Why do people seem so fascinated with changing the world? You can't watch a TV program, sit though movie previews, or leaf through a magazine with coming upon someone or something urging us to change the world. I try to live a decent life. Heck, I'm 42 and I've never gone to jail once. It's been easy. Never been arrested. FULL DISCLOSURE: I was kicked out a of a dorm on the University of Wisconsin campus but all (ok, most) of those charges were trumped up.
It's no secret that the world has plenty of problems, but show me a time that the world didn't have plenty of trouble and that would be a first. It's always been a snakepit and always will be a snakepit. All of us "pitching in" won't do a damn thing for the big picture. Me, I recycle every other week. All my newspapers, glass, and plastic bottles go into their pretty bins and every other Friday I take them to the curb. I don't feel special about it, but I think it's an easy way to at least do something nice.
How do I try and change the world? Obviously, I don't, but I try to make my little corner of it a nicer place to be. I'm very nice to my always understanding wife. I walk my dog every day. I call my parents once a week, sometimes twice. I try to take care of myself so I'm not a burden on the already over-burdened health care system. I keep the noise down at night. I buy things that I can afford. I make my mortgage payment every month. I keep the house clean. I wash my car after it rains. I visit the casinos to contribute to the local economy. I don't use profanity in public (exception: Packers games). And when the day is done, I try and do it all again tomorrow.
Ok, so that wasn't exactly the Crash Davis "What do you believe in?" speech from Bull Durham, but I'm guessing the first draft of that wasn't as smooth as the end product either. Making the world a better place is bloodsport. We make it better by killing those who want to kill us, not by using a supposedly more energy efficient light bulb.
Anyway, I'm trying to spiff up the website a little bit, adding some color and some tasty bits about yours truly. I'm also trying to put some ads on it, so if you see some stuff along the side, don't be afraid. I'm not going to put a porn worm in your hard drive (frisky!), but if I can make cents for sense, that would be a beautiful thing.
I'm going to see "Sex and The City" with my wife this weekend, so more on that to come. I may even type it in pink.
Friday, May 30, 2008
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Sunny Skies
Please forgive the "post-less" days. I was signing in with the wrong User Name. Ever since 12/3/07, I've had to make many changes to things (e.g. monetary accounts), so I've got a lot of different User Names and passwords floating out there. I guess I'm so good at creating them that I can't keep them all straight. Then again, I was able to check the number of times the blog has been accessed (38) and realize that if I miss a day it's not going to make my huge readership collapse in grief.
Five days left until my non-compete expires and my mood is up. Not necessarily because I have a big money gig waiting for me, but that I survived it. The norm is that someone with a non-compete clause must completely change their life, pack their things, and go to their next destination. The company that holds the non-compete over them essentially controls their life, even after they stop working. This hasn't happened to me. I've come through the six months unscathed and that's done wonders for morale. Step One (survive the non-com) is complete. Step two is Revenge. The saying is that revenge is a dish best served cold, and while I have no idea what that means, I hope that my re-appearance in the market causes chills of fear for those that decided to send me packing. Nothing would make me happier.
I don't expect to accomplish Step Two immediately. Sometimes the things you wish for the most take the longest to arrive. I can wait it out. Six months was nothing. I'll do whatever it takes to accomplish Step Two. Should be fun.
Five days left until my non-compete expires and my mood is up. Not necessarily because I have a big money gig waiting for me, but that I survived it. The norm is that someone with a non-compete clause must completely change their life, pack their things, and go to their next destination. The company that holds the non-compete over them essentially controls their life, even after they stop working. This hasn't happened to me. I've come through the six months unscathed and that's done wonders for morale. Step One (survive the non-com) is complete. Step two is Revenge. The saying is that revenge is a dish best served cold, and while I have no idea what that means, I hope that my re-appearance in the market causes chills of fear for those that decided to send me packing. Nothing would make me happier.
I don't expect to accomplish Step Two immediately. Sometimes the things you wish for the most take the longest to arrive. I can wait it out. Six months was nothing. I'll do whatever it takes to accomplish Step Two. Should be fun.
