Starbucks opens in Derby
June 14, 2008 //
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I took some time this morning to stop in the new Starbucks on RT. 34 in Derby, CT, and I'm really impressed with how they've set it up. It's spacious, comfortable, clean, and exactly what I needed to find in my hometown. Being the kind of person that never really stops working or thinking, having a Starbucks nearby is a great thing. It gives me a place to be productive without shutting myself out from the world. I can sit here with my laptop and get a ton of work done, but still bump into a friend or start up a conversation with a stranger. Having it along the way on my commute in and out of work is a nice thing as well. Out of all the local Starbucks, including Shelton, Oxford, Milford, Orange, and Trumbull, this one is definitely my favorite. Check it out if you're local.
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So many ideas
March 25, 2008 //
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On top of the previously mentioned idea that I have about a Connecticut related blog, two other projects you may see coming shortly are a photo blog (something I've played around with in the past), and a blog focusing on music /The Beatles. More details to come.
Speaking of photos.. I've been experimenting with some over-saturation on the colors in some shots. I'm trying to give them somewhat of a vintage feel. A friend recently commented that it makes the photo almost look like a painting. Below are two that I took over the weekend. Any thoughts?
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Saturdays with the DSLR
January 05, 2008 //
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It seems like it's becoming routine to head out with my camera on Saturdays. This time around I went with my brother Kevin, and we ended up going down to the factories on Canal St. in Shelton. Here's a few that I felt might be worth sharing:
I liked this last one because it caught a cop pulling over a car that had just run a red light. I took this from the top of the Derby parking garage looking out towards Shelton. Lucky for me but not for the driver I guess.
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Dumbasses vandalize the Derby Greenway
September 02, 2007 //
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Some idiots put some kind of soap suds in the National Humane Alliance Fountain at the beginning of the Derby Greenway last night. Here's what it says on the Derby website:
"Less than 24 hours after the City of Derby dedicated the restored National Humane Alliance Fountain as part of the Derby Greenway Plaza and Hall of Fame at the Division Street entrance to the popular trail, pranksters dumped a soap solution into the fountain causing the main bowl, the four smaller bowls and an attached storage tank to overflow with suds. The vandalism was discovered around 6:00 am this morning as early morning walkers were surprised and disappointed to witness such a senseless act of vandalism. Many reported the vandalism to the police and city officials sparking a quick and very angry response.
Aldermanic President Ken Hughes, who installed the landscaping surrounding the fountain yesterday, went to the plaza and cleaned up the mess. He also offered a $100 reward for information which leads to the arrest and conviction of the person(s) responsible. That reward has now grown to $1,000 as Mayor Anthony Staffieri, Jack Walsh, Judy/Tony Szewczyk, Leo Moscato, Sr., Keith McLiverty, LeoMoscato, Jr., the Republican Town Committee, Carl Yacobacci and Joe Bomba have all contributed.
Anyone with information is urged to call the Derby Police Department (735-7811). Anyone wishing to contribute to the reward, should call Alderman Hughes at 860-818-8644."
Update: The reward has grown to $1,400. WTNH has a report along with some video.
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At Derby City Hall
August 22, 2007 //
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The Mayor of Derby recently asked me for a copy of a picture I took of the Derby/Shelton fireworks. There's now two copies hanging up in City Hall. One is on the first floor outside of the Tax Collector's office and the other is outside of the Mayor's office on the second floor. While I was there I noticed some really good photographs of the Sterling Opera House hanging up as well. I was kind of in a rush so I didn't catch the photographer... but take a look if you're ever down there.
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Starbucks coming to Derby?
June 26, 2007 //
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I hope so. It does appear to be likely but I can't confirm it. I'm not "in the loop" on city business, so all I know is what I see posted on Derby's official website. I've been hearing rumors about it over the past two months, so I did some quick investigating and found some talk about it in the minutes of the April '07 Planning and Zoning Commission meeting. It mentions a proposal to open up a Starbucks at 552 New Haven Ave., which is the location of the former Pearl Vision building.
