fireball

In the course of 2014, so much has changed, but few things have surprised me more than the face that somehow, someway... I became a fan of Pit Bull. 

(now, is it Pitbull? Pit Bull? Pit ft Bull? Let's just go with Pitbull, save the effort and wear and tear on the space bar)

My earliest memory of Pit Bull, as I talk about him like he's an old childhood friend, or a puppy that I grew up with, was that Dr Pepper commercial that aired during sporting events... it was the one that went "let's have a real good time, a real good time..."

Oh, you don't remember that? Well, in reality, it went:

let's have a real good time, a real good time...
let's have a real good time, a real good time...
let's have a real good time, a real good time...
let's have a real good time, a real good time...
let's have a real good time, a real good time...
let's have a real good time, a real good time...
let's have a real good time, a real good time...
let's have a real good time, a real good time...
let's have a real good time, a real good time...
let's have a real good time, a real good time...
let's have a real good time, a real good time...
let's have a real good time, a real good time...
let's have a real good time, a real good time...
let's have a real good time, a real good time...
let's have a real good time, a real good time...

Yeah, that one. It was kind of annoying. And I truly only know two of his songs, the first being "Timber", his collaboration with Ke$ha... though she may be just Kesha now, I heard something about her dropping the $ from her name in order to start a new path, as she left rehab last year.  By the way, I wrote 600+ words on Ke$ha in February.  So truly, I now have two different posts that Kesha is a major part of.  What.

Anyway, I contend that if Kesha sang all the time like she notes she belts out in "Timber", I'd be a much bigger fan. As it is, "Tik Tok" is in the list of strangely stupid, ridiculous songs that I somehow find myself enjoying, even if it's just ironically. I mean, she sings of "brushing her teeth with a bottle of Jack." Like, I can honestly tell you I've never had a sip of Jack Daniels, be it straight or mixed. But I have had pure Listerine. My dad made me use it as mouthwash when I would get mouth ulcers as a kid, and that stuff is strong.

I can only guess that Listerine isn't as strong as Jack, so to brush your teeth with Jack has to be not only foolish, but wasteful in that Jack ain't cheap, and possibly damaging to the enamel on your teeth with repeated brushing. Does she pour the Jack on the toothbrush, or just use it as a mouthwash? I digress.

So The Kesh and Pitbull team up to give us this delightful little ditty called "Timber", which I don't even know all the words to, other than picking up things like "Bras and thongs", "bigga dey are the harda dey fall" and "swing yo' partner round and round", which probably tells you it's not a remake of a Steven Curtis Chapman tune. But it's fun, especially with Paul Harrington's harmonica kicking the song off, and with the tune's noticeable folk and nearly country line dance sort of rhythm. (fyi, you aren't necessarily supposed to know who Paul Harrington is, I just read about it on Wikipedia).

I was addicted to that song for a while, then it sorta stopped getting played on my iPod as much (mixed in between all my podcasts, I do listen to a song or two... I been known to cut a rug in my day). Then I heard "Fireball". Like, what do you even do with this song?

It's this insane party tune that features a brass band, an infectious groove and a dude named John Ryan that, like Kesha before him, provides the song with pipes and melody. Like "Timber", it opens with awesome music, Pitbull singing/rapping for a verse, then the real singer doing their due diligence, then the chorus. Then awesome music, Pitbull singing/rapping the second verse, the real singer doing their stuff again, then the chorus. Fade out.

Add to that Pitbull's Hispanic accent, where "roof on fire" becomes "roof ahn fiah" and "walk this way" becomes "wall dis wah", a crazy sampling of the actual Aerosmith classic "Walk This Way" (not just in tune either, like Pitbull is almost doing different lines to the same tune) and this insane "babybabybabybabybabybabybaby" riff that is a lot harder than you think--trust me, I've tried it... all of that together makes for one of my Top 5 songs of 2014 thus far.

I tell myself that two songs from an artist does not a fan make... I love "Eleanor Rigby" and "Penny Lane" from The Beatles, and yet, I'm not a huge fan of theirs, and though I think "Tik Tok" and "We R We Are" from Kesha are stupid fun, I don't count myself a Kesha Krazy... well, I also like "Your Love Is My Drug", so maybe I am, I dunno. 

I just made up "Kesha Krazy" as a name for her fanbase. Kesha, you are welcome.

What can I say... I love music, and much of my favorite stuff is stupid music. Don't even get me started on "Party in the USA", or worse, "Hoedown Throwdown" by Miley Cyrus, #BoomClapBoomDeClapDeClap... it reaches back to the early 90s, when I owned Vanilla Ice's "To the Extreme" cassette tape, and Color Me Badd's albums were on my "to purchase" list before I stopped buying music in order to save money.

Really, I just want to be in a situation where I, and a bunch of my friends and strangers, all feel compelled to jump up and yell "FIREBALL" all at the same time. Because anytime you can have a simultaneous "FIREBALL!!!" yelling, you know you are having a real good time, a real good time.. let's have a real good time, a real good time... let's have a real good time, a real good time...

complimentary

Sometimes compliments are the worst things for you, not because of ego, but because you feel like it's purpose will end up failing you in the long run.


So, my friend Jessica, of the Blue Avenger blogpage... (it's actually called "she flies on her own wings", but that makes me think of "and with a broken wing... she still sings..." by Martina McBride, who is one of my top 25 favorite artists of all time, and I like "Blue Avenger", because it sounds like a super hero, which Jessica might just be... )

wait... where was I?

Ah, yes... so, today, I messaged Jessica about something, using that evil Facebook Messenger app that everyone hates because they think that's why Ebola is in our country now, and she replied that she was just about to put a post on Facebook about me... surprised, I simply said, "Ok, I'm ready!"

A few minutes later, I get that familiar ding on the phone and that banner that simply says "Jessica Jobe has mentioned you in a comment." I clicked on the box post haste, and I saw this...

Did you ever notice... d$ disappears for days.... and THEN: he suddenly bursts into the room and jolts everyone awake with his cleverness and hilarity. It's like he saves up the funny and then pours it out like syrup on pancakes, brightening Thursday!! He's like a TIGGER!!

Like, what? Well... that's just about the nicest thing I've heard today... I mean, that's just super nice...

Earlier today, in a social group I'm a part of called "Dreamers & Builders", which I'll write about soon enough, I posted a few random thoughts which caught some traction. 

Facebook is a funny thing, especially when you have something you think is itself funny--its not just what you say, it's how, and WHEN you say it. 

Having someone put an incredibly funny and sweet thing about you to the masses then stirs up a battle inside...

"How wonderful that someone recognizes you in front of others" 

"Wait, what if no one likes it?"

"Oh, okay, well a few people like it..."

"But that's it? Only five PeOpLe? Now seven?"

"Stop being stupid. Take the compliment. You've been praised."

"But... but... but... what if I'm not popular?"

The font sizes are intentional, because the good voices inside always seem to be small and still, while the negative voices are not only loud. but in disarray...

Suddenly, Self Esteem and Common Sense, normally friendly attributes to each other, now are at odds, staring down each other in the same way that babyface/good guy John Cena stared down babyface/good guy Dean Ambrose the other night on Raw... they aren't supposed to lock up, but now they are. I root for Common Sense...

Is my self worth based upon how many likes that a complimentary post about me might get? Honestly, no... but that doesn't mean I don't think about it. 

