HOLIDAYS: Memories & Traditions

We often complain that Christmas and other holidays have become over-commercialized, where the religious or historical meaning is lost within a realm of retail madness. Yet, some of our favorite holiday memories are often associated with shopping.

HOLIDAYS: Hitting the liquor store

Pusser's Rum

Tis the season to hit up the liquor store before the holidays, and that's exactly what I did today on my day off from work.  Browsing the wonderfully-wide aisles of Lisa's Liquor Barn in Penfield, I searched out some of my favorite drinks before making my decision.

I chose a bottle of "Maker's Mark" bourbon for me, and my mom went for the "Baileys Irish Cream".  Both will be nice additions to the liquor cabinet.

My "Maker's Mark" will go nicely alongside the half-gone bottle of my favorite rum - which is really the purpose of this blog post.  I always hear people say how much they love "Captain" or one of the endless varieties of "Bacardi".  When people ask which rum is my favorite, they get a bewildered expression when I reply "Pusser's".

FALL FUN: Navigating a dinosaur corn maze

This Sunday was the last day the Dinosaur corn maze was open at the Country Way Garden Center in Penfield.  Luckily, me and my colleagues Caroline Tucker and Patrick Kelly were able to rise to the challenge last weekend.  This was my first corn maze experience, and I was excited to put my navigation skills to the test despite dire warnings from our 11 o'clock producer (she was stuck in one at night at a young age and it took her three hours to get out.  She continues to hate them to this day.)

TELEVISION: Remembering Andy Rooney, 1919 - 2011

2008 photo by Stephenson Brown

Known for his grumpy end-of-show commentary, Andy Rooney has been a beloved mainstay of "60 Minutes" for more than 30 years, and a fixture at CBS for more than 60 years.

Rooney died Friday night from complications from a minor surgery. His death came only weeks after announcing he would no longer appear regularly at the end of 60 minutes. In all, he wrote and delivered 1,097 essays for the news program.

SNAPSHOT: Penfield Sunset

I caught this neat sunset after dinner at the Penfield Four Corners.  I snapped this photo with my phone from the parking lot of the Pattaya Thai restaurant.