A Little is Enough

Hmmm, having one of those days filled with fortune cookie wisdom…

The head of the teacher’s union was on television last night decrying about how “Immoral” the court finding was about his charge to get back pay for teachers during a time when the City of Buffalo had a wage freeze on. Perhaps if the lawsuits would quit getting filed at the drop of hat, there would be more money. I’m not anti-union, but I am pro-common sense. We had a control board at the time, which suggests there was no money to divvy up. Blood from a stone, huh, Phil?

Thrilled at the notion of continued sprucing up at Canalside. I missed the meeting at the Harbor Club, and every journey needs steps to start. Improved amenities will be a good thing, and continue to bring folks down. Despite its shortcomings, you don’t see too much upset at Erie Basin Marina. Maybe it is the sound of the water, the sensation of being on the water, but if Canalside decision makers can bring people to the water, even drop them in the water (A beach! A beach! would bring the small businesses and tax revenue the city covets) and then you got something a department store can’t bring.

My Mom used to sport a t shirt emblazoned with the graphic “Newt Happens.” The scary thing is some years later, it could.

I’m a little disappointed that Matt Lauer didn’t call out the Newtster on a pretty blatant flip flopping of views on how the President is addressing Libya‘s problems. But then again, when Lauer interviewed President Bush, nobody was reminded of Frost & Nixon.

I need to apologize to February as March has been a bigger brute, but it is all a moot point as we are now staring April in the face. But with a congressional election in the NY #26, can Jane Corwin be disqualified for using the tired old (and unfounded) “hand picked by Nancy Pelosi” tag to slam her opponent? Really? Aren’t there enough issues in the 26th to spend time in pointless insults. As a former resident of that district, tell me what you want to do, why my vote should go to you, what are you going to do to better these circumstances?

And lest you think, my bashing is not equal opportunity. I quote and agree with this snippet from the Daily Show: “When President Obama was elected, he promised to talk to us like adults, apparently that meant somebody who has been married for a few decades and doesn’t talk to their spouse.”

One of the musical buddhas of my youth, Pete Townshend, was quoted as complaining that he should have never formed the Who, that he could have more productive and healthier as a solo artist. I enjoy his solo records immensely but I don’t know if he is exactly Brian Eno in that regard. Glad to have the solo records (how about making one, Pete?), but I’m glad we got the band, too.

If we are so worried about presidential birth certificates (never saw President Obama’s or any others for that matter), can we make a rule that they all have to provide them, but any potential candidate is immediately disqualified after starring in their own reality show.

It’s a start…

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The Irish Confessional

An Irishman goes into the confessional box after years of being away from the Church. He is amazed to find a fully equipped bar with Guinness on tap. On the other wall is a dazzling array of the finest cigars and chocolates in the world.

Then the priest comes in. Excitedly, the Irishman begins…”Father, forgive me, for it’s been a very long time since I’ve been to confession, but I must first admit that the confessional box is much more inviting than it used to be.” The priest replies, “Get out. You’re on my side.”

The Weight

One of the shows I would have like to have seen recently was Levon Helm when he came to the UB’s Theater. Something about the way the Band (in its original incarnation) made music for the sake of making good music has always resonated with me.

I think the song below was on the setlist for that night, but Mr. Helm and his current gang (which is really good, as I saw when they were on Spectacle), would be hard pressed to top this version.

Seems like a good one with a Monday staring us all our of weekened revelry

Inside Mike’s Mind

It’s a odd place to be sure, but while playing hall monitor at this evening’s professional hockey game, I had plenty of time to wander, observe and generally partake of some excellent people watching. It can be an added source of entertainment in addition to the event that actually is taking place.

It’s funny as I notice for each person at the event, some are actually there for what is taking place and there are almost as many there to be seen at the event. Some wait till the last possible second to look for their seat, thereby missing a good chunk of the first period.

I’m not going to lie, I enjoy beer, but not enough to spend most of the game running up and down the stairs to buy multiple oversized cans of the stuff. Given that seats ain’t cheap, I guess I’d want to get as much value for the dollars that I gots to pay.

It’s funny watching folks come down the stairs to head to concessions or whereever. Everybody, and I mean, everybody comes down, stops in a mini-pose and then proceeds. They stop and look around and then move along. Watch next time you in the high altitude regions.

The opposite of that are the people who come down a hallway and look up into a section trying to find a friend. You think these guys would call each other. I noticed one poor guy (in a Devils jersey) scanning my group, maybe for a familiar face, but chances are if there is a friend up there, you’d have his phone number, jerky!

The home team takes steps to instill a little hockey manners on the attendees. Most folks are pretty good about that. There are a few wisenheimers, who fate didn’t like as there was a ten minute stretch without a whistle and that made a few folks grumble. One guy was riding me about wanting to get to his seat and before I could say anything another fan told him he “should have pissed sooner.”

It cracks me up watching folks strategies at the end of the game. In tonight’s contest, it was basically there, but some folks leave their seats and start to head to the doors to “beat traffic.” Since they stop near my space and keep watching, I can’t help but wonder how much time they are saving. Folks are generally pretty good in leaving, but from the top most folks head to the escalators.

