The Green Green Grass Of Home

We have green-ness! I guess all that rain over the last week was good for something. The seed is beginning to sprout.

Stucco guy finished up on Friday and I spent all of Sunday painting. Looks really really nice. The Spouse is just loving it also. He was a bit concerned about the whole stucco thing, but he absolutely loves it now. Dude...always trust my vision, ok?

I dragged up some of the old crusty chairs and a couple of tables from the basement and we've been sitting out there. A LOT! The Offspring and I were out last night for hours. I'm very pleased.

All thats left to be done is the ceiling and the new front door. Oh, and the bar. Doug's off on another job right now and we've been demoted to 'rainy day' work status. Which, I guess, is ok. Not really, but what are you gonna do? He promised that all would be done by the end of the month.

I'm very well pleased with the whole project. Thinking about posting it on "Rate My Space" on HGTV.com. Wouldn't it be cool if we were an inspiration room for someone and then got on the show????

Ok...I've Got Some Catching Up To Do

We've been swamped with parties at work, and we're putting in 12 hour days, and doing weekends and I've just not have time to update anything, so here goes......

Last week I noticed that the Yucca in the front yard had started sprouting. Not just one or two stalks...but SIX!

The started to open up today....

Gorgeous little flowers....too bad they don't last real long.

Now...on to The Project.

The whole house is sided. Love the color. The Spouse and His Buddy With The Bobcat spread 25 yards of dirt (Thats a LOT of friggin dirt) to level the terrain around the patio and slope it out to the back. He also got the grass seed spread and miracles of all miracles...its been raining ever since. Weather so far this spring/summer has been kinda crappy. One or two nice teaser days then not so much.

AND!!! The stucco guy game today and started the side walls. Doug will finish off the ceiling when stucco guy is done and then Kevin will come and install the lights and outlets and the fan and we'll be DONE!!! Well...we'll be done when Doug installs the bar.

When The Walls Come Tumbling Down

The Aud is almost gone. Here's another good place to reminisce about the old girl. And this will lead you to a video of the tumbling from Saturday

The last of the roof came down on Saturday morning

I drove by yesterday....This was taken from under the I-190
And this wall is all that's left standing.
There were a good number of people roaming around and checking it out.

Everyday Brings Something New

Bricklayer Todd pretty much finished up today. We thought we were going to have to wait a few weeks for the capstone but he found some and slapped it up there today

Check out this brutally phenomenal detail work above the door.
All thats left to do on the structure is the stucco on the two interior walls, and the covering for the ceiling.

In the mean time, Doug has begun the task of re-siding the rest of the house....he's got the one side done. After that we can add the landscaping and its party time.

Nice View

We went to Harry's Harbour Place Grille for my birthday dinner last night. Good view, good food and excellent company!!!

In other news.....the brick work is coming along nicely! Half the inside wall is done....I'm thinking he'll finish up tomorrow....
And all the brick on the outside walls is done. That will be getting capped off with a white stone ledge. As you can see...some of the old siding is off and being prepped for the new stuff. Coastal Sage is the new color. We are so over that 20year old blue!!!

I just got done staining the door and the window. 6 more hours to go before I can do the second coat. I may cheat and do it a little earlier. We'll see. If the 1st coat is dry I may be a rebel and do it. I live dangerously!

Doors and Windows and Bricks, Oh My!

New door *which I have to stain on the inside* New window *which I have to stain, on the inside*
And the best part..the brick work. Gonna look wicked awesome once the new siding goes up. *did I mention that we decided to reside the whole house? Budget buster right there.*

Grime Doesn't Pay

Got the computer back today. My guy Ray ran what he needed to run, said if there was any kind of virus that it was gone and he didnt think there was a virus, but the big reason for my problems was dust. I guess shooting the thing with the air in the can stuff just isn't enough to keep the puppy clean. Computers are like TVs in that they are giant electromagnets that attract the dusties.

Speaking of dust, I've got a thin layer of construction dust all over the house. I just got done delousing the kitchen because the new sliding door went in today. There's grime everywhere. One thing I despise is grime!!! makes me nuts! And the window went in on The Project too. The brick guy was here dropping off the goods and Kevin came by and did some preliminary wiring. He and The Spouse are now up at Nickel Creek having a pop. And by pop I dont mean pop if you get my drift. I'll have some pictures up soon. There were too many people roaming around to get any shots this afternoon.

Not Much New Progress To Report

We have trim....

And we have soffits



I believe we're waiting for the electrician to work his magic and the brick guy to come and do the brick work along the lower section *across the whole lower back of the house, where the Tyvec is...wont that look cool?* of the house, then the siding can go up. Brick guy is also doing the brick and stucco on the interior.

