The Buzz: Bargains and No Biting

Plus, a herd of birder

Quote

‘No shoving, no biting!’

— Staffer at Hyatt’s art supply emporium, to customers in line for the store’s Warehouse Sale

Same Bat Time…

Years ago in Buzz wrote in The Buffalo News’ Buzz column that TV personality and journalism profMike Igoe looked like Steve Martin. That gag has aged well! Igoe confides that Chinese students in a chat room recently said he looked like Colonel Sanders. Now his friend Ken Wheaton of Rhino’s Comics & Collectibles in Rochester, points out his uncanny resemblance to a Time-Traveling Professor in a 1958 Batman comic. “Pssst, Mike,” Wheaton wheedled. “Can you grab us a few comics off the spinner rack during your next trip to the past?”

Spring Takes Wing

This week has gone to the birds! Forest Lawn Cemetery is bursting with spring — Canada geese hissing at us as they guard their fuzzy chicks, migrating warblers warbling, and herds of birder. (We picked that last expression up from Don Katz, a friend of Howard, the guy we married — Katz has been known to refer to “a herd of secretary” and “a herd of jogger.”) Meanwhile, the papal conclave isn’t just about cardinals! Wednesday, as the world waited for black or white smoke, a seagull perched by the chimney, sat there forever like a holy sentinel, and dominated YouTube comment sections. “Bring back the seagull!” one viewer begged when it flew off.

Bargain Basement

This was a bargain week for Buzz. First we braved the Bins — extreme Goodwill — and told the wild story in our series We’re Going In. Next, we hit Hyatt’s Warehouse Sale — our first foray there and we loved it, especially standing in line as a Soviet-style recording kept repeating: “Warning, this is a restricted area.” Then we hit last weekend’s epic estate sale on Henley. We started in the cellar and never made it upstairs. What an atmosphere! Friends appeared out of the gloom, greeting us. The rooms were crammed with priceless items. Not priceless as in valuable, priceless as in, no price tags. One item especially called to us: a Buffalo Evening News front page reporting the moon landing. How did we manage to leave without that?

Downward Dog Gets a Cousin

With summer approaching, it is back to the gym with Buzz. We see why so many people — us included — fall off the gym wagon. Getting back on is no picnic. You lose your tolerance for annoyances (any gym has plenty) and sound systems (every gym has one). You’ve got nothing to wear. Classes have changed. But now and then, things improve! At a quirky Pilates class at L.A. Fitness, the teacher hit us with Fire Hydrants. You guessed it — hands and knees, lift a leg like a dog marking its turf. What a wag! We couldn’t stop laughing, even at the dreaded words: “We’ll do 30 of these.”

The buzz

At the bodacious Bins, Buzz bagged a black sequined top we can’t wait to wear to Friday happy hour at Johnny D’s at the Hyatt, where Howard entertains and livestreams from 5 to 9 p.m. Buying something flashy, we have been known to tell clerks: “We’re in a theater production.” … Give us a break: Buzz was praying the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary to a YouTube video when, in the middle of the Carrying of the Cross, the video broke for an ad for — wait for it — Halo Top ice cream. Got to love the algorithm. … We notice political lawn signs have doubled in size. They’re basically billboards now. Buzz wants to put up a Lawnzilla sign for, well, Buzz. If they can do it, why can’t we?

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