erin-go-blog!

2010-08-12T05:07:00.001-05:00

http://lowgirl_27.bloggerz.biz/09/09/symptoms-mostly-in-the.html

2010-07-03T02:49:00.001-05:00

http://zien86.blogsany.com/09/11/lowgirl_27-with-food-every-day.html

Jinkies!

2006-10-29T14:18:00.000-05:00

Velma Dinkley
Originally uploaded by jennimi.

I'll be adding to this post, but I needed to link to jennimi's fantastic photo of me in my Velma costume. ;)

To anyone new happening by

2006-07-11T19:58:00.000-05:00

I moved my blog to wordpress several months ago. Last week, I had an unfortunate accident that wiped out my wordpress blog. Until I can get the situation resolved, I've restored my archives here (almost everything's here...but the formatting's all wonky) and disabled forwarding. Feel free to browse the archives for whatever you're looking for. Hope to catch you on the flip side soon. :)

Just a note...

2006-04-11T17:40:00.000-05:00

I've been posting fairly regularly over at my new blog. Please make sure you make note of the link. I won't completely close up shop here until I have everything moved, but I just wanted to make sure everyone was aware. :) http://eringoblog.net

Good news

2006-04-06T16:31:00.000-05:00

Remember I mentioned my little brother being fired? Well, he filed a grievance, and he won! Yay!

New stuff...

2006-04-06T15:58:00.000-05:00

So I've got a book post up as well as a post over at the "new" blog. Enjoy! :)

Canada, eh?

2006-04-03T18:47:00.000-05:00

Spent a lovely couple of days at FilKONtario. I'll tell you more about it later. When I'm less tired. Also, when I've finished the Toasted Cheese newsletter. (it'll go out tomorrow, I swear...) Meantime, here's some fun for ya. You can read jennimi's account of Friday night's Ookla concert and also see some of her photos. You can see what books I finished last week here. And you can see what I posted last week while I didn't have access to blogger here. Big interview week...I've got three teacher recruitment day interviews on Tuesday, and an interview for a JV cheerleading coach position on Friday. Whoohoo! Oh, and if I have a chance, I'll post to the wordpress blog during the day today. Later. Happy April!

This is hard...

2006-03-30T16:05:00.000-05:00

Random Thoughts 101 posted a poll. What are your top 5 TV shows of all time. Of all time? Yikes. Okay, here goes... 1. The West Wing 2. Alias 3. Lost 4. Scrubs 5. Arrested Development My "runners up": Sports Night Six Feet Under Cheers Family Ties Buffy/Angel Friends Quantum Leap I absolutely adored Wonderfalls, but it wasn't on long enough to make the list. I could go on, but I won't. ;) I have to agree with Steve, who commented on the original post. I don't get Family Guy. (and believe me, I love me some Beavis and Butthead, and South Park) And I've shared my thoughts on Seinfeld in the past. Except for a few brief experiences, I've pretty much avoided reality TV. Give me good writing, and I'm happy.

Quote of the day

2006-03-30T07:40:00.000-05:00

I'm sick of following my dreams. I'm just going to ask them where they're going and hook up with them later. -Mitch Hedberg

Comedian Mitch Hedberg died one year ago today. :( If you've not had the chance to hear his stuff, I recommend checking it out.

Happy, happy

2006-03-29T07:31:00.000-05:00

It's probably safe to say that you can check my wordpress blog for an update later, but I wanted to log in and say: HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEBBIE! :)

What is the world coming to...

2006-03-28T15:28:00.000-05:00

When school nurses don't have any medicine, except for what parents send in with express written permission for them to administer it? I woke up all sinusy and stuffy headed this morning. I thought I threw some sudafed in my purse, but then I couldn't find it. So I stopped by the school nurse's office to ask if perhaps they had any, and had the situation explained to me. Weird.

Random tidbit

2006-03-28T10:03:00.000-05:00

I heard on the radio over the weekend that Def Leppard is releasing an album of cover tunes...hence the cover of "No Matter What" that I blogged about previously. Should be interesting. ;)

Monday already?

2006-03-27T16:25:00.000-05:00

So I've posted over in my new spot since I've found that wordpress isn't blocked at the schools where I teach. :) I'll probably be doing that more often...but soon I'll be moved over there and I won't have to worry about it.

My top ten most mystifying fashion trends

2006-03-23T16:27:00.000-05:00

10. Skirts/dresses worn over jeans 9. Short skirts with 3/4 length tights or leggings 8. Gaucho pants 7. Sparkly purses 6. UGG boots 5. Pants with words on the butt 4. Collars up 3. The shrug 2. The cropped hoodie (cousin of the shrug) 1. Anyone over the age of 25 trying to pull off any of the above!

Things I learned today

2006-03-22T16:06:00.000-05:00

If someone starts a statement with the words, "I'm not a racist, but...", you can be pretty sure that the next thing out of their mouth will be offensive. I didn't know this person all that well, and I had to gracefully remove myself from the conversation before it went any further. Why don't people think before they talk?

Grrr...

2006-03-21T21:42:00.000-05:00

Everything is getting on my nerves a little today. I was getting ready to go out and about today, and needed to fix myself some food. There was a little mishap (slight case of the dropsies) and I got barbecue sauce all over my shirt. Grr. I found a cute dress in the Chadwick's catalog that would be perfect for Shannon's wedding. I ordered cute dress, got it, tried it on, and realized I needed a smaller size. I shipped the dress back, went to order the smaller size, and of COURSE it is backordered. So I stopped off at the outlet mall today to try and find something...nothin'. Also, I purchased myself a new domain name...I'm thinking of (at SOME point) moving my blogs over to my own server. No rush...I figured I'd be able to play around and take my time...but I did something wrong in the setup and I can't quite figure out how to fix it. Frustration abounds. OH...and I don't know how I forgot to mention this before, but apparently when you download the new version of Firefox, all of your bookmarks vanish into internet limbo. Blah.

Happy spring?

2006-03-20T15:52:00.000-05:00

Well, at least the sun is shining. ;) I'm aware that it is only March, and it IS Buffalo and all...but I want to wear cute spring things. My toes are itching to be painted pretty colors and freed from their coverings. Otherwise new in the world of me...I saw V for Vendetta over the weekend, and I enjoyed it. I don't have any attachment to the source material, but I saw it with two bona-fide comic book nerds who also liked it. I love Natalie Portman. Also, I recently saw Elizabethtown, which was a lot like Garden State, except that it starred Kirsten Dunst (who I also love) as the plucky, slightly crazy but still adorable young woman playing opposite the emotionally vacant young man who's just lost a parent. I liked it. I also liked Garden State. *shrug* Hmmm...Natalie Portman and her sassy short hair (result of the head shaving for V) are making me want to take a trip to the salon... I was going to post a photo, but the site I found is unbearably slow. Click over here if you want to know what I thought of Stargirl.

A little bit of...

2006-03-19T21:04:00.000-05:00

My weeks get so busy sometimes that I don't have a chance to write everything I think about writing. And this past week, I've been kept *very* busy while subbing. Extra classes and little free time, and so forth. So here are a few random and unconnected things I read about, thought about, saw or heard last week: 1. I've not been to the Washington Market downtown, and I've heard nothing but good things about it. However, their dreadful radio commercials make me want to tear my hair out. The copy is bad, the readings are bad, everything about them is BAD. 2. I saw this post at livejournal that really, really struck a chord with me. The basic gist of the post is that we as a culture and women in particular have a tendency to constantly measure our worth against the people around us. I know it's something I'm guilty of...that instead of taking pride in my own accomplishments, feeling good about where I am and what I've done and what I can do, I compare myself to people I know. Friends and acquaintances and relatives and strangers alike. Women, I think, have a strong tendency to do this in terms of time. As in, I'm 30, and I don't have X, Y and Z. All these other people have X, Y and Z, therefore, there must be something wrong with me. I've gotten way better at this than I used to be, by the way. But every once in a while... 3. Does anyone out there have a teenage daughter? If so, please talk to me about how you deal with the teenage girl fashions. Oh, and by the way, I think I've figured out the sandals/flip-flops in winter phenomenon. Someone has failed to tell these children that Buffalo is not, in fact, located in southern California. ;) I guess that'll do it for now. Have a good one!

Oh, vomit...

