The "Big Game" Is Almost Here

Unless you are a Steelers or Cardinals fan, you don’t have a “horse in the race”, so Super Bowl Sunday becomes a totally different experience.

We Patriots fans have been spoiled of late, but my guess is most of the REST of America is happy to see New England out of the picture this weekend. I am also a Washington Redskins fan, so I have enjoyed a stress-free Super Sunday for more years than I care to count.

There is something different about being INDIFFERENT to the outcome. That is, of course, if you decided not to wager on the game. Many folks will drop a few bucks into a Super Bowl pool to makes things “interesting”, but that’s a far cry from the high-stakes gambling that true addicts fuel up on.

It’s likely that our main fuel will be beer.

That’s OK. I’m actually looking forward to NOT being nervous about the game itself. I will concentrate on jamming as many potato chips as my mouth will accommodate. Washing it all down with ice cold beer and then deciding I need to eat some more will provide endless hours of enjoyment!

I am actually looking forward to the halftime show (no offense, Tom Petty), but Bruce Springsteen will undoubtedly provide a show which may rival the game itself. I will enjoy the commercials, although I understand that companies are spending less to create the ads, so creativity and cleverness may need to make up for special effects. Seems that sometimes the best ads are relatively low-budget affairs anyway! One of the better ads is destined to be the CareerBuilder.com ad—here’s a sneak preview:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79tMMFja-Fw


From the pre-game to the post-game-and everything in between, it’s time to forget the economy, the job and housing picture—and just plain enjoy the Super Bowl this weekend! There is something to be said for escape—and we deserve it!

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Happy 5,000th, Cumberland County Civic Center!

On Saturday, I will have the honor and privilege of helping to welcome the crowd to the 11am performance of “Disney On Ice” at the Cumberland County Civic Center.

What makes this performance so significant is that it is the 5,000th event at the Civic Center! From the very first show-a ZZ Top concert in 1977—there have been an incredible array of public performances at the venue that defines entertainment in Portland.

Aside from virtually EVERY major musical act in every genre, from Aerosmith to Sinatra, country acts and the Boston Pops, the Civic Center has played host to it all:
Sporting events, notably hockey from the Maine Mariners to the Portland Pirates, as well as the Harlem Globetrotters, Boston Celtics and countless (well, not actually since they have obviously been keeping count) high school basketball and hockey games. The rodeo, wrestling and even a tennis tournament!
From the Ice Capades to the Girl Scout Jamboree, Broadway shows like The Wiz, endless trade shows, boat shows, expositions, dog shows and Circuses of all types! High School and College graduations to the Jehovah’s Witness Conventions yearly…it has all been right here at the epicenter of Portland, Maine!

Below is the link to the Civic Center’s website, where you can scroll by year to discover each and every event, recalling the ones that you attended:

http://www.theciviccenter.com/events/who_played.php

Below is a YouTube link to a portion of an Elton John concert at the Civic Center:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1uw-ysfXRI

Hope to see you Saturday as we mark a special milestone for Portland’s entertainment jewel! If you’d like my blog in your e-mail box daily (free!), just click below and let me know!tim.moore@citcomm.com

Here We Snow Again

I can’t wait to get off the air at 94.9 WHOM today. I’ll don my boots, hat, gloves and trudge out to my car (luckily in a garage) to begin the long trek home. When I arrive, there likely won’t be a way into my home garage.

I’ll patiently park the car on the road and start shoveling my way in. As mentioned in prior blogs, I am the only person in the entire state of Maine without a snowblower. Also too cheap to hire someone to plow out my driveway, I am therefore sentenced to a life of shoveling.

In the interest of sharing different shoveling techniques and implements, I am curious as to the effectiveness of the huge “sleigh-shovel”. I use the traditional blade-type shovel and my achin’back to clear a path.

What do you think of the “push it all away” method? Will it work when the snow gets so freakin’ high that there is nowhere else to PUSH it? If you are unclear about the “sleigh-type” shovel, click on the following clip and watch the darn thing in action:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fLHaW3YvJY&feature=related

Looks a bit suspect to me, but your input is always welcome! Does that thing actually WORK?

