Category Archives: Random

Further On Up the Road

Continuing my car-ma theme from a couple of blogs ago, I did find a nice one. But if I didn’t really like and I do, I might have walked away again. I went to recent used car warehouse sale at Eastern Hills Mall, largely to just see what parked out there behind the food court. There were some vehicles parked in the mall, but I took a “what the hey” stroll to see what was out and about. Now, it should be said, that volume used car shopping is bound to be a little bleah, beige, exciting as watching paint dry, etc. And going to one of these sales is something I don’t intend to repeat.

Anyway, nestled among some overpriced SUVs, Rav4, and other oversized trucksters, I found an immaculate 2006 Toyota Corolla. It looked great, inside and out. You knew it would be worth taking a swing at, so I flagged down a Sales rep to talk more. I had him go get the key after hearing his platitudes. He returned after disappearing to an “office” the dealership set up in an empty store front. I railed at him about all the stuff I wrote about in the “carma” blog two entries ago, so why surprise him with being a jerk later, might as well let him know where I stand from the get go.

We did a couple of laps of the mall and the car and I bonded. This is where the fun stops. I tell my new best friend, Tim, that this car and I are a good match. Let’s go talk to those who need talked to

We journey into the mall “office” where more sales reps, credit people are strewn across a network of card tables and water bottles. We start the ball rolling where an hour of waiting, while furious typing breaks out buying out the rest of my existing loan, evaluating the grand am that I was driving, and the dealership deciding where they will meet me on price. Where I screwed up was telling them to give me the best you can do from the start. Forgot to check on that, but learn from me dear reader.  Tim reappears and advises me to follow down Transit Road to his actual office where we will get the papers signed, he’ll get the car inspected, detailed, and ready to go.

I get to meet the finance woman. Prior to arriving, I called my dad who was the wingman on my older sister’s recent lease from the same firm. I wanted to check when his finely honed b.s. detector went off. It was at this conversation. The finance “Expert” showed my deal. Then, the “genius” revealed all these other options available for my protection to further protect my car and my investment, since “Toyotas are complicated and foreign.” That sadly is an exact quote. This car was built in the exotic foreign land of…..Kentucky (thank you Car Fax). I managed to hide my contempt for this financial whiz kid, didn’t even ask her if when her boyfriend blows in her ear, does she remember to thank him for the refill. If she was the first person I met, this wouldn’t have happened.

With most of the staff at the mall, it seemed forever to get the paperwork done, a mere four hours after I stopped by, automotively six years and 40,000 miles younger. Not a perfect transaction, customers shouldn’t have to be on guard and reps shouldn’t be like vultures, and more importantly, the dealer’s staff shouldn’t have such contempt for clients that they barely mask their misinformation to get a deal done. Positives outweigh the negatives, but there shouldn’t be negatives.

Is that so wrong?

But it is a nice ride

Kindle-ing

Always been as much of an early adopter as my bankroll and credit lines would allow, but age is catching up there with me as number one son now regularly cleans my clock at Madden and NHL on the Xbox, and apparently I slow him down on Halo missions. That said, a friend’s facebook posting about a $100 Plasma tv set had me thinking.

Anyway, it happens, I think I’m losing a step. I was watching a discussion about Nooks versus Kindles via twitter the other day with a little bit of interest. I’ve always been a pretty avid reader, but I’m loyal to the printed page and that will remain, but….

My final christmas gift arrived yesterday. My son’s lovely mom imparted a Kindle on to me. It’s a straight forward reader, which is good as I don’t need another data port at this rate, but as somebody who rarely needed the directions for gizmos, I found I was looking for some directions (a first). With a little futzing and learning where the buttons are, I had two books that I was curious about, but not enough to buy loaded up at nice discount prices. I immediately remembered a former boss’s words of doom about the end of the printed book as we know it, ignored them and kept working the due diligence between Amazon.com and my new toy

So, it’s a noble experiment, figured out how to work it all in the privacy of my living room, reducing the silliness of figuring it out in front of, well, my tech savvy kids.

So far? Kinda cool. Don’t think it will get in the way of any real book store purchases, but might digitally get my arse to the library a little more.

Slowly, I turn…

Having lived here all my life, Niagara Falls was a pretty regular fixture. From out of town family checking out the wonder that is the Falls, to the occasional family jaunts, there has always been something kind of compelling about the American side of the Falls. It has forever seemed like it can’t work right, mostly because the Canadians continue to build and build, but my inner tourist finds something of interest in the whole mishagas.

A tourism show had me up at the Conference Center setting up a booth this afternoon. After seeing to that, I had a little time before the obligatory “ice breaker” so I went on walkabout in this weirdly wonderful place.

It’s a little sad to see things like the “Turtle” still sitting dormant and the Casino casting a glow, but nothing else of the nearby church.

Maybe it is the perspective of the whole thing, see the growth across the river from the stillness of the American parkland

Maybe not.

