Darkness on the Edge of Downtown

I kind of mentioned it a week or so ago, and it is now here. Even after I get up at 6 a.m. and shower, the sun has not yet risen.
Indeed, the sky is now only starting to surrender its almost black hue to purple, and there is no dramatic color in the sky as I write this post. Sadly, it is that time, light and weather wise.

Great Show, Part One

The girlpope reunion show was a great night of music at Mohawk Place Saturday night, as the band played two more-than-1-hour sets partly in commemoration of the release of their fantastic CD "The Whole Scene Going," which came out 10 years ago in 1999.
The band's sound, hinting at power pop, 1960s rock and pop a la the Kinks and Who, harder edged rock and roll and lots of melody, hooks and good songs, sounded almost as fresh as the days in the 1990s and early 2000s, when girlpope was one of Buffalo's best bands.
There is a lot more to write about this show, and I will get to a longer piece later today or tomorrow.

No Thanks, Sabres, NHL, Versus/NBC

Actually, I would really like to oh, so thank the Buffalo Sabres, National Hockey League, Versus and/or NBC for scheduling the Buffalo Sabres-Philadelphia Flyers game at 1 p.m. today, Friday.
For the douchenozzles who don't seem to understand, the vast majority of people, including Val and me, do not have the Friday/day after Thanksgiving off from work and will not be able to watch the game live.
Yes, of course, we are DVRing the game, but we will have to avoid almost all forms of media contact to not find out the score. This ought to be particularly fun for me, considering what my job/the nature of my job is. Some people also do not seem to realize that there are various other forms of professional and college sports scheduled at the same time, as well as a bit of shopping, I hear.
I do have to thank friend and super Sabres fan Renee Roberts for reminding me and several other people of the 1 p.m. game start change via Facebook.

Happy Thanksgiving

I want to wish everyone out there a Happy Thanksgiving from the Dunne-Hosey Estates; our two families will be celebrating the holiday at the Dossinger-Dunne residence, hosted by Tricia Dunne-Dossinger and Brad Dossinger.
I will be picking my mother Sheila up and going out there, while Val is working. I hope that Val can get out early so that we can go over together, but it depends on how busy she and her employer are this holiday.
So, you fine readers, stay safe and enjoy yourselves today as we are thankful in whatever way we choose for what we have.

Working Today

Like a decent amount, but certainly not all of you, I will be working a full day today, the day before Thanksgiving, and it isn't so bad.
First, it is a very busy and important day at work, so a lot of major items need to be accomplished and a session will be held. Indeed, I may be contacted at home throughout tonight for work.
But also, I have never had a job, going back to journalism, Wilson Farms and retail, at which I have had more than Thanksgiving off, and indeed, especially with journalism and Wilson Farms, I have worked a lot of part or full days on Thanksgiving. It is simply the nature of the jobs, and while you'd rather be home, you know what has to be done.
In addition, Val is not only working today, but has to work Thanksgiving again this year; it is certainly the nature of her employer. Fortunately, because she is working Thanksgiving, she will not have to work on Christmas or New Year's Day.
Enjoy your holiday and families and be safe, fine readers.

One for the Entire Weekend

This past weekend was almost an entire loss for me sports wise, but thankfully, in the tail end of it, the University of Wisconsin mens' basketball team defeated Arizona overnight in the Maui Invitational, 65-61.
Even that game had its drawbacks; first, Wisconsin went out to a 16-2 lead before having to hold on, and the game, scheduled to start at midnight, was a bit late, and I had to turn it off at about 1:45 a.m. with 10 minutes left.
But all this was much better than the rest of the weekend, where the Buffalo Sabres lost twice in the NHL, the Buffalo Bills again lost a lead late and were beaten by Jacksonville, 18-15, and the Wisconsin football team was upset by Northwestern, 33-31, and fell out of the Top 25 rankings.
Oh, and I almost forgot about Ireland getting jobbed by the referees in its 1-1 "loss" to France due to an obvious but missed handball on a goal.
Well, things can't get worse, can they?

