We Haven't Done A Quiz In Awhile...

You Are a Fierce Femme

You have a wild side, and you aren't afraid to bring it out when the time is right. But you also know when to hang back and keep your "crazy chick" persona in check. In fact, some of your friends may be surprised to find out how far you can take it... You may look mild mannered, but it's all an act!

How Daring Are You?

And here's an old familiar...

You are a Black Coffee

At your best, you are: low maintenance, friendly, and adaptable At your worst, you are: cheap and angsty You drink coffee when: you can get your hands on it Your caffeine addiction level: high

What Kind of Coffee Are You?

Putting a Curse on the World One City At a Time

Matt and I have often joked that wherever we go on vacation, either together or with our families, we seem to bring catastrophic events to the place we've just enjoyed. It's simply called the "Curse of Matt & Julia." Here is a partial list of the havoc we've wreaked over the past six years:

Toronto, Ontario CA (November 2000): The SARS epidemic comes to the city in March 2003.

Orlando, Florida (October 2002): Tropical storm with heavy rain, strong winds, hail, and lightening while we visited

Halifax, Nova Scotia (May 2003): Hurricane Juan in October '03 and then "White Juan" in February '04. The first caused heavy damage to the harbor, brought down an untold number of trees, and caused unbelievable destruction in the historic Victorian gardens. The latter dumped so much snow it shut down the city.

New Orleans (January 2003): We were engaged in New Orleans on this trip. Two years later - Hurricane Katrina

Buffalo, NY (various visits throughout our lives): I'm convinced that Buffalo keeps getting walloped with huge snow storms because of us despite it's natural geographic location for such weather events. However, the fiscal crisis for the city and Erie County that started a few years ago could be an indirect result of our time there as well.

Southern Caribbean (August 2004): While on our honeymoon, we sailed through Tropical Depression Charley on a cruise ship before that storm strengthened to become Hurricane Charley. The hurricane lashed Cuba as a category 3 storm before smashing into Florida as the strongest storm to hit that state since Hurricane Andrew.

Binghamton, NY: We've never visited, but Matt met the Mayor of that city on Friday, June 23rd. The next week, the city was flooded and under at State of Emergency

These are the events I can think of off the top of my head. Proof that the curse is getting stronger, and proceeding our arrival is the latest tragedy in Madison, Indiana. We are scheduled to visit this little city on the river at the end of this month. God help the poor place!

Happy Independence Day!

This picture was taken by Matt at Clair & Kevin's wedding. I know the flag should be front and center, but it's still a cool picture.

As I hung our flag on the front of our house today, I noted how few houses on our street that I could see were showing the red, white, and blue. Just one. Our house. This also was the case on Memorial Day. Now, I wouldn't say I'm the most patriotic person, but I still believe that we should celebrate the day that lets me be that way in this country. The United States is not perfect. But it's still a good country despite the ambitions of certain leaders over the years. I'm still proud of what this country stands for and what it strives to be.

I think back about almost 5 years to a time when you didn't need a national holiday to fly the flag. Everyone was all too happy to show their pride and patriotism. Why is it so hard now for many of those people to simply hang their flag outside their front door on the days specially designed for that?

I recognize that displaying, or not displaying, the flag is a form of free speech. And I respect that. But it just seems hypocritical when I remember the street that I now live on being a field of flags not that long ago.

Happy Independence Day.

Summer Pizza

On Sunday, I made what I like to call "summer pizza." It's not very elaborate, but it's a refreshing alternative to the traditional red sauce pizzas.

Like anyone creating something on the spot, I didn't use precise measurements for some items. Most of it was done by eye, you could say.

Ingredients
1 - Medium Size Pizza Crust from Wegmans
3 - Medium sized tomatos
3 - Tablespoons of olive oil
Minced Garlic
Shredded Mozzarella
Grated parmasean cheese
Basil and oregano (can be dried or fresh)

Instructions
Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees.

Put the olive oil in a small dipping bowl and add several teaspoons of the minced garlic. Using a basting brush, brush the mixture onto the crust. You should not use all the olive oil/garlic since you don't want your crust to get soggy.

Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese on the crust. Sprinkle some of the parmasean cheese on top of that. How much depends on your taste.

Slice the tomatoes into medalions and arrange them on top of the pizza crust. Sprinkle some herbs on top. I used dried basil and oregano because it's what I had on hand.

Put the pizza on a pizza stone, or lay directly on the rack of the oven. Cook for 6 minutes, or until crust is brown and cheese is melted. Let it set for a minute after removing from oven. Slice and serve.

This could feed four people (1 slice each) if you're also having salad and maybe another side. Realistically, I'd say it feeds two.

Top Ten Canadian Things

I found a list via Fark of things that are truly Canadian. Here they are courtesy of this story:

1. Cadbury Crispy Crunch and Caramilk Maple chocolate bars "Because they are only available in Canada and would spark delicious memories. A skid of Kraft Dinner would also be a must." (Deborah Weinstein, president and co-founder, Strategic Objectives, Toronto)

2. A Bell telephone "Because, prior to cellphones and deregulation, the only phone any home had was from the father of 20th-century communication, Alexander Graham Bell. Who could forget such icons as the Princess or Contempra rotary-dial phones, available in a variety of colours?" (Anthony J. Stokan, retail consultant and author, Toronto)

3. Roots "Because two Americans, Michael Budman and Don Green (above), gave the hard-working Canadian beaver a fresh identity and turned the logo into the most sought-after product through the '90s, and continue to rework and update the iconic Canadian brand." (Anthony J. Stokan)




4. A CanCon CD "With music from Leonard Cohen, Neil Young, The Guess Who, The Tragically Hip, Bachman-Turner Overdrive, Diana Krall, Shania Twain, Alanis Morissette, Avril Lavigne and Nelly Furtado. Because music is the staff of life." (Deborah Weinstein)

5. The President's Choice Insider's Report "Because every season, Loblaws seduces you with innovative new products and some of your old favourites. You couldn't possibly call yourself Canadian and not have tried at least one President's Choice product." (Anthony J. Stokan)





6. Tim Horton "Because we are a coffee nation inclined to drop in or drive through and pick up our favourite hot cup of double-double in a double-cup along with a box of Timbits, and we roll up the rim, even when the contest isn't running." (Anthony J. Stokan)





7. A tree tap "Because it reminds me of maple syrup, which reminds me of maple trees, which reminds me of the maple leaf and that brings me to the flag. Ah ha! I am Canadian." (Shawn King, VP and creative director, Extreme Group, Halifax)

8. Group of Seven paintings "Because they all celebrate the vastness of the Canadian landscape." (Don Williams, creative director and partner, Free Agency Creative, Vancouver)






9. A Hudson's Bay blanket "Because it is the one universal graphic that speaks to Canada, second only to the flag." (Barry Avrich, president, Endeavour Marketing, Toronto)


10. Bob and Doug McKenzie "Because they're loose, they wear toques and they love beer. All things that remind us of Canada. Besides, who else but a Canadian would embrace those two guys?" (Shawn King)

My Backpack's Got Jets

The video has actual images from the game, Star Wars Galaxies. I thank my Geek Husband for sharing this with me.