Friday, May 23, 2008
Riddle Me This
What is more stressful....to work, or NOT to work? I've been out of a job now for close to six months. Wise investing and an almost psychotic penchant to save have kept my wife and I afloat. I'm able to work again in the broadcast community on June 3rd. Today, I'm stressed out on two ends:
1) What if I don't find what I'm looking for here in Las Vegas? Do we move? Do I settle for something not in my field and stay here, just so we have some stability (not to mention a second income) on the home front? That's Stress Factor #1
2) What if I do get something and I'm back in broadcast business? Last week's Academy of Country Music Awards show in Las Vegas brought back some not so pleasant memories of all the b.s. we would go through in the weeks leading up to the show. I really didn't mind being on the sidelines this time around. You wouldn't believe how much bull goes on behind the scenes of a radio station. Stunning.
Hence, the conundrum. I feel increasingly useless sitting on the sidelines, which increases my stress level. Still, it's automatic that wherever I return to work, there will be new pressures and stresses all their own. Which is the lesser of two evils? My incredibly understanding wife has told me (half-jokingly, I think) that she's not looking forward to me going back to work because I'm handling all the house cleaning now. Vacuuming and dusting await today. Still, I'm not sure how to take her. She says she's not panicked about the situation, and that whatever happens happens. I don't know if she really wants to let on how she's feeling because she knows that will already heighten what existing stress level I have.
I think those that slave away on a daily basis are envious on my current situation as dog walker, dishwasher, cook, and general all -around handyman. After all, we work so we can earn enough money so that we don't have to work. Funny how for most of us, getting away from work life is the actual goal of the job itself. I'm just really confused today. I'm trying to be happy and optimistic, but the stress won't let me.
Back to work. Dust never sleeps.
1) What if I don't find what I'm looking for here in Las Vegas? Do we move? Do I settle for something not in my field and stay here, just so we have some stability (not to mention a second income) on the home front? That's Stress Factor #1
2) What if I do get something and I'm back in broadcast business? Last week's Academy of Country Music Awards show in Las Vegas brought back some not so pleasant memories of all the b.s. we would go through in the weeks leading up to the show. I really didn't mind being on the sidelines this time around. You wouldn't believe how much bull goes on behind the scenes of a radio station. Stunning.
Hence, the conundrum. I feel increasingly useless sitting on the sidelines, which increases my stress level. Still, it's automatic that wherever I return to work, there will be new pressures and stresses all their own. Which is the lesser of two evils? My incredibly understanding wife has told me (half-jokingly, I think) that she's not looking forward to me going back to work because I'm handling all the house cleaning now. Vacuuming and dusting await today. Still, I'm not sure how to take her. She says she's not panicked about the situation, and that whatever happens happens. I don't know if she really wants to let on how she's feeling because she knows that will already heighten what existing stress level I have.
I think those that slave away on a daily basis are envious on my current situation as dog walker, dishwasher, cook, and general all -around handyman. After all, we work so we can earn enough money so that we don't have to work. Funny how for most of us, getting away from work life is the actual goal of the job itself. I'm just really confused today. I'm trying to be happy and optimistic, but the stress won't let me.
Back to work. Dust never sleeps.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Go Time
It's now less than two weeks until I am free from restrictions allowing me to broadcast in southern Nevada. I have at my disposal many files from my time on the KWNR morning show. Most of the files are from my most recent pairing with Mark Stevens. I've had a hard time convincing myself to listen to these files, fearing that instead of cheering me up, they would make me sad. I'd be sad because I would hear how good the show was, how much fun I had doing it, and feel angerknowing that I was a victim of crushing managerial incompetence.
Correct on all counts.
When I was let go, I had second thoughts about continuing to stay in broadcasting. Six months on the sidelines has told me that broadcasting is where I belong. It's what I do best, and I shouldn't believe that because I was fired that I should find something else to do. To me, that would justify the move that management made in firing me. I don't know if my next broadcast gig will be in Las Vegas. I hope that it is. It's where I'm best known. If I were to go somewhere else, it would truly be like starting over, and that's hard to do.
