I read a quote the other day that I think anyoen who knows me knows applies to me, "If you can't say anything nice about somebody, come sit next to me". I just found that entertaining. Last night we went to the Elmwood Lounge and Cathode with (e:amanda), (e:terry), (e:matt) , and the people from the front of their house. It was fun except I feel bad because (e:amanda) stayed sooo much longer than she wanted to or should have. But hopefully she doesn't hate me forever and we will still be eating tasty super veggie pitas and pasta salad at the Juicery in like 2 hours!!! I also learned I need to not open up tabs at bars. It makes it so much easier to spend money when you aren't' actually forking over the cash!! But then again, i still live at home basically so what else do I have to spend money on other than booze!!! The people up front seem nice, i had sorta met them before but not really. One is (e:Jill)'s cousin Amanda. Weird to meet Jill's family while Jill is in another coutnyr. Ok not so weird but I miss my (e:Jill) and (e:Beast).

Jesse from up front was talking about how Canadians are nicer than people in Buffalo and he wants to go back to Canada where he is from. Do you guys think that is true? I think people in Buffalo are very nice! I don't know, just wondering what others thought

So driving my brother home the other day from my nonna's he says "Mike you have to start having relationships, you are going to become that red haired brother of the wife on Everybody Loves Raymond" . For those of you who don't watch, he is a like 40 year old compeltye socially awkward man who runs a comic book store and has no friends, future, life, social skills. Uh, oh, do you think it is possible for me to become that. I still think I don't need relationships, well not that I mind them, just I am not actively looking and I think I am ok with that. Is that crazy man really my future?

So this was the weekend of tasty food. Me and (e:maureen) went to the Taste of Buffalo on Saturday and ate up a storm. It started off badly with some cactus strips which I hated but got tastier as we went along. I think my favorite thing was a scallop wrapped in prosciutto with red pepper sauce kabob. It was so good, i could have eaten a million of them. THe fried twinkie was interesting, one bit was defiently all I need for the rest of my life but I am glad that I tried it. COntrary to (e:paul) , the rice balls were not very tasty and paled in comparison to my mom's cousin Rachel's rice balls, though he wouldn't have eaten them sinc ehe has skipped every family event for like the last 10 years. So after all that goodness, I went home for like an hour. Then I went to the Kenmore Days Carnival with (e:chris) and the other chris(if you can even consider him an e : Chris anymore since he hasn't ' posted in years) and had a "bucket o fries". Then I went to watch the fireworks with (e:maureen) at Kenmore Days and we had snow cones, fried dough and cotton candy. It was all so very tasty but all so very filling too!!! SO much tastiness and the summer of festivals has just begun, Italian Festival I belive is next week and then Canal Fest...Woohoo to eating my way through the rest of the summer.

SPeaking of the Kenmore Carnival, it used] to be way cooler when it was on Delawera nd not in Mang Park or maybe I just think that cuz i used to be 5 and now I am 22 almost. But it is so spread out here so suere you have more room to walk around but it also makes it seem like there is less stuff and less excitemenet. THe fireworks were good though> They had such different kinds of fireworks than I had ever seen before. I am sure they were the cheapre ones cuz it is Kenmore but they were cool just because they were different. I dn'ot think I ever sat so close to where they set off the fireworks before. It was really cool!!! Unfortunately I was confronted by the nine year old who a few weeks ago I tried to get to do shots at my work party. She called me crazy again. I guess I will never be in with the Kenmore nine year olds again. WHat happened to being cool for giving kids alcohol?

Then the good food contineud today with the tasty orange chicken from the China Panda at the Eastern HIlls Mall. I love that place. Me and MK hit up the mall walk sale there and then the one at the boulevard. All I ended up with were a pair of patns from Gap which I am not even sure if I like. Oh and random table confetti and gift bags and stuff from Carlton Cards/AMerican Greetings. I love their semi-annual clearance sales. I swear I probably buy more stuff from that store than most people in the world and I probably also buy more stuff from that store than anywerhe else. Everytime I go to the mall I at least buy something there if they have clearance. YOU never know when you are going to need a st. patricks day gift bag, or 2005 table confettii, etc.

The tasty food didn't end there, At the PMT's today they with a little bit of my help and Sarah doing a lot of the work made a super tasty gumbo with sausage , chicken and shrimp. I think the best part was the way the sausage and chicken was cut which was my job.

I can't wait for the tastiness to continue. Oh and by the by, the Kenmore Carnval had no mozzarella sticks which are my favorite food to have at a carnvial especilaly there. and it was really sad, maybe I cried? So Italian and Canal Fest better step up to the plate on that one.

Last night was Amanda's bday and though many a person ditched it was still fun. I don't remember the end. I don't think I was that drunk was I? ALl I know is I woke up late for work because I never set an alarm and fell asleep in the chair. Hmm...maybe I shouldn't make myself too many rum and cokes before we go to the bar! Anyway I hope Amanda had a good time.

I hope I"m not killing the tortoise. Before he seemed so sad and lethargic and now he seems like a crazy monkey that hates me. Sure he likes me when I bring him food but otherwise give me a generally dissatisfied look. I can't bring him out everyday because it is going to rain and I don't think he can be out in the rain can her? I hope I am feeding him enough, cuz he eats like a champion.

At work today one lady asked if me and michele were ever going to leave because it was so sad that Brian was going to leave. I assured her that me and michele are what you call "Eckerd lifers" whetehr we realize that or accept it yet or not!

(e:Paul) , when are you coming back to the B-lo? OK , that's all for now.chadi

So every year on Fourth of July, me and my family along with my mom's cousins family which is quite large all go to my grandma's to celebrate her bday. It is actually my grandpa's bday on the fourth of july but he has been dead for about 8 years and my nonna's bday is June 29 so we always celebrated it then at her house. This year obviously my nonna is no longer around so there was no reason to get together and Paul was out of town, so it was just me , my mom and my dad having a barbq at the house. We sat around this tiny little table in the backyard and ate. It was nice but I miss the big family gatherings. I wish I had a bigger family that did more family things. I miss my nonna a lot!!! We went to the cemetary today to see her and my nonno , it was weird because they still ahven't put up the death date on her stone and so it looks the same as when I used to go just to see my nonno. It was kinda weird.

After the family BBQ it was Anne Maloy's surprise B-day. I think she was truly surprised and enjoyed it. It was fun even if it inclued (e:MK) screaming out at the top of her lungs "Mike is the worst lay ever" she was referring to my handling of a flower necklace but still! Also, one of my least favorite people in the world was there, but he was tolerable.

And then the fireworks. I love fireworks more than anything else! They are so fun. LIke I am glad they aren't everyday though but I love them on the 4th especially. Did you know some pepole don't go to watch fireworks on the 4th? How crzy is that? We went to Niawanda Park. I had never been there for the fireworks before, we alwasy watched them from my grandmma's porch at Lassalle or went to Riverside. They were nice and itw as weird becasue they continteud like after the end, every few minujets another one would go off. It was fun! I love them. I tried to take some pcitures of them with my phone but it didn't go so well. I remember my nonna used to love firewroks espeically because with her eye problems any light was magnified like 10times and super cooler so to her the fireworks were even way better!!!! OK I Hope everyone had a good time today!!!!

oh and HAPPY BIRTHDAY (e:Amanda) , it is now 7 minutes into your birthday and I Hope it is a good one so far. !