So in a moment of keeping with my heritage I ended up celebrating Dyngys day with my Dad. It really boiled down to having a craving for a good old pork chop. So we ended trying out luck at this place called the "Polish Nook". Needless to say to get my fill of authentic Polish food we had to fight to get in. The place was packed to capacity. Initially they told us that we were not going to get in for the fact that we didn't have reservations. The fact that my Dad does some catering business with them and they were desperately out of singles and I had about 25 dollars worth since it was tip day at work for me, we squeezed our way in. So I had my Polish food fix as I recalled my old dearly departed family relatives. To see the energy and people just taking it all in was great. After dinner we just briefly stopped by and checked out the Polka band.

It was just great to see the place packed and the tradition kept alive. In actuality I thought that something like Dyngus Day would be falling off by the wayside, but here in WNY we keep any reason to party alive I suppose.

It is in the "old neighborhood" in east Niagara Falls a place where my great grandparents, grandparents and great aunts and uncles lived for about 75-80 years. It was a nice descent place when the factories on Buffalo Avenue pumped out cyclical goods. The neighborhood was filled with mostly people of Polish Heritage. Obviously this type of American dream in this area died when all of the factories closed. We all know the rise and fall of Western New York.

I lived in that neighborhood for about 2 years in my great uncle's house. When we had a buyer for the place we just took the money and ran. Ok, it was strange to try to take a trip to the past for one night for dinner. Just driving through the area and seeing homes that go for about 25,000 will not life your spirit.

Just for one day to see it alive and thrive it was a great sight to see.

Missing Image ;(

Missing Image ;(

My first Sabre's game this year, and the regular season is pretty much done. Well At least I have 1 playoff game to look forward to that I am sure of that I will be attending.

Well off for some beer @ the Harbor Club on the 200 level!!!!!

EDIT

Well the game was a blowout Buffalo 6 Toronto 0. The first shutout of the year for the Sabres. Just attending this game made me realize how much I miss hockey. So I finally get to a game and it the last home game of the season. Why couldn't I have gone in September or October even, oh yea that's right this team kicks ass.

So we arrived about an hour early and I just had a bit to eat and a couple Bud Lights "The Official Beer of the NHL" at the 200 level Harbour Club and sat in the seating section overlooking the fine dining section in the 100 level section. It has been probaly about 12-13 years since I went to a game with my Dad.

In reminiscing about years past and how my late Grandmother loved going to the games we discussed the old Buffalo Memorial Auditorium. There was the forerunner to the Harbour club called "The Aud Club" a place for season ticket holders and generally rich people to enjoy the games in a comfortable exclusive atmosphere full of amenties. Well my Dad in his old job got tickets and a fully paid expense account at this place. It was great but the bummer was as a kid I would have to wear a sportcoat and tie to be admitted to this "Aud Club" and it was a bummer when all you wanted to do was dress comfortablly and wear a hockey jersey.

In going over memories with my Dad we discussed how much Bobcei like the carved prime rib that they served in the buffett. Remembering how they have taken over some of the old items from the aud next door I suggested that we walk down to the 100 level and check out, "The Poor Man's Aud Club." We ended up splitting a carved roast beef sandwich and it was like I was able to say Hi to my Grandma for a quick instant. OH, BTW she Hated Toronto and would have loved the game! Ha Ha

The funniest thing I heard while at the game was this kid saying as he looked at the old standings from the Aud as they brought the two bulletin boards over from the Aud. Now they had the Sabres stats for the roster for the season of 95-96 and the standings of the same year. This kid said, "I didn't know Ottawa used to be real bad" commenting on their last palce position in the standings. Funny Stuff. I really am getting old.

It was a nice little (e:strip) trifecta last night. What started out in me trying out Frizzy's for the first time ended up being a evening filled with good conversation and stories and followed by the show as usual at the Old Pink. ((e:Sbrugger)) and ((e:Theecarey)), thank you for a fun night. It was really nice to meet you Austin and hear you good old stories from the old school of NU.

Carey, my Ex is pretty anit-blog we will never see her on the strip. Actually I'm convinced my LJ sped up the decomposition of our relationship. It was one of those fun nights where you didn't want to head out and the bar and go home.

The highlight of the day so far was shopping @ Wegmans. Before I ventured into the isles I had a chicken finger sub. While i was eating in the shop I overheard and employee on break spilling all of her life's problems to a co-worker. It was the mother of a woman that was murdered in Las Vegas about 5 years ago and she talked about how tough life is and how Easter is still going to be hallow. Now I did lose a sister about 8 years ago now. Time is relative and everyone needs their own amount to deal with things. My guilty self just thought that my PALMS Las Vegas hat may have triggered some bad memory, since the place is across the street from the Rio where she worked. Then we just logically deducted that she would have been the same way regardless if I was there or not. I do feel bad for her. Those things never do quite go away.

It did make me a bit nostalgic for Easter. What I ended up doing to get in touch with those feelings was buying myself a quarter pound of Krakus Ham.


Now I am going to stop sitting inside and head outdoors. I have an evening planned with an old friend. It has been ages since we last hung out, all of which is my fault for being a total ____. We will leave it at that I suppose, hopefully things will take on as a new leaf in spring.





EDIT: It was The Flaming Lips that did that car commercial song @ the Pink

I have come to realize that most of the reason of why I choose my current living situation is the fact that it is the closest I can feel to nature. I don't think I can live in a place in which I can't hear birds chirp or see a little furry bunny every once in a while. Soon this is all going to change, for better or worse the vibes I have been getting have not positive. I had a scare last week with my great aunt in which we though she was going to be close to leaving this mortal coil. Thankfully that was not the case. Half the reason why I stay around here is family and if that changes then the percentages will change and a move will become more attractive.

On another note I found out today that the tournament director was let go after an investigation and hearing. It all originates back to our WPT style tournament we had in February. Apparently nothing good has come out of that event. My big boss and most of the reason why I choose to stay at my job was him was fired for taking the revenue from 3 of the events. Then apparently The tournament director, a hostess and another floor were snapping pictures of themselves in compromising positions during the tournament and its events and posted them online. Not only that but The director ended up sleeping with one of the players, someone that you see on TV regularly. The consequence was not only losing her job, but her potential marriage. Her fiancee found out and called off the wedding. What degenerates I work with and more reason to get out of that place as soon as I can!! Yikes!

I felt it last night before I tried to get to bed after checking out Tom Jones. ((e:jenks)) wrote a very emotionally filled post about the utter disappointment with the male gender in this metro area. To be perfectly honest I can not blame her at all. I have lived here all my life and seen guys do some pretty screwed up stuff. Not that they don't do it anywhere else, (my Ex's Father gave her a lifetime of therapy) but around here it does seem that us males do contemplate our actions on a sub-base level of consciousness. Lord knows I have fallen down there in the bowels of something that can be described as a masculine mental deficiency.

Then I go to work and find a mess awaiting me. Larry, the nicest guy you will ever meet was out $800. He was beside himself and at the last time we checked surveillance was still looking for it. The poor guy he has a newborn at home, he needs this job. While if it ever came to the ultimate frustration I could just say, "See Ya." Even if they fired me as long as I could pay c.o.b.r.a and get an OK for a reference I would be alright.

I am not rich, but I'm not poor either. I could survive working a crap job in this town until I got my act straighten out or went back to school. Heck, taking a couple summer months off right now would actually be fun.