A Not So Hairy Question

Val and I changed the sheets and covers on our bed earlier today, and as usual, my pillow case and the sheet near where my head lays were dark from apparently the oil and grease from my head. My head gets shaved ("sheared," according to Val) every two weeks, so there is very little, if any, hair to contain the oil/grease from my skull.
Do any other guys, or gals, out there have the same problem, and does your spouse/significant other never fail to joke, mock or make "light" of the situation? I'm looking at you, Mark and Jen, for some information or advice, including cleaning tips. You, too, Prego.

Maybe a Little Research Next Time?

I wrote an entry on the Trattoria Aroma opening in the former Just Pasta location at Bryant and Ashland in the Elmwood Village on December 22; if I had searched it out first, I would have found a good amount of information.
Someone hit this blog off a search for "Trattoria Aroma," so I decided to check those search results. While our blog came up third, the first two results were, in order, articles on the topic from the Buffalo News and Buffalo Rising, both dated 8-10 days before my entry.
Yes, the restaurant will feature brick-oven pizza; yes, it is associated with/related to Caffe Aroma at Elmwood and Bidwell in Buffalo and on Main Street in Williamsville, and yes, I will check a little more diligently next time.

Up the Assessment Asshole

One of the household activities Val and I have been busy with is working on our assessment challenge here in the City of Buffalo.
If you take the reassessment we received three years ago and add it to the increased reassessment the city is seeking this year, if approved, our house and property will have increased in value, according to the City of Buffalo, by exactly 50 percent. We realize that living on Norwood Avenue in the Elmwood Village means that we are living in what is possibly the best area in Buffalo for increasing real estate values, particularly resale, but we have not been able to do much work around the house these last few years for various reasons, mainly economic.
We are getting estimates on several projects for next spring, but the most recent projects are the painting of our garage door and frame 1 1/2 years ago and work on our sun room about 3 years ago, some of which did not satisfy us. We will be presenting as much evidence (especially photos) and opposition to our reassessment as possible, and no doubt you'll read more about it here.

Has It Been That Long?

Sorry, folks; while I knew it was a couple of days since I last posted here, I didn't realize that I haven't written anything since Christmas Day.
Val and I have been a bit more relaxed when possible this last week, with family gatherings (two Christmas get-togethers, one birthday, etc.), work, household activities and so on, and one thing I have learned as a writer and journalist is to not force writing on any topic when it is not necessary. Yes, deadlines required me in my newspaper days to write a bit more urgently at times, but I was repeatedly taught and shown the value of writing something when it is called for and meaningful.
I also have some freelance and web site writing to take care of this weekend, but I will be offering some electronic scribblings here.

Peace on Earth

Val, Walker Evans and I send out happy holiday, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah, Joyful Kwanzaa, Happy Ramadan and all other holiday greetings to all of our readers and members of the Buffalo Blogistan. And, because I love Val so much, yes, Happy Festivus as well.

Nice Holiday Note

I was doing some final weekly and holiday grocery shopping at Wegmans earlier today when I heard the strains of several songs from the "A Charlie Brown Christmas" soundtrack.
I could immediately tell it was a piano playing live and not the recorded soundtrack, so I hunted for the origin of the sounds until I saw a white piano in the general merchandise section. I couldn't see who was playing the piano from that angle, so I walked down the next aisle and peered over my cart.
To what to my wondering eyes should appear, but a player piano, which ended up playing the entire soundtrack, possibly my favorite Christmas/holiday music to possibly my favorite Christmas/holiday special (the only other that comes close in either category to me is "How the Grinch Stole Christmas"). Several of us smiled at each other and continue shopping with lighter, happier steps.

Pizza, Wings and ... Champagne?

The Hosey Dunne Estates is less than a mile from La Nova, one of my favorite pizzerias and wing restaurants. I know some people believe that La Nova is overrated, but I disagree; I have given up red meat for the most part, but I still often crave and eat a good cheese and pepperoni pizza from there, and their barbecue chicken wings and barbecue chicken subs are great.
Anyway, with Val and me in no mood to cook tonight, it was takeout time. Having had pizza at work last night and at the Democratic holiday party we were at the night before that, Val did not want to turn into a slice, so she ordered Chinese food (curried chicken and onions). I picked that up, and on the way home, I got a barbecue chicken sub from La Nova. I always order it with a container of bleu cheese, which makes it a virtual double order of barbecue chicken wings at a lower price.
As I was paying for my sub, a man I believe was one of the owners came up to me from behind the counter and handed me a bottle, saying "thanks for your patronage and Merry Christmas."
The gift he gave me? A bottle of La Nova Champagne.

