Weather...Or Not October 2010 Entries

10/29/10

Those of you that know my brother may laugh at this…but I am quite serious when I say I think the man would make a good nurse. For such a rough neck dude…he has startling compassion when it comes to taking care of people. He is very attentive and caring. I will likely take a beating for telling everyone this…but a lot of my family reads this blog, and I want them to know that Steve should be a nurse!

So I am back in the saddle this morning, as they say. I went to Chicago to take care of some things. Everything is good. So now I am back! Looks like I missed some fun while I was gone. As a matter of fact Tuesday morning I got a text from Laine Sylvester. She was very curious to know how I manage to always take time off just before a major storm! Apparently I've stiffed her several times. For the record…I had my time off planned for several weeks and there was no way I could tell that far off that we would have such a nasty storm system coming through! It is odd, though, that I do seem to miss many big storms. Or maybe another way to look at this is that when I am here the weather is usually good.

There wasn't much feedback this week, as I was not able to blog while I was gone. But here is what there was…

"Feedback Friday"!!!

From a Gregorian (10/22/10):

Morning Greg,

How in the world could some readers misconstrued and read more into what you wrote that Scot was just merely leaving the Morning Show, of News Broadcasting?

By the way…I don't get the full disliking of being up before the crack of Dawn, to get your work done. (Especially from you.) I worked second shift by choice, for over 35 years, and worked day, or fist shift 2 years before that.

On the 3 to 11 shift you could get your running done, mowing the yard, after the dew dried off the grass. It fit my schedule great, I could spend time with my child before school age, and only had the 1 hour of Baby sitting each day for the wife to pick our child up after she got off work.

I know guys that would only work 11 to 7 for most of the reasons of time to get things done after getting off work, or before heading in to the work place. Lets just face it DUDE,, Work suc_s.

Well it is called work for a reason, isn't it?!?

Did I say I disliked going to work so early? Maybe I did. You make many good points, and I agree with them. On one hand going to bed around 6 takes a lot of life out of the week. But it is nice being done with work early. Grocery stores, etc, are usually much easier to get through. Overall I don't mind it. But it does put a damper on the social life. And as I have said here many times before…if you prioritize my life it would go something like this: time with friends and family first, with work being somewhere very far down the list.

From Bart in Champaign (10/22/10):

WHAT!? Scot got fired! Oh my god! What an injustice. Who can I contact to complain? This is an outrage! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

So I guess it was you, Fredo. You broke my heart!

From Kevin in Atlanta (10/28/10):

Good Morning Greg, I think it needs to be said what a great job Laine did this week filling in for you.

Have A Great Day

Thanks for the feedback, Kevin! Laine is a DEVOTE Gregorian, so she will read your comments. Although now everyone knows that she is a capable fill in for me…is there any reason to keep me around??

Aight. That's it for today. The weekend will be a little bit warmer than the past couple of days. It looks like Halloween weather will be fantastic!

10/25/10

--We are just starting a new crew during the morning news…and I decide to be gone for a few days! Tomorrow through Thursday I will be up North to take care of some business. I always like to give you a heads up when I will be gone. It cuts down on the phone calls and emails wondering what happened to me. Maybe I talk about getting fired or quitting too much on this blog, because every time I get some time off from work it freaks people out a little bit! Heh. At least you notice when I am not here.

--Speaking of the new crew…in case you missed the blog last week…Scot England is now able to sleep in most mornings. He still works here…he did not get fired or move on to another job. He is still doing Central Illinois A to Z. He just isn't anchoring the morning news any more. Taking over for Scot in the morning is Chris Nguyen…and it is pronounced "win". Chris should be a lot of fun in the morning, so give him a chance. It always takes a couple of weeks for a crew to get into a rhythm.

--I heard on the radio this morning that some people expect the announcement that we are not alone in this world to come at any time. And some people even think we have "E.T.'s" living among us right now. Yeah…I've been listening to "Coast to Coast" again on the way to work. It's a cooky show, but I dig it. Anything that deals with unusual stuff is cool with me.

--I may or may not have the chance to blog while I am gone this week. But just in case you might find it convenient to sign up for email alerts. You can do that towards the bottom of this page. And while I am gone you are more than welcome to send me your thoughts on…whatever. I'll likely post the feedback on Friday. You can send feedback also at the bottom of this page.

