Shuffle Off to Buffalo?

Spent much of Friday letting my immune system deal with a low-grade virus, the result of which was throwing up early in the morning, a headache the rest of the day, periodic visits to the toilet, and much of the day on my backside. Lilly had it early in the week, then it was Yuriko’s turn, and then mine.

We got an Underdog DVD in the mail, for the purpose of entertaining Lilly and Ann. Heard once or twice, the theme song is a pleasant reminder of grade school days. Play it ten times and the charm wears right off.

My condition didn’t keep me from writing a story on GSA property disposition in the morning, though writing conditions weren’t ideal—painful head, queasy gut, a toddler who wanted me to be her personal jungle gym. At times like that, you want to say, “Who cares that the GSA is selling an office building in Buffalo? It’s Buffalo, after all.” But I’m a pro. I filed the bastard.

Besides, there’s a certain fascination with cities past their prime—the likes of Buffalo or Detroit or Ur. History teaches us that cities have their ups and downs anyway (I tend to favor the one-damn-thing-after-another school of history). Strangely enough, I actually want to spend a day or two in Buffalo someday, to take in whatever’s downtown, or see one of the Frederick Law Olmsted parks, or pay my regards to President Fillmore, who’s buried there. Any fool can make a long weekend of it in Vegas. It takes some imagination to enjoy the sights of Buffalo.