Over the next couple of weeks, I'll be mixing in listening to plenty of aircheck files along with vacuuming, dusting, and dog walks. I'll be picking files that best showcase my abilities and putting these files onto discs, ready for shipping to whomever wants to listen. It's a time consuming endeavor, as there are files upon files upon files. The only thing they have on them is the date and the time, so I'll have to listen to them all the way through to see what the subject matter is. I might listen to :30 of a file and think that it's not usable, only to jolted by an audio gem that needs to be saved.
All this doesn't need to be done in the next two weeks. I'd like to think that those people in Vegas that would be interested in me would've heard my work. Nevertheless, if they ask for samples, I'll need to be ready. I can't believe almost six months has passed. Considering all that I've heard about the old station from the day of my firing until now, maybe this has been the better spot to be. An ice cold soda, a game on the tube, loyal dog at my feet, an incredibly understanding wife, and hundreds of files which prove to me that when it comes to broadcasting I knew what I was doing. I know I'll be on the winning end. Sometimes it takes a long, long time to break the tape. I should know in two weeks if I'm close to the finish line or not.
Correct on all counts.
When I was let go, I had second thoughts about continuing to stay in broadcasting. Six months on the sidelines has told me that broadcasting is where I belong. It's what I do best, and I shouldn't believe that because I was fired that I should find something else to do. To me, that would justify the move that management made in firing me. I don't know if my next broadcast gig will be in Las Vegas. I hope that it is. It's where I'm best known. If I were to go somewhere else, it would truly be like starting over, and that's hard to do.
Over the next couple of weeks, I'll be mixing in listening to plenty of aircheck files along with vacuuming, dusting, and dog walks. I'll be picking files that best showcase my abilities and putting these files onto discs, ready for shipping to whomever wants to listen. It's a time consuming endeavor, as there are files upon files upon files. The only thing they have on them is the date and the time, so I'll have to listen to them all the way through to see what the subject matter is. I might listen to :30 of a file and think that it's not usable, only to jolted by an audio gem that needs to be saved.
All this doesn't need to be done in the next two weeks. I'd like to think that those people in Vegas that would be interested in me would've heard my work. Nevertheless, if they ask for samples, I'll need to be ready. I can't believe almost six months has passed. Considering all that I've heard about the old station from the day of my firing until now, maybe this has been the better spot to be. An ice cold soda, a game on the tube, loyal dog at my feet, an incredibly understanding wife, and hundreds of files which prove to me that when it comes to broadcasting I knew what I was doing. I know I'll be on the winning end. Sometimes it takes a long, long time to break the tape. I should know in two weeks if I'm close to the finish line or not.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Dave
My brother is the smartest guy I know. He'll be 48 on June 9th. God, I'm gonna have a 50 year old brother in two years!! Feeling older all of a sudden. Anyway, like I was saying, he's the smartest guy I know. He also lives like it's 1982.
No cell phone, no Internet. Doesn't care to get it, either. Ok, he has cable tv, but that's his lone concession to modernism. He reads the paper, front to back, every day. He drives a Jeep. Big 'ol Jeep. Living in Northern Wisconsin, that's the sensible choice. He's not interested in "going green", yet he's very meticulous and orderly.
Dave can talk about all sorts of things. He tends bar up in the Wisconsin Northwoods, so he feels it's best to be well rounded in knowledge so can can have intelligent conversations with his customers, whatever they may have interests in. He's perfectly happy tending bar. He's perfectly happy not having things that most of us would now be lost without.
Here's the thing: We have as many roads to information and knowledge as we ever have, yet as a nation we getting more and more stupid every year. Is there an inverse relationship between the amount of knowledge at your disposal and your ability to use it wisely? Is the old way still the best way? I guess it all depends how you use something at the end of the day. I get the Review Journal daily, but I may decide to watch "Transformers" instead. Honestly, I don't know if Dave has gone out to the movies in years. I could go to the Wall Street Journal website, but I may just visit TMZ and find out where Britney is today.