So I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Derby really needs a Starbucks. We could use a few non-franchise coffeehouses as well.
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Kevin's Graduation
June 21, 2007 //
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Kevin, my youngest brother, graduated from Derby High School yesterday. His graduation seemed to be much more tame than mine was. If I remember correctly, somebody at my graduation had brought down the principles desk onto the field. Not too much in the form of rebellion at this one. Just an out-of-place lawn chair in front row. Congrats Kevin!
I've posted forty-six photos in the Newest Pics album.
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Fixed the bike
June 18, 2007 //
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The mountain bike has been fixed, I love it, and if you ever wanna go riding just give me a call.
Yesterday afternoon a bunch of us went for a ride along the Derby Greenway. It was a bit too quick so we went over to Canal St. in Shelton up to the Ousatonic Dam.
The rest of the weekend was great. I went to a few picnics and a few parties, saw a bunch of friends, and picked up a new hammock that's insanely comfortable. You can find a bunch of new pictures from the past few days HERE.
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Rogue Blue Jay Babies
June 05, 2007 //
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The babies of the Killer Blue Jay I spoke of last week have now left their nest. Now two of them guard my front steps and yard, preventing anyone from entering or exiting the house without facing attack.
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Thunderstorm Kayaking
June 03, 2007 //
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My friend Steph joined me at the river for some kayaking on Thursday night. There were some storms nearby but we took a risk and headed down the Housatonic anyway. We didn't last too long before the rain came but we did manage to find a raccoon named Rocky before heading back. There's a few isolated beaches along the river I'd like to hang out on with some friends one night. I just need to convince more people to buy kayaks.
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Kayaking Derby
May 25, 2007 //
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I took some time off yesterday and went down to the two rivers to go kayaking. If you know me... please go buy a kayak. You won't regret it. I need some company when I go. I may actually buy a second myself so I can force people to come.
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Derby Trash
May 25, 2007 //
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I'm disgusted with the Derby residents living along Derby Ave/115 who use the bank of the Naugatuck River as their private dumping ground. I'm not accusing every person living there of doing this, but the majority of homes that fall between Tailgators and Division St. have piles of junk coating coating the hill that leads down to the river. The Greenway, something Derby seems awfully proud of, provides walkers and runners an extremely un-scenic view of the discarded trash barrels, car batteries, motors, shopping carts, and other trash that people have dumped there. It's disgusting.
I don't know if the land is owned by the city, state, or the people who own the homes up on RT 115, but either way the amount of trash here is inexcusable. The city should be embarrassed for not having it cleaned up and the homeowners should be fined for blight and illegal dumping. If you live in Derby and you're as unhappy about this as I am, please CLICK HERE to report the blight.
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Time for something new
April 25, 2007 //
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I'm moving out of the apartment in Black Rock. I had some great times down there and it was a hell of an experience being roomates with the incredible Stephanie Bell and Sir Bryan "Nugget" Hayes. I've gained some extremely valuable lessons, had some incredible times, and I'll never forget it.
So back to Derby!
For now...
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Celebrating St. Patrick's
March 17, 2007 //
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Great times as usual with the Derby crew. I stopped by a party in Derby for a couple hours and went to The Field in Black Rock for a bit as well. The place was absolutely nuts. No appearances on the local news this year... but just wait till 2008 comes along!
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Halloween Party
October 29, 2006 //
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I dressed up as a black eyed pea, Steph wore a cardboard cutout of Justin's face, and Justin and Chris teamed up as two old men. It was good seeing all the Derbyites cuz I haven't gotten to hang out with them much lately.
More pics in the Newest Pics album.
