Being a native and having a few miles on me, I wish I could get excited about the 30th birthday of the Blizzard of 77. It was impressive. I made $80.00 moving snow, which was pretty great in 70's dollars. We got eight days off from school, which was really cool until 7th grade lasted until almost the 4th of July. It was indeed eight feet of snow that never seemed to stop moving for very long. The news footage told no lies. I remember being barely able to get out the back door to start moving snow. I also remember having the first multiroom snow duplex that I could remember. A friend of mine and I built a slide to get to the first floor from the second.

Without trying to sound crumudgeonly, it made the October storm like nothing. My dad's fourth trip out to snowblow our driveway after the winds died down had my mom wanted me to go out and help "your father." I was watching tv at the time and knowing my dad's tendencies looked at my mom and said "I am."

She still isn't clear if I was being factual or mouthing off. Maybe a little of both.

In other news, Number One son partook in the "Kick for Life" at Buff State on Saturday. He goes to the Tae Kwon Do studio who sponsored and I am the proud owner for 8 former boards that he turned into 16. The 9th proved tough as he was running out of ideas as to how to smash them. An overhead blow sealed his day of destructive fund raising. And dear peeps, I can tell you I nailed one. His teacher said "let's see if your Dad can nail one." Popped it in two with one shot my friends. Beware the old peeps, friends, we might surprise ya!

Played some ice hockey for the first time in a looooong time last night and did okay, however, it's almost 23 hours later and my knees still aren't speaking to me.

Dad-in-law made it through his surgery okay and should be stepping on how later this week. Pathology checked in this afternoon with all the right news so here's to good vibes. I took my younger two to go see grandpa on saturday and they were both a little afraid as we walked into the main doorway at Roswell, but one scabble tourney later had a blast with the old man in the strange surroundings, did him some good too I'm sure.

Blowing off work for the Sabres game tomorrow night. Sneaking out an hour early for some fun will be pretty cool. Hopefully, I'll have some news soon on what I'l be sneaking out of.

Stay warm, peeps.

I am growing weary of panicky weatherforecasters. At sometime every winter, we go through a stretch of weather like we've got now. Yet, the local weather dweebs broadcast like the apocalypse is coming. It's Buffalo and January - never a great combo. Just chill, ya nut jobs.

My dad-in-law underwent surgery at Roswell Peep yesterday and all signs are good. They better be after all the harvesting that went on. He's still pretty loopy so I didn't linger today. The robotic surgery was a phenomenon that I had an interesting time getting a hold of. Joystick medicine but it seemed to work out okay.

I've already put in resume with Labatt USA - That they are coming does have many upsides including the fact that the local city government didn't whore themselves out to have it happen. Hell, I'm qualified having been quite familar with the product over the years.

Phew, laundry night, just huffed and puffed back up three flights of stairs. A Pot Pie in the oven. Is there anything that says comfort food like a well done pot pie?

It seems like most of my colleagues are in varying states of ill. I haven't gotten any of the bugs yet, but haven't been right on top of it either. Bush put me to sleep without really working at it. As a result, I'm getting hooked on Cold-Eez. Hopefully that will stiff arm anything else.

Got to get stuff done in time to watch and write about Grey's

And how was your week?

Nothing official, but it was strongly hinted to me that me and my old posting in cable land are about to be reunited. Hafta wake up that section of my brain again. whoo-hoo!

So, Hillary's in. Obama's in, Richardson's in, Edwards is in and a really obscure Republican. If the respective fields can have debate for the future instead of arguing the past, that would be a positive thing. This is going to be really long process where Hillary will have to hear about 1993 Health reform failures, Edwards and Obama will have to hear about their lack of experience for being President. Who the hell has that exactly? Joe Biden from Massachusetts has been in the Senate for over 20 years and he's no more experienced at being President than Obama.

