WIXY's Gone Bananas

This afternoon, I received an email that blessed my heart immensely. I may have to warn you to have some kleenex handy. My eyes were very wet and my heart was very happy after reading this. "Dear Cliff, Hi my name is Ronna and I'm married to Suzanne's brother Greg. We live in Florida. We just returned from Meridian about an hour ago. First, I want to thank you for posting your thoughts about Suzanne. she really was a dynamic, charming, talented, and loving woman. Unfortunately, she had her issues and some bad "seeds" got ahold of her and tormented her. Anyways, she is at peace now because they can not bother her anymore. My thoughts are running a little askew today and for the past week. I check out your blog from time to time through Suzanne's blog. I usually check her blog everyday waiting for new beautiful pictures or her new poems. I'm not a blogger so I do not leave comments. the service was nice. they played a beautiful song by Sarah...

This was played at Suzanne's funeral yesterday, and her sister in law, Ronna asked me to post it for all. This is for Jerry, Betty, Greg, Ronna, Campbell, Bella, and the other family members now feeling a loss. From my heart to yours....

Suzanne and I used to send each other videos to pick each other up. I sent her this one once and she told me that she had to take a minute to wipe the tears before she could send me a reply. To Suzanne, this song means as much now as when I sent it the first time. I lift my glass to you. And to all my other friends and family who read this blog. Some of you have been with me since the beginning. Others have been following me and decided to start your blogs. And to those who have come here as a result of my friendship to the one we affectionately called Liquid, and those who have decided to follow me in the past week, I lift my glass to you. God bless you all!

First I want to thank everybody for coming here the past few days. The number of hits I have been receiving has been very humbling. I am also grateful for all the expressions of sympathy that has come this way. I sent a letter(snail mail) to Suzanne's parents yesterday to tell them what she meant to me and the rest of the blogging community. If anybody is reading this from the Meridian area and you are close to the Whites, give them another hug for the rest of us. Now what's making sense to me now is all the emotions I've been going through in the past week. When I first received the news from Chelle, I was numb. I then went to baffled to angry to very sad(I would catch a tear running down my cheek when I was alone) to embarrassed. The embarrassed part was because of all the expressions of sympathy which had come my way. One of Suzanne's close personal friends told me not to be as every one knew how close the two of us were. I'm also grateful for those who come here...

In late January of this year, Suzanne was not feeling up to posting on her blog. She sent me an email with this poem, asking me to post it as a message to Amias: Sleeping Under Her Wing At night when all is quiet I notice my toes are warm despite the snow on the ground beneath me. I curl into a ball at the foot of my bed hiding the hurt and the tears from little patters of feet. I wail so hard silently my head wants to explode. She with her wing wipes my tears. She with her words sings to me and twiddles my hair. I rub a single feather I plucked from her wing and stroke my cheek with it. It soothes me. I am warm. I am safe. I pull it together. I send her that same feather. Although she has tons. ~Liquid The following was Amias' response in my comment section: Liquid, Cliff .... You two are so very special ... and as the tears flows from these tired old eyes --- I am remembering the story of the good Samaritan. Bless my soul, can you imag...

Dear Suzanne, The past few days, you have been on my mind quite a bit. I have thought about the first time I discovered your blog and how it made me laugh and smile. I left a comment, then wrote you an email telling you how much I liked your humor and photography. You wrote me back, saying you liked my blogs too. I then gave your blogs-you had three at the time-a special place on my sidebar. I called it great humor and photos from Mississippi. I also introduced you to the people who read my blog, at that time just people from the Cleveland-Akron-Canton, Ohio area. You helped my presence on the internet grow. I now get regular readers from Canada, Europe, and Australia, as well as many states. We became good blogging friends. You would comment on my blog as well as blogs you discovered from our friendship. Your talent got you many friends in-as you would put it-Bloggeritaville. We emailed each other quite a bit, with jokes, videos, or just to say hi. You got to know a lot about my famil...

This is taken from the Meridian Star Website Jeri Suzanne Horne Jeri Suzanne Horne Services for Jeri Suzanne Horne will be held Tuesday at 2 p.m. at James F. Webb Funeral Home Chapel with the Revs. Joseph Hallman, and Dennis Marks officiating. Burial will be in Pine Springs Southern Methodist Church Cemetery. Mrs. Horne, 42, of Meridian, died Wednesday, December 24, 2008, at her residence. She was employed as a hairdresser. Survivors include her parents, Jerry and Betty White of Meridian, daughter, Isabella Horne of Meridian, son, Campbell Horne of Meridian, brother, Greg White and Ronna of Davie, Fla., niece, Madelyn White of Davie. Visitation will be Monday, 5p.m.-7 p.m. at the funeral home. Pallbearers will be Barry Murphy, Mike Grant, David Medlin, Bo Pierce, Richard Daniel, and Bryan Culpepper. Click here to go to online guest book

The past couple of days I have gotten emails from all of you. The messages range from "What happened" to "I wonder if I could have done something," to "I'm sorry you lost a good friend." I want everybody to know that I appreciate all the messages I received, as I'm sure Chelle has also. I received a phone call from Amias yesterday. We talked for 20 minutes. She told me that Christmas will never be the same for her. I don't think that's the answer. I think Suzanne would like us to remember the reason for Christmas, and if we are to remember her, it would be in the loving way in which she always treated us. I had others email me, wondering if there would have been anything they could have done to maybe prevent it. I don't think there was anything we could have done. I wish there was, as she was there for me on a couple of occasions when I needed a friend. She apologized to me because she was out of town and away from a computer when my br...

