2025 Long Island Retro Gaming expo recap: touring the expo August 21, 2025
Posted by Mike C. in Aviation, Computer, History, Internet, Personal, Photography, Radio, Sports, Travel, TV, VHS, Video, Video Games, Weather, Wrestling.add a comment
If you haven’t viewed part one yet, click here. Skip ahead to part three here.
Settle in for a comprehensive photographic tour of as much as I could see at the Cradle of Aviation Museum in Uniondale during the 10th annual Long Island Retro Gaming Expo.
FIRST FLOOR
Vendor Marketplace:
The marketplace as seen from the second floor:
Sponsors:
Ticket prices:
Hangar Arcade:
NES Indie Game Exhibit:
VGNYsoft Physical Indie Games:
Homebrew/Indie Showcase:
PokéLab:
PCs:
(NOTE: This gallery is a mix of photos from PC Freeplay, PC Museum, and regional exclusive computers that were part of the Retro Gaming Museum exhibit.)
Console Freeplay:
Art Gallery:
Gaming hardware displays:
40 Years of the Nintendo Entertainment System:
“Thank you to this year’s museum donors!”
Vintage ad for the Batman Forever video game:
An episode of The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!:
NES Challenges outside the Main Theatre (at least on the middle two):
SECOND FLOOR
LIU Sharks Game Showcase:
This was another table I was too shy to approach. I really should have, being an alumnus of LIU Post and WCWP. It is fitting, though, that in a year where Benjamin Abrams was inducted into the WCWP Hall of Fame, the LIU Sharks Game Showcase table included a TV/DVD player made by Emerson.
Retroware games:
Time Crisis on a modern TV!
Console History Exhibit:
The Arcade Age Exhibit
Other second floor attractions:
THIRD FLOOR
The Floor of Oddities:
And a bonus from the Cradle of Aviation Museum’s Pan Am exhibit:
The Boeing 707: A Fast Story:
That’s the end of the tour. All that remains is part three of my recap with a conclusion and pickups photos.
Winter storms from February 8 through 13 February 14, 2025
Posted by Mike C. in Personal, Photography, Weather.add a comment
From the night of February 8 through the morning of February 13, Long Island dealt with three winter storms. Each storm left less wet snow on the ground. As I type on the morning of February 14 (Valentine’s Day), less than an inch of snow is expected on the front and back end of weekend rain.
As has been the case lately, I went to sleep early on the night of February 8, around 8PM, and didn’t take any photos until I woke up early the next morning, February 9. Using the same purple plastic 12-inch ruler I always do, I measured 4 inches of wet snow on the front lawn and 3/4 inch on the driveway pavement.
With the help of my father, it took me 54 minutes and 21 seconds to shovel snowfall from the driveway, left side of the house, curb, and sidewalk. Since this was wet snow, it was weighty. The instant I felt resistance, I would pick up the shovel, placing what I’d gathered off the pavement and onto the grass or in front of the bushes.
You know the drill: time for the photographic timeline.
February 9, 5:51 AM, after waking up 
8:04 AM 
9:38 AM, after shoveling and Dad left for the firehouse 
12:47 PM 
4:15 PM 
4:54 PM, after touch-up shoveling
Round 2 showed up on the night of February 11. The National Weather Service initially predicted 1 to 3 inches of snow and did not issue a winter weather advisory. However, as I pessimistically expected, they bumped that up to 2 to 4 inches with said advisory. I did take a couple of photos before bedtime and all the rest on February 12.
The NWS should have stuck with their original forecast because 2 inches of wet snow was all I measured on top of Sunday’s snowfall, and only 1/4 inch on the driveway.
Less snow meant a shorter shoveling time: 34 minutes and 3 seconds.
This photographic timeline begins with the pre-bedtime photos on Tuesday night (February 11).
February 11, 8:24 PM 
9:54 PM 
February 12, 5:55 AM 
7:13 AM 
7:16 AM 
7:19 AM: For a change, I took photos of snow-covered trees in neighboring backyards from my east-facing window. 
