A Day off......ain't it grand.

Was watching part of the today show while waiting for the coffee maker to finishing and pretty sure one of the signs being held up featured "HO" rather prominently. You don't suppose we've had our first nationally broadcast peeps? Couldn't see the faces of the sign holders but it did make me wonder.....briefly.

In the here's what I know department, if you want digital phone from TW, it's gonna be $39.95. It's using the cable connection, not the internet to run. If you have tv and net already, you can save some bucks. I just got mine connected (employee perk) and it isn't too shabby.

Made a black belt feel bad. Number one Son was sparring during his Tae Kwon Do class last saturday. His opponent thought he was on UFC and knocked my guy's helmet strap loose and before the instructors would/could do anything, his helmet went flying. As I'm running out to check on him, I'm thinking about all the money that his mom and I are sinking into braces. He was okay, just the dignity got bruised. Anyhoo, I spoke to the school owner and requested that if the equipment that we had to buy from him can't protect our kids, he needs to take some responsibility for that and make sure his instructors are on point. Also, that my guy needs a confidence boost and not have to face a little twerp with Chuck LIddell fantasies.

Got this in the email

With iTunes Plus, you can get our highest-quality audio with no restrictions for personal use. iTunes Plus songs are available at $1.29 per song, music videos are still $1.99, and albums are generally available at the same price as DRM-protected versions of the albums.

And best of all, you can upgrade all the eligible music you've previously purchased from iTunes to iTunes Plus for just $.30 per song, $.60 per music video, and 30% of an album price. New additions to iTunes Plus music are added to iTunes all the time, so check back often to find new music available for upgrading.

This sounds fine, but I'm not sure my IPODS will know the difference. The Itunes files are pretty dense mp3s. The new ones sound like that it is something for the burn em all to cd set.

Shenanigans, either way.

Back to the laundry

The Allentown Art Festival was the same old crap, just without a soundtrack. With Music is Art bullied to Hamburg, you could almost hear crickets on Franklin on Sunday morning. The quote that continues to stick with me is the tool from the Allentown Society saying "there is no place for music at a Fine Arts fair." That being a misnomer the size of Rhode Island conveniently obscures the fact that the fine art was few and far between, too. You had to go to Nietzche's block to see the more original stuff. It's the people watching that caught my amusement.

You'd think people would be over my marital nonsense by now. My ex and I had a thing for our eldest daughter at the house yesterday. One of the recent arrivals in the family made a decided turn to avoid greeting me at all. WTF? I didn't stray, she did. It's been over 3 years and the divorce is almost a year old. Get over yerself, or at least fuckin be civil or don't show up.

Took my darling daughter driving in my go mobile yesterday. She is a little overwhelmed at the thought of standard transmission, but happily we're still talking so I considered that a good lesson. She did perform however unintentionally, one of the more impressive tire burn outs in the history of Forest Lawn. "Why all the smoke?" she cried. Calmly, I pointed out that she still had the break on.

Took the whole lot to Becker Farms on Sat. Not sure who had a better time, me or them. Lots of animals to see, running around to be had, and fresh strawberries and one kick ass blueberry pie came home as souvenirs.

Among the many places I'd never thought I'd be, I've spent about 45 minutes listening to the ex lament the break up of her current relationship -- strange thing trying to be helpful about the dissolution that caused your own dissolution.

Was working in the Time Warner store on Maple Rd today when the computers and the internet went down. Couldn't help but joke to a long line at that. "Savor the irony, folks, our internet went down and we can't get tech support."

Seemed to diffuse a potentially angry mob.

The Philharmonic rejected me via email, bastards. I guess I'm overqualified. A colleague said "Do you really want to be an Associate? Bet that pays well." Wise soul, that one.

Cool the Sopranos enchewed a big finale. People came into work and thought it was our fault.

A change in email resulted in a free medium popcorn to the Market Arcade. May be just enough of an excuse to go see Ocean's 13. Anybody game?

Saturday ride home included a diversion to Isleview Park. Sitting along the water with a well made dreamcicle milkshake renewed my faith in civility.

My digital phone gets installed Friday, the joys of beta testing. Now, I can listen to it not ring on saturday nights.

Not a big reality tv guy, but something about Hell's Kitchen gets to me. I get a kick out of seeing Gordon Ramsay browbeat people into making a better gravy. It's like watching "Stripes" take place in culinary school.

Get to actually go to my own office tomorrow, been awhile.

