taawd's thoughts

Foursquare In Action

2011-06-24T11:29:00.001-04:00

So just how cool is Foursquare? I was in a different city (San Francisco), checked in at an Apple Store and discovered one of my "friends" was in the area. Rob Campbell (@tribetalk) handles social media among other things for the Cleveland Indians. He checked in at a restaurant and popped up on my map. My quandary: should I stop by the restaurant and say hello? I didn't give it much thought. After making a quick trip around the bar, I decided to venture into the restaurant area with hopes I wouldn't interrupt his meal. If he was eating, I'd just keep walking. Luckily, he was seated in a booth with two friends who appeared to be paying the check. I had to say hello. Given the potential for awkwardness, I made my greeting short and headed off do some sightseeing at the Golden Gate Bridge. So forget points, mayorships and the leaderboard, this was one of my first real social uses of Foursquare. I did apologize for dropping by the restaurant unexpectedly. Rob (being the good guy that he is) tweeted me back saying he was just telling his two friends about Twitter and Foursquare. I'm glad to have helped him make the point about the power of social media.

Where Will You Buy Your iPad 2?

2011-03-07T12:40:00.004-05:00

Photo credit: Apple

Just four days and counting until the launch of the iPad 2. Since Apple has given very little specifics about where you can actually buy the device, many people are wondering just how they will get their hands on one.

Via their website, Apple lists two ways of buying an iPad 2. One of them involves a visit to one of their retail stores and an unimplied long wait for the device. The other option is purchasing your new iPad online. Since there is no ability to pre-order, this is not an option for people who want to get their hands on an iPad 2 on Friday. According to 9to5mac.com, Apple will begin online sales at 12:01am PST.

Online reports say Best Buy, Target, Sam's Club and Walmart are all getting in on the action. However, there seems to be some concern that not all models will be available at all stores. So if you don't want to wait in a line on Friday outside of an Apple store, there may be some other options.

What is your strategy for getting your hands on an iPad 2 this Friday? What are your considerations for purchasing one? Will you go with 16GB + WiFi? I'd love to hear your thoughts about why you are choosing one model over another.

Cleveland Is Rockin'!

2011-02-09T10:29:00.009-05:00

This morning, Tony Coyne, Chairman of the Cleveland Planning Commission and Felton Thomas, Jr., the Director of the Cleveland Public Library joined WMJI’s Lanigan & Malone show to talk about what's happening and what's ahead in downtown Cleveland.

Around $2 billion dollars will be pumped into the local economy through the development of the Medical Mart, Convention Center, East Bank of the Flats and Caesar's Casino. All of these projects must factor into a master plan of growing interest in downtown Cleveland.

"We’re not talking about planning, we’re seeing shovels in the ground," said Coyne.

The first phase of the casino project is in the Higbee Building and is already underway. The second phase will be on the Cuyahoga River and is estimated to begin in two years. As part of the development, Coyne said planners will pay attention to the dynamic of Public Square.

The first phase of the 300,000 square feet project will take place across four floors of the Higbee Building. "It will start out with about 1,600 jobs," said Coyne. "You’re looking at $300 million dollars in restoring the exterior of the building and respectfully treating the interior because of the old Higbee that we know and love." He says he estimates the casino will bring several million people downtown that otherwise wouldn’t be there.

View Larger Map

Work on the Medical Mart and the new convention center will dramatically change downtown. Coyne said the Malls in downtown Cleveland do not currently get a lot of use because of how the buildings around the different areas are built. Most of them are government buildings and do not directly face any of the Malls. Coyne says that through this new development planners are trying to change that accessibility.

All of this development is a positive step forward but Coyne adds that "getting people to live downtown may be one of the most important things that we can do with having good public space, parks and recreational amenities which you don’t have in downtown right now," Coyne said, "you won’t get retail downtown until you have a certain population living downtown."

He says statistics show that every person that works downtown creates one square foot of retail space. Coyne adds if you live downtown, you add 10 to 20 square feet of retail space.

Thomas, who moved here from Las Vegas to take a job at the Cleveland Public Library, told Lanigan that he took the job partially because he liked the town after seeing it during his interview. Lanigan asked if he’d heard the jokes about the city. "I actually heard more of that from Clevelanders than anywhere else." Thomas said. "We’re hardest on ourselves and we have to get over that." added Coyne.

Thomas says planners are working with various organizations like The Cleveland Professional 20/30 Club. “One of the things that they want is a connection of downtown.” He says that they are looking for something to connect West Sixth Street to the East Fourth Street neighborhoods.

This time, I think we can believe that Cleveland is rockin' and simply not dreamin'. What do you think? I'd like to hear your thoughts.

You can hear the entire interview on WMJI by downloading the podcast.

Mom's Sugar Cookies

2010-12-05T12:21:00.000-05:00

Cookie Ingredients

1 cup of butter or margarine
1 1/8 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon vanilla
2 Eggs
2 tablespoons milk
3 cups of flour

2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

Thoroughly cream shortening, sugar and vanilla. Add eggs. Beat until light and fluffy. Sift dry ingredients together. Blend milk into creamed mixture. Add dry ingredients. Mix. Divide dough in half. Chill 1 hour

On lightly floured surface roll to 1/4 inch thick. Cut into shapes. Bake on greased cookie sheet at 375° for 6-8 minutes. Cool slightly and remove from pan

(Makes about 3 dozen)

Icing

1/2 stick of butter
1 pound of powdered sugar
1 teaspoon of lemon flavoring
splash of milk

Enjoy!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-25T08:05:00.000-05:00

It's easy to think about all of the things we have going wrong in our lives and overlook the things that are going right. Today, reflect on the positive! It's sure to put a smile on your face or a tear of joy in your eye..

My Life Without Twitter

2010-10-25T10:35:00.002-04:00

As a heavy social media user, you can imagine what life's been like for me since my Twitter account has become problematic. I can't log into the website because it gives me the "fail whale". I can't access Twitter through my phone because it gives me a "Bad Gateway" or "Service Unavailable" error. Luckily, only by using Tweetdeck can I see what other people are saying. I can only see the "All Friends" feed from the time I launched Tweetdeck. I can see my "Mentions" and "Direct Messages" columns everywhere.

I've alerted Twitter about the problem. It appears that I am not the only person with this issue. At last check, some 62 pages of complaints are logged from people who are experiencing a similar situation.

This morning, my trouble report that I filed with Twitter was updated to "This request is currently being processed by our staff. Hopefully, that's a good sign that a resolution will be quick.

Say a prayer, send good vibes, I'd like my Twitter back.

Jack Johnson Setlist

2010-07-22T22:07:00.002-04:00

Here's the setlist from the Jack Johnson Concert on July 21, 2010 at Blossom Music Center in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio.

You and Your Heart
If I Had Eyes
Taylor
Sitting, Waiting, Wishing
To the Sea Go On
Upside Down
Red Wine, Mistakes, Mythology
Bubble Toes
Wasting Time
Breakdown
My Little Girl
Turn Your Love
Country Road (Paula Fuga cover)
Flake
The Joker (Steve Miller Band cover)
Banana Pancakes
Mudfootball
Rodeo Clowns (G. Love & Special Sauce cover)
Staple It Together
At or With Me
Do You Remember
Home
Angel
Times Like These
Better Together

Opening Acts:

ALO (Animal Liberation Orchestra)

G. Love (acoustic)

The SPF Lesson

2010-07-06T08:16:00.000-04:00

Just for starters, I'm not sunburnt. But after years of letting the sun beat down on my body and leaving me painfully red, I've really started to embrace the lesson of applying sunscreen.

I spent a considerable amount of time outside yesterday. It was hot. It was humid. For me, it was unbearable. I'm not a fan of the heat. No, not at all. Before I learned my lesson, I would have spent the day outside sans SPF. So far this year, I haven't had to endure the pain of sunburn. Knock on wood.

There's another lesson I have to learn: wearing gloves. If you're going to do a lot of shoveling, wear gloves. Before my SPF lesson, I may have gotten a blister or two from a bad sunburn. Now, I have blisters from some heavy lifting. I guess it's a lot of living and learning.

Learn from my lesson and skip the pain, wear sunscreen and gloves, too!

Technically Troubled

2010-06-30T11:27:00.001-04:00

There are days when technology makes your life so much easier. Yesterday wasn't one of them.

Things aren't good when your computer and phone decide to go down the tube at the same time. The devices weren't mine but I spent the better part of yesterday trying to fix them.

After failing to fix the problem last night, I woke up today to try again. A call to Dell helped me identify the problem with the laptop. The hard drive is bad. FedEx will be delivering a new one on Friday. A quick shout-out to Dell. The phone representative was in India and was very helpful with the problem. We even had a conversation about the weather there and here. I was pleased with his knowledge and service.

The phone went to the Sprint store. The technicians couldn't fix it. Instead, a new HTC Hero will be delivered tomorrow.

When you use your phone and your computer for work, it makes it difficult to get anything done. It's not a fun process. We have one computer still working. Cross your fingers that one doesn't become a victim of a technical gremlin, too!

Sunday Night Sky

2010-06-27T22:16:00.001-04:00

After some big thunderstorms rolled through our area, this is how the sky looked at sunset. No, I didn't do any photoshopping. This picture accurately shows the color of the sky. It was strange to see. I wanted to share with everyone.

Buying Local

2010-06-25T09:16:00.002-04:00

Just how much do you love Cleveland? Could you see yourself changing your habits to help out the economy and local businesses? I'm going to to do that during the week of July 3rd through the 10th as part of Buy Local Week.

If you've read my blog in the past, you know I'm a big fan of Northeast Ohio. I grew up in northern Wayne County but spent five long years living in other parts of the country. I came back to this area because it had everything I wanted. Now, I want to continue doing my part to see this place flourish.

Someone recently tipped me off to Buy Local Week. It's an attempt to keep more of the money we earn here in our area. So, how do you do that? Skip that fast food restaurant and eat at a locally owned business. I'm happy to have a meal in Kamm's Corners at Si Señor, P.J. McIntyre's, Backstage Bar, West Park Station or Panini's. Try some Kamm's Lager. It's brewed by Thirsty Dog Brewing Company in Akron. While we're on the subject of Kamm's Corners, if you haven't stopped by the Farmers Market on Sundays, you should definitely check it out. Instead of stopping at a Starbucks for a cup of java, check out the local coffee shop. I have to recommend Savor The Moment on Rocky River Drive. It's an experience.

Supporting an artist from Northeast Ohio is also a good way to buy local. This week, we enjoyed a beautiful night at Cain Park in Cleveland Heights, listening to the sounds of Robin Stone. Instead of staying on Cleveland's west side, we crossed over to the other side of the Cuyahoga River to support someone else's neighborhood and experience something different.

Get the kids involved, too but skip Chuck E. Cheese this time. Look for a summer carnival or street festival in your area whose proceeds will benefit a local organization. They'll probably have kids activities, face painting, food and more fun. It'll get the kids outside for some fresh air and Vitamin D, too. Don't forget the sunscreen!

Here's your chance to experience Cleveland, patronize some local merchants, and keep your money here in our area. The folks at COSE have some suggestions for you. Check them out.

Good luck,

(Here's a quick add to this post. When Lowe's and Home Depot didn't have the bricks I wanted, I found them at a locally-owned business. Ideal Builders Supply and Fuel came through. My front sidewalk looks great again.) Guess I should have tried the local guy first!

Malley's Story

2010-05-18T17:08:00.007-04:00

[as told with lots of help by Katie]

Adding a cat to the household took a lot of thought. Okay, it was an impulsive decision.

Before we headed to the Cleveland APL, we looked online to see what cats were ready for adoption. We quickly knew it wasn't the cat that looked like it was hissing at the camera. We found a couple of options on the website and went to the facility.

We looked at a bunch of different cats. There was some disappointment that the APL didn't have any very little kitties. We found one little cat that was only 8 months old. The little animal was very skinny. The APL person told us that the cat was found on the street. We decided to take the kitty home with us and give her some food.

When we got her home, she looked around the house searching for a place to call her own. She decided that one of the chairs at the kitchen table was one of her spots. The other spot was a chair in the computer room.

We couldn't believe how much she liked to be held. She didn't want to leave our laps. We were a little sad because she kept sneezing. After a couple of days, we decided to take her to the animal hospital. The vet told us she was very sick. They decided that they needed to keep her for a couple days. When we went back to get her, she was a lot better. We had to give her some medicine to help her keep getting stronger. After a couple of days, she became more healthy and started being more playful. We spent some money to help her get better but think it was worth it.

Now, Malley likes to play with her scratching post. She also really enjoys our neighbor's plastic ball that was accidentally left at the house. Malley is also now eating her food a lot more. She likes to play under the bed and attack people's feet. She knows how to bite when she's playing without it hurting. When we go upstairs, she always follows us. She likes to race us to the top.

She didn't like Pounce Seafood moist treats but likes Friskies Natural Sensations chicken flavor. We wonder if it's the seafood or the moist treats that she doesn't like.

Right now, Malley is sleeping on the chair in the computer room. We're glad she calls our house, home. By the way, Malley was the one who was hissing at the camera. She's never hissed at us.
&

The Hooley Lives Up To Its Name

2010-05-16T08:03:00.014-04:00

The idea of a ribbon cutting ceremony was not enough to mark the completion of a streetscape beautification project. Steve Lorenz, Executive Director of the Kamm's Corners Development Corporation, along with the board and staff, decided to start a new tradition, The Hooley.

For hours, police shut down a section of Lorain Avenue while thousands of people enjoyed the Cleveland Police Pipes and Drums, the Brady Campbell Irish Dancers, bands and other performers. Tents by local businesses lined the street. You could smell the food from blocks away.

