City School District Fraud story...

I thought this was particularly interesting: State sues over defrauding of city schools.

A quick snippet from the story:

The district's former chief financial officer, Henry Marini, is named in the lawsuit, along with the Perrys, Spier, Filtered Internet Solutions Inc., Compression Technologies Inc., Partner Relationship Management Inc., Performance Brands Online Inc. and Perimeter Security Consulting Inc.

Spitzer's office said Andrew and Karen Perry and Peter Spier, with Marini's help, got 13 consulting contracts with the city using seven different company names. Twelve were for amounts between $24,000 and $24,900, which the state alleges was designed to evade review. The district requires school board approval of contracts for $25,000 or more.


What is interesting to me is, about 3 years ago, a former business associate mentioned that we should try and get a contract with the city school district. That, essentially, Henry Marini did these "deals" and that there was tons of money even though they (the Rochester City School District) were always claiming to be broke. Needless to say, it was not something we pursued - particularly given the amount of bad press that could occur given the school district's public perception. Not to mention, this kind of thing didn't pass the "smell test," and now apparently was obviously worse than fishy.

It's sad to see that there are so many people out there who claim to care about the community, but in reality don't care at ALL about stealing from the community because "everybody's doin' it!"

Best... baby.... ever!

OK... just a quick pic, cause it was too darn cute.

Audrey with Aunt Alison and Uncle Russ

What's really remarkable about these pictures is that Russ is actually HOLDING Audrey. He was clearly afraid of breaking the baby.... but after a little reassurance, he caved. Audrey was screaming bloody murder for a little while, but she eventually calmed down for some nice quite pics! Enjoy!




For a bit of compairson... here's Russ's expression on Friday... can you say worried?

Audrey Lyn Gottfried

Everyone, please welcome Ms. Audrey Lyn Gottfried! Audrey was born on Friday, December 1st at 10:36pm. She was 8 pounds 9.2 ounces. Here are some of the first pictures of our little daughter - still less than 1 day old!

Cheesecake Factory coming to Rochestser!

Woo-hoo! According to WHAM-TV 13 last night, The Cheesecake Factory is coming to Rochester! Here's the story: WHAM TV 13. Well, we had heard rumors a few months ago that they might be coming here - albeit I heard it would be at another, crappy location. This is the PERFECT location (other than downtown). I don't quite get the "this will be one of their smaller markets," piece... considering the metro is 49th largest in the USA.

Maybe now some smart folks at the other big chains will recognize the Rochester Metro as an important place to be *cough* IKEA *cough* Ruth's Chris Steak House *cough* Nordstroms. (And others, I'm sure... like easy ones! Like SONIC. I mean, how many Sonic commercials do I need to see on TV and not be able to give them my money?)

Thoughts on other national chains to come in here would be appreciated!

The Weather's Fine!

For all those people out there who think Rochester weather is doom and gloom most of the year, here's the forecast for the next five days, following yesterday's beautiful, sunny, 63-degree day:

Toady: 62, sunny
Tomorrow: 59, mix of sun and clouds
Tuesday: 56, partly sunny
Wednesday: 58, sunny, chance of showers
Thursday: 57, rain likely

OK - so, rain's due for Thursday, and the weather will get colder on December 1st, but that's DECEMBER! It's SUPPOSED to be cold. It's been so nice, we even had our front door replaced. In fact, here is a picture of the new front door:



The old door was leaky, didn't shut right, and didn't have a deadbolt. The new door is fibreglass and airtight. And the new screendoor Julie's dad put in for us is a Pella and absolutely AMAZING (as screen doors go). It's got a pull down screen that rolls up into the door when not in use, thus creating no visual barriers. The next couple weeks will be busy with new electrical outlets being added to several rooms and in the front and backyard (as we currently have NO exterior outlets), followed by the entire house getting insulation blown in. They'll have to take off a few rows of siding to gain access to the walls, but everything will looks good as new once it's down. And hopefully the house will retain heat in the winter much better, and stay cooler in the summer. While Julie's dad does all this fantastic stuff, I still REALLY want to replace the basement windows with glass block. It's safer, lets in more light, and is far better insulated.

I sure hope our little baby daughter appreciated all these goodies! She'll be snug as a bug in a rug in her lovely nursery which is all insulated from the cold outdoors. Next BIG project to make it even better - new windows throughout the house. There are 24 of them (not including the basement, and two decorative windows in the dining room and entryway, or two windows that go between the living room and mudroom) which will be a BIG job, probably done in steps. Other projects include getting the chimney paint scraped off, and a crack sealed before it gets worse; re-seal the driveway next spring; finish the backyard landscaping; replaced the main water shut-off valve in the basement; and that's about it. We may also replace the fixtures in the powderroom downstairs, as the current ones are really, uh, BLUE, and don't fit with the style of the house. Damn This Old House Magazine!!! Why do you tempt me with so many home improvement projects?!

Nursery pictures

Well, haven't had much time to post stuff in a while... so here's a ton of pictures. Most everything is built... except for that big pile of stuff that still needs to be built.

What the hell is WRONG with you people?!

Read this please (from the D&C)....

State Comptroller Alan Hevesi's woes are starting to weigh heavily on voters.

The Democratic comptroller's lead over Republican foe J. Christopher Callaghan has plummeted 28 percentage points since last week --- after he was accused by the state Ethics Commission of violating state law by failing to reimburse the state for using a staffer to drive his ill wife, according to a poll released this morning. The Marist College poll showed Hevesi, leading Callaghan 50 percent to 38 percent among likely voters. That's down from a 62 percent to 22 percent lead a week earlier.

And the problems may be worse for Hevesi: When respondents were told that state Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, the leading candidate for governor, on Thursday withdrew his endorsement of Hevesi, Hevesi's lead dropped to 44 percent to 43 percent among registered voters, with 13 percent undecided.

However, 58 percent said Hevesi should not resign while 33 percent said he should. Sixty-one percent said Gov. George Pataki should not ask the state Senate to remove Hevesi while 30 percent said he should. Pataki is expected to do so later today.

"It shows a major erosion over the course of the last week," said Marist pollster Lee Miringoff. "They don't think he should resign and they don't support the beginning of any impeachment process." But with less than two weeks before Election Day, Nov. 7, the issue is "at this pace, the question is whether he can bottom out or not," Miringoff said.

The poll conducted Thursday night questioned 509 likely voters with a sampling margin of error of plus or minus 4.5 percent. The poll included 731 registered voters and had a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percent.


OK.... what the heck is WRONG with you people? How much FRAUD must take place before it's OK to ask for someone's resignation? I was watching Top Chef the other night, and this one guy actually TOOK HIMSELF OUT OF THE COMPETITION for not paying for a box of lycee. What could that have cost? $200?! We're talking about fraud on NYS taxpayers of at LEAST $80,000, and likely much more. But how apathetic are NYS voters if they don't think Hevesi should resign? Or that the NYS Senate should proceed with impeachment hearings? If it turns out he defrauded the people of New York hundreds of thousands of dollars while at the same time pronouncing his fiscal responsibility isn't there something WRONG going on here? Doesn't that warrant his resignation? Or at least an investigation? Apparently the people of New York are so accustomed to fraud going on here, and have lowered their mores so much that this doesn't matter to them. Foreshame!

My Congressional District Race

I'm in Tom Reynold's district, and chances are, unless something occurs between today and the election, I'll vote for him. Even though his opponent is a small business owner, Jack Davis shouldn't be elected. Here's my primary reason - he's old and simple minded, and here's the best example I can give, right out of the Rochester D&C:

""I'm trying to save jobs here," Davis said. "Tariffs will raise the cost of foreign products, but it will never be higher than the cost of the U.S. product. If it goes high, then you buy U.S. All that's doing is balancing the field." "

This is another term for "price controls". Yes, there are tariffs on all sorts of stuff, and sometimes it can be used as a useful tool against dumping products in our markets, but that's not what Davis is saying. He wants higher tariffs on foreign products. You want a car - pay a higher price. You want a shirt - pay a higher price. You want just about anything - pay a higher price. This does nothing but increase inflation, which last time I checked, isn't something we want.

