Monday, April 29, 2002






I AM CANADIAN


I am 50% CANADIAN!!!

(Take the Canadian-ness test)


Seriously..

I have some Canadian in me by virtue of the fact that my Grandmother was born in Nova Scotia. That HAS to count for something! Oh yeah, I'll be going to Nova Scotia next summer with my parents and Grandmother. I'm super psyched about it already!

Storms/Earthquake

Yes. I felt that earthquake two Saturday's ago. Yes it was cool. I also experienced that mondo storm that went through yesterday (spawning a tornado several counties over). Yest it was cool.

Damn Computer, Again

Still no computer. Expect spotty blogs until then (preferably a nice blue spottiness). Many apologies. Last week was hell for work. Still feeling slightly burned out from all the hours. On the happy side, this coming weekend is the Maple Syrup festival in Gerry, NY. Woo hoo! I love that sugary stuff :-)

Wednesday, April 24, 2002


Blar

I had a nice long post yesterday that was eaten by the Blog Monsters. I'm not even sure my sight is visible at the moment since I'm not able to look at other blog*spot sites. Ah well.

Tonight I have a long meeting in store (Legislature). That's kind of how my whole week is going to work. That's life! I'll put a better update on here when I'm positive I can publish it (and it won't be destroyed).

Tap tap.. Is this working?

Sunday, April 21, 2002

God I HATE My Computer!!

My computer died this weekend. I just found out about a half-hour ago, when I talked to Matt long-distance. Blar. Apparently, our computer (which is only a year old) just up and "shit the bed." Fortunately, it's still under warranty and H-P is replacing the hard-drive for free. It just means I'll have trouble updating this and doing my usual email for awhile. Argh.

Other Weekend Stuff

The weekend otherwise has been cool. I got to see one of my friends from elementary school (and forward). I also got to see a friend I hadn't seen in six years. That was fairly rockin' as well. Sorry, had to get my "Singles" line in there somewhere. Actually, the weird part about this weekend is that I realized a few things about myself communication-wise.

A. I don't make eye contact anymore when I talk to someone. Don't know why.
B. I'm still very shy in groups or when meeting someone for the first time (or seeing for the first time in awhile)
C. That shyness translates into my brain turning off and my conversation skills going out the door

So that generally sucks, but it gives me something to work on in the personal department. Yeah. The sucky thing about it is that I worked really hard to change the above 3 items when I was in college. I did really well for awhile too. OH well :-)

I Got My Pink Card Back.. JK

I'm joking that I got my pink card back because I lent a book on bisexualism to a girl whose blog I read. She lives in Irondequoit, so I offered to lend it to her after she came out on her site. I thought that was pretty cool of her to do since I had so many hang ups about what I could say or where I could say it once I figured out all that stuff. Oh wait.. I still do! Yeah.. it's amazing how age, job atmospheres, and all that other stuff will make you change who you are. It was nice to actually meet someone in person after reading about their life for the past year (almost). I really didn't know what to say to her in a way since I realized I did know quite a bit about what her daily life is like. She has a lot of people who link to her site, so I'm guessing she really doesn't have time to read this blog. Makes for a strange trade-off in conversation.

Dad's Birthday

ALSO.. geez.. you'd think I'd have something to say about this. Well, tomorrow is my dad's birthday. It was cool to see him and give him his presents. I think we're going out for dinner soon. I always like seeing my parents for a visit. I think that's it for now. Hopefully the week isn't so crazy at work that I can't write something every so often. OH yeah.. all of you (friends) who read this and didn't get a mass email from me recently, please email me so I can re-add you to my address list. I think that takes care of everything.

Friday, April 19, 2002


Out of This Town

I'll be headed out of this town as soon as possible this afternoon. The funny thing is this: I'm getting out of town (for my Dad's birthday), but in a way to get away from work. I mean.. that's what the weekend is for, right? I just found out my boss is also headed up to Rochester, but to see Black Sheep at the Water Street Music Hall (this is the pre-Foreigner band that Lou Gram was a part of.. according to Shep at least). Guess that changes things up a bit! Not that I'll run into him, but I do have to chuckle a little.

