Category: Binghamton (Page 1 of 2)

A view of Binghamton University from the Appalachian Dining Room in Mountainview College.

Remember That Time I Gave A Commencement Speech?

24 May, 2012 / Kat

Last weekend, I was invited to give a Commencement speech for a residential community ceremony at my undergraduate alma mater, The Binghamton University. (No, they don’t really use The like Ohio State, but let us pretend that they do because it sounds more fun.)

It’s a little unnerving to know that your words are going to be a part of someone’s graduation memories. That didn’t really hit me as much when I spoke at my own residential community commencement eight years ago, but I was also more in the habit of speaking in front of crowds at that point. Eight years as an assistant to people doing all the speaking later, it is a bit more nerve-wracking to get up and speak in front of people who are either so totally excited to be there or already sound asleep. It is also really nervewracking when you see parents holding up cell phones or Flip cams to film the entire ceremony. I saw a Flip Cam in the crowd while I was speaking and thought, “Holy smokes, they’re going to trot out this .mov file when the kid is 45. Or it’s going to get lost and deleted when their home computer eventually crashes, so you’re probably good.” Continue reading

On Losing Your Voice

27 February, 2011 / Kat

Since I was a little girl, I’ve been plagued with sore throats. Since ninth grade, those sore throats have included bouts of laryngitis. My voice either takes a vacation completely, or it turns me into a dead ringer for Peppermint Patty – so much such that my father would ask me at least twice a day to say, “Hi, Chuck.”

In college, a nurse at Binghamton University’s Student Health Services once recommended that I drink plain pineapple juice whenever I suffered from a bout of laryngitis or a sore throat. She explained that pineapple juice has a lot of vitamins but low acidity, so it was better for a sore throat than high-acid orange juice. The nurse had heard the advice from a vocalist, and had been dispensing it to suffering college students ever since.

Who treasures their voice more than a singer? I figured the advice had to be legit, and it was.

Since then, I always keep a six pack of pineapple juice cans in my refrigerator. Recently, I’ve found a combination that works even better than pineapple juice alone: pineapple juice and green tea. I drank a glassful of it the other night when my throat felt like the Great Chicago Fire and I could barely talk. I headed straight to bed after downing a glass of this mix, and woke up with my voice back full force and no sore throat the next morning (unfortunately, the rest of the cold still had a hold on me full force.) Coincidence? I think not.

I mix a can of pineapple juice with green iced tea. Trader Joe’s makes an excellent unsweetened green and white tea mix, and that is what I’ve been using for this mix.

I fill my sports glass of the moment with ice (today’s selection: a 1980s Buffalo Bills – Coca-Cola glass), pour in the entire can of pineapple juice (you don’t have to use the whole can, but try at least half), and then top off with the green tea.

Volia! Down this, and you’ll be chatting up your friends, significant other, or in my case, your cat, in no time.

The Baldwins Are Taking Over Everything I Like

17 November, 2010 / Kat

The Baldwin family is taking over my life.

Tuesday afternoon, I received an email from Billy Baldwin, Binghamton class of 1985. Not exclusively to me, of course, but to me and thousands of my fellow Binghamton alums. Billy, who is the lesser known Baldwin by far (at Binghamton, when anyone would ask what he had been in, the stock answer always was, “the guy that dies in Backdraft“), has taken quite the shine to his alma mater as of late. His biggest contribution of note was when he led a successful campaign to save the wrestling program when America East stopped sponsoring the sport.

Now, Billy “Backdraft guy” Baldwin has emailed his fellow alums to lobby us to give to the Binghamton capital campaign. (Video wasn’t embeddable, so here is a linked screenshot.)

My first reaction: shouldn’t he be lobbying for himself? You really don’t see him in much anymore. Then I realized his more famous brother probably helps him out.

My second reaction: Paul Reiser wasn’t available? Tony Kornhesier? Heck, Progressive Insurance Flo? (Yes, all Bearcats.)

But that being said, it’s a good cause, given the dire straits outgoing NY governor Patterson has left the SUNY system in. Kudos to Backdraft Baldwin.

On Wednesday afternoon, the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle Twitter account shared a blog post about the new Wegmans (the greatest grocery store in the history of mankind) commercials, starring…30 Rock’s Alec Baldwin.

According to the Democrat and Chronicle, the Baldwin-Wegmans collaboration came about when Baldwin mentioned to late night talk show host David Letterman that his mother refuses to live anywhere without a Wegmans close by, and then went on to pontificate about the wonders of the store.

This is a big get for the store so wonderful it was my baby brother’s first word. (You think I’m joking.) But the way this week is going, I half expect to get a video of Stephen Baldwin asking me to buy Buffalo Bills tickets next.

Find of the Day: The Chuck-a-Puck Championships

8 April, 2010 / Kat

Not the Binghamton Chuck-a-Puck, but I imagine it'll be similar. (Photo: Ryan Treat's blog)

What would you do for a brand new car? For one Texan, he’ll travel all the way to Binghamton, New York to compete in a Chuck-a-Puck contest.

In a press release today, the AHL Binghamton Senators announced that Michael Supulski, of a town outside of Austin, Texas, will be making the 1,700 mile trip to participate in the finals of their season long Chuck-a-Puck competition, with a brand new car at stake. Supulski won a game’s Chuck-a-Puck contest during the Senators’ New Year’s Eve game, qualifying him to face all of the other home game winner’s in their last regular season home game.

Odds are, the majority of those individual game winners are from the Triple Cities. But the odds that one of participant would be from Texas, and even be able to return to Binghamton for a random weekend in April, were much higher. When you have the chance to win a brand new car, however, I guess the outlay in plane tickets and accommodations is worth it – especially if you have excellent aim. Best of luck on Saturday, Mr. Supulski.

Strike Three, Shame On Me

24 September, 2009 / Kat

09photo-home_260 No one knew where I went to college until the basketball players started stealing condoms and dealing drugs.

I am not exaggerating. I have lived in Boston for five years, and only twenty percent of those I run into have actually heard of Binghamton University, the State University of New York branch I graduated from. That is, until the university hired men’s basketball coach Kevin Broadus, and his prize recruits started finding themselves in the back of police cars. Continue reading