I just checked. On the surface, it would seem that 12 people agree with Jessica's contention that I'm clever and all that... and that's okay. I promise it's okay. 

So take heart. When a compliment is paid to you, accept it. Own it. If only one person, or 12, seems to acknowledge it, I guarantee there are many, many more who would if they'd see it. You're important to many people. 

Popularity is overrated.

If I seemed like I was going nowhere with this, you might be right. I think I had to see this written for myself in order to believe it. Carry on.

late

it's so late... it's too late baby now it's too late, oh we really did try to make it...
...this is one of those posts that is being blogged because it's late and I'm about to go to bed, and I have no idea where this is going...

so I updated my iphone to the new iOS 8.02, and somehow the update stopped updating and so I foolishly removed the plug...

...is there any rule more terrifying to break than "do not disconnect" on an iPhone? Well, I broke it, and had to restore it, was freaking out because I thought I lost 10 days worth of texts and photos and such, but no, it backed up before it tried to update and... well, 90 minutes later, I have an iPhone with the latest software...

...so, its a 31 day challenge to blog every day. Every day. About what? I have no idea. Somehow, someway, I keep thinking I have something to say, and worse yet, I keep thinking you want to read it.

but if you haven't noticed, and you may not have, I am over 200,000 page loads... like for serious. 

its 1236am, and my iphone is done updating. my ipod is done updating. and I have to make Campbell some food for tomorrow. today? later today?

By the way... he signed "more" today. "More" is a hand sign made by taking both hands, putting each in a finger-stretched position, almost like you are about to use a puppet, turning the fingers of each hand toward each other and touching the fingertips a few times. 

When Campbell eats, we know he wants more, so we will do the signal and say, "More? You want more? Do more..." and recently, he's starting doing "more". Well, today at school, one of his teachers texted The Lovely Steph Leann to say that he did it on his own. He signed "more" for more snacks, without prompting. That's just... so huge.

Favorite quote right now? "What if I fail? Oh my darling, what if you fly?" Dunno who said it, but my friend Libbydoodle made it known to me.

It's late. I'm going to bed. Consider Day Two of 31 days done...

podcasts

Happy National Podcast Day.  I had no clue this was Podcast Day until I saw a post from my buddy Clay Shaver, who posted something promoting some other podcasts on Facebook. 

Since I left Starbucks a year ago... and wow, it's been almost 11 months... and have taken a desk job, I literally have anywhere from 7 to 9, sometimes 10 hours per day of time when I can listen to audiobooks and podcasts... if I don't, I might go crazy.

The Non-Disney Podcasts that I listen to on a daily/weekly basis

It makes me think back to those long days at Parisian Corp or NBC 13, when I sat at a desk, inputting data and such, and had nothing to think about but my own thoughts.  A decade later, the 160g iPod is loaded with over 130 episodes of over 30 different podcasts. So in honor of National Podcast Day, I thought I'd give you a quick run down of the podcasts I listen to daily, or weekly...


First, shameless plug... check out The Deucecast Movie Picture Show, the movie podcast that I co-host with my pal Mikey and our Movie Padawan P!nky... give us a listen, we would appreciate it.  If you like movies, I think you'd like our show...


Now, back to the lecture at hand...


These are in no particular order...

Talk Show/Social Commentary Podcasts...

The Rush Limbaugh Show... Yep.  It's daily.  And anyone who hates Rush has probably never listened to the show for more than an hour or so, then is told what to think by Jon Stewart or Anderson Cooper. But that's another story.  (weekdays, an hour and 45 minutes to get through all three parts)

The Adam Carolla Show... Language is strong here, but it's usually very funny.  Typically has actors and comedians as guests, but the show staff is also great. (weekdays, 90 minutes average)

Alison Rosen is Your New Best Friend... The gorgeous Alison is the "news girl" for Adam Carolla, and has her own show... the Monday show is her "interview" show, where she has deep conversations with other Hollywood types, while the Thursday show is a roundtable of personalities and Carolla show producers, and I, like many fans, find the Thursday show to be the best one.  One of my top three shows.  (Monday and Thursday, both shows run about 90 minutes)

Sorry Not Sorry... Comedian Jenna Kim Jones hosts this very clean, comical show with her husband, and at 30 minutes, its a great little conversation about life and her Mormon faith.  (sporadic, about a 1/2 hour per episode)

SPORTS PODCASTS

ESPN's Pardon the Interruption... Usually the first 'cast of the day, it's the 20 minute replay from the previous episode of PTI with Mike Wilbon and Tony Kornheiser (weekdays)

ESPN's Mike & Mike in the Morning... Its a "best of" show featuring the two Mikes--Golic and Greenberg--and taking 45-60 minutes of the best stuff from that morning's show (weekdays)

The BS Report with Bill Simmons... I've been a fan of Bill Simmons, the Sports Guy, for at least 12 years, back when he was simply The Boston Sports Guy.  I usually enjoy this show, though when he dives into too much fantasy stuff, or pop culture stuff that I'm not into (like shows about Game of Thrones), I'll skip the episode.  He's on suspension now, so what unfolds in a few weeks will be quite interesting... (a few times per week, usually an hour to 1:15 or so)

ESPN Championship Drive... It's the best college football podcast out there, discussing the previous weekend and the upcoming games as well (weekdays, 45-60 minutes)

The Dave Dameshek Show... The NFL Network's Dameshek is funny, if not a little annoying sometimes, but it's a great NFL recap and preview (twice a week, 45-60 minutes)

Mark Out Loud... Yep, its a wrestling show, but hosts Steve Glosson and Dave Jones are the best kind of hosts... they are fans first, and hosts second.  (a few times per month, around 2 hours per episode)

The Steve Austin Podcast & Talk is Jericho... Two different shows, with Steven Austin and Chris Jericho hosting their respective podcasts.  Both are funny, different styles, and usually have actors, musicians and many times, former wrestlers on their shows.  Jericho's show with Edge and Paul Heyman (Episode #50) was hands down one of the best podcast episodes I've ever heard.  Austin is Tuesday & Thursday, with Tuesday being the "clean show" and Thursday being the "unleashed (re: language filled) show... Jericho is Wednesday and Friday, and both are mostly family friendly.  (Both shows run about an hour to an 1:15 each)

ENTERTAINMENT PODCASTS

Doug Loves Movies... Host Doug Benson, a complete stoner, hosts the game show podcast where various celebrities and comedians come on to play a round of "The Leonard Maltin Game", just one of several movie games.  This is in my top three favorite shows.  He also does "Doug Loves Minis", a quick 10-15 minute show with snippets from smaller games at comedy clubs.  (once or twice per week, 60-90 minutes per show)

The Film Vault... One of the podcasts I've been listening to the longest, Bald Bryan Bishop, sound effect guy on the Adam Carolla Show, teams with Anderson Cowen, co-host of The After Disaster Podcast (which I've never listened to), and they do a great movie show with a theme, a top five and lots of language filled banter. 