Price controls didn't work for Germany, or the Soviet Union, or the ancient Romans for cryin' out loud.... and they certainly won't work today.

PLEASE get your price!

OK - I have to admit... now I love the shows, "Flip This House" and "Flip That House". Sure, it seems kindof strange that two networks would have similar shows with only one word differences in their names, but here we are.

So, there's a flip going on on my street. This house is currently for sale. Asking price: $94,900. The flippers bought the house about 3 weeks ago for $60,001. If they get their price, that's a potential profit of $34,899. Not bad! I really hope they get their price. Why? Because it means our house is worth more! Well, maybe not... but the truth is, our house is worth more today than when we bought it. Or at least it should be worth more. God only knows if when we sell it in another 3-5 years if we'll get more than we paid, but all things being equal, we should. And it'd be even easier to get that price if the other houses on our street sell for more. I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

Fuccillo Hyundai

I can't stand it anymore - and it's only been two months. Fuccillo Hyundai commercials are insanely bad. Not just bad, but insideous. Part of the problem is that they're on all the time. Frankly, if this guy from Syracuse wants to pump thousands of advertising dollars into the local economy, that's great. I don't mind our region walking away with this guys money - particularly from Central New York, an area not exactly known for economic prosperity (OK..OK... Rochester isn't that much better, but this was Smugtown, afterall... so I'm going with it.) In fact, I've got to guess that the amount of dollars spent on advertising is almost a wash - given the relatively low margin on the sale of a new car. But how many years do we need to see this same crap on TV, again and again?

Let me be perfectly clear.... I will NEVER buy a Hyundai. I don't care if it was third in initial quality behind Porsche and Lexus. And what the heck IS initial quality anyway? Well, here you go:

"IQS measures a broad range of quality problems, heavily weighted toward defects and malfunctions, quality of workmanship, drivability, human factors in engineering (i.e. ease of use) and safety-related problems. Among these categories, the area that accounts for the greatest product improvement since 1998 are defects and malfunctions, down from 61 PP100 to 40 PP100. Further, those that are related to safety show a 44 percent improvement—from 25 PP100 down to only 14."

What does that mean? It means that Hyundai's cars have few problems up front. How many problems 3 or 5 years from now? God only knows. Maybe none. Maybe lots. I'll admit, the initial quality of my Honda Civic is a lot better than my Audi A4. But while I love the Honda... uh... it's a HONDA. I have images of Principal Skinner after the "H" on his Honda was stolen, "That's how they know it's a Honda!"

I drove my dad's Audi TT a few weeks before we turned it back in, and after that the thought crossed my mind that I'd made a horrible mistake with the Honda. It's not nearly as fast as the TT or the A4. It'd doesn't have the same overall solid feel. There was no moonroof option. It's automatic. It also gets 45-50 miles-per-gallon, which is fantastic. But if I make a million dollars, guess what... I'm buying a Porsche. And not because John Holtz ran a million annoying commercials every hour, or because Porsche has the highest initial quality ranking.

Why No IKEA in WNY?

I'm sitting here at Spot Coffee, enjoying my latte, and reading a NYSTAR grant and my mind starts to wander. I go to the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle's website, and read the following story about Walmart opening in Victor, maybe.

So, I've got to ask myself, why another Walmart in the Rochester area? OK - I've supported a new Walmart at Northgate Plaza, mainly because it's such a shitty plaza and desperately needs something. ANYTHING. But then I got to thinking about the economics of WNY, and Rochester in particular. Why, in Victor, around Eastview Mall, where the RICH PEOPLE shop, do they need a Walmart? There's a Target already, and a K-Mart, and a million other stores. So, why does WNY fail to attract other interesting retail?

Here's my specific quandry... why no IKEA here? I mean, we've got a half dozen universities here with probably 30 or 50,000 students. We're almost eqidistant from Buffalo and Syracuse, and much of the Southern Tier. There's plenty of money here, and the region, including all the above, is probably what? 5 million people? So, why are is the only IKEA store in NYC? On LONG ISLAND, no less. And there's another one coming to Red Hook in Brooklyn. Are you telling me that the entire Western New York region couldn't support one of these?

I'm sorry, but even with all the bitching and moaning we hear about Rochester's terrible economy, frankly it could be a LOT worse. Go to Youngstown, Ohio for a visit, and then tell me Rochester is doom and gloom. Rochester is a well-off, smaller metro area with close proximity to other metros who's citizens who drive here to go to an IKEA. Maybe that would make more sense for Northgate Plaza, or even better... Eastview Mall, with easy access to the Thruway. Hell, even downtown would be OK. But why major retail chains still ignore this area, I can't quite figure out.

The Cheesecake Factory recently announced it's comming to Buffalo's Walden Galleria. I checked online to see if it's coming here, and no, it's not. But the question I ask is, why not? Are you telling me the like 5% higher population drove that decision by TCF to locate there? I hate to brag, but Rochester is simply a way better city than Buffalo. We have a broader mix of companies, a friendlier "feel", and a stronger economic outlook. Maybe these big corporations just aren't doing their homework, but it seems like a real missed opportunity to constantly overlook WNY.

And now for something completely different...
The music on the sound system at Spot when I got here was the band It's a Beautiful Day, and their song "White Bird". ( Here's a review and brief history.) I have NEVER heard this song on the radio, or out in public before. I asked the girl behind the counter, and apparently it's XM, and in the morning they play esoteric stuff. She wasn't familiar with the band, but liked it. I gave her the background about California Sound, and the band name and song title... but I really never expected to hear that song in public. Much like going to California Rollin' and hearing Snake River Conspiracy on their CD player... just something you don't expect every day!

Zillow.com

Wow, what a neat site. It's one of a few property valuation sites on the internet. What's really cool is it uses Microsoft's satellite visualization program (as opposed to Google's googlemaps, or google-earth). I might be wrong (no I'm not) but for the first time, I really like something Microsoft developed. Not that it's more fun to use than Google Earth (because it's not!) but the quality of the images is WAY better. Now, I've seen image quality using JPEG2000 from Kodak that you wouldn't believe, and so far, this is the closest thing I've seen. OK - I haven't really checked to see how they get these images... it might be Pictometry low-level flyover data, rather than satellite data, but it's really really high quality, and from multiple angles. I prefer Google Earth's navigation system, but I would hope Google would update the quality of the close up images - much like the Microsoft system uses.

I also really like Zillow.com. Here's a link to our house: RIGHT HERE. As you can see, nice closeups of the property, from multiple angles, showing much higher resolution than Google Earth/Google Maps. The property valuations also are really accurate - at least for my street - as assessed value and market value are about the same. Granted, we've done a TON of improvements to the house, and there's more on the way (like new windows throughout the house, and new insulation, and MAYBE *if business is good* a new master bathroom) so I would hope our property is worth more than $86,848 assessed value - but that's still more than we paid for it by a couple grand. After watching "Flip That House" about a million times, it's a damn shame we can't expect to recapture all that value. Frankly, we have a wonderful little home, which should be very desirable as a starter home for some other family, assuming we stay on track and move out in another 3-5 years. I'm actually sitting outside on my stoop while I write this and was noticing that the house could also use a new exterior paint job. Maybe if Jim (Julie's dad) really does replace the windows throughout the house, we'll invest in repainting the whole place. I bet it would look fantastic in a color other than "wimpy white," which is what I'd classify it as right now.

