On a long weekend in NYC, hanging on out my kid sister's place and taking in a Springsteen show in the Meadowlands as a mini vacay away from work till Tuesday.

Nice to get away, but as I left my car at my folks, you have to go through rituals, directions from my dad, spoken mostly for my mom to hear, my elder sister's now almost three year old sense of how to do the trains. I was relieved to sit back and enjoy the almost comedic relief of the Buffalo Airport.

I hadn't flown in a little over a year so things change a little. The lovely nuisance of tossing your belt into the security bins was a new one, but reassembling myself with much time to spare I found a few things very telling. At 9:30 in the morning, the faux Anchor Bar was buzzing and the place across the hall from them selling breakfast fare was empty.

Typical Buffalo...

I took Jet Blue to JFK, and despite all the speeches at my folks house...and the fact I've done this before, treated myself to a cab to my bro-in-law's office in midtown. We grabbed some lunch at a joint around the street, then he went back to work for a bit and I went to play. This is a bit of rarity for me. I think it's the first jaunt to New York where I haven't been part of a bigger undertaking in a long time. So, I enjoyed that while watching the cast of "Person of Interest" shoot a scene in Bryant Park last yesterday. Walking through Times Square, I got asked for directions twice, so I think my NY death stare gaze is working okay. The active parade of costumed characters seemed a little wrong. Although high fiving a smurf wasn't my only celebrity encounter yesterday. Briefly shared a cafe table with Joe Walsh from the Eagles which was both awkward and cool at the same time. After exchanging "You're Awesome, No, You're Awesomes" we went our ways.

Tonight, it's Bruce in the Meadowlands and tomorrow it's dinner with the daughter up at SUNY Purchase.

Nice breather.

A few random notes....

I think I am officially milestoned out for a bit. Just returned from a whirlwind tour to take my younger daughter to start school at Purchase College in White Plains. My younger sister was hired to teach acting in one of their conservatories for the fall semester so that makes that large task seem like less of a thing.

My older daughter got herself in Buff State starting last week and is doing well, but I think this means any serious vacations for me for the foreseeable future are a nice daydream.

Proud of em both, just tired to the point of not being tired.

Their younger brother is toughing in out with his first day of high school on Tuesday. He had orientation on thursday and it reminded me that I was officially comfortable with our estrip community and shared photos in 2006 which simultaneously seems like both yesterday and a thousand years ago.

So, that combined with Labor Day at the Zoo tomorrow, makes the weekend a bit of a wash. Psst....don't come tomorrow as the crowd will consist of 10000 people who normally wouldn't be there.....

Gonna spend the comp time in NYC catching a Daily Show taping and Springsteen concerts.

Got a second date with somebody this week, that's nice too.

So, guess the start of the school year is a bit of a blank slate, everybody is getting a fresh start. Maybe my mojo is here somewhere. The apartment isn't that big.....

I want to be all snarky about the headlines about Buffalo and Toronto doing an Olympic bid, but I got nothing. The Olympics certify the best that sport has, but can also embody the worst too. The now infamous twitter feed of #BuffaloOpeningCeremony was pretty hilarious and that might make me a bad buffalonian, but I hope the recent collection of soundbites is it. As another blog correctly pointed out, what do we have that Toronto would need and couldn't get from Burlington, Hamilton, et. al.

As we have the real thing ongoing at the moment, with the medal counts (which don't really mean a great deal, I mean is there a trophy or prize for that) and hyperbole (Phelps, the most decorated Olympian ever, that sounds better than greatest Olympian ever), it's a little disconcerting that sometimes there isn't much to say. It's just a little weird that the time traveling Today show devoted more coverage to a gymnast hairstyle (Holy Non-Issue, Batman) that it did this. But at least the Games go away now tonight....



That is the Mars Curiosity Rover landing on Mars, taken from another satellite which I took from Yahoo.com. Now, that's cool. Just an odd feeling that it is almost an afterthought in light of what all else is going on. That should be a big deal

Now, My dad, thoughtful observant dude that he is, recently noted that all it takes to make everyone around you a doctor is for you to come down with something. Opinions and assholes are forever linked in that regard.

I guess it is a sign that I'm getting older that it is taking a bit for an ankle injury(pulled tendons above my achilles) to recover for me. Age and the fact that resting it is a little dull. The needs of my job need me to do some ambling around, making me the Dr. House of marketing. A couple folks see me coming with a "still limping, there" observation. That's helpful as I wasn't noticing. Powered my way through our recent benefit which I think would fry the healthy cortex of Schartzeneggarian proportions. You know you're doddering a bit when both your mom and daughter present you with ankle braces.

It's funny what can slow you down. My building has a set of stair cases that thankfully after five years, I don't think much about....till now. You have to be careful when you think about how you plant your foot a bit and that nearly induced, vertigo I guess. I'm part of a great team and one of the kind souls reorganized our group to "get Mike off the stairs." That made me feel both really great and sort of pitiful.

I've never been a jock of any kind to speak of, but take a degree of pride in doing my share, toting my barge, lifting my bale, doing for the team ("TEAM, TEAM").

I made sure I wasn't screwing anything else up. It's going away, but three weeks off from heavy lifting events will help, but the nerves can repair sooner.

I wouldn't mind.

As I try to shake off the effects of a less than stellar summer and right myself for what remains, it is food for thought.

On a cool night like last night, pasta

An old Italian lived alone in New Jersey . He wanted to plant his annual tomato garden, but it was very difficult
work, as the ground was hard. His only son, Vincent, who used to help him, was in prison. The old man wrote a
letter to his son and described his predicament:

Dear Vincent,
I am feeling pretty sad because it looks like I won't be able to plant my tomato garden this year.
I'm just getting too old to be digging up a garden plot. I know if you were here my troubles would
be over. I know you would be happy to dig the plot for me, like in the old days.

Love,
Papa

A few days later he received a letter from his son.

Dear Papa,
Don't dig up that garden. That's where the bodies are buried.

Love, Vinnie
At 4 a.m. the next morning, FBI agents and local police arrived and dug up the entire area without finding any bodies. They apologized to the old man and left. That same day the old man received another letter from his son.

Dear Papa,
Go ahead and plant the tomatoes now. That's the best I could do under the circumstances.
Love you,

Vinnie

My dad, thoughtful observant dude that he is, recently noted that all it takes to make everyone around you a doctor is for you to come down with something. Opinions and assholes are forever linked in that regard.

I guess it is a sign that I’m getting older that it is taking a bit for an ankle injury(pulled tendons above my achilles) to recover for me. Age and the fact that resting it is a little dull. The needs of my job need me to do some ambling around, making me the Dr. House of marketing. A couple folks see me coming with a “still limping, there” observation. That’s helpful as I wasn’t noticing. Powered my way through our recent benefit which I think would fry the healthy cortex of Schartzeneggarian proportions. You know you’re doddering a bit when both your mom and daughter present you with ankle braces.

It’s funny what can slow you down. My building has a set of stair cases that thankfully after five years, I don’t think much about….till now. You have to be careful when you think about how you plant your foot a bit and that nearly induced, vertigo I guess. I’m part of a great team and one of the kind souls reorganized our group to “get Mike off the stairs.” That made me feel both really great and sort of pitiful.

I’ve never been a jock of any kind to speak of, but take a degree of pride in doing my share, toting my barge, lifting my bale, doing for the team (“TEAM, TEAM”).

I made sure I wasn’t screwing anything else upIt’s going away, but three weeks off from heavy lifting events will help, but the nerves can repair sooner.

I wouldn’t mind.