Monday, April 30, 2007

Another Word for That Game Where You Shoot a Ball Through A Hoop

Too good not to re-post. Another shining example of literacy submitted to our local paper:
Get Jamestown Back In Business Day
To the Readers’ Forum:
I just read the paper about downtown events
which they say 40 city residents came to their meetings
at City Council.
Well there are petitions out about what the rest of
us think which is more than 40 people. I don’t
applaud downtown DJDC. What about businesses
that should be brought downtown. They all left
because of taxes and other reasons.
We need to build up downtown with new buildings
for business and move events to other places,
which there are many parks.
There are some things that can be brought from
town, but not basketpole. We have Baker Park to
use.
What are people thinking? Is it more important
for entertainment or business downtown. What are
they thinking we are a ghost town now because
taxes are too high and people leave here because of
it.
Bring in new building, tear down some of the old
ones. Bring in people to get Jamestown back in
business.
(name redacted to protect them from finger pointing and laughter)
Jamestown

Monday, April 23, 2007

My Last Week on Kiss FM

This is my last week at 106.9 Kiss FM (WKZA).

I've had a fabulous time doing the news here and being "The Truth Lady" for the past year and nine months, but it was time to move on.

Fortunately, I'm not going too far away. Starting May 7th, I will be doing the morning news for 107.9 WRFA: Radio For the Arts here in Jamestown. This is a low-power FM station owned by the Arts Council of Chautauqua County. Time Warner Cable 8 News will continue to sponsor the newscast.

Even though the station is low-power and can only picked up by radios in the immediate Jamestown-area, WRFA streams online and can be heard all over the world. For the first time, my parents will be able tune in to hear me do the news in the morning if they wished.

I've made some wonderful friends at Kiss FM, and will certainly miss seeing those left there on a regular basis. I hope all of you who have tuned in, especially since August when I started visiting the Morning Show in person, have enjoyed what you've heard. Keep listening and tune into 107.9 WRFA from time to time to hear what cool, interesting things are happening over there.

Friday, April 20, 2007

Supporting Downtown Jamestown Events

In my opinion, you can often tell what the health of a downtown area is by how many events are held in the city center and how many people attend. Since I moved to Jamestown almost 8 years ago, I've seen the number of events throughout the season grow and expand remarkably.

Almost all, if not all, the events are family friendly and the excitement generated by them is palpable. More than several businesses are experiencing record sales and traffic as a direct result of return visits by people who might have had their first glance at a city business due to an event held downtown.

However, it seems that a very small majority isn't too thrilled with all these good things:
Dear Myspace Friends,

There is a small group of people trying to put an end to events in Downtown Jamestown. This could effect our Local Music Showcase as well as many other community events like Gus Macker, the Holiday Parade, Rib Fest, you name it.

Basically, a small group is trying to rally support to shut down all downtown events. They are taking their case to the City Council's Public Safety committee on Monday. Their voices must not be heard over the many who enjoy having activities in downtown.

To save these events, please attend the meeting Monday night, April 23, 2007 at 6:30pm, Tracy Plaza, City Hall, 4th Floor, for the public safety meeting. Don't let a few trouble makers put an end to downtown activity and development.

If you can't attend, please email your thoughts to Lee Harkness at the Downtown Jamestown Development Corp. at lharkness@discoverjamestown.com so he can put them into record for us.

This is very important and was announced after our issue went to press, or else I would have editorialized about it. You can write a letter to the editor to the POST-JOURNAL today though, and try to increase awareness on this issue. Repost this bulletin. Do not let these people sign Jamestown's death sentence by outlawing public events.

Our own downtown events have been very successful and the public has been wonderful. The police have been kind and supportive. Many people from Chaut. County told us they hadn't been to downtown in years. We got thank you cards and emails from families and those who attended. Business owners thanked us. It will be a shame if we have to move our events because of a few trouble makers.

Please pass this on.

Sincerely,
Michael Salamone
editor in chief
Chautauqua Region WORD newspaper

It's time for our community to rise up and shout the positive rather than let a few naysayers whine their negative refrain.

I ask you to join us on Monday at the Public Safety meeting, or to write a letter of support for downtown activities to the Post-Journal or to Lee Harkness.

Addendum: Meeting Location - Public Safety this evening is on the 4th Floor of Jamestown City Hall. Get off the elevator, turn right and go straight into the police training room. You should probably get there by 6:15 as you will have to go through security. (ht to Lee Harkness for the additional info)

Wednesday, April 18, 2007

The Phone Number You Have Reached...

