I feel bad that it was (e:terry)'s birthday today because for me it was the worst day in a long time and I just couldn't pretend to be happy. The "fucking retarded" and I an using "fucking retarded" in a very light manner guy that we had look over the house neglected to mention the rotting furnace pipes laced with asbestos. It makes me wonder what else he missed.





Unfortunately, against my better judgement I decided to go with having a contractor inspect the house instead of an inspector. He must have done a shotty job to not have noticed the pipes. The fact that the few near the door are rusting on the inside means this is going to be a proble. I believe the former owner put wet shoes on the furnace in winter which caused the rust on these two registers. That in turn exposes the asbestos in the furnace pipes. Yuck, thankfully there are very few asbestos lined pipe sin the basement and we can remove them.



Does anyone know anyone that deals with asbestos removal. According to the city I can wet, seal and junk the pipes in the regular garbage if the garbage man decided to pick it up or I can drive it to the dump.

Asbestos abatement in Buffalo can only be done by an asbestos contractor licensed as such with the city.

There is one exception to this regulation: in the case of a homeowner-occupied single-family dwelling, asbestos may be removed by the homeowner. If the homeowner's removal and haul-out costs are below $750.00, there is no permit necessary; otherwise a permit is taken out by the homeowner. It is recommended that the owner water-soak asbestos prior to removal, and double-bag it in contractors' garbage bags. Disposal can pose a problem. The City is not required to pick up asbestos refuse; it is usually at the discretion of the garbage crew. However, once bagged it may be brought to the City's waste site at 264 Hopkins Avenue - enter from Tifft Street - and, bring along a recent city tax bill as proof of residency.

I am even more dissapointed with Indoor Air Professionals I thought they did a good job until I decided to put a web cam down the furnace today during my investigation of what was going on and they were filled with debris and cat hair and two of the registers were not cleaned.



On another note, aren't bugs supposed to hate citronells. What is up with these freak ones. they are on it like crack addicts on crack.

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At the elmwood art festival they through rice all over near the stage. Doesn't that kill all the birds?







Does anyone know if this is a gas shut off for a gas stove or a gas connector. It is behind my tenants stove and I need to get a new stove. Sears wanted to know if I had a gas shutoff behind the stove but I had no idea.



The mushroom-goronzola burger is so tasty at Roswell.


English Standard measurement is really idiotic. We should just give it up.


The sugar glider babies come out now. We have one new boy and one new girl.


This song just came on the radio and confirms my beliefs that the 90s are on the verge of being back in style.

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We cleaned the hosue up so much for the party. It actually looked liek people lived in it for once. (e:southernyankee) surprised us by flying up from DC for the birthday party with her friend lisa.



Throughout the evening so many people showed up. It definately got craziest after midnight and ended around 6am. I didn't take any pictures besides the one above. I cannot wait to see your pics (e:metalpeter)

(e:carolinian), I hope you made it home okay.

There were ~35 people at our house: me, matt, terry, carey, tk, metalpeter, lee, walt, oda(the friend formelly known as emily), carolinian, mike, mrmike, lisa, southernyankee, enknot, chirs scuito , andy, josh, matthew, neil, blond guy, willy, carrie chillberg, tina, her bf, chris, chris, their new sidekick, lilho, nick, tina wang, bf, kookcity

(e:kookcity), I am totally gonna hit you up on that offer to help paint.

(e:imk2)'s ex tried to convince me to built a sex dungeon in the attack. Now I have to say, when we did our house purchasing facilitation with a creative professional last year (e:paul,3559) , one of our prerequisities that got listed during the free association, no feedback component was a the requirement of a sex dungeon in the basement, lol. Here is the post it
on my face after the facilitiation. However, he meant to open a sex club in the attic - not my thing. Basement and attic are so different.

I guess we had really too short of notice and didn't do a good job contacting some people as we just got back from vacation and were moving and I had to deal with my thesis all of last week. Most notably absent was (e:ladycroft) , (e:jenks) , (e:imk2) , (e:vincent) , (e:zobar) , (e:dragonlady) , (e:jason) , (e:joshua) , (e:springfaire) , (e:e):trisha and (e:dimartiste). Their was a definate lack of friends from school too. Everyone is either moved away now ((e:shawnr) and (e:robin)), or I am out of communication with them ((e:liz) , (e:churchofjulie) , (e:soyeon) , etc). I tried to email them but it was a very last minute effort. Maybe, in a way it was reflective of my graduation from UB. (e:holly) was at another party and all of (e:mike)'s friends didn't make it because they were at (e:jill)'s sister's wedding before and (e:libertad) had some previous engagement.

