This Stuff Sucks!!!

Let me just say that I actually love doing yard work. There's just something about being outside in the sun sweating your butt off to make your yard look nice. But after this week my point of view may change a bit. After four hours of working outside on Tuesday, I woke up Wednesday with the worst case of poison ivy I've ever had.

Now, just about a month ago I was just getting over a case of the poisonous weed. It lasted for nearly three weeks! Needless to say I was not happy about getting it again. After several applications of cremes, doses of medicine and two oatmeal baths...yes oatmeal...I felt the need to try something else. The other stuff just wasn't doing it for me. So on my way home from work this morning I stopped by Wal-Mart and found my "magic in a tube."

It's called Zanfel. This little one once bottle (that costs $36) did the trick. Although it was pricey, it was definitely worth the price for anyone who has a severe case of poison ivy. It relieved the itching almost instantly and is starting to clear up my skin. So if you ever run into poison ivy I would absolutely recommend this stuff.

I don't know if I'm going to continue liking working outside anymore. Maybe I should invest in some good weed killer. But what's the fun in that?

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Can You Feel It?

There's something in the air. It's more crisp, a tad cooler and the days are shorter. Fall is on the way and that means two things for me, my birthday and Nebraska football! Now don't get me wrong I love both the pro and college game, but I'm a Nebraska boy and when I hear football I think Cornhuskers!!!

That itch to see football will be scratched this Saturday when Nebraska takes on Nevada. Today though ESPN decided to tease me a bit longer by having 25 hours of college football. Counting down until the first college football game of the year Thursday night. Hopefully Nebraska will finally break through this year and surprise people. If not, then oh well it's just a game. I'll still cheer for them and always enjoy watching Nebraska football.

That's all I got for now. I gotta go back to watching the 25 hours of college football :)

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Appreciation

I just wanted to thank all the listeners who came out to see Colbie Caillat at a very special No Worries Wednesdays. We've been bringing in Q artists to do acoustic sets for years now. Artists like Anna Nalick, Mat Kearney, Rocco Delucca and Ben Lee just to name a few. But last nights turn out at Muldoon's was definitely the best!

From the brave listeners waiting outside in the rain (a lot didn't make it in) to MoZellA and Colbie being outstanding people (as well as artists) the show could not have been any better. This wasn't the first and definitely not the last time we'll have a performance like this. It's just gonna be pretty damn hard to top it!

Thanks again to all the listeners! It's you that make us who we are. It's also you (the listener) who make us the most listened to radio station in Omaha. And we're more than happy to give back with these free Q performances! Thank You All!!!

(Me with MoZellA)

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An Indictment Doesn't Make You Guilty Unless...

...three of your friends agree to a plea agreement against you leaving you no option but to confess to your cowardly crimes. Now after months of deny, deny, deny, Michael Vick has accepted to plead guilty to dog fighting and gambling charges. Seriously, was there really any doubt to this?

Vick is no stranger to controversy which makes it even funnier that people have and will continue to defend this guy. In 2005 a woman sued Vick saying she contracted genital herpes from him in 2002. She also said Vick had visited clinics using the alias Ron Mexico as to keep his identity concealed. In 2006 the case was settled out of court for an undisclosed amount. Settling a lawsuit like that doesn't make you innocent or guilty, but perception is golden.

Last year after a loss at home to the New Orleans Saints, fans had booed Vick's poor performance. While leaving the field Vick decided to respond by flipping them off and getting into a verbal spat as security rushed him into the locker room. Remember Vick, it's the fans that make you who you are. Don't bite the hand that feeds you!

(See pictures below)

In January of this year Vick was stopped from boarding a plane in Miami because he didn't want to give up his water bottle. (water bottles are not allowed on planes) Thus making him suspicious they confiscated his bottle to find a secret compartment that was believed to hide marijuana. After tests came back negative for illegal drugs, all charges were dropped against him. Once again I add, perception is golden. Give up your damn water bottle!