Clevelanders never need a reason to get together to have fun. The Hooley was designed to entertain the entire family. Lorenz, his board and staff have a reason to feel that they accomplished that goal. As far as I'm concerned, The Hooley was a big success. The weather even cooperated. I'm sure there are a lot of people with sunburns today.

The Hooley also marked the debut of the new Kamm's Lager. The beer will only be sold at area nine businesses. Each of them have a customed tap handle resembling the Kamm's Corners' clock. I'm sure the hands don't show five o'clock by mistake.

A horse-drawn carriage delivered kegs of the brew down Lorain Road to the establishments. Thirsty Dog Brewing Company in Akron crafted the beer. Apparently, they did a good job because it sold out in many locations during the festival. The beer wasn't the only sell-out. Green t-shirts with The Hooley logo were also in high demand.

During our time at the festival, we ate at the Backstage Bar. I'll wager it has some of the best cuisine in Kamm's Corners. Try the Potato Soup!

The Hooley is to become an annual tradition. This year's festival set the bar fairly high.

RiverSweep 2010

2010-05-07T08:16:00.004-04:00

Click on the picture above to find out more about Ohio Canal Corridor's RiverSweep 2010. It's Saturday. Start your morning off by cleaning up Cleveland. It's fun for the entire family!

A Sad Day!

2010-05-06T08:37:00.015-04:00

I don't know if I'm breaking this news but...

I hear that Rock Bottom is closing in the Flats. Yes, it is one of my favorite establishments in Cleveland.

It was special to me for so many reasons.

First, you couldn't ask for a better staff. I felt like I became an honorary employee.

When I didn't feel like cooking, I'd make the short walk over to the restaurant for some food.

It was the first place I met my girlfriend.

I took my friends to the Rock. I also met new friends there.

Ah, table #241!

One of my proudest moments - my name on the Rock Bottom barrel.

I can't say enough about the coupons and the free gifts I got by having the Mug Club Card.

Sadly, I'm probably among the reasons the restaurant is closing down. I don't get to frequent the Rock as much as I once did. I hear the last day is May 30th.

Here are some taawd.com memories.

So sad to see you go, Rock Bottom!

Is Foursquare The Next Big Thing?

2010-04-13T15:07:00.012-04:00

With smartphones everywhere and the interest in social media increasing, Foursquare could be the next big thing. I've been using it for a couple of months now. Already, it's easy to see the different ways it could benefit people and businesses.

Foursquare is a geo-social application that works with the GPS in your smartphone. When a user visits a location they have the ability to check-in and are rewarded with points. Each week, you compete against your friends to top the leaderboard. As you continue to check-in, you are given badges. They show your overall activity on Foursquare.

The other key component is the Mayorship. The more you check-in to one location, the more chances you have to become the mayor of the establishment. People who become mayors of different places take great pride in doing so and are usually not happy to let them go. Of course for other people, the idea is to become the new mayor and oust the current one.

At the very basic form, Foursquare is a way for friends to tell friends where they are located. If a friend is at a restaurant and you're in the area, you could jump on Foursquare and get that information.

I believe the marketing ramifications for the business world are endless. A local restaurant, Greenhouse Tavern is jumping on the Foursquare bandwagon. It's giving its employee discount to its Foursquare Mayor.

Starbucks is already involved in Foursquare and it's not the only business that's getting hip. Just the other day, I saw this pop-up on my iPhone when I checked in at a Panera Bread. A yellow box flashed up on my screen to alert me of a new deal that Carrabba's Italian Grill was offering. As you can see if you prove that you're the Mayor of the restaurant, they'll give you a complimentary dessert. It's not as involved as giving your customer an employee discount but it's just the start of what companies are starting to do for their repeat customers.

So how has Foursquare changed my habits? I'm now checking in a lot. I see that a lot of people end up in the same locations in town. We're all fighting for the mayorships of some of the most popular places in the Cleveland area. I have to admit going somewhere and buying an ice cream cone just so I could check-in. By the way, I'm mayor of that location now. Ironically, I can not claim a mayorship at any fitness locations at this moment. You must keep checking into those locations to gain mayorships or at least once.

I'm looking forward to see where Foursquare goes from here.

Dance With Me

2010-03-27T02:38:00.001-04:00

What can I say, I like to dance!

When everyone else was doing their homework in high school, I had mine finished and had the tunes cranked for dancing. I'd watch my body in the living room picture window and my feet's reflection in the fireplace glass doors.

I never thought dancing was hard but so many people make it that way. Johnny Cash sang "get rhythm" and that's all you need to do. It's finding that beat that's so tough.

Weddings are my place to show off. Give me a little Rob Base and I can't pass up the dance floor.

I don't have a problem saying I'm a good dancer, I've been told. It's in my blood. My parents developed their own line dance and have no shame showing it off.

Word of my dance awesomeness makes its way around and I get requests to just cut a rug. That never happens. It's like tellling a comedian to be funny and make you laugh.

So if you're lucky maybe you'll see me break it down once and your reaction will be the same, "man, that boy can dance."

Goodbye Sterling Elementary

2010-03-14T10:14:00.017-04:00

I got up early on my Saturday after suffering a nice headache during the overnight hours. I wanted to make the trek down to Wayne County to see my elementary school for the last time. The 8am wake-up call wasn't a welcomed one. I knew if I did not force myself to show up for the auction they held, I'd regret it.

Our family has a lot of connections to the building. My grandparents both attended the classes there when it wasn't just an elementary school. My mother attended elementary school there as did my sister and me. My mother even worked there.

The turnout for the auction was apparently good even with the weather being a little less than desirable. The rain, drizzle and colder temperatures may have kept some people sitting at home.

I knew I had to remember my camera for the occasion. I wanted to get some last shots of the place because the wrecking crew came to town to bring the building down.

The school has gone through some changes over the years. The district decided to put another classroom on the front of the building. They also added a place for kindergarten and space for an art room. Other than those additions, the building hasn't seen a lot of remodeling over the years.

I didn't attend kindergarten at the school. Instead, classes were held down the street in the United Methodist Church basement.

My first grade teacher was Mrs. Welday. I don't have a lot of memories from that first year but I'll never forget Stephen Bates and me playing Star Wars on the step in the classroom. We both had Stormtroopers and we had a fight over whose was whose. Mrs. Welday promptly came over to the step and took both of them away. Certainly, it was a lesson learned. I took a picture of the step and the classroom. You'll see Mrs. Welday (now Bise) in another photo talking.

The room was on the end of southeast side of the building. I assume the steps were once used as away to get outside. I just remember the teachers opening them during the fall and the spring to increase the airflow through the rooms. There isn't any air conditioning in the building and sometimes the place could get warm depending on the outside temperature.

My second grade room later became the room where I attended some of the classes for sixth grade. Mrs. Elzroth taught that grade. It was basically directly above my first grade classroom.

The blackboards you see at the front of the room would be where Mrs. Smith would write endless notes for us to write down in our journals about whatever subject she was teaching. I know everyone had writing cramps from trying to stay up with her pace. I can remember her being two boards ahead of me and needing to copy some of the notes from someone else.

During the second grade, I think I spent a lot of time on the opposite side of the building on the sick cot. You can see the space in the picture where the cot was, just above the stairs. I think my "sickness" was my way to get out of school. My aversion from education had nothing to do with Mrs. Elzroth. It had more to do with just being able to stay home and watch TV, I think.

We were one of the first classes to use a new room that was built in the front of the school. Mrs. Glessner, I think, was proud to have that as her room. It smelled like freshly laid carpet. It actually had carpet. Few other rooms in the place got that treatment. It also didn't have the old slate looking chalkboards. It was a lot warmer than anywhere else in the building. Mrs. Glessner had an old bathtub that was covered in carpeting. I wonder if she still has it or where it went. It's almost difficult figuring out which classrooms are which with all of the chairs, desks and cabinets being gone.

Just across from my first grade class was where Mrs. Renninger's fourth grade classes were held. It had a step just like the first grade room. I remember switching to other classrooms during that year but I only think I had one other teacher, Mr. Forrer. I know I've written this in a past post but Mrs. Renninger's lasting impression on me was reading "The Great Brain" series of books to us after recess. Mrs. Renninger wasn't necessarily happy with my fidgeting. I apparently excelled at that during my fourth grade year.

Fifth grade took me upstairs and to the opposite side of the building to a room just on the other side of the sick cot. I was happy to have Mrs. Elzroth teaching my class again. She liked me and I liked her. We also got to change classrooms again to Mr. Ocepek's room that was across the hallway. I got to talk to him yesterday and he's changed a little bit but after a few words, you could certainly tell who it was. He talked about his poking sticks that would motivate kids when they weren't listening or otherwise disengaged.

I didn't have to go far for sixth grade, it was just one room down from my fifth grade classroom. Mrs. Carpenter taught the class. I believe it was one of the biggest rooms of the school. I wonder what it was back when the school had kids attending high school there. The room was next door to the office. A reason to behave and listen. Mrs. Carpenter had a reputation as being strict. I don't remember a lot of kids getting out of line back in her classroom.

I didn't get to spend a lot of the time during the auction in the rooms. A lot of people crowded the place looking, hopefully to take home some memories from the school. I did snap some shots of the lunchroom, the kitchen, music room, the speech room along with a couple other pictures I couldn't pass up getting a snapshot.

The building served three generations of my family well. Soon, the demolition crews will come in and have their way. A park will be built on the property.

Not anymore...

So long, Sterling Elementary...

Ping! Clipper Conundrum

2010-02-23T15:08:00.004-05:00

Let's just agree that we all have our little idiosyncrasies. Some of us have more than others.

I always carry fingernail clippers. I've become loyal to the Trim brand over the years. The cut is even and your clippings don't shoot across the room. You can also use them for many other things. I'm sure MacGyver has a pair of them in his pocket too. I'm not so sure about MacGruber.

At any rate, like many other people, I'm occasionally prone to losing things. Not as much as other people I know, no names of course, because I don't want to end up in the dog house.

After losing a pair of fingernail clippers (why do we say pair?) I bought some new ones. Problem was, they didn't live up to the old ones. They didn't cut as evenly. People, especially friends and loved ones, found themselves in the danger zone when my fingernails got too long.

I couldn't have this!

I took matters into my own hands and called the W. E. Bassett Company. I'm not opposed to calling a company, especially if I'm loyal to their product. The people told me the clippers aren't made in the U.S.A. anymore. Turns out they are now made in China. All you have to do is check the clippers. They say "China" as opposed to "USA".

The nice people at Trim took my complaint and mailed me out three new pairs of American-made clippers. I'm glad they had some extras. Here's hoping they get more customers' complaints and bring the work back home where people really know how to manufacture fingernail clippers.

Here's the best news, now no one has to dodge my clippings anymore!

Some Customer Service...

2010-02-05T16:00:00.002-05:00

I'm a Target shopper, that you know if you know me.

I think SNL's skit about the Target Lady is hilarious and I could watch each of them over and over.

I wonder if it's art imitating life or the opposite.

At our local Target, we avoid one of the cashiers because let's say she's a little strange.

Here was the conversation overheard there:

Elderly shopper: "Thank you for all of your help loading my bags into my cart."

Cashier: "Well, I kind of have to, it's my job..."

Customer: "We don't want to buy this, I think it's broken, can I leave it with you?"

Cashier: "Well, you kind of have to, if it's broken, what else would you do with it?"

Cashier: "Have a nice day."

Customer: "Oh, now I kind of have to because you told me so."

Okay, the last interaction may not have happened but it should have.

We normally avoid her aisle because you never know what she's going to say. I'm a little afraid she might bite.

Here's another story of "the customer's always right but this time from AutoZone:

(I thought I'd include the link but then thought why should I give them potential business)

Me: "I need to return my windshield wiper that I bought here because it doesn't work correctly. It's not hitting the windshield properly."

Salesman: "Is it a winter blade?"

Me: "I don't know..."

Salesman: "Does it have a little blue tab on the end?"

Me: "I don't know..."

Salesman: "What do you know?"

Me: "I know that after I get a new windshield wiper and you replace it for me, I ain't ever giving you any other business."

Oh, yeah and I'm gonna blog about this conversation too!

My first iPhone blog

2010-01-26T18:42:00.000-05:00

I thought I'd blog a lot more if I had a chance to post from my iPhone. Apparently, there's an app for that and luckily it's free.

Don't look for longer posts from me from the iPhone because tapping out all of the letters ain't so easy. The good thing about the iPhone is it automatically corrects many of my tapping mistakes. You wouldn't want to see this post without that feature. It would probably appear as something put together by a pre-schooler.

While I'm talking technology, I remember having a TV and only getting five channels. Most of them we couldn't get very well. We didn't have a VCR when I was a little kid, we certainly didn't have a DVR. I didn't have the ability to watch my favorite show 20 times a day. How did my mother get anything accomplished? How did I cope? Wonder what kids these days will look back and say 30 years from now.

--published from my iPhone.

Too Many Connections

2010-01-25T16:01:00.002-05:00

Why can't everything be USB?

I'm going crazy with all of the connections I need.

My iPhone from Apple has a special connection on one side of the plug that I use to charge it. Of course, that's different from my last phone, or the one before that or the one before that. I need juice for my electronics so every time I buy a new phone, that means another wall charger and another car charger.

Of course, my bluetooth (yes, my bluetooth) from Motorola has another proprietary connector that I use to power it up. That connector is different from the old Motorola bluetooth.

My camera doesn't do USB on each end. Again, there's another special connector on one end. Of course, that's different from the digital camera that I had in the past.

My plea: let's start making all of the connections universal. Of course, if we did that, Apple, Motorola and every other electronics company out there couldn't take more money from us.

Wanna buy an old charger?

Brand Loyalty (or my addictions)

2010-01-21T09:00:00.001-05:00

Allison from Confessions of a Cohabitant wrote about her boyfriend's hair product choice and its dwindling availability. That got me to thinking about my brand loyalty.

