Will this thank you for the interview letter complete with the Star Wars postage stamps hurt or improve my chances of getting hired?

We will enjoy a nice dinner.



We will go to Cirque Niagara's Avaia!







We will return here.



This is our room. View of the Canadian Horseshoe Falls!



We will watch the fireworks from the King Size bed at 10pm (I hope to make it back in time) Image borrowed from



We will play Hot Hot Penny all night long!

Today I had a very successful interview at Roswell's Smoker's Quit Line. It was really great and besides being nervous to the point of wanting to vomit, sweaty palms and all (not such a great handshake), I was proud of the way I did. One of the women who interviewed me tested my Spanish, and I performed very well both times and it was all very natural. I think this job is going to be so good for my life in so many ways. I'm talking like I already have it, but the interview just went so well, we were laughing and it just seemed relaxed and I lost all my nervousness by the end of the interview.

You have no idea how crazy it is to get to this place. They had to send an escort with me both ways and I still don't know how to get there. Seriously, it is a maze and that definitely showed my worst weakness, sense of direction! The lobby is so great at Roswell's Main Hospital. They had some man playing the piano as well as some guy who made origami animals that were really good. His sign said "Free to take" and I wanted one so bad, but I really didn't think it was a good idea to take one. Aren't they for people who have cancer or are a family member or something? Plus I was going to an interview and how professional would it be for me to bring in an origami zebra? Instead I carried a cool planner with a lotus flower on the front and a purple tinted folder holding my "papers". The lobby was so great for my anxiousness levels. I'm sure it is helpful to the people who are suffering. Anyways I really love Roswell, and would be so proud to say I was an employee. I don't see what you could say bad about that place, but maybe I'll find out ;)

My Buddhist organization wants us to discuss Nuclear Abolition in our next meetings. If you want to see the flier check out this gather file. Just use this tracking number to download. 0381773001188355247
The Soka Gakkai became prolific after the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The first Soka Gakkai president died in prison at the hands of the Japanese government.

I took some pictures at dusk, my favorite time. If I were up a sunrise, that would probably be my preferred time. Mike asked what I was taking pics of but I wasn' t sure what to say.

I have the cutest wab in the world. I have never seen him lay like this.



The Scajacuada is so nasty.



Park bench tranquility.



Motion



My leg looks like a tasty chicken wang.




Don't step on the crack you'll break your mother's back!



Buffalo tranquility.





From buffalorecylces.com

Household Hazardouse Waste Day September 8, 2007 9am - 2pm Honeywell Inc., 20 Peabody St. and Elk St. near Smith St Exit off I-190

Residential Waste Only Items accepted include: Pesticides, Fertilizers, Pool & Household Chemicals/Cleaners; Oil-based Paints, Spray Cans; Oil, Gasoline, Antifreeze; Paint Thinner, Stripper & Solvents; Lead-Acid & Rechargeable Batteries; Mercury: Thermometers & Thermostats;Propane tanks & cylinders. - Not accepted: Tires,Latex Paints, Computers; Appliances; Commercial/Industrial waste. Call 858-6800 for more infomation Sponsored by: Erie County and the City of Buffalo

Wow, I can't believe how much you can actually earn from an associate's degree. I would say that this salary isn't too shabby for such a small amount of schooling. This job posting is from roswellpark.org

Clinical Research Associate I (#820)
Position Details

Shift: Days, Full-Time

Salary : $36,229 - $46,042 (salary is based on related experience). Includes a comprehensive benefits package.

Applicants must reference posting #820 when applying.
Eligibility Criteria:

Applicants must possess an Associate's degree in a health or science related field.
Nature of Work and Responsibilities:

The Clinical Research Associate I supports the clinical research mission of the Institute and Clinical Research Services (CRS) through one of the following areas: maintenance of research regulatory documents and the submission of new studies, amendments, continuing reviews and all other study documents; data collection and entry; or data management and study compliance; adheres to the Code of Federal Regulations (Title 21) and guidelines set up by the International Committee for Harmonization for good clinical practices.

In comparison, you could also go and get your doctorate and make $55k! My dad made close to that before he went to college. Of course that was a different time....the 80's! Now that he has gotten a bachelor's I think he probably earns less.