What I'm posting now is with the blessing of Chelle. Chelle is the cousin of Suzanne's husband, Richard. I had gotten the impression from both of them that they were about as close as sisters. Suzanne had been a friend of mine since I had discovered one of her blogs in July, 2006. We would make reference to each other on our blogs and would have dialogue via email quite a bit. It was no surprise to me that she was friends to many other bloggers as well. I felt it was quite an honor to be held in as high esteem as I was. We even talked to each other on the phone on occasion. I felt as we had known each other for a long time. I also knew that Suzanne was having some personal problems, much of which had to do with a very troubled marriage. I would let her bounce things off me, and I would send her some encouragement. While she was going through some of her marital problems, she made herself available to give me a lift when I needed it. My son was having some problems of his own a...

I just received an email from Chelle. Suzanne aka Liquid passed away Christmas Eve. Most of the bloggers who have been with me most of the time know that she and I were very good friends and as close as any two people 800 miles from each other could be. Most of the people that I blog with come here, and I come to them as a result of my online friendship with Suzanne. This is not news I want to hear on Christmas, but I do believe that she is with the very person whose birth we celebrate today. Pray for Suzanne's parents, her brother, her children, and her many friends. Thank you for your friendship, Suzanne. Rest in peace.

Christmas time is now here I feel it from you all the year Blogging here with all my friends Your gift of kindness doesn't end I have my friends on the net Doing things I can't forget Bringing me a ton of smiles Some deliver from many miles Smiles come wrapped in a tale Sent by post or email They come from photos of frogs Or from houses of logs Stories sometimes are spun Of a daughter or son We'll tell one another Of our sister or brother I would ask you to pray And you would, you say Your prayer would touch my life And take ease on my strife Now I pray that next year We can all meet right here Friends from all of the miles Giving plenty of smiles MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY Cliff

Those of you who aren't too busy, check out Scott Wynn's Window , and check out his picks for top five Christmas movies of all time . Put your two cents in and tell him your personal favorite(s). And if you're burned out from all this Christmas stuff, go over to Sue Wilson's Voice Over and read her thoughts about Common Sense Economics . Once again, let her know yourt thoughts. My assignment? I'll be back sometime tomorrow morning with a special poem.

I always enjoy adding bloggers to my friends list. This one is a result of Jessica, of Five Pines fame, and her Christmas card exchange. Thanks to Jessica, I have picked up three friends this year, the other two being Jen and Shellmo. Introducing Tales From the Pigeon . Pigeon comes from Chesterland, Ohio, an area that some of us in Northeast Ohio refer to as the snowbelt. The area has a higher elevation and is a straight shot off Lake Erie, meaning when we get wind currents from Canada, the moist air from the lake forms a ton more snow than others of us get. In comparison, I live in the Chippewa Valley and am more fortunate most of the time. We get an inch and a half of snow, the snowbelt gets a foot and a half. Anyway back to my post. Pigeon has a blog that features her photography and family. She is also a participant of Weird Object Friday, a weekly post where she will find an unusual object and feature this on her blog. Today Pigeon is showing off the photos she is able to take wi...

Two days until the big one. Some of my friends are tired of grandma being run over by a reindeer and others don't want a hippopotamus for Christmas. So I send this out to all of you!

My friend Tim Lones has a video posted on his Cleveland Classic Media blog of Bob Hope introducing the Christmas Classic "Silver Bells." Go on over there, check out the video, and wish Tim a Merry Christmas.

Cliff Note: To those who are new to my blog, Ricky is my brother who passed away this past March 4. He was one who had many challenges in life, due to a medical condition he inherited. Although Ricky had some developmental problems, he had a heart of gold. As I have mentioned before, my brother Ricky was a sports fan. The reason he became a sports fan was because I was. Ricky worshiped the ground I walked on. I don't think I deserved such an honor. Ricky and I went to several sporting events together and a couple of years in a row, I took him to the Richfield Coliseum to see the Cleveland Cavaliers as his Christmas present from me. We had some good seats for these. The game in 1975, the Cavs were playing the New Orleans Jazz, not a great team, but their best player was "Pistol" Pete Maravich. Pete was chasing a loose ball out of bounds in front of the section where we were sitting. We were in the second row and he was close enough to hear us. Ricky said, "GO PETE....

Friday afternoon after I got home from working and other things, I had to turn around and take Mrs74 to the urgent care center. She could have gotten an appointment with our PCP, but the road conditions Friday morning weren't conducive to me being comfortable with my sick wife driving to the doctor by herself. Nice thing about the urgent care center we are currently going to is that we can get in and get out rather quickly. This time we were charged for an office visit, which saved us ten dollars. Doctor checked her heart and lungs, gave her a prescription and sent us on our way. Now as all of us in HMO's know, you cannot go to the nearest pharmacy to get the prescription filled. We went to Buehlers on Forest Meadows Drive, in Medina. We come in there through the back way, so we had no idea what was happening at the shopping center across the street. We got the prescription filled and wanted to get us a bite to eat, only we couldn't go the direction we had planned on going....

