So I sent my phone off to get the firmware upgraded. It ended up costing $47 to upgrade and ship and $11.30 to send it there. Hopefully that will make it work better. My journal is going to suck without pictures. I guess I will have to go back to creating artwork instead. It is amazing how much easier it is to take photos compared to creating other forms of visual art.

Not to disrespect digital photgraphers in any way, and not that I consider myself one, but point and shoot is way less effort than create and paint/draw/render even if you think about your subject a lot and involve an hour of post production. There is just no comparison in terms of work required. I mean maybe back in the day when you couldn't see the results and you had to mix chemicals and develop the film in a dark room it was different. Now the feedback loop of click, check, delete or save to the next click makes it almost effortless.

Needless to say, I want my digital camera back!

Tires in the Niagara River

I got up at 7:30am in order to go to our tenants house to have a new electric socket put in. The girl who requested it pays $134.00 per month. The electric socket she requested cost $130.00. So we pretty much made $0 on her rent this month. Not to mention that her roomate moved out and that my father paid the roomates portion of $134.00 because he felt bad for her.

When I was there I got the mail and our water bill. I had no idea how expensive that water and sewage is. For two months we are charged $105.00. It seems like so much work for such a little amount of money.

What makes me really crazy is that I brought them all plastic for their windows because they complained it was cold. Then when I got there I realized they just hadn't closed any of the storm windows which of course made it cold. I guess not being from cold places they wouldn't know. But still i invested liek $20 in plastic and no one used it. I should just ask for it back now.

I have to remember to think about it as a long term investment. Four years from I will have paid off the $25,000 mortgage and then I can sell the house and pay off 1/2 of my student loans or a down payment on my own house.

It all just seems so far away.

I have no idea what to do about this but my Nokia 7710 is seriously giving out only 4 months after i bought it. I think I have learned my lesson about buying foreign phones that have no sort of warranty/repair shop in America. I mean I really loved this phone but I cannot have a phone that will not take pictures properly.

Check out this example. The preview of the image looks messed up with stripes. Then when it take sthe image, it clears up, but when it saves the stripes are back. Even after factory resetting my phone to the default, this occurs. It make sme absolutely crazy because obviously the thing is capable of taking a clear pic if it is clear in the save preview.

Argh, what a waste of $400.

So while we were at (e:lilho)'s party last night (e:emilyjane) came by and said our street was blocked by the police and fire trucks. Turned out that the neighbor's house, facing our den windows caught on fire. It looks like the kind of damage that results from creosote (WIKIPEDIA - Creosote).





I didn't get any pictures at (e:lilho)'s party because I forgot my phone. (e:matthew) didn't bring his camera either so you can't see pictures of any of the 5 people that showed up. Luckily, one of them was an expert on the boundaries of Buffalo and now I have a better idea concerning the limits of the city.

My cell phone camera is half broken, the preview mode doesn't work right so it is way harder to take a pic. I have no idea how considering the stupid $400 phone is so very new. Remember when I got it in August [inlink]paul,3799[/inlink]. I think it is time for a new one, definately one with a keyboard. Maybe I will hold out for the motorola q

Last night we had pomegranite mojitos for the first time since I went to sea in NY while visiting (e:hodown) [inlink]paul,2855[/inlink]. The recipe is on that journal. It is a really great drink, although it is quite expensive. We had to make it once we found the pomegranites on sale at Wegmans, my favorite local grocer.





Today, I spent the day doing research for the rememberbuffalo (e:rememberbflo) project with (e:lilho). It was a fun day full of lots of imagery from Buffalo past. I also meta really cool guy named Doug Lambert who I think will be working on the project with us.

Afterwards I stoppped at (e:jason) and (e:joshuas) house to show them a pic of their house from the 40s [inlink]rememberbflo,8[/inlink]. They looked like they were having fun.

Basra is eating gourmet food now too since we upgraded our diet. I wish I was a tortoise sometimes. [search]basra[/search]



Remember the pic that (e:matthew) took of this the other day [inlink]matthew,667[/inlink]. The leaves are all gone now. Winter is coming.


(e:lilho)'s car is broken. It shakes really bad, someone said it could be the timing belt. We took it to the shop last night with sang.

::DOWNLOAD MEDIA::

[size=m]Quitting UB[/size]
The hardest thing to do was to quit my job working for Josephine at UB where I was working on programming and design for her 3D drama, the Trial The Trail . Josephine, has been so great to me and gave me that job when I really needed it,a lthough as a side not I have still not been paid for this semester do to some drama with a missing social security card. I wish I didn't have to leave but I really need to focus my energy on the new job. I had already put so much work into the project. I hope she doesn't hate me. Seriously, she is one of my favorte people, but I just can't be going in so many directions.

[size=m]Quitting Canisius[/size]
Quitting Canisius was so uplifting. I feel great other than I will miss the few students that really worked hard and made teaching worth it. I never realized how much that place brought me down. Today I was told that poor Canisius can't replace me because they are on a hiring freeze even though my position was budgeted throughout the year. You should see how many tears I shed about that.