I like Obama. He finds his own opinions and keeps them. He is going to be the frontrunner in 2012. The country is a very polarized place and he ain't gonna snag it the first time out. In the words of my favorite recent president (Bartlet), "You surround yourself with smart people." He adopts that he'd be fine. I like him because he is actually saying something. I'm not sure I agree with it all, but it's good to see that there is some substance once the media gets done with the first African American candidate novelty. Hillary has the star power, but she too is pretty polarizing. It's gonna be a long haul. Pace yourself, candidates.

Elsewhere, Number 1 son and I repaired to Cold Stone on saturday night for some desert and saw four fools wearing the bluetooth earpieces. Nobody looks suave with those things. I understand handsfree while you're driving, but good gawd, it's both pretentious and lazy to need to get the cell phone call so urgently with the scratch of the ear. And that ain't worth looking like Lt. Uhura, and not in the good way, if you know what I mean. I'd feel obligated to answer after making such an investing in falsely urgent yet dorklike techology.

I like to pair a few of these folks off so they at least look like they are enjoying human interaction.

I'm pretty sure the poor ventilation in my office is going to be the death of me. You feel good going in, feel light headed there and good on the way out. My desk is in a "room" partitioned off from another and the circulation literally blows. As a result, I'm looking for excuses to walk around, with a purpose, you know, the confident wave and a clipboard sort of strut.

It's almost the end of January and I finally took the box of xmas decor back to the basement. No sense rushing.

The kids had a good hoot at my expense. My Dad was quite the taker of Kodak Slides when we were growing up. He was showing a few, from mid 70's occasions. If he gets the slide of me at my six grade graduation completed, I'll post it. Considering it's from 76, you will buy a used car from me.

Fuck, I'm getting older. (e:Paul) 's birthday reminded me of my own in 2 weeks when I celebrate turning 30 for the 13th time, a fact compounded by the email I got about my upcoming high school reunion. Will the people who treated me like shit be worth being around that many years later? I doubt it.

The deal with Sinclair broadcasting is done. Time Warner and Sinclair got their respective shit together so Homer, Jack Bauer, et al. are all staying put. This was a nationwide thing. Los Angeles was sweating losing their ABC affiliate. The whole thing was that Sinclair didn't like the existing arrangement. That being we put Fox and My TV commercials on the cable channels like we do for 2,4, and 7. Their argument being that since more people watch 24 than watch Trading Spaces, the cable company should pay a fee since a fee gets paid to TLC for Trading Spaces. This whole scenario was playing out in all the former Adelphia areas, but it's done now. And the clerk at Spot who saw my Time Warner dog tags yesterday can now shut his pie-hole.

Elsewhere, I was running some errands before work yesterday and saw the moving trucks in front of the Albright Knox yesterday. Couldn't tell if they were moving out or in, but the whole thing is troublesome. What the gallery is giving up ain't coming back. Is what is coming that valuable that a priceless collection needs forever compromised? I don't think so. You could make the argument that if the operating budget couldn't permit the purchases, maybe they shouldn't be buying. Guess that makes too much sense.

Hope all the snowbirds are happy. Side effect of the late starting snow is that all the plow guys are too. I took my car for an oil change yesterday at the Valvoline place on Delaware and nearly didn't make it. The entrance has a pretty steep incline and I had to slalom my way up to make the garage door without falling back to Delaware.

Domestic responsibilities made it impossible to get to the party, but Happy Birthday anyhoo (e:Paul) . Hope a grand time was had.

I've yet to meet (e:joshua) in person but I trust his beer judgement implicitly. Got some Tetley's from TOPS and it rocks.

Bastards! sniff
And then my phone rang....warm fuzzy

In news that matters to well.....me, I can't get to the latest PMT fest which is a bit of a downer. I seem to be in an every other party mode which I suppose is better than nothing. The monk's life is not for me. I have found that if you leave your apartment periodically, you might (gasp) meet other humans and interact with them. Boggles the mind it does.

I am sorry I'll miss it. The NYE party was like a irish wedding: beautiful women, flame retardant frocks, bumfuzzled men (wait that was just me) and drinks a flowing.

