Is about to be unleashed for the first real time this year. I'm off today and I am now going to "The Track" over in Fort Erie.

I'm going to miss the first race but usually it just costs me $6 for the daily double I usually lose. I'll just spend that on the [link=Daily Racing Form]http://www.drf.com[/link]
Last summer I spend many Monday's over there and then headed back over and just spend the rest of the day on Elmwood somewhere with my friend Deb. Unfortunately she's now in Rochester :-(

Well at least I am going to get a chance to bet Arlington and Fairplex. I missed my favorite California meet in Del Mar this summer so at least I'll get my tiny fix with the L.A. County Fair!

100th Post

So Fall has finally kicked in and I am just thinking now of what I am going to do to get away during the winter months. I just need to go away again on a trip, although I did go to NYC 2 weeks ago. I could have even had a possible Aruba trip next weekend but work screwed up those plans :-/ Hopefully if soft plans hold up I will be in Vegas very soon.

It is just that I have been thinking beyond just getting out of town for a vacation lately. NYC really reaffirmed to me something that I have known all along, "The prospects for finding a woman are much better in a bustling metro area."

My friends have told me to move to Northern Virginia and I could have my choice among the 10+ single girlfriends of his wife. It took me all of 3 HOURS in NYC to find a "Girlfriend." In Buffalo once in my life it took me almost 3 YEARS!

I love this site for the basic fact that it contains people me age that are prospering in WNY. A place usually filled with hard luck stories and lives that are driving down the highway of life in the slow lane held together by bungee cords.

For the most part I have stuck around here for some advantages that I have enjoyed in regards to a few things in my life. Compared to most people I know outside of this site and especially the people that I work with I am pretty well off. Self actualization though a career in the past was not a high priority in my life. If that was the case I would have left for a job like many people have over the past 20 years from this area. I am convinced that I can't find a "Real Job" in Buffalo if my life depended on it, but I still remained.

The factor that may make me leave town is the fact that I am now convinced that I will have a better chance of finding someone elsewhere.

There is a disconnect with the women now entering the prime marrying age and the potential men that would be their mates. They're looking for guys like me that are pretty much are in short supply. The birthrate in the mid 70's was the lowest in the last 40 years. So these women in the mid 20's looking for an older guy are looking for guys that were never born in the first place. Let alone if they want someone that: has a degree, speaks proper English, enjoys culture, has an athletic body and able to dress himself.

I look though the non-existent personals on CL Buffalo and then the CL personals in other cites and think, "Wow there so much out there, compared to here." Yea, I know the difference in population has a great effect, but still I know what I have experienced dating in this area for more than a decade.

Why am I in this kind of mood? I just saw a house on line in Buffalo that I want, but thinking it through I don't want to be stuck in this area with just me living in it. I would rather have a wonderful relationship with a woman that I can't get enough of, than a house in Buffalo alone.

I just brought the Garden State Soundtrack never saw the movie, but I love it. The only reason why I purchased it is every time I would go to the Orange Cat in Lewiston the song "Such Great Heights" by Iron and Wine covering the Postal Service just takes me to an interesting place.

Today wasn't all too bad. I had the day off. I am going to be strung out @ work for the next two weeks. The whole going to school thing plus working a screwed up schedule as I have for the past 6 weeks is going to end in about 2. They are finally going to hire 2 people and alleviate the pressure that they have been putting on everyone. The money from tips was excellent, but I am at the point where I just could care less, I want a normal life back.

Spent the early afternoon with my Dad. Dropped him off @ the dealership to get his car serviced and we ended up heading downtown. Stopped @ Chef's, which was excellent as I had the linguine with clam sauce and we split an antipasto. That place is just SOOO GOOD!

Although I am still throwing stuff in my suitcase I am just about to head off to the Airport. Hopefully (e:dragonlady7) is working so I can grab a POP or two before I fly off to Laguardia.

All I could be doing is starting off the weekend right, since a Bachelor Party is what I am heading down there for.

Yea Sloan is playing TatS

I am pretty excited about this one.

Back in '93 my buddy Brian Jenkins and I saw them @ the Continental. We were 2 of about 15 people at the show. We later concluded since it was directly competing against UB's Springfest with the Headliners being The Black Sheep.

I am think I am going to actually buy my frist T-Shirt @ the square from any band.

I just hope that they play Underwhelmed which was the song that basically summed up the relationship that I had with the girl that I lost my virginity to. She was the Salutorian and I well..Yea. Just listen to the song and read the lyrics.

