STAN'S BLOGS

[I’m on volunteer assignment at the University of Rochester , serving an humanitarian non-profit called AHEAD Energy ] Just arrived back from a bike ride; it was so sunny and dry out this morning I thought I'd take the Genesee River Trail into town and do some reading at Java's Cafe . After a hearty cup of Colombia Supremo—there's no better, whatever they say—I decided to explore the nearby Midtown Plaza . I'd heard a lot about the " Clock of Nations ," indoor monorail, famous skybridges, etc. and still had not made a visit. And what better time of the year, huh, it was Christmas in Rochester! In front of Messinger Hall I asked an alert-looking woman walking out of the Eastman Community Music School where the Plaza's main entrance might be located. I'd been in Rochester four month and no one that I'd asked, so far, seemed to really know. She struggled for a while and finally took a guess that it was "catty-corner to the Liberty Pole .&q

We have Web Cams here on the University of Rochester campus that run 24/7 in two places I frequent daily. This spawned the brilliant idea of doing a campus cam appearance for family and friends back home, for no other reason than to "just say hi!" So, there I was on November 18 at 12 noon EST, after notifying everyone via email two weeks before, standing in view of these Web Cams waving wildly at the robotic lens as it swiveled around in my direction. The first stop was Wilson Commons , a huge four story atrium housing the student center, lounges, restaurants and conference rooms, where I stood on the "Hi Mom Balcony" pointing out such U of R attractions as "The Pit," "The Flags" and "Residence Quad." Then I walked a few 100 ft. over to the Eastman Quadrangle , pacing in front of the stately Rush Rhees Library. All this time I was talking to my Mom and my brother Dan and his family on my cellphone, explaining the history and activitie