WIXY's Gone Bananas

Many old television shows show some of the younger characters on the living room floor in a prone position reading the comic section of the local paper. As we would get older, the attention would go over to the sports section where they would devour all the stories, box scores, and standings. Or we would want to see the latest in entertainment stories. All this would happen while dad would catch up on the news, and mom would see what specials the local grocery store was running. This is a picture of Americana. As we grew up, we would see pretty much the headlines covered on the evening news. We would need 30 minutes for local news and 30 for world and national news. Most of the analysis of these stories would be in the next day's paper, along with the rest of the news. Now we can go to one of many channels and catch up on any developing story and by the time we read about it in the paper, it's history. In the past generation, the number of newspapers have declined greatly. Mos...

Part of this past Sunday's Musings was about Happy Days. Often there were songs performed by Potsie,aka Anson Williams. This clip was a song written by Potsie(in the story.) Potsie sang the song to prove to his college professor that he knew the answers to his biology exam. I just wonder why the prof was looking through the textbook to verify the answers?

I was tagged by Mike of Rambling Stuff fame for this. I'm to list six things that are unimportant but make me happy then tag six others. 1. Favorable comments about me made by morning radio show hosts. 2. Unfavorable comments made about me by an ignorant afternoon talk show host. 3. Eating a dinner of very unhealthy fried chicken in a certain Barberton restaurant. 4. Watching the same rerun of MASH over and over again. 5. Cranking up my car stereo to the max when a favorite song comes on and I'm by myself. 6. Getting a smile from a cashier when I thank them for working at..... Now I will tag the following: Brenda of Snicker*Snicker*Snort fame. Karen of Karen's Corner fame. Michelle of Crow's Feet fame. Buzy Bee Suz , of Day by Day fame. Margaret of Bellathena's Blog fame. Clean and Crazy of My Recovery fame.

Here we are past Memorial Day, so I guess Winter is officially over. Someone just needs to tell the Cleveland Cavaliers, with the exception of Lebron James, that basketball season isn't over. But being a life long Cleveland sports fan, I won't accept the fact that there is a championship major league team in town until the people start celebrating by doing some real stupid things. I'm hoping that I have a productive summer. I have been working on totally rearranging my office, hoping that the change of surroundings means a more productive Cliff. I'm hoping to do some of the same in my home. I'm in the thinking stage of my coming Sunday Musing and the thoughts are in regards to newspapers. And thank you to those who reacted to my disparaging remarks on my Facebook page the past few days. On another note, my brother Allen called me yesterday and we talked for a few minutes. Have a great day. And look for less "classic" posts in the next few days.

Last May, the traveling Vietnam Memorial was on exhibit in Wadsworth, Ohio. My family and I went to see this and the traveling museum that went along with it. There was an air of reverence in the town square those days as folks were looking for names of family members and others they know. I would think that the servicemen who lost their lives during the Vietnam war would never imagine people taking pictures of their names on a wall using their telephones. Following is a post I originally wrote on May 31, 2008. There was also an edit made to the original post. I was 13 years old at the time. I remember my sister showing my mom the Medina County Gazette this particular day exclaiming that Pat Duffy had died. During the Vietnam War, whenever someone from Medina County had died in combat, that would be the main headline of the day, complete with a large photo of this now deceased hero. I recall that one family in my town had been notified that their son had died in Vietnam, the story a...

As there are many baby boomers who read this blog, we realize that we are the first generation raised with the aid of television. We come to know many fictional families that way: The Bunkers, the Jeffersons, the Bradfords, the Cleavers, and many more. In this edition of Sunday Musings, I want to dwell on two of my favorites: the Cunninghams and the Winslows. First the Cunninghams. The Cunninghams were the main family on Happy Days. We met them in January, 1974, and spent 11 seasons as a guest in their home in Milwaukee. Howard Cunningham owned Cunningham Hardware, Marion was a housewife. When we first started visiting their home in Milwaukee, we also saw their three children, Richie, Joanie, and Chuck. The Winslows were the stars of the series, Family Matters. We were their guests in their home for nine seasons. Carl Winslow was a member of the Chicago police department. His wife Harriet held a variety of jobs during this time. When the series began, the Winslows had three kids: Laura...

or, Horton blogs a who? Cliff Note: I've gotten several of you who have come to this blog because you discovered my poet "talent" on my Whattville blog. The following post was the first poem I posted though I had been writing poems in comment sections at other blogs. I wrote this last June 12. I coined the "Whattville" name, a takeoff on Dr. Seuss' "Whooville," a couple of posts later, They say we bloggers aren't so smart We have no brains, we have no heart Well I am here, I want to say We are special in every way. We blog of laughter We blog of tears We blog of chicken And imported beers We blog of our houses We blog of our cars We blog of signs We blog of bars We blog when it's raining We blog when it's sunny We write our comments When your blog is funny We blog of our work We blog of our food And when we are finished We blog of our mood We blog of our spouses Our sisters and brothers Our friends and our famlies And then we find oth...

