The Last Days of Summer

The last few days of summer are here, and I can't say I'm not happy to see this season come to a close. I'm not a fan of the warm weather,

I'm more of a autumn/winter bird. I'm counting down the days till pumpkin picking, applecider, hiking, skiing, jumping into my comfy sweaters and sipping hot coco while watching the snow fall down.

Ciao
-Sean

I Apologize.

Sorry for the lack of blogging but in the beginning of August my three year old HP laptop took a nose dive and no longer works. But now I have a new laptop so I can keep Buffalo Street nice and updated. Sorry once again~!

-Sean

The Nature of Sunday

Today I found myself feeling somewhat artistic and adventurous, so I grabbed my Nikon and headed out to the trails behind my complex.

Here are some treats from the day:

Oh, The Sunshine

I've always thought it was important to take a vacation right before summer. The prices are usually MUCH cheaper, and they're less tourist mucking about. So, in my tradition of a May-cation (a vacation in May) I headed down to Florida to visit my parents whom live there.

Now before you read on you should know that I'm not exactly a Florida person. I hate the sun (due to my pale skin), I hate sweating, I hate large insects, and I hate horrid drivers. Florida, unfortunately, has all these things. However, this vacation was an excuse to get away from home for a short while and see my parents.

Florida is a land of "communities", basically meaning that there are almost no neighborhoods per-say. Most people live in "gated communities" and in between these "gated communities" is a whole lot of nothing. Now coming from a city like Buffalo, which is chocked full of neighborhoods and different districts, I found the whole place so oddly set up. It didn't help that all the streets are numbered, not actually named. So I frequently got last when I meant to take 101st Avenue, but there were 101st St, 101st Rd, 101st Blvd etc etc.

I did however manage to jet ski and "island hop" while in Florida. My parents own two jet ski's, and its usually their staple entertainment on a hot (and by hot I mean 95 and not a cloud in the sky) afternoon. We rode up and down the international coast way, hoping from island to island and basking in the sun. I myself sat under a tree with 45spf on my face, and 35spf on every square inch of my body haha.

It was relaxing, not really having to worry about work, or home, or whatever small things that get in my way. I did miss my boyfriend terribly though. I'm a big affection person, and not having someone to hug or hold hands with for a week was taxing on my mind.

Overall the trip was wonderful, I got to spend time with my parents, get away from the stresses of a normal life, and just be- well, be me. Here are some pictures from the trip.

-Sean

Small Moments

Sometimes I think of how lucky I am. I'm a person who wants to take pride in all the small moments, and I have a boyfriend that allows me too. Here's to you Lee, thank you.

-Sean

So Sorry.

Sorry for the lack of blogging lately. I just got a promotion at work so its been rather hectic. So as a sorry gift. Here is a musical trailer for Princess Mononoke.

-Sean

Homenaje a Ghibli by Diego Galobart from ENL Autonoma on Vimeo.

Anime Sunday

I've made it my new goal to watch a film from Studio Ghibli. Studio Ghibli is the famous anime studio that has produced such masterpieces as; Princess Mononoke, Castle in the Sky, Whisper of the Heart, Spirited Away, and Howl's Moving Castle.

I've seen every film made (including shorts) and I've been hankering to re-watch them and get that same sense of awe I did when I first watched them. Todays pick is: My Neighbor Totoro.

My Neighbor Totoro is an amazing anime, full of wonder and whimsical characters. The main plot is two young girls move to the countryside of Japan, there they discover a magical world full of creatures that revolve around nature. Below is the US Trailer for the film.

-Sean

Why I Don't Have the Winter Blues

 

(Hot Coco is one the many joys of the winter season)

A lot of people I know get the seasonal blues. The seasonal blues are when you begin to feel depressed and stressed with the coming of winter. Some scientist and psychologist say this may be because of the shorter days, lack of sun, and the feeling that there is no life (green space) around you.

I am somehow the opposite of this. I tend to thrive in winter. In the summer I'm usually frustrated at the intense heat and humidity that affects western New York (FYI; they call Buffalo the Miami of the north).  However, in the winter I'm usually active, cross country skiing, down hill skiing, sledding, ice skating, hiking, and rolling in the snow in an attempt to make a snow angel, which I typically fail at.

I don't know why I'm this way, I suppose its because in winter I feel that everything is quieter, and more peaceful.

How about you? How do you feel about winter and the seasonal blues?

Winter Green

As much as I love winter, sometimes I see a picture of summer in all its glory and I wish green was a color that was also associated with winter.

The above picture is from Zore Valley here in upstate New York.
-Sean

And a New Year

Well the Holidays are finally over. I'm actually really glad, the Holidays are a time of "oddities" in my life. The stores have odd hours, I'm seeing family members I rarely see, and I can't seem to keep any money in my pockets for very long. 

New Years was amazing however, Lee & I rushed off to Niagara Falls to see the fireworks. We ended up watching them from the Rainbow Bridge (a border crossing bridge) and avoided the thousands of people that were closer to the actual falls. Here are a few shots from the night.

Hope you're all having a wonderful New Years
-Sean

Last Minute Christmas - True Deals

Anyone that knows me will tell you that I'm a true bargain hunter. If I find something I like I first spent a good chunk of time online looking for printable coupons, coupon codes, or general deals that I can use to get that product for a much cheaper price.

This "cheap" nature really pays off around Christmas. As a college student I lack the funds to buy large items for most members of my family (Sorry mom, I can't buy you that IPad) However, do have the funds to get everyone something they like for usually under 25 dollars.

How do I do this? I first think long and hard about what I can get the person, normally I make a list on notepad of all the ideas I can come up with. Then after narrowing it down to one item, I hop onto my favorite sites for coupons to knock down that bottom line price.  I've compiled a list of the best sites that I use for you to bargain hunt like there is no tomorrow:

1. Retailmenot.com :  Retail Me Not is an awesome coupon code site. Its an easy to use site, and includes coupon codes that can be used online, as well as printable coupons for those of you that hate online shopping.

2.printable-coupons.blogspot.com :  Printable Coupons is exactly what the name implies. The site has an amazing amount of retail coupons both for in store and online.  They also have
a number of freebie links for those of us that love free things.

3. Slickdeals.net : Slick deals is a mostly "deals" site, meaning they compile a list of awesome daily deals.  They also have some coupons and codes to use.

4. TechBargains.com : Tech Bargains is a site that's similar to Slickdeals but mostly focuses on electronics. If you have someone who is a tech lover then this site rocks in finding awesome deals for them.

Holiday shopping can be stressful, but it can also be really rewarding. After knocking down a price to what you'd term a 'real' deal, you get this great feeling of getting someone what they wanted at a price you can actually afford.

Happy hunting

-Sean

The Buffalo's Winter

Buffalo is most lovely in the winter.  Its the time we all go and do free things like sledding, and ice skating. Its also the best time for photography.  Here are some of my latest shots from the Birdsong Nature Trails.

Hallow-Dilbert

Halloween is here, and I'm the king of cheap-fix costumes. So I present to you, my Dilbert costume.

 

Happy Halloween
-Sean

Letchworth

Letchworth State Park is the "Grand Canyon of the East". Located an hour outside of Buffalo, NY its a beautiful gorge, which comes alive in Autumn with all the bursting colors.

Took a trip this past weekend with the boyfriend and did some hiking.