I had their wonderful Fish & Chips and Becky had their Chicken Finger Wrap. I had a couple of beers on tap... a Witte wheat beer from Ommegang Brewery in Cooperstown NY and then I followed that up with a Energy Dome Red Ale from Rare Form Brewery in Troy NY.
Four years ago today was that crazy rant by trump about fight covid by injecting bleach into your body. Yep, the president of the US said that and it came to symbolize how trump handled the pandemic and certainly destroyed what little credibility he had left by then.
Here is what he said... "A question that probably some of you are thinking of if you’re totally into that world, which I find to be very interesting. So, supposing we hit the body with a tremendous, whether it’s ultraviolet or just very powerful light, and I think you said that hasn’t been checked, but you’re going to test it. And then I said supposing you brought the light inside the body, which you can do either through the skin or in some other way. And I think you said you’re going to test that too. Sounds interesting, right? And then I see the disinfectant, where it knocks it out in a minute, one minute. And is there a way we can do something like that by injection inside or almost a cleaning, because you see it gets in the lungs and it does a tremendous number on the lungs. So it’d be interesting to check that. So that you’re going to have to use medical doctors with, but it sounds interesting to me. So, we’ll see, but the whole concept of the light, the way it kills it in one minute. That’s pretty powerful."
The infamous bleach press conference became a rally cry for trump's opponents and today is the anniversary of that chaotic moment.
I collected the eclipse glasses we used during the recent solar eclipse in our backyard with Sara, Eliza and Dan. I had four pair of the cardboard glasses I picked up at the library and Sara had four of the big plastic glasses she bought in anticipation of the eclipse. After the event had passed and I heard about the recycling I found six glasses around the house. Three plastic glasses and three of the ones from the library. I think Eliza kept a set for herself to take home which was fine. The others I put in a bag and set aside to take to the library.
Well, a week or so went by and the glasses sat in their bag first on the dining room table and then on the floor near the front door. Finally I grabbed the bag and put it in the car when I went out to my eye doctor appointment. After seeing the doctor I turned down Hertel Avenue and drove over to the North Park Library and dropped off the glasses. The staff there were happy to receive them and I was glad to put them to good use. They will be used in some Third World poor country during another eclipse where the people may not have access to the glasses like we have here in our country. They would just sit in a box for who knows how long if we kept them or we would just throw them away. Now someone else somewhere in the world will get to safely experience that solar eclipse totality like we did.
So everything went well. She reviewed the test from last month and every thing was good. There were no increases in the potential glaucoma problem from the previous test results last year. She also checked out my eyes from the recent cataract surgery and everything was good. Then she also did a regular eye exam and my eyes were very good. She said I had outstanding results from the surgery.
I talked with her about some of the issues I had with using reading glasses and it was unusual for someone my age to not have reading glasses prior to cataract surgery and she assured me I would adjust and get used to the new need for reading glasses. We also talked about using mid-range glasses for computer work. She gave me a script for both reading and computer glasses but it would be best for me to try over-the-counter glasses first which I have started using. She gave me some numbers for the glasses I should try out.
I made an appointment to see her again in six months. At that time I may not need to use the glaucoma prevention eye drops anymore. That would be nice. Overall she said I was doing very well.
We ordered five sandwiches and the food was wonderful as usual. Their sandwiches are always delicious and well made.
The sandwiches this time... Rocco, Luther, Zio, Bro and Nana.
Becky put together a salad too.
Over the course of my adult life and delivered to the various addresses I've lived at over the last 50 some years Becky and I have had subscriptions to 101 magazines. Some of the were very brief and some we had for many years. Some were gifts that we didn't renew and others were for our children. We had subscriptions to magazines about music, art, politics, librarianship, computers, sports, films, cooking, home and gardens, economics, entertainment, etc, and etc.
So I'm going to break them down into manageable groups, make some lists and write about those magazines. I came up with the initial list by going to Wikipedia. First I did a search on the List of United States magazines which they broke down by categories such as entertainment and art, finance, children, lifestyle, music, sports, politics, computing, etc. Then I looked at the list of defunct American magazines. From these lists I came up with my personal list of magazines we had subscriptions to over the years and decades. I wrote them down in my notebook and added them up... 101 magazines.
On Monday I got to my eye doctor to check things out but right now I'm enjoying this beer.
Actually all of his current and upcoming criminal cases can be described as him doing election interference to avoid losing the election in 2016 and his election interference with the results of his losing the election in 2020. It's all about him and his fear of being a loser... which he always has been.
