I spent the better part of the morning trying to figure out how to convert an avi into an swf. I'm hoping my efforts weren't wasted. Anyway about the video, I took this at Englischer Garten in Munich in June of 06. I just happened to stumble upon these guys who rigged some sort of rope system to the bridge and river sidewall and made an artificial wave. It looked like fun. Sorry I have no sound because my camera isn't quite that sophisticated.

::Download Flash SWF::

I went to Spot Coffee to check it out and have a big cup caffeine this evening. I had a mocha in one of those massive cups. On top was tons of whipped cream and chocolate sauce. I must have sat there for an hour sipping away and writing and didn't notice this till I got home.


I certainly put the ass in class!

Not to whine about former relationships, but when someone drops off the face of the earth so to speak, there is usually a reason for it. My former girlfriend who decided to dump me and then continue screwing with my head for several months after has finally showed her true motive for her disappearing act. Not that I'm hung up on her by any means but I always thought that it was strange that she was calling everyday and visiting me several times a week after the break up and then poof. What irritated me most about the whole situation was that she denied she was in fact ignoring me. Although it was more than evident that she was. I had always had a hunch that she was involved with someone but I left it alone because I suppose it really wasn't any of my business. She stated to me on more than one occasion that she was not with anyone. So today I found out that indeed there was some sort of love in her life and I guess I'm just bitter that I was lied to. I am having some serious trust issues with people that I consider(ed) to be close friends and this is just another example. I'm growing really tired of people lying and just being all around bad friends. I'm honestly well over her but for what its worth I think I wouldn't have been so fucked up for so long after if she had just told me to "fuck off I'm with this other guy now" or even just to say "I don't want to be your friend". So I suppose this goes along with what many others on this site have been saying lately. That it's really best to be honest with someone no matter how much it hurts.

In a lazy mood today I decided to get pizza and wings at the closest place to my apartment. I guess the place is called NY Pizza judging by its sign, but the name on the menu says NY Style Pizza. Its on Allen St. between Elmwood and Delaware. I figured since it was close I may as well try it. That's about as far as I will take it however.

I'll start with the wings. Man did they suck! They couldn't possibly have been any worse. I have never seen chickens hacked to bits in a more unloving way. I looked past the disturbing appearance and tried a couple. They were gamey chunks of nastiness swimming in a thin orange film that I'm guessing was mostly fryer grease and a dash of redhot. They had absolutely no spice whatsoever, I didn't realize medium meant not spicy. I think these were the worst wings I've ever had.





The pizza was edible. The crust was chewy and thin and pretty decent actually. The cheese was...well cheese. It's pretty hard to fuck cheese up, other than maybe putting too much on, not enough on, or god forbid putting it underneath the sauce. The sauce was bland. It actually tasted like nothing. This seems to be a recurring theme with them. My pizza maker was also less than pleasant but I didn't really expect much. The place was also grubby but this is not always an indication of bad food. One of my favorite Greek places could definitely use a good scrubbing. I would say this is not a place I would recommend to get food, especially wings.

We really need to import this gameshow to the States

Big surprise, I was craving sushi this evening and really wanted to try Kuni's togo. As much as love sitting at a sushi bar and seeing the fish in the case I felt that I needed to try the most raved about sushi in Buffalo. I was not disappointed. The storefront and counter are very clean and attractive. It is full of books, sushi dish sets and assorted food items. The woman working the front counter was incredibly friendly and knowledgeable.

I ordered several of my standard items including maguro, hamachi, ika, spicy tuna hand roll, tobiko and a new item I have never had tako-su. The chef(s) at Kuni's really know what they are doing. The sushi rice was well...perfect. It was not to sweet or over powered with vinegar and it was packed loosely. What I really loved was every piece of nigiri had a small dab of wasabi sandwiched between the rice and fish. With the exception of the tobiko all of the pieces I ate were fresh, delicious and at par with what I expect when I have sushi. The tako-su, which is octopus, wakame seaweed and cucumbers sprinkled with sesame seeds, was very good. It's served with a thinned out sweet soy sauce.

The downside to this place is its only take out. Which I was well aware of going into it. I also thought the tobiko was barely edible. The spicy tuna sauce was straight sriracha out of the bottle, which is sort of too easy, although the rest of the roll was really awesome. All in all I thought this place had really great food and I can't wait to go back and try their other offerings.