2006-03-18T16:52:00.000-05:00

Quite possibly the worst book I've never quite really read has an HBO deal in the works? Details here. By way of explanation...Jen was reading this book while we were on a road trip together. She would read things aloud to me in the car which caused me to scream, "Oh my GOD. You're kidding." Awful. Dreadful. There's a lesson to be learned here, though...just behave really, really badly, write about it publicly, cause a scandal, get fired, and hey! You too can have a book deal! And after your craptastic book gets published, HBO will make it into a series! Ugh.

Irish blessing

2006-03-17T08:04:00.000-05:00

May the road rise to meet you, May the wind be always at your back, May the sun shine warm upon your face, The rains fall soft upon your fields and, Until we meet again, May God hold you in the palm of His hand.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Hee

2006-03-16T18:40:00.000-05:00

I think I'll have to cross-post this at the 27 blog, even though it's not technically a sighting, but Ben Folds just became my 27th friend on myspace. That's gotta mean something. :)

hm...

2006-03-16T15:36:00.000-05:00

This morning, I had things to say, and now I can't remember any of them. I will say this, though...on my way from my substitute teaching job to the community college today, I stopped by Wegmans. I decided to look for something that I could drink in my non-sugary-juices-or-soda state, and I found a new product. 4-C sugar free teas to go...the kind in those little individual packets that you put in your bottled water. I have to say, not bad at all! :) I've been a very good girl, drinking lots of water, and a bit of orange juice now and then. But sometimes, I just want something ELSE. So yay. Check over here if you care about what I've been reading. ;)

English teacher humor

2006-03-15T16:25:00.000-05:00

(today's Foxtrot, by Bill Amend) I laughed out loud. :)

Beware the Ides of March

2006-03-15T16:06:00.000-05:00

I forgot it was the Ides of March until I heard it mentioned on NPR this morning. I met X on the Ides of March. I should have known it would end disastrously... ;)

Happy Monday

2006-03-13T07:29:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone...don't forget to check out The Places I Go...I posted there yesterday too. :)

Squee!

2006-03-12T21:01:00.000-05:00

I just watched The West Wing, which I hadn't watched since the live debate episode. I actually thought it was very well done...this may not be Sorkin's show anymore, but it has become compelling television again. I don't think I knew that Bruno was back, though working for the Vinick campaign. The whole time, I kept thinking about how impossible it would be for a new or casual viewer to keep up. This show had a large cast before, and it's at least doubled with the campaigns. Yikes. Anyway, the thing that made me squeal like the little fangirl I am was the sight of Sam Seaborn in the previews!!! I'd read that he was coming back for the end, but seeing him just made my little heart smile. Also coming back are Danny, Amy, Joey Lucas, and Ainsley Hayes. But Sam! Oh, happy dance... 'Course, all this joy is dampened with the knowledge that Leo's funeral is also coming up... :(

Boston, Part II

2006-03-12T13:22:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the delay. It's been a pretty crazy and exhausting week! So anyway...thanks to Jen for sharing her photos with me, so I will be posting some of hers as well. Actually, as it turns out, all the photos in this post are courtesy of Jen. :) After we left the pizza shop, we headed over to some famous Boston bar...the something and something. (Tooth and Nail? no...Globe and Mail? no...something that sounds like that, though. ;) ) Oh, wait...entirely possible that it was the Bell in Hand. Ok, not really close at all. Shannon's school was holding a fundrasier, which included a raffle. We went to check out some of the raffle items. I touched my first little blue box from Tiffany. But alas, none of us won the little blue box. (I think it was a keychain...) I did, however, win a lovely backpack with the Amstel Light logo. Jen, Shannon and I posed for a "family" photo...see, in our sorority, Jen was my little, and Shannon was hers. All together now...awwww.... :) Jen had a really nasty glass of vodka tonic. (That's vodka, with a splash of tonic. Click here, here and here to see our reactions). And then we posed for an "all us girls in Boston" photo: (Apparently, that pink sweater of mine loves to be photographed...) After leaving the fundraiser, remarking about how tired we were (it's eleven! on a Friday night! we're old.), Shannon stopped for pastries. Here's Shannon at the counter at Mike's Pastries. I got an eclair the size of my head. No photo, sorry. ;) And I'll get around to part III...the shower itself...soon!

Jeans

2006-03-09T19:36:00.000-05:00

I just re-read an article about designer jeans that reminded me how happy I am that I DON'T CARE ABOUT DESIGNER JEANS. Really. I don't know how you LA people put up with this crap. I can't bear to pay full price for a pair of Levis. The idea of actually spending over $100 on jeans makes me want to throw up a little.

Blargh

2006-03-09T15:14:00.000-05:00

Sorry everyone...will get to posting something as soon as my ability to form coherent sentences returns. :)

Bits from Fix Buffalo

2006-03-07T16:00:00.000-05:00

David over at Fix Buffalo has asked us to help him spread the word about a couple of things. So I'm obliging him. :) First, Mary Kunz Goldman writes about the abandonment and closing of Catholic churches around Buffalo, a subject near and dear to David's heart. Secondly, he posts that Toronto is going wireless. How freaking cool is that? Could Buffalo get in on this action? How great would *that* be?

Boston, part I

2006-03-07T07:37:00.000-05:00

Jen and I left very, very early Friday morningto make the trek to Boston for our dear friend Shannon's bridal shower weekend. Yes, it was a long trip, but cheap flights from Buffalo were nowhere to be found. Besides, if Jen and I don't make a long road trip together a couple of times a year, I feel like something's missing from my life. ;) We made good time, listened to (and sang) Jesus Christ Superstar in its entirety. (and by the way...I made the whole trip there and back on only 2 and a half Dr. Peppers.) I'm sure Jen will have more details on this soon... After picking the other Jen up from the airport on Friday, we headed to Boston's north side and the world-famous (so says the menu) Pizzeria Regina. Shannon found a killer parking space and did an amazing u-turn in the middle of a busy street to get the spot. Pizzeria Regina is a teeny tiny (and very popular) place. Therefore, you must wait outside for a table. And it was (as they say in Boston) wicked cold on Friday. Windy. Brrr. It wasn't terribly long before we got in, and promptly fitted Shannon with her "bride-to-be" crown and sash. And before you know it, pizza! It was quite tasty. Brick-oven baked, thin crust, oozy, gooey cheese. Yum. Jen played us some Shannon-themed tunes on the jukebox, starting with Crocodile Rock (one of our college Greek sing songs) and ending with Here Comes the Bride. Hee. Ok...things to do. Look for at least a part II (and possibly a part III) later!

Crash wins

2006-03-06T09:11:00.000-05:00

It was the only movie (nominated for any major awards) that I saw this year. So, yay. It was a very good movie. Shocking that something that came out so early in the year was the big winner. Reese looked beautiful, and was graceful and charming. Good thing she remembered to thank Ryan, because that would not have been a good sign. ;) Jennifer Garner...um, perhaps more support would have been in order? Yeesh. (thanks, lady t!) Songs. Wow. Those were it? The best original songs in film in all of 2005?? And why, oh why, do you make us sit through them? I might have more thoughts, but those are the main ones. Oh, and look for a full report (with photos) on the Boston trip later!

We're off...

2006-03-02T21:27:00.000-05:00

So Jen and I are off (way too early in the morning!) to Boston for girl talk and cake and other bridal-showery fun. Have a good weekend...look for updates and photos after the weekend is over. Oh, and I almost forgot...the March issue of Toasted Cheese is up. Check it out. :)

Thoughts/prayers/good vibes requested

2006-03-02T17:35:00.000-05:00

My little brother just lost his job. Yes, the same one that's planning a May wedding. Also, a friend of mine from high school recently gave birth at just 25 weeks. The baby (a little girl) is in neonatal care, and is doing well so far. Thank you in advance.

Lent

2006-03-01T13:16:00.000-05:00

I haven't actually given up anything for Lent in a while, but I decided to do something that will help me on my quest to lose 5 pounds before my brother's wedding. I'm giving up pop, soda, soda-pop, or for my southern friends, coke. I tried this once in college, and I did not succeed. ;) But I've cut WAY back on my consumption of the bubbly beverage since then. This Friday is going to be a designated "cheat day". Jen and I are driving to Boston for Shannon's bridal shower, and I don't know that I'll survive the trip without caffeine. ;) Also out are sugary "fruit juices". That is, drinks that are 10% or 20% juice. As for yesterday's subbing adventure, it actually went exceedingly well for being a last-minute call out of my subject area with no plans. The kids, for the most part, were self-directed and worked diligently on their various projects with little prompting from me. They were friendly and helpful and didn't give me even a tiny bit of trouble. :)

This should be interesting...

