Alfred E. Smith Building

The Alfred E. Smith Building, known officially as the Alfred E. Smith State Office Building and sometimes called simply the Smith Building, is a structure located in downtown Albany, New York across the street from the New York State Capitol and One Commerce Plaza.

The building’s namesake, Alfred Emmanuel Smith, was a four-term governor of New York and the Democratic Party’s nomination for the 1928 presidential election. The Art Deco skyscraper has 34 stories and at 388 feet (118 m) is Albany’s second tallest structure (after the Erastus Corning Tower).

Completed in 1928, it houses offices of the New York State government. Built originally with an observation deck on the 31st floor, the 350-foot-high (110 m) open-air deck was closed in 1976 when the 589-foot-tall (180 m) 42nd floor enclosed Corning Tower Observation Deck was opened. An extensive renovation of the building began in 2002. This modernization, which cost at least $103 million, is now finished.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_E._Smith_Building

October 22, 2015 evening

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Good evening. 59 degrees and cloudy this evening. Going to be a chilly evening with the damp air but a low only around 41 degrees. Not bad compared to the cold of recent.

Went out to Happy Hour for a while and are now catching the bus home. Not much traffic but the bus is running a few minutes late but seems to be catching up on its schedule.

October 20, 2015 afternoon

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Good afternoon although with the sun setting earlier every day it’s starting to feel like evening more than afternoon. A nice afternoon with only a few clouds and around 61 degrees.

In these last few evenings of daylight after 6 PM and ultimately 5 PM on November 1st, tonight’s sunset is at 6:05 PM. Looking for 53 degrees at 9 PM, so okay weather for an evening drink out back.

Waxing Gibbous Moon if you plan on being up after about 1:30 AM this morning and the clouds hold off. Outside of the clouds it might actually be a good evening for the stars.

October 19, 2015 afternoon

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It always feels like a Monday. The hardest day is the first day back after vacation. It doesn’t help that the weather is frigid for mid-October with our mercury maxing out at 5 pm around 49 degrees. I know we are going into the cold season of the year but this is ridiculous. The sunset is at 6:06 pm, much earlier than when I was in West Virginia.

Evening commute, going home time. Relax and breathe and the bus driver will take me home. Traffic is congested as is normal on the 787 construction zone. I’m not driving, so I don’t care. With the earlier sunsets the sun is in our eyes for the evening commute, further slowing down traffic. In two more weeks with the time change, the five o’clock evening commute will be in darkness. Time sure goes by quickly. Winter will be here before you know it – but hopefully will leave as quickly as it comes.

More oil train cars in the yard than I have noticed in recent weeks. I guess even with low oil prices wells are still producing and their products need to be moved to market.

Have a great evening! And remember Monday is rapidly coming to a conclusion.

October 9, 2015 afternoon

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Good afternoon. Happy Friday. It’s the weekend. Rain has taken a break but I can see another heavy rain front coming towards Albany. 63 degrees. Rain ends relatively early and clearing for Saturday, possibly not until afternoon.

Sunset tonight is at 6:23 PM but with the rain, darkness will come early. Have a great evening.

October 9, 2015 morning

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Good morning! Happy Friday. I can’t believe it’s already Friday. It’s been a long week in so many ways. It is currently 59 degrees and the warm weather stays with us one more day, with today’s high expected to get up 71 degrees. Rain and drizzle are expected throughout the day. Sorry for the dreary Friday, but the weekend forecast looks much nicer, with lots of sun but crisp conditions in the low 50s. Sunset is around 6:23 PM tonight in Albany.

Tonight is the night I pack and pick up supplies. My goal is to have everything packed tonight besides personal supplies, guns, and cold food. I don’t know how far I will get on this goal, as after this long and stressful week. I will be tired by evening. But tomorrow is vacation in God’s Country. My goal is to get to bed by 10 AM as I want to set my alarm clock for 6 AM tomorrow. This will give me time for breakfast, to pack the cold stuff, and go for a walk around the apartment to confirm windows are closed, hot water heater is shut-off, and lights are shut-off.

Today my truck is back at the shop. I thought I had the TPMS issue fixed, but I guess if you drive it more then about 15 miles the light comes back on. Either a sensor is malfunctioning or the TPMS re-learn process failed when they rotated the tires. The TPMS light issue is annoying enough, that even if it costs me $100 to replace a bad sensor, so be it. A sensor battery could have been going as the truck is now four years old, and when a wheel was rotated, the sensor was moved far enough way from the centralized receiving radio that a signal isn’t getting there. A bright blinking yellow light on the dashboard just is so distracting while driving. They say whatever the issue it, they expect it to be fixed today. I will either get the truck during an extended lunch break or leave work early.

At this point tomorrow, I should be on the Warren Anderson Expressway (I-88), and well on my way to Pennsylvania. I will most likely stop at the Pine Creek Gorge and Kinzua Bridge then get to the Southern Allegheny National Forest at least an hour before dusk (5 PM ideally). A lot of driving through God’s Country but it will be a nice day. Sunday, it’s the 219 to West Virgina, driving mostly through Pennsylvania’s Laurel Highlands with a brief trip through Western Maryland.