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Be careful out there!

Mt. Washington---94.9 WHOM's "Home Frigid Home"

Check out this month’s issue of National Geographic (actually February 2009, but it’s out now) for a feature article on New Hampshire’s Mount Washington!

The piece is called “Backyard Arctic”-and the focus is on the crazy weather conditions atop the Northeast’s highest peak. As the article states, 6,288 feet is a mere “hill” when compared to the Rocky Mountains out west. However, the location of Mt. Washington in the Presidential range on the east coast at the juncture of a couple of jet streams and arctic air imported from Canada make 94.9 WHOM’s transmitter site truly the “Home of The World’s Worst Weather”. The article is good-and the photos-in typical National Geographic tradition-are spectacular!

The highest recorded wind speed on earth (231mph) was clocked at the summit. Unbelievable!

It is indeed a harsh environment to operate ANYTHING, let alone a radio station, but the antenna height affords WHOM the largest geographic coverage of any FM in North America.

I enjoy traveling to the top---but mostly in the summertime—where temps can still be freezing. For the uninitiated, below is a short film clip of the incredible conditions on the summit:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=im2t_6qpf9c&NR=1


Makes your backyard seems a little less “arctic”, no?

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Stay warm!

Digital TV Conversion.....Huh?

The date looms like a modern-day millennium apocalypse scenario. After February 17th, all TV transmissions over the air will cease to be “analog” (the old fashioned way). Instead, they will be “digital” (the new fashioned way). Of course, this means that you are stuck with equipment that is outdated. You thought you’d reached the end of the technology upgrade road when you bought a DVD player and began replacing all your old VHS tapes….and then something called “BlueRay Disc” comes along and makes you feel like you’re playing 8mm home movies on your set! Hey, I’m still getting used to cassettes!

The topic of Digital TV is too complicated to be fully understood-other than the following:

1) If you get TV via cable, you will likely be OK
2) If you receive TV over the air, you will need to either: a) get a converter box or
b) get a new HD TV

Waiting until after the Super Bowl was a good idea, but what TV broadcasters have known about for years (and had to invest millions of dollars in to convert per FCC order) is something that consumers have only been aware of for a few months-----and the consumer electronics industry has yet to catch up with. They kept selling the old TVs (“let’s get rid of old inventory to the ignorant public!”) and didn’t ramp up the production of the converter boxes in time to meet demand. After all, they would much rather sell you a $2,000 plasma TV than a $50 converter box.

We’ll see just how many people were indeed ready after the 17th. In the meantime, enjoy the following HILARIOUS spoof of someone struggling with all the new technology. Chances are you will see someone you know in the depiction of this frustrated consumer….maybe yourself!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xy-pD-M0rY4


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Kiss The Cook...For Ordering Takeout

Luckily for the health of my family, I am not the cook in our house. My beautiful wife Peggy is an amazing cook-and my incredible daughter Christina can also hold her own in the kitchen. She recently made dinner for all of us-DEE-LISH!

I am, however, an important part of the food chain.

I eat.

I mean, REALLY….what good is cooking if there is no one to eat it? I truly appreciate great cooking-and I marvel at how different blends of ingredients transform themselves into delectable dishes. Like gardening (which I also appreciate), it’s just not for me and I think the reason is patience. Or rather, the lack of it.

You see, if my task is to bake a cake, my inclination is to eat the ingredients. Mmmm…cake batter! Frosting! You’ll never see the cake. The giant mixing bowl will be my stomach, churning from ingested raw materials that should have been cooked. (Maybe I should go sit in the oven)

It’s not that I CAN’T cook…..it’s really just that I DON’T. Grilling steaks, burgers, hot dogs and chicken? I can (and do) handle that. Cooking in that sense is merely just TIMING. (“Exactly when do I turn this OVER?”)

There is one exception. Scrambled eggs. Or, more specifically, my adapted and adopted method of scrambled eggs-direct from my Mother. Of course, I cannot tell you how they are done (I would have to kill you)-I can only say that CHEESE is an important ingredient-and that PATIENCE (which I sorely lack in other kitchen endeavors) is also vital.

