So we've been renting a house from my mom for a while. It's a nice house but the walls are hideous. Somebody once decided to paint the living room periwinkle. [I can't explain it - the floors are a light-colored hardwood and the room tried its hardest to clash with itself.] My room is a smudgy light-toothpaste green. The kitchen has dead-wildflower wallpaper in muted earthtones with high-gloss white-and-yellow Formica all over the walls. And the master bedroom - jesus - is reflective silver wallpaper with baby blue flowers. Also, much of the ceiling paint [which is your standard white] is peeling. I strongly suspect that there are more serious problems with the walls, which are still the original [early postwar] plaster.
I told mom we were repainting the place whether she liked it or not. Then I showed her the swatches we'd picked for the living room. She kinda flipped out [she owns the house after all]. "You are an adult and you can make your own decisions. But when you leave the house you're painting it all white again." Hmf.
Now our living room is ZOMGWTFYELLOW!!! with all the molding in HOLY SHIT!!! PURPLE. It sounds like a trainwreck but it looks 300,000 times better. Turns out it was always a yellow room but nobody bothered to paint it that way. Pix soon.
I think maybe we won't tell mom what colors we've picked for the rest of the house.
- Z
Zobar's Journal
My Podcast Link
08/13/2007 11:56 #40511
colorCategory: home
08/08/2007 20:24 #40447
extra extra!Category: news
Item! Keep your meat-hole clean. While the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets is fucking around with a Freedom of Information request, Weggies gave it to me straight. Their meat grinder used to connect to another machine, and now it doesn't. The inspector felt that the hole coming out of the meat grinder should be capped [it wasn't] and gave Wegs a "non-finable critical deficiency."
Item! I am the Troy Tulowitzki of base humor. Anyone else want to try fitting Pablo Neruda, Joel Giambra, and the US Geological Survey into a joke about public sex, while commenting on the chronic underfunding of the Erie County public library system? Can you do it in under three sentences? Yeah, thought so.
Item! Don't be a cock to the press. This is pretty self-explanatory: we have a press and you don't. Furthermore, we're underpaid and cranky and if we're writing about you we already think you're a fucking idiot. Oh yeah, and we record pretty much every telephone conversation we have. What is wrong with you?
- Z
Item! I am the Troy Tulowitzki of base humor. Anyone else want to try fitting Pablo Neruda, Joel Giambra, and the US Geological Survey into a joke about public sex, while commenting on the chronic underfunding of the Erie County public library system? Can you do it in under three sentences? Yeah, thought so.
Item! Don't be a cock to the press. This is pretty self-explanatory: we have a press and you don't. Furthermore, we're underpaid and cranky and if we're writing about you we already think you're a fucking idiot. Oh yeah, and we record pretty much every telephone conversation we have. What is wrong with you?
- Z
metalpeter - 08/09/07 18:34
First of all I have been to all the MIA Fests and if you don't believe me you can check out my webshots page. Secondly I'm a little bit confussed by that caller. I didn't read anything negative in that article. It does sound like both sides are happy. There are two things the article doesn't mention that are key factors. The ads that where sold how long are they for is it just for MIA or for the entire fair, and after MIA will those ads change? If it is for the entire Fair then they are just using an atraction to make there space worth more. I'm sure some of the other acts like Daughtry do the same thing. The second thing is this year I have seen a lot more ads who is paying for those in the Buffalo news and I think a couple TV ads also?
On a side note I know one day it won't be as good as two days but you have the city to blame for that. One of the cool things that I hope they still have is that you can watch people create art and at the start and sometimes up untill the end you can't tell what it is going to be.
First of all I have been to all the MIA Fests and if you don't believe me you can check out my webshots page. Secondly I'm a little bit confussed by that caller. I didn't read anything negative in that article. It does sound like both sides are happy. There are two things the article doesn't mention that are key factors. The ads that where sold how long are they for is it just for MIA or for the entire fair, and after MIA will those ads change? If it is for the entire Fair then they are just using an atraction to make there space worth more. I'm sure some of the other acts like Daughtry do the same thing. The second thing is this year I have seen a lot more ads who is paying for those in the Buffalo news and I think a couple TV ads also?
