February 29, 2008 - 7:08 PM | Comment
Molly Hirschbeck and Evan Parker Pierce are debating the merits of living in Buffalo as a Twentysomething. Today's topic: Is Buffalo a young person's city or an old-folks home?
Let me start out by saying I love Buffalo. But here's the thing: Buffalo is old, man. I'm not talking about the buildings either - we are a city built and sustained by our parents and grandparents. Our politics and economy are dictated by the 45+ set's wants and needs.
Look at one of Buffalo's fastest growing industries: nursing homes. Buffalo's 75 and older demographic is 20% larger than the national average. What's that mean? We need more nursing homes than most areas.
Name the area's biggest employers:
Erie County
New York State
Kaleida Health
UB
One of Erie County's biggest budget drains is - and one of Joel Giambra's most notorious complaints - is Medicaid. A stark majority of Medicaid and Medicare recipients? Seniors.
One of Kaleida Health's largest divisions deals with senior care. In fact, the only employer in the above four that doesn't have significant dealings with seniors is UB.
Think about any job search in the area, and I'm going to use journalism as an example: jobs at the area's largest journalism employer are so hard to come by that candidates are literally waiting for old people to retire or die for a position to open up. When I was an intern at the News, the youngest reporter was 31. Any reporter that had short tenure had come from a very experienced background. I know that makes them enticing candidates, but it leaves no room for a young homegrown product to break in. (Caveat on the News example: Just like any business you have to cut your teeth to reach upper echelon gigs. But you'll notice no one on the Twentysomething blog is a News reporter.)
And while events like (the admittedly great) Buffalo Old Home Week offer events like job fairs, if you've been to a recruiting event like that, you find there isn't much at these fairs for a young twentysomething even a few years removed from college. They seem to target higher positions that require experience nearly unattainable in Buffalo.
It's a catch-22 - young people want to stay in Buffalo, but jobs pull them away. And once you've got an opportunity elsewhere, it's much more tempting to climb the employee ladder there than it is to return.
So that leaves us with jobs supporting the large aging population in the city. Here's a fear - when those folks pass, will that senior-care industry pass too?
-Evan Parker Pierce
February 29, 2008 - 5:17 PM | Comment
If I look at the city of Buffalo objectively and strictly from a demographic perspective, Evan's right. I shouldn't even attempt to argue against the fact that the city is composed of an older generation, and that it routinely leaves its bright, intellectual young leaders scattering to different states because of a floundering economy.
But here's the thing.
I grew up in this city, and despite its depressing job market, limited source of entertainment, and yes, nursing homes, I have seen how young it truly it is by witnessing just how much heart it has.
The obvious example to point would be Buffalo sports fans. I know people who've sworn their kids will come out of the womb wearing Sabres and Bills jerseys. Is it their proudest moment? Maybe not. But they remain so confident, so loyal to their team that they feel the need to pass the game down to the next generation.
But when you chip away at Buffalo at its core, sports aren't the only thing pumping through its enormous, youthful heart. The downtown lights might not be as bright and vast as other cities, but I'll take the Elmwood Strip over Rodeo Drive any day. Where else can you walk into festive shops and talk with friendly store owners who treat you like royalty because they genuinely appreciate your business?
How great is it when you unite and bridge entire generations and an entire city with a free music event like Thursday at the Square? And that's just the bigger picture - the smaller details matter, too. Maybe statistically speaking, our city is dominated by an older crowd. But if an older crowd is an 82-year-old man trudging through Delaware Park in the dead of winter, persistently finishing his daily 5k, and his 60-year-old companion power-walking beside him, I must be nearly 105.
Buffalonians breathe together, laugh together, eat together and cry together. Whether people are bonding over sports or complaining about the weather, they are always interconnected, and although some may relocate, the majority seem to always hold out hope - however slim the chance may be - to return to a better Buffalo.
After all, if Buffalo is an old person's city, why are we still here?
- Molly Hirschbeck
February 29, 2008 - 2:41 PM | Comment
I'm nowhere near the kind of seafood fanatic that my boyfriend is- ahi tuna, crab, lobster, shrimp, salmon - he loves it all, while I prefer to limit myself to land animals. Unless, of course, we're talking about a good, hearty fish fry.
