This is worth doing, go click a few cans, peeps

CAMPBELL SOUP HAS A PROMOTION FOR EACH CITY WITH A NFL FRANCHISE. GO INTO THEIR WEB SITE AND VOTE FOR THE TEAM IN YOUR CITY. FOR EACH VOTE CAMPBELL'S WILL DONATE A CAN OF SOUP TO A SOUP KITCHEN IN THAT CITY.
GOOD CAUSE, PASS IT ON. It TAKES LESS THAN 10 SECONDS OF YOUR TIME.

Never thought it would happen. I love my Ipod and the Itunes store is a lovely thing, but the store is ticking me off lately. They're getting a little more underhanded. I was scouring for a bunch of favorites and the amount of album only tracks is on the rise. To get the song you want, you got to spring for the whole album. I know they've done that a little as part of the stock in trade, but with the recent flood of new music and repackages, it seems to be policy for a large percentage of the recent stuff. I decided that I didn't need another version of "Where the Streets Have No Name" at those rates. The five I have will have to do.

In other nurseable grudge news, after 15 months of pestering, my landlord is finally taking some steps to repair a water damaged area of my wall. Each slightly more comical than the next. His regular handyman cleaned all the craptastic plaster away (sounds like a band, Craptastic Plaster!!) and said the construction guy will call. I was at work last night when he called wanting to come in. Told him about having to work for the cable man for another hour. He replies he'd call tonight. I took my kids to school this morning and was headed to Spot when the phone announced it was him. I traipsed back home to meet him, sans coffee (grrrr) and he comes up. He takes a look at the size of the hole (picture to follow) and says we need to fill that in.

I'm so glad we called in a consultant.

I'm pretty sure I'm going to hell. I've got 15 people to sign up for the digital cable package being advertised. Getting a commission makes me feel a little dirty. At this rate, if the cable farm doesn't jive, I can always get a polyester checked coat and head out and schill for Fucillo's.

What else is griping me? Stranger Than Fiction didn't have the good sense to play downtown. May have to treat myself to the Casino Royale tonight and a big bag of popcorn tonight for the 9:00 show. Any takers? (get your own corn).

Just had a customer who had a baby in the backpack. The baby had the best evil laugh I've heard all day. Funnier coming from a baby sack.

Get outside, while the getting is good.

Later

Strange doings. I came out of Starbucks last night to see a little weasel trying to place a parking ticket on my car. It wasn't a city ticket. I guess the lot makes bucks off the bar crowd. I explaned to said weasel that I was slurping in fine company and leaving. As he was 5 '1 and I'm not. I won.

Leaving work today, I was meandering out of ECC South in a long chain of cars when this woman in her outback ran into me. She was looking for phones or something. She got out and inspected for damages, muttering how we were crawliing along and, I interjected about all the more reason to pay attention. No harm done, but it shakes you a little. I let loose with a stay off the phone until you are in front me crack. I found safe harbor at an old colleague's of mine for dinner. It was great. We were kindred spirits in the early 90s in with a book publisher. She's thinking about applying at TW and I'm encouraging it. Be fun to cause some havoc with some deeper pockets than we had in the publishing industry.

Vehicle shenanigans aside, it was a lovely weekend. I worked one of the aisles today and it was nice change to see the game and all the hoopla. Took the kids to the rents house so they could all get caught up. We chowed down on pizza and spotted the hanging munkin in the Wizard of Oz.

This morning, I caught Spot on a good morning and a Mike sent me on my way out to the Stadium on a even keel. Having planned ahead, coffee, a doughnut and the sunday paper journeyed with me. So, I had a chance to get caught up on the news and the want ads before going to face all the football fans. It was a beautiful day in Orchard Park and it felt like a bonus. I'm sure we'll pay for it next week

Found a few notable classifieds I may investigate further to boot.

Watch out ya'all, here comes Monday.......

I feel like Dante in the original Clerks. "I'm not supposed to be here today."

And there is really no reason except somebody felt like denying. It's been a week full of snubs. My manager handing some crap out to everybody except me, saying there isn't enough. Well, I'm thinking then DONT FUCKING GIVE IT OUT. Common Sense is in short supply.

Well, it was a nice idea. Even though I have the time coming, I got rejected in my plan to take the fridays of December off. I suspect largely that I just got beaten to the punch, but it can't help but give you a complex. There is a screwy complicated system for accounting for your time and it didn't have me completely resolved until the middle of October. Being poor, I've been nickel and dime-ing my time with a day here, a day there ever since and I somehow still have 40 hours of time to play with, but so far no love.........bastards.

Saw a project coordinator opening at Roswell Peep and mailed off some stuff yesterday morning. They want stuff I can do with my eyes closed so I did up a resume/cover letter combo and it will be in when inhumane resources opens up again on Monday.

Having to work today is a little surreal. The phones are almost inanimate objects.

Yesterday was a good day off. Caught up on sleep, hung out with the youngins for a little while, sponged off the suburban parents. It was an interesting drive through the fog. I skipped the expressway for a tour through Main street back into the city. It was a little better lit and easier to see. I was cruising up by Main and Parker and this one car was scaring the crap out of me. They were moving around with no lights. Both schmucks in the car were yawning and looking like they were on a sofa instead of behind the wheel. I cruised up Parker to avoid their inevitable impact with whatever stops in front of them. I got me and my left overs safely into apartment in time for a good episode of Grey's -- the awkward look between Alex and Addison?? They'll be the doctor with two backs by February sweeps.