Next year I've got all SORTS of projects I'd like to have done - including finishing up the landscaping in the backyard, and maybe a new privacy fence in back? And it'd be nice to have a little patio built out back where we could put some nice outdoor furniture - and maybe the grill - so we could entertain back there. And I still want to replace the basement casement windows with glass block. It's very secure, and way more insulating than what we've got down there right now. Little things include resealing the driveway next year (as a good preventative measure) and repainting the front stoop. The top of the chimney also needs a little work, and the paint up there needs to be scraped off. Some people would hate all this stuff, but frankly, I think it's kindof fun. I think of this house as an investment in my families future - meaning, hopefully we'll have enough into it to have one hell of a nice downpayment on a future home.

Well, that's all for now. The Bills play the Jets in about 20 minutes. Lets go BUFFALO!

FIRE!

Well, we had some excitement this evening. Julie and I were sitting upstairs and noticed a smokey smell coming from outside. I figured, "Well, it's cool outside, and someone must have lit their fireplace!" Yeah, well, it wasn't to be. No, instead, it was some kids who lit a tree on fire. I was downstairs starting to make dinner when a firetruck comes down the street! Went outside, and directly across the street there's a tree with several squirrel holes and smoke pouring out of them. Needless to say, this was enough excitement to get the whole street to come outside and check out what was going on. In a matter of minutes they had the fire put out and were gone.

I saw the dumb ass kids coming out of the woods shortly after we first noticed the smell. And if our neighbor hadn't been driving by, and noticed it, god only knows if someone else would have called the fire department! I just wish I had my digital camera so I could have taken some pictures to post online. I guess you'll just have to use your imagination.

The Fog of Dave

As I sit here writing this, I'm kindof in a fog. No, not a nice alcohol induced fog, but rather a strange, unbalanced, dizzy fog. Apparently I have something wrong with my head (um, yeah, there's a nice opening for someone). For the past week I've been walking around in an unsteady haze. It gets better from time to time, but it's making it really hard to concentrate on anything for prolonged periods of time. I'm hoping it's some sort of inner ear infection, and that it'll go away soon. I'm going to my doctor tomorrow - which guarantees it'll be gone tomorrow morning - but I'm going anyway. Hopefully it's just that, and nothing more, but we'll see tomorrow.

Otherwise, things are going pretty darn good. Work is busy but constantly interesting. Submitted another SBIR a few weeks ago thanks to Claire being in the office. And now I'm looking at starting another company with some help in a pseudo medical endeavor. Found a very interesting niche that isn't really being addressed, and I'm hoping there's a business there. Gotta start talking to the right group of potential collaborators to see if they're interested in pursuing this futher. Javelin itself has got a lot on its plate, and I'm still hoping that things get to the point where I can hire at least one full time person and a part-time paid intern.

On the baby front, I can't believe we're less than 3 months away! The hard parts of the room are done, and now it's just a waiting game until the furniture comes in. According to Simon's Baby Furniture, it's getting close. That's good to hear - and it's nice to see we've nearly paid the stuff off. Man, my dad would be like, "What the hell are you doing?! Buying all this new furniture? Are you NUTS?!" But, we at least bought stuff that can transition with our daughter as she gets older. For instance, the crib converts to a toddler bed, which later converts to a full size bed. It's really nice furniture, and I think it's sufficiently "girly" enough so that as she gets older, she won't think it's too "kiddy" or cheap. Let's hope so... then again, dad would add here, "She's bound to hate anything you buy for her... especially as she gets older."

Julie had to work a 16-hour shift last night, and apparently it was OK. But these long hours definitely are taking their toll. I'd love to tell her she can just quit her job! Hopefully some of these big business deals will actually happen and we can consider it. But right now, it sure is nice having health insurance! ("Um, sorry honey, but you'll have to deliver the baby at home, uh, without any painkillers, or doctors. Oh, who needs doctors?!")

That's about it. Guess the only other interesting stuff is that I've finally edited my MySpace page. Yes, yes, I know. MySpace sucks. Or, more generally, MySpace is used by a certain demographic that I am not a member of. But, considering the number of people who use it, I might as well have a minimally updated page which actually drives traffic back to my regular web log. That's where the action is!

OMG - "Black & Tan" is INSENSITIVE!

I'm just sitting here finishing up a container of Haagen-Dazs "Sticky Toffee Pudding" ice cream, and decided to google it to see if there'd be any reviews. I couldn't find anything, but in the process, discovered a website called 2dips.com which appears to post on current events in the ice cream industry. Well, at the top of the page is the following about one of my favorites from Ben & Jerry's - their Black & Tan:

"I like the look and idea of this ice cream (even if Ben & Jerry's had to apologize for the name). I also like the execution, from the Black & Tan cow, to the cream stout "head," to the good looking scoops. It's a good taste. Not great, but still pretty good. It's not really a typical Ben & Jerry's flavor to me because there's no chunks of anything inside. I like the mix overall, but I wouldn't eat a lot of it; it works for what it is."

So, I appreciate this guys review - it's the "apologize for the name" part that I couldn't understand. Until I read this article. What the hell? Here's a snipit from the article, Black and Tan was "the nickname of a notoriously violent British militia that operated during Ireland’s war of independence." The article adds, "The Black and Tans, so-called because of their two-tone uniforms, were recruited in the early 1920s to bolster the ranks of the police force in Ireland as anti-British sentiment grew. They quickly gained a reputation for brutality and mention of the militia still arouses strong feelings in Ireland."

Ok, Ireland? Listen up. Get a fucking grip. This is god damned ice cream, and you KNOW what it's in reference too. BEER. Not some militia of British thugs from the 1920s for cryin out loud. The fact that the MENTION of the militia still "arouses strong feelings in Ireland" is proof enough that Ireland must not have enough going on. I mean, they ought to just start committing mass suicides right now. The fact that this ice cream is so insensitive is reason enough to kill yourself. Sure, sure... Ireland is apparently now one of the richest countries in the world. But instead of building mansions, buying expensive cars and LCD TVs and the like, the Irish spend their time stewing about some thugs from an era that most participants of are dead. Here's the kicker from that article, I guess written by bored Irish people:

"“I can’t believe that Ben & Jerry’s would be so insensitive to call an ice cream such a name and to launch it as a celebration of Irishness ... it’s an insult!” wrote one blogger on www.junkfoodblog.com. “I hope they don’t try to launch it here in Ireland or I imagine they’ll lose a lot of their fans.”"

Yes - fans of ice cream will be so upset about a flavor that clearly shows beer on the label, that they might get confused and think it's about British thugs. Especially an ice cream that isn't sold in Ireland. Damn... how insensitive! Now if they had only made "Ben & Jerry's Waffle-SS" or perhaps, "Ben & Jerry's Luftwaffe"? I mean, granted, "luftwaffe" just means "air force" and could just as easily mean British Luftwaffe, American Luftwaffe, and the like... but I mean, come on... wouldn't that be a great ice cream flavor? Or maybe "Ben & Jerry's Little German Chocolate Swastikas"?

Flip This House!

I was just watching Flip This House - a TV show on TLC. People buy houses that need massive renovations and then turn around and sell them for $100,000-150,000 more than they paid (give or take). So, I was just watching this one house makeover. They paid like $550,000 for this small shithole (I don't know what city it was in... i only caught the end) and they went ahead and listed it for $749,000. This house was like 2000 feet, with a tiny yard, and really nothing special.

I'm thinking, "$749,000 is a lot of money. I wonder what I could buy in Rochester for $749,000?"