Star Wars Galaxies-Boba Fett the Bounty Hunter

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Meet Bob Chautauqua

Meet Bob Chautauqua

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Probably the most hysterical customer service/tourism video about Chautauqua County you will ever see. Keep an eye out for the random Amish guy.

Horrified

Someone needs to tell the boys in Raleigh that Michelob Ultra is not real beer. What a disgrace.

Thanks to BFLOblog as per usual for all things hockey.

Pre-Wedding Disasters of the Teacup Variety

Our friends, Clair & Kevin, joked last week about what disasters could happen around the days leading up to their wedding. When they've gone to weddings for other friends, there always seemed to be something that happened that caused some sort of excitement. One wedding, Clair got her pinky caught in the car door as it closed. This caused it break and bleed profusely. Since they're getting married on a boat, we kidded that someone would inevitably fall overboard.

Well, their violinist for their ceremony nearly took herself out while washing dishes last night.

Matt had made some pasta salad for Father's Day and I was washing the metal cutting thing that spins around in the food processor. Apparently, I was twisting the plate the wrong way and ended up slicing my thumb. Fortunately, I'm pretty level-headed when it comes to injuries, so I rinsed it off quick, wrapped a paper towel around my thumb, went upstairs and tightly wrapped and taped a big piece of guaze around my injury. I've since replaced it with a regular band-aid and some medical tape to keep it sealed.

The smirk on my face comes from thinking, "Never wonder what could happen, because it will." Lucky for Kevin and Clair, I will be in fine shape to play. I just can't speak for how well Panis Angelicus will sound.

Friends Moving House

It's that time of year where either you are going to weddings or hearing about friends who are moving house. We've got one of each this month. For the moving house installments, click over to Sabrina's blog to read the latest about her and Olivia moving into their first house.

What Happens When We're Distracted By War

This is two years old, but worth viewing. The testimony is damning where electronic voting is concerned.

Video from Conyers Hearings On Voting Irregularities in 2004 Election(12 Min.)

From Wikipedia:

Timeline of the 2004 United States presidential election controversy and irregularities

2004 United States election voting controversies, Ohio

Road Hazards

On my way home from doing my nightly news recording, I heard this growling noise next to me at a stoplight. At first I thought it was a dog, then decided it sounded more like one of the space fights from a Star Wars movie. I looked to my left to see a battered pick-up truck next to me with two metal dudes. The noise was death metal on their sound system. As the drums kicked in, the passenger began to rock out, hair flying around him in an obligatory, head banging frenzy. The light turned green, and truck half-eaten by rust rumbled away with a sign where the tailgate should have been that read, "Caution! Falling Parts!"

Images, Anyone? Anyone?

After checking the Wayback Machine and Google Cache without any success, I'm starting to think my template is lost for good. I think I even used the phrase "borked" earlier.

So now I'm at that crossroad of going to something generic or hitting up one of several friends who are talented in the web design arena for help in creating a new template. Of course, the idea of changing my host has crossed my mind too. Anyone have any suggestions? Also, anyone have other ideas on how I might be able to retrieve my old template?

*POOF!*

Matt instant messaged me at work yesterday and said, "Uh, your template? Gone." I immediately clicked over to this page and was greeted with the expanse of white for a background. At least all my links and posts are still here.

I have contacted Web Divas since, while they've closed up shop, they're still hosting sites. I don't know if this includes hosting images. I hope I actually get a response since I rather liked the template I designed and Cherry created.

The Best Kinds of Summer Days

On Tuesday, I had to travel to our county seat for jury duty. The crowd that filled the courtroom was quite happy to hear that we were all dismissed because all six cases that had been lined up pled guilty. As a result, I got a half day out of the deal.

Now, I could have spent the rest of the day doing laundry and switching over my summer/winter wardrobe. Instead, I decided to enjoy my enclosed front porch, and sit on my couch reading Charming Thirds by Megan McCafferty.

Later on, I kept the good summer feeling going by indulging in some limoncello my parents brought back from Sorrento, Italy.




This is my favorite way to spend sunny summer days.

Don't Stop Thinking About Tomorrow

Well, it's over. Only one thing to say:

Thank You Sabres!

Ok, a couple more things. As I've said before, this was a great season. I got a little emotional after last night's game ended. But then I thought, "Carolina had to work their arses off to win this series." With all the injuries that took out some of our best players, and all the new guys on the ice, some might be misled into thinking that a game against the Sabres would be a cakewalk. When it takes going to Game 7 to beat them, it's evident what a strong team we have.

Forgive the Fleetwood Mac post title, but it's appropriate. We have next year, and if the make-up of the team stays relatively the same (Please Keep Fitzpatrick!) then another trip to the play-off's should be in the Sabres' future.

McKee Out

To quote someone from a few games ago that was part of the open thread comment on bfloblog.com, I'm about to shit kittens.

Defenseman Jay McKee is out of Game 7 due to an infection.

It feels almost macabre to say, "Is that all you've got?? Come on, we can handle it!"

This makes Toni Lydman and Rory Fitzpatrick our star defensemen now. One of my friends who is a sportscaster said to me in Game 6 against Ottawa, "I just have this weird feeling that Fitzie is going to end up the hero somehow in one of the series." This may be the only time I quote Bob Segar and say, "We've got tonight!"

LET'S GO BUFFALO!!!

We Believe!

I do write a regular, everyday blog, but lately this blog seems like Sabres Central in terms of the topics. But since that's what ruling our lives right now...

OH MY GOD! What an awesome game!

Matt saw most of it in some bar up in Buffalo at a Congressman Higgins event for the State Democratic Convention. He called me when they were leaving and had just missed the 3rd-period tieing goal by Carolina. His parents watched the game with me at our house. I had planned to make a quick run to Wegman's to buy more bottled water for my chlorine-allergic hubby, but the game was too exciting to leave for even a commercial break.

It's iffy whether I'll see any of Thursday's game because rehearsals for the Warren Riverside Chamber players go from 6:30-8:30, with a half-hour of driving on top. I'm crossing my fingers that I'll see some of the third period, and hopefully a win.

When it comes to winning Game 7, of course I want us to win. Of course I want us to advance and take on Edmonton for the ultimate. But honestly, I'm so happy with the Sabres right now, that even though I'd feel some let-down if we don't make it tomorrow, I would come out of it feeling like we did fairly spectacular otherwise. They've given us an extraordinary season and post-season. The rest of this series (and next *pleasepleaseplease*) will be great and I can't wait for next season. I hate that hockey is ending in a few weeks.

Speaking of Headlines

Fark Rules.

With a scary tag:

Hurricanes could push Canadian gas prices to $1.30/litre. Go Sabres go.

Also with scary tag:

As Edmonton Oilers go deep into playoff series with Anaheim, Canadian city reports it is running out of beer.

