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A promise to be busy....

I was transferred to a different program at my job last week, handling consumer service calls for a major toy company. The past week has been spent listening to other communicators handling calls like I will be as early as tomorrow evening, learning about the product, and that company's data base. I figure to be busy in the next month or so. I find working at a call center to be a real adventure. You find that with some people you talk to, you are the last person they want to have a conversation with. You also have those who like the fact that they are talking to someone in their own country and I have given out plenty of weather reports for Akron, Ohio. Special Note : In the days following Christmas, I will be writing some special posts. I will not be awarding Top Bananas this year, as I wasn't nearly as busy blogging this year as I was in the past, but there will be plenty of kudos given.

This is Larry Morrow: a book review

The area of the country I live in has seen many talented people come and go in television, in radio and on the athletic field. Most of these people feel the need to take their talents elsewhere. The book I'm reviewing for this post is about one of the unselfish few who stay and use their talents for the betterment of the community. One of the media friends I have made since I started blogging is Sue Wilson, who happens to be the program director of Akron, Ohio country music station WQMX and morning show co-host. Sue had told me that Larry Morrow was one of her positive influences during her career in radio. This is Larry Morrow...My Life on and off the Air is the autobiography of one of the classic good guys of the Cleveland airwaves. Larry tells us about his life, how he got into radio, and why he moved to, and fell in love with, Cleveland. Larry Morrow was one of the original WIXY Supermen, the lineup of disc jockeys that helped make WIXY/1260 the legendary station it was. Larr

Special Announcement!

Ihav e I have a special blog post coming up. I don't know if it will be ready to-day or to-Morrow. In the meantime enjoy the Cleveland Cavalier's fight song from the 1970's, "C'mon Cavs, Gotta Make it Happen."

Sometimes the delete button can be your friend

This past weekend I was feeling pretty low about myself. Having been flying high during the week, low was a pretty long ways to fall. I did let some feelings show on Facebook and started writing a blog post. After I read a couple of paragraphs, I had decided it was time to do some editing, which I did via the "delete post" option. Even at the age of 55, I find I still need to learn about myself. I also have to get out of the mindset that the world is out to get me. In other news, we got our first significant snow of the season and I realized that I have to get out of the house earlier on those days. It was nice to spend most of last winter not having to drive to work when the roads were snow covered and slippery. But then again, I still like the idea of driving to a job, no matter what the road conditions are...

I need friends like you to get me through the holidays!

The title if this post is a sentence from a message I got on Facebook this past weekend. One of my high school friends, Nancy, shot this to me after I wished her happy birthday via a wall post. At best, during high school, Nancy and I were casual friends. She was a cheerleader and hung with her group, and I tried to be a jock and hung with mine. One of my biggest victories in high school came at her expense. We ran against each other for senior class vice president and I won. I was riding a wave of popularity from my role in the junior class play, otherwise Nancy would have probably prevailed. But at the end of the senior year, we graduated and would not be in communication for almost 36 years. Then came all my "new friends" on Facebook and as many of us were working to get a reunion together this past summer, Scott, one of my classmates from West Virginia, informed me that Nancy's husband had passed away. I immediately put a message on the reunion page on FB to pray for

I am thankful....

There are many things for me to be thankful for this year... I am thankful for my new job, for the people who are taking the time to help me refine my skills and making sure I maximize my efforts. I'm thankful for those who have been reading my blog and posting encouraging comments for me to read. I'm also thankful for those who have sent me emails making sure I was doing all right when I hadn't posted in awhile. I'm thankful for those I went to high school with. Many kept reminding me that I was a good person when it seemed that I would never find work. I'm also thankful for those in my graduating class that participated in our reunion picnic this past summer . I'm thankful for others that communicated with me via Facebook who were always there to cheer me on. I'm also thankful for my church family and their support. By the way, you can catch our radio program, "The Power House" at 7:30pm eastern time Monday through Friday on Faithministryradio.

