Random Thoughts

So, I drove up from Effingham this afternoon and listened to talk radio. One of the stations I manage is a news/talk station and we run a program called "The Weekend With Mike McConnel" each Saturday from 11-2. Awesome show. I try to never miss it. He streams, so click on his picture next weekend to get to the website and listen to his show. Awesome.
Anyway, there were several things that came up on his show and other programs that I listened to that I have been thinking about.

Immigration
Reagan messed up. I don't say that often, so enjoy it while it lasts. In the 80's he did what Bush is deciding to do now. Grant amnesty. With 11 million illegal immigrants in our country, that is pretty much all you can do. Many people say "Send 'em all back and tell them to get to the back of the line." These people are idiots. Are you going to be the one footing the bill for 11 million moving trucks? No. Should they be here? No. Did they break the law? Hell yes. However, we need to admit that we made a mistake, give them all an opportunity to apply for citizenship within the next year and get voting rights in 10 years. Everyone will take classes on American History and how to speak English.
Where Reagan messed up is by granting amnesty and then doing nothing about the boarders. A wall isn't going to do crap. That will only slow everyone down about 30 seconds. Even as a kid I learned how to jump a damn fence! Armed guards are the only solution. Restrictions and more importantly, repercussions on companies that hire illegal immigrants and pay them 26 cents a day will also work. If we grant amnesty once again and STILL do nothing about the boarder, we will be in the same boat 10 or 15 years from now.

Fuel
Less than 20% of our fuel comes from the Middle East. Don't let anyone tell you anything different. And this whole "blood for oil" crap about the war in Iraq is being shouted by those with empty skulls. If anyone should be fighting the war, it should be France who had a sweet deal with Iraq goin'. And England (as of this weekend) is now paying $6.75 per gallon due to their heavy dependence on Middle East fuel. But, majority of that is tax. And that tax goes to fund their national health care. So, is it a good trade off there? I haven't made up my mind yet.
The question now becomes, how do we get ourselves off of our dependence on oil? Hybrid cars are a good start, but we need more. Ethanol? Not that feasible. Hydrogen? A pipe dream.
Go bio-diesel. This is fuel from things like soybeans and French fry grease. There are even studies being done on some elements of garbage to see if they can be turned into fuel. (Remember Mr. Fusion from Back To The Future?) This is a proven route to take and the biggest expense will be to build the infrastructure. If the government is serious about something to do - they should help with this.
I wonder when they will pick a pony, because it seems that they think that all of these options are solutions and aren't fully behind anything. Makes me wonder if it is all talk. Anyway, a good book to read is "Biodiesel America" by Josh Tickell. (Tick-L) I interviewed him on the air and am currently reading his book. It is a good read. Find out more about him and his book by clicking on the soy beans to the right.

Diet Pills
These don't work. I hear these commercials for Trim Spa, Calotren, Metabolife and others. What a waste. First of all, these are not evaluated by the FDA. Ever wonder why? They prevent you from feeling hungry. That seem safe to ANYONE?! If your body is in need of nutrients, don't you think you'd like to know? When you have a specific craving - whether it be chocolate or chicken, there is a nutrient within that food item that your body is needing right now. Why ignore this?
All these pills say that you should use them with diet and exercise and most recommend that you drink 8 glasses of water a day. Wanna know why you loose weight? You are working out, eating right - and probably better portions and drinking a lot of water. You drink 8 glasses of water a day WITHOUT these pills and do nothing else different with your life, you will loose weight. Your body will say "With all this water coming in, I don't need to hold all this water weight. Might as well get rid of it." And boom, you go down a few inches in the waist and take off as much as 5-8 pounds.
Amazing, isn't it? The best thing to do is don't eat until you are full, eat until you are satisfied, drink water often and exercise a bit.