I am writing this recipe for pear ja here because we have about 500 full size pears in our backyard and I know I need to do something with them. I wonder if it will work. You can see them in this old entry (e:paul,4611)



The pears are of the Bartlett Variety

This recipe is quoted from

Pear Jelly

8 cups peeled, cored, chopped pears
1 cup water
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 package (1.75 oz) powdered fruit pectin
6 cups white sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp almond extract
1/2 cup brown sugar

Sterilize jars and lids. Simmer covered pears, water and lemon juice for 20 minutes. Stir in pectin and bring to a rolling boil. Slowly stir in the white sugar, a little at a time, and keep boiling for 1 minute until sugar dissolves, stirring constantly. Add brown sugar, cinnamon and amond extract, stirring until dissolved. With slotted spoon, remove pieces of pears and set aside for another use (I suggest pie filling). Pour rest of jelly into clean jars leaving 1/2 inch of space at the top. Wipe the rims and top with lids. Screw the lids on as tightly as you can. Process jars in boiling water for 10 minutes. Let cool overnight. If the lids pop when you press the middle down, boil the jelly for a few minutes and try again. Once the lid no longer pops when you press it, your jelly is set and is good for at least a year, perhaps more.

Note about boiling water processing: I use a large stew pot and let the water heat to boiling while making the jelly. Make sure the water covers the tops of your jars and they should be fine.

It is amazing what you can see with a web cam. I wish we only had a magnet now.

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I had a busy day of configuring someone elses server. At least it will help pay for my new fancy ass front loading washing machine. Too bad when they delivered it today, it was broken so they had to take it back. Then I go online to the sears store to get a picture of it for my journal and see it is a full $100 cheaper than when I bought it at the store and everyone gave it bad reviews. I hate appliances now already. I think I am going to just get some sort of wash service and screw the stupid laundry machine. Does anyone else get their laundry done at a place?

There were so many geese at the CFA yesterday.

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The started to get angry with me by the end

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These are the offical Acknowledgments
I would like to thank Lisa Wist (e:twisted) for encouraging me to make my ideas a reality and for helping squash the bugs that got in the way. I would also like to thank the members of elmwoodstrip.org for contributing millions of their words, tens of thousands of hours of their time and thousands of their personal media files to the digital quilt that is elmwoodstrip.org. Moreover, I would like to thank Terry Mickelson and Matthew Sliwinski and all of my family for putting up with my unavailability during this entire thesis process.

The thesis
Man it takes forever to load It could have been better I guess but I spent all my time on the project as you all know.

These instructions are so conflicting with their Important! and [Optional]



Handing it in - Last trip to the CFA?

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PQIL® Dissertations Publishing

Submitting the thesis involves this whole process of giving it to some outside company that then supplies it to UB. I find it weird that I am giving this third party exclusive rights to my work.

PQIL Release

Your manuscript will be submitted to PQIL® Dissertations Publishing for inclusion in the publications Dissertation Abstracts International or Masters Abstracts International.

Through my graduate school, I agree to supply you, ProQuest Information and Learning Company (PQIL), with my dissertation and abstract of 350 words or less or Masters thesis and abstract of 150 words or less in digital format. Further, I agree to supply the accompanying information in digital format: personal and degree data, title and subject data and, separately in paper, written permission to use previously copyrighted materials within the body of the work including images, video, graphics, text, data and images of individuals and licenses for third party software which will be replicated, distributed and used with the document.

I hereby grant to PQIL the non-exclusive right to reproduce and distribute my dissertation or thesis, in whole or in part, in and from microfilm along with the non-exclusive right to reproduce and distribute my abstract in whole or in part, in any format whether in existence now or developed in the future. Further, I hereby grant to PQIL the non-exclusive right to reproduce my dissertation, in whole or in part, in and from any electronic format. Other publication rights may be granted as I choose.

I represent and warrant to PQIL that the dissertation or thesis and the abstract are my original work, do not infringe or violate the rights of others, and that I make these grants as the sole owner of the rights to my dissertation or thesis and abstract. I further represent and warrant that I have obtained all necessary rights to permit PQIL to reproduce and distribute any non-public third party software necessary to access, display, run or print my dissertation or thesis. I acknowledge that PQIL may elect not to distribute my dissertation or thesis in digital format if, in its reasonable judgment, it believes all such rights have not been secured.