A Bit of Security

I received a note from the HR manager at my call center this afternoon. It stated that I have graduated from training and as of Monday I will be a salaried communicator. Now this doesn't put me on the gravy train, but it is a hurdle. It's also more security than I have felt in the past 10-1/2 months. It also gives me a little breathing room. Instead of worrying about having a job next week, I can concentrate on improving my phone sales skills and getting weekly bonuses. But for my family, it also means I qualify for hospitalization benefits. No, I'm not in the same position financially I was in a year ago, but I do feel better about myself. And besides, I wanted to have a job in broadcasting for years. Now I have a job where I'm wearing headphones, talking into a microphone. It's all good.

Follow up

Today was an off day for me, work wise. We spent a good part of the day at Children's Hospital in Akron. Our granddaughter had some outpatient surgery to remove a small cyst from the thyroid area. The doctor told us that there shouldn't be anything to worry about and we should have the results back in a few days. Thanks for your continuing prayers.

Finding My Comfort Zone

As I wrote last week, I was looking for some confidence on the job and asked people to pray I get some. Last Monday, I thought for sure people were praying for me to get patience instead. I was getting the tribulation that was supposed to work patience. Cliff Note: See Romans 5:3 . I had a rough day last Monday and unfortunately it went home with me. But from that point, it could only go upward, and it did. Towards the end of the week, I was finding it easier to make sales and also asking supervisors for help, which they were glad to do. On Friday, I was called into the quality office and given my first assessment and that was almost perfect. Then Saturday, I did my personal best in one day. I also brought a pan of baked spaghetti in for the pot luck. This day I finally felt like I would fit in. Thank you for all your prayers, but please keep them coming. And also please pray for my granddaughter, as she's having surgery tomorrow.

Four Weeks in...

I have completed my fourth week in at the new job. I continue to amaze my coworkers with my reading abilities and my voice. I am also now calling for two clients. At this time, taking personal inventory, I feel my biggest need is some self confidence. Of course there are several who read my words here on a regular basis who have been telling me this for years. Being a sales oriented job, I have to bone up on some of my closing techniques, especially objection handling. I have been listening to quite a bit of master sales motivator, Zig Ziglar on my mp3 player. Hopefully some of this will stick. But all in all, I'm enjoying getting up much later and not driving half as much as I did before. Please pray for confidence for me and that the compensation will follow.

You gotta wonder...

After looking at that sign, two things crossed my mind. First, what were they using in their burgers in the interim, and if you need to see an ID to know what they are, you're working in the wrong place. Cliff Note: Before I get a nasty comment from a suburb of Baltimore, I know COW stands for College of Wooster.

Ladies and gentlemen, take my advice...

...Pull down your pants, and slide on the ice! Right now, I'm finding myself having to follow the advice given by Dr. Sidney Freedman on two episodes of MASH. I was on the phones for the first time yesterday and I went to break feeling like a very defeated person. But it was just the first time I was on the phones. After dazzling my team for the first two weeks with my voice, getting on the phones and forgetting what to do was a very humbling experience. But there are people willing to mentor me there, and for that, I am grateful. Also the radio program for my church "The Power House" has been on the air for two weeks now. The show is on Monday through Friday at 7:30pm and can be heard on line. And as I stated a couple of months ago, I do the intro and outro for the show. The website can be found by following this link . Today's a day off for me and I have plenty to do during the day, then it's off to the football game tonight, where Rittman is host to Hillsdale.

Huey Lewis And The News - Hip To Be Square (Live, 1987)

It's time for another "simulblast" Morning Show. Once again I'm on both Facebook and my blog, WIXY's Gone Bananas this morning. I was inspired while in the shower this morning. My new job requires me to put on dress clothes, including a tie. You have to act professional while on the phones, so the company wants you to look the part. But you know what? Makes me feel pretty good about myself dressing this way. I have Huey Lewis in studio this morning singing his monster hit "Hip to be Square," which is the way I feel this morning. I hope everyone has an outstanding day!

"Weird" Al Yankovic - Amish Paradise

Monday, Monday, can't trust that day. It's time for a beginning of the week version of the Morning Show, today simulblast on Facebook and My blog, WIXY's Gone Bananas. I thought I would start the week on a light note, so in studio I have "Weird Al" Yankovic singing "Amish Paradise." This one goes out to my friend on the blog side, who identifies himself as "WZZP." Have a better than good day and a great week!

