A friend of mine (let's refer to her as "K") is getting married in October. She's asked me to read a Bible verse during the ceremony - one of three verses that will be read by three different friends of hers. One of the other friends (I'll call her "S") is this girl I simply cannot stand. I have disliked her pretty much since the day I met her. She has the world's most annoying laugh (it sounds like she is fake-laughing, but that is her real laugh). She is a minister, and I have no clue how she can lead a congregation or counsel anyone when she is so judgmental, petty, and self-centered. She is married to this total jerk (also a minister, sad to say) who once made fun of me, to my face, in front of a bunch of people when I was drunk because he thought I wouldn't notice. And, horrifyingly enough, I hear these two wretched people have spawned, so there will be a small child in the mix, too (I really don't like kids very much). I was hoping to avoid any real contact with these people for the duration of the celebration, but if I agree to read a verse, that won't be possible. I'll probably even have to sit next to them during the ceremony.

What do I do? I don't want to leave K casting about for someone else to do this reading (she was the maid of honor in my wedding - I don't want to leave her hanging). I certainly don't want S to be in this wedding while I sit on the sidelines. But at the same time, I want this to be a pleasant experience, and I want to be able to enjoy myself, and I'm afraid I might not be able to do that if I can't stop thinking about smacking S's asshole husband in his smug face.

Other factors to consider: I'm not afraid of public speaking, but it has been a while since I've had to do it, and this is going to be a pretty big wedding. I'm not Christian, so the thought of reading from the Bible doesn't exactly thrill me (and no, I don't get to choose the verse, and no, I don't have the option of reading something else instead). If I'm not in the wedding, then I can go to a hockey game (Kings v. Bruins) instead of attending the rehearsal dinner. Just a thought. Your opinions and comments, please.

Well, I have another post I want to make, but until I can find a way to get my pics onto my mom's computer, or to get my computer hooked up to my mom's internet, it will have to wait.

We don't have a TV at home right now - got rid of our crappy ancient set when we left Syracuse, and we haven't replaced it yet. We're not really TV watchers, so the only time we miss it is when we want to watch a DVD and we have to pull out my husband's laptop and set it on the coffee table... Anyway, when I'm home visiting my mom and Nana is about the only time I see TV anymore. TV, especially when you haven't watched it in a while, is truly terrifying.

But I did watch an episode of Globe Trekker today, just for (e:jbeatty) (who totally loves that show and wants to be on it - someone help him make a demo reel already, he'd be great).

BTW - when did my husband get an account at this site?? I know he did it just to be able to comment on (e:jbeatty) 's blog, but still. You'd think he could have at least told me. Oh, this is him: (e:john)

This trip I've been finding some weird connections between me and my grandparents... I found an old notebook of my maternal grandfather's, and it's just crammed with little scribblings and notes and lists - and I've got a ton of little notebooks and scraps of paper - ok, I need to pause this right now because my grandmother is driving me CRAZY and if I don't type about what a pain in the ASS she is, I will kill her, and the murder of a 92-year-old lady never looks good on one's permanent record. She is telling me now that I should be a dentist. "DENTIST!" she just yelled. And she is going on about how you probably don't need to go to school as long to be a dentist as to be a doctor (like she has any clue!), and I just want to throttle her. She can't go more than half an hour without telling me all about what I should do with my life in great detail. And as she is getting old and senile, most of the time now she is just running her mouth without a clue as to what she's saying. It'll be funny when she gets a little crazier, but now it's just frustrating and annoying to have to hear.

But I digress - I was talking about my grandfather and how I've totally got his OCD and it manifests itself in the same ways (particularly notebook-keeping and list-making). I feel a little bad, tho', that I can't read anything he wrote - it's all in Chinese. He's got shelves full of books (all taking up space in my mom's house, right now) that none of us can read - all this great Chinese literature... I wish I'd learned to read it when I was little. I'm trying to pick it up, now, but I need to learn Spanish first, and it's not easy.