I'm the kind of person marketers either love or hate. Once you get me hooked on your product, I'm unlikely to try something else. I'm not talking about the love for a product like Narm has with his Secret but fairly close.

I need Aim for toothpaste. I know practically nobody uses that brand but I often wonder what I'd do if they ever stopped making it. The best part is it's 99 cents but hard to find at say, Target.

I'm sure the discontinuation of Gillette Cool Wave deodorant would send me into a whirlwind of anxiety.

I use Hollister Jake cologne so you don't find my smell offensive.

I need my Crew hair product, that is when I actually use it.

As I mentioned, Raisin Bran = Kellogg's

Pop Tarts (or any other toaster pastry) = Kellogg's

Graham Crackers = Nabisco

Soda (if I drink it) = Coke

I'm sure there are others but you get the picture.

What are your favorite must-haves?

I'll Miss You McDonald's...

2010-01-20T10:14:00.004-05:00

If you've read any of my posts in the past, you know how happy McDonald's breakfasts make me. I'm giving them up. I'm trying to be more picky and healthy about what I eat.

Gone are the days when I can stuff a big greasy cheeseburger down my throat. I just can't do it any longer.

I've replaced the Golden Arches with Two Scoops of Raisin Bran (Kellogg's, of course. I don't like the Post version) and some banana slices on top. It's a tough transition. Each time I come home, I want to veer off the way home and get two number twos with milk to drink to drink instead of coffee.

I'm even tempted other ways. For some reason, potato chips seem to beckon me from inside the cupboard. I don't even like potato chips but yesterday I couldn't get past the kitchen without having one. Yes, just one.

I'm even snacking healthy at work. My lunch consists of clementines and apples. They fill me up. I've even given up flavored sports drinks for water. I still don't do soda or caffeine. I gave those up a long time again.

Here's to good health!

I Went Back To Ohio...

2010-01-19T09:30:00.002-05:00

but my elementary school was gone...

The place where I spent so many years of my young life is now a building with its future up in the air. Elementary students in the North Central School District (now Norwayne Local School District) are now attending classes in Creston.

My old elementary school now sits vacant but there are more than enough memories from that place.

I remember sitting on the steps in Mrs. Weldy's classroom and playing Star Wars with my friend, Stephen in first grade. I remember our teacher's mother coming in to help with the holiday parties. I remember standing in the lunch line and telling a girl I thought she was cute, an embarrassing moment.

I remember having one of the best teachers ever, Mrs. Elzroth, in second grade. I made not have liked going to school but she always made me seem to forget about that feeling. I spent a good deal of time on the sick cot. Was I really sick or sick of school? Probably both.

In third grade, I remember when the entire class got talked to because we all wouldn't play with one of our classmates. Mrs. Glessner made sure we all knew that wasn't okay. I remember it being one of the most scariest moments of my young life. Who could forget the carpet lined bathtub for reading. A brilliant idea! We got to be some of the first students in the new room at the school.

In fourth grade, Mrs. Renninger read to us after recess to calm us down. She read The Great Brain series to us. Another brilliant idea. By the way, I have all of The Great Brain series which I can't wait to share. We made a ridiculous robot out of cardboard that never quite got finished.

In fifth grade, I had the pleasure of having Mrs. Elzroth as my teacher again. We also traded classrooms and got the wake-up stick from Mr. Ocepek if we weren't paying attention. Mrs. Elzroth saw red when someone brought some pictures of nude girls into the room. Everyone knew who did it but luckily they didn't in trouble for it.

In sixth grade, I had Mrs. Carpenter. She taught us words I still don't use in everyday conversation, like abecedarian. Words were her game. I recall getting writer's cramp from taking down all of the notes Mrs. Smith put on the chalkboard. I remember us being allowed to run out and watch the blimp as it went over the school. I had Mrs. Allen for math. I remember always being excited to go to her classroom. She was strict but always fun.

Of course, I wouldn't want to leave out Miss Lea, our gym teacher. Who thought a parachute could be so much fun? Mrs. Chapman taught us art and always had a pharmacist's coat on to keep the mess off her good clothes. Mrs. Chapman's mother-in-law was once our music teacher. You'd know when she was coming to the room because you'd hear all of her instruments clanging around in her bag. It was a magical moment for us kids.

We had two great janitors, Mr. Gordon & Mr. Russell, while I was there. Anyone who went to the school remembers cleaning the erasers. So fun!

You can't forget Mrs. Schaffter and Mrs. Hostettler. I still love the smell of Mrs. Hostettler's copying machine. Mrs. Schaffter was always there to help when you got a cut or a scratch.

Lastly, Mr Bowers was the man who ran the school. He came up with the Book Worm Club and used it throughout his time as principal. I still have a segment somewhere.

Those memories and so many more will always be a part of me whether the building stays or goes. Sometimes I'd love to replay some of those times again but they're probably best stored in my mind and now on this post.

It's Fun To Go To The Zoo

2010-01-18T13:21:00.003-05:00

Just before she smelled the bone that was directly below her...

The king has arrived...

Movin' kinda slow today...

I love this picture...

This little guy wins for the candid shot of the day...

Check out the color on this guy!

Of course, this is the winner in the humor category...

What a great day to go to the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo!

Locked On Target, Bullseye!

2010-01-17T09:05:00.003-05:00

I was just saying yesterday, I like getting up early on the weekend because you can get some mental work done before everyone else gets up.

On Sundays, I like to start my mornings with some breakfast at the computer, reading the Target and Best Buy ads. I've said before Target should just deduct so much money from my paycheck each week, they end up getting the cash in the end.

I guess I didn't need the ad because I was geeked up the other day after a trip to Target. I got the DC Universe Justice League Unlimited Exclusive Action Figure 6-Pack as a gift for $7.48. It was originally $29.99 at Target. They had a bunch of toys 75% off. The aisles were packed with people. I tossed a little old lady aside to get my hands on those savings. Of course, I'm kidding but this boring post needed something.

The purchase was worth it because the 2-year-old hasn't stopped playing with them yet. Score!

Happy Holidays

2009-12-18T23:02:00.004-05:00

A Christmas card with my grandmother's artwork from Christmases past. I wish she were still around to send them. I'm so thankful that I just found this in some stacks of old pictures. A Christmas treasure and gift that I'm thankful to have discovered.

Happy Christmas,

From The E.R. To The O.R.

2009-12-12T18:17:00.002-05:00

It's been quite the interesting past couple of days. Thursday was to be my last day at work before getting surgery on my hernia. In the middle of the night, I started getting some intense pains in my right side. I had to leave work to find out what was wrong. I drove myself to the hospital and went to the emergency room. Something was wrong. I've had stomach problems, I've many a nervous belly, this wasn't something I remember feeling before.

The nursing staff and the doctor were great. They got me on an IV, pumped some fluid into me, got me some medicine for the pain and nausea. I needed them both. The pain medicine was something else. My room was moving but nothing else was. I felt the medicine move through my body. It was something else. It deadened the pain. I went for a CAT scan, they did an ultrasound. They think it has something to do with my gallbladder. That was a long eight and a half hours in the emergency room. Everyone at Fairview Hospital was great.

It was just a short time at home before I went back there, this time to the operating room. They didn't waste anytime getting me into prep me. I no sooner sat down in the waiting room than they were calling my name.

Back to the prep area, they told me to strip down and put on the robe. Nothing I came with went with me. Hospital socks and gown were my coverings for the surgery. The nurse established another IV. Unlike the day before, it was in the top of my hand. In the ER, it was atop of my elbow. They gave me some "twilight" medicine. I remember being wheeled down the hall. I remember going into the OR and them taking my one arm and having me stretch it out across from my shoulder and then the other arm and then that was it, I was out.

The last moments I recall were around 11:00am. Fast forward to about 2:00pm and I was up like that. It wasn't a gradual thing, that I recall, it was just "hello world, I'm up!"

They got me some ice chips, some ginger ale and wheeled me to another floor. They moved me from the bed to a chair, gave me some grape juice and some oreos. I got dressed (with a lot of help from one loving sister) and proceeded to get in the car. The first day (Friday) I felt like a champ but very sore.

Today is a different story. I'm on the mend quite literally. I'm sore, very sore, very, very sore. I ain't kidding folks, this ain't fun. Getting comfortable in the bed isn't comfortable at all. A pillow around the stomach is required. I count down to my next dosage of Vicodin. Ice cubes on the stomach is also a big help.

Hopefully, the soreness goes away soon... Whew!

Scrooge's Nite Out

2009-11-15T10:09:00.002-05:00

Start your holiday season out right...

Click the picture for more information. It's a great time for a great cause! Cheap too!

The iPhone Experience

2009-11-08T07:05:00.000-05:00

I said I'd never be a Starbucks fan, I am... I don't make a habit of drinking caffeine but I really like the Chai Tea. I've sold out.

I never thought I'd become a zombie when it comes to Target. People would make me crazy with the nickname to make it sound French. I'm that person now.

I never thought I'd become a Mac person but after owning a Touch (I sold out) and now owning an iPhone, I'm strongly considering making my next computer purchase a Mac. Again, I'm selling out. Of course, this could be a good thing.

I don't know what I'd do without my iPhone now. Of course, I had a little (tiny) buyer's remorse when I heard about the Motorola Droid. It had a real keyboard and probably a better network, Verizon. I'm firmly behind my iPhone. I love the fact it even corrects iPhone when I type it incorrectly.

I remember coming out of high school being pro-Apple. The company did the right thing long ago by educating the masses in their computer culture. Our computer lab, because we didn't have them in every class) was filled to the brim with Apple IIcs. I knew that computer inside out. When I got to college, I was told IBM was the way to go. Kicking and screaming I was brainwashed into converting to what's now become a Windows computer. Now, I face a similar struggle again.

I'm a creative person, I see the advantage of a Mac. I want to edit video easily. I want to touch up pictures. I want my iTunes to work with my iPhone.

I know there are all kinds of people out there who will tell me absolutely to get a Mac. I have to think about it but I'd say there's a good chance my next computer will be an Apple product.

My Great Grandma

2009-11-07T08:10:00.000-05:00

They say some of the best ways to pass down stories is to tell them. I got to thinking about my great grandma Schorle the other day. I had the privilege of knowing her well into my teenage years before she passed away. Of course, that's both happy and sad but what she left with me is one of the greatest gifts of her, the memory of her.

We always used the side door, never the front. That was for visitors. We were family. That side door took you into the kitchen. It always smelled like coffee or some sort of baked goods. There was a distinct smell. You'd always find Pringles, Archway cookies and a loaf of bread sitting out on the counter, arranged nicely but in reach. If you were lucky, she'd have just made an apple pie. She also made rhubarb, but I've never had the taste for it. She'd make Maxwell House instant coffee. I always drank some with her. The first time I had brewed coffee, I told someone "This isn't coffee!"

She quilted. You'd always find a quilt in the frame. You could check the progress each time you stopped into her house.

Grandma Schorle loved Euchre. She'd stay up weekend with a little rest here and there along with four of her girlfriends. She taught me the game and probably just about everyone of my relatives. Rummy wasn't out of the question either. Alone, she'd play Solitaire.

The late morning and early afternoons were devoted to game shows and her "stories". I'm sure I've admitted it elsewhere on this blog but here goes again. I still watch the "Young & the Restless" occasionally. It's sort of my way to remember my great grandmother. I can still hear her questioning how certain characters could be so mean.

Speaking of which, she was the kind of woman who didn't say anything bad about anyone else. Believe me, as a teenager, I tried. There's no exaggeration there, if she had a bad thought about someone, she kept it to herself. "If you don't have something good to say...."

I still miss her, although I know I'm not the only one in our family. She was a true matriarch.

Mom's New Business?

2009-10-02T16:50:00.002-04:00

She didn't even tell me. Way to go Mama Jo...

(I'm joking here...)

The Plot To Keep Us Awake

2009-09-26T10:20:00.004-04:00

Anyone who knows me knows I'm a techie kinda guy. I love my iPhone, constantly have a computer near me, revel in the DVR, could have kissed my Aunt Bertha* when I got my HDTV (she should be so lucky), has 2.5 computers (one is currently on the fritz).

The problem is everything has to have a light to show you it's either on OR OFF. Why does it have to have a light showing you it's not on? Seriously, in the living room in the dark, my TV has a lighted VIZIO logo that's white when the TV is on and goes orange when it's off. Then there's the audio system that shines bright blue when it's on but still shines out a red light when it's in standby mode. There's the HD-DVD player (yeah, I bought the wrong format) that has a red light around the power button that emits a light similar to a beacon at an airport. The DVR/cablebox shows the time in a eye-piercing shade of green. So let's see, I've got orange, red, and green coming at me if I'm trying to get some winks in the living room. Of course if everything's on, I've got blue, blue, white and green. Forget about lightbulbs, you can comfortably find your way around the room in the dark.

Don't even get me started on the alarm clock by the bed, it's lighted green and brightens up the room with a lot of candela. Is there a dimmer function for the display? Nope!

This is just a big conspiracy to make people stay awake. I mean, c'mon, help us out an allow us to dim those crazy displays and lights. We need the sleep. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

*there is no Aunt Bertha of whom to speak but I picture her fat, unmarried and wearing a big flowered dress, the kind you couldn't find at Abercombie & Fitch or even a Dollar Store, she also has a mild but distinct odor about her. Get the picture?

The Great Phone Number Debate

2009-09-16T16:08:00.003-04:00

or should I say "Should I change my phone number?"

Here's the dilemma, I got this phone number that other people tell me text messages them and it's not the nicest stuff in the world. Apparently, my phone number sends explicit picture text messages. For the record, it is not me who's sending the pictures. Believe me, I get all of these unwanted text messages asking me about why I'm texting them. Again, for the record, I am not.

