The Dromomaniac

Edendale School Project

For those of you in the Buffalo/Niagara area, you should go to this!

A Party!

 

To raise money for the Edendale School Project (South Africa)

in support of its remedial programs for disadvantaged youth, including Mbali’s brother Sifiso.

 

With the help of Journeys of Solutions

 

Saturday, September 26, 2009, 4-7:30 pm

378 Crescent Avenue, Parkside, Buffalo

 

*An al fresco menu featuring the gastronomic connections between the Americas and Africa

*Silent auction including local artists’ work (other sorts of donation welcome)

*Music by Bloodthirsty Vegans

*Kids Welcome! Bring friends and family

 

As many of you know, we discovered Edendale School after a family trip to South Africa last winter inspired us to seek help for Mbali’s 13-year old brother, a delightful, motivated, loving kid without access to meaningful education.

  

The Edendale School in Culinan, South Africa, not far from Johannesburg, is developing a unique program of services many orphaned children need to get back on track in their education–housing, meals, transport, remedial and special needs classes, after-school tutoring, health care, and recreation.

 

Journeys of Solutions Inc. is a Western NY non-profit organization* that helps U.S. travelers sustain a longer-term productive relationship with the places they visit across the world by donating money and participating in service projects. All donations to the Edendale School Project through Journeys of Solutions are tax deductible and everything you donate goes directly to the Edendale School, which itself is a non-profit non-taxed organization in South Africa.

 

If you are interested in donating to the Edendale School Project, you may bring a check to the party or donate directly on the secure website.

Go to www.journeysofsolutions.org; Current Projects; Edendale School.

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* Set up with help from UB Law School’s Clinic faculty and students. Thanks especially to Sara Faherty.

Sous Chef

In preparation for the Babel series, I've been working my way through the landmark novels of each speaker. I've already read "Reading Lolita in Tehran", so that's done. Our book club picked "Midnight's Children" so I just finished that after vacation. (11 hour plane rides give lots of reading time...) But, since A. S. Byatt and Ha Jin are the first two speakers, logic dictates that I read those books as well. I got "Waiting" in the mail a few days ago and holy CRAP is it gorgeous. Ha Jin is incredibly adept at juxtaposing nature and technology, emotion and suppression. I'm already halfway through. So today, "Possession" arrived and I can't wait to read that!!

Cue the Satie, pour the Rhone, and let me be.

To Sum Up

SO.

We're just back (again). We had quite the whirlwind weekend of Western New York.

We went to the Chautauqua Institution last night for an Elvis Costello show. I'm not really a fan (I think I know a grand total of 3 songs) but Paul is, so this was a belated birthday present. The show was entertaining enough, but I welcomed the chance to walk the grounds. It's beautiful and peaceful, though markedly for older people in general. Still, I wouldn't say no to a weekend there.

We spent the night at my friend Dana's house in Jamestown. I love love love her house. It's big and old and is totally Dana: African masks and mardi gras beads are standard decor. It was her husband's birthday so we all went out to Tempo, a bar downtown for a bit. Dana and I boogied it up, but I'm no match for her moves.

We only said a quick good bye this morning before heading to Bemus Point for breakfast. Maybe I was that hungry, but I'm certain this was the best mutha effin' egg sammich I'd had in, well, forever. Whatever they flavored it with - MSG, R486, etc - worked because this shiz was slamtastic.

After, we pressed on to Ripley to our friend Kevin's winery, Quincy Cellars. Poor Kevin makes the trek to Buffalo on a regular basis to hang out, so it was the least we could do. He's got a beautiful place there. Sadly, this year has largely been a washout and he's already looking forward to the winter so he can prune and focus on next year. He is in the process of building another winery in which he wants to focus on local artists. Exciting prospect.

Finally, we made it back to Buffalo in time to catch some of the Elmwood Arts Festival. Our friend Ann always has a stand there, so we typically go and harass her for a bit. The temperature was dropping rapidly and the same downpour we'd experienced in Ripley was heading our way. We bumped into a few friends as we walked around, but I felt fairly comatose. We bought a swirling sprinkler thing (not that we needed it this year!) and headed home.

Oddly, I'm ready for work, but I'm more ready for the 1/2 off sale at AmVets tomorrow. 

Back to Reality

Welp, back to work. In the heap of mail waiting for us on Friday, I found a letter saying that I had to go to a new employee orientation on Tuesday (yesterday). It's part of my job, so I went, even though I'm not a new employee. (I missed the one last year, and this is Very Official Stuff we're talking about.) So I spent yesterday trying not to nod off. The problem with stuff like that is that it's geared for new teachers, which I'm actually not. 