Even my kids love Dad’s scrambled eggs, which are reserved for special occasions like Christmas, New Years, Thanksgiving and the like.

The video below depicts some decent egg cooking tips:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_P4iHwbLy0

Just call me Chef Tim!

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Eggcellent!

Obama Is NOT The First Black President...Guess Who Was?

The Obama inauguration on Tuesday will be remembered for generations. From the Supreme Court Chief Justice’s foul-up of the Presidential oath (which was administered again the next day at the White House-JUST IN CASE) to the huge crowds, to the stirring address by our new President….to the somewhat obvious distinction that Barack Obama became the first black President….or IS HE?

Actually, the first black President was also our first female President-and that person was ………….(drumroll, please….) CONDOLEEZA RICE! I’ll explain in a moment.

Of course, most people have heard that Thomas Jefferson had some African ancestry in his family tree. As such, he is sometimes called America’s first Black President. According to historian Leroy Vaughn, author of “Black People And Their Place In World History”, in addition to Jefferson, Andrew Jackson, Abraham Lincoln, Warren G. Harding and Calvin Coolidge all had some black ancestry. Both Harding and Coolidge never disputed their reported ancestry-although it is said that Jefferson took great pains to conceal or destroy his lineage.

Now, back to Condoleeza Rice.

She was President for only a minute. So was Joe Biden, all according to Ken Katlin, Professor of Law at Northern Kentucky University. Here’s how the scenario unfolds:

1) The Constitution states that :”Before he enter on the Execution of this Office, the president-elect has to take an oath of office”. The 20th Amendment says that “the terms of the President and Vice President shall end at noon on the 20th day of January” and that “If a President shall not have been chosen before the time fixed for the beginning of his term,or if the President-elect shall have failed to qualify, then the Vice President elect shall act as President until a President shall have qualified”. Enter Joe Biden, who was sworn in first, just a minute or so after noon. Obama wasn’t sworn in before noon. City Desk blogger Andrew Beaujon joked that our memories of the brief Biden presidency are vivid because Yo Yo Ma played the entire time!

2) Constitutional Law Professor Katlin refutes any notion that the oath itself is meaningless, quoting Article II, section 1 Cl.8 above concerning the importance of the oath. Therefore, from 12:00 noon until 12:01, the President of the United States was Condoleeza Rice. From 12:01 until about 12:03, the President was Joe Biden. Neither apparently had “executive power” until they too would take the Presidential oath (to actually “act” as President), but they were, in essence the “acting President” Confused?

3) The language of the Presidential Succession Act actually puts the Speaker Of The House (Nancy Pelosi) ahead of the Secretary of State in the line of succession. However, most constitutional scholars believe that an “interbranch appointment” of this nature would violate the doctrine of the Separation of Powers. For this reason, the Secretary of State-Condoleeza Rice was actually the Chief Executive. George Bush and Dick Cheney were officially OUT and Obama and Biden were NOT officially “IN” yet.

The most amusing part of it all is that is highly unlikely that the Secretary of State was actually AWARE that she was President. Admittedly a short term of office, but I for one would have at least wanted to sit in the Big Chair in the Oval Office.

Now there is some dispute that Joe Biden completed HIS oath before noon, making his Presidency a two or three minute affair. If this was the case, then Rice was not both the first black AND the first female President. I choose to believe the original version, since it makes for a much better story, no?


Here is Condoleeza, congratulating Obama on his victory-from November:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhSjuduQGN4

President Rice, congratulations! You have had the first U.S. Presidency completely devoid of scandal, boneheaded decisions or political bickering!


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Journalistic Integrity

Is it just me-or is MSNBC just a propaganda machine for then candidate, now President Barack Obama? I know that Fox news does just the opposite for the Republicans, but I would like to think that NBC’s brass would curtail the OVERT lovefest that oozes from each daily MSNBC broadcast. After all, they at least make a good show of impartiality on the NBC Nightly News.

Don’t get me wrong. I strongly support our new President and I am genuinely excited by his intelligence-and ability to articulate his views. I just wish that some balance could be brought into the mix on that one network.

