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Thursday, July 9th, 2009
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4:17 pm - moving and road tripping and such...mostly for Meghan's benefit (i'm still waiting for that letter)
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Last night we went to see Shakespeare in the Park at Shakespeare Hill in Delaware Park. I packed us a bottle of mead along with some sandwiches, cheese, chips, and baby carrots, and we enjoyed some picnicing and people-watching on the Hill along with the performance. I hadn't seen The Tempest since The Shakespeare Players put on that play at Houghton our sophomore year and Andy hadn't seen it at all, so we both got a refresher course on one of Shakespeare's romantic comedies. It was interesting to me to note that as the playbill hinted at racial overtones in the script, the audience itself was mostly composed of middle and upper class white people. And while Caliban was stereotypically cast as a black man, (with a Jamaican accent?!), the King's son was played by a black actor, who looked nothing at all like his white "father." But, over all, I just enjoyed the free live theater experience, and thought that the players did an excellent job putting on the show--as usual. We're probably also going to go see Julius Caeser next month--Andy even remarked that the park should be within biking distance after we move.
Speaking of moving, I'm going to be moving next week wednesday into our new apartment, and then Andy's going to be moving in about a week and a half later. It'll be nice to get out of an apartment complex and have a somewhat more private arrangement on a smaller street than Colvin...even though our new digs will be on a side street that's not too far off of Delaware Ave. And we've got a two and a half bedroom place with a decent rent for two people--that we think also has alot of living space in the common areas. I'm excited to finally put up the picture that Meghan and Justin gave me, and we'll have enough bookshelves to practically make a small library. Plus, we'll be even closer to the Hertel Ave. dining and shopping district! So, yeah, I'm pretty excited...just hoping that things work out well with the gas and electric companies and my dad's truck and etc.
So, we have two little road trips planned for the summer. The first trip is almost a day trip--we probably wouldn't have gotten a hotel room except that the lacrosse team that Andy coaches has a game that starts at 9:15AM, which woud be much too early to drive to from Buffalo. The lacrosse tournament is in Sacketts Harbor, a historic resort town on the coast of Lake Ontario, and I'm looking forward to walking around town and eating in the local brewpub. We're also planning on making a visit to the Lancaster, PA area later in August so that I can introduce Andy to some of my dear Houghton friends. (And so we can finally go camping together--planning on stopping the Allegheny Nat'l Forest on the way back!)
That's pretty much all the excitement for the summer. I'm still doing alittle job hunting, still working for the national chain bookstore, and still volunteering for Forest Lawn. I'm looking forward to the new Harry Potter movie, reading the Sookie Stackhouse series of books, and hiking when I can...what are y'all up to?????
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| Friday, April 17th, 2009
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11:23 am - has it been five weeks already?
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"I think that I still have it in my heart someday to paint a bookshop with the front yellow and pink in the evening...like a light in the midst of the darkness." ~Vincent Van Gogh One of the things that I wanted to get accomplished today was to post in this blog. Although I'm not sure how many people read their livejournal accounts anymore, its always seemed like a painless way to keep in touch with Houghton people. I do tend not to post very much partly because of time issues, partly because of convience issues, and partly because, well--sometimes just not much all that terribly much interesting happens to me, and I figure that I should ideally write about something interesting, right? Well, to backtrack alittle, this year was the first time that I took in a Buffalo St. Patrick's day. It wasn't too involved, as I'm not Irish, I don't live in the First Ward, and I don't generally drink to excess, but I think that we had a good time. The truly amazing thing was that not only didn't it snow on St. Paddy's Day, but also that it was sixty degrees and sunny. Andy and I tried to get a bunch of friends to go out after I got off work that night, but in the end everybody bailed and the two of us just went out to The Shannon Pub on Niagara Falls Blvd. The bar was pretty packed, but luckily the kitchen stayed open until midnight, so I got my corned beef. But no cabbage. I hate cabbage. We then met up with a friend of his from work who was at a St. Patrick's day party on Elmwood and stayed for about a half an hour. It was a good group of kids, but I started to feel old--I just cannot make it too much later past one AM anymore! We did breakfast at Amy's Place the next day, and then hit up the parade around two...and it was definately a good thing that we got there early, as Delaware Ave. was just packed. I don't remember any crowd estimates, but I'm guessing that there was at least 50, 000 people out for the parade, if not more. Not only were all the frateral and cultural Irish groups out marching, but so was about every Irish dancing academy in the tri-state area, as well as about every union, and even the local daschunds club and even the Queen City Roller Girls roller derby team. A crazy-ass three hour long parade. On the last weekend in March we drove out to the Iroquois National Wildlife which is up in northern western NY in Genesee county. I enjoyed going out hiking with Andrew again, and it was the first really "wild" hiking trip I'd been on since Ithaca. We only went out for about an hour and walked for about a mile, but it was really neat to see a bald eagle nest, as I believe that its the only place south of the Adirondacks where they nest. Early Spring always frustrates me, as everything is still barren and brown, while the weather constantly goes back and forth between freezing and comfortable. Right now I am refusing to put my snowshoes away until I'm absolutely sure that it will NOT snow in Buffalo. Which means that they will be out until mid-May, but I'm crossing my fingers. Oh! and by the way, although we missed one of the waterfalls that are up in that area, we did see a cascade that actually wasn't in the book in a little-known area in Darien Lake State Park. I also re-discovered a small waterfall in a creek near my parents' house that's in the book, which means that I have about thirty falls done from the book so far--hopefully I can knock off...maybe 50 this summer? I definately know that I want to get back to Zoar and Ithaca this summer...it would be nice to see some of the frozen falls in the full glory! =) I'm almost done with the docent training classes that I took through Buffalo Tours. We have just