[Insert Title]

Blogging tips that'll make you BETTER than me...

Tue, 07 May 2013 19:27:00 -0400

Log 1478: They are still unaware that I, in fact, have a blog.

Let’s discuss.

One unexpected thing I’ve learned about blogging is that it’s quite easy to get heavily involved in your blog for a week straight, then post nothing for a month. Don’t do that.
The most rewarding aspect of blogging? Let me know, because I still haven’t found it (insert U2 song here). Two batches of lyrics and four articles later, I still have like five followers.
Biggest challenge? That would be that no matter how much talent you have, how great your writing, photos or videos are, no matter how cool your layout is…somebody will be better. They’ll also have 1,700 more followers than you, so there’s that.
Also, you can spend hours writing up a beautiful poem, but the guy that posts the gif of some dude playing with a laser pointer will be favorited 30 times, and you won’t be favorited ONCE. *Sobs*
Oh right, I was supposed to give tips. Uhhhhh…..use spell chack, and don’t do drugs.

HarborCenter Article

Tue, 07 May 2013 18:53:00 -0400

Typically, when you enter the First Niagara Center in downtown Buffalo, the excitement is for an event going on inside. It could be a Sabres game with playoff hopes on the line, a high-scoring match for the NLL Buffalo Bandits, or perhaps even a Kenny Chesney or Rihanna concert. Usually, the excitement has nothing to do with a pair of shovels across the street.

Last Saturday as usual, fans loaded into the arena for a 3pm home game between the Sabres and Philadelphia Flyers; 1 of only 4 home games to take place in the afternoon (the Sabres would end up winning by a score of 1-0 in regulation). However, immediately there were signs of something bigger going on, as blue and gold balloons, giant banners and very confused out-of-towners looked onward to the large tent propped across the street.

Jason Tiennen, a lifelong resident of Pennsylvania visiting the city for the game, immediately noticed a change in scenery, as he struggled to find a spot.

“I must’ve parked in that lot comin’ up for games at least a half dozen times. Everything being fenced off, it threw me off. I ended up in a lot 3 blocks away.”

“This is the first time I’ve seen this much construction goin’ on here. That’s good.”

With every television in the entryway displaying the design of the new building, it didn’t take very long to catch on. Today was the groundbreaking for Sabres owner Terry Pegula’s new HarborCenter.

The HarborCenter, as it is currently designed, is expected to include 2 hockey rinks, a new restaurant, and a multi-story hotel. At a cost of $172 million dollars, it is one of the most expensive builds in downtown in recent history, and is part of the continuously developing Buffalo waterfront. Construction, which officially started concluding the groundbreaking, is expected to finish and be ready for opening in September of 2014; the additional hotel will take a little more time, and is expected to commence in 2015.

As the doors opened up for fans to enter the inner bowl of the FNC, the red carpet rolled out for attendees of the groundbreaking. The ceremony brought in well-known public figures from every nook and cranny. There were prominent members in attendance from the Buffalo Sabres organization, including Mr. Pegula, President Ted Black, Chief Development Officer Cliff Benson, General Manager Darcy Regier, and even announcers Rick Jeanerett and Rob Ray.

Politicians followed suit in joining the ceremony, including Mickey Kearns, Mark Polancarz, David Franczyk and Brian Higgins, who for years has pushed for waterfront development.

One politician who wasn’t particularly embraced with open arms prior to entering was Mayor Byron Brown, who was “greeted” by a firefighter’s union, waiting in protest over wages outside the HarborCenter tent as attendees made their way from the First Niagara Center to the ceremony.

During the ceremony, Terry Pegula, among others such as Mayor Brown and Cliff Benson, spoke about what the project would mean to the City of Buffalo, and how it’s more than just a building.

“We want corporate government and foundations of Buffalo to be all a part of this project,” Benson stated during the press conference, “we can sit down together and create something that no other city is [going to] have.”

The ceremony concluded after several speeches, a couple of ceremonious toy pales being handed out, and the official groundbreaking, which included multiple persons tossing their shovels into the earth.

Aside from a new view, the project will also have some additional effects, mainly on traffic. Parts of Perry and Washington Street, both surrounding the project site, will be closed for the time being, so that construction can ensue. At the time, no time table was given for when the streets would be opened back up.

Students Flock to Communications, Despite Shrinking Market

Tue, 07 May 2013 18:52:48 -0400

The world of media is changing. Radio stations, which were once a powerhouse in the world of communication, have taken a sharp turn in profitability over the past couple of years. Journalism used to mean a hundred writers working to get the news printed and ready to go before the papers were off the presses; now it consists of a web designer, a blogger and a couple freelancers. Even television, which still brings in millions, cuts people left and right, and those jobs aren’t being replaced.

