Bob Congdon

• You've ever been to Larkfest or the Tulip Festival.
• You still call the Pepsi Arena "The Knick".
• You can correctly pronounce the words Kosciuszko, Cohoes, Coeymans, and Kayaderosseras.
• You know what The Egg is.
• You know what and where Nipper is.
• You expect to see nothing but grey between the months of November and May.
• You remember when Crossgates was only half as big as it is now. Bonus points if you know what store was there before Best Buy.
• You've ever rooted for the River Rats.
• You grew up on Channels 6, 10, and 13.
• The word "dredge" immediately conjures up thoughts of GE.
• Spring means potholes.
• You never expect them to pass the budget on time.
• You know the 3 closest Stewart's shops to your house.
• You've ever eaten something from Freihofer's or Brueggers.
• You've never called I-87 anything other than "The Northway".
• Okay, maybe you've called it "The Thruway", too. Depends which side of Albany you're from.
• You know when there's going to be traffic on the Twin Bridges.
• You know what SPAC stands for.
• You go to or know someone who goes to UAlbany.
• You know what SUNY means.
• You know what a Karner Blue is.
• You've ever gone up in the Corning Tower.
• The name Arbor Hill doesn't bring anything plant-related to mind.
• You know where the Stockade is.
• You know which city is the Collar City and which is the Electric City.
• You think Saratoga is classy.
• If you're from Schenectady then Troy might as well be Mars to you and vice versa.
• Milk = Stewart's, Cookies = Freihofer's. End of story.
• It doesn't bother you that the Northway has no Exit 3.
• It also doesn't bother you that Central Ave. is State Street at the other end.
• You know that somehow Sand Creek Road is the shortcut to everywhere.
• If there's a chance of a snow day then every radio in your house is tuned to WGY.
• You've argued with your parents to take the car out in the middle of a blizzard.
• You refer to the place where I-87 crosses the Mohawk River as "The Twins".
• You remember Ranger Danger (say, isn't he on PYX 106 now?)
• You have an ingrained taste for concrete architecture.
• You know "The Track" is The August Place To Be.
• You know it's "Awl -buh-nee", not "Al -buh-nee" or, even worse, "All-ben-nee".
• You can think of at least 4 different ways to get to Stuyvesant Plaza from the same starting point.
• You know what "Harvard on the Hudson" is.
• You remember when Hannaford was still Shop 'n' Save.
• You consider walking to the Plaza on the 4th of July because you know it'll be about the same time to drive there and find a spot to park.
• You know What a Guy! Ken Goewey is.
• You know that AirTite Windows knocked Resnick's sign down (but then put it back up).
• You know who Nina (of Manchester) and her husband are, and how they sell diamonds for less than 33%.
• Everybody likes Jack Byrne.
• You thought Hoffman's Playland was the bomb as a child.
• You know that "My dad Terry Morris is still number one!"
• You've eaten at Bomber's one too many times.
• You're bummed that the Firebirds left.
• You know that you do nothing but eat and drink at the Pump Station.
• You know the Times Union is your source.
• If there's even a chance of snow Ichabod Crane will be closed.
• You refer to Albany as "the 518".
• You know what "I Love" is.
• You know at least three people whose last names start with "Van".
• You have your choice of cities on First Night.
• You know who Neil Golub is.

public synchronized void myMethod() { 
    // critical section 
} 

public void myMethod() {
    synchronized( this ) {
        // critical section
    }
}

synchronized ( getClass() ) {
    // critical section
}

FileWriter fw = new FileWriter("log.txt"); 
fw.println("Foo"); 
// Other stuff 
fw.close() 

FileWriter fw = null; 
try {  
    fw = new FileWriter("log.txt");    
    fw.println("Foo");    
    // Other stuff    
}    
finally {   
    if (fw != null) { 
        fw.close();
    }
}

using (TextWriter tw = File.CreateText("log.txt")) { 
    tw.WriteLine("Foo"); 
    // Other stuff 
}

TextWriter tw = null;
try {  
    tw = File.CreateText("log.txt");  
    tw.WriteLine("Foo");  
    // Other stuff  
}  
finally {  
    // Check for a null resource.  
    if (tw!= null)  
    {  
        // Call the object's Dispose method.  
        ((IDisposable)tw).Dispose();  
    }  
}