So no blogs until then unless I truly get bored or have free-time! Have a super weekend (even though it's going to get cold here).

Wednesday, April 17, 2002


So-Called-Perfect Summer Compilation

Ok, I think I've got down all the songs to that compilation I referred to as the "perfect" summer compilation:

1. The Cure - Out of This World
2. October Project - Where You Are
3. Portishead - Wandering Star
4. Dave Matthews Band - Crush
5. Jesus Jones - Right Here, Right Now
4. XTC - Church of Women
5. Semisonic - Singing In My Sleep
6. October Project - Be My Hero
7. XTC - The Wheel and The Maypole

I have this feeling I left off a song somewhere.. like there should be at least two more songs in there, but since it was recorded on one side of a 90-minute cassette, I doubt it. I think any compilation I create in the near future will probably include some Crowded House, Dire Straits, Cracker, Bon Jovi, and Talking Heads. Just musing right now.

Shot To Hell

My next two work days are shot to hell with meetings or school tours. I wouldn't mind if the hours weren't going to drive me crazy. Fortunately, I'm getting out of town for a few days (yes.. again) to catch up with some people I haven't seen in months or one in 6 years. That means another drought in daily blogging, but it's all good. Quick fact: I may get to see the Dave Matthews Band a third time this July. They're coming to Darien Lake and I've been itching to hear some of the infamous Lillywhite sessions stuff live (not that I've really heard it on disc.. but I'm sure I did by osmosis via Matt).

Tuesday, April 16, 2002






which Melissa Ferrick song are you?
(by Jessica)

Misguided Music Compilations

I saw a link to this compilation via Meg. There's just something wrong with putting together a compilation of Gregorian chants and calling it Gregorian Chillout. I mean.. really.

Need Guidance for Compilation

I'm in that Spring mood finally where I need to make a compilation. I have no idea what direction I want to go in musically. Usually I like I choose upbeat, spring-y, summer-y type music but I think I really topped myself last year (or was it two years ago?) with a tape I made. I'll provide the track list for that once I can find the tape, listen to it, and scribe the songs I recorded. It's really quite good!

Off to work now.

Sunday, April 14, 2002


Plans Dashed by Rain

Matt and I had numerous plans for this weekend that involved the outdoors (hiking, gardening, washing & waxing our cars), but all those were scrapped as rain moved into the area. We need the percipitation no doubt, but after being stuck in an office all day for a week, I was ready to be outside. Naturally, the weather is going to improve and then get nasty again for the weekend. Is there no justice?

How the Web Creates Minor Celebrities

With the proliferation of weblogs, some of the better written/designed sites are making minor celebrities of their owners. At least that's my opinion. Then there's the celebrities who seem to have dropped off the planet who re-emerge as their weblogs become more well read *ahem* Wil. The only reason I bring this up is because I had my AOL IM up today and Meg of not.so.soft "fame" had logged on. I almost hyperventilated and then sent an IM telling her I liked the link she provided to a crack-like game on the web. She wrote back saying she's glad I thought it was cool to which I replied thanks and said I'd let her go since I didn't know if she was being bombarded by any other IM's. The whole event made me think for awhile. Meg is just a regular person whose well written/designed blog has gained wide-recognition in the blog-world. I don't have the stats, but I imagine there's quite a few people who check in on her daily happenings. The whole thing has just been interesting to toss around my brain today. Now, I have a blog but it's different to the extent that I know for a fact that I don't have tons of people reading it everyday. In fact, I'm pretty sure I know most of the people who do read it, but can't be totally sure since only one person has signed the GuestMap *hint hint* *grins*

Alright, that's my Sunday ramble. I have to go take care of anything that requires water before the Board of Public Utilities starts flushing the water mains in our neighborhood. The end result of the flushing is something called "roily water." When you turn on the faucet after a flushing, the water comes out brown and icky. It usually takes a couple minutes for it to run clear, so I like to get stuff done before all the ickiness starts.