Headline: Fitzpatrick Becomes a Key Sabre

I get ragged on a lot about being a "homer" and a fan of Sabres Defenseman Rory Fitzpatrick, but you know what? He's one of our key guys now, so I was glad to see that the Buffalo News did a story about his role in the play-offs. I won't disagree that Rory needs to be a little more patient about clearing the puck out of the zone, but he's shown he's capable of doing just that in several games so far over the past couple weeks.

And I promise not to jinx the game tonight and will put on my #8 jersey as soon as I get home from work.

So Your Parents Have Found Your Blog

What do you do when you find out your parents know you have a blog?

Simple.

You say hi!

Hi Mom & Dad!

Tangential Surprise

I think because I'm all excited about Game 4 tonight (if you don't know what I'm talking about, go read BFLOblog) my mind is all a flutter. Kind of like that OT goal last night.

On my way back from lunch, I was listening to my tape of the Six Degrees show I did last month for the WBNY Alumni weekend, and "I Love To Hate You" by Erasure comes on. This made me think of when I borrowed their album Chorus from the library in high school. The girl working behind the counter mentioned that it was a great album and that her favorite song was "I Love To Hate You." I took the cassette home and wrapped myself in synthesizers and Andy Bell's voice. It was all so new to me, but now so familiar. Like an old sweatshirt.

I really want the Sabres to win tonight. It would be justice. I haven't talked about the season a lot on here mostly because I haven't been blogging nearly half as much as I used to. But I've been there to cheer the team on from our living room and while reading various blogs. Even with variable pricing, it's tough budget-wise for us to even get to more than one game a season. In regards to tonight though, in the Fall we almost expected to lose to Ottawa. They had a solid team. Many of us thought they would go all the way. Then Buffalo found they could beat them, not just at home but away as well. Something so important when it came to play-off time. Now, while the chances that Ottawa can even come back are slim to none based on past NHL history, never under-estimate. However, we have home advantage and a Team (with a capital "T") that knows how to prove everyone wrong. All good things.

It's finally raining. We've been waiting for rain for over a week at our house. Matt's allergies are in overdrive and this will help settle the pollen some. My green car turned lime with all the dust in the air. I also put down some weed killer a couple weekends ago on the slope/garden in front of our house. Now I just need to glare at all the little maple seedlings that have popped up. Guess this means more blisters for me.

My parents are on a 17-day cruise right now. I keep thinking it's later in the week than it actually is because of this. I'll think occasionally, "Ok, they must be in Lisbon by now" and then remember it's only Tuesday, or Wednesday, or today. Then I think, "I wonder if Dad found a sports station on the boat that is carrying hockey scores."

LET'S GO BUFFALO!

Politics of Morrissey

The Politics of Morrissey on Slate.

Brilliant.

Thanks to Heidi for sending me the link.

Julia, Violinist For Hire

I have a hard time saying "no" when asked to help. I've been trying to recognize my limits, and turn down requests before I committ, and then have to back out several weeks later. Early yesterday, I was congratulating myself for bowing out of Jamestown Community Orchestra's May concert. Next month is completely filled with various events from Mother's Day to a graduation party to a Bachelorette Party. I knew I would be feeling the stress if I tried to cram in an orchestra concert with rehearsals on top of that.

That self-pat-on-the-back lasted mere hours, when I found myself agreeing to play in a concert in Clarion, Pennsylvania on Sunday. Instead of leasurily making plans for the weekend, I'm now frantically planning out when I'll go grocery shopping, when I should practice (since I just got the music last night), and what other chores I'll be able to accomplish tonight and tomorrow. I think I do this to myself because of the challenge of playing a concert of music I've never seen or heard before. An added bonus is that it's a paid gig, but that's not as important to me.

Another downside? I'm getting a ride to the concert with the woman who organizes the Warren Riverside Players, a chamber orchestra. She got me to commit earlier in the year to playing in their summer concert. I was considering backing out of that since we haven't started rehearsals, but I think she might hunt me down if I tried to now.

A sidenote: All this performing is pretty appropriate considering I will have been a Violinist for 20 years this August.

And Julia Goes Nuts!!

Holy Crap! What an AWESOME Sabres game tonight! I dvr-ed it so that Matt could see it all since he had to work for the first half of the game. So by goal number 6 (Six!!), I was on the phone to Rochester to share my excitement with my dad. "This is amazing!" we yelled. "JP had a hat trick!! Pominville got a goal!" I have to admit I felt bad for Philly Goalie Esche after he lost it in the first period. You don't usually see goalies skating all the way into the neutral zone to fight. And two hat tricks in one night! What a difference from Saturday's game, when I knawed on my nails through two over-time periods. Our poor dogs though. Each of the EIGHT times we scored, I scared the crap out of them as I yelled and pumped my fist in the air. Buddy would jump off the couch and Zak would spin around to see what was wrong.

I'll add that it's probably blasphemy that I read and finished the new Hamish MacBeth mystery... while watching the game. But I like to multi-task my entertainment sometimes.

Adaptation

This has a meme-ish ring to it, but Kottke.org's post on the 50 best book to film adaptations caught my eye. My personal favorite for book to film adaptations is The Age of Innocence. The book by Edith Wharton was handled with care in the adaptation done by Martin Scorsese.

For the list below, B=Read the Book, M=Saw the Movie. Note that if it involved blood/shooting/violence, or any of that happy stuff, I probably have not read or seen it. That is, unless it was required for AP English (Heart of Darkness). Sadly, I apparently am not into the habit of reading the book before the movie.

1. (B) 1984
2. (M) Alice in Wonderland
3. American Psycho
4. (M) Breakfast at Tiffany's
5. Brighton Rock
6. Catch 22
7. (BM) Charlie & the Chocolate Factory
8. A Clockwork Orange
9. [BM] Close Range (inc Brokeback Mountain)
10. The Day of the Triffids
11. Devil in a Blue Dress
12. (M) Different Seasons (inc The Shawshank Redemption)
13. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (aka Bladerunner)
14. Doctor Zhivago
15. (M) Empire of the Sun
16. The English Patient
17. Fight Club
18. The French Lieutenant's Woman
19. (M) Get Shorty
20. The Godfather
21. Goldfinger
22. Goodfellas
23. (B) Heart of Darkness (aka Apocalypse Now)
24. The Hound of the Baskervilles
25. Jaws
26. (M) The Jungle Book
27. A Kestrel for a Knave (aka Kes)
28. (M) LA Confidential
29. (M) Les Liaisons Dangereuses
30. Lolita
31. (M) Lord of the Flies
32. The Maltese Falcon
33. Oliver Twist
34. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
35. (M) Orlando
36. The Outsiders
37. (M) Pride and Prejudice
38. The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie
39. The Railway Children
40. Rebecca
41. (M) The Remains of the Day
42. (M) Schindler's Ark (aka Schindler's List)
43. Sin City
44. The Spy Who Came in From the Cold
45. The Talented Mr Ripley
46. Tess of the D'Urbervilles
47. Through a Glass Darkly
48. (M) To Kill a Mockingbird
49. (M) Trainspotting
50. The Vanishing
51. (M) Watership Down

Happy Dyngus Day!

