First, let me wish you a Merry New Year! We welcomed in the New Year on I84 just inside the New York side of the New York/Connecticut border. We were on our way back up to Canada to visit with family. We got a late start in the evening, and were physically in our car...that is, minivan...on the highway headed West as 2008 rolled in. The kids had fallen asleep, and as we approached the last minute of 2007 we shouted back for them to wake up. Then...then final 10 seconds came, and as the last second turned over, we shouted "HAPPY NEW YEAR!", and honked the horn as we drove by a rest stop that had about 40 parked semi's. Then I looked back through my rear view mirror, turned on the dome light to find the kids were still sound asleep! We shouted again..."HAPPY NEW YEAR! HAPPY NEW YEAR!" There was NO waking them. Funny how when you actually want them to stay asleep, they wake up; and when you want to wake them, it's almost impossible. Well...Amie and I enjoyed rocking out to U2's New Year's Day
Now, on to business. You read the title right! NO New Year's Resolutions for me. I have not made a "New Year's Resolution" since I was 15 or so. The very last New Year resolution I made was for New Year's 1986. That year, I made the resolution to never make another New Year resolution! I had quite the wit back then! And to be honest, that resolution hasn't been hard to keep. Who needs empty promises to ones self? Face it...people make resolutions to specifically break them. Have you ever thought, "Hmm...how long will I go this year before I break my resolution"? Of course you have. I would venture to say that everyone that makes a resolution, also asks themselves that question. As a matter of fact, I may have wondered if I would ever break mine! That was actually a sarcastic remark. I've never wondered if I would break it!
Let me ask, do you do this as a game with yourself? Do you take odds, place bets, keep score? Why make a resolution you know you won't keep? Why not say it honestly? Here's what I would recommend, and since it is still the first day of the year, maybe January 2 by the time some of you read this, there is still time to revise your resolution.
Try these:
- "I resolve to eat right for two weeks". (Don't say "lose weight" because you are really setting yourself up for failure. And it takes at least four to six weeks to see any loss in weight from eating a proper diet and exercising. So, keep it real. )
- "I resolve to stop smoking for 9 days". (Don't say "quit smoking", because no one like a quitter! Yes, that was more of my sarcastic wit. But it makes sense, right? And we know you can't stop for good...so make it easy! That way you can actually say you kept your resolution to quit smoking!)
- "I resolve to abstain from road rage for 1 day". (Let's be realistic...if you are a "roadrager" (new word) you can't help yourself. You enjoy shouting at other drivers that can't hear you. You find it so empowering you can't go more than one day, so don't torture yourself!)
- "I resolve to save $X in January ". Replace X with something attainable, because January is the "brokest" (new word) month of the year! (Face it, once you see you have extra cash, you're going to spend it. You just can't save all year. So, be honest with yourself, and you won't feel guilty.)
Hope that helps! What we will cover, in my Profit Margin Blog, is Goal Setting. Different from "Resolutions", When you set goals, you set mini miles stones, as well as huge milestones, that help you measure your accomplishments. Click on over and subscribe.
And for those of you following along from my last blog post here, I still have Jezebel. After careful analysis, her life is not yet over. She has her good days, and bad days. There are difficult moments, but not anything we can't handle. Right now, the good days outweigh the bad. Until that balance is flipped, she will remain with us. I feel selfish about it, but I don't see a reason to force that inevitable moment.
If you enjoy this blog, subscribe, and send a link to your friends! If you already subscribe, THANKS!
With the end of the year fast approaching, we start to contemplate our successes and failures for the past 365 & 1/4 days. I will get to that in another blog. But as I reflect back on 2007, this year has almost been the biggest roller coaster ride of my life. So many changes. So many, that I started asking people whether they would prefer to have dramatic changes peppered throughout their life, or if they would prefer to have many happen in the same period of time and get it over with; Likening the situation to slowly pulling a band-aid off slowly, or ripping it off quickly (OUCH!). Do you want one long band-aid, or many short and quick ones. This year for me resembles having a band-aid ripped right off, hairs and even the top layer of epidermis! But the answers I got from many, like the people themselves, are a mixed bag. There really is no preference over the other. As I finish this year in contemplation of the last 12 months, I am anxious for this year to be done. But despite closing the door on another year gone by, for me, it still will not be a Happy New Year.