Now that I've bitched about Nana, let me just say she is an awesome grandmother when she isn't annoying the crap out of me. She is still living independently at 92, she is the life of any party (you look at old pictures of get-togethers with their circle of friends, and Nana is the one on the floor, rolling with laughter), and she is always a snazzy dresser. I have almost nothing at all in common with her - except - we are both total shoe-oholics. Together, our shoe collections could probably put Imelda Marcos's to shame. She got - ok, wait, I have to interrupt this again - I found Rushmore on TV, so I had it on. She just came in and asked to change it because "I like things with people (in them)" - because Rushmore isn't about people at all. She is now flipping channels and has stopped on the CW and the Pussycat Dolls audition. I don't believe in God, but right now I'm am begging him for the strength to keep myself from killing her. Now she's stopped on Desperate Housewives. I'm sure it's a great show, but I am so not in the mood for it right now, and anyway, Rushmore is better. Like I said - nothing in common but the shoe thing.

Speaking of shoes, there's this pair in the girls' section at Target that I totally want to get. I'm lucky to have small enough feet that I can shop in the kids' shoes section if they've got sizes up to kids' 4.5 or 5, and these particular shoes come in size 5. They're brown maryjanes and they've got about a 1.5-inch chunky heel, and they are so way cute. Do I need them? Well, that depends on your definition of need... :D

I don't know how much coverage the Michael Vick thing is getting up there - I know it's kind of a big story elsewhere, but it's a BIG story here, since Vick is a hometown son. I didn't realize this, but he actually graduated from the same high school as my dad (though obviously years and years apart). It's seriously crazy what-all he did. So unbelievable that shit like that still goes on in this day and age. That's just one of many reasons I think humanity is doomed.

And on that cheery note (which is where most of my trains of thought eventually end up, honestly), I'm going back to Desperate Housewives (yep, it sucked me in).

I'm driving up to visit my family in VA today and tomorrow (it's a 16-hour drive, so I take 2 days to do it).

I was supposed to leave here around noon.

I'm still not packed yet.

Seriously, wtf is wrong with me??

Not too long ago, my husband & I ordered pizza. Usually he makes me do the actual calling, but this time he was the one doing it. When we were living in NY and ordered pizza (this didn't happen frequently, since there wasn't really any good pizza delivery in our area of Syracuse - most of the time we'd just make our own damn pizza), he'd usually get an order of wings, as well. So when he ordered this pizza here, he just said, "Oh, and I'd like an order of wings, too."

Now, I am from the South. I know that what passes for chicken wings in some parts of this country is not at all what is known as chicken wings in NY. But, despite growing up in the land of fried chicken (well, fried everything, really), I never had chicken wings until I went to college in Ithaca and had them done properly. "Chicken wings," to me, has always meant Buffalo wings. I know, however, that's not true for everyone else - especially not here in South Florida.

So I was a bit leery when I heard my husband blithely tacking them on to our order. "Uhm, are you sure you want to get those here?" "Ehh, we'll give them a try." "Okay..." (I should mention here that this is one of the few places I've seen here that even offers wings on their menu.)

I think you see where I'm going with this.

Wanna see what we received when the delivery guy showed up?



Yup. Fried chicken wings, with a tiny cup of hot sauce. Not even a little cup of Buffalo wing sauce - just straight-up hot sauce (the chopstick is there because the sauce had separated and we had to stir it up). And not even a hint of bleu cheese dressing or celery sticks (well, I didn't miss the celery).

(e:peeps), please pray for us to somehow find the strength to continue our existence in this miserable, Buffalo-wing-less place. We'll be in Buffalo for Thanksgiving, we can get our wing fix if only we can hold out 'til then...

Actually, there is a place in town we have yet to try called Wings n' Curls (I am unclear on exactly what the "curls" are supposed to be) which, allegedly, has good wings. We would've eaten there already, but their hours are brutal - only open until 9pm, and they shift to take-out-only at 8pm. Based on their unfriendly attitude, I'd rather avoid the place, but if their wings are really any good... I might not have a choice.

But there are so many transplanted New Yorkers in this area, I refuse to believe there is nowhere to get Buffalo wings in this entire 3-county metro area. There must be somewhere.

