Random Radio Rant

I'm free associating here... it's been two weeks since my last post... kinda sounds like the beginning to a confessional of the technical age... and I'm not even Catholic... anywho.

Trying to come up with a topic... the peanut is neither a pea, nor a nut... discuss.

Seriously, I'm drawing a blank. I had all these great thoughts while on my hour long commute, but now, here with my computer... nothing.

Wait, Im visualizing my drive... Why can't DJs just play music, read the traffic report, weather report, play music, play commercials, and play more music? Why do they all think they are the next Don & Mike, or Bob & Tom, or Rick Dees? Disc Jockeys, commence with the jockeying of Discs! ...or mp3s, or 8-tracks, or cassettes, really any media with something between Aerosmith and ZZTop will do. Just stop talking! If it is talk radio, I suppose you are allowed to talk, but get to the point already.

Keep it swinging.

Mysterious 33

Rolling Rock, Eddie Murray, Don Beaupre, Larry Bird, Tony Dorsett, and now me.... what do all these have in common? yep, 33...

And that is about all there is.

Of course, if all the rest of them threw down 33 Rolling Rocks, I might have a chance at being a better hockey player than Eddie, a better basketball player than Donnie B., heck I might even be able to hit more 3's than TD.

I can here it now... "Ladies and Gentlemen... Starting tonights game... The Single Greatest Chest Bumping CameraMan... Put your hands together.... Mister Brendan Haywood"

Wait, that's not me. Maybe I could be a better first baseman than Haywood. He may have better extension, but I've got patience at the plate.

Cool now... Hush, hush.

I've been tagged

OK, I'll play too... like most of you, I don't feel comfortable forwarding the pyramid of e-mails, but as a blog post... it seems to be the perfect place for these... I've actually been pondering a quiz type post similar to this for a couple of weeks, but I'll save that for another time... movin' right along.

4 Jobs I’ve had
Ice cream counter /Fry cook
Retail athletic apparel sales
State highway worker - summers in college
Producer/Editor/Videographer

4 Movies I Can Watch Over & Over
The Empire Strikes Back
Smoky and the Bandit
Slap Shot
Batman - 1966

4 TV Shows I Love To Watch
Scrubs
How I met your mother
Overhaulin'
Rides

4 Places I’ve Been On Vacation
Disney World
Sea World
Hockey Hall of Fame - Toronto
Bloomington Gold Corvette show

4 Favorite Dishes
Meatloaf
Homemade Mac & Cheese
Crab Imperial
Chicken Pesto Ravioli

4 Websites I Visit Daily
Slam Sports - better hockey info than on any US sites
WashingtonCaps.com
imdb.com
ebay

4 Places I’d Rather Be
Fairfield
the Fabulous Hog Neck Arena - "you all play hockey.... on Ice?"
Horsebridge
a hammock

later

Nonsense Ole Chum!

Thanks B.

I took the superhero quiz (http://quizfarm.com/test.php?q_id=92013), and guess who I am? Turns out they didn't have the best photo, so I decided to post this one instead.

Robin.. hand me the shark repellent Bat spray!

Blimey! an Irish Limey!

This trip down memory lane has reminded me, since Wild World commercials used to run on WDCA during WOW! and before that on the Captain 20 show, that's right... Captain 20, just like Richard Dawson, lives.



I hope you all were as lucky as I was to stumple upon the good Captain's in studio interview with Don and Mike a couple of weeks ago. As always, when the Captain is around, Count Gore DeVal isn't too far away. I found his link on the steaming show log...

http://www.captain20.com/
http://www.countgore.com/

good stuff, definately worth a look.

give all my best to Chef Combo.

The Blonde David Copperfield

I stayed home with B. the past two days, a little to sick for daycare. Anywho, I was flipping around the channels during the morning news and who do I see on the Fox 5 morning news? That's right Adventure World fans... The Blonde David Copperfield, Joe (don't call me Ray) Ramano. He was mystifying the masses with his mild mannered magical manuvers. Oh Joe, we knew you when...

Hey remember when it was Wild World? After they had gotten rid of the wild animals... before Cal was their spokesman... when Big John Studd was in all their commercials. That was back when only Disney World was cooler.

Fire up the smoke machines!! and I'll puke in the bushes... and we can all HallowScream down the tracks of the Crazy Train...

we're doomed.

Product Placement ...is Nothing Sacred?

First let me thank my wife and my sister in law for nudging me off the slacker sofa and back onto the blogger train.

Now on with the show. Product placement.

I will concede that I Do Realize that it is expensive to produce a major film, especially an animated film. But is it necessary to draw in product placement? Apparently so, I guess to get voice work from Drew Barrymore and Will Ferrell requires a little more than faith in the box office receipts. I took my son to a matinee today, two tickets to Curious George, $13.... One Medium popcorn and one medium Diet Soda, there went the credit card. You know the rest... Priceless.

Here we go, we found a nice seat, sat down to share our popcorn and soda... on with the previews. It was nice, no commercials for things that aren't sold at the snack booth like Mac and Cheese, or Mercury Cougars, or Madden 2009. Just simple ordinary coming attractions.

On with show... "look Daddy Curious George! He's silly!, Curious George is pretty cool Daddy! I want to see it again Daddy!"

