Friday, March 28, 2008

Blog Wanderings on a Friday Night

It's only 9:30 on a Friday night, which generally means if I'm online I'm just killing time before we head over to Forte for a drink. We spend enough time there that all our co-workers and counter-parts in other agencies know just to ask us what the latest news and excitement is there. I now wonder how many people think I drink constantly, when in reality I'm a one-drink kinda girl.

Anyway.

While I was checking all my online social spaces, I came across a blog by a fellow alumnus of WBNY. Rita is one cool cat. She did a talk show after my "covers" show on WBNY as part of the WBNY 25th Anniversary event in October. Give her blog a look and say hello.

Monday, March 24, 2008

Sunday, March 23, 2008

Easter

Happy Easter from Mary on a half shell at my grandparent's house in Cheektowaga.

Saturday, March 22, 2008

The Goose is 40

Celebrating mark goshgarian's 40th birthday.

Colors Galore

The bruise from when my dogs pulled me flat on my face a couple days ago. Such pretty colors on my knee.

Friday, March 21, 2008

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Smart Car

Jenny's husband's desire for a Smart car piqued my interest again in this delightful, little car.

It was a few years ago that I first heard about Smart Cars. In fact, now that I mull over this I think Jenny was the one that had posted a picture of a smart car resting on Wedgewood China tea cups that she took while in Toronto. Anyway, these cars are only recently available in the United States. I'm a bit disappointed that the 4-passenger model is being discontinued. At the same time, the ForTwo model is still tantalizing especially since we're getting closer to the point where we will need to replace my Tercel. It would be nice to have a fuel-efficient little car to scoot around town in. Shhh. Don't tell the Tercel I said that.

Sunday, March 16, 2008

Bring Anthony Bourdain to Buffalo!

The folks with the Travel Channel and the show Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations decided to hold a contest where you submitted videos to convince Tony to come to your town.

The contest is over with, but you can still view Nelson Starr's plea to Tony to come to Buffalo, rate, and comment on it.

Thursday, March 13, 2008

The New "Day One" - Monday, March 17th

While he has officially announced his resignation, Eliot Spitzer is our Governor for a few more days. I've had a range of emotions regarding what has happened over the past few days. I even compared the news of this scandal, and Spitzer's inevitable resignation, as a heartbreak.

Like so many, we had hopes when Spitzer announced he was running for governor. And when he won with over 70% of the vote, we thought that maybe this would be when New York could turn around. Hell, look at what he did on Wall Street!

Then his term began. I remained optimistic. Even with the pitfalls, I thought, "He'll find his groove. He'll find a way to make it work." I waited. I grew concerned. I wasn't feeling too good about Spitzer's ability to work with others and implement his ideas. "Where is his head at?" I wondered.

Then I wandered over to Drudge by chance at 1:30pm this Monday and found out.

Am I worried for the future of this state? Sure. I also retain some optimism. Governor-to-be David Paterson said in a press conference today that Buffalo and Western New York remain as important to him as it was to Spitzer. I believe that all of Upstate needs to hold him accountable for that statement and to not forget what the former administration had tried to begin with revitalizing the region.

Day One begins Monday at 1pm.

Friday, March 07, 2008

Creme brulee sun flower

Twittering the Road Hazards

Alan AKA Buffalo Pundit alerted me of a another tool I can use in regards to Twitter with his post: Traffic via Twitter.

So all I need to do now is send a twitter to "@commuter JHW (insert traffic dilemma here)" to let everyone in Jamestown know why they had to wait through two lights, thus making their 10 minute commute a 12-minute ordeal. Okay. I jest.

I see this being really useful for those times when you're wondering just how bad it is on the snow ridge going up Route 60 to Dunkirk, if traffic is at a standstill on 394 because of everyone trying to get in or out of Chautauqua Institution, or if a deer has caused a massive chain reaction crash on I-86.

Of course, the only way this becomes useful is if more people sign up and contribute to the twitter knowledge pool.

Wednesday, March 05, 2008

Of All That Is Good and Holy!

I haven't recovered yet from finding out that the ridiculous has happened. I love Paula Dean. Her recipes are heart-stopping. Quite literally in some cases. I have even joked from time to time that the lady would deep fry butter if she could figure out a way. Well. She has.

