No Such Thing As A Snow Day

"Over the river and through the snow to the radio show we go!" That's not how it goes?

We got lucky here on the Southcoast. The Blizzard turned to rain overnight and kept our snow accumulations down. It was still a little slick. I want to thank my son Doug who went out and shovelled before he went to bed last night. I just had to brush off some snow and head on out. Then it's a matter of avoiding the plows and finding a place to park where you won't get plowed in. We report to work before the plow gets to the parking lot so you have to be careful or when they show up they bury you. It was a busy morning with a lot of cancellations but could have been worse if we had had more snow and if there had been school in session.

I sat in Church on Christmas eve thinking of my mom. For years she sat in the pew next to me and sang the familiar carols. She left us in the summer of 2009.

I thought of my Uncle Ron. He was a UCC minister for many years in Maine. He led many a Christmas eve service He left us in the fall of this year.

Cancer claimed them both. It amazes me how life changes. I'm sure I'm not the first to ever realize this or comment on it. Strange how things carry on for years, traditions develop and then.....poof!

I know this isn't a very cheerful Christmas message, but I was thinking last night how it's just not fair. Year after year after year you observe the holidays in a certain way, only to have it end.

To leave you on a lighter note, it was fun to sit in my house as midnight approached. My wife read "Polar Express" to the kids and then I read "Twas the Night Before Christmas." I imagined them continuing this tradition with their kids.

I also wondered if my mom and my Uncle were together in Heaven celebrating the holiday and looking down on us. At least they were finally pain-free and hopefully had fun looking down on out chaos and clutter.

I Change My Mind

Ok. I was wrong. When the Celtics announced that they were signing Shaquille O'Neal, I remember saying, "Why?!" I couldn't figure out why we needed him. He was old, He used to play for the Lakers!

Ok. I was wrong. He's been great on the court and better off the court. Visiting with kids, having fun with the fans. Watching him conduct the Boston Pops the other night made me realize it must be great to be Shaq. I've been told he loves Boston and has never been in a city that was so nice and had fans that were this great.

Welcome Shaq!

Sorry chap, don't care!

I'm getting sick of all the Royal Wedding Coverage and they're not even getting married until next May!

William and Kate are getting married across the pond and the media is just going CRAZZZYYYY! I saw a tweet today that said NBC News is setting up a blog just for the Royal coverage. The Huffington Post had a piece today called the "10 Most Overrated Things of 2010" and there it is! William and Kate's engagement makes the list.

Why are people so attracted to this story? Are they or does the media just THINK they are? I don't know a single person that is ga-ga over this story. My friends and colleagues are happy for them, think they make a nice couple, but that's about it. I guess it's only going to get worse as the countdown continues. Now 6 months away!

Can I flip a coin?

Week 10 of the NFL and some tough ones this week.

I'm getting off to a bad start after picking Baltimore to beat Atlanta on Thursday and that turned out wrong.

On Sunday I'm picking:

Indy over Cincinnati
Houston over Jacksonville
I'll take my Dolphins over Tennessee even though everyone thinks I'm crazy.
Minnesota to beat Chicago
Detroit to keep Buffalo winless.
I think Cleveland might surprise the Jets the way they beat New England.
Tampa Bay to win at home against Carolina.
KC over Denver.
St. Louis over San Fran. I like that Sam Bradford.
Seattle over Arizona.
Dallas has a new coach, but it won't matter. I'll take the Giants.

Sunday night I'm going with Pittsburgh. I think the Pats have problems.

Monday night I'll take the eagles over Washington.

Paid For By The Committee.....

This has been the nastiest election season I think I have ever seen. I tend to watch a lot of news (too much as far as my kids are concerned) and the newscasts have been filled with political ads. Our show has too. And this year they are NASTY! I'm not sure if the attack ads are stronger or if there are just more of them. One of the reasons is the court ruling last year that allows other groups to run ads so we are seeing more.

I just wonder,is this good for the country or not? Do we learn anything about the candidates or does it just cloud the issues even more?

Wake Me Up When You're Done

Back under the knife tomorrow. I'm having my knee replaced. Dr. Klein in New Bedford is doing the surgery. He is one of, if not the best around here.

Yes more surgery. I've heard all the jokes about the Bionic Man. This makes surgery #4. Left hip, both shoulders and now the right knee. My motto has become "just keep moving forward."

I'll talk to you soon.

Football!!!!!!!

I'm off to my usual slow start this year. Last year I struggled early, but then won the Morning Show Football contest.

Some good games on this Week #4.

Baltimore is at Pittsburgh. I'll take the Steelers at home.

