So I'm slaving away at work tonight and while I am enjoying the internat access on my break they installed the barracuda networks firewall. It denies access to myspace and livejournal as "chat," but I'm able to get onto (e:strip)!!!!

I wonder how long it will last?

With all of the congestion going on with hosting part of the biggest sporting event in the nation, I looked like a supergenius to my friends from D.C. yesterday. As reported in the local media 18,000 visitors looking for somewhere to eat downtown to get in and out without reservations in 90 minutes was just not happening.

Then I had a plan of which to bypass all of this mayhem. I took my group with 5 minutes left in the Butler/Old Dominion game on the Metro Trolly. We stayed on until the Allen exit and walked 2 blocks down to K.Gallaghers. Much to our surprise the place was empty @ 5PM. We were just happy to get a place where we could get a beer, fast service and descent food. Unlike their suggestions to follow what the Buf/Niag partnership placed in their ticket package we stayed far away from the Pearl St. Brewery. As we were standing in a Japanese style subway metro train car on the way back to the arena I pointed to my friends from D.C. and displayed to them the chaos of people still 25 deep on the sidewalk outside of that place. The best part was the Allen St. stop was the last place where you could actually board the train. The cars were packed to capacity, there was no getting on @ the theatre district or Lafayette Sq.

Needless to say I was happy that Duke lost much to (e:carolinian) disppointment...

More on Duke later and the tournament later. I hve to meet my group and watch NU play KU.

I'm sorry but I just can't make it to St. Matty's Day :-/ since my out of town visitors from D.C. are here...

So we won that "play-in" game last night. I was just happy that the ended up winning, I just don't know how I would have reacted if they would have lost to a sleep deprived team. For the most part I'm guessing most of Western New York watched that Sabres game. Although I did contemplate going out for the game last nigth I just was supersitious. There is a new sports bar open across the street here in the Crown Plaza and from what I heard it's pretty nice and they would have had specials last night since it was during a Sabres game. Then I realized that back when my friend worked there and I would hang @ the bar NU would always lose. So I decided to just stay home and watch it on TV.

Now I am just like a kid in a Candy store for the real tournament. I ust can't wait to get up in the morning and head down to the HSBC for the Noon tip off. This is just going to be a days of fun strung together.

Now if NU can only do the improbable and be the first 16 seed to beat a #1 seed...

So I guess my gut feeling last week was right on about this time around not feeling as good as the last time. Niagara was totally disrecpected by being placed in the "Play-In" game tomorrow night in Dayton. I loved the reaction on Jim Rome this afternoon when he was paraphrasing NU, "I thought we got into the Tournament!" Yea, if I had a bookie I think I'd lay the -9 points and cash. They're quite pissed and I do feel sorry for Florida A&M, they're going to get crushed. Then likewise on Friday we're going to get crushed by Kansas in Chicago. I really do like Jerry Sullivan's analysis on the whole thing in his article today. Although all of this happened I think it may have made my year to actually hear Jim Rome 1. Talk about NU on his radio show and Rome is Burning on Espn and 2. To actually agree with the school that they got hosed.

I'll be watching that game tommorrow instead of the Sabres game for sure. I'm just really interested in what the ESPN crew is going to say in regards to the whole seeding fiasco.

On another front I'm feeling like uncut and writing a few blogs in my head that for some reason I just can't find time to punch out on a keyboard. I'm on break right now @ work. The only way I can justify working this much overtime this week is 1. I am going to spend quite a bit of cash this week during NCAA week 2. It's spring break so no class 3. After the week long tournament events it's quite dead.

So back to this whole blog in draft mode concept that has been on my mind. It can be basically summed up is I'm trying to find a common reason on why people on (e:strip) have really shitty luck in love. With such a diverse group of people pinning it to a single reason is a challenge. Not to be slip into the ether of visions of equations of life being revealed in a dream, but it's a really nasty linear regression problem in a way. What common variable can be blamed for all of us being in the same similar collective lonely boat?

Hard to believe that 2 years ago I was down @ the HSBC arena watching my Niagara U. Purple Eagles clinch their first NCAA appearance in 35 years. An event that I would never thought that I would have witnessed in my lifetime. The best part of it was I saw it live and in person. I guess the only sporting analogy would have been being a Ranger fan in '94 or a Red Sox fan in '04.

SO here I am on campus watching it with a bunch of other much younger students. Yea I'm pretty much gramps at this point but just being here to watch it almost feels like a duty. I remember the program when it was a doormat, I also remember the first time when I watched them play a NCAA Conference Championship Game back in '93 and getting screwed with a team that may hve won a game in the first round. It's just that I just don't have a good feeling with them being on the road. Pretty much 2/3rds of Siena is in Bridgeport, then agin they say it's only a 2 hour bus trip.

Then I'm thinking about this concept: "Has the sucess over the past 8-9 years spoiled the loyal fans or at least ME? What would I do if something happened and we were back to winning single digit games again? This year I really was a bit lathergic in my support. I guess being a bit removed from the whole student dynamic makes a bit of a difference. I shold be in the reserved seats as a season ticket holder, and not with the student section.