two more classes to go at Forest Lawn after this coming Saturday, and then we have to schedule not only our gradation tours, but also the first tours that we're going to give to the public. I've found that I really enjoy getting to know Forest Lawn--is it too morbid to enjoy hanging out in a cemetary? The funereal art intrigues me, even though I can't really critique it with any knowledge, and its fascinating to realize how much of Buffalo's history is contained in those 269 acres. I suppose that one could even make the case that Forest Lawn is even a microcosm of the nation's history, as so much of the leading historic figures of an earlier time are buried there. For instance, Eli Parker was a Seneca Indian who had legal training, was on the staff of Ulysses S. Grant, and was present at Appomatox Courthouse at the South's surrender. I believe that he also helped write the legal documents that pertained to the surrender. Also, Elbridge Spaulding was not only one of the early mayors of Buffalo, but he also served as a member of the House of Representatives during the Civil War. As such, in 1862, he drafted the Legal Tender Act, and the National Currency Bank Bill, which basically introduced paper currency to the nations monetary system. He's therefore called the "Father of the Greenback." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elbridge_Spaulding Easter was alright--nothing too spectacular, and there actually eno loud family arguments this year. I seem to have graduated into making the green bean casserole, but I think that it will be a long time, (if ever), before I host the family dinner. Andy came home with me, but we attended Easter Mass at his Catholic church in Tonawanda prior to driving out to the country. I actually found myself enjoying the service because it reminded me of my old Lutheran services--some of the liturgy is exactly the same. It's amazing how something so ingrained comes back so easy, even when I haven't really participated in that particular style of worship service in over five years. Since we ate entirely too much, as usual at the holidays, I took Andy on a tour of the family farm. We have about fifty acres left, which includes a winding creek with a series of waterfall cascades, about twenty acres of woods, and an old cow pond. He got excited about building a yurt, (which would be powered by solar panels), up on the hill in the woods, and I briefly indulged thoughts of the two of us taking over the place.
Next week we have tickets to go see This American Life live at UB, and I'm really looking forward to that--yes, not only is Ira Glass going to be hosting, but Joss Whedon is also going to be there. And, he's supposed to sing. Both are men that i kind of have pop culture crushes on...yay! And then on Friday night we're leaving to spend time with his parents in the Syracuse area, as I'm going to attend a Women-In-Nature workshop with his Mom. Basically, the local conservation club is putting on demonstrations, displays and classes in honor of Earth Day. I'm taking a Wild Game Cooking class, as well as a Survival Skills class, and a Camping class. I'm looking forward to working on my camping skills--that seems like the kind of thing that you should practice once in awhile, but I'm alittle nervous about the Wild Game class. It wasn't my first choice anyways, and I'm not really good at cooking regular meat, much less wild game...
well, that's about it for now...take care, all. comment, or something. ;p
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| Tuesday, March 10th, 2009
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6:22 pm - why I'm still at my job. i think. *sigh*
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Each time I go into work, I am continually amazed by the power of books and their ability to connect people. I love to read, and while I think that I would say that science fiction is my favorite type of genre, I have always been interested in different types of literature and pop fiction. This have enabled me to be able to meet and converse with just about every type of person that walks into the store, and has consistently been one of the things that I have most enjoyed about my job. I have not only spoken with fellow sports fans about hockey books, but also with middle aged house wives about Nora Roberts romance novels or elderly history (and often well-dressed, to use another generalization) buffs about our favorite Revolutionary War book. It is also enjoyable to watch the store actually become a "destination experience" for so many people as they meet with each other in the stacks and at the cafe. The experience of discussing one's favorite book is something that I think that nearly everybody can identify with--although perhaps not as universal one's favorite movie or restaurant--and thus acts as one of the bits of invisible glue that hold American culture together. a friend recently asked me what i'm passionate about. There are some other things that I feel passionate about...e.g. outdoor sports, andrew, history, but this was the first coherent series of thoughts that came out, and now I'm thinking about submitting an essay to NPR about it for thier "This I Believe" series. I'm also seriously considering an essay entitled, "Doing the Dishes in Your Bathrobe is Good for Your Soul." http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4538138&ps=sa |
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| Thursday, February 12th, 2009
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2:53 pm - auspicious day...
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I was listening to NPR this morning, and realized that this is a rather auspicious day in history. On this date 200 years ago, not only was Charles Darwin born, but so was Abraham Lincoln. Also, the first official meeting date for the NAACP was set for today in the year of 1909. While the meeting didn't take place until three months later, its often cited as the founding date for the NAACP. What many people don't know is that that organization does have local roots, as several of its founding members originally met under W.E.B. DuBois in a hotel in Niagara Falls, Canada in 1905. Consequently, the birth of the civil rights movement is also known as the "Niagara Movement."
Last night Andy and I went to the last Sabres game in his mini-pack of tickets. It was a pretty disappointing game, as the team not only lost to Ottawa by two, but also wasted several power plays. They played a flat, lifeless game and it looked like Patrick Kaleta, Nathan Gerbe and Timmy Connely were the only guys that really showed up on the ice. I'm still undecided as to whether I really enjoy going to the Arena for pro games. I love the atmosphere of a pro game, especially when the other fans are really getting into the action--its cool to experience the communal nature of pro sports. Plus, its just neat to say that you were there when the team won, or did this, that, or the other thing. On the other hand, I hate being around crowds, and I find the close seating of large amphitheaters claustrophobic. Plus, there's no announcer at the arena, and its just plain easier to see the action on tv. Warmer, too...
