Albany Archives - Ramblin' with Roger

I’ll never be a frequent flyer

ALB to CLT

The idea of me seeing more of the world is stymied by the fact that I’ll never be a frequent flyer. My last adventure is a good example of why.

I ordered round-trip tickets from Albany, NY, to Charlotte, NC, for mid-May 2026. Somehow, I didn’t get the flight I thought I got at c. noon and ended up with a 7:30 a.m. departure. This meant my wife had to take my daughter and me to the airport at about 5:30 a.m.

I went to the TSA machinery. Even though I got a Real ID, the machinery could not read it, despite repeated attempts. Fortunately, just before I left home, I had grabbed my passport, which did the job.

Then I went through the metal detector. The guy asked if I had a belt on; well, yeah. Then he got handsy around my waistband, which made me very uncomfortable. Later, someone told me they should EXPLAIN what they were going to do.

When my sister Leslie arrived in CLT, we had to go to the car rental place, which was visible from the baggage area but which involved an inadequate number of elevators up to the 5th floor, across the walkway, down to the Dollar/Hertz counter with a long line. It was substantial enough time that I returned to the baggage area to retrieve the sunglasses I had dropped, got back to the line, and found it still long.

The “deal” car they first offered was a pickup truck! We didn’t want our luggage out in the elements. Ultimately, with a price upgrade, we got a 2026 Buick Enclave, which was a tank. Also, shifting into reverse, for instance, involved pushing this button on the gear shift, which was non-intuitive.

CLT

Charlotte/Douglas Airport has changed a lot since I last flew into there in 2009, not all for the better. As we were heading towards the rental car return in the 2nd lane to the left, a large bus came out of somewhere into the far-left lane. Though both vehicles were in the correct places, the design made us feel as if the bus were going to crash into us.

We entered the parking garage that was the return vehicle location. But the turn to the Dollar area came up quickly, practically before one could read the sign. By that point, we had to drive out of the whole building – there was no turning around – and leave the airport entirely and come back to try again.

In this TSA line, I was in the midst of making my cane as small as I could, so it would lie flat in the bin, as it did in ALB. But someone said, “It’s good enough.” It went through the scanning machine and jammed it for everyone for about five minutes. While I was waiting near another passenger, we joked about who had broken the machine. If they had given me literally five more seconds, I could have fully retracted the cane.

Flying makes me cranky. It’s a necessary evil until they develop those Star Trek transporters.

Groundhog says: ICE OUT

one does not need to be “illegal” to protest injustice

Here are two probably unrelated events, which I have decided to link together. On Sunday morning, around 8 a.m., there was a very large groundhog deep in our backyard, near our shed, gnawing on the grass.

About an hour later, the Capital Region Sanctuary Coalition noted online that there were “confirmed ICE vehicles in the neighborhood of Pine Hills. Jay Street & North Allen; also seen at Myrtle & South Allen, and circling the area.

There was a gray Subaru Ascent, a black Ford Expedition (maybe two of them), a gray Ford Explorer, and a black Dodge Durango.

How did I know this? Because there was a chorus of very loud whistles out on the street, with people scurrying to one of those intersections. At least some of the whistles looked like the one pictured above. (That’s actually TWO whistles, shown at different angles.) Did I mention that they are piercingly loud? I don’t know who made them.

Unfortunately, my wife and I were heading to church. But we were heartened to see about two dozen folks converge at the intersection nearest my house.

I later read, “All hands call ended at 10:50 am.”

This follows federal agents detaining a man and a young child near Western Avenue and North Lake Avenue in Albany on Friday morning.

The too-usual response

More than one person on the Facebook chain wrote, “ICE OUT OF ALBANY, NOW!” One person replied, “Why…… are you ILLEGAL?”

That latter person obviously had not listened to the sermon I heard that day. It specifically mentioned white people needing to call out racism against black people and other targets of racial bigotry. Likewise, when LGBTQ+ folks are vilified, it is incumbent on the broader community to push back.

Note how the Department of Justice has muddled the notion of legal. So, to the inquirer, one does not need to be “illegal” to protest injustice. In fact, it is necessary for people who are not targeted by various dubious policies to rise up against them.

So my groundhog – it was a BIG one – showed up to say, ICE OUT.