Well, here's an example. This house is listed at $750,000:





It is 7000 square feet on over 4 acres of land. 4 bedrooms, 4 full baths. 3.5 car garage. This is a fucking mansion. Or, I can buy a tiny shithole for $550,000, OR EVEN BETTER buy a FORMER total shit hole for $749,000. OK - I appreciate wanting to live in nifty areas, but give me a break. Give me the mansion over the shithole EVERY TIME.

Just for shits and giggles, here's another example. It's in Webster, right on the water. 3600 square feet. 4 bedrooms, 3.5 baths, 3 car garage, and brand spanking new:





Again, PLEASE let me buy a $750,000 mansion here in town than a tiny, 2000 (or smaller) square foot piece of SHIT. Literally, we're talking SHIT here. I don't fucking care if it's god damn downtown Las Vegas. I don't care if it's some fake-ass Laguna Beach "paradise". Other major metros who suck their own dicks cause they're soooooooo cool? Fuck you.

Baby room!

Well, the painting is done, and Julie and Mark put up the border today... and it looks GREAT! Here's some pictures of the room - as you'll see, there's still a LOT to do. Tomorrow I'll hopefully take down the tape from around all the moldings, and generally give the place a good cleaning. Then on Tuesday we're supposed to have the floors refinished. And I might even get the new blinds and window sconces up tomorrow. I'm also attaching below a picture of the little music mobile we got which matches the bedding - which matches everything else!






And, on a totally different topic, here's my stereo system - in all it's glory! From top to bottom - Dynaco FM-3 Tuner, Dynaco Stereo-70 Amplifer, Dynaco PAS-2 Preamplifier, and a NAD CD player. The top 3 units are all at least 40 years old and utilize the warm, analog sound of vacuum tubes. Don't ask me which tubes are in there, cause I don't know off-hand, and would either have to open up the cases, or find my receipts from when everything was rebuilt. Actually, I JUST got the PAS-2 preamp. My old one was DEAD - and not worth repairing, considering I bought the new one for a mere $150, which is a great price. I love the sound now of this system - now if I only had a great AM tuner, and maybe a record player... I might take the one from my mom's house if she doesn't care - but I'm also out of space... so I can't do it just yet. Oh yeah, and the dark image is the rack without the flash... hopefully you can kindof see the tubes glowing - especially in the amp. Ideas for a good AM only tuner would be appreciated.... Scott Fybush - there must be a tube HD AM tuner out there somewhere... right?

New Post

Wow - I've been delinquent in my blog posting! So, what's new and exciting? Well, this past weekend we started the process of converting our extra bedroom into the nursery. So far, we've taken out all the furniture, and relocated what we could into the office - essentially making it the spare bedroom. Actually, it looks pretty good! We took out my office desk and tossed it (it was subsequently picked up by folks today... along with the dresser we tossed). We moved the surviving bedroom furniture into the room and then have started by painting the ceiling. This weekend, we paint the walls in two sections and measure out where room border is going to go.

Last weekend we also went to Simon's Baby Furniture and Juile's mom got us the crib, matress, and bedding. I THINK she also bought us the double wide dresser... but I can't recall exactly. Then we added to that some odds and ends and a very nice glider, or rocking chair. It's got a nice high back, and eventually will make a really nice piece of furniture in our living room. Then, following that, I think we paint the trim around the ceiling, and that should finish the room. I'll take some digital pictures and post them here - maybe a before and after.

Oh, we also got some very nice landscaping done over the past couple weeks. In fact, I'm writing this from the comfort of my newly re-designed backyard. Well, maybe that's a stretch... but it does look awfully nice. A very large branch from a big black walnut tree in the backyard broke off last week and of course landed right on top of the new landscaping... but after a couple hours of cutting, it's been removed and the plants seem to be no worse off for wear. Had a very nice time sitting back here with Tim Corio - smoked a cigar, drank some scotch - and of course attacked some very tough political issues. I miss having really good political conversations! Tim and I had just left the 50th wedding anniversary party of some mutual friends, and afterwards decided we needed booze. Afterward, we went to Dinosaur Barbecue for a bite to eat. Going to Dinosaur at 9:30pm on a Sunday night is GREAT! We got a parking spot on the Court Street Bridge practically in front of the door, sat right down, and had our food in no time. I might have to do that again!

It's a.....

Just got back from the latest ultrasound, and I'm proud to announce Julie and I are going to be the proud parents of a little GIRL! More to come... cheers'

Web design, anyone?

I need a website. I registered a URL a while back, www.javelin-group.com, and it's just a placeholder at the moment. However, I want something that expresses what Javelin is about - that basically, we work to build relationships for our clients that result in new sources of revenue. Of course there's simple stuff to include - past clients, links to various resources, contact information, yadda yadda yadda... But I also want it to LOOK good, and have some things built into it that create a reason to regularly visit the site. Concurrently to this, I want to redo the website for the International Photonics Commercialization Alliance which again, was created by me on the cheap, er, free. There's several more tools to add to the site which can drive revenues back into the organization and decrease its reliance on government funding as well as continuing to offer membership for free.

So, I need a web designer who's cheap. I think I might have one.... just need to talk to him again and see if he's still available to do it. But I'm also up to suggestions if you know anyone who might be able to pull something together on a fairly tight budget. Email me or post a comment if you have suggstions.

Best Cigar.... Ever

No, not really, but as I'm sitting here enjoying a pre-embargo cuban, I've come to realize that I can't smoke anything marginal anymore. Why bother? I went to Cisso a few weeks ago with the husband of my wife's best friend (say that 10 times fast). What a great place! For the price, I can't imagine anything with a better value than Cisso - who makes all the cigars onsite - right on Lake Ave near Kodak. But while I really enjoyed a couple of the cigars, one of them really wasn't my cup-o-tea. It was something Cisso affectionately called an "after dinner cigar," meaning it was laden with sweet flavors. Um, no thanks. Won't do that again! Now part of the problem was the night I was smoking these it was particularly windy outside, sitting on Marty's porch. If it had been calmer, I'm sure it would have been a better smoke. But they all burned un-evenly, and got a bit of a nasty flavor too early in the course of smoking the things. Still, I'll go back - no doubt - and probably smoke there. They serve beer and wine, so that in combination with the cigars is a great combo.

There - I just wasted my time writing the above paragraph when I should be writing stuff for work... or better yet, watching the MLB All-Star game (albeit, not in the house with a lit cigar.)

Oh, and just for shits and giggles - check out the "hidden" website of Andrew Welch (creator of Ambrosia Software) on his visits to the Arturo Fuente plant.... he moved the site to here - http://www.vitolas.net/. AMAZING pictures, and apparently Andrew had too much time on his hands?

Catching up

Went back to Corky's the other night with Julie - BIG improvement. Apparently they've either fired the lousy staff, or else they were just out back smoking pot. We each had hard serve ice cream - so that's simpler than trying to get the soft serve. And we also decided it was a good idea to go with the "kiddy" size. As we were there, another woman ordered a medium of the mint ting-a-ling. That's apparently the favorite of everyone else too, as in addition to this woman, i think her husband got it, Julie got it, and another guy ordered it as we were eating our ice cream. I decided to try the creme brulee which was really quite good. Anyway, the moral of the story here is Corky's redeamed themselves, and I'll go back. Of course, that doesn't mean I'm not going back to Coldstone, but at least my choices are back up by one!

There were some other things I wanted to mention too, but now I can't think of them. It might have been baseball related (went to the Red Wings game tonight. Wings won the game. Good time had by all - except the losers). It might have been work related, or something else. Right now though, it's time for a glass of scotch to finish off the night. Cheers.