A Random Thought for Dan

Val and I want to thank Dan Meyer of Random Thoughts 101 for his very kind, warm thoughts for us and our blog/web site as part of his Twelve Days of Buffalo-Based Blogs. We are very appreciative and humbled by his remarks, and we are both readers of RT101.
Dan and I share a common background of being alumni of WBNY 91.3 FM at Buffalo State College and Buffalo State College itself, and he continues to work in weekly/community journalism as the editor of the Hamburg Sun, while I worked in weekly/community journalism for more than 18 years.
As you can tell, us radio jocks/journalists have a lot to say and find lots of ways to say/write them.

Nine Is the Loneliest Number

Buffalo can be a sports crazy city, and I got a taste of it while driving down Elmwood Avenue doing some final holiday shopping (bones/treats for Walker Evans) today.
On the porch of a house across the street from the parking lot of JP Bullfeathers this afternoon, a football jersey was hung; not just any jersey, but a Dallas Cowboys' jersey with number 9 and "ROMO" on the back for quarterback Tony Romo. This may be the smallest club in Buffalo, particularly for longtime Dallas fans, although I do have a colleague, Paul Henderson, who may be a member of the smallest football club in Erie County; he is a massive Miami Dolphins' fan, and no, I haven't let him hear the end of the Bills' 21-0 win over the Dolphins last Sunday.

New Restaurant, Take 3?

The recent history of Just Pasta, at the corner of Bryant and Ashland a block away from Elmwood Avenue here on the West Side of Buffalo, has been a bit rough. After the original, somewhat upscale restaurant closed, a newer version with the same name opened, allegedly to appeal to more mid-scale patrons, but it, too, closed without apparently catching on with customers.
The restaurant, which had been closed for a couple of months, is a block or block and a half away from our house, so I pass it frequently while taking Walker Evans for his walks. This week, I noticed that not only have workers been painting and renovating part of the interior, but a banner sign has been posted, announcing that coming soon is "Trattoria Aroma."
I have no further information yet, and I am aware of Cafe Aroma with locations on Elmwood Avenue and Main Street in Amherst, but I do not know if there is any relationship between them. I will let you know when I find out more about this development.

On, Wisconsin, Basketball Style

Yes, indeed, the University of Wisconsin men's basketball team is doing well so far this season. The Badgers have a record of 11-1 and have defeated two ranked teams recently; number 20 Marquette about 10 days ago, and Wisconsin dominated number 2 Pitt Saturday, winning 89-75.
Not to brag (OK, a little bit of bragging), but Wisconsin is now ranked number 4 in the AP Coaches' poll, the highest the Badgers have ever been ranked. Val and I are considering a trip to Penn State in February to catch the Wisconsin/Penn State game, and I wonder if my friend and former journalist colleague Aaron Marshall, a proud Penn State graduate and major Buffalo Sabres fan, is paying attention to this upcoming game.

The Day That Was

So, how does the exciting life of a writer/blogger/government worker go during the holidays?
Besides work (and a heavy lunch bought for the staff by our boss), I walked Walker Evans, mailed a few Christmas cards, made dinner, finished decorating the tree with Val, watched Jeopardy, then some of the Knicks' game, dozed off for a while, woke up to watch the two overtime periods of the basketball game (the Knicks beat Charlotte on a tipped shot at the buzzer, 111-109), made my lunch, fed the pup and wrapped some gifts.
Yep, you can see why I take high blood pressure pills; oh, the glamor.

Tough Choice Actually Easy

Earlier this week, I was given the chance to not only go to the Buffalo Bills-Tennessee Titans football game Sunday, Christmas Eve, but I would have been sitting in a private box and provided a parking pass. I said thanks, but no thanks.
Why? Simple; My sister, Heather, her husband Mike and their children, Kristina and Tom, will be visiting from out of town, and as per tradition, we will be getting together at my mother Sheila's house for Christmas Eve dinner and gifts. After getting some sleep following her midnight/overnight shift, Val and I will be joining my family for dinner and presents; I would love to go to the Bills' game, but like to all of us, family comes first.

