I had a dream last night. I was on an expedition with a dozen people. I was not necessarily the leader but it was apparent I held some authority in the group. We machete our way through lush jungle. The air is heavy and moist, presperation on every square inch of my skin. Foreign insects buzz in my ear and the songs of mysterious birds echo under the canopy. Arms aching from navigating the vegetation we rest only moments when an accidental footstep reveals a narrow staircase leading down into the earth. We light our torches and decend into the unknown.

A gentle breeze begins to blow, turning colder and strengthening with every step, until the breeze becomes a wind, and the wind becomes a gust that extinguishes our flames. 'Why didn't I bring that glow stick!? Fuckity fuck-fuck-fuck'. No sooner does the explicative escape my lips when a faint glow transpires at our feet. A silvery mist of liquid silk surrounds us and we drift into weightlessness. I see Jason. 'Jason what are you doing here?'. He takes my hand and replies, 'I told you to take control of your dreams'. The mist diminishes and we are at the entrance of a great temple.

Great trees groan, their vines swaying gently, leaves falling like summer snow. Pillars of blue Verdite with veins of green support a stone carved peak. Ornate metal work adorns a lone wooden door. We enter a sanctuary and it is still, so still. I cannot hear my footsteps. Our mouths move forming words on our lips yet no sound escapes them. It is scerene, it is peaceful but it is tainted.

A glimer of yellow catches my eye from a distant corner. I yell for everyone to climb, climb anything they can find, but my words fall silent in the mysterious air. A stampede of mad cow-like creatures charges from a darkened corner. Their eyes are a brilliant yellow with red pupils. Their teeth are long and sharp. As if someone hit a switch everything becomes slow motion. Every movement requires great effort. I manage to scrabble onto a stone tomb. One of the beasts glairs into my eyes. This time when I shout, my words are clear, 'I need a screw driver!'. A yellow screwdriver appears on my hand and I jump and stab the beast in the eye. Then I woke up.

I arrived at the most chaotic Thursday at the Square to see India Arie. It was PACKED. I was standing in the back corner in an attempt to locate Paul when I look up and see this beautiful man walking my way. Then the facial recognition kicks in...HOLY TOOL BELTS BATMAN, THAT'S ANDREW DAN-JUMBO!!!

OMG that man is so fine. I couldn't even speak, my arms just started flailing in the air in some feeble attempt to grab my phone and take a pic. It just caught me so off guard and I wasn't able to snap a shot before he disappeared into the crowd. Sigh..was a wonderful random celeb sighting. If you have no clue who Andy is, let me show and tell you.

Have you ever watched 'While You Were Out'? He's the talented carpenter/designer on the set. I'm not alone in my vote for sex appeal as he was named in People Magazine's '50 Most Beautiful People' in 2003.





Anyhow, what's very interesting, is that he lives in Buffalo! He was born in Nigeria and raised near London, England. In 1991 he returned to the U.S. and co-founded Eurotek (a commercial and residential construction company that specializes in historic restorations and new home developments in Buffalo) with his brother. (e:PMT)...if you need help with your new mansion, for the love of single women in Buffalo, call him!

• IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE PARTY PHOTOS THERE ARE THREE POSTS BELOW WITH 80 PICS TO AMUSE YOURSELF*****

• NOTICE: This is part 3 of a series. To view in story telling format, go back to part one and work your way up! ***

the porch was overflowing with people


yvonne discovered an interesting trick: poke a guy in the belly with a blue lollipop....


.... and his pants fall down


more people trap me on my bed


i have to pee and the bathroom looks like hell


jill takes my place on the bed


more dancing


and grabbing


then rayn was rubbing his balls on my foot, and terry says "may i have this dance?'


yvonne the gangsta


i make myself a larson sandwhich


and take a nap with ryan, jen, mike & david


i snuggle between these two bunnies to make a mike & david sandwhich
but ryan says no sandwhich is complete without...


a big bite on the judy!!!!


i cry on libertad's shoulder


the kitchen is a disaster and it's time to go to bed

Thanks for coming! We had a fantabulous time. We're thinking All Hallow's Eve for the next one. Pudding wrestling anyone??? Ciao.

