Archive | February, 2013

OMG! IDK WTH these stickers mean!

9 Feb

Have you noticed the recent proliferation of those oval bumper stickers with the initials on them?

I’m sure you’ve seen them. They’re usually white with thick black borders and say things like “ADK,” “SLX,” “QKA” or “BHV.”  Most of the time you’ll see just one stuck to a bumper or window, but sometimes they travel in packs.  Like yesterday, as I was driving down Ridge Road, I was following a car that had stickers that said SOBX, WEB, NC, EI, SLX and LAX. (He must have been a collector.)

They’re all very confusing. I mean, with your regular rectangular bumper sticker, there’s no doubt where you stand. You’re proud of your honor student. You’ve conquered some mountain. You heart your shih tzu.  But I can only guess what “SOBX” means.  So what’s the purpose of putting a sticker on your car when YOU’RE the only one who knows what it means?

But these folks are obviously proud of SOMETHING, so I do my best to try to figure them out.  Mr. Collector, I have decided, is a very unhappily divorced computer programmer who lives in North Carolina, sells employment insurance and trousers on the side, and has recently flown to Los Angeles.

Now I have to admit that I, too, have one of these oval stickers on my car. It reads WOF, and fewer than fifty people in the world know its significance. And I’m OK with that, because it’s important to me and that’s all that matters. So I guess I can’t judge anyone else who has a fixation with these cryptic message stickers.

But I won’t be joining the Association for Silly Stickers anytime soon. And if I do, I will certainly NOT put their oval sticker on my car.

 

Is it prom season ALREADY?

9 Feb

These are prom dresses?

Obviously it must be, because we got a glossy flier in the mail yesterday plastered with seductive photos of models wearing this season’s latest prom fashions and striking various “come-hither” poses. It was from The Jacqueline Shoppe, “Your Prom Specialty Store,” in Williamsville. (I guess being a “specialty store” is why it’s a “shoppe” and not a “shop.”)

When I saw the flier, several questions immediately came to mind.  Like, how did a dress shop in Buffalo get my daughter’s address?  How old ARE those “high school girls” in that catalog, really? I’m guessing several of them failed senior year at least a dozen times if they’re still in high school.  And why are you still sending us these things when my daughter graduated last year?

But mostly, as I look at it, I wonder what high school proms have come to.  I swear, some of the dresses in that are little more than bustiers.  The ones that do have some fabric to them are see-through, feathered, and almost exclusively strapless (I wonder how they’re even staying up on some of these “girls.”)  They have names like “Night Moves,” “Flirt,” and “LaFemme.” So much for just going to a prom to dance.

I posted a blog about this subject exactly one year ago, the first time I got a flier from this “shoppe.”  I pretty much had the same reaction back then. I wrote,

We got a flier in the mail the other day advertising prom dresses. Like a good mother, I looked it over, thoughtfully examining this year’s styles and colors. Then I said, “Sure, maybe I could buy one of these for Erin. That is, if I really want her to go to the prom looking like a hooker.”

I mean, really. Have you SEEN some of these dresses? It’s like they’ve taken inspiration from Madonna during her Disturbing Wardrobe Period.  Or Elton John. Honestly, a few of the dresses reminded me of  John’s feather costume when he played “Crocodile Rock” on The Muppet Show. And then there’s the one that looks like a cross between a cocktail waitress and a French maid. Sheesh.

I know that prom season is a fun and exciting time in every girl’s life. But I have never understood the need to drop a month’s salary on a designer dress you’ll wear once, shoes which are impossible to walk in and will be off your feet in 15 minutes, limousines, pre-dinners, post-dinners…all on top of prom tickets which can cost $50 or more each.

When did a nice, romantic school dance with your best guy turn into such a overblown production? Just go out there, kids, have fun, make good decisions and be safe. And as for each one of you young ladies, remember that you are a beautiful person already; you don’t need to sell yourself.

 

Village Republican party announces candidates

9 Feb

The village political season has begun.

The Republican Party in Webster has officially announced its slate of candidates for Village Board.  In doing so, they didn’t hand us any surprises.  Three positions on the Board are up for grabs — two trustee seats and mayor — and the three people who are currently holding those positions are running for re-election.  They are Trustee David Kildal, Trustee Christine Reynolds and Mayor Peter Elder. The three candidates have also earned the endorsement of the Conservative and Independence parties; it’s the first time any village candidates have received all three endorsements.

