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Paul's Journal

paul
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06/06/2009 19:48 #48854

More pics - No relation to the last jour
Category: random
Red snapper is so freakin' expensive at the coop, to be exact $30/fish. Its a whole fish. You have to clean it yourself, its not half as big as it looks in this picture. There is no such thing as organic fish - so really what is this. I could have it cooked and served to me at that price.

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This bird died. Hop its not the avian flu or west nile.
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People parked us in this morning and even left there car. Seriously, it makes me just want to slash their tires at this point.
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06/06/2009 19:41 #48852

Hellenic festival
Category: festivals
we went to the Greek festival today. It's mostly a food festival.

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The food is really just like Greek diner food and despite Greece being a land of seascapes, it includes no seafood. That made me sad. They even had all these historical picture of fish and fisherman.

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The only thing I can think of is that the people who founded that church were mountain Greeks.

My favorite part is the loukoumi, which are also known as Turkish delights. I am obsessed with them. I decided to just learn to make them, although I bought a pack of rose flavored ones.

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The really surprising parts were learning how the Greek orthodox felt about Catholics is how the Catholics feel about the Protestants. Also I learned there used to be five patriachs till the pope got power hungry. Well, at least that is their story.

On the way out the pig man christians were protesting the Greek festival with a similar furvour to the way they protest Thursday in the square. It's so weird now that they protest everything. I hope they protest the Italian festival and guidos beat the shit out of them.

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This seems like a bad translation - "Our ancestor's once proved useful to humanity"
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The ones in the white skirts were men.
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mk - 06/07/09 19:00
Turkish Delight makes me think of the Chronicles of Narnia. I don't think I'd ever actually seen it before. I always pictured a sponge candy-like substance. Thanks :)
vincent - 06/06/09 21:10
It was good running into everyone today. I didn't realize that the Crazies were out protesting another Christian denomination, but we ended up parking on Atlantic & I guess there were on Delaware. I'm just envisioning the scene now on Hertel & Delaware if they did show up to protest the Italian Heritage Fest, that is just too funny.

BTW Thanks for the Mall Link. Although I guess they may keep it open for a bit longer. :::link:::

06/05/2009 14:04 #48844

Being chemical bombed
Category: buffalo
This morning I was climbing in the pear tee when I heard these snake like noises coming under the fence from the parking lot behind us.

I climbed higher up in the tree so i had sight of a person back there and asked him what wad going on.

Turned out to be the noise of weed killer spray hitting the ground and draining into our garden and tortoise home. When matts babysitting the kids they play back there, and we have food plants growing there.

I am so angry that to keeps weeds off there freakin blacktop, they thought it would be cool to spray into my backyard. Matt says it's illegal without notification.

I just turned the hose on and sent the shot back in the other direction. I washed out the tortoise burrough but now I am still concerned. I wonder how often they do it.

The obvious answer is a brick mini wall. Like I don't have anything better to do.

It is like having my garden chemical bombed.
tiburon1724 - 06/15/09 00:10
yeah, Erie County has a 24 hour neighbor notification law. Turn 'em in!
theli - 06/06/09 00:22
Damn Paul... You just run into one resident ass after another. Huh?

06/05/2009 11:56 #48843

Hundreds of People Moved Downtown!
Category: buffalo
This morning I was reading a Buffalo Rising article about Buffalo making a comeback

While I think Buffalo does seem to be making a comeback, one of the signs of change was "Hundreds of people have moved downtown in the past few years."

Seriously? I hope that number is wrong or you never use it as a positive statistic again. Anytime you measure the success of a fairly large downtown by saying hundreds of people have moved there in the course of several years, it sounds like you are being sarcastic.
heidi - 06/05/09 19:07
Really great critique of the Bass Pro development: :::link:::
metalpeter - 06/05/09 18:36
Bass Pro won't do it alone but it being by a waterfront that is improving will be a help. What hopefully base Pro will do it get other stores to come down down and other things to come to the waterfront area. Just think about this for a second or two The Galleria Mall ............ Now the the Galleria Mall around Christmas time..... I'm not going to say that Down Town could ever get that many people there Just for some shops, but the potential is there. In terms of how many people have started moving downtown who knows really? Yes there have been lofts and apartments built into places and there has been some growth, but if you want things you have in your hood and you move downtown then those things have to come someplace else, sorry Tops Niagara is down town to most people. I admit there are reasons I would like to live DT But the area needs more stuff to get thousands of people living down there instead of 100's well unless of course 998 people moved DT.
joshua - 06/05/09 14:27
I've been critical of BR since its inception - I've felt that it was redundant and acted primarily as an unofficial chamber of commerce for EV, in concert with EVA (another org I've been critical of in the past, but have softened on). BR has done a better job but I still feel it's redundant - it is a rare day that I find something of interest to me there. Lately I've gone just to read whatever (e:drew) is writing, to support his contribution.

