The Rochester-Jamestown Vortex

I've lived in Jamestown, NY for nearly 15 years now. A few years after I moved here, I started realizing all these odd connections between people who had moved to Rochester or people who came here from my hometown. I've jokingly called it the "Rochester-Jamestown Vortex," saying it's like our own little Twilight Zone or Bermuda Triangle.

My favorite experience with this was taking Matt, before we knew he had a seafood allergy, to my preferred sushi joint in Rochester for the first time. I had mentioned to Matt that one of the Sushi Chefs at the time had lived in Jamestown once. As we sat down at the bar and I started to make introductions, Matt says,

"Barry??"

Turns out Barry and Matt had taken a critical thinking class together at Jamestown Community College. What I thought would have been a possible "Oh, do you know so and so from back there?" conversation was more of a, "Remember in class when this happened?" and "Remember that professor?" situation.

Research has backed me up at least on the number of people moving to Chautauqua County from Monroe County, NY. WROC's Rachel Barnhart posted about her blog about the inbound/outbound migration for Monroe County, noting that 375 people moved from there to our fair corner of Western New York. If you want to see where people have move to or from for your county, you can research that info here.

There Is Violins in "Annie Get Your Gun"

I did my first run through of the music with the pit ensemble for Falconer High School's production of "Annie Get Your Gun" last night. Initial ensemble run-throughs are always interesting because you're not only getting a chance to hear how your part fits in with everyone else but you also get to find out just how different some of your music markings are from the Conductor's score. The only issues that seemed to come up tonight were whether we were in 4/4 or 2/4 time since it wasn't always written in the instrumental part if the time signature had changed. Our conductor loved that one!

The fun thing about playing in musicals for high schools is that there are usually a couple students on in the ensemble. FHS's pit orchestra is hampered this year by a lot of would-be-pit members being part of the actual stage show. Still though, it was good to see the return of one of the flutists who had performed in the pit for "Cinderella" last year. As the students move up in grades, you can start to hear them grow as musicians both in confidence and musicality. 

This year's show will run the weekend of March 14-16th. Here are some numbers as done in the Broadway revival of the show.

First Time In The Rain

It would be inaccurate to say we had snow fall on us today across Jamestown. It was more of a snow dump with how much fell in a short period of time. It kind of snuck up on us even though the Winter Storm Warning had been announced and was in effect. It caused quite a few headaches for people trying to drive around, keep their driveways and sidewalks clear, or just trying to walk to lunch. It's easy to sneer at the weather and get disgruntled with day after day or cold by February. It's easy to forget the sheer joy of that first snow fall and of waking up to see frost decorating the windows in a intricate patterns.

This video is of a toddler experiencing her first rain fall on her terms. We should all strive to be open to how wonderful nature can be even when it's soaking us, making us cold, or seemingly melting the skin off our bones.
Kayden + Rain from Nicole Byon on Vimeo.

United Airlines Cuts Cleveland As Hub

United Airlines has cut Cleveland as a hub. This is more bad news for the Jamestown Airport as its commercial air service is provided by United Airlines with flights to Cleveland.

Last month, U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer was in town to advocate for the Jamestown Airport keeping its status in the Essential Air Service (EAS) program. The EAS designation, which equates to $1.9 million in Federal funding, is threatened due to not meeting the minimum passenger rates required to stay in the program.

Here's hoping that all parties involved have something up their sleeve in order to keep the Airport going.

10 Years of In Java

I was having a drink with a friend I hadn't seen in months last night when the topic of blogs came up.

"I've had a blog for 10 years now," I offered, sipping a sweet summer drink.

"What is it about?" asked the companion with my friend.

"Hard to say. Some personal stuff. I never gave it a specific direction," I replied with a shrug.

I went on to talk about how I used to post more than once a day in the beginning and reflected on how that's dwindled to once or a couple times a month lately. I thought about the blogs that influenced me and whether their authors still publish posts (Yes and Yes). I talked about how blogging has changed but how there are some out there that seem make it work even as the media world has changed (Design*Sponge).

I thought about how blogging brought me closer to some people in around Jamestown (Preppy Girl, Galoot, Mr. Social), how it connected me with those who are farther away (Princess Slea, Maurice, Pamela), and how it made me more aware of everything (Buffalo Pundit, kottke.org, The Big Picture).

There was a time period where I considered ending this blog, leaving without a goodbye and letting the last post to hang without explanation other than the increasing time between the present and that post being the proof that something had been left to die quietly. But I've always been a journalist, whether it was in private notebooks or in my more frequently updated news feed for Facebook. I've learned to make no promises when it comes to writing, unless it's for someone else or has a deadline. I still like this blog and that it exists as a document of the person I was and have become over a decade.