I'm so thrilled to have a job again! I suppose this is kinda my second job in Buffalo after one week. Unfortunately Rue Franklin was only willing to give me two shifts a week which = James being broke. So I took a job this morning at Laughlins, which is actually next door to the Rue. So fortunately I will still be able to walk to work. I have never really eaten there so I'm not sure how the food is, but the beer selection there is pretty impressive. So I suppose I had better live it up for the next few days while I'm still on "vacation".

Not only do I get to post good news in this journal but this is my 10th blog. Hopefully that <10 thing will go away!

Btw, do either of you know of a place downtown that has fox soccer channel? I had to go up to Tully's on Niagara Falls Blvd to see the Manchester v. Reading game today. Is there anywhere closer to Allen st?

I had an early dinner tonight at O . I was craving sushi since I haven't had it since I moved to Buffalo. Although I have had many people proclaim Kuni's as the best sushi in town I was really in the mood to sit at the bar and order till I was full.

When I arrived I ordered a small bottle of nigori sake and I was served Edamame complimentary which was nice however it was tasted as though it sat around in the steamer tray for quite some time before my arrival. I ordered a spicy tuna hand roll to start while I perused the overwhelmingly extensive menu. O touts itself as a Japanese fusion restaurant yet it seemed as though it was nothing more than a hodgepodge of mixed cuisines featuring items such as Pho, Kimchee Fried Rice and Steak Frites. The spicy tuna hand roll I must admit was pretty decent. The spicy mayonnaise rivaled the best that I have ever had. After speaking with the chef I was informed that they had just switched purveyors and many of the things on the menu were not available today. No worries though I found items that I was in the mood for. After my first plate I ordered two pieces of Hamachi, 1 piece of Maguro, and 1 piece of Ika. All the fish was very fresh and was served in large hunks. Unfortunately the sushi rice was crap. It was not only too sweet, but packed so tightly that it was a mushy, starchy ball of goo.

The service was pleasant yet I felt very rushed especially since I was the only one eating at the sushi bar. I really just wanted to relax and enjoy it and not have a waitress asking me if was done more than once. Maybe I just resented the fact that they kept calling me "sir". The atmosphere would have been more enjoyable had it been dark. That way I may not have noticed a filthy soy sauce bottle, dirty fish case and a chef with an unlaundered shirt.

The final plate I had was two pieces of striped bass, which was on "special" today. I was concerned by this but figured they had just way too much of it (I suppose I will find out tomorrow). It was on par with the other pieces I had ordered, however when I received my bill it was double the price of the other pieces even though it was supposed to be 2 for the price of one. It was probably a mistake that I just didn't feel like raising a stink about.

All in all O's sushi is well...ok. They don't have a very large selection of nigiri. They have a lot of special maki rolls that I'm not a huge fan of but many people are, maybe those are great in comparison. I think management should really step of their game on the cleanliness issue and maybe tone down the menu a bit as well. Next time when I have a craving for sushi I should take the advice of (e:zobar) and go to Kuni's instead.

So today the gas man came over and turned on my gas. I was so excited to take my first hot shower in bflo and to make some dinner that required cooking. So I hopped on my bike and found Guercio's and picked up some summer squash and olive oil. That place seemed really cool but I kinda dashed in and out because I don't yet have a lock for my bike. So I got home and I started seasoning my wok and chopping vegetables. Maybe 1 minute after turning on the stove the smoke alarm started beeping. I looked over at the wall and saw the smoke detector. I opened it and the beeping stopped. Then the beeping started again so I ripped it off the wall. I thought wow this thing is sensitive. Then it beeps again and I realized the thing in my hand isn't beeping. I scanned around the apartment a second time and see there are 2 smoke detectors, one on the wall and one directly over the stove. There can't be a worse place to put a freaking smoke detector than directly above the stove! Why do I have two smoke detectors and a carbon monoxide detector?

I can't wait for my internet connection to be installed. Every time I check my email I have to move around my apartment. For some reason today I can only seem to get an open network in the bathroom. Oh well at least its something for now. Shout out to Linksys, Belkin and 04Z409122421.