I enjoy Chris Matthews, Keith Olbermann and Rachel Maddow, but the undisguised bias they have towards Obama now makes me question their objectivity when the sledding gets rough (which it will). During the campaign,perhaps the low point for MSNBC came when it actually INTERVIEWED the self-professed “Obama Girl”, who promoted Barack’s candidacy with racy videos-the link below shows that interview:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IoYeX1Ngf5Y


Objectivity means the courage to report the facts. If editorializing is deemed necessary, it should be confined to segments that designate it as such. Although conservatives like Joe Scarborough and Pat Buchanan are regulars, the overall “feel” of the network is that of a truly liberal lean—with only the faintest attempt to disguise it.

I like editorializing—but PLEASE make it balanced. Fair and balanced…..no, wait…that’s the slogan for Fox, which is also anything but!

Maybe we need to watch BOTH and average them out.

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History Is Made Today

In retrospect, one can look at events of the past and realize-after the fact-that one has been a witness to history. It is therefore somewhat novel to be acutely aware that a future event WILL be historical.

Such was the case today, as the first African-American President of the United States was sworn in as our 44th Chief Executive. As we watched…we KNEW that what we were witnessing was a true turning point in the history of our nation

Enough has been written, enough has been said—and yet it may be some time before we fully grasp the implications of a country where black versus white produced first a Civil War and then violent protests and riots— and then this same country goes and stuns the world by electing a black man to lead it.

Not much got done around 94.9 WHOM today-as we huddled around TVs to witness for ourselves the smooth transition of power from George Bush to Barack Obama.

Remarkable.

There is a fresh beginning--- a new start—and the words of a new President who is appealing to us to join him in the crusade to remake America.

If you missed the Inauguration and President Obama’s stirring speech---click the link below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjnygQ02aW4

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A New Era Is About To Begin!

Regardless of your politics, there is SOMETHING very exciting about what will happen tomorrow. A fresh start, a new beginning…the dawn of a new era.

Each new President bring this hope (audacity or not) into the picture when he (or she!) places their hand upon the Bible and takes the oath of office.

Short and sweet—we are ALL hoping for better times ahead-and while no one person can deliver that future, a bold new leader may be just what we need at this point in our history.

Democrat or Republican, Independent, Green—or none of the above…we are ALL Americans—and we all wish to propser and live in a peaceful world.

Good luck Barack Obama. You have the hopes of a weary nation—and world—resting on your shoulders!

I'm Yours...Is Everyone's!

One of the most popular tunes on 94.9 WHOM (and everywhere) is “I’m Yours” by Jason Mraz. The story of how it became a hit is intriguing.

The song was released more than a year or two ago. For whatever reason, people across the country and the world began to videotape their OWN version of the song. Hundreds of these amateur singers then uploaded their cover of Jason’s tune onto You Tube. Jason and his record label stumbled onto this phenomenon…and a light went off!

Maybe…just MAYBE….this is a hit song. Not the usual fare for Top 40 radio in 2008, it went to #1 nonetheless-and was #1 at 94.9 WHOM as well.

Below is a live version of the song by Jason Mraz himself…of course, you can also check out the OTHER renditions as well! Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYhrYHmUPn0


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Have a great weekend!

Baby, It's COLD Outside!

Waking up is never easy, but when it is THIS frigid, even a house with heat betrays what lies outside. It’s DARN cold out there-and this permeates the inside of the Moore household, too.

In order to save fuel, we keep the upstairs heat off-except to take the chill off as we head to bed. We have oil-fired baseboards downstairs and electric heat upstairs. So, after a night sleeping under a MOUNTAIN of covers, that first foray out of bed is tough! The shower can’t get hot enough fast enough—and you never saw anyone dry themselves off so fast upon exit.

While Northern New England is getting hit hard, what we have seems like NOTHING when compared to the Midwest, where double-digit below zero temps are being reported—BEFORE the wind chill is factored in.

If you too are suffering from the cold temps, the following video clip should warm you up…it is of a guy swimming AT THE NORTH POLE.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1szqfXouPOk

Enjoy this idiot and realize that you are warmer than he is regardless of your locale.

