Sommz

the rat in your brain...rules the world

Saw Matthew Good at Club Infinity last night on his solo acoustic tour.  It was pretty good.  I like the new album...and he played one of my top 20 songs of all time yet again, "Apparitions".  Not a huge fan of solo acoustic shows.  Springsteen has done the only one i really like (HSBC 2005)....and that was amazing.  However, i really like Mr. Good...he's funny, has an amazing voice...and is one of my favorite writers.  The show had an acoustic Pink Floyd vibe.

Hey, no homework to do this weekend, and it's gonna be a sunny warmish day.  What to do, what to do...i should probably spend a few hours studying for my GRE's.

Went to the Pizza Plant before the show.  The one on Transit.  I won't bitch about the traffic cuz it was so late at night and there wasn't as much.  Had the Veggie Chili, which hands down is the world's BEST veggie chill.  Go try it, i dare you to disagree!  I had the Ommegang Stout, which was eh....okay.  Edmund Fitz. is still the best.  They were out of the Wavy Gravy and Victory Pilsner...so i got a Dead Guy Ale....Mmmmmm one of my fave beers.  For lunch today I'm going to eat one of their "Violent Vegetarian" Pods...i gave it a quick taste when i got home last night....it's not very good!  Vegetarians would become violent if they had to eat that all the time!

Picked up my cap and gown at the UB bookstore.  First time I've stepped inside that place in 10 years!  I hope the damn thing fits, ha.

"I'm just a boy with a new haircut"...got my haircut.  It's been a couple months.  The person who called Supercuts for me called the wrong store!  I was not happy!  I had some kind of single curl thing going on in the front when she was done cutting it.  And as luck has it...i went to Walgreen's and got my passport picture taken, that shows said "curl".  Once i scan it, i'll post it.

Which brings up my Passport story.  Grrrr....i went to the Post Office on Cayuga...and my gawd....there was a huge line!  I finally got the front, and the wench behind the counter without batting an eye told me my birth certificate wasn't valid.  I apparently have a "vanity" birth certificate.  Grrr...  So I'm sending my mother to City Hall to pick one up for me.  This passport thing has become quite the ordeal.  I better get out of the country and see some cool stuff with it :)

Opening Day tomorrow!!!  Tribe vs. White Sox at 3:30'ish.  I have the Gameday Audio on the internets, and on XM.  But i bet the game will be blacked out on TV again.  Boo!

No movies to report on today.  I will watch some experimental cinema flicks from the 1920's and 1930's, and Beowulf.

TV this week was pretty weak.  Pierce won Celebrity Apprentice.  Survivor wasn't on and Lost was a repeat.  The Office does start up this Thursday!  I think 30 Rock starts soon to.  And I'm going to start watching Battlestar Galactica on DVR.  It's on Friday's at 10pm.

School is done in 5 weeks.  May 5, Cinco De Mayo at 5pm...all classwork will be turned in, and a first draft of my masters project will be handed in as well.  If possible I'm playing the lottery that day, ha.

Song of the Day:  "Oh Be Joyful" - Matthew Good

"Oh, Be Joyful...'Cuz That Shit Spreads".  Feel free to post your favorite Matthew Good lyrics in the Comments.

Spring Break

I write those words as i look outside my window and see 20" of snow staring back at me.  I wish i had gone South and seen the family in Florida for a week.  But i have other obligations like a regular job, a thesis to finish, GRE's to study for, a townhouse that needs cleaning, and oh yes...homework to do.

Hey, it's Daylight Savings Time!  I'm not a big fan of losing an hour today, but in a few days i'll enjoy the fact it's still light at 7pm.  Oh wait, now i have to get used to waking up and driving to work in the dark at 7am again.  Eh, i'll take the extra hour of sunlight at the end of the day!

Let's see, what's been going on in the last month since i've posted.  Well work and school are the big chunks of my time.  I have decided on finishing up what i've started, and getting the PhD.  That's why i'm studying for the GRE's.  With the two Masters, i've always had the GRE's waived, but i can't do it for the PhD...boo.  I talked to a few students, professionals, and professors...it's a go.  I bought a new Dell  XPS laptop just for the PhD.  I pimped it out, and got an amazing deal.  I had to to justify spending that much money!

I just saw Springsteen in Rochester.  Amazing show.  I had tickets to the Buffalo show the next day, and i was just exhausted and didn't go.  I crashed at 8:30pm on Friday...so my body was telling me to rest!  I have tickets to Tom Petty and the Police, and i think Matt Good, so concert opportunities are still there.  I really wanted to see Robert Plant and Alison Krause in the Finger Lakes, but nobody else wanted to go, and i'm not dropping money on tickets for phantom people anymore.

