Psst. I know it is early in the morning, but today is that magical time when the rising sun aligns with Manhattan's street grid to provide a beautiful image of the good ol' sol perfectly in the middle of our concrete canyons. However, today's forecast in The Big Apple is for clouds and rain this … Continue reading Rainy Manhattanhenge Sunrise
National Bobble Head Day!
Today is National Bobble Head Day! You've seen them. Oversized heads that bobble when vibrated. These silly figures have actually been around for a couple of centuries in one form or another but only became ubiquitous in the last several decades as plastic extrusion techniques improved. They are primarily associated with baseball collectors and giveaways … Continue reading National Bobble Head Day!
Homemade Breakfast Sausage
Woke up this morning and decided to make my own breakfast sausage. So an unplanned post. I started with Alton Brown's recipe on the Food Network website. You can find it here: https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/breakfast-sausage-recipe-2103185 As you can see it is basically a some pork shoulder and fatback ground together with spices. I played with the spices … Continue reading Homemade Breakfast Sausage
Review – The Storm Before The Storm & Mike Duncan
I actually finished reading this book some time ago but just getting around to reviewing it. Been busy, you know. I am a long time Roman History aficionado and all you need to do is whisper Gracchi Brothers or Marius & Sulla and I will come running. "The Storm Before The Storm" covers the start … Continue reading Review – The Storm Before The Storm & Mike Duncan
American Sign Museum in Cincinnati, Ohio
During the holidays I visited relatives in Cincinnati and having some downtime I visited an attraction there for the first time. The American Sign Museum is a pretty cool place if rather small and crowded. They have collected and restored old signage with lots of nostalgic appeal (even a set of Burma Shave signs). Lots … Continue reading American Sign Museum in Cincinnati, Ohio
Welcome to 2019 and National Bloody Mary Day!
May you have a bright and cheery new year and a prosperous 2019. We decided to eliminate our alcohol intake this holiday, but if you celebrated too heartily last night take solace in the dog that bit you during National Bloody Mary Day. Recipe below. You're welcome. I'll be quiet now. As always you can … Continue reading Welcome to 2019 and National Bloody Mary Day!
National Champagne Day – Happy New Year
Sometimes National Day events seem to be randomly placed on the calendar. Today's National Champagne Day is clearly placed to align with New Year's Eve where marketers are heavily promoting that beverage. However you celebrate tonight, even if you turn in at 9 PM with every intention of waking to turn on the TV just … Continue reading National Champagne Day – Happy New Year
Review – two of my Christmas gifts!
Well children, did you get what you wanted for Christmas? I got two pretty cool gifts that I really liked. Of course they were food related! Two different attachments for my KitchenAid mixer. These workhorse machines have a port on the front that permits handy tools to use the power of the mixer. The first … Continue reading Review – two of my Christmas gifts!
National Fruitcake Day
Today is National Fruitcake Day. Smart alecks make a lot of fun of people who actually like fruitcake. But if you are one of those people you can sign up here: https://www.facebook.com/Fruitcake-Lovers-of-the-World-Unite-196760433903/ Okay, Mark Zuckerberg, do something good and round up all these folks on that page and put them in Gingerbread Gaol. As always … Continue reading National Fruitcake Day
National Thank You Note Day
Today is National Thank You Note Day. Yep, time to haul out that good old pen and paper to write a personal thank you note for all the nice presents you got this holiday season. Time to move away from emails and texts and all those modern impersonal methods we now depend on. Oh, while … Continue reading National Thank You Note Day
Merry Christmas
Whether your celebration is religious or secular, I hope you have a very Merry Christmas Day. The world needs much more Peace and Joy. Do what you can to bring more of it to this earth. Jingle, jingle. As always you can find more at http://www.walterthinnes.com and on Twitter @walterthinnes
National Egg Nog Day
Not surprisingly National Egg Nog Day falls on Christmas Eve. If you are only leaving milk with cookies for Santa you need to up your game and pour Saint Nick some Egg Nog! And spike it, it's going to be a long night. As always you can find more at http://www.walterthinnes.com and on Twitter @walterthinnes
National Date Nut Bar Day
Today is National Date Nut Bar Day. My grandmother made the perfect Date Nut Bar and now my Aunt Priscilla makes them just as well. I have never made them satisfactorily. But here is my 2019 resolution. I must make them perfectly twice and then I will post the recipe. If I cannot you will … Continue reading National Date Nut Bar Day