Hot enough for ya?

Mama! Tell the scary man to take off those fuckin' sunglasses!

The chatter about the google bot made curious. I searched me on estrip and it yielded the following (I so need a life).


Did you mean: estrip mr mike


Mrmike's journals on (e:strip) - Buffalo, NY's Original Neighborhood ...The bulk of (e:strip) seems to have some familarity. It didn't take me long to resume my almost twenty year old death stare for "don't fuck with me" walking. ...
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Mrmike's journals on (e:strip) - Buffalo, NY's Original Neighborhood ...permalink: . comment CLICK HERE TO ADD A COMMENT! ... The bulk of (e:strip) seems to have some familarity. ...
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ESTRIP GRATIS @ SessoConRagazza.COMMrmike's journals on (e:strip) - Buffalo, NY's Original Neighborhood. estrip .org is Buffalo, New York's original neighborhood blogging and social networking ...
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Never dawned on me that one of those bots might be Google trolling for Traffic

Insanely great time at Chateau Ladycroft's on Saturday night. It was terrific to see everybody. Didn't seem complete without Jenks, Imk, or the ever fictional Larson Bros (I think they stopped coming to estrip parties right around the time I started). Anyhow, nice to get back into the swing of things as reasons domestic have kept me away since New Year's. Much fun indeed.

The Pride fesitivities were a hoot. Pride Day turns Merlin's into a entirely different kind of bar, which makes me smile. Being straight not narrow, I always partake. Ever since my ex came out, I've done the supportive thing and helped her get down to Kleinhans so she can lead the COLAGE (Children of Lesbian and Gay Parents) group entry. Dropping her and number one son off, one of the Christian Fundamentalist (the guy who was showing his allegiance to god by literally listing what he consider lewd sex acts) informed me that I was headed to hell for assisting the heathen. I told him, I'd save him a seat.

Parade is always a blast too. Spotted (e:zobar) and (e:dragonlady) skating down Elmwood. Number one Son did a terrific job tossings rings to the masses from the Colage Truck and as an added treat, he got to meet the fine men of the 24. He was happy to meet you guys, but was preoccupied with visions of snow cone hood.

Headed to the grocery store last night only to star in the "Life Aquatic of MrMike" on the way back to the car. Felt good.

Best Sopranos in ages was on last night. Still can't believe Silvio got hit. You don't shoot Little Steven, just don't.

I've read in a number of journals about getting old or I'm so old at 23 or whatever the case maybe. Old, my friends, is when your eldest child turns 16 as mine did this morning. The previously mentioned trip to NYC was the bulk of the birthday present, but my darling daughter is 16 officially today. The obligatory trip to the DMV is set for the end of next week. I was thinking about this when I stumbled across the photo below, 1991 when we were just at the beginning of something big (and my beard was mostly one color).

Happy Birthday, Siobhan from your basket case of a Dad

out of me.

There is a danger in ringtones my friends. Among my current ring tones is Bob Dylan's "Rainy Day Women 12 & 35." You know the song ...."Everybody Must Get Stoned..." That's me, got to be a little different. However, being a user of all EStrip has to offer, the post-its send a text to my cell phone and fire off a ringer to let me know I got mail.

No big deal, but last night round midnight, I shut the lights off and reclined in the silence. Outside was still, quiet inside as well. You could feel nice sleep getting ready to wrap you gently and then "EVERYBODY MUST GET STONED!" Nearly fell out of bed, groping for the phone, expecting to see a relative calling, turned out it was Guest telling me to "Be at the Party or ELSE!"

Fridays are tough with the kids and whatnot, but I'm workin on it. Saturday, however, I'm in, guest

I had my crappy lil camera with me last weekend in NYC and promptly forgot all about it. No great loss, since we all know what it looks like there. The bulk of (e:strip) seems to have some familarity. It didn't take me long to resume my almost twenty year old death stare for "don't fuck with me" walking. The following images were all we bothered with. The inside shots were attempts at the Natural History Museum. The whale is camera shy. The rest were some rooftop shots taken of Manhattan from where we were in Brooklyn, plus one nice one of my child saying bye to her new playground

This is a little old, but after the past day or two at work, it made me laugh....enjoy