I'm finally advancing my resume alittle and I'm pretty excited. Especially because it puts me back into a classroom setting...I'm participating in a docent training class through Buffalo Tours which is run in conjunction with Forest Lawn Cemetary, the Roycroft, and the Buffalo Niagara Riverkeepers. There are ten classes which are run from 9:30 to 12:30 on saturdays, and I'm basically going to learn local history, public speaking, and how to properly give and run historical tours. The first class is this weekend at the Chapel at Forest Lawn, and I even have reading assignments for homework! I'm alittle nervous about the presentations...but honestly, I really don't think that I'm going to advance too much in my field if I freak out every time that I have to talk in front of people...*sigh*
Not too much else is going on...I did my taxes and hope to get between 800-900 dollars back. Work is slow, although the foot traffic did pick up this past weekend--thank God for Canadians. Hoping to get more hours...need to put out resumes, but honestly don't know if any museums can afford to hire right now. Cautiously looking forward to Valentine's Day--still dislike it as a Hallmark holiday, but that doesn't mean that I don't want to recieve flowers or chocolate. =)
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| Thursday, February 5th, 2009
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6:46 pm - Yes, Gen. Tso really existed! (sorry this is so long, and no, I don't know how to make a lj cut)
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In case that you, like me have always wondered who the mysterious Gen. Tso was...here's something fun from the book that i'm currently immersed in:
The Fortune Cookie Chronicles, by Jennifer 8. Lee c. 2008 New York City: Twelve Publishing
page 66:
"But rivaling Chairman Mao's stature in the United States is another man, one who plays a more familiar role in our day-to-day lives, a man whose name passes through the lips of thousands of Americans every week. He is the great scholar-warrior Zuo Zongtang, a crusher of rebellions against the imperial Qing court, an elder statesman who held modern Chinese territory together. Outside China, however he is less often recognized in history books than in cookbooks. Born in 1812 about fifty miles north of Changsha in the small villiage of Jietoupu, he is also known as General Zuo or, more famously General Tso. The Chinese respect the general as a vicious and gifted military leader, the equivalent of American Civil War general William Tecumseh Sherman. But millions of Americans know him only for the chicken dish named in his honor. He is the General Tso of General Tso's Chicken. Tso Tsungtang--the more modern spelling is Zuo Zongtang--may have died in 1885, but his name lives forever in small towns and big cities across the United States, spoken even if mispronounced, more often than General Mao's....(continued on page 69 & 70)
"When you ask locals why they have so many newsworthy leaders, they almost always universally echo a line used by Mao. It has to do with the spicy food, they say; a lifetime of eating the cuisine generates a revolutionary temperment in the people here.
Our general, the son of peasant farmers, looked to be an early washout after he thrice failed the competitive imperial examinations. He returned to a quiet life in his ancestral home in rural Hunan. But like many men whose fates are caught up in history, his life changed forever with the outbreak of war--in his case, a rebellion led by a Chinese convert who believed himself the younger son of Jesus Christ. The self-declared New Messiah, Hong Xiuquan, and his Taiping Rebellion established the Heavenly Kingdom, which at its peak covered most of southern and central China. Its government abolished private property and gave women equal rights.
Tso, whose political career started when he was 38, drove the heavenly rebels out of Hunan and continued his ruthless campaign toward the coast. By 1864, he, together with his military mentor, Zeng Guofan, had dethroned the Taiping king and quashed the rebellion at the Third Battle of Nanking, in which some one hundred thousand people were killed. After it was all said and done, the Taiping Rebellion had consumed over twenty million lives, making it the bloodiest civil war in human history. In exchange for his service, our general was rewarded with a promotion to earl and went on to quash rebellions in China's west."
So far I'm on chapter 13 in the book, and am really enjoying its intriguing history of Chinese food in America. Lee's book is the kind of geeky non-fiction book that I've been reading lately--a neat mix of history, sociology, and personal memoir, and I'd definately recommend it to anybody!
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| Monday, January 26th, 2009
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5:31 pm
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only four more days until the ithaca trip! and not only did i find about seven waterfalls that i want to visit...the IBC has began their tours again! yay!
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5:28 pm - since i haven't posted in awhile, i figured that i'd import this note that i posted on facebook.
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even though i know that most people on lj are probably already on facebook, i still figured i'd post it...shameless ploy for comments...
Rules: Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you and what you are up to.
(To do this, go to “notes” under tabs on your profile page, paste these instructions in the body of the note, type your 25 random things, tag 25 people (in the right hand corner of the app) then click publish.)
1. I have a teddy bear named Bradley, and I'm not afraid to admit that he comes to bed with me.
2. I once climbed a mountain in the Great Smokies National Park.
3. My boyfriend, Andy, and I were asked how long we'd been married...on Valentine's Day, 2008, only two weeks after we'd met.
4. I love to hike.
5. I love to travel & explore new places.
6. Indian (e.g. the Asian subcontinent) is my favorite kind of food.
7. I ate tripe at last year's Italian Festival.
8. I would be very happy if I never ate tripe again.
9. My dad was a dairy farmer--we had about 40 cows on our farm.
10. One time, when I was at sleep away camp, I was asked about why my English was soooo good--because I went to high school in Holland and lived in a town called South Wales. Both are towns in New York State. It made me wonder about the quality of the teaching in our schools.
11. I lived for three and half months in London, England.
12. Therefore, I can say that I spent my 20th birthday visiting Stonehenge,have taken a picture of the Prime Meridian, and later peed inside the Tower Bridge.
13. I love hockey and have not only seen all of its major trophies/prizes, but also touched the Stanley Cup.
14. Three of my grandparents are from Germany, and not only did my great-grandfather fight in World War I, but some of my great uncles got killed by advancing Russians. (family legend anyway...)
15. I'm fascinated by craft-brewed micro-brewed specialty beer. But not porters or stouts or anything too bitter or hopsy. I just discovered Sam Adams' Cranberry Lambic. That was yummy.
16. I'm a museum nut, and will get lost for hours in any kind of gallery. One of my favorites was the Sherlock Holmes museum on London.
17. I am thankful for God's grace.
18. I'm also obsessed with anything to do with Joss Whedon's Firefly series or Serenity movie.
19. I really enjoyed the National Chicken Wing Festival, but really don't like chicken wings all that much...
20. I believe in the power of good books to connect people.
21. I enjoy any and all outdoor sports. Getting alittle more into snowshoeing and just kayaked for the first time this fall--and didn't suck too much at that...
