So, my parents 32 wedding anniversary is today and they decided to take this entire week of for vacation. Somewhere along the way I decided to convince them that they should come to Buffalo to visit me. I have always wanted them to come here but now Felly and I are worrying about things like, we have no AC, will they sleep in our bed? Is that weird? Should we put them on the fold out couch (which ralphie peed on last night)? What the hell am I going to do with them? Its kinda gross today and I think that they have been to the falls before, so thats out. Whose got ideas?

On top of that, I am really really really sick. like winter time sick. This doens't happen to me but I was up all night last night because my throat and lungs are on fire and I am dry coughing and it hurts. Sucky pants. I could complain forever about this. But I won't. Wish me luck.

I just got back from my week long vacay to my original "home" and am now back to my current "home". I feel like Ralphie has grown a few inches in this short amount of time. I hope he stops growing soon. His pene has also gotten bigger and thicker and grosser. Ah well. While waiting patiently for (e:fellyconnelly) to get home, I took the belief o matic cause I'm bored.

1. Unitarian Universalism (100%)
2. Secular Humanism (91%)
3. Liberal Quakers (79%)
4. Theravada Buddhism (75%)
5. Neo-Pagan (74%)
6. Mainline to Liberal Christian Protestants (63%)
7. Nontheist (63%)
8. New Age (61%)
9. Reform Judaism (47%)
10. Mahayana Buddhism (46%)
11. Taoism (41%)
12. New Thought (33%)
13. Bahá'í Faith (31%)
14. Orthodox Quaker (31%)
15. Scientology (30%)
16. Sikhism (23%)
17. Jainism (21%)
18. Orthodox Judaism (20%)
19. Christian Science (Church of Christ, Scientist) (19%)
20. Seventh Day Adventist (17%)
21. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) (15%)
22. Hinduism (15%)
23. Jehovah's Witness (15%)
24. Eastern Orthodox (12%)
25. Islam (12%)
26. Roman Catholic (12%)
27. Mainline to Conservative Christian/Protestant (10%)

Although last night was fairly small because of the time switch, there were still some damn good battles...here is an example of what you missed!!





If you like this we have mad videos up of last night's battle and older ones at (e:fellyconnelly) 's Youtube:

you can also find cute Ralphie vids there too cause we know you love him!!!

TONIGHT TONIGHT TONIGHT

Ok, Im sure you are all sick of this by now...last one I promise!



Battle @ Buffalo
TONIGHT
5:00 pm - 8ish??

910 Main St
(Above Hyatt's Art Store just south of Allen station)
$4

First is pop n lock/funk styles battle
then
Bboy/Bgirl breakin battle

werd

Sometimes I like to go back and read old journals. I did this with Livejournal awhile back and sometimes it is just downright awkward, othertimes hilarious and others uncomprehensible. While reading my old journals here, I must say that I am a little surprised at how articulate I sound. I think I have some weird picture of my writing and knowledge in my head that simply doesn't match reality...like looking through one of those wacky carnival mirrors. I often wonder how it is that I can sound so damn smart when writing though my fingers but when I try to open my mouth things just don't quite match up. Its all coming from the same place, but something just doesn't translate.

I wrote a paper this last semester based on "participant observation" of the Battle @Buffalo community and three hour long interviews and last night I gave it to two of my interviewees to read. Weird. I spent countless hours preparing for and writing that paper and then handing it over to actual human beings, as opposed to professors, who clearly are not human beings, was very strange. I think that it really shows how locked up in academia I am. To write and academic paper and give it to an academic to read is one thing, but to give to someone "outside" is a whole nother ball game. I hope it doesn't come off as snooty and out of touch and elitist and all that shit that I hate and have spent a lot of time trying not to do, but the truth is, sometimes you have to play the game. I hope they give me their honest opinions, either way.

Anyways, I have my first wedding to attend next weekend and yes, I bought a dress. I dragged Felly to about 15 different stores before finding a very simple brown dress. I even bought some nice dressy sandals that aren't terrible and may be worn elsewhere...maybe. If you are lucky I will post a pic of me in it...maybe.

This is friendly reminder numero dos that
BATTLE @ BUFFALO
is
THIS SATURDAY
June 28th
at
5:00 pm

910 Main St
(big door between Hyatt's Art Store just south of Allen)
open the door, walk up the stairs and pay the nice lady
$4

this is a first reminder for those of you who are interested in Battle @ Buffalo aka Breaking, poppin, locking, funk styles, dance dance dance in Buffalo!!!!