Le Village Quebecois d’Anton

There, wanted to see I could spell it without looking. The marketing group I’m with took a break from discussions and whatnot for an en mass tour of the aforementioned village.

It is a recreated 19th century farm village halfway between Montreal and Quebec City. Our hosts from the Zoo de Granby arranged for a very nice tour, which led to informal chats prior to dinner.

For dinner, it was culture shock for everybody except the french canadians at the table. The Village put on what they referred to as an Sugar Shack meal, meaning it was similar into scope to what folks ate then before then went to work, or what us marketers would eat before descending into an international food coma.

Sitting with folks from Germany, Austria and exotic Philadelphia, we watched as it kept coming: Crouton, Bread made on the premises, pork and white bean soup, ham, sausage, egg, potatoes, and syrup. Vindication for Buddy the Elf as syrup is indeed a major food group.

It was pretty funny given the reactions and the curiousity from the Europeans, who made me laugh with their assessments of the Canadian beer being offered. You can imagine trying to explain Philly Cheesesteak or our Wings to them.

Properly toured and fed, we were sent back on our bus for the ride back only to have to loop around for our driver to recover his lost coat, which doubled the length of the journey back to Granby.

He reappeared with the jacket and was greeted by some sarcastic cheers.

Sarcasm apparently is universal.

The $130 Left Turn

I wasn’t going to rail about this, but it’s starting to look like a good idea to exercise the demons.

With an unexpected bit of afternoon off thanks to Friday’s snow storm, I set about being a good dad. I scooped up my lovely daughters to take them to get their new glasses. We meandered our way up Elmwood down Amherst St, with an eye to Delaware to better take Delaware Rd out to Sheridan. At 4 on a Friday, this seemed better than hopping on the 90.

Apparently, you cannot make a left turn from Amherst Street on to Delaware Ave from 7AM to 7PM during the week. This is news to me, and apparently the two cars that got busted doing the exact same thing right behind me. I’ve never noticed the now prominent sign alongside the road telling you this about Amherst St. Seeing as it isn’t in the main thoroughfare category of Delaware, Elmwood or Main, I can’t help but wonder why it has that designation.

Given all the people making turns off those streets during morning and evening rush hours, I couldn’t help but wonder if Buffalo’s finest weren’t better spent say working the intersections by Utica. Perhaps they wore, as the demeanor of the gentle fellow who stopped me didn’t scream customer friendly. My kids were in the car, so I led by example, even asking permission to open my glovebox.

Office Krupke was not amused. Seeing how I was guilty, I took the punishment like a grown up (paid the fine this morning, after whining to my mom last night).

Reading the complexities of the back of the ticket makes me think the whole exercise is at the heart of what is leaving New York State emotionally exhausted and morally bankrupt. The fine includes a $20.00 processing fee and a $60 handling fee. I’m pretty sure the machines doing that processing and handling aren’t in need of such upkeep, that by screwing up and ignoring what looks like a recent sign, I actually donated to Pedro Espada‘s pension fund to a degree.

What a world

WHY OUR GREAT GRANDPARENTS WERE SO MUCH HAPPIER……..

Have you ever wondered why our great grandparents all had such fond memories of their youth?
Well… I’m surprised they remembered anything at all !!!
Forget Tums & Tylenol.
Forget Aleve & Benedryl.
Look at the cool stuff they had back then!

A bottle of Bayer‘s  ’Heroin’……..
Between 1890 and 1910 heroin was sold as a non-addictive substitute for morphine.
It was also used to treat children suffering with a strong cough.
Coca Wine, anyone?…
Metcalf’s Coca Wine was one of a huge variety of wines with cocaine on the market.
Everybody used to say that it would make you happy and it would also work as a medicinal  treatment.

Mariani Wine……..

Mariani wine (1875) was the most famous Coca wine of it’s time.
Pope Leo XIII used to carry one bottle with him all the time. He awarded Angelo Mariani (the producer) with a Vatican gold medal.
Maltine.

Produced by the Maltine Manufacturing Company of New York .
It was suggested that you should take a full glass with or after every meal. Children should only take half a glass.
A paperweight:

A paperweight promoting C.F. Boehringer & Soehne ( Mannheim , Germany ).
They were proud of being the biggest producers in the world of products containing Quinine and Cocaine.
Opium for  Asthma:……

At 40% alcohol plus 3 grams of opium per tablet. It didn’t cure you… but you didn’t care!
Cocaine Tablets  (1900)..

All stage actors, singers, teachers and preachers had to have them for a maximum performance. Great to ‘smooth’ the voice.
Cocaine drops for toothache……..

Very popular for children in 1885. Not only did they relieve the pain, they made the children very happy!
Opium for newborns…….

I’m sure this would make them sleep well.  (not only the Opium, but also the 46% alcohol)
It’s no wonder they were called,
“The Good Old Days”.
From cradle to grave…    everyone was STONED !!!