Thanksgiving? Really?

Through various occurrences, it just doesn't seem like Thanksgiving week, with the holiday itself three days away.
Even with the calendar screaming out November 23, with the few Thanksgiving advertisements and displays in stores already buried by Christmas/holiday advertisements and displays, and Tony's large, inflatable turkey and pumpkin on the porch across the street, it doesn't seem like the end of November in most ways.
Even at work, when some major processes and events occur and are occurring at this time, it just doesn't seem like Thanksgiving. The weather probably has something to do with it, being a bit warmer than normal, so by writing this post I have no doubt jinxed that part of things and we will soon return to colder weather.

Uncertainty - No Fun

I absolutely hate the feeling of uncertainty and lack of control in certain areas of my life; it distracts me from doing what I need to do on the actual situation causing the uncertainty and makes me a bit prickly.
Of course, this will no doubt lead to even more obstacles in my writing and other parts of my life, and probably cause me to lose more sleep or just not go to sleep earlier because it makes me worry too much and get too nervous to sleep or go to bed.
One part of the uncertainty that really sucks is the actual, plain and simple not knowing what will happen yet or how to plan for or address it. And, as you can now see, I start to get "run at the mouth" disease when I am uncertain and trying to figure out and solve things.
This ought to be a fun next month or two.

A Bit More Contrast

After describing yesterday's gorgeous sunrise, looking out my window this morning produces as big a change as possible (well, except if it was a bit colder).
The rain is coming down, so there is no visible sunrise yet, and barely any color at all. I see dark and slightly medium purple as well as navy blue and black skies, and I can hear the rain coming down, steady if not too hard, and my fingers feel a bit chilled.
Hopefully, the rain and chill won't bring on the arthritis I have and get in my fingers and hands (and occasionally other joints), and even more so, I hope the rain ends before I come home and take Walker Evans on his neighborhood jaunt. A chilly, wet and smelly dog who probably thinks the same about me won't make the house any better this evening.
And yes, the gloomy morning seems fitting following the Buffalo Sabres' 6-2 loss to the Florida Panthers last night; a crappy game all around.

Contrast

While Walker Evans is feeling a lot better and the sun, as described below, made for a lovely backdrop, Val is feeling rather sick and making the day suck, especially for her.
Let's see, how did Val describe how she felt a few minutes go? Oh, yes, like "a giant shitball," and it is for a variety of reasons, including a prescription for an antibiotic called in to our pharmacy which I was to pick up last night, but when I got there they had not received it. Oh, freaking joy.
I'm hoping Val is feeling better very soon for all of the obvious reasons, plus the Buffalo Arts Studio is holding its members' show reception this Saturday, November 21, at its location in the Tri-Main Building on Main Street in Buffalo. Val is a resident photographer and member of the board of directors for the BAS.

Wow

We had another amazing sunrise this morning, one of the last I'll get to see before the sun rises after I've gone downstairs for breakfast and don't have a clear window view in that direction.
The gold/yellow, orange, pink, red, blue and purple sky was again simply amazing, and maybe will carry me through the day with some uplift, as the higher than normal temperatures predicted will also probably help.

Walker Evans on the Mend

Shortly after I blogged about Walker Evans and his injury yesterday, it was time for him to go out and eat breakfast. Well, he had such difficulty with the stairs (needing help up from outside to the house) that I took him to our veterinarian.
We went to the Brighton Eggert Animal Clinic, where Walker has gone for years; his walking on flat surfaces or slight rises/declines was OK, but stairs were really tough, with lots of hesitation, and we were worried about the seriousness of his injuries.
Fortunately, after a thorough examination, no structural damage or broken bones were found; Walker had a couple of sprained and strained joints to go along with his arthritis, and basically needs some rest and is on a prescription anti-inflammatory drug with some stomach buffering for his gastritis and bloat.
Walker is moving a bit better every day, and after a few days of shorter walks and a skip in visiting Puppy Playpen for a week, he should be fine. Thank you everybody for your thoughts and kind words.