I was very busy yesterday, as I imagine everybody else was, and I had intended to post this update on my father in law. Eddie came home from the hospital yesterday. He and his wife still need our prayers. My wife's youngest sister, along with her son has come up from Ashville, Ohio-2 hours away, to help her parents. Cliff Note: This is unrelated, but am I the only one who has several posts running through my mind when I can't spend much time at my keyboard? I'll be back later today with at least one of those.

I was driving this week to work and listening to my new most favorite morning program, Wynn and Wilson in the Morning on WQMX/94.9-"your station-your country." Anyway during the first half hour, they have their Micky D's coffee klatch, and Sue has been declaring the "fruit of the day." The past couple of days the fruit has been banana. Yesterday I didn't think anything about it, but today I had to email Scott and Sue and tell them I appreciated this because of the name of this blog. Sue emailed me back and let me know I made her smile, which is one of the intents of my blogging. To your upper left is a photo of Sue Wilson. It had been awhile since I had posted any photos here, so I thought I would improve the looks of my blog and get this one off the WQMX website . Besides, she looks too young to have two college age daughters, dontcha think?

The word is "yuck!" I was driving on icy interstate 77 with more freezing rain coming down. Once I passed I-480, the rain became snow. It took me an extra 25 minutes to get to work this morning. For Moose and Moose, serious shysters for frivolous lawsuits, I'm 74WIXYgrad.

Okay, my last post was written before I left for work this morning. Things at that time didn't look as though they would be all that peachy when I got there. Walking through the parking lot, I slipped on the ice and fell. I landed on my left knee, which I had replaced in February, 2001. Although it is stiff now, I can attest to the fact that Dr. Gradisar did good work. Anyway we had our Christmas luncheon at work with enough food to have another one tomorrow. I love my blogger friends . Happy Wife emailed me this afternoon with the intention of picking up mine and Kathy's spirits, with a link to some of her dog videos. It worked. Father in Law update. Eddie is still in the hospital. His doctor will try to adjust his medication again. Kathy took her mother to Applebees, then shopping. Her youngest sister is coming up to do some caretaking this weekend and into next week. I want to thank everybody for their prayers. Please keep all of us in your prayers. Another good thing about...

Seems like the prevailing story for the past little bit for us, but my father in law was taken to the hospital again last night. His defibrillator went off three times in succession. I got word of this as I was driving home on Rt. 57 yesterday afternoon. My wife, daughter and I went right to the hospital as I got home. Once we got there and I was sure things were stabilized, I had to go gas up my car. Along the way I stopped and picked some double cheeseburgers, fries, and apple pies, since I was sure that my wife and mother in law hadn't eaten yet. Important thing in my mind was to make sure that Kathy(my wife) and Ella Jean(mother in law) were taken care of. The medical staff would take care of Eddie, my father in law. Eddie and Ella Jean are understandably very frustrated. They are very grateful that Kathy and I are there for them, but I wouldn't have it any other way. They have been there for us over the years and now it's time for us to try to return the favor. And if ...

First, a big thank you to those who went and made a comment on Scott Wynn's blog. I hope you enjoyed the story as much as I did. I never heard of a monogrammed jock strap as a gift before. If that has anyone else's curiosity aroused, click on the link in the post below. 8 days to go and I still haven't gotten Mrs74's gift. I know what I'm getting, I just haven't gone out and bought it. Everybody else has been bought for. There is supposed to be a winter weather advisory here in Northeast Ohio, but as I went out to get my paper this morning i only noticed a light dusting. I haven't heard any news, so I don't know what the secondary snow belt has gotten. I suppose if Pigeon would be reading this, we might find out what the primary snow belt received. I know about 5:30 yesterday evening, Medina was getting some snow and the roads were getting slick. Don't you hate going to Kmart, Walmart*, or Target this time of year? I had to go to the Medina Walmar...

Going around the blogs, I've been noticing some interesting Christmas gift stories. Shellmo had a contest about the worst gift. I would like to congratulate Jen, as she was the winner with her "granny panties." One of our newest friends, WQMX morning show host Scott Wynn , has a very interesting story on his blog about his step grandmother and her gift giving habits. It's called "Do You Know a Hazel Marie?" I think you should go over there, as the story is quite humorous. Tell Scott how much you enjoy the story, and tell him WIXY sent you.

Last night I read the poem I wrote for the talent show a week early. It was our Food for Christmas singing at the church last night and I felt led to read it then. I posted it over on my Seek Him First blog . I hope you get a blessing from it.

This afternoon Mrs 74 and I were on our way to pick up a prescription when my cell phone had rung. Mrs74 answered it and the other end was our nephew Bryan. Bryan had called me with a surprise. Once I had got on the phone, I was asked by Bryan how I was doing and then he handed his phone to someone he said wanted to say "Hi". Next thing I heard was "Hi Cliff, this is John Gorman." Bryan had seen Mr. Gorman in a mall where he was signing books. He had then asked me what blog I wrote and when I told him, he remembered that he emailed me once before. Now that's impressive that he remembered me when he probably comes into contact with many people all the time. John Gorman wrote a book called The Buzzard, which tells the story of the glory days of radio station WMMS/100.7, one of the premier radio stations of the 70's and 80's. Bryan also told me that he got me an autographed copy of "The Buzzard." Read my review of The Buzzard.