Donovan McNabb goes back to Philly in a Redskins uniform. I still don't understand why they traded in their own division. I'll take the Eagles at home.

And Monday night, my Dolphins play the Patriots in Miami. I'll take the Dolphins.

Other picks:

The Jets over Baltimore.
Seattle over St. Louis.
Atlanta to win at home against San Fran.
Green Bay over Detroit is an easy pick.
Cincinnati to win at Cleveland.
Tennessee wins at home against Denver, though this one could be close.
New Orleans over Carolina.
Houston will win at Oakland.
Indy should win in Jacksonville.
San Diego should beat Arizona at home.
And, even though the Bears are 3-0, I like the Giants to win Sunday night.

Are You Ready For Some Football?????

There are always a couple of games that trip me up. I call these the "who cares?" games. Games that you really can't get a good feeling about. This week it's Arizona at Atlanta, Seattle at Denver and St. Louis at Oakland.

Well, you gotta bite the bullet. Here are my Week 2 picks:

NEW ENGLAND over the JETS

GREEN BAY to beat BUFFALO

I think MINNESOTA will beat my DOLPHINS

KC over CLEVELAND

DALLAS will win at home against CHICAGO

ARIZONA will beat ATLANTA

CAROLINA over TAMPA

PHILADELPHIA wins at DETROIT

BALTIMORE will give CINCINNATI their 2nd loss

TENNESSEE beats PITTSBURGH

DENVER over SEATTLE

ST. LOUIS wins at OAKLAND

HOUSTON looks good and should beat WASHINGTON

SAN DIEGO over JACKSONVILLE

INDIANAPOLIS will beat the GIANTS. Peyton beats ELI.

And Monday NEW ORLEANS wins at SAN FRANCISCO.

I Guess I'm Ready

If you're a long-time listener to the radio show, you know I don't like cold weather. I can see myself as a future "snow bird."

It's been a great summer and I think I'm ready for fall this year. This year we actually HAD a summer. A couple of heat waves, some beautiful weekends and not a lot of rain. Now comes fall and the beautiful colors. The past few mornings have been very nice. A little chilly, nice sunrises, bright blue skies.

So, remind me of this when I start whining. I'm ready for the cooler weather.

My prayers

My prayers today go out to my friend Andrea and all of the people dealing with a parent or friend with dimentia. I was sitting here at work today, checking Facebook and looking forward to a nice weekend when I read a Facebook posting from my friend. She said that she wished she had her old dad were back (the kind and gentle soul that he was), because with the dementia he was saying some awful things to her. It just stopped me in my tracks. Wow! I can't imagine what she is going through and Im sure there are thousands of others in her shoes.

I know it's hard, but the only thing I can think to say is....it's not them speaking. It's the disease. That's what I've heard from the so-called "experts." Your loved one, in some ways, is dead. Remember the good times and try to stay strong during this difficult time. Remember to take time to nurture yourself and tell yourself what a wonderful person you are.

Let's pray for all the caregivers tonight.

Keep it down!

Today was certainly fun! About a week ago we had a terrible downpour and the water was just streaming down in one of our studios! That's not good when you've got a lot of recording and sound equipment in the office. Obviously, there was something wrong, so, they decided to fix the roof since it hadn't been done in awhile. Of course, a job like that makes noise. And so they did.

I watched with great anxiety as the work crew showed up just after 7am. Yes, if you're the crew chief paying them to start at 7, they were late! But, there they were, and they brought their noise with them. I was able to tune it out for the most part. I've been in this biz awhile and have gone through studio construction a few times. I felt bad for my guests at 8:20am. The folks from the Kennedy Donovan Center were in to talk about their Rockathon fundraiser and I don't think they could hear themselves think.

The good news is....it was a good size work crew and they got the entire roof done pretty quick. It should be quieter (and dryer) tomorrow and the next time it rains.

Sneaks up on me

Memories of mom that is.

My mom passed away almost a year ago. It was the end of August last year, and every now and then there are reminders. The holidays especially and when I had my birthday earlier this month. It was late in the afternoon when I found myself expecting a call from mom.

The latest "memory" moment happened at the eye doctor last week. I hadn't been in awhile, (shame on me) and I had to fill out a new form with name, address, insurance, and so on and so on. Then, when it came to the line, "Nearest relative NOT residing with you that we should contact in case of emergency," that had always besn mom, since I moved out when I got married many years ago. I thought of mom briefly, then wrote down my oldest daughter's info since she is now out on her own.

I don't know how long these reminders will keep coming up. Not that it's a sad reminder, it just gives you a moment to pause and think of those that have passed on.

