Snowpocalypse or Snow What?

I hope everyone is having a good snow day today.  It was predicted that we were going to get 14+ inches of snow and that the world was going to end.  Well, we might have two inches out there.  Good thing we don't live in Chicago anymore.  There's a chance of freezing rain later, so that may justify all the hype about the weather for the past week...  Anyway...



Jason Pominville Bobblehead Night for the Rochester Amerks (http://www.amerks.com) last Friday!  YES!!!


 
Not only were their bobbleheads, but it was Hall of Fame Night too.  Don Stevens and Doug Houda were inducted into the Amerks Hall of Fame.  For more info on that, go to: http://www.democratandchronicle.com/article/20110129/SPORTS02/101290322/Houda-Stevens-join-Rochester-Amerks-Hall-of-Fame






Stevens and Houda in front of all the fans



Amerks pulled out a 2-1 victory over the Manitoba Moose



Intermission Pee-Wee Hockey!  Last time, the kids could barely stand up.  This time, these kids were almost in the minor leagues.



I believe Kraus is shooting.  I do not know this Kraus...



Megan's giant cookie!



I got a frisbee sponsored by Airport Transmission! 



Having flashbacks to my sister skating as a California Raisin during the Muskegon Fury game.  I wonder if that video is on YouTube?



These are the Mirror Images



These guys apparently dance at every game to Cotton Eye Joe by the Rednex.  Hmmmm....  Next game is February 11th against the Binghamton Senators (looks like Jerry and I need to place a bet).  It's also Valentine's Night with a special mystery puck.  Not only that, but there will be an Amerk wall decal givaway!  It will be the best Valentine's Day ever for my lady!!!


 
Megan and I went to the Monroe County Executive's Ball at the Riverside Convention Center. Thanks Rich!



Megan sticking to the priorities



mmmm...  desserts...



Pretty nice convention center.  But, it's like the convention center in Grand Rapids, Michigan.  It's on the river, but doesn't have windows to look at this wonderful natural feature.  In GR, it's used as a fire escape.  Maybe I was just on the wrong side of the building...






"Hell Yeah Maggie!"  The lady of the hour, Maggie Brook.  She's the County Executive of Monroe County, New York and out on the dance floor.  I didn't realize she was in one of my photos until I uploaded it and she was in the corner.  Hence, the reason it is so grainy and looks like it's from a bad spy movie.  So, I can check her off my list of local politicians I've seen along with former Mayor Bob Duffy.  



The Ruby Shoes.  What is that logo, you ask?  I don't know either.  It could be a rose...  Anyone else have a guess?


 
The party is over.  Go home!



Olivia at Lollypop Farm, telling me I'm working too hard on the Raiser's Edge database.  She already has a wonderful home and comes to work almost every day.  I like that she rolls over for snacks.



Here's "Minnie."  Definitely not "Mini" since she use to weigh 24 lbs.  Now why you mostly see is sagging skin.  A very nice lazy cat though and we're just waiting to see if she has a nice home to go back to.  



Lizzie would not look at me except sideways.  I think she's mad because I didn't have food or something.  


That's about it.  Not too much going on this upcoming week.  Another interview, volunteer training at Lollypop while my lady goes skiing, the gala at Wilson Commencement Park, and probably a few other things as well...

"Nothing is something I'm use to working with!" -Mr. Jellineck

So, Megan went to New York and took the camera with her.  What does that mean for you?  It means you get to look at some of the odd artwork I've made while at home. 



Evidence of Megan in New York partying with her friends and being all business-like at her conference.



So, many of these are illustrations I've created based on a book about weird stuff in Michigan. Many of the stories I've forgotten, but the drawings remain.  This is titled "They've Kilt Me!"  I remember it's about some haunted house from the 1800's.  My favorite part of this drawing is his hand.  He's so scared that his fingers bend back very unnaturally.  Maybe he hit it with the hammer?



"What Burned Billy?"  A story about spontaneous human combustion.  Look at poor Socrates helplessly trying to aid his son...