BATTLE @ BUFFALO

SATURDAY, JUNE 28th 2008
5:00 pm (this is not the usual time...SPECIAL time this month only!)
910 Main St.
(Big door in the middle of Hyatt's Art Store)
Admission is $4 per person
Come late, leave early, whatever.

Felly and I will be there. You should too.

Trips to Felly's parent's house are always interesting. The beauty of that area is like no other...the huge mansions/castles sitting on itty bitty little islands...looking at the water and trying to wrap my mind around the fact that it is a river...I love it. And it is small and quaint and all that stuff that I like about my home... My only beef is that her mother smokes a lot...and I can smoke in her house, and don't have to hide it (like with my parents) which means I smoke. Alot. And I almost forgot what its like to be in a smoke filled environment...I woke up the first morning with a dry throat and stuffy nose, which certainly was the result of a combination of sleeping in smoke and voluntarily smoking too much.

I need to quit. On top of that fact that they raised to price of cigarettes by $1.25 or something like that...I have been smokin for way too damn long. Gross. Someone said to me that people who smoke don't love themselves...and I have to disagree. When I started smoking I didn't love myself. True. How many people are lucky enough to love themselves when they are 12? I didn't love myself and I wanted to be like all the "cool kids" The bad kids, the outlaws if you will. And for the most part, it worked. I made friends and they all smoked. The problem is no longer that I don't love myself. The problem is that I am a habitual person, and I am addicted and as much as I hate to admit it, I like smoking, some of the time. Mostly I am like...this is effin gross and why am I still doing this and I can't breathe and what the hell is wrong with me? I want to make this very clear...at least for me, I am not walking around thinking how great it is that I smoke and I am never quitting and fuck all you people who think that smoking is wrong. I know people like that, but I am not one of those people.

Anyways. Rant rant rant.

I have to buy a dress. A dress. I think the last time that I bought a dress was for my senior prom...7 years ago. I have one dress in my closet which was given to me by a friend and I have never worn it in public. Ha. At least I can buy one dress and use it for all three weddings. Don't even get me started on shoes. I am going to have to find something that is a casual as possible, with no heals, that I can multi-purpose, otherwise it will be one giant waste of money.

OK...I am done. I have to go to target in hopes of finding a vacuum belt from 1973 to fit my vacuum. Two cats and a dog means I vacuum a lot. I wish I had $400 dollars for one of those fancy vacuums. I would be in heaven. Does that make me a housewife??

Grr. can anyone please tell me why all people wanting to get their PhD must speak at least two, maybe three languages? Maybe, just maybe I am wrong on this...but how many people show "proficiency" on a language exam and then *poof* magically forget how to speak anything beyond, "hola, como esta?" within a week?? This to me is like math. I haven't taken a godam math class since my sophmore year and I rejoiced knowing that I would never have to do it again. The same for my sad and pathetic attempt at German for two semesters. Now don't get me wrong, I would love to be able to speak Spanish. It to me is the most useful in my line of interests, but shouldn't I be focusing on my dissertation? Shouldn't I be past all this standarized test BS?!?! Shouldn't people within the academic world be equally as frustrated and annoyed by this as me? Maybe I am overreacting, but I SUCK at foreign languages just as much as I suck at math. If one were to take all my math, science and foreign language grades off my transcript it would be impeccable. Maybe me scowering through the already limited pool of Women's Studies PhD's for no langauge requirement is pathetic, I don't know. But grr. Grrr.

I feel better.

Ok. This is getting ridiculous. We cannot walk our dog without getting accosted by random people everywhere we go. There is the dude bro from across the street who yells "Ralphie" and runs over and lays down in the middle of my driveway rubbing his face all up in my dog. There is the strange man who owns/runs whatever the jewelry shop down on the corner and apparently all of his friends who says Ralphie should be the next block mascot. There are random folks who pull their cars to the side of the road to ask about Ralphie and there are random girls who I can hear screaming and squeeling from their open car windowns. And there are of course your Elmwood dog walkers who have some little cutey of their own but are nonetheless mesmerized by my dog. Phew.

I don't mean to sound bitter. For the most part I think it is super cute and Felly and joke about how Ralphie needs sunglasses to hide from the puparazzi. Yes, we are that gay. Anyways, but sometimes I just want a nice quiet walk with no interruptions. Maybe I should get a shirt that says "Boy. Ralphie. 11 weeks. Mini Dachshund. No, you can't take him home".

But on the bright side, I have to admit that all of a sudden I feel like I am a part of this community, which is something that didn't happen before. And it really is Ralphie. he brings out the best in people. People who would otherwise be in their own little worlds, frowning, unresponsive human beings, brighten right up when they see him. They smile and I smile and for that second all is well with the world.
Ahhh, cute things.