2006-02-28T07:46:00.000-05:00

I'm an art teacher today. Look for details on how that goes later. :) Oh, and I'm very excited about an online purchase I made last night. Go here to read about it. Happy day, all!

Calligraphy

2006-02-27T19:14:00.000-05:00

Well, now that I know the recipients have seen these, you can see some samples of my calligraphy: The images are links to my flickr page. And by the way, even though the page isn't officially up yet, these (well, ones *like* this) are for sale. Contact me for information!

Extra! Extra!

2006-02-27T07:50:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone...look for me (and a story about Buffalo bloggers) in the Buffalo News today! :) (BTW...I opted to not link directly to the article, but lots of other people did. Check out Alan, Jen, Jennimi, and David. And thanks, again, to Jennimi for getting me mentioned! Oh, and anyone happening by because of the article...welcome!

Weekend update

2006-02-26T14:28:00.000-05:00

Bah. I posted about my weekend, did not get any indication that there was any problem with my post, but it seems to have disappeared. If it wasn't such a gigantic pain in my butt, I would be seriously considering buying another domain name and moving this blog over to my own server. Did I mention that I hate blogger? Oops. Theryn was right. Here's the afore-mentioned post.* Friday night, I served as Jen's bus to Rochester. I overheard the words "Dinosaur Barbecue", which sounded much more appealing than cereal in my PJs. :) Side note...the more time Jen spends in Rochester, the more time she spends at X's old haunts; places like The Old Toad and McGregor's. I kinda hope she runs into him. I want her to claim the case of beer he owes her. Hmmm...Saturday, attended the annual Big Brothers/Big Sisters party. This was my first one...they've always been at inconvenient times for me. Out-of-town weekends, class evenings, etc. It was nice. A Chinese New Year theme (I didn't know you were supposed to dress for the theme...), food, entertainment and awards. When I decided to become a big sister, I had been hoping for the kind of relationship my aunt has with her little...they've remained close as she's grown up, gotten married, had children of her own, and they still talk frequently and get together whenever they can. I don't know that I'm ever going to have that with my little, but I'm okay with that now. I'm still proud to be a part of the program, and I will be there for her for as long as she wants/needs me to be. As I looked around, and watched the slide show from theh past year's events, it made me kind of sad to notice the lack of men in the program. There were a lot of boys with big sisters. Guys in WNY: become a big brother! Seriously. They took photos, but they don't appear to be up on the site yet. After that, I talked to my mom and read a whole bunch. Today, I'm waiting around to pick Rand up at the airport. He's been off visiting his parents, and I'm *really* looking forward to seeing him! *Blogger is still annoying.

Goals

2006-02-24T12:14:00.000-05:00

So, I'm sure you're all wondering how I'm doing with my goals this week...here's an update. -Go through crap in my apartment and toss unwanted junk Check. I filled two big bags with garbage and started a third. I can't believe how much crap I have. I also filled a big bag with clothes I'm getting rid of. -Read TC submissions Some...I've got more to do, but I have until the end of the weekend... -Submit a story to Woman's World Um, check. I hope it was ready, because it's in the mail... -Get website up Partial check. I sat with the most excellent Thomas yesterday, who directed me to some software that's MUCH easier to use than what I was trying to use. He's supposed to be getting me some other stuff (including a graphics program!) which will be a big help. He gave me a quick tutorial, and here's what I've come up with to start: educating erin So far, I've been unable to figure out how to put the copyright and contact info further down on the page. The only link that works right now is the blog one...I need to explore and find a template I like. So there ya go. There will be more links and stuff in the future, as I figure out what I'm doing. ;) -Figure out how to do the calligraphy on my brother's wedding invitations, which are of the all-one-piece variety. Well, partially there. -Do 1 or 2 more calligraphy samples Did one. :) Right now, they're on my flickr account, visible to friends. Eden and Stephanie, happy gifts are on their way to you! -Work on resumes to update my school applications Got a good start on this. I mailed 11 resumes today. I'm going to keep sending them on a weekly basis. -Figure out what I'm wearing to Shannon's bridal shower, not to mention her wedding Um. I'll find something suitable in my closet for the shower. And I have time on the wedding...I hate shopping. Except when I find 3 sweaters on clearance at Kaufmanns for $20. (that's $20 total.) :) Happy Friday, everyone!

August 1974 sucked

2006-02-22T08:57:00.000-05:00

So what was #1 the day I was born? "The Night Chicago Died" by Paper Lace and what hit the charts (and stayed) a week later? (You're) Having My Baby" by Paul Anka with Odia Coates blah. Hmmm...the year I turned 10, it was Ghostbusters. The year I graduated, End of the Road (Boyz II Men). OOH...and the year I graduated from college? Macarena. I have a sucky birthday for music. What's your #1? (via Jen)

Randomments

2006-02-21T20:29:00.000-05:00

1. I posted my answers to the book meme I saw over at warm wine at The Places I Go 2. An interesting bit of Lost-related flash animation at Weird Al's site...someone created this bit of animation to go with Al's Bohemian Polka. Some people have way too much time on their hands. :) 3. Toasted Cheese now has a cafe press store! I think I need this tote bag: Hrm. I thought there was more. Oh well.

I'm in it!

2006-02-21T15:35:00.000-05:00

How cool...I got this message in my email today:

You created your face in 2005 which means You are in the all new 2006 Buffalo & flower themed mosaics!

I guess I'll have to be getting one of these. Also makes a good gift... ;)

I'm baaaaaaack...

2006-02-20T15:55:00.000-05:00

Just returned from a weekend in PA, doing some family bonding. It was a good weekend, apart from the nasty cold. I'm doing much better today though. Not at 100% yet, but close. I've just got some lingering congestion, and of course the dry, itchy skin around the nose from the constant wiping and blowing. Ick. My dress for my brother's wedding is quite lovely. My mom is going to save me some $ by hemming the skirt for me. Oh, and I've just set a goal of losing 5 pounds before the wedding, because it fits, but it's a leeeeeeeetle snug. So other than my community college classes, I'm not working this week. These are my goals: -Go through crap in my apartment and toss unwanted junk -Read TC submissions -Submit a story to Woman's World -Get website up -Figure out how to do the calligraphy on my brother's wedding invitations, which are of the all-one-piece variety. (no envelopes. they fold. typically, I make a guide sheet to stick inside the envelope, but there's no envelope, and I'm just not excited about drawing pencil lines on every single envelope.) -Do 1 or 2 more calligraphy samples -Work on resumes to update my school applications -Figure out what I'm wearing to Shannon's bridal shower, not to mention her wedding Ummm...if I think of anything else, I'll let you know. I've got a Big Brothers/Big Sisters event to attend with my little on Saturday...just the annual get-together. Actually, this is the first one I've been able to make it to! I'm sure I have more to say, but I guess that'll do for now...

Yech.

2006-02-15T16:01:00.000-05:00

I woke up this morning feeling yucky...sinusy, stuffy-headed, scratchy-throat yucky. I've never been so happy to be able to just shut off my phone and sleep in. But now I'm in a quandary...Rand and I had reservations for a nice dinner tonight since I had to work last night (teaching my class at the college). But even though I'm up and about and feeling okay, I'm wondering if maybe it wouldn't be a better idea to hold off until next week. :(

Happy Valentine's Day :)

2006-02-14T07:00:00.000-05:00

There are places I�ll remember All my life though some have changed Some forever not for better Some have gone and some remain All these places have their moments With lovers and friends I still can recall Some are dead and some are living In my life I�ve loved them all But of all these friends and lovers There is no one compares with you And these memories lose their meaning When I think of love as something new Though I know I�ll never lose affection For people and things that went before I know I�ll often stop and think about them In my life I love you more Though I know I�ll never lose affection For people and things that went before I know I�ll often stop and think about them In my life I love you more In my life I love you more

Books and books and more books

2006-02-13T20:23:00.000-05:00

In case you haven't visited The Places I Go yet, here's some of what I've been reading: (click on the link for my post about the book) Undead and Unwed Undead and Unemployed Undead and Unappreciated McSweeney's Chamber of Astonishing Stories Risking Everything The Five People You Meet in Heaven The Ice Queen The Walking Dead See Jane Date Sexy Carpe Demon Night Feed Pushing 30 Hurrah for books! :)

Blog poll

2006-02-13T16:09:00.000-05:00

I'm just curious...I think I'm aware of *most* of the people who read and comment here, but I'm interested in bringing out the lurkers. :) Basically, I'm wondering who you are, how you got here, and what keeps you reading! Leave me a comment, or send me an email if you prefer. ;)

Weekend wrap-up

2006-02-12T19:34:00.000-05:00

Jen's got some photos posted from the Arrested Development party. It was a come-in-character party..I don't know if you can tell from the photo, but I went as Lucille II. (Rand was the never-seen Frightened Inmate #2) Dayna was a most excellent Kitty, and, well, Mark sacrificed his facial hair to the cause to become eerily Tobias-like. ;) Brian was the hit of the party with his Bluth bananas, which sadly were not captured on film. They were mighty tasty. Saturday night, Jen, Rachel, Brian and I went to see the Ron Hawkins Acoustic Revue at the Karpeles Manuscript Museum and Library. Buffalo Rising has a post (and slide show) of the event. Music is one of the truly great things about Buffalo...great local music, of course, but also all of the fantastic music from across the border. I'm so glad Jen brought me to Buffalo so I could experience it for myself! Despite Ron's cold, it was a great show! The museum (which I had never been in before) made a wonderful concert spot. Know what I don't understand, though? I don't understand why so many people pay good money to go to a concert and then proceed to talk through the whole thing. There was a guy behind us who I don't think shut up the whole time we were there. You can read Jen's account of the show here.