(A video from Saturday Night Live making fun of Vick)

Now we come to the dog fighting charges. In April feds raided a house in Virginia that was owned by Vick for illegal dog fighting. Vick denied having anything to do with the dog fighting and wanted us all to wait until the truth came out. Then, in July, Vick and three other men were indicted for felony and misdemeanor charges for gambling and interstate dog fighting. They even had a name for their operation, Bad Newz Kennels. Once again an indictment doesn't mean guilt, but this was a federal grand jury we're talking about.

Soon after, one by one, Vick's "great" friends accepted plea deals to testify against Vick. Even saying in court last week that Vick was the head guy in the operation and was personally there for the fighting and execution of dogs. Executions such as hanging, drowning and electrocution. Are you freakin' kidding me?

This is one of the most disgusting things I think I have ever heard of. And I don't want to hear the excuses that these are just dogs or this is part of a culture. This is outright ridiculous. Anyone who has ever owned and seriously cared about a pet, especially a dog, will agree that there are real emotional attachments you can get with your pets. When some lose their pet it's just like losing a loved one. And for some people all they have are their pets.

And this garbage about "the culture." Really? What culture? A sick, twisted, inhumane culture? So dog fighting has deep roots, history and tradition in the South. Yeah, well so did slavery, but we got rid of that a while ago. Some "traditions" shouldn't be continued and this is definitely one of them. Forcing dogs to fight by pumping them full of steroids, treating them inhumanely so they'll be more "aggressive" and then killing them if they're too "weak" is flat out a crime. Anyone who disagrees is a coward, plain and simple. Maybe people who do this live vicariously through their tough "champion dogs" because said person in real life is nothing but a sad, pathetic, weak coward.

Way to go Michael Vick. You did the same thing with your blustering football career and endorsements the same way you played quarterback on Sundays; you threw it away! I always knew there was something I didn't like about Michael Vick. Good luck in the federal penal league. Maybe I'll see you in the next "Longest Yard" movie, scumbag!

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Asinine

So just when I thought everyone had moved on from the Don Imus fiasco, I turn on my t.v. Tuesday to see that he is now getting sued. Kia Vaughn, a center on the Rutgers women's basketball team, is suing him for describing the Rutgers players as "nappy-headed hoes" on April 4th and claiming his comments damaged her character and reputation.

Her lawsuit claims slander and defamation of character in state Supreme Court in the Bronx. Coincidentally she filed the suit on the same day Imus settled with CBS Radio in a deal that pre-empts his $120 million breach-of-contract lawsuit against CBS. Imus reportedly received $20 million in the settlement. Basically Imus got fired for doing and saying the things he was hired to do.

Vaughn's lawyer, Richard Ancowitz, said

"This is about Kia Vaughn's good name. She would do anything to return to her life as a student and respected basketball player; a more simple life before Imus opened his mouth on April 4."

Vaughn also went on Oprah in April to discuss the outrage at his comments and was saddened because it overshadowed the success of the Rutgers basketball team who had made it to the women's Final Four.

So, let me get this straight. She's trying to return to a more simple life? She wants to return to her life as a student and respected basketball player? So why is she bringing her name into the spotlight with this lawsuit? If my memory serves me right, the Rutgers team and Imus had a sit down and accepted his apology. It couldn't be the money, could it? No, because her lawyer said it wasn't about the money. (there was no dollar amount noted in the lawsuit) I think we all know that when someone says it's not about the money, that it actually is.

Here's my question for Kia Vaughn. If you want to return to a life of normalcy, why are you suing? You want people to respect you. Well, people have that respect for you. We've had it since the way we watched you and your team carry yourself throughout that whole mess in April. Let me tell you though, if you carry on with this lawsuit you will lose that respect that you earned. If you were walking down the street nobody would even recognize you (outside of the Rutgers campus) and I'm sure when people hear the name Kia Vaughn, they don't associate you as being a "nappy-headed hoe."