Translational Research Scientist (#813)
Position Details:

Shift: Full-time; Days

Salary: $55,473 annually. Includes a comprehensive benefits package.

Applicants must reference job posting #813 when applying for this position.
Eligibility Criteria:

Applicants must possess a Doctoral degree in a health or science-related field and 1 year of full-time research or clinical trials experience; or a Master's degree in a health or science-related field and 3 years of full-time research or clinical trials experience.

The preferred candidate will have a Doctoral or Master's degree in Biology, Pharmacology or Molecular Biology, computer and data management skills, and at least 3-5 years of experience in planning, conducting or evaluating clinical trials.
Nature of Work and Responsibilities:

This Translational Research Scientist will collaborate with clinicians, scientists, statisticians, computer programmers, clinical data coordinators, nurses and administrative personnel in the Gynecologic Oncology Group (GOG) Statistical and Data Center to plan, conduct and analyze clinical trials involving translational research. This candidate will review and critique research concepts for scientific validity and feasibility, develop procedures and documents for incorporating high-quality translational research objectives into Phase I, II or III treatment trials, cancer prevention trials or grants, establish criteria for evaluating the validity and reliability of lab data and procedures, and collaborate with clinicians, scientists and statisticians in preparing abstracts, reports, manuscripts, journal critiques and professional presentations. Further responsibilities will include developing seminars and training programs for clinical staff concerning specimen and data collection and quality control procedures, participating in GOG semi-annual group meetings and committee meetings, and participating in professional national and international cancer research and oncology meetings and workshops.

Not that I think $55k is a bad salary or anything. It just seems like it could be a little higher for having those qualifications.

The rest of my student lloans are going into repayment status in a couple of months. I already have been paying on my big one since June because that is the deal when you consolidate. I have to make three payments now which is a pain in the butt, but consolidation isn't an option on those. One of them is pretty much like a car loan because it is private. I guess i wont be getting a new car anytime soon. Now I have to be on my best behavior and make each payment on time for 3 years so I could get a percent off of my interest rate. It make me really annoyed that people who graduated after 9/11 got their interest rates at under 2%. That is really not fair at all to me. Why should they be getting such a good deal? I mean, the life of a loan is for so long and since the economy is so much better now *sarcasm* why do they still get to enjoy those rates and I have to pay so much more?

If I never went to study in Cuba I would be much better off financially, but I don't care. I definitely wouldn't have changed anything even if Cuba doesn't turn out to be a financial payoff. I'm one of those strange people that went to school because I wanted to rather than I wanted to make money. So I made my bed and now I'm going to lie in it, but its soft and comfortable and smells clean so thats OK.

Mike and I went to Niagara Falls on the spur of the moment. We had such a great time. We don't often get to do things like this so I think we really deserved it. I'm excited to do more stuff like this together.



Mist People. They are so supernatural.


(e:mike)


Moose peeing in the urinal


Hotel People. This hotel is really neat. When you watch it you see people opening and closing their patio entrance ways. Mike loved it.




He is so beautiful.


We went to Rain Forest Cafe for dinner. It is so fun inside. This aquarium was inside. I loved this fish and have never seen it before. I wanted to kiss it. Every 25 minutes they have a thunderstorm inside and the lights flicker on and off. The animals go wild too. The food is really good but expensive. You are paying a lot for the atmosphere. A hamburger costs $18!



Mike and I at the falls



They have a ferris wheel, but at $10/person we skipped it. Someday I would like to do it though.


We also went to Coca Cola. They have a soda bar, but beware....$15 for two cokes and a freaking pretzel. Hershey's, on the other hand, has great chocolate covered strawberries for two for two dollars.

Oh, we also gambled away $20 together on the slot machines. FUN!

I watch television in Spanish whenever I can. They have this commercial on either Telemundo or Univisión for some type of cookware. Anyways, the jingle goes something like "Una mujer que sabe como cocinar vale más que oro." "A woman that knows how to cook has more value than gold." I really can't imagine a commercial such as this being played on the English speaking channels. Maybe in 1950 that message was tolerated but today not a chance. Anyways the commercial to me represents how quickly things can change and also shows the huge gap in the progression of feminism between cultures.

