Two days in Buffalo

The irony that Tara was writing a othptomology exam
at a center for the visually impaired
was lost on the staff at the center

Tara and I spent a couple of days in Buffalo New York this past weekend. Tara was writing the first part of her Veterinary Ophthalmology board exams. These exams are at the end of her residency and she needs to pass in order to become a ophthalmologist. The exams were on the long weekend; the organization Tara is involved with (American College of Veterinary Ophthalmology) is North America wide, but centered in the US where they don't have a holiday in August. Consequently, Tara got to spent two 8 hour days in front of a computer and I spent some time wandering the city on the long weekend. Yipee.

There are no two ways about it; Buffalo is a bit of a dump.Nearly every other building is abandoned. The sidewalks are all cracked and broken (although the curbs are all cut stone, which was surprisingly classy). Windows and doors are boarded up. Graffiti is prevalent. There are few stores, few restaurants, few parks. Even around the HSBC center where the Buffalo Sabres play there is nothing to do. The city is in decline.

Bricks everywhere

In it's hay-day, Buffalo would have been a beautiful city. Nearly all the old buildings are brick with lots of windows (now boarded or bricked up). There are both wide and narrow streets. Being so close to both Lake Erie and Lake Ontario, the city would have been swimming in money. It's too bad things have gone so far down hill. Interestingly, there were much much fewer street people in Buffalo than other American and Canadian cities I've been to.

Tara's exams went well and she gets the results in a couple of months. Besides 1.5 hours at the border and a couple of wrong turns looking for the hotel, the trip was a success. We even took in some shopping. That said, I'm hoping we don't need to go back any time soon.

I bet this old office building would be interesting inside

W and R with a Xed-box was on a number of buildings - I wonder what it means?

Tara celebrating at home

T-Shirt Sorrow

"I don't think I shall ever see,
 A shirt as lovely as a T."

A moment of silence please: my favorite shirt has gone to the great laundry basket in the sky.

A couple of weeks ago when I was getting ready for bed, my favorite T ripped as I was taking it off. Ripped beyond fixing, beyond salvaging. The shirt wasn't in great shape to begin with, but it was good enough to wear around the house after a long day of work. It was light and comfortable. Comfort clothing.

I bought the shirt in Ithaca when I was visiting Tara the summer before we got engaged. Tara and I went shopping because I had somehow managed to forget to bring short sleeve shirts with me. I picked it up at an American Eagle, back when they had decent quality clothes. Tara was never really crazy about the shirt, but I loved it and we were in that phase of the relationship where we still a little afraid of speaking frankly with each other.

As silly as it sounds, the shirt always made me feel cool. I don't really know why; it was just a plain mustard yellow T. It's funny how clothes can have that effect on you. You can go from feeling down to feeling great just by slipping into your favorite shirt or jeans. And you can do the reverse when you need to wear that shirt to work that doesn't really fit you properly.

I am on the lookout for the next great T.

Summer treat

Presenting my new favorite summer treat. Super easy: angel food cake, custard, and strawberries. Go to the store; the three ingredients will be there for the purchase. I'm using PC's Devon Custard; it's not super sweet and it lets the strawberries shine through. And get the little mini angel food cakes are nice for individual servings - you could use a regular sized one for a larger gathering.

Go and make one for you and yours.

So you want to get an Afghan Hound

It's been a little over two months with Seamus now. I didn't grow up with a dog, let alone an Afghan, and I've learned all sorts of benefits to owning such a dog. If any of the points below resonate with you, it's time to consider getting an Afghan of your very own:

1. Your floors are too clean. If you have a house where you feel your floor are too clean, get an Afghan. With hair that grows between toes, Afghans collect dirt like it's nobodies business. And that dirt stays with them until they come inside where it magically leaves the body and lands on your floor. Be prepared to sweep multiple times a day and to wash the floor several times a week.
2. Your counters/sideboards/tables have too much food stuffs on them. The Afghan head comfortably rests on the kitchen counter and dining room table. Afghans can pick out two slices of cheese from a full plate and they can very quietly slide a bag of buns off the counter and carry it to the living room, conveniently out of your sight. If you have a glut of food around your house, an Afghan is for you.
3. You don't have time to pace in your backyard like you would like. Afghans will run the same route in your backyard, shadowing it's perimeter, over and over and over, leaving behind a nice worn path for you to pace on when you are deep in thought. There won't be any pesky grass to ruin your concentration as you walk the same route (although you may need to watch out for doggy do).
4. You don't have enough hair of your own to brush. If you are like me you don't have hair long enough to brush. If you ever have that yearning to brush a long mane of hair an Afghan is for you. They require constant brushing and they even have their own hair products that are required. Bald men - forget hair plugs; Afghans are cheaper  less painful  hairier.
5. You don't have enough wet spots around your house. With their shaggy beard, Afghans soak up more water into their fur than they get in their belly during their drinking sessions. This water then drips off the beard into the floor, counters, books, shoes and cats. This will be great in the winter to increase the humidity in the house.
6. You have too much free time. Two 20 minute walks a day (three if Tara isn't home), three 15 minute feeding sessions, time spent rescuing inanimate objects from Afghan jaws, time spent rescuing cats from Afghan noses, time spent brushing, time spent sweeping floors and washing walls and time spent trying to train the crazy thing all add up. If you find yourself with too much time on your hands consider an Afghan!

 There you go - six good scenarios where having an afghan will be a benefit to you and your household!

Walking shoes

I had my first really nice experiance with Seamus yesterday morning. I took him out for a walk at 8:00 with a coffee in one hand, the dog leash in the other and a nice breeze blowing. It was nice going for a walk that early on a Saturday. For the first time this week I thought to myself "I could get used to having a dog around."

But of course for every yin there is a yang.  At 4:20 today we walked in on Seamus chewing holes through my work shoes. 4:20 on a Sunday. Not impressed at all.