The Popcast... Jamie Golden of Jamie's Rabbits Blog and Knox McCoy team up to give an hour's worth of snark and wit in discussing Hollywood, television, trends and the goings on in the pop culturey world.  I disagree with some of their choices, and fully endorse others... it's a show I wish I could be on! (weekly or so, an hour-ish)

TechnoRetro Dads... Family men and friends Shaz and Jedi Shua are the hosts of this wildly entertaining trip down nostalgic lane, in discussing lots of Star Wars and other geeky things.  (weekly, 77 minutes per show)

Car Talk... Everyone knows about Car Talk, but what you may not know is, these guys retired some years ago.  Yet, they've done enough material on their shows that the segments can be replayed without repeating, once a week for another 6 or 7 years.  Highly entertaining.  (Saturdays, 60 minutes per show)

Five Minutes With Dad... Dad Nick Pavlidis has his 5 year old son, Pavlos, on every week to talk about... whatever.  Its short, its funny and it's really kinda sweet.  (weekly, 5-10 minutes per episode.)

DISNEY PODCASTS

The Dis Unplugged... Probably the best show out there because of how simply unbiased it is.  Host Pete Werner seems like he's a little angry all the time, but the rest of the cast balances him out.  And on the panel is Jeni Lynn, and she's just delightful.  With a different cast, they also have the Dis Unplugged Disneyland Edition and the Dis Unplugged Universal Show, both very informative and entertaining.  (all during the week, each show runs about an hour or so)

Inside the Magic... Host Ricky Brigante brings this show every week like clockwork, first with Disney and area news, then many times interviews, trip reports, various reviews and so on, before wrapping it up with listener feedback.  (Sunday nights, usually, about an hour long)

Disney Vault Talk... A premise I wish I had thought of.  Steve Glosson (from the Mark Out Loud show, a member of the Geek Out Loud podcast lineup) and spunky Teresa Delgado started with Snow White, and each show is dedicated to the next Disney animated classic.  Just finished with Make Mine Music, and Fun and Fancy Free is next... but half the show is reader emails, talking about Disney and so on--quite entertaining.  (a few times per month, show runs around 2 hours)

Be Our Guest Podcast... Host Mike Rahmann and his co-horts Rikki and Pam dish up all the latest and greatest at Disney World in a fun little show, with the Wednesday show usually being just listener emails.  (Monday, Wednesday, Friday, 30-45 minutes each)

WDW Today... Another roundtable discussion, in the vein of Dis Unplugged, with a few long time Disney fans, including Len Testa, who co-wrote the Unofficial Guide to WDW that comes out every year (I have my copy already for 2015).  (a few times per week, 30-45 minutes each)

WDW Radio... Host Lou Mongello is beloved among Disney fans, as his booming voice and strong personality lends itself to an entertaining show. He'll usually do one regular news show about the happenings at the parks, then other shows are topic-specific, from "best snacks at Epcot" to "the nooks and crannies of Hollywood Studios".  (weekly or so, 30 minutes for regular shows, an hour or more for topical shows)

Skywalking Thru Neverland... Rich and Sarah, hubby and wife, take a geeked out look at Star Wars and Disney, and honestly, I could listen to Sarah laugh for hours.  They are fun together.  (weekly, 60-90 minutes shows)

ENCOURAGEMENT/BUSINESS/LEADERSHIP/FEEL GOODZ

The Remodeling Clay Podcast... Can't say enough about this dude.  Weighed over 400 pounds, lost over half his body weight (he lost like, the Olsen twins, and some of another one) and is dedicated to helping people "Becoming the Best Version of You".  Clay is a no-nonsense, yet still has some sarcastic fun, solid host.  (1-2 times per week, 30-45 minute shows)

The Live Your List Podcast... Two guys who's passion is for your to live out your bucket list.  They talk to authors and leaders from all fields on everything from time management to finding your passion.  (1-2 times per week, 30 minutes usually)

The Dave Ramsey Show... You know who this is.  And it's an hour from his daily show (daily, 45 minutes)


So there's my list.  In the morning, I usually listen to ESPN PTI first... then, if it's Monday or Thursday, I listen to Alison Rosen.  Rush Limbaugh is next... if a Doug Loves Movies is available, that's next up, but if not, I go to The Adam Carolla Show.  I'll next take on Live Your List and Remodeling Clay, followed by Disney casts like Dis Unplugged, WDW Today, WDW News and a few others.  After lunch, a sports block of Mike & Mike, Championship Drive and The BS Report.  This will take me to mid-afternoon, then I listen to the podcasts I have left, including Dave Ramsey, Five Minutes with Dad, Y2J and Steve Austin, then anything else outstanding.  That will get me home... and at night, I'll finish up any casts left, or dive into an audiobook when I'm doing dishes, running errands or the like.

What podcasts do I need to pick up, do you think?

can we still be friends?

Good gravy it's been six weeks.  My last post, which you can probably scroll and see, or click here, is a satirical, enjoyable poke at the political correctness of college football team names.

For a writer like myself, here's what happens when I go weeks upon weeks without blogging anything, I suddenly find myself not wanting to look at the page.  Like, I don't want to see how readership has dropped, I don't want to know what has been lost since I've been away.  And that's what happened here.  I haven't even looked at Clouds in My Coffee since mid-August.  But if I don't post today, then I'll probably not get it to it this week.

My buddy Rick Theule says simply that if you are a writer, and you don't write, then you lose a little something in your writing.   And I probably have.

As a matter of fact, this post is probably pretty boring and lame.  But that's okay.  I'm not even going to promote it.  I'm not going to put it anywhere that I posted.  I'm going to just write it here, and leave it, so I'll have a post.  Finally, another post. 

I've been busy...

...so busy... with Disney, with Campbell Isaiah, with life in general...

...but I've missed you, Clouds.  And I've missed you, dear reader.  And I appreciate you every time you load the page.

Can we still be friends, if I promise to come back more often, with more good stuff? 

Hope so.

ole miss is racist

Report out this week that a few members of the facility of the University of Mississippi are offended now by the term "Ole Miss", which is how the school is commonly referred too.  See, back in the slavery days of the 1800s, slaves were required to call the daughters and wife of the plantation owner not just "miss", but "Ole Miss".  The name evokes pain and suffering to all of those who have slavery roots.


Let me go on record and say that while I know more white people than I do black people, I don't know anyone who has any living relatives that are slaves.


But Ole Miss is a racist name, and we should change it immediately!!!!  People (a few) are offended by this!  It's bad enough that "Running Rebels" is a symbolic gesture of the South in the Confederacy, but to use the words "Ole Miss" with it??? 


Change it, and change it now, before anyone else is offended by this gesture.


Then I got to thinking about more college football teams... THE WHOLE SEC IS RACIST, RACIST, I TELL YOU....


Want proof?   Here...


"War Eagle", the battle cry of the Auburn Tigers?  I mean "War", really?  Glorifying combat and conflict?  That is the opposite of peace.  I'm offended.


"Roll Tide"?  Their mascot is an elephant, which hail from two places... Africa and India.  To invoke the proud elephant into such a violent game is it insinuate that people from those lands want war and love fighting.  I'm offended on their behalf.


The Florida Gators?  The Gator is hunted and killed for their skins and meat, senselessly.  To envoke such a game onto this proud animal is to enjoy the killing of such.  I'm offended on the behalf of animal rights activists


The Vanderbilt Commodores?  The Commodores were a great 70s funk band, led by Lionel Ritchie.  Unfortunately, Vanderbilt is known for a losing tradition... which means, the Commodores are losers.  I'm offended on behalf of any Lionel Ritchie fans and Commodores fans.  Easy indeed.