Another Pet Leaves, Two Find New Home

Another friend of Val and mine, Red from Red's Basement, recently lost a very good friend and family member when his cat, Zippo, died in his arms after being ill for some time. You can read some of Red's feelings over at his blog, and we send out our condolences and hope that Zippo is free of his infirmities now.
Our very good friend, Alex Lynne (Manias), who lost her beloved cat Daisy at age 19 last month, has returned to sharing her residence with cats. She recently visited the Buffalo Animal Shelter and grew enamored with a particular cat litter. She ended up taking home two cats from the litter; a male black cat and his sister, a grey-brown colorful cat. Their names? Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash. Mom and cats appear to be doing very well.

Health, Happiness and Writing

I meant to write about a few items yesterday, but a sinus headache after work, followed by a lack of sleep, led me to fall asleep just after the Monday Night Football game started and to wake up between 11:30 p.m.-midnight, late for feeding Walker Evans and too groggy to coherently write.
But as soon as I feel I'm too out of it to blog, I discover someone who blogs while they should be in bed asleep, namely Jennifer of All Things Jennifer, who appears to have a bit of a bug. It's no wonder she does, since she spends so much of her time doing things for others and playing the great, gracious and never boring hostess, cook and game master, as well as swell partner of Mark.
Val and I hope Jennifer is feeling better very soon during this festive season, and we continue to drool over the photos of the cookies she has made.

Exit Santa, Stage Left

I completed my run as Santa Claus at Santaland Saturday, December 16, with a 6-hour performance with barely an intermission, due to the large number of children and parents in attendance, apparently more than either of the two days I played Santa last week.
My last day as Santa was without Val, because she was back to her horrible overnight work shift and fast asleep during my final shift in the red suit and white hair and beard; I did receive the help of two elf/red and green-clad helpers from 10 a.m.-1 p.m., both females and seemingly high school students or college freshmen. They were very good with the children and parents, but barely spoke to Santa; this Santa was familiar with not being talked to by high school females about 30 years ago and knew the drill. Christa Vidaver of the Western New York Coalition for Progress acted as my helper for the second half of Saturday, and was much more friendly to me.
One of the funniest (to me) visits to Santa occurred this past Saturday. A girl sat on my lap and told me of a couple presents she wanted for Christmas, but seemed to be holding something back. After I twice asked her if there was anything else she wanted, she looked at me and in a hushed tone said, "there is one other present, Santa, but it is kind of an adult present and not a toy. I don't know if you know what it is." I had no idea what she was getting at, so I told her to ask me, because my elves could make anything. "It's a foosball table, Santa. Do you know what that is?"
Once again, the children's wear consisted of a lot of Buffalo Sabres clothing, from hats and jerseys to sweaters, sweatshirts and t-shirts, and more Buffalo Bills clothing than last week. Parents seemed to follow in the pattern of the children, except for one standout, a man who wore a black leather jacket with a large red "W" on the front that I immediately, and happily, recognized as the University of Wisconsin insignia; the back of his jacket bore the words "Wisconsin Badgers" with a large, striding Bucky Badger, the school mascot, in the middle. Being a Wisconsin fan, I remarked to him (his children had already dashed off, candy canes in hand) that I liked his jacket. "Thanks; you brought it to me last year," he replied with a smile.
It was kind of sad when the day ended and I took off the Santa Claus costume for the last time, with someone else (a surprise Santa I'm not certain the identity of who has been revealed to too many yet) portraying Santa Sunday. It was a lot of fun seeing how much so many of the children enjoyed visiting and taking to Santa, even with the occasional meltdown and the other times the children just refused to come up to talk to Santa. The approaches the children took, from very business like to fawning to nervous and innocent of the whole asking for gifts situation, were interesting, and even more interesting was how the children handled and approached these situations.
I thank Amy Maxwell and Revitalize Buffalo and Alan Bedenko and the Western New York Coalition for Progress for not only giving me the chance to be Santa and to feel a bit different and better about myself for a short time this holiday season, but for decisively and selflessly acting to take on a problem and turn it into not only an opportunity, but for giving children another reason to be just that, children, and to enjoy themselves this holiday season. I may have received a lot of attention in the Buffalo News and on various television stations and web sites during this event, but that is simply because I portrayed Santa and was in the limelight. Amy, Alan, Christa and all of the people they worked with and represent are the true heroes and really deserve a lot of credit.
But after this year, I can truly say, with new conviction, ho, ho, ho, Merry Christmas, as well as Happy Holidays to all.