Another aspect of this trial I thought has been amusing is the jury selection and the ability of perspective jurors to tell the court, with Trump sitting there listening, why they have prejudicial views about the defendant. Some have said, as New Yorkers, they have been aware a his corrupt activities for decades and strongly believed he has been criminally interfering in our democracy with his activities to keep himself in power.
In March 1972 I was on a Mediterranean Sea deployment cruise. If this was early March I was probably heading across the Atlantic Ocean. If it was mid March I was probably off the coast of Spain and if was late March then I was in the waters of Greece.
I don't remember where I am on the ship at this time. I'm standing in front of a hatch to another compartment and there is a loudspeaker above my head that was used for routine announcements and general quarters calls. I'm wearing my dungarees and bluejacket so I must have just come from being on deck. I certainly wouldn't be wearing the jacket if I was coming to or from my duty station in the engine room. Maybe this was early March and we were up on deck gazing at the Northern Lights which we saw several times crossing the North Atlantic. Otherwise it was warm off the coast of Spain and Greece but of course maybe it was night.
The restaurant also had new lamps at each table that looked great and classy. The waitress said that the patio was in use yesterday and earlier today. It was a lot warmer earlier but as it got past 5:30 pm the temperature was dropping dramatically and there was a stiff breeze. The manager should have had that patio garage door closed. They weren't going to be able to serve dinners throughout the night with that room getting so cold.
So tonight I was sitting at my laptop doing some writing with a glass of Yuengling Lager and some of those delicious pretzel nuggets. Sara was also excited to see the Gumby on the window sill who was the star of so many of my social media posts. Well, I had to take a picture of the beer and nuggets with Gumby looking on approvingly and sent it to her phone.
I still have another week of these drops for my left eye but it feels good to make progress in completing this task. Most of the time Becky has put the drops in for me.
Katie called while we were on our walk. We video chatted for a couple of blocks and then said we would call her back. It's hard to walk and look at a phone at the same time. We see people doing it all the time but it is dangerous in so many ways. Phones can certainly be a distraction. We continued our conversation back at the house and eventually ended it to have lunch before going outside to sit in our lawn chairs. It got too hot and we came in where the house was a lot cooler than the backyard.
Later on we found out that Katie first saw the photo when Todd's mother Iris contacted her about it. Then she told us about it.
We sat in chairs in the wayback of the backyard as were our neighbors in their backyards. We did get a good view although I was not looking because of my very recent eye surgery. I did get to experience the totality of day turning into night and that very eerie time just before and just after the totality.
We had told them about Coles being not only one of our favorite bar/restaurants in the area but also a favorite of Sean and Ashley's too. So she decided to get the onesie as a gift for their almost new baby. It's a wonderful gift and the hostess brought one over to the table and gave it to Sara.
When we got the check and were getting ready leave Sara had gotten the check and was treating us to the dinner. However, the cost of the onesie was not on the check. She hadn't paid for it yet and it was supposed to be on the check for payment. She got up and took the check to the waitress and explained the purchase of the onesie and made sure she was charged for it and then paid the modified check. Sara works in a restaurant and was very aware of the process and wanted to do everything right.
It's funny that Becky and I never really noticed that display before. This was the first time I'd seen that onesie. It is very cool and I know Sean and Ashley will be thrilled with it. Sara was going to send it to them but then realized that they will be coming here with the kids in about ten days so she decided to leave it with us to give to them. It will be a great story too.
Eliza really loved being in the bar. She was excited and bouncing around to the music while sitting in her chair. She could see the very crowded bar from her seat and especially watched the groups of young women who were dancing around the bar and through the crowds. She also loved the decor of the restaurant which is one of the oldest bars in Buffalo. I was sitting next to her and explained the history of the place and it's relationship to the neighborhood and the local colleges. She was very happy to be there.
I went online and made a reservation at Coles for Sunday evening for five people at 6 pm. When we got there the place was mobbed and there were a lot of people waiting around for tables. We saw a couple of empty tables in the bar area and the dining area where there were large tables looked packed. The bar itself was 2 or 3 people deep. We got to the desk and I said we had reservations. I told the person there that we come here a lot but never do reservations. She said it was very smart to do it this time. They were exceptionally busy because of the eclipse.
We got a table for five in the bar area and it was very loud and crazy in there. It was loud and crowded everywhere. Service was great and we had some wonderful food. Eliza had an order of wings. I had beef on weck. Becky had a Buffalo Wrap. Dan ordered a hot banana pepper dip for the table and then a chicken quesadilla. I don't recall what Sara had.