22. I can throw food up into the air and catch it with my mouth.
23. I can bike no-handed.
24. I have awesome friends, and "I am an honorary member of TEAM AWESOME." (*ahem* direct quote from one Justin Gerstein)
25. I once went to the little India section of Toronto to buy "help" buy saris for the female half of the bridal party that I was in three five years ago. And no, I do not know how to wear a sari.
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| Tuesday, December 23rd, 2008
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10:25 pm - i hate christmas
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I'm very close to being exhausted. Greedy customers combined with commuters cutting me off in traffic after getting stuck in traffic have almost frayed my last nerve. these nine hour shifts are too much...
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| Friday, October 10th, 2008
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10:37 am - this and that
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I belong to a forum on livejournal for, well, employees at my current place of employment. I lifted this off of someone else's recent post, because it currently describes my level of frustration and experiences. If she'd posted something about return scammers, it would've been complete.
"I work in a chain bookstore as a specialist, and I love it...Most of the time...I'm going to rant, bear with me now:
1.) No, I can't search for a book by COLOR of the cover. I wish I could. Apparently, it would be much easier for you.
2.) I am so sorry that our advertisements about discounts were misleading. Unfortunately, I am but a lowly bookseller...I'm pretty sure I didn't have those personally pulled out of my butt.
3.) Do not ask me how old I am. Yes, I look young...No, you don't have the right to see my drivers license.
4.) If you throw your money down on my counter instead of handing it to me, I reserve the right to NOT tell you "Have a nice day!" Asshat.
5.) We are a smallish size store. I am sorry we didn't carry that obscure 1985 copy of whatever that is no longer in production. I'm sorry it takes a little while to order it and get it in the store for YOU personally. I'll work on that.
6.) I don't know why your child's teacher chose that book. Yes, it is Michael Crichton. I'm sorry. Maybe you should call her about that.
7.) Do not yell at me if I don't have your child's reading list for school. It's a courtesy that I get most of them anyway."
Seriously, people, retail workers are people too, and we all work in bookstores because we love books, not for the amazing pay. Believe it or not, we do actually want to help you find your book and save money, BUT we cannot give them away. We are not the Book Outlet and cannot just give them away. We need to actually make a profit.
my sister is home from the hospital...physically she's okay. emotionally i'm not quite sure. meg, could you call me or email me your number and a good time to call you?
I had a very enjoyable time at Homecoming...mostly because more people came than I expected, and the fall colors were gorgeous on the drive down. Andy and I are going to take a trip down to Houghton and Letchworth on October 27th, so I'm hoping to show him Wiscoy and Moss Lake, and possibly connect with Rebecca and/or John if they're available.
Let's just say that I had a great time on my birthday after I got out of work. Andy managed to get a few people together--I didn't really feel up to more than a few--and five of us went to Pano's on Elmwood ave in Buffalo and had a great time.
I'm also looking forward to Stacie Colaprete's Halloween Masquerade. My Mom said that she'd buy me a nice dress for my birthday, so this also means that i'm going to have to buy some decent shoes. *sigh* I hate heels. Btw, does anybody know of anywhere in Buffalo that I can find a good mask?
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| Wednesday, October 1st, 2008
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6:13 pm - a scare
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I was planning on posting something about my beliefs on the definition of church, or something political after listening to the debate on friday, but on Monday my sister went into the hospital. I don't feel comfortable posting the details online, but it was something that was sudden and unexpected. I would appreciate it if all of you who pray would keep my family in your prayers, and if you don't pray; that's ok, maybe keep us in your thoughts?
Also, I'm planning on going to Houghton on Saturday, and I'll arrive early for the Waldorf reception. I'm planning on visiting with my family for my birthday dinner, so I'll probably be there until 4:30PM. Hope to see everybody!
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| Tuesday, September 23rd, 2008
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4:21 pm - I paid full price for a book for the first time in almost two years.
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I bought a paper yesterday to read about the Bills game and came across a feature article on a new bookstore in South Buffalo called the "Dog Ears Bookstore." South Buffalo-an ethnic, working-class, blue-collar Irish Catholic neighborhood-doesn't exactly have a whole lot of indie-anything shops, so I was excited to hear that an independant and new book-selling bookstore had just opened up in that neighborhood. After taking down the address from the article and getting lost somewhere between South Park and Abbott Roads, I was pleasantly surprised. Not only did the shop have a decent selection of books for its size--a remodeled back half of the first floor of an old boarding house--but it shared the same building as the Caz Coffeehouse. Which meant that I indulged in not one, but both of my addictions in one day--bought a new book and a pumpkin spiced latte.
Now I know that I should not be using my credit card to buy a new book at full price, especially since I work at a bookstore and have three overflowing bookshelves. But I justify it thusly: A couple of years ago, I pretty much gave up on the idea that I was going to change the world through curing cancer or writing the Great American History Thesis, or something of a similar nature. Rather, I recognize that the difference that I can make in the world comes from smaller, but no less equally important, actions like: who I vote for, what I pray for, how I spend my money, and my day-to-day behavior as i interact with others. It's important to me to support local businesses when I can, while at the same time, keeping in mind that the national and global chains that I demonize do support local communities in a very indirect way by merely employing local people. Plus, it was kind of neat to learn that the book store is a non-profit that is trying to promote literacy and the love of good literature in Western New York. http://www.enlightenthedog.org/ And Caz Cafe has good food and good coffee.
