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Several cities… few days…

What an extremely long and tiring week this has been.  But it has been fun and interesting as well…  So while I wouldn’t call these trips an actual ‘vacation’.  I would say it was a vacation away from the ordinary.

Let’s start at last Friday…  Brooke and I drove to Chicago for one of her cousin’s weddings.  We had planned to take a train the day before… but that kind of fell through, so we just drove.  It was only about 5+ hours…
Overall, I can’t say I was extremely impressed with the city.  Sure, it’s neat to be in a city that big… I think it’s probably 3rd biggest in the country, right?  And to see the towering skyline as you drive in… just spectacular.  But driving there was stressful!
And I’m not talking about direction wise… Mom and Dad returned the favor and bought us a GPS for an early b-day present.  That worked great, and I wouldn’t take another trip without it!
But not only was there a million toll roads… every time you wanted to get off or on the interstate, you had to pay a toll!  Seriously… on the ramp!  It was just stupid expensive…  So after struggling to find 80 cents to get to our hotel that night, (After giving 20 cents to a begging bum earlier that day, not knowing we’d need it now) we decided we’d not go out much.

When we did get to Chicago though, we went to the Art Institute of Chicago museum.  This was very neat, and got to see a lot of things that we had studied about in college, but obviously never saw in person.  Some of the older original paintings were just breath taking.  And it’s official… Claude Monet is my favorite artist… just edging out my uncle, Tate.
The strangest thing about this trip was not any of the modern art actually… It was when leaving an exhibit and hearing some one say my name.  Then turning to find a friend that I haven’t seen since I left Jackson!  I would have paid money to see the expression on my face…
Mike Slater was visiting some friends of his in town and spotted me.  This is the guy that I lived literally a dry wall in between while in Jackson.  He even helped me move out!  And supposedly to this day, I’m still ‘producer’ on his show… Though the only thing I ever produced for him was a lack of extended dead air when he first started his show down there.  I would sit in my office which was a window away, listening to his show while he was on… and sometimes I would ‘head’ or ‘hand gesture’ to him about whatever he was talking about.  So he’d mention that his ‘producer’ Evan disagreed, or whatever it was.  So it just stuck… even when I left.
Great guy, and I’m glad I ran into him.  Strange thing is that I could have KNOWN he was in there, and been actively looking for him… but never found him in this place.  It’s that big…

So the wedding was nice, party was fun… I danced more at this one than I probably did at my own!  Fun time had by all…
Got up the next morning with the intentions of going to the Field Museum.  After too big of a breakfast for B… it just didn’t happen.  I know what it’s like to feel crappy, and it’s not like Chicago is that far away.  So we figured we’d just truck it back home instead.

A word about audio books… pretty fun.  It’s all the good things about reading, only it’s not as boring to me!  We listened to two different ones over our travels this week… and yes, they were both chick books.  But I still enjoyed them… sorta.

Yesterday we returned from Dallas.   Brooke hasn’t flown since she was a kid, so when the idea of her going to a conference down there by her self came up… neither of us felt great about it.  Especially not her.
So with me tagging along, I kept her safe on the plane ride down from Nashville.  Then I was also her personal driver, luggage assistant, and dinner date for two days in the big D little a double l-a-s.  While she was at her chemistry workshop… I golfed, napped, and watched Wimbledon one day… and went to Clear Channel Dallas to meet and tour the studios of Lex and Terry,  (A morning show I got hooked on while in Chattanooga.) and wasted a lot of time in a mall the next day.
Obviously the highlight of the trip for me was getting to check out the station and meeting all the guys that I’ve been listening to for several years now.  Very cool… I know they’re just regular guys like me in the business… but it’s different there.  Market 5, awesome studios, syndication, etc.   Imagine meeting someone at the top of your profession, or a person you looked up to in the same business.  It’d be a little intimidating, and maybe a little star striking meeting them… right?
But it was cool… They were nice guys, Peter gave me the grand tour, and even introduced me to their chief engineer. (who I think MIGHT also be a reoccurring guest on the show called ‘Genius’… still confirming that though)
Just the level of technical stuff there floors me… double and triple redundancy on anything and everything mission critical, state of the art equipment I wouldn’t even dream about being able to afford here in Paducah.  Just amazing stuff on so many levels… very impressed with everything and enjoyed seeing how it’s done in a top market.  They all sounded great…  Wish I had my Jeep down there so I could have checked out their HD-2 stations.
I also ate at a ‘Whataburger‘ for the first time down there… awesome food.  Great burger, and even better fries…  Wish we had one here, though I know it would not be good for my waistline.