"The Paw Paw Fire Breather."  Some guy who could breath fire in Paw Paw, Michigan.  For more information on this story, go to:  http://istina.rin.ru/eng/ufo/text/310.html



"Interplanetary Radio From Intermediate Lake," which is about a man who started his own radio station that broadcasts to possible aliens.


 
"Carolyn Drown's Trip To Walhala In the Trunk" is about a murder.  I can't remember the rest of the details.  



"Feeling Blue"  If I remember correctly, it's about a lady with ESP.  So, she could tell you things about stuff she touched.  



This was going to be used for some project.  It never was.  But, it's an industrial scene overlooking Detroit.  Why they are assembling a car at a dock on the Canadian side of the Detroit River is up for debate...



"The Big Three" is about three guys laid off from the auto industry.  



This wasn't suppose to be creepy.  But, it turned out that way.  So, Megan suggested that I give him laser eyes, which I did, but it's easy to see.  



ka-BOOM!  Really don't have much to say about this than "colored pencils..."



Here's Moxie, my former desk cat at Lollypop Farm, where I've been volunteering.  Here's she his headbutting my hand for attention.  As many of you will be excited to hear, she has a new home.  My new desk cat use to weigh 24 lbs. and is named "Mini" or "Minnie."


That's it from the land of cold and snow.  Lots and lots of stuff coming up in the next week.  I had another interview a couple days ago, family dinner, volunteering tomorrow, Amerk's hockey game on Friday, a gala on Saturday, and probably a lot of other stuff not worth mentioning.  YEAH!

The Cats of Minor League Hockey

This is Moxie the Desk Cat.  I've been volunteering at Lollypop Farm, the Humane Society of Rochester and Monroe County (http://www.lollypop.org/), which is a wonderful organization.  They have all kinds of animals out there from cats, dogs, goats, chickens, horses, snakes, turtles and I'm sure much, much more.  I have to say that I've never had pets at work before, but they are great co-workers.



DiBella's is a local sub shop chain (Friends and family: they have one in Ann Arbor, MI if you want to try).  Some really good stuff.  Megan and I went there for the first time last week after a young professionals get together downtown because so many people showed up that we weren't going to eat.  In Chicago, you're lucky if 15 people show up for a young professional event.  Here in Rochester, there were nearly 1,000.  It was pretty intense and we were wholly unprepared for that.  So, we had subs instead.



HOCKEY!!!!  HIT HIM!!!!  For Christmas, Megan got me a ticket package for the Rochester Americans (Amerks for short) (http://amerks.com).  They are a part of the American Hockey League (AHL) (they play the Grand Rapids Griffins on 1/26).  They are an affiliate of the Florida Panthers .



DEAL OF THE WEEK:  Two Zweigle Hot Dogs (Red Hots), Four Molson Canadians, Only $6.  



The Amerks played against the Lake Erie Monsters out of Cleveland.  



FIGHT!!!



He was alright, but it looked like they were selling a lot of hockey equipment at a yard sale.



Intermission entertainment!  It seemed that they put kids from the ages of 4-6 out there.  One kid was the best.  He would skate, stop hunched over, skate, fall, skate, stop hunched over, repeat.  It took him the whole intermission to get to the other side of the rink and then the coach carried him off the ice when the Zamboni was ready.



Not sure if this ended up being a goal...



This is R. Thunder.  You would think he's the main mascot, but he isn't.  You will see him next.  



This is the Moose, which is the main mascot of the Americans.  I guess they got him from a local radio station and somehow it became permanent.  I think their mascot should be something like George Washington with a black eye and a missing wooden tooth.  Just a thought...



Oh the Nutty Bavarian.  



"Don Stevens is the man of the hour (but not this hour)."  He's their play-by-play announcer.  So, I have no idea what this is about...



BEER GUY!!!  Famous in the Bell family.  So, the next time you see Megan you should ask her about the "Beer Guy Wedding."