Paula's Fried Butter Balls.

I must go weep now.

Tuesday, March 04, 2008

Julia's Brain Tries On Attention Deficit Disorder

I've got a list of different thoughts in my head. I just need to write it down and am going to blog it to show what a mess my head is today.

- I need to pick up birthday cards, use the $10 JCPenney coupon and free coupon thing for Victoria's Secret.

- I need to make sure I get the next set of quilts into the wash and that I get the bed made up tonight.

- I need to remember that the next time I want to live blog something, I can just Twitter it rather than worry about finding a computer to log onto. It'll show up in the sidebar anyway.

- Maybe I need to stop by Office Max to pick up file folder labels so I can re-use some old file folders and switch out labels on the hanging files in the old filing cabinet.

- I wonder if I can convince Matt to stop by Target on Saturday. I really need a couple new dresses and they had some cute ones that were nicely priced. It would solve some of my "What the hell am I going to wear for Mark's birthday party/Easter/3 million weddings??" issue.

- I wonder if my mom can get her friend, Ellen, to snag me the hymnal from their church so I can photocopy songs from it for a couple weddings I'm playing in over the next two years. I know photocopying music is wrong, wrong, wrong but how else am I going to get a good selection of those little tunes they sing in between the First and Second readings? Too bad St. Charles in the town of Greece still doesn't have the blue hymnals. That version had the best music.

From Dust to Earth

Being sick will sometimes bring odd things to mind that maybe you hadn't given much consideration before. Even though I was far from dying, it occurred to me that should I die that no one really knew what my wishes were in terms of what to do with my body. I also realized I had no idea what Matt wanted me to do in the event that he dies first. When I was feeling better, I brought up this question to him.

The whole idea of a burial isn't terribly appealing. While I like the idea that there would be a place where people could come visit after I'm gone, I also am realistic and aware of how often my family doesn't visit the graves of our departed loved ones. I can't recall ever seeing the grave sites of my mom's side of the family. I know my grandparents already have a plot reserved. My parents, on the other hand, want to be cremated. In fact, my mom has said numerous times that she wants to be put in a confectioner sugar shaker, and sprinkled out wherever I go on trips after she's gone so she can continue to travel. I don't want to think of explaining that one to the TSA.

For myself? Well, I don't consider it too "green" to be embalmed, put in a casket, and then put into a vault where my body will slowly molder. The idea of cremation is kind of freaky and I can't help but think of that scene in Scrooged where Bill Murray is alive in the coffin as it's entering the fire chamber. But seeing as how I'll be dead, I don't think I'll care at that point. I figure cremation is a good solution to the "what to do with the body" question especially since I'm registered in our state's organ & tissue donor registry. If I remember right, I think I checked off to have them salvage anything that's usable from organs, bone, tendons, and skin. It's crazy what doctors can use now to help better someone else's life with donated parts.

Ultimately, I think it would be pretty cool to have my remains tossed off the Irondequoit Bay Pier into Lake Ontario. I like the idea of what's left of me possibly making its way out to the Atlantic Ocean and all around. There's a romance to it.

Monday, March 03, 2008

Buried In Papers

As I continue to recover, I decided I wanted to do something around the house that wouldn't require a lot of heavy lifting or exertion this weekend. That meant tackling several mysterious piles of paper I had seen in various corners of our office. Since we had set up my own office downstairs, I had planned to move our files downstairs where I could keep a better eye on our health, house, and financial records. Little did I know what I was going to find.

The stack of papers initially was about a foot high when I set it down on the couch. I later added at least 6 more inches to that pile along with a banker's box full of papers after I scavenged through the office closet. I had a shred pile, a garbage pile, and then the piles for stuff to be filed later on. I found unopened mail that dated back to 2002. 2002!!!! We moved into our house in 2005, which means this unopened mail was packed up and moved from one house to another. It wasn't my mail, of course.

On the plus side, I found a check from NYS for about $26 made out to Matt and a gift certificate he got for his birthday for La Herradurra. He was very appreciative of these finds. I also got most of the stuff filed away. The bad news? There is a whole filing cabinet I have to go through and do the same thing to at some point.

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...