10/22/10

So yesterday I dropped the news on the blog that Scot England was no longer going to be anchoring during the morning news. When you write anything it is mostly up to the reader to get whatever meaning they choose out of what you write. Apparently some of you took my words to mean that Scot England was fired. Naturally that would upset a lot of people, as Scot is a Central Illinois legend of sorts. And upset people sometimes contact people that they think can impact the situation. And of course then those people in charge contact the original writer of said information.

So let me state clearly…I did not write in the blog that Scot was fired. I was not implying that he was pushed out of the morning anchor chair. I put in the blog that he will no longer be anchoring the morning news, and that is it. Scot will still be doing Central Illinois A to Z, reporting on stuff, and who knows…maybe even filling in once in a blue moon behind the desk in the morning. Sure…we will miss him in the morning, and we are all a little irritated that he will now be sleeping in, while those of us he leaves behind still struggle to wake well before sunrise. But life moves on…and so will we. "The New Kid" Chris really is going to be fun to work with, I think. And we are all looking forward to getting past the mandatory awkward couple of weeks when someone new comes along.

And don't get me wrong…I have no anger about this. For a long time I've known how this works. If you don't explicitly spell out exactly what you mean it leaves it open to interpretation. And some Gregorians misinterpreted what I put on the blog yesterday. It happens both ways, too. Too often I unintentionally put something on here that comes off too strong, or whatever. And when that happens I am quick to explain it. And that is all I am doing this morning. Explaining what I wrote yesterday.

By the way…it looks like we will FINALLY get some decent rain around here. It's too bad it is coming on the weekend. But at this point…we take what we can get. Also…check out JC Fultz's blog if you are interested to know what NOAA thinks our Winter will be like this year.

"Feedback Friday"!!!

From Jim in Taylorville (10/18/10):

I think you should do the weather for just ONE DAY without Faye or WAND dressing you. It's Halloween season... so why not dress up as "who you really are" in your favorite clothes when you're not working on TV?

Personally I prefer faded jeans and comfortably worn out cotton clothing but to each their own. The one thing I DREAD most is having to wear a crisp and bright article of new clothing that I loathe, for the sake of the thoughtful person who gave it to me. I am meticulously neat and careful with my favorite clothing, that I admit is unchanging, boring, and absurd.

I now wear nothing BUT faded jeans, white golf shirts, (from Land's End) and Carthart jackets when winter sets in. It keeps life simple and efficient, with one less silly decision to make every day. I spent too many years in expensive neckties, suits, and sport coats. Think about it: It DAMN sure wasn't any REAL man who thought up neckties and pronounced that "This is good". It wasn't God either, so use your imagination. <grin>

Maybe women just found hard working men to be so ugly that they had to decorate us out of wearing practical clothing? I dunno... since some males now seem to enjoy "fashion", and are "fashion designers" who are often only "technically" biological men. I simply don't buy into that dress code: I now wear what I want... and I don't make any apologies. I also don't criticize any man who wears an Armini suit just to be legitimate in his business career. That makes me sad, but,

I fully understand the reasons why. (women)

Yep. You nailed it. Most of what straight men do is based on women. It is what is in our DNA. And at the biological level ensures that the species continues. Although I don't believe what women do is based on men. Biologically speaking I think women are about babies. So that means we straight men base what we do on women…but women could care less about what we think. For them it is about babies. And once a woman is done having babies I think they just pay enough attention to us to keep things happy and peaceful!

Most of that I just made up. I really don't have a clue.

And I can't really dress at work like I do when I am chillin at home, because I wear pajama bottoms and a tee shirt most of the time. There would not be a good place to keep the microphone! (Although a couple of viewers that don't like me…yet continue to watch…would love to give me some suggestions!)

From Kristen in Maroa (10/21/10):

Wow Greg, what sad news about Scot! Good for him not to have to get up as early though, more time with his family. The morning news has been great with him there and his goodbye message you posted was so sweet! You can tell he is a genuine person. So sorry I haven't been the faithful Gregorian I used to be, been off the grid so to speak. My newest adventure is being involved with Big Game Nations, created the facebook page (didn't see where you joined it yet though) and next is to create the webpage. So, now that I am back online...I will work to do better at reading the blog faithfully again, promise. Now go check out the Big Game Nations page please?? Pretty please??

It's okay for us to fall off the grid once in a while, my friend! Actually…it is probably healthy to check out once in a while.

Here's the link to your new endeavor!

From Meredith in Effingham (10/21/10):

Greg, I, too, will miss Scot England. However, change is a part of life and I'm glad Scot has been a part of my mornings over the past few years. Every now and then my husband and I will make a comment about his channel 41 days many years ago. He has come so far and truly is one of my favorite news anchors.

