The Butterfly Conservatory

Sunday

mmm.. nice, lazy day. Made giant sandwiches and had corn on the cob.


Saturday

As (e:Uncutsaniflush,40618) mentioned, we had a very nice day on one of our "mini adventures". I had a good time. It was nice to not have to concern ourselves with when (e:Uncutsaniflush) needed to be back so he could be rested and/or ready for work. We just went, and let our moods take us to where we wanted to go... i love love love doing that!

I took a few pictures... ha ha ha... thank goodness we have an extra memory stick for our camera!

At the Seneca Park Zoo







And, as (e:Uncutsaniflush) mentioned, we also went to St. Joseph's Park in downtown Rochester. I have a few teaser pics i took. I will save the interesting arty ones for a later time.



The front



the back



and a gift left behind inside the park itself




Friday

My friend and former neighbor, Kirsten and i got together. As i mentioned about, oh, 10 weeks ago, (e:LeeTee,39608) and (e:LeeTee,40244) Kirsten's dogs Ava and Nolan got it together and made some babies. Well, Kirsten is giving all the puppies to their new humans this weekend... so we hung out with them and i snapped A LOT of pictures.

Here are a few of Ava, Nolan and as many of the 7 puppies i could take. Damn, they move fast. Sorry for the blurry ones... but sometimes, the picture is just too cute to not post!













OK, this one is only funny to me because as i was eating dinner and trying to pet the puppies but not let them steal my dinner, Nolan was busy trying to make more puppies!



Nolan is so hard to get a good picture of since he is so dark and the flash makes him look all shinny. Here he is, with a leaf or something hanging out of his mouth!

I just applied for a job at the new PetSmart location on Elmwood.

Their online application was interesting. It was more a personality test than anything else, asking if i strongly agree, agree, disagree or strongly disagree to questions like "people are annoying".

Since i tend to be way too honest, i hope the fact that i told them i do need to have specific days off in the future isn't an issue.

They have a pretty strict dress code, too, so i think my tattoos will be covered. If i get an interview, i need to make sure my hair covers all my earrings, too. Only one allowed per ear... yipes!

In other employment news, i had dinner with my neighbour last night (mmmm........ Falafel Bar). She has been telling me for years that i would be good working in the same field she works in -- with the developmentally disabled. I'm very interested. She says i need to get my drivers licence first. But that she might take me to work one day, just to understand, exactly, what the job entails. Her recommendation, if i want to pursue it, would be to take a volunteer position until i can write the test that all potential state employees must write. Then, she can hire me....

For all those times i am feeling downtrodden, unloved or just plain blah, i need to remind myself, or have a perma-link in my brain to the great things i have. Simple and complex, i am fortunate.

First and most importantly, i have a husband who loves, respects, cherishes and supports me. That alone makes me very fortunate.

OK, so i don't have a lot of friends. I'm an odd sort; a strange combination of a offbeat awkward weirdo that enjoys boring 50's housewifey things. However, the friends i do have i trust. Completely. And they rock.

I also have more material things that i need. And sometimes, finding more makes a girl happy.

Like shoes! What girl doesn't just adore a new pair of shoes?! OK, so my version of shoes aren't so girly. But they are cute and i love them and they were a bargain (the Marshals on Delaware for $19.99 a pair!).

I'm looking for a place to practice driving. Somewhere that doesn't have a lot of busy traffic (yeah, Elmwood on the strip isn't an option -- YET!), maybe some light traffic, open spaces and perhaps a parking lot. Anyone know of such a place?

I think we are going to take (e:Theecarey,40396)'s advice -- a trip to Lewiston's Art Festival is on tap for the day. And yesterday afternoon, (e:Uncutsaniflush) and i were at Albright Knox . And the day before we were at The Casellani Art Museum

I think i need to get my arse up to my studio... seeing is NOT doing!

And i heart his humans for the video and taking care of him!

Today, i got up and thought to myself, "this is the day". So, i did the online quiz while eating some breakfast, got ready and caught the bus downtown.