Onwards we go..

2010 - Is It Over Already?

1. What did you do in 2010 that you’d never done before?
I began teaching violin at Infinity Visual & Performing Arts

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
Not much of a resolution making sort of person, but I did pinky swear with a few friends that 2011 will be the year we're more positive.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
My cousin, Rachel, had a baby girl in May.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
My Grandfather died October 5th. He had been sick since this summer, but took quite a turn that first weekend of the month. Just by chance I was able to be there in the room with my family when he died. In an odd way, being there helped bring a lot more closure than I've had when other family members have died.

5. What countries did you visit?
Matt and I went to Hamilton, Ontario to see Star Wars In Concert on our 6th wedding anniversary.

6. What would you like to have in 2011 that you lacked in 2010?
The feeling like I can move forward with things I want to do.

7. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Losing some fear to do the things I want to do.

8. What was your biggest failure?
Still not saying no enough.

9. Did you suffer illness or injury?
I'm still a pretty healthy gal.

10. What was the best thing you bought?
PlayStation 3, which enabled us to "cut the cord" on the upper tiers of cable.

11. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Matt still gets high marks.

12. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
It would not be polite to name names.

13. Where did most of your money go?
Mortgage and house related stuff such as replacing the foundation on the backside of our house, fixing the furnace, and having to get our sewer line roto-rootered twice.

14. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Signing up for a Zumba certification class that will take place in February 2011.

15. What song will always remind you of 2010?
The Temper Trap - Sweet Disposition



16. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? I am happier. I feel more even going into the New Year than last year.
b) thinner or fatter? I think I gained a couple pounds from where I was last year. Hard to say since I KNOW I gained some "holiday weight" over the holidays last year.
c) richer or poorer? Edging toward a little poorer after some hard home maintenance costs over the last year.  We're still on course though to try to purchase a car to replace my beloved Toyota Tercel.

17. What do you wish you’d done more of?
I think I should have written more.  I had a nice streak going at the beginning of the year, but lost focus.  I always wish I had taken more time to read, and that continues.  You know it's bad when you have a monthly magazine that you still haven't read and the next issue is probably in the mail today.

18. What do you wish you’d done less of?
I wish I had stressed less.

19. How did you spend Christmas?
We went to Cheektowaga for Christmas Eve dinner with my family.  Much to my joyous excitement, Matt gave me my big Christmas gift of tickets to see New Kids On The Block/Backstreet Boys with Ali in Pittsburgh this June.  After opening presents, we headed off to Midnight Mass at Queen of Martyrs where the service actually began at 10pm and only lasted 42 minutes.  We left Christmas morning after eggs, toast, and copious amounts of coffee to come back to Jamestown for Christmas day with Matt's parents.

20. Did you fall in love in 2010?
I stayed in love.

21. What was your favorite TV program?
Paranormal State, Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations, Psychic Kids, and the news.

22. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
No. I'm not big on hate because it wastes so much energy. There are people who disappoint me, but I don't hate them.

23. What did you want and get?
Some pure joy.

24. What did you want and not get?
That sense that I can change some things in order to be more happy

25. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I worked and later went to the Brick Room for dinner with Matt, TJ Maxx, and then ice cream at The Big Dipper. I turned 34.

26. Who did you miss?
I was sorting Christmas decorations when I came across a box from my grandmother's house that hadn't been opened since she died 5 years ago.  When I opened it, all the linens smelled like her house and reminded me of how much I still miss her.

27. Good Things About 2010 (a list)

2010 Summer Run Down Thus Far...

I'm going to say summer started at the end of April because we've had some seriously nice weather these past few months. So what have we been up to? Ready, steady, GO!

- A Dos De Mayo Party at Shannon Mac's house kicked off the season. There was delicious food made by one of the chefs from Hutch's Restaurant in Buffalo, a DJ, and a slip'n slide on a hill.

- "This Week In Metal" was revived on WRFA-LP (podcasts available). Leonard Barren and Julia Tesla can be heard weekly giving you random cool facts with a metal theme.

- I played in the Spring concert for the Jamestown Community orchestra. We rocked out to Chuck Mangione's "The Children of Sanchez."

- The foundation on the south side of our house was replaced so that we no longer feared the back-end of house falling over because of crumbling blocks.

- Memorial Day weekend my parents visited, installed a motion detector light on the back of our house and went on the Chautauqua Art Trail. We all watched the Memorial Day parade down Lakeview Avenue and later hung out at a friend's house on Chautauqua Lake.

