Mascot


I started this blog to chronicle our camping trip to Florida. For the trip, we adopted a battery powered singing frog as our mascot. I kept telling everyone about it's cute little song and dance which entertained us immensely on the drive. The entertainment factor went up as the batteries ran low and the little frog strained to deliver its happy routine. Sorta took on a evil alter ego kind of tone. All of this of course was lost on anyone who has not seen the little entertainer. Eric forwarded a movie clip this morning, so I have saved it forever on YouTube. Check it out. You can find the trip write up here.

Stuff













Trying to clean out the house these days. You look at some of the items that tend to collect behind your back. I just wonder what is waiting for me in the rest of the house .... This is a sample of what I pulled out of my stereo cabinet as I started packing the DVD's, Cd's and stereo equipment [ which did not include a cassette deck btw....]












Tape recorder i used for thesis interviews [1995] Sony walkman from RIT [1993]












Instructions on how to use my washer [2000]












Mixed Tapes. [1978 - 1997] The Maxell in the front is the pioneer of mixed tapes. My brother made in in 1978 by recording songs off the radio. It also contains many ballads and dramatic performances from when I got a tape recorder for Christmas in 1978. I promised some old classmates that the recordings WILL make it to mp3 eventually.












Kodak Camera [ 1992] with a half used roll of film on it












Gabe was helping me by holding down the couch.

Spring in Rochester












The past weekend weather here was beautiful! Eric and i took advantage of it to do some walking while meeting some friends for brunch. Eric also brought his new Canon PowerShot SD800 so we could give it a test drive.













The downtown Rundel library. An art deco piece - lotsa of scribings and steely face motifs of very serious people on the front. I spent alot of hours here working on thesis and reading old railroad maps.















This is the old Lehigh Valley Railroad station. It also served the Rochester subway[?] at one point. When I moved to Rochester in 1992, it was a club called Carpe Diem. People still talk about Carpe Diem being the best club Rochester ever had. Now it is Dinosaur BBQ, very popular with all the suburban mid life crisis biker wanna be's.











This is the bridge downtown behind the library. If you are a bridge freak of caliber- this is the "Mona Lisa" of Bridges. The upper deck used to carry the Erie canal over the Genessee River.










This picture is from 1914. They built the library in the center of the photograph on top of the water causeway. At the left you can see the Lehigh station. If you look carefully across the bridge from the Lehigh train station, you will see the Erie station that they knocked down for a parking lot.

After the canal was moved in the 1920's, the Rochester subway ran under it. Then they delivered paper to the Democrat & Chronicle under it on railroad cars. Last year they proposed filling it with dirt. Finally this year people proposed putting the canal back on it. Best idea yet.










This is the new Corn Hill landing. The river path runs south to Mount Morris and north eventually to Lake Ontario. Great place to bike and watch fireworks.













This is the new gateway bridge for downtown. 490 travels over it. Very nice.










This is the new Ford Street Bridge leading to my neighborhood.





Here is a view of downtown from the Ford Street bridge. You can see the Corn Hill Landing and the new bridge in the center.












Here is my building Gregory Park Condominiums. My unit is on the second floor above the hood of the car. I will miss the place when I leave, it has been a good home for nine years.
be's.

House updates

Have not posted my progress on the house lately. So after some clean up this afternoon, I am sitting down to post where I am at.












The shower stall was installed after the plumber helped with the base. I immediately covered it up with paper to prevent it from getting scratched or whatever while I drywalled and painted around it. I also started color testing for the final wall color. Many people can tell you that I can take several rounds on a color before I am happy. This bathroom will already have a white shower stall and sink with blue cabinets. So i searched around for what could coordinate with these and the brushed aluminum trim going in. So the pic has a blue and yellow I had in hand along with a Ralph Lauren Kahki i found. I also got a chance to install the new vanity light and update the GFI electrics.





My first experience with "self leveling" concrete was not quite "flat" I has what could be compared to a relief map of the moon as opposed to a smooth floor. So after 2 more pours - I finally had a surface ready for tile. I located a ceramic tile with the slate look I was hoping foor and have spent this week cutting and prepping for gluing the tile to the floor. I just located aluminum trim to run along the tile edges and the tile to floor transition and will be fitting those tomorrow.

Emusic

I am constantly jumping back and forth between Di.FM and iTunes looking for good Chillout music I hear on Di.FM. iTunes's selection of obscure stuff has improved lately but still comes up empty on some of the slightly older Chillout selections. I stumbled on Emusic recently. They run a subscription service and gives you a set numbers of downloads a month for a set price. [ The first 25 are free!] Their selection is different/ does not overlap with iTunes, so I am looking on their site as well these days. Some recent selections getting alot of play in the house:

• Sasha - Wavy Gravy
• Global Communications - Epsilon Phase
• Scott Bond vs Solar Stone - 3rd Earth [ this one uses a great sample from the choral hymn "The Lamb"
• Tranquility Base - Razorfish [Aspekt's Chillout mix]

Bathroom continues


After staring at the floor for 2 weeks, I started preparing it last week. I cut and fitted a plywood underlayment to the existing subfloor and then fitted a Hardibacker floor on top of that. The Hardibacker was laid down with thinset and then screwed down.