This makes me want to vomit

2006-02-11T17:20:00.000-05:00

And if you listen closely, you can hear the sound of my eyes rolling. In small town, 'Grease' ignites a culture war After cancelling the school's production of the musical 'Grease', the superintendent also decided to cancel the spring production of 'The Crucible'. Oh, the irony. Here's a quote from the drama teacher:

Ms. DeVore believes it was canceled because it portrays the Salem witch trials, "a time in history that makes Christians look bad." "In a Bible Belt community," she added, "it makes people nervous."

Thank you, pop culture is my curse, for bringing this article to my attention.

Book blog updated

2006-02-11T10:32:00.000-05:00

Check it out. The Arrested Development get-together was a smashing success. Sad that it came to an end, and *really* sad that Fox had to be so stupid about the way it was handled, but we had a good time. Jen took tons of pictures, so hopefully those will be online soon! More when that happens.

Any Lost fans out there?

2006-02-08T17:22:00.000-05:00

For anyone who missed it before, I started a Lost discussion group on Yahoo. Contact me if you'd be interested in joining. New episode tonight! Whee! :)

Light housecleaning

2006-02-08T15:42:00.000-05:00

Yeah, I've been a busy girl this week. :) Here are a few tidbits I found noteworthy: I keep hearing all about this How I Met Your Mother. Any of you watching it? I hate to feel like I'm missing something, but at the same time, I have a hard enough time keeping up with the shows I already watch! Ooh...how much fun is this? Movie reviews from Statler and Waldorf. (the photo is a link. I finally took the 3.5 seconds to learn how to do that. turns out it's really, really easy. anyone want to teach me how to make them open in a new window?) While I haven't been doing much posting, I have been doing some reading...head over to The Places I Go to find out what. :) (My thought is that I completely immerse myself in reading for a while, then take a step back and focus on writing...we'll see how that goes...)

Too many things

2006-02-06T09:59:00.000-05:00

I'm not working today, for the express purpose of accomplishing other things I want to accomplish. Problem is, where do I start? I'm pulling myself in fifteen different directions. Ack. First on my list is getting my new website going. :) I got my (nearly) free business cards in the mail over the weekend. Yippee! Oh, and here's a funny...I spotted this poster last week and meant to post about it. Thanks to Thomas for spotting it, taking a photo, and posting it on his shameful typos site. The offending poster was for a free resume workshop. I'm thinking, "I'm going to let these people help me write my resume?" Yeesh.

One for da thumb

2006-02-05T22:19:00.000-05:00

Steelers win! (I am obligated to post about the Steelers' win, as a member of a family that bleeds black and gold. I am a PA girl, remember...) ;)

4 things

2006-02-04T15:42:00.000-05:00

Since this is sweeping the blogosphere, I decided to get in on the action. (side note...I would swear I had done this before, but I could not find it for the life of me) The 4 things meme. As seen, well, everywhere. Four Jobs I�ve Had in My Life 1) Teacher 2) Reporter 3) Mind-numbing, soul-sucking job as a banking clerk 4) Waitress/sales clerk/library page/daycare worker/office assistant/etc. Four Movies I Could Watch Over and Over (and have) 1) When Harry Met Sally 2) Say Anything 3) The Princess Bride 4) (tie) Back to the Future, Wayne's World, Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure Four Places I Have Lived 1) St. Marys, PA 2) Meadville, PA 3) Buffalo, NY 4) (technically) Norfolk, VA...but only for a brief time right after I was born. Four TV Shows I Love To Watch 1) Lost 2) Scrubs 3) The West Wing 4) Arrested Development Four Places I Have Been On Vacation 1) The UK 2) Myrtle Beach 3) Hawaii 4) Virginia Beach Four Websites I Visit Daily 1) Bloglines 2) Toasted Cheese 3) Yahoo (mail) 4) Google Four Favorite Foods 1) The Cranberry Harvest salad at Morning Glory 2) Chicken Malai at Taste of India 3) The Clancy at Cole's 4) The Arlington Street at Gabriel's Gate Four Places I Would Rather Be 1) I 2) like 3) it 4) here :) No tags. Participate if you like. :)

I'm on the girl wide web

2006-02-04T14:36:00.000-05:00

As you'll see from the new button in my sidebar, I've joined Bust's Girl Wide Web. Because all the cool kids are doing it. ;)

So I lied...

2006-02-03T16:46:00.000-05:00

I had to come back and post this... I'm very, very excited about the new Aaron Sorkin project in the works. (Since the time of that posting, the show's name has changed to Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. Or perhaps the whole name is still up in the air) Basically, it's a behind-the-scenes at an SNL-type show. I expect it to have a Sports Night type vibe, which you should all know I think is a good thing. :) Matthew Perry is set to star. Here's a post that reports the cast so far. So yay for Aaron Sorkin and Tommy Schlamme! (BTW...Schlamme directed So I Married an Axe Murderer! Ha!) :)

Tired

2006-02-03T16:31:00.000-05:00

7th graders wear me out. I'll be updating the reading/writing blog over the weekend sometime. And that's really all I have to say at the moment. My brain hurts.

I'm an emo kid?

2006-02-02T19:39:00.000-05:00

I just took this quiz: Which told me that my personality type is emo kid.

You are the Emo Kid, best described as a quiet pussy! You tend to be an intuitive rather than a logical thinker, meaning you rely more on your feelings than your thoughts. Not only that, but you are introverted, gentle, and rather humble. You embody all the traits of the perfect emo kid. You are a push-over, an emotional thinker, gentle to the extent of absurdity, and so humble that it even makes Jesus puke. (And Jesus almost never pukes, being immortal and not requiring an act of puke to dispell toxins from his corporeal manifestation.) If you write poetry, you no doubt write angsty, syrupy lines about depression, sadness, and other such redundant states of emo-being that go something like this: life is a spike / upon which i have impaled mysefl / fuck you dad So, your personality is defective because you are too gentle, rather underconfident in yourself, decidely lacking in any rational thought, and also a bit too inhibited. Plus, your poetry really upsets your father. I probably made you cry, didn't I? Fucking Emo Kid. To put it less negatively: 1. You are more INTUITIVE than rational. 2. You are more INTROVERTED than extroverted. 3. You are more GENTLE than brutal. 4. You are more HUMBLE than arrogant. Compatibility: Your exact opposite is the Smartass. Other personalities you would probably get along with are the Hippie, the Televangelist, and the Starving Artist.

Take the quiz (seen first at warm wine)

6 more weeks?

2006-02-02T15:23:00.000-05:00

So, old Phil saw his shadow today�if it�s six more weeks of the kind of winter we�ve been having, well, I can�t complain too much. In fact, even if it snows like crazy for the next two months, I can�t complain too much. For me, the worst part of winter is definitely the dark. I went looking for the story in the paper I used to work for, and they STILL don�t have complete stories posted on the web page. (As in, they were holding out on this when I worked there. Seven years ago.) Here�s the Punxsutawney Spirit (cute groundhog graphic!) And while I�m at it, Phil�s got his own website. So there ya go. I had a list of other things I wanted to blog, but I left it in the car. Let's see how I do from memory. First, it was 80s Day at the school where I subbed today. I saw lots of neon, legwarmers, colored tights and side ponytails. Oh, and cut-up sweatshirts ala Flashdance. I don't remember ever really wearing legwarmers, but I DO remember slouch socks. Doubled for the two-color effect. And worn outside the pegged jeans. :) OH...and I had a kid in class today that I taught as a 7th grader when I student taught in Buffalo. I wouldn't have remembered him, but he remembered me! He said, "I don't remember my teacher's name, but he was that old guy who was really mean." (the kid was a freshman, which means he still had this teacher, um, last year. I sure hope they remember my name a year later!) Finally, I added a couple of blogs to my Buffalo Blogroll. Check out jennimi and warm wine. And if you are a Buffalo blogger that I don't have blogrolled, please leave me a comment or send me an email with a link! :)

Updated

2006-02-01T19:47:00.000-05:00

the other blog...