I had the same two beers on tap that I did the last time we were there a week or so ago. A Patty's Irish Ale from Rohrbach Brewery and then a Pseudo Sue Pale Ale from Toppling Goliath Brewery. Becky had an Athletic Brewery NA. I'm not sure what the others had except that Sara had an IPA.
Our recycle bin has been completely filled every week over the past month. Trash container too along with at least two trash bags each week.
Cleaning out the third floor is actually two projects. We are downsizing and getting rid of piles of paperwork that has filled two filing cabinets. There were tons of paperwork from my years working in libraries. There's lots of Navy stuff that needs to go away.
Becky is also clearing out her studio on Hertel Avenue and the studio space up on our third floor. Much of the artwork from both spaces, hers, her mother's and her father's, will go into a storage unit. A lot has been thrown away and so much paperwork along with it. Our entire third floor will be dedicated to Becky's art studio except for an area where we will have vinyl albums and CDs stored at least for a little while longer.
Early this morning I got a text from Sara concerning their trip to Buffalo this weekend to experience the solar eclipse and there is a change of plans. She said their plans were to leave tomorrow morning around 10am instead of Sunday. Her brother Chris decided to stay behind because his kids had already missed too much school recently. She laughed that it took him this much time to realize that. The big surprise to us was that my brother Dan was coming along instead. So it would be Sara, Eliza and Dan coming in on Saturday and they would be leaving on Monday instead of Tuesday.
Their plan at that time would be leaving early on Monday and maybe actually going to a different location to see the eclipse somewhere on the way home within the path of totality. There are predictions of cloudy weather in WNY and she was also considering getting out of the crowded area quicker.
Well, we were somewhat surprised and also a little relieved. We really didn't know what was happening with Chris and where he would stay. We had thought at our house Sara would be in one room with Eliza and Olivia in the other one. Chris and Nolan would be at a hotel somewhere.
She said that they expected to roll into Buffalo late afternoon tomorrow and she would text us about an ETA as they progressed.
Well, we had been getting the house ready for the past few days but it was still a surprise and a little stressful that they would be coming a day sooner. It was also a little different in the arrangement. Dan would be in one room while Sara and Eliza would be in the other room on the kid's beds. I was happy to have my brother visiting us.
When I got back to Sara to text her about the trip it was snowing here in Buffalo but the weather over the weekend was supposed to be much better.
So why was Sara coming a day earlier and leaving sooner? It turns out that Betsy has a doctors appointment on Tuesday morning and Sara wants to take her and talk with the doctor. But that's a whole other story.
It took about a month to hear back from them and then I was contacted by email letting me know that the service would start for us in April. First a compost container and bag was dropped off at our home and then I was given a schedule for pickups.
This week we had our first compost pickup on trash day. Next week we will have our second pickup and we will continue it for awhile before we go back to our backyard compost containers.
Now we've always been big on composting and have had several different composters in our backyard over the past nearly twenty years. Two right now. We get wonderful soil from the composters and use that good dirt in the garden.
The problem is usually the winter season where we just don't go out to the backyard in the snow and bad weather to put table scraps into the compost containers. We just threw them out in the garbage. Now we have the composting service all year and we can recycle our waste all year around.
I started off as usual with a bowl of their wonderful gumbo. Then I had a blackened catfish po' boy and Becky had a shrimp po' boy.
I had a The Darker Side Stream Style Lager from Three Heads Brewery from Rochester. This was brewed as one of a series of beers to celebrate the path of the Eclipse through WNY. It was very good.
Tonight Iowa beat LSU in a game that set the all-time television ratings record for a women's college basketball game. 12 million people saw Iowa avenge last year's loss of the championship game to LSU and now they advance to their second straight final four. It's too bad these two teams met now instead of this coming weekend in another championship game but it certainly felt like a final four winner take all game but of course next weekend there is undefeated South Carolina to face.
The first time I ever heard of it was about a year or so after moving to Buffalo. I was thinking about that today and went online and looked up the history of Dyngus Day. I found out it has been a Buffalo thing. Nobody celebrated Dyngus Day anywhere else initially and especially not in Poland. Over the years the Dyngus Day celebrations have started happening in nearby places like Cleveland and Pittsburg. Recently in Chicago too. I checked on Philly and found out this year is the 10th year that there has been an official Dyngus Day celebration in that city. They have parades but nothing like Buffalo. Also this city has a big tradition of going out to bars on Dyngus Day.
Historically the day after Easter has been celebrated across central and eastern Europe as a party after the restrictions of Lent and the celebration is very different in Poland and not about Polish culture as it is in Buffalo. It was also called Wet Monday and a pagan celebration of Spring.