In honor of the day after Easter, I invite you to all sing this song parody about Dyngus Day (HT: Alan).

And on a "serious" note. Apparently, bird flu has come to Cheektowaga, NY.

Avoiding the Crows

With Easter only four days away, I've started to mildly panic about what I'm going to wear. In my family, we have a saying that "if you're not wearing something new on Easter, the crows will shit on you."







I have a skirt I've never worn that I bought at the end of summer for $3 or something. Now the search for a pretty, white blouse or shirt begins. I plan to hit the mall tomorrow right after work. I've also given myself a mission to find open-toe, white, sling-back shoes. That might be the harder of the two tasks.

Along the clothesline, I also have begun looking at bridesmaid dresses. Unless something has changed, I get to pick out my own bridesmaid dress for Anne & Sean's wedding. It's not until next year, but I decided I better get re-acquainted with the latest styles now in case something snazzy shows up on the bargain rack. With that last statement, I fear I really have become my mother's daughter.

Tune to 91.3 WBNY For Alumni Weekend!

I have to plug the WBNY Alumni Weekend again for the Buffalo-area readers.

For more details about the big shin dig/fundraiser at Mohawk Place, check out:
Buffalo Rising's article

Art Voice's article
Buffalo New's article that was in Gusto

For all Buffalo's Original Alternative and DJ's of current and past fame,
Tune your Radio to 91.3 FM all weekend long.

Friday Meme: The iTunes Game

Tragically taken from BFLOblog and Alan. What my iPod says about my life:

How does the world see me?
Sixteen Military Wives - The Decemberists
Cause America can... And America can't say no

Will I have a happy life?
We Might As Well Be Strangers - Keane
This isn't looking too good, is it?

What do my friends really think of me?
There Is A Light That Never Goes Out - The Smiths
To die by your side, well the pleasure and the privilege is mine

Do people secretly lust after me?
Least Compicated - Indigo Girls
And I bought you that ring 'cause I was never cool

How can I make myself happy?
If He Tries Anything - Ani Difranco
I guess I should stick with my friends, cause they'll have my back?

What should I do with my life?
The King Is Half Undressed - Jellyfish
Umm...

What is some good advice for me?
Breaking The Girl - Red Hot Chili Peppers
Ah hell.. I have no idea

How will I be remembered?
Evil - Interpol
Well isn't that fantastic

What is my signature dance song?
Hey Pretty - Poe
An ok song, but not my signature by far

What do I think my current theme song is?
Amsterdam (live) - Coldplay
Good song, but life isn't that bad!

What song will play at my funeral?
Agoraphobia - Incubus
Remember when we were
Just flesh and bone

What type of men do I like?
We Walk the Same Line - Everything But The Girl
Mm hm

What is my day going to be like?
Hungarian Dance No. 5 - Brahms
It's going to be a whirling dervish?

After The Rain

We got up to 70 degrees in Jamestown today before the rain came through. It'll get colder tonight, but the first wave of rain left a fantastic rainbow in the eastern sky.












You can see the double-rainbow just faintly in this picture.

Facing My Addiction One Breath At A Time

I covet this

WBNY Alumni Bash

This weekend is the annual WBNY Alumni Weekend at Buffalo State College. Besides an all alumni DJ schedule, there's also a fundraising bash at the Mohawk Place on Saturday. Buffalo Rising printed the full details including a list of some of the successful WBNYers.

I will be doing a show on Sunday, April 2nd from 10am to noon. The show, Six Degrees, will feature musical artists that are all connected in some way. It could easily be a four hour show with what I've researched so far, including a connection between Aerosmith and They Might Be Giants. But with only two hours, the show will start with The Smiths and go from there. Tune into 91.3 FM WBNY in the Buffalo-area on Sunday at 10am to hear more.

A Rattling In the Throat & Chest Area

I sat down late yesterday afternoon with a pot of tea and Martha Grime's latest Superintendent Jury mystery, when that worrisome cough became. It's now developed into that feeling where you know are coming down with something, but it's hard to tell what it is. One part of me thinks it's just sinuses draining and making me cough. Another part says, "It could be pneumonia. Your co-worker had pneumonia and came to work, although she was on antibiotics by then." The lead up to that line of thinking is, "Well, then there's all the clients that come in for services. God only knows what they're contagious with at the moment." Then the bizarre part of my brain wondered if it was possible to catch strep throat from two of my friends over instant messenger who were home sick with it last week. The last time I went to a doctor for being sick, she told me it was nothing, but did a strep test to appease me. I went back to work, per her orders, and then two days later got the call that I did indeed have strep.

What I do know is that I had strange dreams last night that I attribute to the latest Martha Grimes mystery. Hell, I didn't even take physics in high school and I was dreaming about discussing string theory and Shroedinger's cat. I'm just not in the mood to think about a cat being dead and alive at the same time, trust me.

Modern, Cool Nerd 78 % Nerd, 52% Geek, 17% Dork

For The Record: A Nerd is someone who is passionate about learning/being smart/academia. A Geek is someone who is passionate about some particular area or subject, often an obscure or difficult one. A Dork is someone who has difficulty with common social expectations/interactions. You scored better than half in Nerd and Geek, earning you the title of: Modern, Cool Nerd. Nerds didn't use to be cool, but in the 90's that all changed. It used to be that, if you were a computer expert, you had to wear plaid or a pocket protector or suspenders or something that announced to the world that you couldn't quite fit in. Not anymore. Now, the intelligent and geeky have eked out for themselves a modicum of respect at the very least, and "geek is chic." The Modern, Cool Nerd is intelligent, knowledgable and always the person to call in a crisis (needing computer advice/an arcane bit of trivia knowledge). They are the one you want as your lifeline in Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (or the one up there, winning the million bucks)! Congratulations! Also, you might want to check out some of my other tests if you're interested in any of the following: Buffy the Vampire Slayer Professional Wrestling Love & Sexuality America/Politics Thanks Again! -- THE NERD? GEEK? OR DORK? TEST

My test tracked 3 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 82% on nerdiness You scored higher than 76% on geekosity You scored higher than 14% on dork points

Link: The Nerd? Geek? or Dork? Test written by donathos on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the 32-Type Dating Test

50 Book Challenge? Try 1!

Usually, by this time of year I've already made my way through at least 20 books. For some odd reason, I've only read one entire book in 2006: Everyone Worth Knowing by Lauren Weisberger. I'm almost done with Brewing Up a Business, but can't seem to find a moment to finish the last couple of chapters.

I wonder if this will be one of those off years like I used to have in high school through early college years. I actually went through a time period where the only reading I did was the mandatory stuff for classes. I have no excuse now, other than the fact that some of my reading time is taken up by news re-writing & recording.

On the upside, the latest Martha Grimes mystery should arrive by the 23rd. A rather long time to wait, but is justified by the low price I paid for the book.

Phil!

It's a belated post. But I have to give a big w00t! to Philip Seymour Hoffman on his Oscar win. Matt had to put up with me yelling, "Phil!" everytime they showed him during the programme on Sunday. And when the oscar for Actor in a Leading Role was announced, I raised both my arms in victory and yelled, once again, "PHIL!!!!"

