Most likely to be a social media nerd

Although I didn't think of myself as exactly being at the top of the social ladder in high school, apparently many of my former classmates now consider me the king of social media.

Last night Niskayuna High School's Class of 1990 had their 20-year reunion.  It was so great to see so many old faces -- many of which I haven't seen since graduation. At least, not in person.

That brings us to modern marvel that is Facebook.  I seriously lost track of how many people said to me, "Hey, Chris, I see you on Facebook all the time!" or "Yeah, you're all over Facebook."

Another person looked at the drink in my hand and asked why I wasn't drinking a cup of coffee. Apparently I've written many status updates about enjoying a cup of coffee.

Then there was the guy who told me I'm on Facebook so much that I have the most recognizable face in the room.  I know that was meant as a compliment, but I admit I was a little embarrassed. Am I putting too much out there?

For the record, I think I only did a few updates on Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare during the course of the party.

I also only sang karaoke twice. I haven't done that since college.  But the ham in me couldn't resist the urge to grab the microphone and make an ass of myself.

I was one of the first singers of the night and did a very lame rendition of "Great Balls of Fire."  Much later in the evening I had the urge to take another crack at it.  It took a while to decide what song to do, but I finally settled on Van Halen's "Jump." However,when the DJ told me I'd be the last song of the night, I immediately changed my mind. "New York, New York" would be the perfect song to end the night!

I managed to get a good number of the attendees on the dance floor to sing along and start a kick line.

And of course I couldn't wait to update my Facebook status about it.

Teenage wasteland

I haven't commented here yet on the passing of John Hughes. But at this point, what is left to say? So many have so eloquently summed up what his films meant to my generation.

Suffice it to say, at some point when my kids want to know what it was like being a teenager in the 1980s, I'll show them some John Hughes movies. I swear, I think I went to school with every character in every one of his teen movies. Except for Ferris Bueller -- he's the one we all wished we knew.

An amazing writer, here is just a sample of the dialogue we children of the 80s will never forget.

What's your favorite John Hughes moment? Share it in comments below -- and also check out these excellent tribute videos...

Reunion Season

Two weekends, two reunions – first the high school gang and then some friends from college.

Some of my friends from Niskayuna High School gathered at Saratoga Spa State Park the weekend before last for an afternoon cookout.

We had a similar get together last year and decided to do it again. Especially since this time our friend Chris Johnson and his family would be in town visiting from Norway where they live.

Next year will be our big 20-year reunion!

This past weekend we went on a camping trip to Green Lakes State Park near Syracuse with some friends from SUNY Plattsburgh.

We were there with our dear friends the Reeds, who we see a few times a year. But we also got together with Jon and Christine Kio, who we haven’t seen in 16 years, and Tim Casey, who we had lost touch with after he transferred to Buffalo in 1991.

Facebook helped bring us all back together, especially in the case of Tim. For the past 16 years (the last time we saw him was at the Kios’ wedding), every time we got together with the Reeds, inevitably at some point the subject of “whatever happened to Tim?” would come up. Kris finally found him on Facebook earlier this year and used the site to help plan the camping trip.

I should mention we used Facebook to help plan the picnic for my high school gang too. The social networking site is my primary means of communicating with Chris Johnson and keeping up on his family, since phone calls to Norway can be a tad expensive. As soon as he announced his vacation plans in the states, we put the wheels into motion to plan the picnic with an event page.

Both gatherings were a success and lots of fun. Although, after all this activity, I have to admit we’re looking forward to this weekend – when we have nothing planned at all!

You can find some photos of our Saratoga picnic here and our Green Lakes trip here.

'4...3...2...1...'

I kind of dig that Lincoln MKZ commercial with the remake of Peter Schilling's "Major Tom (Coming Home)" just for the music.

So I sat down and searched for a video of the song on YouTube. I found lots of versions in the original German (dig those yellow jumpsuits!) and a few in English.