I was, however, able to see my boss, which always makes me happy. And change my name on my nametag (which I think I've already lost). And get the info to set up a TSA, which has been a long time coming for me. I'm terrible at saving money, so if the cash is deducted from my check before it comes to me, I'm none the wiser. I have an appointment with a financial planner tomorrow, and that makes me feel almost like an adult.

In other news, we were going to go see Peter Frampton last night at ArtPark, but since I'd, ahem, indulged the night before with Mo and Annie, it seemed like a less-than-stellar idea. We instead did yard work. So tonight we're going to Art Park, weather permitting, to see Galactic. 

Only a week left of freedom, but I'm ready to go back. 

Carole Bombard

Ok, so I've loaded tons of photos into two albums, one of the wedding, the other of Greece. Check them out over there <----------------- .

Tom Yum

Because the wedding stuff is just about over and because I am done planning everything else, I'm already mentally moving on to new projects. And goal #1 for September is mastering Tom Kha.

I was never much of a Thai food eater in NYC. I don't know why, but I guess I'd never been to anywhere really good. I was massively skeptical when Paul talked me into going to Taste of Thai on Hertel but HOLY MUTHA! Not only is it my new favorite restaurant in Buffalo, but Tom Kha is quite possibly my favorite thing in the world to eat.

I'm also mentally moving on to grad school, work, teaching workshops, Buffalo Chamber Music (I need to get season tickets again...), the Babel series, etc etc etc. Someone close to me better have a baby/get married/become president soon because I may otherwise have too much time on my hands.

Oh, Nevermind

So my grumpiness is totally passed because 

A) I'm DONE with the BOCES project!

and

B) I'M GOING TO THE BEACH TOMORROW!!

Bikini? Check! Smuggled beer? Check!! Unnecessary exclamation points? CHECK!!!

Mangia!

Today is the Italian Festival on Hertel Avenue, complete with a recreated Mount Vesuvius set to erupt every hour. It is also Paul's bachelor party. Since us ladays are not invited, we will be carousing with all the Tonys we can find and hope to avoid Vesuviusing on the sidewalk after.

Summer, I think

It's been remarkably cool this summer so far. We haven't had many days up over 80F. It's ok, I s'pose, but I want acclimation before being tossed into Greek heat. 

With summer brings my social butterflyishness. We had a jam-packed weekend. We went to the Molson Canal Fest on Friday night to see none other than The Cult. They were actually pretty damn good live, which is amazing because I thought the same when I saw them TWENTY years ago at Nassau Coliseum. How the hell does that happen? Twenty fucking years?! I need to go back to bed.

Anywho, on Saturday (or Zaterdag for you Dutchies out there), we went to the home of Dr. Ron Lelito for a midsummer night's jam/swim/gorge. Noa Bursie came over and she and Ron and Melissa played a bit together and Paul played a hand drum and Elizabeth and I just sipped on sangria and provided quips. I did manage to be the only adult fool enough to jump into the frigid pool with the 13 year olds. Yep.

And on Sunday we hit Shakespeare in the Park with Dana and Aurora to see "The Tempest". (I always want to add another 't' to the end of "Tempest" but then I remember that that's Tempestt Bledsoe, not "The Tempest".) Dana and Aurora are fantab as always. I miss hanging out with Dana. She used to be in Burpalo more often. 

SO. Back to work. And I have been working. I have to try to finish this curriculum thing by next week (!!!!) so I've been plugging away there. But after constructed lessons around "Space Oddity" and the concept of Festivus, I figured I'd ought to check with Da Boss Lady to make sure this is all acceptable. Still waiting on that. Is that good?

Roight, that's all. Off with you.

 

Spank My Doodle Dandy

Paul and I decided to go for a bike ride along the river bike path yesterday, a nice, wholesome 4th of July activity. What we didn't count on was the Great American News Company being hoppin' busy. (GANC is, not surprisingly, a porn shop.) We were both so impressed that Paul promptly gave a fist-pump and yelled "Porn on the 4th of July!" His fate was thusly sealed. 

Back in 2007, my friend AJ described a contest in which he and his friends challenged themselves to come up with porn alternative titles for main stream films. There were many rules and ways of issuing points, but apparently the highly-sought titles were those that required only one letter changing. It's a lot more difficult than it sounds, believe me. 

So anyway, I immediately told Paul about that, so we came up with "Star Whores," "Cumdog Millionaie," and "Milf." We noted that many, like "Scent of a Woman" and "Snatch" don't need our help. And my dear friends have since contributed "Raiders of the Lost Cock," "The Empire Strokes Back," "Cream Girls," "The Sperminator," and "The Porn Supremacy."

Well done, my dears.