Many moons ago I did radio in Mattoon. I would get home from work usually just in time to turn on Channel 41 to catch Scot doing the news. The station for HORRIFIC. And those newscasts were brutal. But there was something about Scot England that I liked, and for some reason I was addicted to it. I would do everything I could to get home and watch those newscasts. It was weird years later when Scot walked into the station…and even weirder the first time I worked with him at the anchor desk.

From Kevin in Atlanta (10/21/10):

Good Morning Greg, Sorry to hear Scott is leaving the morning show. Hope he knows he'll be missed. I'm sure Chris will do a great job in his place.

Have a Great Day,

Kevin

Thanks for the words, Kevin. Scot does read this blog…so he will read your feedback. And Chris and I have worked together a couple of times now. While he is still relatively new to anchoring…I personally think Chris has a good future ahead of him. It will be fun to help another "rook" cut his teeth!

From Teri in Decatur (10/21/10):

Hi Greg:

It is sad to see Scott go I will miss seeing him every morning. I will keep on watching as long as you and Tara are there.

At least Scott will still be around unlike some other key personnel that will be greatly missed by staff and customers. Hope things settle down there a bit for you all.

Don't feel too bad about not seeing Scot, Teri! After all…he is probably sleeping right now as I type this! And seriously…he has a little girl at home that should be able to see her Dad more often. Scot works a TON of hours. And getting up around 1 every morning to get to work just isn't something that most people can do long term when you work 12 or 14 hours a day most days of the week. So now Scot can get more than a couple of hours of sleep every night. And at his age…he needs all he can get!! (Heh. One last dig before you leave, Scot!)

Be safe this weekend! If you have outdoor plans be sure to check in with us to see what is happening with the weather. You can access all kinds of maps, etc, here on our website. And of course we still have that interactive radar that is a fantastic tool for you to use.

10/21/10

Today begins a new era on the morning news. Scot England is no longer part of our crew. I've wanted to mention this prior to this morning, but was asked not to. Scot is still with WAND. He will still be doing Central Illinois A to Z. And he will still be reporting on things around here. He just won't be getting up at 1 every morning to anchor the news anymore.

I will miss working with Scot every day. We often don't get to work with our friends. I consider Scot to be my friend. He is one of the better people I know, and not working with him anymore will make me sad. But at least I can say we got to work together for a couple of years. And it was a good couple of years.

Scot is the real deal, and a dying breed in broadcasting. In the last year Scot is responsible for getting people like Tony Curtis, Angie Dickinson, Jerry Mathers, Awesome Kong, Jimmy Hart, Jeff Jarrett, and a host of other real celebrities on the air with us in the morning. These were not appearances set up as "satellite interviews" where a celebrity sits in front of a camera all morning and does interviews with stations all over the country, pushing the cause or product of the day. Nope. Scotty's interviews were given to him because he has developed personal relationships with most of these people.

Scot is a bona fide pen pal of Muhammad Ali. He is a friend of Richard Petty's. And he spent the night several times at Evel Kenevil's house. Scot is also a devoted father and husband, and this morning schedule is not exactly great for personal relationships. The morning news will be the lesser because Scot is no longer on it. And I am quite sure our ratings will feel his leaving.

But people come and go. Over the past several years the only mainstay is me, for whatever reason. Tara is still here for a few more months before her hiatus. Replacing Scot in the morning, to the best of my knowledge, will be Chris Nguyen (pronounced 'win'). Chris has occasionally been anchoring on the weekend with Liz Adeola. He is a good kid, and seems to have a lot of energy. And I am looking forward to getting some chemistry going with the "new crew"…although that takes time.

Scot England is a class act. But don't take my word for it. Read the feedback he sent me yesterday just after the news was over.

From Scot England (10/20/10):

Since we chose not to say an official goodbye on the air, I will use Greg's blog to say a few words.

Working with Greg and Tara for the past 2 years has been the highlight of my career.

I have worked with Greg over 10 years and I value his friendship more than he'll ever know.

As for Tara...it's not always easy sitting next to someone for a couple of hours every morning. Off the air, our desks are also side by side.

When you spend so much time with someone, you grow to either love them or hate them. And I love Tara and Greg.

Over that time, there were only a couple of days where Tara and I didn't get along...and then I came to my senses and said I was sorry.

Tara is one of the greatest girls I have ever met. I think the world of her.

I'll still be around WAND (I think), but I will now be able to sleep in.

Thank you for letting me come into your home each morning over the past 2 years. It was my honor.

