A Broader Themed "What Are You Thinking?" Post

WARNING: Loads of caps typing ahead...sorry, y'all, I'm a bit frustrated this morning.

So, I am sitting here, early this morning, glancing around the internet. I go to my email and see an invitation to be part of some "RickRoll Day" today. The person says Rick Astley (you know, the guy behind the "RickRoll" video meme?) has died today.

This would normally be a fitting way to pay tribute to a deceased celebrity. (Heck, look what we saw with MJ's death Thursday. Or with Billy Mays' death Sunday [today was a day when people were asked to wear blue in his memory]). But...

Come on. You can't fool someone who blogs about media. Factchecking is the bane of any journalist's existence.

So, I looked into this story. Not only is it TOTALLY FALSE, but there's a SECOND one about Kanye West, same kind of story, also dead. ALSO TOTALLY FALSE.

When the hell are people gonna start learning that you can't trust everything that's said on the internet!?!? Just because someone throws the supposed "story" on a national news site (In this case, CNN's I-Report is being used to spread this false news) doesn't make it true. The news organizations will almost ALWAYS check the facts BEFORE reporting them as true.

So, in conclusion, about this "spreading rumors of celebrity demises", I say:

WAKE UP, WORLD...WHAT ARE YOU THINKING?

Courage + Belief = LIFE

2:50 AM Prayer Request...

I am badly in need of prayers this early morning.

Since early Saturday morning I have been fighting what's wound up being a pretty severe cold. Now, my throat has become irritated and I'm getting slightly worried I may have more issues than originally thought.

Keep me in thoughts and prayers...this is not feeling good, and certainly not looking good. I might need to go for my once-a-year hospital stay if this continues...

Courage + Belief = LIFE

Review of Chickenfoot's First CD Effort - This CD ROCKS!

When I saw a one-line review of the band Chickenfoot's new CD by WKRQ-FM 101.9/Cincinnati midday DJ Grover Collins early last week, my first thought was, "I need to get my hands on this."

So Wednesday, I dropped the cash on it. (Because of a reward certificate, I was able to get almost 90 percent off of it. It is $9.99 at local Best Buy stores.)

As I was listening to it, my next thought was this: They still got it!

I am going to have to listen to get the gist of what each song is about. But you can tell there is a lot of experience behind this record. The band is fronted by Sammy Hagar on vocals, with Michael Anthony on bass, Chad Smith doing drums and Joe Satriani on guitar. Yes, Sammy Hagar and Michael Anthony are the same guys from Van Halen of the 1980s. Smith has The Red Hot Chili Peppers to his credit. Satriani is more known for being a solo artist, however he was also part of Deep Purple in 1994.

Each song is infused with that rock style men like Hagar and Anthony were known for. They start fast and keep that beat pretty much through the end, and then right into the next song. Basically, if you like high-energy rock and roll, this CD is for you. Likewise, if you liked either of the bands that the members of Chickenfoot came from, this is for you, as they take all of those bands and combine them to make one, likely-to-be-a-success band and record!

Recommendation: GET THIS CD! Can't emphasize it enough!
Specific songs I liked: "Avenida Revolution", "Oh Yeah", "Runnin Out", "Future In The Past"...and that's not even half the ones I liked! Actually I liked every song on it!

Courage + Belief = LIFE

Reaction to Billy Mays' Death

My first thought about this was...well, read the first post of today on my twitter page (at right).

Here's what we know about the situation:

Details continue to be released, albeit slowly, about the circumstances under which Mays was found. He apparently died in his sleep late last night/very early this morning.

Reports indicate he went to bed around 10 PM last night, saying he didn't feel well. He had been a passenger on US Airways Flight 1241 from Philadelphia, PA to Tampa, FL, which had a hard landing upon arrival in Tampa when the tire under the nose of the plane blew out. According to FOX station WTVT-TV in Tampa, when the plane hit the ground, a piece of luggage came out of the underground compartment and struck Mays on the head. That occurrance hasn't officially been connected to Mays' death yet.

Now that I've had a couple hours to think through this, here's my reaction.

Mays was, by far, most successful at what he did. It is now impossible to see commercials for Oxyclean, Mighty Mendit and other things he hawked, and NOT recognize the voice. In his final months, he also did ads for ESPN360.com and had his own long-form TV show, Pitchmen on the Discovery Channel. He truly sold me on the TV show, even if I didn't buy the products.