Mercy sakes alive

I'm back from vacation, suburned and broke! I had a nice break and I hope everyone had a nice 4th of July.

On June 30th, the family left Fairhaven and drove to Weston, WV. My son was there for a fire fighter academy and this was probably the longest one-day drive we had taken since my mom drove my brother and I to Disney World in 1972. We drove 13 hours through Massachusetts, Rhode Island, good ole 95 south in Connecticut, NY, New Jersey, Pennsylvannia (that's a WIDE state!) Maryland and then West Virginia. It gave me a whole new appreciation for truckers. My wife and I took turns driving, switching about every 2 hours and I cannot imagine what it must be like to drive cross-country like this every day or every few days as an occupation. Stopping at a couple of truck stops I discovered that these folks truly are a family and as you look at all the different merchandise they are hauling, they truly do keep this country moving. I salute ya!

It's Not The Heat It's...OK, It's The Heat!

I got a note from a friend of mine today in Florida. He wonders what is wrong with those of us that live in New England. He said we are never happy! We either complain that it's too cold, or too hot, it's too wet or too icy. He's right! He mentioned that we should go to Florida where it's 98 degrees with 1,000% humidity from May to October but we never hear them complain!

It's true. We live in a beautiful area but we always complain! I've never lived anywhere else so I don't kknow if it's just a New England thing or if other people complain.

Yes it's hot....but it'll change. Soon enough it'll be cold and cloudy and then we can complain about that.

Say what?

Did you see the latest research that the reason one third of kids are obese is that THE PARKS ARE NOT CLOSE ENOUGH AND THEY HAVE NO WHERE TO PLAY!!!!??? I don’t buy it!

When we were kids we went out and played all the time. Kickball, bikes, just running through the woods. You name it, we were there. We figured out how to play in small yards and corner lots. Some say the real reason is because we had nothing else to do back then OTHER than to go out and play. There weren’t 500 channels, Xboxes, PS anythings and the internet. Nowadays, why leave the house when the whole world is right there on a screen in front of your face!

A Monday Chuckle

My kids never had any of the GOOD stuff! I saw this ad today for Huggies new diapers that look like jeans! However, they're kind of pricey. $20 will get you a pack of the jiapers (get it?), which is a little much for something that you can go through in a few days. Also, one user complained that the blue dye rubbed off on their baby's legs. Not cute!

Say what?

Here's one for ya....

I'm coaching a baseball game this past weekend (10 to 12 year olds) and our catcher is having a tough time. A few passed balls. The umpire says to him, and YES I heard him clearly, "If you had caught that one I would have called it a strike." Excuse ME? I thought it was a strike depending on where it crossed the plate! And no it was not a "dropped third strike" we don't have that at this level.

This game will never cease to amaze me.

Enjoy the nice weather!

Forget the Terrible Twos!

We had a good laugh this week about a survey out of London. Parents were surveyed and they said the toughest age for parents to deal with their kids is when they are 14. That's 14 for girls, 15 for boys.

The reason given was because they are trying to stretch the limits and they are in so much of a rush to be grown up, in their fashion and their freedom.

I would agree. I would also like to point out the need to BE THERE for your teen. It is such a tough age and I think it's even worse than when we were teenagers. BE THERE. Know what they are doing and who they are talking to. Listen to their music. Check out their television shows.

They may not like it, but having no contact with them is dangerous. I would rather be a pain for them and help them through these years, than leave it all up to chance.

Patience!

It's only April! That's what I keep telling myself (and friends). The Red Sox are 5 games back, 1 and 6 at home! Yes we are struggling, but I have to keep reminding myself that the baseball season is a marathon, not a sprint.

If memory serves me right the Yankees were struggling at this time last year, and we all know what they went on to do----(any Yankee fan will be quick to tell you---the won it all!

Are there problems with the Sox lineup? Sure. Problems on the mound? You bet! Time to turn away from the Sox? It's only April.

Creepy at first

What about that Nike ad? Nike debuted an edgy new TV commercial Wednesday featuring a black-and-white image of a solemn Tiger Woods looking directly into the camera while the voice of his late father, Earl Woods, is heard. In the recording, Earl Woods speaks about taking responsibility, saying, "I want to find out what your thinking was. I want to find out what your feelings are, and did you learn anything?" At first I thought it was creepy, then as I studied it more and listened to the “experts” in advertising and marketing, I think it’s BRILLIANT! He’s GOT to make a BiG SPLASH to get back in people’s good graces! Makes me a bit upset though because this would RUIN the average guys life, but he will recover.

Welcome to April!

Checking the almanac....

