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5/21/12
--My hope is that you survived the storms last night and got the rain that you needed. I guess none of us has had the rain we've needed…but at least I hope you got a bit of the rain that moved through. At my house we had a couple of very nice downpours. However…having redone my deck this past week I don't have a rain gauge out yet. It felt like we got over an inch, though. Not close to what we need…but it is a start.
Having said that…after a very nice couple of spring days to start this week things will be dry and warm getting into the holiday weekend. Temperatures will be back up to around 90 degrees starting Monday…and the humidity will shoot up a bit, too. (Great boating weather for the holiday weekend, by the way!)
--Saturday morning Faye got up early and went to the hospital. Sarah Bush in Mattoon held a running event to raise money or raise awareness or something for community health. Faye ran track when she was younger and recently started running again. A couple of weeks ago she decided that she wanted to run in the half marathon event on Saturday. I think most people take a couple of months to get ready for an event like that. But of course Faye doesn't do things like most people. She trained for two weeks for a race she has never done before.
I did some things around the house that morning and then headed to the hospital to see her finish. About 15 minutes after I got there I saw Faye cross the finish line. She ended up running 14.55 miles (longer than a half because of a misplaced water station) in just about 2 hours. Her average miles was a little over 8 minutes per. Out of over 60 runners she placed 27th overall, and I think 8th in females. All in all…for having only trained for 2 weeks and never running that far before…I was very proud of her! More importantly than how she finished was that she set a goal and finished it strong. I was in awe.
5/18/12
So here we are on a Friday and it seems like my week has just sped on by. If you've been keeping up with me on Facebook or Twitter you will know that this week for me has been all about washing and staining various things around the house…and of course being in a dunk tank yesterday morning at a Decatur elementary school. It is funny how easy it is to detach yourself from what is happening with the rest of the world when you have big projects going that completely consume you. And I have to say…I don't mind unplugging for a bit. I could get used to it. (See…I told you I'm only a nervous breakdown away from buying a cabin in the mountains!)
Yesterday's dunk tank experience was the second time in my life that I went into the tank. A few years ago I got in one at my chiropractor's office in Champaign for a fundraiser they were having. Now…this is by no means a complaint…but apparently not all dunk tanks are created equal. The tank in Champaign was a nice one. The one from yesterday was not the same. I won't judge the tank. But this morning I am battered and bruised a bit. I have a large bruise on the bottom of one of my feet, and I lost part of a toe nail. This morning I had to pull a JC Fultz and wear sandals to work because it was uncomfortable to wear my dress shoes!
The other problem with yesterday's tank was that the board on which we sit kept slamming me in the back of the head when I would go into the water. After getting hit in the back of the head four or five times I decided to lock the board and just jump in when the kids hit the target. Sure…it wasn't as dramatic for the kids as catching me off guard for a dunk. But I think I could have been concussed if I kept letting that damn thing crack me in the skull!
Overall it was a great time and it was fantastic to see the kids get so excited about dumping us into a tank of COLD water. As I am fond of saying…anything for the kids!
"Feedback Friday"!!!
From David (5/14/12):
I agree , Greg. SOme people just need to be taken out. Hitler was definately one of them. Stalin ranks right there with him, too. He was not a nice person.
And , YES, there are some of us that still read your blog, as well as FaceBook. Keep it up.
I will try to keep it up, David. Actually…the other day something happened here in the "blogosphere" that hasn't happened in years. Another blog on this website actually had more readers in a 24 hour period than mine! Stacey Skrysak does a new, good blog and the other day she had more hits than me. I actually love that someone finally knocked me off the top, even if it was just for a day. I've been carrying the water for this blogosphere for a long time…and if someone else finally steps up to take over it might mean that I can back off on some things.
From Don (5/15/12):
Yes, Greg, we are still out here reading your blog. Wanted to comment of last week's Bible bit. Some people just take it way too seriously.
Thanks for still reading the blog, Don! I may cut back once in a while…but I won't stop completely.
From David (5/15/12):
I get a kick out of car manufacturers saying how they have so many cars that get over 30 mpg. I had a VW bug , back in high school that got 32 mpg. My sister had a '75 Datsun B210 that got 35 mpg. Sure, it was a stick shift, and it didn't have power anything, or AC, but it didn't take much to drive all night in it either, and it didn't cost $30K plus.
I wish I had my old bug.
I think the guy in the video is right when he says that some of the EPA guidelines cut down the ability of US automakers to give us really good gas mileage. Although I am sure that they can do better than they are right now. But if it ever comes down between better gas mileage or dirtier air I will always lean towards paying more to be able to breathe better!