I puts the whole full time position in spring/fall continuous lie in such great perspective. I wonder when they planned on telling me this if I hadn't quit. I can't believe a school that charges almost $30,000 for tuition can be so cheap. It is disgusting. I made $18,000/year this year with no benefits other than the privilege of being allowed to take one undergraduate class per semester. When I started in 2001 I made $16,000/year. They spend so much money on decorations and "the look" and not enough on the education or the staff. Without a commitment to improving staff and pay, they will never get qualified people to teach digital media arts.

But the worst part is that grade inflation here is beyond ridiculous. When I was talking with another professor today he said that he was reading over a students record and his grades were all c-,c-,c- and then at the bottom was my grade, an F. He said that it was great that I gave an honest grade and that as a part time teacher I didn't have to be afraid. What does that mean? The kid did no work, barely ever showed up and the work he did do was crap. Why should he get anything other than a F. Because it makes the school look bad? Because he would have to redo it? I am seriously being honest here and not saying this out of anger, but most of the students coming out of the Canisius DMA program are not even qualified for data entry. Enough said, let a new era begin.

Aftr writing this I got this email from (e:scud), it made it all seem a lot more worth it, thanks.

I just wanted to let you know that you did not totally waste your time at Canisius. I can honestly tell you that YOU inspired me to do more than I ever imagined! I try to accomplish so much more now because of the few classes I took with you. I don't know what you did, but you turned a switch on in my brain or something. Now instead of learning what something is, I want to know what it is, how it works, and how i can create one myself.

We went to on a shopping spree at our favorite locally owned grocer. No not the coop, Wegmans. We spent, a coop amount though. I think the three of us broke our all time record with a $328.00 grocery bill. We only go once a month but this month we are trying to gain weight too. There is so much yummy freakin' food. The only thing I bought that was outrageous was a $26 2lb bag of peeled raw shrimp. It makes so many meals though and in reality it is way cheaper than eating out everyday.

I can't believ how much I spend trying to eat out. We also got lots of yummys for Barsa and all that the ingredients to make pomegrantite mojitos [inlink]paul,2855[/inlink] with fresh pomegranites.















I am writing this all out because someday when there is no food or access to it, I want to remember the excess.

v-8 veggie juice $2.69
banana juice $2.59
Mango Juice $2.89
apricot juice $2.89
Grape Juice $3.19
Lemonade $2.89
Peach Juice $2.59
Goya Pear Necktar $1.99
Organic Milk $3.59
Cider 1/2 gallon $1.99
Egg Nog $2.79
Orange Juice Pulp $2.50
Peanut Butter $1.89
Ben and Jerrys Mint/Choc $3.00
Ben and Jerry's Buter Pecan $3.00
Wegmans Rum spice icecream $2.00
Dr Oetker Pudding Chocolate $1.39
2 Dr Oetker Pudding Banana $2.78
2 Dr Oetker Pudding Butterscotch $2.78
2 Palak Paneer $4.98
1 Navratn $2.49
Pav Bhaji $2.49
Edamame $2.19
2 bags Organic Hush Puppies $5.58
Peanut Butter Ice Cream $3.99
3 Pacific Chicken Broth Boxes $9.57
Vegetable Broth oxes $3.19
Sweet Corn Soup $3.29
Eden Soy Vanlla $2.19
2 Eden Soy Orig $3.98
Organic Strawberry Cornflakes $3.69
Goya Curry Rice $1.59
Goya Black bean/Rice $1.59
Goya blackeye pea/rice $1.59
Pad thai $2.49
Pad Thai Spicy $2.59
Thai peanut $2.59
Box of 10 Cliff Lemon Bars $2.59
Dill Pickles $3.99
Vanilla Syrup for Soda $4.49
Black Pepper $3.99
2 Wessex Oatmeal $3.00
4 Cans Tuna $6.00
1 Pack Tuna $1.56
2LB peeled 16-20 count Raw Shrimp $26.98
Frozen Peas $2.49
Frozen corn $2.49
Frozen carrots $2.49
2 Frozen gluten free mac and cheese $5.18
Colby Jack $2.49
Lentil soup $2.09
2 cans refried beans $3.38
Black Bean soup $2.09
Split pea soup $2.09
Tomato Bisque $2.09
Sushi Rice $2.39
Sour Cream $1.39
2 Boxes Organic Butter(8 sticks) $10.98
20 yogurts $8.00
Pie Pumpkin for basra $1.18
Potatoes $2.79
2 Pomegranites $5.00
1 Grapefriut $1.50
Red potatoes $2.43
Bunch Carrots $1.78
Brussel Sprouts $.94
Baking Potatoes $2.77
Walnuts $2.99
2 bags cranberries $3.00
1 bunch Dandelions for basra $1.69
1 bag red onions $1.49
Cauliflower $2.99
Squash Green $1.63
2 Boxes organix cereal $5.98
Celery $0.99
Brocolli $1.33
Provolone $3.69
Baby Bellas $4.00
Whole Chicken $5.39
Pork Loin $8.99
Ground Buffalo $4.99
Loin of Lamb $7.05
Chicken Legs $3.19
Yellow Pepper $.93
Red Pepper $1.17
Ginger $1.05
Green Pepper $1.07
Garlic $.99
Tomatoes $2.00
TOmatoe Beefsteak $1.15
Grape TOmatoes $2.99
Nori $2.29
Rce sticks $1.39
Mozzarella #.43
Wheat Free elbows $3.39
Burgundy Cherry Tea
Rice Elbows $2.59
2 Avacados $5.00
1 Wheat Free Organic SPeghetti $2.59
Organix Raspberries $2.99
Sponge Candy $2.27
Tortelini $3.49
Fresh Mint $1.99
Lemon Dill Humus $2.99
Artichoke Heart/roasted tomato spread $3.36
Black Berries $2.99
Smoked Gouda $2.76
Olives $2.31
Pesto Sauce $3.15
Corn Chips $2.50
tamari Chips $2.50
Tortilla Chips $2.49
Rice Cereal $1.29
Spring Salad $2.50
Rotisserie Chicken $4.99
Escarole $1.50
Baguette $1.75
Rye Bread $2.50
Organic Eggs $4.78