I want it to be done!!!! "Daddy..I want an Oompa Loompa and I want it NOW!!!!"

Everyday A Little More Progress

Today The Project is enclosed. Well...except for the part thats staying open. All the sheathing is up and the roof, no shingles, but a roof, is on. As expected, my kitchen is a little darker, but thats ok because now I can have the curtains open without being blinded. It'll lighten up once the window goes in on the left side.





Would you look at that lawn???? All thru this, The Spouse, aka, Mr. Greenjeans has kept his lawn up.

And, as always, you can see more detail if you click on the picture.

What The???

Yeah..its the 18th of May and we're scraping frost off the cars????

And I didn't take the computer in Saturday cuz they were closed.

We have an actual structure now!

And this guy is doing all the work by himself.

In other news.....I think I have a fan motor problem on my computer.....I should really take it in and have it checked out, so I may be inactive for a few days. I can make posts from my phone but I dont know if there will be any pictures. Wish me luck

Have I Ever Mentioned How Much I Love My Job Or The People I Work With???

I'm sure I have. Today was just one more example of why.

We have a regular customer...*we have LOTS of regulars actually, this is just one of our favorites* who lately has been getting a salad to go. I started drawing little pictures on the bag, or writing little notes on the container and just doing goofy little things like that. Well, today Justin took it to the next level..




Yes...thats Andy's name carved out of a couple slices of provolone cheese.

Awesomeness

Framing Has Begun!

This is awesome...and the picture does not do it justice.


The sun was in the way!

And its weird....it's the first time since way back when in, what, September was it, that we're able to walk out the sliding door into the backyard. Coolness

Another Episode of .... Unsolicited Product Review

Today I tried the Woolite Rug Stick . And gosh darnit, it worked pretty well! I've got a high traffic problem stepping down into the family room. The dingy came out and it fluffed up nicely. I also tried upstairs where I had a spill and that came clean also. Then I thought...the stairs could use a sprucing up so I started on the bottom, got one step done and ran out of product, since the kit only comes with a trial size container.

Bought it at Tops for $14.95 and I didnt even think to look and see if they sold a refill. If they don't, I'm sure Target will have it. At least I hope they do.

Two Thumbs Up

And They're Off

We went to Buffalo Raceway last night. Had a table right along the glass in the grandstand.


I went down and play some slots for a little while, *because I couldnt find a room they were painting so I could watch the paint dry...not a big fan of the whole 'slap a wagon on a horse and make him trot in a circle and see how much money people will bet on the outcome thing* till I ran out of money...hahahahaha...it didn't take long.

If there's a recession, you couldn't tell it from The Fairgrounds. The grandstand was packed and there were very few slot machines that were not occupied.

Taking Shape

The concrete for the porch and the patio are done!





Next step....construction of the porch itself.

Random

So...there's no update on The Project because they're not pouring the concrete until Saturday. And it's supposed to rain on Saturday night so, who knows.

Here's some random stuff.

New (or old) TV shows I like.

The Unusuals I LOVE this show!!! The characters are a bit off the wall, or, unusual, if you will. On ABC, Wednesday night, 10:00

Castle Two thumbs up on this one too. Nice cast, humor, mystery, well written. On ABC, Monday night, 10:00

Bones David Boreanaz, Buffalo boy, nuff said. His father was Dave Thomas of Rocketship 7 and Dialing For Dollars fame.

30 Rock I have always and will forever have a crush on Alec Baldwin. There, I said it. Everyone knows now.

The Mentalist No commentary, I just like the show.

The Office, My Name is Earl, Two and a Half Men, How I Met Your Mother, Big Bang Theory, all make the list too. Hmmmmm...seems to be the stuff I like most is the stuff that makes me laugh. Or chuckle. Or snicker. Nuthin wrong with that!

And looking over at my Twitter update from last night, it seems I can't type whilst walking down stairs in a mob of people. That should have read "A Chorus Line". And let me tell you it was just fantastic! I was walking around all day today singing the songs I love the most. And singing them outloud, which is not really pretty at all. At least I didnt break out in a dance number using a lid to a pot as my top hat belting out "One, singular sensation, every little step she takes". I thought about it but I didnt do it.

Double Update

...because I didn't get home till after dark last night and didn't take pics till this morning and this afternoon.
This was the scene after yesterday....the foundation was all filled in and level. Beginning to look like something now, huh?

Now, today, forms for the floor of the porch, the stairs and the patio are now set.

It's probably going to stay that way for a while. Weathermen say its going to rain the next couple of day. Oh, wait...what am I talking about...they haven't been right about any weather prognostications for a long time!

