John Mc

This is a collection of my thoughts. Some of the thoughts that I once had, I no longer do. Some thoughts I have now I have never had. Yet none shal be discounted. This blog is soley for the enjoyment of the author and the readers. On occasion the views expressed are overly exagerated in order to prove a point. Also there may be a dirty word or thought in some of the posts. Grow up and take this for what it's worth - a blog that barely anyone will ever see.

8/22/2008

Ode To The Sundress

When I was on the radio in Effingham, we had "Poetry Corner." (I know, it seems a bit out of place for a country station in central Illinois, but that is why I did it.) These were not ordinary poems, but instead those that were inspired by myself or the office receptionist, Bobbie. She would write these bizzare poems just for fun and I told her that she should have a segment on the air with them. Eventually it became a contest where listeners would call with a topic and a word unrelated to that topic and she would write a poem that incorporated them both within a song's time. She did quite well.
It was recently while going through some of my stuff that I came across one of my old poems from 2003. I thought I would share it with you. (Don't take it too seriously!)

Ode To The Sun Dress
Oh, sweet sweet sun dress,
How do I love thee.
Long and flowing
From the sholders to the knee.
When the days get long
And the sun gets warm.
By the most beautiful of women,
These dresses are worn.

For dress or pleasure
The sundress fits any occasion.
I am filled with great joy for
This fashion sensation.

A simple piece of fabric
Alows for a great deal of freedom.
What a summer treat it is,
Each and every time I see them.

Sundress you show off
The best aspects of a girl.
To watch them walk down the street
Or playfully twirl.

The sundress is convienent.
The sundress is cute.
The only thing better,
Would be a woman who is mute.

Oh, sweet sweet sundress,
How do I love thee.
Long and flowing
From the sholders to the knee.

Obama vs McCain - The $ Issue

I just got an e-mail from a friend that discussed the differences between the two candidates for president. It was OBVIOUSLY leaning right with some real "fuzzy math" that put McCain ahead of Obama.
So, I used one of the CNN links that it offered to take a further look into what the e-mail was based upon. (Loosely, to say the least!) It is sad, but there was a great deal of truth to the e-mail. For example, McCain has proposed huge tax cuts and McCain promised to "sign into law a reform to permit the first-year expensing of new equipment and technology." He also vowed to keep capital gains taxes low."
"McCain vowed to keep the estate tax low, referring to it as "one of the most unfair tax laws on the books." He criticized his campaign rival, Obama, for wanting to increase the estate tax to a maximum rate of 55%."
http://money.cnn.com/2008/06/10/
news/economy/mccain/index.htm

The estate tax (or death tax as it's known) is also an interesting debate between the two.
"Prior to President Bush's 2001 tax cuts, the estate tax levied a 55% maximum tax rate on all inherited assets above a $1 million exemption - including business assets passed on by a founder. Bush's cuts set into motion a gradual phase-out of the estate tax; the exemption level has risen and the tax rate has been dropping since 2001, down to a planned 45% rate in 2009 with a $3.5 million exemption."
Sounds great right? However, if it isn't continued in 2010, things go back to 2001 rates. Neither candidate wants that. Yet, they have differences in how they will handle this. Obama wants to stick with the 45% that 2009 will bring. McCain wants to drop it to 15%.
What this means is that should a business owner leave all that he has to his next of kin when he dies, he will pay a great deal less under McCain. I'm wondering why have a tax on already purchased items in the first place?!
http://money.cnn.com/2008/08/06/
smallbusiness/estate_tax.fsb/index.htm

Another interesting battle is social security. With everyone going green, we may have overlooked the green we need for our nursing homes in the future. "Benefits are projected to exceed the Social Security system's tax revenues in about nine years. " Thus, the next president is going to have to deal with Social Security. McCain rejects Obama's tax increase solution and instead favors moving the retirement age back a few years. "When Social Security started in 1935, the average American's life expectancy was just under 60 years... Current estimates show that by 2040, 65-year-old men and women could live at least 18 more years after becoming eligible for full Social Security benefits."
One thing that Obama did propose that may fall into his "increase taxes position" that sounds like a good idea is that he "called for a Social Security payroll tax on incomes above $250,000 a year, compared with the current $102,000 threshold."
Makes sense. Make more - contribute more. Why not?
http://money.cnn.com/2008/08/01/
news/economy/social_security.ap/index.htm