Yay for Fall! I can't believe that fall is here already! Where did Summer go? I've already had my first pumpkin spice latte and pumpkin spice beer, and decided that I'm going to learn how to make Apple Crisp. Anybody got a good recipe for an Apple Crisp Virgin? On our drive down to Zoar it was kind of a shock to see the beginning of the fall foliage emerge, and this morning was also the first time that I woke up absolutely freezing. Definately closed the windows, as it got below 50 each day this past weekend and on monday night. It was also kind of funny to see people starting to decorate their houses for Halloween--I wonder of other regions/cities get as into the holiday as Buffalo, or if its just local thing. I remember that people in Kaisertown used to get really into it--there was even a neighborhood contest and everything. Oh, and by the way, another reason to love fall--my birthday is coming up on October 8th. I don't even want to think about turning 27 this year. What a god-awful disappointment that is...*sigh* I didn't take it off of work, mostly because of the four other dates that I took off of work, including October 4th for Homecoming. Is anybody else going to bother to go? I'm mostly going because of Rebecca's reception at Waldorf, and because then I have a convenient reason to stop at home and get birthday cheesecake from my Mom. Yay cheesecake! I hate regular cake...give me cheesecake or icecream cake any day rather than that other cake-y cake.
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| Monday, September 22nd, 2008
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4:40 pm - Zoar Valley is cool, but next time i wanna see more waterfalls...
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Yesterday Andy and I actually ended up with a whole day off together, and when I asked him what he wanted to do with it, he said, "let's go to Zoar Valley!" The day trip ended up wearing us both out, but I think the sheer size and scope of the valley ended up being bigger than either of us expected. Then again, I think that it's kind of hard for anybody to conceptualize the reality of a 12.5 mile long and 2, 292 acre section of state multi-use forest land. Well, that and the fact that I think that it had been quite some time since either of us had gone hiking for five hours on what was, at times, fairly steep terrain. (well, at least steep for western new york)
We left my place at eleven AM and made a quick pit stop in Springville to refuel and check up on his grandparents. I didn't realize that Zoar Valley road began on the outskirts of Springville, but that made the trip easier and gave us an interesting view of the 219 Bridge Construction/Expansion. (apparently the side of the cliff has stabilized and they can resume work) As far as I can understand, Zoar Valley road runs parallel to Cattaraugus Creek--connecting Springville to Gowanda--and is the easiest way to get to the northern ridge of the gorge formed by the Creek. Zoar Valley reminded me alot of Letchworth--basically because, (I think), they're close to the same phenomenon. I was fascinated by the gorge cliff faces carved out by the confluence of the Cattaurgus Creek and its Southern Branch. How many thousands of years did it take for that to happen? And how much of a hand did glaciers have in creating the gorge?
Anyways, we took part of our itinerary from this book that I have called "200 Waterfalls in Central and Western New York - A Finders' Guide," and the rest from info and maps that Andy had picked up from various company, club, state and individual websites. We did a drive-by sighting of a picturesque 30 foot waterfall on North Otto Road, and then ate lunch at a DEC kayak launch/fishing access point on Cattaraugus Creek. At about one forty five we started hiking at a DEC access point on Vail Road which was supposed to be a part of a DEC conservation hiking trail. "Supposed to be" meant that we walked right past the actual trailhead and took about twenty minutes of bushwhacking to find the actual trail. However, once we actually found the trail we got a decent five mile hike (that's what it felt like, it may have only been about three miles, but the hills made it feel longer), which included several spectacular views of the north ridge of the gorge.
The best lookout point on the north ridge occurred on a game trail which came out of a National Grid access road. (which was close to the western access point on Vail Road) I think that it was called something like Knife Edge Ridge, or something equally scary, but there was this erosion ditch that ran down the side of the cliff and created a natural bridge to the creekbed. We felt about brave enough to walk a quarter of the way down, took some picture and marvelled at the oak trees growning on the side of the gorge. That's determination--Can't you just hear those sapplings thinking--"I'll just have to make my own soil, damn it!"
After finishing the loop around the north ridge, we drove into Gowanda for a gas run. And gave ourselves an unwanted tour of the town after learning that it only had one gas station. "How the can this town have a Burger King and not a gas station?" "How can this town have a China King and not a gas station?!" "How can this town have a Chinese Garden and not a gas station?!!" "Well, maybe we should actually stop somewhere and ask where the gas station is..." "How about stopping at that McDonalds and asking about the gas station--oh wait, there's a Kwik Fill two blocks away from the gas station!" It turned out that the only gas station in town was direction opposite from where we had driven into Gowanda, and it we'd made a right turn instead of a left turn, we'd have found it in about five minutes.
Our next destionation was Valentine Flats, the southwest corner of the state land not only contains the confluence of the two creeks which make up Zoar Valley, but also several waterfalls described in my guidebook. Believe it or not, the list includes Skinny Dip Falls, Bare Butt Falls, and Buff Falls because the area is notorious for two different nudist beaches which date back to the 1960's. Unfortunately, by the time that we'd gotten down into the creekbed, not only time constraints but also our tired and sore legs kept us back from finding Skinny Dip falls. The view totally kicked ass from the creekbed and we are soooooooooo going back to hit up the those waterfalls!!
Oh, yeah, and stairs was not happy things this morning.
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| Wednesday, September 17th, 2008
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9:09 pm - what i did on my summer vacation
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Believe it or not, I don't think that a grade school or high school teacher ever made me write that essay. But I feel like I owe a few people this post, and the longer that I've put it off the more intimidating it has become in my head. So, I'll just make a list. Here's goes the fun:
1. Visited the National Chicken Wing Festival.
2. Had my first "real" concert experience--and Great Big Sea was awesome!
3. Learned the game of lacrosse AND how to kayak 101.
4. Visited the Adirondacks for the first time.
5. Went tubing in a real creek for the first time. Also fell off of tube into rain-swollen creek after going over four foot tall cascade. I have bad luck falling out of tubes. (anyone remember that time that that I bailed out of Higgins hill after going down backwards?)
