...finally get some time to sit down and do a little blogging in the new year. New Year's Day was spent mostly sleeping, much to the family's disdain. Monday I spent more time lucid, and the whole afternoon I got to listen to Robbie and his best friend, well, be stupid 13 year olds. Never was a whoopie cushion more enjoyed.
Back to work, another four-day week, which I actually do not like. First, it doesn't matter how many days you have to work in a week in radio, you will always have 168 hours of commercials to prepare for the next week. So, in a four-day week, you must do the same amount of work you'd normally do Monday thru Friday. I also live perpetually confused as to what day of the week it really is.
Well, some observations from the first few days of the year.....
--West Virginia: I can't add anything new, thought-provoking, or attempt to answer anything. How incredibly sad. A co-worker says he's just been down in the dumps the past few days over it, and I totally can see why.
The media really can't take the blame (maybe a little). I wouldn't report breaking news based on happy relatives coming out of a church, but when the Governor confirms 12 survivors, well, you don't get much better sources than the head of a state government.
Which begs the question, how in the world did he get misinformation? Someone overhear part of a sentence between rescue workers or in a cell phone conversation?
On a smaller scale, miscommunication caused Fox News to prematurely report the death of the Pope in April. Especially in this age, all media personnel have to kill the desire to be "first" with a story.
We learned Tuesday night/Wednesday morning that it's better to be right than first. Also, regarding the people, emotions really play a huge role in how one acts and reacts. Maybe, and it's horrible that something like this had to happen, the one good thing that comes out of this tragedy for the nation is that we take the time to make sure about things before pronouncing them true.
And I don't just mean news reports. I mean confrontations with people; assumptions about co-workers or fellow church members...you get the picture. I know sometimes I don't allow, for fairness sake, both sides of a story to be presented before passing judgment. Never smart. Never. Shows lack of maturity. I hate that. I do enough immature things that I will never apologize for (hee hee...), but this isn't one I want to claim.
We hadn't seen newspaper headlines this surreal since Dewey and Truman in 1948. May God pour a flood of His Spirit's care and comfort to that area.
Speaking of maturity, on a TOTALLY different subject. Rachel, the other day, remarked about my being "crazy". I asked her would she rather I be "crazy" or "boring". I think "crazy" did win out.
When my kids are telling their kids stories about the grandparents driving to our house for Thanksgiving dinner, I want them to be able to tell them just how weird and crazy their granddad is, and that it's a good thing.
I can't lose my sense of wit and humor, however small it may be, because if I ever did, I'm afraid the depression might win out.
WORK---Let's play a game of musical cubicles! There are four of us in a decent-sized room, and one person decided to change their location (she's a manager, she can make that decision!) She's not my boss, and when she asked me about moving stuff around, I said I'd do anything to help her out.
So, before I left tonight, furniture from our office was up and down the hallway. I put up "Do Not Touch. This is Not Trash" signs all around. I even moved my 2006 Cartoon calendar to my new cubicle. I'm going to the corner (heh, way to go dunce!)
I'll have more space, which is cool. I'll be next to windows that get hot in July, and that's not cool!! I won't get to see my good friend (walls will block our view now), and that's not cool, either. But somehow I have a very hard time believing a cubicle barrier will affect a good friendship. Actually, it's better on her; she doesn't have to look to the right and be forced to see me!! (hee hee)
At work today she said it would take her time to get used to not seeing me. I told her to give it 20 minutes. :)
So, back to work this weekend to clean, clean, prepare, rearrange, and clean even more. I'm so blessed to work in a room with three wonderful co-workers. That is a much rarer reality than it should be.
FOOTBALL: Well, the BCS lovers (all nine of them) are proud, I'm sure, now that their "system" not only "worked" this year, but provided heart-pounding major bowl games, not to mention a National Title game. I was disappointed (I'm a long-time USC fan), but it took minutes, not days to get over it. Until college football stops lying about the excuse of "we can't do playoffs; it takes the kids away from class too much", and starts a 16-team Division I-A tournament, their whole "post-season" just won't grab my attention.
The "great" part of the bowls when I was growing up was New Year's Day! Cotton Bowl on CBS with Lindsey Nelson, the Sugar Bowl on ABC with Keith "Whoa, Nellie" Jackson, and the doubleheader on NBC: the Rose Bowl at 430, the Orange Bowl at 8pm. Then, the next morning, you woke up to one, or two, champs, depending upon the polls. The BCS ripped the heart out of New Year's Day, and it kept going downhill from there. Just ask USC in 2003 and Auburn in 2004.
It probably won't happen, but I'd love to see, like, five teams go 11-0 one season, and then see what the BCS wonks would do!!
If Division I-AA, Division II, and Division III can have playoffs, why can't Division I-A? Are the students in those schools not as needing of class time in order to pass exams? Welcome to double-standard-ville.
It's the bowls, stupid!! None of them want to lose their "control".
Here's what you do.....
Eight first-round games, four second-round games, two semifinals (duh), and the final.
Open bidding to all bowl organizations to try and buy the rights (a la television coverage) to one of the "big three" games. Three bowls are selected, each in that three-year period get to host the title game; the other two years they host a semi-final.
Other bowls can then host the first and second round games. You'd need 15 bowl games. We've got 876 of them now. Do we really need the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl?? If other bowls want to continue on, there will be enough 7-4 and 6-5 teams to go around.....
And don't begin to tell me you can't play them earlier in December because fans won't travel......Notre Dame fans will flock to Los Angeles to see the USC game in October, but something mystical will keep them from going to see them December 10th in a playoff game....hmmm.....
And, with a long dissertation, is why I love March Madness above any sports event, year in and year out.
Speaking of which, NC State travels to UNC tomorrow. A great chance to put the team on the map; beat UNC in Chapel Hill. I know, they lost 28 players...or at least it looked that way....but they're still good (they beat Kentucky at Rupp!) and any road win in the ACC is great.
See....anything else?
I think I'm out of words for now. This weekend? Moving dust at work, watching the kids tomorrow while Mom is at work, and, as for Sunday, I don't know if it'll be a trip to a church where an old friend is on staff, or another Sunday off. There can't be more than two, though. That's a trend we don't need to set. Period.
FINALLY-----I really wanted to start a countdown on New Years Day, revealing my 365 all-time favorite songs, but I didn't get all the data together in time. So, maybe in a few days I can start, and, when/if I do, I'll just list all the songs I need to the first day to play catch up.
Gee, songs I like. That'll bring thousands to this blog. HA!
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