I just heard from Scott Wynn a few minutes ago. He pointed that I made a mistake in the post about him. I mentioned that in 1997, he won the CMT award as radio personality of the year. It should have been CMA, as in Country Music Association. Another correction I would like to make is that he has been in radio for over 28 years. The important thing is that Scott Wynn and Sue Wilson "get it" as far as blogging is concerned. Again, pay them a visit and get to know them. Scott Wynn's Window Sue Wilson's Voice Over Cliff Note: Speaking of awards, keep in mind that the 2008 Top Banana awards will be coming out soon.

This morning did not start the way I would have liked. I turned off my alarm and slept for an extra 48 minutes. However, while I was brewing my coffee, I looked at my email and got a nice message from Sue Wilson, morning show host and program director of WQMX/94.9. She liked the post I wrote about her. The message didn't surprise me, as I get the impression from the radio message boards that Sue is a very well respected person. But I haven't met anybody out of the Akron Radio Center yet that wasn't nice to me, and the Rubber City Radio Group is also respected on the boards. I may write a poem about the morning show. Speaking of nice people, Barb, of Skittles Place fame, has proclaimed me the winner of her latest "Caption This " contest. I would like to thank those who went over there and voted for my caption. And I also want you go there and look at the fabulous prize Barb has picked out for me . Cliff Note: who is responsible for the word verification in order to...

My radio listening on my way to work in the morning is varied, depending on the circumstances. The past few days going into work, I've been listening to WQMX/94.9 from Akron. When the 5:30am news is over the Wynn and Wilson morning show begins. This is a show that really connects with the listeners, and the hosts take turns being the other's foil. Since I can only listen to the first 25 minutes, I get the opening segments and the show usually starts off with some chuckles. Sue Wilson gave me some chuckles the past couple of days. Yesterday the topic of discussion was the governor of Illinois, Rod Blagojevich. Sue asked "how do you pronounce his name? I think I'll just call him 'badonkadonk.'" This morning, she gave a tutorial on playing "Jingle Bells" on her cell phone. Hardly compelling radio, but a good way to get a laugh on a too long drive to work. But then again there was a full moon this morning. In short this program is very enjoyable list...

Now it's time to man up. Yesterday I posted about a contest WMJI/105.7 was having today. An anonomyous commenter informed me that the contest is limited to those who are in the stations survey area. That also would mean that I would be ineligible as I live outside the survey area by TWO MILES. Oh well.... I did see the Eagles in concert in 1975 at the Richfield Coliseum. I keep forgetting about that because it was the worst date I was ever on. It turned out to be a double date and the other three on the date with me suffered from terminal snobbery. Only satisfaction I had was that my two toned(green and rust) 1968 Mustang was sitting in her driveway driving down property values.

The Announcement: The Eagles will be near my neck of the woods this coming March 25, at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland. I'm sure that there are some who read these words who like this news. WMJI/105.7 will be giving away tickets for this event tomorrow, December 10. Listen between 9:00AM and 5:00PM for your chance to win. Out of the area? Go to WMJI.com and click on "listen live". Good luck Eagles fans. I'm sure that Cleveland wouldn't be a real long drive from, say Dearborn, Michigan, would it Shelley? The Request: There is a blog I go to every once in awhile called Skittles Place . I participated in a contest called caption this late last week. Skittles, aka Barb put all the best captions to a vote. I am currently leading in the voting. Go on over and cast your vote. Also check out Barb's blog, which is another blog written by a fifty something blogger. Barb does a good job posting questions and also heads up a weekly meme called "Heads or Tails. ...

Please keep Jeremy in your prayers he is currently having some health issues, which has included fainting spells. In the past couple of weeks, Jeremy has become a good friend of several of our blogs and you have become good friends of Jeremy's. And if you are reading these words Jeremy, be assured that I'll be praying for you.

As most who stop here know, I write a poetry blog, called Whattville is on the Other Side of the Tracks , I started writing this when I realized that I had a talent to rhyme words. To my surprise, the blog has been well received and as a result I have gained a few more blogging friends, thanks in a big way to Jessica . My aim for this blog is to be light hearted in my poetry and I had promised not to be dark in my posts there. So far I have succeeded and I enjoy writing it. All the comments for the poems on my three blogs have been positive. I appreciate that as well as all the support you all give me writing about my blogs on your blogs. My rant starts here. I got an email from Michelle , of Crows Feet fame. Michelle and I exchange emails quite frequently. Before I started blogging I never dreamed of being able to communicate with someone who lives in Europe much less becoming friends with several people overseas. Anyway Michelle had told me of a poetry blog written by a gentleman na...

Today I want to wish Frasypoo of This and That fame a very happy birthday. Frasypoo is friend to many in the blogosphere. She is someone who loves God, her adopted country, and running, to name a few things. She is also a prayer partner of mine. If you haven't already, go over to This and That and wish Frasypoo all the best on her special day.