Sprint wasn't able to help me with the problem. Now that I'm with AT&T, I'd hoped they might be able to give me some assistance. Nope. Sure, the technical people sounded like they could, they got my hopes up and then slammed them to the ground in a cold-hearted voicemail.

Their options for me, give them five bucks a month extra and they'd block the numbers from sending me text messages. Ah, no thanks... Option #2 is getting a new phone number. Seriously, after text messaging fights with people I don't know about why I'm sending them text messages and pictures, I'm ready to give up my cherished phone number for another one.

Seriously, one of the battle of the texts ended with a phrase I'd never heard before. I wish for the life of me I could remember it because not even contextual clues could help me decipher it.

So, should I change my number, go through the hassle of letting everyone know about it or endure the hassle of getting these crazy text messages from these people who insist I'm sending them messages.

By the way, I'm totally getting a vanity phone number if I switch. C'mon 1-800-TAAWD!

My Confession

2009-09-10T11:31:00.003-04:00

I have to admit it, I've joined the crowd of people who committed to working out, stuck to it, then lost it.

Breaking my heel contributed to my lack of working out, yeah, that's the ticket, I broke my heel so I can't work out.

So, now I'm determined to get back into the routine and losing some of my flab and gaining back some of the unbelievable good body that I once had. I'm sure you're thinking I'm joking... Well, I am.

So I've been good about getting a good workout in at least twice a week. Thankfully the gym has Precor ellipticals. I can't stand the machines that has the ski-like arms that swing back and forth at you. It makes me dizzier than I already am.

So now, it's all about working off all of those scrum-delicious McDonald's breakfasts that I crave every morning when I leave work. It's time to work off all of that delectable Mexican food. All of that yummy pasta that my girlfriend makes. I need to work off that "I'm comfortable in my relationship weight". I don't want to lose her, I gotta look good.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not some fatty, I just need to drain some of that baby fat out of my face and a little bit of the freshman 15 out of my mid section. I've done it before I'll do it again... so there!

You: "Which way to the beach?"
Me: "Over there..." {arm flexed to show the puny muscle I already have developing}

Burning River 100

2009-08-01T09:03:00.001-04:00

My Memory

2009-07-22T16:14:00.003-04:00

I'm officially getting old.

No, it's not the fact that my hair is retreating from the crown of my head faster than Michael Phelps can swim.

No, it's not because my get up and go, done got up and went.

No, it's not because just looking at a baked potato can add a couple of pounds to my belly.

I know I'm getting old because my memory isn't what it once was.

Now, before you advise me to opt for Alzheimer's testing, I just can't remember some of the people who I went to school with. I blame Facebook for making this fact clear to me. Of course, the site wants to suggest friends to me. A lot of the people it suggests went to high school around the same time I did but dang if I can't recall half of them.

How do I know they're the right people? The classmates who I do recall are mutual friends with them. It's infuriating! The conspiracist in me thinks someone (or facebook) is making these people up and using stock photos of them. They're so close to people who I would otherwise know. I never knew a "Richard" but I did know a "Rick". Why would you go back to "Richard" when everyone knows you as "Rick" It's confusing to me. Maybe this is all a game like the "Truman Show."

I can recall being a kid and flipping through my mother's yearbook and quizzing her on people. As I remember, she didn't do half bad identifying some of the people but she couldn't remember all of them. You know, it's like being on Price Is Right and stopping just short of winning the Showcase Showdown. That sort of thing. I would always say "Mom, how can you forget someone who you went to school with?" She said "Just wait, you'll see." Mom, I see...

I also recently had a friendly argument with my sister about one former classmate's identity. I don't know why I questioned her, she's like a living, walking diary of our childhood. I swear she could tell you what I was wearing on October 15, 1988. I'm sure it was cool, by the way. I got the last name confused with another guy with the same first name. Oh, I'm a genius alright and I'm sure my sister took a little stock (albeit GM) in knowing she was right.

I'm not happy having the problem of not remembering people. It just ain't right. I mean c'mon, I'm not that old but the memory isn't as sharp, OR maybe it's just that I have so much MORE to remember. Yeah, that's the ticket! But in this dome, you'd think I'd still have plenty of space left. It's kinda like forgetting phone numbers, isn't that what your cell phone is for? It's like having a spare hard drive off your main computer. It doesn't keep the brain on its toes though.

I blame cell phones. I blame Facebook. Of course, I don't blame me...

Am I Blogworthy?

2009-07-22T15:51:00.003-04:00

I'm becoming a real blogging loser.

I used to write a blog about every day, now, not so much.

I have a wealth of topics I want to blog about, it's just getting them down on paper (ahem, the Internet)

So, in the spirit of getting back into the spirit of posting, I have some exciting news. Well, it's exciting news for me.

I tossed out my e-mail to get invited by Google for their new "Voice" internet service. It boasts calling one number for everything. I got a vanity number which I'm not going to post here, right now. I'll be checking it out and seeing how it works.

Soon, you'll have an easy to remember number where you can call me. Long distance isn't a concern anymore right? Don't worry, it's not from China or anything.

Have a great day!

New Challenges

2009-07-01T06:41:00.003-04:00

I'm experiencing a whole new world of life. I always figured I could be a handy kinda guy. But I'm finding out I'm not as handy as I thought.

Let's start with grass. It gets water and sun and it grows. You fertilize it, it grows greener and faster. Well, that is if you don't apply too much of the stuff. Yep, I worked on a golf course and you'd have thought some of the knowledge would have sunken in. It did, I thought, I think. The problem was I couldn't find the setting on the spreader. So I laid the fertilizer down, boy did I! Thankfully, the grass didn't burn as bad as it could have been. My gf was very forgiving but I've spent some of the summer reseeding and watering. I'm happy to report most of the grass is back.

Running cable through a house shouldn't be a problem but when you have to fish it around, it ain't so easy. You can toss away a day and a half on that project. I can't tell you how happy you can get seeing a coaxial cable coming your way after about two hours of fishing. I'm not talking about the kind where you find animal that spend their lives in water either.

There are also some electric projects, I don't dabble in that too much, I leave that up to the people who know more than me. I do know that circuit breakers are your friends, make sure they're turned off and you've tested something in the outlet before you start messing around with the wires.

Oh, there's hanging a door. It wasn't that difficult but here's a word to the wise, don't just go by the instructions. They only work in perfect conditions. By the way, those perfect conditions don't exist. Use instructions and templates only as guides, not absolutes.

There's also painting and putting in door knobs, etc. Minor frustrations along the way. I don't know what's going to do next but I enjoy getting the knowledge from the job along the way. I just have to resist the temptation to rip up the directions and throw things along the way.

Whatever... time for tennis! Go Federer!

Credit Where It's Due

2009-06-23T16:10:00.003-04:00

I have the 2nd generation iPod touch (iPhone's next don't worry!) and the case that I use to clip it to me when I mow the yard, run or workout, broke.

What would you do? Go out and buy a new one? Sometimes that would be my answer but I didn't run out and replace it, I called Griffin Technology and talked to their customer support people. I was just going to ask them if they could bill me for a replacement part but instead they told me they'd ship me a new one, FREE! It's coming UPS as well, complete with a tracking number. If you know me, you know the joy I find in tracking a package as it comes across the U.S. to my humble abode.

I just feel like I have to give a little credit where credit is due and deserved. Bill, the customer rep from Griffin Technology, was helpful, nice and didn't keep me on the phone for long.

I'd recommend checking out their website. I have a couple of other products from them and have been happy with all of them. I'm thinking of getting the Simplifi to keep my desk a little less cluttered.

You get to hear my rants so I thought it was only right to hear a rave as well.

New iPod Touch Firmware Here

2009-06-16T14:04:00.007-04:00

I probably was among the people who mocked others for their dying allegiance to Apple and its products. "IBM stinks, go Apple and you'll never go back," I heard people say.

Well, I caved and bought an iPod Touch, I paid the big daddy dollars for the 32GB version. I could store more of my music. I loved it but there were just a few things I didn't love as much.

I couldn't use my bluetooth headphones. I couldn't cut and paste.

Well, in just a few hours, that's all about to change. Apple is, for a price, making the new iPhone firmware available to Touch users. Yes, I'm going to feed the corporate beast that is Apple and pay the $9.95 for the update.

I've been following the rumors on the upgrade on about every Apple fansite possible. Everything was rumors and predictions. I don't recall reading anywhere that it would roll out June 17th.

But now, I'm just counting the hours away to the new and improved features that I'll get to enjoy with my Touch. Pathetic, isn't it? I'll probably post something after getting the firmware with a review. I hope I'm not disappointed. After all, I've looked forward to the upgrade for a while now.

Message to Sprint: After my contract is up with you, I'll probably bid you adieu for either Verizon or AT&T. The Samsung Instinct is not an iPhone killer. Its OS is rigid and there's nowhere close to the applications available for it.

Summer's Here

2009-05-21T21:36:00.002-04:00

Looking at the calendar, this weekend is Memorial Day. There's the Greek Fest downtown, the Rib Cook-Offs Downtown and in Berea and all sorts of other things to do in the burg of Clev.

As I was driving down the road today, I just thought how we've probably shed the 30 degree days for good, well, as good as it gets living in northern Ohio. The leaves are on the trees, people are outside working, the thermostat is set on A/C instead of heat.

This is what we've been waiting on for many months. Enjoy all of the fun there is here in Cleveland.

Just a quick post but I wanted to add something!

What You Never See Coming

2009-05-02T06:06:00.003-04:00

I work in TV news. I deal with the news of death every day. It's something that over the past 15 years, I've come to know. Sure, it can make you a little depressed. Sure, it can make you a little immune to the emotions that the passing of someone else normally causes but there are times when it hits you in the face and there's no way to avoid it.

While looking at my facebook this morning, I saw a post by a "facebook friend" and decided to check out more about it.

It read: "he will be missed by us all, we love you Michael Corrado"

I wanted to find out what happened to Michael Corrado. I didn't know him but for some reason I wanted to know more.

I clicked to his Michael Corrado's facebook page to get more information. I read through all of his friends sending sympathies, prayers and tributes to this 22-year-old man. Earlier this week on his facebook, he'd updated that it was time to do laundry, someone had hurled a piece of profanity at him, not in a mean way, but the way you'd call someone an idiot and then laugh it off together.

Then I decided to find out how he died, it obviously wasn't an illness, it was obviously sudden. I did a Yahoo! news search for his name and I found two links. One of them to a Plain Dealer article and one of them to a story on newsnet5.com.

To use the quote he "never saw this coming" is an understatement. You don't know what's next in your life. You can't, no one can. Instead of having time with his family, they have to read the headlines in the newspaper, they have to hear the stories on TV or radio. Everyone's lives have changed with some drunken downtown violence.

You can't know everything that happened that night but one thing you can know is what happened, someone died who didn't need to pass away. I'm sure we'll never get past violence, anger and resentment but this isn't the way to settle disputes, this isn't the way, we should live.

Unfortunately, Michael will never be able to post another update his facebook status or respond to someone's comment on his wall. Instead, the only posts that will be there will be from the people, his friends and his family, who tried to put their feelings into writing about how much they'll miss him.

Yeah, I've Been Bad...

2009-05-02T05:59:00.002-04:00

I had a talk with Narm this week about blogging. I've been bad, I've not done it regularly, heck, I've not even done it recently.

So, for some reason, and maybe it's the reason of updating the blog, I'm up at 5:15am on a Saturday morning, looking at my Toshiba laptop and spouting words from the tips of my fingers.

My life has gotten busy, really busy. Working overnights don't provide you with much sleep during the day. I've talked about this in the past. No one really realizes that your schedule is exactly opposite of everyone else's. I used to roll my eyes at people who said "they were busy" or "wished they had more hours in the day". Yep, that's where I'm at now. I no longer have such disregard for those statements.

I love where my life has taken me. There's not much to tell. This isn't the forum for that. It's an open space where anyone can log on and read. I just hope you'll set your Google readers, RSS feeds or just check back every now and then to see if I'm posting. I have another post that I want to write but I just wanted to throw out a little explanation for my recent absence.

Happy reading and thanks for the visit!!

Cleveland Promotional Video?

2009-04-17T09:52:00.000-04:00

Barenaked... Ladies

2009-04-09T10:30:00.001-04:00

BNL doesn't sound like the old BNL. By now, any fan of the band knows that Steven Page left the group. At this point, I can't figure out whether it was on his own accord or whether he was forced out of the band.

I checked out the band's website to see if there was any insight on the break-up. There wasn't. I didn't expect it. I also didn't expect the band to post their first post-Page live concert. You can find it here, probably for a limited time.

After hearing it, I can say the new ladies don't sound like the old ladies. Ed tries his part at "Old Apartment", it sounded strange. "If I Had A 1,000,000" was one of the strangest attempts at sounding like the BNL I love. Kevin Hearn, I believe, sings back-up and puts some weird inflections on many words.

If the ladies come to Cleveland, will I see them? Yeah. Do I think they jumped the shark? Yep! Of course, the classics won't be the same without Page belting out his lyrics. Hopefully, we can look forward to some new classics by the new band. I'll withhold judgement for now.

What A Meal!!!!

2009-03-26T19:12:00.001-04:00

Remembering Tom Haley

2009-03-17T17:18:00.005-04:00

I'm deeply saddened at the passing of Tom Haley. He was a Cleveland broadcasting legend. I'll so glad I had the chance to know him personally.

Viewers of "Today in Cleveland" remember him as the gruff, grumpy and cantankerous host who sat next to Del Donahoo for decades. Tom would get viewers' mornings going announcing "Heeere's Hank" and then you'd see a rooster crowing. The rooster was named after a former production technican named Henry. Tom would ring an old bell just to make sure you were ready to start your day.