And I'm no band-wagoner. I've been a fan since his Boogie Nights and Magnolia days. I just didn't know his name before then.

Signs I Need To Either Drink More Or Just Get Out More

While we were all out for drinks last night, I yelled in a pre-alcholic induced state at the news director for our local Time Warner Cable news station that it absolutely drives me nuts whenever he writes in the phrase, "As you may recall..." into a news story. That phrase was in two of the stories from last night's newscast.

Seriously. The phrase assumes the viewer has paid attention to the news over the past however many months, while at the same time almost mocks the viewer who doesn't recall what the hell the story is about. Never assume the person watching, listening, or reading the news has any clue about anything that's happening in your local area.

personalDNA

Dynamic Director

Ma Na Ma Na!

Jim Henson brought the wonderful world of Sesame Street and The Muppets into my childhood. The fantasia of characters brought laughter into many homes. And if not laughter, then song. One song/sketch that I have't seen since I was a child found its way into my email today.

I invite you all to share in the joy that was the Ma-Na-Ma-Na sketch on the Muppet Show.

Networking that Matt(ers)

A pretty good article on networking appeared in Sunday's D&C. Somehow I wasn't surprised to read Matt's name. I always say it's a small world and you never know how people are connected.

I suppose it's a good time to steal some lines from Matt and the article and mention that I'm open to any new job possibilities right now.

From a networking standpoint, I suppose things are going okay for me. Ever since I did "The Living Christmas Tree" I've gotten calls about joining trios, quartets, fiddle groups and other music related ventures. I joked that it only took 6 years for the musical doors to open in this area for me. I've always said it's who you know that will get you where you want to go. I've gotten two jobs that way.

I also couldn't be more busy in my personal life. Between Warren Civic Orchestra, the radio news gig I do nightly, pilates at the Y, my regular work-schedule, and random stuff around the house, I haven't had time to relax. I keep thinking life will settle down soon, but this is my life.

My God, The Horror!

Just as I was about to leave the radio station last night after recording the news, I noticed a press release had come in the fax machine. Being a good, little news girl, I decided to take a gander in case I needed to add it to the morning run-down. The words I beheld made my eyes pop and peals of laughter escaped my mouth. I boldly decided to spare the person named in the release any further indignation and, instead, folded the release up and put it in my purse. Maybe it wasn't the wisest choice, but really, do you think it does the public any good to know which neighbor was in the county jail for sexually assaulting a horse?

You read that correctly. I think I made my point.

How To Get Through a State of the Union

Bush is painful enough without having to watch him on purpose do our State of the Union. Well, one way to dull the pain and still pay attention is to play the State of the Union drinking game. Enjoy.

State of the Union starts at 9pm EST on most local stations.

Movies In My Head

I had the pleasure of seeing two excellent movies this weekend. Friday night, I took in Brokeback Mountain at one of our local theatres. As the lights came blazing up in the theatre at the end of the movie, I noted that most everyone was trying to wipe their eyes without it looking like they had been crying. A powerful, beautiful movie. I was a little amazed that it was even showing in the Jamestown-area, but I like to call this the "Golden Globe effect." It seems that after the Golden Globes come out, some of the favored winners suddenly appear on our movie screens. We don't usually enjoy a wide selection of "indie films" the rest of the year unless you head out to Chautauqua Institution or the Reg Lenna. Which brings me to my next film...

On Saturday night, Matt and I headed to the Reg Lenna Civic Center along with a rather large crowd to see Good Night, and Good Luck. Some of the people we talked to after the movie, including the Mayor, concluded that the subject matter was rather timely. We were very impressed with David Straithairn's representation of Edward Murrow. Matt even asked me after the film, if some of the scenes with him weren't news footage. It was all Straithairn. However, all the scenes of Joseph McCarthy were of the real man. No actor was used.

Two movies that would be worth the high price theatres want you to pay these days.

Don't Mess With Me When I Haven't Had My First Cup of Caffeine in the Morning

You are a Black Coffee

At your best, you are: low maintenance, friendly, and adaptable At your worst, you are: cheap and angsty You drink coffee when: you can get your hands on it Your caffeine addiction level: high

What Kind of Coffee Are You?

A Friday Meme on Saturday

Four jobs I've had:
1. Amusement Park Ride Operator
2. Radio News Reporter/Anchor
3. Executive Assistant to a County Executive
4. Public Relations Specialist

Four movies I can watch over and over:
1. When Harry Met Sally
2. Sleepless In Seattle
3. You've Got Mail
4. A Christmas Story

Four places I've lived:
1. Rochester, NY
2. Berea, OH
3. Buffalo, NY
4. Jamestown, NY

Four TV shows I love:
1. CSI
2. Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations
3. House Hunters
4. Designed To Sell

Ten highly regarded and recommended TV shows that I've never watched (added category courtesy of kottke.org:
1. 24
2. Lost
3. The Sopranos
4. Arrested Development
5. Buffy The Vampire Slayer
6. Battlestar Galactica
7. 30something (I know, that goes way back)
8. Deadwood
9. 8 Simple Rules
10. The Wire

Four places I've vacationed:
1. London, England
2. Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
3. New Orleans
4. Washington, DC

Four of my favorite dishes:
1. Kraft Macaroni & Cheese
2. Basil Chicken Curry
3. Nick Tahoe's Garbage Plate
4. Sushi from California Rollin'

Four sites I visit daily:
(In my "open all in tabs" catagory):
1. Kinja
2. Muzenew's Inside View
3. National Weather Service: Buffalo
4. Google

Four places I would rather be right now:
1. In my car on a roadtrip
2. Under an afghan with an endless cup of tea and the latest edition of Real Simple
3. Quebec City
4. Any time between May 24 and June 8, 2003 (on vacation with my parents and my grandma)

Four bloggers I am tagging:
1. Matt
2. Heidi
3. Courtney
4. Matt F

Along The Wall

Linda had asked me in comments to tell you all what I thought about The Wall exhibit.

A little personal art history first. I've never been a big enthusiast of modern art. In my early teens, I was all about Monet, Cezanne, Degas, and other French Impressionists. I think I've seen about 5 different versions, if not more, of Degas' Little Dancer. Even as I got older, I leaned more toward the easy styles of Maxfield Parrish, Georgia O'Keefe, Tissot, Van Gogh, and Hopper. Then on a visit to NYC in November '03, I saw a James Rosenquist exhibit at the Guggenheim. For the first time, I not only "got" Modern Art but enjoyed it as well. Like some foods, I think you can learn how to enjoy the bizarre.

And that's the mind-set I had going into The Wall exhibit. Matt and I really enjoyed it. We were fascinated by the screens of human hair at Albright-Knox. We marveled over the Buffalo sky-line that was recreated using imported stainless steel pots and pans from China at the Anderson Gallery. We giggled at the close-up shots of insects that had human body-parts "photo-shopped" in to look real. And we stood in wonder gazing at the wavy-rubbings of the Great Wall of China that stretched in front of us and up the sides of the walls.

