In search of the elusive ‘upstate’ New York

Years ago — I’m guessing mid-2003 — when I was both new to my job and to Massachusetts, the people in another department beckoned me to their area of the office.

Later, I wound up being pretty friendly with most of them, but at the time, I had barely spoken to them and may not even known all of their names. But they had something to tell me that they thought I might like.

Having heard that I was from “upstate New York,” they informed me they were going to have an intern from upstate.

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Thanksgiving Days 4 and 5: To the motherland and back

Yesterday, my wife and I went to the Albany area to visit my family, culminating with a family dinner that included us, my parents, my brother, my grandmother and my aunt and uncle.

The visit with my parents was nice, and good time was had by all at dinner, but for the longest time, someone was missing.

Billy Fuccillo.

Thanksgiving Day 3: Reconnecting

I don’t have much of an idea what I’m buying for Christmas presents, and I make most of my purchases online, anyway,

Which is another way of saying I was nowhere near a mall Black Friday.

This is good, because I have no desire to go to a mall Black Friday.

Thanksgiving Day 2: Grateful for great writing

Gregg Doyel didn’t have to share his depression, or the series of “dumb ideas” that are helping him, but he did.

And anyone who reads it is better for having done so.

Thanksgiving Day 1: Maybe staying home wasn’t such a bad idea

I have five days off for Thanksgiving.

Today was the first one.

Double standards and the Baseball Hall of Fame

I confess, I never thought there would be a debate over whether players who used performance-enhancing drugs would make the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Of course they wouldn’t. They were Bad People Who Cheated the Game, and all right-thinking people knew that, right?

Whatever keeps you from watching the UConn women, drop it

There is one thing the UConn women’s basketball team will never be able to do.

Be men.

The Waffle House menu isn’t big. Frog is not on it.

You mention that you go to a Waffle House for the first time in your life during your visit to Nashville, and your friend sends you this, saying she “thought of you.”

Nashville travels: Thanks for the past four days

You want to know what cool is? Cool is having these prints in your hotel room.

They’re made by a company called Anderson Design Group, and I want to go to their website and buy pretty much everything. I do have a feeling my wife and I will be acquiring at least a few of them.

Nashville travels: Looking for one open door at the stadium

Vanderbilt’s football stadium is directly behind the parking lot of the Holiday Inn my wife and I were staying at in Nashville.

This explains why the price was $300 per night with a minimum three-night stay when Vandy was home last Saturday, and why we stayed at a different hotel that night.

The football stadium, baseball field and Memorial Gymnasium are all clustered together, so while my wife was at a work meeting this afternoon, I was going to try to see them.