The LSU Tigers?  Their battle cry is "Geaux Tigers", which hails from a French background.  Using France's name in such a derogatory manner to promote your violent game is to recall another violent battle... the French and Indian war.  Now, I'm offended on behalf of two proud peoples.


The South Carolina Gamecocks?  Did you know a "gamecock" is a chicken?  That's meat, people.  You don't eat meat!  It's cruel!  I'm offended on behalf of all vegans.


The Texas A&M Aggies?  Aggies.  Put an "F" in the front of that, and now you have a horrible gay slur.  I mean, I wouldn't do that, but someone might, and let's be honest, we cannot take that chance.  I'm offended on behalf of the gay community.


The Missouri Tigers?  The Tigers are an endangered species, hunted and killed for their skins and coats.  This use of their animal name is nothing but a promotion of illegal game hunting and poaching.  I'm offended on behalf of all animal lovers.


The Kentucky Wildcats?  The word "cat" is used by the African American community, especially in the 70s, to describe another person.  To take this name, then put a "wild" in front of it, is to assume that because you are of a certain color, you are a wild person.  Like in Africa.  This is an egregious use of this word, and I'm not going to stand for it.  I'm totally offended on behalf of anyone of any color called "cat", ever.


The Tennessee Volunteers?  To "volunteer" means to not get paid.  You know, like not getting paid as much as a man does, if you are a woman?  You know, the gender equality in this country?  Why not just called them the Tennessee Unequally Paid but Harder Working Females?  Because its the white man that makes these names up.  I'm offended on behalf of all women.


The Mississippi State Bulldogs?  The Georgia Bulldogs?  You know what they use in riots to quell the protesters?  Tear gas and dogs.  If I was at Kent State, when all those people were massacred, every time I hear the word "dog", it would bring back painful memories of almost being bitten.  Not sure anyone was bitten during that event, but if they were, my memories would be more painful.  I'm offended on behalf of anyone who's ever been bitten by an animal, bulldog or otherwise.


The Arkansas Razorbacks?  Do you know what a Razorback is?  It's a hog.  Or a pig.  Another animal we brutally slaughter for meat purposes.  An animal that produces things like ham and pork, meats that can be horrible for your system to eat.  Meats that when eaten in excess, can give you blocked arteries, heart attacks, diabetes!  Meaning that every time someone yells "Hog Sooey!", if you have ever had a heart attack, blocked arteries or diabetes, you need to be offended.  No worries. I'm offended for you.


See?  Even the words "Southeastern Conference" is offensive.  "Conference", meaning a meeting, where we can sit around with our bosses and realize how much money someone else is making, and how much money we are NOT making, even though we do most of the work (especially if you are a woman...) and "Southeast"... well, I cannot even describe for you the racial overtones this has, except for three words "Hub of Slavery".

We should get rid of all mascots, because someone might be offended by them.  We cannot call them by their city names, because the people in poor Starkville do not need to be reminded how good people in the wealthier areas of Knoxville might have it.  And we cannot assign them colors, because red (Indian), yellow (Asian), black (Black), white (White), brown (Mexican), purple (sick people), blue (cold people--stupid global warming) will all be offensive.


We need to abolish football completely.  Then, and only then will we have an offense-free society.  Then and only then can we turn on ESPN and not be totally taken aback by the egregious racism that runs rampant through our sport.


or...


...we could be offended by the fact that children are being beheaded in Iraq because they might come from a "Christian" family.  I've seen the pictures.  That offends me.   Just a thought.

the worst week: sitting, wishing, waiting

This is the second part in my account of the worst week we've had in a long time.  You can read about Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday here...

But to recap, we were up on Sunday night until after 4 am with our toddler who was ill and couldn't sleep... there was vomit... and a few days later, things seemed to have settled somewhat... until...


THURSDAY
Not sure what I was dreaming as I slept that night, but whatever it was about, I didn't finish it as I felt someone poking me square in the bottom. I woke up kinda quickly, looking at the clock, thinking I had overslept for work, but saw that it was... 415am? Wha....? Campbell lay dead to the world next to me.

I sat up, asked The Lovely Steph Leann what was wrong, and she grimaced and said that her stomach was hurting, bad. Really bad. I got up, we both went into the bathroom and she explained that last night, she didn't feel good, she thought it might have been gas or indigestion, and that she barely slept all night long. I asked if it could be her appendix or something, she said she wasn't sure, but it wasn't out of the question. "I think I might need to go to the ER... please come with me..." Which, of course I was going with her. Duh.

I got out bed, got dressed in a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, grabbed some socks and went downstairs to pack Campbell's bag.  The Lovely Steph Leann got on the phone to call her parents to make sure it was okay to drop Campbell off an hour earlier at their home (it was), and we quickly gathered what we needed.  I grabbed my iPod, my phone charger and a few other things to keep me occupied, as I knew I might have some downtime.

I plucked Campbell from the bed, as he barely stirred, moving his head from the soft mattress to my soft shoulder as I carried him to the car and strapped him in his car seat.  He awoke, but didn't make a sound.  We unloaded him to her dad, handed over the diaper bag, and then sped down to the nearest hospital that we liked, Brookwood Medical. 

The last time we were here together for something that affected us was in late November 2011, when our unborn child decided he was ready to see the world a few weeks early, putting The Lovely Steph Leann in the hospital for a week, and spending his own time in the NICU.  I just linked to all those stories, so you can read if you want.

Anyway, not a ton has changed, except for the finishing of the halls and entryways leading to the Women's Medical Center.  FYI, in case it ever comes up on Birmingham Jeopardy, our kid was the first newborn to spend time in the intensive care floor of the Women's Medical Center.  Not a trophy moment, but it's something I guess.

We got to Brookwood, and I pulled up so The Lovely Steph Leann could get out and go on in to the ER... she could walk, but slower and it kinda hurt, so I walked her inside to make sure she was okay, then hopped back in and went to park the car in the huge parking garage.  Because it was 510 in the morning, I had my choice of spaces, so was able to park pretty close to the entrance... not that that matters, because like many parking garages, I can stand by Red Robin (the Kia Soul) and spit on the gate where you insert your ticket for exiting, yet I have to go up about four floors before I can finally come back down again to leave--but that was all later.

The Lovely Steph Leann is in there filling out paperwork when I come through the double doors, and they put us both in a room just down the hall.  And anyone who's been in the ER knows the word I'm about to say...

Waiting.

Waiting.

Waiting.

Someone came in, asked her some questions, took her vitals, and left.

Waiting

Waiting

Waiting

A doctor came in, asked her some questions, some of the same questions as the chick earlier, took some vitals, and left

Waiting

Waiting.

Waiting.

Another chick came in to do blood work.  In a bit, they came in to tell her they were going to do a CT Scan.  To prepare for it, the nurse gave her something to drink who's taste was described by her to be an "Oily Sensation"...

"Oily Sensation" sounds like the worlds worst INXS song.

Then, after waiting... waiting... waiting... they came and got her to take her for the CT Scan...

So then, I with a phone and a TV showing an old episode of Charmed with Alyssa Milano and Shannon Doherty being my only source of entertainment, tried to watch The Godfather on HBOGo on my phone.  Got about 10 minutes in, when they wheeled The Lovely Steph Leann back in.