The American Spirits with the Moose.  It seems they are looking for new cheerleaders and if you are interested, visit http://amerks.com/fan/spirit/.  



GENNY LIGHT!  The local brew of choice.  Interestingly enough, they don't seem to serve it at the War Memorial at Blue Cross Arena; they just advertise there...



THANKS MEGAN FOR A WONDERFUL DATE!  I'll see you there for game 2: against the Manitoba Moose (again the Moose is the Amerks mascot, which seems more Canadian)



More cold and snow recently.  It's been bitter, but not nearly as bitter as we've gotten use to in Chicago.  So, we took a walk to check out the snow and all at Linear Park (aka Channing H. Philbrick Park) in Penfield, NY









Ducks found something good to eat



My "National Geographic shot"


That's it from the hamlet of Rochester.  Not too much going on in the next week.  Just volunteering at Lollypop, Megan's going to New York for a conference this weekend, and job hunting. 

Happy Trails With E.T.

Megan and I went hiking again last weekend.  This time on the Historic Erie Canal and Railroad Loop Trail in Pittsford, NY.  We did the whole loop in about 2 1/2 hours and that was with heavy lake effect snow according to Megan's hat.



And my beard...



Here's a Christmas moose from a tree stump along the Canalway Trail-Erie Canal Heritage Trail just west of the village of Pittsford at Brooks Road.  Probably done by either the Pittsford Sewer Dept. or the Music and Arts Store guys



Lock 62 was built in 1855 as an expansion of the original Erie Canal opened in the 1822.  Another lock was added on the other side in 1870.  It was made longer in 1887 and abandoned in 1920.  Much of the trail consists of the old canal and horse/mule towpath that was next to the trail.  The rest of the old canal bed heading into downtown Rochester in under Interstates 490 and 590.



As most of you know, I'm originally from Michigan.  What is interesting to me about this manmade waterway is this is the reason my home developed.  Because of the Erie Canal, settlers had an easy and affordable means to reach the Michigan Territory.  Once there, they could ship lumber, food, and mined products back east and abroad (or to rebuild Chicago after the Great Fire of 1871).  



There's lots of wildlife here too.  There was a large bird (Falcon or a Hawk, which is still up for debate) that flew within 15-20 feet of us while hunting a rabbit that screamed when it ran away from us.



If you want to see this and not do the three hour trail.  The easiest way is to park at Wegman's on Monroe Avenue in Pittsford and it's at the back of the parking lot at the top of the hill.



The other half of this trail is the former Rochester and Auburn Railroad bed, which was used from 1840 to 1960.  Unfortunately, it is little more than parking lot runoff, dumpsters, and dodging traffic from Clover to French Road.  But, once you reach French Road and head south, it's nice again.  This is an old cement sign that told train engineers to blow their whistle.



Megan telling me with her eyes to stop taking pictures and finish up this snowy hike.



E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial BOARD GAME!  My wife got this for me for Christmas.



Here's Megan trying to figure out how to play it.  Pretty much, you roll the dice hoping to avoid the van trackers and Gertie (played by Drew Barrymore), which can be done wearing his Halloween ghost costume.  The point is to collect all six puzzle pieces to assemble his "phone" and get as many unbranded Reese's Pieces as possible.  



Now, the spaceship is the coolest and dumbest part of the whole game.  It took me a while and lots of difficulty to assemble.  It's folded cardstock with a ramp and all sorts of nonsense.  What do you use it for?  Nothing.  It's how ET gets home, but there is no function as for the game.


An internet "shout out" goes out to Sarah and Pete for tampering with my blog by getting me the hiking book for Christmas.  Thanks again!  Tomorrow, we're going to a professionals networking event.  Friday, going to the Amerks minor league hockey game, which is $1 Zweigle dogs and Molson beer night as well as "Seneca Legends Night featuring Jody Gage http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jody_Gage."  Some playoff football over the weekend.  Then looking to volunteer at a local nonprofit next week.  So, a full schedule.