These Old Walkin' Shoes: Let the Music Do the Talking

A couple weeks ago, or maybe even longer ago than that (sometimes these things all seem to blur together) I wrote an article about the origami love notes that we used to send to each other in junior and high school. That got me thinking of another rite of passage that we used to engage in. Who remembers the mixtape?

What They Don't Tell You About Fighting A Disease

Cancer doctors are some of the best people in the world. Well, at least my cancer doctors are some of the best people I have ever met. They mean well, and they are incredibly intelligent people who hold your fate in their hands. Some act like they hold your fate in their hands in ways that make you cringe, while most do it with a strong air of concern in everything they do. Doctors, in general, are decent people who just want to make you feel better.

Every doctor does their best to address the side-effects of the medications they use or the potential mistakes that can occur during a delicate procedure, and those warnings are all done with good intentions. But with all of the forms I have signed regarding side-effects and the lectures my doctors have given me about what to expect, they really only cover about 40 percent of the true possibilities. There is plenty your doctor does not, and probably cannot, tell you about what will happen to you when you fight a potentially terminal disease. That is why I am here.

Literally the Best Reviews: The Education of Dixie Dupree

The Education of Dixie Dupree -- Donna Everhart

Kensington Publishing

352 Pages

On rare occasions, I pick up books that are outside my typical comfort zone. I generally like thrillers and some historical fiction, and I love character driven stories. If all three are combined, then we have a book that will get read as quickly as I can turn the pages. However, this story is just a bit different. It definitely is centered around a well written character. The subject matter may be just a bit uncomfortable, but it will keep you engrossed until the end.

Looking at Movies - Beauty and the Beast (2017)

I tried not to be impressed with this movie because to me the idea of making a live-action film that follows the original cartoon scene-for-scene seemed almost like a waste of time. I really tried, but I failed. At two hours and nine minutes, Beauty and the Beast is easily the longest of the new Disney live-action remakes, and it rivals Jungle Book as the best.

Yes you have seen the story before and you know how it ends, and yes you know the songs. But we all knew how Titanic was going to end, and yet it is considered one of the finest movies ever made. I am not sure Beauty and the Beast will reach any kind of iconic status, but knowing how it is going to end should not stop you from seeing it.

REMINISCING: The Bacon-Leonard Detective Agency

When I was a kid, the book, Harriet the Spy, was a very popular book. I definitely read it at least a couple of times. I must have been 11 or 12 when I took the book to heart. So, I was the same age of Harriet Welsch from the book. I would guess I was that age since I can clearly remember putting my own journal in its hiding spot in a trunk in my upstairs bedroom. I must have been about 13 when I took my new sneakers and moved into the basement.

On the Homefront: Answering to the Bosses When Necessary

"I know it when I see it." This phrase is used throughout society and is often used to describe whether the speaker has determined if a certain whatever has crossed some sort of invisible line into an unacceptable area.

For instance, since I love pop culture and movies, I'll use Indiana Jones as an example. Those who make the ratings for movies knew it was too gross to be given a PG mark, but that it was also too tame to give it an R. Hence, PG-13 was created. They knew it crossed a line, but it didn't cross all the way over to the other side.

On the Historical Trail: Signs From the Sky Revisited

Earlier this week, I wrote an article about the way finding signs planted near the big water tower in Outwater Park. After some further research and some helpful hints from a friend who left a couple articles, I have decided to make an addendum to my original work. There is a better explanation of what the symbols on the ground mean.

Emmet Belknap Performs "The Aristocats"

The Emmet Belknap Drama Club performed the first of three sold out performances of “The Aristocats” Thursday evening at the school’s auditorium. These are 5th and 6th grade kids, and their show was a whole lot of fun to watch. Again, this is not your typical high school musical, but Corliss is in this one. All I can say after watching it is, once they get to the high school, they will be a fine-honed machine entertaining the entire community.

These Old Walkin' Shoes: Enter Sandman

Since we moved into our house back in 1999, we’ve moved our bedroom around to different rooms upstairs. When we first moved in, we used the large front room as our bedroom. The other front room has been, since the day we moved in, my library. It’s virtually unusable right now, but soon. Soon, I say. Once we found out that we were having twins, I got the harebrained scheme to switch rooms around.

