Buffalo Blog

Gotham City Ninjas

To quote a professional:

Ninjas can kill anyone they want!  Ninjas cut off heads  ALL the time and don't even think twice about it.  These guys are so crazy and awesome that they flip out ALL the time.  I heard that there was this ninja who was eating at a diner.  And when some dude dropped a spoon the ninja killed the whole town.  My friend Mark said that he saw a ninja totally uppercut some kid just because the kid opened a window.

So that's when I was totally shocked to hear that there is a restaurant in New York where the Ninjas don't just flip out and kill you, but serve you sushi and sake. It's called Ninja: New York. It is a $3.5 million dollar, 6,000-square-foot recreation of two 18th-century, mountainside Japanese villages, Iga and Kouga, the birthplace of Ninja warrior lore (more info an a review at LowerManhattan.info). So, if you're looking to have your mind blown and you're in the greater NYC area, head on over for the deadliest dinner of your life. If you manage to make it out of the place alive, let me know how it is. If you're too scared to go yourself, this video (clearly designed to lure victims to their lair) gives you an idea of what they want you to expect. But you can't anticipate a ninja's moves, so the only thing you can expect is the unexpected.

Before I wrap this post up, I have to give credit where credit is due. I did not discover this totally rad restaurant by myself. My friend Juan tipped me off. I think Juan may in fact be a ninja, but don't let him know you know, or it will be the last thing you ever know. He's working on a top secret new business venture, and I'm sure it will be awesome. If you're interested, head over to his blog inluu territory to find out how it's going.

Won't You Be My Neighbor

I recently discovered this great new blog, CHS: Capitol Hill Seattle. It's all about my neighborhood and it's been up for a little over a year. They are way better about keeping up with their posts, generally posting a few times a day. So, during the slow times at the Buffalo Blog, head on over there to see what's up. They have already turned me on to a lot of great things in the area, like Vios, a hip, Greek Market and restaurant with the best meatball sandwiches around! Soooo good.

CHS also tipped me off another great resource, The Capitol Hill Times. It's got more great stuff about what's going on in the neighborhood. I think the reason I like this site so much is that they have a police blotter. Be warned though, it can get a little addicting. Plus, I've had a jones for a police blotter ever since I desperately tried and failed to find one in the days after the incident involving the police dog and the man under our neighbor's car. It only goes back about a month, so I'm no closer to unraveling that mystery now than I was then. Good times. "Come out or you will get bit." What a nice welcome to the neighborhood.

I digress. CHS is a very cool blog and makes me feel a little more hip knowing what's going on in the neighborhood. For example, I bet you didn't know that some guy is filming an indie movie at the old First Church of Christ, Scientist? Or that the Capitol Hill Mommie Mafia loves pudgy-fudgies? I didn't think so, but now you do. Spread the word, bird.

A Special Announcement

Those of you who have been waiting patiently for a blog post from yours truly for lo these many weeks have one man to thank for getting me off my duff and back to the blog. I have been waiting for something to reinvigorate me and give me a reason to post. So without further ado I would like to thank Mr. Nathaniel Rogers for starting a Web site to feature his fantastic art work. One of my favorites is featured above. It's titled Her Baptism and it's just one of Nate's many fabulous works.

Now, many readers of this blog may already be familiar with Nate from his marvelous Monkey. (I must apologize for calling Monkey a "he" during the Feline Idol proceedings. I am truly sorry.) She is a fine specimen of a feline and is welcome at Buffalo Blog central anytime. Nate is also a regular contributor to the comments section of this blog and knows a good pirate joke when it bites him on the peg leg. He's a great guy (even if he does live in Baltimore) and an even more terrific artist. So go check out his stuff, I know you'll like what you see.

I'm always excited when my friends get on themselves on the Web. Who knows, maybe he'll even put a blog up there on his site. I won't hold my breath, but I will keep my fingers crossed.

In any case, tell Nate you're glad he's got me back at the Buffalo Blog again and give his site a visit: NathanielRogers.com. Also, if any of my other friends out there get their blogs/websites up and running, let me know. I have far too few sites to visit these days.