-ALCOHOL AWARENESS MONTH- It's to raise awareness about underage drinking.
-JAZZ APPRECIATION MONTH
-NATIONAL KITE MONTH- That's why everyone is telling me to fly one!
-NATIONAL POETRY MONTH
-STRESS AWARENESS MONTH
-NATIONAL CARD AND LETTER WRITING MONTH. I think I'll send an email to notify all my friends.


That and a lot more, ENJOY!

Tuesday MAR 16

My favorite story today HAS to be the one about the guy in Maryland who brought his golden retriever puppy to work with him, then lived to regret it.

George Kaufman is the co-owner of a jewelry store in Maryland. He brought his puppy STOLI to the shop with him, but when he was examining a larged 3-carat diamond he accidentally dropped it on the floor. You guessed it, Stoli came over and gobbled it up. Needless to say, George had to follow the pup around the backyard with a flashlight (if you know what I mean) and after nature took its course, the diamond returned.

Can't you relate? As a lifelong dog owner and lover, I've had the dog eat just about everything. My homework, the corner of the birthday cake, toys, socks and slippers. Never the fancy jewelry so I guess I'm lucky.

I think I Can Make It

I'm pretty sure I go through this every winter. It gets to be this time of year and I can't wait for warmer weather. This year it seems to be worse.
We have had enough snow, rain, slush.

Today was a nice tease. I had a chance to get out of the studio when I went to read at the Jireh Swift School in New Bedford. I loved it! The kids yes...but I was talking about the sunshine! It was a little tease as we are expecting more snow and rain tomorrow. But, the sun was out for awhile and it got up to 48 degrees!

I think I can make it!

Tiger here, Tiger there, Tiger's EVERYWHERE!

Why are we so obsessed with the Tiger Woods story? I can hear it now....people saying "I'm not obsessed with the story, YOU ARE! I try not to. We honesty had a meeting this morning to decide if we were going to run the press conference live or just cover it in newscasts and sound bytes. We had to though. How can we call ourselves a "news station" if we don't cover one of the biggest news stories.

I tried to get away from it, but if you're a news junky like me, it couldn't be done this afternoon. I went on Twitter and there it was! Line-by-line coverage by the news correspondents I follow. I went on Facebook and my friends were talking about how crazy it was. I took off for the weekend to spend time with my daughter in Salem and there it was on the talk stations!

Some people say it's the medias fault. We MAKE it top story, we MAKE it the only thing discussed. However, I heard call after call after call from people commenting.

What is it about this story? The salaciousness of it? Do we rejoice in watching the rich falter? Is it just another case of our celebrity obsessed society?

One of my favorite postings of the day was from Mark Knoller of CBS News. He said: "We are a nation at war in a horrible financial situation and we devote live coverage to a golfer who cheated on his wife." Amen.

Thanks for being the spoiler!!!

We had a story this morning about whether otr not news agencies should be banned from announcing the results of the Olympics until NBC airs the story on their nightly coverage. I don't see how you can!

Yesterday was a big day at the Olympics with Lindsay Vonn skiing and winning the gold medal. (Oooops! Sorry if you had taped it and I just ruined it.) The results were out by mid afternoon, but NBC wasn't going to broadcast the race until prime time. I read the results on twitter from a number of sources. The Boston Globe, the Herald, CNN. Some people were upset, I was not, but I do think we could be more careful.

On the NBC Evening News they show the results with some text while they play music and Brian Williams tells viewers to turn away. I think that's great and I think other media should do the same. On the radio we should give a warning so people can turn the radio down if they don't want to know. Websites can offer a link. "Click here to know more."

News is news and should be reported as it happens. We have a right to not listen to it if we want, but we also have the right to get the info immediately if we want.

We deserve it!

I'm still yawning. The day after the Super Bowl has GOT to be one of the most difficult days to get out of bed especially if you have an early shift. We need to make a change!

The Super Bowl between the Saints and Colts has now been determined to be the most watched television event of all time. 106 million people watched. It's become a national obsession. So, why do we all have to be so tired the next day?

I had a story this morning (2/9) about a group that wants the Monday after the game to be a National Holiday. I personally think we have enough holidays.

Another suggestion is to move the game to a Saturday. Somehow, I don't think that will happen.

Still another idea is to move it all back another week and have the game played on the Sunday of the Presidents Day holiday. That might not be popular with the ski resorts that make a lot of money on that weekend.

I just know I'd like to see some type of change. I'd discuss it more with you.....but I need a nap!

Darn rodent!