What about income? Well, you guessed it, the democrats want to tax the rich and give the money to the poor.
"His (Obama's) plan calls for short-term relief, such as a $500 tax credit per person to offset rising gas prices and an extension of unemployment benefits. He also wants to put in place longer-term measures, including a $10 billion infusion for state and local governments and a $150 billion investment in clean energy, both of which he says will spur job growth. Obama has suggested raising taxes on those earning more than $250,000 to pay for the policies."
Well, sounds ok. I am kind of on his side on this one. The only issues that I have are moral ones. Such as why penalize those doing well for themselves and give it to those who aren't. Yes, the merits of a society are rooted in how those less fortunate are treated. However, if you are getting more money for doing nothing or the bare minimum, what is the incentive to move up? On the other hand, if you are making more, you should contribute more. The Steve Forbes flat tax is sounding more and more like a great idea to me. EVERYONE - Pay 10%. That way it would be even across the board, right? No more brackets?
"The Illinois senator would raise the national minimum wage to $9.50 an hour, up from today's recently increased rate of $6.55, and index it to inflation." Awesome. I'm all about raising the minimum wage. But, only if it is done in small incriminates. Should it go up too fast, those signing the checks will not be able to compensate for it.
"The Arizona senator (McCain) supports lifting taxes and other government-imposed burdens from small businesses, the nation's job engine. He would overhaul unemployment insurance and worker training programs to make them more focused on getting people into new employment. McCain's philosophy is that by making America more competitive, companies will be able to create more jobs."
AWESOME! Best idea yet. Maybe mix in a few of Obama's suggestions and we have a solid plan. Remove useless government taxes, revamp unemployment insurance (take care of welfare abuse too!) and get people some experience to get better jobs. The more jobs an economy has, the more money gets tossed around.
http://money.cnn.com/2008/08/01/
news/economy/wages_candidates/index.htm

I'm all about helping the environment out. I don't litter and I use as little gas and electricity as possible. (Hell, they can get expensive!) However, I'm not completely sold on the Global Warming Theory. (Don't forget - it is still a theory, not a fact!) See my 7-7-7 blog for more information.
The candidates are pretty much on the same page as each other when comparing this issue. Each want to put a cap on greenhouse emissions by businesses. McCain wants them down to 60% of 1990's levels by 2050, Obama is at 80%. Neither will probably be around then, so why not 257 billionty %?
"The trouble is, limiting greenhouse gases will raise energy prices, because industries are forced to pay for cleaner technology - a hard sell at a time gas prices have hit an average of $4 a gallon." This sounds like they have to be careful who they tell their 2050 goals to.
"McCain would give away most of the carbon permits - currently estimated to be worth $100 billion a year, or a staggering $4 trillion between now and 2050 - to big energy producers. If the utilities and oil companies don't have to pay the government for their permits, McCain's thinking goes, they will have more to invest in carbon-reducing technology, and energy prices probably won't rise as much. "
"By contrast, Obama would auction 100% of the carbon permits to industry. Some of the $100 billion raised annually would go to low-income Americans to buffer the shock of rising energy prices. Some would fund green R&D and speed the commercialization of solar, wind, and other green tech."
Ok, I like Obama's plan better. Sure it's a little more optimistic, but I think it is still viable. Be careful that you don't fall for hope, but root your thoughts in plausibility.
Wait. Did I speak too soon about Obama's plan?
"Obama's plan does have a weakness, which McCain's supporters are quick to point out. The $100 billion pouring into the U.S. Treasury annually would be mother's milk to special-interest groups. A chunk of the money, for instance, would be earmarked for green-collar training - whatever that is. Senator John Kerry has suggested that federal funds be used to protect New England's lobster industry from the effects of global warming."
Damnit. Just when I thought I could agree with him 100% on something, Kerry and other dirt bags have to step in and ruin it!
http://money.cnn.com/2008/06/27/
news/economy/election_green.fortune/index.htm