Mays is a legendary pitchman. If there was a hall of fame for TV infomercial pitchmen...well, Mays would be at the top of the list. Mikey and I might have occasionally joked about seeing him on TV so much, but...he was great at what he did.

RIP Billy Mays
1958-2009

Courage + Belief = LIFE

Friday (Saturday) Freestyle the Fourth

As all of my poems and Friday freestyles go, this was right off the top of my head. Nothing is ever pre-written with these...

Yo, here we go

So, here we are again
And what a week it's been
Went out and hit the town again
And the hijinx, they were plenty

So, the King of Pop is gone now
That really was a sad day
His music, it is legendary
And he'll live on in the radio world

Storms kept coming and coming
Over a long day and night
Some people lost cars and windows
Others got lucky to lose nothing

So, that was another week
Of the Friday Freestyle
We'll hit ya again in seven
But till then, stay cool, y'all!


Courage + Belief = LIFE

Thoughts on Relay For Life Boone County

First, a quick announcement, then I will get back to the blogging...

FRIDAY FREESTYLE WILL be posted later today! Real Life Intervened yesterday, so, I didn't get it done - but I WILL get it up today after 1:00 PM.

I now return you to your regularly scheduled blog posting...

Yesterday evening, I participated in the annual Relay For Life out in Union, which is a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society.

My thoughts on this are a few.

1) The survivors...they are SO inspirational! Each one has a story. Some of them have survived 20+ years after their various cancer experiences! Some of them have even beat multiple types of cancer, and a few are even fighting second bouts with it.

2) The luminaria. That, right there, was a reminder of everybody's reason for participating. They had luminarias lining much of the track's inside (save one, 10 foot area, which had been flooded in storms Thursday night). Each luminaria had the names of a cancer survivor, cancer patient, or someone who died from cancer, written on the outside. During a break in the activities, between 10 PM and 10:35 PM, everybody lined the track and lit the luminaria in their respective locations. Then the names were read, one by one, in groups of either "In Honor of" or "In Memory Of".

3) The PEOPLE. There had to be 1,000+ people participating! Everybody knew someone who had died from cancer, beaten it, or is currently fighting it.

4) I felt privileged to be a part of something that does SO much good for the ACS. There were also folks from WGRR 103.5/Cincinnati, WUBE 105.1/Cincinnati, and (my understanding anyway) WNKR 106.7/Dry Ridge. There were also fun activities. Unfortunately, my body gave out - and so my plans to stay there until 3 AM had to be scrapped - but I still walked 7 laps around the track!

It was a great night...and to those of my friends who were out there with me, and who might read this, I say THANK YOU for letting me be a part of last night's efforts!

Courage + Belief = LIFE

Wild Weather Night

Damn, what a night!

First, between 6 and 8, it was storm after storm for several hours.

Then it got quiet for an hour or so...just an occasional lightning strike far, far away.

And then around 1:30 AM - All hell broke out.

From 1:30 to around 3:45, it was BOOM, BOOM, BOOM! Just unbelievable lightning and thunder. There might have been around 200 visible lightning strikes in 20 minutes!

And oh, the RAIN...that was CRAZY! Some locations got as much as SIX INCHES of rain!

Unfortunately...Derek Beasley (chief meteorologist at WLWT-TV 5 and a good friend of mine) says storms are possible AGAIN this afternoon!

Might as well get out the damn ark...

Courage + Belief = LIFE

Plans for the next 3 1/2 days and a recap of today.

So, I thought I'd post a couple or three thoughts of the day.

1) Trying to walk from my house, to the mall, and then to church...not a horrible idea, but (just like the 6/8 excursion with Mikey) an EPIC FAIL execution-wise. I'm not in pain (probably will be by Friday night or early Saturday morning)...but, I am still not fully recovered from the sheer heat that my body endured today. Let us put it this way - I was completely and totally SOAKED in sweat by the time I got to the church!