For years now, I've felt like the little old lady with the blueish-gray beehive looking for early bird fish fry specials, but I can't help it. I love the crunchy, juicy fish and french fries combo, coleslaw and all, and from what I've heard, Buffalo has some great ones. I'm up for anything - traditional, beer battered, Italian style, but right now I'm clueless as to where to go, or better yet, how to make a good fish dinner at home.
Any suggestions for the best fish fry in the city?
- Molly Hirschbeck
February 22, 2008 - 9:26 AM | Comment
Warning: This post makes a twentysomething sound like a 12-year-old.
I've never been a video game person. My brother and I are relatively close in age, and while he navigated his way through Madden, FIFA and NBA Live, eyes glued to the screen, thumbs twiddling as fast as digital Lee Evans would run, I'd sit there thinking, "I just don't get it."
Last night, I finally saw the light: Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock. I was completely mesmerized, and uncharacteristically quiet. Was it the fast-paced chord pattern of "Don't Hold Back," or maybe the catchy, trance-inducing rhythm of "When You Were Young"?
I'll admit, my first attempt at following the color-coordinated "notes" on the screen left me marveling at just how little hand-eye coordination I have. But thanks to supportive (and sympathetic) friends, I floundered through a few more classics, butchering each one a little less each time.
I definitely wasn't transformed overnight; by no means did the game turn me into an intense gamer scouring the Internet for cheat codes and player tips so that I can master the Expert level. I'll still make fun of my brother for the glazed, dazed and confused stupor he seems drawn into every time he picks up his PS2 controllers.
But now I understand the attraction of being able to temporarily become something else-or someone else-whether it be Brett Favre, James Bond or the talented Brandon Flowers. Even if I never do make it past the Easy level.
Has anyone else played the game and loved it, or am I just a geek who needs to grow up? Which Hero is best?
-Molly Hirschbeck
February 17, 2008 - 4:59 PM | Comment
Just like last year's Virginia Tech shooting, Thursday's shooting at Northern Illinois University is
another violent incident that no one can truly explain. Why did it happen? Who was Steven P. Kazmierczak? What caused him to murder so many? We at Twentysomething can't offer explanations, but we hope our
shared thoughts can add to a responsible dialog surrounding Thursday's tragedy.
MH: "The Bonaventure Bond is arguably tighter than at most schools. There's no med school, no research facility, no nearby big city to escape to. The glue that binds students through frigid winters is equal parts academic, basketball and beer. That's why a horde of alumni stay in touch long after their paths diverge."
Buffalo News columnist Donn Esmonde once captured the essence of St. Bonaventure with those words, now featured in almost every Bonnie Facebook profile and even emblazoned on t-shirts and hoodies. For the past four years, I've lived in a world of interdependence, a mini-campus culture where professors and students become family, and better yet, friends. It's been an adventure, and although its been a
bumpy ride, living in Olean, N.Y. has been somewhat of a rural utopia.
Which is why I can't imagine what would happen if that perfection, that intimate family bond and social connection, was broken. My heart goes out to those attempting to cope with the devastating events at the
Northern Illinois University, and as many questions continue to go unanswered, I hope that they somehow manage to find some comfort in leaning on each other.
EPP: When I first heard about the Northern Illinois shooting, my first thoughts were, "Not again." The first image that popped into my head was one that ran, like a movie poster, across the top of the Buffalo News immediately after the Virginia Tech shooting - the image of Seung-Hui Cho, arms spread, pistols in hand as though he were Bruce Willis' John McLean or Keanu Reeves' Neo. It's a scary image, but also a powerful one - the individual with the power to take their revenge on, well, someone. But it's an image. Both Cho and Steven P. Kazmierczak weren't being heroic world-beaters; in their minds they were romanticized villains whose actions led to their own undoing.
With Cho, the common belief is his actions manifested out of rejection both in relationships and society. While we don't know Kazmierczak's motives yet, I'd bet they come from the same place. I could write hundreds of words on how at a time when people are physically and technically more interconnected than ever, as a whole we have never been more socially disconnected. Maybe society is more tolerant to different niches or cultures, but things or people that are "weird" are ostracized, rejected and ignored. Right now, we have the ability to know more information about the people around us than any time before, but can we say what makes them tick? The thing is, I don't really know what that means - is there anything we can do to prevent this? Can we help people with these types of psychological flaws? Is this type of violence something we now have to expect?