(I have around 80 photos, so I'll split them up into a few posts to make it easier on the viewing)

Holy Moses what a party! It's always fun to walk into your house and not know a single person. Well, I did recognize that one guy from the library. THAT guy who followed you around all night, literally. If you're female you probably know who I'm talking about. It was a spectacular evening full of music, laughter, 'rave' straws, bonfires, and blue tongues. Enjoy!


start of the evening


libertad is so handsome!


lori and hung


adorable


josh hitting the hay early


the requisite jenks & ladycroft shot


larson photo bomb


roommate love


matthew enjoying the 'rave straws'


cheeze


priceless


did you meet (e:des)?


back in the house.....


mike & jill found the blue lollipops


me and lori, miss her so much!


chillin'


tuna anyone?


more smurf murders


richard, scott and some guy

view from the landlord's bedroom door!


mike, jill and sarah raided my wardrobe


making use of the grocker


ryan made an 'ice cream sandwhich' on wheat and shared it with me


it was disgusting so we made sal eat the other half


will the smurf murders never end?


carey shows up


and spends five hours talking to paul on my bed


meanwhile, the smooching begins


terry willed someone to get smores product


low and behold, mike and jill came bursting into the backyard with elements of s'mores


scott (our landlord) and his pal jonathan were clueless in the front room

!!! Don't forget about the fiesta manana !!!

disclaimer: this is long, but more photos at the end.

Now for the adventures of your favorite stalking duo, imk2 and ladycroft! We were at it again last Sunday when they played an acoustic set at the grand opening of the new f.y.e. in Hamburg. Up close and personal, so lovely. Nejifer joined us for that showing. The three of us were hands down the most beautiful women in 5 square miles. Seriously, I was standing in a pit of skanky 15 year olds and someone was stinking of piss.

Anyhow, here are few photos from the afternoon.





















When it was over we wrote a card, complete with map and phone number, inviting them over for a home cooked meal. I'm sure they would have come if it weren't for the last minute photo shoot they had to do. Hmpf.

In the midst of 'waiting' for their call the alcohol consumption was great. Yvonne and Jen started dancing along with the Dirty Dancing on tv. I made a few video clips but in my haste didn't download them. I'll try to post them later. I decided I needed a mohawk and the ladies tried to do one up. However, my hair is too thick and heavy so I ended up with 3 pig tails and some chopsticks in my hair. Next thing I know, we're all wearing rediculous outfits with silly hair and running down Elmwood to find Ryan at Spot. Before we embark on our journey, a shot on the sofa:




Next day, Edge Fest! (e:mrmike) managed to snag some comp tickets for Yvonne, her daugther Faben and myself. Not only comps, but VIP passes to the Heineken Green Room as well! We made it just in time to grab a beer and head up for 30 Seconds to Mars to play their set. We were close to the stage, as always, but to the side in order to protect Faben from the mosh pit....or so we thought. As it were, a young man next to me was trippin daisies or some shit. He held up this big stupid sign so I asked him to take it down because he was blocking everyone's view behind him. He pulled it down for a moment, then gave me a little hmpf and put it back up.

I turned to the girl behind me like "i'm sorry" but she was some super duper ultra mega platinum first-class white trailer trash, and she wasn't having it. She leaped into the air and ripped his sign in half. He gave a whimpy retaliation and tried to maintain the remaining half, but it was pathetic and someone else ripped it out of his hands.

Now the music is pumpin, we're trying to rock out, have a good time, admire the beautiful men on stage...when here comes a crowd surfer. I nearly missed getting clocked in the head by his shoe, didn't see it coming from the side. That kid got dropped by the way. Now our dear skunking friend gets out of control with his dancing.

