would a guy do a 180 in his Prius trying to get into the Zoo Today. It was an impressive move worthy of the chase scene in The French Connection, but I'm not quite sure taking the chillens to the Zoo for Breakfast with Santa should be preceeded by tossing their cookies.

I wasn't real happy about having to go in today to oversee this event. I was amazed people actually came. Lesser cities would have said fuck it, but not us. People will take their fool lives in their hands for the sake of a paid for pancake.

Cracks me up. I was in Wegmans last night about 10:00 and the cashier wanted to know if I was stocking up because of the storm. I replied I was stocking up because I was out of food. Place looked like a nervous, storm panicked mob hit it.

Thankfully the Zoo brunchers chowed and ran and I was home on my couch to watch the Bills game by 1:30. I was less fascinated with the outcome somewhat as it was interesting to watch them play in a near Blizzard at times. They lost so it means the little dweeb who bosses the game day staff around can shut the hell up next week.

Driving home was a treat. My lil red gomobile was getting it's bumper ridden by some schmuck in a Jeep. He nearly took out the light post and Elmwood and Forest since he was in such a rush. I must have drove him nuts driving all crazy like.

He nearly hit the first chucklhead I saw, peeling onto Elmwood at a fast enough clip he nearly when into the Mobil station ass-first. Wasn't the oddest site I saw though. Having to be at the Zoo early, I came north on Nottingham to avoid the S curve, all you could see on the money houses were plow marks where the affluent had already summoned their "Mr. Plows"

Oh, to have that kind of cash. I've always wanted to get plowed on Nottingham, but that's a story for another day.

Stay warm, peeps

Me, neither till yesterday when the python decided the live segment we were working on bored her.



Pretty sure I just saw a Tiger catching snow flakes too. There are some seriously cool aspects to this work

Ooh, Baby it was cold outside at the Bills game yesterday. I was good and multilayered but it felt good to get back to the sanctity of the lil red gomobile. The game was nicely uneventful for me. One of the suites was nice enough to keep the hot beverages flowing fairly regularly. I shared the cookies with the Sheriff's. Best make friends in the right places you know. The drive home was a little worrisome as the stadium is in the top of the famed snowbelt so the possibility of snow, rain and ice made the 219 an interesting sojourn back into the city.

I had an enticing invite for Saturday night, but wimped out as I had to be at the stadium sunday morning by 9 or so. That meant actually getting up at a semi responsible hour. Next time for sure, peeps

I did partake of the Celtic Sessions at Nietzche's late Saturday afternoon. I highly recommend it. A quiet two pints and an hour and half mental vacation was a nice mental soother that I guess I needed.
The fact that the old duffer behind the bar knows how to properly pour a pint was nice too. He drew a shamrock in the foam of the second one. It ain't showing off if you can do it. I guess.

My on-going list of grief with the Buffalo News took on a new twist. There is talk of moving the final bills home to primetime and they started it. I don't want to work another primetime. The game is set for the 23rd. I have to work the 24th, but many folks don't which should maximize the level of assholishness. That combined with the fact that they are playing the Giants, close enough for some fans to make the trek up here does not fill me full of Christmas cheer.

My dad-in-law (his title since my divorce) got the pathology report you don't want to get so at some point the ex and I get to have a way too grown up conversation with the kids.

Being a grown up can suck

Things I do for extra cash...

How was your weekend?

Well, been a week for the books. Patience and self-esteem have been working overtime. I've been getting reminded about various "Feifdoms" at work. It became clear that applies to everyone except me. Had to play angry old man a little to remind who's in charge of the message.

Reminded darling middle child to do as her mother asked the first time and she responded with a curt "Mind your own business." She then complained to her mother that I had no right to interfere since I didn't live there. I walked into the other room to avoid throwing her through the kitchen window. My ex to her eternal credit reminded the lil' tyrant that he's your father and is supposed to be in your business.

Just that potential reminder that I am somehow less of a parent because I don't reside with them on a full time basis managed to discolor the rest of the evening as I took her sister for shoes. Sux to be punished for doing nothing wrong.

Speaking of which, the payless shoe store on Delaware smells like feet, like a perpetual open bag for corn chips. I don't know if it is all the faux leather in the place.

Ate mashed potatoes for dinner last night. Is that bad? If it is, I don't want to be good.

Got told by another woman she'd like to be friends, which is cool, but that there is someone special in a long distance relationship she is carrying a torch for. You're telling me this now? Why?This after we gone to a few things together for the sake of having somebody to go with sans overatures, ya know?. I'm just confused. That's what I get for trying in my own age bracket. Just too down to earth for my own good.

My Mom is getting largely successfully treated for vascular arteritis, soundling and looking more like her self. She's a little worried that her one eye has been a little slow to come back, thinking that it might be the start of the something else. Can only wait and see....

My dad-in-law get pathology news later today. Time to get some of ailing up and off the mat.

Just in case I need to fall on it.