The last time I remember so many changes in such a short time frame was in 1989. That was the year my dad passed away. What makes it somewhat chaotic is that my maternal Grandmother also passed away. They passed away just 4 days apart of each other. It hit me like a ton of bricks because I hadn't seen my dad for the better part of that last year; he had been traveling, visiting other family around the Country. I had graduated high school in June of 1988, about a year before his passing. He finally returned home in May 1989 to get my mom and bring her with him on his adventures. They were excited because I was about to begin my own life apart from them, and they would get to spend some quality time away from home without the spoiled brat! But a few weeks prior to leaving, his heart gave out on him. Meanwhile Nanny, my Grandmother, was already in the hospital getting a quadruple by-pass surgery on her heart. Sadly, she did not survive. It was the day she was being buried that my dad passed away. He passed, as I recall, in the early hours of the morning. It truly was a difficult period. I was due to begin my life away from home, leaving my mom behind, widowed and without her mother. I felt like the wind was kicked out of me. But time heals all wounds.
So as I conclude this year, I feel very exasperated again. Not quite like June 1989. But looking back at this past year, the thrills definitely weren't as fun as being on a roller coaster. I think I could use a vacation from the year gone by. So, February was a great month. I celebrated my 10 year anniversary being married to my beautiful and wonderful wife, Amie. As we reflected on the last 10 years, we couldn't believe how quickly time seemed to be passing for us; a sign that we are both extremely pleased with how things are turning out in our lives. However, we were brought back to reality in March when my mom was seriously hospitalized. She had 6 blood transfusions due to complications with her acute diverticulitis. It was a scary time. And we are blessed that she made it through and is still strong willed despite her challenges! Then, I believe it was in April, one of my dogs, Jezebel took a bad fall down our stairs. It was a blessing in disguise because during an examination, a tumor was found on her spleen. It was removed during a short surgery and she bounced back quite well. We were pleased with how she recovered and breathed a sigh of relief, because if she hadn't recovered, there was only one option and I was not ready for that!
Shortly following, in May, my contract with WXCT was canceled, and as such my radio career put on hold. Upon leaving WXCT, my wife and I decided to take the family for a short, well-deserved vacation to North Carolina. My niece was graduating high school, and the NASCAR Coca-Cola 600 was taking place in Charlotte. It was an exciting event I was able to take my oldest son to; a great father/son experience. That short vacation was only supposed to be a Thursday through Sunday trip. It turned into a two week expedition visiting a few family members in several states and traveling over 3000 miles altogether! Oh, don't misunderstand. I am not complaining in the least! It was a long overdue vacation, and yet still too short. But we had a lot of fun, even with 4 kids and 2 old dogs, who are like children. I think everyone truly enjoyed seeing family they had never seen before (even I met nieces and nephews I hadn't seen before), and getting to see other parts of the Country too. I know as a child, I enjoyed those types of trips.
Anyway, upon returning from our spontaneous adventures, I pushed forward to start an Internet Talk station, but my timing was off. I just couldn't get it done. Then in July came the first of several difficult decisions I had to make this year. You've probably read about it in an earlier blog, but the gist is: one of my dogs, Spike, had a problem with his left hind leg. He no longer had control of it. This had been going on for quite sometime, probably 6-9 months. He was dragging his paw, causing blisters and open cuts. After an examination, and several attempts at medications, the vet said nothing further could be done (at least not that my wallet could support). Spike's problem was getting progressively worse. The decision had to be made. He was 12 years old. We could not reasonably accommodate the circumstances. His quality of life was deteriorating rapidly. I had to have him put to sleep. Sadness entered our home again.
Just as quickly though, it seemed things were picking up again. I had been in lengthy negotiations for a couple months with a radio station. Finally an offer was made, and I accepted. But several events happened that made the decision seem wrong. There were difficulties getting the funds to move, then difficulties getting the truck. So my wife and I decided it would be best if we didn't move the whole family right away. So, the plan changed, and only I made the 2600 mile journey. My experience there was not as expected. It too seemed to be quite a struggle. And then four weeks later, I was informed there were no funds to pay me with. So, I returned home. To this point, I had traveled about 10,000 miles over the year, altogether!
No sooner had I returned home, I then got a message that my mom had been hospitalized again! So we made our way back to be with my mom. Fortunately this time, she was not given any transfusions and she returned home without much incident. While there, I attempted to get an interview with a prospective employer for a position that seemed to fit my qualifications outside of the radio business. However we not able to connect until a few days after the family and I returned home! But we did have a couple good conversations and five days later, I was back on a bus headed to Montreal to accept the position.
