It's some trying times. I've been of the opinion for sometime that I am sort of without a demographic to call my own at my workplace. There exists a lot of vigilant Neo-cons republicans at my office. That in and of itself is no big whoop. I don't mind diversity of opinion. That is a good thing. Lately the cadre at lunchtime has been complaining every god damn day about how Palin is taken out of context, how the media is in the tank for Obama, factual inaccurate quotings of both McCain and Obama. It's making my head hurt and I'd really like it to stop.
I actual yelled at my boss to stop already. The turning point was her lauding Palin for being an advocate for special needs kids. The only thing Palin has done for special needs kids so far is to have one, and then politicize it. I grew up in a house with two special needs brothers and after 40 years of case reviews, autisms, down's, group homes, developmental centers, sheltered workshops, schizophrenia, oxygen tanks on the bedroom wall, suiing NY State to keep a school open, I heartily submit it is a wonder the Governor can sit down given all the talking out of her ass that she's done. I sympathize with the baby for sure, if for no other reason, his unfortunate moniker, but as the ever thoughtful (e:james) reminded me, her position made her advocate for the cause, largely because she said she'd be a voice.
Now I chuckle like the next guy at her delusion that the word also is a verb, but after watching her greet these poor folks who think they have somebody who will give a rats ass about what their child is facing made me mad. At six months in, I don't believe you can possible have an understanding as to what lies ahead with kids in those conditions. Every once in awhile, fortune does smile. I remember a "Dr. Bernie" who basically went back to school to learn how to manage my younger brother's illnesses. I'm sure her position as governor or future contestant on Dancing with the Stars will ensure that the various twists and turns that Downs can take will be administered to for her boy. And that is great. That is how it should be, for everybody and it is not.
Rare is the politico who actually genuinely gives a crap. Bill Hoyt was the last one in this area. He led the charge keep the Campus school at Buff State open and "walked the walk" to keep the West Seneca Developmental Center open. Two things that were desperately needed by a large number of families including mine. And before any GOP guys start slapping me around, this isn't a diatribe against one party or for the other. This is me lamenting the falsity of what the campaigns are turning into. Special needs kids don't need to be reduced to a talking point, especially by somebody who just took the first step and on very long road.
Government does have the power to not only give hope, but actually deliver. I don't care about Ayers, shopping sprees, that one, alaskan successionists, middle names, train rides to Delaware, different flavors of tax plans, Joe the plumber, who voted with who on what and so much more when none of that matters. Nothing on the stump is going to come to pass anyway. As I sit and listen to the giant sucking sound of my 401K turning into a 201, that notion of Palin suddenly being a champion to the special needs kid galled me. Don't tell people you're going to be advocate. Advocate, that's how it gets done.
Mike the marketer
Mrmike's Journal
My Podcast Link
10/24/2008 09:38 #46297
Mike the MarketerCategory: rant
10/23/2008 09:47 #46270
Inspired by Drew's AvatarCategory: holiday
One of my favorite holiday traditions. It may have lost a step from its early years, but is still miles ahead of most sitcoms. I know where I'll be on Nov 2.
metalpeter - 10/23/08 18:58
Your Avatar is kinda Ironic since bases on the previews one of the stories will be a Charlie Brown spoof.
Your Avatar is kinda Ironic since bases on the previews one of the stories will be a Charlie Brown spoof.
tinypliny - 10/23/08 18:52
THAT was super halloweenirarious! :)
THAT was super halloweenirarious! :)
drew - 10/23/08 11:02
Glad my avatar inspired you. In all truth, yours inspired me to change mine, and I had to pick my second favorite Halloween tv tradition, since you beat me to the best.
Glad my avatar inspired you. In all truth, yours inspired me to change mine, and I had to pick my second favorite Halloween tv tradition, since you beat me to the best.
10/21/2008 15:17 #46234
Aud Layne SighCategory: rant
Most you guys probably didn't get much use out of Memorial Auditorium in its heyday. It was quite the dump, but it was our dump. This blog came though the email and looking at the pictures was a little bittersweet. 
.