Dallas
Never caught the TV show. Apparently it was big in the 80's. Like the 24 or Lost of today. They have decided to make a movie out of the TV show. You can learn about the movie by clicking on the TV poster on the left. Is Hollywood completely out of ideas? We have been getting TV shows made into movies for the past few years, comic books made into movies (these have been good for the most part - as long as Ben Afleck and/or Jennifer Garner stays away from the set) and remakes of movies that have already been made.
What's the deal? The formula is getting a little dry. Oh, and why the hell do we have J-Lo staring in this new movie?! Is the movie industry hoping that our short-term memories are shot and won't remember Gigli?! She shouldn't be allowed to work ever again. If you are looking for a hot woman, go with Eva Longoria. This would have been a good transitional piece for her. But, no. They had to go mess it up with J-Lo.

Sports
The Bears are looking to trade away a great running back for a draft choice. What a shocker. We finally have some talent on the offensive side of the ball and we trade it away for a draft choice. It is the same formula. We have become the training ground for the NFL. Once you have made it through the Chicago boot-camp, we send you off to a city where you will be picked up and soon be wearing a Super Bowl ring.
The Cubs lost to the Cards today - AWESOME! Washington lost to the Cavs - also AWESOME. (I hate Washington ever since they ruined the last few moments of Jordan on the court) we just need the Bulls and the Sox to win tonight for 4 great games today. I know the Bulls don't have a shot of going all the way, but they deserve to be in the play-offs. And the analysis that I've seen puts them winning tonight vs. the Heat. I'm looking forward to that game.

Well, I think that's everything. I've typed a great deal in the past few days. It is either feast or famine with this blog. I even have a few other things written that I'll release between now and Monday.

Enjoy your weekend.

Internships

So, I hired an intern recently. Insert the Bill Clinton jokes now. She is 19, cute and very qualified. The last reasonof the three is why I hired her. She is studying marketing and wanted a job in radio for the past two years, so I gaveher one. She is not getting my dry cleaning and coffee for two reasons. The first, I don’t have much stuff that needsdry cleaning and second, I hate coffee. Instead she is contacting record companies to get some promotionalgive-a-ways for our station. We have a great deal of remotes coming up and we need crap to give away. So, she isdoing her job. She will soon be with me at several bar remotes over the next few months helping me give away stuff.I just got a call from another intern that is looking into marketing from Eastern Illinois University. This college is just 20 minutes north of us and provides several people that are looking for internships. All are unpaid, mind you. Iwill be meeting with this girl on Tuesday, and should everything shape out, she will be hired as well. Come the end of the summer, both will be looking for part-time jobs. I figure if they are willing to work their asses off for free,then if they get paid for it, we should get a great deal out of them! I just need to make them crutial to the innerworkings of the station before their internships are up so it would be impossible to let them go. But, we’ll see.

The Ten Commandments

So, recently I’ve counted 6. I’ve gotten six marriage proposals in the past few years from the women that I’ve dated. I’m not bragging... totally... but, I find it interesting. One girl proposed to me within 24 hours of us dating. Another had a dream about us being together forever. I find it strange and scary. There is a reason why I’m single right now. Too many rings that are asked to be purchased. I’m not going to lie. I’ve been thinking about it myself. The steps of adult life read as follows:

1. Establish a career.
2. Establish financial independence.
3. Get suckered into marriage. I mean join in the holy union of two soulmates.

I have accomplished steps one and two with no problem. However, I have yet to step down the plank of number three. I mean aisle. Aisle. Ooops. Freudian slip.
The problem is, women are too anxious to marry. I would rather date for a few years before taking the ultimate plunge into the death of my single life. I don’t want to find a woman who is interested in me because of radio. (Sad, but true - some are.) I don’t want to be hooked up with a woman who is interested in marriage just because her sisters orfriends are getting married.
I’d rather be with someone who wants to get married because it is the right time to get married. Like, for example,when we are writing “09” at the end of the date line on our checks. That is why I’ve written out a few requirements for women to check themselves against to see if they expect to get me for life. I have developed10 commandments to date me. Here’s how it goes... so far: (I know there will be more qualifications once I post this)