But I also stumbled across this really cool remix set to images from NASA. Unfortunately, it doesn't use all of the lyrics -- just the chorus over and over. But it's still cool anyway...



By the way, the remake is by Shiny Toy Guns. You can hear their full version here.

Rebellious youth

The movie "Less Than Zero" is now available on Hulu.

My main memory of the movie (besides the Bangles cover of "Hazy Shade of Winter") was that it was the first Rated R movie I ever tried to get into with my friends. I wasn't successful.

I was nearly two months shy of turning 16 when the movie came out in 1987 and the cashier (who I later wound up working with at that very movie theater) refused to sell us tickets. We went to see "Three Men and a Baby" instead, which the ticket seller assured us was a better movie anyway.

Weeks later, I did successfully get into my first R movies in the theater -- "The Running Man" and "Good Morning Vietnam."

I never did get around to seeing "Less Than Zero." Maybe I'll watch it now that it's on Hulu (but probably not).

Putting the band back together

We had a really good time our big summer picnic yesterday. A good chunk of my old high school crowd -- seven families all together -- gathered in the Saratoga Spa State Park.

Yeah, so we got rained on a little bit. We didn't let it rain on our parade!

It's always neat seeing everyone's kids together. They ranged in age from 6 months to 8 years.

Jim Flanders joined us, who most of us haven't seen since our 10th reunion about eight years ago. He surprised everyone by pulling out a great big stack of copies of The Warrior -- our old high school newspaper. It turns out he kept most of them. That was quite the walk down memory lane. I hope we can get together again someday so I can spend more time looking at them (and reading some of the old movie reviews I used to write for the paper).

As for myself, I pulled out a couple of yearbooks yesterday and looked them over -- and realized the pictures look like scenes out of a bad John Hughes movie.

We all do a pretty good job of keeping in touch, but these days it's mostly through e-mail, Facebook and blogs. Nothing beats getting together face-to-face. We hope to make this picnic an annual event.

Speaking of Facebook, I've got more photos of the day there.

Happy retirement, Mrs. B!

Last night I did something I haven’t done in a very long time – performed at Niskayuna High School.

A former music teacher of mine, Paula Brinkman, is retiring. I had her as a teacher in elementary and middle school. After I graduated she later took over the choir and Studio Singers (in addition to numerous other duties) after the retirement of Bob Christensen (who was in attendance last night – great to see you again Mr. C!).

So on the occasion of her final school concert, a number of current students and alumni pulled together to perform a few songs for her. It was fantastic to see the look on her face as we paraded into the auditorium!

It was also quite a trip to be up on those risers and singing in that auditorium again for the first time in 18 years. (I forgot how hot it gets up there!)

I think it’s safe to say I was the oldest in the group. At one point she referred to the group as “kids,” then corrected herself to say “young adults.” At that point she looked over shoulder and said, “Rooney, you’re getting to be a middle aged adult.”

It was a real pleasure to be a small part of the tribute to a great teacher.

Here are some highlights put together by Paul Conti, my former boss and a friend of Paula’s, who helped organize the event.

Life with Beaver

I watched an episode of "Leave It to Beaver" during my lunch break today. I still love that show! There's a simplicity to it that just can't be beat by most of today's so-called family programs (I just went back and re-read that sentence -- man, I sound old!).

In this particular episode, Beaver's friend Richard heads to the Laundromat with a sack full of his family's dirty clothes and Beaver in tow. Along the way Richard realizes he's lost the money his mom gave him (three whole dollars). He fears what will happen when he returns home with the clothes still dirty and no money ("Dad's in a hitting mood today." Cue the laugh-track). So Richard convinces Beaver to let him use the Cleaver family's washing machine.

If you've ever watched a TV sitcom, you can imagine what happened next. The boys use far too much soap (not to mention starch) and wind up filling the kitchen with suds.

Wally and Eddie Haskel help the younger boys clean up the mess (Eddie protested, but he owed Wally a favor) and Wally even loans Richard $3 out of his own pocket to go to the Laundromat and get the clothes cleaned properly.