Looking at Movies *Special Edition* - Rogue One (A Star Wars Story) (2017)

The drive-in season has started, which means that Niagara's Watercooler will start featuring movie reviews every Monday. To get us up and going, we offer two "special edition" reviews of movies that are currently in theaters.

Every time I hear about a movie franchise that wants to explore every nook and cranny of its story line, I cringe. At some point, the Avengers are going to start getting boring and while all of those Friday the 13th movies were fun, they became cumbersome after a while. But there are three franchises, in my opinion, that could be explored to their very depths and they would still be entertaining - Godzilla, Star Trek, and Star Wars.

There are already countless books, comic books, and television cartoons dedicated to all three of those franchises, and none of it has lost any momentum. When I found out a couple of years ago that Disney wanted to drill deep into the Star Wars story and make "story movies," I was hesitant. After I saw Rogue One (A Star Wars Story), I stopped being hesitant.

Looking at Movies *Special Edition* - Kong: Skull Island (2017)

The drive-in season has started, which means that Niagara's Watercooler will start featuring movie reviews every Monday. To get us up and going, we offer two "special edition" reviews of movies that are currently in theaters.

Legendary Entertainment is rapidly becoming my new favorite movie studio because I love the way it operates. Legendary has gone out and scooped up the rights to a lot of old and popular movie franchises and is starting to revive those franchises. The release of Kong: Skull Island is the second in what promises to be a long series of kaiju movies directly inspired by Japan's Toho Studios, and it does not fail to deliver.

For kaiju geeks like myself, there are plenty of Easter eggs in this movie to make us all start salivating for the release of Godzilla 2 in 2018.  The real purpose of this movie is to introduce Kong into the Legendary kaiju universe and even if big monsters are not your thing, this is still one movie you have to see.

The Niagara Watercooler's Lockport, NY Facebook Page

It occurred to us recently that we have never actually taken the time to let everyone know about our Lockport, NY Facebook page, and what the page is for.

You will find the page at https://www.facebook.com/groups/165838200113286/  .

On the Historical Trail: Signs From the Sky

Kurt Vonnegut once wrote a novel, Sirens of Titan, where a stranded Tralfamadorian explorer has humans build the Great Wall of China, the Kremlin, and Stonehenge to be messages to his superiors of the need of a spare part for his ship. In the Chariots of the Gods?, Erich von Daniken postulates that the Nazca Lines in Peru were designed as a means for “ancient astronauts” to come back to Earth. But did you know, in the real world, there are signs on the landscape to actually assist travelers?

NA3HL Playoffs Underway. Binghamton & Jersey Shore Advance

The NA3HL playoffs got underway over this past weekend, and will begin the next round Thursday. The Northeast Division will be represented in that round by the Binghamton Junior Senators and the Jersey Shore Wildcats. Both teams swept their opponents last weekend to move to the next round.

REMINISCING: St Patrick's Day in the Keys

The Grand Adventure I wrote about the last two weeks is kind of being continued today. This was not the same trip, but it was another trip that I took that involved my brother, Bob. It also involved, once again, leaving Wendy behind. I know; she’s a saint. You’ll especially believe that once I tell you that I went to Key West at St. Patrick’s Day while she stayed home with the three girls. (We didn’t have Jo yet, but that’s a story intricately woven into this one.)

Town of Royalton Bicentennial Festivities

The Town of Royalton Historical Society will be kicking off The Town’s Bicentennial Celebration with a dinner at the Niagara Orleans Country Club on Saturday, April 8, 2017. There is a limited number of tickets available for sale at 20.00 per person. This will include dinner and dancing with a cash bar.

Genealogy Lecture March 22nd: "Who Will Tell Your Story?"

St. Patrick’s Cemetery in Lockport NY will be the topic of a presentation sponsored by the Niagara County Genealogical Society, featuring author Shelley Richards on Wednesday March 22, 2017 at 7 PM at the All Saints Parish Hall, 76 Church St in Lockport.

Thoroughly Modern Millie Takes the Roy-Hart Stage

The Roy-Hart musical has been a tradition in our family for a long time. Wendy has been teaching in that district for 20 years, and has been going to the shows since she started there -- for the most part. I have definitely missed a couple due to other commitments. I also missed a few at the beginning of her career just because I wasn’t really into musicals back then. Once I started going, however, I used the performances from the Roy-Hart stage to hone my likes and dislikes with regard to musicals.

