I have two memories tied to National Ice Cream Day and both involve my radio days. Both were when I worked at B95 in Flint.
The first was when I was working mid-days. I wanted to do a live broadcast from a local ice cream place. I put the bug in the sales team’s ear and they were able to find a little place called Ron’s Pizza and Ice Cream. It was a place I was unfamiliar with, which is sad because I was so close to where I was living.
We did the entire shift from Ron’s. They had pizza specials and a free cone for the first 100 people who came out. They had picnic tables where folks could sit and there was a steady flow of listeners who stopped by throughout the five hours we were there.
Their pizza was delicious and the ice cream scoops were huge. I took the family there often when we lived in the neighborhood. Sadly, they closed some time ago, but that broadcast remains one of my favorites.
The second memory was from when I was doing mornings with Steph. We hooked up with the Frosty Boy in Ortonville. If memory serves me right, we did a two hour broadcast from there after our morning show.
The Frosty Boy was known for their ice cream and their amazing broasted chicken! I remember we had this huge box truck that we took to the remote broadcast.
They had their mascot (a chicken) out waving people in at the curb. I remember Steph and I got a picture with that chicken! She probably has it somewhere.
We had such fun talking to listeners that day. I remember they gave us Frosty Boy T-shirts, which I seemed to wear a lot, as it is in a lot of old pictures.
I think they have new owners now. They building is the same, but they painted it and changed the name to Frothy Girl. I’m not sure if they still have broasted chicken.
I hope to take the kids out for ice cream later to celebrate.
With all the talk about the new Indiana Jones movie (I still haven’t seen it), there has been no shortage of things about the character and Harrison Ford online. I stumbled on something that I thought was cool and thought you might get a kick out of it, too.
Right up front, I will tell you AI scares me. However, when they use it for stuff like this, I think it is cool. You may remember that Tom Selleck was the first choice to play Indiana Jones in the first movie. Things didn’t go as planned and Harrison Ford landed the role. But what if other actors were slated to play Indy?
AI takes the “what if” and offers what Indiana Jones might of looked like if played by ….
We’ve known for some time that they were going to be working on our street. It began loudly on Monday morning. We were awaken by someone using one of those big cement saws to slice a line at the end of our driveway.
They went up and down both sides of the street cutting lines on all the driveways. From the looks of things, they may be ripping up half of our front yard, too. That remains to be seen, but there are all kinds of those flags across the lawns of my neighbors and me.
The other day, I woke up after dreaming I was flying in a World War II fighter plane. Think about the sounds that are made by the machine guns ……. got it? That’s what I was dreaming I was hearing. Nope. It was just the sound of a HUGE jackhammer pounding holes into the concrete!
That, of course is just the beginning. Then you have the “claw” that comes by and rips up the concrete block by block.
They were taking the blocks and dumping them in piles all along the street, but it seems like they got rid of most of them as they have made their way down to our house.
The kids certainly have loved sitting out on the porch watching the “big trucks” go up and down the street.
This afternoon, one of the drivers saw the kids on the driveway and honked the rig’s horn for them. They got a kick out of it.
For me, it has been a challenge to sleep during the day. Even with earplugs, I can hear the ruckus. At times, I can feel the ground shake as they are working. It hasn’t been fun. Today, we could feel the ground shake as they dumped these big pipes outside the house.
I guess what I don’t understand is that they are literally going all the way down one side of the street and tearing it up. We have three blocks on our street. To me, it would make sense to do from the main road to the end of block one (both sides), then from the end of block one to the end of block two, etc… Doing it this way has been one big mess.
We got a letter in the mail saying that we’d be allowed to park on the side streets where it is usually illegal to do so. That sounds good in theory. I’d do it, if there were big piles of gravel and dirt all along those side streets. It just seems like they really didn’t think things through.
Since starting on Monday, they have hit the water lines a couple times. Our water was off and on and off again. We are boiling water just in case because they never said if it was ok to drink it yet. They’ve also hit a gas line and they shut the gas off for almost a day. Thankfully, they came in and relit the pilot light on the water heater and furnace for us.
I really feel bad for my one neighbor. They just sold their house and will be moving within a month or so. They want to have an estate sale. I wonder how they are going to get people to come when they can’t even access the street! And how are they getting moving trucks in and out of there? Moving out is bad enough for them, and moving in will be bad for the new neighbors. Urgh!!