McCain and Bush want to drill in new places. Alaska and the coasts, to be specific. "...experts say additional drilling would only boost production by about 2 million barrels a day. That's about 20% of domestic oil production, but only about 2% of total worldwide demand, so its impact on prices would likely be marginal. In short, it's not a long-term solution to the nation's energy challenge."
So, something more permanent. How about renewable energies?
"Supporters (of government funded renewable energy programs) are calling for the government to boost funding from about $4 billion a year now to $30 billion a year."
"Barack Obama is halfway there. The presumed Democratic nominee wants to fund renewable energy to the tune of $15 billion a year for 10 years, paid for by auctioning off permits to companies that emit greenhouse gases.
McCain also wants to issue permits to pollute in an effort to gradually reduce greenhouse gasses - a plan known as "cap-and-trade" - but he doesn't want to charge companies for them, at least at first."
Damnit. Obama, make that program air-tight and you have my support. No room for Kerry and friends to stick their crap in it, ok?! If he can do that, I'm sure that he will have McCain beat on this issue.
http://money.cnn.com/2008/06/18/
news/economy/apollo_energy/index.htm

Anyone invest? Obama wants more of your money. How much? He didn't say. "Barack Obama has made one part of his plan for the capital gains tax perfectly clear: He wants to raise the rate above 15% for high-income investors. But to what level: 20%? 23%? 27%? All Obama has said is that it would be at least 20% and less than 28%."
Why would he do this? We know that he is all about taking from the rich and giving to the poor, but what is his angle? "...Obama is also banking on revenue from a higher capital gains rate to help pay for some of his proposals, such as new tax cuts for less-than-flush families and a system to make health insurance affordable for all."
Let's look at that again. It isn't just for health insurance, but for other stuff too. It seems that with every tax increase he brings up health insurance. Surely it can't cost that much. But, I haven't work the numbers, so I don't know. What I do know is that people will be less likely to follow a talking baby switching stocks on e-trade. Surely the economy will be fine with a 10% capital gains tax increase.
Bob Carroll, a former Treasury official, was asked about Obama's increase and said "there'd be significantly negative economic consequences."
Ooops. Maybe that's why no number has been stated yet.
http://money.cnn.com/2008/06/20/
news/economy/obama_capgains/index.htm


There's so much else.
Read it for yourself. Don't be influenced by the media or anyone else. Get the facts first then make up your mind!
There is actually a great deal on the table for this next election. No one is going to get it all right, but hopefully they will get majority of it right or we are in trouble.

For more financial differences between the two candidates, check out the following link:
http://money.cnn.com/news/specials/election/2008/index.html

8/21/2008

September 25th

Office! Come soon! I can't wait much longer! A full month away?! You've got to be kidding me!

Damn writers strike made your season so damn short.

At least I will get a discount when I get season 3 (technically season 4) on DVD.

Should you have Olympic Fever and/or can't wait for the office, check these great videos out: (The first one is my favorite!)











One City. One Team.

I'm driving to the college today and I see a sign for Da Bears. They have THE BEST ad campaign going on right now. It fits so perfectly with the way the city is right now. It seems that the city is divided more than ever with Cubs vs. Sox fans. Why? Both teams have room to brag. Both are doing incredible. (Shut outs and home runs are now common place. It almost feels as if Da Bulls were on their winning streak again. "We won again? That's nice.")
Da Bears have put together an ad campaign called "One City. One Team." that is remarkable. All are very simple and all use real fans with the players. They capture the emotion of the game in a few words. They are not cocky, they are confident. They aren't cute, they are cleaver. It is a great mix of all that this city is getting excited for - Bears Season. It is just around the corner and to have the daily reminder like the one below is such a GREAT feeling! Click on the ad below for all of the billboards.
I quote my friend Luke when I say "Now if only they would put as much effort into improving the team as they have their advertising, then we would be somewhere."