North Park Performs "Seussical"

It’s high school musical season, so here come the reviews. Yes, this one is actually a middle school musical, but since it’s my time and my website, it makes the grade. Plus, my daughter, Patience was in the production. It’s blatant nepotism. Thursday night was opening night for North Park’s “Seussical.” It behooves us to keep in mind that these students lost valuable rehearsal time in the ten days leading up to the performance, between the wind storm and the snow storm.

Niagara's Watercooler Takes a Snow Day

Those of us at Niagara’s Watercooler didn’t want to be left out in the cold, so to speak. So, we took a snow day yesterday. Why should the kids get to have all the fun? Yes, maybe that was our second weather-related day off in the last week or so, but this one was by choice. Last week’s was out of our control as the war room at Watercooler Central was completely without power. Yesterday, we just didn’t feel like fighting the drifts on the way to the office.

How's The Weather Treating You?

Hurricane Katrina hit on August 23, 2005. It was one of the worst hurricanes this country has ever seen, and support for those suffering poured in from all over the country. This was also the hurricane that helped to enhance the notion that the United States government picks and chooses what disasters it responds to in a hurry. There were lots of accusations of selective assistance aimed at the feds, and the area is still recovering from what happened.

On August 23, 2005, it was a cool and sunny day in Buffalo with a temperature under 70 degrees and low humidity. There was no rain and not a cloud in the sky (I looked it up online). Facebook was still new at that point, so there wasn't the chance for people to chime in on Katrina. But I don't seem to remember anyone in Buffalo making quick little jokes about how sunny it is here while there is a deadly hurricane going on in New Orleans.

High School Musicals Lineup

It’s musical season for high schools in the area. This means that Craig will be very busy in the near future. In his household, he has two daughters in two separate musicals. Of course, his daughters are still in middle school, but he tries to take in other area shows. It will be a busy month for theater reviews.

REMINISCING: A Grand Adventure Part 2

When last we saw our intrepid heroes, they were coming to Montana, where maybe they would find a dental floss farm. They had already seen most of the Wisconsin countryside, the Badlands, of South Dakota, and 800 miles of “Free Water” signs. While they were still over halfway to their destination, there was still a long way to go.

Lockport Express Letter to the City of Lockport

To the City of Lockport, Mayor Anne McCaffrey, the Grigg-Lewis Foundation, and the fans of the Lockport Express;

It is with a heavy heart that the Lockport Express bids farewell to the city of Lockport and the fans that have supported us over the past three seasons. The decision to move to the Hyde Park Arena in Niagara Falls was purely a business decision and is not in any way a statement against the wonderful people who call Lockport their home.

Lockport Express Leaving Cornerstone Arena

For three years, the Lockport Express called Cornerstone Ice Arena in downtown Lockport home. Now, the team will be moving to the Hyde Park Ice Arena in Niagara Falls, and changing their name. The new name is still undetermined.

OPINION: Has Blogger Been Hacked...By Russia?

We at Niagara's Watercooler love what we do, and we have plenty of fun putting together various things that we hope you all enjoy. But like most websites, we are also a business and we watch our numbers all of the time. We have enjoyed a steady increase in numbers for everything we do, but the increase we got yesterday afternoon and today was a bit much.

WE ARE ONLY TELLING YOU WHAT WE NOTICED. WE ARE NOT IMPLYING ANYTHING MORE THAN WHAT HAS ACTUALLY HAPPENED. WE ARE JUST ASKING QUESTIONS.

Today (Sunday March 12, 2017), Craig and I were having our daily conversation about how awesome our numbers have become when he brought up an interesting question. Craig said:

"Why do we have 10 times as many hits for today than we have ever had before?"

We get some good traffic, but a closer look at the numbers shows an significant spike in traffic over the course of the weekend. So I did a little research and saw that we are starting to get a lot of traffic from ... Russia. No, I am not kidding.

Quick Thoughts of Bacon Vol. 3

Well, we survived the Buffalo Blow Storm of 2017 relatively unscathed. We had no power from sometime around noon on Wednesday until 9:50pm. We weren’t home when the power first was lost, but we all were part of the huddled masses by the time dinner time rolled around. The power went off a couple times through the night and into the morning. Most of those outages were a minute or less, but we had another long stretch mid-morning Thursday.

