Nervous

I start softball today on a co-ed league with people from work. I am very nervous because I haven't played in about three or four years when I played on the women's league in Payson (whoa, long time ago!) But I do have my good, hairy Italian friend Jimmy C and KAT from work playing with me. It should be a good time and I just hope I don't break any bones. And I have my new pink cleats with flowers and pink batting gloves. He he he. Dad says I can't play softball with pink stuff, it's just not allowed. Well I'm going to.

Ahhhhhhh

I don't know if anyone is as excited as I am that the Fourth Season of Beverly Hills 90210 came out on DVD today. I pre-ordered it from Amazon.com and it will be here in 3-5 business days. I can't wait!!! BH 90210 forever!!! Donna Martin graduates!!!

Disgusting

Today I had my wonderful day at the spa where I got my seaweed body wrap, a facial, a manicure and a pedicure. I was sitting in the chair getting my pedicure when this older lady came in for a pedicure. Excuria is a pretty nice, classy salon. It's not just a random place in the mall where you can get a quick pedicure. This woman proceeds to take her shoes off and place her feet in the tub to soak. When the girl asks her to take her feet out I look over (because I stare at everyone) and happen to see that her toe nails are disgustingly long. They were so gross and long that I almost vomited into my mouth. I shit you not, they were grown out a half an inch from her toes, maybe more than that. I could not believe how long they were. I don't know how she wears shoes. So the girl doing the pedicure tries to make conversation and says "oh, are these supposed to be long or do you want me to trim them?" The older woman says "just a little trim, I like them to be long". WHAT? YOU PURPOSELY HAVE THEM THAT LONG?! UGH. Vomit in the mouth again. Then the girl tries to trim a little with the clippers and gives up and starts to file. The lady says "oh you aren't going to trim more than that?" and the girl says "no, they are too THICK to trim." By this time I am trying to choke down my glass of water so that I don't one, scream at how disgusting her toe nails are and two, vomit everywhere. The only thing I could possibly relate this to is the scene from Dumb and Dumber when Lloyd and Harry are "getting ready for the ball" and they are trying to trim Lloyd's super long toe nails. Yeah, I think this lady's nails were worse than that. I hope this woman gave a big tip.

The wretched Professor Ink Stain

My Economics class this semester has to be one of the WORST classes I have ever taken. This even counts all of high school and yes Ann, this beats out Moops. My class is from 6pm to 8:40pm every Thursday. Usually the professors don't go the full time every single week, but not Professor Ink Stain.

Let me give you a background on Professor Ink Stain. He is on average 15 minutes late for class which is extremely annoying since he usually lectures until 8:30 on average and then lets us out "early". He can't seem to get rid of his cough. He wears a "dress" shirt (I use this term very loosely), jeans (rolled up at the ends) and a tie. His pants are rolled up so far they are now flood pants. His notes for the class are hand written on a legal pad. He then takes those notes and transfers them to a projector by writting them, again, on a clear sheet and we are supposed to copy them down, writing the notes for a 3rd time. He stands up front reading from his legal pad notes, while misspelling outloud and then writing the misspelled words on the projector sheet. He misspells everything. The whole class time is him talking. No breaks. His explaination of Economics is worse than the book, which isn't it supposed to be the other way around? His curve is so ridiculous that you could have not taken the test and still passed.

That leads me to the name "Professor Ink Stain". He likes to take his marker that he rewrites his notes with and stick it on his lip while thinking how to spell a word. That marker then makes a stain on his lower lip. It gets darker as class goes on.

My notes from class are amussing. I'll take notes for about the first 15 minutes (if that) and the rest is drawing pictures of me hurting Professor Ink Stain. Last night there was an actual break so I took that opportunity to gather my things and leave. Some people have even gathered their things and left when there was no break and he was still jibbering away. Luckily I have my friend Travis taking the class with me. Travis likes to voice his opinion very loudly to Professor Ink Stain, who doesn't even acknowledge that anyone is even talking. This non-acknowlegement of people talking is probably accounting for the curve because there are a lot of people asking questions and he doesn't answer. Plus I go to a state college which means they let anyone in who is willing to give them ridiculous amounts of money, and I mean anyone.

