No comment, I'm doing my job

Amidst all the coverage of the Malcolm Kyser-in-a-garbage-can escape from SCI-Albion, I read this interesting paragraph in an Erie Times-News report:

Melinda Adams, spokeswoman at the Albion prison, said prison Superintendent Marilyn Brooks was not available for comment Wednesday because she was busy overseeing prison operations. Brooks has not spoken publicly since Sunday's escape.

Before heading off to Albion, Brooks, you may recall, held the top post at SCI-Cambridge Springs. It seemed like there were always a lot of rumors flying around about shenanigans going on at the prison while she was in charge there. In the current situation, I'm sure Brooks was instructed to keep her mouth shut by the bigwigs at the PA Department of Corrections. But it's still pretty funny that the reason the spokesperson gave for Brooks not commenting was, well, because she was doing her job. Isn't part of her job to be transparent about what's going on under her watchful eye?

The end of a relationship

This Friday will mark the end of one of the longest relationships I've ever been involved in. It wasn't an easy decision to make for a variety of reasons, but it had to be done. I've decided to cancel service from Edinboro's Coaxial Cable TV. Over a decade, Coaxial has increased its basic cable rates about 43 percent (how do I miss thee, days of $27.88 cable bills?), and it's even more if you're a digital cable subscriber. (And where the heck is that HD programming that was promised for this year?) Even with all the additional channels—and I'm know this is a pretty common complaint amongst cable customers—I was consistently watching only a few of them, and lately that's been mostly network programming.

What will I do to satisfy my TV needs? I've purchased this indoor antenna from Wal-Mart, which allows me to pick up the five Erie broadcast stations pretty well. (It takes a little fiddling when you move from station to station, so I'll be getting some exercise from the recliner to the TV.) I've also hooked up an old PC (that thankfully had an S-video output) to my TV and receiver, so I can watch network programming free from their web sites. I tried this out last night with "How I Met Your Mother" from CBS, and it worked pretty well, except that the CBS player wouldn't go full screen in either Internet Explorer or Firefox. Full screen works very well on the TV from Fox and NBC sites, so I can continue to watch The Simpsons, Family Guy, and The Office at my convenience. I may also upgrade my NetFlix subscription, but I'm finding it increasingly difficult to get through a two-hour movie (which is sort of pathetic). And I'm sure I'll be listening to many more podcasts from NPR and elsewhere.

Will there be things I miss about cable? You bet. South Park, some of the shows on FX, and sitcom reruns always gave me a reason to watch TV instead of doing something else. I'll also miss being able to flip on Monday Night Football and the news channels. But, in the end, I think I'm making the right move by dumping Coaxial.

And there's always Dish Network and DirectTV.

"Freaking huge buck"

GoErie.com reports that a buck smashed into the side of a Cambridge Springs police cruiser driven by Chief Eric Johnston, who was transporting a 15-year-old to juvi hall in Erie on Monday morning. "This freaking huge buck literally blew through the side of my window," Johnston eloquently noted after the accident.

But, wait, it gets better. Immediately following the accident, as Johnston was pulling shards from glass from his own eyes, a hunter stopped by to ask if he could have the deer. That's a classy move.

The happiest place on Earth

Kudos and plaudits to Mike for informing me of the existence of the Disneyland Sign Generator. Try it. You'll love it.

Something's brewing

The Meadville Tribune reported this week that Sprague Farm & Brew Works has been granted permission by Cambridge Township to open a brew pub at their location. It always seemed a little weird that you couldn't sit down and (legally) drink a beer at a place that, well, makes beer. (I guess we can thank Pennsylvania's abstruse liquor laws for that mystery.) It will certainly be a nice alternative to the happening downtown Cambridge bar scene, although the Spragues will continue to operate with the same hours: noon to 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday; and noon to 7 p.m. on Friday.

In other local beer news, Meadville's Voodoo Brewery is indeed selling its beer at a few local distributors (as the Tribune reported in late October). I've heard a report that a 12-pack of 22 ounce bottles runs around $85. Wow—and can anyone confirm that? I'm sure it's great beer, but 85 bucks would pay my electric bill. I guess the product is aimed at the Lexus crowd, while we Toyota drivers will have to stick with Yuengling.

And because YouTube videos are always fun, here's the classic beer-launching fridge:

Checkpoint Charlie

State police will be conducing a "Click it or Ticket" campaign through the end of the month focusing on the Saegertown and Cambridge Springs areas on State Routes 19, 86, 99 and 198. Police will set up traffic-safety checkpoints focusing on seat belt safety, reports GoErie.com. These are typically under-patrolled roads (at least in my experience), so you'll want to be vigilant in watching for these checkpoints.

My initial reaction is that this is a poor use of taxpayer resources and police time. I'd much rather see police busting meth heads, drunk drivers and child molesters. But as long as people continue to be ejected from cars and killed because they were too lazy or ignorant to buckle up, I guess these education campaigns will have to continue.

Here's what can happen when you don't wear a seatbelt:

The way things used to be

Here's a postcard I bought on eBay a few months back with the intention of turning it into a header graphic for this site. That hasn't happened yet—but this is nevertheless an interesting view of the way things were in Cambridge Springs, looking south from the bridge at the Y where Venango Avenue and Main Street split.