I guess this is a weekend of milestones. My friend from the windy city, Curmudgeon, of Second Effort fame, is celebrating his third bloggerversary today. Check out his blog. Curmudgeon is a very intelligent person, though long winded. But what do you expect from someone who has a background in law? But seriously, pay Second Effort a visit. He posts some very interesting views and sometimes he will tickle your funny bone.

Hi Guys, It's hard to believe that this is post number 800 for this blog. I started this blog out of my desire to communicate. Since radio and television is becoming more and more automated and less and less personal, I'm glad I made the decision to go in this direction as it has given me many blessings. When I first decided to write my musings, a friend from the radio and television boards who goes by the name of newsnomore, told me not to be discouraged if I didn't get any readers. The fact that I did in the early going made me surprised and grateful that anyone was enjoying what I wrote. I've had people tell me that maybe it wasn't meant for me to ever be in radio, that maybe my calling was blogging. Nowadays I think blogging makes for better two way conversation than terrestrial radio, especially the way I do it, non confrontational. The closest I come from any confrontation is the innocent digs that Pat and I shoot at each other. On an average day I get betwee...

Today is the birthday of one of the original followers of this blog. Tim Lones of Cleveland Classic Media fame is 51 today. To you newer friends here, Tim's blog is dedicated to the history of electronic media, mainly television, of the Northeast Ohio region. He puts a lot of research into his blog and I've said on occasion that he should be paid for his efforts. Go over and wish Tim a happy birthday. While you're over there, check out his work.

Today, December 5, is the --nd birthday of Shelley, of Building a Log Cabin fame. In the last few months, she has become a good friend of my blogs and she has an blogs of her own. Go over to Building a Log Cabin and check out how she is preparing for Christmas and the coming winter months. Leave a comment or two. I'm sure she'll appreciate it. Cliff Note: What she might not appreciate is me stealing this photo from her log home website , but I've got to make my blog look a little better. To your right is Shelley and her main squeeze, husband Greg. They are independent authorized representatives of Hiawatha Log Homes. Shelly is a blogging friend of mine Her log home I think is mighty fine To walk outside and breathe fresh air Experiences with us she'll share.

I was traveling on I-71 Tuesday afternoon, going toward Medina. The snow was starting to fall. This was a time when I wish I had the WIXYcam with me as I saw a car with the license plate "IMISS FL." I was going to the hospital to take my mother in law home. Yeah, my father in law is back there, but should be home by the weekend. Anyway she told me that they weren't used to this weather, as the past 6 winters were spent in Florida. I had to tell her about the plate and she got a laugh out of it. My daughter is going to help them put their Christmas tree up this weekend. It helps relieve stress when you can do that and my MiL is looking forward to it. I don't know if I will be making the rounds today as I'm dead tired today and I already have tomorrows post in auto publish. Come back here tomorrow morning as it's a very special post. It's scheduled to post at 1:00am EST.

Jen of Unglazed fame stated that Cleveland needed meteorologists. We have Dick Goddard, who was the first in Cleveland television history. Click here to read an excellent post written by my friend Tim Lones, of Cleveland Classic Media fame . Dick Goddard is also a fan of high school marching bands and I have shared the pressbox with him several times at band shows. Here is a photo of the two of us at a band show in October, 2007. Now that I got my bragging in, go visit Tim.

I am sitting at my desk at work, typing this during my morning break. We were expecting 1-3 inches of snow overnight, but got just a dusting. One of the hardest jobs in Northeast Ohio has to be a weather forecaster. Dick Goddard, the dean of weather forcasters in this area once got a letter from one of his viewers stating he was shoveling 6 inches of partly cloudy from his driveway. But the weather here also changes with the locale. It could be sunny in downtown Cleveland and snow squalls could be in one of the eastern suburbs. Such was the case several years ago when a traffic reporter for what's now WTAM/1100. Cliff Note: back then it was WWWE, but since I have a couple of readers from the Atlanta area, I did not want to confuse them as WWWE/1100 is now a Spanish speaking station in that area. Back to the story. The reporter and his pilot was killed when the traffic plane crashed into a cell phone tower that they evidently couldn't see because of the snow. Downtown and the...

But at least I have a job, so I should be thankful. Cliff Note:That sentence was aimed at me. Now that I'm taking the meds I need, and I am expecting a chewing out by my doctor, it's time to get back into the usual routine. I've been listening to motivational recordings today, trying to get my mind in gear. Yesterday, I listened to two messages by Happy Wife's pastor at 12 Stone Church . They were good messages from the Trademark Your Life series. Check them out, as you can download them from iTunes. Our church is having a talent show the Sunday night before Christmas. I am considering writing a poem, as the Lord revealed to me this past year that I had that talent. I will post the finished product on Seek Him First. I hope everybody got through Black Friday without incident. It always surprises me that a season when we wish one another "Peace on Earth and goodwill toward men" brings out the worst in some people. My prayers go out to the family of the Walma...

I have been kicking around participating in a meme. I was tagged by Don, of Don's Mind fame and it involved 7 weird habits I have. One of the habits I have is being a procrastinator. This one almost proved to be a deadly one. Let me explain... One of the things that I procrastinate is refilling my medications. I have prescriptions for hypertension, diabetes, and depression. One time I went days without refilling my depression meds and found out the hard way that you don't go off this one cold turkey. This time it was my blood pressure meds I neglected to refill, as I had to get a new script from my doctor. I was wrong on one of the prescriptions, but the other had to be rewritten, and the good folks at my HMO (think head of Germany in world war 1) stopped covering this particular medicine. This morning when I woke up, I was very light headed, had headaches, and my blood pressure was 191/101. I kept this all to myself until this afternoon when I told my wife. We couldn't get...