I originally posted this in September, 2007. And I think of this cover every time I'm somewhere where there's a new cashier who couldn't scan a UPC symbol if their life depended on it.

I went to the hospice to see Allen this afternoon. I sat with him for a little over a half hour. He was in a chair asleep. The hospice staff had told me that he was confused today. I left to go home before the evening rush hour traffic was at it's worst. And I was deep in thought as I drove. The thoughts were pretty much centered around "why?" Allen was the black sheep of the family and we were at odds for awhile. I'm glad that we had made peace in the past few months.

There is painting and rearranging going on in my office today, so I will not be able to check in during break and lunch. I do plan on going to hospice to see Allen today. I will check in this evening about that. I'm doing fine and am over the funk for now.

Most important: I wish to thank those of you who left me words of encouragement the past couple of days. Sometime later I will share some more of the story about my relationship with Allen. Traveling with Leesa: Leesa, of News From France fame has been busy running around Europe and wants to share the experience with all of us. She now has a blog specifically for her photos called, appropriately enough, Our Vacation Photos . Check out the pics, I think they are quite good. I have some new friends as a result of my request on the Prayer Hubs and I'm looking forward to getting around to all your blogs. The Prayers is open to "whosoever will" or anyone who has a burden to share. I also want to give a shout out to those who come via Mike Golch's blog Rambling Stuff . Mike is good about posting prayer requests on his blog and I'm sure that God will reward his efforts there. Once again thank you and keep praying for Allen.

I spent a good part of my weekend feeling sorry for myself. About 1:30 Saturday afternoon, we had received a phone call from my brother Allen. He told Kathy that he couldn't bear the pain he was going through and was being taken via ambulance to the Hospice Center on E 185th St., in Cleveland. In the past 12+ years, I have heard the "H" word applied to a member of my family all too much. I have known for a few months now that Allen had cancer. Up to about a month ago, we hadn't been in the same place together in about 10 years. As a matter of fact, the photo above is me with all my siblings at Christmas 1979. It was very rare that the 5 of us could get together at any time. On March 8, 1997 my half sister, Bev, had passed away in the same facility where Allen is now. She had challenges from the day she was born when the doctor had scarred her with the forceps. Neurofibromatosis caused unsightly growths and one eye to be blind. She almost choked to death giving birth...

Cliff Note: This is something new that I'm attempting where I'm working on this post all week. I'm hoping that I will be able to do this every week. I'm attempting to make this look like a column in a community weekly paper. Those are the papers that will be the survivors. A year ago Suzanne and I had constant email contact. At the time, she was going through a messy divorce and I was just trying to be a friend. We lived 800 miles apart so I felt safe as far as this just being a good friendship. I was then, and still am very secure in my marriage. We would send each other jokes through email and would also share parts of our lives with each other. There was also a time when some of us met for chicken in Barberton, Ohio and called her in Mississippi. She was a friend to many of us. One time she replied to an email I had sent her by telling me that if we ever met, I would probably levitate. I told her that was not hardly the case. Another time, I had emailed her after I w...

I want those who come here please pray for my half brother Al Short. He has cancer of the spine and is on his way to the hospice center as I type this. I have posted this at the Prayer Hubs . Thank You Cliff Update 9:12PM My sister Deirdre, Kathy, and I went to the Hospice Center of the Western Reserve and visited with Allen late this afternoon. The reason Allen is now there is because he couldn't manage his pain at home. Our older sister was there in 1997 before she passed away and we know by the care she received that this is an excellent facility. Please pray for grace.

This Summer is coming And nature is humming And starting to grow To give us a show The gardens are growing The buds all are showing Some growing for looks And others for cooks Our days will be longer Our tans will be stronger The birds will be singing All life around springing We'll need to cook out The aroma will shout The flavor will seem Making taste buds all scream At the end of the day We all want to say Please a double dip cone We won't eat it alone So now all my friends Here this poem ends Now go find a pool And splash like a fool

Last weekend I shared with you the Armour Hot Dog commercial and I figured I had the tune in your mind. This is now a walk down memory lane for us baby boomers. And seeing that next weekend is Memorial Day, I want to give you some ideas for your holiday cookout. However, I don't know if I'd love to be an Oscar Meyer Weiner....

