Glad I got a chance to meet a gaggle of peeps on saturday night. I had a fine time in spite of showing up way too early, and a healthy round of social anxiety (saying something stupid too soon, etc) and sundry other neuroses that are me. It was a lot of fun. Perhaps I should come out of the shell more often.

Earlier in the day, freed up from all responsibilities, I plugged my ipod into my dashboard and took off on a drive. Found myself north and east of Lockport at Becker Farms. The journey to and from was more interesting than the destination, but a Becker Farms pie did come home with me. You head out that way and you get treated to a drawbridge outside Gasport as well as a pretty wide swath of yard sales. So, saturday was great all the way around.

The Sabres lost last night and I believe it's because my little sister left us hanging. She is helping her S.O. prep to sell his North Buffalo house. They are doing this on their own schedule, so it left me a little pissed off when she called at 4:30 yesterday to say they couldn't come out to my folks to eat. I got my own kids out there, who were eager to see their aunt, only to be auntless. I haven't quite figured out my level of pissed offedness (is that a word?). It's not a thing, but it kind of is. There are ways of being a person and she didn't come through, so harrumph!
So, sunday left a strange taste in my mouth.

Monday is promising. The holiday inn on delaware has a pool club set up and I've been buying a membership for a number of years now. It's not the greatest spot, but it is close so you can either swim without driving forwever and get some exercise or have somebody bring you a drink poolside or in pool. There are virtues to both and I discovered I have enough money for opening day (today)(yay).

May have to go soak my head.....

Happy Day, ya'all

While I was waiting for the hordes to come into the arena last night for the hockey game, I happened across these. Metalpeter put the thought in my head with his excellent post on the Guitars for Hope. I found these two at the top of the stairs when you walk into the arena and head up the left side. They're pretty eye-catching considering they sit among the inflatable Stanley Cups and overpriced, undernourished snacks. For that alone, they merited preservation.





Enjoy, see ya at the bumper sticker unveiling

It helps to have things shooken up a little. I've lived here forever and when you do that all your extended family uses the Buffalo residence as a cheap excuse for a Niagara Falls sojourn. I've been able to see it all, but when my lovely 11 year old asked me to be a parent/chaperone how could I resist yet another Maid of the Mist boat ride, topped off with a free lunch at the Hard Rock. I couldn't despite looking like a 230 hefty bag in the Mist's free Ponchos.

But first the victims



We got send below



It's a quiet ride, despite the winday day



But soon, the minnow would be tossed. Good thing I was sealed in gladware to lock in freshness



It was a lil blustery as we went to the horseshoe falls





And jjust like that we be done



I'm not sure why my camera went back in time all the sudden, but soon after we found ourselves in the calm of



My taste buds are contemplating legal action, good thing it was free. Who knew that five eleven year old girls knew so many fart and burp jokes (and funny ones at that). I insulted one of the boys they deemed annoying and I was suddenly the cool parent on the trip.

Nice day off.

This is a bit of a footnote to my note about business dinners. I was supposed to meet a few people from Turner and my bosses at EB Greens. If you've never been there, and I could never afford it, usually you get out of your car in the little circle by the Hyatt. I meant to do that, only to get shooed away by a US Marshall. Since he had the gun, I didn't argue. He told me a tour bus was coming in and needed the space.

I thought it must be some tour bus to require an armed escort. Turned out it was the Carolina Hurricanes arriving to stay at the Hyatt for the games with the Sabres tonight and Friday.

I parked my car across the street and met up with my party in the restaurant. It has a huge picture window which was filled with EB Greens employees trying to gawk at the arriving hockey players, many of whom filtered into the restaurant during our dinner. It was interesting to watch the various reactions of the people in the restaurant to the famous faces. Grudging admiration from some of the men, flat out gushing from some of the women I noticed. My boss, a non-fan, cracked me up. She caught me surveying the crowd and deadpanned "I fucking hate hockey," before taking a long sip of her drink. Gotta love her.

If I can clean up the picture, I'll post the one of the piece of chocolate cake they served me for desert. It was a seven layer job that truly was seven layers. I got one and one of the reps from Turner got one. This was truly gawk worthy. HEads turned to look at these cakes as they were brought out. I got about a quarter of the way through and had to say uncle.

Anybody for cake?

One of the strange extra curricular benefits/activities of my job is the schmooze dinner. This is where the cable network traipses into town and throws a thing for the marketing department (of which I've temporarily am still a a part of). With Adelphia swirling round the proverbial drain pipe, they are coming at a high rate of speed these days to protect their turf and make sure that Time Warner doesn't drop em like a bad habit. Too bad, we peons can't do anything about it (hint, hint NFL Network)

The reason I mention it is that the Turner Network people are coming into town tomorrow and we are being taken to EB Greens. If you are into steak, it's a great restaurant, but this is the second time I've been able to eat there on someone else's dime and it makes me laugh. From the piano player with the painted on hair to the parade of beef on a cart as you order. That reminds me of the section of the Hitchiker's Guide when the heroes get to the Restaurant at the End of the Universe when the entree emerges from the kitchen and invites the customers to literally eat it

Things I think about while the people with heavier titles are engaging in a round of "who's is bigger."

