Category: casino
04/19/06 12:25 - 53ºF - ID#35760
casino talk
Permalink: casino_talk.html
Words: 72
Location: Buffalo, NY
Category: birthdays
03/18/06 01:37 - 31ºF - ID#35759
25 years later...
Permalink: 25_years_later_.html
Words: 7
Location: Buffalo, NY
03/17/06 12:57 - 29ºF - ID#35758
srippery thai noodres
My phone broke. I didn't buy the insurance. I had it for about 2 months, maybe less. I didn't even do anything to it, it just broke. So, I sent it to the manufacturer, which was LG (with a circle 'round it), though the Spint people said it was Samsung first. I thought it was odd, what with the large LG on the front of my phone. So I paid my postage and sent it to Alabammy to get fixed.
Give or take 2 weeks later. A package arrives. Yay, phone is back. But, no, the battery is back, all by itself.
A week or so later. Yay, phone is back. And this time it really is. Alas, phone doesn't work.
Call Sprint.
Menu: 1 minute
Hold: 5 minutes
Talk: 1-3 minutes, decide I need to be transferred.
Hold: 10 minutes
Talk: 5 minutes (with "Angel" who begins by asking me why I've been transferred)
Hold: 2 minutes while Angel does something or other
Talk: Angel obviously has no idea how to get my phone to work.
Hold: 10-15 minutes (Angel tells me he's calling the Help Desk
.
.
.
Eventually about an hour or so later Angel decides that he has fixed the problem. I say thank god and thank him for his "service".
This morning the phone still didn't work. This evening, phone still didn't work. I called Sprint again and got someone who was able to fix the problem in about 5 minutes. Well, honestly, the phone still doesn't work, but she did say 2-4 hours... I'm giving her the benefit of the doubt...I'm not sure how I am going to act if I have to call again. Most likely very belligerent...maybe some mild threats... hah
St. Matty's is Sat. All should come. I mean who wants to go to the parade without a hangover already?
Permalink: srippery_thai_noodres.html
Words: 306
Location: Buffalo, NY
Category: day-to-day
01/29/06 01:55 - 43ºF - ID#35757
Paul spilled tomato juice on the rug
Today is rainy and gray. What to do? (e:matthew) wants to go to Home Depot to get new tortoise care building supplies. Which may end up being it.
We got X-Men Legends 2 the other week. We are about 2/3rds of the way through but the games keeps freezing at this one point. We've tried like 5 times to get past it and are very frustrated. The whole rest of the game worked fine, I think that there may just be too much going on for my three year old Gamecube. The disc itself looks fine-no scratches or smears. I also tried replaying various other parts and they seemed to be fine. The freeze just plays this really irritating buzzing noise until you turn it off. Any Gamecubers out there have any suggestions, or experienced anything similar? I will be so sad if I don't get to whomp Apocalypse's ass!
Permalink: Paul_spilled_tomato_juice_on_the_rug.html
Words: 245
Location: Buffalo, NY
Category: power
01/23/06 10:51 - 32ºF - ID#35756
Birthdays abounding
And, after a two week period of diminishing pain, my back is "back" to normal.
So, at the aforementioned party, I joined the discussion mentioned by (e:paul) with (e:ejtower). It was pretty fun. I forget sometimes how much fun it is to have a purely academic discussion. Makes me almost miss school...almost.
His post hits on some of the points that we talked about. He and I are agreed that true innovation and invention are best inspired by free markets. They inevitably tend to maximize effectiveness and reduce cost without any outside interference. We both think any "green" revolution must be market driven. We both think that federal/governmental intervention oftentimes stymies this same innovation. Why make the next energy/food source when the one you're banking on is guaranteed profits not through marketability but through government subsidies? He managed to convince me that he's a pretty smart guy. Who counters your argument that energy is necessary for cyborgs to work with an argument that oil is just another energy-rich oil, many of which are growing right now in a field near you?