Continue reading "Halloween Party"
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Fourth of July Weekend
July 06, 2006 //
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Here's a short summary for my own memory... the crazy night at Stonebridge and the late night swimming, Derby/Shelton fireworks, free drinks in downtown Derby, the quick need for Irish spf at Walnut Beach in Milford, that Gilf who looked dead, boat rides, rained out parties on the river, and the bonus day in NYC with Steph. I got to see Dirty Rotten Scoundrels on Broadway and get scolded by a security guard for thinking about swimming in a fountain. I guess the weekend was more like a week. But it was a great time, and you could find some more pics on Steph's blog.
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Another Great Weekend
June 27, 2006 //
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I finally got to check out Archie Moore's on Friday with Steph and brother Justin. The building it opened in is the same building I used to go to boy scout meetings in for many years so it was kinda strange to me and brought back a lot of memories. Everywhere I looked I remembered something... but at the same time it looks so different it was like being in a totally different building. It didn't feel like Derby to me. There's an old abandoned bowling alley underneath the building next door that you can access through the Archie Moore's basement and I really wanna sneak down there one night. We ran into a bunch of old friends, including some of my old scoutmasters, and had a really good time. Not sure why people have been putting the place down because I love it. The rest of the weekend was great too. Went to a party in Shelton on Saturday, did lots kayaking on the Housatonic and Naugatuck rivers, and got to sleep in and relax a lot
which was really nice and exactly what I needed.
I have lots to look forward to in the next several weeks - Yankees/Mets game Friday with Nick, Justin and Steph, a seafood dinner in NYC next week, a 4th of July kidnapping, the Ringo concert, Wildwood, and then after that my Greece/Turkey trip is just over 2 months away! Very excited to be living lately.
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Memorial Day
May 29, 2006 //
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NO big parties this year... just a slow moving, relaxing day. I managed to wake up nice and early this morning, thanks to some low flying fighter jets, so I threw on some shoes and walked downtown to the Derby/Shelton Memorial Day Parade... a parade I've only missed once in the past 22 years.
After that I didn't really do too much. I went up to Osborndale State Park in the late afternoon to go running and came across a deer resting behind a boulder... scared the hell out of me. After that I came home, did some planning for my camping trip that's coming up, hooked up the AC, FIXED MY CAMERA (had broken it yesterday), ate a burger and relaxed for the rest of the night. I was invited to go to a couple of cookouts but decided not to go. I needed to just relax for once. I'm really gonna try to take it easy for a couple of days cuz I'll be running around constantly for the rest of the summer.
So that was my day, nothing too exciting i know. Sorry for the boring post. I'm off to bed. More tomorrow.
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The Spanish Project
May 24, 2006 //
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This is the infamous video called "The Spanish Project" which I made with Justin, Nick, Chris, and a few others back in high school for my Spanish class. It's terrible, makes no sense, but it's pretty funny. Hope you enjoy it. Sorry for the low quality, the tapes pretty worn down.
Just click the image to watch the video:
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Down By The River
May 07, 2006 //
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22 glorious new images are now avaiable for your viewing pleasure in the ever so frequently updated Newest Pics album.
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More Old Pictures
May 03, 2006 //
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I just found a huge box of old pictures that I'm in the process of scanning. Here's a sample:
Mr. Alteri's algebra class, senior year of high school.
Click the link below to see some more...
Continue reading "More Old Pictures"
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Progress on Main St. Derby?
January 12, 2006 //
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I suppose a little. But there's a long, long way to go.
Watch a report by Kent Pierce of News Channel 8
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Tonight's Excitement
December 05, 2005 //
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A gas station down the street from my house was robbed tonight by a guy with a machete. The gas station's owner, Sal, threw a razor blade at the robber and chased after him. The guy then cut Sal's finger open, slicing his tendon. The police are looking for the man now. NBC 30 is down the street doing live reports.
Just click on the image below to watch the video:
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Like A War Zone...
April 21, 2005 //
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Iraq? Afghanistan? Nope. This is Main St. Derby, CT. The town I call home.
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