So I was thinking of participating in the Re-TreeWNY program.

You have to join as a group and I was wondering if anyone else would be interested in creating an (e:strip) group to plant some trees.

It is a bit of a time commitment, but it there's quite a while until the actual planting to get your schedules organized.

We have to register by August 8. Then the dates are:

October 11 & 18 - Training dates - Locations to be announced
November 7 - Pick-up of trees by organizations
November 8 & 9 - Planting of Trees

So in reality it's only 2 maybe 3 days that you would actually have to show up. The first is a mandatory training session in October to show us how to properly plant the trees, so they can live and flourish and so forth. Then the actual day or two of planting, I guess depending on how ambitious we are. It's your chance to actually have a little bit of choice in the planning and beautification of our city. Each group is assigned a specific parcel, and we actually get to choose which types of trees go where on our parcel, pretty neat, eh?

So comment if you're interested so I can get a feel for how many are interested and hopefully we can do this.

anyone lose a cat? Or know anyone who has?



Or if not, anyone want a cat? It's been hanging around our house and we can't keep it. Very snuggly. No front claws, but still has balls.

I have a new nephew!

My brother has successfully increased the Mickelson gene pool. This makes three boys.

Meet Finnegan



What a cutie!!



Proud Papa



Momma Paris, and brother CJ



Finn with his bros, CJ and Aiden

Can't wait for August when I get to meet him.

I don't think I've ever been so busy as these last couple weeks. I feel like I'm constantly scurrying around doing some essential task. Let's take this weekend as an example:

Thursday: 10:30AM: go to class at, 12:30PM: go to work at 12:30, 9:00PM: get home, not too bad I guess, then...

Friday: ~5:00AM: take (e:paul) to the hospital, 9:00AM: get home from hospital, 10:00AM: type up my chemistry lab report while trying not to think of my possibly dying boyfriend, 12:30PM: go to my final lab where we tested monosaccharide composition (oh yes, fun fun fun), 3:00PM: finally go to get new glasses (to replace the pair that I threw away at Boston Market, and the old broken pair I've been wearing for 3 weeks now that are held together with the oh-so-fashionable double-sided tape), 5:00PM: take chemistry test, 6:30PM: get to hospital, just in time to miss (e:paul) being wheeled into surgery, 9:00PM: doctor tells us (e:) paul will live and to come back in an hour to see him (we go to get a "quick" bite at Campieri's on Main St. figuring pizza is quick..., 10:30PM: finally manage to finagle our way back into the closed-for-visitors hospital, and see loopy post-operative (e:paul), ~12:00AM: sleep...finally.

Saturday: I'm tired of the whole time thing here...(e:Matthew) and I went to the store to get paint, then to visit (e:paul), then we started painting the trim in the living room, then we picked up (e:paul), then we continued painting. After that we did some work in the garden, which is starting to revive in this beautiful weather. We did eventually manage to have a slight breather that evening: we went to Jim's Steakout!

Sunday: more painting! Spent about the 1st four hours of the day finishing up the living room, which now sports spotless white trim and a muddy-green wall color that is quite soothing. Then went to our favorite nursery to pick up some mulch and soil, and played around in the front garden.

So, anyways, whoooo! It's been hectic around here. Luckily school's over in a couple weeks and work should be slowing down too. And the house tour will be over after next week... Hopefully another week or two of frenzy and then some time to chillax.

i atyping this from a video game console...typing is not the party right wordperfect ....yeah so

i am done

I love new languages. This new one I'm learning barely uses any letters, just funny little doodles:



It appears that (e:) mike and I are in the same boat (e:mike,41914). Alas, it is a boat that is starting to sink into the bottomless depths. I was also hoping to attend Pharmacy school next year (this was kinda a mutually-inspired adventure of ours) and have found out that my credits are too old. They have atrophied and are now little skimpy waifs not capable of handling the demanding pharmacy load, or so they tell us. They don't seem to care about other circumstances...the fact that I was a math minor and took Calculus 1 2 3 plus about 5 other higher math courses has no effect on my not having taken Calculus 1 in the last 5 years. The fact that I will have taken Chem 2 3 and 4, does not negate my lack of a current Chem 1.