She dozed.  I dozed.  She woke up and dozed again. I dozed.  We waited.

Waiting.

Waiting.

Waiting.

Finally... a little after 9am, almost four hours after arriving, a different doctor came in to finally say, "Well... looks like you've got acute appendicitis.  Let's get that thing out before it bursts, okay?"  We kind of expect this, and both said, "Well, okay..."

Then he left.

Then we waited.

And we waited.

The anesthesiologist came in, told The Lovely Steph Leann what he would do, and how she would be put to sleep.  He asked some questions, many of them being the same as the ones that the earlier doctor and first and second nurse asked.  I wondered if they put anything on those charts, or if everyone figured it would be just as easier to ask.

After he talked about the upcoming events, he ended with, "And, unfortunately, I'm required by law to tell you that there are complications in 1 in about 250,000... which sometimes can lead to death.  See you soon!" and he left.

Thanks for that, Gas Man.

And we waited.

And.

Yup.

The doctor, a different doctor, came in, introduced himself as the surgeon who would be doing the procedure, and sat down.  He asked a few questions, a couple of which were now going on their 83rd time of being answered.  He explained about the incisions that would be made, the tool that would be used to remove the offending infected, useless organ, and about the recovery.

By this time, it was around 1130, we had been at the hospital for around 6 hours in the same room, save for a couple of bathroom trips, and had probably had less than 15 minutes, 20 tops, of interaction with anyone who works here. 

All a waiting game. 

I'm pretty positive this was the scene when they were performing
surgery on The Lovely Steph Leann.  Had to be, right?  Aren't all
hospitals this way?

Neither one of us had had shower.  Channeling Grey's Anatomy, I felt like McStinky.  Neither one of us had really eaten anything... she couldn't at this point, mostly for fear of throwing up in surgery and choking on her own vomit.  Not good times, bad times.  Bad times indeed.

At some point before noon, they came in to wheel her down to pre-op... the doctor led me to the waiting room and told me, "I'll come get you", which had me thinking that I now had a few hours to kill, maybe even run downstairs to the cafeteria and eat, but less than three minutes later, he came and retrieved me.  He brought me back to where a few nurses were asking The Lovely Steph Leann some of the same questions again, we found out that we were in fact not pregnant (not that we were worried about that, but that would be the holy crap icing on an already crappy cake of a week), then they prepped her up for surgery.  The nurses left, she and I prayed together for a minute or two, and then she was off.

I was told it would be about 90 minutes.  I went downstairs to the basement of the hospital where they have the cafeteria, I walked out to my car to drop a few things off and grab a portable charger for the phone, then walked my way back to the waiting room.

Hospitals are like mazes, and Brookwood Medical Center is no different.  Every time I came to an intersecting hallway, I stopped, looked at the signs, studied the surroundings, then moved on.

Because we do watch Grey's Anatomy, my only assumption was that a doctor and a nurse were getting their freak on behind every fourth or fifth closed door I passed. 

Made it to the car, made it back to the waiting room, made it downstairs to have lunch, then made it back to the waiting room again where I sat down, took a breath, realized how exhausted I was, remembered how smelly I had to have been, and was still for about five minutes. I took out my iPhone, fired up HBOGo, and continued watching The Godfather.

Of course, 90 minutes came and went.  About an hour and 45 into it, my mind began to race.  I'm 99% sure that she's just fine, meaning I'm 104% sure she's bleeding out on a table at that very moment.  Where's Shepard?  Where's Meredith Grey?  Darn it, I'll take Alex Karev if I have to.  Not Addison Sloan, though, she's too pretty.  Can't get distracted, my wife is dying in there. 

The two hour mark came.  I decided that I'd give it another 20 minutes, then I'd just have to go find someone.  Thankfully... the doctor came out, right about the two hour and five minute mark.

"Surgery went find.  We were able to go in, get everything we needed out, close her up and she's fine.  She's asleep right now, and she's going to be very sore when she wakes up." 

But, do I wait until she wakes up?  Nope... I'm instructed to go down the hall to the front of the hospital, tell the nurse who I, tell the nurse who my wife is, and wait there.  I do so, and am given a pager to go wait in another lobby... "When the pager goes off, come here and we'll take you down there."

Anytime a pager like the one I was holding goes off, I'm suspecting I'm about to find a table and order an appetizer... so, waiting again.

Waiting.

Waiting.

Waiting.

After watching more of The Godfather on my phone, then giving up because the signal was so spotty, Michael Corleone would keep talking even though the picture was stuck on a picture of Sonny eating an orange.   Hungry again and thirsty, I decided to head back down to the cafeteria to get something to drink... bought a bottle of water and a piece of cheesecake...

...and my pager goes off as I'm standing in front of the elevator.

Take it a flight up, get to the desk, and am taken back to recovery, where I a still Lovely Steph Leann, groggy, barely moving, exhausted, weary, thirsty and recovering.  She tries to smile a little, gets a upward turn of the mouth and then dozes a bit more.

When she awakes, she tells me how thirsty and hungry she is.  Like a good husband, I open the pack of crackers and refill the water she's been working on, and then ask if it's cool that I eat my cheesecake. Because I care.  And it was excellent.

The final few hours at the hospital really consisted of she dozing off and on, me watching more Godfather and relaxing, running up to get her perscription from the pharmacy upstairs, and waiting until she was awake enough to move a little.

About 5pm-ish, I helped her get dressed, walked out to the garage, retrieved the car, pulled up to the big double doors and then... took her home. 

Thirteen hours in the hospital.  I helped her inside the house, and up the stairs, helped her prop up several pillows and she crashed hard to sleep.

FRIDAY, SATURDAY, SUNDAY

Recovery. 

Now that was a week.

the worst week: a 3am upchucking

A few weeks ago, we had one of those weeks that in the grand scheme of things, was nothing.  There are problems all over the world, the county and our town that deserve a look before listening to the $ Family whine and moan about our five days of Hades... but it's worth a mention, nonetheless.

In fact, The Lovely Steph Leann called the week, once it was completed, "the most asinine week we've had in a long time."  I thought about calling this post "the most asinine week", but I wasn't sure how the word "asinine" would play in any blogrolls that I'm privileged enough to be a part of.  Heck, in that one sentence, I've just used the word "asinine" more than the entire history of the blog.

SUNDAY
Campbell wasn't feeling good.  We knew this.  He was warm much of Sunday evening, somewhat fever like, and we hoped that some fever remedy and sleep would help him.  Because we wanted to make sure that he was okay before letting him leave the house on Monday, The Lovely Steph Leann stayed with him Monday morning, going into work at lunch.

MONDAY
For summer school, he would normally go Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, while staying with the grandparents, Pops and GG on Monday and Friday.   The Lovely Steph Leann let Campbell sleep in, then got him up, bathed him, dressed him, fed him, and took him to the grandparents around noon, so she could head onto work. 

I pick him up in the afternoon, and though he seemed to be feeling better, we were very cautious.  The last thing we wanted to do was send him to school the next day at less than 100%, because aren't not going to be those parents who send their kid to school sick, giving everyone fever or asthma or Ebola or whatever he might have. 