A Rough Sunday for Walker Evans

Sunday was supposed to be a big day for Walker Evans; it was the 10th anniversary of Val adopting him and bringing him home, and it is basically the day we celebrate his birthday, and he turned age 12.
We set out to the Lasalle Park dog park as we do every weekend, and he was having a good time, trotting around and playing with other dogs. But Walker decided that he would start roughhousing with some of the larger dogs (Walker is 80 pounds), and one trampled him a couple of times, and Walker let out a scary whine and painful howl.
I went running and it was obvious that Walker had been hurt in his back hips/haunches, where he has arthritis. At first, he looked badly hurt and couldn't stand, but after a minute or so, he stood, then started walking and his limp was all but gone. We immediately went home.
Walker has been favoring his hips/haunches since we got home; regular walking has been OK, if a little slow, but stairs have been difficult for him, and he has been hesitating or not climbing them. I had to bring dinner upstairs last night, but he will have to go downstairs to go outside before he eats this morning.
Let's see what happens; he is a great dog.

Weekend Fun

It's going to be one of those Saturdays; I am not only awake at 8:30 a.m., Walker Evans has already been outside and my cinnamon hazelnut coffee is brewing.
First stop will be Quest Diagnostics, where Val has to have some blood work done, and then to the 14th annual Women's Gifts arts, music and craft sale at Asbury Hall at Babeville, and then to my mother's for family gathering with my sister-in-law Janet in town from Arizona.
And these are only the highlights, folks, so the coffee will be therapeutic as well as tasty.

Visitor from the West

This is going to be a very busy weekend in the Dunne-Hosey Estates, but there will be one particular highlight: My sister-in-law Janet will be visiting from Arizona.
Janet, my late brother Brian's wife, is staying with my mother Sheila during her stay here of just under a week; it has been years since she came out here, and the Hoseys from Arizona basically visit here piecemeal, one every few years.
Janet was born and raised in Western New York, so the weather and habits will be no surprise to her, and we should have fun seeing her this weekend.

Change Is Good, Cereal Edition

I opened a box of Cheerios this week, partly because they didn't have any other cereals I wanted when I made an emergency stop at PriceRite and partly because I have been thinking of trying them again.
It has been years since I ate Cheerios (always with some sugar over them), and after eating a couple of cereals for years when I have cereal, I was getting tired of them, so I deciced with the opportunity at hand, it was time to revisit the round oat cereal.
I'm glad I did; they remain tasty and apparently made the same way they used to be, and they go good with/do not affect the flavor of my coffee (true, milk and sugar barely dent my coffee, either). I also use way less sugar on them than I used to add when I was a serious sugar addict; yes, worse than I am now.

Happy Veterans Day, Remembrance Day

Val and I want to wish all veterans who served our country a Happy Veterans Day. These wishes especially go out to Edward Patrick Dunne, US Navy, and Edward William Hosey, US Army, both Korean War veterans and both sadly missed by our families.
We would also like to wish the same warm feelings of appreciation and reflection to Canadian veterans on this Remembrance Day for them. I have a lot of Canadian relatives, almost all Connellys (my mother's side, originating from County Sligo, Ireland), and there are a good number of veterans from World War II and other conflicts, etc., still living and coming to our family reunions.

Feeling Better

I picked up AA batteries on the way home from work yesterday and our thermostat box is now working again, and turning on the furnace, so yesterday's pissed off feeling has gone. Let's hope the Buffalo Sabres win tonight to continue this upgrade.

Temperament Swing

Man, it's amazing to see how bad your morning can turn on the basis of having a package of AA batteries on hand at home or not.
Stay tuned, or don't.