Well I don't want to give away any plot points here... so

[Spoiler Alert! Do not read any further if you don't want to know what happens until you get a chance to see it yourself.]

On the cargo ship George knocks over several crates of fresh fruit... DOLE fruit.

Later, when the Man in the Yellow Hat rushes to rescue George before he is sent back to the jungle, he speeds off in a Volkswagon (I guess he was obeying His own Speed).

The funny thing is that these two product logos were drawn with a much higher level of detail than the backgrounds and even the characters. That is the thing that kind of irked me... I'll allow the space for marketing, and I know it didn't mean a hill of beans to the kids in the theatre whether it was Dole or Green Giant, Volkswagen or Ford (although my son would probably recognized if it had been an Explorer), but draw your "subliminal" advertising in the same fashion as the rest of the film, thats all I'm saying. Other wise fade to black cue a real commercial and then return to flick.

Eaze on down... Eaze on down the road....

Inspiration vs. Motivation

Ever have one or the other, but not both at the same time? That is the quandry that has kept me from posting the last few weeks. "Aha... Eureka! I have a great idea! but... i don't feel like sitting in front of the computer right now", OR... "when I get home I HAVE to post my thoughts on this..."

and then the other side.... "wow, I haven't posted in a while... I really should post something... hmmmmmm, but what? Oh, maybe this..... nah, too boring..... or that, nah, no one would get it, or I'd have type the whole back story.... ah forget it.... maybe tomorrow...."

But when those two orbiting forces align, look out... its gold Jerry!

Unfortunately.... this is not one of those times... And I think, that is what keeps most of our society, or at least me, from reaching our, my, full potential.

I really should do this... but I don't know where to start... or that'll take too long... any of these sound familiar?

I lost my train of thought.... I love trains, I would love to set up my old train set... if only I had the time, or the space... Oh there it is, circled back into the station.

Motivation vs. Inspiration.

Is there any way to unite these awesome forces? form of ... a giraffe... form of ... an ice bridge.... nah, thats been done

oh, no my peanut butter is on your chocolate..... but isn't your chocolate really in my peanut butter?

Pudding.... or Popsicles? how about both!

Oh well, enough of that...

Random thought... does anyone else think that Ford missed out on something this year by not resurrecting the Torino nameplate? My uncle had one, it was an early 70s model, two doors, as I recall it was a sort of root beer color, with a tan top... I miss that car.

Later.

My friend Killer recently posted his reflection on what is wrong with youth sports... Parents... while I agree, I think there is even more to it than unruly parents, passive parents can be just as bad.

I know I'm getting dangerously close to a rant here, but it is the media's fault too. Just like their own parents and coaches, kids emulate their heros. Remember how we all used to be Eddie Murray on the playground (positive), or put our siblings in a figure four leg lock because we had seen Ric (Wooo) Flair do the same thing Saturday (negative) morning between the Superfriends and the Kung Fu feature. Well, now in addition to the 25 hours a day of DunkCenter, er Sports Center, we have video games where even the tame 'E for everyone' sports games have showboating, and mid game fights... why, because WE can't get enough of it. The media should use some discretion, yes, but if the public wants something, some media outlet will gladly serve it up. Whether it be highlights of an NBA zero, er hero choking his coach or refusing a trade.... or MAN vs. Beast on FOX...etc.

Also, there is our ridiculous need (as a society) for instant gratification (fueled in large part by the media)... we don't want to work or study, we just want to rain 3's, slam dunk, hit 75 out of the park, do our little Homer Simpson endzone dance (without thanking the quarterback, linemen, blockers, coaches, etc.)... whatever to get our endorsement deal, so we can feed our kids like Patrick Ewing, or have 'the basic necessities of life'... pimped out rides on fly dubs, rolling with the booming system, or a crib that would be the envy of the MTV set.

We're all guilty... we're all rubberneckers straining to see the trainwreck... who of us hasn't looked up from the newspaper when there is a hockey fight? Who of us hasn't thrown the TV Guide or the remote across the room when the Caps squandered a 3 games to 1 lead in the playoffs? Or screamed at the players on TV to 'kill' their opponent? I'm ranting.

My point is this... my junior high (you kids call it 'middle' school now) principal had the best philosophy, I'll paraphrase...We all need to first GOVERN OURSELVES ACCORDINGLY.

So lets 'vote with the remote' if you will. Now that I have one child and another on the way, I have been working on controling my temper and my language... I am also trying to filter the content that comes into my home. We watch television as a family, although most of the time it is Disney DVDs, we still watch Bryan's favorite show, (although its not the same without J. Peterman). If a promo for a violent or creepy show or movie comes on and my son is in the room, I change the channel... or distract him if I can't grab the remote.

There I go again, try to give two cents and drop the whole piggy bank.

Peace out.

This is only a test blog, I'm new to this venue. Hopefully I'll be able to type... right down to earth, in language that everyone can easily understand. But if you can't understand what I'm saying, I'll translate: Remember to drink your Ovaltine. or, we're going to need a bigger boat. or, I pity the fool. or, when your hot, your hot... when your not, your not. (now try and get that song out of your brain)... well, as the Frugal Gourmet once said on PBS... "I bid you peace"