The weekend will get a little warmer and more humid. But cooler air will be moving in for the start of next week. And in between we will get some storms that could be strong Sunday afternoon through Monday, the way it looks right now. Be safe this weekend!
5/17/12
My apologies for a short blog this morning. On an average day I have time to get everything done before the newscast. But on a morning like this where some things go wrong there isn't enough time! And unfortunately this blog is the only thing I can really skimp on in a crunch!
Later today I will be at a grade school in Decatur to sit in a dunk tank for a bit. The kids at the school did very well this past year and their reward is a carnival. A friend of mine is a teacher at this school and she asked me if me and some of my co-workers would sit in a dunk tank. So I set the thing up and let will be freezing my toushy off in support of the kids.
Here is a link to a story someone sent me recently. It's about taxes and a possible scam. Here is the link.
5/16/12
For the most part I think it seems like I am very casual towards my job. I've never been the type of person that looks like he is working hard, per se. Laid back is usually my stance on most things. But…even though that is what it looks like on the outside, on the inside I actually do have a sense of urgency with many things. My job is one of those things that I stress over a bit. I love to goof off and have fun at my job. But I am always very concerned with how it comes across on the air. I consider it to be more of a performance than I think many of my coworkers do. In a sense…I think of it as show business, with the intent of filling you in on what is happening with the weather. That is why I often say that when the weather is serious I am serious…but otherwise it is just the weather and should be fun.
Something I have been learning about myself over the past couple of years is that my personal mood can really have an impact on my job. There is nothing special about that…I think we are all that way. But I study and analyze stuff all the time. And something I have been working on lately has been keeping myself more consistent at work. Not letting my personal life bleed over into my on-air performance hasn't always been easy for me. Even when my life is fantastic, like it has been for a couple of years now, I still get into short little moods where I just don't like anyone. And those are usually the mornings when I feel like my on-air work is a little flat. So I have been working on acknowledging that and trying to be upbeat on-air as consistently as possible. Again…I am not alone in this. But this is what I am working on lately.
The other day something happened that had a bigger impact on me than I have historically realized. I got a little recognition and positive feedback from one of The Suits. While I try not to get too high or two low based on criticism or praise…there is no denying the positive impact this last bit had on me. And yesterday morning I was riding fairly high off of the praise and the morning was a good one as far as my performance was concerned.
It's a funny thing, isn't it? We are still in a bad economy. You might remember that I recently negotiated a new contract. Without getting into specifics…I didn't get quite the money I was looking for at the time because things are still shaky, economy-wise. Overall I was happy with my deal but we could all make more money, right? So we came to terms on a new deal and here we are for a couple more years. Even though I may not be getting what I think is enough for what I am worth…I can live with things for a bit.
I'm going somewhere with this…hang on.
When an employee considers him/herself to be underpaid it is amazing what a little positive feedback can do. I've worked at places before where they just flat out didn't want to pay anyone close to what they were worth. And to top that off…they treated everyone like dog crap. No one got compliments. No one got anything extra. As a matter of fact a standard answer to everything was "Consider yourself lucky you have a job!" That is one phrase that I can not stand coming from a boss. Sure…it is true, especially in this economy, that we are lucky to have a job. But you know what? When you work for a company you are all in it together. The goal should be for the company to succeed so we can all keep these jobs we are so lucky to have. So don't pay us crap and then stick it to us by treating us like dirt! Far too many employers still consider that philosophy to be a good way to do business with their employees. And that is very sad.
So if you can't pay us what we feel we are worth as employees and as part of your company the least you can do is acknowledge our hard work once in a while. And for God's sake would it kill you to show some gratitude that we are working for you? That's what I got this week and it made a big difference in my attitude at work.
5/15/12
--This is a horribly nice stretch of weather this week. Although we could really use more rain right now…we are getting a taste of the dog days of summer, minus the 105 degree temps!
--Someone sent me a link to a story about fuel efficiency. It's about a dude that went to Europe and rented a car that got tremendous mileage. I can not verify the voracity of his tale…
Here is the link.
5/14/12
--We have almost zero weather concerns this week. You might start thinking about sunscreen because of the sunshine and the fact that we are starting to transition into the summer sun. But aside from that it will be dry and fairly sunny the rest of the week. And temperatures will be in the lower to middle 80's most of the week. So there.