Then there is "The Other Man" and "The Good in Everyone"

This should be a pretty good time.

So this morning after a night of being "up to no good" I ended up @ Spot Coffee on Elmwood about 8:30am or so. So here I am in my Jagermeister T-shirt, Casino Hat and jeans surrounded by people dressed with intent. Needless to say I looked like a guy begging for your change in a sea of professionals. Even the guy behind the counter had to ask again to the register what I ordered [earl grey tea] since he actually thought I ordered a amaretto!?!

So I just sat outside played with my phone and ease dropped on a conversation of Real Estate Developers from downstate looking to "Invest" in Downtown, Hertel and Fredonia.

This is what happened when you have too much "darktime" to playwith and you don't have to be at work until Noon.

Current song in my head: Sheryl Crow "All I want to do"

So given my current state of life I am taking a much needed excursion out of WNY. So I'm going to NYC for my college buddy's bachlor party. I booked my flight last night and am going to be there Fri, Sat and Sun. It is strange since my one friend D* that is moving away is going to be there at the same time. I also though a couiple of (e:peeps) are heading there as well. I never thought I would go down there since it has been about 10+ years, other than just being @ the airport.

It should be interesting to see how much trouble I can get myself into with a local connection.

So I am in my current lathargic state of being due to a couple of reasons, I am posting somepics of some better times I have had this week:

Messing Around on the Hybrid Metro Bus


















My Blue Ribbon





Those Fried Dough Nuggets!!! UUMMM GOOD!!!!





So you don't have to spend $1 to see "THE WORLD"S SMALLEST HORSE" Yea I'm a "mark" as the carnies call suckers like me...

Well at least when it comes to "America's Fair" or whatever they call the event down in Hamburg. I just need to take in my Americana. I just need to have fun today. Lately I have just been so numb and it is scaring me a bit.

Take for instance work last night. It was weird in the sense that we had an abundance of really NICE people in the room last night. I mean really positive, polite and nice people. To be honest I really didn't know how to take it. Actually it totally threw me off my usual drone frame of mind when I am in that place in the evening. Usually it is the guys that put in more hours in the room that I do, the usual "Rounders." Just last night it was really nice women, a really cool college kid wearing an anime shirt, and a short stocky happy most likely a RE salesman wearing a Keller Williams Hat. Strange indeed, since I really had no clue on how to take people being warm to me at work.

I'm just pumped to go to the Fairgrounds! Being the horse player when I hear the Eric County Agricultural Society advertise their slot machine/harness track where this event is located in Hamburg all I can think in my head is the racetrack in New Orleans of the same name.

All I know is I just have to snap out of this lull that I find myself in. Having a great time today @ the Fair will be an easy feat. The featured events we are going to hit are the Jousting and the Wine Tasting expo. There is always the rides if I am feeling up to it. Even those shady freak shows get a buck out of me once in a while. I just feel that I need to support a part of Americana that originated in Conie Island type of thing. Then if I have any money leftover when the midway closes we will stick around and try our luck at the Slots/OTB side of things.

I'm talking to this girl that I know at work and she asks, "Do you want to meet up at the Lewiston Art Fest today." I'm thinking sure you are a cool girl from Youngstown, I feel like an older cousin to you being 19 and all, and I won't be able to make it tomorrow since I have to work at 11.

So I meet her there. It basically turns out that we are playing some kind of "Game" as people do around here. Now she's basically a year or two out of high school and just got out of a 4 year relationship with some guy. So basically I walk around this art fest while she constantly runs into people that she knows. The highlight is the Aunt and Cousins of her Ex boyfriend of 4 years. I should have known by the glares I got when I passed these people. Then there was the random other person that she knew, YAH!

What did Mike get in return? A 19 year old escorting his 30 year old self. Yea, she's a drama queen but it was fun to show off to a couple of women I went to High School with that I ran into myself. So yea it was a bit of a ego trip, I admit it.

I just wanted to have a good reason to check out the "local" artists that really are a bit subpar to the real one's that frequent Allentown. There were a few of the guys that are in the big leagues that were there but for the most part it was just a good way to get locals on a stage and pack the local establishments.

Mind you I never really intended to go along with this "Game." It is scary for me to think that after all these years removed from High School that I could get sucked into being a participant.

There must be something in the Water down here in Lew-Port!!!

Yikes!!!