Me and Travis like to text each other during class, even though we are sitting right next to each other. Here is a little sample of last night:

Brooke: Stop it (he's texting someone)

Travis: No

Brooke: I want to stab him

Travis: You won't do it

Brooke: (Travis isn't feeling well) If you puke we can leave

Travis: LMAO

Brooke: Please kill me now

Travis: Ha ha. I'm sweating my ass off

Brooke: I just felt my face and it's on fire

Travis: We are literally in hell

Brooke: The ink stain has made an appearance

(I go to the bathroom)

Brooke: There was a window open in the bathroom and I thought about jumping

Travis: You won't do it

Brooke: It's a long way down

Travis: You'd be fine

Brooke: Thanks asshole

And here are my notes from last night. Very productive.

Seriously?

For the past 10 years or so the "hot" topic around Buffalo is building a new bridge into Canada. (There are 3 right now about 15 miles apart) The wait time to get into Canada is usually about 45 minutes to an hour. This new bridge is supposed to make things faster because all the trucks would have to go on the old bridge. Plus they are trying to make Buffalo "more presentable" than it has been in past years. This city is really disgusting and run down, you would not believe it until you see it. This new bridge is supposed to be part of the Beautify Buffalo project. Five years ago the city finally approved the funds for the new bridge and about two years ago they started to accept designs began the process to choose a winner. Well that is not going to happen. This whole bridge debacle has been scrapped because of a bird. Yep. This certain species flies up and down the Niagara River and they are afraid the bridge will be "too high" for the birds to fly over and it will cause stress for them to fly higher. And no they can't fly under the bridge either. Hilarious. This stupid bird is causing the new Peace Bridge to be scrapped. The story from the Buffalo News is below. Everyone is outraged that a bird being too stressed to fly higher is stopping the bridge construction, while I find it funny.

Rejection of Peace Bridge companion span upsets panel that chose design

By Patrick Lakamp - News Staff ReporterUpdated: 04/24/08 9:21 AM

Disgusted members of a design jury expressed shock and disappointment Wednesday after learning the cable-stayed design they had selected for a Peace Bridge companion span has been scrapped because its height would threaten birds flying along the Niagara River corridor.

Two years ago, they were laughing about birds.

During their deliberations, somebody cracked a joke as jurors weighed the risks of picking a bridge with towers taller than the Washington Monument.

“You think, maybe, we could just put small hotels for the birds about halfway up to rest?” somebody wondered during the November 2005 meeting in the Adam’s Mark Hotel.

A transcript from that meeting noted the laughter.

But jurors aren’t smiling now. “It’s ridiculous to think the Niagara River is the one river in all the world where birds would be befuddled by a cable-stayed bridge,” said Lawlor F. Quinlan III, a Buffalo lawyer.

“I’m so disappointed I could scream,” added Martha Bliss, another juror. “There are huge, tall bridges all over the world. I don’t know why it’s not possible in Buffalo.”

The potential risk to birds arose during the 32-member binational jury’s deliberations more than two years ago –but no expert or consultant warned them the proposed bridge’s height could be a deal-breaker, the jurors said. Instead, consultants said steps could be taken to mitigate potential problems with migratory birds along the Niagara River corridor.

“We were told by the consultants and the Peace Bridge Authority that all the bridges that the jury reviewed could be built,” said Robert G. Shibley, a University at Buffalo professor of architecture and planning who served as cochairman of the jury.

At the time, Peace Bridge officials believed that, said Ron Rienas, the Peace Bridge Authority’s general manager. But the agencies took a harder look at the concept after its inclusion in the draft environmental impact statement, Rienas said.