I don’t think the election is going to be a cakewalk this year.  If you put your ear to Main Street you’ll hear some definite rumblings from residents who are not happy with the current Board’s policies, especially with regards to the Monroe County Water issue.  So as soon as the Democrats announce their candidates, I think things are going to get very interesting.

I look forward to finding out who those candidates will be, and passing that information along to you all. In the meantime, here are the official biographies for your Webster Republican Party candidates for Trustee and Mayor:

MAYOR

Peter Elder is a life-long Village resident. He was first elected Trustee in 2005 and has served as Mayor since 2010, winning election as Mayor in 2011. Peter has been active in the economic development in the Village business district and has served for 7 years as a member of the Business Improvement District Board of Directors. He is Vice President of the Webster Community Coalition for Economic Development. Elder has championed improving Village infrastructure including support for the improved waterlines in the north section of the Village, the relining of the waterline in the Wilmorite tract, and the acceleration of street repairs. Peter has also been a proponent of enhanced public access to Village government and led the effort to have Village Board meetings, Board packets, and agendas posted on-line. Peter is liaison to the Parks and Recreation Committee and Village Band. He is a member of the Webster Lions Club. He lives at 59 Dunning Avenue.

TRUSTEE

Dave Kildal has lived in the Village for about 20 years and has served as Trustee for five years and was most recently elected in 2009. Dave has been Deputy Mayor for two years. A 16-year volunteer veteran of the Webster Fire Department, he also served 11 years as a volunteer member of the Monroe County Hazmat Team. He is Village Board liaison to the Cable Access Commission, the Village Sewer Department and Village Water Departments. He is also liaison to the Webster Fire Council, the Northeast Joint District, and the Webster Police Department. He lives at 13 Sherwood Ave.

TRUSTEE

Christine Reynolds is a 19-year resident of the Village and has been Trustee since her election in 2009. She is liaison to the Business Improvement District, the Webster Association for Senior Transportation, and the Village Citizens Advisory Committee. She is a former member of the 1994 Comprehensive Plan Committee, liaison to the Village Parks Committee and a former Girl Scout troop leader. She was recognized in 2011 as Volunteer of the Year for the Bay View Family YMCA. Christine is a past PTSA membership chair of the State Road School PTSA and lives at 64 Kircher Park.

The Village election is March 19. If residents have questions, they can call Peter at 265-0671, Christine at 265-1377 or Dave at 872-5132.

YellowJackets’ new CD celebrates music’s power to bring the world together

9 Feb

The YellowJackets, Webster’s hometown a cappella group, is making waves again with a brand new CD.

OK, to be entirely truthful, the YellowJackets do not really belong entirely to Webster. The group actually hails from the University of Rochester, and the boys in it are from all over. But the group has a very Webster connection in former member Christopher Young.

You might remember the blog I wrote last February about Young.  At the time, he was working as a student teacher at Webster Thomas High School. But the previous summer he was a television star, performing with the YellowJackets on The Sing-Off, an NBC reality show featuring a cappella groups. The group did so well on the show they advanced to the final rounds before being eliminated.

Young has now graduated from the U of R, so he’s no longer a member of the YellowJackets.  But he does perform on the group’s new CD, which has just been released.

The CD is called United We Sing, and is the 16th studio album the group has released.  But (and I quote the press release) it’s “unlike anything the group has ever produced!”

I listened to some of it, and they’re right.

The album grew out of the YellowJackets’ visit to rural Kenya in the summer of 2011, where they shared their musical talents with Kenyan children, conducting workshops, learning traditional native songs and teaching students popular American songs.  The trip was designed to bring people together through the power of music. The resulting album is a continuing effort to do the same.

Its 13 tracks deliver the unification message through a mix of African songs, like “Jambo” and “We Bale Jesu,” and pop favorites “Africa” by Toto and “Waka Waka” by Shakira.  It features students from Kenya’s Mbaka Oromo Primary School and the World of Inquiry School in Rochester, and gospel artist Trey McLaughlin. The Sing -Off fans will also really enjoy the return of “Wavin Flag,” sung by the YellowJackets on season three, and a rousing rendition of “We Are the World,” featuring contestants from all of the show’s seasons.

United We Sing (Pamoja Tuimbe in Swahili) is available  in hard copy for $20 and digital download for $10 at www.jackets.org.  And what’s super great is that the boys have pledged to donate 100% of the proceeds to support music and education programs for students in need.  I totally believe that music can change a child’s life, because I have seen it happen. Maybe it can change the world, once child at a time.

Great music for a good cause. Doesn’t get much better than that.

 

The YellowJackets perform on The Sing-Off. Christopher Young is in the back row, on the far left.

 

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