The Value of a Good Drink

"Sometimes when I reflect back on all the wine I drink
I feel shame. Then I look into the glass and think
about the workers in the vineyards and all of their hopes
and dreams .. If I didn't drink this wine, they might be out
of work and their dreams would be shattered.
Then I say to myself, "It is better that I drink this wine and let their
dreams come true than be selfish and worry about my liver."
~ Jack Handy
WARNING: The consumption of alcohol may leave you wondering what the hell
happened to your bra and panties
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I feel sorry for people who don't drink. When they
wake up in the morning, that's as good as they're
going to feel all day. "
~Frank Sinatra
WARNING: The consumption of alcohol may create the illusion that you are tougher, smarter, faster and better looking than most people.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"When I read about the evils of drinking, I gave up reading."
~ Henny Youngman
WARNING: The consumption of alcohol may lead you to think people are laughing WITH you.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"24 hours in a day, 24 beers in a case. Coincidence? I think not."
~ Stephen Wright
WARNING: The consumption of alcohol may cause you to think you can sing .
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"When we drink, we get drunk. When we get drunk,
we fall asleep. When we fall asleep, we commit no sin.
When we commit no sin, we go to heaven. So, let's all
get drunk and go to heaven!"
~ Brian O'Rourke
WARNING: The consumption of alcohol may cause pregnancy.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy."
~ Benjamin Franklin
WARNING: The consumption of alcohol is a major factor in dancing like a retard.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Without question, the greatest invention in the
history of mankind is beer. Oh, I grant you that the
wheel was also a fine invention, but the wheel does
not go nearly as well with pizza."
~ Dave Barry
WARNING: The consumption of alcohol may cause you to tell your friends over and over again that you love them.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To some it's a six-pack, to me it's a Support Group. Salvation in a can!
~Dave Howell
WARNING: The consumption of alcohol may make you think you can logically converse with members of the opposite sex without spitting.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
And saving the best for last, as explained by Cliff Clavin, of Cheers.
One afternoon at Cheers, Cliff Clavin was explaining the Buffalo Theory to his buddy Norm.
Here's how it went:
"Well ya see, Norm, it's like this... A herd of buffalo can only move as fast as the slowest buffalo. And when the herd is hunted, it is the slowest and weakest ones at the back that are killed first This natural selection is good for the herd as a whole, because the general speed and health of the whole group keeps improving by the regular killing of the weakest members. In much the same way, the human brain can only operate as fast as the slowest brain cells. Excessive intake of alcohol, as we know, kills brain cells. But naturally, it attacks the slowest and weakest brain cells first. In this way, regular consumption of beer eliminates the weaker brain cells, making the brain a faster and more efficient machine. That's why you always feel smarter after a few beers."
WARNING: The consumption of alcohol may make you think you are whispering when you are not

Travel is good. Nothing a long weekend doing all the fun stuff in Manhattan and Brooklyn to guarantee a little renewal. Getting to see it again was a lot of fun. My daughter and I Jet Blue'ed it into Kennedy on Thursday night and met up with family at Sal's Pizzeria in Brooklyn for a snack.

Friday, I got to renew a long familar acquaintance with the stink that is Canal St & Chinatown. I can only imagine the fumes on a hot day. We meandered up there into SoHo, stopping at all the groovy places along the way (and there were many). Lunch at Two Boots Pizza was pretty awesome and we worked our way uptown. After cruising through midtown, we worked our way into Chelsea for a dinner with my older sister at Chelsea Restaurante. My sister is a minor celeb there as she's lived in the neighborhood for quite awhile and I think is also a pretty big tipper. You eat wonderfully there.

Saturday was more of the same. After being unabashed consumers on Friday, we tempered that a little with a trip to the Natural History Museum. Had to see the whale. The trip up town was marred by the whiniest cab driver I've ever had in NYC. All the street festivals going on had him crying the blues. Despite his pissing and moaning, it was kind of cool to sneak in behind Grand Central on our way uptown. I tried taking pictures of the "Whale" but I don't think they came out okay.

I've gotten kind of blase about celebrity sightings over the years, but my darling daughter was clearly taken sharing a row with Oprah, running into Richard Belzer on 43rd st, and having Teddy Geiger say excuse me to her as he went by at JFK yesterday.

The picture I wish I would have gotten was the gonga line of planes out the window yesterday. The tower had everybody doing a series of u turns to get to the big runway. At one point, you could see a series of 15 planes of all sizes jockeying for space, sort of fun and intimidating to see in the twilight. Guess I'm a dork that way.

A fine time, just what the doctor ordered.............