Not anymore though, Kia. You have singled yourself out from your team. Because before this everyone knew you as part of the Rutgers women's basketball team. You have now singled yourself out and made this about you. Selfish. Now we all know your name as the sole person who is suing Don Imus. Your actions have taken everything good you did in April and thrown them out the window.

Now, don't get me wrong, what Don Imus said was disgraceful and disrespectful. At the same time he was getting paid to say the things he said. Don Imus is considered to be a radio "shock jock," what did people expect? Personally, I think Imus got caught up in a slow news week and was only brought down when the advertisers started pulling out. He has said a lot worse in his years in radio and although they weren't politically correct, his show was highly respected with presidential candidates announcing their candidacy on his show. So if you ask me Don Imus should not have been fired. Like I said before, that's what he was paid to do, right or wrong.

So the next time I hear a rap song generalizing about "bitches" and "hoes" should I sue that artist cause I feel he was talking about my mom, sisters and aunts? I mean after all they are generalizing and that would mean they are talking about every female, right? It might sound ridiculous to you, but that's what Vaughn is doing with her lawsuit. So good luck with your lawsuit Kia Vaughn. I can now associate you as a player on that team that Don Imus called "nappy-headed hoes."

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Superbad Movie Review

Tuesday night I went to see the Q View of the new comedy, Superbad. From all that I had seen and read, this was suppose to be one of the more funnier movies in a long time. That's the scary part. Most of the time when you see something getting so much hype there's generally a let down. Let me just say there was no let down here. Actually, it was a lot funnier then even I expected. It seemed as though I and everyone else in the theatre were laughing about every 10 seconds at something.

The basic premise is three geeky guys (Seth, Evan & Fogell/McLovin) experiencing their last week of high school and their major goal is to finally "get" with their prospective dream girl before going off to college. They find the need to do this to make their high school years worth while. But of course like any geek or nerd trying to get a girl in a movie, none of them really know how to communicate with a girl. Finally opportunity knocks when Seth's love interest (Jules) invites him to her party.

Seth and Evan are the two best friends of the group getting torn apart because Evan is going off to college at the end of the year. To room with Fogell no less. They try to keep this from Seth, but he discovers this and it creates a rift between he and Even later on in the movie.

Fogell, the third wheel of the friends and biggest geek of all, finds a way to get a fake id before the big party. From there the plan is to get all the alcohol for the party and get their dream girls drunk so they would like them. Cause in their minds the only way they will ever want to talk them is getting them drunk. Needless to say things don't turn out as planned and wackiness ensues, LOL. This also where Fogell's "McLovin" character is introduced.

They find out that not everything is as it seems and the movie ends up having a very good and positive message. I would definitely recommend this movie to anyone who loves comedy. And if you can't laugh at this movie, then you don't have a sense of humor! Keep in mind that this movie is rated R, mostly for language. And although there are a few scenes where people are scantily clad, the only nudity seen is on a magazine and hand drawn pictures. I give it a SMALLS rating of 4 1/2 out of 5 stars. Definitely the funniest movie I have seen in a really long time!

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Tainted

Well, its been a while since I've posted anything. I blame vacation. That doesn't mean I don't have a lot to talk about though. Several things have happened in the last couple weeks that I don't even know where to begin. So I'm gonna start with Barry Bonds.

I was going to write the very same night he broke the all-time home run record, but I held back to see if my feelings about him and the record would change. They have not. And although I am not as bothered by it now as I was last week (baseball is just a game) it still bothers me that such a hallowed record has been broken under such controversy and scrutiny. For the most coveted record in all of sports to be broken you would think there would be celebration and praise nation wide. But when a majority of the country feels that it wasn't broken the "right way" it's almost like everybody was hoping it wouldn't happen.