Friday, April 12, 2002


Quick Note of Thanks

A note of thanks to ChocolateOrange for the refferal (damn I'm tired because I'm not going to bother to spell check that) on the "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" quiz. I just like to say thanks since this darn Internet can be so unforgiving sometimes *grins* I think I better pop on off to bed. Ooohhh.. who would have thought I'd be acting this old at 25? *sighs*

Finally, The Trip to DC

Now that it's almost been a week I have time to jot down some of the illustrious details of Matt and my trip to our Nation's Capitol last week:

Wednesday: We left Jamestown just before 9am and headed down the back roads of Pennsylvania towards our destination. We arrived at the Marriott at Metro Center just after 4pm (not bad timing) and checked in. I highly reccommend looking for a room at this Marriott online if you're ever thinking of visiting DC. I got great rates (although parking ran $15-$22 a day), the place is beautiful, and it's literally steps away from a main Metro Subway station. Assuming we make a return trip, Matt and I are shooting for a bed and breakfast that's also close to a Metro station (Woodley Park). But that's another trip. Wednesday night we walked around the Tidal Basin with Chuck & Lori, trying to catch the Cherry Blossoms before they blew off the trees. Chuck then cooked us a great meal of marinara sauce over pasta and garlic broccoli.

Thursday: This trip ended up being a very cold trip compared to what we had anticipated. At least it didn't snow! We went to the Holocaust Museum in the morning. Very emotional but an excellent exhibit. Lunch was vendor food followed by a few hours in the National Museum of American History. We then met up with Kara (a former intern of Matt's), who gave us a tour of her college, George Washington University. Cool Trip Factor #1 kicked in here when we got to see CNN's "Crossfire" which is being aired live from GWU. Yes, we were on CNN last Thursday, but only for a moment as the camera panned the audience. It was great for me because I finally got to see how a professional tv show is done with a live audience. It was also cool to see James Carville in person. After the show, Kara, Matt, Chuck, Lori, and I went for dinner at the Cheesecake Factory. Heaven! The most amazing cheesecakes! I had Tirimisu Cheesecake. Matt had Turtle Cheesecake.

Friday: A trip to the National Air & Space Museum included an IMAX film (of course). We then met Lori at her place of employment (the office of Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy) and got a tour of the Capitol with three families from Long Island. The father of one family is a NY Firefighter who was on vacation when the planes hit the WTC. Fortunately, he didn't have to go in until after the towers fell so he didn't experience that. Later that evening, Matt and I met up with Chuck & Lori again for Thai at the Star of Siam. Very, very good. I like Thai Food! (to quote Mike Zucca). We had a drink and then went to Xando's for S'mores. I'm serious! They bring out this round bowl that has a little fire in this clay thing and you roast marshmallows over it, eventually smooshing the roasted marshmallow between chocolate and two graham crackers. Mmmm!

Saturday: Matt and I slept in this day since we had been pushing ourselves to the limit with walking. We eventually had lunch at the Capitol City Brewery Company followed by a quick Metro ride to the Cherry Blossom Festival (Sakura Matsuri) by Federal Triangle. Since it was terribly cold, we ended up inside the Old Post Office where we heard a Japanese chior. I also got to eat some Ben & Jerry's ice cream. After this, we walked down to the Washington Monument, down to the Reflecting Pool, over to the Vietnam War Memorial, then to the Lincoln Memorial, and then back to the hotel. I'm not going to take a guess at how far we walked. After a long rest, we got ready for dinner. The earliest reservation we could get for dinner was 10pm, but we took it because we didn't want to miss out on experiencing The Melting Pot. This place is absolutely amazing! It's a fondue restaurant, so you can imagine the wonderful excess. Actually, it's hard to imagine. This was truely Cool Factor #2 for the trip. My mouth is watering in remembrance.

Sunday: We checked out and went for brunch to Tunnicliff's, which is where Chuck is waitering until he gets an awesome job in government. After that, we made our way back to Jamestown. These five days were a most lovely trip and I can't wait until we can get away again for an extended time.

So there you have it! Sorry it wasn't more descriptive, but this post would have gone for pages if I hadn't shortened it up a bit. You can't say I didn't provide any links at least *grins* Email me for any specific details.

Thursday, April 11, 2002


And Who Says Cows Aren't Smart?