I get a lot of misdirected calls at work simply because our office number was published in a phone book with the word "Information" next to it a few years ago. Since I'm fairly knowledgeable about the area and the places you need to call for various services, I'm happy to give callers the right number. Today I had a "wrong number" call of the odd variety.

A woman called and stated that she and her husband live in New Jersey. Since I work for an economic development program, I did a quick mental prep to answer whatever question she had about moving or expanding a business in our city. But then her next question threw me off balance a little,

"Um.. we need to find someone who can do a roofing estimate for us."

I think I responded with an, "Oh! Um. Wait, what???" Before recovering and answering, "Oh dear, well unfortunately you've reached a government office. Um.. wait, you said you're in New Jersey???"

The nice lady on the phone replied, "Yes, but the estimate is for a place in Rockaway."

I was flabbergasted. "Rockaway?? My god. You've reached an office in Jamestown, NY. Rockaway is clear on the other side of the state! Ahh.. can I ask how you managed to get this number?"

"We did a search for Rockaway municipality and this number came up," she said.

I felt bad for the lady and spun through my mental files of what I could offer her so her call wasn't fruitless until I remembered a new tool I came across.

"Well, I'm not sure if this would help, but Google has a free 4-1-1 tool where you can call and get business listings. I used it last weekend to try to make reservations at a restaurant in another city and they connected me directly to the place. So that might work for you too."

I gave the woman the 1-800 number and she seemed pleased to at least have something useful to try out. All in a day's work.

Monday, April 16, 2007

Sabres Superstition Handbook

I solemnly read the WEDG Superstition Handbook tonight. As it is play-off time, extreme measures are to be taken as to not jinx our Team.

The Sabres seem to play their best when I'm at home, with the game on, and I'm doing housework. I also have not worn a certain hockey jersey all season because we haven't been able to get to a Sabres game. All signs, I tell ya'.

My favorite rule from the book?

This one:
"If Andrew Peters scores a goal rules do not apply for the duration of the game. Anarchy ensues."

One Billion Abstinence Campaign A Flop... DUH

$1bn 'don't have sex' campaign a flop

Who seriously thought that if we told teens to just abstain from sex, that they'd actually follow through? Not me. When Not Me, Not Now was dreamed up by Monroe County in the 1990s, I said, as a teenager, it was a stupid idea and money spent unwisely.

How about giving our teens all the tools they need to know about sex, including the line about abstinence, so at least they know how to use protection if they decide to have sex?

WBNY Alumni Show - Whatever Julia Feels Like Playing

If you had a chance to tune in to 91.3 WBNY this weekend, you would have heard a lot of talented disc jockeys spinning the widest assortment of music imaginable. If you were kind enough to tune in on Sunday between 10am and noon, you would have heard the following music spun by your's truly:

(Legal ID - 10am)
Camera Obscura - Lloyd, I'm Ready To Be Heartbroken
New Pornographers - Sing Me Spanish Techno
(mic break)
Deerhoof - Plus 81
Deerhoof - Kidz Are So Small
Kelly - What R U Guys Talking About? (Canadian Version)
Pizzicato Five - Pizzicatomania
Pizzicato Five - Twiggy vs. James Bond
(mic break)
The Pietasters - Little Engine (live)
Flogging Molly - What's Left of The Flag
Matisyahu - King Without A Crown
Joseph Arthur - Dear Lord
(mic break)
Fountains Of Wayne - Someone To Love
OK Go - Television, Television
The Launderettes - I Wanna Jump Your Bones
The Legion of Doom - Crazy As She Goes
Imogen Heap - Goodnight & Go
Splashdown - Mayan Pilot
(Legal ID - 11am)
Mike Doughty - Unsingable Name
(mic break)
The Format - Dog Problems
XTC - Scarecrow People
Poole - Fall For Anything
(mic break)
David Usher - Black Black Heart 2.0
Tokyo Police Club - Shoulder & Arms
Arcade Fire - Keep The Car Running
MC Lars - Internet Relationships
Junior Senior - Boy Meets Girl
Mint Royale - Don't Falter
(mic break)
Ladytron - Destroy (Everything You Touch)
The Pre-Sets - Girl & The Sea
Catherine Wheel - Crank
(mic break)
London Suede - Trash
Franz Ferdinand - The Outsiders

Sadly, my tape deck crapped out and I don't have a recording of my show. It was still a great time and I thank those who told me they tuned in.