This is a record so magical that we may only see this once in our lifetime. Babe Ruth's record of 714 stood for 39 years (1935-1974) until Hank Aaron passed him and ended up with a career total of 755 when he retired in 1976. And now, 31 years after Aaron retired, Barry Bonds has surpassed him as the home run king. So you would think we would all be stoked to see such a record broken. Maybe we would if Bonds was a "nicer guy" or if he was on pace throughout his whole career to break Aaron's record. But maybe, just maybe we would have celebrated more if Bonds' head didn't grow while using performance enhancing drugs aka steroids, creams and human growth hormones. Who's head grows in their 30's? Someone using steroids that's who.

And while we can't go through every record that was broken in baseball over the last 15 years and test those who broke them, we can make a separation in the "era" they were broken. This is the steroids era. There was the dead ball era, the World War II era and now we have the steroids era, plain and simple. It still takes skill and longevity to hit 756 home runs, but when you were never known as a power hitter and your skull is growing, there is something not natural about it. And from all accounts about Hank Aaron, he did it the right way. And from all of the criticism that Bonds has received recently, Aaron has received more praise than ever before about him surpassing Ruth, and rightfully so.

So when I watched Barry Bonds break Hank Aaron's record last week, I was sick to my stomach. My words may have been a bit more critical last week then they are now, but my overall feeling is the same. He may have the record, but I think we all know how he did it. The wrong way!

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Unbelievable

After getting things situated with my cable company it was time to take in all the news coverage of the horrible bridge collapse in Minneapolis. From someone who has family in Minneapolis, my thoughts and prayers go out to those affected by the terrible tragedy. And my sincere appreciation goes out to the unnamed heroes who sacrificed their own lives to help others in need. Firefighters, police and civilians coming together to help one another out.

Usually I go home after my shift and go to bed. Yesterday though I had things to do in Omaha in the morning and afternoon. At one point I was coming over the I-80 bridge from Council Bluffs and a strange thought popped into my head. What if I were driving and the bridge just gave out? Or what if I were driving and then the bridge just ended and I would plummet into the Missouri River? Sure, I think we've all had those thoughts before when driving over a bridge. But when I got home yesterday afternoon and woke up later that evening to see the horror of what was going on in Minneapolis, those thoughts took on a whole new meaning and hit a little close to home for me. Not saying that I'm psychic, but it was just really eerie.

Then came today. I think we all pretty much knew that this story (and rightfully so) would dominate the television. I have a few favorite tv stations I watch, one is the news station MSNBC. So I prepared myself to sit through a lot of the bridge coverage today. It's hard not to turn away because we all have questions that need answers. And I think we can all relate to the people of Minneapolis cause this can happen in any city with a bridge. But I think at some point we have to turn away.

As I found myself doing during the early stages of the Iraq war and the days of 9/11 I found myself not wanting to turn away. I wanted more. But there came a point yesterday when I just told myself that I HAD to turn away. It really wasn't healthy for me or anyone else for that matter. Too much saturation in one's mind of such a tragic event will create panic, stress and anxiety. And that's not good. Should the news cover it? Yes. Should you be watching it 24/7? No. I'm sure some people have already decided in their mind that they will never go over a bridge again no matter what. To each is own, but if you can't live life in the fear of dying, then you're not living life to the fullest. Get out, enjoy your life and try to be happy. Never forget what happened and always keep those victims in your hearts and prayers. But don't let it affect how you live your life.

Have a safe weekend and look forward to a new post on Sunday or Monday.

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Canceled Appointments

You know, it's bad enough when someone cancels on you. Even worse when they don't bother to tell you about it. Worse than that is when they don't have a reason for canceling on you. Recently, I was canceled on. Not by my girlfriend, a friend or co-worker. I was canceled on by my cable company.

We all know that cable companies already have a bad reputation when it comes to customer service and once again they came through like clockwork. Early in June I noticed my high speed, top of the line Internet connection was running just about as fast as dial-up. Surely, in this day and age of everything "now" I could not stand for my Internet to be so slow. So on June 19th after several calls to customer service, I finally found a rep who wanted to fix my problem instead of telling me to "just wait and your problem might fix on its own." Key word there being might.