The old hot box was short on comfort, but had some amazing sightlines for concerts. It was good to move forward but the Aud was the place where I first saw the Who, Bruce Springsteen, U2, Bob Seger, Eric Clapton (in lieu of my high school prom), REM, as well as a slew of Sabres games and, watch as I show my age, a few Buffalo Braves games.
The city as usual screwed up. This is a venue that hosted everything from Elvis Presley to Led Zeppelin and while esthetically underwhelming, held a lot of firsts for people. I know the money was never there thanks to this region's prediliction for "suing first, asking questions later," but it would have been cool to find a mixed use for the spot similar to what happened to Montreal's old Forum. It wasn't exactly the Taj Mahal either, but it got new life being chopped up for retail and entertainment and the old center (excuse me) centre ice spot got preserved. It's a crazy notion, incorporating one's history into one's future, but Montreal all showed it can work.
Here, we have another asbestos farm.
.The old hot box was short on comfort, but had some amazing sightlines for concerts. It was good to move forward but the Aud was the place where I first saw the Who, Bruce Springsteen, U2, Bob Seger, Eric Clapton (in lieu of my high school prom), REM, as well as a slew of Sabres games and, watch as I show my age, a few Buffalo Braves games.
The city as usual screwed up. This is a venue that hosted everything from Elvis Presley to Led Zeppelin and while esthetically underwhelming, held a lot of firsts for people. I know the money was never there thanks to this region's prediliction for "suing first, asking questions later," but it would have been cool to find a mixed use for the spot similar to what happened to Montreal's old Forum. It wasn't exactly the Taj Mahal either, but it got new life being chopped up for retail and entertainment and the old center (excuse me) centre ice spot got preserved. It's a crazy notion, incorporating one's history into one's future, but Montreal all showed it can work.
Here, we have another asbestos farm.
theecarey - 10/24/08 10:57
oh wow, those pics jolted my memory of (e:pyrcedgrrl) and I having just turned 14 years old, and we took a bus from Lewiston to go see New Kids on the Block (with Dino and Sweet Sensation) concert. I remember a guy hanging out at those pillars after the show trying to sell pictures of NKOTB that were clearly pictures of pictures from a magazine. Thanks for the trip down memory lane!
oh wow, those pics jolted my memory of (e:pyrcedgrrl) and I having just turned 14 years old, and we took a bus from Lewiston to go see New Kids on the Block (with Dino and Sweet Sensation) concert. I remember a guy hanging out at those pillars after the show trying to sell pictures of NKOTB that were clearly pictures of pictures from a magazine. Thanks for the trip down memory lane!
imk2 - 10/22/08 09:15
dont forget MC Hammer. He was at the Aud too.
dont forget MC Hammer. He was at the Aud too.
metalpeter - 10/21/08 18:54
As Much as I like the New Arena thinking back Buffalo did the wrong thing. It is to Bad that Buffalo doesn't have enough people to have had two Arenas. I think it gets the wrecking ball starting Nov. 1st, maybe if that is true and I'm still up and drunk from the Halloween party I'll go down and take some pictures I want to make it down there some time that day. Oh yeah Looking back I wish that the money they spent to Build the HSBC (marine midland center back then) Arena they could have used to fix up what needed to be fixed. Yes those orange seats where very scary and it looked like one trip and you would die and the ramps where scary, Yeah and the Sound sucked. I wish I Had Digital Pictures from when the Bandits won the championship there. As much as I like the Bandits in the New Arena I think there was something about sitting in those Gold Seats. I also wish that once the Aud Closed they thought to take out the gold seats then before all the Damage Happened to them I'm sure you could get some great money for them. I don't have any specific memories from there, I know I went to some hockey games and maybe Metallica played a show there that I saw but not sure. One thing that I do remember from Toronto is when Air Canada Center first opened LaCrosse was still played (maybe for only one season) at Maple Leaf Garden (still standing as part of a building not sure if it is still used today) There and I went to a Bandits game there. Yes it was old and kinda Scary. But see what is cool about those old places is they aren't all the same, and the ice isn't all the same. Lets take prowrestling for an example or Hockey if you see the Arenas and take out the singns for say the teams I don't think anyone could tell them apart they all pretty much look the same. It is a shame that the Aud has to come down. The Ironic thing is where the New Arena is I think is a better spot for Bass Pro.