This pretty much brings us to the present. I am in Montreal, under a new contract with that company, non-radio related. My family, once again stayed behind, this time simply because it's winter and it's too cold to move everything quickly. We will be together for Christmas and New Year's. However one family member, I fear will not be. Jezebel, who is the first dog I got out while on my own, is now 14 & 1/2. As mentioned, she went through a serious surgery this year that we thought would add 2-3 years to her life. But she has a sever case of arthritis, and even the medication she is on seems to only aid in relieving the pain part of the time. This winter, the weather really seems to be taking its toll on her. When we came to Montreal in October, the second time my mom was hospitalized, she took a spill on the hardwood flooring. She just couldn't get a good footing. That event seemed to discourage her; and just being away from home seemed to bother her immensely.
Shortly after Christmas, the family and I will be coming up to Montreal to celebrate the New Year with my mom. I have been thinking about her condition. I'm saddened to think that her quality of life is deteriorating because of the arthritis, and how the winter weather delivers its own discomforts. I always envisioned that she would simply pass away in her sleep, after living a long complete life. But, I believe the time has come to give her peace. As selfish as I want to be...and keep her alive with me for several more years to come, I realize it would not be fair to her. She has brought much joy into my life, and that of my family. I do not want her to become despondent, and saddened by her inability to function. So when I return home, I will have to say good-bye to her for the final time. For, I cannot bear to think that my selfishness will only cause her more pain and discomfort.
And that will be the end of this roller-coaster ridden year. So many changes. So many changes. 2008 will begin on a somber note for me. It will be the first year since 1993 that I will not have a four legged furry friend by my side, looking at me with quizzical eyes and giving a bark, wanting me to talk to her; to drop a fist-sized rock at my feet wanting to play fetch; to happily come bounding to me, tongue wagging in the wind, running as fast as she can with stretched leaps as I call her to come inside from roaming the woods by our house; to have her whine, and whine, at me because Spike needed to go out (he wouldn't let us know, it was always Jezebel who spoke for him). I will reminisce on every year and every moment I can remember. I will reflect on all the fun times, and all the difficult times that I lived through with Jezebel, and with Spike. And I will mourn our loss.
It's time to get off the roller coaster ride of 2007. And get on a new one for 2008. A new job. Returning to a place I once called home. A new Internet Talk Radio Station and my own new Talk Radio show! A fresh start, a new beginning? No. Just another chapter that will too, find a conclusion at some point in time.
For many, a dog becomes a member of the family. We had two dogs that we considered part of our family: Jezebel and Spike. Jezebel is a Shepard/Golden Retriever mix. Spike was an American Staffordshire Terrier, also known as an Am Staff or Pit Bull. I say "was" because this past Wedesday, I had to put Spike down, "put to sleep" as some would say. It was a sad day for the family, but I had been preparing us for it for a couple months. Spike had been having trouble with one of his back legs. He would drag it behind him when he walked, which also scraped up his toes. It was getting progressively worse. We live on the second floor, and it was getting difficult for him to go up and down the stairs. It was also becoming a challenge for him to complete his daily "dooties", so to speak. We tried different meds to correct the problem, but the final conclusion was that he had a spinal disease of sorts.
I had already had Jezebel for 2 years when Spike came into the family. In 1995, I had moved to Salt Lake City and through a series of events came to own Spike. A friend told me I would give him a good home. And so I did. Over the years, I had a hard time figuring out if he was dumb, or just playing dumb. There were times he clearly didn't know what was going on, but then he would surprize us. He was terrified of water, and hated baths. When we moved here to Connecticut, he found a love of rabbit poo. It took him a while to realize that when he got rabbit poo on him, he would get a bath. Finally, he stopped rolling in it. However, he never outgrew his love to get into the garbage. What dog does?
But, he was fun to have around. I would play "fetch" with Jezebel; her favorite game. Spike would want to get in on it. So I'd throw the stick for him to "fetch". He would go get it, then run off to the side, lay down, and commence chewing on the stick! He sure had his way. We are fortunate to have had him around as long as we did. And we're also grateful that we were able to take him on our first family vacation this past May.
Spike was the "second" member of my family, Jezebel being the "first"; he was six months old when I got him. I had not yet married, and did not have children when Spike joined Jezebel as a K9 member of my family. It was extremely hard to make that decision to put him down, as I had him for twelve years. But I had to think about the quality of his life. And Spike just didn't have much "quality" left. It was the right thing to do for him. Spike was cremated and I should get his remains back in a week or so.
I have many memories of Spike, and might share some more with you in the future.
Spike, we love you and we will miss you.
Let me preface by saying that I really don't actively watch TV. I prefer listening to music. BUUUTT, we turned on the ol' boob toob tonight, you know the television. Entertainment Tonight was on. One of the stories was about a contestant on America's Got Talent. Apparently Ivan the Urban Action Figure attempts a grand entrance by jumping on a trampoline and over some folding chairs. The stunt goes awry. Apparently the story ends on a good note, as it seems the contestant is okay. Of course ET sells the talent show by saying: To find out what happens, watch America's Got Talent tonight at 8. Okay...we were curious, because the contestant's fall really looked fake. When he landed on his back, his body did a vertical flip and he landed on his front. It just didn't look like an accident.