I almost purposely didn't read a lot about the exhibit. I know a little bit about the history of China and the culture there. I kept thinking about the artists who had created the works we saw, and the fine lines they must walk while creating their art under the communist state they live in.

This is the only American showing of this exhibit. It closes on January 29th. On the date that I write this, there is still time for you to see it. The part of the exhibit that are at the UB Center for the Arts and UB Anderson Art Gallery are free. The main part of the exhibit at Albright-Knox is only $12. I strongly encourage those who can make it to go.

Life One Page At A Time

I got turned onto Library Thing by Heidi. It's quite a useful tool. You can use it in a variety of ways, including using it to catalogue books you own or books you've read. I'm choosing to do the latter since I borrow from the library more than I actually buy. The only dilemma is whether I should keep to books I've read in my "adult" years (which include some children's and YA lit) or include everything I've read.

My growing catalogue can be viewed here.

Wiling Away a Friday Night

Since Matt and I are getting up early tomorrow to take in The Wall: Reshaping Contemporary Chinese Art at the Albright-Knox, we're hanging in tonight. Matt's mom had given me the tickets for the exhibit for my birthday back in October. Junk Store Cowgirl has a review up from when she went a couple weeks ago. As for tonight, Matt is crashed out on the sofa and I've snagged the computer. Here's the past five songs flowing through my eardrums courtesy of iTunes:

"Detachable Penis" - King Missle
"Love At First Sight" - Kylie Minogue
"Sweet Soul Revue" - Pizzacato Five
"Super Sex" - Morphine
"Cherry Coloured Funk" - Cocteau Twins

The weather continues to blow my mind and lift my spirits. Naturally, the fantasy world outside will come crashing down as rain, then snow sweeps in from the south and west. Still, I got a few moments tonight to stand outside without a jacket and smile at the moon.

January Thaw

Our January thaw is at its height right now. As I write, it's already 52-degrees in Jamestown. Last year, I remember an early January day making it near 70-degrees in the Dunkirk area. Not bad for Western New York. And well deserved after a colder than average December. I'd link to the article if I could find it, but not even Google News seems to want to cooperate.

This is a Republican Scandal

One of my favorite Congressional Representatives, Louise Slaughter, will speak about the whole Jack Abramoff scandal at 2:50 p.m. EST on C-Span today.

The Greater Rochester Weblog has a related post. It has snippets of Slaughter's post on Daily Kos depending on where you feel like surfing today.

End of the Year Meme: 2005 redux

Did you keep your New Years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

What resolutions?

Did anyone close to you give birth?

Yes, three friends did this year! Lori had Ben in June, Kim had Emily in June, and Christa had Harrison in September.

Did anyone close to you die?

Yes. My Grandma died from pancreatic cancer on August 8th.

What countries did you visit?

Canada. More specifically, Burlington and Orangeville, Ontario, Canada.

What would you like to have in 2006 that you lacked in 2005?

Materialistically, a new car (this is a carry over from last year).

What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Staying employed?

What was your biggest failure?

Not finding a better job.

What was the best thing you bought?

Our new house.

Whose behavior merited celebration?

Matt. He has been ultra-supportive through everything that happened with my Grandma's sickness and subsequent death; and with all the bullshit going on for me at work.

Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

I can't really say who it is because I'd like to stay employed.

Where did most of your money go?

Bills.

What did you get really excited about?

Moving into our new house and the U2 concert we went to on December 9th.

What song will always remind you of 2005?

Gorrilaz - "Feel Good Inc."
Hot Hot Heat - "Middle of Nowhere"

Compared to this time last year, are you:
Happier or sadder?

Sadder.

Thinner or fatter?

The same.

Richer or poorer?

Same in some ways. Our savings is somewhat depleted due to the buying of the house, but we have a house and I'm making more per hour than I did a year ago.

What do you wish you'd done more of?

Been able to pay off one of my bills so I could save more. And read more books.

What do you wish you'd done less of?

Watched less tv probably.

How will you be spending Christmas?

We spent it with our families.

Did you fall in love in 2005?

Yes, I fell in love with our second new doggy, Zak.

How many one-night stands?

Well, we have several night-stands in our new house. One in each of the bedrooms in fact!

What was your favorite TV program?

CSI. The original. Still.

Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?

Again, can't name those people.

What was the best book you read?

The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova

What was your greatest musical discovery?

The new album by Franz Ferdinand

What did you want and get?

Our house.

What did you want and not get?

A new, or even new-used, car.

What were your favorite films of this year?

Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, March of the Penguins, & Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

What did you do on your birthday?

My parents were visiting, so we looked at some shops near Mayville and had dinner at the Nik-L-Inn.

How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2005?

Umm. Layers? As in, let's buy more cuddl duds so I don't freeze my arse off at work.

What kept you sane?

My husband.

Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

Jon Stewart. If I wasn't and he wasn't married....

What political issue stirred you the most?

I'm not sure I paid that much attention this year. That's not true either. The county executive race in our county. Unfortunately, our guy lost. Now we wait in quiet anticipation to see what his successor will do.

Who did you miss?

My Grandma.

Who was the best new person you met?

Amy. Our H.R. Manager. She's very smart and very supportive.

Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2005:

Spend quality time with those you love.

Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:

"You don't have to put up a fight
You don't have to always be right
Let me take some of the punches
For you tonight

Listen to me now
I need to let you know
You don't have to go it alone

And it's you when I look in the mirror
And it's you when I don't pick up the phone
Sometimes you can't make it on your own

U2- "Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own"

Surviving Long Winter Months

Two of the things that help me get through our gray, cold winter months in Western New York are WBFO evening jazz programs and really good hot drinks. I don't care if it's an awesome cup of coffee, hot chocolate, steamed egg nog, or hot cider just as long as it's hot. Locally, Tom & Jerry's are pretty popular, but I can't get into alcoholic hot drinks. The jazz helps mostly because it reminds me of my youth. Java Joe's, yada yada yada. I reflected on the fact that as a teen I couldn't wait to get older so I could hang out in coffee shops every night, enjoying the sweet music performed by Eastman School of Music students. Fill in your favorite cliche about youth being wasted here. That's the past. I think I'll go enjoy the rest of my hot cocoa and wallow in a little Blue Train.

Happy Holidays

I'd like to wish everyone who reads this a happy holidays. I mean that in the broadest of senses since we are knee-deep in the wonderful collage of festivities for various religions and cultures. The Winter Solstice was last Wednesday, Christmas was Sunday, tonight is the second night of Hannukah, Kwanzaa began today, and I'm sure there's so much more I'm forgetting. And then on Saturday night, we will ring out 2005 and celebrate the new beginnings of 2006. Here's hoping that the new year will bring much more happiness than this year.

No Surprises to Report In The End

Cardinal sins aside, I unfortunately don't have any exciting news all said and done. I'll tell you the short hullabaloo that was raised in our house for a couple of days. And that would be that for about a week, Matt and I seriously looked into buying a specialty beer store. I wouldn't say it worked out since we haven't spoken to our bank about getting a loan, and the store owners did have other offers on the table. I would say I'm a little disappointed if not for the fact that running the store involved selling cigarettes. That didn't sit well with me, and when you take into consideration that cigarette sales made up a huge percentage of the profit, it was bound to be uncomfortable.