Sunday, April 15, 2007

"I Miss Those Planes!"

One of my favorite scenes from one of my favorite movies. Well.. minus the subtitles.

Thursday, April 12, 2007

R.I.P - Kurt Vonnegut Jr.

A brilliant author has passed on.


Kurt Vonnegut Jr. died Wednesday at the age of 84.

2nd Annual WBNY Alumni Bash!


The Second Annual WBNY Alumni Bash will take place this Saturday at Mohawk Place, starting at 7pm and will feature The Great Train Robbery and Nancy's Candy.

Admission is $5 and there will be a ticket auction that features items from Righteous Babe Records, VH-1/MTV, Elvis Presley CDs and DVDs, gift certificates and more. All proceeds benefit Buffalo State College radio station, WBNY.

WBNY Alumni also will be taking over the airwaves this weekend. I will be doing a show on Sunday from 10 to noon. You can listen to me, and others, online. My show will be either a Six Degrees (of separation) of The Cure, Musical Quirks & Smash-Ups, or Whatever Julia Feels Like Playing. Tune in THIS Sunday 10am-noon to find out.

Addendum: Buffalo Rising: Who needs an antenna? 91.3 WBNY-FM streams on-line.
BuffaloRoots: You're Gonna Hear Me On Your Radio

Monday, April 09, 2007

Seven Songs

I was tagged by Galoot (unless he knows of another Julia) on this one.

Pick seven songs that you've been listening to and tag seven friends to share. I tend to not listen to a lot of songs repeatedly due to the wonder of shuffling over 4,000 songs on my iPod. Here are my picks:

1. "Someone To Love" by Fountains Of Wayne - The new single off FOW's recently released Traffic & Weater. It's catchy and caused me to car-dance, much to Matt's annoyance, the first time I blasted it on our way to work.
2. "+81" by Deerhoof - I could listen to the marching band intro over and over again. It's a crunchy song that catches you by surprise. At times I feel like I'm listening to a garage band. Sometimes it seems to evoke video game bleeps and bloops. Then the chorus of "choo choo cho"? I can't tell, but it makes me think of my English AP teacher. Great modern prog rock-ish song.
3. "The Fallen" by Franz Ferdinand - Damned, catchy song with killer lyrics. Plus it mentions Tesco. It's a song that feels smarter than everything around it musically. I keep reaching for the repeat button every time this comes on.
4. "Goodnight & Go" by Imogen Heap - A twinkling song with some curious vocal slides.
5. "Black, Black Heart" by David Usher - The only song I like by him. There's at least 3 different versions of it, and my favorite is the one on his myspace page. Dark, brooding stuff that suits early spring weather.
6. "She Doesn't Get It" by The Format - I first heard this song sometime in November. It stuck with me. I like the line "She doesn't get it, It's all before she's born." Something about turning 30 and the stuff from when you were a kid isn't even a memory for the truly young and hip.
7. "Least Complicated" by Indigo Girls - I forgot about this song for awhile, and then remembered to put some Indigo Girls into my iPod rotation. It's an easy song to sing along with, so I do.

Tag: Matt H., Courtney, Stenz, Matt F., Kevin H., Heidi, & Lynn

Guilty Pleasure of the Week: "Because of You" by Ne-Yo. I've overdosed on this song and lost almost all respect from my husband for my obsessiveness about this pop rendering.

Sunday, April 01, 2007

Google's April Fool

Here's to a great April Fool's Day joke by Google. The concept of Gmail Paper was heralded on the Gmail log in page. I wouldn't have even saw it if I hadn't logged onto a different computer to check my email tonight. The ludicrous nature of the service raised suspicion and then my suspicions were confirmed when I checked the file name of the image you see in this post: "ss_afj.jpg" (afj= April Fools Joke). I'll be smiling for the rest of the evening.



Addendum:
Apparently there was one other joke that Google had up its sleeve for April Fools. This one is Google TiSP beta. The joke is that you can get wireless internet in your house through the "toilet internet service provider." Heh.

Cradling The Sky

My back felt the curve and sharpness of the brick street beneath me. Tendrils of my hair crept out across the cobblestone as I gazed at the sky, framed by stark tree limbs. A blush of rose spread above as a warm breath of air grazed my cheek.
***
Pearlescent clouds gleamed against a smooth night sky. The moon pulled back and let go of startling burst of light into my heart.

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...