(e:terry), (e:lilho) and I went out to vote at 8:30PM. I got out of work then and she graduated! Now granted that is late but it was the only chance we got to schedule it together. When we got to the Lafayette High School they told (e:lilho) she couldn't vote there because she wasn't a resident of their district. She asked them for a paper ballot and they told her it wasn't allowed and that she would have to call the hotline to find out where to vote. If she was someone without a cell phone or car, she would have been denied her right to vote. The nice lady at the Larken house said the people at Lafayette were just too lazy. I think the woman in red is a fucking bitch. I remember her having an attitude at the presidential election too.

So after (e:terry) and I voted we had to ship her off to her voting station at the Larken house. It is so much crappier inside than I expected. Apparently, it is some sort of school now. Anyhow, they let her vote as the last person in Buffalo I think, but they told her that the Lafayette people should have just given her a paper ballot which she had asked for, it was her right. That makes me totally crazy.

Poor judy, all by herself way in the right bottom corner.


The light fixture was nice. It made a great light painting.






When we dropped (e:lilho) off I told a picture of the Nails sign under her apartment to make a light painting with, but the real thing was just as cool, so here it is.

[size=m]not myspace[/size]
Okay this may read as rant like because I am really annoyed right now. I went to myspace to read their privacy policy after reading (e:alison)'s myspace excitement [inlink]alison,99[/inlink] and "Robby" some random guy's profile located in the "cool new people" section crashed my browser in the middle of this entry. It hung for about 30 minutes after which I gave me control back. But not before I had completely re-written this text. I don't know if I hate the Mac or the myspace of both.

[size=m]elmwoodstrip.org[/size]
So now how is this related? Finally, I will have the funds, what the hell should I do with the site. Part of me is pro-expansion. The side of me that wants to add more features (mobile especially) and get a lot more Buffalonians in here talking about life in Buffalo, to try and work with other groups like Artvoice and Buffalo Rising, and to generally advertise and reach out to a larger audience. The other side of me that asks at what point does it become something anonymous like friendster, and myspace. Basically a tool that is used to get a date or to shop around the sex circuit. Does it happen at 500 or 1500 or 3000?

I was speaking to (e:shawnr) the other day and he helped me realize that the reason I am uninterested in those communities is because of the fact that they are all centered around hooking up and I am already taken -twice over. He has the same issue as he is married. Like how many people do you know that are dating seriously but are really into craig's list friends, myspace or friendster. It just loses it's draw.

Not to mention that it drives me crazy that all of those type of communities are like a front end for data mining and selling that data to marketers. How does everyone forget that. I mean it isn't like I am selling people's personal data to marketers and I am not looking for a date, so there is no advantage to the creation of that type of community.

Won't it be weird when we start having MyBabies (coined by Paul Visco 11/2005), children born out of a myspace hookups. The implications of all of this online social networking is overwhelming. Maybe I am just bitter because I lost my best online friend to craig's list and myspace. I can't wait until she gets a partner and settles down.

I guess I am just afraid (e:strip) will turn into the online old pink and that was never my intention. So where was I going with this. What should I do with the site? What is (e:strip) v4? Maybe it will just stay like this forever.

[size=m]Voting for Judy[/size]
I am going to vote for Judy tonight. As always I am going to vote for who I believe in rather than against the person I want least. I remember when I was a kid that my parents would never tell me who they voted for. Somehow that confused me and lead me to become a staunch republican as a child. I had no idea what it meant. I just liked the elephant tie clip someone got me and I was mesmerized by Ronald Reagan. As an adult, I know my parents were/are not republicans.