Heard from a former colleague Wednesday night who lives in Orchard Park who offered beer and food after the Bills game on Sunday. That seems like an infinitely better way to wait out traffic coming out of work than I usually get. She offered Labatt's and food. My stock answer is usually "Yes, please."

Got the rest of the kids shopping done with a few keystrokes yesterday, so I can afford to sit and laugh at the freaks who partake of Black Friday. 5am is something nobody in their sane mind CHOOSES to see.

If I am ever at a Target at that hour, you are welcome to slap me, hard.

Make it a good one, ya'all.

So, let's see. I was headed to the Underground Garage show at the Town Ballroom Tonight but people right and left bailed so I'm alone on that now after two cancellations, so I think I'm cowarding to a movie instead. Ah well, rainchecks all around.

Twas a very bizarre week. Very late in the day, I got pressed into service at the Front Counter at the Chicago Street office. The engineering chief stuck his head in the door to say he has a emergency staff meeting to go to and the interviewee he has coming in has to cool his jets. Later the memo comes down, that the two people who were in charge when we were Adelphia and senior people in Time Warner quit, at the same time. Three rooms had staff at the point of the evening and despite being filled with a wide cross section of people, the universal reaction of "Holy Shit" seemed to be very pervasive. Something is up, but if it means I can get some better hours than the ones I'm dealing with now, I can roll with it. I did manage to accumulate enough vacation time so I don't believe I'll be working at all on any Friday between now and Christmas. Woo-hoo, four days weeks!

Stupid landlord picked this afternoon to look at the one deteriorated wall in my place. Water damage from rains, etc gave the plaster an oatmeal quality. His repairman said he wanted a look. The "Look" turned into a whole removal of all the bad plaster so my living room has some brickwork where the wall used to be.

I was driving back with the youngins from the Mayer Bros place today and walking along Transit was an actual turkey, unaccompanied, strutting his stuff in front of Basil Resale. I couldn't really stopped but daughter mentioned we have to start keeping a camera at the ready for such events.

In lieu of my concert ticket this afternoon, I bought the new Willie Nelson CD. Ryan Adams produced it. Adams and his band back Willie up and it is friggin great. It's one of those cds that just "get" you.

Gonna go check the movie listings. Any takers?

Later friends (as well as romans, etc.)

All work related -- New pricing structure is in its 3rd day and causing much confusion, befuddlement, and general bumfuzzlement. The upshot is that if you make any changes on your Time Warner Service you get strolled into the new pricing. The only reason I devote a post to this is that the price of the internet DROPS!!. You get into one of the new packages and you get the main Roadrunner service for $33.00 -- a big improvement over what it was. Typically, the people who have everything don't get much of a breather, but just about everybody else is making out. So, if you got to call customer service, let me know. You might be able to save a buck or two.

Almost monday already.

Anybody want to go to the Underground Garage show on Saturday night at the Towne Ballroom? Just thought I'd ask. The NY Dolls are playing. C'Mon, it will be fun. I'll even drive.

Nice laid back weekend. I had to spend Friday in the Amherst Time Warner Office waiting on trade and must have been running the befuddled line because each person took forever. Time Warner revamped all the pricing and it's causing a little confusion for peon like me and customer alike, but I got a kick out of one couple who after I did my thing with them, they still didn't know what they wanted. It took an hour. They apologized for being so indecisive. I couldn't resist, telling them the other customers think we're going steady. Lucky for me , they chuckled. There is a shot for me to get back into my old job that I plan to take advantage of. There are two manager openings occuring, which I won't apply for, but once filled, those manager should yield a opening for my vast constellation of qualifications.

Here's hoping.....

Had the kids all weekend and in an dazzling display of cool dadhood, drove the young ladies to catch up with friends. That permitted me and number #1 son to catch a little Star Wars in HD on a rainy saturday. I also backed some kick ass break and bake cookies. Not a one scarred, but not a one left either.

After turning the youngins back to their lovely mom, I ran some errands and wound up at the folks house in Clarence. It felt good to shoot the breeze with Dad and watch some of the Bills game and a little of the other 1:00 football games. CBS had a great one and instead of showing Cincinnati and San Diego doing all this scoring, they stuck with their four nimrods yammering away in the studio. A few helpings of Mom's pot roast and biscuits later, I guess I'm ready for the working week once more.

I did do something that could be cool. My younger sister offered space to stay at her place in March so my eldest is getting a trip to NYC for Christmas. I got the airline tickets with jet blue certificates. I just have to figure out how to cover the rest. Well, maybe a job cutting grass after school (oh wait a minute, got one of those already).

Brace yourself, peeps, Monday is about to come raining down all over us.

Be well.

The Buffalo Sabres are a big deal around their league. They are moving the most trinkets in the league at the moment. You know you made it when the new logos are getting photoshopped into stuff. Bein a Stadler and Waldorf fan, I liked this one quite a lot

I'm working in the burbs today, but I spent my lunch hour driving with the windows rolled down and the Ipod turned up. Get out before it's gone ya'all

I believe in these difficult and mean-spirited times in which we live there needs to be a message of hope. Just a single image that speaks to us of love, harmony, peace and joy. An image that suggests the universal brotherhood of man. I have found that image, and I ask that all of you take a moment to be inspired by it.