This is supposed to go on through November! I sense a lot of sleepless days for my wife, my kids and me.
By the way, I hope the port-o-john doesn’t find its way to my front lawn…..
It is time once again for my contribution to Turntable Talk, a series hosted by my friend Dave Ruch at his blog “A Sound Day.” This is the 16th installment and the topic this time around was an easy one for me. The topic this month is entitled “Coulda Been a Contender.” This is simply a song that we felt should have been a hit but wasn’t.
As a music director (the guy who helped the radio station’s program director choose what songs to play) I heard a lot of songs that wanted a spot on our play list. Many times we added songs that never went anywhere on the charts, but we thought they were good. On the other side of the coin, we played a lot of songs that I felt were crap, that wound up being hits.
When this topic presented itself, one song immediately came to mind. Unlike other topics where I went back and forth between 2-5 songs trying to pick one to write about, this one was the only one I felt really should have been a smash. I have felt that way about this song since hearing it the first time. It is a duet by a legendary artist you will know instantly, and a singer whose name you SHOULD know, because she is just that good!
The song is “Where We Both Say Goodbye” by Catherine Britt and Sir Elton John.
She has lived a life in the world of entertainment most will never experience or dream of. The archetypal Aussie girl from the coal works of Newcastle uprooted herself at 17 years old and moved for six years to Nashville TN (USA) where she gained a deep knowledge of country/roots/folk history as well as touring extensively and releasing top 40 Billboard hits.
How did this happen you may well ask. Not every 17 year old moves from Newcastle to Nashville to pursue their musical dreams. Well, the story is that a certain Elton John (yes, THAT Elton John – not to be mistaken for . . .) heard Catherine during one of his Australian tours in the early 2000s. So impressed with Catherine was Elton that he took her albums back to America with him and helped get a deal with RCA Records.
I can only imagine the feeling she had when she heard that Elton John was a fan AND was helping her get a record deal! There is a very cool video of Elton and Catherine that I will share after I talk about the song.
Music, like humor, is subjective. It has a certain power to it. Perhaps my feelings about the song are a bit swayed because of what was going on in my life in 2005. My mother was dying of breast cancer, my son was going through intense therapy for autism, and my marriage was slowly falling apart.
I connected with the song on a personal level, but I also understood that I wasn’t the only person who was having relationship trouble. This song struck a chord with me and I knew that there were listeners who had to be going through the exact same thing. As years went by, this song took on more and more meaning for me. As my first marriage continued to crumble and my unhappiness grew, I heard this song again on my iPod, and knew it was certainly time to “say goodbye.”
I still cannot understand how this song was NOT a hit. Perhaps it was programmers questioning whether or not to play Elton John on a country station? It could have been some consultant who felt that way, too. But today, we see artists crossing over from genre to genre and no one thinks twice about it. Maybe this song was ahead of its time.
Catherine’s voice is simply beautiful. It is almost sultry. Elton could sing just about anything and it would sound great. These two together? Magical! Their voices blend so well. Their harmonies are stellar and they convey the hurt of the lyrics. Here are two people who are dying inside because they both know – it is probably over.
Let the steel guitar pull at those heart strings …..
Where We Both Say Goodbye
A fire that’s left unattended Surely will burn out and die Now that we’re down to nothin’ but ashes Is this where we both say goodbye
Chorus
Is this where two hearts break down and cry Is this where we let go and give up the fight Have we reached the point where it’s too late to try Is this where we both say goodbye
It’s so hard to go on pretendin’ The truth is we’re livin’ a lie And it kills me to know our love’s dyin’ Is this where we both say goodbye
(Chorus)
I wanted you to hear the song before you watched the next video. This is a very cool piece with Elton and Catherine talking about how they came to meet and eventually record the song. I love watching behind the scenes stuff like this.
The song itself only reached #38 on the Country Singles Chart. Shame on country radio !!
In 2008, RCA dropped her from the label and she returned home to Australia, where she has had great success and continues to tour.
