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Last Visit 2016-04-04 09:29:22 |Start Date 2007-08-13 08:30:04 |Comments 728 |Entries 207 |Images 109 |Videos 2 |Theme |

08/23/09 09:42 - 67ºF - ID#49604

An ode to the Little Red Truck


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Oh, little red truck
You reignited my love for you.
Half a tank of gas from Buffalo to Pittsburgh?!
I couldn't ask for more from our little truck!!
You must have heard our resentful mutterings
of low gas mileage and frequent repairs
You must have sensed our unfaithfulness
As we coveted the Kia Soul and the Suzuki sx4
Cash for Clunkers, how could we turn it down?

How easily I forgot, little red truck
that you faithfully journeyed with me
from Illinois to Philadelphia.
You ventured the twists and turns
of the Pennsylvania turnkpike
twice a month for a year
so that I could see my fiancee.

I promise, I'll never speak of trading you in again.

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Permalink: An_ode_to_the_Little_Red_Truck.html
Words: 119
Location: Buffalo , NY


08/11/09 10:40 - 71ºF - ID#49511

Piano

Today, I happily claimed possession of my childhood piano.

If you pass by our house you might catch a glimpse of me happily pounding away on the keyboard. And you might hear the sounds of Billy Joel tunes and cheesy Christian music.

My house is complete. It has a piano, a husband, two cats and a dog. It can't get any better than this.
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Permalink: Piano.html
Words: 64
Location: Buffalo , NY


08/10/09 08:11 - 74ºF - ID#49495

Buffalo Drivers

Flashing yellow light at the intersection means proceed through the intersection with some caution.

Flashing red light at the intersection means stop and proceed after yielding to traffic.

Learn how traffic signals work, Buffalo drivers!

See, I am equally annoyed at drivers and bicyclists.
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Permalink: Buffalo_Drivers.html
Words: 44
Location: Buffalo , NY


08/06/09 09:23 - 67ºF - ID#49478

Bicyclists

I have a love-hate relationship with bicycling in Buffalo. I love how bikeable the city is and in the summer, (e:Drew) and I definitely hit the town with our bikes. I'm a big fan of following the rules of the road since the rules of the road for cars, apply to bicycles on the street as well.

Section 1231. Traffic laws apply to persons riding bicycles or skating or gliding on in-line skates.

Every person riding a bicycle or skating or gliding on in-line skates upon a roadway shall be granted all of the rights and shall be subject to all of the duties applicable to the driver of a vehicle by this title, except as to special regulations in this article and except as to those provisions of this title which by their nature can have no application.



from:

I absolute hate the bicycling culture that flouts all the rules of the road, that puts bicyclists in harms way of cars, and then has the audacity to be upset at the vehicle driver.

Tonight, I turned onto Ashland, a one way street, from Summer and had to stop very quickly to avoid hitting two bicyclists riding down the road the wrong way. They had the audacity to make angry faces and shake their fists at me...despite the fact that I came nowhere near hitting them. Despite the fact that it is not reasonable for me to expect traffic coming down the street the wrong way. Despite the fact that they were the ones acting in complete disregard to the traffic laws. Now I wish I would have hit them. Well, no, not really. That would be bad. But I still don't think they get to be jerks to me when they're the ones being stupid.
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Permalink: Bicyclists.html
Words: 307
Location: Buffalo , NY


07/30/09 09:41 - 73ºF - ID#49420

The most gut wrenching day of the year

is when the state comes to complete their annual certification of the program I oversee.

It starts with an ominous phone call. We're from the state. We'll be there shortly.

Then the rush begins. Staff warned. Supervisors called. Documents gathered.

Then the silence, while the state is flipping through paperwork, is punctuated with "hms" and scribblings of findings.

I miserably passed the day staring at the frantic scribbling from the corner of my eye while fiddling on my laptop. My stomach ached and burned through the day.

The lowest on the social hierarchy in this situation, I bite my tongue as the state provide feedback on the content of my paperwork that strikes me as incompatible with the forms that the same state demands I use. How can I argue the state when the state isn't clear on what it's doing?

The exit meeting is at the end of the day and I'm hopeful that it will bring relief. Instead, it brings more feedback. A summary of everything previously explained to me. How many times can I nod my head and say I understand before it seems insincere? But the negative is embedded in positive enthusiasm for the concept of the program, for the happiness of the participants, for the paperwork
generally being in order. I nod and smile weakly. They want me to stop being nervous. But why would I not be nervous? They spent the day scrutinizing my work. My hours and hours of work.