6. Got stuck behind a buggy in Amish country.
7. Went to lots of free movies. And believe you me, I wouldn't have gone to Sex in the City if it hadn't been free...
8. Found love
9. Had the awkward experience of going home to a high school friend's wedding and realizing that home didn't feel like home, and that I barely knew some of these people anymore...
10. Saw the Merry Wives of Windsor twice at Shakespeare in the park--And won some of Ann Page's jewels. (Well, technically Andy did the winning, but still.
11. Ate tripe at the Italian festival. Also, ate gelato, which was much tastier. Really, why would anybody voluntarily eat cow's stomach? Oh wait, that's what tripe is...
12. Visited the Griffis' Sculpture Park in Ashford Hollow and Little Rock City in Ellicottville.
13. Hung out with great friends while drinking good beer around a bonfire
14. Experienced that great modern miracle of Japanese engineering that is a Prius
15. Visited the Dino Bar in Rochester
16. Worked the midnight release party of Breaking Dawn. And heard more squealing teenage girls than I ever care to experience again. All I can say is that vampires should NOT sparkle.
17. Finally wrote a serious job application for a local museum--interviews are in mid-October. *crossing fingers*
18. Had the best shepard's pie of my life, yes, even better than when i was in England, and some blueberry beer at the Elicottville Brewing Company.
19. Got extremely disappointed at the new "beach" in downtown Buffalo and extremely impressed with the new Commerical Slip's boardwalk. Hooray for not burying the Erie Canal!!
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| Tuesday, May 6th, 2008
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3:50 pm - because i tend to find God in the woods instead of in church
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So, I was reading this book yesterday in preparation for a small group bible study and came across these two passages:
"God has woven himself irretrievably into Nature; left his fingerprints behind to show us where he's been. His signature is smeared into the curls of the Milky Way, forever circling above the rim of the world. God has scattered fragments of himself all about the earth like a father hides eggs in the yard before his son's very first Easter; hiding behind a tree with laughing eyes and waiting to see which of the treasures his child will uncover first.
God is crying out all around us. He is present in the breathless silence of the snow-covered mountains; he is dancing with the sunlight that shatters on the oceans's waves; he is hiding in the decaying moss and lichen and crumbling shale in the old forgotten places in the world. No jagged mountain throws its sharp weight against the sky that its not a testament to his goodness. The entire sum of Creation, each private and individual act of nature, is God waving hello."
~Mallory Ortberg, as quoted by John Ortberg in his book God is Closer Than You Think
And:
"I would like to have walked in his world, thanking God for oysters and porpoises, praising God for birdsong and sheet lightning, seeing God reflected in pools of creekwater and the eyes of stray cats. I would like to have talked to yard dogs as if they were my friends and fellow travelers along the sun-tortured highways intoxicated with the love of God...I would like to have seen the whole world with eyes of anything but wonder, and with a tongue fluent only in praise."
~Pat Conroy
The book is basically about achieving a greater intimacy with God despite or in the midst of the business of Western Society. He uses two metaphors throughout the book--Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel and the Where's Waldo series of picture books. But so far those two passages have struck me the most, especially as I've been doing more hiking recentlly. Sometimes I'm just amazed at the priviledge of experiencing God's creation. Sometimes I just walk through the woods, listening and observing the sounds and colors out there--drinking it all in. I think that part of Leave No Trace is being quiet out of respect for nature--after all, aren't we encroaching on thier habitat? And yeah, every so often I just space out because I'm just tired. =)
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| Friday, April 18th, 2008
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2:23 pm - life's pretty mundane...
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I got my tax return in this week, and its made my life much easier in alot of ways. Imagine that...I can not only eat, but also pay bills this month! I'm looking forward to not only buying some of the books that i need for my thesis, but also getting some new clothes for the summer. I'd also like buy a new camp chair, and maybe get the new Flogging Molly cd or start collecting some of Gregory McGuire's books. I borrowed Wicked from work, and am looking forward to getting involved in another fantasy world.
...ah ok, started that last post last week Wednesday...here goes again...I'm still at Borders and have just had the oddest experience--my GM told me that I have to lose a few shifts because I got too many hours for my payroll classification during the last fiscal quarter. Isn't that just ducky? I thought that management wasn't supposed to let things like that happen. I went to a Sci-Fi/Fantasy roundtable discussion at Borders last night and had a really good time...especiallly as the panel discussion made me go back to Wicked and get more into that book--hated the Wizard of Oz, but I really enjoy this author and his dark and slighty twisted style. I also got hooked on Dexter thanks to my friends Jen and Justin. eh, Watching tv on dvd is just so much better than actual cable...Both stories have made me sit back and think about the nature of evil...hmm.
Speaking of the Sci-Fi roundtable discussion...Andy came after he finished coaching and then we wandered around Borders and talked about books for a bit before leaving the store. We get together about three times a week or so, and I think that this is starting to get more and more serious...it'll be three months at the end of April, but it feels like its been longer. We're both kind of at that point where we were really waiting/wanting to meet someone...and yah. We'll see. I'm going home with him next weekend just to meet his parents and see where he grew up and go to a Syracuse lacrosse game--he's pretty big into hockey and lacrosse--and so I guess we'll see where it goes after that.
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| Wednesday, February 20th, 2008
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8:59 pm - quick update
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well, this is going to be quick because i've avoided doing productive work long enough tonight...
* my dad's going in for prostate surgery tomorrow morning at 8:30AM. My parents don't seem to be worried in the least...its some sort of routine procedure to address a quality of life issue and not cancer, at least not just yet, but he's still going under anasthesia and will be staying overnight. So, I'm trying not to worry, but...have of course watched Grey's Anatomy and ER and Chicago Hope waaaay too much. Please pray for us, even if i'm worrying about nothing in particular and you read this next week.