Walking the Dog With Company

I took Walker Evans on his daily walk at about 5 p.m. yesterday, and headed north on Norwood Avenue; at the first corner, who did we encounter but Prego and the Prego Pup; we waved, then joined forces as we realized we were heading in the same direction and that our dogs have met a few times and were friendly with each other.
Indeed, as Prego and I talked about hockey, wives, hockey, music, work, health and hockey, our dogs romped around, sniffed each other and everything else in reach, peed as if they each drank a gallon of water beforehand and, when two dogs were sighted across the street and about a half-block away, they joined forces standing between Prego and I and the other dogs and let loose with some serious barking.
As we parted, we spoke of getting together to watch some Sabres hockey, possibly last night, but it's a good thing I ended up too tired to move much of Saturday night/Sunday morning, due to the Sabres' 3-1 loss to Ottawa.

Where, Oh Where, Has Our Bfloblog Gone?

While the Buffalo Sabres were defeated by the Ottawa Senators Saturday night, 3-1, with the Sabres playing good at times and not so good at others, I and many other people in Buffalo and elsewhere have a larger concern.
There was no open live thread for the hockey game posted at Bfloblog, probably Western New York's best sports blog, as Kevin and Mark do every game. I hope that this was just due to being busy and other holiday time commitments, and that there is not a larger problem for the guys and their blog.
Tune in later today to see if they have an open live thread for the Buffalo Bills' game.

Beefcake, Buffalo Sabres Style

Readers here should remember that Val's favorite Buffalo Sabre is forward and co-captain Daniel Briere, one of the hardest working and most talented Sabres who is their leading scorer at this moment with 38 points (14 goals, 24 assists) and a good bet to go to this year's NHL All-Star game.
But Val is not shy about her admiration for, shall we say, Briere's apparent "good looks," and still fondly recalls an advertisement Briere did last year for Sabres' tickets in which he sat in front of his locker without a shirt on; other women have also commented on how much they enjoy this commercial. I do have to admit that Briere looked much more ripped/in shape than I expected.
This admiration continues; someone hit our blog on December 14 through the search "shirtless Daniel Briere." I can only imagine what the sales would be like if a shirtless Daniel Briere poster was for sale. And no, no one has hit our blog through the search "shirtless Kevin Hosey," a nod toward the intelligence of our readers.

One More Time into the Santa Breach

Santaland, brought to you by the fine efforts of Revitalize Buffalo, the Western New York Coalition for Progress, Amy Maxwell, Alan Bedenko and a host of volunteers, will be held again this weekend, from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, December 16 and 17, at Chestnut Ridge Park in Orchard Park.
After portraying Santa Claus both days last week, I will get to play the jolly guy in the red suit and white hair one more time, Saturday; unfortunately, Val returns to work this weekend and will not get a chance to renew her role as Santa's cute helper. There will also be a surprise Santa Claus Sunday who deserves thanks and congratulations; I won't spoil the surprise.
Donations for the Western New York Foodbank, particularly of baby formula, are needed and will be gladly accepted, as well as cash donations.

Not a Nickname Fan, Sabres Edition

Nope, I've never been much of a fan of nicknames, neither for people (unless they always use it instead of their real name) nor of the contraction short names for offices, departments, sports teams, etc.
So, that statement leads me to this: Dear people who call the Buffalo Sabres "The Sabes." STOP IT NOW. You are only dropping one letter, r, one sound, "ur," and you are looking like lazy, Johnny-Come-Lately douche bags when you call the Sabres this.
Thank you, and please return to your regular blogging and reading.

More Musical Memories: The Ramrods

I recently wrote about coming across a cassette of music by the Moment, one of Buffalo's best original bands, and since I got a good response and because I do listen to older local material as well as more recent releases for reviewing, etc., I will mention another recording of a band from days ago I am enjoying.
The Ramrods were one of the hardest rocking bands in this area during the late 1980s and 1990s, and while the band, singer Bill Scott, guitarists Pat Neal and John Paa, bassist Norm Schwegler and drummer Craig Voigt, released a 12-inch 45 RPM record, the band's CD was never released, or at least not until about a year and a half or two years ago.
The Ramrods' ass-kicking, rock and roll meets punk rock meets MC5 meets flame throwing R&B and 1960s rock sound is captured about as well as one could imagine. Songs like "While the City Sleeps," "Totaled," "Rockroll," "Heavy Shakin' Mamas" and "Full Tank/I'm in Love with My Car," some recorded in the studio and others recorded live, still send that chill down my spine and sweat down my brow. Damn, this is a great CD, one Val and I got at the last Ramrods' reunion show at Mohawk Place about a year and a half ago. I'll check to see if any more are available.

