The Compleat Carosa Commentaries Archives - Page 55 of 57

Hooray for the Perseids!

By Chris Carosa on August 12, 2010

[This Commentary originally appear in the August 10, 1989 issue of The Mendon-Honeoye Falls-Lima Sentinel.]

It’s not been a very good summer for stargazing – at least on Monday nights. The hazy skies tend to catch too much light. Remember, the full moon we had a few weeks back. It lit up the entire atmosphere.

Of course, the omnipresent haze does lend itself to some interesting night-time sights. For instance, did you ever watch a descending jet? When the plane puts its landing lights on, an arrow of humid sky blazes into illumination. It sort of looks like the craft is shooting weak phasers.

The haze isn’t the only problem that could hurt stargazing. Fortunately, we don’t live Continue Reading “Hooray for the Perseids!”

Posted in The Compleat Carosa Commentaries Tagged astronomy, Mendon, Meteor, Perseids

Tour De Canandaigua

By Chris Carosa on August 5, 2010

[This Commentary was originally intended to appear in the August 3, 1989 issue of The Mendon-Honeoye Falls-Lima Sentinel.]

What began as a leisurely escapade on a soft summer day ended as a grueling excursion in heat and humidity…

“Moderate Bicycling,” the brochure said. I interpreted modest hills and a more scenic landscape than an easier course might offer. Besides, I’ve been riding bikes since my preschool days – it couldn’t be that difficult.

Last Week #19: Fear and Loathing on Route 65 (originally published July 27, 1989)

Original Week #20: What Do You Think? (originally intended to be published August 3, 1989)

Next Week #21: Hooray for the Perseids! (originally published August 10, 1989)

Posted in The Compleat Carosa Commentaries Tagged Canandaigua

What Do You Think?

By Chris Carosa on August 5, 2010

[This Commentary was originally intended to appear in the August 3, 1989 issue of The Mendon-Honeoye Falls-Lima Sentinel.]

The Mendon-Honeoye Falls-Lima Sentinel started off as a kernel of an idea in our heads just a little over six months ago. We are now entering our fifth month of publication. After an initial period of fanfare and excitement, we rolled up our sleeves and dug in. A lot of people said we were crazy. A lot of people said it couldn’t be done. But, a lot of people bought the paper and even more have been reading it.

Now, we might be crazy, and it’s a little too early to say anything has yet been Continue Reading “What Do You Think?”

Posted in The Compleat Carosa Commentaries Tagged market research

Fear and Loathing on Route 65

By Chris Carosa on July 29, 2010

[This Commentary originally appeared in the July 27, 1989 issue of The Mendon-Honeoye Falls-Lima Sentinel.]

I don’t often take walks thought the maze of trails in Mendon Ponds Park. Too many snakes. Yes, I don’t like spiders and snakes. This is probably the result of watching an unhealthy amount of those atomic mutant movies that came out of the Red-Scare ‘50s. (Do you remember those movies? The pretty girl always ended up getting eaten by some oversized tarantula.)

Well, the other day, while contentedly strolling along a not-so-well worn path, a snake suddenly slithered in front of me. Momentarily startled, I jumped to the left, my foot landing in a concealed hole. I tripped, falling flat on my face and skinning my right knee (I wore shorts that day) on an exposed root.

“Shoot!” I would have exclaimed if I didn’t decide to employ a mild oath instead. I quickly pranced up on all fours, figuring the snake, seeing my vulnerable position, might Continue Reading “Fear and Loathing on Route 65”

Posted in The Compleat Carosa Commentaries Tagged fiction, Mendon

The Thrill and Beyond

By Chris Carosa on July 22, 2010

[This Commentary originally appeared in the July 20, 1989 issue of The Mendon-Honeoye Falls-Lima Sentinel.]

From a camera perched atop a tall skinny structure of skeletal steel, you look down upon the narrow tubular body of mostly white with hints of black. The “steam” of super cooled liquid oxygen gushes from various vents along the surface of the slender cylinder. You view the not-so-crisp TV picture in your living room, anxiously awaiting the final moment.

“T-minus 20 seconds and counting…,” says a tin can voice over a PA system not much Continue Reading “The Thrill and Beyond”

Posted in The Compleat Carosa Commentaries Tagged Apollo 11, astronomy

Curse Those Romantic Subplots!

By Chris Carosa on July 15, 2010

[This Commentary originally appeared in the July 13, 1989 issue of The Mendon-Honeoye Falls-Lima Sentinel.]

