Weekly Rochester Events #443: Calvin's Gone but Presbyterianism Lives On

Thursday, July 5, 2007

I put some of the stuff that didn't sell at the garage sale up on Craigslist for Rochester, NY to see if it would sell there. Well, lo and behold, I've made almost as much as I did at the garage sale itself. I was surprised that people were interested in the things I had when they failed to sell for one tenth the amount at the sale. I also went around at night to check out junk piles. I ended up picking up two vacuum cleaners. One was really fancy with HEPA filters and a light that says when the floor was clean. When you turned it on, smoke came out of the brush motor. I wondered if it was jammed so I tried turning the brush with my hand and that fixed it (at least temporarily: later I had to get the hair out of the bearing that seized it and build a new plastic mount for where it melted from friction). The other seemed to be perfectly fine. I was going to keep it but I liked the dirty/clean light on the fancier one; plus the hoses fit the Electrolux attachments I already have. I decided to put it on CraigsList along with all the other stuff I still have for sale (some beer growlers, a soft-sided tool case, a ladies bag, some ceramic insulators, an equipment rack, and a coin-operated mechanism).

Anyway, on Thursday I headed to Ali's for the early evening. We went for a walk then went to Charlie Riedel's (3140 County Road 10, Canandaigua) for dinner — they sure make some great greasy, sloppy burgers. Afterward we stopped by The Muar House Cafe (169 Lakeshore Dr., Canandaigua) for some excellent gelato. I headed back to the city and joined Drinking Liberally already in progress at Monty's Korner (355 East Ave.) I got to meet Eric Massa who's running for Congress in the 29th District. I thought he was a decent guy. I was amused that he came in with his political game-face on but softened after a while and talked like a normal person.

On Friday Ali came over and we biked out to The Rochester Contemporary Art Gallery (137 East Ave.) to try and catch up with the historical bike tour. We arrived about 20 minutes late and whoever was there had left already. Fortunately they had a map, albeit an annoyingly stylized one drawn almost-to-scale and almost-to-angle. Worse, though, was their first stop was at Mt. Hope Cemetery (1133 Mt. Hope Ave., near the South Gate) so we must have passed them on the way — had we have known, we would have just hung out at the cemetery until they arrived. Alas, we decided to try and catch them at the second stop at Main and Exchange. We had to pass through The Taste of Rochester (1 E. Main St. to St. Paul St.) which kind of annoyed me.

At the corner we just hung out for a while. There were cops directing traffic. At one point a guy came along the sidewalk on Exchange on one of those "pocket bike" mini-motorcycles. One of the cops scolded him that it was illegal to ride it on the road or the sidewalk and insisted he "get out of [his] sight" with it. The two cops chatted with a some people on regular motorcycles, but didn't appear to scold them that they weren't allowed to operate a motorcycle "equipped with an exhaust device without internal baffles, known as 'straight pipes'" — odd because they seemed to know a lot about what the DMV has to say with the other guy. I wondered if it was because the first guy was black and the second white, or maybe it was poor versus rich, or maybe the little bike just looked gay to them.

Anyhow, we waited until 7 — an hour after the event started and decided to head back to Rochester Contemporary. From there we started the course in reverse, figuring we'd meet up with the other cyclists coming the other way. We never did find them. Instead we had some snacks then headed to Dogtown Hots (691 Monroe Ave.) for some excellent-as-usual hot dogs. We ran into one of Ali's college friends and the three of us headed back to my house for some wine and hors d'oeuvres.

On Saturday I hit the usual grocery shopping places then stopped by the relatively new New Health Café (133 Gregory St., formerly Saint Aubyn's House of Soups) for lunch. The food was quite good and I'd recommend anyone check it out. That night Ali and I just headed out for drinks at Lux Lounge (666 South Ave.) with friends. Sunday morning we met up with Rich and his friend at Flour City Diner (35 Chestnut St., formerly Danny's East End Café) which has moved across the street. It's excellent breakfast food, placing it easily in the "best" category: top-notch food at diner prices.

That afternoon I worked on the finishing touches for a fully automatic bike light for Ali's bike — it only goes on when it's dark and when the bike's being ridden. I published a detailed description of how I did it at Instructables.com.

On Monday I got the house cleaned up for a picnic on the 4th of July — it looks a lot like it's going to rain that day. Afterward I stopped by On the Rocks (1551 Mount Hope Ave., formerly Michael's and before that Trios)— I hadn't been there in a while and it was a low-key night so I rather liked it.

Anyway, to fill people in on the barefoot-running front, I managed to run a mile last Thursday then started timing it and increased it to 1.4 miles on Friday. I used the GPS and estimated that I was running an 8-9 minute mile. On Monday I went again, this time with a stopwatch and the GPS for more accuracy and estimated almost exactly a 10-minute mile over 2.1 miles. Hopefully I'll be doing 5K's soon.