2) Today looks like it's going to be (slightly) better execution-wise. I only give myself slightly, because I am traveling 2 miles to the bus stop at KY 1017 and US 25, taking a bus up to Downtown Cincinnati, then switching to a route 19 to continue to Northgate Mall. At which point, I will roll off the bus and into the mall. The plan is: Meet Mikey, eat Applebee's, hit Best Buy, Meijer and maybe one or two other stores around the mall area, then head back to Applebee's so Mikey can catch his bus back, then catch the 19 back downtown, then the TANK route 1 back to Florence. All told: A 12-13 hour trip.

3) Tomorrow it's another run to Northgate - except this time the plan is as follows: Get to Northgate Mall, walk to Mikey's house, get some LaRosa's, hang out and watch WWE Raw from Monday Night (for the second time, to see what I missed the last time), leave around 5, get the buses back to Florence and, theoretically, get back in time to catch WWE Superstars and TNA Impact.

4) Friday, it's a rest day for most of it. BUT 5 PM is where things will get semi-tricky. As you know if you read my previous post, I will be participating in the local Relay For Life event in Boone County. Well, the event is in Union, Kentucky at Cooper High School. This is 7 miles from my home and will be about 2 hours ride from here. So, I am leaving at 5:00. I will be there 7 PM - 3AM.

That's all I got for now. BBL...

Courage + Belief = LIFE

Relay For Life - THIS FRIDAY NIGHT!

This Friday, I will be participating in the Boone County Relay For Life!

It is at Cooper High School off US 42 in Union from 7 PM Friday to 7 AM Saturday. I have been supporting the Superstars teams for a couple of months now, and this weekend is the culmination of their 2009 efforts.

If you get a chance, come out and support the Superstars Friday night-Saturday Morning!

Courage + Belief = LIFE

I love my dad and stepdad because...

So, today is Father's day. And I had said on Mother's Day that I'd write an "I Like..." post about my stepdad and biological dad. Both men, Stephen Herald and Larry Moses, are important to my life for various reasons.

Below I am attaching a picture of me and both fathers on the night of my graduation from Boone County High School, May 27/28, 2004. My biological father (Larry) is behind me, while my stepdad (Stephen) is at right (or to my left).

So why are both my stepdad and my biological dad important? Let's deal with the latter first.

My biological dad...well, obviously he's one of the two people who gave me life. (The other being my mother.) He is also, although I place NO BLAME for this on him, the reason I am disabled. His sacrifice in Vietnam exposed him to Agent Orange - which was later found to cause Spina Bifida, which yours truly was born with and deals with to this day.

Besides that, he really taught me a couple things. He taught me patience, for one. He was around less for about 10 years of my life. I knew he didn't walk out of my life - and so I was willing to wait as long as needed. Eventually, by the time the above picture was taken, we got along better than we ever had. Still do to this day. (An aside: Today I am headed up to Hamilton, Ohio to see him.)

As for my stepdad. He was the one that stepped in and was the father figure to me from 1989 to this very day. He did his best to keep me on the straight and narrow, and I think he succeeded. He certainly has done his best for everybody here. He too was instrumental in me learning patience. Do I still struggle? Absolutely - but who doesn't? I also got my love of Huey Lewis and the News, funny comedy, and yes, Kentucky Basketball from him. I think I got lucky he stepped in.

That relationship wasn't without its downsides - and we've had a few fights. Some have led to us not speaking for a day or so. But...you can't stay mad forever. So it is with me and my stepdad.

That would be why I love my stepdad and biological dad.

Courage + Belief = LIFE

What Are You Thinking, Cincinnati - Closed to Walk-in at 10 PM?

NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: Once again...I take no credit for the idea of "What Are You Thinking, Cincinnati?". That goes to Twitter follower Alex Shebar of the Cincinnati Enquirer. (follow him @ twitter.com/Alexshebar) I just come up with the topics for these particular posts on my blog. Whatever I come up with - try to follow along and see it from my perspective if you can - or from that of someone who maybe has never been here, and isn't used to the way we do things.

I want to share an experience with you that was both kinda disappointing, and at the same time a "what the hell?" moment.

A few years ago, I was leaving a church function at approximately 10:15 PM to head home for the night. Now, I hadn't eaten anything in a while and wanted to grab a bite before getting home, so I decided to head over to the local "yo quiero..." place. You know, the place with the "Big Bell Value Menu"?

Now, those of you who have followed this blog already know my situation. For those who do not...I am a 23, almost 24 year old man who cannot drive, and thus must rely on one of three transportation modes: 1) Busses, 2) Getting a ride to or from a place, and 3) my own four wheels (aka walking/rolling).

