Back when the band Chicago didn't annoy the crap out of me, I kind of liked the song "Saturday in the Park." Yesterday on Elmwood might have been the setting. I had lunch at the bagel place formerly known as Manhattan and it was great to see the pleasant vibe coming from the sidewalks as folks just out enjoying the sunshine and each other. All the walked dogs were in good moods and while the day was a one off (witness the fog rolling in over Delaware Avenue as I write thise), it was a tremendous spirit booster.

A sidewalk vendor was trying to talk me into an earring, much to my daughter's amusement. I'm not sure if I'm a double hoop guy yet.

Took the youngins out into the burbs for dinner at the rents and predinner consisted of scooter rides and a intense game of catch with said daughter (at her request). Wonders never cease.

Days like yesterday make it possible to kick Monday's ass!

woman

My divorce papers came last night. I'd been separated for a little more than two years, pretty amicably, but still the finality of it all still smacks you a little. Most of the wounds of all the hard conversations heal, but occasionally something like this rips the bandages off and pours a little more bourbon down the almost healed scars.

It's interesting in a sense to watch the transition. She's the one that strayed or followed a different direction, but since I'm the one that moved, the social circle that was ours closed mostly to me. There was a party at the house formerly known as mine the others night and while I knew most of the attendees, I also knew I was better off not appearing. My ten year old called me periodically (her idea) to let me know who was drunk and if I got cake left overs (from Delish, they be good people).

Given how tough her parents were on her and how useless mine were in revealing her discovery about herself, we've actually been okay with one another. I've dated a little and looked for other social venues. That has been a little slow and that is okay, but I read about somebody else here having beer and wing auditions to just broaden a social circle and that seems like a decent start.

I've been a little monastic as I've started a new job last May (so, I guess it is an old job now) and just trying to be Dad to our kids still on the weekends and it seems to be working, but I figure there has to be room for a life in there somewhere.

I used to mock that guy who had the perennial personal ad and that "matinee grin." I think he is still in Artvoice inspiring fear and loathing in the female population of Buffalo. Occasionally, you can't help but be a little scared you might turn into him.

But, you occasionally get a sign that things are turning the corner. I locked eyes with a woman at Wegmans the other week. Kid at the sub counter said those most encouraging ego soothing words "Dude, she was checking you out."

It's beautiful outside and I have to spend the bulk of it indoors. I must have pissed somebody off.

Here's what's on what's left of my mind.......

Not sure about the whole hotel on Elmwood thing. I guess we should be glad that somebody wants to spend some money on development, but the idea of something being there other than thoses houses seems a little weird, especially when the hotel site is diagonal from well, nothing. If it could spur a little more development, I guess that would be good, but it smacks of those projects that I should get passionate about, but I'm not. As a former Home of the Hits customer (Having New World so close cured me), it would be a little strange to hit that section of Elmwood and not see it being there. There's a wacky notion about development about that block. The logic escapes me, but it wound up kicking Platoh's to Kenmore.

Let them have that block....

Full disclosure time, I work for Adelphia and feel like Artvoice took a cheap shot. The current issue has the sporttools, er writers complaining about the arena. I'm all for constructive criticism but the Adelphia Kiosk they were bitching about aren't there. Not that we don't deserve most of the abuse shipped our way, but what made it into the paper was gratuitous bitching, instead of being useful.

That said, if you go to the Sabres game tonight, stop by the Adelphia zone. I won't sell you cable and would appreciate a friendly face, or at least one that isn't trying to load porn on the family friendly pcs.

Would they change the bulb on the 198's traffic light already?? -- the white flash still makes me doubletake.

Took my kids to the zoo on an nastily cold day and still had a blast. With so few folks around, but all the animals, it had a nice private party kind of feel.

regret of the week -- Missing the Tom Waits party the other night.

<Sigh>

I friggin hate them. Ours are intended to be the one time of the week were the six of us who actually do the work in the department can get together brainstorm and whatnot. That actually appears to me because I work with a pretty decent group directly. But my boss's boss (he reminds me of the pointy haired boss from Dilbert, always in a hurry to look busy, but no one can truly identify what it is he actually does) has his other departments sit in. That sounds minor and apparently is to his other departments as the chiefs never show. They just call in and sometimes have their subordinates call. Upshot being, we have to have a facade of a meeting before we can actually get anything done.

Maybe when Time Warner gets here the pointy haired one would disappear.

Dinnertime....and my lovely seven year old son asked to hang out for awhile longer before going home to his mom's. Dinner with the boy -- perfect end to a nice day. Slept late, enjoyed a mid day (okay, early afternoon) coco moco outside at Spot. Played some games with the young man and we're gonna break bread.

In short, spirtually renewing. I feel ready to take the whining, crying and turf battles and what not that was making me so crazy at the end of this past week. If you're headed to the Sabres game on Tuesday night, stop by the Adelphia area (you know, the one the tools in Artvoice distain) and say hi. I'll be the jerk behind the counter. Hopefully, the good vibes of days like today will carry me through it.

To the kitchen!

A beautiful Sunday morning. One of the virtues of a eastward facing bed room is that the day is there tapping you on the shoulder, tipping its hand as to what kind of day it will be. Today's sun put me in a good mood because it was so great, but it also made it possbile to roll over and wake up two hours later, feeling the best I felt all week. The Buffalo News was almost readable. I was able to forgive myself for being too lame and tardy for missing the Tom Waits thingy at Neitzche's last night.

Too bad tomorrow is a back to work day.

I'm done. It's been a long month this week. I got involved in my first post marriage series of dating and neither one of us felt there was much there there, especially with work clamping onto my ankle and not letting go.

I got the fun of working my company's kiosk at the arena during the Sabres game on Wednesday and 13 hour workdays are just no fun. Got to chase two dorks away from dropping bad porn on two pcs in the room. Only thing worse than being a dweeb is a bouncer therein.

But one day later, I felt compelled to go back to my monastical lifestyle. I think after plenty of sleep I may emerge for the Tom Waits thingy at Nietzche's on Saturday.

Hey, if you want a laugh and appreciate sound editors -- go here



Let it play, gives a new perspective to TNT's fixation with The Shawshank Redemption.