Sigh, I should have been a bartender, right now it's more sincere.

Weather over the past few days have been hell on breathing. I wish it would make up its mind. I'm looking forward to some sun soon. Could use a little color (a sly user pic joke).

Walked out of an office building on Exchange street and was nearly hit by this moron who was very busy in his beemer except watching the road. I figured as a relatively easy to notice (at 6'3) pedestrian, he would have noticed that his car was going through a red light while he worked the phone, ipod and laptop. He did take notice of the grumpy irishman (that would be me) who pounded on his hood to ensure he noticed he nearly plowed a few of us over.
Getting busted for being a moron left him properly chastised. I started laughing becuase the woman crossing the other side of the street yellled at him to hang up and drive.

Just another manic monday.

A weekend may have restored my sanity......

I had a thing at Pearl Street tonight that ESPN was sponsoring. It was a lot of fun to go out and laugh, especially under the auspices of work. A few drinks, snacks and swag were good for the soul.

Had a brief moment of unparallelled parental coolness. My daughter accidentally added me to her my space list and sent a bulletin out bitchin about her mom and me. In a sign that I think I have my head on straight, I didn't bitch her out or raise my voice. Trusting my gut, I told her "Siobhan, you may want to delete me from your friend list." I kept it
matter of fact and said nothing else. She disappeared to my computer and reemerge with eyes reeling of guilt. To my eternal wisdom, I said nothing else.

Speaking of my space, I cleaned my own up and upon some indirect good advice of a fellow epeep, I recinded a bunch of ill-advised friend requests to peeps until I actually meet a few in person. Made me look too damn needy. Can't be having that. Next mass epeep outing, I'm in.

My charming lad of a son decided that we needed to go see "Over the Hedge" yesterday. He got two regal passes for his birthday, so he was taking me. I figured the least I could do was to chip in with popcorn. It was a big dopey hoot. I had a blast. Nothing like a few fart and cheese snot jokes in the company of other afficianados to restore one's sense of silly.

I do have to admit one thing. I am enough of damaged goods loser to have a yahoo personals site, and the responses tend to go from promising to ewww ( and I'm sure I'm somebody's ewwww, I have no delusions at my age). I'm not very active on it. I do consider it the height of my wisdom that I snuck my email address pasted the vaunted yahoo censors. This was my attempt to make sure that people are reading my well chosen verbage. I got a response today from the woman I was asking out a few journals ago, who basically gave me a non-response. I'm not sure what to make of that one.

Food for thought, that, but despite grey skies and cold today, it's getting better. Gonna go get some rest to fight the demons again.

Night peeps. Be well and warm.

My brother and his wife have been going through the newborn adoption process for sometime and their tenacity bore fruit. The birth mom did her part and a new baby is headed home with two nervous new parents. New Baby and petrified parents are doing fine.

The new dad forgot the chocolate cigars from Sweet Tooth on his dashboard in his haste, so he now has a chocolate square.

Nice way to end a forgettable week.

I did have something nice and unexpected happen this morning. My daughter called me between classes today.

"Dad, you have to be at the Sabres games next week?"

Yeah, I cleverly reply.

"Do you think one of those could be a Take your daughter to work kind of thing?"

Wow, made my day, maybe it is darkest before......

Sorry for yesterday's rants peeps, the bastards have been getting to me and I was walking around feeling like the air was getting sucked out of every room I walked through, resulting in that devastatingly handsome current user pic.

I apologize....it's gonna be alright (curtis mayfield just told me so)

Night

I thought the patronizing insulting events of being undervalued and the crappy dinner at the Chophouse (courtesy Music Choice) could be soothed by an stroll through Elmwoo by night. The answer was no.

I didn't see a familar face which too sucked and was a good thing. I think if I started talking about the insanity of it all, I would have just lost it.

They're trying to find work, I try to console myself. It doesn't work, because they need to do better. I'm good at what I do and have worked so it's not arrogance to say that my group is better with me. What I do is fairly trivial in the grand scheme of things, but to get basically get offered a rotating registers is flat out fucking insulting.

I clicked on a pile of epeeps my spaces and I apologize. I guess I was looking for sympathetic cyber shoulders to lean on. There is a lot of disingenuous bullshit floating around the cable company and I guess I was trying to reach out to real people.

I've never been in this situation before. I get universal praise for my work (the full page ad in the news last sunday was me) from all the stuff shirts, but it doesn't seem to matter.

If this reads like venting, I guess that's because it is.

Bounced a check, my car cd player broke and had my intelligence insulted.

It's been a full, fucking day.

Off to go apply a tourniquet to my self-esteem

Later