Just Pizza: Part One

Originally uploaded by Buffawhat. Taken 10 Jan ‘07, 7.22pm AST PST.

Two slices of Just Pizza Buffalo Wing pizza to hold me off until the main course…

I going to join a gym.

I need to shed the “twink,” and I have a $300 gym credit from Univera to burn. Plus, when I get home from work, there is absolutely nothing to do but sit at my window watching people walk down Elmwood as I pet my delightfully obese black cat. I have two gym choices, and they are about as different as can be.
Easily misconstruable graphic below.

Option #1 – Allentown Athletix

Location: Delaware and Allen, Buffalo

Distance: 0.4mi (a jog, or an easy trumpfh through snow)

Membership price: ~$76, after the 300 reimbursement and a 15% off first time offer.

Equipment: Weight room, cardio room, circuit room (no idea, but I saw pulleys), A few multi-use rooms, two racquetball and squash courts, Hottub/sauna, decent locker facilities.

Pros: Allentown Athletix is obviously more queer-client

My New Years celebration was spent working at Marcellas (3pm Sunday-9am Monday… I was just a little bit tired). Amidst the crazy drunks, dozens of beer runs, light boards crashing, and confetti cannons, I actually managed to have a decent time; then I cut my hand on a broken champagne glass (it was stealthily hidden amongst a pile of plastic glasses).

Looking back at this past year, I’m actually proud at how far I came:

• January – OMG 20! I escaped my teens and the countdown to 21 commenced. I was still living with Jamie in our next to last apartment on Norwood/Auburn. I loved that apartment. It actually had rooms, instead of the studio/lofts we previously and futurely occupied. My first semester of Buff State had ended, and I was in rough shape. School/Work/Jamie was a major conflict for months to come.
• February – I can’t remember too much of February except that I started my internship at the agency I work at now. Valentine’s Day escapes my memory, which is a good clue to how my relationship with Jamie was headed.
• March – School almost crashes on top of me… and later does. I believe this was the time that we moved once again (Jamie’s solution to bills? Don’t pay them and run! it was my fault as well, I never assumed any major responsibilities… just surrendered my paychecks every week) to delightful Elmwood. I did not sign the lease. This turned out to be a good thing. Utilities, however, were in my name. This turned out to be a bad thing.The buffawhat.com domain was bought at the same time I erased razyr.com. I can’t believe I just tossed away such a priceless blog/network and all my readers.
• April - I get hired at my agency and fall in love with my new career! My relationship with Jamie continues to plummet as the work/school/Jamie conflict escalates. I start to realize that I had poured my entire life into Jamie. He controlled everything. I let it happen; that was my greatest mistake.
• May - It was the beginning of the end. After about 20 breakups followed by some sap letter or something else that kept us together… Jamie began to ask me if I was living with him out of neccessity. I couldn’t answer that. I loved him, and like a good southern housewife I was willing to put up with everything to make it work. I had never truly lived on my own before; I knew I could do it, but I was so used to co-dependance.
• June - Pride 2006, my first pride event. I was gussied up in pink with Jamie and the rest of the Buffalo Bears on our “Friends of Dorothy” float. We strutted down Elmwood right in front of the catholic protesters, collected our first place float trophy… then headed to one of the bear’s house for a party. That night a misunderstanding prompted Jamie to leave me at the party. The following fight was a doozy… and I got into my first physical fight with a loved one. It was the end. I was tired of Jamie being an alcoholic, tired of him controlling my life, and tired of the bullshit that I let him get away with. The fight was more of a drunken stumble match… with gravity overcoming us both… but Jamie to this day will tell you that I tore his sternum and cracked three ribs. My dad picked my up that night and took me back to Bradford. I was in Buffalo by the end of the week (The fight was on a Sunday) signing the lease on my new diggs, the first all on my own, on the corner of Elmwood and North. I tried to come to terms with Jamie, but things just got worse.
• July - I’ve learned one thing well, and that’s moving on from a bad situation. I got over Jamie fast, maybe too fast. His obsession with personal life made things hectic for a while, especially at work. I still loved him, and even still do; it was so hard to watch him fall apart and do the things he did that month and the few to come.
• August - I started blogging again; buffawhat.com had launched. I reconnected with a friend and we started collaborating on some artsy stuff… I started dating again… the boy queue had commenced. Jamie’s attacks got more interesting, I started to fear for Brent’s tires (which oddly got slashed after a threat from Jamie).
• September - More boys to date and Jamie finally let go. Work took over my life and I was getting to be happy. I was also getting to be lonely. I quit smoking, too (that lasted for a few months).
• October - My boy queue was dwindling down and not much luck for a winner. I started gogo dancing at Marcellas and the club began to suck me in. It wasn’t so much the scene as it was getting behind the scenes and having something to do on the weekends. The storm prompted everyone in Buffalo to look for beer. My friend Brent was holed in with me (I think more out of desire than neccesity) and I got really sick from trudging around in the snow. The end of October brought a certain individual into my affections as my summer of power dating had left me jaded and tired of all the typical Buffalo queers.
• November - I went home for Thanksgiving and got sucked into MacHeist, despite the laptop biting the dust. I shed the single status for something slightly more attached as the bf (sorry, he refuses to let me mention his name again on the blog, out of fear that people find out that he’s really a sweet guy and in a relationship again… silly ole grumpy bear!) and I start a very interesting journey together.
• December - I seemed to acquire a new job with the new relationship, and I become the next light technician and barback at Marcellas. Christmas underwhelms me, and the bar scene gains my distaste as my weekends are consumed with getting people drunk for the holidays. I bump into Jamie at Cathode… we don’t speak and he promptly leaves with his date. I get my credit card in order.. and my plans to get out of debt have begun… The year ends with a bit of respect for myself on overcoming my biggest hurdle: trusting myself and believing that I can take care of myself.