That was the person many viewers knew, I got to know the person behind that facade. It's ironic the man who loved St. Patrick's Day so much would pass away on March 17th. For years, he and Del would take part in the parade downtown. Del would ride in the "Folkswagon" and Tom would walk the route.

I remember watching Tom and Del while getting ready to board the bus at my grandmother's house. When I started my intership at WKYC, I worked in the Promotions Department. Tom was part of that department. Part of my responsibilities were to get his community calendar information ready for him the day before it would air on "Today In Cleveland". When he would come to get the information, he always would have a barb he'd throw at you, but he'd walk away with a smile.

When I worked overnights as a producer for the morning show, I'd help him with some of the weather information. It wasn't organized so I helped make the task a little easier for everyone involved. I got to work with him on his movie reviews. I'd put them on a tape so he could pick a soundbite for the show. A lot of times, I'd sit back in the viewing area and talk to him about his career and listen to his advice. I think sometimes it was that encouragement that helped keep me in television. Tom, I'm still not sure that was a good thing. I'd love to hear your thoughts now.

Tom could really make you smile, whether it was insulting Martha's coffee, throwing a harmless insult at a co-worker or just telling a joke. He was one of the good people in television, one of the people who understood the business more than some people do today. He'd tell me it was all about putting good TV on TV. He'd tell me never let someone else get the best of you in this business. He'd tell me he knew I was one of the people who'd make it in this business because I had the intelligence and the drive to keep going when frustrations ran high. He'd smile at me when he knew the day wasn't going particularily well.

I appreciate his influence on my life and my career. The last time I saw Tom was at Martha Donahoo's viewing hours. I told him, I believe, promised him we'd get together for breakfast. That was a promise I didn't keep. I wish, however, I had followed through just to get some final thoughts like he gave on "Today in Cleveland".

So here's a final thought that Tom once told me about when he made a mistake, he said "I always tell them I'm just practicing being human."

Here's to you Tom, I hope your life was "filled with love and some peace too..."

As Luck Would Have It?

2009-02-24T16:35:00.002-05:00

Right now, I'm nursing a broken heel. For you in the medical community, I fractured my calcaneus. The good news is unlike so many other people, I didn't end up shattering two other nearby bones. The doctor said I broke it in the best possible place. Chalk it up to all of those years of drinking milk. It does a body good, ya know!

So how did it happen? I went to South Padre Island to see one of my best friends get married. You'll see the pictures in a previous post. We flew from a snowy Cleveland Hopkins to a sunny Houston and Harlingen. Once we got in the Valley, we checked for a car, but out of five different rental places, none of them had a spare vehicle to rent. My girlfriend struck up a conversation with a couple from Illinois and as luck would have it, they offered us a ride to South Padre Island. Their generosity saved us hundreds of dollars. They were nice people. We offered them $40 but we settled on them taking $20.

Once on the island, we got to check into our hotel and see the Gulf just before dark. We headed over to Wahoo Saloon, said hello to the locals before heading to Amberjacks. The owners remodeled the place and it looks swanky. We had some great food but the dessert was the bread pudding. It was delicious.

The next morning we got to see my friend, Phil. It was simply awesome to see him in person after a year. We got to see Beau's parents as well. We watched the waves from Wanna Wanna and went back to the hotel to see Beau & Angel. I'm so happy for them and their life together. Friday night was the rehearsal dinner. We caught Angel looking lovingly at Beau. I don't think she thought anyone was looking but I wasn't the only person who saw her glance. I raced over to everyone else and before I could say anything they blurted out the same observation.

As luck would have it, it rained during the entire wedding. But as they say, the show must go on. We hurried through the ceremony, at times, you couldn't even hear the woman officiating. But Angel and Beau were married and it was, in the end, an unforgettable ceremony.

After ironing out all of the rain from my soaked clothes, we went to the reception. It was a intimate affair. At the end of the night, we decided to get into the heated whirlpool. I wanted to see how cold the pool was so I jumped in, I thought it was six foot deep, as luck would have it, it was only three foot deep. I immediately knew something wasn't right. I couldn't walk on my foot at all. I nursed it that night, the next morning we needed to catch an early flight. It was Sunday and nothing that had crutches was open. As luck would have it, our last ditch effort, a Walgreens on the way, had crutches, allowing me to manuever through the airport.

After meeting with Phil in Houston, airport workers helped wheel or cart me through the terminal. As luck would have it on our way back to Cleveland, we sat next to a Cleveland Clinic doctor, Dr. Andrew Stephenson, who recommended Dr. Brian Donley. I was able to get into see him yesterday and he gave me the good/bad news. I broke my heel but it wasn't as bad as it could have been.

As luck would have it, my life isn't that bad,

Angel and Beau's Wedding

2009-02-21T17:39:00.000-05:00

You Can Still Get McD's Breakfast

2009-02-19T10:45:00.001-05:00

Ah, Warm Temps!

2009-02-19T10:16:00.001-05:00

Snowy Hopkins

2009-02-19T06:01:00.001-05:00

Sunnier skies ahead...

First Ski Of The Year

2009-02-15T19:42:00.001-05:00

Yeah, maybe we should have been out sooner...

Cold Pizza

2009-02-15T11:38:00.003-05:00

When I was a kid, I hated pizza with a capital "H-A-T-E-D". I don't know why. Maybe it was to be different, maybe it was because I didn't like tomatoes, maybe it was because I was sometimes a stubborn kid who just didn't want to like it because I didn't want to like it.

Today, I love pizza. It has all of the major food groups in it. It's an everyman's food. If you could just put potatoes somehow on it. Love me some potatoes. Ahem, I digress.

In college, there was a Pizza Hut up the street and every time I could scrape together enough money, I'd get a Supreme Pan Pizza with black olives and I'd commence to eating on it. (My homage to Narm, we're country boys). That pizza would never fit into the dinky refrigerator we had in our dorm so that leftover pizza would sit out all night long. Did I throw it away for fear of food poisoning of some sort? Heck, no, I'd commence to eating it for breakfast the next morning.

I love some Pizza Hut pizza. I had some last night and this morning in true taawd fashion, I had some for breakfast, sure it sat out all night long again but am I worried? Heck no! Pizza Hut pizza is almost better the day after you get it.

Oh, I wish I'd remembered to tell them to put the black olives on it this time. Oh and right now, they're offering a medium one-topping pizza for a cent when you buy a large pizza.

What a deal, talk about a way to beat the recession!

I Might Be Getting Old...

2009-02-14T09:16:00.002-05:00

When I was a kid, I enjoyed wearing slippers. Actually, when we lived on the farm, drafts in that old house encouraged the wearing of the slippers. One of the best parts about the farm were the registers that were in the floor. When the heat came on, we all ran to the registers to stand on them. That would warm your tootsies.

Now, I've become obsessed with always wearing slippers indoors. Not necessarily because of how cold or warm my toes are but because I hate getting my socks all dirty. If you have hardwood floors, like my sister does, people's socks pick up any dirt on the floor. Think Swiffer. Of course, I'm not saying my sister keeps a dirty house, that's not the case, but you can't sweep the floors 24/7.

I've taken to transporting my Dearfoam slippers with me on the road. I, ahem, wear them at work. When I go to my parents, relatives and other places that I'll be spending any sort of time. Now, I guess I just need a housecoat and a pipe.

Staying Positive

2009-02-13T12:23:00.003-05:00

I'll admit, I've learned some things during my life. A lot of that knowledge, I feel, has come over the past years. Actually, I may have always known it but I think now, I'm starting to really practice it.

I find myself preaching to people to stay positive. Negativity attracts more of negative energy. It's a magnet. On the other hand, being positive only attracts positive energy.

Worrying was something that, at one point of my life, ruled me. I'd hear bad news, think of bad things and worry myself sick, literally. How did I change? I realize worrying is wasted energy. It does not change anything in the future. It simply ruins the present.

I believe you can't change the future. What's supposed to happen, will. Whether you believe it's divine intervention, the universe playing itself out or fate, I think there's very little you can do to change what's going to happen. Now, I look at life like a lazy river. You float down it and have fun along the way. If you get stuck, you give yourself a little push and continue on down the stream.

It seems simple to say but a little harder to live. I'm using it to help guide my life and allow faith to lead me down the path that's the right one for me.

Snow Business

2009-02-04T17:15:00.003-05:00

I've always admitted to loving snow. I can't wait for the first time it happens each year. Nothing gets me in the Christmas spirit like a good "Charlie Brown" snow. I love it.

BUT!

I have to admit I'm not loving it as much right now.

The last time I can recall seeing all of this snow was back in the 70's during the great blizzard. Every time I'm out and about and the wind is whipping around, slapping me in the face, I remember fighting Mother Nature back then to get home.

My parents heard the weather reports and decided to go "into town" to get some groceries before the snow hit. I had to go with them. Of course, going into town meant traveling about 3 miles, if that, to the two-aisle general store. John Etling owned it and kept the little town of Sterling stocked with groceries. We didn't have a big IGA like people did in Rittman. We didn't have a big supermarket like Buehler's or Hawkins like they did in Wooster.

We rushed into our little town to get milk, bread and everything else my parents thought we'd need before the storm hit. We got back into the car and zoomed back home. The cinder topped Frick Road didn't contain a lot of homes. There were only four houses on the street. The township road crews didn't give it a lot of priority. By the time we got half way to our home, my dad made the decision to turn around and attempt coming in from the other direction. Snow had already blown the bottom part of Frick Road close. The top part of Frick wasn't much better. Winds whipped across the bare fields that just months before contained corn, hay or soybeans. My dad's Chevy truck got stuck and it was decided we'd walk the rest of the way back to the house.

I was just a little kid, about 5 years old and walking wasn't an option for me. My dad carried me, some groceries and a gallon of milk. I wanted to see what was coming at me. It was only one thing, the wind carrying face piercing snow flakes. My dad implored me to turn around. I would listen to him for so long and then get curious again to see where we were going. The winds hit my face again.

The weight of it all was too much for my dad. He had to drop something and it wasn't (thankfully) going to be his son. The groceries had to be dropped until he could get me home. My mother walked right beside us, trying to get to the house as well. Finally when we got there, someone had to go back out and get the groceries and the milk. My dad took the task and believe it or not, found the groceries and the milk. Milk=white, snow=white = tough job.

So as the snow falls, I have to think back to a time when I didn't worry about my job, money, relationships, my future. I just wanted to see where I was going. I guess I still do.

Another Open Letter...

2009-02-03T17:26:00.002-05:00

Dear Caller Who Calls My Cell Phone Number Thinking It's Their Friend's Number,

I understand that you may not start your calls with "hello", rather, "where you at?"

I understand that your sleep schedule may not match mine. I mean, I've called people at 2:30am but I make darn sure they're in my contact list and that I also know they're up at the time.

I don't understand why you want to argue with me about who I am. I believe I know that rather well after 36 years. Yes, for you to say "no, no, I don't have the wrong number, it's me the Caller Who Calls Your Cell Phone Number Thinking It's My Friend's Number." I know you aren't someone who calls my phone number because no caller ID pops up on the phone.

I really don't know why I answer your calls. Maybe it's just the thrill of moment, maybe I'm adventurous, maybe it's because my friends call me "Whiskers".

But, in closing, maybe you want to check that number once before you rush to dial me, especially if it's at 2:30am. I promise you I won't be very happy or forgiving for you calling me.

Time To Update?

2009-02-02T15:11:00.002-05:00

You know it's time to update when taawd's mom says it's update.

I got this e-mail from the "ma" today.

Hi, how are you doing?? I just checked your blog & it hasn’t been changed in over a week! How about something new???

I miss reading it!!

It goes on about what a good, wonderful son I am and how she and my father did such a good job raising me and my sister and about how successful I've become and how good looking I am and how proud she is of me and a bunch of other things but I won't write them, even though they're all true on this blog because it would just bore you anyhow. (That's the longest sentence I've ever written and take it for the humor it was intended.)

So, here we are already into February and life has me hanging from a car's window doing 65 miles per hour on a 50 mph freeway. I can't tell you it ain't fun but there's a lot going on.

I've got a lot to do today. There's first of the month bills, there's cleaning up the place, there's booking a ticket to South Texas. Yep, I'm going back to be in a friend's wedding. I can't wait to see Beau and Phil again. No, they aren't getting married but Beau is, He's ready to make the jump into wedded bliss with his fiancé, Angel. Unfortunately it's not going to be a long vacation but we'll get some days in the 70's, hopefully and enjoy some of that South Texas air. I hear more wedding bells are in one of taawd's friend's futures. Hmmmm....

I digress, before the South Texas trip happens, I hope to actually get to use my skis before the season is over. It's been a busy winter and time's running out.

So 'net folks, I hope all is well out in your neck of life. I'll probably be turning around your corner at 55 mph and hanging on for dear life. Loooook out!

Remembering Dell Warner

2009-01-23T15:47:00.004-05:00

I was saddened today by the news of the passing of one of my former co-workers. Dell Warner was the senior reporter at WDIV when I worked there. Through life, there are people who just leave a mark on you because of who they are.

Dell died Wednesday after a battle with cancer. If there was a fighter out there would could have fought off the disease, it was Dell.

It's hard to say something about a woman who's life speaks for itself. She sang on Broadway with Ethel Merman. She would talk about how she knew Tony Bennett.

In 1990, WDIV, Local 4 hired her for "Coming of Age," a regular feature on senior issues. This is how I first came in contact with Dell. I was hired at WDIV to be the noon newscast producer. She was one of the first people I met. She made an effort to make sure I knew who she was and what she did at the station.

Dell treated everyone at the station like one of her own children. She was quick to praise you for something but if you did something wrong, you could rest assured she was going to be at your desk telling you about it. The Detroit Free Press echoed my sentiments in their article about her life saying "At Channel 4, Ms. Warner sought out younger and inexperienced colleagues. She was generous with both criticism and encouragement."