Anyways… traveled back last night to put an end on a lot of transit for a while hopefully.
Next and last wedding of the summer is coming up next weekend, though it’s just in Murray thank goodness.

I’m so tired from all the traveling that I don’t even know how to end this post!
so….

see ya!

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I hate titles…

Seriously! I think deep down that’s why I don’t post more. Everytime I’m ready to post something, I wonder to myself… whoa, this is going to cover too much stuff for just one title! So I end up doing some stupid blanket title that has something to do with updates or whatever, and I go on about my life. I might just start using the date as a title… or date range maybe? Or maybe, as my good friend Billie suggested, I should just post more often so they don’t have to be multiple topic updates! Yea right.
On with the post!

So we finally have finished new studios! We switched the last station over to the new building a week or so ago. Just glad to be done with it, and I know everyone is glad to be working in the new conditions. I know they’re not the best, or the most cutting edge studios… but I’d like to think that they’re some of the best in this area! I’ve got to take some photos once everything is cleaned up, looking good, and organized. When I do… I’ll post them here, and maybe even put them on the radio bio page for future bragging rights! Now we start tearing into the old stuff… dust bunnies, here we come!

On a mixed emotion note, that I really haven’t told a lot of people about… We found out that my mom has breast cancer.
Yes, is a sad and worrying thing to say… But she’s already had it removed and will start radiation soon. But the good news is that she caught it early. I guess the bad news is that the cells are prone to rapid reproduction.
As I told people that have found out and talked to me about it… We’re just trying to be positive till there isn’t anything to be positive about, and we’re a long way away from that. But if you don’t mind, say a quick prayer for her when you have some time. Never hurts…

Also still a little worried about the newest member of the family… Elisabeth (my cousin) had a baby boy not too long ago! But little Graham had/has high bilirubin numbers which is cause for concern. Although at last report, he has gained weight and is up to 10lbs, and being considered a “healthy baby.” Which is fantastic news, but I’m sure they’re going to keep a close eye on his early development. Again, never hurts if you’ve got some time.

Back to the happy stuff!
My best man Allen got married this past weekend! I was honored to be his best man as well. The wedding was beautiful, short and sweet. (the best kinds!) I’m sure they’ll enjoy a life full of happiness together. Enjoy your honeymoon guys!

Trying to watch as much of the French as I can, though I can’t say I’m watching as much as I want to. I guess now that Nadal is out, my pick is probably Fed… though I think he’ll have a tough time with Del Potro, and might even go down. And I have been extremely impressed with this Soderling guy… if he gets by Gonzo, watch out… that’ll be a goooooood match for the final!

Yes, I’m still on the golf kick, and can’t get enough of it. Playing, watching, talking other people (mainly Brooke) into playing, etc. Actually bought her a set of clubs so we can play together! Might even take her dad to a par 3 up in Jasper this weekend! How fun would that be?
I don’t know if it’s a phase or not, but I don’t understand why I didn’t ‘get’ the sport in high school like I ‘get it’ now.
And yes it IS a sport… If I can be sore from it the next day, it’s a sport… not a skill set.