We differed in our opinions on government. (E:jtower) wants to abolish government. That may not be quite right: he wants there to be no government (we didn't really discuss the method of disposal). According to him, government inhibits the natural rights of people, or in his words, government "justif[ies] our infringements on each other's right to life". My question is, without government, who protects your individual right to life? I suppose we are all responsible for protecting our own rights, unless we have powerful friends/relatives who decide to help us. I think one of the purposes of government is to provide a base level of survival for everyone. It makes those people who would just die, I guess, able to survive, if minimally. It gives everyone (or at least most) an opportunity to compete with those with lots of powerful (can we just say rich?) friends/relatives. Of course it doesn't always work that way. Most people have no chance of becoming powerful. But, at the same time, most people have the opportunity to survive, without having to earn it on the free market. If you believe in the right to life, shouldn't you want everyone to have this opportunity, regardless of connections to already existing power?
So we could have another discussion on the function/effectiveness of government (which I'm sure the Larson brothers would happily participate in). But I just can't see how a realistic anarchy (and I do mean in the political sense) would ever come to exist. And I worry that ideas of unfettered marketplaces play right into the hands of the entrenched power that exists in our world. Does Wal-mart really need less government oversight?
P.S.: If any opinions expressed here don't actually belong to the owners expressed above, please feel free to comment or clarify.
Permalink: Birthdays_abounding.html
Words: 517
Location: Buffalo, NY
Category: gimpin
01/13/06 09:22 - 52ºF - ID#35755
To be young again...
Today the pain was better, and now it's almost gone. I realized that this happens everytime around training time and am hesitantly attributing it to the extended period of sitting that I have to endure. Now, my job in general is sitting, but at least I can move around, take a stroll, and just stand up and stretch more. I think I will use my newly-gotten health insurance (first in over 5 years!) to go to a doctor and, even if they can't do anything-which I suspect, at least get some real pain meds (which would be the first time I was taking them for pain :) )
We Are Scientists, huh? Well I guess maybe I'll see someone there. Maybe even someone who'll talk to me. I do have a position for friend that's recently opened. Any takers?
Permalink: To_be_young_again_.html
Words: 289
Location: Buffalo, NY
Category: housewivery
12/30/05 05:26 - 28ºF - ID#35754
A whole day to myself
Today I did what seems to be my favorite thing to do. I leisurely woke up, had a nice cup of really strong coffee, and surfed the web as I slowly came to life. Next was a bit of cleaning, the dishes, followed by the creation of egg salad. I'm in the process of eating the newly-cooled goop right now...yummy.
I decided I should try out my Christmas gift from (e:paul)'s momma: a big ole crock pot. I looked for a likely recipe in the slow-cook cookbook which was also from mother maria. Then I headed down to the coop for the ingredients. I learned what herb de provincal is from a nice lady there, I think she might have been a volunteer, but alas they didn't have any. She suggested I use a combination of marjoram, thyme, and maybe a dash of tarragon, since garlic and pepper were already ingredients. Hope it works. Then I tramped all the way to the Hodge liquor store for the requisite dry white wine. Not a bad day for a walk at all.
My Chicken Stew Provencal is currently crocking away. It smells good so far.
Now I just need to convincce my sugar daddy that this is what I should do everyday! :)
Permalink: A_whole_day_to_myself.html
Words: 248
Location: Buffalo, NY
Category: books
12/16/05 02:24 - 31ºF - ID#35753
There's a wild tree in my house!
Good read. Just read what I believe is his first novel, A Wild Sheep Chase. I've read a couple others, maybe even posted about them...Wind-up Bird Chronicles was also very good. So far his protagonists are without names. Not that they don't have one in their world, just that it's not ever shared with us. How important is a name anyway? In the Wild Sheep Chase, I don't think anyone has a name: just her, me, he, etc... A world where everyone is a pronoun (it's interesting that even at this level, we still can tell who's a boy and who's a girl).