EV alone has 30,000 residents - "hundreds" doesn't mean anything. I ranted to (e:james) at (e:dcoffee)'s party about along a similar theme - the Bass Pro store. The Bass Pro store is our area's marquis new business development, and they treat it as if it's as critical as getting Intel in here or something - how absurd! Wake me up when we have *real* economic progress going on here - of course Bass Pro is going to sound good when literally nothing else is going on or being done to bring jobs here. Our city's motto has been "Fuck it!" for some time.


james - 06/05/09 12:35
Why hundreds of people? Why not millions?

BR reports that millions of millionaires have moved downtown to restore the Statler tower.

They didn't cite any report or say "according to...". As such, I think they are full of shit.

And where is all this downtown development? Most new or restored housing is being built on the East side and lower West side in little suburban communities. Barf. Downtown got the Avanti and a new court house. That will pack in literally tens of new downtown residents! I am not sure what is going where the aud used to be. But a Bass Pro sure wont bring residents.

Buffalo Rising brings out the grump in me.

06/05/2009 11:47 #48842

Disco Biscuits at Thursday in the Square
Category: thursday
We went to go see the Disco Biscuits at Thursday in the square with (e:heidi), my coworker Sameer. It was so packed with hippies. I didn't like the song when we arrived but the music got pretty jamin by the time it ended. I can't decide if the music stepped it up a bunch (which I think happend) or if I had "beer headphones" on.

Either way it way an awesome thursday in the square. The crowd went crazy trying to get an ovation and finally after like 5 minutes they came back out. Somehow I forgot to take pictures from my phone so I stole this pic off their website for your viewing pleasure.

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In general, the crowd was one of the most drugged and drunk crowds I have seen at the square but what do you expect from hippies. Then again I haven't been going as much as I used to, maybe its just like that now.

I love the four blocks of misanthropes and misguided youth that line main street, north of the venue and put on their own event. There were street performers, dancers, and of course the crazy militant christians were still there.

I realized for the first time last night that even though they are protesting, some of them probably secretly enjoy going and not just to "save souls." I mean imagine, you have the choice to protest reality at the mall, or at thursday in the square with all the people and music and craziness. Its probably the only concerts they get to "go to." okay, maybe besides Kingdom Bound but honestly I think those particular people would find Kingdom Bound blasphemous.

The best part was watching this 15 y/o inner city girl telling some adult protester that her slutty top didn't have any effect on her relationship with jesus because he forgave her.
heidi - 06/05/09 16:54
Josh - I'm in for those shows, too. Want to go together?
joshua - 06/05/09 14:40
Yeah it was cool to run into you guys down there. I was not surprised by the amount of hippies given the band that was there (my dad was the big guy wearing bright blue tie die but he was not alone, lol). The air was stinkin' - somebody had that Afghani out there last night! I liked the Disco Biscuits - between the Square and the harbor I plan on seeing the Umphreys McGee/MMW show, Govt Mule, Robert Randolph next week (same kind of crowd, betcha), and possibly a couple others.

I hadn't read the fine print re: the Harbor shows until today - their website clearly says $10 in advance, and $20 the day of the show. :::link::: I wonder how many people realize this? Or that you have to get these tickets from Ticketmaster or the downtown office if you want the $10 advance ticket?
mrdeadlier - 06/05/09 13:56
You're absolutely correct about Kingdom Bound. "It's at Darien Lake... Gasp! They have beer ads!!!"
heidi - 06/05/09 12:28
I had fun, too! Yea for hippies! Thank you!

Nice to see (e:joshua), (e:jason) & (e:drew) in our travels.