Went to see the newest X-Men movie a while back. Not bad really… although, they really should have named it Team X since the movie was pretty much based on those characters. This movie also messed around with the timeline of the actual comics and didn’t make things any better. But actually knowing a little about X-Men from being a kid of the 90’s, I knew that this was going to be a lot like the other three movies, in that they were exactly that… Movies, based on the comic book characters, and not actually the comic books, etc. In fact, in this one I think they kind of combined characters into each other? Example… I don’t know whether Logan’s lady was Silver Fox or The White Queen? Judging by what I’ve found on the net, no one else does either!
Same goes for Wade who I think is Deadpool, but then is turned into Weapon XI?? so, that’s got to be a combo.
At least they stayed pretty true to one of my favorite characters of all time, Gambit.
Overall though, I can’t say I’m disappointed, but I wasn’t blown away either. It was a good movie, and as a big fan of the movie series too, I can say I was satisfied for the most part. And when it comes out on disc, I’ll get it. Look forward to another movie in between if they can fit it in before the first X-Men movie. (Timeline thing again… but let’s face it, they’ll just create another storyline that average fans like me will be completely satisfied with, even if they don’t follow along with the comics at all)

Also saw Star Trek a while back on a dude date with Doug. The girls went to see Angels and Demons, and we went to enjoy a much better movie… I don’t care what you say. It was better!
Honestly, I wasn’t ever a HUGE Trek fan… but I did watch it on the couch a lot with dad when I was younger. So it was good that they stuck to those characters and not the next generation or anything like that. It was quite enjoyable, and I’d look forward to another if they made it in the same fashion too.

Oh, and the trip to Louisville for the Derby was a fun one. Everyone had a good time, and we look forward to getting up there again soon.
Also had a good visit with mom during her retirement tea. Although there was no actual tea, a good time was had for her, knowing she was done, and had a good impact on a lot of kids lives. We decided that tea actually stood for Taught Enough Already… And that she has.

Looking at the calendar for the next couple of months… if you’re not booked with us, it’s too late.
Though one wedding is out of the way, we’ve still got at least 2 more than we know of. One in KY, and another in Chicago. That will be interesting, as we decide if we can afford to go up early and sight see, etc. though we are at the least taking a train up there from Carbondale. So we’ll get to do two things we’ve never done… ride for an extended period of time in a REAL train, and go to the windy city!
Also just found out that Brooke has a trip to Dallas for a educational workshop… There’s a chance I might be going with her to that as well.
We’re also both going to be music geeking out together as we teach a band camp come the end of July. Should be interesting since I haven’t taught in a while. I’m sure I’ll pick it right back up.
So as you can tell… the summer is just full, and jam packed, week in and week out.
I’ll try to keep everyone up to date on here, but don’t forget that I’ve joined the masses now and started “tweeting” on twitter. Not that I’m super committed to that either, but it’s typically easier to write a quick little something on there than it is a long something here. I’ve stopped using Myspace enough now to feel pretty comfortable about deleting it. Same goes with last.fm, del.icio.us, my photo blog, and picasa unfortunately… sad day. I’m just pitiful to be honest… I don’t keep up with anything as I should!
Have I ever told you I hate titles?

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A Louisville update (Late, as usual)

And so continues the trend of me only posting every month or two.
I suck… sorry.

Had a good Easter weekend in Jasper, and a little happier trip from Louisville.  Had a great visit with family in both cities, and really glad we got a chance to get up there.
Got to see a GREAT concert on ‘Good Friday’ night in Louisville.  One of my all time favorite bands was playing at the Palace theater. (neat venue)  Death Cab for Cutie!  Sounded great, and was extremely satisfied.  Even the first opening act was great!  I ended up buying their CD which is rare.  Ra Ra Riot, who I had never heard of before seeing them, really played well and had an interesting sound with the addition of a violinist and cellist.
Also before the concert, got to receive the latest Louisville Magazine from my uncle John.  And so becomes another yearly tradition… trying to find what photos of mine made it in!
This year was a very mixed bag.  I think this is the most photos I’ve ever had in the issues… but they’re all celebrity shots except for one.  So I’m excited, and disappointed all at the same time.  And then I remember that I’m not a trained photographer, and I get excited again!  So I will try to improve my derby shots for this year, and maybe swing that trend in 10′

As always, I will show you the unedited versions, but you can always view the actual magazine online.
John has the cover this year, and I think it’s an extremely neat photo too.