So that would have been the good news if it had worked out. Maybe another time.

The not so hot news is that things are in flux for me at my job. I'm still employed, but how that all is going could be described as somewhat demoralizing. I do not wish to say more since you never know who reads your blog. Suffice to say, it will become an even tighter financial situation in our household.

Plotting

A lot of underground and if-I-told-you-I'd-have-to-kill-you-and-myself stuff going on in my life right now. Some of it is not very good and some having me thinking that instant karma is possible. In a good way. So in the spirit of Waking Dreams, I'll leave you hanging until it all shakes out.

To save you some curiosity, I will tell you it's not any of the following:

1. I'm not pregnant
2. I haven't won the lottery
3. Matt hasn't become allergic to anything new
4. No one has died or is dying. Well, no one new at least.
5. Again, I'm not pregnant (because I know y'all wish that on me, you haters)

Rawk

PUNK ROCK: Oh boy, rock with an opinion.
Punk rock is generally known for its loud
proclamations, which are generally critical of
the government and other things that are going
on in the world at the time when the punk rock
band was around. This means that you're an
opinionated individual who stands up for their
beliefs, is very loyal, but can be very
stubborn as well. You're definitely a rebel.
Some punk rock bands: Green Day, the Ramones, &
the Sex Pistols


The Rock and Roll Personality Quiz
brought to you by Quizilla

Damn Lot of Snow

I'm wrapped up in an afghan while I write this. It's been a fairly busy morning. I've already taken the dogs out, shoveled the walkway to the driveway and our front steps, eaten breakfast, read the Buffalo News, caught up on all my blogs, added some TMBG to my iTunes, loaded and ran the dishwasher, and am now listening to a playlist I created of stuff I actually own that is in WBER's rotation.

I haven't felt a need to move from my spot in front of the computer since I noticed that it's snowing again. The snow caused some problems across our county yesterday. Besides postponing our annual holiday parade, the Living Christmas Tree performance scheduled for 8pm was canceled. I guess they've almost never canceled a performance in the program's 21 year history. We're back on schedule for tonight. Matt and his parents are coming to the 8pm show. I've made Matt promise to take me to Friendly's afterwards for ice cream. I don't care how cold and snowy it is outside, there's something comforting about continuing a tradition as set by my parents when I started playing violin years ago.

There is a list of the 50 greatest indie films online. Surprisingly, I've only seen 9 of the films. My aversion to violence and gore are probably to blame. However, I have seen Reservoir Dogs.

Sometimes you can never tell.

A Little Holiday Spirit

My friends and co-workers know I tend to get a little blah about the winter holiday season. Still, I try to get in the spirit in small ways. This year, I'm leaping into the season pretty early on by participating in the local production of The Living Christmas Tree. The picture shown here is of a different church's production, but the set-up is almost the same at the church holding it here in Jamestown. Instead of the white pointsettas in front of the chior, picture a small orchestra squished in front.

Our performances start this Friday at 8pm, with four more to follow at 5 and 8pm on Saturday and 5 and 8pm on Sunday. For someone who is not religious in the organized-sense, I'm getting more than my fill of the Jesus-season over this week.

I'll let my iPod do the rest of holiday-spiriting by randomly playing several of the tunes I'm uploading today. I expect to be entertained by the following discs, mixed in with my usual crazy assortment over the next four weeks:

Maybe This Christmas
Maybe This Christmas Too?
Maybe This Christmas Tree
Barenaked For the Holidays
Bog Sie Rodzi

Thanksgiving 2005

Matt and I survived the first Thanksgiving at our new house. The final guest total came to 21 people, with a few change-ups the day of the feast.

It was good to see everyone and the food that everyone brought was great. There was a moment of panic when my dad informed me there was hardly any breast meat on the 21.95 lb turkey I cooked. We breathed a sigh of relief when we realized the turkey was just oddly shaped and the breast meat was hidden some other place on the bird. But even if the turkey had lacked the proper amount of meat, my sister-in-law, Sue, had brought half a cooked ham for the non-turkey lovers (my father-in-law).

Here are the rest of the holiday pictures.

Another happy moment included the fact that the entire kitchen is now painted. There are a few minor touch ups, and the curtains need to be hung, but it's a relief to finally have one room completed in our house.

And the predictions of 1 to 2 feet of lake effect snow led to more people coming up Wednesday night, but then they all took off before meal #2 (turkey sandwiches) on Thanksgiving Day. My parents left yesterday right after dinner so they could get home to continue packing for their Carribean cruise that leaves on Sunday. The rough weather on Thursday meant the family had to forgo our traditional post-dinner walk to avoid the effects of tryptophan. I didn't completely collapse from exhaustion until last night while watching tv in the recliner.

Going Turkey

With the new title of homeowners bestowed upon Matt and me, I decided to suggest having all the family to our house for Thanksgiving. It seemed to make sense at the time. After all, we are able to sleep 6 people (couples) on beds, and have two couches to accomodate the less picky or latecomers. Then the invites went out. Then our invitees decided to invite other people. While it's not definite, there's a chance we'll have 21 people at our house for Thanksgiving.


On the upside, it'll be good to have all the family down for the holiday and everyone is bringing a side dish. My main responsibility, cooking-wise, is baking the pies, buying the rolls, and making the turkey. The latter should be easy if not for the fact that Wegmans has run out of all the turkeys that are 29-cents a pound when you spend $25 on groceries. They were supposed to get a shipment last night. I went in this morning and the stock boy told me that they only had 10-lb turkeys. He was real nice about it though and told me that I should call later since the 10-plus-pounders should arrive sometime today. I'm just afraid that the rest of Jamestown will buy out the turkeys before I get my 20-lb plus bird.

Another plus item is that our kitchenette is finally getting painted. With the humidity of summer, family stuff, and elections, it just wasn't going to happen before now. And the paint is going on a lot better now that it's drier in the house. So much happiness abound in regards to that!

I Recant Desire for Four-Door

When I found out that Toyota is coming out with a new car to replace the Echo, I breathed a sigh of relief and rejoiced at the news of Yaris. I assume the cost will be in the $13k-$16k range. At least, that's what I'm hoping. I'm willing to forgo my dreams of owning a four-door if the gas mileage on this new baby compares with the Echo and Tercel. Of course, I can dream that they might offer it in a four-door model too. I'll wait to see what Consumer Reports says, of course.

More Election Stuff

Matt said it best in his post about why Greg Edwards getting elected as Chautauqua County Executive is not good.

On a positive note, the Democrats took back control of the Jamestown City Council. And in my hometown of Irondequoit, the women have seized the day, the Supervisor's seat, and the majority on the Town Board. They're all Democrats too!

There are almost no words..

At this very late hour, all I have to say is that I am personally stunned with the results of our County Executive race here in Chautauqua County, NY. I know I am not alone in those thoughts. I dread to think what the next four years will be like in this county. I hope we don't have a future similar to Erie County, although nothing would surprise me at this point.