Have a good Friday, peeps

for the people who have their Christmas cards out already. I'm lucky if I mail any with any more frequency than one out of every three years.

for people who think the family newsletter is a riveting concept.

for people who think the family dog merits a column of her own. I am related to some deeply messed up people.

for the security guy who wouldn't let me into my kids school yesterday to get my son's backpack after the chimney fell down last week. In and out in three minutes, would it really have killed him.

for the woman who after watching us clean up after a "Breakfast with Santa" event yesterday load up on leftovers because "they are only going to feed this to the help." Not quite sure who she was going to feed with a plate of 20 sausage patties, but the site of the removal did stun me into silence behind my coffee mug. Beyotch wouldn't get her raggedy children out of there for another half hour after that. The Chef was asking me: "You want I should turn the lights off on em." Good thing I only have to cultivate customers. If I had to like them, this might go another way

for the schmuck board member who decided that we need to meet on the same night of the estrip holiday dinner. It's at Stillwater's, but still. I used to live in the apartment building that is their atrium so I'm curious. So my chair will be empty that night. Duty calls.

for the cheap bastards who show up at the Unitarian Church on Music Sunday to get their fill of classical tunage. It could be a really great setting, but it has gotten too big for its shoes. An orchestra joins the church's own fine choir. A potentially great morning of music is regularly tarnished by people who should know better crowding church members out. My daughters reported stuff getting sat on. A friend lost their seat to somebody who just shoved their stuff out of the way. A little respect, folks. c'mon. I know Kleinhans is pricey, but behave yourselves.

for the gaggle of mornons and knuckleheads who wrote the Zoo's website (Hey, I'm a webmaster now!) during our recent drama wishing my fate be the same of the polar bears at the Zoo they haven't visited since 1979. I've actually had no trouble at all with the surrounding silliness, but some of the hate mail and blogging on the News's website has taken mean spirited.

for the peee-tah spokes wench who started all the foolishness. Made my life interesting. I have absolutely no problem with somebody registering a complaint based on something they've seen with their own eyes. This all started from a Freedom of Information act report, not from a visit.

for anybody who takes Buffalo talk radio seriously.

for the polyester-clad press box usher at the hockey game saturday night. I had a pass you saw it, so piss off.

I don't have a box of hammers handy to smack the above so the rant will have to suffice.

Happy Monday, ya'all

Hope you all had nice holiday weekends. I spent this fun filled Monday helping manage damage control at work, which peaked with two hours sitting in the Channel 7 live truck making sure their reporter wouldn't give the p.r. person excessive grief.

Actually had a date Saturday, thought it went well, but apparently there won't be a second one. She wants to concentrate on another relationship. Um, yeah, then why did you call me? Can he be all that if you're looking elsewhere? Worse yet, did I not measure up to him? Sort of sucks anyway you slice it. Not sure where I blew it, but another blow to my battered but still determined self-esteem. Got to hop back on the horse......ah, perhaps that ain't the metaphor, but you get the idea.

So, got dumped on out of work, got rained on at work, nearly got trampled on by a Buffalo press collective. It was indeed a Monday. Thought the reporters and the zookeepers were going to recreate the Jets and Sharks, but that was part of the fun.

It all was a reminder of that the weekend was over and it was back to work. I had a nice weekend. Spent the holiday at the former in-laws. My contribution to the feast was to make up a batch of Kier -- 2 parts Chardonnay and 1 part Creme de Cassis. It's tasty, but if you don't watch it your chin can be on the floor in a hurry, as my brother in law found out. My daughter, ex-wife and I decorated his drunken self with christmas lights.

I spent Friday half doing work, half cyber shopping. Nearly broke, but I got a lot of gifting done. Went out saturday and came home thinking thoughts of possibility only to have them dashed via facebook. Facebook? what the hell?

I know I'm no matinee idol, but sheeeet

Off to assemble the tree...

I believe our globetrotter (e:Ladycroft) initially fired this around last year. It was sent to me a little bit ago and made me chuckle.

Pre-game scenes that is. It is a little interesting being in a football stadium as it starts to come to life, kinda like being a roadie before the concert starts.

When the prime-time circus starts, the minions double and we were all bundled against a shitty evening both weather and football wise. I didn't get to many game shots as when the people come in I had to shift into industrial baby sitting mode, but here's a brief look at the ghost town awakening.

They had just turned the lights on as NBC's minions finished working away

John Madden's second truck




My vantage point during the game itself. Right after this was taken, came the announcement that the gates are now open. The hounds were released

Unspoiled by sloppy bodies and their many empty beers cups

WNY sports remote trucks in the distance trying to look important


I'm still tired from it. Personally ejected 4 folks who were chemically serene....or not.

So done at the end of the year.

I was dreading the whole idea of the Buffalo Bills reappearing on national tv from the moment I got the letter saying from the team saying I had to work (ain't doing it next year). For the unitiated, the Patriots are frighteningly good, and the Bills, not so much. I knew the weather was going to suck (it did)(fucking cold out) and people would have that much more time to get loaded on bad beer. Bad enough that the Bills will charge you $6.50 for a bud light, scarier still how many people keep going back and coming back double-fisted.

But, pro that I am, I pressed on. I'll have some pictures of the behind the scenes prep stuff later, because that part fascinates me. The prep for all the cameras and the triple layer of remote trucks from what is usually there was impressive. I don't know why all the yahoo were congregating around John Madden's touring bus. It's not like he was going to invite you on.

Side note: I'm trying for Springsteen tickets as I write this and HSBC Arena wants $27.00 in "Convenience fees." They obviously have a different mind set about convenience than I.

Anyway, back to the game. It was over by the end of the first quarter. After settling a few disputes, threatening a blow hole over his insults about the Tim Horton promotion moving over to the next section, I was so ready to go home. If you watching at home, you're so watching Brothers & Sisters by this point. Me? I'm busy fuming because the alleged increased security sending Bill and Ted who were watching the game and straightening up only when their boss or mine came by.

Got a 200 level ticket from Bruce, a little less convenient, but what the hey.

Anyway, you know about the score. The stands turn into "Lord of the Flies" and I'm left wondering why the hell I signed up for it. The extra cash comes in handy, but holy shit. I'm trying to look like I'm working at the moment, but failing miserably.

When everybody leaves, we have to survey the carnage and it's a wonder the crowd didn't look taller given the amount of shit they threw under their chairs.

One of the women I work with just came in with a fresh dutch apple pie. Gotta go.....