Another year older and….

47 years ago, Monday, the Beatles arrived, I waited until a day later.

Nothing reminds you that it is anything but a milestone when you get notified that the child is throwing up. Instantly, the morning at home coffee tastes slightly like the swill at the office and the delight of the digital greetings generated by Facebook and a few well-meaning bots during the overnight get dampened a little with the reminder that even though I took off, as a parent you are never really off.

So, as I sip the evening’s ale, cleaning out some random notes as I head a little closer to grumpy old man hood.

I, like at lot of hockey fans here, have been following the gossip leading the Buffalo Sabres‘ new owner. Out of the hullabaloo and the questionable practices of recent months, I have an admiration for Lindy Ruff as a stand up guy. He wouldn’t slip any contract extension under the public relations wire. That is a nice show of integrity that combined with Mr. Pegula’s supposed Cup desires might make Buffalo desireable for free agents and guys with Kaberle-like no trade agreements. It does kind of stink to see Rene Robert upset with the club, Don Luce and Craig Ramsay succeeding in other colors, and one of the hottest GM possibilities, Rick Dudley, landing elsewhere.

I’m not really concerned that the national anthem got a little butchered at the Super Bowl. I don’t think it was intentional, stuff does happen. The bloated faux patriotism of reading the Declaration of Independence by football folk past and present seemed rather shallow.

I never been huge fan of the remastering of classic albums. I’ve picked up a few a long the way, but I’m not enough of an audiophile to always pick up on the subtleties. The packaging and production is getting pretty elaborate. When the anniversary remaster of Bruce Springsteen‘s “Darkness on the Edge of Town” was announced. I was really intrigued because there was a lot of there there, so to speak, but not enough to justify the $80 price tag. Well, gift cards are good things as with the aid of amazon largess, only $30 will bring that home to me. Got to buy yourself a present sometimes, ya know.

I’m shocked, shocked I say that Hassan was found guilty. Yes, that is sarcasm dripping off your screen. If anything the local version of “trial of the century” was a nice demonstration on how accused should probably think twice about representing themselves. I am a little relieved that all the media folks can go cover something else.

Go see the Skiffle Minstrels play sometime. Try to have a bad time, you can’t do it, I dare you. You’ll be in a good mood by the end of “All Night Diner.” If you aren’t tapping something at the very least, then I’m pretty sure you need a check up.

You never have to check tire pressure on a warm day, it’s always days like today where the wind is blowing and your gloves are just bloated enough to ensure you got remove ‘em. One of Murphy’s laws that makes me want to smack Murphy with a bag of hammers.

I’ve been checking on the Sabres game while writing this and coverage on the Versus network is still headache inducing, including Tampa-rooting announcers. That just seem wrong on a number of levels.

Yeah, 47…the new 37.

Let it out

I got to hear something I’ve hardly ever heard while getting measured for a new suit on Saturday. The Tailor, perhaps for effect, perhaps not, perhaps I don’t care, made an ego pleasing production about how the suit I wanted needed to be be taken in substantially for a proper fit. I am many things, small has never been prominent among those things and to hear that combination of words come out of somebody’s unsolicited mouth was music to my ears. I reminded myself of that sense of accomplished happy in the middle of Bikram Yoga class this evening. While pulling myself off the mat for the umpteenth time, and admiring the shade of fucshia I was turning, I quickly reminded myself as to just how worth it is.

I am about as agile as a elephant on a high wire, but you have to walk the walk. My lovely son was having some anxiety about a class we have been making him take. Having pumped him up, had to back up my talk, first tailors then the world.

Elephant on a High Wire

There is grace and then there is me. Typically, over the years, if there is something to trip over, I’ve exhibited a predictable tendency to find it. But progress is sometimes where you never expect to find it.

I’ve been taking classes at the local Bikram Yoga studio for the past six months or so. That is the class where you are in the room heated to 105. So, in addition to bending yourself into semi-possible positions, you are also melting slowly. For whatever reason, it works for me. I’m not terribly good at it, not real smooth, but you don’t have to be. You are guided through the class, not harangued. That alone probably keeps me off any bicycle where there is someone at the front of the room barking at me through a head set.

Anyhoo, I go and I muddle through a couple times of week or more and it helps. The past few weeks have been a bit of train wreck with both jobs requiring more of my attention. So, my attendance got a little irregular and that can mess you up a little or sometimes help. The folks at Evolation really make it easy and make sure you are taking care of you first and foremost.

Last night, it helped. I sailed right along and I noticed a first for me. Somebody was watching me to see how some things were done. He may have been looking to make sure he “does it better than that,” but I’m going with he was checking to see how it was done. Power to the back row (where I stay) dwellers! That is a bit of a breakthrough for me. In grade school kickball, my best position was broadcaster.

Get your silver linings where you can folks