One of the things I love about living in Buffalo is the change of seasons. By the time I've had enough of one season, another one approaches.
We had BEAUTIFUL weather today, with temps reaching up to 70 degrees F. Sunny and warm! I again decided to park in the furthest parking lot on campus, and make the long trek to the building where my class is held. This time though, I did not get rained on. I enjoyed the walk, and being in the sunshine for a bit. Driving with the windows down, no jacket, and sun glasses on. Such a refreshing change from the heavy coats and blowing snow which seem to have over stayed their welcome.
I've had all the windows in my apt. open to let the fresh air circulate, and it feels great.. not to mention smells good too. Ahh... fresh air! I took Toby out onto the deck to give him a good brushing. He looks like such a schmuck, and needs to be groomed badly, so I figured he could benefit from at least a good brush down. He loved it... just layed there in the sun, and didn't want me to stop. I could have built another dog with the amount of fur that kept coming off him though.. lol.
I have a long day of work ahead of me tomorrow, an 8-5 shift. BUT, I'm actually looking forward to it.. somewhat. OMG.. did I just say that??? I miss my friends at work, and I've been rather cooped up in the house for the most part... seeing as my friends have been too busy for a visit as of late. I'm looking forward to working with Shirley, and laughing with the morning crew of associates at Walmart... we wake each other up with laughter.
I've been trying to decide what I'm going to bake for Easter Sunday, as it is approaching fast. This is the first Easter we will be celebrating at our house... and just like Christmas, the first Easter without any Grandparents. What will really make this different is that we might not have ANY other relatives over except my immediate household. My Aunt and Uncle might be going to their inlaws, and my Uncle Vinny from NC might be going to his girl friend's family. As for Joey and Katie.. who knows, they too might be going to her side of the family. Thankfully, as it stands, Jason will be joining us for Easter, so we'll have at least ONE guest. I don't like the idea of a small get together for the holiday.. if it was up to me.. I'd start making phone calls and sending out e-mails telling people: "Dinner is at 5.. BE THERE, and bring your appetite!"
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Monday, March 26, 2007
My professor posted the exam and answers online today (but not the grade). Just looking at the answers, I know there is no way in hell I passed this exam. Grrrr!! I put a lot of study time into this damn thing!! Well, looks like the "optional" final exam won't be so optional anymore. LOL
This is so not the bio class I was expecting. And to think, I got an A in biology in High School.
This is so not the bio class I was expecting. And to think, I got an A in biology in High School.
Sunday, March 25, 2007
Just another manic Sunday... lol
I have been in a funk off and on all week... and it caught up to me today. I don't even know what's bothering me.... No, that's not true. I know damn well what's bothering me, and I'm ignoring it.
I was bored, and wanted to go out and spend time with people, but I turned down the two offers I had to spend time with friends.. one from Vitaly, and one from Jason. I ended up going to Forrest Lawn Cemetery (my FAVORITE spot in Buffalo) and just walked around reading people's names, and doing some meditating. Jason called, and we talked for a good while was I was wandering the grounds.. helped to keep my mind off shit.
I beat the crap out of myself today.. physically. I went on the elliptical for a little over a half hour, on increased resistance, did the long walk at Forrest Lawn, did another 20 mins on the elliptical, then went for a mile walk tonight. I don't know what I expect to accomplish.. but I have to keep moving. For some reason, the more soreness I have, the better I seem to feel. At least then I can blame feeling crappy on something physical.
I was bored, and wanted to go out and spend time with people, but I turned down the two offers I had to spend time with friends.. one from Vitaly, and one from Jason. I ended up going to Forrest Lawn Cemetery (my FAVORITE spot in Buffalo) and just walked around reading people's names, and doing some meditating. Jason called, and we talked for a good while was I was wandering the grounds.. helped to keep my mind off shit.
I beat the crap out of myself today.. physically. I went on the elliptical for a little over a half hour, on increased resistance, did the long walk at Forrest Lawn, did another 20 mins on the elliptical, then went for a mile walk tonight. I don't know what I expect to accomplish.. but I have to keep moving. For some reason, the more soreness I have, the better I seem to feel. At least then I can blame feeling crappy on something physical.