Wrigley At 80 Proof

As you may know, I'm a White Sox fan. Thus, by nature, I'm programed to dislike The Chicago Cubs. However, I don't. I'm not one of those idiots who is either one or the other. While I like the White Sox more, it doesn't mean that I can't enjoy both teams. It is like enjoying only one pizza topping. I enjoy "Supreme." As long as it doesn't have olives or mushrooms on it. I have found that the Jewel Supreme is great because it has the multi-topping goodness you would expect without black olives or mushrooms. Brilliant!
But, I digress.
Despite me being a Sox fan, I am also a Cubs fan. (They are my 5th favorite team.) But, more so, I'm a Wrigley Field fan. There is great history there PLUS Da Bears started thier Chicago residency there. (Originally they were in Decatur as the Decatur Staley's. Thus the name of the Chicago Bears mascot.)
When I heard that the Chicago Tribune empire was being split up and sold to the highest bidder, I didn't think much about it. It meant new owners for the Cubs and perhaps good change would occur. What I didn't expect was for Wrigley Field to be separated from the Cubs in an effort to make more money.
Furthermore, there are constant talks of giving the naming rights to the highest bidder! (On a side note, I LOVE when Cubs fans use the argument "Your team sold out to U.S. Cellular!" when explaining why the Cubs are better than the White Sox. I like to remind them that for majority of their World Series drought that they have been owned by Wrigley. Ever hear of Doublemint, dummy?!)
Wrigley is a Chicago institution. It is a historical landmark. It is the oldest standing park in all of baseball. (If you ever sit under the rafters, you can attest to this!) They have already put the final nail in the coffin of Yankee Stadium. Why not Wrigley too?
This is why I'm standing up to say "No way, Jose'." and so is Jim Beam. For no apparent reason they reject the renaming of Wrigley Field. They have even put a protest on the hood of their Nascar guy, Bobbie Gordon's car. They don't wish to become contenders for "Jim Beam Field" or anything, instead they wish to preserve a piece of baseball history. And I don't blame them.
If you are a Cubs fan or a fan of Wrigley or a fan of baseball in general, check out their website by clicking on the link below. It is http://www.saveourname.com/ and it being sponsored by Jim Beam, you do have to be 21 to enter. Good luck getting past their incredible security if you aren't.
Maybe this will help or maybe it is just a way to waste time at work. In any event, keep your damn dirty hands off of Wrigley.



Worst Wedding Guest EVER

A few weeks ago I was DJing a wedding where the bride and groom only had roughly 8 requests. Usually, if they have awful requests (Which most do) then I pretend that we didn't have time to get to them all. In this case, with only 8, I pretty much had to play them all.
Luckily they had a really good crowd for dancing. Pretty much everyone was into whatever I played. What worked well seemed to be modern rap. I don't know why, I think that it is mainly insulting. Not just to women and stuff, but to the general intelligence of the audience. With some exceptions. Jay-Z is amazing. Why him? I don't know. There just seems to be more of a message than "We got sum drinks, we drunk 'em and got drunk." (This is an actual paraphrased lyric from some dumbass song that the bride and groom wanted to hear.) Right after I played the Jamie Fox song "Gold Digga." The crowd of people on the dancefloor went nuts and continued their dancing. I am a musical genius. Or at least I thought.
It was then that a woman came up beside me to ask "Are you the worst F-ing DJ in the world?" However she didn't say "F-ing," she let the expletives fly.
Without missing a beat, I turned to her and said "Yes. Yes I am. What can I do for you?"
She was slightly taken a back by my comment which I used to see if she was kidding or not. I soon realized she was not. "Turn this S off!" She screamed into my ear. "This music is awful. It is for druggies and low-lifes." I knew what she really meant. She was doing everything to not be a "racist," but still maintaining "bitch."
"I'm not turning this off." I let her know.
"No one can dance to this S! This is BS!"
It was then that I looked her right in the eye and then out to the dancefloor and back to her. At this point there were so many people on the dancefloor that people were dancing on the side of it. This surely was one of my most populous crowds of the entire wedding season thus far. "It seems like THEY have found a way to dance to it." I said this in the most sarcastic, almost cartoon-like manner I could to show how childish she was being.
She stormed off. Only to stop at the edge of my table and yell "SOMETHING TO DANCE TO!!!" She then flailed her arms and legs worse than Elane Bennis. I thought to myself "If she is going to dance like that to 'Men Without Hats' or whatever it is she would rather I play, I think that I've made the right choice with 'Gold Digga.'"
I assumed she was done. I was wrong. She came back up to me moments later saying "Turn this S off! It's only for druggies!" (By the way, who uses the term "druggies?" It seems a bit ridiculous. Like when you are teaching a toddler their animals you have the duckies, the doggies and the druggies?) I had enough. I told her that if she could get the bride and the groom to tell me personally to shut off this music, I would do it.
Her drunken ass looked at them and wobbled a bit as she turned to look at me again. "They told me to come over here."
"No they didn't. This was their request."
"Then they are druggies too!" She then stumbled a bit to the end of the table before she attempted to get one more dig in. "You are the worst F-in' DJ EVER."
I had pretty much had it at this point. I'm trying to make sure someone's wedding is flawless and this drunk bitch is yelling in my ear. In 11 years, I have never cursed in front of a wedding guest. Yet, this one pushed me over the edge.
"Listen up! In my 11 years of doing this, you are the worst F-in' wedding guest ever. You are going to shut the F up and sit the F down."
She stared at me, backed away and drunkenly stomped off to her seat. Probably to nag her husband who was enjoying a few minutes of quiet while she bothered me.
What would possess someone to do something like that? Who the hell do they think they are? I don't care if you are the bride's aunt's sister's hairdresser. You don't have enough clout to be a pain in the ass. That's reserved for the bride and/or her mother usually.
I never saw her again for the rest of the night. So, score one for me. And the druggies.