Hey, all you readers

2006-01-31T15:11:00.000-05:00

Show my other little blog some love, eh? :) The Places I Go Busy, busy. Worked today (yay!). Nothing much of interest to report there. I finished Sexy by Joyce Carol Oates, which was not nearly as good as Big Mouth and Ugly Girl...look for a full review later. I also did a bunch of journaling...there's a post in there somewhere. I'll get back to you. For some reason I can't figure out, my wireless mouse is not working. :( I'm kinda bummed out about Arrested Development, but looking forward to the party. I'm much more bummed about this than about the West Wing. WW had a great run. Two fantastic seasons, two good seasons, two mediocre seasons with some bright shining moments...and this last one, which I admit to not seeing much of. It's time. And I will have the brilliance to cherish forever on DVD. I've heard speculation that Sam (Rob Lowe) may return to take Leo's place on the Santos ticket. I would *love* that. Sam Seaborn was a fantastic character who never reached his full potential on the show (because of RL's ego, perhaps?), and I would love to see him return for the end. It'll be horribly sad to watch the cast say goodbye to John Spencer on screen. :( Rand and I have been watching Scrubs (season 1), and I'm loving it even more than I did the first time. Actually, there are quite a few episodes I missed. Zach is so adorable. And John C. McGinley is brilliant. Has he been nominated for an Emmy? He totally deserves one. (answer...NO! that's just wrong.) Ok, I should get ready for my classes now...more later, perhaps!

Jack FM rocks...

2006-01-30T20:34:00.000-05:00

Wanna know why? Because this afternoon, I heard...wait for it... High Enough Yes, ladies and gentlemen, that hit power ballad from supergroup Damn Yankees (not to be confused by the successful Broadway musical). What I find so amazing is that I can hear a song that I haven't heard in, oh, at least 15 years and still remember EVERY WORD. Why hasn't anyone figured out a way to harness this power for good? And so, I will retain the lyrics to bad 80s pop and early 90s power ballads and sing them at the top of my lungs (well, when I'm in the car alone, I will...). ;)

A really fun time waster

2006-01-29T21:01:00.000-05:00

So Jen introduced me to library thing, and I'm addicted... (check out my profile!)

Porn star or My Little Pony?

2006-01-29T16:31:00.000-05:00

We were talking about this at the BloggerCon...and LO! I discovered that you can take the quiz online: Porn star or My Little Pony? I scored a measly 4 out of 12. Go ahead, you try. And tell me your score! ;)

Blog soup*

2006-01-26T22:23:00.000-05:00

*post title stolen from Eden and E! entertainment television I have a bunch of stuff hanging out in my bloglines folders that must be posted. I'm in a purging mood, and I guess that goes for bloglines too. :) First, I know you're all dying to know which Lost character I am:

You scored as Claire. You are Claire! By taking your palm readers advice and flying when your 8 months pregnant you end up on the island. You have cravings for peanut butter and feel safe around Charlie, despite your dreams of being kidnapped.

Which "Lost" character are you?
created with QuizFarm.com (via impenetrable prose) And here's a quote I enjoyed:

"You have to know how to accept rejection and reject acceptance." -Ray Bradbury

And via Entertainment Weekly...could Futurama be coming back? I would dig this. I *heart* Futurama. That dog episode (Jurassic Bark) made me bawl like a little baby. Here's an old Slate article on Billy Joel that made me think that Rand secretly wrote it.

All this came to a head in my freshman year of high school when I discovered Elvis Costello, who, a friend informed me, "writes songs about why people like Billy Joel are just so bad."

And here's another one (more recent) that's sure to get the collective panties of the Christian right in a bunch: What if Mary wasn't a Virgin? The author is a woman and an Episcopal priest. I loved this rant at No NCLB.org:

But I know the inequities are there. I know that you can tell who will do well in school and who will fail by looking at the parents' bank balance. I know that in my own school system most of the native kids fail to graduate high school. But I know deep down in my soul privatized is not the way.

And since I haven't gotten around to writing about the cancellation of the West Wing yet, I give you Kelly's post on the subject. I own seasons 1-5 on DVD, and am currently watching season 3 with Rand. We just watched "The Women of Qumar," which is clear proof that Allison Janney deserved her emmys. I adore Allison Janney. I haven't really been keeping up this season, what with the whole Sunday time slot and all, but I will catch up. And I'll be likely to tune in and see how it ends. Finally, don't forget to check in over at my other blog...I just finished the second Undead book and am halfway through See Jane Date. (loving it!) I'll be posting about both soon. :)

Canadian politics

2006-01-25T11:43:00.000-05:00

I really enjoyed reading Alan's post on the elections in Canada. I'd be interested in hearing from my Canadian friends on this, as I am completely and utterly ignorant.

Of local interest

2006-01-25T11:02:00.000-05:00

Hey y'all...head over to Jen's blog and read her post about the 2006 Community Hero Awards. :)

Will write for chocolate

2006-01-25T10:14:00.000-05:00

Debbie has a fantastic comic/column about freelance writing. It updates every Wednesday (which means there's a new one today!), and it's great stuff. Check it out! Will Write for Chocolate

What teachers make

2006-01-25T09:32:00.000-05:00

A friend of mine just sent this to me, and it reminded me of something I wanted to post about anyway...

WHAT TEACHERS MAKE The dinner guests were sitting around the table discussing life. Oneman, a CEO, decided to explain the problem with education. He argued, "What's a kid going to learn from someone who decided his best option in life was to become a teacher?" He reminded the other dinner guests what they say about teachers: "Those who can, do. Those who can't, teach." To stress his point he said to another guest; "You're a teacher, Susan. Be honest. What do you make?" Susan, who had a reputation for honesty and frankness replied, "You want to know what I make? "I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could. I make a C+ feel like the winner of the Congressional Medal of Honor. I make kids sit through 40 minutes of study hall in absolute silence. "You want to know what I make? I make kids wonder. I make them question. I make them criticize. I make them apologize and mean it. I make them write. I make them read, read, read. I make them show all their work in math and perfect their final drafts in English. I make them understand that if you have the brains, and follow your heart, and if someone ever tries to judge you by what you make, you must pay no attention because they just didn't learn." Susan paused and then continued. "You want to know what I make? 'I MAKE A DIFFERENCE.' What do you make?"

When I was in fifth grade, I had a teacher that I absolutely adored. She was interesting and fun and everything that a great fifth grade teacher should be. One day, I got some catalogs in the mail that were clearly "teacher" material. I brought them in to show my teacher. "Maybe it means I'm supposed to be a teacher when I grow up," I beamed. She laughed. "You're too smart to be a teacher." And that little throwaway comment might have squashed a dream...might have...but instead, it just put it on hold. After I graduated from college with my communication arts degree, I went back home and worked for a daily paper. I liked being a reporter okay, but I never felt like I belonged there. I never felt like it was what I was *supposed* to be doing. I didn't have the drive, the hunger. I was (and still am, I think) a good writer, but never a great journalist. I just didn't have it in me. One day, when I was in the high school, I bumped into my most favorite teacher ever, Mrs. L. She asked me what I was doing and what my plans were, and I told her that I was thinking about back to school for teaching certification. "Oh, you'd make a wonderful teacher," she said. So thank you, Mrs. L, for being a wonderful teacher and a wonderful friend. Thank you for making a difference.