- We attended the Yassou! Greek Festival with friends and some of us attempted to drink the Southern Tier Brewing Opa! kegs dry.

- We celebrated the marriage of NickDean and Lori in Bemus Point. It was a super hot and muggy day that was met with lots of chair rocking on the front porch of the Hotel Lenhart.

- A orange tiger-striped cat we named McKinley came to live at our house. Matt wrote the whole story here.

- We revisited our high school years by attending Forte's Surprise Prom Party - Enchanted Shipwreck Under The Sea.

- More hanging out on Chautauqua Lake for Fourth of July.

- Spent as much time as possible hanging out with Shannon who was in town from Pontiac, Illinois. Plenty of beer was consumed.

- In theory, I began teaching violin lessons at the Infinity Performing Arts Center. Of the two students I have, one had car trouble and the other forgot to show up. We'll see how the second week goes!

- We joined some cousins in Rochester to head off to the wineries for much merriment. Crowning touch on that visit, besides all the excellent food consumed, was clogging a Wegmans' aisle while looking at beer.

And that's just through this past weekend! Stay tuned...

The Census: Getting Our Slice of the Federal Pie

I had the pleasure of writing the feature article for the latest issue of the Chautauqua Region Word. The downloadable PDF is here.

I've been living in Census Central, it seems, for the past few months. Promotional materials have filled the trunk of one of our cars, thwarting me whenever I made my weekly trip to Wegmans and forgot, once again, that I was competing for space with posters, water bottles, and other knick-knacks. Unexpected meetings have been added to my work agenda so I could listen to and share ideas for how to get the word out about the Census.

The guy leading the cause for our area has been Matt, so I really and truly couldn't get away from it. I watched him and other people on the committee turn an awareness campaign into something that resembled what I had seen him do on the political side of his job. It was heavy on grassroots and so far seems to have had some good results based on the Census Participation Map that shows Jamestown at 73% for Mail Participation rate.

To get the full story, pick up a paper copy of the Word or click over here.

Viable Happiness In Recession

One of the disadvantages of living in a small community is that it takes a little while for the gains and ills of the rest of the metropolitan world to reach us. I think it's safe to say that all the fall-out from the housing market is finally reaching this area. Add to that all the nonsense from New York State and any other missteps that might have happened locally over the past few years and things feel depressing around town.

I know it's not quite as bad as all that, but some days it feels that way. Maybe I'm deluding myself there even and it really is that bad.

One of the areas where people tend to find satisfaction and fulfillment is work. There are jobs available, I'm told, but whether they're matching up with what people want for careers or offer enough compensation for a person's talent is another matter. From many people in my age group, I've been hearing dissatisfaction with what they are doing for work, assuming they're even employed. The level of frustration seems to have ratcheted up since the beginning of the year. The feeling is, "My job isn't so bad but it's not what I want to do and there are no jobs here I can go to," "I'm not crazy about my boss, but there's nothing else open that would be any better," or "I like this job but the pay doesn't come near the hours I put in or what I'm worth."

As much as many of us would like to say we are able to concentrate on enjoying the hours away from the office, for most of us the discontent of the work day has a way of spilling over into our "free" time. Ideally, we all would be working in careers that we love or be following our calling in life, but that can be a hard goal that's made harder when living in an economy that's struggling to not shed too many jobs each quarter.

So assume for a moment that we take on the task of truly trying to let work be work since changing the job economy is something that is probably beyond most people's control. Control is an important word. We have a certain level of control over what happens in our lives. While not true in every case, we usually can control the activities that fill our free time. We choose what food we eat. We choose the people with whom we want to associate.

We all have toxicity in our lives. It can be something as mild as choosing to eat McDonald's for dinner one night to the extreme of using an illegal substance to numb that which is displeasing. What it comes down to is taking responsibility for our lives and choosing to live. My personal belief is that if one does this, happiness follows. It could be easy, or not, depending on how deeply mired you are in your way of life that has you down. I don't think we ever can stop working at finding happiness, it just becomes easier to attain if we continually practice what we know is true to ourselves.