Happy 4th

Man, what a busy weekend it's been - and it's only Sunday morning! Today is Steve Brown's wedding - so that'll be how I spend most of my afternoon. But Friday night we went out to dinner with some of Julie's friends, and I ended up going to Cisso for cigars with Marty McCarthy - the husband of one of Julie's best friends. Sat out on his deck and smoked, chatted, generally had a good time. Saturday night was also spent at their house - did a cookout, and played euchre. Monday the 3rd we'll be at Conesus Lake for what should be the last hurrah at Don's parents' lake house (currently listed for sale). Damn, it's $245,000 - way too much for me today, and it's kindof a hole, but it's still a great spot. Someday...

The 4th is also really busy, going to Tim and Darlene's for their annual 4th of July party, which is always a bunch of fun, with lots of great food. I also want to try and set aside some time to catch Yankee Doodle Dandy on TV. It's a GREAT movie, and worth watching. Done in 1942 and starring James Cagney, he's an AMAZING performer, acting out the life of George M. Cohan, renowned musical composer, playwright, actor, dancer and singer. Cagney makes you realize how much talent actors used to have - when they were more than just a name and face. This guy (much like other greats, like the Marx Brothers) could do it all. If you get a chance - watch this movie.

Had a wig for his wig and a brain for a heart

There's a great video on YouTube.com right HERE that you've got to check out. Very funny stuff!

So, what's new and exciting?

Baby stuff
Baby's next ultrasound is right around the corner! There seem to be a lot of people who're pregnant these days. Or maybe I'm just noticing it more. One thing I was asked today by one of the folks I work with at Infotonics was, "Are you going to find out what it is?". She is also pregnant, and while she'd like to know, her husband wants it to be a surprise. Julie and I are going to find out at that next ultrasound. It'll make it way more fun preparing the nursery for our little arrival! But Julie also made an interesting comment about someone she knows being really pissed off that we weren't taking the "surprise" route. In short, this person's take was, "Well, what fun is it if you already know?!" We're basically of the opinion that it's the actual BABY that's the exciting part. Not some weird ritual of guessing whether you're going to have a boy or a girl. Are we gambling on this or something? Setting up a pool with co-workers on boy or girl, weight, length, and whatever else there might be?

Anyway, I still haven't posted the pics from the first ultrasound, and by the time I get a chance, we'll probably have the second ones done!

Work stuff
Lots of interesting stuff going on at work, and it looks like little Javelin will be growing. I've been pushing to pick up an expanded contract with ITC, and it looks like it's going to happen. In that case, I'll probably need another person to join me and Claire in this little adventure. I just hope I can find someone who's happy to work for money, and not really REALLY needing health insurance. I just got a packet from Paychex about the cost of health insurance, and damn is it expensive! Now, if we went with Preffered Care, it's not terrible, but the offerings from the Blues are maybe 25-30% higher in monthly premiums! The other thing I may do is start offering a 401(k) plan, but that's $1500 up front to set up and frankly, I think I'd be happier WITH the $1500.

Misc. stuff
It's been exciting times from Kansas City Royals fans! We're on a roll - winning 8 of the last 10 games. They're going to blow it tonight in Cinncinnatti, but considering how dreadful their away record is, I'm just happy they won yesterday's game. They've improved their record to 25-50 (though, after tonight, 25-51) which is bad, but it's better than it was looking a month ago.

Other misc. stuff? Well, the trees finally came down in the backyard. Holy smokes, what a difference! There's actually LIGHT in the back now. There's a couple more trees that probably should have been taken down too, but maybe that'll be for next year. Next up - we get some new landscaping to give us some privacy in the backyard. I'd love to fence off the whole thing with a natural fence - but considering we're probably only going to be in this house another 3 years, it's not worth it. The only big ticket items left to do as far as I'm concerned are the glass block windows in the basement. That, and installing my new kitchen sink fixtures, and one new ceiling fan for the living room.

Well, that's it for now. I'm sitting outside and the mosquitoes are really starting to bug me. A nice glass of scotch will finish off this night!

Cold Stone Creamery

Just wanted to say a fast word about Cold Stone Creamery. I've never been to one of these before, and as Julie and I drove back from seeing her dad in Conesus, we decided it was a perfect day for icecream. We'd been driving around with the top down in 90 degree weather, so I think we were both ready for some ice cream. I had some reservations about going to Cold Stone. The big one, however, was Julie said how unimpressed she was with one of them out west. We decided to go there anyway, just for something different, and let me tell you, it was amazing! I got this one mix called Cookie Doughn't You Want Some - or something like that - with vanilla ice cream, big chunks of cookie dough, chocolate chips, chocolate sauce and some caramel sauce. Wow. Really tasty stuff. Unfortunately, I bought the "medium" size, and ended up tossing about a third of it. Next time I'll be sure to get the small.

After a major disappointment at Corky's Cravings Parlor, this is definately a good one to add to my list of "to-do's" over the rest of the summer. For some reason, Corky's was staffed the other night by a bunch of drug addicts. Either that, or just idiots. They didn't know how to use the soft serve machine, and it was at least 3 to 5 minutes to process each order. With the group of us comprising about 7 people, that meant some folks were finishing when others were just getting their ice cream. Really pathetic for a place that those of us who lived in the Overdale/Luzerne Street area really came to enjoy. I'll probably give them another shot later in the summer, once they've had some time to get their act together. But in the mean time, I'll be sure to enjoy Cold Stone Creamery again!

UPDATE: Gargoyles live!

Or, in theory they do. No, not like the gargoyles of the TV series - voiced by our favorite Star Trek actors, but the ones from the Elwood Builidng which was razed in the 60s.

I asked local historian and Rochester Numismatic Association member Gerry Muhl if he was familar with the Elwood Building, and more specifically, the gargoyles that sat atop it. Well, lo and behold, not only did he know about them, he'd even SEEN them on display! Apparently, the City took ownership of them following the razing of the building and did indeed put them into storage. They were later put on display, though I don't recall where, and then put back into storage. Gerry believes that they now are boxed away either near City Hall or at a storage facility on Andrews Street near the Rochester Fire Department's main building.

So, I'm getting closer to solving the mystery (albeit, apparently, not too difficult of one to solve it seems.) Gerry also suggested that I contact Ruth Rosenberg-Naparsteck to see if she's familiar with them and knows where they are. I may email her tonight to try and figure out what happened to them. Of course, the next question is: what to do about it? According to Gerry, the gargoyles are actually tin, which says to me after all this time, brittle. But maybe there's a way to still display one somehow? Not like I wanted, on top of my garage, but maybe on permanent display somewhere? I mean, are you telling me, there isn't a single building in say, all of downtown Rochester, that doesn't have space in their lobby for a permanent display of a historical item such as one of these gargoyles? Of course, I'd feel sorry for the other 14 or so that would stay locked up in storage crates somewhere, but if they weren't going to fall apart, I wonder if they could be added to a new building? I'd even be willing to say if I win the MegaMillions, I'll be sure to build something downtown that incorporates the rest of the gargoyles!

So, maybe the next step in my quest is to get some actual, up close pictures of the gargoyles? That'd be pretty cool - failing walking off with one! (LOL)

Wine and Friends

I was browsing on WineBid.com tonight looking at some great california cabs when it occurred to me that I have no one to enjoy wine with. By that, I don't mean someone who will just drink wine, but someone who will really appreciate it. Of course, this is in the post-Henry era. We both were really into wine - and now I'm kindof screwed. And with Julie not drinking with the pregnancy, that means I can't even justify opening a great bottle, cause I'd have to drink it all myself - and that's no fun. Fortunately, I really like scotch too - and can drink a little of it at a time - and there're a few of my friends who are big scotch people. But no wine people!