Her website states:
Over the course of her career Catherine has collected a host of accolades, a legion of fans and a mantel of awards including the country industry’s highest honours, 2009 CMAA Female Artist of the Year Award, 2012 CMAA Single of the Year, 2013 CMAA Female Artist of the Year Award, 2016 Female Artist of the Year, 2017 Vocal Collaboration of The Year for her celebrated single “F U Cancer” as well as APRA Award and CMC Artist of the Year nominations. 6 of Catherine’s albums released to date have been nominated for the ARIA Award for the Best Country Album release, which is a first for any Australian country artist. In 2010, Catherine was also presented with the CMA Global Artist of the Year award.
I tend to feel like Elton John in that I have always thought that she was the “real deal!”
Catherine got a raw deal here in the states. Personally, I believe she could have been as big as Martina McBride or Faith Hill. All too often, station programmers will opt to play crap from an established artists instead of playing a truly great song from a newcomer. Stupid radio/records politics!
She has done quite well for herself in Australia. Her fans love her and support her and she has taken control of her career. Her website says that her latest album, Home Truths, is “Catherine’s first release in over 20 years as a completely independent Australian artist. It’s a decision based on Catherine wanting complete control of her career – and having ownership of her own recording masters and copyrights. That’s something that – now as a parent of two young children – she believes is important – and something to pass on to them.“
“Where We Both Say Goodbye” should have been the song that made America country fans take notice of Catherine Britt. It is a song that proves that she is not only an amazing songwriter, but an amazing singer as well. Her music is deep, heartfelt, and honest. I’m glad that she is enjoying the success she deserves, even if it isn’t here in the US.
My hope is that I have chosen a song that is completely unfamiliar to you. If it makes you want to hear more from Catherine, fantastic. If not, that’s ok too. Music is subjective, right?
Thanks again to Dave for allowing me to take part in this monthly feature. I look forward to reading the rest of the gang’s picks and next month’s topic. Thanks for reading..
When All Is Said by Anne Griffin is a simple and well told story. I found myself not wanting to put it down and read it easily in about two days. It was one that came up as a suggestion and after reading what it was about, I decided to read it. I admit that it became clear where the story was heading early on in the book, but that only made me want to read more.
Here is the Goodreads synopsis:
A tale of a single night. The story of a lifetime.
If you had to pick five people to sum up your life, who would they be? If you were to raise a glass to each of them, what would you say? And what would you learn about yourself, when all is said and done?
This is the story of Maurice Hannigan, who, over the course of a Saturday night in June, orders five different drinks at the Rainford House Hotel. With each he toasts a person vital to him: his doomed older brother, his troubled sister-in-law, his daughter of fifteen minutes, his son far off in America, and his late, lamented wife. And through these people, the ones who left him behind, he tells the story of his own life, with all its regrets and feuds, loves and triumphs.
Beautifully written, powerfully felt, When All Is Said promises to be the next great Irish novel.
I’m not sure exactly what they mean by “the next great Irish novel,” but I can tell you that it was a very good story. When it was over, I wanted to know more. I wanted to know what else happened. I could see where a second book could pick up the story with a secondary character, but it is find exactly how it is.
In a sense, it is a love story – well, five love stories. But as you can probably tell from the synopsis, there are moments of sadness throughout the story. Each of these five people and how they fit into Maurice’s story and how they helped shape his life will bring laughs and tears.
The initial question asked by Goodreads was enough to hook me. It even had me trying to answer that question. Which five people would sum up my life? Who would I toast? Why only five? I am still struggling with the answers to these questions.
You might enjoy it. If you do read it, I’d love to know your thoughts….
Not too long ago, my boss at the sleep lab left to pursue another opportunity. Before she left, she asked me if I would be willing to speak to an EEG class at the Carnegie Institute. It was something that she was lined up to do and with the new position, she was unable to do it.
I have done a few presentations for my job. I have spoken at a local sleep conference, presented at a senior living center, and other various appearances. This is something that I truly love to do, so naturally, I said I would do it.
There are a lot of similarities between sleep and EEG, but also a lot of differences. This talk, and the one next week, will offer the students a look at the sleep side of things. Tonight I presented a basic “intro” to the students and will go into the various sleep disorders next week.
The director and the president of the institute were there to greet me when I arrived and were both very pleasant. I felt very welcome. They showed me the room I would be presenting in and got me set up.
