Daily Doings at the Line of Death Bar & Grill

I first heard about it from my boss this morning, since she knew I was from Buffalo.

I immediately checked out the article on usatoday.com, and WKBW-TV's website (which has a running ticker of updates). I grew up in nearby Tonawanda, so I knew exactly where Clarence Center is, even if I rarely drove through the town. My aunt's family owns a print shop that's about 2 blocks away from the crash site.

The plane was a Bombardier Q400, a turboprop jet that was used for regional flights. This one was coming in to Buffalo from Newark NJ. The current theory, from what I heard, is that excessive ice accumulated on the wings during the landing approach, causing the plane to drop altitude in a hurry.

I grieve for the passengers, the crew, and the man who was killed inside his own home when the plane hit.

( Medical TMI -- read at your own risk. )

I've heard about neti pots and sinus irrigation, and wanted to try one. When I was at a Walgreens in Buffalo last week, I saw one for about $15, and picked it up. It's a NeilMed Nasaflo neti pot. About an hour ago, I tried it out. I poured a cup of water from the Brita pitcher into the pot, then put it in the microwave for 30 seconds to get it lukewarm. I added a packet of the Sinus Rinse (salt and a little baking soda), shook it up, and began irrigating both my sinuses. It felt a little funny, like I was getting water up my nose, but it didn't sting or burn. I repeated the process so I could use as much of the saline solution as I could. Right now, my nose feels a lot better -- it's neither congested nor runny. I'll try this every evening this week.

How many of you out there have also used/tried neti pots? Does it work for you?

...to spread the love.


Get your own valentinr

In the morning, after giving up on accessing my work email from home, I spent some time building a spreadsheet containing my monthly budget and bills. I also dosed up on vitamin C.

Then, at around 11:00, I had some "survival food" for lunch -- Spam and ramen noodles. I watched the noon news, then suited up to dig out the driveway. After about an hour and a half of shoveling, the driveway was complete. (But my car, in the street, was still snowbound.) I then went inside to change into some dry clothing. I worked up quite a sweat while shoveling snow. I worry that when I sweat when it's cold out, I'll get sick.

( How I spent the afternoon and evening. )

...if I wanted to spend 2 hours in the cold. It took about that long to get home from work today.

There was gridlock downtown, and especially around the Conseco Fieldhouse, where some event was going on this evening. The roads I take home are major streets, and they looked like they hadn't been plowed. Meridian St. was plowed, but traffic was very slow. I was craving chili, so I stopped at a Wendy's along the way. I didn't dare go faster than 15 mph; I felt my car slarting to slip-slide away when I did. And when I got home, I couldn't get up the small hill in my driveway. So I'm parked in the street, and I hope no one sideswipes my car tonight, It's a side street that doesn't get plowed.

I don't remember the roads of Buffalo ever being this bad, except for the blizzards of '77 and '85, when the entire city was under a driving ban.

I wish I could sleep in and/or work from home tomorrow. But I don't believe either is an option.

Tonight I had dinner with a friend and former co-worker whom I haven't seen since R and I were married back in '99. I first met Jim when we both worked at CSC. He was part of the group that came over from Indianapolis. Him and I just hit it off. But we went our separate ways at the end of '96, when the contract ended.

We went to Mama Carolla's Italian Restaurant on East 54th St. Great place. Even though we haven't had contact in years, it's like we picked up where we left off. I got him caught up on my life; he caught me up on his. We wondered where our former co-workers ended up; we've lost touch with many of them.

We exchanged business cards and made tentative plans to get together again soon.

I love electronica. I love computer graphics. Animusic brings these two worlds together.

( Here's a sample. )

Today I cleaned up and sorted the area around the downstairs bathroom. I split up the items into three piles/totes: Likely to use, Not likely to use, and Don't/Won't use.

Most of the stuff that R left behind in the vanity drawers and cabinet were put in the Don't/Won't use. I separated out the hair thingies and jewelry, since I thought she might still want them. I also cleaned up the counter, which desperately needed cleaning.

Some of the items in the Likely to use pile were boxed and labeled for eventual moving.
The next step is to to do the same to the upstairs bathroom.

A question for those of you who used professional movers: Do they expect everything to be boxed up when they get there? Or is that something they'll do for a price?

Just finished watching the 2nd annual NHL Winter Classic, between the Detroit Red Wings and the Chicago Black Hawks. This game was held at an ice rink built inside Wrigley Field. For many of the players, it's a throwback to their childhoods, having played hockey on the frozen ponds, lakes, and rivers. I thought it was a great game, and it's great for the sport in general.

This will hopefully become an annual tradition, as the game moves from city to city. Last year, it was held at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Buffalo. Where would you like to see next year's game played, and with which teams?

I usually don't write about my dreams here, but this one was quite vivid. I dreamed I was at a Styx concert, but before the concert, I was involved in an interactive play with members of the band, along with a cast of extras. It was kind of a sequel to Kilroy Was Here, without the likes of Mr. Roboto and Dr. Righteous. It took place in a city, with lots of brightly colored graffiti. It was like being in an adventure with the members of Styx.

I was shooting pool with Dennis DeYoung on aa makeshift pool table. (Yes, I know he's no longer with the band.) I was discussing "Girls With Guns" with Tommy Shaw while sitting in a car with him. All while we were on the run from an evil record company.

I wish I could recall more details.