Needless to say, I'm bewildered and saddened. My heart goes out to the friends and families of those killed, and I hope with everything in me that the physically wounded get better and the emotional scarring left on everyone involved can be healed.
KB: When I heard about the chaos at Columbine High School, I had tears in my eyes. When the Virginia Tech shootings occured I was shocked and disturbed, to say the least. Now, yet another school has fallen victim to tragedy. According to the Associated Press, "the shooting was the fourth at a U.S. school within a week."
"On Feb. 8, a woman shot two fellow students to death before committing suicide at
Louisiana
Technical College in Baton Rouge. In Memphis, Tenn., a 17-year-old is accused of shooting and critically wounding a fellow student Monday during a high school gym class, and the 15-year-old victim of a
shooting at an Oxnard, Calif., junior high school has been declared brain-dead."
It is sad to see that this theme seems to be occuring more and more across the country.
After the Columbine shootings, my high school practiced something called a "Code Ten." Someone would announce "code ten" over the loudspeaker and we would all crawl under our desks. At a small family-like Catholic High School, this was something that seemed so surreal. Many kids didn't take it seriously because we were all thinking, "this would never really happen to us." I'm sure a lot of these kids that did experience these horrific events were probably
thinking the same thing.
For me school always meant safety. I was with other kids my age, getting an education and growing up. I remember walking around campus with hundreds of other kids and feeling completely at home.
When these shootings occur at these colleges and high schools, the students are not only mourning their classmates, they're also morning their school, because from that point on, things will never be the same.
Like many other Americans I feel for this community, and send out my prayers and hope that somehow they will rise above this misfortune.
For those interested in sending out a tribute, Facebook has set up a memorial dedicated to the victims of Northern Illinois University. The group is called "Pray for Northern Illinois University Students and Family." It contains video, pictures and testimonials.
-Molly Hirschbeck, Evan Parker Pierce, & Kelly Boquard
February 14, 2008 - 1:52 PM | Comment
I need a new car, badly, because I've been driving around in a third-generation car. It was my grandparents', then my father's, and now it's mine. I can't complain; it was free and the insurance is dirt-cheap. But my junker isn't going to make it another year.
Known as the "White Diamond" to my friends, I get from point A to point B in a 1994 white Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme with about 145,000 miles on it. The oil leaks, the automatic windows can only be operated on the driver's side, the air conditioning doesn't work, the passenger side door sticks, and my car bounces around depending on the temperature outside. Getting these things fixed would cost more than the car is actually worth (which is, if I'm lucky, $500).
I attempted car shopping last August. This was by far more complex to me than choosing a college. I may not have the best patience, but getting oiled up by greasy car dealers discourages me from attempting to make any purchase. The dealer also gave me some wrong information that could have led to spending a lot more money than I was planning on. But every time I visited a dealership I left feeling like my stress levels were through the roof.
So, ultimately I decided to wait it out through the winter. Now that winter is winding down, it seems like my car adds a new "trick" each month.
I went to the Auto Show to get some good ideas and narrow down what I want, which is a Hyundai Tiburon. So, I did my research and I think it's affordable. I gave the woman at the show my information so she could e-mail me some color charts and what types of cars they have on the lot. Instead of e-mailing me, she has been calling my cell phone off the hook. My patience is already being tested and I can't figure out a positive way of going about this.
My father tells me that buying a car can be fun if you know what you want and how much you want to spend. This seems unimaginable to me.
Any advice?
-- Kelly Boquard
February 14, 2008 - 10:30 AM | Comment
At a loss for V-Day ideas for that special someone? Well fear not - Twentysomething's resident McLovin's, Lauren Mariacher and Evan Pierce, are making the passes, setting you up to score.
EPP: So Lauren, let's say I had a special someone for whom I wanted to do something nice, you know, for Valentine's Day. I've been wracking my brain (probably needlessly) about what to do for said someone, but I can't narrow it down. What should I do? Here's the (hypothetical) situation: we haven't been seeing each other that long and she's an artsy-type. Also, I'm poor. What else should I be thinking about (outside of the obvious)?