Available Warming Shelters in Niagara County

The Niagara County Sheriff’s Office and Niagara County Emergency Services are advising residents that the following warming shelters are available to the public at this time:

County Courthouse and Civil Defense Building To Reopen Friday

LOCKPORT—Power was restored at the Niagara County Courthouse and Civil Defense building shortly before 3 p.m. today, County Manager Rick Updegrove announced.

County employees of agencies that were closed today due to a power and telephone outage caused by Wednesday’s wind storm were:

Terry's Corner's Firehall Offering Spaghetti Dinner Thursday Evening

Terry's Corners Volunteer Fire Company are opening their doors tonight (Thursday the 9th) to those who are powerless and need a good, hot meal and some great companionship. They will have a FREE spaghetti and meatball dinner starting at 6:00pm. Like Bob Confer says, "bring your chargers, bring your appetite, and, even bring some cash (the bar will be open)."

From the Lockport Police Department

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

City of Lockport Update on Wind Storm and Power Outage

The City of Lockport experienced a serious wind storm yesterday - March
8th. Our departments are continuing to clean up from this storm. At this
time, all major streets are open. Twelve side streets continue to be
closed due to downed trees or lines. These include Scovell, Irving,
Caledonia, Washington, Hawley, Church, Gooding, Akron, Lincoln Drive,
Beattie, Ransom and Pine.

These Old Walkin' Shoes: Born to Be Bad

Once in awhile you get shown the light in the strangest of places if you look at it right. The concept of this week’s “Walkin’ Shoes” came directly from a texting conversation I had with a friend of mine the other day. What began as a conversation about jealousy morphed into one about dating in high school. More specifically, it dealt with the Nice Guy versus the Bad Boy dating inequity.

SPECIAL ANNOUCEMENT

Due to fluctuating power issues here at Niagara's Watercooler, our regularly scheduled features may be delayed. As soon as we have constant access to the website, we will continue to publish our award-winning articles. In the meantime, feel free to read through the 450+ articles we have already published. Re-read an old favorite. Find a new favorite. We'll be here when the craziness abates. Well...not our craziness. Or yours. Just the weather craziness.

The Anatomy Of An Argument

I get into a lot of arguments on Facebook. I know that is hard to believe, what with my sunny disposition, but it is true. I get into so many arguments that I consider myself a Facebook anger expert. Over the years, I have paid close attention to how Facebook arguments start, and I have come to the conclusion that Facebook arguments breakdown like this:

Springing Ahead

There’s always that one sure sign that spring is well on it’s way. No, it has nothing to do with a hedgehog, nor robins building nests in the gutters. In the Bacon household, there is only one thing that can herald the arrival of spring. Yes, I’m talking about the seed catalogs.

EDITORIAL: Stop the Madness

I’ve sat on the idea of this article for over a week. However, as each new day brings new news stories, I’ve had to make a decision of whether to actually sit down and write this. There has been a lot of thinking going on with regard to writing this down and taking the heat that comes with it. And there will be a lot of heat. With this article, I am calling out all the cowards who spew their hate behind their perverted sense of the First Amendment.

Age Is Just a Number

Sometimes in my daily adventures on the internet, I run across something that I feel should be shared because of just how great it is. In a world full of miserableness and hate, we need something to make us smile. Growing up around motorcycles, this one caught my attention as soon as I saw it.

REMINISCING: A Grand Adventure Part 1

I think everyone has one great adventure before they kick off the mortal coils of life. Sometimes, you do it when you’re really young. Sometimes, you wait until the kids are all grown, moved out, and you’re retired from the working life. I did mine at what could likely be considered a terrible time, but it was a ton of fun. I would do it again, but it becomes much more difficult when the kids are still as young as mine. When we retire, we will be on the lookout for our mutual great adventure.

Literally the Best Reviews: Without Mercy

Without Mercy -- Jefferson Bass

William Morrow Publishers

352 Pages

As I’ve said before, once I find an author I like, I stay true to all the books they write. This is especially so in the cases of series. I like to see the evolution of the main characters as the authors learn more about them and attempt to flesh out a deeper, well-rounded part of the story. This week’s author(s) has decided that it’s time for their main character to finally retire, and along with him, they too will be retiring.