2007 is going to be a big year for me. I really want to extend massive gratitude to the few people that read this blog and the friends I’ve made because of it.

Note: it seems that Jamie was mentioned a lot in the review… well he was a big part of last year… and yes I do admit he was psycho and our relationship was a total mess, but I also know that a lot of it was my fault. So I share the blame, and if you read this Jamie… thanks for whatever we had… I never would have been able to make it this far without you.

Snap! – Go Sabres

Originally uploaded by Buffawhat. Taken 26 Dec ‘06, 9.49pm AST PST.

Watching the Sabres game at my buddy Joe’s house. 6-1 buffalo

I’m waiting for my bus this groggy morning and I see Pataki’s cute face slapped up on a house (ok, more like a shell of what was a house).

[ cute mug, ugly house, wasted space]

My buddy Kirk and the People at P.U.S.H (People United for Sustainable Housing) have posted these signs on many of the shell-houses that Pataki and the MBBA have been sitting on for some while.

[Shell house on 530 Walden]

This is ridiculous, and even worse than a bare lot. If you happen to see these posters and don’t like what you see, Give em a call: 518-474-8390

Link to P.U.S.H

Buffalo Geek received an email from Savarino Construction the other day that officially closed the lid on what could have been one of the most exciting progressive building project on Elmwood’s college strip; the Elmwood Hotel Project.
This really sucks. I knew for a while that work had stopped, but I never knew what was really going on. Once again, another developmental gem gets added to the list of “could have been a good thing if you would let off of our balls and give it a chance” projects.

Click on to read the letter from Savarino, via Buffalo Geek

Krudmart for my to-me-from-me gift

Originally uploaded by Buffawhat. Taken 18 Dec ‘06, 9.16pm AST PST.

Just picked up the hottest shirt from Krudmart… A killer NYC style skate thug gangsta boutique in Buffalo… They definitely know what they are doing there. Walk in on them on elmwood near Allen, or click on at krudmart.com.

It’s still cold, consistently 58 degrees and making harder and harder each morning to get out of bed and get dressed. The boiler hasn’t ran in about 5 days; I was getting close to buying a space heater and billing Horizon Realty (my leasing company). Then I received two pieces of paper taped to my door last night. One was a notice of entry for maintenance and repairs, the other was a Letter from Laura Lomanto, the new Maintenance Supervisor for the buildings. The letter read:

Dear Resident,

Horizon Realty is further investing in the building you live in by replacing the boiler system with a brand new system. We are concerned that the system that is in place currently may not make it through this winter season, and we want to be sure that there is adequate heat when you need it most. Therefore, we are delivering temporary space heaters to your apartment to be used while we are installing the new system. We expect the installation of this system to take about a week and will begin this weekend. Therefore, please turn on these space heaters as needed during the next week. Once the new system is installed and running, we will come around and pick up all these space heaters from your apartment.

We thank you for your cooperation while we are making improvements to the building you reside in.

Laura Lomanto
Maintenance Supervisor
Horizon Realty

This is good to hear. Horizon really isn’t a bad company, despite all the issues I’ve had. Its actually the building being in prior disrepair and the utter lack of decent maintenance staff in Buffalo. This is their first year with the previous crackbuilding. Now, 40 evictions, new water heater, new maintenance super, and soon the be new boiler later, I’d say this is a pretty decent track record for upkeep and improvements. Now all thats needed is the hallways recarpeted and painted and the secured entry doors fixed.. and you’ve got your selves a Kissling interests… almost.

Still waiting for my mystery date. Anytime boys, sweep me away. Really. Its ok.

All those guys in the commercial are buffalo bears. And almost every one of them are taken. :(

Friends house on Friday

Originally uploaded by Buffawhat.

Nice… I never lost power, but the boiler isn’t on in my building. So, I am freezing to death; and sick because of it. I’m not really complaining, I’ve been though enough hurricanes and floods down south that I feel like I could take a break form one natural disaster at least.

It’s too cold to type… I’m at work, and we don’t know what to do… I guess tomorrow will be a free for all