Thursday, March 22, 2007
Exams suck
Exam 2 of 3 in my Bio class was today. First let me just say that I studied my ASS off for this exam. I tried so hard to remember all the various glands of the endocrine system, what they secrete, what they do... etc.
My performance on the exam can be summed up in one comparison: The Titanic. Despite all the research and effort that was put forth, I still sank like a rock. Thankfully there was an extra credit question, and I was able to answer a few of those thanks to Nick's help!
I love being a professional student... NOT!
My performance on the exam can be summed up in one comparison: The Titanic. Despite all the research and effort that was put forth, I still sank like a rock. Thankfully there was an extra credit question, and I was able to answer a few of those thanks to Nick's help!
I love being a professional student... NOT!
Monday, March 19, 2007
A day out
Yesterday after Mass I stopped at Bobby's for breakfast. I walked into the house to the smell of bacon and sausage... droooooool. It reminded me of Easter brunch at Grandma L's. Bobby had hot chocolate and breakfast waiting for me, and bloody mary's after the meal. What a GREAT morning!! I hadn't seen Bobby in a while, and it was so nice to visit with him again, and catch up with one another... food or no food... it was a great visit.
I went out to Rochester with Jeff to see the musical Annie. I had never seen the musical, movie, or knew much about the presentation at all. I of course had heard the song "Tomorrow", but that's about it. The play was great!! The kids in it sang wonderfully, and it really is a cute story line. I had no idea it took place during the depression, and it was comical to see the "Hoovervills", radio programs, and the appearances from the boisterous FDR. The acting and singing were quite good, but I have to say my favorite character in the whole play was the dog!! He was so damn cute!!! It was a nice evening out. :-)
I went out to Rochester with Jeff to see the musical Annie. I had never seen the musical, movie, or knew much about the presentation at all. I of course had heard the song "Tomorrow", but that's about it. The play was great!! The kids in it sang wonderfully, and it really is a cute story line. I had no idea it took place during the depression, and it was comical to see the "Hoovervills", radio programs, and the appearances from the boisterous FDR. The acting and singing were quite good, but I have to say my favorite character in the whole play was the dog!! He was so damn cute!!! It was a nice evening out. :-)
Friday, March 16, 2007
Peeps.. Peeps, and MORE PEEPS!
I had a LONG day at work. I worked from 11AM to 8:15PM... and it was nuts from the word go. I came into the lab with my manager working on the printer, with chemical all over the floor... not a fun start to a day. I swear those machines plan to break AT THE SAME TIME.. because the kodak machines soon followed the mechanical rebellion, and decided to act up.
Anyway, Cindy from the portrait studio was my peep dealer.. which gave us the sugar high to keep going. We were all thrilled to find out they introduced a new color peep... GREEN! I can't even tell you how many peeps I ate, but I can honestly say, it was a peep over dose!! Hey, it gave us something to laugh about.. and as you can see from these pics (admittedly blurry), peeps are our sacred "animal" and food in the photo center! =-P
Thursday, March 15, 2007
A new friendship
I visited the website for my old school, which I attended from grades 6-8 after my home parish (and school) of St. Joe's merged with the other Catholic schools in North Tonawanda in 1989. I hadn't been to Ascension in quite some time, though I visited it briefly during Holy Week of last year.
I contacted the new pastor of the parish to praise him for the work that is being done at the parish, and basically just to say hello from a former student. Well, the simple e-mail turned into a nice discussion, and he invited me to attend morning Mass with the school kids, as well as Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament yesterday. I gladly went, and it was the first time I was at Mass in that Church since I went there with my class back in '96. Hard to believe it has been 11 YEARS!
Father already knew that I attend the Tridentine (or Pre-Vatican II) style Mass, and to help make me feel more at home, chanted the Agnus Dei (Lamb of God) in Latin. It was a refreshing element after (what I consider) the annoyance of the folk singers and bongo drums that were used for the "hymns" at Mass. It was also nice to hear that Father does often chat various parts of the Mass in Latin.. reminding his parishoners that Latin is still indeed the language of the Church, and our sacred heritage.