7:45 AM, before shoveling 
8:27 AM, after shoveling 
9:34 AM, before leaving for work 
4:04 PM, after getting home from work (and the supermarket)
Round 3 had the least snow of all: less than an inch is presumed to have fallen on the night of February 12 before changing to rain overnight. I was happy to see rain falling and snow melting when I looked out my window on the morning of February 13.
February 12, 9:30 PM, as snow began to fall 
February 13, 7:10 AM, with rain falling and snow melting
We have another month until spring and I’m in no rush to put away the shovels. If there are anymore storms, I’ll take the usual photos and post them here. Until then, thank you for reading.
3/12 UPDATE: There was an inch of snow on the front end of the February 15-16 storm, but the temperatures warmed up on the night of the 15th, changing the snow to rain and allowing for plenty of melting. Cold and windy conditions followed on the 17th, followed by a gradual warming trend. By now, low temps are no lower than the upper 30s. Spring weather is settling in and snow seems unlikely for the rest of winter. The shovels and rock salt back are going back in the garage. We didn’t even need to use the snow blower.
January 19 snow, January 20 aftermath January 23, 2025
Posted by Mike C. in Internet, Jazz Fusion, Music, Personal, Photography, smooth jazz, Weather.add a comment
After glancing blows from snowstorms in the first four weeks of winter, Long Island finally got a storm that left more than two inches of snow on the ground.
As day turned to night on Sunday, January 19, air temperatures fell from the upper 30s Fahrenheit to below freezing, turning rain to snow. The National Weather Service issued a winter weather advisory for Long Island, calling for 3 to 5 inches of snow with the potential for up to 6 inches in stronger bands. (Points north and west were under a winter storm warning.) Thankfully, according to my 12-inch ruler , only 3.4 inches of snow accumulated on my front lawn, and only about an inch on the pavement. Official totals can be found here. The NWS practice of reporting by whole number and tenth decimal point is why converted from fractions (3 7/16″) to decimals (3.4375″) and rounded off to the nearest tenth (3.4″).
Below is a photographic timeline from start to finish on January 19, or at least up to the point where I went to bed.
1:58 PM 
3:13 PM 
5:03 PM 
7:15 PM 
9:10 PM 
10:13 PM 
10:56 PM
At 9:04 AM on Monday, January 20, with the sun shining and no clouds in the sky, I took photos of the snow-covered driveway, front yard, and backyard.
At 10AM, I bundled up, put on my snow boots, and went out the front door to begin shoveling. I also had in earbuds to listen to Tom Schuman’s I Am Schuman album on my phone, which I stored in my coat’s inner breast pocket. Within 57 minutes and 28 seconds, according to my watch, I had cleared my mom’s car (with a brush), the left side of the house up to the oil tank cap, the front porch steps, the entire driveway, the curb, and the sidewalk up to the property lines. I had prepped to listen to Kirk Whalum’s Epic Cool album (a Christmas present), but barely finished the first track – “Bah-De-Yah!” – by the time I put the shovel against the wall and went back in the house.
While it has remained quite cold in the aftermath of Sunday’s snowstorm, no snow is in the 7-day forecast as of publication on Thursday, January 23. However, I am mentally prepared for more snowstorms this winter, and with more snow than we’ve seen in four years.
Until the next storm, I’ll leave you with a post-shoveling photographic timeline:
11:04 AM 
1:56 PM (It may have been cold, but the sun still did its job.)
David Benoit at My Father’s Place: A Tribute to A Charlie Brown Christmas December 7, 2024
Posted by Mike C. in Animation, Broadway, Christmas, Comedy, DVD, Education, Football, History, Jazz, Media, Music, Personal, Photography, Radio, smooth jazz, Theatre, Travel, TV, VHS, Weather.2 comments
3/25/25 NOTE: Scroll down for an update to this post via an email from Steve Stoliar.
Wednesday evening, thanks to the generosity of my fellow WCWP/LIU Post alumnus Bobby Guthenberg, I was at My Father’s Place at the Roslyn Hotel to see David Benoit‘s annual tribute to A Charlie Brown Christmas.