As Much as I like the New Arena thinking back Buffalo did the wrong thing. It is to Bad that Buffalo doesn't have enough people to have had two Arenas. I think it gets the wrecking ball starting Nov. 1st, maybe if that is true and I'm still up and drunk from the Halloween party I'll go down and take some pictures I want to make it down there some time that day. Oh yeah Looking back I wish that the money they spent to Build the HSBC (marine midland center back then) Arena they could have used to fix up what needed to be fixed. Yes those orange seats where very scary and it looked like one trip and you would die and the ramps where scary, Yeah and the Sound sucked. I wish I Had Digital Pictures from when the Bandits won the championship there. As much as I like the Bandits in the New Arena I think there was something about sitting in those Gold Seats. I also wish that once the Aud Closed they thought to take out the gold seats then before all the Damage Happened to them I'm sure you could get some great money for them. I don't have any specific memories from there, I know I went to some hockey games and maybe Metallica played a show there that I saw but not sure. One thing that I do remember from Toronto is when Air Canada Center first opened LaCrosse was still played (maybe for only one season) at Maple Leaf Garden (still standing as part of a building not sure if it is still used today) There and I went to a Bandits game there. Yes it was old and kinda Scary. But see what is cool about those old places is they aren't all the same, and the ice isn't all the same. Lets take prowrestling for an example or Hockey if you see the Arenas and take out the singns for say the teams I don't think anyone could tell them apart they all pretty much look the same. It is a shame that the Aud has to come down. The Ironic thing is where the New Arena is I think is a better spot for Bass Pro.
gardenmama - 10/21/08 17:41
Ah, yes, remembering when... I went to some great concerts there (Stevie Wonder (twice); Fleetwood Mac (twice); some I think I was too stoned to remember), and other stuff too. I remember as a kid going to Disney on Ice, Ice Capades, the circus. Lots of cool stuff. It was a strange, funky kind of building - sort of sad to see it go - guess some progress is better, though, than just standing still.
Ah, yes, remembering when... I went to some great concerts there (Stevie Wonder (twice); Fleetwood Mac (twice); some I think I was too stoned to remember), and other stuff too. I remember as a kid going to Disney on Ice, Ice Capades, the circus. Lots of cool stuff. It was a strange, funky kind of building - sort of sad to see it go - guess some progress is better, though, than just standing still.
joshua - 10/21/08 16:17
Philly found a use for the Spectrum... sort of a shame that the Aud has been standing vacant for 12 years. Back when we were very young our dad used to occasionally drive us from Jamestown to the Aud to see the Sabres play, and I have many fond memories of the Aud. I swear, and this may be weird, but I can still imagine the heat, the smell, the view of the ice as you cut through the turnstiles, the ramps with the weird paint, the steep upper level, the circular sound suppressors hanging from the ceiling. I remember the crowd noise seeming really intense for such a space. My favorite player was Christian Ruutu. The last time I entered the Aud was in 1996, when the Sabres opened the Aud to the public to unveil their new black and red uniforms.
The ice was too small and it became obsolete... I was enthralled when we got our new building but the HSBC Arena has none of the mystique that the Aud had. Good times.
Philly found a use for the Spectrum... sort of a shame that the Aud has been standing vacant for 12 years. Back when we were very young our dad used to occasionally drive us from Jamestown to the Aud to see the Sabres play, and I have many fond memories of the Aud. I swear, and this may be weird, but I can still imagine the heat, the smell, the view of the ice as you cut through the turnstiles, the ramps with the weird paint, the steep upper level, the circular sound suppressors hanging from the ceiling. I remember the crowd noise seeming really intense for such a space. My favorite player was Christian Ruutu. The last time I entered the Aud was in 1996, when the Sabres opened the Aud to the public to unveil their new black and red uniforms.
The ice was too small and it became obsolete... I was enthralled when we got our new building but the HSBC Arena has none of the mystique that the Aud had. Good times.