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Stay warm!

American Idol Is Back....Again!

Hard to believe the EIGHTH season of American Idol began on Fox last night! Certainly every show has its run—and then becomes old hat…but it seems like Idol is gearing up for another big year.

Never mind that most of the past winners—and some of the runners-up have enjoyed tremendous commercial success. American Idol is that unique mix of the best and worst that vocal chords have to offer!

Now, I'm not a HUGE fan, but I do watch occasionally-and the best time of the season is right now, when we see (and hear) the auditions of the truly horrible. As I mentioned on the air, it’s my belief that none of these off-key, pitchy, forget-the-lyrics and destroy the tune contestants are under any illusion that they will win. Rather, their mission is to be SO weird, SO bad, SO annoying that they will make it to TV. While it may be cruel to laugh at these folks (since any one of them sings better than me), I am truly entertained more by the crappy singers than the good ones.

The new judge (Kara DioGuardi) is a nice twist to the familiar trio of Randy, Paula and Simon. I’m looking for some fireworks between the two women, since it is rumored that Kara is poised to take Paul’s place next season.

Here is a clip of the Kansas City auditions(promo video) which drives home how incredible the journey is for the eventual winner, from neophyte audition victim to that year’s American Idol—in this latest case, David Cook:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZ1MtHBkthg


It should be fun again this year to watch it all unfold!
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The Mom Song

Maybe I should save this for Mother’s Day, but I just can’t wait. Although it has been out for awhile, I forgot about “The Mom Song”—until someone e-mailed it to me. My own mother will celebrate her 85th Birthday this Friday in a nursing home in Virginia. Although she never spoke MANY of the words in this video, I post this as a salute to HER—and to my wife Peggy, who essentially runs our family.

A mother’s work is NEVER done…and this funny tribute drives it home. Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxT5NwQUtVM


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Don't Anger The Plowguy

I won’t give my address out—since that might make my situation worse. What is my situation, you ask?

I believe that I have a passive aggressive city plow truck driver.

It started a year ago-when I had a disabled minivan in front of my house. As such, the plow had to go AROUND the car and then resume plowing. For this inconvenience to my valued city employee, he then made a point of really laying it on thick in front of my driveway.

Really? Yes, really. The bank in front of MY driveway is twice the height of my neighbors. Coincidence? Maybe if that happened once or twice….but EVERY TIME?

It’s true…the end of my driveway is constantly a WALL of snow and ice. Oh my aching back!

I can understand the plow driver’s frustration, but like the postal worker who bitches that there is a wall of snow blocking him from our mailbox, there are some things beyond my immediate control!

Perhaps the driver’s animosity towards me stems from the early morning when I had JUST cleared the end of my driveway to leave the house—when I saw the big truck looming at the top of my street. I actually stood out in the street, waving my arms to have the plow guy pass my house without dropping the blade. No way. With a big smile on his face, he lowered that plowblade and drove hard to the right, erasing an hour’s work in about 5 seconds!

Don’t get me wrong. I appreciate the work of the city plowing crew. Just keep in mind that a car in the street may not be our intentional way of making your life tougher than it is. Maybe…just MAYBE…..there is more to the story. As for me, I’ll be poppin’ the Advil and heading out again to scrape, lift and toss!If you’d like my blog in your e-mail inbox each day for free, just e-mail me and let me know-I’d be happy to forward it!
Tim.moore@citcomm.com

Blogstipation

The above term is not used in front of children or small animals. Not generally for mixed company of any kind and hard to weave casually into cocktail party conversation.

Blogstipation is the condition that was formerly known as “writer’s block”. Updating for the web-savvy crowd that expects sheer excellence daily from a blog (surely not THIS one), it may simply refer to having all these great ideas, but no coherent way to spew them onto paper---or digital doc.

I am regularly afflicted with this embarrassing condition, but today’s poor excuse for a blog is simply a lack of time. An all-day business conference on the web-followed by my radio show has prevented me from the pearls of wisdom and humor you have come to expect. (insert sarcastic laugh here)

Anyway, I hope to see you at Top Furniture in Gorham, NH tomorrow (Saturday the 10th) from 11-2 as we broadcast live on 94.9 WHOM.