T H U R S D A Y

Really good dub band Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad will be at The High Falls Festival Site (Browns Race and Commercial St.) for the Party in the Park from 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Note that they say it's free, but you can only bring in a single sealed bottle of water — ensuring you'll either become dehydrated or be extorted to buy what's available. [source: City Hall press release] Updated: The show at The Club at Water Street (204 N. Water St.) with Public Aggravation, The Hounds of Hell, The UV Rays, The Uta Hagens, and Preemptive Strike has apparently been cancelled (according to the UV Rays). [source: Water Street calendar] [all ages] Starry Nites Café (696 University Ave., formerly Moonbeans) will be hosting Chris Squire starting around 8 p.m. [source: Starry Nites calendar] [all ages] The Bug Jar (219 Monroe Ave.) will be hosting Night Gallery, and Queen August starting around 9:30 p.m. [source: Bug Jar calendar] [18+] Dinosaur Bar-B-Que (99 Court St.) will be hosting Willis Prudhomme starting around 10 p.m. [source: Dinosaur Bar-B-Que calendar] This evening from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Boulder Coffee Co. (100 Alexander St.) is The South Wedge Farmers Market. [source: Rochester Turning] [all ages] Pure Kona Poetry Open Mic Night is at Daily Perks (389 Gregory St.) tonight starting at 7:30. [source: Daily Perks calendar] Tonight at 8 p.m. at Bodhi's Cafe & Lounge (274 Goodman St. N., in Village Gate) is an Open Mic. [source: the proverbial grapevine] Drinking Liberally meets at 8 p.m. tonight at Monty's Korner (355 East Ave.) [source: RocWiki calendar]

F R I D A Y

This evening at Bodhi's Cafe & Lounge (274 Goodman St. N., in Village Gate) is two shows. First at 6 p.m. in the Village Gate courtyard is Greg Townson then later at 9:30, talented guitarist and singer Kinloch Nelson will be playing inside. [source: Bodhi's Cafe MySpace page] The Big Digits, (seen once as) iPod-and-vocals from Muertas, instrumental-cacophonous-rock (to a nearly noise-band degree from) Science vs. Witchcraft, disorienting noise-band Autoanimal, and Potboiler will be at Boulder Coffee Co. (100 Alexander St.) starting around 6 p.m. [source: Boulder Coffee MySpace site] [all ages] This evening from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at The Storefront Anti-War Crisis Center (658 Monroe Ave.) is a Poetry Open Mic. with Gary Lehmann. [source: Rochester Against War website] Over at Daily Perks (389 Gregory St.) starting around 8 p.m. is Jim Drew and Humble Soul. [source: Daily Perks calendar] [all ages] This evening at 9 p.m. at The Flat Iron Café (561 State St.) is comedy with Moosie titled Through the Eyes of a Bronx Girl. [source: Flat Iron Cafe webstie]

S A T U R D A Y

There's a Bagel Brunch at the playground next door to Writers and Books (740 University Ave.) every Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. [source: sign] [all ages] This evening at 7:30 p.m. and tomorrow night at 6:30 p.m. (with shows next weekend as well) is a performance of The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas by Everyone's Theatre Company at The Jewish Community Center (JCC) (1200 Edgewood Ave.) [source: Everyone's Theatre Company website] Bob Trombley will be at Daily Perks (389 Gregory St.) starting around 8 p.m. [source: Daily Perks calendar] [all ages] Tonight at Boulder Coffee Co. (100 Alexander St.) is good, fat, heavy rock from J. G. Blizaro, and more good heavy rock from Trees Are Down starting around 8 p.m. [source: Boulder Coffee MySpace site] [all ages] Tonight at The Bug Jar (219 Monroe Ave.) is really great, tight, current punk-rock from 5 Watt Bulb, Static Cling, and very tight modern rock band Veluxe starting around 10:30 p.m. [source: Bug Jar calendar] [21+] Bleed For Me will be at Monty's Krown (875 Monroe Ave.) starting around 10:30 p.m. [source: Freetime] [21+] Tonight's another Betty's Sing-a-Long at Betty Meyer's Bullwinkle Café (622 Lake Ave., a.k.a. "Bullwinkle's") starting around 10.

S U N D A Y

Boulder Coffee Co. (100 Alexander St.) will be hosting Tarpit, Spoonful Of Vicodin, and J. G. Blizaro starting around 8 p.m. [source: Boulder Coffee MySpace site] [all ages] Great darker-edged stripped synth-rock from Casiotone for the Painfully Alone (also at LiveJournal), 1960's flavored power-pop band The Donkeys, and Baby Shivers Boutique will be at The Bug Jar (219 Monroe Ave.) starting around 9:30 p.m. [source: Bug Jar calendar] [18+]

T U E S D A Y

This morning at 7:30 a.m. in the cafeteria overlooking the arboretum in Bausch and Lomb (140 Stone St.) is the Artists Breakfast Group meeting ... anyone interested in art or creativity is invited. Tonight at Daily Perks (389 Gregory St.) from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. is an Open Mic with Robbie Rohan, and Tim Shea. [source: Daily Perks calendar] [all ages] Over at Boulder Coffee Co. (100 Alexander St.) starting around 8 p.m. is good jazz band Bending and Breaking. [source: Boulder Coffee MySpace site] [all ages] Over at The Bug Jar (219 Monroe Ave.) starting around 9:30 p.m. is Snake Eyes Seven. [source: Bug Jar calendar] [18+] Daily Perks (389 Gregory St.) is hosting an Acoustic Open Mic from 8 to 10. [source: Daily Perks calendar]

W E D N E S D A Y

The The Monroe County Fair (2695 East Henrietta Rd, Henrietta) opens tonight at 4 p.m. [source: RocWiki] Quartsemble will be at Kilbourn Hall at Eastman Theatre (60 Gibbs St.) starting at 7:30 p.m. [source: Eastman School of Music calendar] [all ages] The Bug Jar (219 Monroe Ave.) will be hosting disorienting an un-band blend of spoken word, electronic effects, and repetition from Gaybot, The Besties, and instrumental-cacophonous-rock from Science vs. Witchcraft starting around 9:30 p.m. [source: Bug Jar calendar] [18+] Poor People United meets tonight and every Wednesday at 7 at St. Joseph's House of Hospitality (402 South Ave.) [source: the proverbial grapevine] There's an Open Mic for Acoustic Music at Boulder Coffee Co. (100 Alexander St.) tonight around 8. [source: the proverbial grapevine]

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