Actor Adrian Grenier

Big Brown, right before derby

Heroes star Greg Grunberg

Poker player Rober Willianson III

And three others that are shot vertically, and I’ll have to rotate before I put on the site.
But just in case I don’t get to it, because I tend to do that… they were:

Former NFL star Warren Moon and his wife Mandy
Actress Bonnie Somerville
and daytime soap actress Mandy Bruno… Honestly, I thought the dude was famous, not her.

So you can see where I might kind of be feeling like a bad photographer not getting any really cool photos in this year.  But John has already said he’s going to work with me before we go out this year, and hopefully that will help with my quality of shots.  But like every year, my favorite shots of course didn’t make it!

So with this weekend being Derby… I look forward to another year of good times and being a “professional” shutter bug for the weekend.

Parents made it back from Florida, and are actually coming up to visit today.  In like, 5-10 minutes…

Other than that, things are going pretty good!  Brooke and I finally officially joined our church here.  Doing more landscaping work around the house, including growing grass in back yard!  Finishing up the new studios at work.  Last one will be next week… then to the old studios. :-(   Got new irons last week, and I still haven’t played a round with them.  House is coming back together after the ice storm.  Got the gutters replaced yesterday finally.  Now if I can get that fascia nailed back in, I won’t have to worry about those birds living in the attic!
You know… just the normal stuff.

Also, I’ve broke down.  I’ve been trying twitter for a little while now… it’s kinda fun.  It’s simple which is something I like… It’s social without being super annoying yet like Facebook/Myspace/linkedin, etc.  And actual real celebrities use it.  One of my favorite twitters to read actually is John Mayer’s.  Pretty funny guy…
I’ve also been hooked on Heros, which had the finale last night.  Pretty good…  Hated to see it end though.

Anyways… wish me luck this weekend.  I’ll leave Thursday, maybe even in time to get up there for the parade.  Then after the yearly festivites, I’ll be coming home to Russellville to celebrate Mom’s retirement with a “Tea”.  So congrats to her, even though she’s already teaching again for a maturnaty leave.  Figures…

Have a good May I guess!
Out

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It’s the most wonderful time of the year!

First day of spring… everything starting to bloom and come back to life.
And most importantly…  Tourny time!  And even though UK isn’t in the big dance this year… and My Racers didn’t make it either…  My Tops did! And even though I didn’t graduate from there, WKU will always hold a special place in my heart.  After all, I was with that team in New Orleans when they gave Florida a run for their money back in 01′.  So yea, they’re still my team.  (And Georgia will never know how good of a coach Felton was)

Anyways… I love March Madness because it’s the only thing that can get my heart pumping like I’m watching a horror flick or something.  Honestly, I was up last night watching Illinois chip away at Western’s comfortable lead… and it looked like they might pull it off!  But thankfully, UK turned down Pettigrew (Ky’s Mr. Basketball a couple years ago) and he sunk 2 free throws when they counted most.  ahhhh Go Tops!
Oh, and UK looked pretty good in the first round of the NIT against UNLV too the other night.

After the first day/night of the big dance… I have only missed one pick.  Though I’m sure that luck will change today.
But the three Ky teams are holding it down so far!  Moorehead, though an OVC rivial of the REAL MSU (Murray) won their first round… and they get to play overall number 1 Louisville!  So honestly, even though UK isn’t in it… The state of Kentucky is well represented.
I am pulling for the Cards this year, as I think they’ve got a great team, and I still like Pitino a lot.  Best all around coach in college basketball if you ask me.  But really, I just love watching good basketball, and this is the most wonderful time of the year!  Even Tennis and some golf is starting back up!  What more could a person ask for?!

As every year… I’ll post my bracket.  Sorry it took me till half the first round was done.  My bad.

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just fantastic…

So most of you that still visit the site, probably know me pretty well, and already know about my grandfather.
The family and myself would like to thank you for your thoughts and prayers in this time of loss.
He will be greatly missed.

And to top it all off…
17 years down the drain

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