--I don't know how many people are really reading this blog anymore. From our own programs I know about how many people hit the blog each day, but those numbers don't tell me how much people really care or are really interested. And overall the numbers are down over the past few months which means that fewer people are hitting the blog. That is probably in part because of other forms of social media, and largely because of my own attention being split between so many forms. When it was explained to me that we are now expected to do these blogs, Facebook, Twitter, and anything else that comes along, I brought up the reality that spreading it out so thin would not be a good thing.
Even with the apparent downturn here on the blog I will keep going with it and assume that at least some people are still interested, which is good enough for me!
--On the radio this morning I was listening to a theory that Adolf Hitler escaped Germany at the end of World War II and lived the rest of his life impersonating a doctor in the Asian jungles of Indonesia. For whatever reason…I have always had a fascination with Hitler. When I was a kid I did a couple of book reports on him. I think the part of him that fascinated me the most was how he was able to convince all of those people that the horrible things he had in mind were a good idea.
So this radio interview was very interesting to me. They say that Josef Stalin was obsessed with the idea that Hitler made it out of Germany. Many of Hitler's former people thought that he got out. And I've always thought it was plausible that Hitler really didn't kill himself and that story was just a government rouse to ease people's fear that he might still be alive.
At any rate…the smart money is on him being dead now…which is probably the way it should have been in 1945. As much as it pains me to say this…the world is probably better off without some people in it. And he would probably be at the top of that list.
If you're interested…here is a link to a video about it. (Listen for the rooster. Funny.)
5/11/12
--Man…yesterday was beautiful! Today will be more of the same, only a bit warmer. This weekend we have a smallish chance for some storms to move through both Saturday and Sunday. If I had to guess…and I do…I'd say we'll see more rain on Sunday than tomorrow.
--Do you follow the station's Facebook page? Yesterday the new Time magazine cover was posted. It had a picture of a 3 year old nursing on his mother. The picture obviously doesn't look anything like what breastfeeding really is. It was obviously meant to illicit an emotional response…and it has. The one thing I will say about it here is that it amazes me how quick people are to tell other people how to live their lives. I heard a quote the other day about the Bible that I thought was perfect. I forget who said it and I apologize for that. But basically the quote stated that the Bible was a great guide for your neighbor to follow. I'm not a huge believer in organized religions because they are filled with humans…and that quote illustrates my frustration with "religious" people. Worry about your own life and let other people worry about their own.
"Feedback Friday"!
From Jerrie (5/9/12):
Good Morning Greg dont feel like you are by yourself we all engage mouth before brains been there done that just go on and hope that she understands what you meant or oops you're in trouble have a good week and keep the sunshine coming I feel better when its out
Don't worry, Jerrie. I don't feel terrible about stuff like that. It is pretty good entertainment. And as you will read below Faye is not too hurt by it, either!
From Faye (5/10/12):
Oh, Greg… The look on your face was priceless when you realized you called me a cow! Xx!
And Gregorians…here is yet another story about Greg saying something stupid!
This was shortly after the "I just slapped a cow" incident. Once again, I was headed back to work. Greg came over and hugged me and decided to pick me up. (Aww - - how romantic!)
Side note: I would consider myself to be a fairly thin woman, however, I do weigh a lot for my size – typically about 30 lbs heavier than what you would think I would weigh.
He proceeded to pick me up and I'm sure that in his mind he thought that I was a lot heavier than what I looked and then he said "WOW!!! YOU ARE DENSE!" Ouch.
So, there you have it. Not only am I a cow, I'm also dense. Awesome.
And thankfully you also have a sense of humor! (Most of the time…)
I won't even try to explain the thought process that happens sometimes…because I would probably type something else that is very stupid! But I will say that lead is denser than cotton. When I picked you up you were heavier than you looked. My point was that your molecules must be denser than most people's molecules. See...if you took a ball of lead and a ball of cotton that were both the same size the lead would actually weigh more because it is denser than the cotton. If you took yourself and another person the same size and weighed both you would weigh more because you are denser. See what I mean? Crap. Did I just do it again??
That's it for this week. We might catch a storm or two over the weekend…but it should not be a washout. Keep in mind, though, that the situation could very well change. Stay tuned!
5/10/12
Devoted readers of this blog will know that I have a bit of an addiction to fantasy sports. I've always been a sports fan. Fantasy sports just gives us non-athletes the opportunity to be more connected to the sports we love. For a while playing the fantasy games became a problem for me because I was playing sports that I didn't even like…such as fantasy hockey. But a few years ago I recognized the problem and now I only do a couple of baseball teams a year, a couple of basketball teams a year, and usually two football teams a year.