VOTE TODAY!!

Today is Election Day across the United States. There are local races happening in every state, city, and town. It is your civic duty, if you are registered, to visit the polls today and to record that you showed up to vote. You don't even have to vote for anyone once in the voting booth, but you exercised your right once in the voting booth to at least be counted among those who showed up.

Locally, in Chautauqua County we have several county-wide seats on the ballot including County Executive, District Attorney, County Clerk, and the full County Legislature. The city council seats in the city of Jamestown are also being voted on today. A quick endorsement list from me:

County Executive: Mark Thomas
District Attorney: Ken Lasker
County Clerk: Lori Cornell
Legislature (my district): Chuck Cornell
City Council (Ward 2): Carla Howie
City Council (At Large): Vince DeJoy

And unless I read something today that changes my mind:
State Proposition One: No
State Proposition Two: Yes

Chautauqua County results will be available starting after 9pm on www.votechautauqua.com

Exciting My Musical Ear

I seem to have good luck with finding good music to listen to during the month of November. This year is no exception. Quite happily, I've found at least three albums that are stellar:

Franz Ferdinand - You Could Have It So Much Better
The Bravery - The Bravery
OK Go - Oh No

You can't help but feel like someone is trying real hard to make sure we don't forget the sounds of The Cars, early XTC, and Talking Heads. The Franz Ferdinand album is at the top of my playlist and gains the sort of status that Fountains of Wayne's Welcome Interstate Managers did back in 2003. The much coveted "Ohmyeffinggod! This is one of the best effing albums EVER!"

Happy Halloween

Matt and I went to a Halloween Party/Benefits for our local Arts Council on Friday night. I went as an 80's Goth Girl. You could almost hear eerie strains of Depeche Mode, New Order, and The Smiths following me around. The event was called "Ghosts At The Reg," and was held on the stage of our civic center theatre. I guess they're going to do it up bigger next year, but this party was pretty decent. There were tours of the basement dressing rooms where different players acted out ghost stories. Later we watched ghost stories vignettes being acted out on the balcony and box seats from the stage. And naturally, there was a sort of murder mystery where 10,000 Maniacs Keyboardist Dennis Drew was killed off. It turned out to be done by the Mayor of Jamestown. Fun times around. All I know is that I'm still amazed I got my hair to stay put.

Summer Shakes Its Mortal Coil

I caught this while driving on the northside of Jamestown a week or two ago. A blazing sign that Autumn was in its full glory for the moment, but the grayness behind the tree suggested winter was inching closer.

Tune In, Tune Out

Favorite song meme taken from BFLO Blog:

Favorite Beatles song: Got To Get You Into My LIfe

Favorite solo song by a former Beatle: Live And Let Die - Paul McCartney

Favorite Rolling Stones song: Gimme Shelter

Favorite Bob Dylan song: The Hurricane

Favorite Pixies song: It's a toss-up between Gigantic and Debaser

Favorite Prince song: Little Red Corvette

Favorite Michael Jackson song: Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough

Favorite Metallica song: Wherever I May Roam

Favorite Public Enemy song: 911 Is A Joke

Favorite Depeche Mode song: Argh.. so many!! Never Let Me Down, Behind The Wheel, Strange Love, Personal Jesus, Enjoy The Silence, Judas, and It's No Good

Favorite Cure song: High, Caterpillar, Love Cats

Favorite song that most of your friends haven’t heard: "You Were Right" -Badly Drawn Boy. Although my friends in Rochester probably have heard this song since it airplay there.

Favorite Beastie Boys song: Sabotage

Favorite Police song: Don't Stand So Close To Me

Favorite Sex Pistols song: Ermm... I didn't really care for them

Favorite song from a movie: Until - Sting. I liked it enough to use it as the song that Matt and I danced to at our wedding.

Favorite Blondie song: Heart Of Glass

Favorite Genesis song: Ew.

Favorite Led Zeppelin song: When The Levee Breaks, Communication Breakdown

Favorite INXS song: Suicide Blonde, Beautiful Girl

Favorite Weird Al song: Theme From Rocky XIII

Favorite Pink Floyd song: Comfortably Numb

Favorite cover song: They Might Be Giants - New York City

Favorite dance song: Love At First Sight - Kylie Minogue

Favorite U2 song: In God's Country, Sunday Bloody Sunday (live version from Rattle & Hum), Stay (Faraway, So Close)

Favorite disco song: I know I have one...

Favorite The Who song: Who Are You

Favorite Elton John song: Tiny Dancer

Favorite Clash song: Rock The Casbah

Favorite David Bowie song: “Rebel Rebel”

Favorite Nirvana song: Heart Shaped Box

Favorite Snoop Dogg song: Don't Really know any

Favorite Ice Cube song: Ditto

Favorite Johnny Cash song: Ring of Fire, One

Favorite R.E.M. song: Near Wild Heaven

Favorite Elvis song: Viva Las Vegas

Favorite cheesy-ass country song: Shania Twain - Man, I Feel Like A Woman

BFLO Blog's Addendum:

Favorite Billy Joel song: River Of Dreams

Favorite Bruce Springsteen song: Philadelphia

Favorite Big Audio Dynamite song: Rush

Favorite New Order song: Regret

Favorite Neil Diamond song: Cherry, Cherry

Favorite Squeeze song: Tempted... I guess

Favorite Smiths song: All of "The Queen Is Dead" album plus just about every other song by them. One of the best bands in the World!

Favorite Tragically Hip Song: Ewwwwww... SO overdone!!

Odd Days Off

I'm spending the first of a couple odd days off today at home. Our vacation policy at work says we can only carry so many hours of time from fiscal year to fiscal year, and I was over by 2 1/2 days. It's nice to have a random day of the week to do laundry and work on various chores. Heck, I'm even getting a chance to update the ol'blog!

The past few months have been interesting. Matt and I got back into radio news in a round about way. We're not getting paid, but when it comes to doing something you love, pay doesn't always matter. If this was our main job, you bet it would be an issue! In the meantime, I'm happy with free dry cleaning and the occasional case of wine.

Furniture Can Make A Home

We moved all the furniture out of my grandma's house this weekend. Most of it came to our house, with some bedroom dressers going to my parents. Matt commented that our house really feels like home now. The other big item that was moved this weekend was my upright piano. It's been at my parent's house, waiting until we were going to be someplace more permanent. The piano tuner comes next Friday. Of course all the painting still needs to be done, but I feel more relaxed now having these familiar items around me. The next big thing is that we're replacing our very petite refrigerator with money my parents are getting for selling my grandma's house. That also arrives next Friday.

As far as we know, we close on my grandma's house next Thursday. I'm going in one last time this Saturday to help my parent's pack up any remaining items (tools, yard tools, silverware, etc.). It's been pretty hard. The next door neighbor who has lived there all my life has been pretty weepy too, since she and my grandma got on real well. The new owners are an older couple who have grandchildren a few blocks away. This will be the first house they own, so we feel good about that.