Here Comes Santa Claus, Part 2

The second day of my portrayal of Santa Claus at Santaland, brought to you by several fine groups led by Revitalize Buffalo (Amy Maxwell) and the Western New York Coalition for Progress (Alan Bedenko) went a lot like the first day, with mostly great kids and several annoying parents.
The main difference was the major increase in children and families attending Santaland and giving me their Chirstmas/holiday gift lists. Not only did we have about double the number of children that attended Saturday come through on Sunday, but I noticed that many more came in packs, um, family groups.
Some families chose to come up one child at a time, something that made sense to me unless one of the children was very young and needed an older child or parent with them. But a good number walked up to me all at once; two or even three children is OK, but when it got to five and six children at a time, you almost always had some children fighting, one crying and pretty much none of them listening to you.
But you never get impatient, or at least show your impatience, and just keep remembering that Santaland, and for the most part Christmas aside from the actual religious component, is for the children, and for the kids to enjoy themselves. You learn quickly just how serious some children take Santa, or someone like me (very tall, etc.) playing Santa, and the general presence of someone who has so much power in granting them their gift wishes and how scared some children become. You also find out how stupid some parents are in forcing their children to go up when they are scared; this includes the occasional parent who actually starts yelling at their child when they are scared. Yeah; ho, ho, ho, you insensitive morons.
But these few bad parents don't stop you from performing your Santa duties, and the smiles you see in the children's faces make it more than worthwhile. Even the 10 or so meltdowns Val counted Sunday didn't get us down.
I will be playing Santa Claus one more day, from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, December 14, with a special guest portraying Santa from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday. One tip if you are attending Santaland Sunday; last week, the largest crowds of people started arriving in the late morning, possibly just after Mass around 11 a.m., and the attendance started waning after 3 p.m. With the Bills playing at home at 1 p.m. Sunday, this may complicate things.

Here Comes Santa Claus

For the second straight year, Santaland, which was previously run by Erie County, was saved from non-existence by volunteers, this year led by Alan Bedenko, head of the Western New York Coalition for Progress, and Amy Maxwell, the tireless Buffalo booster from Revitalize Buffalo.
I haven't really had the chance recently to give back to the community in ways I should (I have been very fortunate over the years and remain so), and when I heard that someone was needed to be Santa Claus this year, I volunteered to do so. Amy provided me with the costume, which fit much better than was expected for someone of my height, and with Val as Santa's helper, we headed down to Chestnut Ridge Park Saturday morning for the first day.
We got there just in time, and there were a couple of children ready as soon as I sat my red self down; I was fortunate to start the day with a brother-sister team who were considerate, well-mannered and spoken and intelligent. It may surprise some readers, and actually pleasantly surprised me, but the large majority of children were very well behaved, at times better behaved than some of the parents. A couple parents were, oh, shall we say, pushy in their setting up of photos of their children individually, then in teams and then with friends, but hey, Santa was there for the kids, and that always helps you get past the less friendly elders.
Indeed, we only had about five of what Val accurately called "meltdowns," children who just became inconsolable and bawled uncontrollably, We had a few more children who began to sniffle as they realized that their just moments ago loving parents had deposited them onto the lap of some strange, large, white-haired fellow in a red suit who started asking them questions. One of the meltdowns, albeit a slow one, was provided by Mia, the incredibly cute, brown-eyed daughter of WGRZ-TV reporter Stefan Mychajliw, who gave Santa and her father a serious "how dare you?" look after Stefan put her on my lap for about 5 seconds before the tears and removal started.
The gifts the children asked for were varied, but some trends developed; Diego dolls, all things Princess, Star Wars items, X Boxes, video games and PS3 games were the most asked for toys, while Buffalo Sabres jerseys were also very popular, the single most asked for clothing item. At least 10 children asked for Sabres jerseys, including two specific requests each for Max Afinogenov and Ryan Miller jerseys and one for a Daniel Briere jersey, as well as requests for Sabres hockey sticks.
One hockey jersey request raised some parental eyebrows. A brother and sister were brought up to Santa by their parents; the girl asked for a Sabres jersey among other items, and after her brother asked for a few toys, he asked for a hockey jersey. When his mother asked him to tell Santa which one, he said "The Senators," and repeated it when she asked him a second time. She then asked him which player, seeming to think that he would name a Sabre. "Ray Emery," he said with a smile, naming the Ottawa Senators' goalie.
One thing I am still learning, despite Val's repeated warnings/advice before we started and continued to tell me to watch for during my first day as Santa was to stay in my "Santa voice," and not just for the "ho, ho, ho" portion of being Santa. I tried and tried, and things got better as the first 6-hour session went on, but I still have to work on it, especially when a parent asks me a question. But at least none of the children caught me or corrected me.
Another concern that worked out better was drinking hot chocolate; Val got me a straw to use, and fortunately, my beard has an actual opening where one's mouth would be, between the mustache and beard portion, so I was able to drink the hot chocolate without lifting up the beard. I did have to lift the beard for the small half-bag of potato chips I ate, my only food, and really, the only food I could have eaten with all of the children visiting. Otherwise, the beard and wig are pains in the arse from which you have to clear stray hairs from your mouth and eyes all day long.
All told, I had a great time as Santa Claus on day one, with great help and support from Val as well as the Santaland volunteer staff, and hope to have more fun later today and at least one day next week. See you there, and, you guessed it, ho, ho, ho.