Scot E

10/20/10

I'm sure we will hear more details about this in the coming months, but it appears as though Tate & Lyle is beginning the migration out of Decatur. Hoffman Estates will be the site of a new T & L facility that will house around 160 jobs for that area. I am not sure at this point how many Decatur jobs will be lost, if any at all.

Hoffman Estates plan

Local Dude's Reaction

10/19/10

--So P90X is…fun. It also happens to be a butt kicker. But if I stick with it for the full 90 days I will be in the best shape of my life, I believe. It is amazingly simple, too. You can do it without much equipment at all. You might need a couple of weights…you could use milk cartons filled with sand…and maybe some exercise bands. And a place to do pull ups…and you are set. Yesterday was the first day for Matt and I. I can tell that by the end of this day I am going to be pretty sore. But really…I like that kind of sore. It lets me know that I am actually doing something again. And for those of you keeping track…I did not vomit!

--We like to keep it honest here on the old weather blog. So let's be honest…Decatur smells. It always has. And for the sake of the city I hope it always does, to some degree. It smells like a factory town, mainly because it is a factory town. You can smell soy bean processing for literally miles and miles on any given day. But lately another smell has wafted over Decatur. That is the smell of sewage. And it is because of the lack of rain lately. When water levels at the sewer plants get too low it allows "gases" to escape more…and we notice it by the smell. And short of wasting water by filling the sewers back up there is not much to be done about it. Recently the city tried to help the situation by releasing some water from the hydrants. This morning driving to work I noticed the stench was still pretty strong. Maybe in a day or so the water release will show some benefit. But mostly we will just have to wait and hope for some decent rain. Maybe this weekend.

--So apparently Osama Bin Laden is not living like a rat in a cave, ala Saddam Hussein when we caught him. There are now reports that Bin Laden is actually living quite well in Pakistan, and he is being protected by the locals…and parts of the Pakistan government. Here's a link to the story. Kind of makes me think that our government has been less than diligent or serious when it comes to finding this guy. Makes you wonder what the real story around 9/11 is, doesn't it? I'm not going to pull a Jesse Ventura and say that we maybe knew it was going to happen. I don't know enough about it to suggest that. But something tells me we citizens don't have all the information about those attacks...

10/18/10

It must be Monday. I came in to work this morning, and nothing was working. So I spent most of the morning trying to get things going so I could do some weather. Finally five minutes before the news things improved and I was able to start doing weather! It's these trying times that makes us stronger, no?

So given the morning I've had there has not been much time to blog. Maybe this would be a good time for you to tell me how your day is going. Hit the feedback form at the bottom of the blog if you'd like to share!

10/16/10

I used to be a big time fan of "The Biggest Loser". This latest season is the first season I have not watched since the show started. While it is a very inspirational show…I just can't take the crying and forced drama of the show anymore. It is over-produced and too cheesy for me. But as I said…it is a very inspirational show.

Recently someone in the LA Times wrote an editorial taking Jillian Michaels to task for some things. Of course Jillian is one of the trainers on "The Biggest Loser", and has a growing fitness empire. To Jillian's credit she says she will be going after this guy that claimed she isn't even a real fitness trainer. I don't know enough about this to make claims…but from the research I've done it seems like this guy is going to lose if it goes to court. Here's the story. I liked watching Jillian on TV.

Other than that…I'm just sitting here at work on a beautiful Saturday afternoon. 4 hours ago I was taking a nap with the window open and the breeze blowing. Ah, well. It's not like my job is inseminating elephants at the circus. I will survive.

10/15/10

Well once again we've made it to Friday. I heard on the radio this morning that UFO sightings have seen an increase in recent months all over the world. Apparently the United Nations has even appointed someone to be ambassador in charge of any future contact with alien life. For some reason I was disappointed that I wasn't selected. As a kid watching all these science fiction movies about aliens coming to see us I just always assumed that I would be the person they would come to see. Maybe I just haven't completely realized yet that the universe doesn't revolve around me. At any rate…if I don't end up on a spaceship at some point in my life I will die disappointed.

"Feedback Friday"!!!

From A Gregorian (10/11/10):

Good morning Greg,

I believe whole heartedly in Free Speech. Yet, On the other hand, the Westboro Baptist Church protesting, while Mr. Snyder was arriving soon to the Grave Yard to burry his son Marine Lance Cpl. Matthew Snyder was not under the Free Speech Amendment.

Carrying signs that (God loves Dead Soldiers) showed true hate and disrespect for Mr. Snyder, and all the Fallen Veterans who gave their lives for the freedom we have here in America.