1. You must find me funny. My life is dedicated to making people feel good about themselves through laughter. I aim to make people laugh. If you don’t laugh - no second date.
2. You must be physically fit. I know this is shallow and self-centered, but is a priority. I’m a guy - give me a break. Take care of yourself.
3. Your mom can’t be unfit. I’ve dated several girls where their mom is overweight. Why I continued dating them after this, I don’t know. However, a good indication of how a woman will be once you marry them is by judgingtheir mother. Again, shallow, but I don’t care.
4. You can’t be self-centered. While I demand a certain degree of self-confidence, if you think your crap don’t stink, get out of my life. You are no better than anyone else. If you are looking for a guy to treat you like crap, keep on looking. There are plenty of assholes out there. Surely one of them will be more than willing to control your life through intimidation. I won't.
5. You must have self-confidence. Some may say this goes against #4, but, you must always know that you are as good as anyone else. Don’t be a door mat. That isn’t attractive at all! Have your own thoughts, opinions, feelingsand whatever else on nearly everything. But, don’t be closed-minded. I know that the combination of #5 and #4 is astrange one, but you can walk the line if you think about it.
6. Humor. You must have a good sense of humor. If you don’t, we will not get along. There are very few thingsthat I see as “off-limits” as far as humor. Expect this. Don’t get offended, just accept me.
7. Be moral. Have a religious base. If you are Catholic, great! We will get along perfectly. However, due to my current belief of “if you believe in Jesus, you go to heaven” stance, pretty much any Christian is in. However, if you are Mormon, Jehovah Whiteness or any other bastardized cult of Christianity, stay away. You don’t count. And just because you are “Unitarian” and believe “Everyone is right” doesn’t mean that you are.
8. Not a slut. If you have had an entire town, don’t even bother talking to me. While I would prefer a virgin, I realize that anyone over 25 that is a virgin is EXTREAMLY rare. If you are, e-mail me now. If you are as known as Coke-a-Cola, don’t bother.
9. You are intelligent. I have dated my fair share of dumb but hot girls. I need someone that is well-rounded. While I don’t mean physically, I do mean mentally. If you can hold your own in a conversation regarding history, literature, art or humanity in general, let me know. That’s what is attractive to me.
10. Finally, current events. If you don’t know who the president is or don’t know that we are having a few issues in the middle east, don’t bother me. If you don’t know the basics of what is going on in the world, don’t contact me. I’m not saying be a news junkie, but know what is going on, how it relates to you and have some sort of opinion on it.

These sound a bit harsh? Good. That is why I wrote them. I have dated WAY too many psychos to count and hope to find someone that is closer to what I believe and think. (and closer to normal) Who knows, perhaps this will help me sift though the crap that I get and eventually find “the one” that everyone is talking about. Oh, and it helps a great deal if you’re Irish and like Guinness. I might even look past a few of my 10 commandments! I am now going to go back to listening to Jay-Z's "99 Problems."

100 Reasons To Fear AND Respect Jack Bauer

Is 24 the best show on TV? You bet your ass it is!
Jack Bauer is amazing. Chuck Norris doesn't have squat on him. And here's why:


http://www.notrly.com/jackbauer/index.php?topthirty

Go Go White Sox!!!

Whether you're a fan of the best team in the history of baseball - The Chicago White Sox or a fan of The Cards, (#2, primarily because of our common enemy) we can all rally around the following Chicago Cubs facts:

Twenty major events that have occurred since the Chicago Cubs last laid claim to a World Series championship:1
. Radio was invented; Cubs fans got to hear their team lose.
2. TV was invented; Cubs fans got to see their team lose.
3. Baseball added 14 teams; Cubs fans get to see and hear their team lose to more clubs.
4. George Burns celebrated his 10th, 20th, 30th, 40th, 50th, 60th, 70th, 80th, 90th and 100th birthdays. Then died.
5. Haley's comet passed Earth twice.
6. Harry Caray was born....and died. Incredible, but true.
7. The NBA, NHL and NFL were formed, and Chicago teams won championships in each league.
8. Man landed on the moon, as have several home runs given up by Cubs pitchers.
9. Sixteen U.S. presidents were elected.
10. There were 11 amendments added to the Constitution.
11. Prohibition was created and repealed.
12. The Titanic was built, set sail, sank, was discovered and became the subject of major motion pictures, the latest giving Cubs fans hope thatsomething that finishes on the bottom can come out on top.
13. Wrigley Field was built and becomes the oldest park in the National League.
14. Flag poles were erected on Wrigley Field roof to hold all of the team's future World Series pennants. Those flag poles have since rusted and been taken down.
15. A combination of 40 Summer and Winter Olympics have been held.
16. Thirteen baseball players have won the Triple Crown; several thanked Cubs pitchers.
17. Bell-bottoms came in style, went out of style and came back in.
18. The Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Indians, Boston Red Sox and the Florida Marlins have all won the World Series.
19. The Cubs played 14,153 regular-season games; they lost the majority of them.
20. Alaska, Arizona, Hawaii, Oklahoma and New Mexico were added to the Union.


Great quotes in Cubs History!!!
"Noise pollution can't be that much of a problem [at Wrigley]. There's nothing to cheer about."--State rep. John F. Dunn, arguing for the installation of lights at Wrigley Field
"If I managed the Cubs, I'd be an alcoholic."--Whitey Herzog
"There's nothing wrong with this team that more pitching, more fielding and more hitting couldn't help."--Bill Buckner
"You get tired of looking at garbage in your own backyard."--Cubs manager Lee Elia in 1983 about why the Cubs got rid of so many players. Elia was fired later that same season.
"The Cubs were taking batting practice, and the pitching machine threw a no-hitter."--Radio deejay
"The only bad thing about being released by the Cubs is that they made me keep my season tickets."--Ken Rietz, ex-Cub third baseman
"Would the lady who left her nine kids at Wrigley Field please pick them up immediately? They are beating the Cubs 4-0 in the 7th inning."--Radio deejay
"One thing you learn as a Cubs fan: When you bought your ticket, you could bank on seeing the bottom of the ninth."--Joe Garagiola
"The Chicago Cubs are like Rush Street--a lot of singles, but no action."--Garagiola again