Warm and Fuzzy

Yesterday afternoon when I went to the high school to catch a ride with the band, I was greeted in a different way. One of the girls gave me a hug and said she was glad to see me. Others said they missed me Friday night. A couple told me that I should have called someone and they would have gladly sent a ride. Since I was in a dangerous situation where I was stranded, I let them know that I appreciated their sentiment, but also told them that making it to the game wasn't important enough to put anyone in harm's way. This is my 11th season announcing for the Rittman marching band. Each group of students are unique in their own way. They have also shown me that their parents have done a great job of raising them. I return to announce every year because it gives me a chance to showcase one of my talents and because I love doing it. But the most important reason I return is that the greatest student musicians around, and their parents, the World's Greatest Band Boosters(tm), wa

Week one over

This week, I went through some information overload with the new job. So much was given us, hopefully I retained most of it. The new job is at a call center and next week, I will be put on the phones. Hopefully my voice will make up for mistakes I'll make off the bat. Coming home Friday, my car stalled on a very busy road as I was going towards the interstate on ramp. I sat in traffic for almost two hours when the tow truck finally reached me. It took an hour for police to reach my car to make sure I was all right, the car that finally reached me wasn't even in his jurisdiction. He reported my info to that town. When I stalled out, I had enough momentum left to pull my car in between the road I was driving on and the off ramp for the interstate. Needless to say, I missed announcing last night. And to add to my pain, Rittman won last night. The most important thing right now is that I'm sitting at my computer writing this post.

A new chapter begins...

Today I started my new job. I should say "Happy New Year" since this was my first work day of 2010, but I had no problem putting the correct year on any of the myriad of paperwork I had to sign. But some things don't change. I took the same interstate highways going to work this morning and I stopped to say "hi" to Beth. We stayed in contact during my time off work and she was pleased to see I got me a job and enjoyed seeing me in dress pants, dress shirt, and tie. The trip was less than half what it was going to Cleveland, and I was on the road 3 hours later than before, so I was curious as to what that big, bright, yellow thing in the east was. There will be a week of classroom training, then time on the phones. Along with paperwork, we saw videos on workplace safety and harassment, things mandated by government agencies. Other important things covered were where the restrooms were and where the break room is. The new job will be sales oriented, so I will have

Many Thanks!

The past 9 months haven't been very easy on myself and my family. It hasn't been too good on this blog either, seeing the lack of postings here since the first of the year. But my internet friends have been a real blessing to me in this time. First was the fantastic response of all of you who have read the blog all this time. And I especially thank those who sent me messages of support through email. Even though my blogging decreased in the past nine months, Facebook reunited me with many of my high school classmates. First benefit from that was my classmates started reading my words here. Next benefit was a reunion of my high school class this past July, the first in 16 years. Gary and Larry also had a big part in some of my efforts. In case you didn't know, Gary and Larry are twin brothers. Gary became a regular reader and commenter(Webbie), and Larry enhances a post I do daily-"The Morning Show". Larry does "Second Edition," which usually features a c

Update Time

As I know many of you don't do Facebook, I do have an update. Job Situation: I had an interview with one of the area's major employers yesterday and I feel it went well. As a matter of fact, they called me in to take a drug test tomorrow. Things look well there. Rittman Football and Band: Rittman lost their homecoming game to Norwayne last Friday. I had photos on my laptop, but the laptop is now on the fritz. I may get a new one out of this, but I may lose the photos in the deal, along with some video of the grandkids. Back to the job: The job has some pretty great benefits, which includes an employee fitness center and hospitalization which will begin the following month, if I get the job of course. my commute will be reduced to about 15-20 minutes, less than half the distance of the previous job. I will be able to choose the same provider for my insurance as well. I have good feelings about this but I'm also keeping prayed up.