It was a nice group of students and they asked some very good questions throughout my presentation. The class is supposed to take a couple ten minute breaks, but they opted to not take them tonight, which allowed my to finish a tad early. (From my days in the college classroom, I can tell you that I always loved when the class let out a bit early.)
As with most classes, there were those who bolted as soon as I was finished and those who hung out afterward to ask questions about sleep in general, CPAP, and even getting into sleep after being in EEG.
I am really looking forward to next week’s presentation!
My youngest son, Andrew, has had his share of challenges in his almost two years. After his first sleep study, he was diagnosed with laryngomalacia. It was causing him to have sleep apnea. A surgery was done to correct that problem. While in surgery, a cleft was discovered and the surgeon filled it.
Three months later, he had a second sleep study and his sleep apnea index had gone down, but not quite enough. We opted to try CPAP, which meant a third (CPAP) sleep study. It worked for a while, but because of a lack of proper pediatric CPAP masks, we wound up stopping and attempting to treat it another way. Medications to help open nasal passages and the airway were prescribed and they seemed to work well, as he was sleeping a bit better (despite some louder snore).
Just before the Fourth of July, he had a fourth study and we discovered that his apnea is worse than it was last time. We also found that the laryngomalacia, which he should have grown out of by now, was still an issue.
Andrew had his visit to the ENT today and there was quite a discussion. It seems to the doctor and his colleagues that the main issue is the cleft. They will probably have to do a deeper scope to make sure there isn’t another cleft. The goal is to repair the cleft or clefts. They may remove tonsils and adenoids, too. Either way, it is a much bigger surgery than we anticipated.
He will probably be in the hospital for a few days, perhaps in ICU. We’ll be awaiting a call to schedule surgery Monday. They think it will be sometime in August or September. I found this video on YouTube, which only scared me more.
My wife and I are quite overwhelmed right now. We can only hope and pray that this will take care of Andrew’s issues and the healing will be fast and easy.
I thank you in advance for your good vibes, your positive thoughts, and prayers as we anxiously await a plan of action.
This was a book that kept popping up in my Goodreads feed as well as in blogs that I follow. Almost all of the reviews I read praised it for being clever, witty, a bit dark and creative. Now that I have finished it, I can say that those reviews were accurate.
I wasn’t sure what to make of it at first. Is it a murder mystery? Not really. It is far from a Whodunit, but it was very entertaining. The premise itself is unlike anything I’ve ever read. Here is the synopsis from Goodreads:
A devilish thriller with a killer concept: The McMasters Conservatory for the Applied Arts, a luxurious, clandestine college dedicated to the fine art of murder where earnest students study how best to “delete” their most deserving victim.
Who hasn’t wondered for a split second what the world would be like if a person who is the object of your affliction ceased to exist? But then you’ve probably never heard of The McMasters Conservatory, dedicated to the consummate execution of the homicidal arts. To gain admission, a student must have an ethical reason for erasing someone who deeply deserves a fate no worse (nor better) than death. The campus of this “Poison Ivy League” college—its location unknown to even those who study there—is where you might find yourself the practice target of a classmate…and where one’s mandatory graduation thesis is getting away with the perfect murder of someone whose death will make the world a much better place to live.
Prepare for an education you’ll never forget. A delightful mix of witty wordplay, breathtaking twists and genuine intrigue, Murder Your Employer will gain you admission into a wholly original world, cocooned within the most entertaining book about well-intentioned would-be murderers you’ll ever read.
I put the book on hold at my library and when I picked it up, I noticed the author’s name – Rupert Holmes. The only Rupert Holmes I knew was the guy who sang “Escape,” otherwise known as “The Pina Colada Song!” You know it, of course:
“If you like pina coladas and getting caught in the rain. If you’re not into yoga. If you have half a brain….”
My first thought was, “This cannot be the same guy!” Well, I was wrong. It is the same guy!
He is quite a successful author and has won two Edgar Awards from the Mystery Writers of America. Who knew?
Overall, I really enjoyed the book and enjoyed the way it all came together at the end. Check it out and let me know what you think….
America celebrated her 247th birthday this week. It was a busy and wonderful weekend for us, as we had an out of town visit from my brother. He and Stacey drove up from Ohio on Sunday. They spent all day with us on Monday. We ordered Pizza for lunch, Barbequed chicken for dinner, and went for ice cream before they headed back to their hotel.