The lilac are beginning to bloom too!

First Floor, Housewares, Second Floor, Sporting Goods, Third Floor, FOUNDATIONS!

WooHoo!

I Miss All The Good Stuff

I'm an ambulance chaser from way back. My dad was the first one to say "Let's go" when the sirens at the fire station went off. We had a scanner and if something big was close, we were there.

If only I'd stuck around at work for a few more minutes yesterday. I could have been in the middle of all the excitement. Not 10 minutes after I left, this really cool building behind work went up in flames.

This is all that's left


I know I have a before picture around here somewhere, and if I find it, I'll post it.

I should mention that the building was vacant and no one was hurt.

There's some more pictures and a story to this story at BuffaloRising.com

**edit 5/4

Just got this picture in from The Spouse, thought I'd post it

Pimpin' Ain't Easy!

Today was Kid's Day and Al and Justin and Kush and Jimmy and Peter and The Spouse and I were out there at 6AM schlepping newspapers. Here's Justin and Al...crazy bastards were walking the middle of the road like they owned it.

It was a fantastic morning, weather wise...we were warm and dry. Of course, it started raining about 10:30. I'm glad it held off till we were done, but the rain means nothing gets done on The Project.

We're On The Way!

The footers were poured this afternoon. The moat has been filled.

Let's hope there's no rain for a little while. *just knows there will be now that I've said it out loud*

Holy Lots of Dirt Batman!

Ok...so there's not THAT much dirt.

There's two nice mounds that came out of the trench for the foundation. Hopefully footers will be poured on Monday. Waiting for the building inspector to give an okie-dokie to proceed.

We've had an absolutely gorgeous last couple of days. I went over to Antique World this morning, y'know, just to get out and get some fresh air, yeah, that's it...I wanted fresh air. We'll stick with that story. I found this awesome tin Pepsi thermometer. The mercury for that actual temperature reading is gone, but otherwise its in great shape!
Can't wait to hang it out back with all the other stuff I've been collecting. I hope this room is going to be big enough!!!!

And The Construction Begins

Day One

Doug came over this morning to do preliminary stuff. Excavation for the footers starts tomorrow.

I'm excited.

If you recall, the last work to be done was demolition of the pool and deck, back in September.

Today, the siding was taken off, and marker stakes put in.



And the fence came down so the dig equipment can get back.



Stay tuned for further developments.

Did I mention I was excited?

I Don't Know Whats Wounded More...

....pride or my ass.

So, Offspring #3 and I are at step class tonite. Our normal Tuesday and Thurday night routine. The class is 30 minutes of step, 30 minutes of sculpt. And she *the instructor* kicked our butts tonite. In a good way. We're just about all the way thru our sculpt portion....on the ball with weights. Weights come down and we do some ball work. Shoulders on the ball, legs at an "L" at the knees, up down up down up down with the butt. No biggie. We're walking our legs in to get seated on the ball and its just about in the middle of my back when, ruhroh, the ball gets a little jammed up by one of my weights and pops up and I pop down. Ok, 'pop' isn't quite the right term, it was more of a thunderous BOOM. Holy crap! How mortifying! I just sat there for a second, assessing any damage I may have done, which, luckily was minimal, the floor wasn't damaged in any way. Then I kind of turtled over on to my hands and knees and crawled over to my water bottle and just sat there for a second. But I was a trooper and got back on the ball for the last 5 minutes. Jeeze, I felt like an idiot. I'm probably gonna be a little stiff in the morning. But at least there's not any searing pain or anything like that. And #3 and I are laughing about it. In fact, we get in the car and whats on the radio??? "Free Falling" by Tom Petty. Yeah, The Offspring had fun with that one.

Its Been 22,222 Miles Since I Posted Something Like This

You may recall this post from 2 years ago. Almost 2 years to the date, actually, thats kinda freaky. Well, I rolled another milestone driving to work yesterday I've got one eye on the road, one on the odometer . For 5 miles. I'd say that qualifys as loser status. I pulled into the parking lot of the Clinton Market to get the shot.

So, Stan says to Paul...

"Dis is one goddammit long parade Paul!" I swear that's exactly what he said. And if you've ever known any old timer who lived on the East Side down dere by da Broadway Market you can actually hear the inflection in dis guys voice.

So, as promised, a recap of last nights Dyngus Day Festivities in photo form. I had to make a slideshow because I took so many pictures.

