Posts from August 2007

Part two of my ten part association with the Bills took place Friday night. I like Football okay, but the games at this time of the year are pretty awful. It's the overall spectacle that moves me to get involved, that and the extra cash. It's fun to get the "I'm with the band" feeling of get waved into the parking lot and being "Backstage" as all the preparations are going on. Good for your soul to invest in something larger than you even if it is just a football game. I got a new perch for this one (Between sections 125 and 126) so I could actually see the game as opposed to the closed doors of the suites and it was kind of cool. The suiteowners sent drinks out anyway and a few quick quips made me a man of the people.

It was a "kid's day" game which managed to expose some parents as fucking morons. When my guys were little, I'd worry about too much distance between me and them at a big event. Yet, twice I found little kids out in the isle ( like 3 and 4 years old little), with their parents oblivious to the fact their child just bounced on a concrete step because the "game" was on. Udder jerkoffs.

Bills screwed up by having fireworks in the parking lot which sent a good number of people scrambling for the exit. Could have been ugly if there was a bigger crowd by that time.

NIce lazy day with the kids yesterday and this morning. Repaired to the Elmwood fest till just a little bit ago. Them JAzzbeards were awesome and should release a live cd like yesterday. I didn't see any fellow peeps but I did get a chance to see a few folk and unlike Allentown, see some interesting pieces of artwork.

Nice day

I'm liking that fact that live cds/albums are getting a little demythologized. It used to be that you'd see some dude at the Super Flea on Walden peddling live recordings at stupidly high prices. With downloading and whatnot, some bands are letting loose with concert tapes and making some good things readily available. That's pretty cool as I'm getting a little too old to be collecting concert t-shirts. Dave Matthews and U2 both have sanctioned sites where you can grab most shows for your IPOD which has made my IPOD happy. There are a couple of live recording site that peak my curiousity now and again, but what had got me going are a couple of official band sites.

For example, spur of the moment I drove out to Darien Lake for the Ratdog/Allman Brothers show, mostly to see the guitarists in the current version of the Allmans go at it. Warren Haynes and Butch Trucks can play just about anything, from acoustic to blues to rock to jam. Both guys are great and if you are a fan of such stuff (as I am), it's a treat to watch. It was a great show and thanks to the Allman Bros official site, it's on my IPOD as of a few minutes ago.

Sometimes it's the little things than can change the temper of your outlook.

"Going to the concert, baby don't you wanna go?"

Got to order this...

Some observations whilst stumbling through another meandering workweek.

My younger sister is getting married in October and that's fine. She made a big pronouncement about an unconventional service, which has rapidly descended into a run of the mill ceremony. That in and of itself is no big deal, but it's easy to pay the price of her decision making consequences. She's involved in NYC theater so the family tends to get treated as an audience member a lot. The ceremony is in Fishkill, NY on this resort/country club. She is having a dinner the night before with an esoteric menu. I made the suggestion that maybe she might want to ditch the pork entree and do a chicken thing instead. I was thinking of my own kids who have never eaten red meat and ain't about to dig into eggplant parm. She wanted the pork thing for our older brother, who is autistic and developmentally disabled. He also travels pretty well though so we've tried to tell her that she doesn't need to deal with caterers on that level since it will only mean a greater expense.

The hell do I know...

Got rejected from a job I interviewed for a weeks back. In the grand scheme, I really didn't want the gig. It had the salient virtue of being back downtown and 8 to 5 and such, but the actual task wasn't all that appealing. What made the whole exercise remarkable was the rejection came via email. That for me was a first. I used to have a mosaic that I made of all the letterhead that intially told me to fuck off post college.

Onward and upward...

Went to see Superbad on Monday and laughed my fool head off. I should be beyond that stuff, but sadly it still tickles me.

Whined to my boss at the Bills games for a change of assignment so I can see more of the game and its goings on. Guess you're never too old to successfully pout.

Banked a couple hundred dollars in commissions for July and it's going to pretty much disolve into school supplies for the youngins.

Got passed over by a woman who was turned off by the fact I had kids. What the fuck? That is a guy thing to do. I don't understand what the world anymore. No second date there. Her loss.

The chocolate dipped strawberry blizzard at Dairy Queen can cure what ails you. Trust me.

Finagled a trip to NYC proper in mid september. My elder sister's firm is getting taken over by Upper Deck (the card company). The previous owner is divesting the rest of his season tickets to the Yankees and hooked my sibling with Yankee Red Sox seats. The game takes on an event like nature and I'm scraping together the funds to go. You don't even need to be a baseball fan to savor all that goes into Yankee Red Sox meeting in the Bronx. We also get to bitch and moan about the wedding nonsense at the same time, so it's one of those rare win, win situations.

My current hours are messing with me. Just came home tired last night and had milk and 3 brownies for dinner. Probably shouldn't do that very often, but they were damn good brownies.

Tired about people whining to me that they didn't get their cable bill. It's the cable company for fucksake, you really think it would miss a chance to collect?

I "love" my job.

I resumed my moonlighting with the Buffalo Bills on Friday night. While it was fun, it was a reminder that summer is almost done for all intensive purposes. Ran into a few acquaintances and enjoyed both a little hilarity and a little boredom as preseason football is less exciting than watching paint dry. It's fun to be involved as you get to watch the full time Bills folk freak about having things ready for incoming fans. You'd think they be little more accustomed to the rigamarole.

Nice way to make some extra cash. Anyhoo, from my perch in section 125, you could feel the crazy wind that made shivering a realistic possibility. But it was a nice end to a day away from the Time Warner nonesense. Slept in, carbed up at Betty's, did my bit at the game and was drinking on my deck by 11:30. Only thing missing was company.