It was the first time I’d seen a live show outside of Smooth Jazz for Scholars since before COVID. That last pre-COVID show was Mike Stern and Jeff Lorber Fusion at The Iridium in December 2019. Wednesday also marked the first time I’d seen David and his trio since June 2019, also at My Father’s Place, three months after I saw The Rippingtons there.
Bobby G., longtime friend of My Father’s Place promoter Michael “Eppy” Epstein, first invited me to David’s show one morning in late August. I didn’t hesitate in accepting the invitation. We would meet at WCWP’s Abrams Communications Center by 5:45 PM and drive to Roslyn from there.
Since it was Christmastime, I anticipated David’s set would be similar to the one from his 2008 concert at IMAC (Inter-Media Art Center) in Huntington. (Little did I know that would be the last show I’d ever see there as the venue closed in June 2009, eventually replaced by The Paramount.)
My parents drove me up to LIU Post at 5:00 and we arrived in the parking lot adjacent to WCWP (and Hillwood Commons) within 20 minutes. In contrast to the flurry of activity during Homecoming Weekend, the Abrams Communications Center was as dark as the night sky, with most of the light coming from studio 1 and 3 where live shows were in progress. Thomas, the Wednesday host of The Rock Show, invited me in before retreating to Hillwood for dinner. I paced quietly in the lobby until Bobby G. arrived shortly after 5:45.
Bobby and I conversed on the entire drive to My Father’s Place, listening to David Benoit’s Fuzzy Logic (2002) CD along the way.
It was about 6PM when parked in the Roslyn Hotel lot. We walked up the stairs to the hotel lobby and down the stairs to the My Father’s Place section. (MFP was originally its own venue before relocating to the hotel.) Eppy Epstein was seated outside the entrance and Bobby introduced us. Then, we confirmed our ticketed reservation with the attendant in the entryway and were ushered to a front row center table.
My conversation with Bobby continued as 8PM approached. (He and Billy Joel were classmates at Hicksville High School!) We both ordered separate dinners, each choosing a seltzer with lime as our soft drink, drinking water in the meantime. None of the entrees interested me, so I ordered fried calamari and a “side” of mac and cheese. Our waitress told me the side dish, with shell pasta, was as big as an entree, meaning I only needed to order one bowl. It was all quite good.
I checked the stage for a set list so I’d know what I was in for. I found one on the stage floor by the drum kit. I didn’t think to write the list to my stenographer pad until the show had begun and the waitress took our dessert orders. I chose chocolate lava cake, which was a bit rich for me, even with the vanilla ice cream mixed in, but still good.
Okay, the preamble is over. Let’s talk about the show itself!
As you see, there was a fourth member of the band: vocalist Courtney Fortune.
David Benoit was on a Yamaha piano:
New York City native Roberto Vally played bass:
Merrick native Dan Schnelle was on drums:
And the aforementioned Courtney Fortune on vocals:
The front stage featured replicas of Schroeder‘s toy piano and the sapling Charlie Brown chose over fully-grown trees in A Charlie Brown Christmas.