Word, Bro. This is just my natural curiosity…but where in the Baptist Bible does it say that Jesus Christ would be the type to protest at a person's funeral? Something tells me these crackpots are missing the point.

From Tricia in Sullivan (10/11/10):

I've always been sentimental about "stuff" but since I've had kids, I try not to hang on to anything. A friend of mine told me of a cool site called "freecycle" on Yahoo Groups that people post their items that they're willing to give away. I've gotten rid of several things that way and it makes me feel less wasteful. You might wanna check it out. :)

Thanks for the tip, Tricia! I haven't actually started going through things yet. Who knows if I actually will. But if and when I do I will definitely check out that site.

From Earlene in Windsor (10/11/10):

Hi, Hope your cold is gone. I just was wondering how your Grandfathers Honor flight went. Did he have a good time?

I am very happy to report that my Grandfather's trip was a great success. And thank you to everyone that sent him a card or letter. He received so many that he wasn't even able to finish them on the plane ride back home…which is exactly what our goal was! So thank you very much for making a WWII Veteran's special event even more special.

Someone sent me a link this week about a gun with a lot of kickback. The gun is a .577 T-Rex. Hit the link if you want to laugh!

From Bart in Champaign (10/12/10):

Ah, P90X. It's workout DVD's and a meal plan. I have it - got it from an ex co-worker. It is what it is, the latest fad plan that'll work if you do it right and stick to it, just as all the others will. Most will just do it for awhile then discard it. Again that's how I got it. Heck, you can do Jane Fonda's workout from back in the day if it get's ya movin'. I wouldn't buy it, but then I'm a trainer. Now for anyone who needs a boost with some guidance and has the motivation to exercise at home, it's worth every penny. But you have to do it!....preferably without throwing up.

Thanks for the input, my friend. I will do what I can to keep from throwing up. But you know how hardcore Matt can get with this stuff! He's a pusher, I say! A PUSHER!

Bart actually knows a boat load about getting fit. He's a personal trainer at the Mettler Center in Champaign. If you are in the area and looking for some help getting healthier hit this link, and when you call to set things up ask to train with Bart. Honestly…you will not regret it.

From Teri in Decatur (10/14/10):

Hi Greg:

I agree with you I have worked in organizations that all they wanted is the bottom dollar. Not a pleasant place to be. It is true that happier workers are more productive and it shows to the customers also. I refuse to work someplace where it is totally unpleasant and I have to drag myself everyday. Don't get me wrong I like money and I like to eat. But life is too short to be miserable.

There has been a fair amount of feedback on yesterday's blog. Apparently many people are in the same boat. I'm not sure why it is so hard to find good managers. It just seems like common sense to me that people would actually like to enjoy where they work.

From Jennifer in Decatur (10/14/10):

Greg-I have to say I couldn't agree more with your blog this morning. Many employers think compensation is the only thing employees are looking at when it comes to recognition. Great management understands little things which don't cost the company a cent go way farther than any bonus....at least in my opinion. I would love to feel my company values me as a person-not just as an employee bringing in revenue....

For most of us it doesn't actually require more money for us to be happy at our jobs. Most of us realize that the economy sucks and money is tight everywhere. But just having a manager that doesn't take the bad economy as an opportunity to walk on employees would be enough at this point to keep people happier at work.

From Jim in Taylorville (10/14/10):

I've been fortunate to have in my long life to have been self employed, been a "big corporation" peon, and later a corporate part owner / CEO / President. My personal approach to any job was to ASSAULT it... as if to prove that I was tireless and invincible. When later I was hiring people into my real estate development company, I tried to limit my staff to as few people as possible. My motive wasn't to save money, and here is why:

I hired only people who were far better qualified at their individual jobs than me. They had to be smart, hard-working, cheerful, and positive people who would fit into our happy work "family". That's right, I said "family". With a staff of only 15 to 20 professional people, we accomplished four times more than most companies with 100 people on their payrolls. Guess what though? My employees were usually earning at least 3 times more than what their counterparts were being paid. They appreciated that, but they LOVED their jobs mostly because I'd hired a "family" of hard working, fun, best friends. We never minded the long hours and hard work, because of a thing called "camaraderie". Work was EXCITING to us, and they never knew when I'd surprise them with a party, a day of group sailing, or a private day of simply bass fishing with me.