Unfortunately, I really like these classes. I am a science dork. It was funny on the phone as (e:mike) and I vented. I realized that he knows he will like the work (having worked in a pharmacy for ages now) but hates the school (especially the science classes), and I am not so sure I would love working in a pharmacy, but really like the classes (especially the science classes). Maybe I should use the setback to think about other science-related fields. I could be a scientist, gasp! At my age (and I know all you old farts out there chuckle to hear a 28 year old say that, but I am almost 10 years older than all these undergrads I'm taking classes with), I am also concerned about jobs. I'm pretty set on the B-lo. I have a mortgage to pay, and my student loans are only gonna get bigger. I need to make some cashola. So perhaps a bio-chem or somesuch degree would be good to get, but I also don't want to become a chemist and end up in a toothpaste factory.

Decisions decisions...

It's no fun being a grown up, I tell ya. Painting a house is all fun and games for those 21 year olds, but for us old timers it can be a near-death experience. I thought my back was pulled out yesterday as I attempted to lift a 15+ ft scaffold, but the momentary twinge seemed to pass. Then this morning I awoke to a strange pulled-ness in my left leg, feels like a hernia maybe (I've never had one before so I can only imagine). So now my back is quite tender and I'm half limping. Then today my hand kept cramping about once every ten minutes holding the damn brush, and I'm very afraid of how my shoulder is going to feel when I wake tomorrow, since I spent about an hour reaching way out to one side or the other trying to reach the places the scaffold can't be rolled to.

On the upside, the house is stargint to look very nice. Almost finished the back, just a couple more of the sticking-out thingies on the top and the spaces between them, and then one final section where a giant hole prevents the scaffold from approaching. Now that I'm gainfully unemployed once again, that task belongs to me I suppose...

...just might be had at the party on Saturday.



Or, at least you might get to see something like that, just make sure to peep in all the right windows.

Everyone's invited! Bring yer friends too!

(e:Mike) and (e:Terry) 's B-day Bash

Sat. 09/01/07
8:00 - ?:??
24 Linwood Ave.

BYOB and/or snackalicious item

...and still half a ceiling to go...ugh

Our new tenant is moving in shortly and expressed a desire for a not dirty-red wall. (e:Matthew) and I spent the day making the red go away. We went through about 3 gallons of whitish paint. This is the first time we've ever made a dark color lighter, as we generally prefer pretty saturated colors, and I now appreciate what all this priming nonsense is all about. Dark colors don't like to go away.

We ran out of the first 2-gallon tub with splotches galore and a dark line at top and bottom. We opened up another gallon, which naturally didn't quite match, though both clearly said WHITE. We figure that doesn't matter since this is just primer anyways, right? Then we started the ceiling...then we finished with starting the ceiling. Yeah, you know what, that ceiling looks just fine the way it is. Except now it is kinda a different WHITE in some sections. I'm sure the new guy won't mind...

So anywho, anyone know of any relaxing things goin on tonight? Or just wanna hang out and chill a bit? My place or yours, or any other place for that matter. I do happen to have a nice big empty WHITE room...

Sorry my phone is a piece of crap. I love you. Sorry I am such a wretched son who doesn't call his mother nearly as much as he ought to. I hope the dance show and cutie Neal have taught you the value of Buffalo, and how much fun it would be to visit me. I am excited for your upcoming event, drive-thru or otherwise. I miss you all so much and wish I could manage to get over there more. I am sorry (for you) that my sister seems just as smart(ass?) as I am. Tell her I love her, please. My B-day is coming up so I will probably talk to you again within 2 weeks, which just might be a first. And lastly, Maui has nohin' on da B-lo!

(except beautiful white beaches... crystal clear waters... hot bare-chested servers with coconut-shelled parasol-topped frozen delights...)

well at least invite me?!