On a side note I know one day it won't be as good as two days but you have the city to blame for that. One of the cool things that I hope they still have is that you can watch people create art and at the start and sometimes up untill the end you can't tell what it is going to be.
joshua - 08/09/07 12:35
Like I told Z privately, I have no objections to the Fair selling off corporate space near the music and the enterance. Its hardly a problem, unless you simply hate corporate America and what it represents and on principle have an objection.
Like I told Z privately, I have no objections to the Fair selling off corporate space near the music and the enterance. Its hardly a problem, unless you simply hate corporate America and what it represents and on principle have an objection.
chico - 08/09/07 09:55
That is some phone call, I tells ya. Yikes. I loved the calm replies and the ultimate tell-off.
This is the relevant artcle in AV, right?
:::link:::
Here's a clip from the article:
"By moving to Hamburg, MiA saves money on security, a big cost that will be provided by the fair. According to Lou Ann Delaney, marketing director for America's Fair, the event is a "partnership" benefiting both parties. "We give them electricity, property that we would normally rent to a vendor, passes for all the participants, shuttle service for the performers from ECC to the stage. We help them get some donations for the VIP party."
What's a little harsh to realize is that once MiA agreed to hold their festival at the fair, the fair then turned around and sold space on either side of the midway entrance gate to corporate sponsors Best Buy and AT&T. How much were these companies willing to throw down to reserve placement right at the entrance to this new and exciting fair attraction? Seven thousand dollars apiece, according to Delaney. Each corporation will be paying America's Fair $500 per hour to be associated with Music is Art. That's synergy, and it makes it all worthwhile for the fair."
That is some phone call, I tells ya. Yikes. I loved the calm replies and the ultimate tell-off.
This is the relevant artcle in AV, right?
:::link:::
Here's a clip from the article:
"By moving to Hamburg, MiA saves money on security, a big cost that will be provided by the fair. According to Lou Ann Delaney, marketing director for America's Fair, the event is a "partnership" benefiting both parties. "We give them electricity, property that we would normally rent to a vendor, passes for all the participants, shuttle service for the performers from ECC to the stage. We help them get some donations for the VIP party."
What's a little harsh to realize is that once MiA agreed to hold their festival at the fair, the fair then turned around and sold space on either side of the midway entrance gate to corporate sponsors Best Buy and AT&T. How much were these companies willing to throw down to reserve placement right at the entrance to this new and exciting fair attraction? Seven thousand dollars apiece, according to Delaney. Each corporation will be paying America's Fair $500 per hour to be associated with Music is Art. That's synergy, and it makes it all worthwhile for the fair."
mrmike - 08/09/07 09:28
The topper was that she was on Channel 4's news last night broadcasting about the Fair's fortunes. I did walk by Music is Art's area. That is going to be pretty fuckin sad compared to when they had it in the city.
The topper was that she was on Channel 4's news last night broadcasting about the Fair's fortunes. I did walk by Music is Art's area. That is going to be pretty fuckin sad compared to when they had it in the city.
paul - 08/08/07 22:50
I just can't freakin' believe it - she is really a biznatch.
I just can't freakin' believe it - she is really a biznatch.
paul - 08/08/07 22:46
Thank is the fantastic stuff that I always dreamed of when creating the site. God, it is so good - I am listening to it twice.
Thank is the fantastic stuff that I always dreamed of when creating the site. God, it is so good - I am listening to it twice.
mrmike - 08/08/07 21:53
Wow, bushleague for a marketing "pro." Betting it's Music is Art. Good for Buck for keeping cool while dealing with somebody who shouldn't be in their position. Is this a reason why I can't make any headway marketing wise.
Wow, bushleague for a marketing "pro." Betting it's Music is Art. Good for Buck for keeping cool while dealing with somebody who shouldn't be in their position. Is this a reason why I can't make any headway marketing wise.
joshua - 08/08/07 21:16
This recording was amusing, particularly because of a) her trembling voice, b) her inability to articulate her own spin and c) her namedropping Jamie Moses.... lol. Pretty poor for a "Marketing Director."