So after finding a rep to work with me and several minutes of troubleshooting, they found the only way to fix the problem was by sending a tech out to my house to decipher it. Fine, sounds great! Then the even better news comes. They can get a tech out to my house on Friday, June 27th. Well, after a quick thought and second look at my calender, I realized that June 27th fell on a Wed, not a Fri. The c.s. rep disagreed for a few moments and then realized his mistake and finally agreed with me that June 27th was on a Wed and the Friday he was talking about was in July. So clearly he just had his months mixed up, right? Wrong! The first available date for a technician to come to my house was on Friday, July 27th. That means I would be waiting for 38 days, 38 DAYS, for someone to come and look at my Internet connection. Ridiculous but what can I do? I live in a town (Plattsmouth) that's only big enough for one cable company. A total monopoly with no were else to go for high speed Internet. So I wait it out. Oh, and did I mention since cable companies are known for punctuality, I should expect them sometime between 8 a.m. - 12 p.m. that day? Given the fact that I do overnights it wouldn't matter what time they would show up, it would still throw a wrench into some quality sleeping time.

So there I was last Friday morning. Getting the house clean, drinking Red Bull, listening to music, doing whatever I could to stay awake. Slowly but surely the minutes went by. The help of a few friends on Myspace didn't hurt either. And so the hours started to go by and still no sign of the cable guy. By 12:15 I wasn't even about to try and wait any longer. I had been up since 3 p.m. Thursday afternoon and the tiredness was too overwhelming.

For some reason in the days leading up to last Friday I just had a feeling that they weren't going to show. After all I scheduled the appointment over a month ago! So I have all my info ready and the c.s. rep I get is very nice from the start. I asked him where the tech was, what time I called in June, etc. After verifying what I told him (he chuckled with disbelief on how long I had to wait for a tech) he found something very interesting. My appointment was made on June 19th (like I told him) and then it got canceled. Just like that. I asked him how? When? Who canceled my appointment? There were no notes attached to it (supposedly) and it was just canceled a couple of days before without any rhyme or reason. It was just canceled. Given that the c.s. rep was nice to me and I hadn't the energy to yell and scream I had to accept yet another appointment. The c.s. rep could get someone out to my house later that day, that Saturday or that following Tuesday. I wasn't about to stay up any longer and wouldn't you know it, those other days were pretty much the only days I wasn't available in the coming week. So I had to settle for the following Thursday.

So, later on today I will be playing the waiting game once again with CHARTER COMMUNICATIONS. I will be up for countless hours losing sleep and probably my mind in the process. Hoping, wishing, praying this time it doesn't get canceled. If it does, you can bet I won't be as courteous this time around. And if I sound tired tomorrow night for the overnights and am a little grumpy, don't blame me, blame CHARTER COMMUNICATIONS! Thanks Charter!

Maybe next time you will think twice before canceling on someone.

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The Introduction

Hello and welcome to my blog, Q98 Five listeners! (or anyone else who stumbles upon my blog) Throughout my blogs I will be talking about everyday things, kind of like on the radio. I will be discussing any and everything, and probably a lot of useless blabber as well. Everything from my job at the Q, album reviews, rants, my personal life and a whole lot more. Feel free to leave comments and opinions about anything. I want this to be as interactive as possible. I will also try to post on a regular basis and if there's anything you ever want to talk about, don't hesitate to let me know!

I hope you all will find this entertaining, as well as informative. Although I want to keep a lot of this fun and light hearted, I also understand that at times there may be some serious issues discussed. My plan is never to offend anybody, but give reasonable and logical opinions. Just remember that everything on here will be opinionated and sometimes we can agree to disagree. Please, please try not to take anything too personal. No matter if it's me or someone else who comments about something that you might take exception to.

On that note, be looking for my "unofficial" first post tomorrow. Thank you everyone for checking out my blog and if you haven't done so yet, make sure to check out our new website here. Make sure to also check out the various links I have posted on the site. If you have a myspace, there's plenty of Q jocks that will gladly be your friend ;)

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