Gotta Celebrate the Little Victories

A couple of months ago, I declared on this blog that I was going to lose some of this weight. Of course I had noble intentions, but lacked the drive. That changed beginning with a trip to the Wayne County Fair. I stopped at the Cleveland Clinic booth and had my blood pressure checked. 185/102, not good. I was advised to see my doctor soon. The next morning I decided to check my sugar for the first time in quite awhile. 317. Uh oh. First one who needed to know was my wife, then it was time to give my doctor a call. Before I left for the doctor, I once again checked my sugar, and it was 317. Now I thought for sure I was going to have to start taking insulin, but the doctor had other plans. Once inside the office, I also realized that I haven't lost any weight either. Now the good news begins. My meds were adjusted, one was increased, another was added, and no insulin. Now about the weight. Time to begin reading nutrition labels. Also time to start practicing restraint. It's begi

Annoying announcers....

...And I'm not referring to myself. The Rittman football team played at Waynedale this past Friday. Though the team's record was 2-1 going into this game, and Waynedale's was 0-3, the "panel of experts" at the local newspaper had decided by a margin of 9-0 that Waynedale would emerge victorious. Waynedale did score first, and about this time the home announcer was starting to get under my skin. According to Ohio High School Athletic Association rules, a game announcer is supposed to give the facts and not give a play by play. This one was saying things like "good job" and "Excellent run by"... The score after the end of the first quarter was Waynedale 13, Rittman 7. About this time, Rittman decided to play some football. The Waynedale announcer was starting to sound a little less annoying too. He had to start being complimentary to the visitors. After all, we were their guests. Halftime the score was 28-20 in Rittman's favor. the band playe

From the Pressbox: Rittman at Brookside

Welcome to another edition of From the Pressbox. This video is taken from halftime of the September 3, 2010 game Rittman at Brookside. the much improved Rittman Fighting Indians cruised to a 33-14 victory to improve their record to 2-0. Halftime show included "Bandstand Boogie." "Rock Around the clock," and "Surf City." Tonight Rittman plays host to Sandy Valley, alma mater of Tim Lones of Cleveland Classic Media fame.

Don't know why....

August 26 came and went. What's the significance? August 26 was my 4th anniversary as a blogger. I usually make a big deal of things like that. I just lost interest for awhile. In the meantime, I wanted to write something, anything. Let you folks know I'm fine. And I am doing well. The Rittman Fighting Indians football team is 2-0 to start the season, and the band is doing great, as usual. And I'm still unemployed, but have an interview with UPS next Tuesday. Other things in my life are doing somewhat better also. I have no plans whatsoever to abandon my blogging, just need to get over some burnout. I promise I will be back sooner than later. I have a post in draft I want to complete. It's a tribute post about one of my high school teachers who is in failing health. Too much unfinished business for me to quit.

From the Pressbox: Mogadore Show in WIXYvision(tm)

Welcome to the first From the Pressbox of the 2010 marching season. Thursday evening the Rittman Marching Band was in Mogadore for their first performance of the season. I give you the whole performance, dirty lens, background noise and all. But my favorite student musicians gave a fantastic performance.

I'm Back

Hadn't planned on being away this long. Attended a class reunion, which I did most of the planning. It went very well and we are going to do it again in two years. I'm still unemployed. I guess I hadn't yet met the interviewer and/or HR professional who knows when he sees talent in a good looking middle aged person. Either that or they can't afford to pay me what I'm worth. Good news is that next Thursday is the first band show of the season. this year I will be featuring video as well as stills on my "From the Pressbox" posts. Hopefully I won't be such a stranger to my own blog.

"We're not allowed to be nice anymore"

Kathy and I were shopping at Evil Big Box Store(tm) #1812 late this afternoon. Kathy now is wearing a "boot" on her right foot as her injury was not a chip fracture but a fracture of the foot. She was using an electric cart and when we went to check out. The customer ahead of us, an employee off the clock, was assisting in putting our merchandise on the belt. This person was told by the cashier that she wasn't allowed to do this. Kathy thought the cashier was being rude, I thought she was kidding. As we were being checked out, the cashier apologized for her demeanor and told us that they can get into trouble for things like that. She told us that they aren't allowed to be nice anymore. So I guess when you are the number one retailer, you can forget about the things that the founder did to help the company get into that position.

2010 Sleepwalker Parade

For those who live outside of this area, the city of Rittman has a yearly event called the Sleepwalker Festival, which started with the town's merchants dressing in night clothes while serving the customers. It evolved into a three day event. Thursday I was there for the kick off, the Sleepwalker's parade. Here is a small sampling of the photos I took .

