May 28, 2008

Any Excuse.

The new cleaning crew arrived right on time this morning. After a second walk through of the house, with three members they still thought it was going to take almost the entire day to give the house a thorough cleaning. I can only do so much between classes and assorted activities. Truth be known, I guess I haven’t done that much in the way of cleaning as of late.

Since I’m not starting work until next week (I don’t know where yet) and I have no scheduled classes today, I wasn’t about to sit around and watch the cleaning crew do their thing and feel guilty in the process for not joining in, so I sold off some prized valuables to put some gas in the car and hit the road.

I’m currently sitting in the Panera in the scenic city of Canandaigua. This appears to be a brand new location. There are no crayon marks on the wall from wild children. The furniture looks new. The carpet is fresh. (I smelled it to make sure, just kidding).

The women sitting next to me are lively. I believe they are in theatre. They are talking about theatre classes and stage performances. I hear those theatre types can be lively. They’re talking about their husbands (though one hasn’t specifically mentioned the gender of her partner) and getting them to do stuff for them. The conversation hovers around performing, photography, videography and husbands. They’re both very animated. They’re getting a little feisty too. I hear those theatre types can be feisty. I find them enjoyable.

I decided to do a little exploring around Rochester on this road trip. We were just here last Saturday and here I am again. I kind of forget about Rochester as a destination of sorts. Passing through on the Thruway you can see it but you don’t feel the city at all. The Thruway sort of bypasses it. So I made the detour and drove around the apparent artsy- and gayborhoods. The parts I have seen thus far are very clean and have a ‘chic’ feel to them.

A very hot man has joined the ladies at their table. He is lively too. I’m betting a theatre type as well. He is very animated. I hear those theatre types can be animated.

Ah ha! As I continue to eavesdrop I confirm that one of the ladies is a lesbian! Should I start singing “We Are Family” or wait until the regional meeting? Her name is Eleanor.

Back to Rochester. Each of the “Thruway Corridor” cities have a distinct personality, at least as I see it. Working right to left I’ve never been a big fan of Albany. It’s functional and I suppose very governmental, but it’s always seemed like a mish-mash of cities thrown together. I guess that’s why they call it the Capital District. I’d live there if I had to (which is always a possibility given the location of Earl’s second office and the fact that I’ll most likely be working for a state agency someday), but if we had to move to the Capital District I’d be picky about where we settled down.

Utica lost whatever little personality it had years ago. I’m surprised the lights are still on.

Syracuse seems to be full of hearty stock. Since Syracuse receives the most annual snowfall of almost any city in the world I guess that makes sense. Syracuse is very proud of the Orange and it’s very apparent. The color orange is everywhere. I equate Syracuse with sports and family, probably because I’m from that area originally.

Rochester is all about the technology. The smart people live in Rochester. Driving about the streets Rochester is a pretty cool city. As I mentioned before, I’m not overly familiar with it but it seems clean and more progressive than the other cities along the corridor. I’m looking forward to bringing Earl back here for more exploration. Oddly, I’m finding exploring alone a little boring. That’s not like me.

Buffalo is very blue collar to me (and that is not a bad thing at all). It’s where the workin’ man lives. They’re proud of their sports teams as well. Buffalo Bills stuff is everywhere. Like their counterparts in Syracuse, they seem pretty hearty. I guess it’s the snow. There’s signs of progress as well. I think they’re doing their best to cope with the economy.

All in all, it’s a gorgeous day for a beautiful drive. I should probably stop chattering on the internet and get out and enjoy some sun.