She may not have always had the best timing when she came to talk to you but no matter how busy you were, you always felt like you needed to stop and talk with her. In a Detroit News article, she told Neil Rubin, "I don't mind being 84," she says. "What I don't like is being ignored." There was no ignoring Dell. You couldn't. Rubin painted the perfect picture of Dell in his article. "The woman who once invited cameras to document her face-lift has put herself together: a reddish fall filling out her hairdo, pale green pantsuit, clunky amber necklace with matching earrings. That was Dell.

She was passionate about her reports. She'd tell you how she'd gotten a call from a woman who'd seen her story and went to the doctor only to be treated for the disease that was the subject of her report. She's post phone numbers around the newsroom so that when people would call, and they did, you would have the information for them.

I remember a couple of times when her stories didn't air, because of breaking news, she'd be upset but understanding. I'd tell her, "Dell, we'll run the story tomorrow." She'd say "You always take great care of me." I know I did but it was only returning the caring she paid me.

She gave me two glass bowls over three years I knew her and they are still sitting in my living room. So in a way, a woman I knew for only three years will stay with me and I will always treasure those gifts from her.

If you knew Dell, you're happier for having known her. For people who weren't as lucky, I wish you could have seen the energy, happiness, caring, spunk, fiestiness and talent she had.

She'll be missed by many people but remembered by them all.

[thanks to the Detroit News, Free Press & WDIV for some of the information contained in this entry. I hope I've helped remember her in the best way possible.]

A Busy Week

2009-01-22T17:26:00.002-05:00

Well, it's been a whirlwind of a week.

Monday was the day before Inauguration Day. In television that means final planning for the next day's coverage. Of course, not everything falls into place before you leave. In the world of TV, things continue to play out while you're away. I'm happy to report that our coverage worked out nicely and looked great.

Wednesday, I had a meeting that stretched to Noon. I hurried home and got some sleep. At 6:30pm, I went to the committee meeting for the local chapter of the National Hemophilia Foundation's Black & Blue Ball. Look for more information on the event coming up right here. I was able to squeeze in a little more sleep before going to work today.

I knew this was going to be a busy week. Today, I had a conference call at 2:30pm. So I'm excited that the weekend is near and there's going to be a little respite from everything.

Of course, there's plenty planned but I'm hoping I'm going to get a little skiing in sometime soon.

Have a great Friday. It's not much of an update but I'm just catching everyone up.

A Hot Night In Cold Cleveland

2009-01-17T08:59:00.003-05:00

Some nights just fall together perfectly.

Let's start with a little dinner at my favorite haunt, Rock Bottom Brewery & Restaurant. Rebecca, Rodger, Renée, Josh and Andrea joined us for a pre-Cavs game festivities. Win #1

We didn't need a cab because Rodger graciously volunteered to take us to Quicken Loans Arena. Win #2

Josh got great seats for us from his work. Thanks Eaton. We were very close to the players. It was a great game. Cavaliers, 92, Hornets 78. Win #3

We caught a taxi outside of the "Q", the cabbie whisked us off to Velvet Tango Room. No searching for a cab, Win #4

If you haven't been to Velvet Tango Room, please check it out. The owner, Paulius, treated us like royalty. He invited us into the back room. At first, we were bummed because we all decided we want to check out the Bananas Foster. Paulius told us he'd just made the last one but in true Paulius-style, he had his staff run out for bananas for us.

Suggestion #1: check out Velvet Tango Room
Suggestion #2: have the Bananas Foster

Josh described the dessert as heaven. I don't know if I've ever tasted anything so delicious in my life. The conversation was great, the atmosphere was great and you can never beat being with friends. Paulius helped make the visit Win #5

Win #6 - We called for a cab and got one of the best cabbies in Cleveland. He had us laughing the entire ride. He seemed like a great person and family man. We got his number so the next time we need a cab, we hopefully can get him again.

We took Andrea home and then arrived back at my place when we called an audible and decided to go to Flannery's because my buddy, Scott Smith was there. I was happy to get to see Scott, even though he didn't tell me he was coming to town. Whatever, but we'll chalk it up to Win #7.

A night of wins!

Friends

2009-01-16T21:49:00.001-05:00

End of 1st

2009-01-16T20:37:00.001-05:00

The Q's Afire

2009-01-16T20:10:00.001-05:00

Pre-game Shoot Around

2009-01-16T19:57:00.001-05:00

Thank You For That...

2009-01-16T15:38:00.004-05:00

Here's a fresh batch of Thank You's...

Thank you to Josh for some killer seats to tonight's Cavs' game. We're going to be mighty close to the action. The team's doing well (except for last night's loss) and it should be a great game against the Hornets. Will I post pictures? I will.

Thank you to Mother Nature for outdoing herself again. She didn't settle for the -7 that greeted me on my way to work this morning. Instead, she pressed forward and dropped the mercury another 6 degrees and felt happy with an official low temperature at Hopkins of -13. Ah, yeah, that's cool.

Thank you to the fine folks at Geiger's in Lakewood for servicing my skis while I waited. New skis that aren't fitted to your boots don't provide any fun on the slopes. Hopefully, I will get to thank Boston Mills/Brandywine for a fine time on the slopes next week. Can't wait!!

Thank you to gravity for helping scare the living daylights out of me last night. Was someone breaking in? Nope. Was I in any danger? Nope. Was there a mess in the bathroom after a bunch of shampoo and other bath accessories fell from the side of the bathroom wall? Yep! What a racket!

Thank you to the gas station around the corner from me for having free air. Why do other places charge 25 cents for something that found so abundantly? I mean I buy gas from you, must I also purchase your air too? C'mon people!

Thank you to the person who was driving on W. 117th Street and was watching me slide out of the McDonald's parking lot but kept barreling toward me. I'm glad at one point they figured out I wasn't able to stop and swerved. Nice cat-like reaction!

Thank you to my furnance for providing me heat and working truly overtime. What have you only taken off about five minutes each time? I know who's going to thank me soon, my electric company.

Thank you to some doctors who helped get my nephew together after he took a nasty fall. Hairline fractures on the skull aren't the kind of things you take with a grain of salt. He's fine though, now we're just trying to keep him away from the Wii. Good luck with that one.

Thank you to the inventor of the bobby pin, MacGyver loves you more than I do.

Thank you to logmein.com. If you haven't used it, check it out. I helped my sister on her computer from the comforts of my humble abode. I'll take that cursor and keyboard thank you!

Thank you to everyone who brings happiness to my life, I couldn't carry on without you.

I always like to end on a nice note,

A Cold Morning!!!

2009-01-16T02:41:00.001-05:00

Snowy Saturday

2009-01-10T10:15:00.003-05:00

The Superior Viaduct

A cold bike ride

The Terminal Tower shrouded in snow

The snow collected on the B&O Bridge

The Rock Bottom Brewery and the Powerhouse

Thank You For This...

2009-01-09T16:35:00.005-05:00

This week, I dole out another list of Thank Yous!

Thank you to Alicia for giving me some Aleve this morning to stop my headache in its tracks. The dang thing was there when I got up then went away, regrouped and came back with a vengeance.

Thank you to drivers around Cleveland for not going crazy in the snow. Yes, we've been there before, we'll be there again. Go slow, drive cautiously and don't slam on the brakes. We'll all be thanking each other in the end.

Thank you to the security guard in my building for being on patrol and doing his job but scaring the living bejesus out of me. Of course, I didn't think he'd be in my garage but he was. Talk about the fight or flight reflex.

Thank you for Angel at the Super Duper Bestest Ever Cuts Clips hairdo place for not screwing up my hair when I needed an emergency trim. Okay, there wasn't really an emergency, it was some part being lazy, some part busy on my part. Oh, yeah, there was a little extra tip for her when she said I was handsome. Go on and flatter me, it works.

Thank you to my friends and family for being there to let me talk to them. Yes, I know I talk more than you do. Realize I'm always there to listen to you when you have something on your mind. Extra thank you to my mom who gave me the gift of gab and my father who gave me the ability to, well, BS, if I need to. Both are equally important.

Thank you to Narm for posting one of the most confusing and scary blog entries ever. I'm just happy I'm not the only person out there who doesn't know where his head is. I felt even to scared to comment on said post.

Thank you to the maintenance guy who forgot to turn my friend's refrigerator back on. Of course, she didn't need all of that food she had inside of her fridge. I know she enjoyed spending some of her time cleaning out that spoiled food. Oh well, I know she's happy she's buying a bunch of food at Heinen's to replace all of it on your company's dollar. Oh, I can't even issue a "Thank You" for the Q-Tips, that's just gross. 'Nuff said!

Thank you to Daniel "Boobie" Gibson for showing up for his interview on NewsChannel 5, even if it was a little late. It was great having him on our air.

Thank you to Mother Nature for a weekend snow, now if I just had my skiis fitted. Time to ski! Woot!

Let's See What's In My Junk Mail...

2009-01-08T18:14:00.003-05:00

I think Yahoo! does a great job filtering out junk mail. Gmail gets all sorts of stuff. Let's not even talk about Hotmail.

So, of the stuff that goes get through, let's take a look at what people are sending me.

Credit Report USA wants me to know that my credit rating may have changed. Good thing for that alert, I'm sure they can help me repair it. Guess their service will let me be as crazy as I want with my debt. Whew!

Real Visa wants to give me a credit card. To think I've been using those Fake Visa cards all of these years, what was I thinking?!?

Unread Crush Mail says that I have a secret admirer out there. Apparently that person is using their service to connect me. If you're thinking of trying to contact someone, let me tell you that isn't the way to do it.

My unknown friend, Jasmine, is helping me get meds. She writes "We address this letter to you hoping that it will help you select among the variety of online pharmacy stores." I love how my friends are so formal in their e-mails.

Top 5 Colleges are going to help me get my degree in under a year. That's fantastic and to think I spent a ton of money and time somewhere else. Wish I would have gotten that spam a long time ago. Oh wait, there was spam back then!

Probably one of my favorite, Snuggy, wants to help me keep warm this winter. Have you seen the commercial for this crazy, half-blanket, half-robe that you wear? Google it! If you have one, I suggest you get a rope and tie it around your waist. They make you look like a monk. That was my nephew's awesome observation.

What's your favorite junk mail? I could use a good laugh!

Children's TV: What's Changed

2009-01-07T00:00:00.004-05:00

When I was a kid, yes, that's getting longer and longer ago, children's television wasn't so scary.

You could say what you want about "Mister Roger's Neighborhood" and the way he talked but he was just like your uncle. I have to admit I really never watched him as a kid. His show had a great impact on a generation of kids.

There was also "Sesame Street". I really never watched that much either. Now I did watch "ZOOM" and "The Electric Company". I can remember being shorted if I didn't see the pinball counting segment or an episode of Spiderman. Brilliance! How did I learn the sounds of the alphabet? The Letter People, of course!

Oh, in my later formative years, there was "You Can't Do That On Television" and "Mister Wizard's World" on Nickelodeon. Both were must-see-TV for me.

But now, I have to say a little bit about children's programming of the later generations. First, there was "Barney". I don't know how any little kid could sit through his shrieking. He still sends some shivers up my spine. I don't understand how some kids didn't go to sleep and have dreams that Barney turned evil and didn't eat them.

There's also one of the wackiest shows out there, "Yo Gabba Gabba!" It's described as a fun live-action program for young children ages 1 and up. Host DJ Lance Rock makes friendly toy monsters come alive in a magical land full of music, dance, colorful cartoons, and simple life lessons. If you haven't seen an episode, I urge you to watch it. Take a look at Muno, the red cyclops. See if he doesn't remind you of something. The show's webpage says he's can be a bit clumsy and has been known to break things.

Apparently, pre-schoolers aren't the only people who watch the show. ABC News did a story about how twenty-somethings are becoming fans. That's probably due in part to some of the stars the show attracts. It gets celebrity guests like Elijah Wood, Tony Hawk and Laila Ali. Bands including "The Shins" and "Jimmy Eat World" have also appeared on the show.

Nickelodeon estimates since the show's premiere in 2007, more than 21 million people have watched the show. It's been streamed more than 25 million times online. My littlest nephew is starting to watch Noggin and it's one of the shows he watches.

Of course, my older nephews watch "Hannah Montana", "Fairly Odd Parents", and the "Suite Life of Zack & Cody". It's all Disney Channel and Nickelodeon for them.

Watch "Yo Gabba Gabba!", I dare ya!

To Tweet Or Not To Tweet

2009-01-06T12:52:00.003-05:00

I have to give some props first off to Chris for prompting me to express my confusion over Twitter.

If you don't know, twitter.com asks you to answer one simple question, "what are you doing right now?" Sounds simple enough right? Wrong.

All of the tweets, as they call them, appear in this format: taawd is watching the "Young & the Restless". He's watched it for years.

Here's my question, I'm sure the above format is the right way but I end up changing narration through the tweet. My entry looks like this: taawd is getting tired but I've already slept a little bit today.

Some people treat their tweets like this: taawd Check out the new video I posted on facebook.

Does anyone else share this frustration and confusion? taawd does, he really really does.

Can't Get That Song Outta My Head

2009-01-05T11:14:00.003-05:00

I've already written about the fact the iPod Touch is a gadget everyone should have. Besides doing everthing else underneath the sun, it also plays music. Yep, a mini computer that even cranks out the tunes, what a concept.

At any rate, it's got me back in the business of listening to music. I was going gonzo over songs when I was working out so much (a process I have to get back into very soon, if not today!)

You can listen to songs over speakers in your living room but there's a whole other side to getting up close and personal to the singing and the music via headphones. Sure, there's the concern of damage to your eardrums but do we really need to worry about that now?