This is for my Northeast Ohio readers and others who might venture into the Akron area sometime in the future. Tony Parasson started selling pizza in his mother's tavern in Barberton, Ohio in 1960. The following year he relocated to 234 Wooster Rd North, Barberton, Ohio. This was where Mrs74 and I recently went for a late lunch. Being after the lunch rush, we were able to get seated immediately. During busy periods we never have to wait too long to be seated. We were then greeted by our server, a young lady named Maddy . She promptly got us our drinks, then took our order. Soon afterward our garlic bread and my salad were brought to the table. Although it was a side salad, I was served plenty. Maddy made sure our drinks were kept full and we didn't run out of garlic bread. We had ordered baked subs, but my wife did not want hers on bread, so the smothered chicken was served as an entree. I ordered the sausage sub. Although we ordered "half" subs, we had plenty of f...

This photo was taken with the WIXY/at&tPhoneCam(tm) earlier this afternoon. Along with my fuelperks, I paid $1.07 a gallon and I fueled up the MrsWIXYmobile for 16 dollars. A few months ago those digits would have been reversed. This is in front of the Giant Eagle in Barberton, Ohio.

This year started off quite well with this blog. In giving suggestions to start the year right, I mentioned giving the book The Fred Factor , by Mark Sanborn , a read. Mr. Sanborn had gotten a Google alert that I had mentioned his book and thanked me in the comments . Following that we exchanged emails and he had mentioned that judging by my writings, he saw that I was a Christian. Mark then sent me a book called Roaring Lambs , by Bob Briner . The book detailed how one could practice their Christian faith while working in the everyday world. The book gave emphesis on media and the arts. Most of the people who read this blog are professing Christians. I believe that we are the roaring lamb type. We let our faith show by the way we write. The blogs I read are entertaining and informative, but do not try to shove the Lamb of God down other readers throats. A few weeks ago I was at a library book sale where you could fill a grocery bag with books for $2.00. One of the books I bought was ...

This morning I got up a little after 9am, which is about 6 hours later than when I'm working. We had to make a trip over to the Evil Big Box Store(tm) to return a present we bought for our grandson because he already had one of them. First stop was to Mickey D's for breakfast. Before we had left, we had already gotten at an inch of heavy snow. Cliff Note: I didn't read Jeremy's excellent weather report until after I got back home. We had a good breakfast along with some good fellowship with a couple from our church. Then it was off to the store. I dropped Mrs74 and WIXYjr at the aforementioned evil store while I went to the Orange Big Box Home Improvement Store(tm) to get some hinges for a cabinet door. Almost did a donut in the Orange store's parking lot. It was my first time in years that I drove a rear wheel drive in the snow. Once I got back to the EBBS, I was looking for a parking space and it occurred to me that I have to give my yearly rant, so excuse the b...

My friend over at the Remember Love Canal Blog has posed a question . Go on over, as he is looking for responses. I think I have friends who stop here who are capable of some terrific insight.

Jen , of Unglazed fame, awarded me, quite a while ago with the I heart your blog honors. Jen is a blogger who has a lot of heart and I want to pass this out to others who show a lot of heart in their blogging. Sindi , of Life is a Roller Coaster fame- Sindi has not been too active on the blog lately, but maintains email contact with me and has started a dialogue via IM with my wife. She has promised to be active in blogging again soon. Suz , of Day by Day...My Life as a Buzy Bee fame- Suz is a great supporter of all her friends and has a great sense of humor, to boot. If you haven't yet, go over there and look at her unique view of life. Happy Wife Happy Life -She has also become one of my most recent friends. We found that we both like personal development books. Another thing we both have in common is we both are now working on a book. Randy , of The Way I see it fame- Randy has made it a practice to make his way around the blogs and leave encouraging comments, while exhibi...

Jeremy, the brains behind Tri State Media Watch, has decided he likes hanging around us, and has branched out to another blog. Announcing Personal Thoughts/Observations from N KY ! This one will be aimed to a broader audience than his media blog and I think his target audience for the Personal thoughts blog will be a nicer group. Jen and Pat could benefit from the info from the media blog. Media geeks, such as myself and Tim, will go there too. We all can benefit from Jeremy's observations.

We were supposed to get a ton of lake effect snow by now. The fact is that we didn't get all that much where I expected it to be. The above photo is taken on I-77, just south of I-480. Very little snow, and this was within 10miles of Lake Erie. Now this photo was taken about 5 miles south of the prior one, as I was passing the Wallings Road exit, in Broadview Hts., Ohio. This one was taken with Shellmo in mind, as she posted on her blog today that she liked pine trees. Not everyone was all that lucky today. I saw this car in the median just past the Ohio Turnpike. there was also a severe pileup on I-76 near Akron in the morning. As I got further south, I noticed that the accumulation of snow was greater. this photo was taken on Ohio-21, in Copley, Ohio. But the sun did make an appearance in this winter wonderland, as I was able to catch it on I-76/US-224, Wadsworth, Ohio.