Oh yeah, i bought a washer and dryer.  My first ones!  Every apartment i've had since i left home never had washer and dryer hookups.  This one sort of does, so dammit i got them.  I bought a used dryer, and got a great deal.  It's currently sitting in the garage not hooked up as i need gas fittings, and vent hose, and about 2 hours to hook it up.  Maybe i'll goto Home Depot this afternoon to pick those things up.  My washer rocks.  It's the number one rated front loading washer in consumer reports.  I bought it at Sears, and got a great deal, then got Garry to pick it up and deliver it to my place for some Sabres bucks, and Great Lakes beers! 

One thing i learned about the washer, it requires a special type of detergent.  Tide PE is the recommended one...and since i buy Tide normally, this was what i need.  Of course last week i bought a 100oz thing of regular Tide, so i'll have to give that away to someone.  Then...i had to know that PE would be more expensive...and it was.  $16 bucks for whatever the large size was...ug.  Next time i'll goto Sam's Club or buy it online to save a few bucks.

As i was driving around the snowy streets this morning, i heard John Fogerty's "Centerfield" on Jack.  What a great song to play while driving in the snow.  My head was thinking about warm weather and baseball, and my car was sliding towards a snowbank.  I'll probably watch some of the NASCAR race this afternoon just to remind myself what warm weather and green grass looks like.

Haven't had any new beers lately, well i did have a Great Lakes Conway's Irish Ale a few weeks ago.  Speaking of Great Lakes, if you're a tree hugger like myself, and in the Cleveland area.  Check out the Film The Planet at the Cleveland Film Festival.  I wish i was there to see it!

And speaking of Cleveland, i got tickets to the Stankees series in April, the Rangers in May, and the Angels in August.  I can't wait to go back!  Go Tribe! 

As for the other sports teams in my life...the Sabres aggrevate me.  I hope they lose the rest of the games, and get a better draft pick.  Too bad Campbell had to go, but eh, i understand the business side of it.  The Bills for the first time in a long time, made some good pickups.  I like the LB from the Giants, and Stroud on the Defensive Line.  The only thing about the Bills...i keep seeing them jumping ship to Toronto, and THEN they will win the Super Bowl.  I might just jump ship and become a Browns fan.  Sacriligious yes...but we'll see how long the Bills stay here.

More ramblings...where are the plows in North Buffalo?  The streets barely look touched.  I went to Kenmore to my bank, and the post office, and i could actually see the pavement.

Hmmmm...i've seen a bunch of movies, but nothing really special to mention.  Ditto for music, nothing out there is catching my attention.  I still listen to the Starbucks channel on XM at work.

I finally hooked up, and cleaned up the wires on my home theater.  I now have a blu-ray player and hd dvd player.  The HD DVD player is also my upconverting DVD player.  It's a pretty good one.  Better than my PS3 blu-ray.  As for the blu-ray, i just watched Terminator 2...and that was the first movie i noticed a better picture.

As for video games....i just need more hours in my day to play these things!  I picked up on sale NBA 08 on PS3...my first game, i got schooled by like 70 points.  I also picked up a Baseball game cheap, and lost to the Royals by 12 runs.  And don't get me started on Hockey...i can't score.  I need to find some 12 year old to give me pointers!

As for restaurants...i haven't been out much.  Went to a Thai place in North Buffalo based on a recommendation, and the food was good, but the room and decor was really bad.  I'll go there for take out, ha.  I also went to i think it was called Bravo at the Galleria.  Eh, i'm not a fan of chain Italian.  It was okay...but so are 100's of other chain restaurants.  Head to Hertel for better Italian!

I read Valerie Bertonelli's new book.  Eh, the beginning was really good, the middle dragged and the ending sucked.  I don't want to read about Wolfie and Jennie Craig!  ha.

As for TV shows...i'm sad to see the Sarah Conner Chronicles end...it was really good.  I'm still watching Survivor.  Well when the DVR actually records it.  It seems to be recording that pop up version of Lost instead.

SUNday

Hello lurkers!

It's a bright sunny morning, and I'm not hungover so it's a pretty one at that! :)  Things are good, things are clear, things are not blood shot. 

We did get a fresh dusting of snow last night.  I'd say 2-3".  The side streets by my place are slippery, but the main roads, Delaware, are good.

My birthday is coming up on Friday.  A big number, but not a big deal.  Feel free to use Amazon's wish list to get me something!  I don't have the widget set up yet, but i will soon.  I might goto Cleveland for the weekend to see the Clippers, but it's all up to the weather and how I'm feeling.

