Keep your eyes peeled to the local news stations. I'm hearing some interesting things and I hope to god they aren't true.

Jason

I am about to admit some things about myself here. I realized it's been 2 years since I broke up with my last girlfriend. The time has gone by very quickly. It was a sad day, but in the end the pink slip is the only thing she deserved from me. The only thing I regret is that I didn't give her the boot sooner. I have not gone on one single date since that day. I mean, yeah I have female friends who like to mother me and such, been out to dinner with them, but not gone on an honest to god date. Part of the reason is fear of getting cheated on again, the other part is Everquest. About that time is when I started playing the game more and more. It's cheap entertainment, the time goes by quickly (important when you want to get your mind off of something), and I've been able to virtually meet people from all over Asia and Europe. I can speak a few simple phrases in German now. My spanish is a lot better. I've been playing a lot less since I got my new job but I still like to log in and blow shit up every now and then.

Anyway Terry I am intrigued by that game. I downloaded a promo video for it and the game looks great. What kind of PC/Video card do you have right now, and how is the game performing? Do you get lots of lag? Does it take forever to level up? It sounds like you are having lots of fun with it. Based on what I saw in the video I may consider giving it a shot if my system meets the requirements. The graphics look great, the boss encounters look great, and it looks like a fun game. Let me know how you like it as you keep on playing. Thanks for the screenshots.

Sir Dorkimus Maximus (aka Jason)

About the lot next to Globe Market - I have lived here for a while now, far longer than Brodo, the Yoga place, and Globe have been at their current locations. I understand that parking is at a premium - believe me I know because for years now I have understood that when I drive home from UB every weekday I'm going to have a tough time parking. That's just part of living in the city and we all know it's a pain, and we all know that we have to just deal with it.

I got a written "warning" put under my wiper saying that the lot is only for customers of certain commercial establishments, and that if my car gets towed to call such and such a number. Towed? It has been a lot where residents of the 700 block have parked their cars overnight for years. It's one of the very very few places that people on my block have been able to park their cars *period* as we have alternate parking on Cleveland, etc. and parking on the street is extremely limited (not to mention illegal overnight during the winter). More business, more need for parking, I understand. But for God's sake please have some consideration for the residents as well. We pump plenty of money into your businesses.

I'm not asking for a lot - only for somewhere to put my car when I come home. I live here and spend money at these establishments all the time. Instead of threatening me coldly, please do me the service of talking to me and my neighbors so you can understand where we are coming from. Please let us open up a dialogue so we can come up with a solution that will answer the needs of the residential and commercial community as a whole.

Thanks,
Jason

Does anyone else park in the lot next to Globe Market? If so, did anyone else get a nice orange note from the authorities tucked under their wiper? More commentary on this, but not now as I have clients in Texas to attend to.

Jason

You know what, doing a drive-by anonymous flaming of Terry like that is a straight up chicken-caca thing to do. Have some backbone and put a name and a face to your statements. Acting like a savage will never win support for Pano's cause, so I suppose it wasn't worth your time in writing it. Don't get me wrong, I'm not someone who has an innate hatred for successful business owners. I love to see our small businesses thrive. But you know what? When I first came to Elmwood and introduced myself to the various business owners while browsing their stores, they went out of their way to welcome me to the neighborhood and convey a distinct sense of community. People here give a shit about more than how much money they can take from the suburbanites - it's about contributing to a thriving community.

When I read about Pano's plans I suspected he didn't give much thought to the community aspect of doing business here - he just wanted to stuff his pockets with more dollars. Not only that, but the quotes of his I read were less than flattering. People here see through this bullshit. We care a hell of a lot less about how much money Pano can make than our sense of community, and a desire to keep our neighborhood beautiful. I'm not sure that it even ever occured to the guy that there is anything more to Elmwood than commerce. That's a crying shame. If you want to build an ugly building to stuff more mouths with souvlaki, do it in Amherst where people don't care about anything outside of their cul-de-sac.

Jason