Three Things

Is Bigger Always Better?

One of our favorite lunch places, a popular sandwich shoppe in Halfmoon, has upgraded their facility, moving to a bigger, better building next store. Obviously the move came from the swell of popularity the place has deservedly gotten. The new building has flat-screen TVs, more dining-room tables, a nicer reception area for pickups, etc. Is bigger always better? There’s a nagging fear in me that when the big-screen TVs come out, somehow the product that made such an upgrade necessary suffers. Of course any small business would be pumped that things have taken off to the point that new digs are needed, but it kind of feels like the beginning of the end. Not an end to the actual business, if you build it they will come, but an end to the character that made the place one of our favorites. How many times have you looked back on one of your favorites and recognized that the Grand Opening of the new location was when said company jumped the shark? The TVs are nice and the dining room is huge, but the charm is gone, and so often that means the product goes with it.


The Best $54.00 I Ever Spent

One of our dogs had a small bump on her belly the last two weeks. Of course we thought the worst. We went on Pet MD, and they said it could be anything from a hang nail to terminal cancer. We have a vet up north (outside Plattsburgh) that we use, so plans to bring Lola up there for a biopsy were being planned. Finally we broke down and brought her to $$$$$$haker Vet in Latham. We went in expecting them to read us a doom’s-day report, where all kinds of test$$$$$ would be required, but it didn’t happen. They told us she was fine, a very common condition in female dogs of a certain age (six in her case), and that she was as healthy as a horse, and apparently eating like one too. I have to hand it to Shaker Vet. They were fantastic with her in every way, and they put our hearts at ease. Last night was a great night with that worry omitted. The Best $54.00 I ever spent.


Sign of the Times

Last night we went to dinner at D’Raymond’s with some friends. They told us that a package they ordered from Amazon.com a week before had been ripped apart on their doorstep when they got home from work. How scary. Turns out this is becoming a trend. People follow UPS trucks through neighborhoods and watch for Amazon boxes to be delivered. When the recipient doesn’t answer and the driver leaves the package on the property, people walk right up, tear through the packages for anything valuable. Wow. To me this is what happens when 10% of the population is out of work. Can’t we just pay 1% more taxes and keep everybody employed? But I guess a positive to this is that people might start buying local again instead of Internet ordering. I know over the Net is easier, but I don’t want to give anybody an enticement to come onto my property when I’m not home. It’s a sign of the times.

Brian Huba
12.2.12