Bush or McCain? It's not as easy as you think.

Labels: John McCain, politics

[Nanuet Mall in the 1970s. Photo courtesy Malls of America]

The Nanuet Mall is closing.

If you're not from Rockland (or from there and under the age of 18), you probably don't think this is very sad at all. The Nanuet Mall, as it currently stands, is a wasteland. A walk through there today sends you past empty storefront after empty storefront, where you point and say, "Sam Goody used to be there." The last time I was there, I remember noticing that almost nothing was where it used to be, and that most of the empty storefronts were being used to advertise real estate or test blood pressure. Not being in the market for a house and well within the normal range on the systolic/diastolic scale, I couldn't help but think that it was just about the last place that I wanted to be.

I also couldn't help but think how 20 years ago, there was no other place to be in Rockland County. That was a different time though. We actually had to leave the house to play video games, which we did at Aladdin's Castle. And when we saw a movie, which we did at the movie theater on the second floor (before the food court took its place), it was the only movie playing at the theater because there was only one screen. And that's the only purpose the Nanuet Mall serves right now. It's a relic. It's a stark reminder of a different time.

It wasn't a special mall or anything. It wasn't really that big, even after they expanded and built the new wing in the late 80s/early 90s. It was probably exactly like the mall in your town. It probably even had most of the same stores. But this mall was our mall. It was a looming presence in your pre-teen/teen life. It was a great place to spend a rainy Saturday, but also a great place to spend a sunny Sunday.

To be fair, the Nanuet Mall's glory years are long gone. When the Palisades Center opened down the road, it kicked off the slow, steady decline that we all knew would eventually end at this day. And frankly, after having been there recently, this is more of a mercy killing. It's just hard to watch a piece of your childhood go. And as stupid as it sounds, it feels like losing a relative. There was comfort in it's familiarity, in the Waldenbooks at the end of the first floor and the Disney Store that anchored the middle of the second floor.

It'll be weird driving by there and not seeing it standing there, but almost nothing in Rockland is where it once was anymore. And to be honest, I'm not really up there all that much these days. It's where I grew up, but it's not my home. Still, I'm going to miss it, because now when I have kids, it'll be harder to show them what I did and who I was when I was their age.

Labels: fun (no), Nanuet Mall, Rockland County

Things Younger Than John McCain

Labels: John McCain, politics

Ethanol is eating into popcorn production, and sending prices up, which in turn is sending movie ticket prices even further up.

It will now cost like $40 to see a movie and eat a bucket of popcorn? Explain why I shouldn't stay home and watch a movie for much, much less than that.

Labels: corn

How about the Electric Company coming back to air?

I used to love this show when I was a kid. I hope they bring back Picture Pages next.

Labels: Electric Company, PBS

Someone special is celebrating her special day! Beatrice Arthur, acerbic counter-culture icon and Patron Saint of Yankee Pot Roast, is 86 years young today.

On a related topic, does Willard Scott still go from town to say happy birthday to people that have turned 100? Does he still say "years young?" Does he still wear his ridiculous toupee? Does he love the fact that he played Mr. Poole, affable husband to Hogan family next door neighbor Mrs. Poole (ably portrayed by Edie McClurg)?

Just wondering.

Labels: Bea Arthur, Happy Birthday, YPR

I bumped into a friend of mine in the lobby of my office building this morning, who asked me if I'd watched Medium last night. Because I'd rather jam knitting needles deep into my nostrils to try to tickle my brain than watch this program, my answer was no.

The reason that he asked me was because of this, which I insist that everyone watch immediately and at least five times. Sue Simmons has been doing local news in the New York metro area for as long as I can remember, stretching way back into the 1980s. She always comes off as this very stern woman. This just keeps getting funnier each time that I watch it.

Part of me hopes that she's saying that to a stunned Chuck Scarborough, but I assume she's saying it to someone that brought her coffee with Sweet 'n Low, instead of urine like she asked.

Labels: NBC, Sue Simmons, the word fuck

This is the sweetest/saddest story that I've ever read.

Labels: stuff

So they want to repeal the gas tax?

It just seems insane to me. We've already cut taxes at wartime. We're already putting a tax rebate out there that isn't even going to do what they think it's going to do. Now, we're looking to repeal the gas tax for a summer, taking even more money out of the coffers. What's in the Treasury Department vault right now, deposit bottles? Moths? Connie Chung's career?

And separate from the obviously horrible idea of taking money out of the pockets of the government while we've got a recession going on, why on Earth are we incentivizing driving and using gasoline? If the rising price of oil should be teaching us anything, it's that we need to find other ways to power our cars, get to work and make money for the people that sell the oil. And frankly, our skies and water could use a pollution break.

And then I read that Hillary Clinton wants the oil companies to pay for the gas tax for the summer, instead of repealing it altogether? First, good luck getting our President "Big Business" Bush to sign that bill. Secondly, the oil companies are turning $4B quarterly profits. You think they give a rat's ass how much gas costs? The first thing they'll do is turn around and pass their cost on the consumers.

It's just shocking sometimes how shortsighted our politicians can be. It's nice of them to want to try to put a little more money in my pocket. I appreciate it. Really. But why don't you guys take a minute and think just a little bit abstractly for a minute? Take my 25 cents a gallon and invest it in find actual alternative biofuels that don't require fossil fuels to produce. It's an investment that every person in the world should be willing to make.

Labels: Hillary Clinton, my high horse, politics

Vomit in my mouth aside, it was a great season. I'm just not ready to accept this loss just yet. The better team may have won, but all these games were winnable at one point or another:

Game 1: Up 3-0 in the second period
Game 2: Quick whistle negates late Rangers goal in 1-0 game late in the third period
Game 3: Came back from 2 goal deficit, tied 3-3 late in the second period
Game 5: Came back from 2 goal deficit, lost in OT

It's too bad also, because we were all screwed out of seeing what could have been the best game in all the playoffs tomorrow night.

Labels: New York Rangers