They are selling more of the Lake Ontario Ordnance Works (LOOW) Site in the towns of Lewiston and Porter. The LOOW, if you do not know, is the land that the government stole from local farmers during WWII. After this beautiful and fertile land was destroyed from the production of TNT, they secretly began storing and dumping radioactive effluent at the site and later began selling the land. Over the years the US government has continued to lie repeatedly about the land and its use. Lewiston/Porter School District is situated on a portion of the LOOW. Besides the polluted soil, imagine what kind of air those kids are breathing right next door to Chemical Waste Management which was also part of the LOOW site. Maybe now that they want to sell more of the land, we can get even more toxic waste trucked up into our area and they can discharge even more treated effluent into the Niagara and Great Lakes. As the article states the government says the land is fine besides some pesky asbestos. Does anyone really believe that? Sadly I think people do. People are so willing to put 100% trust into the government despite years of deception. There are people that live right next door to toxic and radioactive waste but refuse to think they are in harms way. I talked to one woman with kids who lived next door to the LOOW and refused to believe what I was telling her.

I'm glad the article was published, but how could they not even mention this site's dark past that continues to kill people with cancer? The only thing the article mentions about the LOOW is that it once was a military testing area. What about all the radioactive waste they dumped into marsh area?! If you want to see my original journal with pictures click here:

Nike missile launch site up for auction in Niagara County

Town of Porter parcel advertised on Internet
By Sharon Linstedt
Updated: 08/06/07 8:29 AM


Sam Kolich/Buffalo News
The mothballed site covers 98 acres off Balmer and Porter Center roads.


"For Sale: 98 acres of mostly undeveloped, treed property in rural Niagara County. Amenities include six underground missile silos."

That could be the federal government's ad for an unusual piece of property located in the Town of Porter, which it is auctioning off via the Internet. The U.S. General Services Administration opened online bidding July 12 for the long-idle Youngstown Test Annex, ocated at the corner of Balmer and Porter Center roads.

"It's certainly a different kind of property," said GSA spokeswoman Renee Miscione. "But the federal government sells and disposes of a very wide range of properties. It's everything from office buildings and military residences to post offices, lighthouses and missile sites."

The GSA, which disposes of properties for the federal government, offers the lands and buildings to various levels of government before putting them on the auction block.

The Youngstown Test Annex was originally part of the Lake Ontario Ordnance Works, which included about 7,500 acres across Niagara County used for military testing. The Army acquired the Youngstown Test Annex property in 1955, developing it as a Nike missile launch site.

The Cold War-era defense system was designed to protect major urban areas and strategic assets, such as power plants, from air assaults. The Nike missiles were secured in underground silos, at the ready in case of attack. At the height of the initiative, there were more than 200 installations around the country, including nearly a dozen in Western New York.

The Air Force took title to the Town of Porter location in the mid-1960s, converting it to a Tropospheric Scatter Radar communications network site.

The property, which has remained under military control, was mothballed in 1990.

In its description of the site, the GSA notes the property includes about 45 acres of wetlands. In addition to six missile silos (which are empty and have been welded shut), the parcel also comes with a handful of outbuildings in "various stages of deterioration." The GSA warns potential buyers they could face asbestos-removal issues. However, the government indicates that the site does not contain radioactive materials or hazardous chemicals.

To date, no one has stepped up with the required $100,000 minimum bid.

Miscione noted it took 21 days for the first bid to be registered in last summer's online sale of the Thaddeus J. Dulski federal office building in downtown Buffalo. That 15-story, 470,000-square-foot tower saw a brisk bidding war in the final days of its auction, attracting a winning bid of $6.1 million.

Of the eight former Nike sites sprinkled across Niagara and Erie counties, this is the last one to remain under federal government ownership. While a few are now privately owned, most have found new life as town or village-controlled parks, recreation areas, senior housing or local government offices.

slinstedt@buffnews.com

Maybe it's weird to take lots of pictures of yourself, but sometimes thats all you have.