Shopping Elmwood

by Matt Quinn

Join videographer Matt Quinn on a video tour of Buffalo's retail districts.

Dr. Niman’s recent article on how the average American has caught up to his way of thinking regarding the Bush Administration, the occupation of Iraq, and other crimes committed by our government is interesting (“Getting a Grip,” Artvoice v6n45). While I usually agree with Niman, his writing smacks of smugness and condescension that sometimes exists in academia.

by Chuck Shepherd

■ Update: The man noted in News of the Weird in 1996 for keeping an almost unbelievably detailed personal diary died in October at age 89. For 25 years, Rev. Robert Shields of Dayton, Wash., had chronicled his life in five-minute segments of banalities, leaving 37 million words on paper filling 91 boxes. His self-described “uninhibited,” “spontaneous” work was astonishing in its mundaneness. Examples: Aug. 13, 1995, 8:40 a.m. “I filled the humidifying basin mounted over the Futura baseboard heater.” 8:45 a.m.: I shaved twice with the Gillette Sensor blade (and) shaved my neck behind both ears, and crossways of my cheeks, too.” July 25, 1993, 7 a.m.: “I cleaned out the tub and scraped my feet with my fingernails to remove layers of dead skin.” 7:05 a.m.: “Passed a large, firm stool, and a pint of urine. Used 5 sheets of paper.”

by Anthony Chase

Productions of two locally written plays begin their final performances this weekend. One is a nostalgic musical; the other is a drama focused on contemporary issues. Each is credible and insightful entertainment and has been given a strong production.

by M. Faust

Beowulf

by M. Faust

by Patrick Dunagan

by Peter Koch

Making a holiday meal can certainly be a gamble. There are a lot of wild cards involved—entrées and side dishes that require so much work they’re reserved for one or two meals a year, strange relatives you rarely see, hyped-up kids, holiday-related drinking bouts and pets driven crazy by said visiting relatives, to name just a few.

Thirty in Thirty

by Andrew Kulyk & Peter Farrell

These past two years we have had the opportunity to welcome some true hockey road warriors to HSBC Arena. In 2006, Danielle Grunquist of Golden, Colorado, concluded a three-month tour of all the NHL arenas right here in Buffalo. Last season, the teenage duo of Andrew DiMento and Daniel Tsunekawa from Oceanside, California, successfully managed to circle the continent by car and pay a visit to all 30 NHL teams, including the Buffalo Sabres.

by Rob Brezsny

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): The sharks in German aquariums weren’t reproducing fast enough. Their keepers hired scientists to come up with the shark equivalent of aphrodisiacs. The most successful inducement to love was music—especially Justin Timberlake’s “Rock Your Body,” Bob Marley’s “No Woman, No Cry,” and Salt-N-Pepa’s “Push It.” I suggest you play tunes like those for you and your chosen ones, Scorpio. It’s an excellent time to coax out more of the tender, romantic sides of your inner shark, as well as the inner shark of anyone you’re attracted to.

My partner’s family are terrible cooks. I mean awful. And they are terrible hosts. This is good for a laugh most of the year, but come the holidays, I get resentful. We have to split time with families, right? But my family makes lavish, beautiful spreads. They are fun hosts. My partner agrees: Holidays with my family are great, with his they’re depressing. What to do? (And before you suggest it: For a host of practical reasons, his family and mine are not going to spend the holidays together. And even if they did, his family would insist on hosting some of the time, which would only spread the agony around.)