Buffalo Shout Out

by Ryan Markiewicz | Oct 30, 2024 | Berlin's Wall

All,

Since you probably know I am a big Buffalo Bills fan (and since the Bills theme song is Shout) you likely think this is about the Buffalo Bills.  But it’s not.

I am also a big BUFFALO fan in general. I went to school there. Spent my 20’s there. Started my family there. And only left at 30 because I needed a job.

So this is just a shout-out to Buffalo.

Today, a bunch of us went up there to visit our good friend and customer, Bill Hanes. I first met Bill at the Bills stadium when our good friends at M&T Bank invited us to a dinner with Buffalo Bills General Manager, Brandon Beane. Thank you, M&T guys 🙂

Bill and I struck up a friendship from there. We email a lot. I’ve gone to games with him. He is a long time fan and friends with many of the older Bills players and coaches. Great guy.

Anyway, we went to see him today and even though we don’t do a ton of business with his company, to me it’s just as good to get to know good people, even if you don’t do a lot of business together. One of the best parts of the job is the people you get to meet and hopefully get to work with. But even if no business, still glad you know them.

So, for lunch Bill takes us to his favorite local gin mill. Google Gin Mill if you’re not from here 🙂 There are dozens of these in Buffalo. Nothing fancy. Just great food and friendly people.  Buffalo is known as ‘The City of Good Neighbors’ and deserves that title.

Well, Bill is (naturally) a regular there and we moved a few tables together to make one big enough for the 8 of us at lunch.  Just then, an older gentleman–clearly another “regular”– wearing a veteran’s ball cap walks in and I hear him kind of jokingly tell the waitress, “Hey, They Took My Table!”

Bill (who obviously knew him) said, “Sorry John. Those other guys took the table for 8 so we had to make do.” No biggie. All good.

Well, I see the Veteran is wearing an old Buffalo Braves t-shirt.

Now, I know 95% of you won’t know this, but Buffalo had a (really good) NBA team back in the ’70s, and I was a big fan. That’s a whole ‘nother story for another day.”

I walk over and introduce myself. We shake hands and talk about the Braves a bit. Lunch comes (Beef on Weck for me, of course) (Google too, I guess 🤪).

A few minutes later, I notice John walk out of the bar. He comes back in a few minutes later with a plastic bag and hands it to me. It’s a gift—a vintage Buffalo Braves t-shirt.

Just like that 😊

And, believe this or not (but it’s true either way)–From all my years living in and around Buffalo– that’s a pretty typical Buffalo story.

Onward!

JB

PS–and, of course, we DID stop to see the new Bills stadium going up on the way home.

PPS–and for any of your poor souls who don’t know the Bill’s shout song, here it is:

https://youtu.be/1JpeDWbgUO8?si=68jID1lNtthEG_Mu

Christmas Antarctica Cruise: Getting Ready

by Ryan Markiewicz | Oct 24, 2024 | Berlin's Wall

All,

Since we’re going on an Antarctic cruise over Christmas, and since there will be a polar plunge on Christmas Day, I want to get prepared.  So today (with guidance from Coach Craig Warnshuis), I started my “training.”

The water in Antarctica will be 29 degrees. (And yes, I know that water freezes into ice at 32 degrees, but 1. Not salt water, and 2. Not with currents/waves keeping it from freezing).

Now, about 40 years ago, I jumped into 32-degree moving water in the North Hudson (not too smart) and immediately locked up. Couldn’t move. Couldn’t breathe. Had to be pulled up back into the raft. “Memorable.”

And this will be colder than that.  And I don’t want a repeat of that episode 🤪.

So, I’m gonna spend some time trying to get ready.  I am going to the Lake Erie Recovery Zone at my old gym, Erie Fitness Now, where they have a cold plunge tub. And, while they can “only” get it down to 37 degrees (it was at 47 today), that’s just 10 degrees higher than Antarctica will be.

Today was not bad at all. Now, I only stayed in for 3.5 minutes. I didn’t dunk my head under. But it was not uncomfortable at all, other than my feet hurt. But I’m gonna get some neoprene diver’s boots to help that.  But it was very doable. So a good start IMHO.

I’ve always been fascinated by Antarctica since reading the book about Ernest Shackleton’s journey there on Endurance. It is a story of incredible strength and survival against all odds. I look forward to seeing it (and letting you guys see it through my experience).

Onward! -JB