Another Ground Hog Day has come and gone. Punxatawney Phil DID see his shadow today so it means six more weeks of winter. Of course, if you look at the calendar there's six more weeks til winter anyway. I read a stat today that he sees his shadow 87% of the time, yet his prediction is only right 39% of the time.

Sometimes I forget what the world looks like to young eyes. Last week I mentioned Ground Hog Day to my 11-year old and he was trying to figure this out. He wanted to know how it worked. When I explained it to him I could see that he was actually trying to use his analytical mind to figure it out. I then informed him that it didn't mean ANYTHING it was just a fun thing to do to try and deal with the winter blahs. Imagine if it really DID work?

But---here's hoping for an early spring!

Why is a pain in the neck such a pain in the neck!

Ever wake up in the morning and feel like you've been tackled in a football game by a 300 lb linebacker? That's what I felt like this morning. I think I know what I did. I was watching television last night on the couch with my head propped up on a pillow. I know! My chiropractor has told me many times that this is a no-no. But it's such a nice way to chill out!

Problem is...I know what needs to be done. The doc needs me to lay facedown while he puts pressure on the spine between the shoulder blades. But that means calling for the appointment, scheduling, going there, paying the co-pay, then the relief. Don't you just wish you could go in and have it be like a McDonald's drive-thru? The voice-in-the-box asks you to place your order...then you pull up, get your adjustment...pay the cashier and you're on your way! That's the Braley Health Care Plan. Would you vote for it?

He Won't Do That Again

I couldn't believe it the other night when Scott Brown said his daughter Ayla was "available" while giving his acceptance speech after being named the new senator in Massachusetts. The look on her face was priceless! I just want to know what prompted him to say that? There must have been something. Maybe some conversation earlier in the day? Why did he do that?

I remember a time when my daughter was in 2nd grade. I made some comment about how she climbed into bed with my wife and me because she had a nightmare. She went to school that day and, you guessed it, her teacher mentioned the nightmare in front of the whole class. I can't imagine making a personal comment like Brown did on NATIONWIDE TV??? As I said in the title, if he's a smart man, he won't do THAT again.

You're watching this right?

This election is amazing! I've never seen anything like it and I've talked to colleagues that have been in the media longer than I have and they haven't seen anything like it either. And it's just one race! Not even a nation-wide race even though it's getting nation-wide coverage.

I think we're looking at a race that will be studied for years to come regardless of who wins. How did it get this close? Did Coakley run a bad camapign or did Brown run a brilliant campaign? How much of an influence did the new social media have? How did they gather so much money for all the last minute advertising? Was it just the timing? The Health Care bill?

Stand back! It's coming to a wild finish!

Check it closely

We got a bill the other day from a hospital in Vermont. I don't know if I mentioned it here, but back in August my wife broke her finger while we were on a camping trip in Vermont. We had the dog with us and he knocked her down in his excitement one day and she broke her finger. So, we went off to the local hospital, had them bill us for the co-pay and then went on our way. Well what to my wondering eyes should appear....but a bill for $60! We have a co-pay of $50 for an ER visit, so I paid them $50 and explained about the co-pay. A few weeks went by and they billed me for $10. When we called to ask about this, we were told it was $50 for the ER and $10 for a doctor visit. Huh? We only went to one place. A little "double-dipping" here?
It's funny. If you mention that word, they get all serious with you.

I'm happy to report that once we called the insurance company and explained, we were told not to worry. They would call the hospital and take care of it and NO we did not have to pay twice for the same visit.

Read the bill carefully...adn then question. I wonder how many times people just pay without looking.

Am I Getting Used To This?

25 degrees today when I headed off for work and ya know......it didn't feel that bad. I have never been a fan of cold weather. Ask my wife and she'll tell you I always whine when it gets cold. Today I didn't even put on my big thick winter jacket. Just a wool coat. It only took me 48 years but I guess I'm finally adjusting.

Happy New Year! Now what?

Happy New Year to you!

The title of my blog today is not to be pessimistic, I just wonder what this new year will bring. Looking back on last year, if anyone had told me that my mother would die, I wouldn't have believed it. If you told me my friend Jay would die, I REALLY wouldn't believe it. Not to mention Michael Jackson or any of the other major news stories.

It is amazing all that occurs in one year. I love watching and listening to the year end specials. That's when I stop and realize all that happened.

I'm not one to make resolutions. I gave up a few years ago when I noticed that I always make the same ones. Lose weight, get more sleep, etc. I do have a couple of things I hope to do:
-Blog every day or two. It helps with my creativity.
-Walk every day. Good for me and the puppy.

Let's hope one year from now we are all looking back on nothing but good things.

Here we go!!!!