There is something happening in football right now that makes me worry about the future of the NFL. It is possible that even non-sports fans have heard about bounty-gate. Basically the New Orleans Saints have been punished because they had a bounty program for their defense that encouraged their players to go out and injure opposing players. The practice of offering money for big plays has been around since the game went pro. But the Saints program took it up a notch for a couple of reasons. Firstly the way the bounties were allegedly laid out gave money to players that would actually harm other players. And secondly the league heard about the program a while back and warned the team to cut it out. The Saints kept going with the program…so the league has gone after them HARD.
Obviously the league has a lot of gain by showing it is trying to protect its players. Concussion syndrome is a huge issue right now in the sports world. Far too many athletes over the years have been dying, even taking their own lives, reportedly due to this post concussion syndrome. So when something like a bounty program is made public the NFL has to protect its own interests and basically crush the offenders.
But there is something else going on with the NFL that makes me suspicious of a few things. Did you know that there is a group of former players and their families that is suing the NFL over concussions? There are over 1200 former players in the lawsuit now and they basically claim that the NFL had knowledge of how damaging concussions were for many years and still did not step up to protect the players. It is the kind of lawsuit that could very much financially hurt the biggest sport in the world. However…we're not hearing much about this law suit. Is it possible that the league is over reacting to this bounty-gate to try and take some attention away from this huge lawsuit?
5/9/12
This could very well end up being more information than you would want on a blog like this, but if you've been reading this blog over the long haul…frankly…you are probably used to too much information. If I had to categorize myself in terms of my affection for the opposite sex I would have to call myself a "butt man". In keeping with that idea I should tell you that I am a butt slapper. By that I don't mean that I go around randomly slapping butts in an inappropriate manner. I'm not going after tushes around the office or on the street. But when I am in the company of the woman I love I sometimes give her a tap. It is an act of affection.
Not only am I a "butt man" but I am also frequently known to say fairly stupid things. It is not my intention to be stupid. It is rarely my intention to hurt someone's feelings. But sometimes my mouth engages before my head engages…and stupid things come out of my face.
One instance when this occurred was a while back in my dining room. I was home from work and Faye was home for lunch. It was a chilly day and she was wearing a longer leather coat that hit her about mid-thigh. She was getting ready to go back to work so I stood up to hug her goodbye. In the act of putting my arms around her I reached down and gave her a slap on the butt.
What was going through my mind at that very moment was something like this:
"I just slapped Faye on the butt. Faye is wearing a leather coat. Leather comes from the skin of cows. I love Faye."
Unfortunately what came out of my mouth was this:
"I just slapped a cow."
5/8/12
--We are really set up for a nice week the rest of the way. We will get a load of sunshine with temperatures right along the lower to middle 70's. When I think of perfect spring weather this week is what I think about. The rain is done. We really needed it. We probably need some more. But it will be nice to settle in with the sun for a few days.
--A couple of weeks ago I had a job shadower named Brody. He is from Pana and my brother works with his Grandpa once in a while. Brody is a good kid and we had fun while he was here. More importantly Brody learned a lot about a job he may pursue. When I came into work this morning I had two pieces of snail mail. One was a $10 rebate for a Brita water filter. The other piece of mail was a thank you card from Brody. Just when you think manners have become a lost art…some young kid goes and completely restores your faith in the process! It is very nice to receive the card. Thanks, Brody!
--I still think that marijuana and prostitution should be legal.
5/7/12
I am happy to report that the heat snap is over. Today we have a cold front passing through that will bring temperatures into the 70's. Tomorrow we will drop into the upper 60's. And then into the weekend we will pop back up into the lower 70's. That is how it looks right now, anyway. We actually broke down last night and turned on the air after fighting the heat trying to sleep. 10 minutes after the air started cooling the house a bit I was out like a light!
I won't say that I am "cheap"…but we are certainly trying to be more frugal these days. Faye has started couponing and has had great success so far. We haven't had the air conditioner on this year until last night…and I turned it off before I left the house this morning. The economy is still very shaky. Overseas markets fell sharply last night because of the uncertainty from the European elections yesterday. It won't take much to plunge much of the world back into a scary financial state. So how would it not make sense to save as much money as possible right now?
5/4/12
--We are starting off a little stormy this morning! As these storms move through today keep in mind that we are at a slight risk for severe weather with the biggest issue being the potential for large hail. Strong wind could also pop up here and there. And of course as with most any storm lightning is something about which to worry, as well. Off and on through the weekend could be a little stormy, especially on Sunday afternoon into that evening when we are also at a slight risk for severe weather. Keep in mind that is still a couple of days away and things could change. But it looks like Sunday afternoon/evening could get busy as well.
