(e:Janelle) has been journaling about the Sims, that video game where you... uh... simulate humans? You know, soup to nuts. From planing out their home and rise in a simulated capitalist economy to the micromanagement of sending them off to pee. And at a time-laps pitch it is oddly addicting.

Well, I played the Sims once, when it was a new game. Like Janelle I started off modestly. But mostly because I didn't read the instructions and just moved into the first shack I came across. Well, living in a miserable tiny apartment with room mates I wanted to axe murder I thought I would play out my childish fantasies. So, two guys move in and I try to get them to fall in love.

Now, this isn't a one-who-got-away sort of story. At the beginning they didn't like when I made them hug. But they kind of liked it when one bought a gift for the other. They could joke and pall around, but if I made them flirt. Yikes! It was uncomfortable.

But, I was persistent and my fantasy couple got together. One was an artists, because that sounded much more exciting than the waiter I was at the time. The other was in the military. Oh, everyone knew about his boyfriend, but it was never talked about on the base because our man was such a good soldier.

One morning, the military man wakes up early and sneaks downstairs to make the other breakfast in bed. A few weeks earlier they bought a grill for their anniversary. He starts cooking on the grill as the other gently slept and then.... BOOM!

FIRE!

FIRE!

Military man was engulfed in flames and died. A little tomb stone stood among the chard remains of the grill. The other sim would spend all day weeping beside it. He lost his job because he spent all day grieving.

Occasionally military man's ghost would appear and try to hug his lover. But the living sim would get frightened and run away. Then, when the ghost would disappear hugless the other would just return to the tomb and cry some more.

I was taking a Modern Russian history class at the time. The Albany winter was especially cold that year and reading the Gulag Archipelago for class should have been a harrowing experience. But the death and suffering of thousands was less depressing than my one and only game of the Sims.

Hi,

You know how you get a song in your head, in this case Last Dance With Mary Jane by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, and then you read a little on wikipedia then 30 minutes later you have followed a giant trail of vaguely related items and find yourself reading about sausage casing?

Well, that happened just now. And check out what treasure was unearthed






That is right! From a large distributor you can order sausage casing in the shape of a beer bottle! And this isn't a skimpy little sausage. Oh no, this is 1 1/4 pounds of summer sausage fun my friend.

Think of the hilarity as you whip this bad boy out on your next fishing trip. All your friends will be pawing for a bit of your beer bottle sausage. Hey there fellers, there is more than enough sausage to go around!

Order yours now from the mouthwateringly named Mid-Western Research and Supply Inc.

Ya, the big, big, big, big news is out.


We made it on the top ten list after all. I am happy for Buffalo, but after all that hype I wouldn't have been happy with anything short of a five-story H&M

Here is the Buffalo News story.

Yup, that's the big, big, big, big news.

Which reminds me...



I will never tire of that song or video.

UGH!

It has been an hour since the big ass Buffalo news was unveiled at Glove market by the Elmwood Association.

yet, why can't I find any info about this? This was supposed to be HUGE frickin news. But, go to the Elmwood Village Association web site there isn't a bit of news. The last news entry is from January...

I have gone to other sites looking for some info

Buffalo Rising
Buffalo News
WBFO
Craig's List
Buffalo Geek
Buffalo Pundit
All Things Buffalo
All Thing Jennifer

nothing

ugh! Did we just get on some stupid top ten list or is something big actually happening? A little moral booster isn't big news, it is nice fuzzy news that makes us feel good for a little while when outsides make fun of us for living in Buffalo.

There is a private discussion involving an online hit job around here.

It made me think about my favorite such hit job online that is amazingly NSFW.

It was also a great coincidence that the target of said hit job, former senator Rick "god hates fags, jews, liberals, and uh people that don't vote for me and oh by the way I LOVE my family in a profound way that you mere human could never begin to comprehend" Santorum may be running for Governor of PA next time around.

Check him out,
Rick Santorum

just a hint now of what to do.