Daily Doings at the Line of Death Bar & Grill

This past weekend was the annual Ohio Valley Filk Festival in Columbus, Ohio.

Fri 10/21: Took the afternoon off from work so I could arrive at the con at a decent time. Met with jslove, whom I was rooming with foro the weekend. Found the registration table -- they were tucked away in a small room instead of being out in the open. Participated in the Mad Hatter's Tea Party, even though all I had to wear on my head was a baseball cap. Skipped the Pegasus Nominees concert to do some shopping at Micro Center and have dinner at Bravo. Came back to the hotel in time to attend and sit in on harperjen's harp workshop. Then went up to the room and crashed.

St 10/22: Had breakfast with fuzzyvanman, rms_butterfly, pondside, and Douglas in the hotel restaurant. I was still tired, so I went back up to the room to nap for a couple hours. Came back down to set up the gear for my Minimoog Workshop at 4pm. Sat in on gundo's blues workshop and min0taur's jamming workshop, while my instrument was getting warmed up. Then I moved the synth to the center of the room, explained and demonstrated what each of the knobs and switches did, and let people play around. robin_june and a few other folks took their turn. After the workshop was over, I packed up my gear and hung with maedbh7 in the registration room. Went to the Banquet and sat at a table with billroper, catalana, her husband Steve, Juanita, and scifantasy. After the banquet was over, I congratulated cadhla on her Pegasus Award wins, and then went back to the room for another nap. Came back down to listen to 19 Action News play....from a safe distance. Then went back upstairs for the night.

Sun 10/23 Packed up the car and paid my share of the hotel room. Had breakfast again in the hotel restaurant, this time by myself. Then left for home to pick up M. She played computer games all day. Took her home and had dinner at Burger King. It must have taken me 10 minutes to get my sandwich. Next time: Smashburger instead.

This weekend was another trip to Buffalo NY to check on mom and visit friends, and to feast of the foods I can only get in Buffalo.

Mom's still doing OK. The weather was mostly chilly and overcast all weekend. I'm glad I had the foresight to pack a light sweatshirt and jeans.

Fri 6/10: I was hoping to leave early (oh-dark-hundred early). But I was up until 2 AM the previous evening doing some PC work. So I didn't end up leaving until 10:30am. Roads were good, the weather was dry and clear. Stopped at the Tucky's in Mayfield Heights for lunch: a Chicago dog, a Cleveland dog, and a bottle of Boylan's diet root beer. Arrived in Tonawanda around 7:00pm.

Sat 6/11: Took mom to Headmasters East in Cheektowaga, so my mom could get a permament. This shop is owned by my cosuins, Rose and Joseph. Spent time visiting with them while Mom was in the chair having her hair done. Had lunch at Mighty Taco and drove along the East Niaga River shore. Had dinner at Jack's with longtime friends Liz and Louis, followed by coffee at Coffee Culture.

Sun 6/12: Had dinner with my aunt Angie. One of her sons had previously brought over a black kitten, who was very playful. I showed my aunt Angie how to discipline the kitten with a spray bottle filled with water. I then had coffee and conversation with my friend Sal at a Denny's in north Buffalo.

Mon 6/13: Took my dad's car to a local repair shop for the annual safety inspection, an oil change, and a tire rotation. Then paid one of my mom's medical bills. Since I was out that way, I had lunch at Charlie the Butcher's in Cheektowaga. (I think it's the best place in town for beef on weck.) Took the scenic route back home -- I-190 to the Skyway to route 5, which parallels the eastern shore of Lake Erie. Had dinner with dagonell and cigfran_cg at Zebro's in Barcelona Harbor, just south of Westfield. (dagonell wrote a review opf the restaurant here.) Stayed overnight at the Microtel in Erie, PA.

Tue 6/14: Left Erie around 10:15am. Lunch was a Burger King in Medina. Arrived home in Dayton around 4:45pm.

This past weekend, I took a trip up to Buffalo NY to visit my mother and a few friends and relatives.

Fri 4/15: Took care of some last-minute errands. Left Dayton at around 10:30. Weather was nice; the roads were dry and clear. Arrived at the Olive Garden in Amherst NY a little after 6:30pm. Some friends of mine had gathered to celebrate Todd's birthday. Reconnected with Matt, Rhonda, and Steve, whom I haven't seen or heard from in years.

Sat 4/16: It rained all day. Did a little shopping. Had lunch with Sal. Had dinner and coffee with Liz and Louis. Our initial venue was Santora's, but it was packed, as the Sabres/Flyers game was on. Went around the corner to Jack's Pub. Then went to Coffee Culture.

Sun 4/17: It snowed. Had breakfast with Rich. My cousins Steve and Carol came over and visited for about an hour. Then visited my aunt Angie, with whom I had dinner.

Mon 4/18: Left Buffalo around 10:30. Stopped at the Lodi Station factory outlet mall and picked up a couple of pairs of jeans. Met up with athenawindsong at her place for about an hour. Then had dinner at Outback. Arrived home around 8:45.