A Bit Much or A Bit Fun?

After checking out my friend Luke's blog (See the link on the right) I saw that he had a quote of the day and a visitor history link on his blog.
I dug 'em.
I stole 'em.
Don't tell him.

I'm getting a little carried away.

What do you think? Too cluttered? I know that I am a minimalist, but I think they are groovy. Toss me a comment.

Just A Thought

"Redemption does not equal perfection. Instead it is just a step in the right direction."
-John Mc.


I thought of that after watching "Black Snake Moan." It would be a better film without the constant boob shots from Christina Ricci. (Not saying that I wouldn't have minded in a different circumstance. Just it wasn't necessary here to move the story.) However, it is a very unique take on redemption.


If you don't mind boobs and cursing, give it a shot.

8/20/2008

He Is Really Good At Killing

Ok. One more ridiculous link for the list on the right. AskANinja.com cracks me up EVERY time I see one of them. There are close to a hundred episodes of some guy with a fake gravely voice (No, not the new Batman!) in bad ninja pajamas answering viewers questions and threatening them with death.

What could be better? A close second is the Angry Nintendo Nerd. I will let you look him up on YouTube. If you have ever played the original Nintendo, I highly recommend checking his monologues out. Especially the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles rant. Brilliant.

Should you wish to venture into the always scary world of Ninjas, click the picture below or the link on the right. He looks forward to killing your shortly.


Post Secret

It has been a long time over-due, but I have adjusted the links to the right of my page. Got rid of some old blogs and that Homestar Runner link. (Even though I will never toss out my key chain!) I have also added a link that nearly everyone knows about "Post Secret." I have mentioned it before, but never got around to putting a link up to the right.
If you haven't heard of it, you are in the dark. Essentially, people anonymously send in their postcards and this guy scans them and tosses them online. You are able to check back every Sunday for new postings. It is an interesting look into the secret lives of those who share this planet with you. It is like some huge sociology experiment. I dig it. I know you will too.


A Slight Lapse In Judgement

I just realized that I set that up to auto post. I hope that I make it home from work ok, otherwise that will be a rather gruesome post. Sorry about that. Expect more to auto post by 9am tomorrow. Check back soon, check back often.

Air Bags For D-Bags

There are a lot of F-in' Douche Bag drivers in Chicago. A LOT.



Along with an IQ test for a licence, they should have a D-Bag quotient. Should you score more than an ounce of Douche Baggieness, yer out for a year.