When Ward and June get home they're dumbfounded at how clean the kitchen looks. They have a hard time believing the boys' story that they decided to clean it all on their own out of the goodness of their hearts. Eventually the parents figure out what happened, but decide to keep it to themselves since the boys did such a good job of solving their own problem.

You've got to love the Cleavers - the ideal TV family of a bygone era. Beaver and Wally are always worried their antics will result in their parents yelling at them or worse. However, I can't recall a single episode where Ward or June ever raised their voices. That's no small feat!

I used to watch "Leave It to Beaver" with Nolan when he was really small. The show came up in conversation the other day while I was waiting with Nolan for his bus and he didn't remember watching it. I'd love to introduce the show to the boys again. Imagine how great life would be if we all acted a little more like the Cleavers.

IndyFest rides again?

Since the release of the "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" trailer back in February, a few people have asked me if there would be another IndyFest. I honestly had not planned on it, but since it's come up a few times, should I consider it?

I don't think there will be another IndyFest (as if there ever could be) for a variety of reasons. But it's nice to know that people still have fond memories of it 19 years later.

I dug this picture up in a photo album at mom's house a few weeks ago. Don't see yourself? Check out the other pictures I uploaded to Facebook.

Studio Singers flashback

I recently dug up a VHS tape of a Studio Singers performance from my senior year in high school.

This was on Feb. 14, 1990 at Craig School. Normally we wore tuxedos for our gigs, but we were dressed like this because it was 50s day at the school (just ignore the fact the medley of songs we're singing in this clip are actually from the 60s).



We did a number of songs on our own (yes, many actually from the 50s) and then were joined by the Craig School Chorus for a couple of songs -- including this rendition of "We Go Together" from "Grease."

This was also only a few months after the choir performance I posted last year.

The Great Chiken Wing Hunt

A noble pursuit of there ever was one. This group of wing buffs passed through Albany recently and declared it was a great wing town (who knew?!?). Their quest is being made into a documentary about the search for the best chicken wing.



MMmmm...it's been too long since I've parked myself in front of a plate of wings. Anyone out there remember Tuesday night Wing Nights in high school? Or how about a heaping order of wings from Monopole in Plattsburgh?

Ok, now my mouth is watering.

Quest for the big screen

This is crazy. Just yesterday I was talking to a co-worker, saying how for the life of me I never understood why someone hasn't tried to make a live action "Johnny Quest" movie. Now this morning, I read that it's in the works!

This was one of my favorite shows on Saturday mornings as a kid -- although I always preferred the reruns from the 1960s to the newer 70s episodes. The original episodes were a little darker, had more action and relied less on comic relief.

When I was a freshman in college, Dennis Miller came to perform on campus. During his stand-up routine he made a reference to Race Bannon that fell flat. Miller muttered that it was a sign he was getting old when no one knew who Race Bannon was. That's when my roommate and I enthusiastically yelled out "Johnny Quest!" He pointed to us and smiled and said "Hey, alright!"

So who do we cast in the movie? How about George Clooney as Dr. Quest? Ten years ago I would have pushed for either Arnold Scharzenegger or Harrison Ford as Race Bannon. Who do you think should play him now?

Finally, here's the way-cool original title sequence...

'Kill da wabbit, kill da wabbit...'

What some people have called the greatest cartoon of all time celebrates its 50th anniversary this week. I give you Warner Bros.' classic "What's Opera, Doc?"...



Of course, when discussing Bugs Bunny and classical music, it's impossible not to give a shout out to "Rabbit of Seville" and "Long-Haired Hare."

We can't rewind, we've gone too far

While we're on the subject of music, I recently stumbled across this little gem...

Another sign I'm getting old

Van Halen and R.E.M. will be among this year's inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

For me, Van Halen will always conjur memories of the school bus ride home in the sixth grade when "Jump" played almost continuously out of kids' boom boxes. Cassette tapes were all the rage by the time I started taking interest in music, but "5150" was one of the albums I owned on vinyl. And "Right Now" was probably one of the biggest hits of my college years.