Cliff Note: After too long of an absence, I like...Because is back. If I don't get sidetracked again, this will continue to be an at least once a week feature here. Clean and Crazy , aka Suzi, is one of the recovery bloggers. I hold all recovery bloggers in high esteem, as they are making positive strides in bouncing back and improving their lives. CNC is a member of Narcotics Anonymous and is very active with it. She is also an up and coming gardener. And I would be remiss to say that she is the proud mom of some very cute children. Clean and Crazy started following my blog early this year and has been a great supporter. She also has been eager to follow other blogs and is a delight to have around. And when she gets the impression that I'm not having a great day, she's quick with the encouraging comment. Even when I haven't been to her blog in awhile, she is faithful to come to mine. She has learned quite a bit about blog etiquette. One time I blogged about my ident...

Please go to the Prayer Hubs, where Amias has posted a request on behalf of her friend, Jeffrey.

Mike Golch , of Rambling Stuff fame has bestowed me with the Super Blog Award . Actually, he did this this past weekend and I appreciate the honor. Today I am passing the award to the following bloggers, by calling your attention to a recent post which they wrote. First I want to recognize Jeremy , of Personal Thought/Observations from N. Ky fame. I really enjoy the fact that Jeremy has taken one of my ideas and has adapted it to his blog. He has written several I Like...Because posts for his Facebook friends. He also wrote one dedicated to his mom . And speaking of mom, the next blogger I would like to give this award to is Karen , of Karen's Korner fame. Karen wrote a birthday post for her mother who has now been g one for 11 years. It was a very touching post. Busy Bee Suz , of Day By Day, My Life as a Busy Bee fame wins the next award because of her post for A-Z Monday. This week the letter was R . Suz had, hands down, the best post of all participants(in my opinion of...

Yesterday I went to the in-laws to spray the apple trees. On my way there, I stopped at the Goodwill. My latest treasure is a cassette tape by Foreigner, a compilation of their greatest hits. That's where I luck out having a cassette player in the WIXYmobile. Good tape too. I think that the real bonus is that "Hot Blooded" is a live performance. It's also good to have a mother in law who is grateful to us for our help and a real good cook. She sent me away last night with some apple cake made with Splenda. I've been sharing it with some other diabetics here at the shop. I think I'm going to have her make me a whole one to share at work. I feel it's a real pleasure to be able to make the in laws lives a little more comfortable. If you take a look at the upper part of my sidebar, you will see that I'm trying something new. It will be tentatively called Sunday Musing. I will work on a post all week and schedule it to post early Sunday morning, sort of lik...

First an introduction. Meet Ben , of Streetpolo fame. Ben is a former resident of Baltimore, much like his sister, Margaret , of Bellathena's Blog fame. Both Ben and Margaret went to college in Ohio. I assume Ben also attended the College of Wooster. But Ben stayed in Ohio because he doesn't like cities that steal other city's football teams. But seriously, Ben has a very interesting blog, and like others on my list, enjoys participating in A-Z Mondays and Weird Object Friday . He posts many photos of his world for all of us to see. He also shared some real good news with us last week. Last Tuesday, his wife celebrated 5 years of being cancer free! On another note, Mike Golch, of Rambling Stuff fame has given me an award. I'll be back later this week to dwell upon it and pass it on. And I hope all the mothers had a blessed Mother's Day.

Cliff Note: This post is brought to you, in part, by Ohio Media Watch . Not only the leader in media news, but also an expert on chili dogs. Depend on Ohio Media Watch as your source for breaking news in the ever changing media world. I was putting some window blinds up in my son's apartment this afternoon. When I had finished, I had to pick up some grocery items. Closest store was Discount Drug Mart . I picked up what I needed and was looking around to see if I could get any ideas for a light supper when I happened upon some Armour Hot Dogs. They were on sale so I got a pack. I also got some buns, chips, and chili sauce. From the moment I saw those hot dogs I had a sixties flash back and this jingle kept coming into my head: Hot dogs, Armour hot dogs What kind of kids eat Armour hot dogs? Fat kids, skinny kids, kids who climb on rocks Tough kids, sissy kids Even kids with chicken pox Love hot dogs, Armour hot dogs The dogs kids love to bite. When men like dogs that's news the...

Enjoy an instant vacation. While you're here, I want to send you for some laughs. Click here to view the Laughter Movie , courtesy of Simple Truths.com. Enjoy!

I am trying to get back to basics and in doing so, we will have to do some time travel. First, we shall discuss Amias , of The Magic of Integrated Circuits fame. For those relatively new, Amias is a writer of many kinds of prose and poetry. She draws much of her material from the events in her life. She also presents a challenge to the reader with her blogging. Amias latest post is an acrostic dedicated to all mothers as it's a "Happy Mother's Day" theme. Give Amias a visit as she's good at exercising your mind. I first made Amias part of my blogging family about a year and a half ago, though we had crossed paths for months before that. Our common bond was that we were both close to Suzanne a ka Liquid . We both find ourselves catching up on each other's blogs. Now you are probably asking why Spam? And why are we traveling in time for this? And why did this come to mind? Today at lunchtime, Charlie, the maintenance supervisor at my shop and also the occupa...