On the fourth, they met us at this little zoo nearby and we spent the first part of the day there. It’s been years since I have been there and forgot that they actually have some pretty cool animals. They have brown and black bears, a white Siberian Tiger, Kangaroos, Lions, and a plenty of birds (more on that in a minute).
The zoo has many places where you can buy feed to give to the animals. They kids loved feeding the goats.
The look on this goat’s face in the picture cracks me up!
The animals are so close to you and there are many you can pet.
Sam does not like birds. I’m not saying I do, but the kids wanted to go into this parakeet experience. When you walk in, they give you a stick with bird seed on it. The birds will fly over to your stick and eat the seeds. I made a friend quickly, and didn’t even need birdseed.
This bird flew to the top of my head and STAYED there pecking at it until we were done. I swear we were in there for at least 10 minutes. This bird would not leave my head. Finally, when the kids were ready to go, we walked to the door of the exhibit and the door guy had to shoo the bird off my head so I could walk out. It was freaking me out!
We went back to our house to wait for our local fire works show. Sam’s folks and a friend from college (who just moved to our neighborhood) joined us in our backyard to watch the show.
Every year, since Ella could walk, we’ve taken pictures of them walking down down the sidewalk with a flag. It was fun to put them all together in a collage and see how much they have grown.
For such a small town, they really do a fine job with their fireworks show. I wish cell phone photos could do it justice.
Ella said it was too loud and Nana and her went inside. The rest of us stayed outside and enjoyed a nice show. I wish that the tree in my neighbor’s yard wasn’t there.
As I scrolled through the photos I took on the fourth, there was one that struck me for the weirdest reason – the shadow.
I thought this was just such an amazing picture. I love the way the shadow is.
As of Friday, a new law here in Michigan made it illegal for cell phones to be in the hands of drivers. The law, which strengthens other distracted driving laws already in place, aims at reducing deadly distractions on the road.
In the past I have always taken advantage of Bluetooth technology, but admit to sometimes picking picking up the phone at stop lights to read a text. Thankfully, my last couple vehicles had the hands-free option for making and receiving calls. In my new vehicle, if a text comes through, the car gives you the option of having it read to you. You can then replay by simply talking. It’s quite a nice feature.
A Grand Rapids TV station interviewed Lieutenant DuWayne Robinson with Michigan State Police about the new law. He said he’s confident that state troopers pulled over drivers Friday and at least issued warnings and took the time to educate drivers about the changes.
“Our first goal with all laws and all violators of traffic laws is to educate the public, and we have a lot of discretion in terms of whether or not we issue a verbal warning or citation and definitely if there is an egregious example of a violation right in front of us, then that will inform what we may do next,” Robinson said.
I certainly feel that this is a step in the right direction. We are so connected to our phones these days. But is it really that important to see the Facebook or Instagram photo of a friend’s dinner the minute it is posted? Probably not.
There are people I saw on the news recently who seem to think this is something petty for police officers to do. One guy went as far as to say, “There are people who are breaking laws every day that are more serious than this.” He insinuated that the focus on distracted driving would cause police to not be able to enforce more serious laws.
Personally, while phones tend to be a big distraction, I believe that there are other distractions that need to be addressed, (and enforced) too. We are a society that is always on the go. I always question these people who eat and drink at the same time they drive.
My vehicle has cup holders. I’m sure yours does as well. Is it necessary to have a drink AND food in your hand?
The one that never ceases to amaze me is when I see some gal putting on makeup while driving 80 miles per hour on the expressway!
In order to do this, your eyes are NOT looking at the road. They are looking in the mirror. Not trying to justify it, but at least when you’re chowing on a burger, your eyes are looking ahead (in most cases, anyway.).
One article I read spoke about how it is mostly teenagers who are doing the makeup thing while driving, but from personal experience I have witnessed women of all ages doing this.
Then, there’s this guy ….
What an idiot! It actually looks like he is reading music from his lap while driving. At least this saxophone player seems to have his music memorized.
He is at least looking ahead at the road. Of course, both hands are on his sax instead of the steering wheel, though.
As I drove in to work last night, I was watching for people with phone in their hands. Surprisingly, I didn’t see any. Perhaps the thought of paying a hefty fine for it was enough to make people stop. We shall see.
Various Ramblings of a Nostalgic Italian 