long time readers of the FLB already know about the mysterious link of the day in Ask the Profussor roundups. Those who are new will surely figure it out on their own. Now without further ado, onto the questions.
Winning and Cheesecake
Today is Friday, and you know what that means. It’s time to announce the winners from last week’s FLB giveaway. But the readers selected by Random.org aren’t the only winners today. Cheesecake Machismo is getting a visit from the mayor. Did you hear about what this little Hamilton Street cheesecake shop won?
The Age of Uber
Lyft is the Glad to Uber’s Ziploc. In some ways, it can be frustrating to be the number two brand in a category. In other ways, it can be beneficial. Like when a category is taking heat from regulators or consumers, much of that ire is placed on its top brand.
When consumers protest GMOs, they are going after Monsanto. Have you ever heard of anyone getting riled up over BASF? I haven’t.
All of which is to say, please remember that when I say it’s the Age of Uber, it’s also the Age of Lyft. As a headline, The Age of Ridesharing doesn’t have quite the same ring to it. But at least in theory, early this morning the apps went live in the Capital Region for the first time ever. And I can’t wait to see how this works out in practice.
I have some thoughts, and some concerns.
Slidin’ Into Schenectady
There’s an old Yiddish saying, “Der mentsh trakht un got lakht” which translates to, “Man plans and God laughs.” But sometimes a crooked path can take you to a much better place.
What plans got befouled? Did you hear the one about Slidin’ Dirty opening up a Schenectady restaurant? This has been on my radar for many moons. And I thought it was going to happen months ago.
The buildout has been delayed more times than anyone involved in the project would care to recount. But each change of the plans has improved the Electric City outpost of this Troy institution, which started out as one of the region’s first gourmet food trucks, and largely on the back of Tim & Brooke’s deep fried avocado slices. Or fravos, as they are now calling ‘em.
Let it be known that not all deep fried avocado is created equal. These well seasoned, crispy, and tender morsels make others pale in comparison. But I digress.
Slidin’ Dirty Schenectady is hosting its Grand Opening on Thursday at 4pm. I know this to be true because last night I got a sneak preview of the new space with about 100 of my fellow yelpers for an Official Yelp Event that also was subject to the whims of fate.
Office Hours
Usually, I have answers. Today I have a question. But before I ask the question, I’m going to tell you two stories.
The first is from the past.
The second is from the present.
Once upon time there was a guy named Daniel. Daniel graduated college and went into the workforce to be a productive member of society. As far as he could tell, this involved making a deal with the devil. Because effectively he found himself trading his freedom for money.
It’s a little simplistic. But you’ll have to forgive him. He was young. And still enjoyed Hesse.
Daniel was just one of scores—if not hundreds—of people working under the florescent lights. As a young man, in the first month of my job, walking down the white and sterile staircase into the dungeon of my department, I thought to myself, “How many years will I be walking these same stairs?”
There was one thing that got me through it. And it wasn’t the money.
New Haven Via New York City
Saturday was an interesting day. It was a long day. And a lot of great things happened. Except none of them happened upstate. And nothing went as planned.
The plan was to pop down for the day to visit my grandmother in Great Neck. We were going to pick up some chicken for lunch, and bring it by the house for a late celebration of her birthday. Getting old looks like no fun at all. Once you reach a certain age, things are often touch and go. As it turned out, this visit would have to be rescheduled.
So there I was, with my sister, her partner, and my daughter up in Morningside Heights. We had nothing on the books, and only a few hours to make the most of a gorgeous Saturday.
Naturally, the first thing we needed to do was get dumplings.
Summer of ’17
We’re here. We made it.
Putting aside all the negativity for a moment, yesterday was the first day of summer and it was beautiful. I mean, it was literally perfect. I rolled down the windows. And it was neither too hot nor too cold. The sun was shining. There was a nice breeze. The weather was simply glorious.
I could take a couple months more of that.
The CSA is in full swing. The days are impossibly long. Strawberries are in season. And I’m looking forward to a summer full of fun. But before we get to some of the tentpole events of summer, I have something more to say about strawberries.
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