"Blossburg Coal Festival" written by Heidi on estrip.org

06/05/09 07:31 - 70ºF - ID#48848

Blossburg Coal Festival

From Thursday to Sunday of Memorial Day weekend, I took about 800 shots. I'm done processing photos through Saturday 5/23 at 1pm... I went home for my favorite annual party, a big bluegrass event in Cherry Flats, Pa., but my dear Uncle Dudley begged me to come off the mountain and photograph the Coal Festival parade Saturday morning. She and her new company, Coal Country Iron Works, had constructed a float and she needed to be on the float to throw candy. So I groggily made it to the parade, unshowered, begged my hairdresser for some gum because I hadn't connected with my toothbrush... and took pictures of the parade and a little of the 17th Annual Blossburg State Coal Festival at Island Park after (where I shot the not-Basra collection ((e:heidi,48783))). The pictures are probably not very exciting for people not connected to Blossburg, Pa., but some of you might be amused by them, hopefully to appreciate the small-townness and not pick on the hicks too much. ;-) The parade features lots of tractors, fire engines and kids, but no curly-wigged Irish dancing girls.

Keith Lindie, town historian & eligible 80-something bachelor, used his beloved John Deere tractor to haul the Red Hat Society float.

My dear Uncle Dudley with her authentic miner's hat. Miners filled it with oil and lit it so they could see in the tunnels.

She has an authentic miner's lunch bucket, too. Her bf Bernie has an extensive collection of mining antiques. (I'm sure she's going to yell at me for posting this!)

But her float won the prize for Best Appearing Float. It features Mabel, a mule considered to be the last of the mine animals. The mules and ponies would bring the coal carts to the surface to be unloaded.

Here's the link to the full album if you're interested:

(official Blossburg Coal Festival website:

)

(More photos below)

Permalink: Blossburg_Coal_Festival.html
Words: 337
Location: Buffalo, NY

Category: tourism

06/05/09 05:34 - 74ºF - ID#48847

A harbor walk

(e:tinypliny) walked to the harbor the Thursday before Memorial Day weekend, had some ice cream at the Hatch Restaurant (peach yogurt for her, soft-serve twist with rainbow sprinkles for me) and enjoyed the sunset...

We intended to catch the train but i was too lazy to run for it and no others came, but I got these two shots as compensation.

And we walked to the harbor.

This is probably my favorite.

That's (e:tinypliny) on the dock (i don't know the right word - is it a slip?), but it's hard to see her silhouette.

Postcard, anyone?

and one really bad picture of the ducks that came begging to us.

Permalink: A_harbor_walk.html
Words: 138
Location: Buffalo, NY

Category: eating out

06/03/09 10:58 - 52ºF - ID#48829

New Mex/Puerto Rican restaurant

There's a new Mexican/Puerto Rican take-out & delivery place on the West Side (no dining in, just delivery & take-out). I'd love to hear folks' opinions!

Carmen's Kitchen
1043 West Ave.
882-7777

Carmen's Kitchen

The menu is in Publisher on the website, so I posted a PDF version along with coupons here:

Permalink: New_Mex_Puerto_Rican_restaurant.html
Words: 57
Location: Buffalo, NY

Category: basra

05/29/09 03:29 - 57ºF - ID#48783

The Not-Basra Collection

I have about 800 pictures to process from my adventures Thursday through Sunday. These are the most immediately relevant. ;-)

My hometown had its annual festival last weekend and my aunt asked me to take pictures of her & her company's parade float. She couldn't throw candy from the float and take pictures of it at the same time, she said. After the parade, everyone goes to Island Park for the festival, which this year included a beautiful old tortoise.

Permalink: The_Not_Basra_Collection.html
Words: 87
Location: Buffalo, NY

Category: halloween

05/12/09 01:45 - 57ºF - ID#48656

costume rival for e:mmtornow

:-)

From AwkwardFamilyPhotos.com (only about 1 in 10 images are actually funny)

Permalink: costume_rival_for_e_mmtornow.html
Words: 13
Location: Buffalo, NY

Category: walking

05/11/09 06:36 - 56ºF - ID#48649

lady in white gave me a gift!

I was walking along Allen today listening to property law review audio files (really exciting stuff) and passed the lady in white. I looked back and it seemed like she was talking to me, and she waved me closer. She said that her friend (who I was... um... having a little trouble seeing) wanted to give me something. I held out my hand and she said, no, not me, him, so I shifted my hand toward where she was indicating and she said, I'm not sure how this works, but he has something for you. I waited a few more seconds and told her I think I got something, thank you very much. She seemed very pleased.

Permalink: lady_in_white_gave_me_a_gift_.html
Words: 117
Location: Buffalo, NY

Category: gifts

05/06/09 05:49 - 68ºF - ID#48605

Free! Gift certificates

I have a $25 gift certificate to Shango Bistro & Wine Bar that expires 5/20/09 that I'm not going to have time to use (unless someone wants to go with me tonight). :-( Would anyone like it?

I also have two free admission tickets to the Albright-Knox permanent collection that expire 5/30/09 that I also don't have time to use. Anyone?