Through it all, I honestly think that Dave is as happy and satisfied as anyone I know. He doesn't need "more". He's lived in the same apartment for years. He has a nice little boat to go fishing. He's not making a ton of dough, but he's happy doing what he does, and my parents respect him for that. In learning lessons from our "it's never enough" society, Dave should be Exhibit A for the argument that the simple life is simply....better.
No cell phone, no Internet. Doesn't care to get it, either. Ok, he has cable tv, but that's his lone concession to modernism. He reads the paper, front to back, every day. He drives a Jeep. Big 'ol Jeep. Living in Northern Wisconsin, that's the sensible choice. He's not interested in "going green", yet he's very meticulous and orderly.
Dave can talk about all sorts of things. He tends bar up in the Wisconsin Northwoods, so he feels it's best to be well rounded in knowledge so can can have intelligent conversations with his customers, whatever they may have interests in. He's perfectly happy tending bar. He's perfectly happy not having things that most of us would now be lost without.
Here's the thing: We have as many roads to information and knowledge as we ever have, yet as a nation we getting more and more stupid every year. Is there an inverse relationship between the amount of knowledge at your disposal and your ability to use it wisely? Is the old way still the best way? I guess it all depends how you use something at the end of the day. I get the Review Journal daily, but I may decide to watch "Transformers" instead. Honestly, I don't know if Dave has gone out to the movies in years. I could go to the Wall Street Journal website, but I may just visit TMZ and find out where Britney is today.
Through it all, I honestly think that Dave is as happy and satisfied as anyone I know. He doesn't need "more". He's lived in the same apartment for years. He has a nice little boat to go fishing. He's not making a ton of dough, but he's happy doing what he does, and my parents respect him for that. In learning lessons from our "it's never enough" society, Dave should be Exhibit A for the argument that the simple life is simply....better.
Monday, May 19, 2008
A Moving Proposition
I don't mind a weather forecast that calls for record warmth in December. In May, it's a whole different story. Record heat is in the forecast for the next couple of days, and as I've written previously, I'm way over the heat. I spent the better part of the weekend checking out homes in Wisconsin. Towns like Green Bay, Madison, Wausau, Stevens Point. Homes there cost the equivalent of a decent down payment on a home here. Added bonuses?
Yards! Not walled off compounds!
Nice Neighbors!
Relaxed lifestyle!
Ever since Pumpkin and I have been together, we've taken a trip back to Wisconsin each year. With each passing trip, she finds herself loving it more and I find myself missing it more. Sometimes you have to be away for awhile to realize what you've given up. It happens with relationships and happens with geography. Don't know what you've got 'til it's gone. As of tomorrow, I have two weeks left in my non-compete. If things don't go my way, work-wise, I've come to terms with the very real possibility that we may be moving on. Las Vegas has been very good to us, but maybe our relationship with the city is stretched beyond the point of repair. We've sent out for as many Wisconsin travel guides as we could get from the state's website. We're studying a move like a college senior would cram for a final.
Maybe it's just the heat talking. I'm inside the house, the a.c. is set to 79, and I'm still sweating. The forecast for later in the week calls for temps to fall to the 80s, perhaps even with some rain. We'll see what that does to our mood.
"You Can't Go Home Again"- Thomas Wolfe.
I don't think he was a Wisconsin-ite.
Yards! Not walled off compounds!
Nice Neighbors!
Relaxed lifestyle!
Ever since Pumpkin and I have been together, we've taken a trip back to Wisconsin each year. With each passing trip, she finds herself loving it more and I find myself missing it more. Sometimes you have to be away for awhile to realize what you've given up. It happens with relationships and happens with geography. Don't know what you've got 'til it's gone. As of tomorrow, I have two weeks left in my non-compete. If things don't go my way, work-wise, I've come to terms with the very real possibility that we may be moving on. Las Vegas has been very good to us, but maybe our relationship with the city is stretched beyond the point of repair. We've sent out for as many Wisconsin travel guides as we could get from the state's website. We're studying a move like a college senior would cram for a final.