* I finally met with my advisor last week Thursday, but the circumstances surrounding our meeting were kind of weird. She finally contacted me on February 4th in regards to a meeting in order to discuss my manuscript. However, I didn't recieve it right away not only because I didn't check my email until that Wednesday, but also because my name was incorrectly misspelled. So, I answered the email on Wednesday, but she claimed not to have recieved my response in an email that I recieved on that Friday. So, on Friday February 8th, I answered that email with my work schedule, but she again claimed to not have recieved THAT particular email in a message that I recieved from her on the next Monday. I answered that email, again with my work schedule, but thankfully, she called me on Tuesday, February 12th, and then we met at the Historical Society on February 14th. We discussed my thesis in general terms and have set up a meeting for tomorrow to discuss it in more depth. I just with that I felt that I had an advisor who actually cared if I graduated in a timely manner and wasn't just "fitting me into her tight schedule."
* Valentine's Day was pretty freakin' amazing. He did the flowers, candy, and wine thing along with a delish home-cooked-meal that tasted so good that I didn't mind the forgetting to get reservations thing. But he did remember to get reservations at The Screening Room's showing of Casablanca--which was also the first time that I'd seen the movie. About time that I had some good memories of that ridiculous holiday after being single while working at the florist shop. =)
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| Tuesday, January 29th, 2008
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5:15 pm
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lots of cranky people at work today...rampant coupon abuse. meh.
I'm pretty excited for three reasons. (gee, couldn't you just tell?)
1. I got a postcard in the mail from Antarctica yesterday!!! So, now I've officially gotten one from each continent, and also accomplished one of my life's goals. Now, I just have to get one from all 50 states. So, if anybody's planning on going to Alaska or Hawaii, let me know.
2. My department chair not only cleared me to look for another thesis advisor, he also appologized on behalf of the department and told me that not only is a three month wait for thesis constructive criticism unreasonable, but also that I was not the only one with this problem with my advisor. I have two meetings set up for later this week.
3. I'm going to meet Andy to watch the Sabres game tonight!!! (the boy mentioned in the last post)
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| Wednesday, January 23rd, 2008
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12:41 pm - weird, but true.
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Not only did I recieve spam in Russian to my normal email account last week, but an old livejournal post now has Russian spam as well. *rolling eyes*
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| Tuesday, January 8th, 2008
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8:04 pm
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Argh! I'm so sick of the primary election coverage al-freakin'-ready! Why do the most interesting candidates bow out after New Hampshire? I wanted to vote for Sen. Dodd, and now after N.H., I'm afraid that Bill Ridge will quit too. As much as I like Obama, I feel like we need someone with more foriegn policy experience...and I was quite turned off by John Edwards after I had heard about the 400 dollar hair cut. I must confess, I do have a bit of a weakness for Hillary, even though I know that she won't pull the troops out right away. None of the Republicans really do much for me, although McCain at least seems genuine...Huckabee seriously scares me--that picture of him in the field with the shotgun during his pheasant hunt was just too ridiculous...I'm really tempted to write in Ron Paul, although that would be an irresponsible final choice for President.
Anyways, I've survived the holidays at work. I find that I'm alot happier at Borders now that the holidays are over and the stress/traffic level is back to normal. Plus, as I'm not at the store on the weekends, I miss much of the crazy Canadian traffic. I'm starting to remember why I applied to work at a bookstore in the first place. And I've sort of gotten that promotion that I'd applied for in July. About four weeks ago, our GM asked me if i had open availability for the mornings, and if I was still interested in working IPT, which is our inventory processing team. So, I finally got weekends off on a consistent basis, and started coming in at 7AM about two or three times a week. On those days I spent time shelving books. But that was about all I did--there wasn't exactly much of any more training involved, and I've been going back and forth between doing cashier-type tasks and doing recovery and other ipt/seller tasks. I don't exactly feel like I've been told what's expected of me and I"m unsure of my status in the store hierarchy. I'm the most experienced cashier, and as such unofficially helped train alot of the new hires/seasonal temps, but that doesn't mean a whole lot in the grand scheme of things. If nothing else, I want that extra bump in my hourly wage that I'll get by working IPT. The newest project that I've got at work is to organize the shelf tags--which means that every shelf in the store has to be identified and labeled with the correct subsection code. It's an interesting way to really learn the store and I feel marginally less underemployed because I get to work with Microsoft Excel to print up the shelf tags. Plus I get to out on the sales floor and away from the register. But on another level its frustrating because I feel like I've just been assigned busy work while the managers decide what to do with me.
Anyways, I have actually made some progres on the thesis front. On December 12th, I got an email from my adviser's replacement in the History and Social Studies Education Department at Buffalo State, and she advised me to contact the department chair about my issue with my advisor not giving me any feedback on my rough draft in two months. Of course, this advice occurred after the phone conversation with my advisor on November 19th in which she not only told me that she hadn't read my thesis, but also that I shouldn't expect any feedback from her by december and in the first place, how could I even think of challenging her when I took so long to give her a rough draft in the first place!!!! So, I emailed Dr. Carson last week Thursday, and this is what the Department Chair said: "Thank you for bringing this to my attention. I am sorry for any unnecessary delay that you have experienced.We have some options: I could forward your email to Dr. Conides along with my own request that she talk with you regarding the thesis. Or I could write to her and tell her that I had heard from you and ask her about her ability to review your draft in a timely manner. Or we could simply find a new advisor for you. I offer you these options because I’d like for you to have some input as to how to proceed. If you have other ideas, I’m open to them." So. I asked him on Sunday if he could email her, and then he did so today. We'll see what happens from here.