Permalink: Free_Gift_certificates.html
Words: 66
Location: Buffalo, NY

Category: computers

05/03/09 12:39 - 61ºF - ID#48581

gotta get a new laptop

I took my work laptop with me when I last went to PA because, ya know, i was working... When I got back to Buffalo, the screen stayed dark instead of lighting up on boot. However, I could still see the images; they were just very faint. I googled up some answers - most likely cause: inverter board failure. Since my laptop is about three years old, I didn't want to invest a lot in a repair, so I found a used board on ebay and also got a new battery because mine's no longer holding a charge for more than 10 minutes of use. $80 for parts and I'll have a functioning laptop for at least a few more months.... or so I thought.

The package came Tuesday and I tried the battery - wrong battery. The list of compatible Toshibas on the ebay listing was huge and mine wasn't specifically excluded... :-(

I installed the inverter board Thursday night because Drew needs something that's stored on that computer and I was going to the church on Friday... 6 screws and two small pin connectors later, I had it installed... Boot up... yea! lights! for 10 seconds. WHAT??? 10 seconds?? try again. same result. #$*!*#$ not just an inverter board problem, it's also a backlight problem. So screw it, I need a functioning laptop for finals, I need a functioning laptop for work... I gotta buy a new laptop.

I'm posting all this just to make sure it is reasonable...

How's this Toshiba look to you geeks?

I like this Sony Vaio but an extra $250 for a better processor (and admittedly excellent sony hardware) doesn't seem worth it.

I'm very hard on my machines so I don't want to spend a lot on them for them just to break because I'm clumsy and dangerous.

tinypliny writes at 07:28:55 05/13/09 - Comment #48340: I hate that finish too! Why can't they have selected a more sensible mattÃ© finish!? Isn't video chat awesome? I feel like I am taking to my family without even going home. It keeps me sane.

heidi writes at 01:07:19 05/11/09 - Comment #48315: I got the toshiba. it's speedy and functional but I really hate the super-shiny, fingerprint-gathering finish. I didn't expect to use the integrated webcam so much - I spent about two hours with one of A's aunts working on her computer using gmail video chat and logmein.com. She lives in Syracuse.

tinypliny writes at 10:23:30 05/06/09 - Comment #48193: So what did you get in the end?

I have never had bad luck with Toshiba. I dropped my first from the second floor and it still works!

heidi writes at 10:16:45 05/04/09 - Comment #48124: Yeah, I have a 5+ year old Sony vaio that's still running. The screen is falling off the hinges b/c of a few drops. Great hardware.

I realized after I posted that y'all use Macs... Really I just needed to think it through. I ordered the Toshiba last night before I went to bed, plus a 1TB backup drive, eSATA compatible. I spent a lot (too much) time moving files from the old toshiba to my 80gb external hdd and moving some to my school desktop, installing software that I use for work on the school desktop... I *hate* getting a new computer. It's such a pain to get it set up and configured and takes too much time! This is my third in about eight months.

paul writes at 09:43:04 05/04/09 - Comment #48123: I found sony hardware to be really sturdy and reliable. However, I hate all the spamware they come with.

jim writes at 09:30:49 05/04/09 - Comment #48122: I don't think the one is necessarily worth the $250 premium, but I wish I knew more about non-Apple laptops to give any better advice :)

Permalink: gotta_get_a_new_laptop.html
Words: 321
Location: Buffalo, NY

Category: politics

04/28/09 04:00 - 48ºF - ID#48529

Glenn Greenwald on Specter's switch

(1) The idea that Specter is a "liberal" Republican or even a "moderate" reflects how far to the Right both the GOP and our overall political spectrum has shifted.

Consider Specter's most significant votes over the last eight years, ones cast in favor of such definitive right-wing measures as: the war on Iraq, the Military Commissions Act, Patriot Act renewal, confirmation of virtually every controversial Bush appointee, retroactive telecom immunity, warrantless eavesdropping expansions, and Bush tax cuts (several times). Time and again during the Bush era, Specter stood with Republicans on the most controversial and consequential issues.

Read more at

dcoffee writes at 08:36:45 04/29/09 - Comment #48031: The 2 party system doesn't make sense. There's one reality in the public, and there's another reality in politics. we need about 5 parties. There's too much variety, I shift my position, and that's fine. I do think the Republican Party has moved to the right over the past 30 years, and I think the Democrats have too. Now the Democrats seem to be going back to the 1970's, but still more conservative than most liberal parties in the world. I'm not sure you can declare a 'center' I guess moderate is a good word.

I'm reading an awesome political book right now, it's giving me some historical perspective on this stuff. I just mentioned the book to Jason, I think both of you would like it. It's short, and pretty light reading, for an in depth political philosophy/history book. it's called "The Tyranny of Dead Ideas" pick it up. Maybe after Finals :)

jason writes at 01:21:26 04/29/09 - Comment #48019: Ok. It's back. =) Thanks again!

jason writes at 01:17:18 04/29/09 - Comment #48018: Arg, I lost another comment. Is there a permanent link to the graveyard or something?

jason writes at 01:16:27 04/29/09 - Comment #48017: Therein lies the problem, (e:Heidi). You, me, (e:James), this columnist...all of us agree that the country has experienced a shift to the right over the last few decades. That's where we sit. In today's mainstream environment, Specter is a moderate, not a rabid right winger as the columnist wishes it could be. His argument isn't based on accurately describing things as they are.