Albany PL Trustee Candidates Forum May 5

May 19 voting locations may differ from the general election

Swiped from here about the Albany Public Library: “The Trustee Candidates Forum is a moderated Q&A with the candidates running for Library Trustee.” It will be held on Tuesday, May 5, at 6 p.m., in the large auditorium at the Washington Avenue branch, 161 Washington Avenue.

“The questions and answers are prepared in advance, and the forum is moderated by a current trustee. The purpose of the forum is to give candidates a chance to share their views on libraries with the community, and for the community to hear the candidates out in preparation for the Library Budget Vote and Trustee Election on May 19.”

“Nine candidates will be on the May 19 ballot vying for three seats on the APL Board of Trustees. The following library trustee candidates submitted valid nominating petitions to the City School District of Albany and will appear on the ballot in this order, which is determined at random by the district:

1. Kathryn Bamberger
2. Lori Kochanski
3. Matthew Reed
4. Jenna Kersten
5. Smriti Sinha
6. Kayli McTague
7. Sarah Macinski (incumbent)
8. Kenneth Louzier
9. Leslie Dykeman

“This year, there are three open trustee seats: two full five-year terms and one partial one-year term. The two candidates who receive the highest number of votes are elected to the five-year terms, and the third highest vote-getter is elected to the one-year term.”

“This event also includes a brief Community Report & Budget Information session with APL Executive Director Andrea Nicolay.”

Here are the current and proposed library budgets.

Exercising the franchise

I will say there is one candidate I’m definitely voting for on May 19 from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., and two who are likely, but I will wait until the forum to decide for sure. I’m very excited that there are so many candidates.

Also, I’m voting YES on the library budget. The increase is due in part to the usual demands on a system. Also, in some years past, before the current library director took over, the budget was NOT submitted to the public. The upside was that the previous year’s budget was automatically passed at the same level. But the downside was that the income didn’t keep pace with expenses.

I’m voting YES on the school budget and the two propositions.

There are three candidates for two slots on the school board:

Tabitha Wilson (incumbent)

Quinn Lee, who is involved in public health

Serena White Lake, an attorney at Albany Law School

The three candidates will debate virtually on Monday, May 18, at 6 pm; the link should be available on the school district website in a few days.

If you are looking for where to vote, which is likely DIFFERENT from where you vote in primary and general elections, go here.

Sunday Stealing: Memememe — Part 2

the 1913 Binghamton factory fire

Welcome to Sunday Stealing. Here we will steal all types of questions from every corner of the blogosphere. Our promise to you is that we will work hard to find the most interesting and intelligent questions. Cheers to all of us thieves!

Impetua is the blogger who delivered us this mother lode of meme questions. They were originally stolen from someone named Mel, whose blog no longer exists. We took 50+ queries and made it 20 questions over two weeks. (Boy, are they ever random!)

Memememe — Part 2

11. You can build a dream house anywhere in the world. Where would it be located?

Given the vagaries of climate change, I’d say right where I am right now in Albany, NY. It’s not perfect, but it works for what I need to happen.

Photo booth

12. Have you ever taken a photo in a photo booth?

Yes. Quoting me:

“These pictures were undoubtedly taken at a Woolworth’s, not terribly far from Binghamton Central High School, which is now and has been Binghamton High School since 1982. This is Michele, Steve, and I doing what one does in a tiny room, the camera flashing every ten seconds or so. I probably never saw these since they popped out of the side of the booth over 45 years ago.

“In the era of the selfie, if you have never had a photo booth picture taken at a Woolworth’s or similar venue, I should explain this process. There’s a booth with a curtain, and you would get three or four photos for 25 or 50 cents. For years, they were always in black and white, though the latter years had color. It didn’t take long to process, although the three minutes waiting seemed like an eternity.

“And the pictures were unique. “There are no copies, no negatives. Photo booths use a direct positive process, imprinting the image directly to the paper — creating a one-of-a-kind artifact.”

Steve sent these to me about a decade ago. Undoubtedly, I took many other photo booth shots, including at a Friends and Foundation of the Albany Public Library gala only a few years ago, but I don’t know where the pics are.

13. What’s your favorite kind of mustard (dijon, spicy brown, bright yellow)?

In order: Dijon and spicy brown.

14. What did you do on New Year’s Eve?

To the best of my recollection, I stayed up until midnight, hugged whoever was up—probably my daughter, unlikely my wife—and then went to bed.

School daze

15. Did your parents ever share memories of their high school days?

I don’t remember specifically—certainly not my father, who, I gather, hated school at the time. My mom went to the same high school and, for that matter, elementary school that my sister Leslie and I attended. I’ve seen pictures of her in elementary school; one is here.