“So,” asks Liz, “Are you planning to go?”

“No, I don’t think so,” replies Julie. “It’ll just be a weekend of male bonding.”

And so a handful of not fully grown young adult men spent the days drinking beer, losing golf balls and generally reminiscing of bright college years. The talk was bawdy and bold. The laughs were deep and hearty. And all the cooking was done over the open fire of a gas grill.

* * *

The following Commentary may not be suitable for those seeking articles which appeal Continue Reading “Curse Those Romantic Subplots!”

Posted in Movie Reviews, The Compleat Carosa Commentaries Tagged Batman, male-bonding, Movie Review, writing

The Search for the Slice

By Chris Carosa on July 8, 2010

[This Commentary originally appeared in the July 6, 1989 issue of The Mendon-Honeoye Falls-Lima Sentinel.]

It rains an awful lot in New Haven. It even rains in the winter. Of course, any amount of snow makes it worse. They don’t use salt in New Haven. They use sand. The snow melts (with the help of rain), leaving the sidewalks a puddle of a gritty mud. Over the years, though, one builds an immunity of sorts and learns to cope with the constant precipitation. (Maybe that’s why I rarely Continue Reading “The Search for the Slice”

Posted in The Compleat Carosa Commentaries Tagged Buffalo, erie county fair, hamburg, New Have, pizza, Rochester, Western New York

Civil War and the World Economy

By Chris Carosa on July 1, 2010

[This Commentary originally appeared in the June 29, 1989 issue of The Mendon-Honeoye Falls-Lima Sentinel.]

Surprisingly, my immediate reaction to the Chinese student demonstration this past spring had me questioning their tactics. I feared, in their quest to move things more quickly, the young protesters would spark a hardliner response. Ironically, their daring deeds would lead to one giant panda step backward.

Change, it seems, occurs most easily if done from within. Unfortunately, neither the students of Tiananmen Square nor their Continue Reading “Civil War and the World Economy”

Posted in The Compleat Carosa Commentaries Tagged economics, politics, war, world affairs

The Cornucopia Tree

By Chris Carosa on June 28, 2010

Once upon a time there lived a man who owned a very special tree—a cornucopia tree.

Now, as we all know, the word “cornucopia” comes from the Latin word meaning “horn of plenty.” In ancient mythology, it was said to produce an endless supply of food and drink. Even today, Americans display a cornucopia at their Thanksgiving table as a symbol of gratitude for all the Lord has given us.

Well, this cornucopia tree produced everything the man’s family needed to survive. From its branches grew food and drink, wood to build and heat their house, and even the clothes they wore.

(Yes, clothes. Don’t ask how the tree managed that. It just did.)

One day the cornucopia tree produced something it had never produced before—two identical eggs.

The man, now very old, saw them and understood their meaning. So he called his two sons.

“Boys,” he said, “this tree has given our family everything we have ever needed. Now it has Continue Reading “The Cornucopia Tree”

Posted in Gray Matter Musings, The Compleat Carosa Commentaries Tagged abundance, Aesop, allegory, Ben Franklin, capital, capitalism, charity, consumerism, consumption, contentment, cornucopia, delayed gratification, entrepreneur, fable, fairy tale, family, finance, Fractured Fairy Tales, gratitude, greed, horn of plenty, instant gratification, moral story, Parable, prodigal son, productive, stewardship, storytelling, sufficiency, symbol, temptation, Thankgiving, wealth, wealth building, wisdom

Twentieth Century Lorelei

By Chris Carosa on June 24, 2010

[This Commentary originally appeared in the June 22, 1989 issue of The Mendon-Honeoye Falls-Lima Sentinel.]

Manhattan beckons, a modern day siren. It summons the untested and ambitious. Dreamers flock to the Mecca of Tin Pan Alley, Broadway, Madison Avenue and Wall Street. Yet, only the most alert explorer can prevent the straggly rocks of reality from dashing his high hopes.

Of course, the sweet love song drowns the most rational into a luscious lull. Unlike Hollywood, which seduces the naïve children and renders them soulless, the City dulls even the sparky young with pleasant serenity.

Manhattan calls for me. I guess it always has.

Some say Paris truly represents the romantic world of the twentieth century. Indeed, Gertrude Stein and her Lost Generation virtually proclaimed it such. Ironically, though, Continue Reading “Twentieth Century Lorelei”

Posted in The Compleat Carosa Commentaries Tagged Growing Up, New York City, Sentinel, slice of life