But let me entertain the faulty premise concerning Specter for a second just to illustrate one other thing. I'm an asshole for calling someone liberal while not considering all of their nuanced opinions, but if I agree with the GOP 75% and disagree 25%, according to this winner that 25% shouldn't be considered before labeling me, at its kindest, a right winger. Apparently this guy should be applauded for his effort, but I say it takes some cheek. He doesn't want these complex discussions.

I am in the middle as it exists today. I'm very much like Specter. I understand perfectly well where the dividing lines exist. You'll hear me refer to "real liberals" to differentiate between people at The Nation and people in the American center. I don't feel the need to use every PC, liberal-endorsed moniker when I'm commenting and writing on an informal blog, especially when people on my "side" have never been given the same courtesy (to put it beyond lightly).

About liberals being "bad" - I don't think they're "bad" by default. I don't use "liberal" as a pejorative. I don't think any of you on e-strip are bad, and I don't believe I've given anyone a reason to think I feel that way. You're all aces in my book. Now, does this mean that I have to capitulate and love everything Liberals do? Of course not. One thing I will promise you all is that no matter how much I disagree, I'm not going to come on here and start misusing terms and using inflammatory rhetoric meant to provoke and cultivate hatred. I think the country has seen enough of that.

heidi writes at 11:20:05 04/29/09 - Comment #48015: Why does it matter to be accurate in describing the political spectrum? I think that in the conversations we've had here, that's one of the issues that comes up repeatedly. I'm often frustrated because it seems that you & (e:josh) like to say essentially that anyone left of you is "liberal" (and therefore bad) without recognizing the spectrum that exists from right of center to left of center, liberal, progressive, socialist and anarchist (recognizing the gaps there, too)... So my point is that by discussing and being accurate in these descriptiosn, we can have better, more complex, more reality-grounded discussions. I fully recognize the spectrum within the "right" and certainly wouldn't lump you in with Rush Limbaugh even tho you're both to the right of me.

jason writes at 09:03:02 04/29/09 - Comment #48005: Let's say for the sake of argument it's true that the nation has shifted to the right. In that case, why gripe about where we are, and where people are slotted in terms of left, center, and right? Specter was a moderate Republican. Now he's a moderate Democrat. What he "is" or "should be" based on the feelings of people like this guy and Bob Scheer, who for some reason feel they are the center, is sort of pointless.

james writes at 07:09:53 04/28/09 - Comment #47999: ya, I have to disagree Carolinian. The right has not moved to the right and the left has not moved to the left creating a void in the middle. Rather, the whole spectrum has shifted right over the years.

Leiberman is considered leaning to the right because he is Hawkish, he did not support the Democratic nominee for President, lost the Democrat primary, was a speaker at the Republican National Convention for his buddy McCain. He is a case of sleeping with dogs and getting fleas... and no, that is not a reference to MIchelle Bachmann. HEY YO!!!

heidi writes at 06:26:21 04/28/09 - Comment #47998: Maybe the political shift rightward would be better illustrated by looking at Nixon:

:::link::: particularly the Family Assistance plan, Clean Air Act, EpA, revenue sharing between state, local gov'ts and the feds...

To say that folks on the left would consider FDR a Republican is mindboggling. Let's review some of the basic facts about FDR's presidency: Civil Works Administration, public Works Admnistration, established diplomatic relations with USSR, takeover of steel mills, "4 Freedoms" :::link:::

Lieberman is a conservative DEMOCRAT, not a conservative, and now no longer a Democrat.

(My shift-p, which should result in a capital p, seems to have been remapped to launch windows media player. ew. how do i change it back?)

carolinian writes at 05:14:15 04/28/09 - Comment #47990: That Joe Lieberman is considered a conservative by the left also illustrates how far to the left the left has travelled. By the standard's of today's left, FDR and JFK would be considered republicans. It's like there's a polarization to either extreme.

james writes at 04:18:44 04/28/09 - Comment #47987: I love Glenn, but I think he is being a bit unfair. There is a utilitarian element involved with Specter switching that we wouldn't get otherwise for two more years. I am willing to live with a blue-dog for a little while longer.

And no shit the spectrum has shifted way far to the right in this country. A center-left man is elected to the white house and people are screaming that he is a socialist.

jason writes at 04:14:29 04/28/09 - Comment #47986: Interesting article Heidi. The ink on his registration card ain't even wet yet and people are already starting in with the arguments for unceremoniously booting him on his ass as soon as it's convenient.

Permalink: Glenn_Greenwald_on_Specter_s_switch.html
Words: 108
Location: Buffalo, NY

04/27/09 03:12 - 79ºF - ID#48517

I love dandelions!

The dandelions at UB North today looked like they were cultivated.