Tomorrow, we'll begin the work on addressing the 2 areas of deficiencies and I can rest easy until the phone call comes again in a year.

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Permalink: The_most_gut_wrenching_day_of_the_year.html
Words: 272
Location: Buffalo , NY


07/24/09 09:36 - 67ºF - ID#49367

5K fun

I ran in a 5k last night. My goal has been to run a 5k once a month this summer. I don't really care. I just pick a 5k and go. And I usually try to drag someone along.

Last night (e:drew), (e:changeisgood), and myself ran a 5k at some random Catholic church/Catholic school in Orchard Park. It was a huge turnout and probably the best after party I've ever been to.

Here's the funny part. You get a ticket when you register for a race and it's exchanged for one beer at the party after the race and all the food you can eat. Nothing beats sucking down a cold beer into your already dehydrated body after a race. However, at this party, you could get ALL the beer you wanted. They were passing it out in these small bucket like containers that I had to grasp with both hands while drinking. Hot dogs, however, those were restricted. Only two hot dogs per ticket. My mom paid $5 to attend the after party (because she didn't run) and she could have drank all the beer she wanted for $5. But no hot dogs.
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Permalink: 5K_fun.html
Words: 195
Location: Buffalo , NY


07/15/09 07:45 - 55ºF - ID#49295

Early mornings

I've convinced myself recently to make the most of my summer days by getting up earlier in the morning. I spend my extra time sipping coffee on the front porch and watching the neighborhood wake up. It's been a bit of a challenge to get up earlier than usual. But this morning I was rewarded with the sight of a beautiful cardinal fluttering around the front yard!

After soaking up the sun and summer, it's just a nice way to start the morning. Much better than rushing to get to work.
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Permalink: Early_mornings.html
Words: 91
Location: Buffalo , NY


06/27/09 09:36 - 67ºF - ID#49096

Spicy scents

Two nights ago I ground up some cardamom in the coffee grinder. The scent lingered for a good two days in the kitchen, living room, and entry way making these areas of the house smell sweet and spicy and delicious.

This morning I experimented with trying to get a more concentrated or longer lasting scent.

I tried making a potpourri satchet. Failure.

Tried to use it like incense. Failure.

Then the internet told me to simmer the spices in some water. So right now I'm in heaven with the spicy cardamom, coriander, cloves smell.

If you want to replicate it....

A handful of cardamom seeds and a handful of coriander seeds lightly toasted in a skillet.
Grind in a coffee grinder. Add 10-12 cloves.

Put entire mixture with 1-2 cups of water on the stove. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer.

And if you like the cardamom taste, try grinding some in with your coffee beans. I cardamom pod should be enough for 1 cup of coffee beans.
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Permalink: Spicy_scents.html
Words: 170
Location: Buffalo , NY


06/22/09 11:09 - 71ºF - ID#49034

The DIY project

Two years ago, when we moved into the house, I had a lot of time on my hands to fix up the house.

Paint was peeling and chipping from the bathroom door so I decided it needed some work.

I didn't want to just scrape and paint because it would look all uneven. And I didn't want to pay $50 to take it to somewhere and dip it to strip the paint.

So I stripped the door myself. Until I gave up when I realized there were six layers of paint underneath the glossy white and special tools were needed to strip the paint from the crevices.

So I hung the door up half stripped and uneven. It sat for a year.

I primed it when husband suggested I finish what I start. It sat for another year.

And today I finally finished.

Two years later... And more than $50 later... And several hours of my time later.... I painted it glossy white over an uneven surface.

I sure came out ahead, didn't I?
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Permalink: The_DIY_project.html
Words: 172
Location: Buffalo , NY


06/09/09 10:02 - 66ºF - ID#48876

Running from State Farm as fast as I can

You know those stories about people who run from their small town, USA, because they can't spend the rest of their life working in the "fill-in-the-blank" factory?

I couldn't run from my town fast enough to avoid the State Farm conveyor belt. I thought that there had to be more to life than being a cog in the machinery of State Farm.

Turns out I was right.

I am reminded of it every time I come home. And I'm so grateful that I did more with my life than sign up for a lifetime career with State Farm.
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Permalink: Running_from_State_Farm_as_fast_as_I_can.html
Words: 98
Location: Buffalo , NY


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