Even if you do manage to find a position in one of these outlets, you’re expected to do a lot more, for a substantially lower income than in years past. So with all of that being said, why is it that the Communication Department at SUNY Buffalo State has not only avoided a decrease in enrollment, but has had a significant increase in student enrollment over the past six years?

Joe Mazur, the Secretary of the Comm. Department at Buffalo State, discussed the growth in population.

“As of 2006 when I came in, [enrollment] was around 450. This semester, the enrollment for the Comm. Department is around 900.” According to the department’s website (http://communication.buffalostate.edu), the amount of students is actually just over 700 this year; despite this, there still has been a significant increase.

Mr. Mazur acknowledges that there has been more students over the last couple of years. However, he does not know the reason behind the increase in popularity: “I have no idea why so many kids are coming in. Maybe they like the material, or maybe there are certain professors they enjoy.”

There was a positive vibe from a freshman Comm. Studies major named Colleen Danielle, who believes that the increase in students is a cause of new media outlets.

“Well, you have a lot of people who are venturing into areas that include the internet, such as blogging, and students see this as a new market with a lot of potential, so they’re trying to get into it. I mean, the school’s enrollment as a whole hasn’t changed, so it must be something specific.”

Whereas there is a positive vibe from some students, the strong belief from many others is that the increase is actually a problem. Take Senior Mike Straw, who has created the popular sports website www.QueenCitySports.net during his tenure at Buffalo State.

“A lot of people figure ‘woo, I’m gonna get on TV’ and all that fun stuff, that they’ll automatically become famous; they won’t be. People figure that communications is easy because it’s the easiest department to get into; if you know how to write, you’ll succeed in the program, but they don’t realize it’s the determination that’s going to get you somewhere, that it takes a lot of work. A lot of people don’t know what they’re entering into.”

Another concern is that a lot of students involved in the Comm. Department don’t take advantage of the programs available to them on campus, such as The Record for journalists, WBNY for radio enthusiasts, or even BSC-TV for those interested in television.

Trevor Dugan, who majors in advertising, was unaware of the increase in enrollment, discusses that many Comm. Students are setting themselves up for failure by not adding on to their experience in their fields.

“It’s rather ironic that as legitimate jobs seem to shrink, all of a sudden it becomes so appealing. I really don’t know exactly why, especially because many people should know there’s a lot less newspapers, and radio is becoming more syndicated.

“Ron Burgundy doesn’t exist in a news room anymore, where you can just read off a prompter and look good and get a job. There’s so much more involvement required now; you can’t just show up to school, complain about parking, sit in class, go home and expect to do well in the field. It’s bad because there’s so much offered in experience here that’s widely ignored, in organizations.”

Mr. Dugan amplifies WBNY’s involvement with the enrollment by discussing that despite a large enrollment, the station is actually having a down year. “Evidence of this comes from WBNY, which only consists of only 60 members, out of the over 700 Comm. Students. A majority of air-time consists of automation, rather than an actual student, and even when there is on-air talent, many times it consists of alumni, who have already made their careers.”

There are a few opinions on why there has been an increase in popularity towards the Communication Department at Buffalo State with regards to enrollment, be it good or bad. The fact is, though, that despite a shrinking amount of markets and employment options, more people are looking towards careers in radio, journalism etc. than they have in six years. Will it result in a boom in other forms of media, or will it result in more people going into an already over-saturated market?

Spire hoisted atop One World Trade Center

Thu, 02 May 2013 19:56:48 -0400

Spire hoisted atop One World Trade Center:

Whereas it may not be construction going on in the City of Buffalo, it’s still an amazing architectural feat that I feel need should be mentioned.

The brand new World Trade Center building, made in memory of the Twin Towers, has reached it’s final height at 1776 feet; crews will begin to add the finishing touched to the building.

I know that I usually discuss CURRENT development or...

Thu, 02 May 2013 19:47:00 -0400

I know that I usually discuss CURRENT development or construction going on in the City of Buffalo, but it’s always fascinating to take a look into what Downtown looked like well over 100 years ago, back in 1905. You know, BEFORE a skyway cut off the waterfront!

Original source: http://i.imgur.com/WAFbh.jpg

The Average Infomercial

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 15:34:45 -0400

The Average Infomercial

Person Spotlight: Rich "Bull" Gaenzler

Thu, 21 Mar 2013 18:29:00 -0400

For well over a decade, Rich Gaenzler has been a part of local radio. He’s an on-air personality for Buffalo’s 103.3 The Edge (commonly going by the moniker “Bull”), he’s dabbled in television for Time Warner Cable, and for many years covered the Buffalo Bills in a variety of ways, either as the pregame host, post-game host, or even sideline reporter. Now, with the birth of the new station Sports Radio 1270 The Fan, he hosts a collective of local sports news and personalities every Monday through Friday, 12pm to 3.