Winter Solstice
Today is the Winter Solstice, the middle of winter where the planet begins tipping back toward a six month march to summer. Sure, it is officially the first day of Winter and there will still be cold weather ahead but this will be the shortest day of the year in the northern hemisphere. Days will … Continue reading Winter Solstice
National Re-Gifting Day
As we near Christmas, time to rummage through your closet to find those lovely presents from work exchanges, well meaning nieces and any gift that didn't quite hit the mark. Remove any bothersome tags and make up a good backstory as to why you are giving it to your uncle or postman. Be careful not … Continue reading National Re-Gifting Day
National Hard Candy Day
Today is National Hard Candy Day, I'm sure intentionally timed for the holidays. When I was a boy my parents always filled our stockings with hard candy, nuts in shells and a few tangerines, which were special in the winter those days. We also walked two miles, uphill both ways in the snow every day … Continue reading National Hard Candy Day
Review – How the Westons Won
The great part of living in New York is the plethora of innovative theater that can be found. The bad part is the options can be overwhelming and the runs relatively short. This show closes Sunday, December 23, and is very, very much worth a visit if you can make it. Go to the producer's … Continue reading Review – How the Westons Won
National Maple Syrup Day
Today is National Maple Syrup Day and there is nothing better for flapjacks than real maple syrup. Forget those sugar concoctions and even agave substitutions, nothing tastes like real maple syrup. A few years ago I heard of startling research that shook the maple world. It has always been assumed that tree sap dripped down … Continue reading National Maple Syrup Day
The Bridges of the Merritt Parkway Part 2
This is a continuation of the post started on Monday, check back if you lost your place! Final video today: As always you can find more at http://www.walterthinnes.com and on Twitter @walterthinnes NEXT: TBD
Reviews – DCINY Beethoven Symphony #9
Recently I traveled over to Carnegie Hall to catch the Distinguished Concerts International New York with their orchestra and various chorales performing Beethoven's Choral Fantasy and Beethoven's Symphony No. 9. I love Ode to Joy and thrill to it whenever it is done well and this certainly was. It was one night only so you … Continue reading Reviews – DCINY Beethoven Symphony #9
National Gingerbread House Day
Today is National Gingerbread House Day and fitting for the season. Making a Gingerbread House most often comes from a kit nowadays and is primarily to keep little hands busy and out of trouble. Because the Gingerbread walls are made very dry to make them weight supporting and the icing is often dry and brittle … Continue reading National Gingerbread House Day
Review – Ruben & Clay’s First Annual Christmas Carol Family Fun Pageant Spectacular Reunion Show
Broadway theatre owners have long rented out their venues for short term attractions between major bookings. These can be for special holiday shows (like the Illusionists show I reviewed on November 29). Last year there was an absolutely terrible Broadway show (Home for the Holidays) that featured "YouTube Personalities" and I reviewed on November 22, … Continue reading Review – Ruben & Clay’s First Annual Christmas Carol Family Fun Pageant Spectacular Reunion Show
The Bridges of the Merritt Parkway Part 1
I hope you enjoy this trip down the Merritt Parkway in Connecticut. As Wikipedia notes: The 69 original bridges were designed by George L. Dunkelberger. Each bridge had a unique design that represented various 1930s architectural styles, such as Art Deco, Art Moderne, French Renaissance, Gothic, Neoclassicism, and Rustic. See if you can call out the style from driving under these bridges! … Continue reading The Bridges of the Merritt Parkway Part 1
Review – Celebrity Autobiography on Broadway
Do you like Celebrities? To see them and hear about them? Then hurry to the Marquis Theatre for the next two Monday evenings. The show Celebrity Autobiography on Broadway would work better in a party or a bar. Current celebrities (or who are classified as such) read selections from published celebrity autobiographies. As Rachel Dratch … Continue reading Review – Celebrity Autobiography on Broadway
Review – Curtis Stigers at Birdland
Usually I stick to plays and musicals here in New York. But recently we went to Birdland to see a set by jazz musician Curtis Stigers. Pamela has been his fan for decades and she had the opportunity to not only hear his great talents live but to chat with him and get him to … Continue reading Review – Curtis Stigers at Birdland
Walter Thinnes 
You must be logged in to post a comment.