Before more photos, let’s look at…
THE SET LIST
- It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year
- Believe
- Medley: My Favorite Things/The Christmas Waltz
- Santa Claus is Coming to Town
- Originals medley: Drive Time/Café Rio/Kei’s Song
- Schroeder/The Doctor is In
- Vince Guaraldi medley: Great Pumpkin Waltz/Thanksgiving Theme/You’re in Love, Charlie Brown/Christmas is Coming/Skating/What Child is This?/O Tannenbaum
- Christmas Time is Here
- Just Like Me
- Linus and Lucy
- (encore) Cabin Fever
Set List Background Info
Vince Guaraldi’s A Charlie Brown Christmas compositions (except where noted) in the set were “Christmas is Coming,” “Skating,” “What Child is This?” (only on the soundtrack album; arrangement of traditional song), “O Tannenbaum” (arrangement of traditional song), “Linus and Lucy,” and “Christmas Time is Here.” That last song was heard instrumentally throughout A Charlie Brown Christmas, but a separate version added lyrics by Lee Mendelson, the special’s producer and co-writer (with Peanuts creator Charles M. “Sparky” Schulz). David first covered “Linus and Lucy” on This Side Up (1985), which led to an updated arrangement for “The Great Inventors” episode of This is America, Charlie Brown. David scored that entire episode, and many Peanuts TV specials (plus some Garfield specials) through 2006. The specials that stand out in my mind are:
- It’s Christmastime Again, Charlie Brown – Features hilarious scenes where Peppermint Patty and Sally Brown botch their lines in the Christmas play – Similar scenes were played out in the series finale of The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show, where a young Stacy Ferguson (Fergie) voiced Sally
- You’re in the Super Bowl, Charlie Brown – Relegated to VHS, as of this writing – Features
improvisedplay-by-play by Steve Stoliar, a comedy writer, film historian, assistant to Groucho Marx, and impressionist (naturally, his Groucho impression is immaculate [no, he didn’t do it in the special]) *See 3/25/25 UPDATE below this list* - I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown – Focuses heavily on Rerun, Linus and Lucy‘s younger brother, and his desire for a dog, be it Snoopy or Snoopy’s brother Spike (partially recycled from episode 15 of The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show) – This special marked the debut of David’s original composition, “Rerun’s Theme,” later recorded for David’s Jazz for Peanuts (2008)
3/25/25 UPDATE: Steve Stoliar emailed me this evening to clear things up about his involvement in You’re in the Super Bowl, Charlie Brown.
It was much more of a challenge than mere improvisation. Here – whether you want it or not – is the complete story: I had a friend who worked at Bill Melendez Prods. in a variety of capacities. She called me up one day and said, “Can you help us? We produced this Super Bowl show that Sparky wrote and there are football games with no dialogue that just go on and on and they’re repetitious and confusing.”
She gave me a VHS of the rough-cut and I sat on my living room floor starting, pausing, rewinding my VHS player and trying to time (without a stopwatch) how long each football sequence ran. Then I scribbled down some suggested narration, making use of a lot of alliterations and metaphors, such as you get from color commentators on sporting events. After that, I read it and tried to edit the copy so it fit snugly in the blank spaces. Then I went to Melendez Prods. in Hollywood and we recorded it – with Bill M. directing me – and me doing a sort of Vin Scully-inspired classic sportscaster voice.
It’s fairly miraculous that it worked out. “Variety” actually reviewed it and pointed out the sports narration as a high spot. Unfortunately, my pleasure in having met the challenge was greatly impacted by my late wife and me having been literally thrown out of our apartment by the Northridge Earthquake, which hit between the time I recorded the narration and when the show aired.
I was later rewarded with a lovely production cel (and original background) from one of the birdie football games, inscribed, “For Steve – In friendship – Bill Melendez” in black Sharpie. Sadly, even though it wasn’t in direct sunlight, the inscription faded. But – like Big Julie in “Guys ‘n’ Dolls” talking about the blank dice – “I remembers where da spots previously were.”
It remains the only Charlie Brown special that has any sort of shared writing credit.
End of story – except to thank you for the compliment on my Groucho impression!
Thank you, Steve, for correcting the record, and allowing me to post what you wrote. I don’t know where I got in my head that he improvised the dialogue. I must have misinterpreted the Facebook comment he left a few years ago when I said that I’d watched my digitizing of the VHS tape. On that note, Steve wrote in a follow-up reply…
Oh – also – that particular show was produced as a tie-in with Shell Oil and the VHS tape was either a giveaway or for sale at a low, low price at Shell Stations when you filled up your tank. So even though it aired on TV, I suspect it’s missing from DVD release because of the initial deal with Shell. Not sure. I also did voices for Melendez (what a great guy) on “Snoopy’s Reunion” and “It’s The Girl In The Red Truck, Charlie Brown.”
I’m inclined to agree with Steve about the Shell tie-in keeping You’re in the Super Bowl, Charlie Brown off DVD and other modern home media releases. It’s the Girl in the Red Truck, Charlie Brown is another special that has yet to go beyond VHS, but Snoopy’s Reunion has a dedicated DVD.
