03/31/14 11:26 - ID#58844

Afternoon in Toronto

This weekend, (e:paul), (e:terry), (e:libertad), (e:keith) and I headed up to Toronto for Andy C and Wilkinson as part of Bass Week Toronto. We didn't end up leaving until about 3 on Saturday but that gave us more than enough time to walk around part of downtown.

The Westin hotel was super nice and only a mile away from Sound Academy. I don't understand why check in isn't an automated process by now though, it was so packed.

I hadn't been to Toronto since 2007, I think. It's crazy how many more towers and how much further and bigger their downtown has gone since then. They definitely don't think twice about knocking down the old for the new - how could you when you're that big?

Downtown Toronto is really overwhelming. There's so much going on at once trying to get your attention, like noise and advertising that it gives me the same feeling of walking around the crowded Galleria or Walmart.

Tallest penthouse in Canada - coming soon for only $18mil

It took us forever to decide where to eat but we ended up at this Thai/bar place on Yonge Street. I had the green curry which was okay. No idea what the restaraunt was actually called

A little Christmas tree with bedazzeled gifts

Permalink: Afternoon_in_Toronto.html
Words: 232
Location: Buffalo, NY
Last Modified: 04/01/14 10:57

Category: house

03/28/14 11:07 - ID#58842

Air filters need to be changed

The air filter for the furnace is supposed to be changed every three months. We haven't changed it since October. (e:Paul) and I got a new one today, but if this is the filter I can't imagine what our lungs are taking in.

Permalink: Air_filters_need_to_be_changed.html
Words: 47
Location: Buffalo, NY
Last Modified: 03/28/14 11:07

Category: deutsch

03/27/14 12:59 - ID#58837

Ich bin ein Spaghettifresser

Lately (e:Paul) and I have been eating so much spaghetti and pasta for dinner. Usually it's the corn-potato-soy noodles from Target or Wegmans, sometimes the quinoa. Last night we had this crazy good fresh rice pasta from Wegmans. Paul put butter, cheese, walnuts, and we ate it with boiled greens, asparagus and chopped purple cabbage.

Watching these videos from this comedian called Ladykracher, we learned the German slur for Italians is "spaghettifresser" or someone who eats spaghetti like an animal. I don't know if that's actually offensive to an Italian but it doesn't seem to have much of a punch in English. I'm not Italian but I'm definitely a spaghettifresser.

Permalink: Ich_bin_ein_Spaghettifresser.html
Words: 115
Location: Buffalo, NY
Last Modified: 03/28/14 01:18

Category: coffee

03/27/14 12:59 - ID#58836

Fake fire at Tim Hortons

I went with (e:terry) yesterday to the new Tim Horton's and Coldstone in the Arby's on Delaware. It was probably the most dressed up one I've ever seen. They also confusingly have two machines for cappuccinos and the girl kept asking which one I wanted my cappuccino from. What was the difference?
I never go to Tim Horton's so maybe I just don't know what to order there. I did win "roll up the rim" so someone will have to go back.

They had a fake firewall that gave off no heat, just light.

Permalink: Fake_fire_at_Tim_Hortons.html
Words: 101
Location: Buffalo, NY
Last Modified: 03/28/14 01:18

Category: pittsburgh

03/24/14 12:25 - ID#58830

Pittsburgh Phipps Botanical Garden

Sunday morning (e:paul) and I got up and walked around Pittsburgh for a bit before heading to the Phipps Botanical Garden with my family. Their building was very similar to Buffalo's but much better layout. Paul says they were all designed by the same person. It was located in the fancy, Delaware Park style neighborhood near U Pitt. It looks amazing for hiking and oogling rich people's mansions so we'll have to do that next time.

After that we stopped at Whole Foods for lunch. I was very underwhelmed compared to the one in University Heights, OH, although the peanut butter dessert we had was amazing.

We headed home after that. I actually managed to drive for most of it - I think it's a new record for me. Paul and I talked about the Radical Faeries and pretty much everything on the way home.

I can't wait to go back to Pittsburgh, with (e:terry) too next time.

The Harvard-Yale-Princeton Club. So fancy.

The tiniest little buildings squeezed by skyscrapers.

A lot of new buildings going up

The Omni Statler hotel we stayed at

An ugly/cool retro/futuristic looking skyscraper.