Me, a voice-over talent?

I have been singing a new verse of the country song that has become my life. Kathy fell yesterday in her parents' garage and we had to take her via ambulance to the hospital. After x-rays and a CAT scan, it was determined that she had a concussion and chip fracture in her ankle. I have wondered lately if at one point whether I threw my horseshoe through a mirror. I went to church this morning really feeling quite low. I attend a Pentecostal church and people were getting really happy in the spirit. Not me though, I just wanted to go through the motions and fulfill my obligation for the week. Not a good attitude on my part, I know. One of the members come up to me and let me know how much he appreciated the friendship of myself and Kathy. Others come over and prayed with me. Then my pastor handed me his card and asked me to write my cell phone number on it. Our church is going to start a radio ministry and he wants me to be the announcer. I'm thrilled. I know that voice-over tal

Weekend update.......

Okay here's the latest: I took a few days to post something in order not to appear to be too bitter. Another week has passed with no job in sight. Hobby Lobby obviously had enough applicants more qualified than me and never called me in to help set up their store. Their loss. I was interviewed on Thursday at a hardware store warehouse. This was after I passed a math test. I felt things went fine, but I will find out next week if and when they call me back for a second interview. This job will be a 27 hour week temporary job which could lead to a permanent job. This point the game plan will be to try and get multiple part time jobs. I'm also hoping that the senate can garner enough votes to prevent a further filibuster on the unemployment extension. I don't think anyone owes me a living, but I paid into the system for almost 40 years. I also think that this being an election year and many voters are not happy with the incumbents, that this would be damaging to many who don&#

Hopefully a positive week ahead

This morning I got up and checked Facebook. One of my friends sent me a message about a job opening in nearby Medina. After applying for a job online, I grabbed some resumes and I was on my way. Warehouse was my first stop, then off to Fairlawn to apply to the Hobby Lobby, which is scheduled to open in three weeks. I filled out the application, took a math test and awaited for an interview, which went pretty smooth. If hired there, I would start there Thursday and work 16 straight days for 12 hours per day. Keeping my fingers crossed....

I think I may become a fan...

The best thing I read this past Thursday night was an email Dan Gilbert addressed to the fans of the Cleveland Cavaliers: Dear Cleveland, All Of Northeast Ohio and Cleveland Cavaliers Supporters Wherever You May Be Tonight; As you now know, our former hero, who grew up in the very region that he deserted this evening, is no longer a Cleveland Cavalier. This was announced with a several day, narcissistic, self-promotional build-up culminating with a national TV special of his "decision" unlike anything ever "witnessed" in the history of sports and probably the history of entertainment. Clearly, this is bitterly disappointing to all of us. The good news is that the ownership team and the rest of the hard-working, loyal, and driven staff over here at your hometown Cavaliers have not betrayed you nor NEVER will betray you. There is so much more to tell you about the events of the recent past and our more than exciting future. Over the next several days and weeks, we wil

Vitriol on parade

As you all know by now, the most famous athlete in Cleveland since Jim Brown, LeBron James announced on ESPN that he was going to "take his talents to South Beach" and play for the Miami Heat. Guess what? Cleveland didn't slide into Lake Erie. However, judging by the reactions to stories on Cleveland.com, you would have thought LeBron stole their candy. Well in Cleveland sports in the past 14 years, there have been 4 superstars leave via free agency, 2 successive Cy Young winners traded before they became free agents, and one football team leave for another city. Each time something happened, the sun rose the next day. And at my age, I have accepted this as a common happening. And as "Hammersucks" stated on my other post about this, the name on the front is more important than the one on the back. But for the next couple of days, I will enjoy the rantings of hurting fans.

