(e:Paul) - I'm glad that you put a link up for Alt Press. I know what you guys are thinking..."But but Jason, I thought you hated the alternative rags!" Well I must say that of all the alternative publications in our city, I think Alt Press is the best by far in terms of its news coverage and opinion columns. Obviously I don't agree with everything Grady Hawkins has to say, but he does a much better job of articulating his point of view and backing up what he says than anyone else. It's not a publication that is filled to the brim with hate speech. No fluff, no BS, no childish ranting. Just the story as an uber-liberal sees it. So although I maintain my skepticism when it comes to the other alternatives, I fully support Alt Press. They take the giant responsibility of informing the public seriously. Kudos to them.

Also - (e:Matthew) - Yes there are now twins on e-strip. I promise you he's real! I think he'll be accepted about as much as me. He's also the evil twin (waiting for the inevitable (e:Ajay) wisecrack). It's nice being the good one.

Jason

I'm not as cynical as (e:Joshua) - in part because the project was privately funded. It's not my money being wasted, and it's not my park that is being "decorated" as such. I suppose I don't care. If people enjoy it, fine. If people think that it's garbage, that's fine too. Some New Yorkers think it makes the park look ugly. Others don't. There are a variety of opinions.

One thing I've learned recently about the art world is that it isn't always meant to give people happy feelings. Sometimes it's there for shock value (like Piss Christ), and sometimes it's there to get any kind of reaction out of you (good or bad). It's there to make you think about things differently. So while I may look at a piece and think that a third grader could do it (therefore lessening its value in my mind), others may find something interesting about it. It's all in how you allow yourself to perceive it. I'm still learning though, admittedly.

Jason

I went to the Car Show this past weekend. A friend had tickets so I thought it would be interesting. Other than being completely unprepared and grubby looking when I ran into the object of my affection it was alright. I thought there would be more concepts and sport automobiles but I was disappointed. Then again, this is Buffalo and nobody has enough loot to buy those cars anyway. I did see the Lamborghini though and snapped some photos with my Sidekick. Hopefully none of you will be offended by photos of a car.

One thing that annoyed me were the young bar hoes who are there to try and get you to go to their establishment. They're all over Thursday at the Square, and nobody wants the stupid flyers there either. I don't know whose bright idea it was to trick out a Neon, either. Oh, look, a Neon with DVD players and racing buckets and all sorts of other things! But it's still a Neon! What's the point of tricking out a Neon, anyway? Chances are there is an issue if you spend more money on car accessories than the car itself.

Jason

Blah. :(

After I had a change of heart, I chatted with an unnamed e-stripper about plans to spread love around the neighborhood, or at least a radius of 100 feet or so around the apartment. I said I wanted to go to Kuni's and give a rose to each of the waitresses. I thought it would be a good thing to do. And, hey, who knows, maybe one of them doesn't have a boyfriend! Then I thought perhaps it wouldn't work out, because what if they all have Valentines? Kuni wouldn't make the girls miss out on V-Day, would he? Maybe the restaurant would be closed. The unnamed e-stripper laughed.

Of course, the restaurant was closed. At least I have some flowers!

Jason