Our Gulchers held a meeting this week of the "downtown" business owners to discuss a variety of issues, mostly about "what can the village/town/county/state do for us?" a fair and useful question. For once, I was not the only one in the room who thought, "Hey, how...
After several days of rain, my back yard is a muddy marsh which the dogs feel duty-bound to track inside. After two days of wrestling with my taxes, my bank account is about to become a muddy marsh that even the dogs will avoid. Where's that tax relief that OMB was...
It's a minor thing but I need to kvetch. In all of its bureaucratic efficiency, the NY State Liquor Commission, after draining my bank account of some thousands of dollars, has taken over a year to approve our permit to serve wine and beer. Putting aside the indignity...
Fall has descended on the Gulch and environs. Prime and I spent yesterday doing three of our four favorite things- hiking, alcohol, and pizza, this time in the lovely little village of Little Valley, home to an excellent brewery with a wood-fired pizza oven and where...
Yes, I have an appointment with the groomer. The big reveal from last weekend's teaser.At least it feels like there's 101 of them. No, not Dalmatians (as wonderful as they are), but Glibs Gulch hounds. I took one off WebDom and 10b0t's hands, given them being...
For a community that is dominated by scholars (or "scholars," more accurately), I am ceaselessly amazed at how fucking stupid everyone is. And the stupidest among them end up working for us. We don't serve lunch on weekends because our weekend cook is incapable of...
It's been a tough week, juggling clients, café, university, and home issues. The last is getting my house prepared for a new arrival, which has involved much lifting and carrying, about 100,000 trips up and down the stairs, and repeated errands to pick up small items...
Yes, here's when my behavior that puzzles Prime begins. She doesn't actually say it, but she clearly thinks, "How can you waste an entire day watching THREE football games?" One more reminder to me about SP's perfection- she would just be disappointed that there...
I feel good now that the NFL season has started, the summer heat has passed, the leaves are just beginning to color, and the staff at our little café seems to actually have transitioned into something competent. Mostly. I managed to have a fine evening of wine with...
What's the substitute for sugar substitute? It's an interesting philosophical conundrum. My answer is: sugar. So sitting in for SugarFree today is the site's Sugar Daddy, who loves giving out sugar-laden candy to the kids. Apparently September 3 was astrologically...
Between nothingness and eternity lies a chasm of consciousness. At least that's what my fortune cookie told me. In any case, last week was the last game of the NFL preseason and they put a gap in this week before starting up again next week. So this weekend......
This summer came quite late and, with our temperatures now dropping into the 40s, with highs in the 60s, it has also left quite early. So I'm chillin'. I'm sure that this is part of Global Warming Climate Change. On the bright side, it's perfect hiking weather except...
The end of summer in Glibs Gulch (boasting the highest per-capita population of Glibertarians in the US) is marked by the sudden reappearance of thousands of students, parking snafus, frat parties, and the fabulously entitled faculty. This year, it was also marked by...
I spent this past week on travel, visiting one of my clients. Since I was near Cincinnati, there was a further obligation and privilege. As a Muslim, one is expected to make a Hajj to Mecca. And if you can swing it in the same trip, Medina. A religious Jew will make a...
We are closed today- no staff. After experiencing the folks attending the Farmers' Market a block away, our staff refuses to work Sundays. People who are normally entitled and insufferable are joined by sets of people who are beyond parody and are almost universally...
"Sorry, kids, you're all on suspension and must go home NOW. Transparent backpacks smaller than 6"x6". You know the rules!" Birthdays today include a guy who was a little fish; a guy whose stories were amazing; a guy who liked to put on a dress and prance around the...
My dog is actually significantly larger than this. My young 'un came in from Las Vegas this past week to spend a few days here, meet his new nephew, and try the Old Guy's cooking. My absence in comments this morning is attributable to me running him up to Buffalo for...
It's a typical Glibs get-together. After a bit of an absence, I'm back. Last weekend was , in a literal sense, toxic. We had a cluster of old friends descend on the Gulch- Warty, SugarFree, Nephilium, mexican sharpshooter, Swiss, db, JW... and all were accompanied by...
Sorry, I actually have been working on a new Jewsday piece that I think is interesting and unexpected, but it's not done yet. Writing, for me, is a slow and painful process. And this week is pretty much shot, Spud is coming in tonight, and several other friends will...
No Prime this weekend (she has to work) but plenty of amusement. Our little café hosted a 65th reunion party for the local high school. This is one of the few events where everyone calls me "young man" or "sonny boy." Our menu had stars next to some items indicating...
"I just don't see what's wrong with painting dicks on my house." So this week was my fist taste of political power. I am now an officer of our little village with a seat on the planning board (think of the worst HOA ever). We're looking at a whole pile of code...
I re-lived a fun thing that SP and I used to love doing- minor league baseball. We attended games for at least 3 different AAA teams and just had a blast at all of them. But especially the Round Rock Express at Dell Diamond. We'd drink frozen margaritas and cheer on...
Festival week peaks and ends today. On the one hand, we'll miss the revenue. On the other... I will not miss the attendee demographic. Boomer affluent white prog entitled NPR-chip-implanted... I mean, they hit every stereotype. One of our very best front of house...
It's been an artsy week in the Gulch with a major (for us) festival of music and performances. 10b0t, WebDom, and I have been hopping at our little café, and I have taken the opportunity to pick up snatches of conversations. Problem is that this week they have all...
It's a bit of an odd and unexpected morning. Because of lack of staff, WebDom decided to close the café today, so I'm actually not going in this morning. An enterprising teenager cut my lawn. I cleared out at least a roomful of junk that had been piling up. My...