He came to greet me immediately after Mass, and gave me a tour of my old stomping grounds, and pointed out the various changes to the building that have been done over the years. He invited me back to the rectory for a cup of tea, and we had a wonderful and LONG talk in his office... which I really did enjoy. We chatted about everything from my love of the "Classical Liturgy" (as we now refer to the Tridentine Liturgy), to my being gay. He is very supportive of my "traditional" prayer style, but certainly follows the Church's mainstream views on homosexuality... which is what I expected. I have to say though, he was never once nasty, and always very kind in the way he spoke to me, and gave his views. He even said, "We don't have to agree to be friends", and that's very true. I re-iterated that we will probably never see eye to eye on this particular topic, and that's ok... people don't have to agree with each other, but they must respect each other.. and for that, I tip my hat to Father.
It's nice to have another friend in the clergy again. Though I do talk about my faith and practices here in this blog, I try not to mention it TOO much with my other friends, as I know it's not something they share. It's refreshing to have someone whom I can talk with, and get excited and passionate about things that on some level mean so much to me. I'm hoping we get to hang out more in the future... and it's a bonus that his parish is so close.
That afternoon, I went with Jason over to visit Anne and Vince. She is doing a little better now, and doesn't need the assistance of the cane as much. She will be going for some kind of iron infusion treatment tomorrow, to help treat the iron deficiency she has.
We had a nice lunch, and pigged out on the "monkey bread" cake I made... OMG is that stuff good!! We also got to play with her great-grandson, Austin, who is almost a year old. He is the best behaved baby I have ever seen, and is all smiles! We played blocks together, and he loves going for walks around the house, as long as he has some one's hands to hang onto while he does it. For a moment, I thought how neat it would be to have a kid... then his diaper had to be changed, and the thought quickly vanished. :-)
I contacted the new pastor of the parish to praise him for the work that is being done at the parish, and basically just to say hello from a former student. Well, the simple e-mail turned into a nice discussion, and he invited me to attend morning Mass with the school kids, as well as Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament yesterday. I gladly went, and it was the first time I was at Mass in that Church since I went there with my class back in '96. Hard to believe it has been 11 YEARS!
Father already knew that I attend the Tridentine (or Pre-Vatican II) style Mass, and to help make me feel more at home, chanted the Agnus Dei (Lamb of God) in Latin. It was a refreshing element after (what I consider) the annoyance of the folk singers and bongo drums that were used for the "hymns" at Mass. It was also nice to hear that Father does often chat various parts of the Mass in Latin.. reminding his parishoners that Latin is still indeed the language of the Church, and our sacred heritage.
He came to greet me immediately after Mass, and gave me a tour of my old stomping grounds, and pointed out the various changes to the building that have been done over the years. He invited me back to the rectory for a cup of tea, and we had a wonderful and LONG talk in his office... which I really did enjoy. We chatted about everything from my love of the "Classical Liturgy" (as we now refer to the Tridentine Liturgy), to my being gay. He is very supportive of my "traditional" prayer style, but certainly follows the Church's mainstream views on homosexuality... which is what I expected. I have to say though, he was never once nasty, and always very kind in the way he spoke to me, and gave his views. He even said, "We don't have to agree to be friends", and that's very true. I re-iterated that we will probably never see eye to eye on this particular topic, and that's ok... people don't have to agree with each other, but they must respect each other.. and for that, I tip my hat to Father.
It's nice to have another friend in the clergy again. Though I do talk about my faith and practices here in this blog, I try not to mention it TOO much with my other friends, as I know it's not something they share. It's refreshing to have someone whom I can talk with, and get excited and passionate about things that on some level mean so much to me. I'm hoping we get to hang out more in the future... and it's a bonus that his parish is so close.
That afternoon, I went with Jason over to visit Anne and Vince. She is doing a little better now, and doesn't need the assistance of the cane as much. She will be going for some kind of iron infusion treatment tomorrow, to help treat the iron deficiency she has.
We had a nice lunch, and pigged out on the "monkey bread" cake I made... OMG is that stuff good!! We also got to play with her great-grandson, Austin, who is almost a year old. He is the best behaved baby I have ever seen, and is all smiles! We played blocks together, and he loves going for walks around the house, as long as he has some one's hands to hang onto while he does it. For a moment, I thought how neat it would be to have a kid... then his diaper had to be changed, and the thought quickly vanished. :-)
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