As for R.E.M., they were one of the signature sounds of the late 1980s/early 1990s. They were still considered alternative and very cutting edge back in high school. There was a garage band of high school kids that used to play at some school functions called Standing on the Ceiling. The only thing I remember them playing was a cover of "It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)." By the time I started my college radio show, I knew next to nothing about alternative music. R.E.M. was one of the few alternative bands I was familiar with, so they got a lot of airplay.

Joining Van Halen and R.E.M. this year in the Hall of Fame are the Ronettes, Patti Smith and Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five.

Holiday choir

The Christmas videos keep coming fast and furious.

I dug this one from 1989 out of the attic this morning. It features the combined Niskayuna High School Choir and Studio Singers (both of which I was a member of) performing on a WMHT special program called “Holiday Choirs.”

We did three songs for the show. The other two were the much more mainstream “Sleigh Ride” and a Hanukkah song called “Eight Candles.”

I chose to post this song because, narcissist that I am, you see more of me in it.

Energized Spider-Man!

While checking out iFilm in geeky anticipation of the new "Spider-Man 3" trailer, I found this commercial for Energized Spider-Man.



I got this toy for Christmas in 1978! He had a "web" you could pull out of his hand and hook onto a clamp that you'd attach to a table or bookshelf or whatever. Then watch him climb!

The other big gifts that Christmas: my spiffy "Star Wars" jammies, a Kenner X-Wing fighter and an Oscar Goldman doll (he was the Six Million Dollar Man's boss--he came with an exploding briefcase).

'We have the technology'

I was a big fan of "The Six Million Dollar Man" and "The Bionic Woman" back in the day. How cool is it that we now have a real life Steve Austin and Jamie Summers?

A former Marine from Arkansas recently became the first woman to be outfitted with a bionic arm.

A Tennessee man received a set of bionic arms back in 2001.

Meanwhile, a quick Google search turned up this picture of my first lunch box from 1st grade 1978...

Never, ever feed them after midnight...

Last night Kris and I caught part of the 1984 movie “Gremlins” on Sci-Fi.

We were debating whether or not the movie was appropriate for Nolan when we got to the part where Phoebe Cates’ character tells the horrible story of how her father died on Christmas Eve. He broke his neck trying to slide down the chimney of her family’s home in the Santa suit.

“That’s how I learned there was no Santa Claus,” she said.

Well, I guess that settles that debate…

Flashback Friday

Friday night I assisted my boss with videotaping the Niskayuna High School production of “The Mystery of Edwin Drood.”

He’s been doing this for several years now. He uses multiple cameras (there were four this year) and a combination of his own mics set up on and around the stage plus the mix from the house audio board. He also shoots some rehearsals and other “bonus features” and puts it all together on DVD.

This was my second year working with him. Last year I was recruited to join his crew taping the school’s production of “Les Miserables.”

It’s always a bit of a trip going back to my old alma mater to see a school musical—quite the walk down memory lane. I of course had the honor of playing Mr. Sowerberry the undertaker in the 1990 production of “Oliver.” I was involved with the Drama Club in other ways through my high school years, but that was my biggest moment on stage.

Here was the real freaky part…at the end of the night we had packed up all of the gear and were ready to load it into his car when he realized he had forgotten one of his mic stands that was set up on the side of the stage. I volunteered to go back and get it. I started walking across the stage to get to the stand that was on the other side when I sort of froze about half way across and looked out into the auditorium. It sunk in that this was a view I hadn’t seen in nearly 16 years.

My boss’ wife was also part of our crew. She commented that it won’t be long before I’ll be going there to watch my kids in one of these musicals. Whatever Nolan and Thomas get into (sports, drama, music, art, etc.) it sure will be great to go see them do there thing in the same halls I once walked.