Who is this lady, what partnership is she talking about and why does she feel compelled to threaten Artvoice? Really... a lady like this should be unemployable if she's actually working in the private sector. Could you imagine if you were an underling of hers? Like scrubbing corns off of feet much? =(
This recording was amusing, particularly because of a) her trembling voice, b) her inability to articulate her own spin and c) her namedropping Jamie Moses.... lol. Pretty poor for a "Marketing Director."
Who is this lady, what partnership is she talking about and why does she feel compelled to threaten Artvoice? Really... a lady like this should be unemployable if she's actually working in the private sector. Could you imagine if you were an underling of hers? Like scrubbing corns off of feet much? =(
dragonlady7 - 08/08/07 20:34
Wow the temptation, were I him, to write a complete hatchet job of the whole thing would be tremendous.
Except, of course, it would be ridiculous to let that woman dictate to me what I write in any fashion at all, and so I would probably, in the end, resist it, and would have to proceed with the story as originally planned.
I would probably be unable to resist throwing in a line about how unusually sensitive their marketing department was about the whole selling-tent-at-the-entrance thing.
Wow the temptation, were I him, to write a complete hatchet job of the whole thing would be tremendous.
Except, of course, it would be ridiculous to let that woman dictate to me what I write in any fashion at all, and so I would probably, in the end, resist it, and would have to proceed with the story as originally planned.
I would probably be unable to resist throwing in a line about how unusually sensitive their marketing department was about the whole selling-tent-at-the-entrance thing.
08/04/2007 19:10 #40381
bad weggies!Category: food
I do not seriously consider the quality of a mobile phone's camera when I'm shopping for one. It is a phone and I use it to talk. That having been said, if a phone should come with a camera, it would be nice if it were halfway decent. The camera on my Sony Ericsson T616 sucks balls. But that is not why you came here today.
This is a document hanging up at the entrance to the Amherst St Wegmans. You cannot read it here because my phone's camera sucks, but at the top it says 'NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH - INSPECTION - 6/23/07.' It is hanging up with all kinds of other boring paperwork, like their beer & wine license, and the building's rated maximum capacity, and like the minimum wage laws and employee of the month. Boring.
Except-
what is that checkmarked box labeled? You cannot read it here because, once again, my phone's camera sucks, but it says 'CRITICAL DEFICIENCIES.' [The other options were 'this establishment is in compliance...' and 'critical deficiencies which have been addressed...']
Ya.
- Z
This is a document hanging up at the entrance to the Amherst St Wegmans. You cannot read it here because my phone's camera sucks, but at the top it says 'NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH - INSPECTION - 6/23/07.' It is hanging up with all kinds of other boring paperwork, like their beer & wine license, and the building's rated maximum capacity, and like the minimum wage laws and employee of the month. Boring.
Except-
what is that checkmarked box labeled? You cannot read it here because, once again, my phone's camera sucks, but it says 'CRITICAL DEFICIENCIES.' [The other options were 'this establishment is in compliance...' and 'critical deficiencies which have been addressed...']
Ya.
- Z
zobar - 08/05/07 11:39
The Food Inspection database is down; nevertheless, I sent an email to the guy, asking for more information. 'Critical deficiencies' in a facility that big could really be anything.
I still bought some produce and raw fish there. I guess I just live dangerously.
- Z
The Food Inspection database is down; nevertheless, I sent an email to the guy, asking for more information. 'Critical deficiencies' in a facility that big could really be anything.
I still bought some produce and raw fish there. I guess I just live dangerously.
- Z
metalpeter - 08/05/07 10:39
I will admit that I don't have knowledge of what that means and in my Wilson Farm days I was never a manager. But for some reason I think I might know what that means. It means that when they where inspected that there was some kind of problem. What I'm not sure of is if it means that they have been told of the problem and that they are fixing it. Or if it means that they where inspected again and the problem was fixed. I think that it is the second one but I'm not sure. The thing to do is to go up and ask for a manager and get the story from them. I wonder if there is a way to research that online somehow.
I will admit that I don't have knowledge of what that means and in my Wilson Farm days I was never a manager. But for some reason I think I might know what that means. It means that when they where inspected that there was some kind of problem. What I'm not sure of is if it means that they have been told of the problem and that they are fixing it. Or if it means that they where inspected again and the problem was fixed. I think that it is the second one but I'm not sure. The thing to do is to go up and ask for a manager and get the story from them. I wonder if there is a way to research that online somehow.
jbeatty - 08/05/07 10:14
I thought it was a bit strange that much of their produce was missing. Also there were lots of people walking around with t-shirts that said "cleaning team" or something like that. I kinda wished I had seen that notice prior to walking in and shopping.