Douche Bags!

Football Is In The Air - ALREADY!!!

Not many students are registering today. Actually, I've been here since 9am and haven't seen one. It would be a waste of my time if I weren't getting paid to do it... and I didn't bring my Fantasy Football book.
I'm going through it learning of the trades that occurred since the Super Bowl, the analysis of each team, of each position, of each player. Who's good? Who's faltering? Who is getting way more hype than they deserve? Who's injured? Who's running back by committee?
There is so much. So much information and so much potential. Each roster sits empty right now. It is all about how to maneuver my picks amongst those who I've been playing with for 5-6 years now. They know me. I know them. How will I switch up my personality to toss them off? it is like I'm going under cover to loot the entire league out of what they hold dear while they feel they still have gold amongst the scraps that I have left them. Suckers!
Since I'm pretty sure that they have no idea about this blog, I will let you in on my strategy. I'm sure that if you are involved in a league as well, you will find this information extremely valuable. (Much like every other post in this blog!)
First, we work with an auction draft. This is a VERY unique way of drafting. Normally everyone goes in turn and then the order is reversed for the next round and so forth. (This is known as a Snake Draft. This is MUCH more common.) However, in an auction draft, each team is given an imaginary $100. A name is tossed out (Let's say Rex Grossman) and the bidding begins. $1 is offered by one team. $2 by another until we get to $5. Players worth more than Grossman (I know, it is hard to believe that there are players that could fetch more than Grossman!) have been known to fetch as much as $30, $35 or even $40.
Now, keep in mind, you only have $100 to play with. Should you spend $40 on one player, you have only $60 left to draft the rest of your team. We play with 2 QB's, 4 RB's, 4 WR's, 2 TE's and 2 K's.
Now, here is the secret of the auction draft. It is risky, but I worked it well last year. When it is your time to bid, don't bid for who you want, go down the list a little. Pick the guy 8th or 10th on your list. Especially after a few rounds, some teams will have lost track of who is picked and who hasn't been. They will feel that this is one of the better players remaining and will begin a bidding war for someone who may lack the talent of your guy in the 3rd spot on your list who is still available. You got someone to spend WAY too much money on a guy they shouldn't have bid on. It is then that I can sneak in and take the better players for less money. It will be like a buy one, get one free deal.
Some of you may have already seen the inherent flaw in this logic. Should you toss out a player that everyone knows is a bust or if everyone is paying attention and awaiting the player that is in your 3rd spot, then you will be stuck bidding on someone you don't even want. With this risky move you may fill up your roster with 2nd string losers in hopes of playing your fellow opponents well.
Right now, as if I were studying for a final exam, I'm taking the whole book and taking notes. I will then take notes of those notes until it is all on one page. After I put my own thoughts into the mix, I will have my top 30 players for each position. Then I will make a separate list of "Sleepers." These are players who may or may not be a good selection. No one is sure what they will accomplish, but they have potential for greatness. At the very least, they will make decent back-ups for when one of my other players is on a bye week. It is then that I will make one final list. These are the MW's. Or Money Wasters. These are players who are undeserving of the hype that the sports outlets are giving them. They also hold the same rank as players who were once good, but are on the down-side of the hill. (That final group is golden. Many other teams hold a ridiculous emotional attachment to these guys because two years ago they helped them get to the fake Super Bowl that we have.)
With this risky game-plan for the draft, I was able to make it to the fake Super Bowl (I know that if I didn't put "fake" there, you would have thought I was Eli Manning) last year and hope to start a dynasty with a repeat this year. I will keep you updated. I'm sure that you are on the edge of your seat.

8/19/2008

Elizabites In The Second City

As you may know, I went to Second City over the summer. Took a class there and met some great folks... and some decent ones.

One of these folks is Liz Grossman (No relation to Rex. I already checked.)

She has a blog that discusses food in Chicagoland (Mainly Red Velvet Cupcakes. Why? I have no idea.) as well as doors and floors.

Yup. Mystery doors. What blog doesn't?


Check her out when you have the chance. Click on the picture below or select her blog from the options on the right.



