Here are some images of the trees in Sloan from Friday and in Delaware Park on Monday Buffalo Trees.

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Originally uploaded by buffalo_amy.

I feel very blessed. I didn’t lose power. I have heat. There was no damage to my house or car. None of my friends were hurt (of which I’m aware). I still have food to eat and things to drink.

Others weren’t that lucky. This storm took us all by surprise…that’s probably the understatement of the year…

As I was driving through the city today, I tried to wrap my brain around the enormity of this storm…I don’t think any of us can quite grasp what’s happened. It’s forever changed the landscape of the city, as you can see by this picture…Delaware Park will never be the same. Obviously, we’re all very lucky that there only a few injuries/deaths. But to think about all that we’ve lost…the beautiful landscape…the only good thing we can say is that the city of good neighbors has pulled through…we are helping each other…no matter the capacity…

I had the opportunity to volunteer at City Hall and help with the Mayor’s call center…I was answering phones and entering data into the computer…it was a real experience. This morning, I was sitting there, taking complaints from people in the city, drinking my coffee and eating my croissant and I felt terribly guilty…I’m so blessed. I didn’t go without anything at all…and I could help people by making them feel a little better.

I hope that you’ve all survived okay…there are many stories to share…

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Originally uploaded by buffalo_amy.

Okay, I’m not superstitious, but…come on!!!

Snow in Oct?!?

Originally uploaded by buffalo_amy.

Don’t adjust your eyes…or your computer. That’s right, snow in mid-October. The last time I remember having snow early was on Halloween…in fact a friend and I were musing over drinks about the very thing tonight. He was in from out of town and not prepared for the snow.

It certainly is a beautiful sight, isn’t it!!! Skiing, yeah!

When it comes to pretty views, there’s not a lot that can compete with Autumn in New York State. Nature seems to be shouting “hey everybody, look at me!” at the top of her lungs. Trees explode into a mad riot of color, the sky is extra blue, and even the crisp air around us seems to want our attention. In biological terms, Autumn is a transitional time of slow decay and preparation for the harsh, barren Winter. But for me Autumn has always been about fresh starts and new beginnings. I think it’s because I still associate Autumn with a new school year, even though I graduated *CENSORED* years ago. Chilly Winter looms large around the corner, so I urge you to take advantage of this wonderful time of year. Make the most of this beautiful fresh start!

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Originally uploaded by buffalo_amy.

This was the view from Mardi Gras at Holiday Valley. During Fall Fest, you can pay $2 and ride the lift up (and down if you want). A bunch of rode the lift up and walked down. It’s an incredible view and you can see just how lucky we are to have four amazing seasons!

The Real Dream Cabaret is almost through its Shell of Sense run at Rust Belt Books. Due to some drama in my life I was unable to participate, though I managed a “guest artist” appearance in this weekend’s shows. I still feel left out, but it was nice to experience the show as an audience member and I sure don’t miss the grueling meeting/rehearsal schedule. The basic format of our shows is sort of like performance art vaudeville. Blocks of the show are written and performed by members, either individually or as a group. Some blocks are stand-alone pieces, others are part of an (over)arching narrative. There’s some political stuff, some pop-culture stuff, and a lot of “working out our personal issues” stuff. It can get pretty intense, and then turn on a dime into silly fun twenty seconds later.

Guest artists help us transition between the segments of the show, particularly those transitions requiring costume changes. A typical show will feature three guest artists along with the house band, and the amazing range of talent and creativity here in Buffalo never ceases to amaze me. There always seems to be a brand new face sitting in the guest artist row, or if it’s a familiar face they manage to have a new trick up their sleeve. Our guest artists this month have ranged from Heather Connor (beautiful smoky jazz songs sung in Portuguese) to Annette Taylor Daniels (moving poetic spoken word) to Dana Block (mini-adaptation of Tennessee Williams) to Kendell (movement/aural collage) to shadow puppets to magic to multi-media to… well to me.

Buffalo’s thriving performing arts community is no secret, but there’s more going on than just the major players. There are a lot of smaller individuals and groups out there doing inventive, provocative, experimental work. You might have to search them out - their advertising budgets might only cover flyers and word of mouth. And, frankly it can be hit or miss as far as quality, so you need to have a bit of an adventurous spirit. It might not be anything like your idea of theatre. But then, isn’t that the point?

I want to take a moment and acknowledge the loss of one of our family members.  As some of you may already know, Marc Odien’s mom died yesterday, after a very brief illness.

For those of you who don’t know, Marc hosts our website and helps with any maintenance needs.  In addition to being a smart computer guy, Marc is just all around a good person and a good friend.

We all sympathize the loss of his mom.  Marc has written a beautiful tribute to his mom.  Click here to read his tribute.

Funeral arrangements are at the bottom of the page.  Marc’s Buffalo family will be going tonight to the funeral home to support Marc and his family.

We’re keeping you in our thoughts and prayers, my friend.  Life is too short…Carpe Diem!

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Originally uploaded by buffalo_amy.

Remember that funny little guy from Little Ceasar’s? Well, he would have died last night with the amount of pizza we had at our ‘pizza taste off”. A bunch of the local blogosphere gathered last night and brought pizzas from several different places - in Buffalo and outside of the area as well.

You’ll remember that it was a showdown between Geek and Pundit about whether Chicago style or New York style pizza was better. It turned into a ‘contest’ in which 10 different pizzas were sampled!

The results? Well, we won’t know until the December issue of Spree as they were there covering it last night. I have my suspicions though…I think that the entry from Pizza Junction, that LC Scotty & his wife Kelly drove all the way into North Tonawanda to pick up. I used to work down the street from there - for Kevin at Bflo Blog, no less- and I loved getting their pizza for lunch!

Anyhow…a good time was had by all!

I’m a creature of habit. A cabinet in my living room holds hundreds of CDs, but I listen to the same seven or eight constantly. I order ”the usual” each time I eat at a particular restaurant. I always take the same route home from work. Sure, I know I’m missing out on a lot of great things by staying inside my comfort zone, but that’s just how I roll. After all, if I like something, why mess with it? Even so, once in a while I dig out an old CD or take a chance on a dinner special, and more often than not I find myself asking “why don’t I do this more often?”

It happened tonight. A group of us was getting together for dinner, but the cafe I frequent (the one located well inside my comfort zone) couldn’t accommodate our large group. We ended up at Filippo’s on Hertel Avenue. After a delightful (if a bit pricy) meal, we made our way up the avenue for a cocktail to cap off the evening. I found myself wondering “why don’t I do this more often?” Hertel Avenue rocks. Now, you might be wondering who this fool is that has lived in Buffalo for close to twenty years and is surprised to discover that Hertel Avenue is fun. In my defense it wasn’t a total shock. Back in my UB days we often ventured down to the Lone Star for lunch or to the North Park for films. But I just never made it to Hertel often enough to really feel at home here, and after I moved downtown the Elmwood strip just took over as my cool Buffalo street of choice.

So what’s my point? Well, it’s very easy to become complacent about life; to stick to the familiar path and never explore anything new. This way of living is safe, but you miss out on a lot of wonderful things. When’s the last time you ventured out of your comfort zone? Buffalo’s a big city with a lot to discover, even if you’ve lived here all your life.