Arrival in Buffalo + How to Beat a Mosquito Bite

I arrived safely in Buffalo on Saturday, where I'll be staying with my college roommate and his family. They have been the epitome of friendliness and hospitality, and I'm excited to be living with them for the year. Jenny, their dog, is a great lover of turkey sandwiches, as all dogs seem to be. I was pleased to discover that while she will sit and beg for a bite of my sandwich, she will not take matters into her own paws. This is a pleasant change from Sadie, the Willemans' beagle, who once scaled a table and scarfed down half a sandwich without leaving behind so much as a crumb . . . all in the fifteen seconds it took me to retrieve something I'd left in the next room.

Paramedic classes begin on Thursday. I'm taking the program through a nearby community college. The campus is located within view of Ralph Wilson Stadium, where the Buffalo Bills play, but fortunately there are no classes on Sundays. I swung by yesterday to take a look at the facilities. As a whole, the campus is somewhat spartan but seems perfectly adequate for my needs. The EMS lab setup looks great, and I was impressed by the faculty when I interviewed back in the spring, so I'm excited for the year!

My once and current roommate, Chris, gave me the driving tour of the area yesterday, which included such highlights as the Bills' stadium and Chestnut Ridge Park, a neat WPA project that features a toboggan chute and a small lodge for winter recreation and an expansive Frisbee golf course for warmer weather, along with assorted picnic pavilions, tennis courts and the like. Rumor has it you can see Toronto on a clear day. The next item on my sightseeing list is Niagara Falls. It's a beautiful area, and the only drawback is that Ellen is 416 long miles away . . .

In other news, I heard an interesting tip on the radio last week. If you suffer a mosquito bite, it said, apply anti-perspirant to the bite site. The aluminum ions in the anti-perspirant will draw fluid away from the bite and will eliminate swelling and itching. I tried it out after getting bitten on Thursday and found that it worked extraordinarily well. So in honor of the new GI Joe movie, now you know, and knowing is half the battle.