Maybe it's just the heat talking. I'm inside the house, the a.c. is set to 79, and I'm still sweating. The forecast for later in the week calls for temps to fall to the 80s, perhaps even with some rain. We'll see what that does to our mood.
"You Can't Go Home Again"- Thomas Wolfe.
I don't think he was a Wisconsin-ite.
Friday, May 16, 2008
Ouch
Not much happening today. As I mentioned on the last posting, I went out to a sports bar to watch Dodgers/Brewers with a pal. Dodgers 6, Brewers 2. I had feared that like so many other establishments in town that tout their plasma screens and sports acumen, this place would fail me. Wrong I was. My buddy Mark and I went to the Home Plate Bar and Grill on Blue Diamond and Decatur, now one of the fastest developing areas in town. Friendly bartender, flat screens with The Game on just about every screen (Note to bartenders/restaurant owners: ESPN does not have a monopoly on televised sports. Please check your local listings each day and note which channel is televising which game. You paid big money for flat screens. Give people a reason to look at them). Good food. And, unfortunately, dangerously cold beer.
I like to drink. I usually save my drinking time for the occasional outings with the fellas. I almost never drink at home, nor do I sit and sip when Pumpkin and I go out for dinner. Working the 4a-12p shift for the last 11 years has meant that I've been able to step out for a martini matinee every so often. Mark, my usual partner in the drinking endeavor, has similar hours. We also have a similar problem: We don't know when to stop. I know what the punishment is for d.u.i., both monetarily and the effect it can have on my future employment and my home life. Far too often in the last 24 years (drinking age in Wisconsin when I was growing up was 18) I've been "over served" and have gotten behind the wheel. My argument is that I bear down and concentrate more, knowing that if I get pulled over for speeding the jig is up. That's weak, I know.
Today, I just feel stupid. I took my first sip of beer at 10:15am and got home just before 4pm. The game ended just after 1pm, for cryin' out loud! What the hell are we doing staying there for an extra three hours??? I think I looked at yesterday as possibly the last time that I'd be able to knock a few back during the weekday. In three weeks, I will be able to return to the broadcast industry without fear of reprisal from my old company. Maybe I looked at yesterday as a last hurrah, the end of an era. Whatever the reason, I'm disappointed in myself. I know better. And one of these days, I'm going to pay for it. Not with just a hangover either.
I've read that if you drink and drink and don't get hung over, that means you're an alcoholic. I'm hurting today. Badly. I guess that means I'm not. Still, I wonder.....
I like to drink. I usually save my drinking time for the occasional outings with the fellas. I almost never drink at home, nor do I sit and sip when Pumpkin and I go out for dinner. Working the 4a-12p shift for the last 11 years has meant that I've been able to step out for a martini matinee every so often. Mark, my usual partner in the drinking endeavor, has similar hours. We also have a similar problem: We don't know when to stop. I know what the punishment is for d.u.i., both monetarily and the effect it can have on my future employment and my home life. Far too often in the last 24 years (drinking age in Wisconsin when I was growing up was 18) I've been "over served" and have gotten behind the wheel. My argument is that I bear down and concentrate more, knowing that if I get pulled over for speeding the jig is up. That's weak, I know.
Today, I just feel stupid. I took my first sip of beer at 10:15am and got home just before 4pm. The game ended just after 1pm, for cryin' out loud! What the hell are we doing staying there for an extra three hours??? I think I looked at yesterday as possibly the last time that I'd be able to knock a few back during the weekday. In three weeks, I will be able to return to the broadcast industry without fear of reprisal from my old company. Maybe I looked at yesterday as a last hurrah, the end of an era. Whatever the reason, I'm disappointed in myself. I know better. And one of these days, I'm going to pay for it. Not with just a hangover either.
I've read that if you drink and drink and don't get hung over, that means you're an alcoholic. I'm hurting today. Badly. I guess that means I'm not. Still, I wonder.....
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