Have a terrific weekend!BTW, if you’d like this blog (such as it is) land in your in-box daily, just click on the link below and e-mail me! It would be my pleasure-and honor!tim.moore@citcomm.com

Eating Right in 2009

One of my resolutions for the new year is to “eat right”. The very wording of this pledge implies that I am now eating “incorrectly”. It’s not like I’m stuffing food into my EAR! (now THAT would be eating incorrectly)

Eating “healthier” seems to sum it up better. What are the things I love? Butter is almost at the top of the list. I am also fond of chips…ANY chips. Potato chips were designed by the devil to keep me watching football on TV for hours on end. I love peanut butter—which I think is good for you, but not in the quantities I consume it. I love the raw material of peanut butter too---peanuts!!!! Oily cocktail peanuts are best, but dry roasted are cool, as are honey roasted, glazed, candied, beer nuts…you name it!. If I had a peanut allergy, I would have been dead in kindergarten.

I adore fast food. Although I don’t go everyday, this may be the hardest habit to curtail. Why? Because I don’t see fast food as “unhealthy”. Nutritionists haven’t been to a fast food restaurant in decades and don’t know that menus at all of them have been overhauled. Why is a cheeseburger from, say, McDonald’s any worse than one that I make at home? First of all, the home burger will be A LOT larger than I need. I read the fast food Nutritional Facts menus—and I must say that I truly believe that many of the meals I order from my car window are healthier than some of the stuff I would prepare for myself at home!

Pizza! Spaghetti! Steaks! Mashed potatoes, with gravy! Ice Cream, cake…PANCAKES!!! Quick, someone get me to Denny’s!! I need a Grand Slam Breakfast!

Ahem….sorry about that….I’ll re-set that resolution to start…..well….tomorrow.

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Got anything to eat? I’m starving.

18 Years...Hey, I'm Legal!!!!

Hard to believe that it was 18 years ago TODAY that little old me, your genial host Tim Moore first landed at 94.9 WHOM!

Hired as the Program Director, I started doing the afternoon show on January 7, 1991. My son was not quite 2 years old and my wife Peggy was pregnant with my daughter Christina.

Fast forward (and it HAS been fast!) to 2009…my “little boy” is a strapping 6’4” college sophomore, my beautiful daughter Christina will graduate from Portland High School this year—and a “new” addition since, young Kevin will turn 9. My lovely wife still looks like she did 18 years ago…..ME? Not quite.

After doing the PM Drive show, I moved to mornings (the original “More (Moore) Music Morning”), came off the air except for weekends and fill –in from 1995 until late last year. Now, full circle, here I am back in afternoons.

So much has changed—the music, the technology, streaming the WHOM signal around the world, not to mention moving our studios from Congress Street to Warren Ave. to One City Center. Three different owners and I am still around. It has been a great ride!

I remember telling my wife that this job might only last 6 weeks—after all this IS radio. I am fortunate to still be here, working with terrific people everyday-I am truly privileged to be on the air broadcasting to YOU each day!

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Cheers!

Ohio State Football Is Painful

First of all, this blog is not really about football, per se.

It is more about how people (mostly men) get wrapped up in their various sports teams to the detriment of everything around them…like their families. And their self respect.

I was guilty last night, as I witnessed another bowl game disappointment-my alma mater Ohio State fell to the Texas Longhorns in the Fiesta Bowl 24-21.

Never mind that the game was close when Texas was favored to blow the Buckeyes off the field. Never mind that OSU had a 4 point lead with just over two minutes to go and somehow allowed their opponent to drive the length of the field to score with only seconds left. Never mind that the Ohio State team, which was embarrassed in each of the last two years in the National Championship Game (by Florida and LSU respectively) has been the butt of jokes for two years (BCS stands for “Buckeyes Can’t Score!”).
All of these facts don’t matter. What matters is that I somehow still CARE!