Other developers thought I'd totally lost my mind for paying and treating my employees as my friends or even my superiors, but I was making a lot of money from the profits. I felt like OWED them. My job was to simply find and buy the land, analyze what I wanted to build that would sell, and then help design the projects before I sold them. My staff did everything else, including the architecture, sub- contracting, construction supervision, and sales escrows.

My main job was simply to ensure the morale while staying out of their way. These people were like a machine and would work so hard that I'd often have to go in late at night and on weekends just to throw them out of our offices! I was never really their "boss" to them. I was simply their friend. Granted... this was a "small business" but guess what? Small businesses used to create 70% of all US jobs (and maybe still do) yet today small corporations are going the way of small farms.

Most people WANT to work and do well. It's simple as that.

Thanks for the input, Jim. It is good to hear from someone that did it the right way…successfully and for a long, long time. Hopefully some bad managers that clearly have no clue will read your feedback and learn something.

From Cody in Decatur (10/14/10):

Hi Greg!

It is clear that what Mike Vick did was wrong on many levels and if someone wants to not like him because of that, I am not going to try and change their mind. What I don't understand is there are players in the NFL right now that have raped and killed humans and I don't hear nearly as much complaining about those players as I do Vick. To single out one player for his wrongs while giving so many others a pass seems like backwards to me.

I can't disagree with anything you've said here, Six Gun.

I have a Facebook page. Unfortunately I've had to make my FB page a non-work zone. A while back someone that used to work here tried to submarine me using this blog and my FB page. So I don't add anyone that I don't actually know to my FB page. But yesterday I linked this blog to my FB to see what people thought. The responses were pretty good…so I will anonymously share some of them here.

These are all from friends of mine, but I will not name any of them. I will just post the feedback as it appears on my FB page, and I likely will not comment after any of them.

You are SPOT ON my friend. I used to work for a family based newspaper where the boss was a peach. I loved working for him. He loved his workers too. He used to say he would rather replace a piece of equipment as to replace an employee. Finally four years into the job he announced that he was selling the business to the largest newspaper chain in the world. I knew this was going to be bad. The place went from a happy working environment to a morgue that no one could stand. The former employer had people who only knew how to work for his newspaper...2 started delivering papers for him at age of 9 and still worked for him in their 40s (pressman and writers). Within a year 85% of the crew had been fired or quit. I learned how NOT to manage people from this a-hole. Little things became very clear like "Praise in public and preach in private". Something the new guy could not grasp. He would continually yell at employees and embarrass them in front of customers and other employees. I learned then that it is 20% what you do and 80% who you do it for. And yes, I whole heartedly agree that happy employees are much more productive, more conscientious and make more money for their bosses!

Another one…

I could go on ad nauseum about this sort of thing, but I will try to avoid that. I needed one course at Eastern to graduate, and the only thing that fit my schedule was something called Public Organization Theory. I had no idea what that was. It turns out to be a combination of public administration and business management. I learned most of what I know about management through that course.

What I left the class with is the knowledge that management is about managing people more than about managing a company. You have to figure out what motivates the employees and keeps them happy, and you have to provide that. Sometimes, not even the employees know what they need. So you have to be very good at judging people and their personalities.

And people are motivated by many things. Some people want to receive an award for their work. Some people just want a pat on the back. Some people want a raise, but others want a promotion with the same pay. Some people want greater flexibility, but others want more structure. Being a good manager means understanding what each person requires and doing your best to provide that. Money might be the primary motivational factor for some folks, but most of them will settle for an extra week of vacation or the chance to leave early on Tuesdays to watch their kids' basketball games. This makes folks feel important. It reassures them that their managers want them to be happy and care about them as more than a person who performs a job function.

Yet another…

you make a wonderful point! i know with the downsizing of the economy it sometimes makes things tricky for my husband who a mgr. he keeps it happy and in return everything runs so much smoother. hope this gets the right attention for so many mgrs out there.....good luck and keep fighting the good fight!

You know it!

Its true. Ive been in jobs where it was a complete joy to go to work every day. We laughed and joked, but were dead serious about what we wanted to accomplish. It was the best! Its where I learned to apply the same 'tactic' to my classroom.

This one was from one of the best teachers in the biz of teaching.

Okay…last one…

very nice, I just shared this with a fellow employee and wish I had the guts to go lay it on my boss's desk.. I am a wus I guess, but as a single mom I cant afford the luxury of making an obvious point...there will come a day though.. I have faith : )

And your situation is the exact reason why some of these scumbags don't treat employees well. They know that right now while things are down most of us simply have no other option but to take their crap.