Thanks again to Steve Stoliar. Now, back to what I wrote in December.
Speaking of David’s originals, “Kei’s Song” is from Freedom at Midnight (1987), “Cabin Fever” (the encore) was on Waiting for Spring (1989), “Drive Time” originated on The Best of David Benoit: 1987-1995 (one of two new tracks), and “Café Rio” is from Full Circle (2006). “Drive Time” and “Café Rio” get the big band treatment on David’s latest album, Timeless, recorded in the UK with Spice Fusion Big Band.
David composed “Just Like Me” for 40 Years: A Charlie Brown Christmas (2005), with Lee Mendelson lyrics that honor the feel of “Christmas Time is Here.” Vanessa Williams sang on the original, and David recorded a solo piano version at Steinway Hall in 2017, one of 17 tracks from his The Steinway Sessions…session that were saved for It’s a David Benoit Christmas! (2020).
“Great Pumpkin Waltz,” “You’re in Love, Charlie Brown,” and “Thanksgiving Theme” were Vince Guaraldi compositions for It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown, You’re in Love, Charlie Brown (yes, more redundancy), and A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving.
“Believe” was a Josh Groban song for the film The Polar Express, which served as the title track to David’s 2015 trio album that featured Jane Monheit and The All-American Boys Chorus.
“Schroeder” (set to Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata”) and “The Doctor is In” were from the Broadway musical You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown.
That brings us back to the photos. For that You’re a Good Man medley, David portrayed Schroeder and Courtney channeled Lucy.
I’m not ashamed to admit “Just Like Me” drove me to happy tears. It’s such a pretty song.
When Courtney wasn’t on stage, the trio of David, Roberto, and Dan played instrumentally.
The finale: “Linus and Lucy”:
For the encore, a man at a front row table held up his LP copy of Waiting for Spring (I have it on CD) and requested a track from there. David chose “Cabin Fever,” one of my favorites.
I only got to meet and greet half the band. Roberto and Dan were deep in separate conversations and I didn’t want to rudely interrupt.
However, I did get to catch up with David, who signed my copy of Timeless:
I then introduced David to Bobby Guthenberg (who took the above photo). Bobby bought a copy of Timeless, and David signed that.
Bobby G. and I weren’t the only WCWP alumni at My Father’s Place that night. Voice actor David Kaplan was there, too. It was great to see him. He was talking to vocalist Courtney Fortune, who I then spoke to. I complimented Courtney’s performance and told her how moving her rendition of “Just Like Me” was. Then, Bobby took a photo of us:
My one regret is not getting a photo with My Father’s Place promoter Eppy Epstein before Bobby and I exited The Roslyn. Upon exiting, I noticed it was snowing!
Before meeting and greeting, Bobby offered to drive me back to Wantagh so my parents wouldn’t have to drive back up to WCWP for me. I accepted and called my mom to let her know. Bobby cautiously drove home in the rain/snow mix, once again conversing the entire way while finishing up his Fuzzy Logic CD. He switched to Timeless while waiting at a red light on Jerusalem Avenue.
Bobby dropped me off at the curb at about 10:30. I wished him good night and thanked him yet again for treating me to a memorable night at My Father’s Place. (He messaged me on Facebook upon his safe return home to Bayside.) I may return to MFP some time in 2025 if Eppy can book drummer Billy Cobham. Until then, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
Thank you again to David Benoit, Roberto Vally, Dan Schnelle, and Courtney Fortune. You were all wonderful.
2024 Long Island Retro Gaming expo recap: touring the expo August 21, 2024
Posted by Mike C. in Aviation, Computer, History, Personal, Photography, Technology, Travel, TV, Video, Video Games, Weather.add a comment
If you haven’t viewed the first recap post yet, click here. Skip ahead to the third recap here.
The vendor marketplace photos were taken both days while the exhibits were all taken Sunday.
Let the tour begin.
FIRST FLOOR
Walking in:
Vendor Marketplace:
First floor artwork:
First floor signs:
Hangar Arcade:
PC Freeplay:
Console Freeplay:
Dreamcast Indie Section:
PokéLab:
The Hall of Oddities:
Vintage ads:
Returning to civilization after nearly getting lost on the first floor:
SECOND FLOOR
I briefly caught up with LI Retro staff member George Portugal while walking this floor.