His main characters are almost always normal, even übernormal. Then somehow through seemingly coincidental events become involved in very strange happenenings indeed. Through it all the main character stumbles, generally using his ordinariness to good advantage. It's the adventure that we all want to have, the once in a lifetime complete removal from mundania (anyone ever read Piers Anthony?).
If you're still not interested then I'll give you one final thought to get excited about: whale penis.
Enjoy, gentle readers, enjoy!
Permalink: There_s_a_wild_tree_in_my_house_.html
Words: 188
Location: Buffalo, NY
Category: drunk bitches
11/19/05 01:17 - 40ºF - ID#35752
Friends don't let friends
When you pull a (e:lilho) from your couch and look back and find her face down on the flo', maybe it's not a good idea to pull her ass up and put her in the car. About three minutes later on Main St. (which, by the way, was just infested with the po-pos last night), (e:lilho) decides she needs to blow chunks. So, I pull over, but there's cops all over, so I start to pull into this parking lot. Suddenly (e:paul) screams and I look in the rear-view and see (e:lilho) slither right on out the car. (e:Paul) is like stop, stop, sarah fell out of the car. (e:Flacidness) is busting a gut so hard he can't even speak. Frieda and me are just like, wtf?!?
So, I guess you know it's a good time when someone is thrown from a moving vehicle, righ?. The best part is that we didn't let a little thing like that stop the party. No, we went right on out, left (e:lilho) to continue her conversation with her inner guts, and danced for a couple hours. Fun times.
(e:paul)'s version: [inlink]paul,3995[/inlink]
Permalink: Friends_don_t_let_friends.html
Words: 199
Location: Buffalo, NY
Category: family
11/01/05 10:36 - 46ºF - ID#35751
Pics of my lil' cousins
Elizabeth as something halfway between a drunken clown and a rastafarian. But darn cute either way.
Samantha, the cutest baby on earth, sucking joyously on her thumb. Somehow reminds me of Matt...
And the two beauties. Being beautiful and being sisters. Awwww...
Permalink: Pics_of_my_lil_cousins.html
Words: 67
Location: Buffalo, NY
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I get to see alot of casinos because of how much I travel. I don't think there is any evidence whatsoever that casinos explicitly target low income areas for any reason other than cost. Somebody please explain to me why the WOULDN'T choose an area that has available and cheap land... what are the Senecas supposed to do; build in Amherst or Clarence because a few people think that if they don't they are trying to victimize low income people? BALONEY. Naturally that implies that if they target low income areas that they are targeting low income people - now we are back in Mike Niman territory. If some of you argue that even if casinos wanted to build in more affluent areas that residents and politicians would try to stop it, then you're in an area that I think I'm in agreement with you on. Did anybody ask the residents of Perry St. what they thought about the casino?
Around our country casinos outside of AC or LV are built primarily on tribal land or along bodies of water - I see this all the time. Some are riverboats. Just like any business, casinos are built where a) a high amount of traffic takes place and b) where is most affordable. A combination of these two factors is considered, with the possible exception of tourist attraction areas just like Niagara Falls.
Lets remember that the only reason this casino is even being considered is because of the potential to draw tourists from NF - people wouldn't ever come to Buffalo explicitly to gamble. This is a very "Buffalo" thing - people are in agreement about the casino being a terrible idea yet people are still arguing about WHY its a bad idea.
With that in mind, the choice of location is most likely due to the fact that it's easier to grab a lot of land cheap near the less desirable neighborhoods. (i.e. public housing)
There's always the "added benefit" that those with less means (and less access to transportation) can still reach the casino. (That way they can pour their resources down the drain like everyone else.)
We can't legislate fiscal responsibility, so I guess it's their choice whether or not to support the "new business" in their back yard.
The city wanted a run-down, depressed neighborhood so that it would be easier to take peoples' homes and generally push people around; and where there was lots of land available.
Guess where the projects are typically put? In a depressed neighborhood...