That's it for this week. There may be a blog entry tomorrow. I will be filling in for Laine tomorrow evening. If the mood takes me I will do a blog…but I'm not promising the mood will take me!

10/14/10

I've been thinking a lot lately about what makes a happy workplace. Since the economy crashed many of us have had the chance to really think about how happy we are with our current state of employment, whether that be a completely happy situation or no employment situation at all thanks to downsizing or the ever-growing sense of corporate greed. Many people in charge of employees have taken a "they should just be happy they have jobs at all" approach with how they treat their employees. And honestly there is a lot of truth to that. Anyone with a job these days should be happy to have that job.

But there is another side to that line of thought, as well. I suggest these very poor managers that believe their employees should just be happy to have a job pick up a DVD of "Office Space". It's a movie based on office life. Sure…it is a spoof comedy of office life…but many of the themes are true today. People that are underneath "middle management" often stare in disbelief at the decisions made by those steering the ship. And we all love the poor schlep that must be so sad in his/her personal life that they come to work and apparently take it out on his/her subordinates.

I don't want to go off on an incoherent rant here. So before I do I wanted to leave you management types with a few thoughts. The over-riding theme in any office should be that "happy employees produce more". There is evidence that proves this is true. If a manager treats employees with respect, and occasionally offers encouragement that amounts to more than just "at least we let you work here", that manager might just be surprised at how happy an employee will be to be more productive. It's not all just about money for most of us employees…even if it is with most employers.

To me it seems like common sense that an employer would want happy employees. Who wants to come into work everyday when everyone has poor morale?? I certainly do not. I've worked in places where everyone is generally happy to be there. Those jobs are always the most fun. And you know what? Those employers always made a lot of money. You know why? Because happy employees are more productive employees. It astounds me how few managers actually get this concept. It is a truly small mind that can't think past cracking the whip.

I don't want you to think that I am just going off here. There have been studies done that show what I am saying is true. So I will leave you this morning with some links to some articles essentially backing up what I am laying down here. And here is another thought…if you are a person that is working for a manager that clearly has no clue about what success in life is all about…hang in there. You have to believe in the Karma of life. What goes around comes around and at some point these people that callously and carelessly hurt other people so they can make an extra buck will get what is coming to them, in this life or the next.

Happy Employees!

Employee Productivity

Google it and read for yourself, for cry-eye!

10/13/10

--I've always been interested in stem-cell research. To me it has always seemed like a good idea. Of course there is the debate over using embryonic stem-cells for testing, etc…because the embryo is destroyed. And that leads people to believe that other people will be selling their fetuses for research. And we certainly do not want baby farms to spring up anywhere in the world.

Enter…adult stem-cells. As it turns out…adult stem-cells might prove to be better than embryonic stem-cells. And you don't have to kill embryos to make it effective.

http://www.healthkey.com/sns-health-adult-stem-cell-studies,0,4914345.story

--Quick fantasy football update! I am in two leagues. One is for money and the other is for family pride. In the money league my team is a brutal 1 and 4. And those four losses haven't even been close. Every decision I make in that league is the wrong decision. That's how it rolls sometimes. But in the family league I am 4 and 1. In that league things just seem to be clicking, and my loss was in the week that Michael Vick and Jay Cutler got hurt.

Yes…I have Michael Vick on a fantasy football team. He's a good quarterback since he got his head on straight. Some people are still hanging on to what happened in the past. But if those uneducated, overly-opinionated people did a little research they would learn that Michael Vick served his time, and has improved his life. More importantly…he is doing a LOAD of work for dogs now. The guy that runs the Humane Society has been working closely with Michael Vick. Wayne Pacelle is the President and CEO of the Humane Society, and if that guy now supports Michael Vick I think it is safe for the rest of us to at least stop bashing Vick. And you know how much I love dogs.

10/12/10

--Yesterday I made it a point to sleep more than I did the day before. It seems to have worked, as I am at work and feeling much better. Sleep is an undervalued resource as far as I am concerned. I don't necessarily prescribe to homeopathy…but when given the opportunity I believe our bodies can take care of themselves more than we give them credit. So when I feel a cold coming on I usually drink more water and sleep more. This time it worked. Last time it worked. And that is a pattern.

--There were some interesting theories on contrails on "Coast to Coast AM" this morning. It was interesting enough to make me want to do a little research. As a meteorologist I have an understanding of contrails that some conspiracy theorists don't. But I love a good conspiracy so I will look into it a bit more I think. Some of the callers to the radio show this morning were saying that there is a contrail program set up by the NSA that is meant to keep us numb with chemicals, or whatever. Seems a little wacky to me…but I try not to judge.