I listened to the Mama's & the Papa's version of "Dedicated To The One I Love". The Shirelles did the original hit version earlier in the 1960's. The latter hit version contains the Mama's & the Papa's layered harmonies that make the song hard to pause.

You could listen to Jason Mraz's "I'm Yours" at home and get one experience. There's a whole different magic awaiting you through your iPod or mp3 player. Take a listen and see what I'm talking about.

I've always said music can control my emotions and even give me energy. I can pull the energy out of a song like nobody's business. I played the Fugees' "Killing Me Softly" to death back in the day (as they say). I milked Jack Johnson's tunes for all they are worth. Music is magical for me. I couldn't do without it. It make make you remember places, emotions, good times, bad times and even smells (at least for me in some occasions)

The summer when Fleetwood Mac was making their comeback, I couldn't get enough of their music. I bought about everything there was that was Fleetwood Mac. The Barenaked Ladies are the same with me.

In many cases, it's the emotions and the memories that music elicits from me and many other people. I can't hear certain songs without thinking about past relationships. I can't hear
"Celebration" by Kool & the Gang without thinking of going to Tony & Ann's house and all of the get-togethers my parents went to in their basement. I can't hear the "1988 Winter Olympics Theme" without thinking of Auction at Ashland University. God, we probably heard that theme 80,000 times during the big production.

Every time I hear that new song that I can't get out of my head, I think I wonder what sort of memory or emotion it will bring several years later. I hope they'll be the kind that bring me happiness. Listening to music is much easier when the song isn't tied to a bad time in your life.

Happy listening!

Thank You's of 2008

2008-12-31T13:48:00.002-05:00

Okay, I know I wrote on the last entry that it was the last of 2008 but it's my blog and I can change my mind, ahem, thank you!

Here are some recent "taawd thank you's", a new weekly post I've been thinking up.

Thank you to the drive-thru clerk at McDonald's on E. 30th & Carnegie who took the orders from three cars in the other lane instead of taking mine. By the way, my window was down the entire time. It ain't warm in Cleveland today.

Thank you to the clerk inside who calmed me down, took my order, gave me food and a free coupon for a McDonald's breakfast value meal.

Thank you to the two women at Wal-Mart Customer Service who waited on about 10 people before me, agonizing over each of their requests, only to spend 10 seconds with me and sending me on my way. That 45 minute wait during all of the Christmas crowd rush was appreciated.

Thank you to the man who was driving the Lexus on Columbus Avenue yesterday. As I mentioned in a previous post, I understand you drive an expensive car but that doesn't give you the right to stop your car at certain points on your drive with people behind you in order to point out tourist {sic} attractions to your passengers. I love my moderately priced car and don't want to have body work done to it because you slam on your brakes on a whim.

Thank you to Apple for inventing the iPod Touch. Of course, now that I have one and it dominates so much of the time, I feel the need to upgrade, ditch Sprint and my Samsung Instinct to go to AT&T for the iPhone.

Thanks to the construction workers, Cleveland Power, Cleveland Water and all the rest of you (you know who you are) for working so diligently outside of my window. Construct, repair and demolish the heck out of whatever but just take it easy on backing up. That signal is the only thing that normally wakes me out of my daytime slumber.

Thanks to facebook for creating the world's most connected social network. They make it easy for you to become absolutely addicted. I know people who'd never get on the computer and they can't spend a day without logging on. Welcome to the dark side!

Thanks to you for getting me addicted to Starbucks' Chai Tea Latte. I crave them fortnightly or anytime I see that green and white logo on the side of the street or building.

Thank you to someone who pointed out to me that Darth Vader twitters. That is until Lucasfilm Ltd finds it and makes the person take it down. I'll thank you to read it, it's hilarious.

Thank you to all of my blogging friends and anyone who reads my blog, your comments and posts make life a little more fun.

Thank you to 2008 for all it was. I hope I can pay the same compliment to 2009 next December 31st.

Again, Happy 2009!

The Final Post... of 2008

2008-12-31T09:59:00.002-05:00

Did I scare you? Did you actually think I was going to stop blogging. I'll admit the subject matter recently has been either too scarce or too personal to post on this spot on the web. So you haven't seen a lot of entries. 2009, my friend, will be different.

My most last few posts have been a little sappy but hey, it's the holidays and I'm allowed to do whatever I want. It's like the teacher in high school who will always issue you a hall pass.

So onward and upward to 2009.

First, a look back at 2008, I fully embraced the life of a downtown dweller. It will be hard to leave someday. 35 (and a few months of being 36) wasn't a bad age. I really focused on working out. I lost some weight and bulked up. The past few months I haven't been so good with the fitness plan but hey, that's what New Year's resolutions are all about, right? I got into bicycling. There's a reason they call it the Flats of Cleveland. You have to get up a hill to go anywhere else.

I have to think this sounds like one of those letters that my sister sends out updating everyone about the past year.

I could go on for hours but I'm not gonna.

So what's ahead in 2009? My friend is getting married down in South Texas in February. I'm part of the wedding so I guess that means I'll be booking a flight in February. I'm sure it will be a drag to go down to South Texas to weather that's around 60 or 70 and sunny instead of the cold and snows of Cleveland. I also hope I get a chance to see Europe (especially Switzerland) next year around this time.

I do wish I had a crystal ball to see all of the rest of the year. Wouldn't it be great if they had movie trailers that showed you snippets of your life from the coming year?

Well, since they don't I'll (we'll) just have to wait and see. I'm sure you know the place to come if you're looking for details (both good and bad) about me. It's right here (if you didn't figure that one out for yourself -- there's no charge by the way)

Happy 2009!

On More Selling Out...

2008-12-28T10:49:00.002-05:00

Yep, I love Target, I admitted that...

I've sold out and joined the cult of Starbucks lovers.

My iPod touch rules my life. I can't live without it now. I have now have two "touch" devices. When I don't have WiFi, I can get online via Sprint.

Now comes the latest "selling out"... I have The North Face apparel. A hat, gloves and a coat. Yep, I'm a walking billboard. If you aren't familiar with the "Face", I've also included a link on my blog, but how couldn't you be?

So, this is going to be a short post. I just wanted to admit my giving into peer pressure in hopes of being more like the cool kids.

Happy Christmas

2008-12-24T06:29:00.002-05:00

First, Happy Christmas!

This is such a great time of the year. People smile more at the store, we are all a little happier, friendlier and tolerant of each other. For that, I am thankful.

There are exceptions to that Christmas cheer. I told someone last night people often forget the tru meaning of Christmas. You know what it is, I don't need to tell you. It's a season of giving, happiness, joy and lastly, receiving. It's not a season of hate, anger, frustration or vindictiveness.

Here's the challenge this Christmas. Forget what you don't have and cherish what you do. Throw away the feelings of the past and embrace what's here in the present. Every day can't be Christmas. It comes once a year. That's what makes it so special.

I hate that there's such a rush to get people things. Some of the best things aren't bought with money but given with love. My mother is giving me a quilt my great-grandmother made. Is there any price for that? It's a selfless act my mother is doing for me. Remember the day isn't made up of expensive clothes, jewelry, toys, gadgets and electronics. It's all about family, friends and loved ones otherwise not mentioned in the first two descriptions.

Celebrate the holiday in your way. Forget what it's become, for me, some of the best memories of past Christmases are what bring happiness to each year. It's listening to Christmas songs that made your holidays. For me, it's Phil Spector's Christmas, Motown, Carpenters, Gene Autry, Brenda Lee, Bobby Helms and yes, even Band Aid's "Do They Know It's Christmas".

I should, of course, be loading up my car with presents to make the trek down to Wayne County to see my family but I just wanted to say a couple of things before I got these next two days officially started.

Thanks for reading my blog. I'm honored by the fact that anyone reads my blog to get taawd's thoughts or cares what's going on in my life. It's the only one I have and I'm thankful for all of the family, friends and loved ones I have. Each one of you holds your own special place in my life and I'm happy you are part of my being.

Now go and enjoy Christmas. Enjoy the fellowship it brings, enjoy the happiness it delivers, embrace the love and joy that's unequaled the rest of the year.

Love. Peace. Joy.
& always, Happy Christmas,

I'll Have A Bluetooth Christmas...

2008-12-18T13:13:00.004-05:00

I'm cool, I'll admit it because I wear a bluetooth in public. Yep, you want to be cool just like me.

Actually, I'll admit it, I'm not cool, because I wear a bluetooth in public. It's because I'm lazy and a bluetooth is convenient. I can do the wash {not pronounced WORSH} while talking to you on the phone. I can put away the laundry while talking to you on the phone. I can do all sorts of things while I have my bluetooth on.

I'm part of an elite group of people who wear their bluetooths inside of Target while I talk to my family and friends.

I don't like doing it but I hear all of the cool kids are doing so, so I'm doing so too. Try to stop me.

Just look around the next time you're in a store, are you the only person not with a bluetooth fired up?

Giving In...

2008-12-10T15:46:00.002-05:00

Maybe it's a deal where I'm getting older or maybe I'm getting smarter. I'm sure it's NOT the latter but I'm just starting to give in to different things.

There are words that bother me. If Narm can love pie charts, I can love words. I don't like "cancelled" spelled "canceled". "Cancelled" just looks right but it's the preferred British way of spelling the word. The preferred American word is "canceled". Yes, I know it doesn't look right. I have other words that I like one way even though they may be preferred another way.

Enough about words, how about emotions. I've always been quick to be passionate with my response to things, even if it's not the correct passionate response. I'm learning you can't just fly off the handle. I guess I thought people were more forgiving and not so sensitive. You have to be careful in e-mails, you have to be careful talking to people. It seems like everyone is so defensive about things. Isn't this how wars get started?

I'd rather joke, smile and have fun than be poisonous with my words or actions. What brings more to the table and makes everyone feel better? I think you understand that's a rhetorical question.

I know we all have our own insecurities. I work in television and come in contact (thankfully) with all sorts of people. What I've found over and over is that we are all human. Our little minds process things in different ways all in the line of making sure "number one" feels comfortable, safe and maybe even a little better than the next guy.

This is such a special time of the year. We all seem to forget some of those things and let down some of the walls we build up and defend the rest of the year. It's also a very stressful time. Everyone is running to get things done. It's a deadline, Christmas is coming and the countdown clock ticks every second, minute, hour and day closer to the holiday. Some people handle deadlines better.

My challenge to you is to give into the Christmas (holiday) spirit and smile instead of looking the other way. Say hello instead of saying nothing. Give instead of receive. Love instead of hate. You could make a difference in another person's life without even knowing it.

What we do have the ability to do as humans is have an effect on others. Why not make it a good one instead of a bad one. You never know when someone out there will smile at you when you're having a dirty and rotten day.

Maybe if we all give in a little more, this little place in the universe might just function and spin a little smoother,

(p.s., sometimes I have to admit, I don't know where my blog posts will end. I didn't plan for this one to go this direction. Maybe it will brighten up someone's day or change their way of doing things and make them see things in a different way. If that's the effect, it was worth my time this afternoon when I should have otherwise been sleeping. Happy Christmas! That's another post though.)

I'm Part Of The Tribe

2008-12-10T11:32:00.002-05:00

Or at least, I'm part of their promotional materials. This was at the beginning of the season on Media Day. I wasn't aware I was going to be in some pamphlet about Progressive Field.

Thanks to Curtis Danburg from the Indians for giving me a copy.

How fun is this?

Sunday Morning Frustration

2008-12-07T08:32:00.002-05:00

My morning got off to a little bit of a frustrating start because it's hard to "Sprint Ahead" when you don't have any network service.

Apparently here in the Cleveland area, it's been a problem to connect to someone and keep connected. I've called two people already this morning and our conversations are cut short by a disconnect. It's not just my phone because the two other people I'm calling also have Sprint. My mother doesn't have any problem connecting but she lives south of Cleveland and she's dialing out like she has the Verizon network of 8 billion people behind her. Me, on the other hand, I have Sprint network of zilch. (I don't know if I've ever used that word in a post before.)

While I'm on the topic of phones, I'd like to talk about my dying satisfaction with the Samsung Instinct. Sprint has been promising upgrades to the phone but they don't roll out when they're promised. They also have done nothing but make my phone more buggy. I'm not happy with the fact my phone locks up more (after the alleged updates) than when I first pulled it out of the box. If I'm on a three way call and someone text messages me, forget it. I'm wading through screen after screen of different notifications just to get back to my information about the current call.

Samsung and Sprint still have to do something about the virtual keyboard. So many people have a problem with it and how it's arranged. I can't type a text message without bobbling a letter and resulting in a misspelled word to save my rear.

Instead of recommending the phone to people, I'm telling them to get an iPhone if that's really what they want. I'm playing with my iPod Touch more and more and finding out that Apple really gets it. They seem to design products that people enjoy. I'm thinking about pitching a real complaint to Sprint and maybe even trying to get off their network. I've recently been nothing but unhappy with the phone they marketed and sold to me. The service, with the exception of this morning is acceptable.

Hope this problem with the service is temporary. I also wish there was a place on the Internet that they'd post information about outages so everyone could go to that page to find out what was wrong and when the problem would be fixed.

For now, I'm sitting and using the Internet for my only form of connection to the outside world. I'm just jogging instead of "Sprinting" ahead.

Missing Christmas Movies

2008-12-04T17:13:00.002-05:00

I live in Cleveland, the place where "A Christmas Story" was filmed back in the 1980's. The house has become very famous in Northern Ohio. It's situated in the Tremont neighborhood.

The play is at the Cleveland Play House right now. We do a lot of stories about the play at my station because's we're a sponsor.

Here's the rub, I've never seen the film. I know it's on TNT every Christmas over and over again but for some reason I've never been drawn to it. I've never seen "Miracle On 34th Street" either.