The week that I wish wasn't

If you are one of my Facebook friends, you know I had a rough day yesterday. I had dropped my son off for an appointment and was going to make a couple of stops before returning to get him afterwards. First stop was the Goodwill where I was going to look around. After nothing there caught my eye, I went to my car with the intention of going to Evil Big Box Store(tm) #1812. Only problem is the WIXYmobile wouldn't start. This was about 3:30 and the other car was sitting at home with a flat tire. Adam had found a way to our house and his friend changed the tire on the other car, but I still had to get my car to my mechanic and his tow truck was non functional. And we could not afford to call anybody. After Kathy made a few calls we had gotten a tow truck to come and a friend friend from our church offered to pay for the tow. I finally got home around 7:00. While I was sitting at the Goodwill, I posted on Facebook by texting. I stated that I was a pathetic loser. I later deleted it an

I'm getting weary of this

Now I was going to post a video blogcast of this, but time got away from me today. I hope everybody had a very relaxing Independence Day, and those overseas just had a great Sunday. What I'm getting weary of is all this news about Lebron James. Living in northeast Ohio, we get this on all of our news outlets. Being a Cleveland sports fan, I'm expecting the worst, that being that Lebron signs with another team. If and/or when that happens, will my world change? In a word, no. At this stage of my life, sports plays a much smaller role than in the past. Might be different if my brother, Ricky, was still alive. For those unaware, Ricky was my younger brother. He was developmentally disabled, was confined to a wheel chair for the last 20 years of his life and spent the last 8 in nursing homes. He passed away in March, 2008. Ricky was a sports fanatic and discussed it with anyone who cared to converse with him. If he were still around, he would be burning the phone line between the

Monday Update

I wanted to bring up to date on some things, especially those who don't follow me on Facebook. First, all's well between myself and Margaret. This would be for anyone who read too much into her comment on the last post. Margaret was worried that I would be mad at her for it, which I wasn't and sent me an email to make sure. I responded that I was not upset, but was worried when she made the comment that she was mad at me, which she wasn't. Turns out that we are very much alike in some ways, as we do worry about other's feelings. I may have to take the WIXYcam into Wooster and take some shots around the college and send them to her. Next, the job hunt. I went to church yesterday and specifically requested prayer about my employment situation and made mention that we were in pretty bad financial shape. I specifically prayed for a job that I could handle. After church I went to pick up Adam and bring him to our house when I passed the Aldi store in Wooster and saw thi

Open letter to Washington

To whom it may concern: My unemployment benefits run out in 3 weeks and thanks to the Republican senators, there will not be any extensions. Senator Voinovich, I realize that you are retiring, but do you want as part of your legacy that you screwed untold thousands of Ohio families because you wanted to protect big business. They should be taxed more if they eliminated jobs due to trade with the Chinese. Check with my former employer and see how much business they do with the Chinese. President Obama, why didn't you wine and dine republican senators like you did those people in the house when you wanted your pet project with the health care passed? Yeah, we'll be healthy but we may not have a roof over our heads or food on the table. I know all these special interest groups got you in office, but it will be those who will only remember the period you were in office who will have a say as to whether you will have a job in 2-1/2 years. Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid, please read the

A reminder given to me-for free

There is a place in Wadsworth where you can get clothes, and other things, for free, called Marian's Closet. Now I have plenty of clothes, but I needed some, hopefully temporarily, to help me get through these fat times. Cliff Note: See previous post. Now I found me some pants and shirts, actually very nice, that I will be comfortable in for the time being. I told the lady bagging my items that I hoped to return these in a short time. The place also had dishes and other small appliances donated. One side had books, VHS tapes and audio cassettes. It was there I found what I think was a real treasure. I found an audio edition of "Who Moved My Cheese?" by Spencer Johnson, and Kenneth Blanchard. I read the book a few years ago, as I bought that at a thrift shop for 75 cents and I remembered it had a great message. I took the audiocassette, and immediately popped it into my cassette player when I got back to my car. I realized once again that my "cheese" had been mo

Some Weighty Thoughts

I am now going to try for the umpteenth time to lose some weight. My clothes are getting waay too snug on me and being unemployed, I cannot afford to buy a new wardrobe. Those are the selfish reasons. Being diabetic, with high blood pressure and a high number in my "bad" cholesterol, those are better reasons. I have told those who want to come to our high school reunion this summer that they didn't need to lose weight unless it's for reasons of health. My main reason is a reason of health. The past couple of days, I have been sitting waiting for people to end appointments or get out of surgery. This has given me time to think. I have been writing my thoughts down in a composition notebook. I have written about a dozen thoughts down and hope to expound on them in the future. this would be for my benefit if for no one else. I will expound on a couple of them right now. If you choose to carry extra weight on your frame, then you also choose to have others talk about it.