It's Been A Long Time

Wow. It’s been a while since I’ve written. Let me bring you up to speed. Since my last post - the nervous breakdown one, I’ve taken a vacation. The week after that I did nothing. I slept until I woke up (which was usually around noon or so) and then did whatever I wanted to do. I only had a few things that were “scheduled” for me to do that week, and that was it. The rest of the time, my time was mine. It was great. I got to see my good friend Stretch while he was in town and nearly everyone else that I am friends with up there that week. While some plans fell through, there will be other weekends.
I came back that Saturday afternoon to get a head-start on all the computer work necessary for the station. I got back to Effingham and realized how tired I was and didn’t do squat on Saturday but read and watch TV. Sunday I started and worked a few hours doing prep work for the change-over. This was mainly downloading and editing audio elements for the change. I then went to church, watched The Simpsons and called it a night. Mainly because the next morning I was asked to fill in for my boss who normally does the morning show. This was also the reason why my vacation was cut a little bit short. That, and I was pretty sure I didn’t take out the garbage and it must have been pretty bad by this point.
So, I took care of the morning show and did what I needed to do at the station and a bit more prep work and called it a day. I watched 24 (the best show on TV) and called it a night.
I went to work the next morning and hung out with my boss for a while and then buried my nose in my work. She was called into the boss’s office and was in there for about ten minutes. She came out and went straight to her desk. I finished typing whatever I was typing and went over to find out what that was all about. “I was just fired” she let me know. I started to smile, assuming she was kidding. When she didn’t crack one, I knew that she was serious. “WHY?” I asked. Before I got an answer, the boss called me into his office.
“Oh crap. I’ve been through this before.” That was what was going through my head. But, instead of a pink slip, he just wanted to let me know what had happened and was trying to gauge my reaction. Shock had completely set in, so I’m gathering that he didn’t get much out of me. It was a lot of quiet “yes” or “no” responses from me. Even from open ended questions. This surely must have scrambled his egg.
So, I went back to the now assembled support circle around my boss. They looked up at me to ask if I was out too. I just shook my head and we all went back to helping her get her things together. I paused for just a minute to put Twisted Sister’s “We’re Not Gonna Take It” on loop on my work computer to set the right mood as we got her files and CD’s together. (We’re in radio - majority of our personal belongings are in audio form)
And in what seemed like minutes, she was gone. And it was then time for me to be on the air. And pretend I was happy and chipper. I was going to be doing the morning show until the company figured out what the hell they were going to do. The night girl was going to do my shift and then her shift was going to be covered by the weekend guru. So, in a game of musical chairs of on-air people, we got things covered - barely. But, should one of us fall ill, the entire system would have gone out of whack. Luckily, it didn’t.
I was approached during my show with the question of whether or not we would be ready to start the satellite programming that evening. “Absolutely not” was my quick statement. The boss was a bit taken aback by my direct response to his question, but knew immediately, without hesitation that we were far from being able to take over this satellite crap.
I did the morning show the next day. I let the listeners know about my boss’ firing several times on the air that day and the others to follow. The first day on the morning show, the second I got off the air, I got a call from someone in management. They said that the corporate offices were up their ass trying to figure out when our station would be on board with this satellite junk. I let her know that I was still waiting for some audio elements for the broadcast for things to sound good. She asked for a date when we would be up and rolling. I let her know that as soon as I got them in, we’d be good to go. “So, if you got them today, you could go tonight?” I then told her tomorrow. Tomorrow we’d be up and running. That was what she wanted to hear - a date.
So, I put some extra work on me. Fun stuff. So, long story short, that was a good 14 hour day. Maybe more. But, we got all the bugs worked out and things were rolling on the stupid satellite. (btw, as of today, I still don’t have that audio!) Things don’t sound perfect, but the damn thing is up and rolling.
The next day, the boss asked me into his office and asked if I wanted my boss’ job. How weird. My best friend in Effingham had to get fired for me to move up in this company. I took it. Hell, I was doing it already, why not get another thing to put on my resume’ and a bit more cash. Well, a lot more cash. And I got her blessing before I was asked, so I took it.
So, I’m now managing two radio stations at the same time and I am reminded of Howard Stern’s movie “Private Parts” when he says something like “Me. I was program director. I had no idea what I was doing. But, these people bought it. They thought I was good. And I was making more money.”
So, it began. I’m still doing mornings. We are still looking for someone to help me with the 10,000 things that I’m responsible for. The stress that I was feeling in the last post is now over, but I’m afraid it will be back. Hopefully I will be back on afternoons so I can still sleep until 10 and enjoy my nights. where he says waking up at 5am really sucks. And there have been several times where the snooze button has become my worst enemy.
That, in a huge-ass nutshell, is what has happened since my last post. I’ll keep you posted (no pun intended) on any new developments. And, no. There is no female news. Jeez, who can think of women when you are responsible for two radio stations. Well, I can. Screw the radio stations, there are more important things in life! Shalom (That’s for all my Jewish readers celebrating Passover)

Nearly a month

Holy crap. I can't believe that I haven't been here in nearly a month. So sorry to my regular readers... both of you.
I have written a complete re-cap of what has happened since I last posted - and yes, it's a lot of crap. I have to go back over it to make sure that I said things properly and didn't say anything that I shouldn't have. I also have a few things to add. Expect that up sometime tomorrow afternoon.
In any event, Happy Easter everyone! Enjoy the most important day in mankind's history by celebrating with eggs, "bunnies" and stale marshmallow peeps." Ug.
Oh, btw, click on the picture and see the effects of smoking and drinking on peeps as well as endurance tests of extreme heat, cold and a pressurized environment. Happy Easter!