PODCAST: Lockport Express vs East Coast Minutemen 03-05-2017

Lockport Ends Regular Season With 3-2 Victory

Now the waiting game begins for the Lockport Express, the Roc City Royals, and their fans. With a 3-2 victory over the East Coast Minutemen Sunday afternoon, Lockport moved one point ahead of Roc City into the final playoff spot. All eyes will be on the Syracuse/Roc City game Saturday afternoon at 3pm. A win by Syracuse will eliminate Roc City from the playoffs.

Thinking Out Loud on the Homefront: Here We Go Again

For the first time in recent memory I spent Saturday without jumping through too many hoops. I wasn't cleaning non-stop, wasn't cooking something, wasn't running hither and yon. I woke up, had a cup of coffee, and leisurely checked my social media feed.

PODCAST: Lockport Express vs East Coast Minutemen 03-04-2017

Lockport Keeps Playoff Hopes Alive

The Lockport Express kept their playoff hopes alive with a 6-2 victory over the visiting East Coast Minutemen at the Cornerstone Ice Arena Saturday evening. The Express now trail the Roc City Royals by a single point. Both teams still have a single game left to play in the regular season. The Express will take on the Minutemen this afternoon at 2:00pm. Roc City will face off against Syracuse next Saturday at Morrisville.

Roc City Earns 4-2 Victory Over Lockport

The road to the playoffs took a hit Friday evening as the Roc City Royals downed the Lockport Express 4-2 at the Lakeshore Hockey Arena. The Express now trail the Royals by three points with two games remaining for Lockport, and one game on the schedule for Roc City. Even if Lockport wins both games against the East Coast Minutemen this weekend, they will not know their fate until after the Syracuse -- Roc City game on March 11th.

Defiant Monkey to Perform at Taylor Theater March 8th

Defiant Monkey Improv will perform their live "Master of Improv Comedy Show" at the Kenan Center Taylor Theater at 7:00pm on Wednesday, March 8th, 2017.  The Kenan Center is located at 433 Locust St, Lockport, NY.  Over an hour of live comedy improv presented by Karen & Andy - Masters of Improv! Admission is $10.

Quick Thoughts of Bacon Vol. 2

I started and restarted this installment of “Quick Thoughts of Bacon.” It took an episode of “Girl Meets World” to finalize what I wanted to write about this week. With my youngest home from school due to illness, we were watching a bit of television. She wanted to watch that show, and honestly, it is a pretty great show. Too bad Disney cancelled it.

These Old Walkin' Shoes: Maybe I'm a Leo

It’s March, and there’s that old adage, “In like a lion, out like a lamb.” Sometimes it’s the other way around. I think this time the month definitely came in like a lion. As I write this article, the wind is blowing pretty hard and the lights are occasionally blinking. Even with the flue closed, the wind is whistling through the fireplace. And, of course, we had that rather loud thunderstorm at 2 in the morning. We don’t generally have thunderstorms in the middle of winter. It was a doozy.

The Ugly American Undercurrent

I got to thinking the other day about how the country appeared to be before Facebook and the 24-hour media ruined everything. Prior to social and too much media, it appeared that people agreed more than they disagreed. It appeared that everyone had the same goals in mind for the country and their communities. It appeared that racism was a taboo that could hopefully be eliminated some day.

I am one of those people who blame social and too much media for the division in this country, but I am starting to realize that taking that perspective is lazy. This country has never been united, and this country never will be united. All that is going on right now is that the country is showing its true colors, and those colors make an ugly picture.

EDITORIAL: More Safety Needed on Chestnut Street

My two favorite places in Lockport share the same parking lot. I have loved the Lockport Library since I was in kindergarten. For the last three years, Cornerstone Ice Arena has been almost like a second home. I’ve been there hundreds of times since it opened, and even several times before it opened. It is a wonderful addition to Lockport.

Catching Up With the Lockport Express Week 22

The Lockport Express edged ever closer to the NA3HL playoffs for the Northeast Division. After a pair of victories on Saturday and Sunday over the East Coast Minutemen, the Express now trail the Roc City Royals by a single point. Lockport has three games left in the regular season. Roc City has two remaining. Those two teams will face each other Friday evening at the Lakeshore Hockey Arena in Rochester.