Thank goodness January is almost over

2006-01-24T21:07:00.000-05:00

January has been an abysmal month for substitute teaching, at least for me. (Meaning that it has been DRY.) I already have three jobs lined up for the first two weeks of February, though. Woohoo! I spent today doing some business-y things...ordering business cards, took another step toward getting my "professional" website going. Teaching, writing, and calligraphy services. I'll keep you posted on my progress. Oh, and if I can bug you about design stuff, give me a holler. ;) Oh, and thanks to all the technonerds who posted in response to my plea for help. Since I do not have the computers networked (and don't even have wireless internet at my apartment), I decided to transfer the files I wanted with a jump drive. That took longer than I wanted it to, but was relatively painless. As promised, here's some more about our weekend in Cleveland...Jen already posted about it. Anyway, it was great to see Jen, Tim and baby Jacob (cutest. baby. ever. of course, I say that about all my friends' babies. but it's always true!) and the rest of Jen's wonderful family. This weekend was just about spending time together, hanging out, playing games and generally having a good time. Please check out Jen's website, Design Your Beads. She makes beautiful jewelry, and purchases benefit cancer research. Oh, and my new most favorite game ever? Catch Phrase. We had WAY too much fun playing this. My face hurt from all the laughing. And finally, thank you Jen, for making sure the jumbo music block songs didn't leave my head! So that's a big 'yay!" to spending time with friends. :)

Why the Beast is awesome

2006-01-23T16:14:00.000-05:00

By far the best entry in the 50 Most Loathsome People 2005 list:

16. R Kelly Charges: As if videotaping himself urinating on an underage girl wasn�t bad enough, Kelly decided to follow up by inflicting the worst piece of music in American history upon the public consciousness. Kelly claims he is a genius for squeezing out what are so far 12 installments of his �hip hopera,� �Trapped in the Closet� like so many virtually identical turds, with no variation in musical content and a story line so patently terrible that it soon became the subject of a parody-frenzy involving Saturday Night Live, South Park, Mad TV, Jimmy Kimmel, and the Upright Citizens brigade, among many others. Even his good songs all seem to be about fucking underage girls. Exhibit A: Seriously�pissing on an underage girl. Sentence: Trapped in a closet. Eventually dies of thirst.

A poll

2006-01-23T11:25:00.000-05:00

Details on fun weekend in Cleveland to come... But first, tell me what you would pay for something like this: (a hand-lettered, personalized wedding gift, the couple's song in calligrapy with their names and wedding date) Click on the photo to see a larger view.

Grandma

2006-01-22T01:12:00.000-05:00

(photo posted at Carol's rememberance page) This is my grandma. Here's a link to the post I wrote last year. I can't believe it's been five years. And as I wrote last year...I still miss her. We all do.

Erin vs. yogurt

2006-01-20T11:14:00.000-05:00

So since Dannon has gone away from the plastic lids, every single time I've opened a yogurt, I've torn the foil top while tearing it off. Sometimes in half, sometimes in thirds. I end up peeling a strip down the middle and having to pull off the sides. Rand laughed at me. "That has never happened to me. Ever." Oh, and then there was this exchange: Me: Does the yogurt ever spit at you when you open it? Rand: Spit? Me: Yeah. When you open it, the air forces some of the yogurt out. It happens to me at work a lot. I get yogurt on my clothes. Rand: I wasn't even aware that was something that could happen. Me: *sigh* So apparently, I'm in a battle with yogurt, and so far, I'm losing.

BloggerCon!

2006-01-20T10:50:00.000-05:00

Had a great time at Buffalo BloggerCon II (although Rand says if you don't pay $60 to get in and stay at a hotel, it's not a convention. Feh. ;)) I've updated my blogroll. People I've met in real life are in all caps. If I've forgotten you, please speak up! I'll link to Alan and Jen's much more detailed reports, because I'm lazy like that. It was great to finally meet Kelly, and very cool to meet up with Kevin and his wife Val. (Kevin, you seem much, much happier than you did when I last saw you!) So, a good time was had by all. If you didn't make it out to this one, we hope to see you at the next one!

Technonerdhelp?

2006-01-18T17:08:00.000-05:00

So I've got a bunch of music on my home desktop PC...much of which I no longer own in physical form. Is there an easy way to transfer this music to my laptop (a Mac)? By "easy", I mean other than using iTunes to burn it all to audio CD and then ripping it to my laptop.

It's a bird! It's a plane! It's...

2006-01-18T10:37:00.000-05:00

Super Sub! Heh. So last week, I was in a high school English class. The teacher was sick and had been out the day before as well. She had left a message for me to call her when I got in. She had a collaborating teacher who knew what to do for three of the classes. One class was a small group elective class. It was the last class-a class of freshmen-that she thought I might have trouble with. "Don't be afraid to send them out of the classroom if you have to," she told me. "We haven't had a sub in here, even the most experienced ones, who haven't had to send at least one out. If they give you any trouble, just call the office." They were studying Romeo and Juliet. She'd had them watching the movie (the newer Baz Luhrmann version), and said that I could have them finish that and then have them start watching the older version. I was warned that the previous day, it appeared that someone in the room had an electronic device that was controlling the VCR. The teacher gave me a couple of suggestions about what to do with them, lesson-wise, and said she'd leave it up to me. I spent all my free time that morning figuring out what to do with them. I decided to try a lesson I had used in one of my teaching classes, but never used in a "real" classroom; we'd watch the suicide scenes in both movies, the students would keep track of similarities and differences using a chart, and at the end, they'd be asked to answer several questions about what they watched. As a classroom management tactic, I stole something I saw a veteran sub do at another school...I had them write their names on a square of paper. I began by setting out my "rules" for the day. I explained that if anyone broke these rules, I would take their paper and leave a note on the back for their teacher. Any second infractions would result in a call to the office. Most of the class passed without incident. Toward the end of the period, one student seemed to be arguing with someone across the room. He stood up, basically challenging the other student, swearing. I walked over to him. "Would you like to sit down and be quiet?" "No." I asked him to give me his paper, which he did, and then sat down and didn't say anything for the rest of the class. Which I made it through without having to call the office. Yay, me! I worked the next day at my "good" school, where I was teaching seniors. Again, we were watching a video. Most of them were fine. One class, though, had the behavior of eighth graders. They even threw a paper airplane. I picked it up, threw it away, and said, "I don't want to hear anyone's voice for the rest of this class." And I didn't. In other teaching adventures, my classes at the community college started yesterday. It's going to be a challenging semester. I've got one section of 099 (the remedial class) and one section of 101. In each class, I have two ESL students. In my 101 class, I have a girl who failed my class last semester. That should be fun...but I also have three students who were in my 099 class last semester and signed up for my section because they wanted me! Speaking of last semester's 099 class...I don't think I mentioned this yet...all but two of them passed. One of them failed because he got caught plagiarizing on the final. *sigh* (this was the student with Asperger's Syndrome) Don't forget to check out my other blog!

New posts

2006-01-16T20:58:00.000-05:00

Over at my other blog: The Places I Go Also, Jen's been posting over at the 27 Chronicles. (if I'm not mistaken, I have one that's overdue for posting...sorry about that!)

Shopping spree!

2006-01-16T20:06:00.000-05:00

So yesterday, I went to Borders to return two DVD boxed sets that I got for Christmas (they were duplicates). The two sets were worth a little over $100 in store credit. Here's what I got: Undead & Unemployed, the second book in the "Undead" series Diary, Chuck Palahniuk Vanishing Acts, Jodi Picoult The Ice Queen, Alice Hoffman *books were buy 2-get one* Bill & Ted's Most Excellent Collection (I got this for Jen for her b-day, and couldn't bear to not have a copy of my very own!) South Park (the movie) Field of Dreams (anniversary edition) The Importance of Being Earnest So I Married an Axe Murderer *all DVDs were buy 3-get one* So all in all, it was a pretty good day. :)

Best of Blog Awards

2006-01-13T20:05:00.000-05:00

Just my little plug...vote for Jen in the Biggest Blog Whore category, and the fabulous Lee (Glitter for Brains) in the Best LGBT Blog category. :) Vote Here

Most disturbing search engine query of 2006 (so far)

2006-01-13T20:04:00.000-05:00

Leading to my blog, of course: I was "Raped" by four men and it felt so good

Warm fuzzies

2006-01-13T16:21:00.000-05:00

I�ve never had an easy time meeting people, making new friends. I guess that�s why I have a habit of surrounding myself with people who do. Recently, I�ve been thinking in particular about both Rand and Jen, and of all the amazing people who are in my life because of them. Of course, Jen and I were in college at the same time, and had a lot of friends in common, but there are a bunch of people who I never would have gotten to know because of her. First, of course, her brother and his lovely wife. And because of Tim, we got to know his best friend Paul, who spent many a day of his freshman year at Allegheny hanging out at our house my senior year. And through Paul, his lovely wife Trisha. After I graduated, Jen became very close with Rachel and Stephanie, who I now feel lucky to count among my friends. Rachel�s husband Brian was a friend of Jen�s ex. It was also Jen�s friendships with Tracy and Susan that brought both of them closer into my life. Not to mention all of the wonderful Buffalo bloggers! And in just the past year and a half, Rand has brought so many amazing, talented people into my life. There�s Adam, his college friend and music partner (check out his Amazing Me program!). *be warned...lots of music and flashy things at his site* And of course Debbie, along with Allison and Jodi. Dave Huth, John, Thomas, Greg Klyma, Lady Turpentine, Celia, Joe and Carla, Michelle and Tony�not to mention his brothers�and I could go on and on and on� Both of them have enriched my life musically as well. Without Jen, I wouldn�t know Lowest of the Low, Great Big Sea or Carbon Leaf, easily three of my most favorite bands in the world. Rand has brought me his own music, the music of his friends, and has also introduced me to many lesser-known but wonderfully talented artists like Jim Boggia, Jill Sobule, Einstein�s Sister and the Shins. So the point of this post is just to say thank you to both of you. My life is better, richer and fuller for knowing you. I love you!

