Buffalovisit (part 2)

I'm writing this in a Buffalo train station; I just found out that my train is apparently behind a freight train and will therefore be delayed at least an hour and a half, possibly longer. :-(

Fortunately I have my laptop, and I've found a seat near the only power outlet in the room. No Internet, but I'll upload this when I get home. There's a little girl staring at me right now. I smile at her and she asks something I can't understand because of her strong toddler accent. Seeing my blank stare, she asks me again, and this time I understand her: "Zat your 'puter?"



I tell her yes, it's my computer, and ask if she has a computer. Her smile widens and she answers, but I don't understand. Argh. I feel like a stupid grown-up. Fortunately I am spared further humiliation; her mother grabs her hand and pulls her away, saying they have to go. The little girl and I wave good-bye at each other; no spoken words needed. :-)

I had a wonderfully laid-back trip to Buffalo, visiting with my friends Rand and Erin. During the day, I took my laptop and Wacom Artpad and worked in Rand's library. Without Internet access, I got a surprising amount of work accomplished, plus read two books (The Stormchasers by Tim Bowler and Anne Boleyn: A Study (sorry, forgot to write down the author's name)).



Some highlights from my Buffalo trip:

- Lunches with Rand. Because of life/schedulestuff, Rand and I don't tend to see each other as often these days, so it was good to catch up in person. E-mail and phonecalls are great but they can't beat face-to-face conversations, IMHO.

- Dinner with Erin one night while Rand taught a class. I tend to only see Erin when she's with Rand, so it was nice to be able to hang out with her one-one-one.

- Working in Rand's library during the day. WONDERFUL library, and I got a ton of work done. Plus I always love seeing Rand at work.



- Dinner outing at A Taste of India with Erin, Rand, Doug White & his wife Kathy, Dennis (friend of Doug's, Adam has performed with his band), Adam English and his girlfriend Jolene (sp?). Doug runs Watchmen Studios; Allison, Jodi and I visited there when we did our vocals/instrumentals for Less Than Art (click on "Still Can't Buy Me Love" to hear a sample from Ookla's 10th anniversary remixed/remastered version).

- Doug's tattoo. Holy cow. (See one of the photos above)

- Visiting Bath & Bodyworks. Toronto doesn't have a Bath & Bodyworks, and I have a weakness for certain toiletry products. I picked up some deliciously minty hand soap, shampoo and conditioner as well as pump-containers of Tupelo Honey and Lemon soap.

- Seeing Chunky Rice again. I have already Blathered about Rand's turtle from previous visits. :-)

- Checking out an Asian foods store (can't recall the name, but it was something like "Hoo-ah," I think) near Taste of India. It reminded me of Toronto's T&T stores except it had a cozier atmosphere: much smaller and obviously family-run.

I saw Mochi Ice Cream, which I had always wanted to try, and lamented the fact that it would melt before I got it home to Toronto. Intrigued, Adam bought it as well as some other products, and insisted we all try them as soon as we stepped out of the shop.



And that remains one of my favourite moments from that night: all of us standing there in the parking lot, yellow light from the store spilling out across the pavement as we sampled each other's purchases, our hands sticky with mango juice (Adam bought some frozen mango bars as well), nibbling at chocolate-covered sticks and mochi-covered red bean ice cream.

Adam also had some interesting-looking varieties of dried plums, and I volunteered to try them with him. We ended up spitting them out into a shopping bag, but they certainly were ... um ...unique-tasting.

The mochi ice cream was fantastic, though; I must get some in Toronto -- maybe T&T has it.

Anyway, I'm home now. It was a great trip...THANK YOU, Erin and Rand, for your wonderful company and hospitality.

Now to unpack and catch up on e-mail...

Trivia O' The Day

I mentioned this a while back, I think, but it bears mentioning again here. Some of you may be familiar with the hit single "Cupid's Chokehold" by Gym Class Heroes. It reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100, #1 on the Billboard Pop 100 Airplay, and #3 on the UK Singles Chart.

The interesting trivia o' the day, however, is that Rand is one who sings the "Ba da da dop" and Adam is playing keyboards. Cool, eh? You can hear the music in the video below or watch the video on YouTube if you have trouble viewing the imbedded video below:



Rand's voice is the first one you hear in the song. :-)



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