I'm remember turning 30, the early 90s were a different time and my hair was a different color.

Happy Birthday, Paul. My fellow aquarian. I'll be celebrating my 13th anniversary of turning 30 in a couple of weeks. Have a great day, good sir.

Tim Robbins picks out the wrong record. Make me chuckle and wish I was better with audio software.

Third straight Sunday, I made it back to church. Couldn't tell you if anything happened. Work is so preoccupying little vignettes started playing out in my head about what is to come in the next week or so in cable land. There is the distinct possibility that I'll get a chance to interview for my former post (If life was fair, it should just be given to me, but we all know about life). I'd like to do those things again, but it would be with a juandiced eye toward some of the collaborators. I thought there were tight friendships there, but that was only partially the case. Two women I worked with are fine. The rest of the staff there subscribe to the "If you are in the room, you get to play, if not, we don't know you" school.

The whole experience has left me professionally frustrated and socially retarded. There's no shortage of people willing to lecture you at work, but a dearth of people intrested in just helping out. This all came to me this morning. I'm standing the church hall, not mixing with anybody because I'm full for the work folly and it remains a hot topic.

Frustrating thing being is that I thought I was home. Good job and good reviews for doing the job. Now, I look to how I'm getting used and abused and thinking thank fuck for the decent health insurance. Guess I'm resenting how what should be what you do for eight hours a day is seeping beyond that eight hours when it doesn't deserve too.

There, got that off my chest.

Fun going bargain hunting at Borders yesterday. Took the youngins and we sought out new literature. Martin Amis for me, Traveling Pants for darling moody middle child, and Batman for Number one Son. The promise of expanding intellectuallism seemed worthy of a reward at Krispy Kreme. I stopped at coffee, can't abide their bake goods these days. Kids took up my slack. Good kids.

No doubt you have noticed the unimaginative, repetitive use of
four-letter words in modern insults. In an effort to stimulate cells in the Wit Area of the brain, I am sending some examples from previous eras, when substantive human beings used the English language to skewer, gut and vanquish the objects of
their various venomous vexations.

In other words, for when a hearty "fuck off" just doesn't seem right, I present...

"A modest little person, with much to be modest about."
-- Winston Churchill

"I have never killed a man, but I have read many obituaries with
great pleasure."
-- Clarence Darrow

"Thank you for sending me a copy of your book; I'll waste no time
reading it."
-- Moses Hadas

"I've had a perfectly wonderful evening. But this wasn't it."
-- Groucho Marx

"I didn't attend the funeral, but I sent a nice letter saying I
approved of it."
-- Mark Twain

"I am enclosing two tickets to the first night of my new play, bring
a friend...if you have one."
-- George Bernard Shaw to Winston Churchill

"Cannot possibly attend first night, will attend second...if there
is one."
-- Winston Churchill, in response

"I feel so miserable without you, it's almost like having you here."
-- Stephen Bishop

"He is a self-made man and worships his creator."
-- John Bright

"I've just learned about his illness. Let's hope it's nothing
trivial."
-- Irvin S. Cobb

"He had delusions of adequacy."
-- Walter Kerr

"He inherited some good instincts from his Quaker forebears, but by diligent hard work, he overcame them."
-- James Reston (about Richard Nixon)

"In order to avoid being called a flirt, she always yielded easily."
-- Charles, Count Talleyrand

"He loves nature in spite of what it did to him."
-- Forrest Tucker

"His mother should have thrown him away and kept the stork."
-- Mae West

"Some cause happiness wherever the y go; others, whenever they go."
-- Oscar Wilde

"He has Van Gogh's ear for music."
-- Billy Wilder

Lady Astor: If you were my husband I'd give you a poisoned drink.
Winston: If I were your husband I'd drink it!
Lady Astor: We should have a child. Imagine a child with my looks
and your brains.
Winston: My fear my good lady is the child would have my looks and your brains!