What is it about sports that we men wrap up our self esteem into how well our TEAM does on the field? Crazy, isn’t it? Even my wife will tell you that I’m better than I used to be, but that’s little consolation when I am screaming at the TV. Hide the children! Protect the dog!

When will we ever learn? When our team wins, we boast, “WE beat so-and-so”. However, when the squad we’re rooting for drops the contest, the removal of our own affiliation starts immediately: “THEY totally screwed up”

As the saying goes, “Victory has a thousand fathers, but defeat is an orphan”

I feel like an orphan. Maybe next year…GO BUCKS!!! ( but get rid of the coach!)

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Thanks!

A Brand New Year!

A fresh start! Renewed energy and unlimited possibilities! I’m wearing my new Christmas sweater! I’ve put away my new gifts and taken down the Christmas tree!

There is something about a brand new year….the calendar is blank-a great metaphor for the “clean slate” outlook….lots of open spaces to fill in with new and exciting activities!

Do I have enough exclamation points? !

As I came into work today, I decided to work out next door at the Bay Club here at One City Center. Certain I would come into direct contact with what I call the “New Year’s Resolution Brigade”, I was frankly surprised to see only the usual faces. Those who made a decision to “get fit in ‘09” apparently are putting it all off until NEXT Monday!

Whatever your resolutions for the new year, here’s hoping you make them happen! There is actually a “fresh start” each day, so you have a daily opportunity to improve.

I am a fan of the Japanese philosophy of Kaizen, which, loosely translated means “constant and never-ending improvement”. Say you want to improve your performance in any area in the coming year. If a 50% improvement is desired, that can seem OVERWHELMING. Well, how about a 1% improvement? If, each day, you can improve your performance by only a percentage point, how many days would it take to reach 50%? If you answered 50 (which would in and of itself be a reasonable amount of time), you’d be overstating things, since on day two, a one percent improvement is now defined on the existing performance level (or 101%, since you grew a percentage point on Day 1). The answer is then 41 days—or about 8 work-weeks---you would then reach your goal for 2009 in TWO MONTHS!! Excellent! Like compounding interest, the improvement builds upon itself.

Take 2009 by the horns and make it yours! Good luck!

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New Year's Toned Down Celebration

Is it just me-or are we moving away from the huge New Year’s celebrations of the past?

Maybe it’s an age thing, since I certainly see the millions of idiots on TV shoehorned into Times Square and places like that to get intoxicated publicly, wear silly hats and glasses and generally make fools of themselves at midnight.

The last few years, I have enjoyed the New Year quietly, staying at home worrying about my teenagers, who were out doing…well…hopefully none of the above.

This year, my wife and I enjoyed the company of my mother-in-law (watch it! No jokes needed here-she’s terrific) and another couple who are our closest friends. There were munchies, there was beer and wine, but no party hats, noisemakers (if you disregard the dog) or 2009 fake eyeglasses.

There used to be “New Year’s Portland”, “First Night Portsmouth”-and the like, but the fear of drunk drivers and safety issues have mostly curtailed many of these activities.

We spent the evening watching ESPN College Football…and then, a couple of driving idiots. One attempted to flip a truck a full 360 degrees and land on all four wheels—he made the flip, which is saying something, since last time he tried it, he landed on his roof and broke more bones than he has brains. Although this time he failed to land upright and drive off (which he considered a complete failure), he survived—which I think his wife considered a success (although I’m not entirely sure)

The Main Event at the same location in Las Vegas involved a motorcycle rider, who was attempting a 2-part stunt:

1) Drive up a ramp a leap to the top of the replica Arch d’ Triumphe (sp?)—if he didn’t splatter into the side or fly completely over it to a gory death on the other side, he would:
2) Jump OFF the Arch (96 feet up) to another ramp.

This crazy nut was successful, although he seriously injured his hand on the part 2 landing. There I was, drinking a beer and thinking that I would start the new year off witnessing a death-a senseless one at that. Luckily, this fool lived to jump another day-which he will surely do.

The most dangerous thing I did on New Year’s Eve was to use a corkscrew without protective gear…living on the EDGE!!!

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Happy New Year!