Outlyers at Nietzsche's Tonight

Join Val and I as we catch one of our favorote bands, the Outlyers, at 7 p.m. tonight, Friday, December 8, at Nietzsche's, 248 Allen Street.
Anyone curious about this rocking roots band can check various stories and reviews posted to our web site, Buffaloroots, or the Outlyer's web site.

Hoots and Boots

Val and I have introduced a new feature at our related web site, Buffaloroots, called Hoots and Boots. Because we receive more CDs than we are able to give full-length reviews to, we will now be able to review more CDs (and DVDs coming up soon) in slightly shorter fashion.
The first edition of Hoots and Boots features CDs by Nancy Apple and Rob McNurlin, Ed Bentley, Hayes Carll, the Fleshtones, the Missing Planes, Stephen Merritt, Whiskey Daredevils and Wilco. There will be many more CDs and DVDs to follow, with a few more reviews to come very soon.

23 Flavors of Annoyance

I am a big, big fan of Dr. Pepper; indeed, I am a fan of cola and/or cola style pop, or as some of you less refined people call it, soft drink or soda pop.
But I haven't had any Dr. Pepper in a long time, maybe a year or more; one reason was that, at my previous job, when I took the 20-ounce screw-off top bottles to work, I would have to leave the newsroom and either go to the men's room sink or the sink in the production area near our dark room, because it would always, without fail, fizz over and squirt as far as my careful opening would allow it. No other pop would do this with even general regularity, but Dr. Pepper ALWAYS fizzed over on me.
Well, Wegmans had 2-liter bottles of Dr. Pepper on sale yesterday, so I gave in and bought one. I could not recall the 2-liter bottles ever fizzing over on me. After Val let for work tonight, I got the dog's green chew bone out of the kitchen and, having put the Dr. Pepper in the refrigerator earlier today, I figured it was time to have a nice, big glass of it.
Well, you probably already guessed it; despite my slow turning of the cap, burping the bottle and letting some air out before closing it and then opening it again, the bottle fizzed over, and I spent a few minutes wiping Dr. Pepper off the kitchen table, bottle itself and a touch on the floor. Does anyone else have this problem with Dr. Pepper?
But damn, does it taste good.

Happy Birthday, Buffalo Pundit

Val and I want to extend our best birthday wishes to Alan Bedenko, best known as must-read blogger Buffalo Pundit and also the head of the Western New York Coalition for Progress
Due to a memorial Mass for my late father Edward and the fact that Val has to work tonight, we cannot attend the birthday party being held for Buffalo Pundit at one of his favorite/favorite Buffalo/Western New York pizza places, Zetti's Pizza and Pasta, 3500 Main Street, but we will make sure we catch up with the revelers this holiday season.