“Sports Radio 1270 was never even a thought and when it became reality I finally thought ‘here’s something in my wheelhouse.’”

Rich has always enjoyed sports, and for most of his childhood into high school, he played either on official teams, or just with his buddies outside. Though he wasn’t always sure of his path, from an early point in his life, Rich knew he wanted to have a career in sports; “I never really knew what direction I was going to go in. I always wanted to be on ESPN Sportscenter.

“I was a sports junkie as a kid. They called me football digest because I knew every player, uniform, etc. I would actually do play by play on cassette, watching games on TV at 11 years old.”

From there, Gaenzler worked on getting into the business, “I ended up going to college for communications. I did internships in radio and TV, and was eventually given a job in radio.”

When he started out at WEDG back in 1997, Gaenzler hosted a weekday music show. Since then, he has switched time slots a couple of times, but still manages a live music show in the afternoons.

For the most part, Rich has been fairly happy with his career in radio, but he is admittedly skeptical of the state of radio. Though he loved his stint on television (“I loved my Time Warner show”), he admits that it is hurting radio in the long run.

“In the last ten years with corporate consolidation and FCC restrictions, the radio industry has changed massively. You are expected to do more and more for less and less. Bottom line seems to be all that matters, and with more and more restrictions, radio shows are hugely limited in what they can do.

“You watch cable TV and they can say and do nearly whatever they want because it is a paid medium, so it’s very difficult to be cutting edge when you don’t have at your disposal what they do. In the last ten years I’ve definitely become skeptical about the industry I grew up and started in.”

Gaenzler even focused on his current situation as example, “Companies now are using personalities on multiple stations in their clusters to save money. I know of a guy who is on 3 different stations (all shows taped). This is the trend which, for those of us who have been in the business for long time, hate. So much opportunity lost, so many jobs lost.”

On a lighter note, over the time spent on radio, Rich has boosted his skills on-air and has even done a fair share of interviews with many well-known musicians and players alike. Sometimes the interviews didn’t go so well, “I have one from the music world and one from sports. Art Alexakis from Everclear was a jerk the first time I interviewed him and Chris Spielman as a Bill spouted off at me for what I thought was a well thought out question.” Other times, they went off without a hitch.

“Best person I’ve ever interviewed is really tough because most have been excellent. Trent Reznor was pretty great. He has a reputation of being dark and moody. We actually laughed during our sit down when we talked about loving the Kiss album “The Elder.”

Scott Gattie, who has been producing “The Rich Gaenzler Show” on 1270 The Fan for the majority of the year, has been a fan of Rich’s since he began listening to The Edge back in 2007, and is excited to work with him daily. He in particular likes his new nickname, given by Rich.

“He began calling me ‘link’ because one of my jobs as producer is to post some of the funny links we find on our website, but as a gaming fan, I like it because it reminds me of the Legend of Zelda games.”

Gaenzler still plays his part in local radio, and can still be found announcing his sports knowledge to listeners weekly, including his pick for the NCAA basketball tournament. When asked if he agreed with the President’s tournament bracket (he had chosen Indiana to win), Rich had not.

“I am not on board with Obama. I picked Kansas.”

Operation Weight Loss

Tue, 12 Mar 2013 19:34:15 -0400

So 2 weeks ago, I started what I’m calling Operation Weight Loss, and I’m calling it that because “fat ass loses weight” wasn’t quite as thrilling. Anyways, if you really want to keep updated on my struggle of not being large anymore (weirdo), I’ll post occasionally on it.

Anyways, here’s some random facts about my strategy:

Half hour of exercise daily (treadmill or stationary bike, etc.)
Keep it under 2100 calories
NO POP :(
Turtles are great

So far I’m down 8.5 lbs. You can ship the congratulatory gifts in the mail.

Original YES guitarist Peter Bank dead at 65

Tue, 12 Mar 2013 18:24:06 -0400

Original YES guitarist Peter Bank dead at 65

What’s really sad is this is the first time I’ve...

Tue, 12 Mar 2013 18:21:57 -0400

What’s really sad is this is the first time I’ve ever heard this uncensored…It came out over 10 years ago.

I'm back, I guess?

Thu, 07 Mar 2013 19:48:56 -0500

So this blog has been desolate for quite a while now, but it looks like the blog without a title is returning for a late night class, folks (I’m sorry). Expect random blurps through the next couple of weeks.