He ate a decent dinner of English peas and carrots and some fruit, drank lots of liquids, meaning lots of wet diapers, played accordingly, and finally we took him upstairs to put him to bed.  If I remember correctly, The Lovely Steph Leann had rocked him to sleep, but when she lay him down onto the bed, he woke up.  She laid beside him, and he wouldn't go back to sleep.

I came to bed, laid on the other side of him to try to get him to sleep... and nothing.  We dozed, he dozed, he would wake up, waking us up.  We'd get him back to sleep, we'd go back to sleep, he would wake, we would wake...

1am... then 2am... by 230, I had already sent a text to work saying I wouldn't be in until between 10 and 11am...

At 3am, Campbell began to cry nearly uncontrollably.  I held him, sitting on our bed, legs crossed "Indian style", calming him down.  He quieted a little, and I thought perhaps this might when he sleeps...

...every parent knows that all children are different.  Even if you have multiple children, they are different in little ways as well as their overall uniqueness... and so when your child is sick, you know "the gurgle", or the little cough sound, or burp-like sound that is made right before it is about to get messy.  And many children put very little time between that sound and what's to come.  Perhaps just enough time to make you aware that it's about to get real up this piece... and Campbell is the same way...

...he gurgled.  Slightly, just a little, quietly, but I heard it.  I had just enough time for my brain to formulate the words, "Hey, The Lovely Steph Leann, he's about to..." before it happened.  Campbell threw up.  Gobs of half digested peas and carrots came streaming out of his mouth and nose, in large clunky chunks... in big chunky clunks... it dripped down my shirt, it coated his front, it went down my arm, and a large portion fell directly into my lap.  It was wet and warm and disgusting.  The stench hit me like a blast, both from the pile in my lap, the chunks that were on my shirt and arm, and from him, who had it all over his face and now hands, as he tried to wipe it away.  Scared, he began to cry even more, with his hot little breath in my face.  I'm someone with a strong stomach, always have been, but I immediately threw my hand to my own mouth, held my nose, closed my eyes and held my breath until the sensation passed. 

The Lovely Steph Leann, in the bathroom trying to get something for him, ran in quickly, and threw a towel over to both of us just in time to catch a little amount of the second wave of Campbell. While it was only a little this time, it was still enough to send the toddler over the edge in the scared department, as he wailed.  The towel, actually on the bed in case this happened, was out of my reach, and so when The Lovely Steph Leann tossed it to me, it made no difference, getting only a corner and a small spot elsewhere infected with digestion.

She picked him up, and after catching my breath, I set about the task of clean up.  Stripping the bed, changing clothes, washing off chunks from everything, tossing everything into the washer, going back and remaking the bed... The Lovely Steph Leann took Campbell into his bathroom, ran him a bath, calmed him down and slowly and gently bathed him.  She was a pro, keeping him calm, making him feel safe and secure...

By 345 or so, it was all over.  Fresh sheets, fresh clothes, freshly washed baby, washed off Mommy and Daddy... about 430, we all three fell asleep, finally.

TUESDAY
I got up a few hours later, showered and made it to work around 1130, just exhausted.  When I got home, The Lovely Steph Leann was resting on the couch, while Campbell played in the floor.  She said he had been sleepy and sluggish all day too, to no one's surprise there.

WEDNESDAY
We made the decision for The Lovely Steph Leann to keep him home one more day to ensure that he was feeling good.  And he was.  Whatever it was that hit him had seemingly passed through... literally, as he still had diarrhea on Tuesday, but it had mostly run its course on Wednesday.

All signs pointed to Campbell returning to school on Thursday, and The Lovely Steph Leann returning to work.   Of course, after we had dinner, I didn't think much of her saying her stomach felt kinda weird... she wasn't feeling bad, it was more of a throbbing pain of sorts. 

She used some Essential Oils, took some vitamins and we all went to bed, still-tired Campbell sleeping like a rock.

Surely, this is the end of the troubled week, no?  The kid better, we are rested, things are looking up, right? Right? 

If that was the case, we'd have called this post "The Worst 1/2 Week". 

Tomorrow... in The Worst Week Part II... the hospital... the waiting... the cutting... the shower...

HALLO POPPY

HALLO POPPY!!

I do that sometimes.  In a loud, obnoxious voice with a bad Cockney accent, I'll say "Hello Poppy", but it comes out "ALLO PAHPAY!!!!" sometimes for no reason.  Strangely enough, I don't think I've ever done it around The Lovely Steph Leann, but Campbell has heard it a few times.  Campbell is the 2 1/2 year old.

Some of you are reading that line about Campbell and saying, "We know who Campbell is!"... but some of you are stumbling across this page for the first time...

So, let me essplain... no, there is too much, let me sum up...

Well, really, there isn't too much, there's just a little, but I had to be true to Innigo's line.

Yesterday, I got an email from a friend named Jamie, who you has her own splendid blog that I do enjoy, and asked me if I wanted to be involved in a Blog Hop.  A Blog Huh?  It's a Blog Hop.  As she put it, "Its where someone links to you in a post introducing you their readers, then when you post, you link back to them and then introduce others.  In this instance, you would answer the questions provided and check with three more people."

Sounds easy enough.  And then I remembered, "Well, crap it all, I've got about 9 posts somewhere in between nearly done and four letters on a blank screen, so I need to post something quickly!  So people who come here won't think 'Wow.  He only posts like once per month.'"  Which sadly, sometimes is true.  Such is life.

Anyway, can you believe I'm close to 1000 posts?  Seriously. 

Glad you are here.  Look around.  Click some links.  Ask some questions.   

love shoulda brought you home last night

"Love shoulda brought you home, you home last night, shoulda been with me, shoulda been by my side... oh baby, if you care anything for me, then love should brought you home last night"
There is a movie somewhere in the middle of my 500 favorite films of all time, one that you probably have heard of, but might have never seen. Or perhaps you've never heard of it, at all... in any case, its not a great film.

Well, its not even a good film, if I'm being honest... but its entertaining. And its got something that I really put a lot of stock into--"re-watchability". There are brilliant films out there, like "Saving Private Ryan" or "The Gangs of New York" or even just great movies like "The Good, The Bad & The Ugly" or more recently, "Super 8", that I'd put on any great film list... but they aren't movies I'd sit and watch over and over. 

"Boomerang", however, is one I could watch over and over. It's somewhat of a forgettable movie from 1992, with Eddie Murphy , Robin Givens (back when she was relevant, as the new ex-Mike Tyson), a much younger Halle Berry, David Alan Grier, early Martin Lawrence and Chris Rock in one of his first films…

Eddie is Marcus, who is a straight up playa.. not just a player, but for you extremely white, not down with the hip hop speak folks, a playa, who leaves a long line of women behind him who’s he has gone out with and has departed less than acrimoniously. Working at an ad agency, he gets a new boss named Jacqueline (Robin Givens), who herself is a playa… a playette? Is that what you call it? Mandie Tuck, do you know the answer?

Anyway… Marcus falls for Jacqueline, and then is played… the song on the excellent soundtrack that plays during the scene when he realizes he’s been hustled is “Total Reversal of a Dog”, which fits nicely here. He laments his woes to his friend Angela (Halle Berry), who turns around and falls for him. And predictably, Marcus falls for Angela.

Jacqueline sees Marcus now ignoring her for the very plain-jane Angela… and being female and naturally competitive when it comes to men, is furious, and aims to get him back. 