Let Your Freak Flags Fly

I'm sure you've come across these badges in your travels on the Web. They have them for RSS feeds, for blogs, for websites, games, even foods and beverages. They are everywhere, but George Taylor McKnight has assembled a collection of most of them. What you may not know is that these little badges are called Antipixel Badges. They are 80 pixels wide by 15 pixels high and all have a 1 pixel border around the outside. They exist to show visitors at a glance who you are, what you like, and why your Live Journal is better than theirs (For more information on how to make your Live Journal better, check out Lore Sjöberg). So, since I don't want to be the only blog that you read that doesn't have a badge for you to slap on your site, I created my own:

It was really easy to do, and I think it came out pretty nice. If you want to make your own, head over to the 80x15 Brilliant Button Maker. Let me know when you have yours and I will add it to my blog. And, if you're looking to add my stylish badge to your page, just paste this code wherever you feel like it:

<a href="http://buffalo.blogs.com" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://buffalo.blogs.com/photos/uncategorized/buffaloblog.png" title="Buffalo Blog" alt="Buffalo Blog" /></a>

How Am I So Slow on the Uptake?

It has recently come to my attention that Best Week Ever has a blog. Until last night at about 9:30 PM PDT I had no idea that they did. I love the TV show. Cracks me up big time and keeps me up on my celebrity gossip and pop culture happenings. But, as I am a man of the 21st century, I need this kind of news and comedy delivered to me 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year and cannot be a slave to my TV or my TiVo. So now I can get all the good info I need, when I need it. For example, who knew that Tara Reid's nipple is back in public? I didn't, but BWE did. And if you saw my quick link about the lady punch you'll notice I stole that from them as well. So, now I'm sharing with you, my dear readers, the newest stop on my blog roundup. Enjoy it!

A few of my favorite things

Since I started the new job that keeps Web surfing on lock-down, I don't use the old Random Links sidebar as much as I used to, but I still manage to find some good material  from time to time. So, this is where I share with all of you a few of my favorite things (during the work-day).

• alt.text — This Wired column by  Lore Sjöberg is probably one of my favorite columns on all of the Internets. It's freakin' hilarious. I often find myself cracking up, out loud while reading it at work (Don't tell anyone I read it at work). Some of my favorite columns include Not Your Mama's Online Assistant, WOW: the Text Adventure, Tune In, Turn On, Veg Out, and his most recent column, Sailing the Sorry Sea of Nausea. I tune in every Wednesday to see what ole Lore has to say, and nine times out of ten, it makes me laugh. I highly recommend this to all of you who appreciate humor. (And, if you're crafty, you can download his columns and listen to the man on your iPod).
• The Walk-Through — This blog, courtesy of The New York Times, is one of my usual diversions during the day. It's on the Times, so the URL shouldn't flag any attention, and I'm in the market for a property (which, as I've been told is for Plutocrats). It's slightly New York centric, but they have lots of nationally applicable information. I like them so much, I even tipped them off about Google Real Estate.
• podstar.runner - I don't have a video iPod, but I do have a PSP, and this is probably the single greatest use of RSS technology to date (and quite possibly for all eternity). It's Homestar Runner. It's syndicated to your computer. It's automagnificantly transferred to your video device. It's freakin' sweet. Get your Strong Bad fix on the bus!

PS. I get the word of the day at work, and I couldn't stop laughing yesterday. I'm glad I wasn't the only one.

Everything's a war crime with you, isn't it, Finch?

I'm just sitting here listening to The Elected, who by the way have a great website for those of you who have fond memories of summer camp in the early '80s. For those of you afraid of man-bears and he-owls, I'd stay away. They also make some good music. For my friends in DC, they are opening for the Magic Numbers at the 9:30 club on the 23rd (Buy tickets). But they aren't the point of this post. They aren't even my favorite band right now... more to the point is this new site I found: animalshaveproblemstoo.com. Apparently, there's a book coming out, which is how I found out about the site. But I started clicking around and thought it was pretty cool, so I thought I'd share it with you. The whale featured above I thought was pretty good, but some of my other favorites are: the Hermit Crab, the Bear, and the Cow. And of course, the title is a reference to Mr. Finch. Well, that's it from me. Peace and hair grease my homies.

Does streaking ever get old?

Seattlest had a great post today about a streaker who interrupts a very serious newscast. The best part is the newscaster's reaction: she completely freezes up and says only three words, "Oh my goodness." It's priceless. The thing I find most amusing though, is that I'm amused. I've seen more nudity than I care to recall and yet somehow, streakers never get old. They never cease to make me laugh. The confusion and hilarity they create is truly the 8th wonder of the world. So enjoy this little tidbit. I'm off to bed... after I watch it four more times. Just call me Mr. Maturity.

It's funny because it's like me, but not

I saw this on Seattlest and it made me laugh because if I were a big football fan, this would be me. Captain Indecisive. And I'd probably get my ass kicked at the game. But you should check out this guy's blog, it's pretty cool: Jokes About the Rain. And, even thoug I'm not going. I'll be watching it on TV and drinking lots of beer until I get drunk enough to decide who to cheer for. Go Seaskins! Redhawks! Skinhawks!