So now, Peace Bridge officials, citing opinions from federal and state environmental agencies, have announced they are abandoning plans for the 567-foot high, two-tower cable- stayed bridge conceived by Swiss bridge designer Christian Menn. The focus has shifted to a three-arch span — which is 226 feet high.

Some want to fight the decision.

“It’s way too early to pull up the stakes and call it quits,” Sen. Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., said in a written statement to The Buffalo News. “We should be fighting for the world-class signature bridge that the jury chose and Buffalo deserves, instead of settling.”

Others hailed the announcement.

“That’s great,” said Jillian Liner, director of bird conservation for Audubon New York, the state office of the National Audubon Society.

The office had submitted comments opposing the cable-stayed design because of the risk it posed to threatened bird species.

“We’re not opposed to expanding the bridge but had concerns over the selected design because of its height,” she said. “Certainly the height of it increased the risk, not only to the tern, but other birds.”

Monitoring of birds to assess the potential impact “was really inadequate,” Liner said. “There was no concrete information to alleviate our concerns. And they didn’t have any mitigation effort.”

The state Department of Environmental Conservation singled out the common tern. The threatened species nests in Buffalo Harbor but feeds downriver near Grand Island. So terns fly through the corridor daily. Since they fly over — not under — bridges, Menn’s design could threaten their survival because it would force them to fly higher, the department told the Peace Bridge Authority.

“It is believed that this additional barrier may stress them energetically and lessen their chances for survival and their ability to adequately feed their young,” the DEC said.

The DEC also cited a bridge in Melbourne, Fla., where vehicles struck and killed dozens of birds. Others flew into the bridge.

“This very problem could occur in Buffalo if the proposed design, instead of a twin-or low-profile span, is selected,” the DEC said in written comments to the authority. “The common terns, double-crested cormorants, black-crowned night herons and great blue herons could easily have the same problems with bridge height that the birds encountered with the bridge in Melbourne.”

Shibley said he wished agencies would have been so forthcoming more than two years ago, when jurors were deliberating.

“The room wasn’t filled with environmental lawyers,” he said.

Jurors asked about birds striking the bridge, but the authority’s engineering consultants downplayed the risk. “What the bird folks tell us is that, really, they have — there’s really not a lot of literature and a lot of study on the interaction of birds with cable structures, and there is some expectation that there could be collisions,” a consultant told jurors at the November 2005 meeting, according to a transcript.

“But what most of them tell us is that it really has to do with how you light the bridge,” the consultant added. “In other words, we don’t want a bridge with cables to be unlighted so that a bird might not [see it] — there might not be enough ambient light on a very dark night for a bird to see cables. However, if they’re lit, then they can see them. They don’t believe there’s be an issue with collision.”

“They effectively said that was not a deal-killer for a cable-stayed bridge,” Quinlan, the juror, said. “We were not led to believe that any of the designs would be negative from a bird perspective,” said Jeff Belt, another juror. “That’s why all of the designs were left in play.”

“Did I see it coming? No, not at all,” said Ted Ogilvie, a Fort Erie, Ont., chiropractor who also served as co-chairman. “I thought these issues were all handled beforehand. During the negotiations, there was some talk about birds flying into it; but I thought they had it all figured out.”

The three-arch bridge was included among the six finalists selected from the 33 concepts considered by the jury. “I don’t think the low-arch bridge is really going to be iconic,” Belt said. “If that’s what everybody can agree to, I’m fine with that.”

“I think it’ll work just fine,” Shibley said. “It’s not the spectacular gateway to the Niagara River that I hoped for and, I think, what the jury hoped for.”

Linda Figg of Figg Engineering Group of Tallahassee, Fla., which developed the arch concept, said it includes lower-level cables connecting the superstructure to the arches.

“Each one of our bridges is unique and special for its particular site and in harmony with its location,” she said. “This one would be unique and special for Buffalo and Fort Erie.”