We start the evening at Arty's, across the road from the Central Terminal to watch the parade, which just happens to end at the terminal. Then its off to the Adam Mickiewicz Library The Dobzuyasomething Brothers played first, then Those Idiots. We didn't stay too long for them....it was getting too crowded and there was some pushing action starting to happen, it was getting a little late too, and we'd all had enough beer, so we took off. Of course we didn't go right home cuz The Spouse and Offspring #1 and her boyfriend all wanted to get something to eat. to we head over to The French Pub. While we're there chowing on wings and fries and stuff, The Boyfriend buys the four of us a shot. "Danger Will Robinson, Danger!!"was the warning my little voice was screaming, but do I listen???? Noooo...one two three shot! and it was the most foul and disgusting thing I'd ever had. It was called a "T-Bone" consisting of Jim Beam Bourbon and A-1 sauce. Together. In the same glass. Let me tell you, it tasted just as bad coming back up this morning during my worship to the porcelain goddess as it did when it went down. BEH!!! Aside from that little barfing incident, it was the Best Dyngus Day EVER!!!

Happy Dyngus Day!!!!

Get out the pussywillows and squirt guns.....it's Dyngus Day!!

I'll have some pictures tomorrow.

Another Installment of "Unsolicited Product Review"

Today we're looking at the SmoothAway Hair Removal thing-a-ma-bob.



I bought one at Rite-Aid last week because, well...I hate shaving my legs and its getting to be that time of year where I can't hide the hairyness under sweatpants and frankly it was an impulse purchase as I was walking by the "As Seen On TV" aisle. Hey..the Ped-Egg impulse buy worked out well *I love that thing* so I figured, what the hell, and I bought it. $9.99 and there was no shipping and handling involved. I think they charge you $14.99 shipping if you buy off the website, so, unless you live in a cave in some remote area, or money is no object to you, head to a store and get it.

I think I like this thing. It works well if you READ and FOLLOW the directions. I tried it as soon as I got home. Ripped it open, read the directions and proceeded to use it. It really didnt work that great the first time because I didnt FOLLOW the directions. You're supposed to use it on clean, dry skin. I of course didn't bother to take the time and shower and get the moisturizer and 'being in front of a steam table' sweat off me. But the next time I used it worked way better. It does take a lot longer than shaving, but you don't get the exfoliation action with a razor. And you kind of have to get the hang of using....rub too hard and you end up with an abraision. All in all, I thing I'd give this a thumbs up.

Well...it's Restaurant Week here in the Big Buff. What a brilliant idea. Here's the deal....a bunch *ok about 150* local, independent restaurants got together and said, hey...March is traditionally slow month for dining out, howzabout we get some kind of schtick going here to get people in....and restaurant week was born. For $20.09 *get it? it's 2009 and the price is $20.09* you can visit these establishment and get a really good meal. Most of these places, not all of them mind you, but a good number of them, are generally upscale places that local schlubs don't frequent too often. It seems to be working too. By all the accounts I've been hearing on the radio, each day a couple of local radio stations have had chefs and/or owners of these places on air promoting the concept, it's been a rousing success. They've all been packing people in. So, anyway, back to my story...Offspring #1 and I went to Cecelia's Ristorante and Martini Bar *operative word in making our choice being martini* tonite. Their deal was an appetizer or salad and an entree for $20.09. Can't beat that with a stick. And it was delicious! Of course our bar bill...two martini's each, French Cosmo for me and Pomegranate Martini for the kid, was just about as much as the food bill, but totally worth it.

I have to close now and hit the sheets....two martinis and food and now I'm tired!

For My Maternal Unit....who couldn't open this in the email I sent her

The Wearin' O' The Green

Happy St. Patrick's Day. If I don't see another piece of corned beef for a while it'll be too soon. 4 days straight we've been looking at it.

Saturday after the parade in the Old First Ward, there was a party at the bar. Reuben Sandwiches and corned beef on rye at that one. Plus some fried bologna and sausage pattys...but mostly beef.

Sunday after the Big Parade down Delaware Ave downtown, we had the Irish Firemen for there annual after parade soiree. Reubens, corned beef on rye, pizza and potato soup at that one

We had it yesterday at lunch in the form of Reubens and again today at lunch...Reubens and corned beef sandwiches again, along with dinners, with cabbage, potatoes and carrots.

I hope I can get the smell of it out of my hair.

So..anyway...The Irish Firefighters always have this pipe and drum corps from Canada march in their parade, and they always come to the bar after for food. And they usually play a couple numbers before the Irishman of the Year Award is given. And they usually play inside. I usually head for a door jamb cuz it feels like this 100+ year old building might just come down with all the banging. *sorta, but not really, if its not down yet, its not coming down...but y'know..better safe than sorry* This year, it was so gorgeous out they played outside. Way better. Here's a few shots...

Irishman of the Year












check out this guys pants...little leprechauns all over them