Now, I was 20 or 21 at the time. Old enough to drive - but not young enough to do something stupid. I tell you all of this to set up the rest of the story.

I walk up to the Taco Bell - only to find that the place was CLOSED FOR SIT-DOWN SERVICE. Which means, one HAS to go through the Drive-Through window. You can probably guess where this is quickly headed.

They want a 20 year old man, who has NO ability to drive, and didn't feel like walking 2 miles to get someone to drive him 2 miles BACK to the restaurant JUST to get food, to go through the drive through in his WHEELCHAIR AT 10 PM at NIGHT? Are you freakin' kidding me?

Unfortunately, dear readers - I am not.

Again, I'm young - but I'm not stupid. Riding a wheelchair through a damn drive-through is a surefire way to get oneself KILLED. I wanted Taco Bell - but not badly enough to risk my life to get it. And so, I settled for the McDonald's, which thankfully, was open for walk-in service until 11 PM. (By the way, at most McD's I've been to - the situation for walk-in customers is that you have to cross the drive-through lane to get in the building. Could they have POSSIBLY made it a bit more dangerous? That, however, is another rant. I'm adding on to this one with every new thought. Heh.)

I bet you other cities might be more flexible with those who use wheelchairs to get around, but don't drive...At the very least, walk to the door, ask the person what they'd like to order, and bring it out in the bag. At most - Stay open as late for walk-ins as you do for the drive-through, so people like myself can get our Taco Bell fix, no matter what hour it is (as long as the store is open for business for both of course...I don't expect them to be open 24/7.)

And that sets up this question.... What are you thinking, Cincinnati?

Courage + Belief = LIFE

Friday Freestyle The Third

Here I sit watchin the wrestling on TV
And the night is still young
If I could drive you better believe
I'd be out havin fun

I see friends comin together
To brighten another's night
It makes me smile to see it
I wish I knew what to say to help

The whole day was slow
Nothin really going on
Bet tomorrow won't be that way
It might storm all the day

And so I will end this here poem
And go back to watching TV
Commercials are now over
So I will see ya next week!

Courage + Belief = LIFE

First Mobile Posting...

Headed over to Cincinnati today. Trying out the Blogger Mobile posting from here. There will be more later if this works.

edit: It works - but when I get to a computer I do need to edit posts to give them a subject. :=) It works though...

Shuffle Blog 6/14 - Chillin Out with the Mix

I threw on my IPod for this latest shuffle blog.

For the uninitiated, my shuffle blogs are blogs I write as I am listening to my IPod, or the radio. Started out with Rick Ross - Everyday I'm Hustlin'.

What a week this was. Between the DTV Switch, time spent with my friend Mikey, and other things I did this week...I was beat today. So I didn't go anywhere today, I was going to go to Florence Mall, but that was no go. So instead I stayed in.

I am going to be doing almost the same thing tomorrow. David Archuleta - Crush now. Good song. Anyway, tomorrow, I am going to go to Funny Bone Comedy Club with the parents, and we're gonna watch J. Medicine Hat do his hypnosis/comedy act. I have seen it twice already, and both times liked it. Maybe this time I will wind up on stage, who knows. It's not for those who are faint-hearted though. They do some crazy stuff!

What else is going on in the world of me...hold on..."Why do I keep runnin from the truth, all I ever think about is you..." Sorry. That's one of my favorite lines in the song. Anyways... I told you that I spent some time with my friend Mikey. We hang out at least once a week now. Flo Rida - In the Ayer..."Oh hot damn, this is my jam...keep me partyin' to the AM..." LOL. We do hang out every week, me and Mikey. Last week, we had the idea to go from his house, to the local Best Buy, to the IHOP in Colerain Twp.. That...my friends...was a total, undoubtable, EPIC FAIL of an idea! Yeah, it proved he could do it if he needed to, but, it was a fail because we didn't anticipate it being so long of a dang trip and so, we didn't try to prepare for it being so warm. Needless to say...we left his house at 1:00 PM and didn't get back til nearly 8 PM! Oh yeah...EPIC FAIL.