Subject to the preceding paragraphs, PQIL agrees to offer copies of my dissertation or thesis for sale, and to publish an abstract of my dissertation or thesis in Dissertation Abstracts International or Masters Abstracts International, as appropriate. In accordance with the Copyright Act of 1976, PQIL will deposit one copy of my dissertation or thesis with the Library of Congress. This deposit will be in digital, microform, or other format as required by the Library of Congress and will be available for inspection. PQIL also agrees to pay a royalty of 10% on all sales of my dissertation or thesis. Royalty payments must exceed $10 in a calendar year to be paid. In order to be eligible for royalties in any calendar year, I agree that it is my obligation to notify PQIL of any change of address.

I really don't have time to write about all the steps that it involved but after jumping through like 65 hoops today including having to reset my UB card ID strip to print, I now have a thesis in front of me and am going to hand it in. This morning I sucessfully defended it, which I have to say was way less scary than I thought it would be. I wish I have more time to deciate to the process and write a book about estrip but I will leave that for the sociologists of the future and return to programming and graphic design where I belong.

Hopefully, soon now I can go back to adding new featjres each week after a quick rewrite of the entire system!

I am now off to go buy a stove, a washer and a dish washer with my mother. She is going to be so exited to get so much big shopping done as will be the woman she made the appointment with.

I just had the most ridiculous day of appointments I have ever had. It started with a doctor's appoitment with Dr. Sinha of Buffalo Medical group. He was just about the worst doctor I ever had. Second worst. I had to see him so he could become my primary care physician and write referrals to the allergist so the insurance company would pay Apparently, my word that I am extremely allergic to cats isn't good enough for them but it is if I tell Dr. Sinha first and then he tells them, it is.

I was such in such stark contrast to my appointment last week with Dr. Reisman (e:paul,4613) who was so great.

I got my first physical since 2000 and he is supposed to be my primary care physician. First of all I didn't undress. Weird right. He didn't look at my skin till I asked him to look at a mole I wanted checked out. He gives me a referal to a dermotologist.

No testes check. I mean I am almost thirty and you always read about how testicular cancer is a killer in men my age. I even coughed as a gesture but I didn't want to ask him because I felt weird as I already asked him to check my moles and the bumpo in my arm.

Regular self-examination is an important health habit. But it can't substitute for a doctor's examination. Your doctor should check your testicles whenever you have a physical exam.

Quoted from CNN health

Then the funniest part was the foot check. He said can I look at your feet. I said sure and he pushed my sock down to my ankle. Mind you my shoes were still on. Then he says, 'looks good.' I am not kidding you.

At least he gave me the referrals I asked for now the insurance company will be satisfied but I really don't understand it all. This experience was in such sharp contrast to my experience with Dr. Reismann and Dr. Visco earlier this month. Both of them seemed so thorough in their questioning and care.

The only thing this guy has going for him is his promity to my house and work. He sent me in for routine bloodwork and then he will see me in six months. Maybe bloodwork is so good nowadays they don't have to really check yoou over anymore.

Over the river and through the woods
So then I g to UB to deal with graduation crap. At first secretary A gives me the . 'it's impossible' routine. The one professor is in Cuba till after the deadline and another left the school for another university. They don't have asystem to deal ith these kind of situations. Then secretary B, comes in and smooths stuff out. Unfortunately, this will have to involve secretary C who is way across campus.

So I go see C who says straight out I need a new committee. This gets excalated to a supervisor who actually uses the words 'fucking retard's to describe other people along the chain of command. Basically, it was insane but it looks like if just through 15 more hoops thougout the week, then I can graduate and that a faxed signature can work.

Supevisor also told me UB was just rated 15th worst for professor accessibilty in the country and used the example of a student who was trying to drop after the drop deadline. Turns out the student was dropping because the professor never attended the class ever and she felt it was unethical to receive a grade even though he was promising the students an A.

What a day so far.

We spent two days at Vermont's Townshend State Park between places.

The moss was crazy at Townshend Park in Vermont


They also had lots of posion Ivy that I avoided carefully and sucessfully.




We got to camp right at the edge of the stream




The tree above our tent was so tall, it is hard to imagine with the picture.


Here are some video impressions of what is what like.

See the brook babble.

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Hear the fire crackle

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relax to the creek

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