And here’s where the point of this whole thing comes in… Jacqueline seduces Marcus one more time, presumably just to ruin his and Angela’s relationship… and it almost works.

Angela finds out about it… Marcus comes in, and she demands the truth, and he admits he messed up big time, and then follows it up with, “Angela, I love you…”

Angela responds with this: What do you know about love? What do you possibly think you know about love? You know, I’m sick and tired of men using love like it’s some kind of disease you can catch…

And here’s the money line: 

"Love shoulda brought your (posterior) home last night”
We use “love” for everything. You love Alabama football. Your college daughter her sorority. The Lovely Steph Leann loves “Sense & Sensibility”. I love the Toni Braxton song that comes with this scene, “Love Shoulda Brought You Home Last Night”… we love everything, from beach weekends to cheesecake to Ryan Gosling movies to a pickup truck we’ve been wanting to own.

And that’s okay. It’s the way we are wired, to express our great feeling, our great affection for something, we use “Love” over “like”, because it puts forth a sentiment that this particular thing is not just something we casually enjoy, but we really, really, reeeeeeallly enjoy partaking of.

Then there is that next level of love, that even though the word is the same, the meaning is deeper, more meaningful. Joey Thornell will tell you he loves Alabama football… but you’ll never make me believe that “I love Alabama football” and “I love my boys” has the same meaning, ever. Same word, big difference.

Love… shoulda brought us home last night.

Watching the movie, you believe that Marcus has fallen for Angela, so its wildly irritating when he nearly throws it all away because he gave in to Jacqueline’s Jezebelocity. Is that a word? It is now.

When we say “we love God”, what do we mean? What version of love do we use? I know what we WANT to use… I know the way we WANT to mean it… but how do we really mean it? Do we profess love for Christ in the same meaning we profess the way we love a TV Show or a song or afternoon naps… or do we truly mean a deep love for Christ in the same way we love our spouses, our children, our families, our most cherished possessions?

Because Love… true love… shoulda brought us home last night. 

True agape love, the deep kind of love and affection that we should have for our Christ is the kind of love that prevents us from going out into the world only to come home to Jesus the next day and say, “Yeah, I know I did all that, but I love you, God.” Following Christ should keep us from wanting to venture into Monday thru Saturday and being our own selves, then coming home to Christ on Sunday to say, “I love you, Jesus!”

Don’t get me wrong… I know there is grace. There is mercy. Because of a cross on a hill, there is forgiveness—grace abounds, I’m the chief abuser… but that’s where many people stop—“I screwed up, but I am forgiven so it’s all good. Hey, World, what’s going on witcha?” 

See, we can’t stop there… because of the Holy Spirit, there is also a need for repentance, a pursuit of a love for God that surpasses the love for our own children, our own selves… not a love that is slightly ahead of the latest Justin Timberlake album (which by the way is just okay… if you are getting a JT album , start with “Justified”, as it’s got my favorite Timberlake song on it, “Rock Your Body”, which I love because… wait… crap, I hate it when I prove my own point on myself… you know what, let’s move on.) 

Because Love… shoulda brought us home last night.  

With the power of the Holy Spirit, with the love of Christ—and let’s face it, it’s a love that we cannot replicate, because it is too deep, too wide, too infinite and monumental for our limited understand—we can resist those things that test that love, we can have freedom from the world who will cause our actions to be anything less than continual displays of love for our God. 

And in this, we won’t hear Jesus quietly saying to us, “Love shoulda brought you home last night”… instead, we’ll hear the sweet sound of Jesus’ approval, saying “It is in My love that you have remained here.” And that’s a love that we should all desire so deeply and passionately, it knows no end.

By the way… when using spell check, “Jezebelocity” was suggested to be “Jezebel City”. I find that entire possibility both hilarious and fascinating. Love does not take you to Jezebel City, I can assure you. Nor Paradise City. Maybe Panama City, but probably not during MTV’s Spring Break party at Club La Vela. Not that I would know about that. Stephanie told me. 

live from the apple store

So, I'm sitting in the Apple Store, at a side counter, on a computer.  My iPhone battery is on it's death bed, having already signed it's will, and issued a DNR to me for the eventual demise.  I use my iPhone like it's some sort of turbine pumping air through my lungs.  It's rather sad...

I don't have a problem... I don't... I can... I can quit anytime!  LEAVE ME ALONE!!!

Where was I?

Yes, since I joined the Facebook social group Dreamers and Builders, formerly known as The START Experiment before it's founder Jon Acuff and legendary money guru Dave Ramsey parted ways in October of 2013, my iPhone usage has leaped about 400% percent.  Now, combine that with two things... first, the growth of Disney on a Dollar, my Disney travel planning service... and second, the job I took in November, and that we aren't supposed to be doing non-work stuff on a computer that is at work... meaning in addition to using my iPhone for regular things like Mapquest and movie times and emails and such, I'm now on social media a lot more, and now doing a lot more business on the phone.

End result?  Well, when I came in here today, the Apple Chick pulled up a little square diagram, with green in the top left corner, red in the bottom right corner, an orangish yellowish color in the other two squares, and a little dot in the bottom red.  This showed my battery.

So, now I sit in the bastion of hipsters all wearing skinny jeans and many with rings through their noses and ears and eyes, awaiting my new battery on my phone.

Don't get me wrong, rings through noses and ears and eyelids aren't really a problem... I think to fully understand the Whole Foods culture and integrate properly, you need to have a ring through sometime, or a wild tattoo, or best yet, a ring going through a wild tattoo--and the people at Whole Foods are some of the nicest people that I've ever met at any retail store.  It was a real lesson in stereotyping.  Sure, I am guessing they go home and fire up the Tori Amos and White Stripes, but when at work, nothing but nice.  Crap, I did it again.


Oh, my iPhone is here.  Gotta tell ya, it's been wonderful typing on such a well working computer.  Okay, bye.

casey, will you please play...

Record stores sell 'em, radio stations play 'em, and Billboard count's 'em down...

Casey Kasem died a few weeks ago, and I started this the day after his death, only to finish it a few days ago... sorry it's late.  While I will admit it doesn't leave a hole in my being at this stage in my life, it does strike me as kinda sad.  He died of a form of dementia, but his death was somewhat quickened by the way his family jockeyed him back and forth in his final years... his second wife, the current one, forbade his children (with his first wife) to even see Casey, to which they turned around and sued.  At one point, Jean Kasem hid her husband, telling the court that Casey was "no longer in the United States".  He was found in Washington state soon after.  His kids finally got the injunction they wanted, and took over his care, getting a court order to allow Kasem to be taken off ventilators and food machines. 

As a lifelong fan of music, there are three main individuals that had an impact on my musical knowledge... in no particular order:

John Garabedian, the host of Open House Party.  I was never all that popular in school, especially middle school... I didn't go to many parties, mostly because I wasn't invited, and I didn't get asked to hang out a lot on the weekends.  I listened to Open House Party on WKMX 106.7, and understood all the new stuff coming up.  (I wrote another two paragraphs on this just now, and realized this should be it's own blogpost)

Dave "Doc" Kirby, the program director for WTBF 94.7 in Troy Alabama.  First, he hired on my best mate Wookiee as a part time DJ, then he hired me on in 1997, where I ran the mid-morning show for two hours, then some talk radio programs.  But in those morning two hours, I got my education on 60s and 70s rock, everything from Firefall to The Doobie Brothers. 

and finally...