"Feedback Friday"!!!
From Gary (5/1/12):
Greg I have a letter I wrote for the Editorials but the email address is not right it keeps coming back to me.
The editorials were something that our old General Manager, Ron Pulera, used to do. Ron retired…and I am not sure the new guy, Ricky, is going to be doing them. My guess is that they shut down that email address…which would seem to indicate that the new guy won't be doing the editorials.
From Jerrie (5/1/12):
good morning greg glad to welcome may its birthday month where is jon did he leave the station to go somewhere else
Happy Birthday month, Jerrie!
Jon Nilles got out of the business. I think he is up in Chicago now doing a sales gig so he can make more money. Believe it or not…we don't make loads of cash these days. We're a long way from the days of Judy Frasier making over 6 figures…and it can be tough to make ends meet.
From A Gregorian (5/2/12):
Hi Greg, I don't mind that during sever weather conditions my show or shows is not on TV. Saving a life comes first, by alerting all the people that are in that area and where it is heading. Mark my word,,, if that funnel cloud was over their house or a loved one in their family they might not be so interested in watching the TV. "The people that called in like to piss before their water comes."
When I put that it is from A Gregorian it is from someone that wants to stay anonymous…which is fine.
I completely agree. It is a double-edged sword getting people hooked on your programming…because when you have to take that programming away to cover a storm or breaking news it makes people cranky!
Sadly that has to be it for now. I have to get back to watching these storms that could get a bit nasty this morning. Stay tuned!
5/3/12
--The "Boo Birds" were out in full force on Facebook yesterday! The forecast I put together yesterday morning between 3:30 and 4 called for mostly sunny for most of the day with a slight chance for a shower to pop up here and there. Well…many places ended up with more clouds than I thought and the rain actually happened for some of us. It wasn't a completely blown forecast but it wasn't 100% verified, either. But you sure couldn't tell from the people that were calling me out on Facebook about it!
Being called out like that really doesn't bother me. It is entertaining, and most people were having fun with it, I think. Most of the time when I blow a forecast I am the first person to mention it. But yesterday the Peeps didn't give me a chance! Great stuff.
--I haven't been pushing "Coast to Coast AM" down your throats recently because I know most of you aren't likely to be interested. But I still listen to it for a bit just about every morning on my way to work. For those that do not know…C2C is a radio show that examines the "fringe" of society, or less mainstream ideas. They tackle issues like UFO's and secret societies and unexplained phenomenon. It can be fascinating radio. This morning they had the mother of all shows on government conspiracies…which is right up my alley! I won't bore those of you that aren't interested with the details. But if you are a person that likes to read about secret societies and assassinations and shadow governments then you should hit this link to check out the C2C website for details on this morning's program. Great stuff.
--Tomorrow is "Feedback Friday" where we hear mostly from you. If you have any thoughts on just about any topic and you'd like them to be known just hit the feedback section below. If you have a lot to say send me an email with "Blog" on the subject line. Feedback will go on the blog tomorrow morning!
5/2/12
Yesterday ended up being fairly exciting in Champaign and Vermilion counties. Late afternoon a storm really got going and produced several funnel clouds and apparently some weaker tornadoes. JC and Lee were on the air here for a couple of hours it seems to cover the storms. It doesn't sound like there was much damage, which is always good. And more importantly it doesn't sound like there were any injuries.
It's funny to watch the comments and emails come in when we have to cut into programming to cover storms. Yesterday we pre-empted Jeopardy and a couple of our regular newscasts to make sure people were informed and safe. And of course the complaints started flowing in…from killing Jeopardy to the fact that we were covering storms outside of Macon county.
Well guess what? We have to cover every county in our FCC license. We are here primarily to serve the public on the public's airwaves and the FCC is very particular about how we do that. It's up to us whether or not we are covering storms. But once we decide to cover storms we need to cover them all as best we can…and we don't really concern ourselves with what show is on the television at the time. The protection of life and property takes precedence over Alex Trabek and his game show that you can likely catch later on YouTube if you are really determined.
That's just the way it is.
5/1/12
--Catch you on the flip-side, April. You were a fun month. A little dry…but you tried your best to catch us up at the end!
--Well hello, May! You bring us so much every year! Flowers…warmer temperatures…and short shorts! Come on in! We've been waiting for you…
--Recently someone sent me a link to a short little movie dealing with the 2nd Amendment. I'm watching the clip right now. I will take a chance and go ahead and post the link to the clip so you can watch it yourself if you like. And as always you are more than welcome to sound off about it, or anything else, by hitting the feedback section below…
Here is the link!
