11/07/16 12:59 - ID#60707

Couchsurfer at the pink

I had a Couchsurfing.org profile from a long time ago but I only just recently filled it out. I did a few weeks ago, and got a request last week for a couchsurfing on Thursday and Friday night.

So the first night we hosted a girl named Tina from Bavaria. She had sold all of her possesions, quit her job, and was traveling around North America as long as her money lasted.

It was kind of awkward at first, mostly because my German was somewhat rusty and her English was as well. We walked around Allentown, she wasn't really impressed by Allen Street. She did like Ethiopian.

We ran out of things to talk about quickly. As soon as (e:paul) and (e:terry) got back it was much easier, especially with (e:paul)'s German.

(e:paul) wanted to go out so we took her to the pink. I think it was a suitably weird experience for her.

At one point a random blond girl came up to us, telling us how sad that nobody at the bar wanted to get with her. She came up again later to ask Paul and the conversation went something like this:

Girl: Do you speak Estonian?
Paul: No, we're speaking German.
[girl speaks Estonian to them]
Girl: Can you translate something and tell her for me? I work for my father in St. Catherine's and he had me look up other companies. I read about something about the Schaefer company, it's very interesting. Tell her that.
[paul tells her that]
[girl turns to her and tells Tina in english]
Girl: Our children, are going to grow up as best friends.

Permalink: Couchsurfer_at_the_pink.html
Words: 282
Location: Buffalo, NY
Last Modified: 11/07/16 01:23

Category: fashion

11/02/16 12:48 - ID#60704

Twinsies

As seen on a walk to Niagara Falls Boulevard.

Permalink: Twinsies.html
Words: 10
Location: Buffalo, NY
Last Modified: 11/04/16 01:24

Category: halloween

11/02/16 12:48 - ID#60703

Halloween party

Permalink: Halloween_party.html
Words: 4
Location: Buffalo, NY
Last Modified: 11/04/16 01:24

Category: bugs

10/29/16 10:43 - ID#60702

Scooter sympathy

Do you ever have simpathy for the centipedes your house? (I know you don't (e:mike)) I caught this one in the yellow room and felt bad as he kept trying to squiggle his butt up the container.

I avoid killing them and usually let them out either in the grass across the street or a few houses down. I think that they'd try and head inside where it's warm. If I left them in our house they likely get caught in spider webs.

Permalink: Scooter_sympathy.html
Words: 85
Location: Buffalo, NY
Last Modified: 10/29/16 10:48

Category: food

10/24/16 12:58 - ID#60701

Cooking marathon

After the hike I went shopping at Price Rite and the co-op for 2 hours. And then (e:terry) and I began our cooking marathon.

Terry made potato goat cheese galettes (e:60460), and I made a double batch of chana masala. It almost overflowed the pans.

Together we cut up 6 onions, 8 cloves of garlic, four tomatoes, two potatoes and something like ~1800g of chickpeas.

Now I barely have to cook this week. I feel like a mom-blogger with all this meal prep.

Permalink: Cooking_marathon.html
Words: 86
Location: Buffalo, NY
Last Modified: 10/27/16 01:26

Category: hikes

10/24/16 12:57 - ID#60700

Reinstein woods

While (e:paul) went down to East Aurora with (e:libertad) and (e:mike), (e:terry) and I rode bikes out to Reinstein woods.

Despite it being way out in the burbs, in Cheektowaga, it's really easy to ride there.

Just go down William past Bailey, almost to Harlem. Not much to look at but the road is wide and there's little traffic.

Then once you're in Cheektowaga, there's a rail trail that runs along the tracks to Union. Then from Union, you take the huge bike lanes up Como Park Blvd to Stiglmeier. It's about 11 miles from Allentown.

I had been to Stiglmeier before but never the woods. There's these boardwalks that run over all the depressions and creekbeds.

Terry admiring the foiliage

All through the park people were dumping bird seed for the birds. Like, all over the benches and boardwalk rails. This leads to the fattest, boldest squirrels I've ever seen. They thump when they skitter between branches.

Weirdly enough the two parks aren't officially connected but (e:terry) and I found away across.

In Reinstein woods on the Beech trail, I found these little floof bugs. They're tiny bugs in a pile with fluffy white butts. They don't really move and just wave their asses back and forth.

Apparently they're called boogie woogie/beech blight aphids.

Here's a video of their squiggle dance I found on youtube.

The ride back was ridiculously windy.

Permalink: Reinstein_woods.html
Words: 251
Location: Buffalo, NY
Last Modified: 10/27/16 01:34

Category: house

10/24/16 12:53 - ID#60698

Dehoarding, and hoarder shopping

Like (e:mike) I took time to get rid of old junk. (e:mike,60694)

I dislike keeping things around in case you 'need' them later.

I'm guilty of hoarding though. I finally got rid of my old high school and college computer, a Dell Vostro. I used it circa 2006-2012. The last 3 years the hinges were torn off so I always had to prop it up against a wall or with my knee while I worked with it. It's probably not even salvagable for donation.

A lot of what I got rid of were boxes and broken electronics but also books. Recipe books seem extra useless, when you can find millions of recipes online with reviews and pictures. If that ever goes away I'm going to guess we're also not going to have much produce year round anyway.

Saturday we went to Coocoou to look at office desks for (e:terry). The warehouse is floor to third story ceiling with vintage stuff. Like this giant fiberglass flamingo. Or rustic wooden booths that look like they're from the Roadhouse Grill. Maybe (e:terry) can set up a replica restaurant to work in.

There was only one desk he liked. It was huge and seriously hardwood, from a Xerox executive. $4500(!) - he didn't get it

Some of it was cool to see and I recognize mid-centry design is trendy but I get flashbacks to my grandparents house when I see so much junk.

Permalink: Dehoarding_and_hoarder_shopping.html
Words: 247
Location: Buffalo, NY
Last Modified: 10/26/16 09:21

Category: tech

10/19/16 01:48 - ID#60695

Playstation VR

(e:chris) bought it for his playstation. Compared to the Samsung VR, it's way more immersive. The helmet tracks your movement in the real world and you can walk around a little bit.

The controllers are also tracked by the console and you can see them in the games - the creepiest feeling was playing this clown shooting game and your hands were carrying guns. I didn't like that.

Here's (e:paul) in VR world, about to be eaten by a radioactive shark.

Permalink: Playstation_VR.html
Words: 84
Location: Buffalo, NY
Last Modified: 10/23/16 11:35

Category: bikes

10/17/16 11:47 - ID#60692

Pearl Street bike lanes

They converted Pearl street to two-way, and added bike lanes in each direction. I'm actually surprised it turned out well. I think they gave the car travel lanes 11 ft which would be the absolute minimum. It should calm it down. Even the new paint, pavement and lights make the street look a little less like the ass-end of Main St.

Still wondering why we aren't opting for segregated cycle tracks on these wide streets though. Easier for someone with a snow blower to maintain and no parked cars to infringe. The west side would be great for it considering the truck and fire lanes on the eastern edge.

This week Terry and I made both a chana masala

and a terry-aki tempeh. I think I have these dishes down pat.

Permalink: Pearl_Street_bike_lanes.html
Words: 133
Location: Buffalo, NY
Last Modified: 10/25/16 03:39

Category: working out

10/17/16 11:45 - ID#60690

Gettin' bendy

Terry and I have tried a couple times to do yoga in the living room. It's hard to keep up with these slinky Youtube yoga women, who seem to all inexplicably live in tropical retirement communities.

I can already do a yoga handstand.