So, did anybody go to the Old 97's Thursday in the Square thing besides (e:carolinian) ? He posted a pic for me, so I am doing the requisite writhing in jealousy... ::writhe writhe::

Anyway, my brother-in-law ( (e:jbeatty) ) has finally moved to Buffalo and settled in, and he met a bunch of you guys a few days ago, so now he knows way more of you than I do (since I know a grand total of exactly one of you, besides him). As of right now, my husband & I are planning to come up and visit him for Thanksgiving. Flying into & out of WNY in late November is always a dicey proposition, and flying around T-giving is always a gigantic cluster-fuck, but we've decided to give it a shot, anyway. If anyone is going to be around then and is up for a non-traditional T-giving (one year my husband & jb cooked up an Asian feast - we were eating for four hours straight and we didn't come close to eating everything they'd prepared), drop us a line.

The New Pornographers
OCT 20 - The Riviera Theatre - North Tonawanda, NY

Tix here:

I saw them in March at Langerado, and they were great. My husband hadn't really heard much of their stuff before that show, and he walked away raving.

Their new album, Challengers, is coming out on August 21st (same day as the new Rilo Kiley album! I'm excited!). The closest they'll come to South Florida on this tour is Atlanta, which is 10 hours away. :( So, once again, I am begging y'all - go to this show. As a personal favor to me. Please. Do it. Assuming the new album is good (and I have no reason to suspect otherwise), it'll be a blast. (e:jbeatty) (aka my brother-in-law, who finally stopped lurking here and posted some journals) will be going, even if I have to buy his ticket myself. :D

And don't forget! Old 97's, July 26th, Thursday at the Square! That's just a couple days away!

Guess who else is playing in Buffalo soon?

The Old 97's!!!

They're playing on July 26th at Thursday at the Square:



I'm trying to send at least one of my friends from Syracuse. But you all live in Buffalo - you have absolutely zero excuse not to go to this show. The Old 97's are so, so good, and so much fun to see live. I missed them once when they played Buffalo (back in like, 2003 or 4 or something), and now I am going to miss them there again. You must go in my stead, then post about it here and make me all jealous.

Actually, looking down the schedule for that Thursday at the Square thing, I'm like, "Why, exactly, is it that I don't live in Buffalo?" :/

On September 24th, Andrew Bird will be playing at some place called "Asbury Hall at The Church" (I have never heard of this place, but then again, I don't actually live in Buffalo).

You must go to this show. If I were still living in Syracuse, I would be there, 100%. I waited for ages for Andrew Bird to play somewhere in New York besides NYC, and now that I am not living there anymore, he is finally going to do it. Because I cannot go to this show, you people must go in my stead. Do it. Don't let me down.

Pre-sale tix allegedly can be found here:


If you're not familiar with the musical wonder that is Andrew Bird, run-do-not-walk:

...I don't think this is your year to win the Stanley Cup. That said...



Go, Sens!!!

(That's a pic from my recent trip to Ottawa - and yes, that is a blow-up doll from the window of a gay sex shop cheering on the Sens. I tell ya, everybody in that town is excited about their hockey team.)

Just FYI... I'm going to be in the central NY area the last weekend in June if any of you (*ahem* (e:carolinian) *cough* (e:bugmuncher) *ahem*) wanted to maybe meet up in Ithaca for a day or something.

I'm going up there with my mom and we're renting a big vehicle to ferry all the stuff I've still got in storage up in Syracuse down here to FL. After I clear that storage area out, I'll have no more physical ties to NY (tho' of course I'll still have lots of people up there I'll want to visit).

Oh, and since I named the category for this post "travel" - my husband & I just got back from a trip to Ottawa. You B'lo folks aren't as close to Ottawa as people in Syracuse, but you're still not that far away - and if you've never been there, you should go! Ottawa's a pretty cool town. I know Ottawa is not exactly a happy place for Sabres fans right now, but maybe in the fall or something, when all the cup hoopla has cooled a bit, it could be a nice destination for a cross-border road trip. Keep it in mind, anyway.

Speaking of Ottawa, I have a picture to share with you from my trip, but I'll have to crop it first... gimme a min...