10/19/2008 16:12 #46192
Subterranean Homework Blues...I'm sitting here on a lovely sunny afternoon (cue the Kinks record) doing homework. Actually, I'm helping number one son learn to juggle his workload and finish off some of my own. And that is pretty okay.
I spent yesterday afternoon and evening outside at the Zoo with day 2 out of 4 on our Hayride event. Nothing like being out in the cold on concrete for a few hours to make you feel your age (or somebody considerably older). Came home to a cold beer really tired. Hung in there to watch Saturday Night Live kiss Sarah Palin's pentacostelist butt and faded to sleep.
Sprint sent me a free ring tone and I paid it no mind till it worked this morning. The Stock Exchange bell rang from my phone with a text from my eldest daughter asking for a ride home from an overnight. She needed picked up from the Riverside Area at 8:30. I rubbed my groggy eyes 8:07. Aargh!! Stood up to realize just how sore I was from Zoo duty. Made it to Riverside by 8:29. This guy's good. Deposited her at her post at the Zoo and was back in front of the coffee maker by 9. Still, a helluva way to start. Ensuring my descent to hell, I skipped church to do laundry and rest a little. Something renewing about an omelet and a Hogan's Heroes rerun in its place.
Nice to know I can still pass fifth grade math and social studies.
I spent yesterday afternoon and evening outside at the Zoo with day 2 out of 4 on our Hayride event. Nothing like being out in the cold on concrete for a few hours to make you feel your age (or somebody considerably older). Came home to a cold beer really tired. Hung in there to watch Saturday Night Live kiss Sarah Palin's pentacostelist butt and faded to sleep.
Sprint sent me a free ring tone and I paid it no mind till it worked this morning. The Stock Exchange bell rang from my phone with a text from my eldest daughter asking for a ride home from an overnight. She needed picked up from the Riverside Area at 8:30. I rubbed my groggy eyes 8:07. Aargh!! Stood up to realize just how sore I was from Zoo duty. Made it to Riverside by 8:29. This guy's good. Deposited her at her post at the Zoo and was back in front of the coffee maker by 9. Still, a helluva way to start. Ensuring my descent to hell, I skipped church to do laundry and rest a little. Something renewing about an omelet and a Hogan's Heroes rerun in its place.
Nice to know I can still pass fifth grade math and social studies.
gardenmama - 10/19/08 23:43
I don't exactly know how to say this without stereotyping or sounding condescending, but I think it’s really great how involved you are in your kid’s lives. Frequently, a non-resident parent sort of fades, or gets pushed, into the background. It’s not necessarily that they want it that way, but sometimes they just don’t know how to prevent it, or it’s even just logistics. Then on the flip side, they sometimes fall into the “Disney dad (or mom)†syndrome, where they’re not doing the “work†part, just the fun stuff. You obviously make a concerted effort to stay relevant - you’re a pretty cool dad. Someday your kids will really appreciate that.
I don't exactly know how to say this without stereotyping or sounding condescending, but I think it’s really great how involved you are in your kid’s lives. Frequently, a non-resident parent sort of fades, or gets pushed, into the background. It’s not necessarily that they want it that way, but sometimes they just don’t know how to prevent it, or it’s even just logistics. Then on the flip side, they sometimes fall into the “Disney dad (or mom)†syndrome, where they’re not doing the “work†part, just the fun stuff. You obviously make a concerted effort to stay relevant - you’re a pretty cool dad. Someday your kids will really appreciate that.
10/17/2008 15:45 #46159
Methusalah!!Category: work
I'm getting too old for this shit...
Been doing Bikram Yoga for two weeks and while I'm not all amped to go (not exactly oozing confidence in my abilities yet), I've been keeping myself on a schedule. It's sort of my own way of being the grumpy gym coach you hate.
We have one of the last events of the year this weekend at the Zoo. Trick or Treating on Zoo grounds, which is fine, but to set up it's the marketing and development folks (my merry band) who decorate, set up tables, generally acting like something between roadies and packmules. So, you work, which is fine, but in still getting used to the Hot Yoga fun, I was a little strung out when I got to work yesterday morning from my Tuesday night class. We started running all over, stopping for me and boss to have one of "those" talks with a subordinate. So, when I left work, didn't want to go, didn't want to go, didn't want to go. But, made my lard butt go. I'm still crawling out of there, but I'm noticing good things and it did feel pretty good to forgot about the sundry bullshit that fills a work day. Maybe there is something to that. Made me not look forward to more set up today, but what are you gonna do.