The proposed bridge

The offender

Holy Hell

It was 86 degrees today. I was in hell. Actually I was only in hell until I went outside and took the cover off my central air and turned the A/C on. I'm not ready for 86 and 75% humidity. I want to ease into the weather I like to call the "f-ing sauna from hell".

Arizona Here We Come!!

So the Bills 2008 schedule came out on Tuesday at 2pm and we were all hoping for an away game to somewhere warm. Luckily for us we play the Cardinals in October so Arizona here we come! We are crazy tailgaters so everyone watch out. Sports Illustrated the named the Bills tailgating parties one of the top 50 things to do before you die. Needless to say I am very excited for football season to start. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/football/nfl/10/26/fvi.bills/

Reunited and it feels so good...

Me and Wanda Honda were reunited yesterday after four long days without each other. There was a bit of a debacle prior to the pick up. The man at the repair shop called me and asked if I had lost my keys. Hmmmm. No I said, but I did drop my car off there on Saturday to be repaired. Oh, he says, we will start fixing it today then. Um, what? I was a bit confused by the conversation so I called back and talked to someone else. This man told me that they had fixed the car and were getting done detailing it. Ok, that sounds better. When I finally got to the repair shop they kept apologizing for being dufuses. But then they kept calling me Jennifer. At first I didn't know if they were talking to me so the second time I had to correct them. They started apologizing even more. It was really funny, but I probably won't take my car back there. Too many boneheads working there.

At least it's not a van...

The other day someone told me that my back brake light was out, the same one that was repaired after the "incident". So I changed the light bulb but it still was not working when I pushed on the brake, but it was working when I armed the car. I decided it was time to take it back to the repair shop that fixed it. I went there today and unfortunetly they could not fix it today. They have to keep it a couple days so they said they would pay for the rental car. Great, another f-ing rental car. So they dropped me off at Enterprise and I made it very clear to the woman that I did NOT want a van. I think my exact words were "I do not want a van. You gave me a van last time and I was not happy. I will start to throw a fit if you give me another van. I do not want a van". Luckily for the girl at Enterprise it is Saturday and we are very close to a "vacation spot", Niagara Falls, and all the vans were rented. They gave me a Chevy Cobalt, which is fine, but when I got in the car there was something a miss.... It has no power windows or locks or alarm... I had no idea that those features were not standard in all cars made after 1995. I have to physically put the key into the door to unlock it. I look like a jackass. Here are some pictures to prove it...

CD player but no power windows or locks?

The silver bullet...

This is how I have to roll down the windows...

Manual locks...

Bella!

My friend Sheryl knows how much I love pugs so a couple weeks ago she asked me to dog sit while she and her family went to Cancun. Of course I've said yes and have been waiting patiently for Bella to finally come over to stay. She was dropped off on Thursday night and she is staying until next Saturday. It has been quite an adventure so far. After being here for about 10 minutes she decided to make herself at home by pooping in my bedroom. It was actually quite hilarious. A couple hours later she decided to pee in the kitchen. And last night when we went to put her in her cage she started whimpering and barking. I felt so bad for her (secretly I wanted to her to do this) so I let her out and she came upstairs to sleep with us. Silly James thought she would sleep on the floor on her pillow. Nope. She definitely slept in the middle of us, ALL night. Any one who knows pugs knows that they are NOT quiet sleepers. This morning I woke up and had to go to work. As I was leaving I saw James had no covers and one arm in his shirt. I asked why and he said it was because Bella would not give him any blankets. I laughed really hard. Today on our walk (or jog) she lead me into a grassy area that was flooded and she got mud all over her undercarriage. Her are some pictures of our lovely guest... I'm sure I'll have more updates of this debacle later in the week. As we speak she is sitting on my lap while I type this, she will not leave my side.

A close up...

Her new spot on the couch.

This one is of her after our jog through some mud.