I am laying down a leveling mortar this afternoon and then the plumber is coming is coming tomorrow to help me install the shower base [ tricky to put it mildly]

4.0

Well - today was the big day. 40 years old. hmmm. whattodo? as some would say. I will admit the last couple of years - I have preferred the birthday as a non event. I am sure that reflects some anxiety of getting old.

[ I am pulling grey hairs out of my sideburns now...]

However, I realized today my reluctance had much more to do with the death of my mother several years back. My birthday immediately follows my mom's [which was St.Patrick's day!] It has always been a double holiday in the family. Family folklore reports that i was supposed to be born on St. Patrick's day as a present for mom. [ And be aptly named "Patrick" ] Apparently my mom's labor was induced a early to help things along.

Well, setting the tone of the rest of my life, I had other plans.

I kept my mom in labor for over 24[?] hours until I decided I was ready and made my debut the following day. It had been a triple holiday in the family ever since. 2 birthdays, St. Patrick's Day. Green milk in the morning cereal and birthday cake, jigging and shamrock shakes everywhere.

Well… none of it has really been the same since Mom left.

In fact, the birthday / St. Patrick’s day now just seems more a reminder that she left us too early and I really miss her. ( As I am reminded trying to articulate this! )



But I know Mom is still with us. I have mentioned to several people that some time after she passed away I found myself at the end of a rope emotionally and very lonely. I remember asking her to "send me a good one". And in short time - Eric dropped out of cyberspace like a post modern farm house from Kansas.

[ And I have been a very happy wicked witch since! ]

Mom stops in on a dream from time to time to check in and say hello as well. And all this usually works well to provide some comfort that she's not here anymore.

But sometimes it just runs out of steam.

Then grief just swings in like a 2 x 4 to the back of the head. It can really ruin the day. Or a birthday. So with some anticipation - it is easy to see the desire for a non event.

I am sure people would say that the holiday should just make us happy to remember her.

That’s a Nice Idea. Maybe next year.

I let Eric know that I preferred a non event this year. Knowing he would faithfully kibosh any event planning. But he was outgunned by my sisters – who immediately vetoed THAT idea. Together they planned a great surprise party for me at my friend Jennie and Zahra’s house. It was really nice. I am not crazy about surprise parties. I am not comfortable with that kind of attention. [ is anybody?] But I can say that I like when my family and friends get to meet and hang around with other. I have good genes and good taste

– so it’s just Smashing! when they are face to face. :O)

There was plenty of cake and laughs for the afternoon, along with box wine!

(inside family joke)

Our roaming photographer friend Gerry Szymanski also took some Great Pics


I started making a joke with some friends that given the swirl of events of late - layoff, relocating and a new career search, it would be better to think of this as the beginning of the next phase. I have read that people can reinvent themselves multiple times in their life. My To Do list of creative projects has only gotten longer in the past ten years. Never enough time. So this next round will definitely involve more creativity and flexibility! And also be 100% fat and thesis-free!

So not 40 but rather - Version 4.0

Stay tuned.

Snowshoeing

Eric and i headed south on Saturday to try a bit of snow shoeing. Eric borrowed his brother's shoes and I bought a pair from the Grocery store [$12.95 with the Tops bonus card] It was actually partially sunny for most of our hike and I managed to get a few pictures. A snow squall started just as we got ready to leave. Within 5 minutes of driving - we hit a near white out. Winter in Upstate....

Bathroom begins

Well, I said I would start the bathroom in July. Then it got pushed to the fall. Then "after christmas" and then finally "definately January". So, with that said, Gabe and i started the bathroom Sunday. Here are the before pics






Gabe took out the vanity on Sunday afternoon and then I started demolition this morning. The goal is to remove the old shower stall, part of the wall and the floor [ which I know is water damaged.] It is completely apparent that the orginal install of the bathroom cost approximately $7 and was installed by Bozo himself.











But the poor installation did speed the demolition. Tomorrow I will be removing the toilet, the shower base [ and whatever floor is left underneath it...] and the remaining floor down to the joists. fun fun.

Syracuse part Deux


Headed over to Syracuse Saturday morning. Eric met me for lunch and then we headed out with city map in hand to look at more neighborhoods. We headed to the South side of Syracuse and looked around the reservoir and also on Salina street. A very depressed part the town. But the housing stock was interesting.





We found this house on a tall precipice over looking the street. Despite the boarded up windows, it appeared as though someone is living in the house. [ Or squatting or renovating]












We found this church on Salina street. From the lack of snow removal - it is currently vacant. No For Sale sign however.





Saturday night we had a room at the Syracuse Marx Hotel [ soon to be Renaissance] A very nice boutique hotel. We will probably stay there again sometime. Eric's friends Tim and Martin were in for the weekend, so we headed out to dinner with them and a crew of Martin's former coworkers from Pottery Barn. Fun dinner.







Sunday morning we headed back out again to look again at a north part of the city starting in the St. Joseph's neighborhood and headed north. We found a set of brick town houses for sale that I plan to follow up on . Also many vacant buildings to look at.