Henry bought a bunch of wines a couple days before he died, and while we'll drink them, and enjoy them, it won't be the same. I could probably call family friend Don Yungkurth - a BIG wine fan - and I may just have to do that! I hope he won't mind drinking really good burgundies and zins. So, maybe I need to find a couple new friends who can just be my "wine friends"??

Gargoyles

Anyone who knew Henry knew that he was into some weird shit. For example, for some reason he had this desire to place a large gargoyle on the roof of the garage. Specifically, from Design Toscano, he was particularly interested in purchasing Apex - the Winged Dragon". In fact, so enamored with Apex, he suggested he buy one for Julie and me! Needless to say, when I showed Julie the Apex - the Winged Dragon her first reaction was, "What the hell?!" Followed by something like, "Can't he just give us the money? Or maybe buy something we could actually use?" Well, sorry, but no. That wasn't his way! How many winter jackets did he buy me that I didn't need? How many winter jackets did he buy that HE didn't need?!

Well, I kindof dig the Apex gargoyle. It's kindof cool, and I wouldn't mind having one perched on the roof of my garage! (Though, Julie would probably kill me - and shoot the dragon.) And what got me to thinking about this had absolutely nothing to do with anything. I'm considering downtown office space. I like Highfalls, and I like the Highfalls building, however we never heard from them when we basically said we'd do it - so that kindof turned me off. I also REALLY like the idea of having a balcony. This is due in large part to my love of "Boston Legal". If I'm going to put in long hours, and run a business, I want a balcony I can sit on and occasionally smoke a cigar and drink a nice glass of scotch. Well, here's the problem with living in Rochester - no downtown buildings have balconies. Or, at least, I can't seem to find one. The closest thing is the Powers Builidng tower. There's balconies on a couple of the levels, and I can imagine myself sitting out there! (Oh, the other one is on top of Kodak tower, but the smoke from a burning cigar probably would interfere with the falcons flying around).

Again, this has nothing to do with gargoyles! Well, here's how we come to them. I was looking for pictures of the Powers building tower and came upon pictures of the Elwood Building. This building was torn down in 1967 in the name of progress. What drew my interest were the large gargoyles that sat atop this builidng. According to the Monroe County Library's history site, "there were originally 16 gargoyles. However, one was removed in 1962 for fear that is was going to break free and fall to the street below."

When they tore down the building, the site states that "the gargoyles, however, were taken down and put into storage." So, what happened to these lovely fellows? I'm sure there are some local historians out there that know, and I know a few of them, so next time I run into them, I'll ask. It's interesting that they saved them at all, considering how bad "urban renewal" was for downtown. So much was lost, and tossing the gargoyles wouldn't have been any less crazy than telling bird collectors (those who collect stuffed birds) that they'd better go south and shoot Ivory Billed Woodpeckers while they still can - before they go on the endanged list! (Yes, this actually did happen, albeit prior to 1967. What better way to save a species than to SHOOT it.)

So, my new mission is to find these gargoyles and put one on my roof. Maybe not the most meaningful mission in the world, but I'm SURE Julie would just LOVE one of these on our roof.

Kansas City Royals Beat the Yankees?!

I am an on-again, off-again KC Royals fan. Over the past several years they've gone from bad to worse to good to bad, to more bad, to really bad and now really REALLY bad. We're talking 11 wins and 35 losses bad. Of course, before last night, they were 10 and 35 - having just beaten the NEW YORK YANKEES last night. WTF? We lose to everyone else under the sun - except the Indians - and now they have the audacity to beat the Yankees? And this after they blew a 6 run lead against Detroit a couple nights ago to lose in the 9th inning - something we expect to see as KC fans.What's next, beat the Mets in interleague play? What does Buddy Bell think he's doing? Now those of us totally resigned to a crappy crappy year have been given hope, of sorts.

OK - they won ONE game, not exactly a huge accomplishment. But then again, if the can beat the Yankees, why can't they beat some other quality teams? I guess I shouldn't complain, KC starter Scott Elarton got is first win (now a whopping 1-5 with a 4.76 ERA) so that's positive. And it was nice to see that it was Jason Giambi blowing it for the Yankees. (I wonder if his post-game interview was laced with inuendo about steroiods?)

Now we've got a shot at an actual WIN STREAK this year. The best they've done is a three-game streak against the Indians, which again, gave fans a slight bit of hope, but this recent 14 game losing streak really was amazingly bad. I'll be watching the YES network later today, cause, well, I'm just a glutton for punishment.

UPDATE: KC lost 15 to 4 to the Yankees today. Guess there's no streak. Oh well!

Dad & Baby

Well, as nearly everyone who knows me or my family knows, my dad passed away on May 9th. I don't know if I'm ready yet to post some sort of big memorial piece here, but I might at some point. It's been great how supportive everyone's been, however. For those who are interested, yes, I'm keeping Javelin going. We recently changed the name to The Javelin Group, Inc., and I'm adding Claire Kenney part time on June 5th, which will be a great help to me. And in the middle of June we might be adding one other person. That'll bring Javelin up to three. Ideally, we'll have enough work coming in here that we can even bring some others on.

On a VERY happy note, Julie and I are having a BABY!!! Yes, we did it! Our tentative due date is December 13th, but that's probably going to change. When I get a chance, I'll want to scan the ultrasound pics and post em' up here. It was AMAZING to see the baby for real. That just totally blew me away. We told both families and now I'm at liberty to spread the news around, so there it is!

Otherwise, just keeping busy and will post a lot more stuff up here in the not-too-distant future. Check back!

What a great line!

I have to post this quote from today's (4/23/06) issue of the New York Times. It's from a story entitled, "To Hire Sharp Employees, Recruit in Sharp Ways." Essentially, it's a story about how the best employees already have jobs - jobs they probably also like. So, there's a great line in here which made me laugh, cause it's so opposed to the way Rochester works. John J. Sullivan, a management professor at San Francisco State University (ok, not exactly Harvard or Standford, but let's ignore that credential for a moment, shall we?) - a critic of traditional hiring practices states, "It's amazing that so many companies still use job fairs to recuit talent. Who goes to job fairs? People without jobs! All you get are worthless resumes and lots of germs. Recruiting has to be a clever, fast-moving business discipline, not a passive, paper-pushing bureaucracy."

The job-fair is the answer to all our problems in Rochester - or so the "thought leaders" believe. Job fairs and business planning contests are the most innovative ways to solve our problems, so they'll say. That, and spending lots and lots of money with these self-proclaimed thought leaders on their pet projects which do nothing more than pay for their travel expenses and make them feel like a saviour-in-out-midsts. Of course, ask them five-years from now for a report on all their successes, and you'll get nothing but spin, and the real outcomes will be slight-to-immeasurable.

Of course, in the same story, the director of talen acquisition for Quicken Loans (one of the fastest growing companies in the US) states, "We're after certain kinds of people, not people from a certain business.... We can teach people about finance. We can't teach passion, urgency and a willingness to go the extra mile." Don't tell that to another Rochester-institution that has based it's entire marketing strategy on the "We teach... passion" campaign!

DC Pics

OK! FINALLY I can post some pics... here's on the roof of our hotel:





Here's the little church across the street from the hotel (the President was there on Sunday morning for services... I would have actually have gone to church if I knew!)



And here's a shot from the FDR memorial...



More shots of the monuments at night coming...

Blogger

You know, you'd think it wouldn't be rocket science from Blogger to just work. I mean - all I want to do is post text and the occasional picture. Well, I'm sitting here attempting to upload some images from our recent trip to Washington, DC. I wrote a whole section and then attempted to upload the images. It didn't work. Each time, the screen went white after doing the spinning upload thingy. So, I thought, "I'll try using Firefox rather than Safari... maybe that'll make a difference." Nope. Still can't post images. I think I'm going to just say fuck it and try to move to a different blogging program. If Google can't get something as simple as image upload to work on a regular basis, then we should all be worried (but ESPECIALLY all those people out there owning Google shares at $300+ each.)