I remember 2 years ago when I caught the NCAA tournament game against Oklahoma. I watched it at the Sarasota Brewing Co. a place that had Directv and plenty of beer. I spent the whole day and the best part was I remember sitting at the bar and this guy came into the place. The bartender asked if he wanted to see any particular game and he said, "Yes, it's on right here" the game I was watching. He was a high school teamate of Brooks a senior starter. It was quite an interesting 2 hours as I was updating my buddy down in Virginia while he was teaching a class. They should have won that game, but that's another story...

Meanwhile Ch 7 is here with a camera. Julie Fine is here and she just doesn't look anything like I would have imagined her to be in person. He's about 5' in heels and wearing jeans and a sweater and blends in like one of the students.

EDIT: It was much sweeter this time with the "down to the wire" drama!!!!!

NCAA TOURNAMENT BABY!!!!!!

Why hasn't this been reported in this country?

Just when I thought my life was sloping on a downturn I read that bit of news. I'd hate to say it but it did make me chuckle when I was heading to class when I heard the guys on 102.1 the edge talking about the story.

Here's the original story

Is it a waste of time and energy to spend on her? I'd say yes, but the "Dark" side of it is pretty attention grabbing. Did you make a deal with him to get where you did???

Again back to the point of this story not getting any press in the USA. When they stop talking about you Brit, the gig is up and you're spent.

Then again it's funny since this is how I'd imagine how you'd grow up to be. I just never thought that you had it in you for the other stuff.

This may be a little TMI...



Then again you're still reading. I just realized that I went the entire month of Febuary without having any. It's not like I didn't have the opportunity it is just I was like "Ah, I'm going to stay home and study" type of thing. This is pretty scary. It's not normal or right. I'm only young once and I'm just wasting it being a "Blah" bump on the log. How am I gong to be when I'm really older? Will I even bother?

Maybe it's just that I won't want to be "married" at the moment in a realtionship but then again what I'm totally lacking and I admit it is the even basic iota of effort on my part. I've always seemed to fall on the side of introvert on the spectrum but lately this has just been ridiculous. I could just blame the weather and the avoidance of the bad driving conditions but again this is just not right. I need to do something.

It could be that my schedule @ work is going to get messed around and I may have to go in on some weekend hours. Yea, take my downtime on weekends for granted when you have them and agonize in pain when they're goine. Not a good philisophy in life I can say...

At this point I'm just worried about my lack of "drive." I hope it's not a sign of something else, i.e. depression. What to do? Go to Canada and Lundy's Lane and jump start some physical desire?


Because I'm not saying in this post that I need to get some. What I'm saying is I need to get the WANT to get some...for some reason for the past month I've been toally uninterested and that need to change soon.

Transmission was a pretty good time on Saturday. I ended up running into a couple of surprising people that I just didn't expect to see. In all it was just good to be able to go out and surprisingly run into people. In all that was just a great lift. Being able to dance my ass off to the music of Morrissey and Johnny Marr with once a while sticking on the floor for the Cure was just a blast. I don't think I have exerted myself like that in months. I need to do more of that if I want to get back into "game shape."


Other than that my school schedule is a bit calmer at the moment thanks to the end Stats. The only thing that ties me up is my Monday night class. This is a bit of a problem since I am just feeling the need to go back to Vegas very soon. I just don't know what it is about that place but I just feel drawn to it. I was looking at flights earlier tonight when I was finished with my class and even a 3 day bender is looking really good if I can get the right price on airfare which seems pretty close to impossible these days.

That and I just don't know what is going on with T* we hung out for a bit @ transmission but for some reason I just got a weird vibe. I guess that's what happens when $ comes into play for things I can't really discuss. At this point I'm just looking at it as an acid test, if things get reallly dicy then it may be time to just cut my losses. As Wall St says, "There's always a bull market somewhere."

Other than that I'm just really excited that I secured myself soem tickets fo all the sessions of the NCAA tournament coming to town in 2.5 weeks. I can't wait to see my friends from Virginia that are coming up for the national spotlight event.

I'm just feeling a bit alive again. I spent most of the weekend in bed moping around and just not able to get motivated to do anything. Finally I think I may have snapped out of whatever was slowing me down.

Then again it just may be the realization that I am geting back a fat return and a new Desktop may be in immediate order. Basically I have come to the conculusion that I woudl prefer a Apple Desktop and a cheap ass PC laptop. Originally I was going to do it the other way around but since I'm getting all the money I paid back I can easilly afford an Apple. Life is way too short I might was well enjoy it.

Yea, I almost missed it but I just caught it as I was hitting the post button. I've been on (e:strip) for exactly 1 year!!! Wow, I can't believe it has been that long. It seems like that span of time really brought quite a bit of changes. Honestly, I have to say more so than I have experience in past years.

Here's to excellerated change for the first time in many many years in my life. Heck, it hasn't been pleasant but at least time has felt like it has been flowing instead of beign sedatary.

I'm heading out tonight to the Transmission Dance Party. It's The Smiths v. The Cure the best one of the year musically. Yea I'm going to be the oldest guy in the place but it's Moz v. Robert Smith...

As I was driving home this afternoon I found Randi Rhodes on AM 1520 much to my surpise! What a brilliant move as she was the only show worth listening to 1270 when it was the local Air America affiliate.

Now I'm reunited with my favorite Jewish MILF ;-)