Notes from the Southtowns

Some stuff going on in my neck of the Niagara Frontier, if anyone's interested:

:: They don't have a website yet, nor is their physical location even open yet, but there's a new children's bookstore coming to Orchard Park, called "B is for Books". The signage says that they're "coming this fall", so hopefully they'll be open soon. I'll report back when they are. There's also a sign that says they'll do birthday parties as well, so that might be a nice alternative to the Chuck E. Cheese kind of thing.

:: Have any of my readers taken advantage at all of these new "Meal Preparation Stores"? I only just heard of this concept last week, when I read this article in the Buffalo News*. The idea is to allow for "home cooked" meals, but not at home: these places apparently provide you with ingredients and cooking space based on a menu you've chosen, and then you get to use their facilities to prepare the meals and then take them home for use during the week or whatever. Interesting idea for people who are really busy but who don't want to rely on take-out constantly. I don't think I'd get much use out of a service like this, since we do tend to have time to cook, but anyway, apparently these places are springing up all over.

And the newest one's literally on my streetcorner, in what used to be a 7-11. It's called Dinner Dilemma, and they have a pretty informative website up already. If this kind of service appeals to you, and you live in the Southtowns, check it out. (Obviously, for those of my readers who live in places like Albany (NY), Tulsa (OK), Chandler (AZ), or other points 'round the globe, you might want to look into a Meal Preparation Store more convenient to your locale. But then, you already knew that, because my readers are smart folks. Which makes me wonder why I've just typed all this. I need coffee.)

:: Also right around the corner from me is a neighborhood where one house is home to someone who has a logo for IP8Ball.com on the driverside door of their SUV. Ever curious, I checked it out, and it turns out to be a site for a blossoming paintball business. I don't know the first thing about paintball (other than it looks like fun), but, well, there it is.

* Apparently the News has discontinued "First Sunday", the Buffalo-centric lifestyle magazine that always came with the paper on the first Sunday of each month. I know, they want to revamp lots of the ways they provide content over there, what with the Interweb and declining circulation and all, but I liked "First Sunday". Oh well.