A Loving Celebration

There were hundreds of people filing the seats and lining the walls of the auditorium at the Burchfield Penney Arts Center for the celebration of the life of painter/artist Jackie Felix Saturday, who died September 19, 2009, on her 80th birthday.
Hosted by her husband, Al Felix, a poet and retired English teacher, the ceremony featured his thoughts and poems, as well as those of family, friends and art colleagues, who remembered a remarkable woman who was so strong and active in art, politics, family and even cooking.
There were moments of humor, enlightenment and sadness, and Al Felix has to stop a few times while reciting his poems due to the emotions, but the many family and friends present, as well as the gorgeous weather, were fine complements to the life of Jackie Felix. I was fortunate to have met and discussed many of these things with Jackie, who I first met and knew through my lovely wife, photographer Val Dunne. Both were resident artists at the Buffalo Arts Studio, where Val is a member of the board of directors.

It Figures, Or Musical Conflict

I am a pretty big fan of Lyle Lovett, and was hoping/planning to catch him at the State University of Buffalo Center of the Arts at his upcoming show.
Of course, I checked the date of Lovett's show yesterday, and the show is scheduled for Thursday, November 12. Hmm, why does that date stick in my mind?
Why, of course; I have the proposed 2010 Erie County budget hearing to attend and work at for my job. Yes, I know these conflicts can occur, and I am fortunate to work for the people, but geez, can I catch a scheduling break?
We return you to your regularly scheduled complaining.

Act Like You've Been There Before

And the award for the most obnoxious sports fans goes to...New York Yankees' fans, for again proving how annoying and bandwagon-jumping you are after the Yankees knocked off the Philadelphia Phillies to win the World Series for the 27th time last night.
I have not been a big baseball fan for years and really only pay atention at playoff time, so I have no rooting interest, and I don't really get into rooting aginst teams. But it has been easy as always to see what a bunch of douchenozzles many (not all, mind you) Yankees' fans are.
Any sports fan who seems to take as much or more enjoyment out of other people losing and feeling bad about things is an asshole, in my book, so when the shoe fits, shove it up your ass.

Winged Morning Fun

Yesterday, after taking Val to work due to some MS symptoms and doing some other Election Day oriented stuff, I found Walker Evans in an excited state and heard a swoosh upstairs.
It turns out that we had a winged visitor flying around upstairs from our bedroom to the media room, through the hall to the bathroom and so on. The bird, about a foot long with dark feathers and white spotting/speckling, then flew downstairs, with Walker running behind.
After several minutes of trying to but not catching the bird with an old Buffalo Bills' blanket (neither Val nor I know where the blanket came from), the bird stayed in the bedroom and tried to fly out the closed windows, and then flew into Val's closet for a bit, with Walker following it inside. I opened a window, but it didn't sense it open and stayed inside.
The bird then came out, tried one more bedroom window escape, and flew to the bathroom, where it tried to fly out that window; I opened it, closed the bathroom door and waited; checking back a couple of minutes later, the board was finally gone. Walker looked disappointed.
I looked up the bird and talked to people about it; some first said a grackle, but the photos did not support the speckling at all. Finally, Barb Elliott pointed out that it sounded like a starling with its winter plumage; I looked it up, and the photo perfectly matched the bird I saw.

Media Overload/You're Not That Interesting

I may still be a bit behind in modern technology, but can someone tell me why people have their new blog posts and Twitter messages posted to Facebook?
Dear lord, do you honestly think that you are interesting enough that everyone on one social networking site must be immediately updated on every character you click, every word you think of or write on other sites?
If I want to know that much about you, I will sign up to receive your Tweets and I will read your blog; chances are , if you update every word and thought you have ever experienced, I will ignore it and you, and no, I do not Tweet nor do I still have a cellular telephone.

Too Soon?

The holidays are getting so rushed in stores in Buffalo/Western New York that I noticed that there was already dust on the Christmas/holiday displays at Wegmans Sunday.
And since I'm sure no one remembers, you have about 23 shopping days left until Thanksgiving, at least on this side of the U.S.-Canada boirder.