Shellmo, of Building a Log Cabin fame, is having a contest over at her blog. The lucky winner will be shipped a loaf of cranberry pecan bread from Zingerman's in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Go over and check it out .

I decided that instead of just taking a four day weekend next week, I would just take a week of vacation. what have I got planned? Very little, but a lot of sleeping. I'll take the week as it comes. The area where I live is expecting quite a bit of lake effect snow thanks to an Alberta Clipper coming through. Where I live is expecting about 1-2 inches of snow. I live over 50 miles away from Lake Erie, so we don't get the full lake effect. But here's the way I describe my way into work: I travel through parts of 4 counties, 4 area codes, and countless changes in weather patterns. I know there are many concerned since it's nearly impossible to get on the Weather Channel website at this time. I'll have to remember to get an emergency kit in the WIXYmobile, which is something anyone in the northern states needs to have. A blanket, change of clothes, extra medication, if you have prescriptions, drinking water, food and maybe a couple of those self heating coffee drinks....

As expected, all went well yesterday. The doctor said the stress test was normal and an extra heartbeat is nothing to be too concerned about.

As some who have been following me for a while are aware, I credit Ohio Media Watch for the inspiration to start this blog. So have others from my home area, such as Tim Lones of Cleveland Classic Media fame, have done the same. Now a 23 year old Internet disc jockey from Florence, Kentucky has started Tri-State Media Watch , a blog dedicated to radio and television in the greater Cincinnati, Ohio area. He also gives OMW credit for the inspiration to start blogging. He also calls his blog "Blog O Fun" as a tribute of what OMW calls his blog, which is "the Mighty Blog of Fun." I also have decided to announce it here for these reasons. At least two of my readers can benefit from the information TSMW reports. He came here to visit me last night and left a comment and at the time, this is one of two blogs that he is listed as a follower of. Cliff Note:If you are reading this TSMW, Cleveland Classic Media has a two day jump on me as far as introducing you to his reader...

This morning I woke up and the temperature was 19 degrees. Now to all my friends outside of the United States, that's Fahrenheit. But to me, it's just plain cold. I was emailing Sindi , of Life is a Roller Coaster fame, and she wanted to IM. I had asked her if they had any snow in Terre Haute. She told me no and gave me the frowny face emoticon. I told her she could have mine. I then turned the computer to Mrs74 who had a very pleasant conversation with Sindi. After doing a few things to get ready for bed, I was watching a little of The Biggest Loser with Mrs74, and I want to say this-that show has some real losers there this season, and I don't mean weight wise. Mrs74 has an appointment with our PCP today, where he will read her the results of her stress test. Seeing it was a week ago, I figure the news will be of a positive nature. All you folks in the northern states remember to keep your windshield washer reservoir filled with some fluid that is formulated for winter.

I have people coming into my office during the work day asking how the stock market is doing. Of course most of the time, it's been going down. Some of the people asking don't have a whole lot in their 401(k) but want to see their investment increase in value. The key to this will be patience and time. In the meantime, what are you doing about your personal stock? Are you doing anything to further cultivate your talents? Let me explain. Since I started blogging, I have discovered a writing talent that I didn't think I had before. I figure at this time I have about 2 books in me, one of which all I have to do is tie together. The other is something I want to base on my Whattville blog . I've been kicking it around in my head but until yesterday didn't do a lot about it. Yesterday afternoon after we got Kathy's dad home from the hospital, my mother in law needed to go to the store to get some prescriptions filled and to pick up a few items. So it was off to the lo...

It's been a very stressful week for my family and especially for my wife. The stress test, as far as we know, has come out fine. Her father had to make a trip to the emergency room Friday night. We had just been over there, as my mother in law needed to go shopping. Mrs74 took her mother to the grocery store and I stayed and kept her dad company. After having supper with them we went home, as we had at that point, a very stressful week. A little bit later, I was on the phone talking racing with my older brother and also getting an update on his health, which isn't all that good. My mother in law beeped through. Kathy's dad was being taken to the emergency room. His defibrillator had gone off. He had gotten a new one this past summer, and this one was more powerful. I later told him that it more cold cranking amps. Eddie, my FIL, was admitted and had his meds adjusted. He was discharged this afternoon. Now my wife and mother in law are very exceptional women. Kathy has take...

My dear friend Liquid has awarded me with this honor. It is for "being a real blogger with real interesting stuff to post . " All I can say about this is my blog is 100% real with no artificial fillers. Without further adieu I want to award this to the following "real" bloggers: Brenda, of Snicker*Snicker*Snort fame. Brenda has let all of us into her world by her unique style, especially with her "Wednesday Whining s." I feel it's a real privilege to give my veryreal friend her first blogging award. Frasypoo , of This and That fame. Frasypoo is a very good example of the fact that bloggers just don't retire. She just could not stay away from all of us. My blogroll definitely would not be the same without her there. Melanie , of Monday Through Sunday fame. Our caffeine charged friend from Florida always has a good word for her fellow bloggers and a timely word from the Lord on hers. Michelle Dawn of Rusin Roundup fame. Michelle is a good fr...