I thought it was a bit strange that much of their produce was missing. Also there were lots of people walking around with t-shirts that said "cleaning team" or something like that. I kinda wished I had seen that notice prior to walking in and shopping.
fellyconnelly - 08/05/07 00:05
hmmmm... critical, huh?
hmmmm... critical, huh?
mrmike - 08/04/07 20:36
Nice, as yet another chain store comes to the city and promptly quits giving a shit, or wiping up after one....
Nice, as yet another chain store comes to the city and promptly quits giving a shit, or wiping up after one....
theecarey - 08/04/07 20:33
huh.
btw, according to NYS, "critical deficiencies" is defined as posing an "immediate" threat to
public health.
thanks Weggies.
huh.
btw, according to NYS, "critical deficiencies" is defined as posing an "immediate" threat to
public health.
thanks Weggies.
08/01/2007 11:06 #40338
schadenfreudeCategory: news
I will refrain from adding my own commentary.
- Z
Since at least mid-June, BRO has been posting negative stories about Buffalo that are saved to a hidden cache page and not posted to or made mention of on the main pages that we are all familiar with.
I didn't read about the YWCA heroin-at-daycare case on BRO,
Here's a story BRO didn't post (but did) about the man who was beaten with his own prosthetic leg.
To top it off, BRO has even posted stories from way outside city limits - Lockport, County of Niagara, is representing on BRO's cache site, with sodomizing pitbulls
[...]
So, while promoting the wonders of Buffalo to the local audience, Buffalo Rising is perfectly content to promote some very ugly, very negative stories about Buffalo (and Lockport, County of Niagara), to a separate worldwide audience in order to artificially inflate web statistics.
- Z
mrmike - 08/01/07 15:34
Great journal title though, love that word -- fun to say tougher to spell. Nice work
Great journal title though, love that word -- fun to say tougher to spell. Nice work
jenks - 08/01/07 14:38
ok, a little OT here, but that sodomizing pitbull story is, I am told, TRUE.
Horrifying. I didn't believe it AT ALL. I'm sorry, but dogs don't RAPE people. Hump legs, yes. But anal penetration?! To the point that the kid needs emergency surgery to save his life?! Um- no.
But then I heard (from people involved in the case) that it's true- the dog's owners were supposedly drug dealers, or at least involved in the drug scene, and had TRAINED the dog to "have sex" with crack whores.
I know, it sounds too unbelievable to be true, and god how I hope it is.... but that's what I hear has come of the investigation so far.
ok, a little OT here, but that sodomizing pitbull story is, I am told, TRUE.
Horrifying. I didn't believe it AT ALL. I'm sorry, but dogs don't RAPE people. Hump legs, yes. But anal penetration?! To the point that the kid needs emergency surgery to save his life?! Um- no.
But then I heard (from people involved in the case) that it's true- the dog's owners were supposedly drug dealers, or at least involved in the drug scene, and had TRAINED the dog to "have sex" with crack whores.
I know, it sounds too unbelievable to be true, and god how I hope it is.... but that's what I hear has come of the investigation so far.
joshua - 08/01/07 11:43
Who gets more traffic, Artvoice or BRO?
Not that I think you particularly care about the pathetic pseudo-rivalry between members of the local media.
The implication laid out by this blogger is implausible to me. How is it that they are "promoting," as the writer puts it, negative stories about Buffalo when they are in fact cached and people are actively seeking out these articles, probably from a search engine?
Are we so insecure locally that even negative (but true) stories about our area that are cached on a web site are subject to ridicule based on a speculative conspiracy theory? This is EXACTLY!!!! why I pay absolutely no attention to local bloggers or periodical media. Its fucking unspeakably pathetic and I can't handle it without going into a tirade of expletives.
Who gets more traffic, Artvoice or BRO?
Not that I think you particularly care about the pathetic pseudo-rivalry between members of the local media.