Simulcast of Facebook Morning Show

Welcome to the Monday edition of Cliff's Facebook Morning Show. Those who have been regular readers of my blog are aware that I take occasional shots at WTAM/1100 afternoon personality, Mike Trivisonno. They are also aware that he has "attacked" me a couple of times over the air. Truth be known, it's a way of both of u s playing. Triv has a Facebook page and confirmed me as a friend yesterday. He probably didn't realize that it was 74WIXYgrad, my forum name, that he friended. Well today this is being simulcast on both Facebook and my blog, WIXY's Gone Bananas. I'm also going to copy and paste this on Triv's wall. But this is a Morning Show dedicated to him. This is a video that touches two of his favorite topics: Motown and Vegas. Here's Diana Ross performing "Ain't No Mountain High Enough," recorded in Las Vegas. Have a great day everyone!

Why is it not where I think it belongs?

Since I've been out of work, I've been doing much more of the cooking. Today Kathy suggested we make macaroni and cheese for supper. We are not big fans of that powdered stuff in the boxes and feel it's much better over popcorn and did not have any Velveeta in the house. Now based on a couple of responses I had to a question I posted on Facebook, I guess some think that Velveeta is to cheese what spam is to meat, but anyway I went to the Rittman IGA to buy a loaf of this pasteurized cheese product. Now the IGA usually has most of what I need. They are locally owned, and they treat the customer like they are there for them. This was a change from previous ownership. And they usually have their inventory where it belongs. So I now go into the store to get the Velveeta. Cliff Note:Kraft is paying me nothing for this post . Kathy knows when I go into the store to get one item, it's very rare that I come home with one item. After picking up 2 newspapers, it was over to the d

Pray for You - Jaron and The Long Road to Love :: Official Video

Good morning and welcome to a special edition of the WIXY's Gone Bananas Morning Show. This is an extension of my widely popular Facebook Morning Show. This is a show today dedicated to the person leaving me the anonymous comments saying I'm not a nice guy. I'm also going to use this to give a shout to the world's greatest country station program director and new grandmother, Sue Wilson . I first heard this song on the Wynn and Wilson Morning Show on WQMX. But to my anonymous commentator, I want you to know that I'm really a nice guy and whether you are with your focus group or dining at a certain overpriced greasy spoon in Strongsville, I want you to know that this song by Jaron and The Long Road to Love , "Pray for You" is dedicated to you.

A country store feel...

Cliff Note: I need to get another post up before the comment section on the previous post destroys my nice guy image. I figure there's a B ig P ossibility that could happen. Yesterday I spent part of the day driving my father in law to Lutheran Hospital to get his artificial hip checked out, as he has to do this once a year to keep his workers comp case open. He was almost killed in an industrial accident 16 years ago. Everything went smoothly and the doctor told him his hip was still very solid. After driving him back to his house and eating supper with them, I was on my way home. In between their house in Medina and mine in Rittman, there is a small store called the River Styx Market. I will go in there every once in awhile for a soft drink and a newspaper. If I have Kathy along, sometimes we will go in for an ice cream cone. I stopped there for a Diet Coke(note to Johanna: They didn't have Coke Zero in the size I wanted.) and a copy of Farm and Dairy, a newspaper. When I got

BP does not own the stations in Ohio

I always get amused by those who decide they want to make a comment and insult my intelligence here and not leave me a clue as to what their identity is. Early this morning one such person did just that. Here is what this person wrote: " Yeah smart move boycott BP and put American workers out of work. BP are independently owned and operated by small business owners here in Ohio. You never cease to amaze me with your lack of knowledge." Now I would consider this constructive criticism until I look at the last sentence. Obviously one of the message board posters who probably misses my presence there. But hey, I can use all the readers I can get! Gives people another view besides the one of the host of the afternoon show at the 50,000 blowtorch coming out of Independence. Now after doing some research, I say this person is right about one thing: All BP stations in Ohio are franchises, owned by people other than BP. However, the gas still comes from BP. Now most of these stations