Well what really got my attention was what judge Piers Morgan says to the contestants at the beginning of the show. He says something to the effect of: "These three minutes will be the most important minutes of your life". HA! Really? What is so important about performing in front of three has beens? Don't get me wrong. I enjoyed watching Knight Rider and Boob Watch, I mean BayWatch (David Hasselhoff), and I like some of Ozzy's music (Sharon Osbourne is Ozzy's wife and manager). But they are past their prime. What I mean by that, is what relevance do they have being judges on a talent show. And I have never heard of Piers Morgan. I think it is opportunistic for NBC to actually post on his bio that he was a close friend of Princess Diana. That just reeks of unprofessionalism. What does being friends with the Princess have to do with his ability to judge a talent show?
Well anyway, Piers makes it sound like these contestants will never experience anything more important in their lives than performimg for him. What arrogance. I can think of a dozen more important moments these people could potentially face. Sure, competing on National Television for 1 million dollars is a pretty big deal. But none of these people should define their lives by the outcome of their performance. For some, they may achieve greater stardome than what this show offers. There is some real talent on the show. And for others, even a life of what some may consider normal and mundane, they may experience moments in their life that are just more important, more defining than three minutes in front of Piers Morgan!
So, the outcome of Ivan's stunt gone awry? Of course NBC saved it for the last act. He was taken to the hospital, but the reason for that was mostly just part of the safety procedure. He was disqualified. What a way to go.
One final note on this show. The way the judges try to fool the contestants with their decisions is tasteless. Piers says "Unforetuneately you are going to the short list". What the hell does that mean? "Unfortunately"? He really isn't funny. And then he tells the losers, "We enjoyed your performance and you were even better than last time. Your going home." His attempt at an anti-climax is BORING.
Is this what American's like to watch? Is this really what American's think is entertainment? Are we really digressing, becoming mind-numbed blobs? Lord help us all!
NASCAR's top series to be called Sprint Cup in 2008 - NASCAR - Yahoo! Sports
We recently became NASCAR fans. This came about mainly because my, then 7 now 8 year old, son became enthused watching one of the NASCAR races as we flipped through channles one Saturday or Sunday afternoon. As he was watching NASCAR NEXTEL he chose Jimmie Johnson as his favorite driver. (Jimmie went on to win the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup last year which made my son extremely happy). As a boy myself, I was intrigued by racing but didn't know anyone else interested in it, so I never really got into it the way I wanted. My dad watched NFL football pretty religiously, and sometimes MLB baseball. We usually watched the play-off and the World Series at least. There was also the occassional NBA game, Boxing and sometimes collegiate sports, or whatever was on ABC Wide World of Sports on Sudays. But that was about it for sports in our house growing up. So, as my interest in racing was resurging, I took the opportunity to bring my son to a real NASCAR race. We went to the Coca Cola 600 in Charlotte. Jimmie didn't win, but Jakob and I had a blast!
We've also been loyal NEXTEL customers for the last 6 years. With 2 phones and extra services, we've spent ALOT of money with NEXTEL. But NEXTEL had the best customer sevice, and we were never dissatisfied. They really knew the value of the customer, (unlike Sprint), and always found a way to accomodate if there was ever a problem with service. I was kind of proud to know that a service I use was a major sponsor of a sport I was falling in love with. But since the Sprint NEXTEL merger, I've had several less than adequate experiences with the new company. Last year I responded to an offer to get a free data card. The data card allows you to have internet access for your laptop anywhere you get a cellular signal. I was initially told I would get it within 2 or 3 days. Well, 2 or 3 days turned into about 3 weeks! Someone got the adress screwed up. Well, they finally got it to me, and I think they gave me a small credit, 1 month free or something similar, for the trouble. Now, before we left for our trip to North Carolina for the NASCAR Coca Cola 600 I ordered 2 new "Q's". Again I was told I would get in in 2-3 days. The time came for us to leave and we still did not have our new phones. After a month of waiting, I cancelled the order.
There is more to say about my unpleasant experiences with Sprint. But I'll hold off for another time. However I wanted to make a point about the switch in brands for the NEXTEL Cup. It is going to be changed from NEXTEL to Sprint in 2008. It's only the third name change for the NASCAR Cup series in 60 years! But will the rebranding of the race cause any feathers to be ruffled amongst the fans?