The implication laid out by this blogger is implausible to me. How is it that they are "promoting," as the writer puts it, negative stories about Buffalo when they are in fact cached and people are actively seeking out these articles, probably from a search engine?
Are we so insecure locally that even negative (but true) stories about our area that are cached on a web site are subject to ridicule based on a speculative conspiracy theory? This is EXACTLY!!!! why I pay absolutely no attention to local bloggers or periodical media. Its fucking unspeakably pathetic and I can't handle it without going into a tirade of expletives.
07/24/2007 16:54 #40238
vox popCategory: politics
1. You ever wonder what it's like to be a sysadmin for an alt weekly? You want to find out? Send me your resume.
2. You ever see those ads on political websites showing the president making a monkey face or Hillary Clinton's eyes popping out of her head, and the ad says: 'Do you approve of the job this person is doing? Vote in our completely neutral and totally legitimate ballot.'
I've never clicked on one, so I don't know if they even register your 'vote.' I'm sort of half-curious about how the voting breaks down for those, but I'd be more interested to know how many people vote on those at all. [And also, academically, how many of the people who vote on those things actually vote with real ballots in November.]
I am not a big fan of Newsvine [I find it far too self-referential to be of any use] but they are running an interesting presidential primary poll. Get websites of varying levels of bias and neutrality, give them a relatively neutral ballot, and see what comes up [sample ballot: ].
What is interesting is not so much how the political sites are biased ['The Mitt Report' is 96% for Romney, imagine that] but how nonpolitical sites can be strongly biased in weird ways ['ClanTemplates,' which appeares to be some kind of gaming site? has Al Gore with a convincing lead, and I don't even think he's running].
- Z
2. You ever see those ads on political websites showing the president making a monkey face or Hillary Clinton's eyes popping out of her head, and the ad says: 'Do you approve of the job this person is doing? Vote in our completely neutral and totally legitimate ballot.'
I've never clicked on one, so I don't know if they even register your 'vote.' I'm sort of half-curious about how the voting breaks down for those, but I'd be more interested to know how many people vote on those at all. [And also, academically, how many of the people who vote on those things actually vote with real ballots in November.]
I am not a big fan of Newsvine
[I find it far too self-referential to be of any use] but they are running an interesting presidential primary poll. Get websites of varying levels of bias and neutrality, give them a relatively neutral ballot, and see what comes up [sample ballot: ].What is interesting is not so much how the political sites are biased ['The Mitt Report' is 96% for Romney, imagine that] but how nonpolitical sites can be strongly biased in weird ways ['ClanTemplates,' which appeares to be some kind of gaming site? has Al Gore with a convincing lead, and I don't even think he's running].
- Z
carolinian - 07/25/07 00:42
Are you leaving the alt weekly IT business for greener pastures?
Are you leaving the alt weekly IT business for greener pastures?
james - 07/24/07 19:49
I read DailyKos.com and when ever they have a poll John Edwards has like 68% of the vote which is just silly. The whole thing is silly. For christ's sake the primaries aren't for another six months.
But in polls Al Gore (who is not running as of yet) does pretty damn good for someone who hasn't campaigned. Gore kicks the crap out of every republican candidate in four swing states. So it is a wonder that the man is touring a power point presentation and bailing his son out of jail.
I read DailyKos.com and when ever they have a poll John Edwards has like 68% of the vote which is just silly. The whole thing is silly. For christ's sake the primaries aren't for another six months.
But in polls Al Gore (who is not running as of yet) does pretty damn good for someone who hasn't campaigned. Gore kicks the crap out of every republican candidate in four swing states. So it is a wonder that the man is touring a power point presentation and bailing his son out of jail.
My parents turned down my proposal to paint *my own room* tornado blue a decade and a half ago. *sigh*
I don't know what moms and dads ahave against happy coloured walls!
Hmm... does my building allow me to paint my walls, I wonder.
Ok, first I have to say that I am a huge sucker for all things periwinkle-colored - that said, I can understand how it doesn't always work for the walls of an entire room. And the rest of what you were living in sounds truly awful.
But ZOMGWTFYELLOW!!! and HOLY SHIT!!! PURPLE are completely awesome, and I can't wait until I live somewhere where I can paint the walls in similar colors. I'd probably throw in an eye-shredding shade of green, because I am like that.