(e:Uncutsaniflush) was calling me from work on his break when i was leaving and again when he got off work just after i got home.

Other than some confusion and a disagreement between staff members that involved me and what line i should be in, everything went quickly and smoothly.

I left home after 11am and got home around 2pm. Plus i stopped to have a small lunch and browse then purchase some veg from a table on Main street.

I passed the vision and written test. I now have a learner's permit. Soon, the streets will not be safe as i learn to drive...

Caffeine is the devil.

(E:Uncutsaniflush) and i went to his company picnic yesterday afternoon. All they had to drink was Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Mountain Dew, water and Labatt Blue (ewww).

It was hot, and i was thirsty. I had 3 caffeinated beverages. Waaaaaaay over my usual intake in of caffeine in a day.

So, at 3am when i still hadn't fallen asleep, i was quite frustrated. I couldn't keep myself still long enough to lay in bed, and not keep my long suffering husband from waking up.

I hope i have enough energy to accomplish the tasks i have set out for myself today...

I consider going out to eat our entertainment since neither (e:Uncutsaniflush) and i are big partiers. Besides, we really do have to keep our pleasantly plump shapes, well, pleasantly plump.

Buffalo has some amazing places to eat. Bill Rapaport's Restaurant Guide has been a great resource to us.

So, i thought i would send him my review of a new place we tried yesterday, Fables Cafe.

Here's what i sent him:

Fables Cafe
1 Lafayette Square
Downtown Public Library, Main Floor
Buffalo, NY 14203
(716) 858-7127

info@fablescafe.com

Positive Review

Fables Cafe was not difficult to find in the Downtown Public Library in the middle of the lunch hour, even on a Monday. Follow your nose and you will find it. The smells alone convinced my husband and i to stay for lunch. The decor was clean, modern, but not frilly in the least. Comfortable, i would say, in that downtown officey sorta way.

The line was long, most of the tables were full, but since we were not in a hurry, we didn't scramble for a table. The line moved quickly enough, but we did have time to consider our options at the drink cabinet. Luckily, there was also a menu board there, too, since i wasn't able to read the menu sign from the counter. Maybe i need glasses?

Turn over was fast and we found a table before our order was out. On the opposite side of the counter, however, the drink selection was different. Even though i had already paid, i asked and employee if i could swap out my ice tea for a different flavour. I would recommend looking at both drink coolers before deciding on beverage, just in case.

The menu is limited but from appearances of what other customers ordered and what we saw coming out from behind the counter, looked very good.

I decided on the Quattro Fromage, a yummy melty gooey vegetarian sandwich with an unknown combination of cheeses and fresh tomato slices on crisply fried (i assume with a panini pressed) slightly garlicy bread. My reaction, on first bite, was to say "Oh my god, this is a great grilled cheese!" The side salad it came with was good, but simple -- merely a blend of lettuces with some carrot and radish with a sweet balsamic vinegarette. The " Skrumption" as described on the website might change daily, i am not sure, but today it was a wee wedge of brownie. Just enough to have a sweet ending to the meal.

My husband, not a vegetarian like me, had, as they say on the website, a "mystery" (aka daily special?) which was, in this case, a "Brooklyn" Roast Beef Sandwich. He said the oil and vinegar combination was nice with the slightly spicy mayo, perhaps with a bit of horseradish in it, and the beef itself was tender. It came with cheese, lettuce and tomato on untoasted bread. Which would have been the death of me, if i ate meat -- looked like it got a little soggy nearing the end.

The price for us both to have a sandwich with the side salad and wee dessert with a drink each was just under $18. Not cheap, but not overpriced at all. We would return gladly, next time perhaps on a cooler afternoon when i felt more like trying one of the vegetarian soup options.

But aren't you folks lucky, you get to see pictures, too.


(e:Uncutsaniflush) 's roast beef with one of my olives

(e:LeeTee) 's grilled cheese

And now, looking at the pictures, i realized i forgot to mention that the salad has cucumbers. Oh well.. not bad for a first try.