High Score Challenge
Indie/Homebrew Showcase
Gaming Console Timeline
The Arcade Age Exhibit
Other things on the second floor:
A view from the stairs to the third floor:
THIRD FLOOR
25 Years of the Sega Dreamcast
That’s the end of the tour. All that remains is the third recap post with a conclusion and pickups photos, including what I picked up after LI Retro.
February 17 wet snow February 19, 2024
Posted by Mike C. in Photography, Weather.add a comment
Saturday’s all snow event was bigger than I expected. Unlike Tuesday’s storm, I wasn’t blindsided until after the snow began to accumulate. I woke up around 6AM not just to lots of wet snow on the ground, but my dad’s Ford Explorer out of the driveway. He and Mom left earlier to drive my sister to the airport. I don’t know where, but I overheard a phone conversation Mom had in the afternoon. That indicated it was to a Central Time Zone location. (3/3 UPDATE: She went to Costa Rica for a week.)
Based on nearby snowfall reports, I again assume 6 inches fell in the Wantagh Woods section of Wantagh, though it could have been less.
With Dad at his office, the only option was to shovel, which I did after the snow had ended late in the morning. It took 38:34 to shovel it all. A purely photographic timeline follows below.
6:40 AM:
7:40 AM:
8:46 AM:
10:51 AM:
11:37 AM, before clearing Mom’s car and shoveling:
12:58 PM, after clearing and shoveling:
Thankfully, only rain is in the forecast in the next seven days, with that chance coming Thursday night into Friday.
3/15 UPDATE: We haven’t had any snow since. I finally put the shovels away one day last week.
February 13 wet snowstorm February 15, 2024
Posted by Mike C. in Jazz, Personal, Photography, Video, Weather.add a comment
The next snow event came nearly a month after the last one, on Tuesday, February 13. I didn’t even know about it until the day before when my mom said a storm was expected. I had not checked the weather forecast in days and was blindsided by what I saw on the National Weather Service website. 3 to 7 inches were expected! That meant I’d have to shovel. Yes, my dad got a snow blower in 2018, but I still need to shovel what he can’t get.
Despite reassurances from Facebook friends that the forecast was media hype and little to no snow would fall, it fell nonstop from about 6AM to about 1PM. I didn’t measure afterward, but going by the NWS snow report for neighboring Levittown, I figure my neighborhood in Wantagh got 6 inches.
Needing to get to his office, my dad used the snow blower at around 11AM. Thankfully, any snow that fell afterward did not accumulate, an upside to above freezing temperatures. Just before 2:30 PM, I went outside to shovel what was left. I shoveled the left side of the house up to the oil burner pipe, the corners of the driveway, the center of the driveway where snow had been cleared off my parents’ cars, the curb, and the sidewalk up to the property line. Aided by the first six tracks of McCoy Tyner’s Double Trios album on my iPhone and Beats Fit Pro earbuds, it took me 43:03 (timed on my watch) to do the job.
Skies cleared within an hour of returning inside.
The next chance of snow comes via a mix with rain tonight and then all snow early Saturday morning.
For now, a photographic timeline of Tuesday’s wet snow follows below. (There’s even a video.)
6:30 AM:
7:30 AM:
8:32 AM:
9:30 AM:
10:57 AM:
11:08 AM, as my Dad clears snow:
11:36 AM, starting with a brief video:
1:02 PM:
1:39 PM, before shoveling, as Mom drives out:
3:11 PM, after shoveling:
January 19 snow showers January 20, 2024
Posted by Mike C. in Personal, Photography, Weather.add a comment
In my previous post, I wrote that 2 to 4 inches of snow were expected with the next storm. After publishing, the forecast changed to 1 to 3 inches, then 1 to 2 on Friday, and finally next to nothing (half an inch). The snow showers that fell from the late morning to mid-afternoon merely left a small coating at the edge of the driveway and on my parents’ SUVs. I’m relieved that was it.