Jesus Jones - Right Here, Right Now. Nice. So, tomorrow (Monday) I am headed back up there to Northgate. We gonna chill out and watch the most recent WWE Pay-Per-View, "Extreme Rules" and the next day's "Monday Night RAW", the idea being that I will get out of there in time to catch the 3 hour RAW broadcast tomorrow night. Let's see if that turns out to be an epic fail, HA!

Other than that, I think tomorrow is going to be a day off from Tri-State Media Watch stuff. After the week spent following the DTV switch in progress...I am BEAT! I don't have too many major items to cover in the week I spent in DTV-land, so I think maybe I will get back to that Tuesday. I did after all, earn a couple days off in my opinion.

Now watch that get thrown out the window...HA!

Fergie - Glamorous on the IPod. Nice.

I think that this week's Friday Freestyle was more fitting of me. If you haven't seen it yet, check it out here. Heh.

Well, as "Down With the Sickness" by Disturbed rings in my ears, I'm going to finish this blog and wrap er up!

Courage + Belief = LIFE

Lack of Compassion Over the DTV Switch - What Are You Thinking, Cincinnati?

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I try really hard not to mix work, with non-work stuff...but, I felt I HAD to say something, seeing as I spent most of this week following the DTV Switchover. For all intents and purposes, this is a "What Are You Thinking, Cincinnati?" post...but it's an editorial, as well. I originally posted this to AbsoluteVorticity.com in the member's blogs forum under the name DJ JMos23, and on Tri-State DTV Watch...but felt it needed reposting here.

6/13/09 2:13 AM

Wow, are we a harsh bunch.

As the editor of both this effort, and Tri-State Media Watch, and no, I'm not affiliated with the Enquirer...I was stunned today.

Not that the switch was happening. I was glad to see it come to fruition so we could stop talking about it.

Not that there were a few thousand still unprepared for the switch. I expected that. After all...I read the Nielsen study released Wednesday, which said 19,685 households in the Tri-State weren't ready two days ahead of the switch.

No, what amazed me was the lack of compassion...from the Enquirer TV/Media Blog, to the Skyeyeweather.com Forum...and I'm sure it was repeated nationwide...a refrain that went something like this:

"I don't feel sorry for those having trouble today. They've had YEARS to get ready for this."

Well, of course we've had it pounded into our heads that we would switch to DTV-only broadcasting. Congress and the FCC kept moving the date, in an attempt to have as many ready as possible.

But think about this. I heard several people say today that they first knew about it in 2003, when the original timeframe was sometime in 2005. Okay, I won't dispute that.

But...do you know someone with dementia? Or Alzheimer's? Do you realize how much trouble people with these diseases HAVE with some of the slightest tasks? It isn't THEIR fault they wound up with either of these. Nor is it really their fault they weren't ready for DTV. Think about it. Those with Alzheimer's start out with mild symptoms - but they gradually increase over time. Maybe they were ready for DTV - but because of Alzheimer's, forgot about their cable/satellite/whatever, and have just let it lapse, and they have nobody in their lives to help them!

Now to share a personal part of this...

My grandmother is in the early to possibly middle stages of Alzheimer's. At this point, we believe she is in stage 4, maybe 5. She might not make it another year or two.

What if the DTV switch had been postponed another 1-2 years from now? Do you realize that people with Alzheimer's, or dementia, have trouble remembering information? It's the nature of these disorders...you forget things quickly!

No matter how much you try to beat the DTV switch into their heads...and the information about the converters, etc....they wouldn't remember it 10 minutes from now, MUCH LESS 12 hours later when they could CALL someone for assistance. Yes, the average person with Alzheimer's lives 4-6 years post diagnosis...but some make it 20 years or more!

And this says NOTHING about the other types of dementia...

Point is this: Have some compassion. There were some, after all, who even if they DID hear about the switch, could not remember it or what to do about it due to dementia or Alzheimer's. And I bet you the elderly, is the majority of people caught by the switch...

Friday Freestyle The Second

NOTE: This ain't pre-written, it's all on the fly.

So here's where I write
What's in my head
Man, what a crazy week
I feel about dead

The switch to digital
Is what everybody's talkin bout
But your boy is ready for the end
So he can catch a breather

The first day of the week
Was spent with a friend
But you can bet me and said friend
Won't be doin a long walk for a bit

Of all the things
One can bring back from paradise
A viral infection is one
I think would be least wanted

And so ends another one
Of these Friday Freestyles
Be back next week
I hope this one was much better

Friday Freestyle to be late this week.