Taking Back Sunday

Fri, 18 Nov 2011 23:08:40 -0500

Taking Back Sunday

Mixed for the Holidays

Wed, 09 Nov 2011 12:24:14 -0500

It’s that time of year again. K-mart has a quarter of the store decked in pine trees, Joy FM is playing Mariah Carey more (what might be more surprising is that Star isn’t) and people are moving on from thanksgiving, even before it has happened yet. It’s Christmas season.

Some people enjoy this early beginning to Santa time, but I can’t help but be slightly annoyed by it. It’s not even cold yet, let alone ready for winter (living in Buffalo, that says a lot), so why is it we’re starting off so early? At what point do we realize that it’s too early? I went to get Halloween lights in the middle of October, and all i could find was Christmas decorations! Not a single skeleton to spare (well, one was wearing a Santa hat, but that doesn’t count).

When we were younger, the big thing to watch was either Rudolph or the Charlie Brown Christmas Special, and what was the message Blockhead was trying to get through to people? That Christmas is becoming overly commercial! Years later, we’ve missed this point entirely (in fact, go to Rite Aid in a couple days, I guarantee you’ll find a replica of Charlie Brown’s little tree; trust me, I have one). Every year they throw up ads and jingle bells earlier and earlier, to the point where eventually they’ll be exploiting Santa’s Jolly Ho Ho Ho’s by Labor Day!

Now please don’t mistake me as nothing but a scrooge; I love the Christmas season. It’s a special time to meet up with family and give thanks for all we have in the world, but it takes the thunder out of it all when they spread it across a nearly three month span. So let’s put a hold on hanging that mistletoe for a few more weeks. Let’s give that turkey a chance to shine.

These Hearts - Apology Rejected

Fri, 04 Nov 2011 10:57:16 -0400

These Hearts - Apology Rejected

Work in Progress Song (Untitled)

Fri, 04 Nov 2011 00:03:01 -0400

This doesn’t have a title yet. I started writing this in math class, and ran out of time. Hopefully laziness doesn’t kick in and prevent me from finishing..

I can’t think

I can’t sleep

These feelings are cluttered around me

I’m a mess

In distress

Without it

Nothing to run to

It hurts every time

I go through the world

With space by my side

Running and searching, but finding

No one to care for…

<C>

I scream to the sky

With eyes open wide

Hoping that someday you’ll be

Here by my side

And all will be fine

But that ray of hope is flutterin’

Cause I’m losing my mind…

That’s it for now.

Oh hey look, I wrote lyrics

Thu, 03 Nov 2011 23:56:22 -0400

As the cold blows over us
you start to sweat, yet I hold you close
then when the tides change you start to drown
I'll be your life vest and hold you up
when you slip and fall I'll still be your crutch
when we lose it all I'll still be your bank
but it doesn't matter now,
'cause you left me anyhow


now its time for you to learn
the shit I dealt with to keep you straight
there is no more fucking around
my pinned up anger is now your fate
I sat and listened to you, but
now it's my turn to spit it back
time for me to move on...


(C)You raise me up, but then you hold me down
I'm like a turntable, you spin me round and round
the metaphors, they keep on pouring down
it's time for me to go
it's sayonara now


you're sitting there, as I pack my bags
not a single word, for my years of pain


in the call that's love, you just kept breaking up
time to end this shit and move along


(C)You raise me up, but then you hold me down
I''m like a turntable, you spin me round and round
tried to hold you close, but you just turned away
so here's a "fuck" to you,
don't need you anyway


[guitar solo]


(C) (whispering) you raise me up, but then you hold me down
I'm like a turntable, you spin me round and round
(loud again) I tried so hard to make you understand
we don't see eye to eye, so this is our goodbye


(C) you raise me up, but then you hold me down
I'm like a turntable, you spin me round and round
I tried so hard to make you understand
we don't see eye to eye
so this is our goodbye

you can also find this on young writers society. i posted it there quite a while ago.

I’ve been watching Japanese comedy and magic for the past...

Sat, 19 Mar 2011 14:00:54 -0400

I’ve been watching Japanese comedy and magic for the past hour now. Its amazing!

First show since December

Mon, 24 Jan 2011 11:48:22 -0500

you guys can listen at wbny.org or if you’re in buffalo, tune to 91.3fm WBNY!

I like this song; it’s upbeat, and I like Kelly Clarkson,...

Wed, 19 Jan 2011 04:14:00 -0500

I like this song; it’s upbeat, and I like Kelly Clarkson, so that’s a plus.

Yes, I realize virtually all of the music I have posted so far has all been girly. Get over it.

woodendreams: (by librarymook) thats awesome

Mon, 17 Jan 2011 01:18:38 -0500

woodendreams:

(by librarymook)

thats awesome