I was reading up on Sprint today and learned they lost over 200,000 subscribers in the just the first quarter! I wonder how many more dissatisfied NEXTEL subscribers will cancel when Sprint assumes the "pole position" next year. Will we continue to use Spint ourselves? That will depend on how the regional manager handles my complaint. Will we ever go see a Sprint Cup race? Probably. It is inevitable that the NEXTEL brand will disappear just like Voice Stream and Cingular did. It's just disappointing to me to see such a great brand disappear. Do you think NASCAR cares that my experience with Sprint hasn't been pleasant? Probably not.
Live Earth on MSN: The Concerts For A Climate In Crisis
I didn't watch this...I remember watching "Earth Day" on TV in 1990. I was 19. And I remember thinking to myself "how much garbage will this generate and at what cost to clean up?". I remember seeing vendors using styrofoam cups which were not eco-friendly at that time; paper plates, aluminum cans, and trash was strewn about everywhere. It cost millions to clean up. So, I was not enthused to watch a similar event tonight. I was amused to hear that Al Gore travelled via Amtrak to the event in New Jersey from D.C. Does he always travel in an eco-friendly way, or was this for mere publicity sake? And how about all the artists that performed? Did they "carpool", or did they each take thier own jet, bus, or limo to the venue where they performed? How much electricity was used to put on the event, that would cause concern for conservation? And finally, I did visit the website provided by MSN and checked out the message boards. What I read was mostly hatred between people and not the love that is need to bring this world together. The biggest question I have about this event, is if it truely was about Saving the Earth, why didn't the most prolific band in the world perform? Where was U2? Maybe this is the answer:Can Live Earth really save the world? | Rock Roots And Jazz | Music | Arts | Telegraph: "Perennial do-gooders U2 have stayed out from a mutual desire not to confuse the issue, being closely linked to African aid campaigns including Red and Make Poverty History."
Or maybe they didn't perform because the "green" cause was more about the color of money, and less about true conservation...
As many of you know, we had our 4th baby, Laurel on December 5th. Between the holidays, and Laurel's arrival, it has been a challenge to set time aside for the blog. With a New Year comes new opportunities, and a fresh start! Be sure to visit regularly as I do plan on keeping the blog updated frequently. You can also sign up for my Blog Updates, and I'll drop you a line when I update my blog; you will get only one notice per day.
Friday, I had the wonderful opportunity to speak with Andy Andrews again. I interviewed him a couple years ago when his New York Times Best Seller The Traveler's Gift was also Good Morning America's Book of the Month! Andy is a New York Times Best seller, Comedian, and Inspirational Speaker. His new book
Click to listen to An Interview with Andy Andrews.
There is alot of controversy surrounding Halloween, especially in the Christain circles. Nevertheless, Halloween is my favorite holiday. Now wait before you gasp with surprize and let me explain. I like Halloween not because of all the candy I used to get, not because of all the scary movies, not even because of the Great Pumpkin! I like it because of the masks and costumes. Yes, the masks and costumes. I like Halloween because it is a holiday that portrays life honestly. It reflects what people do daily: put on a mask and pretend to be something they are not.
Our media has created a culture that that is constantly trying to live up to the images we see on TV and in the movies. There is a level of self-importance that is created within the individual. Our culture is hung up on position and title; status is king. People create an image of themselves to be something that they are not, so the public perception of them will be more favorable than not. Many times people do not realize how deceptive they are by employing such tactics. People play Halloween everyday, October 31st people are honest about it...read more later today
Devastation has been on our minds here in Connecticut. I recently learned of the Flood of '55, one of this country's most devastating natural disasters. Being the 50th Anniversary, it happened the week of August 18, 1955 in the Naugatuck Valley in Connecticut. The Naugatuck Valley is comprised of many little towns and several cities in central Connecticut, most notably Waterbury. It was so bad, buildings were washed off their foundations. Many people lost everything; some lost their lives. The economy was crushed as many industries left because their business was wiped out. Noone was prepared for what happened that week in 1955. It happened so quickly without warning. We expect to have learned from the disaster. Seeing what happened recently, I hope we have.
The devastation Katrina has wrought on Louisiana is gut wrenching. Watching the news coverage of the situation is difficult. I don't have any family or friends that live in the area or have suffered from the displacement but as I continue to watch the images across my tv screen I am saddend.
What has happened in Louisiana is said to be the worst natural disaster in the history of the United States. If it is the worst, then why has it taken so long for our federal government to respond to desperate pleas for aid to the devastated area? Why is President Bush so reluctant to send aid when he had no problem sending aid to other country's natural disasters without even batting an eyelash?
Just who is he supposed to be protecting anyway?
