Anthony Morrow and Amanda Alessandra, our two part-time Deconstruction Technicians, got an early Christmas present on Friday. They were offered, and they accepted, full-time employment with Buffalo ReUse. Congratulations to both!

Anthony and Amanda have been working full-time hours since the late summer. They’ve been part of our team for four deconstruction projects, numerous salvage and pickup runs and lots of work improving our warehouse and yard on Northampton Street. We’re truly lucky to have them working with us.

Anthony is the father of three children (a fourth coming soon). He’s a dependaable, tireless, always-willing worker who also, as Michael says, uses his brain for something other than holding his ears apart. I’ve been known to call him Anthony “GPS” Morrow, as he is so familiar with the city, from Riverside to South Buffalo, that we don’t even need a map to find our way! Anthony has worked for LP Ciminelli and Weed and Seed and has attended Buffalo public schools and ECC.

Amanda is a rocket scientist – no, really! She has an engineering degree in aerospace technology from U. of Maryland. She’s a great team member who uses her brain and considerable muscle to solve the continuous challenges of deconstructing old Buffalo houses.

Full-time employment at Buffalo ReUse means a living wage, full health benefits and the opportunity to earn a living while performing direct, hands-on improvement to our beautiful City. Anthony and Amanda are early members of our growing team and they’re just the people we need. If you’re interested in becoming part of our team, just visit our employment page at www.buffaloreuse.org/Employment. Congratulations again!

Here is a cute photo Suzanne sent us a while back . . .

[As the wind whips fiercely outside my window behind me]

I wanted to say, on behalf of the gang and the crew, that we know this is the time of giving and so many of you choose to give your time and talent to Buffalo ReUse and we deeply appreciate it because we could not do even half of what we’ve accomplished this far without you. I hope you all have a safe, cozy and peaceful holiday.

Here’s something fun to do with some of that wrapping paper while your pie is digesting.

If you get a gift that is less than personal . . .
or less than thoughtful or just plain weird and you don’t know what to do with it–regive it! Bring all 3 of those “pedicure cheese graters” and that necktie with the fishprint and that case of pine tree vehicle air fresheners and that trinket you can’t even figure out which end is up and exchange it for something (potentially) equally useless or bizaare!

We’ll enjoy each other’s company, December 28th from 6pm until Sherry kicks out!

Bring your favorite festive snacks and beverages!
If you’d like to participate in the regifting exchange–just bring a wrapped gift!

The party will be at:
464 Auburn Ave
(corner of Livingston–green house with burgundy trim)

I’d like to think it was the chili that made everyone so hot and steamy, but it was actually the fact that the temperature at ReUse is so chilly that warm bodies become steamy!

There were many chili varieties to choose from–butternut squash, venison, chicken and seafood (not the most popular choice). Larry & Barb Gainer brought made up a spicy batch of venison chili, but Darren Kempner’s was even hotter . . . and it was so smooth, it sort of reminded me of those mudbaths you see at swanky day spas–not like MG’s chili which is spoon after spoonful of chunky goodness.

If you missed this round, because you wimped out and sat at home snuggling by the fire in your bunny slippers with your dog–Kevin Hayes!–we still have plenty! (especially of that seafood chili)

We’ve invited many folks to share something from Sunday’s game–if you’d like to submit anything, please send it to info {at} buffaoreuse(.)org and we’ll post it “tootsweet”. See our Flickr photos. There’s over 200 pics from the game!

Wrap-Up (rap up) verb. 1. The method of tackling the opposing team’s ball carrier in Snow Bowl 2007. A wrap-up halts the forward progress of the individual driving towards the end zone.This verb has such a happy holiday feel to it. It may even conjure up images of carefully wrapping a present and then concealing it underneath the Christmas Tree/Chanukah Bush with the impending joy of the recipient only a few hours away. However, when employed during West Side vs. East Side combat this Sunday, the wrap-up took on new, much more painful forms that resulted in many participants eating snow as they hit the deck.

Tysha Martin, Buffalo ReUse volunteer, had an up-close and personal experience with the SMACK DOWN wrap-up as she attempted to execute a lateral forward pass play in the first half of the Bowl. Upon receiving the lateral, Tysha was faced with a pass around the outstretched arms of West Side Kirk. Unfortunately, the ball was swatted down just as it left Tysha’s arms and soon thereafter, so was Tysha. Ouch!
In the second half, with visions of chili, cupcakes and cherry tarts dancing in the heads of the West Side and East Side participants, the PANTS DOWN wrap-up, THROW DOWN wrap-up and GANG UP wrap-up were all practiced to near perfection. Thank goodness for so many inches of snow and layers of clothing.

- Darren Kempner

We will not be deterred by ice or little fluffy snowflakes.
Bring your woolies and your bellies!!!
NOON TODAY

As I look out the window next to my desk at Buffalo ReUse HQ–I see SNOW and that reminded me that we’re going to be out in it on Sunday and that some of you will have your faces plowed into it! So, it’s probably good if it piles up pretty high to cushion your fall. And I was thinking that I would come on-line and start smack talking our rivals to get their blood boiling . . . but the fact is I love falling snow and I feel very zen just watching it.  So, I don’t have it in me right now to re-challenge all you cocoa sipping beefpatties (who have been getting soft these last 3 weeks eating those cute little finger foods with frilly toothpicks and holiday cookies shaped like deer and angels–with sprinkles too, I bet) to a game of brute force.  All I can say is, Try to lay off the eggnog, Chachis, so you’ll be worthy adversaries!

Come to the warehouse Sunday at noon.
We’ll put out some chairs and blankets, but you can bring more. Maybe you’ll want to bring thermoses or a hot water bottle to sit on! And of course, there will be chili–which has it’s own sort of thermo chemical reaction . . .

It seems so long ago–but we just got word tonight that an interview we did back in Oct when Sundance was here–is on the air and the web! Here is a link to a podcast from an interview by Joyce Kryszak of WBfO–featuring Jon Markle,  David Bennink (our consultant) and Michael Gainer–who had a sore, raspy throat at the time.
look here

Pick up this season’s holiday shopping guide from the likes of Buffalo Spree and you’ll find us within.

In their piece on earth-conscious seasonal fun – salvaged items at The Warehouse made it as #2 in the choice picks of green friendly gifts.

There are many of these items to gift a friend or family member such as: decorational face plates and door knobs for the style-conscious diva in your life; or oak flooring for your uncle who has been wanting to redo the kitchen, or lighting pieces for an organized friend’s office, or 9-drawer dressers for storage in the garage, or…

You can find all of the above and more at The Warehouse on Saturday’s from 10:00am-4:00pm, 298 Northampton St.

Thanks to Christopher Schobert and Josh Flanigan for guiding shoppers to our very green holiday gifts.

Our friend and champeen bowler, Darren Kempner, was talking about us on WBFO–listen here.

That reminds me . . . we weren’t all that hip to the blog at the time, but I remembered we had a pic of Darren way back in the Fall when we all went bowling. Click on the photo to access the album where you can see Darren’s immaculately white shoes! There’s also photos of other people’s shoes–can you guess whose feet are whose? Kevin got a turkey that night!