Registration

Well, I'm sitting here at the college I teach at registering students. It is a process that the college has made MUCH more difficult than it needs to be. Hell, it can ALL be done online, yet students are still coming in here to sign up for classes.
What is aggravating me right now is that my new courses are not full yet. My original course filled up with just online students. That is great. It shows that it will be a class of non-slackers. However, the remaining class that I'm going to teach (Intro to Radio) only has one student as we speak. Without ten students it will not be taught. Thus, it will be cancelled and I will be out the money for that one.
Because my first class was filled before registration, a last minute push (at my recommendation) went through to put a second class on the schedule. This one is filling up slowly, but surely. However, just as with the Intro to Radio class, without ten students it will be cancelled.
So, I'm pushing the hell out of these classes to get them filled. A friend of mine asked if this was ethical. I'm assuming it is. They are required classes for department I'm in. Why not push them? Granted, there are personal reasons behind it, but I'm not giving them something they don't want and/or need.
What isn't helping is that the lady next to me is recomending they take another Math course instead of focusing on our department, like she should be! What the crap?!
The Visual Arts department is next to me and this guy loves to talk about himself and his knowledge of the field. Good. Great. No one cares. People want to get registered and then get lunch. They don't care about the Chinese influence on the medium over the next five years.
On a HUGE side-note, my Internet connection is touch-and-go. But, expect much more posts over the next week.
I will tell you of The White Sox game, my birthday, my cousin's wedding, Free Credit Report, ducks, a wack-job at one of my weddings and other stuff. So, stay tuned. It will all be up by Friday... hopefully.

8/01/2008

A New Course For My Life

I'm not sure if I mentioned this or not, but I will give you the back story, just incase. I went to my boss at the college I teach at and asked him if we had any classes that dealt with Radio Station Management. He thought for a moment and told me that we didn't. I informed him on how important that would be to the radio program. He agreed and told me to write up the 16 week course over the weekend so it can go through the approval process for fall.
He gave me a "Intro To Radio Formats" class outline and told me to include that. I merged the two courses and added a little history and lessons on the different aspects of the radio industry such as promotions, sales and on-air work and turned the class into "Intro To Radio." I submitted it for approval at the end of April and hadn't heard anything else about it.
I contacted the school last week and asked them what was going on. Classes start up at the end of next month and I still hadn't heard the results of the board's "approval" of my new class. My Boss's assistant/co-worker told me that it was about a 99% chance of going through. What she also let me know was that she submitted the original outline and had never seen my version. I let her know that I made "some adjustments" to the original course and hope that this would not be an issue. She informed me that it wouldn't be.
I then asked how to get the book for the class and evaluate them. She told me that she already had one selected that I will get a copy of a week before class that I can go over. This will be the backbone of my class.
Needless to say, I'm a little concerned and stressed about this upcoming course. And this is in addition to my previous class, which I plan on re-writing due to the experiences of teaching it once before. Just moving things around, adjusting the point scale and other stuff, but it is more work in addition to writing and re-writing this new course.
PLUS this is in addition to teaching a weekend course for high school students on Saturdays. This will mainly be an on-air course, but will have other elements included such as sales. They will run the college radio station like a real radio station with producers, news reporters, sales people and, of course, on-air talent. I will be doing this with one other instructor, so at least it isn't all on me. I will be VERY busy in the upcoming month putting all this together. I just need to put aside the right amount of time to get everything in line before I start up with the courses. But, it is due to these two new courses and getting paid 3 times what I was expecting to that affording all of my new stuff will become more reasonable.
Plus I have just applied to be a Marketing Director at one of the museums in Chicago. I also showed my interest in assisting with their field trips and displays. I would love for that to come through, because I would end up working very close to where I teach and it would be more money and more benefits than what I'm doing right now. If that happens, I may even be able to quit one of my other two jobs. But, I'm not turning in my two weeks just yet at either.
Wish me luck with all this new stuff. I just can't wait until all the dust settles and everything becomes more founded. But, it will be an interesting and stressful time until then. (Anyone want to write a college course for the low cost of two-three beers?)