Here's the Scoop by Brian Sweeney

Taking the tour
I think it’s fairly common to live somewhere and not fully appreciate the resources that are around us. For instance, I’ll bet there are tons of people who live in New York City who have never been to the top of the Empire State Building. Likewise, I’m sure that many residents of the Catskills haven’t been to the top of Slide Mountain, the region’s highest peak.

All over the world
Many of you are probably aware that the Catskill Mountain News is now available to anyone who has access to the World Wide Web. I’m sure that some of you are reading this column on a cold, hard computer screen.
As a longtime newspaper guy, I have mixed emotions about this whole thing.

Will it never end?
Well, I thought we were done with all this stuff, but it turns out that eight years was not enough. GW is still keeping us in the dark.
I’m not referring to the government secrecy that was the order of the day for the last two presidential terms. No, this is something a lot less sinister (I think). I’m referring to the decision to “spring ahead” with the time change much earlier than usual. I’m sure there’s a benefit to this (somehow, I’m guess Big Oil is involved), but it’s not one that I recognize.

Worth the wait
As we all know, things don’t always go according to plan. Because of this, I often don’t bother with making a plan. It saves on disappointment.

The advice is free
Unlike today’s “younger generation,” I haven’t changed jobs a lot. That’s OK with me. And I’m not switching careers now, merely adding an experience to my resume. I don’t think it’s accurate to say I’m becoming a Wedding Planner. I prefer to think of my duties as a Wedding Expense Trimmer (WET).

Can’t find my way home
I doubt that there’s any statistical information on the topic yet, but it seems pretty certain that the popularity of Global Positioning Systems (GPS) has already begun saving marriages. In the event that you’re one of those folks who think they have a better sense of direction than a satellite-guided system, you’re wrong. And your marriage could be in trouble because of your stubborn nature. Get with it. Now. I speak from experience, of course.

Changing tastes
Well, we survived another Grammy Awards show. I missed it. One can only take so much cleavage on the Red Carpet, I guess. As far as awards shows go, the Grammys are an odd mix to me. I’ve never heard of many of the performers and would never think of buying most of the music.

Marching to a different beat
I was invited to a parade the other day. A big one, so I was told.
Over the years, in this space, I have made a few comments noting how parades don’t really thrill me. Maybe it’s because I’m a big gum-chewer and, well, that doesn’t always mix well with marching for me.

How cold is it?
In many ways, I’m thankful that this winter has started out like those “back in the old days.”

Let’s hit the mall...but not really
Over the course of our lives, we’ve all seen news reports about a great, but seemingly simple concept/invention, and exclaimed, “Why didn’t I think of that?”
There’s also the more regrettable line, “I was going to do that!”
Then we wonder if the person who actually did get credit for following through on this idea will loan us a few million dollars because, well, it was merely our laziness that allowed them to strike it rich.