16. What’s the most famous thing to happen in your hometown?

Most folks will probably note that Rod Serling, the creator of the famous TV show The Twilight Zone, grew up in Binghamton, NY. There’s a new statue of him in Recreation Park in the city.

But, and I guess more infamous, was the 1913 Binghamton factory fire, which occurred on July 22, “on the premises of the Binghamton Clothing Company… It destroyed the Wall Street building in less than 20 minutes, killing 31 of the more than 100 people inside. Though not as deadly as the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in 1911, it put even more pressure on New York officials to strengthen life safety codes, increase funding for more inspectors, and increase penalties for violations.“

From Atlas Obscura: “The monument is at the top of the hill on the south side of Spring Forest Cemetery. Enter through the Mygatt St. entrance and bear left through the valley and up the hill. The stones stand in a clearing and are easily visible from the path.”

It’s weird, then, that despite spending my first 18 years in Binghaton and having visited that cemetery several times, even this decade, I did not hear this story until 2025. Here’s a link to the documentary The Devil’s Fire by WSKG Public Television and filmmaker Brian Frey. The book Return to the Embers of Tragedy by David A. Bogart was published in August 2025.

The short answers

17. Did you ever have a MySpace page?

Probably, but I surely didn’t know what to DO with it.

18. Will you eat a cookie today?

If it’s oatmeal raisin, yes.

19. Who is the last person you spoke to – not texted with – on the phone?

My wife. She was coming home late, which is not unusual.

20. Do you play poker?

As a kid, I played penny ante, but not really. Still, I taught my daughter how to play while going on college excursions, as described here.

The 2025 Pride Parade -ALB

throngs of people

**This was from the 2024 event. The church won the Brillance Award for the “float” in the Albany Pride Parade, with the canoe on the roof of a car.**

The 2025 Pride Parade in Albany on Sunday, June 8, felt different to me from the beginning. For one thing, when I arrived at my church, which is located near the parade route, there were numerous garbage trucks at most intersections. They were there undoubtedly because of the New Year’s Eve/Day attack on people in New Orleans, plus several other vehicular assaults in Europe.

But it was also different because it felt like there was a lot more energy, as though the current regime’s attack on LGBTQ+ folks demanded a response.

After I helped set up communion, we had choir rehearsal, and then the service, which is always less well-attended because many folks, including one of the pastors, are decorating the “float” and then positioning the vehicle in Washington Park. By the end of the service, we can already hear the parade. After church, I need to clean up the communion stuff and put away my music.

By the time I got outside, I wasn’t feeling the energy to walk to the park where our First Pres contingent would have been starting. Walking the route seemed unwise, given that my Achilles was still untreated.

So I resigned myself to watching the festivities as the paraders passed by our church, as many of our congregants do every year. It’s always interesting to see which politicians attend; I saw three of the four mayoral candidates and two of the three people running for city auditor, but I might have missed the others because the event lasted for quite a while.

He’s so spontaneous!

As the First Pres group came by the church, they were on a flat-bed truck. I suddenly impulsively thought, “If I don’t have to walk this thing, maybe I will ride on this thing.” Several people got on. I had trouble maneuvering up the narrow stepladder, but I ultimately managed to get on and shuffle towards the front of the cab. This was cool! Actually, the temperature began to rise very quickly.

One of my favorite moments every year is being most of the way down Lark Street and turning around and seeing the throngs of people still marching. This time I was already facing the back, but it was nevertheless very moving. But I saw people I knew who didn’t see me because the balloons obscured me; oh, well.

Sun/Son

I was sitting next to the Jesus cardboard figure that was wearing a purple “God Is Genderfull” T-shirt. At some point the Jesus was starting to topple over. Since I was right next to it, I was holding it (Him?) up with my left arm, but I got tired quickly, so I used my cane, which was much easier.

Someone from the crowd yelled, “Christ is risen!” Indeed. At the end of the route, as we undecorated the truck, I decided to carry the Jesus through the park back to the church, which got all sorts of fascinating comments, almost all positive.

At some point on the truck, I realized I hadn’t even told my wife that I was going to the parade. I thought to call her and tell her I could take the bus home, so she wouldn’t have to wait. But then I remember that she had left her phone at the EMPAC the night before. It turned out she was at church, waiting for me, which was very nice.