Casey Kasem.  Every Sunday, on the aforementioned WKMX Maximum Music 106.7, Casey Kasem's American Top 40 would play, starting at noon, and ending around 4pm.  And every Sunday, right after church, I would go to my room and spend the afternoon doing whatever, including writing, LEGOs, drawing, creating whatever my 10 year old mind would create... all the while, Casey would tell us "Record stores sell 'em, radio stations play 'em and Radio & Records counts them down!", then he'd get onto the countdown. 

I would write down each song as it was ranked...

I would wait anxiously for how many songs debuted, keeping track of the new music that would end up being huge, like if Lionel Richie's new song "Dancing on the Ceiling" premiered at #35, or this new band, New Kids on the Block, and their first song, which debuts at #37... and how many dropped out, using the dropping out as a benchmark for the end of a song's run, like when "Beat It" finally fell out of the Top 40 after a bajillionty weeks on the countdown.

Then I'd listen as the songs came one by one...

"...at number 34 for a second week in a row is the British band Tears for Fears, with their latest hit, 'Head Over Heels'"
or
"...it peaked at number 5 on the AT40 charts, but Belinda Carlisle falls three notches to number 25 with her latest smash, 'Heaven is a Place on Earth'"
or
"...that was Boston, dropping down to number 2 after spending two weeks at the top spot with 'Amanda'... and now, our new number one song in the land (insert story here about the band) is... 'Human' by The Human League!!!"

Several times, there'd be a listener question that would be teased in one segment ("Coming up, a listener wants to know, what song had the longest title to hit #1 in the rock era?  The answer features a beach and swimwear... we'll have that answer coming up!") and then the commercials, and then the familiar voices of the chicks, singing "American... Top Foooorty...."

Then Casey would play a song, and then answer the question... "John from Des Moines wants to know, what song had the longest title to hit #1 in the rock era?  Well, you have to look all the way back to 1958 when..." and then he'd explain.  By the way, the answer is, in fact, "Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini"--I used that example because it actually is the right answer.

I always wondered if these were actual letters from fans across the country, or if every Tuesday Casey stuck his head in the writers room and said, "Okay guys, I need questions.  You come up with three each, plus the answer, and I'll pick my favorites.  Go!"

Then later in the broadcast, several times, we'd have the infamous Request and Dedication... again it would be teased right before a break ("Up next, a request and dedication from a man in Florida who seeks to find the one that got away... I'll have details coming up...") and then commercial, and then, of course, a song. 

"And now, a request and dedication from a man in Florida who wants to reconnect with his soulmate.  It reads: 

Dear Casey, I made a terrible mistake.  I let the one girl I loved get away.  I lived next door to my best friend, Judy, for over ten years, starting when we were in 7th grade.  We grew up together, side by side, walking to school together, learning to drive together, even going to prom together, though we were always just friends.  Then, when we graduated, she went out of state to college, and I went to a local junior college.  She wrote me a letter before she left, and it told me how she had always loved me, and wanted to know if I felt the same.  I didn't know how I felt, because Judy had always been just my friend, so I wrote back and told her that I didn't and that I loved someone else who I was dating at the time.  But I then realized that I did love Judy.  I broke it off with the other girl, and tried to find Judy, but I know that I've broken her heart.  She won't return my phone calls and all of my other letters have been returned unopened, and I don't know how to find her.  I miss her every day, and wish I had a chance to tell her that I love her too.  Casey, would you please play REO Speedwagon's "Keep on Loving You", to let Judy know that I'll wait for her to come back.  Signed, Robert.

Robert, here's your long distance dedication."

I made this up... but it certainly fits the narrative.  By the way, the R&D was the source of Casey's infamous "Snuggles" cursing rant, when in September of 1985, he had just finished playing an upbeat Pointer Sisters song, and then took several takes because he couldn't find the right amount of somberness to properly read a sad dedication about a woman who's dog had just died.  He then went into a saucy, profanity filled tirade at his producer for putting the dedication right after such a happy song.  I've heard it, it's glorious.  Mental Floss actually has a link to it, plus some other Casey facts, including mistakes he's made, and the one song title he wouldn't say during the song's entire chart run.

Anyway, I'd be on my bottom bunk of my bunk beds, listening, soaking up every word Casey said, learning about the singers and bands--like, the band Simply Red was at first just called "Red", but when someone was introducing them, they were called something else by accident... the lead singer whispered to the guy "NO!  Not that!  It's just RED!  It's simply... Red!" and the announcer said, "Oh, I'm sorry... here comes SIMPLY RED!"

And how .38 Special got it's name, something about an incident with a gun that almost killed someone... and every now and then, he'd do a special report on a trend in the music industry, like one in particular that told me how .45s were beginning to fade away, and the newest thing was "...the cassingle... it's a cassette tape with a song on each side, and they are gaining in popularity!"  (Obviously so, I still have over 200 of them in a box)

Casey would get to the Top Five, and nothing would tear me away from my stereo... of course, since I listened so regularly, by the time he got to #3, I had an idea of how it would play out, but still... I'd hear that drumroll, and I'd be ready, not daring to write down what I already knew would be the top song... "For the second week in a row, the number one song in the nation is... 'Shake You Down' by Gregory Abbott!"

And of course, after he reads all the credits, he'd remind us to "keep our feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars!"  They should put that on an inspirational poster.

That was a typical Sunday for me... but then, the big countdowns would be even better... he'd take the last week of December and the first week of January, and do the TOP ONE HUNDRED of the year--fifty songs on one show, fifty songs on the next... and even if I had several of these countdowns written down, I'd still write down all 100, song by song as it's played.  I was at my friend Greg Avant's house one New Year's Eve, and I made him listen to the countdown as WKMX was playing it where the #1 song would coincide with midnight... we railed against the fact the #1 song was Elton John, Dionne Warwick and Stevie Wonder's "That's What Friends Are For".  The following year, it was much better, with The Bangles "Walk Like an Egyptian", and I was pleased that Debbie Gibson, my Hollywood Girlfriend in 1987, ranked in the Top 10 for the year with "Lost in Your Eyes".

All in all, I was a huge fan.  A local radio station in Birmingham, WMJJ Magic 96.5, plays old countdowns on Sunday morning, starting at 9am.  As we are racing to church, we usually can hear the first couple of songs, and by the time we get out of church, it's usually in the Top 6 or 7.  I've actually sat in the car before going in a restaurant because it was on #2, and I had to know what #1 was (that particular week it was "What's Love Got to Do with It?" by Tina Turner).

And it irritated the heck out of me when last November, they went wall-to-wall Christmas Music, meaning no Casey for two months.   Sidenote:  One thing I have learned in listening to this countdown on Magic 96.5 as we go to church is that the early 80s really sucked when it came to music.  The Lovely Steph Leann and I like about one in every five songs we hear, many of them have never been heard before by our own ears.

So there ya go... I enjoyed him as Shaggy in Scooby Doo cartoons... I really liked him in Battle of the Planets, my favorite cartoon as a kid... but American Top 40 was were it was at for me when it came to Casey Kasem. 

Thanks Casey, for decades of enjoyment.  My feet will stay on the ground, and I'll reach those stars one day, I promise.