I don't know what it is about movies but I don't tend to see a lot of them. What are my holiday favorites? I like "Elf", "Love Actually" and the "The Family Stone". They are the Christmas classics that I like.

Of course, I've seen all of the Rankin & Bass TV Christmas shows a billion times. Who doesn't love "A Year Without A Santa Claus" or "Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer". There's also "Charlie Brown Christmas". All are great shows that I hope my kids (if there are "my kids") will enjoy someday too.

So if you see me and make "A Christmas Story" reference and I don't get it, you'll know why. Maybe I ought to spend some time this holiday watching it.

Happy Christmas,

Christmas Cutout Cookies

2008-12-03T10:40:00.004-05:00

From scratch and not from the Pillsbury tube!

Things I learned while making them:

Flour goes everywhere
Vanilla Extract does not taste like it smells
Lemon Extract does not taste like it smells

How then does both of them taste like they do when mixed with other things? Where's Bill Nye the Science Guy when you really need him?

Anyone want the recipe?

Just One Of Dem Days

2008-12-01T15:21:00.005-05:00

or weeks for that matter...

This week could really be a long one. December is, of course, vacation season at work. That means I'll be pulling some extra duty to make sure we continue operating business as usual without you knowing it. That means I'll be going into work into work early and leaving late.

That aside, this week will probably be slow going. I've already been warned that this week could be a long one. I've been talking to family about Christmas plans. It's not easy getting all of the family together on the same schedule. I have to go down to Wayne County for my mother's family. That's a Christmas Eve event. My immediate family has always celebrated Christmas on the night before (I know it's commonly known as Christmas Eve). I also have plans on Christmas with family. It's going to be a busy couple of days and everyone is going to be tired and need a little nap the next day.

I left work a little early this morning. If you've been following twitter you saw that I had a major pain in my back (no, not my neck!) and it has been debilitating. Here's the good news, I have some drugs now that's controlling the pain and it's not as bad. This weekend wasn't fun. Narm twittered he was happy to hear that the pain was subsiding but thought it was a little funny that I threw out a couple of sharp words as the pain hit me. Believe me, it was not fun

On the fun side, I got an iPod Touch that I'm calling iGor (pronounced Igor). I can't believe what it can do. I do hate having two different device that I'm caring around with me all of the time. I'm learning how to use it. Already, I'm able to justify its purchase. It's cool and can do so many things.

It's been a good day with the pain going away and other things in my life seeming to be okay. Time seems to work everything out. For that, I'm thankful...

Get In The Holiday Spirit

2008-11-30T09:30:00.007-05:00

Here's your chance Cleveland to get in the holiday spirit with one of the biggest social events of the season. Scrooge's Night Out!

Get in the holiday spirit with a little fun before all of that stress associated with the upcoming weeks.

For 21 years, the folks at the Ohio Canal Corridor have been hosting this holiday party that's never disappointed the 1,000+ people who attend.

Take a break from all of the holiday hustle and relax this Friday night at "Scrooge's Night Out" at the Galleria!

You can find out more by clicking here for the OCC website.

By the way, everyone's doing it so you should to and the prices are very affordable for what you get that night.

See you there?

Happy Christmas Cleveland

2008-11-29T17:40:00.005-05:00

The Cleveland skyline shows the holidays are here!

I was lucky enough to get some passes to Winterfest 2008. Narm, his girlfriend and I got to sit on the square and see the parade (of horses). Superior was littered with, well, what happens after horse eat what they eat. After the parade, fireworks lit up Public Square. The show was great. I will say I miss the old tree lighting with carols, the ice skating rink and Santa lighting downtown Cleveland. Francesca somewhat nicely insisted we get some Starbucks. Since when recently am I able to pass that place up? Pfft!, but whatevah! We were also invited to the after party at Cadillac Ranch. The night was nice, enjoy the pictures!

Thanksgiving Memories

2008-11-27T08:37:00.003-05:00

You couldn't live in my mother's house without the smell of turkey wafting through the air. It would literally wake you out of bed. You wanna talk stuffing, you have to try some of my mom's. Stouffer's ain't got nothing on her. It's homemade and is so good, it's almost sweet to the taste.

My mother always makes the turkey for the family. She's mastered it over the years. You can count on it being juicy and golden. I'm thankful for her skills in the kitchen. She comes from a long line of great cooks and bakers. I'm sorta trying to keep up that tradition by stealing recipes from her when I can and then trying them out. Maybe I'm writing all about food because I haven't had breakfast yet this morning.

At any rate, after getting up out of bed, I plopped down in front of the TV to see the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. I would often fall asleep during what I call the "showtunes" portion of the parade. I have no real desire to ever to go New York City but I have always wanted to see the parade in person. Maybe that will be possible someday. My sister and I would sit and watch the entire parade until my mom and dad got on us to get ready. We'd end up going to my maternal grandmother's side of the family a lot. My maternal grandfather's side was all about Christmas. I don't ever remember them hosting a Thanksgiving get-together.

We'd, inevitably, rush around the house to get showered and together for the day. We'd take a trip to great grandma Buckingham's house for lunch/dinner. It was always a blast. My great aunt, Marsha, would always entertain everyone with jokes and funny stories. Again, the food would always be great because my family, they know how to cook.

So, I'm sitting her at my computer at 8:50am on Thanksgiving thinking about watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Instead of going to the Buckingham's, I'm going to my sister's house. My mother once again made the turkey but this morning, the smell of the bird roasting isn't moving through the air in my place. It's certainly making my sister's home. In a couple of hours, I'll rush to get ready and get over to my sister's place before they eat.

Some things never change and other do, but I'm thankful for everyone and everything in my life. They are all blessings!

Happy Thanksgiving and thanks for reading,

Jason Mraz Concert

2008-11-26T18:35:00.004-05:00

Okay, I didn't get to meet Mraz, let's call it a little Mraz mix-up. Sure he would have been better off having met me but it's all good. No problem Skippy!

The concert was great. I do have one thing that I did feel during the concert, TIRED. Jason didn't help that fact by playing ballad after ballad. If I didn't have three hours of sleep before I went to the concert things would have been much different. It was, on the whole, a great concert. I'm listening to his CD right now. We did a chicken dance-like routine to "Make It Mine". "I'm Yours" was awesome. I heard the live version of the song online so I was familiar with how he sang the song live.

I may add more to this later but I wanted to put the pictures up.

Good concert and a great night!!

Before The Concert

2008-11-25T20:14:00.000-05:00

A Relaxing Week

2008-11-25T16:24:00.001-05:00

I feel the holidays coming my way.

I couldn't be happier because I scored Thanksgiving and Black Friday off this year. Don't look for me to be getting up early this year like last year.

I am going to Jason Mraz tonight and I get to meet him. Thanks 'Becca.

I am happy to be able to spend Thanksgiving with my family. It will be a special.

I will no doubt post some pix from the concert tonight, look for them.

taawd

The Biz Of Busyness

2008-11-22T07:29:00.004-05:00

No, there's no typo there. It's not business rather busyness.

The one thing I see over and over again while I stumble across my favorite blogs and others I don't normally read, you'll see a disclaimer that reads something like this: "Sorry for the lack of posts but I've been crazy busy."

I'm not immune to the syndrome, let's call it IBBS (I've Been Busy Syndrome). There's one cure for the problem just sitting yourself down and letting your thoughts flow through your fingers. I don't like it when I go to my favorite peeps' blogs and they haven't updated and I'm sure you're not happy when you visit taawd's little space on the 'net and don't see any update. It's a major crapper.

Sure right now, I should be:
folding clothes (I have two mounds, whites & colors, in my place)
eating breakfast (My stomach is growling)
paying bills (I'm sure someone wants my money)
cleaning up my place (I'm having VIPs stop by this evening)
sleeping (I can always use some sleep)
doing some work (I have a little organization to do for my project for GMC)
relaxing while playing this online game that I'm addicted to (one of my fellow players sent me a message wondering if I was okay because I wasn't "on" as much.)
several computer projects (a little photoshopping, fixing my network, switching two of my computers around)
working out (seriously, I've become lazy and fear flabbiness)

But, I gave all of those things the "up yours" to write this blog so that I overcome the IBBS. I promise not to let it get the best of me.

Don't let it do the same thing to you,

[by the way, do you twitter? if so, follow me at twitter.com/taawd, you might be able to keep up with me just as well there.]

WGAR Mention

2008-11-21T17:17:00.003-05:00

Okay, I didn't get mentioned by name but here's something funny my friend, Molly, e-mailed me this afternoon.

She says she was listening to WGAR 99.5FM this morning, and they were talking about freak accidents or something.

A guy called in and said he used to wash windows. He was on a cherry picker and it malfunctioned, he jumped off of it moments before it free fell two stories before crashing into someone's window and then bounced off several balconies.

She says she immediately thought that his story sounded exactly like what happened to me.

At the end of his story the guy mentioned that the person whose window he broke was a producer at Channel 5.

It was my story! How funny!

If you don't know what I'm talking about you'll find all of the details on a past blog entry. I also posted a picture of the outside of my building.

About two weeks ago, I found another shard of glass in my bedroom.

What's more hilarious and random is that I talked with Jim Mantel this morning and he knew that I was from NewsChannel 5 and he didn't mention the story.

Amazing,

[thanks to Molly for helping write this post, I basically just edited her e-mail. that's laziness at its best]

Why Can't Flowers Live Forever?

2008-11-21T17:15:00.000-05:00

Where's taawd?

2008-11-20T19:36:00.002-05:00

Okay, I'm like this uber-blogger and then I hardly do any blogging for days on a time... What gives Mr. taawd? I've been busy. RL as they say on the Internet. RL=Real Life.

I did want you to see this however, even though Allison beat me to it. Check out Beyonce's new video with a twist thanks to the Bonnie Hunt show, which is on WEWS/Channel 5. :)

You'll have to go to this URL because Bonnie Hunt's Show won't let youtube allow us to embed the video on blogs. Check out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6ExgUW6ak8.

Work has dominated a lot of my time. We're highlighting local Cleveland radio morning shows. Radio people are people I enjoy. They're cool, hip and quick on the humor. My theory about radio and television people is simple. Radio people want to be on television and television people want to be in the radio clique. For one reason or another, each of us picked either radio or television so we're envious of the other person's industry. I've been talking to all sorts of radio stations getting their appearances on Good Morning Cleveland all set-up.

I have a fun weekend planned. Let's just say I'm going to spend some time with the 'rents this Saturday. It should be a nice return trip to Wayne County. I think we'll eat at "The Barn". You find more details about the restaurant on this blog.

So speaking of food, time to get some for myself. Hmmm, someone say Ro K?

Here Comes Winter

2008-11-16T18:44:00.002-05:00

We're supposed to get some snow tonight and the forecast looks like it's going to be cold and/or snow all this week. Yep, I love it.

We're going to go through the first big morning of snowfall at work. That means making sure everyone knows about about school closings/delays, traffic and what's coming next. We have the Power of 5 at work so those 5 live doppler radars will be providing a good look at what's coming our way.

Sure, Greater Cleveland has been through this before but it's time to remember how to learn how to drive on snow and/or slick streets.

I have to go to Target this week because my bachelor refrigerator is once again living up to its name. I have a little work to do before I fall to sleep before heading into work this morning. Ah, I love bundling up for work instead of doing the button-down shirt and dress pants thing.

I'm happy to experience the seasons!

Saturday Surprise

2008-11-15T16:10:00.003-05:00

I'm excited about tonight. I'm not going to spend the night at Rock Bottom, it's still awesome, but I'm going to venture outside of the land of the Cleves for a little dinner at a place in Lakewood. I also have a stop at one of my favorite Cleveland haunts. I'll talk more about them tomorrow after this evening.

Sometimes it's nice to do something different and experience places where you haven't gone before too much. I'd argue with anyone that there's nothing to do in Greater Cleveland. Finding things to do in the fall is a little more challenging than finding stuff in the middle of summer. Quite frankly, I'm happy to be free of all of the summer events. We'll do them all again next year and it'll be fun.

For now, it's time to embrace what's coming our way, more fall and winter. There's skiing to be done this winter, I'm looking forward to it because I have some new skis. I can't wait to get them out on the slopes. Hopefully, I'll get to go to New York for the first time to see what those slopes are like. I also suppose I have to invest in some of the newest skiware, you don't want to be seen on the slopes without the proper attire. It's been a while, no snow skiing in South Texas.

Fall and winter bring the holidays and I'm looking forward to them more this year than ever. It's going to be great. There is a lot of activities on the horizon. Still more Browns games with Kevin and one that Kevin is taking a pass on and allowing me to take someone. Jason Mraz, with backstage possibilities, two days before Thanksgiving, then there's the holiday and then a Colts vs. Browns game.

I also have to get a trip to Detroit in before it gets nasty out there. Maybe I'll cross into Canada to stop at one of my favorite places across the border, I hope it's still there. It's called Kildare House and it's great. I fell in love with the little joint when I lived in Michigan.

Finally, I want to congratulate my friend, Beau, for his upcoming wedding in February. I'm going down to South Texas (specifically South Padre Island) for the big event. I'm confident he's found a girl who he's prepared to spend the rest of his life with. It's amazing how things change so fast. He's one of my great friends and I'm happy to be part of his wedding. It's truly special when someone asks you to stand up for them during a wedding ceremony and I'll happily do so. So congratulations Beau & Angel, I can't wait to be there for that special day in February.

But what I'm looking forward to most of all right now, is a special surprise night this evening,

Guardian Angels

2008-11-14T17:44:00.002-05:00

My great grandmothers. I'm blessed to have known both of them. I just wish I could have known them longer. Their influence on my life is evident everyday.

I found this picture while looking through a bunch of others. I just wanted to share them with everyone. They each were different women and each have remarkable stories about raising large families and loving every one.

taawd's thoughts