GAFilk highlights

2006-01-12T07:45:00.000-05:00

Finally. :) I had a great time at GAFilk, and I've been very excited to post some of the highlights of the weekend. There's a pretty comprehensive entry on filk in Wikipedia, which should answer a lot of questions! And here are the highlights: -GAFilk is the third convention I've attended with Rand, and it's the first one I've attended with both Rand and Adam. I enjoyed having the chance to just "hang out" with Adam and get to know him better. There was, of course, lots of late night hotel room overtired silliness. :) This also meant I got to see Rand and Adam play together again, which I always like. They did a bunch of old stuff, from Less Than Art, including Still Can't Buy Me Love and Dollar Fifty Movies. These are always crowd pleasers. -I got to spend some time with Mark Osier, who, sadly (for us!) is moving across the country to Seattle. It was fun to watch Mark's face as Tony and Michelle, joined by Rand and Adam, performed Jonathan Coulton's song SkullCrusher Mountain. It was priceless. -I got to watch Adam react to Dan Glasser's performance of his Demon Lullaby (Close Your Eyes). Apparently, Adam had never witnessed this before. The song, which is very clever and funny (if creepy), got second place in an OVFF songwriting competition in 2002. The theme of the contest--"For Our Children." BWAH! -Always a pleasure is seeing and hearing Michelle Dockrey perform her fabulous song Girl That's Never Been. Do check out the lyrics, although it won't give you the full experience. I get chills when she sings this. -As a special treat for me, Debbie and Jodi, with the help of Michelle and Tony, put together a performance of Library Boy, which was written as a birthday present for Rand in 2002. I adored it, Rand blushed a little, and I really, really wish I had a recording of it online that I could point you to. ;) -The banquet was great fun. Jodi and the rest of the band were fantastic! (Debbie has much better photos from the banquet!) -Watching Debbie watch people perform is one of my favorite experiences in the world. She radiates a joy and warmth that fills the entire room. -Seeing Dandelion Wine (Dave and Tom) perform. These guys are incredible -Can't believe I forgot this, but Steve and Katy! I got to hear Steve perform Snitch-ball Wizard, from his rock-opera Harry. Hee! -And finally, a general observation about filk circles. When you hear a song in a filk circle, it's an entirely new and different experience. You can take a song that sounds fantastic when the performers do it alone and put it in the circle...and it takes on a life of it's own. Someone adds a fiddle part. Someone else joins in on the bodhran. Maybe someone plays the flute or the pennywhistle. Six or eight or maybe even sixteen people add fantastic harmonies. Others pick up their guitars, figure out the chords, and play along. Suddenly, it's more than a song; it's a shared experience, an expression of community and friendship. And that is very, very cool. :)

Photos up!

2006-01-11T18:56:00.000-05:00

Unfortunately, my full report is probably going to have to wait. :) One of these days, I'm going to have to pay the money for the flickr pro account, but for now, you'll just have to sort out which photos are which. There's not *that* many of them. I like this one: And here's one of Rand and Adam playing at the Dead Dog Sunday night. Anyone remember what they were playing? And of course, you can see all my photos here: my flickr page There are some good ones...not fantastic, but decent. :) Remember, it's still Delurking week! Oh, and I've got a new reading/writing blog. I'll be posting there about some stuff I've been/currently am reading. It's still in progress, but you can check it out here: The Places I Go And that's about that for today... :)

I've been tagged!

2006-01-10T10:38:00.000-05:00

and other randomments... Jen tagged me with this "5 weird things about me" meme, so here I go. Go here for her answers. 1. I hate, hate, hate stepping in anything wet with my socks on...spilled water, the wet bath mat, tracked in snow...so I wear slippers pretty much all the time. (I refer to this as "stepping in wet.") 2. Misused apostrophes, especially in public places such as signs at places of business or on menus, really drive me crazy. 3. I don't have a good "porn star name" using either of the ways to devise your porn star name (first pet + first street you lived on, or first pet + mom's maiden name). However, the second one gives me a great name for a Pink Lady. (Cookie Morelli) 4. I desperately want to be able to sing well. I can reasonably carry a tune when singing in a group or singing along with the radio, but otherwise, I completely freak out. 5. When I'm playing Scrabble, it's very important to me that all the tiles go on the board the right way. If I'm playing with someone who puts letters upside down (we're talking letters that are the same both ways, such as O) I MUST FIX THEM. I can't stop myself. Hmmm...let's see... annabel lee and Hilary, consider yourselves tagged! I hear it's Delurking week. So go ahead, de-lurk! (in other words, leave me a comment!) :) There will be more to come, like my report from GAFilk (with photos, hopefully!). Meantime, you can check out Debbie's photos. (Because Debbie is way cool, and took like a million photos...) That's Rand and me at the banquet. Have a great day!

Hey, y'all

2006-01-07T13:49:00.000-05:00

Logging in for a quick post from sunny Atlanta. (it's not really all that warm, but it is sunny...) :) I'm with Rand (and Adam) at GAFilk this weekend. The one thing I'm sorry about is that Jam (another of the TC editors) couldn't make it. Maybe next time, Jam! This morning, I attended a swing dance workshop...there's a dinner and dance (with a live band) tonight, and we'll get to show off our stuff there. :) I also had my first Waffle House experience today. Last night I bought a couple of books, and I may have found a genre I can get behind. The one I'm currently reading is Undead and Unwed, which is (get ready for it) Vampire ChickLit. No joke. And so far, it's fun, hilarious and witty. The other one is Carpe Demon. One of the pull quotes on the cover: "Shows you what would happen if Buffy got married and kept her past a secret." Now, how could I pass that up? :) Now, all I need is a clever idea of my own...

Because the Buffalo News doesn't like me...

2006-01-04T15:10:00.000-05:00

Here are some musings of mine, recently rejected for the My View column. (adapted to take a slightly more bloggy tone...) As most of you know, I moved to Buffalo five years ago from a small town in Pennsylvania. For any newcomers, yes, you read that right. I moved to Buffalo. I can�t begin to tell you how many times I�ve had to explain to people from my hometown why I would move to Buffalo, and how many times I�ve had to explain to Buffalonians why I would want to stay here. I think, in any place, it�s easy to take for granted the good things you have. Yes, it snows here. Yes, the government is in disarray. Even so, there are plenty of good things that should be noted. Whilel I was home over the holidays, I started thinking about all of the things I like about living in New York in general, and Buffalo in particular. Here are just a few of them. First off, there�s No smoking in bars and restaurants. Each and every time I go back to Pennsylvania to visit, I find myself thankful that I live in a place where I can enjoy a meal, a drink, or a concert in a smoke-free environment. At Thanksgiving, my cousin wanted me to come out to one of the local watering holes. I politely declined, citing my advanced age of 31 as the reason, but truthfully, I�ve lost my patience for dealing with the smoky clothes, smoky hair, red, itchy eyes and inevitable asthma attack that would come from spending an evening in a bar. And that leads me to� The ability to buy beer at the local grocery/corner store. My brother was trying to figure out where to buy a six-pack of beer, because in St. Marys, there are two places you can buy beer. You can go to the distributor and buy a case, or you can go into a bar and buy a six pack. (Or two, but no more than two. In some areas, there are designated �beer stores,� but in our little town, you�ve just got the state liquor stores and beer distributors.) Life is just so much easier when you can pick it up at the grocery store. And speaking of the grocery store� Wegmans. Rand and I went out on Christmas Eve-Eve to pick up some things at the grocery store. St. Marys has two major grocery stores: BiLo (a Penn Traffic company), and the Wal-Mart Supercenter. We went to BiLo. I had been charged with the task of picking up several deli meats and cheeses for an appetizer my aunt wanted to make. To make a long story short, the person waiting on me didn�t know what a third of a pound was, the deli was out of sandwich pepperoni, and the whole experience was so painfully S-L-O-W that I wanted to scream. I had to buy potatoes in bags, because only �baking� potatoes can be purchased in bulk. We had thought about making an appetizer that would have required a French baguette, but there were none to be found. I thought about buying some brie. Again, none to be found. �I miss Wegmans,� I whined. I didn�t think it was possible to become so attached to a grocery store. And as long as we�re talking food� Mighty Taco. Some people in this town don�t know how good they have it! Before I discovered the wonder that is the Mighty, I wouldn�t have dreamed of eating fast food Mexican. I don�t understand how that other place even stays open in WNY. Small things? Maybe. But these small things go a long way toward making me feel at home here. :)