He can't stand up straight and just keeps leaning into me. I stick out my elbow to try to protect Faben. The girls behind me were tiny, so they appreciate my efforts, but I was getting sick of his shit. Plus he was fat and smelly with the worst case of drooping eyeliner I've ever seen on a guy. I wanted to take the tie around his neck and choke him. I gave him a gentle shove because he kept landing on my foot. Then the mother fucker actually pushed me.

Red light. Hold on brotha, did you actually just PUSH me? So, I gave him a much more harty check and sent him plowing into some others creating a lovely shock wave. I also uttered something along the lines of 'I'll punch you in the kneck and take your ass to the ground if you touch me again'. Normally I wouldn't give much of a shit, but I was really looking out for Faben.

Things go well for a few songs, then he's at it again. This time the white trash and I are trying to plan a mutual attack. Suddenly this 300 pounder comes plowing through from behind and picks the kid up by his collar. Honestly, he was head and shoulders above the crowd and his face was like a tomato. Then someone else punched THAT guy in the head, causing him to drop the kid, causing someone else to get bumped and punch someone else..next thing you know we're in the middle of a mini brawl! It was nuts.

All the while the shit for nothing rent-a-cops kept picking their butt fungus. Must have been 10 people approach them to ask them to get this kid out of there; they did nothing. The rest of the show goes on without further hoo-ha. We ran into (e:metalpeter) on the way downstairs. Then we hung out in the VIP area a little more. Indulging in free Heinee we engaged in conversation with a man who turned out to be the regional manager for midwest Virigin Records. Holy fucking cool Batman! I learned some interesting tidbits about his career and it turns out, he's a Buffalo native!
Enjoy the pics:








tomo is dreamy




that's kevin

Come and knock on our door,
We've been waiting for you.
Where the kisses are hers and hers and his
Three's company too.

Come and dance on our floor,
Take a step that is new.
We've a loveable space that needs your face
Three's company too.

You'll see that life is a ball again,
Laughter is calling for you,
Down at our rendezvous
Three's company too.






The official house warming party is this Saturday, July 1st beginning at 8pm!!!

If you don't already know where we live and would like directions to attend, please send me a post-it or e-mail. We hope to see you there!

Chrissy, Jack & Janet

I am a major contributor to the depletion of Swedish Fish from the two pound box in our office. Ciao.

My gramma's funeral was on Tuesday. It was a very difficult day. I was holding it together pretty well until it came time to pay last respects at the funeral parlor. My little sister started sobbing and as I hugged her I lost it. Then we drove to the church. It's the same little Polish Catholic church my gramma used to take me to after Bingo. She'd always tell me we had to stop and say prayers and light the candles for people. I didn't grow up Catholic so I didn't really understand the concept. I always just thought the dying Jesus on the cross was really creepy and I was afraid he'd look at me, or worse, talk to me.

So we entered the church in procession of the funeral mass. I don't know who the guy singing was, but he was amazing. He had such an angelic voice. One thing I've always admired about Catholic churches is the architecture. The way the pipe organ and choir voices resonate throughout the building is so moving. I cry when I'm happy and hear something that beautiful. Needless to say, this is where I came unglued. Sobbing loudly, I could hardly breathe.

Again, I'm not Catholic, but once in a while I enjoy attending a mass done in Latin. I love Latin. I love chanting. It really is soothing. Like the time I went with (e:Libertad) to one of his Buddhist meetings. I almost fell asleep from the chanting. But I digress. The priest had a lovely voice as well. He did some of the mass in Latin, then a few Polish prayers and chants.

After the church we drove to the cemetery and had another Polish prayer at the mausoleum. Traditionally they don't allow you to watch as they insert the coffin into the wall, but the guy was there and eager to get his job done, so we did. She's now snuggled up with my grampa. When the guy took the flowers off her casket he said he was going to throw them out. That's what they do with them, just throw them out! What a waste. I mean, they could at least donate them to various institutions. Perhaps hospital chapels, or old folk's homes, some place where flowers would brighten the atmosphere. We didn't want to see that happen so we dismantled the arrangement and each took some flowers from it.

