Watson and Ceasar

I’m feelin’ a little homesick today.  I don’t know why; In the last 4 years Buffalo has been my home for the majority of my time.  I think it’s that when I was at college, I could still “go home for the holidays” (not that I can’t do that now…) and my room was always the same and my home was where I had grown up.  Now, though, I’ve moved all my things out of my parents house and now my apartment is my actual home.  My high school prom queen crown is in a little case my mother made for it, hung up in the spare bedroom… my high school lacrosse trophies are arranged, also in my spare bedroom (I’m sorry for whoever has to spend the night in that room and have to wake up and see all my high school accomplishments I have arranged around the house)… all my stuffed animals are in the top of my closet in me bedroom…

It’s weird… I mean, I’ve always been a californian… now I’m a Buffalonian…

Don’t get me wrong, I love Buffalo and I would never have accepted a job and moved here if I didn’t like it, but It’s hard being across the country from all your family and childhood friends…

… and I miss Ceasar, my family’s black lab.

I’m just bummed out today.

On another note, I have visited the SPCA in Tonawanda and adopted a little kitten… If my camera was working, I would take a picture but, alas, it has been broken for the last couple months and I’m too cheap to buy another, so I have to describe him…

,,, he’s adorable!  He’s gray and teeny and super super affectionate.

His name, which I decided on yesterday, is Watson.  Make fun all you want, the other names I had in mind were much worse.

Tonight I have date number five with someone special… I hope we go out drinking. (isn’t that what everyone in Buffalo does on Friday nights?)

(I would prefer, honestly, to stay at home, drink a few beers, and watch the Sabres game but I think I should appear to be more girly than that.  That’s fine, thought, because I just bought new heels and I would love to wear them out!

Sorry, this is a boring post but it boosted my mood a little so that’s nice.

I hope my new super secret love interest, Craig RIvet, kicks some serious Canuck ass tonight!

One more thing, why the hell did the Red Sox win yesterday’s game?? It’s not fair!! Why doesn’t Baseball even out their teams salaries?   I mean, it’s easy to win championships when you still the best players from all the rest of the league.  I think the Red Sox and Yankees should both be banned from MLB.  They are ruining baseball!!

I love Buffalo accents!

So, I’ve devoted my entire Saturday to unpacking.  Seriously, with a break to watch some of the Michigan game and another to watch a little of the Ottawa and pens game, I’ve been kicking ass!  My bedroom and living room both look like they are actually lived in.  It’s amazing how much unpacking a person can get done when they actually… unpack.

So I met this guy and we’ve been dating.  (This is going to be a broad generalization, so please no one get offended)  I was out with him yesterday and he took me to Left Bank and then we went over to the Buffalo Harbor.  It was probably the nicest date I’ve ever been on; The harbor at night, overlooking the city, is absolutely gorgeous!!!… But that’s not the point.

In my ongoing quest to assimilate to Buffalo, the differences from here to San Fran are so obvious.  For instance, the men.  Buffalo guys are so down to earth (remember this is a generalization) and they all pretty much love their home town.  They always love to show it off.  San Fran guys are usually ‘too cool’ and are always putting down their own city.

(plus those cute little Buffalo accents are adorable)

Maybe I’m biased because I really like this guy.

I Heart Buffalo

I thought I’d write when I started to completely love Buffalo. (instead of unpacking..)  At the end of the Sabres 2005-06 season and during the entire 2006-07 season, Buffalo went absolutely CRAZY for their team.  People put signs in front of their houses, every other car had a sticker or flag, everyone you saw around the city had some kind of Sabres shirt or hat on, stores and businesses had signs and banners up saying ‘Go Sabres’. . . it was UNBELIEVABLE!  I have never seen anything like that; a whole city and community getting behind a sports team.  Everyone talked about all the games, and everyone was completely heartbroken when they lost those two years in the conference finals. (including me!)  When Drury and Briere left, people took it as a personal insult, rather than a business thing which a lot of other cities would.

It just goes to show how Buffalo has this small town mentality that no other place that I’ve been ever has.  I remember trying to explain it all to my family back home and they just didn’t get it.  The thought that everyone in a city would be crazy about a hockey team is not something an everyday resident of California could get.

I was told it was also crazy when the Bills went to the super bowl for those four years . . .  After going to a few Bills games, I can definitely believe it!

The other time I had an ‘awe’ moment for Buffalo was during the October Storm.  Everyone suffered. . . it was horrible!  But everyone was helping out everyone else!

I refuse to believe that riots would ever happen in Buffalo.  Blackouts, blizzards, ice storms . . . no problem!  Everyone would just build bonfires in cleared areas and make large potluck dinners in the center of town.

Well, unless one of the sports teams won a championship…

Finding Buffalo… the beginning…

Wow.  So, I am officially, today, a Buffalonian…  I’m not going to lie, I’m completely terrified!  So, here’s the story of how I am here, with my things all in boxes in my new apartment, alone in a city I barely know.  I am from San Francisco, a city that is completely different from the one I am currently in.  I grew up there and I love it completely, however, when I was applying to colleges during high school, I thought it’d be fun to go someplace really different.  My family (well, specifically my mother) was so upset at me when I applied to four colleges, all of which were out of state.  I really didn’t think about it that much, honestly, before I jumped right in and ended up enrolled at Canisius College in Buffalo, NY.  I was so excited, even though I knew NOTHING about Buffalo except that they had a football team (good education, right?)  So before I knew it, I was on a plane to a place that was impossible to get a direct flight to with all my boxes being shipped to me.

Now, I’m going to say that I love Buffalo right now.  I don’t want to offend anyone but I want to be really honest.  When I first got here, I hated it.  Completely.  At first glance this city looks…well, terrible.  I was so upset and I missed home.  Canisius was great, though (even if it probably was in the worst neighborhood I had ever been in!  Seriously!  There were shootings, muggings, robbery and God knows what else on the streets around the dorms.)  Slowly, though, my friends started taking me out and I started to see the other side of Buffalo.

So right before graduating I went on a job interview (I’m not going to say where… this is the internet, after all) and I got the job.  It was really a dream job offer and too good to be true, really.  I didn’t start this job until September and so I had to go home and break the news to my family who practically disowned me (I’m joking, but they are pissed!)

So, now I’m in Buffalo.  Most of my college friends have moved on and out of Buffalo and I’m feeling like it’s a fresh start.   I still don’t know a lot about the city.  I mean, I know where fun bars are, where great dive bars are, and all about Elmwood. So, really, my only view has been through a college kids eyes.  I’m sure there’s more to the city then alcohol and I’m definitely going to check it all out!

That’s where this blog comes in. (I’m so sorry to bore you with that story but it was pretty unavoidable) I thought it would be fun to write down all my experiences as a newbie to Buffalo.  This city is really unique!  It may not always be pretty but something about it makes you feel like home and the people are AMAZING!  I’m really looking forward to this…and I’m scared to death about this.

Oh, and one more thing…

Somewhere along the line during my sophomore year at school, I completely fell in love with the Buffalo Sabres.  I know, how does a girl who grew up in a place where hockey is pretty much nonexistent go to a place for only a few years and become a huge fan?  I have no idea!  Three of my friends and I split season tickets last year and are doing it again this year, so I’ll be going to a large number of games and I’m sure I will talk about them at long lengths.  My only problem with the NHL (besides shoot-outs and terrible marketing) is that the merchandise people make such God-Awful women’s apparel for teams!  I mean…glitter shirts? Pink Jerseys? HIDEOUS! But people are buying them!