A little bit of this, a little bit of that, and a splash of humor. If you haven't checked out my friend Diamond over at A Day in the Zone , go on over and say "Hi". With the coming holidays, she comes up with some tips on dieting and exercise. Randy, of The Way I See it fame, has posted about his days as a backyard wrestler , complete with photos. Jen, of Unglazed fame, has shown a side of herself we don't see often enough. Waxing poetic on her post titled Full Moon . BusyBeeSuz and Happy Wife Happy Life have shared an idea about the environment, as they both linked to a video called The Story of Stuff . If you have about 20 minutes the video is eye opening and very much worth a look see. Suz also relates a humorous story about trying to access the site but putting in the wrong address. If you've not been over to Jessica's Five Pines blog lately, she is attempting to put together a Christmas card exchange with all the blogging buddies. If you've neve...

And anyone else who enjoy the Eagles!

On my way home from work, I decided to get Mrs74 some flowers. So it was on to the Evil Big Box Store(tm). On my way inside, I had noticed that the Salvation Army had kettles at each entrance. As we all know this year will be hard for many families this Christmas season, so I salute the folks at Walmart for their permission to have the bell ringers in front of their stores. Now if we could get the Expect more. Pay less. people to allow it, it could help brighten the season for more that couldn't afford it otherwise. Oh, Mrs74 appreciated the flowers.

My unplanned midweek vacation is over and it's time to go back to work. I hate these 2 day work weeks. Of course I will be on vacation the week after next. Usually I take black Friday as my floating holiday. Something about sleeping until you wake up on Thursday, then getting up at 3am on Friday that doesn't appeal to me. Speaking of work, I know times are tough and some take work when they can get it, but during the holiday season try to work more smart than hard. I sat at my keyboard last night and haphazardly typed out my latest Whattville post as it came to me. It's called "I need to take a break. " Or in the words of the Eagles "Take it easy, take it easy Don't let the sound of your own wheels drive you crazy Lighten up while you still can Don't even try to understand Just find a place to make your stand and take it easy" Take it Easy, as sung by the Eagles, written by Jackson Browne.

Ghost Dansing brings up a good point about the "God is my co-pilot" bumper sticker in reference to the bumper sticker I saw in my previous post. When you say that God is your co-pilot, you obviously have an ego problem. God should be the pilot and you're just there to enjoy the ride. Anyway, I'm sure no one has no doubt where I stand regarding my faith. But I don't feel I have to show my love for the Lord with a bumper sticker, especially when there are those who have the stickers and have no business putting them on their car. One of the speakers at Promise Keepers in 2005 said that's there's nothing more hypocritical than being cut off, and flipped off, by someone who has a fish sticker on their car. Currently the only sticker visible is read on the inside. It reminds me when I need my next oil change.

I have been busy today,so I will keep this one short. I was following this Dodge Neon in Akron late this morning and I noticed these bumper stickers: Dog is my co-pilot My border collie is smarter than your honor student On the car's rear window was a sticker made to look like a tennis ball had smashed it. Seeing it was a fairly well used car, I could excuse the display. Now if the car been a luxury model, I would have the urge to key the vehicle. Well.....maybe not.

Today the Cleveland Indians fan in me is saddened as I learn of the death of long time Indian's broadcaster, Herb Score . I became a baseball fan at the ripe old age of 14 and through the years went to bed listening to Herb and whomever was his partner in the booth that year. A generation of tribe fans looked forward to hearing his voice. That was our first sign that Spring was on it's way. Although Herb retired more than 10 years ago, all Indians fans feel a loss today. Cliff Note: This post is a tribute. For a more detailed report check, with my friend over at Ohio Media Watch.

I get a call Thursday evening from WIXYjr. He was pulled over by the fuzz. Cliff Note: How long has it been since you've heard that term used in that application? Anyway, the license plate light on the WIXYjrmobile was burned out, and needed changed. I told him I would attend to it Friday evening. I had changed it once before, so I thought this would be easy. Not so. I took the light out of the bracket and tried to take the bulb out of the socket. No go. I called a friend and he said he could probably help on Saturday. I found myself busy on Saturday so this afternoon after dinner, I tried again. I tried twisting and turning. I also tried WD-40 to no avail. Then I went to Auto Zone, where they instructed me that this car had lights that pulled out. they sold me a pack of lightbulbs and some light grease. We tried pulling the light out in the parking lot, but at this point with the WD-40, we couldn't even get a grip on the light bulb. We then left fot the Evil Big Box Store(tm) ...

The eighties brought us some interesting characters, such as the Bushwackers , Undertaker, and Brother Love. There were also some interesting storylines . I will mention a few. Rick Rud e hits on Jake "the Snake" Roberts wife : Ravishing Rick Rude was part of the Heenan Family. Bobby Heenan lead Rude to the ring as stripper music played. At the conclusion of the match, Heenan would pick a lady in the audience to come into the ring to receive the "Rude Awakening" where he would "plant one" on the lady. One particular show, one was picked out of the audience who refused to come into the ring. Upon interrogation, it was revealed that this woman was Cheryl Roberts, wife of Jake "the snake" Roberts. For the next few months a feud ensued between Rude and Roberts. Rude would wear tights with Cheryl's picture airbrushed on them, and on one occasion, Jake came into the ring after match and tore the tights off Rude. The feud concluded on Saturday Ni...