I actually sort of had a date about, oh, three weeks ago. Ok, ok, I really haven't posted in quite awhile. Anyway, there's a couple in church that used to be in our twenty-somethings Sunday school class--even though they weren't twenty-somethings. And they used to live in the city, and Jeff's an artist, so I ran inot them at Allentown, and went to his last gallery show, and etc. And the Frier's are in the late 30's, but I dunno, neither of them really look like they're that old. But sometime during the end of October, Shelly said that she thought I'd get along really well with their Jeff's friend Bruce. And he's single and so'm I, and would I mind of she introduced me? I figured, well, I'm not exactly in a place in my life where I can say no to an offer like that, so I said sure, why not? But our schedules didn't match up, and so I just forgot about the whole idea. And then on December 14th, I get a call from Shelly, "We're thinking of having a little dinner party. Are you free tomorrow night at six? Oh, and Bruce will be there."
So, I drive out to West Falls, and at the Frier's house were another couple that used to live in hte Allentown neighborhood in Buffalo and Bruce, who also used to be the tenant of this other couple. Which means that these four other people already know each other, and I'm the odd man out, so to speak. But at least we all like the Sabres and the games on! =) Except Bruce isn't really into hockey. =( So that's already one strike against him. Well, that and the fact that he's balding, and going grey and got a gut. And well, looks his age and/or alittle older. He was nice--decent even. And good about trying to make conversation. But i didn't really feel like we clicked. It was actually a weird dichotomy--on one hand we had alot in common;almost like dating myself, and on the other hand we were so different that it drove me nuts. Kinda like dating my friend Justin actually...hm. Anyways, the worst part was when we both left together. He asked me if I knew the way home, and then said that Jeff and Shelly had told him alot about me, and just sort of looked at me funny and then said he hoped that he'd see me around the city--maybe at the Saturday night Celtic sessions at Nietzche's. I just felt like an awkward schmuck--I didn't particularly like him or anything, and just didn't want to encourage him. And then he goes and shows up at work the next day, and asks if I would have coffee with him on my break. And we had about a half an hour's worth of conversation--after I had paid for my own ice tea--I used my discount as an excuse for him not to pay for me--and I realized that I was okay with not seeing him again. *sigh*
Christmas itself was alright. It was a pretty small family affair. I had to be at work from 7AM to 4PM, and other than the drive to Cheektowaga in a nasty blizzard, the day wasn't too stressful. (hear that sarcasm?) Mom made some yummy chicken holiday dinner thing, and we had a cake that was actually decorated to look like a package sitting on someone's snowy front lawn. No joke--it was freakin' amazing! After listening to my Dad complain about how the new minister moved our alleged "candlelight service" up to 8PM from 11PM, we all agreed that this was her best sermon yet--because it was the shortest sermon that we could ever remember her preaching. I was the first one up the next morning, and after Dad got up my sister and I opened presents. Later my Great-Aunt Gloria and my mother's brother came over and we had the dinner, did the presents thing, and then had desert at around five-ish. And that was it, really. What was really nice was the walk that my uncle and I went on after dinner--I think that our relationship is finally back to where it was before I started living with him.
I ended up out at the Clem's place in Arcade for New Year's this year. I didn't have anywhere to go up until the 30th, but it was nice to find a place to ring in the new year with good friends. We had played board games and ate rich food and drank non-alcoholic champange--because both Diana and Tim Boland are still under contract with Houghton--and then watched the ball drop. By the way, does anyone else think that Dick Clark looks like this creepy animatronic puppet? Afterwards, we watched Stardust and finally went to bed at 3AM. And I had to work at 11AM. But at least the store closed at 9PM and I got time and a half.
Anybody got any good resolutions? I kept a few of last year's--the positive ones, actually, and broke a few as well--the negative ones, which involved losing something or quitting something. I always try to be philosophical at the change of the calendar--I'd really like to change or resolve what I feel is "wrong" with my life and try to take a new attitude into the new year. But somehow the magic from the holiday season never quite carries over into the reality of daily life. In retrospect, the ritual always seems to be more like watching the numbers turn over on my car's odometer, rather than like what a time ball is really supposed to be--a way of not only marking one's place in time, but also to enable the proper sense of balance in life. (well, at sea, actually, but I'm not a pre-modern mariner)
So, I while I'm not only going to try to make New Year's resolutions that I can actually keep, but I'm also not going to beat myself up if I don't keep them. Rather than resolutions, I'm just going to set some reasonable goals for 08, and then just be damn thankful that I'm getting my ass out of bed each day. Life's not as horrible or as melodramatic as I make it out to be, nor is my existence as boring as watching paint dry. It just is a =) (most of the time, anyway)
ps. Lost is back on on January 31!!!!!!!!!!
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| Saturday, December 29th, 2007
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3:23 pm - Merry Christmas and Happy New Year Wishes!
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I'm sorry that this post is so late. Work helped to make me very Scrooge-y this year, and I've been feeling kind of depressed for other reasons as well, so that I haven't been posting as much as I'd like to over the past few weeks. Well, that and the fact that the library at Buff State is on a reduced schedule at the end of the semester. But Christmas eventually found its way into my life again this year, albeit in smaller, more quiet ways than it usually does. I'd like to send out my best wishes for the holiday season, as well as for the upcoming days of 2008 to all on my friends list. You're there for a reason, and I value your friendship and the memories that I have from the time that we've spent together. So, in the service of those wishes, I thought I'd reprint this page from a church bulletin that i came across about two weeks ago. I know that Christmas has come and gone, but it still seems relevant for the coming new year. "The Lighting of the Advent Wreath" "Long ago, the peoples of Northern Europe made the first wreaths, bending evergreen branches, a symbol of eternal life, into a circle. Having no beginning or end, the circle is also a reminder of eternity. For Christians, the wreath serves as a symbol of our eternal life in Christ. The four candles placed around the wreath remind us that Christ is the Light of the World. One more candle is lit each Sunday in Advent, reminding us of the gradual revelation to Israel of the coming of the Messiah, the Christ. The larger candle in the center will be lit at Christmas, the celebration of the birth of Christ. The gradual lighting of the Advent candles also reminds us of the presence of God in creation and that Spring and new life will return in a few short months."
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