Taking cue from Amtrak

The inbound post of i-Saratoga has been inexplicably delayed on the tracks for little other reason than the engineer's lethargy and wanton lust for copious amounts of scotch. Yes, there's something about three feet of snow and wall-to-wall weather stories choking the press that seems to grind all the creative vitriol to a halt amid the hum of a pleasant Johnnie Walker buzz.

So pace the isles and maybe swing by the lounge car for a few cocktails. And while you're there, try to get a grip on the fact that the New York Times actually quoted a blowhard like David Bronner, as a fellow Spa-centric blogger recently pointed out. To make matters worse, they managed to misspell his name; an ironic footnote during Bronner's one flash in the pan of national media throughout his long and storied career of public blowouts.

Meanwhile on Lake Avenue, the collective genius of the editorial crew and the Journal Register Company brass have apparently returned photos to The Saratogian's Web site after a nearly four-year long hiatus of keeping it graphic-free. Maybe they finally realized the text of their stories simply isn't strong enough to carry much more than the piss-poor reputation their masthead boasts. Or maybe the tech-savvy Barbara Lombardo finally figured out how to turn on her computer.

But all these deep thoughts can wait for more sober and enlightened moments. So keep reading and hang tight. It looks like the engineer has finally polished off the remnants of his fifth.