LM: I'd go with a framed photograph for your special someone. It's cheap and easy, especially if you've put off your V-Day gift getting until last minute. Hey and since she's the artsy type why don't you make the frame yourself and decoupage it with magazine clippings? And if you don't have a picture of the two of you together, I'm sure she will appreciate your best self-portrait just the same.
EPP: I like the idea a lot. However I don’t have any pictures of us – she believes photos steal one’s soul. And unfortunately, she doesn’t like me for my looks, only for my sparkling personality.
Let’s try another situation – I’ve been with someone for, well, a year. In fact, our anniversary was earlier this month (We’re a Super Bowl couple), and with the big “I Hate the Patriots” party we planned for the Super Bowl, we decided to hold off celebrating. I know I have to do something special. I was thinking jewelry, but I think it’s tough to pull that off. As for dinner, well, she’s a vegetarian, and I love meat.
LM: To be honest with you Evan I have no idea where you found this girl. I strongly advise you to throw her back and wait for someone who enjoys looking into your sparkling eyes just as much as your sparkling personality. Maybe even someone like this. However, if you are happy with this anti-soul stealer, you could always buy her these these and that way she can't deny her love for you. C'mon EPP it's time to lay the law down.
Ok now time for your advice. What if I don't have a Valentine or don't want one? What should I do for February 14? I'm not really looking for a Valentine, just a good time and hopefully some dancing too.
EPP: You’re right, I should totally dump my fake girlfriend. In fact, I just did. She’s upset, but I’m over it. As for what to do on V-Day? I’ve got some ideas.
Every Thursday Roxy’s has the Stripteasers Burlesque Show – it’s risqué, but not strip club-sleazy, and, well, girls tend to outnumber the guys there (though it’s totally cool to bring anyone). And once the show is over, they play ridiculously fun dance music.
Also this Thursday is the last show for one of Buffalo’s, uh, seminal bands, Anal Pudding. Yeah, their name is pretty gross, but they’re a fun, danceable rock band.
My last option for Thursday is at Broadway Joe’s. What says Valentine’s Day fun better than playing Guitar Hero, Mario Kart, drinking cheap beer and dancing to the Clash, Minor Threat and David Bowie? That’s like everything I love in life all in one night.
Oh, one more idea: Get a crew of friends and head to Klub Karaoke. I’d go. We could sing sad country songs like “All My Exes Live in Texas” or “Friends in Low Places,” and then drown our single-life sorrows in “Margaritaville.” So is it a date?
-Evan Parker Pierce & Lauren Mariacher
(Note to the readers: I just want it noted that Lauren has said, in print, that she thinks my eyes are sparkling. *sigh* - EPP)
February 11, 2008 - 3:45 PM | Comment
As a wannabe writer myself, I have nothing but support for the Writers' Guild pursuing a better deal for all writers. I think it's only fair that writers should get something back in Internet residuals - that's where future entertainment profits are coming from - and if they don't get their stake now, it'll be that much harder to get later on.
As a television viewer, it's disheartening to see the glut of crap reality television shows, made only worse since "American Gladiators" failed to live up to the campy heights the original reached. But last night something crazy happened - the writers' strike actually improved a television show: The Grammys.
With less extraneous dialogue, the Grammy Awards were all killer and no filler. Between awards, instead of forced skits we got interesting performances from artists, particularly an excellent and moving performance by Kanye West and a surprisingly (and relatively) clear performance from Amy Winehouse.
It's the first time I have ever enjoyed an award show, ever. No writers actually forced some much needed restraint into- the broadcast, and producers were forced to fill time with music. How novel for a music show.
It got me thinking - what other shows or genres might be improved, sans writers? Or maybe not without writers, but without dialogue?
First thing that jumps to my mind, and it's a doozy: Everything currently on MTV or VH1. The Hills (It's ALL FAKE PEOPLE, and badly done at that) would all of a sudden be reduced to what it really is at its core: a slick product placement commercial. TRL would become a music video countdown show. Hell, maybe they'd show music videos!
Any of you have any suggestions for improving shows? Leave 'em below.
