...are covering my body. My torso, the crook of my arm opposite the elbow, my ankles (especially when I take my socks off right after work. They don't do much except look ugly and vaguely itch, but...if I so dare as begin thinking about scratching, they start to itch like crazy. Then, once begun it just goes on, and then they become slightly raised and throb with itchiness. Yucky. I like warmth, but this extra-humid heat is apparently overloading my delicate northern European constitution.

sidenote: This now appears at the entrance to the catalog at the library website

The Buffalo & Erie County Public Library, SIRSI Corporation and Barnes & Noble.com have joined forces to give you the ability to purchase from Barnes & Noble.com's Stock of more than 1 million titles without ever leaving your library or computer. Now, in addition to book borrowing, B&ECPL can offer you the service of book purchasing, plus access to enriched content not found elsewhere.

Just Click on the "Buy Now" icon to purchase an item listed in the catalog...Buy it now at Barnes&Noble.com
Quoted from: B&ECPL Catalog :: Welcome!

So when you're searching for a book, you get this prompt to "Buy Now" and if you click it you're redirected to B&N website, where you can then purchase the book. Now I know the city is strapped for funds and everything, but this seems a little sketchy. It's basically just an advertisement on our public website. I question how effective it's going to be, I mean if you have the money or desire to just buy books why are you at the library website? Are there really people who are going to be looking to borrow a book who will find, to their delight, that they don't have to stoop to borrowing, they can just buy! Why didn't these people just go to a bookselling site in the first place?

I guess at this level there's not too much harm in it. But these things have a way of taking on a life of their own. Now it's just a hint at the bottom of the page, maybe soon we'll just be redirected to the B&N site, and there we'll find a little link, hidden at the bottom of the page, to check local library listings. You also have to wonder if B&N is getting more than just an advertisement. Are they also buying the most sought after data in internet sales: the targeted sales listings. Do they get to know what we're all checking out and put it in lists and better market to us? Hmmm

I wonder if they'll survive. And where will the go when their legs grow?

We went hiking at the Zoar valley today. Gotta be directions on the site somewhere if you search. Near Gowanda. It was lotsa fun. I just wanted to stay in the water the whole tme. If I glow a little green you now know why. Almost forgot to skip rocks. But made a few across at the end.

I think I may seriously know what I want to do when I gorw up. I want to be a systems analyst focusing on minimizing/eliminating/reutilizing waste. Basically convincing people that waste doesn't exist until you create it. Nature has no waste. Everything is food. Why should a modern manafacturing firm be any different? Or architecture? Or any other number of fields? It sounds like something I am into, and something that people will pay for. It's the best of both worlds. I help people make money and spare the earth at the same time. It's the only way environmentalism is going to get anywhere. If we wait for Congress it's gonna be to late. We gotta get the people who do things, namely the capitalists, to realize that the way they do things now is 1)not going to be available forever 2)is highly inefficient and 3)is using more of their capital (and nature's capital) than necessary to get the same (or often better) profit with improved methods. A couple books I'm reading are really getting me motivated. Yo.

My wonderful aunt Cheryl thought to send me some pictures from my trip to Vegas a couple months ago, what a gal! So without further ado:


My immediates: mommy, Denise, bro, Caleb, and sis, Alex


Us again


Mom replaced with cousin, Britton Ann


Alex (with for-the-camera pouty face) and Britton (with super model smile)


Britton again (Cheryl, the photographer is her mom), Aunt Lovey, and Sis-in-law, Paris


Me with Britton, and Caleb with wife, Paris


The kids tearing into presents. The guy with his back to us is Caleb Jr. (CJ), and this is the only pic I have of him, darn it. The guy on the left is his bro, Aiden. And the lil girl is aunt Lovey's Elizabeth. And of course, Britton. :)


Up close of nephew, Aiden. Such a cutie.


Elizabeth rolling around on the ground, one of her favorite passtimes. See more of her here: [inlink]terry,414[/inlink]


I love this picture. This is me and uncle Reiny (Cheryl's wife and Britton's dad). He is rather right leaning and I'm rather left. After the table has cleared of everyone else tired of hearing our nonstop opinions, this is what we look like. Notice the crossed legs, and alternate hand-waving/crossed arms. The speaker waves, extolling the virtures of his beliefs, the listener sits back and shoots skeptical glances. Much fun.


Here's my cousin Nicole, holding one of her chillins, and her mom (my aunt) Donna. Then my mommy. Then Britton, well duh, and the only pic of my aunt Cheryl, I think I took this one.


This is me, pretty toasted at this point, and Britton. She's almost as tall as me, like 6' sheesh.


Us again, looking happy. And we were.

Turned out to be a very nice weekend. The first pride not living on or right-off elmwood. I missed the rooftop gathering (and suppose I'll miss them for all the other elmwood centered events), but we still managed to round up a decent sized get together. So hot, though, I was seriously moist the entire afternoon, and not in a good way. The parade and the crowd seems to get bigger every year. Are more people gay every year? I don't think so, just that the overall social climate is moving in the right direction, all those closeted people are more comfortable getting out there. The whole day for me is always spent watching people. So many different kinds of people. Some truly bizarro people. Anyways, it was fun, and thanks to everyone who came over and played.

sidenote: "The Supreme Court ruled today that federal agents may raid the homes of Californians who use medical marijuana, holding that the strict federal drug laws prevail over the state's liberalized marijuana laws." from:http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-060605scotus_lat,0,7645103.story?coll=la-home-headlines All those horrible criminals comitting crime like cancer and glaucoma, can no longer hide behind the veil of state's rights to do their illicit activities. Thank god. The strange thing is the justices who voted the way I would have (which is let them have their friggin dope) were the three most conservative. Strange to find yourself in the same camp as Rehnquist, Day O'Connor and Clarence Thomas. Though I have to admit that many arguments that real conservatives have (as opposed to the right wing neo-cons and religious freaks) are compelling. Things like local power, i.e. state's rights and fiscal responsibility are sound ideas. It's just the current brand of nuts running our country don't seem to really be conservatives at all, they just use all the rhetoric with a sprinkling of jesus. OK, nuff said, gotta go treat my glaucoma. :)

Last night was very entertaining. But quite exhasuting. Miss Ajay-thang let us kick it at her place and spun retro hits throughout the evening (even surprised me with a little Joe Jackson [inlink]terry,405[/inlink]). We then proceeded to like 5 bars, many of which I didn't even go into, just loitered outside and gabbed. (e:Flacidness) was there, scoring compliments on the dance floor. And Geoffrey...well if you know who I'm talking about, you'll know what that's about. Didn't stumble into bed until around 4:30, and then couldn't sleep for a while after that. Now it's 12:30 and I've got to get to Pride. But I am le tired. Maybe a cup of coffee, and perhaps food. Realized my primary food yesterday was beer: not good. Must eat actual solid food today. See ya'll at the parade.