winters in buffalo

Nine Mile

2007-01-16T22:17:00.000-05:00

It’s open! It’s open! It’s open, at last!

Late this morning, our nine-mile section of I-540 opened to traffic, connecting with US 64 and completing a marathon-length stretch of highway that now reaches from I-40 near RTP and the airport, to a two-minute drive from my front door.

For wifey and me, it’s a day we’ve anticipated for quite some time. When we bought our house a year and a half ago, we picked our location for a few very specific reasons: Knightdale was much closer to the city than most of the sprawl in Cary, Apex and parts of North Raleigh; the lots were larger and the homes more affordable than comparable properties in those other areas; and, most importantly, the new US 64 bypass and I-540 extension were coming soon and would surely bring growth to the area while providing us with easy access to our most frequent destinations.

When we first moved, people we know thought Knightdale was in the middle of nowhere. Now, it’s closer than ever, and poised to become the region’s next hot spot. A huge shopping center has already popped up where 540 meets Knightdale Blvd., and it looks like several more major developments near both roads will soon be on the way.

Of course, the immediate benefit is the time it will save. Alie figures it will trim as much as half of her travel time to and from RTP each day. It’ll probably save me a few minutes by alleviating the congestion I sit in on the Beltline each morning, and will provide an alternate route for days when I know the Beltline is blocked up. On the mornings when I volunteer with Communities in Schools, 540 will save me at least 20 minutes, and it will cut the drive to Wake Forest significantly on curling league nights.

Not to mention the fact that Super Target is now less than 15 minutes away, and we can get home from the grocery store before the ice cream starts to melt.

Who knew it was possible to be this excited about a few miles of fresh pavement?

An update to an earlier post

2007-01-15T21:32:00.000-05:00

In Among the Things I've Learned, I said that it's difficult to trust someone in a bow tie.

I have to amend that, since one of the most trustworthy people I've met since then does , in fact, wear one on a regular basis.

You're a good man, George!

Getting sorted out

2007-01-15T21:26:00.000-05:00

OK, so I started a separate blog for political and current events. It'll probably be the busier of the two, but I don't have much there yet. I figured not everyone that visited this one would want to read that one, and vice-versa. Good to keep them separate.

I also set up a photo blog with some of my favorite shots. I still have a lot to add, and will be updating it over the next few weeks.

Both are linked from this one, though.

Enjoy.

Makes cents, right?

2007-01-11T22:50:00.000-05:00

This is one of the most frustrating things I've ever seen/heard.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gp0HyxQv97Q

It's bad enough that every customer rep this guy speaks to repeated quotes him the wrong numbers. It gets worse is you read through the user comments. There are idiots out there that think the Verizon clowns are right.

Reviving

2007-01-06T00:35:00.000-05:00

So, it's been awhile, to say the very least. I haven't posted anything since moving into the new house well over a year ago.

I had thought about scrapping this and starting fresh, but I suppose I'll revive the blog. It looks like things are going to get interesting politically. That alone should keep me busy.

Moving

2005-08-28T02:49:00.000-04:00

We close on our new house on Wednesday. I'm pretty pumped.

In all the excitement of packing and getting things ready to move, I packed up my geocities site and moved all of my design samples over to blogger. I simply got sick of PageBuilder locking up and leaving me with unsaved edits. I'll probably get my photos up on a blogger site sometime soon too. Much easier to manage!

It's been awhile...

2005-08-28T02:15:00.000-04:00

Haven't posted anything here in awhile. Haven't had the time, I guess.

Between getting ready for the wedding this past May, and doing all that goes into buying a house, it's been tough to find any spare time. Of course, I've wasted a lot of what little time I've had playing playstation wrestling.

Some things, you never escape!

among the things i've learned...

2005-01-13T20:15:00.000-05:00

This may become a recurring topic...

Theres a fine line between compromise and accepting the unacceptable. Knowing the difference between making a deal and getting the shaft will keep you out of trouble. Assuming that the people you deal with also know the difference will keep you honest.

The older you get, the more Jimmy Buffett makes sense.

Women think its cute if you call them 'lambchop'.... 'Porkchop', however, does not elicit the same response.

Unless you're at a formal function that warrants wearing one, it's very difficult to trust a man in a bowtie.

People tend to remember things about you that you yourself deem insignificant.

starting the year off right

2005-01-01T14:54:00.000-05:00

It helps that it's a gorgeous day - 70 degrees, cloudless, the windows are open and I'm wearing shorts. I feel compelled to start off the new year with a good cleaning spree. Alie's working, so it's not unusual that I'm cleaning the apartment, but I'm giving everything a little extra attention, myself included. I'm not really a neat-freak... but after letting thing go to hell, I get a rush out of conquering the chaos.