Due to the ongoing DTV transition, my Tri-State DTV Watch blog will be extremely busy tonight and tomorrow.

As such, the second installment of "Friday Freestyle" will be posted either late Friday night, or definitely on Saturday.

I think I may have it reworked so I'll be happier with this installment.

I Like Trisha Chell Because...

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Tonight I continue the "I Like...Because..." series, with another person I have known for a few years who has been an extremely positive influence on my life. This person is Trisha Chell.

Trisha and I go back a couple of years.

We both attend Florence Baptist Church here in Florence. (Again, an unintentional pattern here. Most of my Facebook friends are believers.) Trisha and I are both part of the College/Singles/Young Adults ministry. From day one of our friendship, Trisha has proven herself to be a great friend.

Trisha is always there when you need someone to stand by you. Always. It never fails...when you need to hear something, she will tell it to you as it is, straight up. Even when her own needs are great...she's there for me and her other friends.

Trisha has a strong, and I do mean strong, faith in the Lord. Wasn't always that way, but she's grown in her faith and is one of the wiser people I know of the 20-35 age group. I mean really.

Trisha makes time for those closest to her. Whether it is a visit with her friends here, or a recent trip to see someone she is very close to in VA (I'm not sure whether you could call him her boyfriend, but his name is Shawn), she finds the time, usually on weekends, but I always see her on Tuesday nights. And this is all after working 3rd shift, 10 PM to 7 AM, at a local hotel in Crescent Springs.

I don't really know what else to say, so I am going to end this here. As always, if you know Trisha, take time out of your week to encourage her and to remind her that her friendship is appreciated.

I Like Pete Coleman Because...

OK Folks, once again it is time to do an I Like post. This was actually supposed to be last week's subject, but, I took the week off from it due to other things. So, he is now this week's subject...Pete Coleman.

Pete is somebody I have known for just about 9 years. We go back to when I first came to Florence Baptist Church in 2000, where he has ministered for just over 17 years. Right away, Pete made me feel welcome as a member of FBC when I joined later in the year. As I grew up through the high school ministry, followed by now the college and singles ministries (which can be classified now as a Young Adults Ministry basically), Pete has kind of been a rock of faith on earth upon which I know I can depend. (Of course, I depend on Jesus as well, but...on earth, Pete's one of the people I look up to.)

Pete is, without a doubt, one of the best witnesses for Him I have EVER seen. Pete always says this, and I know he believes it by the way he behaves..."If what you believe, doesn't change the way you behave, then what you believe IS NOT Biblical." I know I have my own struggles, but Pete accepts this and loves me just the same.

Pete is also a loving father to his two sons, Tanner and Tate, and a great husband to his wife, Amy. Pete talks about them a lot, and even on facebook, he shows his love for his family. He sometimes even uses stories about Tanner or Tate to make a point for those of us in the young adult ministry.

The other thing I like about Pete is, he is never afraid to tell it as it is. If he thinks something is right, he'll tell you. If he thinks something's amiss...yep, he'll tell you that, too. Either way, you always know where you stand.

And that's what I like about Pete. As always, if you're one of my facebook peeps, and are also one of Pete's...go remind him that his work is appreciated.

Post 147 to this, is post 350 across my four blogs

Well, y'all.

I am here. 147 posts later, PTONKY is still going.

Tri-State Media Watch and its companion blog, Tri-State DTV Watch, have a combined number of 202 posts. And, so far, although the Thoughts and Observations Cam Files Blog only has one post, it will see at least two more in the coming week.

In case you are wondering, that makes total post 350 for me on this set of blogs that I have.

Coming tomorrow will be some pictures around town with the Thoughts and Observations cam, which I will post to the Thoughts and Observations Cam Files. (I may actually go take some tonight.)

And, this week my Tri-State DTV Watch blog will be extremely busy, as the DTV transition is only 5 days away at this writing.

But still...post 350 is an accomplishment, even though it IS spread out over four blogs. And I felt the occasion needed to be marked. And marked, it now is.

What Are You Thinking, Cincinnati? - Zipping Around Stopped Metro Busses

Again, this is inspired by fellow twitter-er Alex Shebar @ the Enquirer. And once again, it's an observation from my trips to Cincinnati over the last week. This doesn't happen in Kentucky as much, but does it ever happen in Cincy...