Rested in Saturday and strolled over to take number one son to Tae Kwon Do and would up with the whole lot chomping on Chicken, Cheddar and Broccoli pizza watching Forrest Gump for the umpteenth time.

Got a little more industrious today and got up and actually did laundry before catching up with the ex and kids for dinner. A good weekend, I think it was an omen when the kids and I spent an hour watching Family Guy reruns on Thursday.

Back to being a cable apologist tomorrow, but the Zoo is looking for someone with my talents so I'm working on a package as to why I should be the guy.

Bring on the week.

Wrapped my only significant vacation on Sunday with a bang. Number One Son and I took off for Woodlawn Beach and I was very surprised in a good way. Bennett Beach is beautiful and the county is wrecking it so along with the lack of the pool, I was remembering @terry 's journal about swimming. My boy went to a day camp earlier this summer that spent a day at Woodlawn and he was pining to go back. Got to tell you, it was awesome to get out and wave hop the afternoon away.

I'll post photos soon. But you pay seven bucks to park and for use of the park. The beach was spacious so it never felt crowded on either water or sand. There are reasonably clean locker & changing rooms. It felt great. When I got something out of my truck today and a little remaining sand came out, you couldn't help but laugh a little.

Would head back this weekend if it wasn't threatening to be September weatherwise.

In other news, I'm going to moonlight for the Buffalo Bills again this season and it was nice to get a raise to do it and a special little pack of parking passes. Did my morale good and made me wish the fulltime employer would take note.

Other morale booster, was doing some cable related business with a very attractive woman bout my age and when we shook hands, my colleagues swear she was checking my ring finger. Methinks they are yanking my chain, but hell I'll take being checked out if that is the case. Put a spring in my step for the rest of the shift. Omen of things to come I hope.

Here's the view from my beach chair


Perhaps (e:strip) should collectively jump in the lake before the end of the season.

Last one in blogs for Buffalo Rising

How sad is Music is Art going to be at the fair?

Why did MIA feel the need to try and cozy up to the Elmwood Festival when they would have been fine to put on their own thing?

If Ch 2 has two dollar day at the Fair Wednesday night and Ch 4 has four dollar day Thursday, Can I skip Ch 29 day?

Why do some drivers do 30 mph when going from the 198 onto the Niagara Section of the thruway where the sprint is even faster?

Why did my Mom feel the need to tell me my car sounded different when I pulled up when I didn't notice a thing?

How come the Buffalo Airport takes a decidely more serious and thorough approach to security than JFK?

Why is it going to rain on the only day we had set aside this week for the beach?

Am I not meant to swim this summer?

Is that God's way of saying "Keep your shirt on, fat boy?"

Should I be flattered when my son says the bald spot looks smaller?

Why do people get so excited over Chef's or LaNova's when there is also DiTondo's and Bocce's?

Can I count one for me when my younger sister told me that she is cribbing copy for her wedding announcement from the one I wrote back in 90?

Is Antoinette's Ice Cream sundaes the true cure for ails ya?

When did the prizes at Dave and Buster's turn to such crap?

Why did it take three trips at the IHOP this morning to get the correct check for breakfast?

Jus Wonderin

Was out galavanting with my faithful traveling companion yesterday. I wasn't clear where you entered Woodlawn beach & the State Park so we went to find out. It's funny what you can pick up along the way. Coming down on the other side of the skyway, we got a great view of the massive wind turbines that are at water's edge in Lackawanna. I know they've been there for awhile, but this was the first time they caught my eye. Would have taken a picture, but I was without any place to pull over.

Something kinda eerie about them. These propellers are huge and I never noticed them in all my trips last year coming back from work at the Bills games. It's nice to get a new look at the surroundings now and again.

CHico and Chica's pictures remind me it's been too long for a good gorge hike. Fun to watch the "terrified" jetboat riders.

The pending storm yesterday did a funny thing. On the way back home, we swung by the marina for overpriced cold beverages and the blackness of the clouds created an unusual effect for a steamy August day, a near deserted Marina.









We had a good time anyway.

Off to the Fair tonight --- Preview night.

Number one Son and I repaired to the Transit Drive in the other night and it is such a throwback. The minivan crowd is forced to tie their hoods down not to obstruct vision. The staff hands you a flyer with where on your radio to pick up the movie sound. We got to see a double feature for $11.00. I brought our drinks at the Co-op, but I did snag a bucket of popcorn at the show for 4? Can you imagine the Regal only charging 4 for a bucket? Me, neither. Two lounge chairs and a boombox. That is the way to see Underdog (which wasn't bad actually).
Other blockbusters were on the other screens.

Something different, but worth the bargain price.

Gonna see the Underdog/Ratatouille selection. Not my choice, but number one son is with me for the week and he got to pick. His sibilings and their mom are en route to the Michigan Women's Festival, so we have some guy time this week. So, culture isn't quite to hibrow this week

I read the current Harry Potter book this week. It was a really good book. The thing is huge, but written in a way that you can lose yourself in the narrative. Only secret that I'll spill is that Col. Mustard did it in the conservatory with the lead pipe.

Got the week off and already life feels a little brighter. My direct supervisor changed and who she "Is" varies from day to day. It's a little surreal watching somebody else deal with being overwhelmed. The downside is the answer to a question can change depending on when you ask it. I do pretty well on commissions and was expecting a nice pile to come with the check that is arriving this week, but somebody (her) forgot something and now we have to wait another two weeks to see the $ for July. Argh.

Stole out of work early to see Lucinda Williams at Artpark and it was well worth it. Aside from having a 'thing" for her, it dawned on me that both Artpark and the Canal Concerts have better lineups then the Square does this year. Although, I do plan on showing up for Dropkick Murphys when they get here in September -- certain freedoms to staghood I guess.

It's nice out, we're going golfin'

Later peeps