A sense of accomplishment is a killer high.

Doing a bunch of laundry, and I put on the brand new bedding that Alie's mom bought us for Christmas... it's very spring-like. A bit too fruit-stripey for my boring taste, but it brightens the place up nicely. I even trimmed the goatee down and neated up the edges, followed by a nice close shave for the rest of my ugly mug... baby smooth, very nice. Punkin'll appreciate that. Not due for a haircut yet, but a neck trim is in order.

I still have to clean out the fireplace. I can smell the ashes.. ick. I think the cat may get a bath too, if she's not too stressed out after I vaccuum.

There's something energizing about a good neat-freak episode.

Look out, 2005... I'm gonna whoop your ass.

pigskin and heartbreak

2004-12-26T14:51:00.000-05:00

I'm a football nut. And like many football nuts, I've grown to be a fantasy football junkie. It's a wonderful diversion - part competition, part entertainment. A game, rooted in reality. It's a great way to make the actual games even more interesting. I frequently find that there's a game on that features two teams that I don't have a particular interest in, but having my starting running back in the game suddenly makes the game considerably more enjoyable. Fantasy football is one of life's little pleasures.

Until late December, when it beomes hell. Inevitably, you find yourself cheering for a player while hoping his team loses. You need his performance for your fantasy team to win, but you need his team to lose to help your own favorite team get into the playoffs. You start thinking of bizarre scenarios that somehow have everything play out in your favor... it maddening.

Right now, my fantasy team is playing for the league championship... but I need two of my players to lose today (which it's starting to look like they will) in order for my favorite real-world team to stay alive in the playoff hunt. Of couse, I still need those players to put up some numbers, or my hope of winning the fantasy game will be dashed.

It's an emotional roller coaster. Torn between two loves. A sick additcion to the thrill, and the disappointment.

In the end, my Steamrollers may not end up being the PFA champs; my Bills may be sitting at home in January, but by August, I'll be hungry for the punishment all over again.

11 things you should never touch

2004-12-21T22:04:00.000-05:00

There are 11 things you should never touch, under penalty of severe asskicking:

another man's food,
his hat,
his kids,
his woman,
his lawn,
his TV remote,
his tools,
his car,
his dog,
his genitals
and his beer

a look back home

2004-12-21T18:46:00.000-05:00

So, last weekend, Alie & I made our second trip back to the 716 since moving south last year. Visiting is such a pain in the ass. We spent the whole time rushing around from place to place, and still didn't get to see everyone. I think our best bet is to get the rest of them to leave town too.

It's funny, because when we left, the plan was to get away for a few years, and hopefully when things got better back home, we could go back. Now, I'm not so sure there's any chance of the situation ever improving there.

After taking a step back and looking at Buffalo from the outside, it's clear now how bad things are there. Driving around, everything looked so run down and miserable. I had never really noticed that until spending a year in a city that's actually vibrant. People often ask me how I could stand the Buffalo winters for so long, but honestly, sometimes I think the snow is all the city has going in it's favor. The economy is in the toilet, and looks like it'll get far worse before it gets any better.

Erie County is going to raise the sales tax to an oppressive 9.25%, and New York is getting ready to raise the minimum wage. Toss in the already high cost of utilities and property taxes, and it sounds like a perfect blueprint for a competitive business environment and a recipe for a booming economy, right? What a joke.

Of course, the biggest problem is that whenever something gets proposed, it ends up getting shot down because it's not the single solution to all the area's problems. After years of planning, there's still no bridge, no new office tower, the Aud sits empty, the waterfront remains underdeveloped and the zoo serves as a museum of what zoos were like back in the 1920s. Yet, people continue to wait around for the magic bullet, while in the meantime, businesses and residents leave town, draining the tax base.

It's all ridiculous. Try everything, build on what works and learn from what doesn't.

frigid

2004-12-14T23:29:00.001-05:00

... or so it seems. I walked outside tonight and into the arctic blast.

Ok, it wasn't that bad, maybe 30. Back home, you don't even bother putting on pants unless it's below 19. But, this was the first cold day here since last winter, and it was that dry cold that sucks the moisture out of your face. I hate that. At least have the decency to snow, dammit.

I ate lunch outside the other day... in December. Without a jacket.
The South is good.

succumbing to the blog... stay tuned for details

2004-12-12T16:08:00.000-05:00

Sure, I'll give it a shot. Why not?

It's not like I'm ever going to get around to writing that book, anyway. You can only jot down so many ideas - only to misplace or delete the list- before you forget what it was you wanted to say to begin with.

Maybe if I toss it up in pieces, someday it'll be something complete.

Scratch that. Comprehensive, perhaps... but never complete.

The day I run out of things to say, you can wrap a box around me.