When we get cut loose, I just use the paths between the seats and get out in half the time talking, wait for it, the stairs.

Good things happen.

Caravan

I think it is great that Mark Croce stepped up in the case of the Statler. The Buffalo Businessman has definitely put his money where his mouth is in terms of getting things done in the city. It probably wasn’t the best p.r. to have news of his acquisition of a beautiful mansion in Orchard Park as a second home. Not that I begrudge that mind you, in fact, I’m a bit jealous, but I’m not the one looking for assistance from the City to get the Statler stabilized.

Funny thing about favorite songs, one of mine popped up perfectly on cue after a tough day at the office on Monday. When that happens with just a touch of the key, that is a magical thing. So, of course, all of Delaware Park got to hear it too.

The Sabres‘ Nathan Gerbe has been on a tear of late and his empty net goal the other night against Montreal was a testimony of effort and passion, that if the rest of the team played like that all year, they wouldn’t be in the boat they are in. Now, the challenge is to give the dude a nickname that doesn’t incorporate any variation of Gerbil.

The Buffalo Common Council has a bill in front of it to give $300,000 to the cultural groups left out of the county funding picture. This seems to me to be a no-brainer as we have a surplus and these groups provide some answers to people asking about life here. The low priority to quality of life issues has always had me curious. Sure, perhaps some of the entities could save adminstrative costs by combing efforts. You could say the same about City Hall. But if you are corporate entity and you are recruiting people to come to your city, you invariably have the conversation about what types of schools there are, what types of things there are to do. I have loved the Sabres from the beginning, but seeing something at the New Phoenix Theater or Hallwells is just as important. Joe Golombek doesn’t want to get into the business of funding the culturals regularly, as the city itself isn’t accustomed to that role. But I think the one thing government does well is collect money and then respend those dollars. Make that our operating principle and maybe stuff would get done more regularly.

An recent article in one of the Detroit papers talked about a companion span to the Ambassador Bridge and took great pains to point out that the discussion about our Peace Bridge is in at least its 17th year and nothing as been accomplished. So the citizens of that area shouldn’t hold their breath, unlike the citizens of the Peace Bridge area who sometimes should.

And the musical pick me up

Video ain’t great, but the audio was glorious noise

 

Separated at Birth, Libyan Crisis Edition

Never seen these two together, have we?

Long time hater of Everything, Muammar Gaddafi and

And long time star of many things ensembled Burt Convy.

Ever think we could solve the Libyan troubles just by remaking the Love Boat?

 

LESSON OF THE DAY…

Sometimes, we try too hard to get to the greener grass.

In the process, we end up in trouble.

And when you find yourself in trouble and you’re stuck in a
situation that you can’t get out of, there is one thing you should
always remember:

Not everyone who shows up…Is there to help you!!!!

That is the end of today’s lesson!

THIT, NO!

Donald Duck and Daisy Duck were spending the night together in a hotel room
and Donald wanted to have sex with Daisy.

The first thing Daisy asked was, “Do you have a condom?”

Donald frowned and said, “No.”

Daisy told Donald that if he didn’t get a condom, they could not have sex.

“Maybe they sell them at the front desk,” she suggested.

So Donald went down to the lobby and asked the hotel clerk if they had
condoms.

“Yes, we do,” the clerk said and pulled a box out from under the counter and
gave it to Donald.

The clerk asked, “Would you like me to put them on your bill?”

“Thit No!” Donald quacked

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As the parade marches down my street in a sea of crushed Labatt cans and intoxicated co-eds, just thought one last little Celtic prayer seemed a good note, especially with this Irishman on his way into the night job,

Telephone Line

Well, a few attorneys made some money off Verizon wanting to build a data center in the thriving metropolis of Somerset. What the hell, we didn’t need those 200+ jobs anyway. It boggles my mind at times how fast this region can take insult where there isn’t and seemingly the only solution is to sue somebody.

Yeah, officials had to move quick because plenty of cash starved areas would kill for a national firm with a huge bankroll, but we sue because of that. Geez, this makes me sympathetic to a phone company and if you know me, you how nuts that makes me.

I’m not a big fan of giving away the store, but for a frivolous lawsuit about “protecting the integrity of land” and the sluggish movement of the land seller make you wonder. You want to point out to those parties that there wasn’t anybody else in line!

I wonder how the coal fueled power plant protects land integrity.

I got in a mild scrap with a sibling as she griped about the relative suckitude of the economy here. I was kicked to the unemployed curb in 2002 and worked my way back into my profession and she has to do the same thing. She is of the type to want opportunities to present themselves. This thing with the phone company was exactly one of those opportunities as we blew it.

I’m not a huge phone company booster by any means, but the petty nonsense of this costs the region probably moves up to perennial first runner up status, but anybody else thinking of a large build can look at the Somerset area and think “pretty property, available power, but who wants to hire so many lawyers.”

Well, at least Niagara County got the economic impact of the law suit court costs. Then again, maybe Verizon took Mayor Bloomberg’s words to heart.