So, I got on the route 19 (Colerain/Northgate) bus to head back downtown after my Thursday out with Mikey. And when we were starting our trip from near the Airy Pony Keg, everything was cool.

But then...we had to stop to pick up a passenger. And oh, did somebody get IMPATIENT! (The following rant will explain this tweet I posted at 7:16 PM Thursday night.)

This person, in an SUV I believe it was, decided they didn't want to wait 30 seconds for someone to board this metro bus, and decided instead to promptly ZIP PAST THE BUS LIKE IT WASN'T EVEN THERE, honking at the driver angrily in the process.

Are we really that impatient, that we cannot wait 30 seconds for someone to get on a transit bus before continuing down the road? Granted, this was Colerain Avenue, but seriously...

When you put a loved one on a transit bus, you wait to make sure they got on it with no problems, right? And yet, it can be someone else's loved one, and you don't care that that person makes it onto the bus safely, only that THEY MADE YOU LATE for something that probably isn't all THAT pressing, especially at 7 PM. And seriously, it's dangerous to do that, because in the wrong weather conditions, you CAN spin out and crash your vehicle, possibly taking that innocent person's life in the process. There has been a rash of incidents involving folks getting run over by busses - it's only a matter of time until someone either a) clips a bus causing a serious head-on crash or b) gets around the bus only to slide off the road and take out another pedestrian somewhere.

It just makes me wonder, "What are you thinking, Cincinnati?"

Conan Says Youtube, Facebook and Twitter...

...will merge to become one big website in the year 3000.

What will this be called?

Why, You Twit Face!

Here's the clip for your enjoyment!

A Follow up to the Chaney Story

As you are well aware if you read this blog recently, Laura Chaney, 18, of Florence, died on 5/11.

Now, a scholarship fund is being created in her honor, and locals are encouraged to come support it.

Here's the particulars:

Laura Chaney Memorial 5K Walk/Run
DATE: July 18th 10:00 am
REGISTRATION: 9:00 am
PLACE: Boone County High School’s Track
Registration forms can be picked up at Boone County High School, Soft Touch Car Wash, or Email Kmfunke@fuse.net
T-shirt’s available for purchase on the day of the race
Bake Sale
-If you cannot participate feel free to come and support the runners and donations can still be made to Boone County High School attention Jennifer Winsette, to the Laura Chaney Scholarship Fund.
-Please make checks payable to Boone County High School’s Laura Chaney Scholarship Fund. Mail this form and the check to 7056 Burlington Pike Florence, KY 41042.

I WILL be at the event on July 18th...and would encourage any readers I might have in the local Cincinnati area to come down and support the cause.

First Friday Freestyle Criticism...Constructive Idea!

So, I got a criticism of my first Friday Freestyle from the master of the Freestyle, Mikey. And it was constructive, after all, he's known for tellin it how it is. I can dig that.

And he's right. I gotta make it my own, somehow. I'll figure it out. But, the idea to post a weekly freewriting blog, was his. That, I can't take credit for.

After re-reading it, I think I might stick with poem-type stuff. That hip-hop delivery just...isn't me, after rereading the first effort.

Another First: What Are You Thinking, Cincinnati?

This is something else I am starting here. I borrowed this idea from someone I follow on my Twitter, Enquirer writer Alex Shebar. He has a blog on Cincinnati.com, and some of his posts are entitled "What Are You Thinking, Cincinnati?". They're basically things he wonders what we were thinking when we did them.

With that said, I have one of my own. (And if I, a life-long resident of the area, have some of those moments, then well, you can certainly see where someone who isn't from here might. I forgot to mention, Shebar is originally from New England, coming here from Syracuse University in New York.)

Recently, I have spent copious amounts of time traveling through the north side of the city, heading between Florence and Northgate. My travels took me on Metro busses through Knowlton's Corner, which is the intersection where Spring Grove, Ludlow and Hamilton Avenues and Hoffner Street meet, just north of I-75 and I-74's interchange in Northside.

Here is the "What Are You Thinking" comes into play.

Just a few hundred yards north of Knowlton's Corner, is Blue Rock Street. (NOTE: Blue Rock is Cincinnati's version of Atlanta's Peachtree...there's quite a few streets named Blue Rock.) Both Hamilton and Spring Grove Avenues intersect with Blue Rock Street, only a few hundred yards apart.