Not that there's anything wrong with that

2006-01-03T15:25:00.000-05:00

A poll, of sorts. It's been my experience that men are much more likely to be huge Seinfeld fans than women. I didn't watch Seinfeld at all when it was on, apart from catching the final episode. I had a grudge against it that I can't really explain. I started to catch it a bit in syndication and admit that it was funny. I will, however, still argue with anyone who tries to tell me that it's better than Cheers. I *heart* Cheers. Now, Rand has been buying Seinfeld on DVD, and I've been watching it a bit more. Again, I admit that it's funny. It makes me laugh. But it's still probably not something I would want to watch over and over and over again. I've known plenty of women who feel the same way I do. But I don't know that I've ever encountered a man who doesn't *love* Seinfeld. So basically, there are three questions: 1. Where do you stand on Seinfeld? 2. Do you think there is a gender distinction, and if so, what do you think it's about? 3. What's your favorite sitcom? (current or past)

Vacation, all I ever wanted

2005-12-31T13:56:00.000-05:00

Well, apparently I've taken a vacation from everything this week... :) Here's a very, very quick catch-up post. This Christmas was very good for my media collection. I got some great books that I wanted that will be a big help to me in the classroom. I also got some of my favorite TV shows on DVD (Lost, The West Wing, Scrubs...) and a few movies. Oooh...and a big bag of chocolate covered ginger! Mmmm... Tall Mocha was rejected by Woman's World. So there's something about it they just don't like. Which is a bummer, because there really isn't another market for it, and I really, really like it. Maybe there's an online market somewhere... I've got another idea in the works, that I just scribbled down on a piece of paper, but I'm optimistic about it. Last night, Jen and I went to the last (for a while, anyway) Lowest of the Low concert. In a bizarre twist of fate, we ended up standing right next to our friends from Thursday at the Square. I mean, what are the odds? There is an acoustic revue show in Toronto soon, but I read in the Buffalo Current that the revue will also be in Buffalo in February (at the Karpeles Document Museum. No date or ticket info yet). And that's me. Rand and I are going to a party at his friend's house tonight. Hope you all have a happy, happy New Year. See you in 2006!

Fantastic stuff

2005-12-26T17:54:00.000-05:00

Hope you all had (and are continuing to have) a lovely holiday. I meant to get this posted either before Christmas or on Christmas day, but alas...I forgot. Anyway, this is a link to Dave Huth's video blog. Dave is a friend of Rand's, who happens to be very cool and very talented. We Are Waiting

Happy Xmas

2005-12-23T10:53:00.000-05:00

Rand and I are off to spend Christmas with my family, and so I don't know if I'll be doing any posting between now and when I get back to town. Wishing you all a happy holiday, whatever holiday you celebrate. :)

Something to think about

2005-12-22T11:44:00.000-05:00

And hoping this starts a lively discussion. I was listening to an NPR report about prostitution (the particulars aren't vital to this conversation), and was struck again by a thought I've had for a long time. What's the difference between a porn actor or actress and a prostitute? More specifically, why do people go to jail for one, and the other is a perfectly acceptable form of entertainment? From a strictly intellectual perspective, I don't see a great amount of difference. The differences, I think, are ones that society has created. We've given porn a certain amount of legitimization. There are contracts, the people involved are protected from the seedier elements of the world of prostitution. Why is that?

Folk music goodness

2005-12-20T20:21:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow night (Wednesday, Dec. 21) Greg Klyma will be playing at the Sportsmen's Tavern. Show starts at 9, Greg expects to go on around 10:30-ish. I don't know yet if I'm going to make it, but if you're free, you should! Also, any and all Clevelanders, Greg is opening for Todd Snider at Beachland Ballroom on the 29th. (Stephanie, both of these guys are on the CD we made you!) Show starts at 8.

Because Celia asked...

2005-12-19T20:01:00.000-05:00

Nah, actually I was going to get to this anyway. :) The name of the band we saw Saturday night was No Boundaries. They're a cover band, playing stuff ranging from adult contemporary to classic rock to 80s hair metal. Musically, very well put together, and Scott is an awesome drummer! Since I'm talking more about the show, I have to talk about the dancing woman. You know how there are some people that you have to respect, even though they can't dance very well, because they know it and they just don't care? Well, she wasn't one of them. She thought she was God's Gift to Dancing. She was probably mid-fortyish, wearing tight (but high-waisted) black jeans, high-heeled black boots, and a snug white sweater. The second song I saw her dancing to was "Born to be Wild." Best part--she actually mimed "lookin' for adventure." The rest of the time, she sort of shook her booty all around the floor daring the world to experience her sexiness. "Do you think it's possible she's doing Elaine Benes?" Rand asked. "Nope," I said. "She *means* it." I have no doubt about this. A bit later in the set, she (and her friend) were joined by a young-ish couple unable to resist the siren call of the Black Crowes. ("Hey, it's Doogie Howser," Rand remarked. He did kind of look like Doogie. Hee!) They got all sexy and grindy. Remember, this was Hilton. And even later, after a short dance break, the band went into Jimmy Eat World's "The Middle." Our dancing friend literally pranced onto the dance floor, flailing her arms in the air, her hands sort of mimicking the motion of her feet. I wish I had adequate words to describe this. She then did something sort of resembling the twist, followed by something sort of resembling the swim. You really need the visual. If she ever makes it into my fiction, it'll have to be in screenplay form. Because this must be seen to be believed...

Up for grabs

2005-12-19T17:07:00.000-05:00

I have in my possession a copy of Calling in 'the One' that is in need of a good home. I know, the title sounds sort of hokey, but I credit this book with helping me work through all of my icky breakup issues, not just from the last relationship, but from all of them. And hey, the relationship that I "called in" is still going strong. ;) If you're interested, send me an email or leave me a comment!

It's a small world, after all

2005-12-18T22:23:00.000-05:00

So yesterday, I got to meet another of Rand's friends. A while ago, we made plans to go out to Rochester and spend some time with Scott and his wife and kids. I knew two things about Scott: he lives near Rochester, and he's in a band. We made plans to come out when he had a gig, so we could see him play. As we were driving, I was thinking about how it was kind of strange that I hadn't really been to Rochester since X and I broke up. Once we got off the Thruway, we were in territory I wasn't completely familiar with, other than recognizing the names of some of the towns. We drove through Spencerport (Spencerport, I thought...that's near Brockport. I used to drive through Brockport on my way to X's.) So we're driving, driving, driving, and Rand's not exactly sure where the house is. Knowing that we're just a few doors past the house, Rand pulls into the gas station on the corner to call Scott. Gee, I think...something about this seems...hey...I know this corner. Directly across from us is a now-closed garage where X used to have work done on his car. We're like 5 minutes away from X's parents' house. No. Freaking. Way. So, where was the band playing, you ask? At the bowling alley in Hilton, X's hometown. I'd never been in the bowling alley before, but it's attached to a pizza place that has the best mozzarella sticks in the entire world. How do I know this? Because we used to get food there all the time. "I have to admit, I feel a little weird about being here," I told Rand. It wasn't sad or upsetting in any way, it was just...strange. Surreal. Dream-like, if you will. "Do you want to go say hi?" he asked. I just laughed. "Nah. That's okay."

I am so depressed

2005-12-17T12:24:00.000-05:00

John Spencer (aka West Wing's Leo McGarry) died last night.