This article proved to me that some animals do have a clue. It also proved to me that there are some nutty, but good intentioned people in this world. Praise whoever that!

How Ironic




which "monty python and the holy grail" character are you?

this quiz was made by colleen


And yes.. I will probably keep posting quiz results until I get an honest chance to write something worthwhile. My sincere apologies.. I will make it up to you soon! That's assuming that this weekend isn't so lovely that I spend most of it playing in the dirt *ahem* I mean gardening.

Wednesday, April 10, 2002


Why Are There So Many Songs About Rainbows?

You are Kermit!
Though you're technically the star, you're pretty mellow and don't mind letting others share the spotlight. You are also something of a dreamer.


Tuesday, April 09, 2002


Procrastination

Pardon the lack of posts lately. I'm getting back into work and stuff and just haven't had time to write a proper blog entry. I have to go do my taxes on (e-file of course). We will resume our normally scheduled program very soon. Incidentally, I think it's funny to hear Ozzy Osbourne's wife invite someone over to fight Ozzy in her proper English voice. Very funny.







Love the new image, you've come along way since wooden horses, but
as popular as ever.



Computer virus quiz



Monday, April 08, 2002


Safe and Sound

We made it back safely! I hope to give a review of the trip sometime this week. There's so many details, so hopefully I can whittle those down to something manageable blog-wise. Hope everyone that was on holiday the past week had a great time *grins* Back to the grind for now.

Tuesday, April 02, 2002


Let Me Know Where You Are

Check out the Guestmap feature on the left column under my daily blogs. Pretty cool feature I think!
Some Updates

First off, I'm very glad to say that no one was hurt in the fire on 1st Street in Jamestown. I'm especially glad since Matt was one of the people in the building at the time. Yeah. He's still very pissed about the whole situation since Fire Investigators are pretty sure it was arson. No one has been caught yet. I'll update you if there's any news. Here's the blurb from the article since there's not a direct link to it:

4/2/02 - Ten off-duty city firefighters were called in to battle two blazes early Saturday morning. The first fire was reported at about 12:30 a.m. When firefighters arrived at 101 E. First St., thick black smoke was coming from first- and second-floor windows of the two-story building, according to Captain Chet Harvey of the Jamestown Fire Department. Eight musicians who had been practicing in the building and had reported the blaze told firefighters that there might be a tenant on the second floor of the building. Firefighters made a rapid search of upper floor, Harvey said, but no one was found. The fire was located in the eastern part of the building, Harvey said.
‘‘The fire was under control within 10 or 15 minutes,’’ he said ‘‘It took time to make sure it was out and had not spread.’’ Harvey said the building is subdivided into a lot of small rooms with locks and that delayed the firefighters search for additional fire. While the east end of the building’s first floor suffered fire damage, most of the building only suffered smoke damage, he said. The blaze did not cause any structural damage to the brick building, which is owned by Carol Faust of Mayville. One firefighter was knocked down by falling debris but was able to continue fighting the blaze.


Easter

Easter was good. I spent it in Buffalo with my family. Got out of going to church by moving slow. Meaning, when it was time to go.. I still wasn't dressed. Hooray for that!

Trip

Matt and I are putting final touches on our trip plans to Washington DC. I'm a bit anxious about it since it's the longest trip I'll have driven in a long time. In fact, I don't believe I've ever gone this far a distance where I'm the driver. Mind you, I have been on really long car trips before. It's hard to forget those 13 hours from Rochester, NY to Chicago, IL. Yech.

What this means is no blog updates for a long time. In the meantime: I invite you to visit some of my favourite sites. Check out any of the "Daily Blogs" listed on the left. Also, here are some of the other places I check out on a daily basis:

The Post-Journal
The D&C (Democrat & Chronicle)
For Better, Or For Worse

Note: My mom says I'm a news junkie and that she hopes I can find a job some day that actually utilizes all my knowledge about current events in the Western New York region. I agree.

Cutting to the Scene with the Pixie

Ten years ago, I decided to do one of the most drastic things I had ever done to my hair. I went from a long style (below collarbone) to a p...