Joe's Journal

05/05/2014 12:41 #58958

Linwood Home Tour
Category: linwood

Yesterday (e:paul), (e:terry) and I went on the Linwood home tour with Paul's mom.

The concept seems kind of ridiculous - people pay $25 to go see a bunch of rich people's homes, and the money makes their already nice neighborhood even nicer. Terry made a point that it wasn't always so nice and that having nice neighborhoods in Buffalo makes it nicer for everyone. I guess the point is moot because I haven't been volunteering or improving Buffalo lately, so what can I say?

The houses themselves almost all beautiful. The only one I thought was pointless was an apartment building at the corner of summer that had nothing to look at inside. We also didn't see the Summer Street cat clinic which was on tour.

This one house had a fireplace in nearly every room. The tile was pretty similar to ours, but just glazed differently. Their heating vents also had the same design. I don't have the book right now so I don't know the house number.

The rest of the house was really modern - the owner is an architect

This house had so much hardwood everywhere. It's crazy to think that Buffalo had so much at one time people could cover everything in it.

Someone was putting on a puppet show? We stopped to eat at the Black Market food truck - I had a tofu Bahn Mi.

A former rooming house that was completely gutted for remodeling. Anything left over from before was in really rough shape. The house was huge, apparently there will be 5 apartments when it's finished.

Sink in a bedroom. Antique champagne or pee bucket underneath?

Saturn Club was cool on the inside. It has a weird medieval theme. I don't understand why you pay a club to drink with other wealthy people.

metalpeter - 05/13/14 18:24
first I'm way behind so sorry about this comment seeming to come out of no where......

I think one of things this tour does is that .... People want to show off their house and like this is how it looks now and that helps keep places in good shape but what I think it also does is people who seem them then can get ideas for things for their homes .....

In terms of the club I don't know if you mean currently .... Or the ones in the past... Cause the wealthy wouldn't party with the not wealthy and that is how they kept there power... Not sure how it worked but you couldn't just like walk in..... I don't know if all that stuff was true but those people ran the world .... I think some of that still might carry on Today.... It is a place where you aren't with say friends or people from work.... or people from the clubs it is people who have enough money and want to be part of a club you have to be excepted into even if it is only with money ????

joe - 05/08/14 00:53
not the Mayflower! But the house next to the cat clinic in the northeast corner of Summer and Linwood. Beautiful on the outside, not so much on the inside.

tinypliny - 05/06/14 22:55
What apartment building? The Mayflower? You actually paid money to see it?!

05/04/2014 00:47 #58956

Make sure your wood smells good
Category: house

(e:Paul) wanted to replace the shelves in the bedroom closet with ones that smelled less. We went to Home Depot and Lenco to check out different wood sizes and prices. But first they had to pas his smell test.

paul - 05/04/14 17:57
I'm a truffle pig for wood smells.

metalpeter - 05/04/14 06:30
Interesting .... Never thought about wood having a smell but it does... I've had dresser I think that smelled pretty good that fresh wood smell, never thought that different ones would have a different smell with different paints or varnishes though.... hope they passed the test....

tinypliny - 05/04/14 01:06
Who knows if (e:Paul)'s smell receptors are working well or not what with all the lingering illness and everything. Chances are the test is confounded.

05/02/2014 12:29 #58950

Wipe your paws
Category: shopping

(e:Paul) found this at target and wanted it - it was so cute - but it was made of shredded PVC and smelled absolutely toxic. We discovered if you strategically cover the bone it works perfectly for pride too.

Who is so bouge they need to buy their kids precut apples, cheese and grapes separately packaged in Disney branded plastic?

tinypliny - 05/02/14 21:41
Well.. if it were back home, I bet people would pick it out and eat it.

paul - 05/02/14 21:08
Its even weirder if you just imagine it sealed up like that in a landfill.

tinypliny - 05/02/14 13:15
Re: plastic package -> everything that is wrong with food habits and culture here.

05/02/2014 12:27 #58949

Kuni's
Category: food

(e:terry) finally got sick yesterday :( Poor guy. I thought he dodged it through beer disinfection but I guess it caught up.

(e:Paul) finally felt better, so we went out to Kuni's for dinner. I got the vegetarian combo again, Paul the sashimi, and we split the Japanese slaw and fried tofu. Everything was so good.

Paul's fish was cut into the shape of a rabbit

paul - 05/02/14 21:07
This is definately my favorite food.

tinypliny - 05/02/14 13:16
Man! I was hoping Terry won't be sick!! Too bad! Good vibes to you all!

05/01/2014 12:20 #58946

Allentown Association dinner
Category: allentown

On Tuesday, I felt better, so I went with (e:Terry) to the Allentown Association dinner at Hamiln House. (e:paul) was still dying :( . I've never been in there before but I couldn't believe how huge and nice it was on the inside - you would never have guessed from the street.

I didn't take many pictures, but the food was really good. The best thing was probably the fried asparagus. There were a raffles, but we didn't win anything, even though Terry has two very long arms. They had a speech and an opening prayer which seemed out of place for a secular group like that.

Most of the people there were very old. If I didn't know what was going on I would have assume it was a dinner for someone who died. Our table had almost everyone that was under 45 there. 6 of us - Henry, Tori, Gaia and Seth sat with Terry and I.

(e:Paul) was probably right when he said it would be good for networking, but I didn't have it in me that night. I did get inspired though, it felt likke everyone I talked to had started their own buisness or group or had some other idea they were kicking around. It makes me think almost anyone can try it - I just need to find a good idea and run with it.

Henry also told us about a new bike ride in Buffalo starting this Friday at 10pm, near Cafe 59. It's supposed to be a rolling bike party like in other cities, where everyone rides together to someone's house or some bars or anything fun. Like Critical Mass but without the angst or message. Link

joe - 05/02/14 12:41
I'm not sure really sure, I'm not involved in anyway with their group, or even aware of what they do besides hold an art festival.

Apparently there was a younger person on the board (by younger under I mean under 50). I imagine if eveyone just died out the organization would just disappear and another group would fill the vacuum, people at the dinner were mentioning 3 other Allentown groups that overlapped.

To me it seems like it's likely just a group geared towards old people - like neighborhood watches, planning boards etc. where people closer to my age volunteer for more "direct" things like cleanups, political causes, advocacy type things. Maybe when you get old you care more groups and boards like that.

tinypliny - 05/02/14 12:35
Terry looks so dashing! :)

ExBuffalonian - 05/02/14 11:23
Oh, and I love how the disco ball hangs among the chandeliers in the Hamlin House "ballroom." That's awesome! :)

ExBuffalonian - 05/02/14 07:52
Is it concerning for groups like this when the majority of the membership is elderly? Who will take over when they're gone? Are they doing anything to try and get younger people involved? Does anyone care if the group just dissolves in the next 15 to 20 years when 80-something percent of the members are no longer of this world?