All In A Sunday Trip to the Store

Even when I'm pressed for time and on a schedule, I still like to take time when I go to Wegmans to see what's new. It's the obsession with the place. Today brought a wealth of new things. Here is what I saw and heard:

- The first thing I noticed when I walked in the Lakewood store today was what I heard. Was a band playing? Where was that louder, rock-sounding music coming from? I asked store employee and friend, Jason Jordan, what was up and he said he had been at the flagship Pittsford store recently. They apparently had different music playing around the store, so he decided to replicate the idea to create more of a public market feel. Frank Sinatra was playing in the Deli/pizza area, Bon Jovi/Dire Straits/Meatloaf in the food demonstration area, and Kee Kee Dee/Elton John over in frozen foods. Jason said it all has to be ironed out some since some people are using iPods until they can either hook computers into the wifi or something.

- You can rent out part of the Market Cafe seating area for things like birthday parties. There were Wegmans balloons bouncing merrily above seats and a private coffee station.

- The beverage coolers have been removed from the cashier lines and replaced with bins of stuff you just might want, or not. My friend, Erik, noted that he probably wouldn't be buying Barbasol shaving cream on impulse anytime soon.

- The Lakewood Wegmans doesn't have, and probably won't have, the frog cupcakes that Jenny adores but apparently we'll have an Easter Chick version of them later this month.

- Increased/improved signage in the cosmetics section.

- Wegmans bread packaging has changed in graphic design.

As said, all in a Sunday's trip!

High School Musical - 2010 Edition

I put on a pair of dressier jeans that look just like another pair of dressier jeans I own this morning. At first, I thought it was the older pair because they were slightly loose on me. Then I realized it was the newer pair and that I must be experiencing the joy of "musical weight loss" already even though I had only been to one rehearsal.

I'm playing violin in the pit for Falconer High School's production of "Once Upon A Mattress." I rehearsed with just the pit last night as the cast wasn't quite ready to do a joint rehearsal. That will come in bits and pieces this Sunday for Tech Day. The pit members watched the cast run through parts of songs last night before we escaped to the band room to do our part.

I was glad to recognize a few faces from last year's production of "L'il Abner." One of the cool things about high school plays is that you get a chance to see how students change over their 4 years and hopefully grow into new parts. The kids who are playing in the pit band are great. They have a casual approach to rehearsals but clearly know their stuff. We lost a trumpet player to the part of the Minstrel in the play, so he is missed but the group still seems tight. I just need to make sure I nail my part since I'm all by myself.

Doing a musical this time of year involves a little bit of insanity, but I think I've found there's never a good time to play for a musical when you have a day job. This is a compensated gig, not that the money is important. I'd probably do it for free, but given how precious my free time is, I also have to know when to say no. Fortunately, I don't have to in this case.

Performances are in the Falconer High School auditorium on March 12, 13, and 14th. Not sure about times or ticket prices just yet. Should be a nice time!

The Mayfly Project - 2009

It's the end of 2009, so it's time to assess the year in 24 words for The MayFly Project:

Painted dining room. Acquired violin student. New job. Seven weddings. New friends. Lost family member. Wrote for The Word. Played pit for The Producers.

My past attempts at MayFly summaries:

2001
2002 (longer)

Election Day 2009 - Opposed to Unopposition

Another Election Day is here.

Without a big Presidential election to push people to the polls, I won't be surprised if voter turn-out is down around the country.

With all the races that are unopposed within our own county, I wouldn't be surprised if voter turn-out is down in this area as well.

I am not a fan of having candidates who are unopposed, even if they are members of my registered party. It tends to decrease the number of people who actually make it to the polls. For districts where maybe there are other races, this can hurt candidates who do have an opponent.

An example would be the election district where I currently reside, or any district within the city of Jamestown. The entire City Council is running unopposed. This is unprecedented in the 10 years I've lived here or for anywhere I've ever lived in my 33 years. Fortunately, I live in one of three County Legislative districts where there are two people squaring off against each other for a seat. There are six County Legislative districts that cover the City of Jamestown. This means that three of the current County Legislators are running unopposed.

So, as a city resident you could live in an election district where the only opposed races on your ballot will be the County Executive race (Incumbent Greg Edwards vs. Democrat Chuck Cornell) and State Supreme Court Justice District 8 where you vote for 3 of 4 people on the ballot.

Exciting? Hardly. It's an abomination in my opinion to have so many unopposed races at the city and county level. I believe in having a choice, especially if I am not happy with how my elected official has performed while in office. For this reason, I will be entering the most write-in votes ever in my personal voting history for every race where I am not given a choice and the person running doesn't meet my expectations.

Do I think my write-in will make a difference? Well, considering I haven't mounted a write-in campaign so that large numbers of people put down the same names as me, probably not. Although, there have been races locally where no one who showed up to the polls voted for the guy running unopposed but someone did submit a write-in vote. The guy running unopposed got quite a surprise when results were made public. My write-in effort is being done more as my personal right.