The Simpsons (for real!)

As many of you know... I am a huge Simpson's fan. In fact, I probably know more about The Simpson's that I should... having seen every episode - multiple times - and having an uncanny ability to speak along with the lines as various episodes play. I am also a pseudo news junkie... albeit not as big as these guys. I actually seed all sorts of articles on Newsvine - thanks to Brendan who got me into the beta. It's live and open to the public now.

Well, anyway, checking Newsvine today, got me this link. It's The Simpson's opening with real people! VERY well done!

Sick AGAIN

Well, I don't know what the heck is going on, but I am sick again. This time, it's gotta be the flu. Fever, aching, sneezing, congestion... all that good stuff. In fact, I felt so bad this morning, I had to stay home from work today. I HATE doing that - especially when it's YOUR business... and if you're not there, no one else will pick up the slack. To add to all that, mom and dad are in Tucson, and I wasn't able to get to their place tonight to feed the kitties. Fortunately, Jason was able to stop over there and feed them. I just hope that tomorrow morning I feel great - so I can get to work.

Aren't Communications Great?

So, it's just before 11am (eastern time) in Rochester, NY and I get a call from Brendan in Seattle. He's heading up to take the ferry from Anacortes to Orcas Island - presumably to do some camping. He's calling me to get the ferry schedule from the Washington State Department of Transportation website. Of course, I have no problem finding what we're looking for, and I let him know that the weekday schedule is different from the weekend schedule, and that they can stop speeding to catch the 8:30 ferry... cause the next one they want isn't until 10:00am.

In reflecting on these events, it's really amazing how far communications have come. That a person in Seattle can phone a person in Rochester - with no long distance charges - and that the person in Rochester can tell him the ferry schedule in Washington State. Now, with the right technology, Brendan could have found this info himself - with a blackberry, or laptop hooked up to a cell phone, or whatever - but it's still interesting. Fifty years ago - hell, TWENTY years ago - none of this would have been possible. He could still have called me, but rudimentary cell phone plans would have probably charged him $20 or more just to make the phone call. Then, I'd probably need to go looking through stacks of papers to find the schedule - assuming I have one - and then hope that it's not out of date!

Just an interesting observation. Up next? Flour City Tavern Tour 2006!!! Just gotta sit down with George and finalize our route. This year's going to start on Monroe Avenue, it appears, probably at Monty's Krown or Jerremiah's Tavern. Jerremiah's would be good for beer and food to start... and then go to the Krown. From there, it's a LONG walk to anywhere... except Enright's... and unless they miraculously add 5 or 8 new taps with excellent beers on them, that'll be a pass. The old Tom Thumb restaurant is good if you're looking to get drinking at 8am, but beyond that it's not really up to tavern-tour expectations.

Once the route is down, then come the t-shirts. In fact, this weekend I'll probably try and pull together the graphics so it's ready to go. Then it'll only be like $10-12 per shirt.

Cheers'

The sickness!

Oh me' miserum!

Actually, today I'm feeling much better. The past three days have been a pain in the ass, to say the least. Last night, however, was by far the worst. While I did enjoy a good drug induced sleep - I also spent most of the evening huddled on the sofa in my livingroom shivering with fever. Today is better, but I'm also taking a hell of a lot of cold medicine which is keeping me mostly "normal." Still have a nasty cough, congestion, watery eyes, and a general feeling of malaise, but it's not terrible. The objective is to get healthy enough to do two things tomorrow that I've been looking forward to - smoking a cigar at Havana Moes, and going to the Knighthawks game. Why am I looking forward to this? Well, Julie also happens to be in Arizona this weekend - lucky to be away from my sickness! So, I was planning on doing things that she wouldn't normally like me to do (other than the lacrosse, which is good... it's those cigars that aren't viewed too highly.)

I was also planning on eating smoked chubs and cooking a big pot o' tripe - two other things Julie can't stand - but I don't think I could stomach it either right now. Hopefully one more night of sitting on my ass, watching TV, and relaxing will get me back to normal.

Wedding pictures posted!

Well, it's only been three months, but the wedding pictures are FINALLY posted. Go to www.pictage.com, register online, and look up "Gottfried" in the find an event section. There'll you find a few hundred photos from the wedding! Lots of good ones... some not so good! Check em' out for yourself!

Dave's New Car Redux

Well, looks like I'm not only days away from the new car coming! Talked to the dealership today and they're sending it over now. I still gotta make up my mind on the various options I want - but I think I know what I want. Basically, I want to add fog lights and a subwoofer sound system. I'd LOVE to have a moonroof too, but it's not an option on this model. Which is strange, considering it's a four-door... and they offer it on other models. But, alas, at this time, there's no moonroof option. Perhaps at some point I can have a hole cut to make one... but not now! It also comes with a navigation system which is really cool. No more getting lost!

The best part is - no more Audi issues. The latest round was the fuel pump died. How is this possible? Why did it die AFTER I went in for my 60,000 mile service? Of course, I'm turning in my car with 5000 extra miles on it - and they'll probably screw me with damage charges. It would just round out the experience of dealing with Audi, which has been terrible. All Audi needed to do to keep me happy was pick up a lease payment once. But they didn't. So I'll never buy another Audi again. They actually called me the other day to discuss my Audi experience... but it was a voicemail message. So, it's unlikely that I'll call them back. What could they possibly do to make me happy now? And why would THEY care? I've already purchased the next car... and it's not an Audi. Oh well.

This will also make Julie very happy on several accounts. First, the car is not leased but purchased. So I actually get to own something! Second, it's automatic, so she can drive it! Third, it's not an Audi, so hopefully it won't have all the technological problems. Every time I drive her around, that damn front turn signal goes dead and the warning light goes off! She then tells me what a POS the car is! (I have to agree - this car shouldn't have this many problems for the price!!!!)

So, hopefully before the week's end, I'll have tons of pictures of the new car. Yay!

Buffalo - The Real Deal

One of my hobbies is reading The Buffalo News. While it seems every Western New Yorker loves to blast his or her town's local newspaper, really, The Buffalo News ain't half bad. After sitting here drinking my Sunday morning coffee, and reading the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle , and feeling rather unfulfilled about it, you come to realize the Buffalo News in comparison is a pretty good paper - even if I'm too lazy to go to Wegmans and buy an actual copy of it, and instead opt for the online addition.

Anyway, there's a great commentary in today's edition by Donn Esmonde: A few words say it all about Buffalo. Apparently, he held his own little slogan contest to see what readers could come up with for Buffalo. The winner? Buffalo - The Real Deal. Quote, "It's tough-minded, to the point, matter-of-fact. It says this is an authentic place . . . We are what we are, and proud of it. It's smash-mouth football. Chicken wings at the corner tavern. Beers and kielbasa. It's not glitz and glamour, but the authentic America that has been lost in so many places." I have to admit, I really like it too. It also capitalizes on the nation's latest infatuation with poker! Naysayers undoubtedly will complain that the slogan should be negative - pointing to Buffalo's need for a state board to manage it's finances - but those assholes don't get it. Comming up with a city slogan should identify something POSITIVE. EVERY community has bad stuff.... but how can you set your city apart, even with something as insignificant as a slogan?

I think "Buffalo - The Real Deal" is about a BILLION TIMES BETTER than "Rochester - Made for Living". Notice the difference between these two three-word slogans? One kindof hits you - makes you wonder about what might be there, and possibly makes you want to visit. The other conjures up images of schools, suburbs, and soccer moms. Um, that's not a place I need or want to visit. Rochester has so much more going for it, and to have spent thousands comming up with "Made for Living" is an embarrassment. Donn's effort shows how community involvement can usually result in better outcomes than the efforts of our city "thought leaders." Oh yeah, and what did this contest cost Donn? A $100 restaurant gift certificate.