T-Rex got game

Permalink: Pittsburgh_Phipps_Botanical_Garden.html
Words: 242
Location: Buffalo, NY
Last Modified: 03/26/14 01:10

Category: going out

03/24/14 12:21 - ID#58829

Real Luck bar and the Pittsburgh night walk

After dinner (e:paul) and I checked into out Hotel at the William Penn Omni. I tried to get my sister Mary to come back and come out with us but she wouldn't have it. The hotel was this crazy fancy old Statler hotel downtown, and we got it for only $80 instead of the normal $320. We figured out how the Priceline "name your price" tool worked, and got a price we wanted at the hotel Paul wanted to stay at. Sometimes cheapness pays off. (e:paul,58824) wrote more about the hotel here.

We were going to go out early, but Paul was feeling blah from dinner so we watched TV while his stomach settled. We watched ameuter wrestling for way too long.

Pittsburgh had a huge amount of places open downtown. We settled on Real Luck Cafe, or Lucky's. It was like a bigger better version of Cathode. The music was cheesy but fun, the crown was way more diverse, and everyone was singing, dancing together and having a good time. There was an upstairs bar that had three naked men flopping around on it. I wonder if the bartenders ever get sick of it? Only downside to the bar was that it closed by two and everyone smoked there. I felt like I was getting cancer just by dancing.

Since it was early Paul and I spent the rest of the night touring downtown Pittsburgh. All their buildings are dense, tall, and stone. It felt way more impressive and less like a ghosttown compared to Buffalo although there weren't that many people out walking. I guess when Carnegie and Rockefeller build your city it turns out pretty nice. We finished the night at this fun, shady store.

This drag queen was pacing up and down the street and kept setting off a car alarm. I guess we were just walking back and forth too

No lake but the rivers seem nice

Every side of downtown had a totally different view - it's hard to capture how much there was

The downstairs bar - seemed fun and had cheap drinks, too bad about the smoking

If you squint hard enough you can almost see the outline of a butt

Secret entrance to the underground club

Hotties kissing

Permalink: Real_Luck_bar_and_the_Pittsburgh_night_walk.html
Words: 421
Location: Buffalo, NY
Last Modified: 03/24/14 01:06

Category: random

03/22/14 09:02 - ID#58819

Pittsburgh Kindness Initative

At the Carson Street Rita's, (e:paul) and I went with my family and Emily's friend Laura for water ice, a flavor ice type thing. Although they were out of the Swedish Fish flavor today. Paul and I split a black cherry water ice with vanilla custard.

I went to go pay for the water ice and the cashier handed us these cards and told us that it already had been taken care of. Someone from the Pittsburgh Kindness Initiative covered the bill for a bunch of people. Ridiculous, but awesome. We're supposed to take the cards and pay it forward. I wonder how we should?

Permalink: Pittsburgh_Kindness_Initative.html
Words: 112
Location: Buffalo, NY
Last Modified: 03/22/14 09:13

Category: travel

03/22/14 07:52 - ID#58818

Pittsburgh vs Buffalo

(e:paul) and I drove down to Pittsburgh this morning to meet with my family for Emily's birthday . We started at Duquesne to pick her up. It was 50 and sunny unlike Buffalo. Her campus has a crazy amazing view over Pittsburgh on the highest hill downtown. Her dorm was brand new and ridiculously nice.

We went out to dinner at the Pittsburgh Steak Company. I had an alright vegetable wrap. You'd have to ask someone else if the steak was any good though.

After we went down Carson Street to Ritas Water Ice. Its similar to Elmwood except way more yuppified and a lot nicer looking. Most of the buildings are brick too. Pittsburgh seems cooler than Buffalo right now, but the grass is always greener right?

Permalink: Pittsburgh_vs_Buffalo.html
Words: 154
Location: Buffalo, NY
Last Modified: 03/22/14 09:10

Category: dancing

03/22/14 07:44 - ID#58816

Wasteland Rave

After Mickey's reading, (e:paul) (e:terry), (e:flacidness) and I headed over to the rave at the Wastelands
The place was set up pretty cool, possibly an old bank vault? The music was decent and so was the dacing but the smoke was terrible. I don't know how people smoke.

We got a little crazy but especially Terry. It made it a crazy good time. We went to bed about 4 when Paul and I were supposed to leave for Pittsburgh the next day at 10.