This past weekend I had the chance to travel to Ithaca to visit my former roommate and one of my closest friends, Jaime. Sarah, Lara and I left Friday afternoon, and we spent a lovely weekend visiting. The weather was rainy Saturday but we made the best of it.

Having never been to Ithaca before, I did what any tourist would do – I took pictures. A LOT of pictures … none of which turned out even remotely nice. Regardless of such, it was a nice weekend catching up, and makes me further appreciate my friends and our unique sense of humor.

One thing seems to be in common with Buffalo sports this season: the letter W.

Both the Bills and the Sabres have been racking up wins week after week. After listening to the final new moments of the Sabres game tonight (I was visiting my parents, who have somehow survived all these years without cable) a small spread across my face and I let myself think the one thing fans all Buffalo fans think each year — but generally keep to themselves.

“This could be the year.”

The year for what? Well, that has yet to be determined. But here we are, approaching November, and both of our teams are getting hotter as the days become cooler. Although I didn’t grow up in a house overcome with sports — both my parents are far more into theatre and music — some of my earliest memories are of the Bills trips to the Superbowl. Each year in January we ordered pizza, I was shoved into my blue sweatshirt and allowed to have a can of pop. Finally, when I turned 8 the winter parties stopped, and my young mind couldn’t fathom what had happened. Wide right is what happened — and it’s been downhill ever since.

Hockey, meanwhile, I have better memories of. Driving to the Aud, getting my program and a popcorn, and watching Mickey Mouse twirl around the rink. Oh wait, that wasn’t a Sabres games — that was Disney on Ice.

In truth, my love for the Buffalo teams didn’t peak until I was in high school. When my friend’s parents began introducing me to the glory that is athletic competition. I am no bandwagon-er, just a little late to the game. Nowadays, my Sundays are spent in front of the TV, and my time spent in the car moves faster while listening to Rick Jeanneret give me the play by play.

No matter how little you follow sports, if you’re a local, this season it has been pretty hard not to BILL-eve. LET’S GO BUFFALO!

Working at such a small paper, my job keeps me constantly moving. Most of the time, my fingers are doing the moving, as I spend my days typing up briefs, editing submissions and making phone calls. However, every so often I get to venture out into the community and do something fun. Today was one of those days.

Honorary Deputy Wasmund, on the case.

Medina’s Police Chief, Jose, sat down to speak with me about the two new Crown Victoria’s the department will be adding to their fleet in the near future. Check out the Oct. 17 edition of The Journal-Register to see the full article.

Having never been in a cop car before (yup, I’m well-behaved!) it was an exciting experience. Lucky me, the chief even let me turn on the sirens. Needless to say it was a fun and extremely informative experience. It made me realize how much respect I have for law enforcement officials, and how much I really do love my job.

Since I began working as a professional journalist more than a year ago, I’ve had a number of once-in-a-lifetime experiences. One of the greatest things about my job is my ability to walk in other people’s shoes for the day. Last year working in Jamestown, I covered the business and agricultural beats, which included as you may guess a wide range of activities. It was not uncommon for me to be sampling seafood from a five-star restaurant with a world-class chef in Chautauqua one day, to waking up the next morning and riding in tractors with local agriculture wizards the next.

Already since coming to Medina, I’ve been introduced to a number of community members, and am still impressed with the warm reception everyone has given me. I’ve attended the gala at the hospital, became an honorary member of Medina’s finest for a couple minutes, and the scariest event so far – a tour of the Orleans County jail. So even though I put in long hours and a hectic and scattered schedule, being a journalist sure does have its perks. It’s days like these I remember why I chose this career in the first place.

Halloween 1994. Me as a witch, my sister as a pig and our friend Jessica as the devil.

Wow!! Seems like forever since I’ve posted! Probably because it has been. The paper has been keeping me mighty busy, but nevertheless I was able to escape for a few and leave a note here.

I just finished watching the “Ghosthunters” appearance in Appleton, N.Y. at the Marjim Winery. Naturally, I’m more than a little freaked out Halloween has always been my favorite holiday of the year. The crisp fall air, the chill that comes when leaves rustle and that eerie feeling someone is watching you.

My Mom, the seamstress that she is, always went out of her way to make the most outstanding Halloween costumes for my younger sister and myself. As I got older, I was able to try and be creative and fashion my own – some of which have turned out more than stellar. A personal favorite was a few years ago at Fredonia, when me and a group of my friends went as the cast of “The Price is Right” – yours truly was Bob Barker, herself.

Nowadays, it seems like costumes have taken a drastic change. Halloween parties are no longer full of witches and ghouls; instead they look like a trip to the Playboy mansion. Unfortunately, another one of the byproducts of growing up – not something I like, but something I’ll have just have to live with. In the meantime, I’ll continue sporting my original, fully-clad costumes.