Monroe County State of the County

I'm sitting here listening to Maggie Brooks give her "State of the County" address... so far, sounds pretty good. I like how she started off with economic development. Under her term so far, I would descrive her committment to economic development as, "lackluster," at best. Frankly, you cannot have a successful economic development effort without a (ugh - wait - need to pause - she just honored Gabe and Gene Dalmath for helping the zoo... ugh...)

Anyway, as I was saying, you can't have a economic development effort without a full time director of economic development. And, while she isn't hiring that person, at least she's discussing economic development as a high priority. I think that Terry Slaybaugh is great - but he cannot be all things in this administration, and Maggie needs to bring in a dedicated economic development director. Her idea of the entrepreneurial institute is a good one - and, I like the folks who are going to run it. (Won't mention who that is yet, until it's officially annonunced).

Now she's talking about MCH. "What to do about MCH," is the topic! LOL - they must seriously consider the outright sale of the hospital to an outside company. That's what she says. And at the very least, outsource the administration and staffing. Rob - what do you think? She says it's "an important community asset".... you agree? The time for debate is over - and stresses out the families and healthcare staff. She's appointing a permanent finanical review board to have a fiscally sustainable hospital. Her pledge: "MCH will not be closed, sold, or privatized.... end of discussion, end of debate." Cool beans. (Again, Rob, your thoughts?! LOL)

Long term financial condition of the County.... ongoing fiscal challenges..... last two years: we've been able to keep MC deficit free. The 2006 budget will do so as well. She's proud of all this (as she should be... it's very tough to do). OK... side note.. Jean is sitting in the audience eating something... STOP CHEWING! HAHAHAHAHAHHA.

Well, apparently 2007, 2008 and beyond are a budget gap of $102 million. Yay! We must address this, this year - while we still can.

OK... now she's mentioning that we need to keep the services we have... don't start throwing old people into the streets... wages for County workers is flat... health care coverage is still good, and saved taxpayers money on a continuing basis.... look at vacancies to see if they're necessary jobs.... new contracts are in place with the majority of the unions with about 2% increases in wages - way beneith most other counties.... lots of other savings... but one area that needs scrutiny - high caseloads and welfare - responsible for a lot of the deficit. County is responsible for all this, yes, and should do a better job at administering the welfare programs. Onondaga County is doing it better than we are - and saving money.

UGH... ok... gotta stop typing this stuff. Basically, good speach, and given well. Didn't hear any boos from the Democrats in the audience, and John Richardson looks great sitting there in the audience - undoubtedly wishing he were doing what I am - watching this on TV and drinking wine!

The Today Show

UPDATE: We were FINALLY on the show! Yay! We had about 15 seconds of "fame"!


For those who may not have caught it, Julie and I (though, Julie got quotes and a picture printed) were in the D&C last Monday. You can find that story HERE.

Well, apparently, The Today Show saw the story on the AP, and thought it would be fun to do a piece on this story. So, this past Friday afternoon our living room was turned into a mini recording studio! There were lights, cameras, and just a little bit of action. They spent about two and a half hours - interviewing us, shooting us making cookies, looking through photos, and walking through the woods outside our home.

According the the producer who did the interview with us, the spot will run this Thursday at 8:10am on Today. So, for those of you with TiVo... be sure to set it! I'd LOVE to post a link to the video, assuming someone saves it for me. I also should get some good screen captures from Scott Fybush who'll be sure to save a copy. Now we'll have to wait until Tuesday to find out if they might fly us down to actually be on the show LIVE... but that would just be icing on the cake. Right now we're happy to be on a national television show. I'll post more when I've got stuff to show!

Rochester Ferry - RIP (for now)

Well, the agonizing debates over whether or not the ferry from Rochester to Toronto is a good thing is over - and the ferry lost. Apparently there were a host of reasons why this thing failed - from a lack of experienced people in developing a plan, to the wrong boat size, to a total disinterest from the Canadian's, and a whole lot more.

As someone who was involved in the initial lobbying campaigns for the funding to do this project, here are a couple of my observations. First, CATS founder Dominick DeLucia was one of the slickest fast talkers I ever met. This was a guy who
"graduated first in my class at Simon School - or maybe second". Well, um, which is it? Either it was first or it wasn't... you can't even answer THAT question honestly? In his presentations to UNICON, the Chamber, City Council, the County Leg, and the State delegation, everything was very VERY fast, and very rosey. The numbers looked great, and why shouldn't they? He was looking for $15 million in state funding and loan guarantees!

The various delegations should be taking a big piece of the responsiblity for this failure - they valued union votes over fiscal responsibility, and they didn't use their staff to evaluate the plan. It was the unions (particularly the construction unions) who were really pushing this thing. In fact, I even developed an email e-advocacy campaign where people could send in their letters of support for the ferry to the delegation members! Well, just because lots of people support something, doesn't mean it's a good idea! What if I had a million people support building a giant swastica downtown? Would that mean we should fund the thing? They might STILL have supported it, but given the state had no further comittment to seeing this thing succeed (read: subsidy) they must have known deep in their gut that this was doomed to failure. Ever ride the ferry's in Seattle? They're not luxury, and they're not profitable... they're necessary means of transportation that is state subsidized. The fact is, the State and the Canadian government should have partially subsidized this thing as a mechanism to increase cross-border tourism - and with some simple math, could have figured out the long term benefits. But the state was "broke" and the Canadian's government is equally disfunctional as our own.

On the other hand, i LOVED the ferry. It was a great ride, and I WISH it could have worked, but it sounds more and more like we pulled another bush league move and allowed this thing to be managed by people we knew nothing about (CATS) and later run by a board of people who's real responsibilities lay elsewhere. Why oh why did they put all those City Council members on that board?! Didn't these people have a CITY to run? Couldn't they have brought on some sort of administrator who's single responsibility was seeing that this ferry company as AT LEAST RUN WELL?

If anything, this just proves that (a) City Council members really have very little to do and (b) they're not very good at doing real work when given the chance. Now obviously, the Mayor is also responsible for pushing City Council around - but it's not like that's hard to do with a group as weak as they were (I say "were" because we're finally seeing new people in City Council). And I applaud Karen Noble Hanson (did I just write that?) for her comments in the latest article about the lack of information given the ferry board. I also chide Gladys Santiago for saying everything was a-o-k and that they were given ample information. Gladys, you can stop kissing Johnson's ass now - he's gone - better start sucking up to Duffy or else you might be out of a "job".

Now, I hope that Duffy does something to give the city a real boost. Consider - we can still bond out money to do stuff, so long as the residents want them to! Why not bond out $11.5 million anyway and do a bunch of really nice public works? It shows a tangible comittment to the city, and it makes everyone feel better after this ferry fiasco. Considering all the good things going on downtown - Troup-Howell bridge, Sagamore on East, Corn Hill Landing, Paetec Park, Renaissance Center development, and a host of other things, including the exciting developments in loft apartments, bars, clubs, and restaurants - the City SHOULD take on some more debt to add to all this excitment and make people feel really good about downtown again.

My FIRST suggestion? Take some money and put up a sign across the old McGrory's building on Main Street that shows what's going to be built on that sight - even if it's only conceptual. Residents - and visitors - need to know that exciting stuff is happening in the City, with Renaissance Square being the most anticipated. I think that would be a step in the right direction to giving city residents a psychological boost. And while we're at it, spend some more on City cops to make our streets safer - that too would be a huge bonus to the area.

Just my two- no, six- no, twelve, BAKERS DOZEN, cents!