I'm loving the Weight Control Banana Bread Oatmeal...mmmmm good!  Why do i buy Starbucks Columbian coffee at Tops, instead of the Starbucks 2 blocks from my place?  Ditto for Dunkin coffee.  I really should start roasting my own beans.

The PS3 came in the mail on Friday.  It has Spiderman 3 on Blu-ray, but no games.  I also don't have the HDMI and Optical Cables till Wednesday, so it's collecting dust for the moment.  I did pick up NHL 08, The Orange Box (Half life 2, Counter strike etc.) and MLB 2k7 yesterday via newegg, amazon, and eBay.  I got 2k7 simply because it was $12.  The Orange box was $49 in an eBay auction.  I'm looking forward to playing Counter strike again.  I used to back in my consulting days during lunch hours.  My aviator was bugs bunny, and my nickname was "Snuggle Bunny".  I had to laugh every time i was running around the game with my laser guns, shooting people...it would say "shot by snuggle bunny"...am i the only one that found that funny?  ha.  It was also interesting to hear the people playing the game around me..."where's the bunny?"..."shoot the bunny!"...."G'dam rabbit!"  ahhhh good times....thats why i bought the game.

I also joined Gamefly for a month to see how it works.  Gamefly is like Netflix, but for video games.  I don't want to spend $50 on games, i'd rather just play them for a while, and then send them back.  I don't have the time to be a gamer like i did when i was in my teens and 20's.  But i may as well use my new toys...they are a lot of fun!

I am loving the Cabela's Big Game Hunter, and yesterday i played the Godfather game for the Wii.  It took me forever to figure it out, but it was a lot of fun.

Watched the latest Harry Potter while i was laying low this weekend, and it was good.  Not as good as the other ones.  Harry is starting to look old...and the girl needs to pluck her eye brows.  I also watched The Kingdom...another good movie, but not great.  Worth a rent.  Notice that i have the Netflix queue in my blog.  I've gotten rid of Blockbuster for a few reason, and i'm using Netflix for the time being.  We'll see how long i use them.  I also watched Mr. Woodcock...my gawd...do not rent.  Boooo.

Oh yeah, i got Yahoo music to finally work.  They gave up trying to fix my account, and now i'm using my free year on another account.  Eh, whatever.

Also, i finally had the fish fry from Wellington Pub.  It was good, the fish was tasty, but the sides were pretty bland.  I'm comparing this to Sterling Place.  Sterling, hands down, no contest has the best fish fry in the city.  The sides are homemade...excellent pub.  You should try any of the items on the menu.  I don't usually rave about a pub, but they deserve it.  I also went to Shango for the first time a few weeks ago.  I don't remember if i blogged about that.  The service was excellent, the food good, not great.  Decent beer selection.  I'd go back.

No football for the first weekend since what....the beginning of August?  The NHL all star game is on...eh, who cares.  Baseball begins soon...go Tribe!

Lastly, i haven't talked about TV in a while.  I'm watching the Biggest Loser - Couples, Celebrity Apprentice, Sarah Conner Chronicles, and a few others.  I love the SCC!  I just hope they have enough episodes to make watching worthwhile!

Message in a Bottle

1.9

I am not posting regularly!

Well i've changed the name of the blog again.  This time to reflect the fact i got tickets to see the Police in Toronto, wooo!  The first show sold out in minutes, then they added a second show right after, and that sold out to!

I've also had the flu, and some stomach issues that i'm working on.  Wasn't fun to visit the ER!  I feel better today, ha.

Garry and I are thinking about going to Bonnaroo this year.  If i want to do it, i will make it so.  I'm just not sure if i do want to go.  The lineup is amazing again, and i had a great time last year...minus the heat!

I've watched a bunch of movies...nothing that sticks out.

Been relistening to the Police...they were the music of choice on the treadmill tonight.

I'm soooo ready for warm weather.  At least temperatures above 32, and no snow when i drive!  I've had it with sliding around town.  It's +8 right now...and they are forecasting 37 on Tue!  Woooo!

Happy belated Vday to everyone.  Hope you had a great day! :)

The Sabres are sure unlucky with injuries right now...hopefully they make a decent trade or two before the deadline.

I watched the Daytona 500 today....it's the only race i watch start to finish all year.  It reminds me that spring is coming....no really.

I can't wait to put my bike together and get out and ride around.

I bought Folgers smooth...regular coffee is kicking my ass, and Tea ain't cutting it...i'll try this and hopefully my stomach can take it, ha.

I can't wait till Van Halen and Genesis tickets are announced.  I hope there are Buffalo dates so i don't have to drive all around!

Indians individual games go on sale March 3...

That's about it for now...let's get this month over with!

Hello March!!!