Trick or treat indeed.
Gonna go watch the keepers feed the anaconda!
Been doing Bikram Yoga for two weeks and while I'm not all amped to go (not exactly oozing confidence in my abilities yet), I've been keeping myself on a schedule. It's sort of my own way of being the grumpy gym coach you hate.
We have one of the last events of the year this weekend at the Zoo. Trick or Treating on Zoo grounds, which is fine, but to set up it's the marketing and development folks (my merry band) who decorate, set up tables, generally acting like something between roadies and packmules. So, you work, which is fine, but in still getting used to the Hot Yoga fun, I was a little strung out when I got to work yesterday morning from my Tuesday night class. We started running all over, stopping for me and boss to have one of "those" talks with a subordinate. So, when I left work, didn't want to go, didn't want to go, didn't want to go. But, made my lard butt go. I'm still crawling out of there, but I'm noticing good things and it did feel pretty good to forgot about the sundry bullshit that fills a work day. Maybe there is something to that. Made me not look forward to more set up today, but what are you gonna do.
Trick or treat indeed.
Gonna go watch the keepers feed the anaconda!
mrmike - 10/18/08 09:40
Yeah, the hayrides are part of it. It runs next weekend as well.
Yeah, the hayrides are part of it. It runs next weekend as well.
gardenmama - 10/17/08 21:06
Doesn't it just suck working weekends when you've done the regular gig all week? I have to work tomorrow too - crap. The district is holding it's annual parent conference tomorrow at the convention center so I'm on duty for registration and whatever from 7:30 a.m. till mid-day. At least I get 1.5 time for the day. Not sure it really makes it worth it though. I like my Saturdays.
Does the Zoo do a hay-ride along with the trick-or-treating? Also, is tomorrow the only day you guys are doing this or does it run next weekend too? It might be a fun thing for my granddaughter - she really likes the zoo.
Doesn't it just suck working weekends when you've done the regular gig all week? I have to work tomorrow too - crap. The district is holding it's annual parent conference tomorrow at the convention center so I'm on duty for registration and whatever from 7:30 a.m. till mid-day. At least I get 1.5 time for the day. Not sure it really makes it worth it though. I like my Saturdays.
Does the Zoo do a hay-ride along with the trick-or-treating? Also, is tomorrow the only day you guys are doing this or does it run next weekend too? It might be a fun thing for my granddaughter - she really likes the zoo.
tinypliny - 10/17/08 21:03
All this exercise mania hitting (e:strip) (you with Bikram yoga, (e:dragonlady) with the read-n-cycle, (e:Paul) and (e:James) with the Gym workouts) is making me feel like the laziest person on the planet. Maybe that's who I really am. Haha
All this exercise mania hitting (e:strip) (you with Bikram yoga, (e:dragonlady) with the read-n-cycle, (e:Paul) and (e:James) with the Gym workouts) is making me feel like the laziest person on the planet. Maybe that's who I really am. Haha
I completely empathize and agree with your view here. While not experiencing things to the same extent that you have I, nonetheless, grew up with a brother who has a mild learning disability; had a very close family friend with bi-polar disorder commit suicide; and have a nephew with ADHD and fetal alcohol syndrome. Also, I spent half my career working in an agency that served people with developmental disabilities and have seen many people, with situations similar to that of your family’s, struggling to get even adequate assistance for their loved ones.
It is most interesting that she "will be" an advocate, as opposed to she "has been" an advocate. Where was she advocating for programs and services for people with disabilities prior to the birth of her child with Down's? Why is it only a concern now that it's HER concern? And, when push comes to shove, how much of an advocate does she really plan to be? Though her child's life will likely not be easy, his special needs will be met regardless.
Come what may, I think many of us will be damn glad when this distressing, disheartening election is finally over.
I could not agree more. People in politics hardly know what they are walking for anyway.