Fri 3/11: Slept in. Spent an hour fliging resumes. Got a call from friend Marie, who needed help pulling burr "bushes" out of a field that will soon be used for her sheep. So I helped her and her son out for a few hours. Then went to friend Rick's place and hung out for a couple of hours.

Sat 3/12: ( Cut for medical TMI. ) Went on a road rally with some friends from the USS Bismarck. We drove all over Middletown, looking for historical markers and answering questions. Then had our anniversary dinner and the change of command ceremony. Set the clocks ahead.

Sun 3/13: Slept in. Missed UU services. Picked up M and took her to Sugarcrek Reserve. It's been a long time since I was last there. I'm sorry to say that the middle sister of the Three Sisters had fallen down three years ago, and I didn't know. Then we went to Cox Arboretum, dinner at Bob Evans, and home for computer games.

I haven't made a "That Was The Weekend That Was" post in a while. When I have, I rarely, if ever, get any feedback on them.

Fri 1/14: Went to Bob Evans for lunch. Forgot what else I did during the day. Had a carry-in dinner at my friend Rick's.

Sat 1/15: Called Mom to wish her a happy birthday. Went through 2 boxes of binders. Hung out at Rick's place and watched Spider-Man 2 and Spider-Man 3. Played Star Trek Scene It?.

Sun 1/16: Went to UU services. Took M to the Newport Aquarium. She got upset when she wanted to see the penguin exhibit, and I told her I couldn't afford the extra cost of the tickets. I managed to take her home, where she watched computer games and videos. Prepared some boxes of books and magazines for donation.

Mon 1/17: Slept in. Got a haircut. Moved a few boxes back to storage.

I know. Boring, huh?

I haven't done a "That Was The Weekend That Was" post in a while. Here goes.

Fri 4/22: Didn't accomplish much of anything. Had breakfast at Roxx Coffee House. Had dinner with the Usual Suspects at Bullwinkle's in Middletown.

Sat 4/23: Headed off to Danville, IN for a housefilk hosted by bedlamhouse and ladyat. Guests included quadrivium, tollers, tigertoy, and birder2. Also attended a concert by The Berrymans at the UU Community Church of Hendricks County. Had a great time.

Sun 4/24: Drove back in time for UU churchy goodness. Played a bass clarinet duet with Sylvia. Went swimming with M at the local rec center. She freaked at the rainy weather and forgetting to bring her Powerpuff Girls DVD. Called Mom.

It's been a while since I've done a "That Was The Weekend That Was" post. Since I received no feedback on them, I figured people weren't interested in my day-to-day goings on.

( So,what did I do while everyone else was at either Capricon or Boskone? )

There's a zombie process I have out there that appears to lock up my system. I try to start a process, like Task Manager, and it's unresponsive. I suspect it's something inside Norton Internet Security or Norton SystemWorks. I had a first draft of this, but it got devoured. And so here's the abbreviated version.

Fri 11/2: A friend of mine invited me to come over to help him set up for a local train show. Believing I'd have to pay to get in to do this, and that I don't have lots of cash until payday, I declined.

Sat 11/3: Made a recycle run and sequestered myself in my house for some heavy-duty cleaning. I got a spot on the dining room table cleared off, as well as a spot on the mantel. When I clean, I pile sort and/or put stuff in boxes. It works, until I either run out of boxes or space. Being at home alone stinks at times; it's very lonely, even if I have the TV on. I've also reached the point where I don't think I can catch up with the years of accumulation by myself. But I just can't bring myself to blindly throw stuff out.

Sun 11/4: Went to UU services (which I also did last week). Then went to pick up M. We went to the park, and went to my place for soup and computer games. While picking up stuff for dinner, I ran into ciananguissette. Had a frozen dinner. While I like the taste of some canned, prepared, and/or processed foods, along with the quick preparation time, I realize they're loaded with either salt, fat, or sugar, which isn't good for me.

Spent the weekend staffing a New Warrior Training Adventure weekend. 16 men took a huge step forward in their lives and went through the training.

I'm exhausted and joyful.

[Updated 11:05] Shout-outs: Happy birthday to jodimuse!

I'll keep this short.

Fri 8/24: Worked. Heard that the folks were pleased that we were able to get the requested survey modification out into production. Had dinner at Golden Dragon Middletown with the Usual Suspects.

Sat 8/25: Cleaned up the Peasant's Orchard booth at the Ohio Renaissance Festival, in preparation for the opening next weekend. On the down side, the health inspectors showed up two days before our cleanup day and cited us for two violations, which were promptly corrected. Attended the USS Bismarck monthly business meeting. (Yes, I know Saturday night is a horrible night for a business meeting -- it's time to socialize! -- but as I understand it, some of our folks work 2nd shift and can't attend weeknight meetings.)

Sun 8/26: Took M to Splash Moraine, a local waterpark. We rode the "Lazy River" on inner tubes, and experienced the Wave Pool. This wave pool has thrusts from both corners at the deep end, so the waves crisscross throughout the pool. Depending on where you are, it's either a gentle ride or you get washed out. M had lots of fun. Then we had an early dinner at McDonald's. Then we went out for ice cream with R.