If you are registered to vote, I ask that you follow through on your civic duty and get to the polls today regardless of who is running and the types of races that are on your ballot.

For voting information and for local voting results after polls close here in Chautauqua County, visit VoteChautauqua.com.

Rainy October Saturday

Driving up Route 60 on my way to Buffalo.

Formal Living Rooms and Make-Up

No outlets in the bathrooms so I did my hair and make up in this lovely living room. I had an audience part of the time until I scared the guys off when I pulled out my eye lash curler.

Make-Shift Reception Kitchen

Andy Palermo and Matt Roche doing food prep for the reception. I wasn't kidding about the rustic part! Such a fun day!

Wedding #7 - Lynn & Brian

The scene from the ceremony spot for our friend's wedding. Wedding number seven is at The Red House and Barn in Cassadaga. It's very rustic and beautiful here.

Date Night at Sapore

Lasagna (lasagna carne) and a pumpkin (giala agro dolce) side at Sapore in Westfield.

An afterthought: Sapore is a great date restaurant. It's not too formal, the prices are very reasonable, and the food is good. Plus, if we had decided to linger for dessert we would have continued to be serenaded by a harpist who took up residence in the front. We'll definitely be back a lot sooner.

Career in Politics

I would guess that most people who read the title to this post aren't immediately filled with warm fuzzy feelings.

Politics, as a career, tends to get as much sympathy if not less than the field of law. People, perhaps innately, don't trust politicians and so by association tend to not trust the people who work for them.

A co-worker this morning made the observation that two people who are running for local office in our county have, for the most part, only had jobs "that involved a vote." He didn't say more than that, but his tone of voice implied that he didn't think much of this. I didn't say anything at the time because I could see that it wouldn't make me a lot of friends at work and, by nature, I'm very non-confrontational.

Still, it grated me that a person could be denigrated because they chose to follow a career they loved which just happened to be in politics. I have worked in that field. It can be unforgiving and very rewarding.

I would hazard that most people who tried to work for an elected official, or were an elected official themselves, would find a way to get out quickly and in as dignified manner as possible. There is no such thing as job security. Your job depends on how well you work for your boss, how well your boss works for the people, and how well you can convey that fact to the voters in your district. Of course, you have no control over things like a sinking national economy that usually adversely affects your local area, but people will still blame you for this. People will blame elected officials for a lot of things they have no control over. Even the President has to contend with this every time the price of gas goes up.

I know some people fault those who work in politics for seeming to be detached from the real world. "You don't know what it's like to have a regular job. You don't know what it's like for the 'average Joe.'" I've heard this myself and I've heard others say it about politicians. Because obviously no politician has ever had to pay taxes, buy groceries, raise a child, drive over roads in ill condition, deal with how snow storms affect businesses and commutes, or work long hours with no compensation because they are salaried.

I'd say most people don't have to worry about going to the grocery store and being stopped every other aisle to be told by someone what they think isn't going right in the area. This goes for people who work for elected officials too. Forget about going out for dinner or a drink in your district and having a "quiet night" because inevitably someone will approach you with work related stuff. And those who love their jobs often don't mind. Why? It's because you report to the people. Most people can name who their boss and supervisors are using one hand to count them off. Elected officials and the people who work for them report to everyone who lives in their district.

It's not an easy job. It's probably why we have a hard time finding people who even want to run for public office. Fortunately, in this area I think most people run for office or take political jobs because they believe they can bring positive change. They believe in the people of this area and the people in office. Sure, some elected officials have higher aspirations, but most recognize that to move to a higher office you damn well better do a good job at the very local level first. Of course, it all comes back to the constituents in that district and whether they voice their opinion by voting. Just some stuff to think about.

Elvis Costello at Chautauqua

Elvis Costello at Chautauqua Institution. We're sitting southeast of the soundboard with our friends, Lynn and Tiny B.

Highlights of the evening included:

• Laughing over the lyrics for "Sulphur to Sugarcane":

"The women in Poughkeepsie
Take their clothes off when they're tipsy
But I hear in Ypsilanti
They don't wear any panties Once they gargle with the finest champagne"


• 8-song encore that included "Alison" and "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love, & Understanding" which brought me right back to the Jeremy Piven moment in "Singles" where he starts wigging out in the check-out line - "Of course, you may be busy."


• Running into a consultant/friend from WBWC on our way out who I haven't seen in a year. Totally random and had a nice time getting caught up on the front porch of the Methodist House

Buffalo News: Costello sublime in intimate venue