My friends over at WQMX have this contest called "A trip a day in May." Now those who are familiar with my blogs know that I play around with poetry a bit. After hearing Sue and Scott banter about and do some other rhyming with this, I started thinking about this myself. And you know that I am game to practice my Seussian skills. Anyway I got to work that morning and sent Wynn and Wilson the following email: A trip a day in May, you say? Tell me the rules and I may play Thank you for helping me kill some time Driving to work and thinking this rhyme Well the next morning Sue read this over the air and they said that they were going to build on this poem for the promotion. I sent Sue an email thanking her for the shout out and she told me that they like to involve the listeners. Last Friday, Kathy and I heard a variation of that as the details of the contest were given. Anyway that's a good example of using the airwaves to communicate rather than just to broadcast. There a...

I gotta get away from the message boards. My idea of success is way different from theirs. For the past 10 days one of the most common arguments is of success in radio. No secret that the "shock jocks" get the high ratings. Mind you most of these people say things on the air I wouldn't want to say in front of my grandchildren. And they have masses of people listening to them that think this is "genius." I look at it as compromising one's values for a little fame. Who's going to care 100 years from now? The ones who made a success of themselves are folks like Struke, who got out of broadcasting to become a teacher of media, and Don Olson, a broadcasting hall of famer, who left the business to devote more time to his family. Pro sports have those who had to bulk themselves up with performance enhancing substances to get a large payday and some mention in the record books. Some bulked themselves out of the hall of fame. Is this too high a price to pay? And ...

....who spent almost 40 minutes reading this blog today, thank you for stopping by. And come back often. Tell all your friends about me.

Update on school levy vote: It was a renewel levy and it passed by a 381-200 margin. 581 voters out of a town with a population of 6300. I don't know how many registered voters are in Rittman, but I'm sure that it's considerably more than 581. Update #2: The number of voters in the Wayne County precincts in Rittman who voted in the presidential election in November was 1511. Well...I left the house this morning and picked Adam up. I then found out that we were going to Mansfield and not Massillon. Then Adam thought he had told me the wrong time, so he called to confirm the appointment. Well, it turns out that this person did not write the appointment down and had double booked, so he had to reschedule. But I also forgot the WIXYcam. I took Adam back to his apartment and went home. I still had a day of vacation, and being Cinco de Mayo, I decided that Kathy and I were going to her favorite Mexican restaurant, El Canelo. We ate very well for 14 dollars. Now, we also had to ...

I had to take a vacation day and play chauffeur for a little bit today. Good news is I was able to get a few more hours sleep than normal. I have to take Adam into Massillon today for some job training. I think I'll grab the WIXYcam on my way out the door. I am also going to make sure I have a good book and my mp3 player. I may be back later today with some photos of interest.

I want to start this post by apologizing to "the bunch." I have neglected the majority of you this week and I'm sorry I did. I had some fleeting fame this past week, simply by writing a post about a friend who lost his job. Keep in mind that there are thousands of auto workers that are looking at the same fate. I have said this before and I will continue to say it. For this country to continue being the great nation it is, we have to start working on building better mouse traps. Now I canno t write a friends based post without mentioning an award bestowed on me by Clean and Crazy , of My Recovery fame. It's good friends like her that make this worthwhile. Anyone who wants to claim this award, come and get it. It's not that I'm being lazy doing it this way. Problem is I'm behind in some of my blogging. And to those who have started reading this blog this week, check out those on my sidebar. We all have something to say and usually say it in our own unique ...

Okay, I've had my fun. Brenda was affected by the Clear Channel cuts. She was a regular listener to Brian and Joe. Let me suggest that you listen to Mix 94.1 WHBC-FM and the live and local morning show. I had heard from Becky Clark, the WHBC sales manager, this week when I had posted a comment at Ohio Media Watch about the lack of live and local radio. She wanted to let me know that WHBC/1480 and Mix94.1 were still live and local. Everything is greening up here in Northeast Ohio and I cannot keep up with my lawn mowing, and it also looks to be a very busy weekend as I help WIXYjr move into his apartment. More information about Town Hall for Hope: Downloads and DVDs are available of this event hosted by Dave Ramsey. Click here for details . Oh, as I type this I am listening to the Mike Trivisonno podcast and I am flattered that he's reading this blog. Or he may be having someone read it to him. I think he's dyslexic, as he referred to me on air as "W-X-I-Z". That...