Caffeinated Gonzo!

This is really hard for me to admit especially since one of my greatest guilty pleasures is reading the Sunday edition of the New York Times but I rarely have the time or space to sit and read through a print newspaper. To add to my guilt, the livelihood of three of my family members depend on the success of the print edition of the local paper they work for. But the facts are this: although I may want to read the paper every day and I may watch the local T.V. news halfheartedly around 11:00 p.m. every night, I inevitably get most of my fix news from an online source.

I have tried my best to read the Buffalo News more often since my cousin Denise Jewell Gee started writing for the paper her husband is a photographer, and works for the paper as well). My family does subscribe to the Sunday edition of the Buffalo News delivered and I browse through other days of the week when the opportunity is presents itself (i.e. I am in a waiting room somewhere). Forgive me, Denise, Derek, and (gulp) Mom…. but lack of time, economics, and a desire to lessen the unused clutter in our house has meant that we don’t get the paper on a daily basis because it will only collect dust in the living room while we surf for entertainment and news on the PC in the office or the laptop on the coffee table.

Despite all of that there are some decent articles written my that I have missed a lot of good articles written by Denise and the photography by Derek is often very good. There are a lot of good articles written for the Buffalo News. I am biased of course and feel bad if I miss a particularly good piece of work by Derek or Denise. I really hate missing out, so it is time for me to look for a solution that will work for me.

Being that I spend more time in front of any number of computers than I do at our breakfast table where I can comfortable read a paper, it only makes sense for me to look for an online solution to my problem. Returning to the ever-reliable Google Toolbox I have created Google News Alerts to alert me when there are new articles by Denise online or any articles posted that feature Derek’s photography. This solution may not pay for a lot of print advertising for the Buffalo News, but so far this process has worked out pretty well for me. Now I am no longer out of the loop when proud family members are talking about Denise or Derek’s latest work.

Now if I could only figure out how to combine these alerts to send a tweet to my twitter account along with my email, then I really will be on top of things.

Support the 100th Anniversary of Buffalo Old Home Week, a “celebration of the American urban ideal” in Buffalo, New York. Events held July 1 – 8, 2007.

Buffaloian’s may find the saga of one man’s recent quest to save a tree from it’s impending bureaucratic doom, alternately fascinating, frustrating, or just plain maddening. Read all about why Buck Quigley is “Stumped” in Artvoice or archived here.

For every tree in my neighborhood that I see standing and still tagged with a FEMA ribbon even after all these months, I say a little prayer for it’s survival, even as my dog, Riley the Lab leaves his own territorial mark upon it. Most of these surviving trees, as odd looking as many of them are to look at, have more leaves on them and life left in them than the crews seemingly charged with determining their fate in the surrounding neighborhoods have so far exhibited in collective brain cells.

Anyone who knows me or any member of my family eventually is likely to realize three things: one that we come from a long line of garage sale / swap meet scroungers, two; we are incurable pack-rats, and three; we all love books, and the more books the better. By all accounts, and surely much to my wife’s mild consternation, I am effected by nearly all of the family’s ancestral traits listed; particularly the book-loving gene.

Those who know me well then would not be surprised to find that the used book sale of the local University of Buffalo chapter of the American Association of University Women is likely to attract my attention. This annual event is a fund raiser for the organization’s scholarship fund is one of the largest and most extensive used book sales I have ever encountered in the western New York area.

This was the second year that I attended the three day sale in Amherst. Last year I spent hours pouring over the tables of books looking for bargains. This year my efforts were a bit more focussed but I still found dozens of treasures to take home. At this event I tend to favor books that cover topics of a political or historical subject matter, however there are literally hundreds of titles by popular authors such as Tom Clancy and Danielle Steel, and Stephen King, if you prefer that sort of thing.

If you like what you see on day one, pick up a handful of your favorites for a buck a piece. On day three return to pick up bagfuls of books at even better prices in preparation for your own Summertime yard / book sale. When you are finished reading all your treasures, check into donating what you can’t fit on your personal bookshelves back to the AAUW’s book sale the following year. Look for the 2008 sale at the end of May. Have fun. Read often.

How can a puck be considered to be “batted in” with a glove of a player when the gloves of both hands were closed around the hockey stick?

That is my question.

Sabres fans hope that that this disallowed goal will not be the difference in Game Two of the 2007 NHL Eastern Conference Finals. 

An now back to our regularly scheduled program.

Game on!

Of course it’’s been circulating a while now, but I would like to add my note of thanks to the Goo Dolls for sharing with us their Buffalo Sabre’s tribute in time for the NHL Playoffs.  

“Better Days” Lyrics 
And you ask me what I want this year
And I try to make this kind and clear
Just a chance that maybe we’ll find better days
Cuz I don’t need boxes wrapped in strings
And desire and love and empty things
Just a chance that maybe we’ll find better daysSo take these words
And sing out loud
Cuz everyone is forgiven now
Cuz tonight’s the night the world begins again

Sports Illustrated’s online edition recently featured a nice article on the local flavor of sports fans in Buffalo and our long history of hope and heartache.

You know you are from Buffalo if…

You know you are from Amherst if…

and

You know you are from Cheektowaga if…

[Links discovered thanks to the Get Back to Buffalo blog.]

Buffalo Fire boat, the Edward M. Cotter originally uploaded to Flickr by believeinbflo.

Long before I ever contemplated moving to western New York or for that matter becoming a firefighter, one of my favorite memories was of visiting the Fire Boat the Edward M. Cotter operated by Buffalo Fire.

Visiting relatives in western New York as a kid I was fortunate enough to meet and talk many times many of my grandparent’s neighbors. One my favorites was the captain of the Buffalo Fire Boat many moons ago.

Memories of those great conversations came back to me as I viewed this great photo on the blog All Things Buffalo.

For even more great pictures and background on the Edward M. Cotter checkout this article on boatnerd.com.

I may be the last one to notice…

Blog readers from the western New York area, may be interested to note that the blog All Things Buffalo has moved from Blogspot (Blogger) over to wnymedia.net: allthingsbuffalo.wnymedia.net.

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