I still have half a dozen photos to share from five different points on Friday. So, below is the photographic timeline.
11:39 AM:
12:58 PM:
2:50 PM:
5:12 PM:
6:20 PM:
Milder conditions arrive next week with rain in the forecast, but nothing wintry. It’s only mid-January, though; plenty of time for snow to shovel and blow. I’ll report back after the next snow event, if there is one.
January 15-16 winter storm, aftermath January 18, 2024
Posted by Mike C. in Personal, Photography, Video, Weather.add a comment
It’s been about two years since Wantagh – and Long Island in general – got measurable snowfall, but that streak ended on the night of Monday, January 15. About 2.5 inches of snow fell in a 16-hour period before changing to sleet and then rain.
My dad Bill cleared his car and left for work during the changeover, and I went outside to shovel two hours after that. By then, the one inch of snow on the driveway pavement had turned to slush. However, with temperatures due to fall back below freezing at night, and stay there for a few days, it was necessary to clear the slush from the driveway and sidewalk. I also cleared the snow off my mom Lisa’s car. It took 43 minutes to do those tasks, which impressed my parents and friends when I posted about it on Facebook.
What follows is a photographic timeline from the snowfall before bed on Monday night through the cleared driveway and car after walking to and from my credit union to deposit coins (and bringing garbage pails to the curb for Wednesday morning pickup).
Monday, January 15
10:59 PM
Tuesday, January 16
6:34 AM
7:40 AM
8:10 AM
I even shot a brief video:
11:35 AM, before shoveling and clearing
1:19 PM, after shoveling and errands
It won’t be long before the next post-storm blog post. 2 to 4 inches of snow are expected tomorrow (Friday, January 19). Expecting that much from the storm earlier this week, I moved items around in the garage – including some heavy items – so that the snow blower could be by the door ready for use. We didn’t need it then, but might next time. Until that storm’s recap, thank you for reading.
1/23 UPDATE: Long Island was spared any snow from that storm. My parents’ cars and the edge of the driveway got a coating, but that was it. I still made a post that you can read here.
2023 Long Island Retro Gaming expo recap: touring the expo September 1, 2023
Posted by Mike C. in Aviation, Computer, Education, History, Personal, Photography, Technology, Travel, TV, Video, Video Games, Weather.add a comment
If you haven’t viewed the first recap post yet, click here. Skip ahead to the third recap here.
Now that you’ve seen the panels, why not tour the rest of this year’s Long Island Retro Gaming Expo at the Cradle of Aviation Museum?
Before we do that, while editing on the Monday after (August 14), I noticed a familiar face in the bottom right of this Saturday (August 12) photo in the vendor marketplace:
What?! Clint Basinger (LGR) was there?! According to his Twitter activity, yes.
I was kicking myself for not knowing he’d be there, but John Riggs and LI Retro staff member Ryan Shapiro told me on Facebook that Clint was there as a paid attendee, not a guest. In their words:
He visited the show but did not host a panel. I was very excited to see him there.
Ryan Shapiro
I didn’t know he was gonna be there, either. There were quite a few YouTube people that weren’t on the list but showed up to hang out. Tells you how awesome the show is.
John Riggs
Hear hear, John. While I missed Clint in the moment, I did notice Justin Silverman walking along a separate row of vendors. I’d have said hello if we crossed paths.
Here is the latest LGR video:
The walking photo tour begins in earnest with a “good retro morning” greeting:
Most photos were taken on Saturday, but a small amount are from Sunday (August 13). (You’ll know by the filename.)
Vendor Marketplace:
The rest of the first floor:
Second floor:
The third floor was Tetris-themed:
I’ve been a fan of Tetris ever since playing the Game Boy version as a kid. I have that and 21 other variations of Tetris in my collection. This includes Tetris & Dr. Mario and Puyo Puyo Tetris. I also have the three ports of Tetris 2. The sequel gets a bad rap, but I enjoy it.
Anyway, that’s the end of the photo tour. Click here for my third recap post with a conclusion and pickups photos.
MikeChimeri.com 