But one traveling on Hamilton Avenue cannot turn left onto Blue Rock, directly FROM Hamilton. Oh, no...that would be too easy.

Instead, one must bear RIGHT onto Spring Grove Avenue, then turn LEFT onto Blue Rock...just to come across Hamilton Avenue again! There's gotta be a better way, but because Hamilton Avenue is not a "no on-street parking" zone, of course, this is how it is.

But it still makes me wonder...seriously, What Were You Thinking, Cincinnati??

A First Ever: Friday Freestyle

I decided to start something new here. It is called "Friday Freestyle". Freestyle means I write whatever comes to my head, just completely randomly. These WILL rhyme, and yes they will come out kinda hip-hoppish, but, that's the nature of the freestyle. My friend Mike gave me this idea. It's really much like my normal poems, except this will be a regular series. So, here's the first edition.

Hey yo, It's ya boy J Mo
Droppin a freebie on all yo
Bounce back from the bad, get to the good
When y'all go thru hell, then I'll be understood

Here we go, get on the train
It's taken up residence in my messed up brain
I gotta thank my boy Mikey T
For this idea was all his you see

Three days before leavin this town behind
Suddenly a girl changes her mind
That's okay, yo, I ain't gettin mad no mo
What's the point, if down it don't go

Hangin with the mikey man
Twitterin and rollin as only we can
Picture us rollin, you bet
After all, it didn't take long and out we get

So I'm gonna end this here freestyle
And give props to Mikey for walkin the mile
And I'll see y'all next Friday
And we'll hit ya with another rap on the way!

Post Deleted.

I deleted a post of mine from Monday. I decided that having it sit there, would just frustrate me and keep me from recovery. So it's gone.

That is all.

Why this week has been better.

NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: Never use Twitpic postings. The picture below was uploaded from my twitter originally, but, the link broke. So, I re-uploaded it here.

So, this whole week hasn't been the best week ever, but I will share two reasons that it was better than it seemed to be headed for.

1) I have spent time reconnecting at church.
2) I have spent time connecting with my friend Mike.

1) Spending time reconnecting at church. This has allowed me to become more active with the college/singles ministry there. I was not even sure I would go this week, after the Monday mess happened.

2) Spending time connecting with Mike. Mike and I go back a few years. Mike has CP, and thusly, he spends time in a wheelchair much like I do. The last couple days, I've traveled to Northgate, Ohio to see him.

Now, he and I used to DJ together as the Redneck Brothers. We might resurrect the team at some point. But right now, we don't know.

We went to Northgate Mall, Best Buy, Meijer, and TGI Friday's on Wednesday, then Thursday it was off to Wal-Mart. And here's a picture from today:
ABOVE: Me and Mike, Thursday, June 4, 2009 at the Colerain Hills Walmart.

So that's why this week has been better than I expected it to wind up.

Why I'm Worried About my Uncle.

I know, I'm slacking on my "I Like...Because..." posting, but I need to get this off my mind first and foremost today.

Last week, as you all know, my uncle Terry Ludwick's mother Dorothy died. She was 82. And as I stated, my uncle is doing fine, "so far".

There's a reason I use that terminology.

My aunt Kathy, his then-estranged wife, intentionally OD'ed on drugs on August 14, 2007. Right after she died, he began to spiral out of control completely. From that point on, he was, for all intents and purposes, an alcoholic.

As such, he became increasingly difficult to be around. I even went so far as to distance myself from him from the end of 2007, through all of 2008 and into this year, because he wasn't the kind of person I wanted to associate with.

Now hear me out. I do realize he is my family no matter what he and my aunt went through, the fact they split up, etc.. But...being around him was not helping my mental state and at the time I was, and continue to be to this day, prone to severe mood swings, stress attacks, and other things. It wasn't healthy for me and I knew it, so I distanced myself from him. He has gotten better...but here's the thing: he's hanging around with someone who is not a good influence, does drugs, etc.. And that's not someone I want to be around, either.

If he goes back to the bottle, and I think it's a distinct possibility, I will have to go back to distancing myself from him. Do I really want to do that? No...but for my own health, I will have no choice.

So now you know...