When that was all settled we went to a banquet hall and had a polish feast. Went home with my family afterward to chill. I played with my nephew Max for a while then played with (e:Bambicroft). Boy does she miss me and I miss her tons.

So that was the day. As sad as I am, I have to say, she had it made. Who doesn't wish that when they die, it will be peacefully, pain free, of old age, in their sleep? That's just what my gramma was granted, the chance to fall asleep and never wake up, at least not in physical terms. I don't think we ever die. We are all made of energy; call it a soul, that which cannot be extinguished.

People:
1. How did you find out about/why did you become of estrip?
I became friends with (e:drchlorine) who has since disappeared and we all know why. Anyhow, he told me about this site and paul and said I should check it out. So I did for about a month, then decided to join.

2. How "out" are you about having a publicly accessible online journal. Do your friends know? Does your family know? Do your co-workers know? Does your boss know? Do you use your real name? Do you use your real photo?
Most people know. Though in my field it is a battle star galactica wars over online profiles, so I don't tell my employers. Seriously, it's like a high profile court case the way our arguments go over student rights/freedoms. Where do you draw the line on snooping on people? Don't post anything illegal, no problem; however I find it insulting and illegal to fire someone or not hire someone because they had pink hair or lead an exciting life outside the office/classroom.

3. How many epeeps have you met real life?
Well, if they post regularly, or even semi-regularly and live in b-lo I've probably met them. Even a few that don't live in b-lo.

4. How has estrip changed the way that you meet people, on and/or off line?
Offline, no different. Online, eh I think it's rather the same? Except that since many estrip members are involved in each other's lives you hear/see/read more about them than if it was just one person on some other site?

5. How has estrip affected you love life?
I haven't had a love life in several years.

6. How many of your friends have joined estrip because of your influence?
Mmmm.... (e:nejifer), (e:kangarooboi), (e:krains), (e:vincent), (e:theecarey), (e:pyrcedgrl)... I think that's it for now.

7. Are you from Buffalo/do you live in Buffalo?
Born in b-lo. Lived in Cheektovegas then Youngstown, moved away for 10 years, now I'm back.

Equipment:
1. What type of hardware or software purchases have you made as a result of using estrip?
None.

2. Have you used the mobile version of estrip? Why or why not?
No. I don't have service on my phone.

Lifestyle:
1. In what way has estrip changed your Internet surfings habits? Describe the amount of time you spend on estrip, when you use it and about how long?
It gave me people to talk to when I couldn't sleep, so perhaps a few more hours than my previous usage? But my life is changing, so that habit has evolved.

1a. How many journals do you usually read per day?
I dunno. Could be 10 if it's all the people I read. Might only be 2.

2. In what ways has estrip changed the way you perceive your local community?
It has given me a sense of community that I was not able to experience on my own, until now. Although estrip itself is an online community, and I think that refelcts in the way that we support one another or bicker like a little family.

3. How has journaling about your life affected the way you spend your free time?
I suppose I've met more people to do more/new things with.

4. Has estrip changed your living situation in any way?
Why yes it has. I now live with (e:nejifer), who I met at work at Hilbert, and (e:decoyisryan), who I met here. I have to say, they are the best roommies I've had :)

5. Do you find that you mediate/document more of your experiences now that you share them with others?
Probably. In terms of gatherings etc, I wouldn't bother to write that in my private journal, or send e-mails to people about it.

6. Has publishing on estrip affected the way that write?
I love that I can add media!

7. Do you have other online journals? If so, with what service and has estrip affected your usage of that journal?
I don't really count myspace as a journal. I hardly ever post anything there. So really just here, and I joined myspace after estrip anway.

8. Have you ever gotten in trouble for using estrip at work?
Nope.

9. If you have stopped using estrip, why?
Nope, still here.