-- Evan Parker Pierce
February 11, 2008 - 12:29 PM | Comment
Last night, as we made our way home from HSBC Arena, we listened as radio commentators attempted to describe what had happened at the Sabres game.
Although they did their best, the same phrases inevitably surfaced time and again. Blood. Gushing. Squirting. Pumping. Everywhere. Stable Condition. Malarchuk.
But I think there was only one word that really explained it: terrifying.
I was up in the 300 level right above where Zednik fell. For those up top, the collision wasn't anything out of the ordinary; a couple of guys went down, and play quickly continued as the puck was rocketed into the opposite end.
White to Red.
At first, the crowd around me gasped-a bloody nose? Torn up knuckles? Did he punch someone? But after that first few drops, everyone realized this wasn't a small injury. Although it probably only took Zednik 10 seconds to skate over to his bench, it seemed like it took minutes. It was coming too fast, too much, too dark. My hand remained glued to my mouth as people began to cry out, mothers covering their kids eyes, men standing up, some shuffling out exits. For the next 15 minutes, we all stood in relative silence, with only hushed whispers echoing through the Arena. One man in our section came back to report that security was blocking off exits and bathrooms because so many people were passing out.
Only when it was announced that Zednik was in stable condition did the audience actually breathe. A standing ovation broke the silence, and looking back, I'm proud of how classy Buffalo was in handling the situation. Even though the game resumed, the last nine minutes were a blur. A goal was scored, a penalty issued, but both the crowd and the players remained visibly shaken and uncharacteristically subdued.
My heart broke as we were leaving. As we were riding down the escalators after the game, a 10-year-old young boy holding his dad's hand, looked up and asked, "Dad, do you think I should tell Mom about Zednik?" When it was clear his father was at a loss for words, the boy simply offered, "I'm just glad he's alive."
I think we all were.
Where you there or watching on TV? What was running through your mind?
-- Molly Hirschbeck
February 5, 2008 - 2:42 PM | Comment
I started out indifferent.
A clean, open slate, ready to hear out any candidate, Republican or Democrat, on why they should be sitting in the Oval Office next January. I was ready to be convinced, persuaded, coerced, into understanding positions, issues, tactics, complaints. I was ready to listen.
And I have listened, but I’ve also managed to look at candidates and discover what I want in a president. I think often times my generation will look at people, at politicians and see things they don’t like and that they don’t respect. It’s easy to watch someone or something and point out flaws; for some, it’s much more difficult to point out integrity and virtue. That said, I’ve been thinking about what I’m looking for in a candidate in this election, and I’ve come up with a few things:
I want someone who speaks to me. Someone who knows what I want to hear, but isn’t going to make me promises they can’t uphold. I want someone who can directly address my generation, but who can also bridge the gap and connect with my parents and their parents. I want someone who has a firm handle on the war in Iraq and how we’re going to handle ourselves over there for the foreseeable future. A plan. A plan of action. A plan that makes sense.
I want someone who makes decisions, successful or unsuccessful, and makes those choices based on a belief for a better nation, not because he or she knows it will score points with fellow politicians. I want someone who is truly focused on breaking down issues like health care, education, the economy, instead of someone who is focused on breaking down an opponent. I want someone who is deeply patriotic, but who isn’t afraid to take a hard look at our great nation and say something isn’t right. A lot isn’t right. A lot needs to change.
I want a smart president. I want someone who emphasizes the importance of family and realizes the power of marriage, parenthood, brotherhood. I want someone who, if all TelePrompters fail during the victory speech, can deliver a message just as powerful because the message comes from the heart, not just from the speech writer's laptop.
I want someone who understands that it is not an Ivy League education that defines a person, but it is the people who have helped the candidate achieve the dreams of a lifetime. Still, I want someone who realizes the importance of education, and understands that although there aren’t many guarantees in life, our youth should be entitled to receive one. I want someone with a firm handshake, a voice that resonates, a gaze that penetrates. I want a president who could win a spelling bee, one who can piece together a sentence without fumbling adjectives and nouns.
I want a president who speaks not for me, not at me, but to me, because she or he believes I am worth the sleepless nights on the campaign trail, I am worth the incessant string of interviews and photo-ops, I am worth every penny of every contribution.
What do you want?
-Molly Hirschbeck