--Yesterday I got a call from my friend Matt. He lives in Mattoon, and we have been occasional workout partners over the years when I have lived in Mattoon. Matt asked me if I wanted to start working out with him next week. Frankly I am getting to a point where I need to start exercising again, and I have never been in better shape than when I am working out with Matt. So I said I would start with him on Monday. AFTER I tell him that it sounds like a good idea he tells me that we will be doing the P90X program that I have heard is pretty brutal…but effective. I told Matt to get the vomit pail ready!

Not that you need this information, but when I am serious about working out I go pretty hard. And most of the time I throw up. I'm not sure if that means I am doing something wrong…but it is good for the abs. Matt and I are uber-competitive with one another. So when we work out we push each other and motivate each other. I'm looking forward to getting some good results. (I fully expect to get some feedback on this from my friend Bart, the personal trainer!)

--Billy Squier is on my IPod right now. I don't think that guy gets enough credit. His greatest hits album is fantastic!

--I'm about to make my first online purchase at B. Lime. The program isn't ready for general use yet…we are just testing it. But things seem to be going pretty well with the online process so far. I will let you know when you will be able to order stuff from my friends' store online! Should be very soon! Of course until then you are free to hit the link at the top of the blog and check out what the store has to offer. I think I am going to buy some laundry detergent and dish washer soap this morning. And for the record…I am still using soap nuts. Sunday I did 5 loads of laundry using soap nuts. Fantastic results!

10/11/10

Last year when I realized that my marriage was over and I would be leaving my house I decided that it was a great opportunity to scale down some things. I let go of some furniture I had owned for a very long time. For some reason I've always been a big fan of "momentos". I'm not talking about little trinkets that you buy at a gas station. I'm talking about things that were owned by people in my life that are no longer around. I've got a grandfather clock that a step-father made. I've got a 5 ½ foot baby grand piano that was a close family friend's. And I still eat on the same dining room table I ate on when I was a kid. These things are important to me.

But when I realized I would be selling the house and moving it felt like a great time to de-clutter my life. I got rid of a bed and some shelves and things like that. I no longer have a couch, a TV stand, a chair, or most anything like that. What I do have are tubs and tubs filled with things from my childhood. Many of the toys I had as a kid are in these tubs. I have a 36 year old teddy bear named…ummmm…"Bear" that I got for my first birthday. I even have erasers and pencils that I used in grade school.

Lately I've been getting the itch to get rid of some of this stuff, too. I believe I am getting my semi-annual cold and last night I woke up around 11 and never got back to sleep. While I was lying awake I thought about these tubs. Everywhere I have ever moved I have brought them along with me. While the things in the tubs do have meaning to me…it's really inconvenient to keep most of this stuff. And after all…it is just stuff. While it means something to me now, when I die someone is going to have to throw it away because no one else is going to want any of it. So I'm thinking I may as well be the one that gets rid of it.

I believe I have decided to start going through this stuff. Some of it might find a home on E-Bay. That's a great place to see if anyone wants your junk. And the rest of it will just find a new home in a landfill in Coles County. I moved back to my hometown after my divorce. For some reason it seems fitting to get rid of the stuff where I spent most of my youth.

About the cold…every Fall and Spring I usually get a cold. It is the only time of the year that I get sick and the only time of the year that there is a chance my own illness will cause me to miss work. If I know my body and systems as well as I think I do…this bad boy will be cranked up by the end of the morning. I'm letting you know this because usually if I take a day off when this starts coming on I can keep it from getting too bad. So if I am not at work tomorrow morning this is why…and I likely won't blog if I am home sick tomorrow.

10/8/10

Yet another Friday upon us. The weekend is looking good. And this time we can see the rain coming on Sunday night/Monday morning! You may notice just to the left here that the picture has changed. The picture now is of a letter I received this week. It is the third letter from a person that obviously does not think much of me. Actually I should just call it an envelope, because like the last time the person did not put anything inside. On the back is a note that I will not repeat…but the person says that I am silly, and my parents were not married when I was born. Nice! It's the third time I've received something from this anonymous person since last November. Oh the joys!

Let's get to some feedback from people that is much more enjoyable!

"Feedback Friday!!!"

From Scott in Pana (10/2/10):

Greg - don't worry too much about being wrong about the rain today - it was getting pretty dry and we needed some. Read your rare Saturday blog update today.

Well, Scott…it bothers me and it doesn't bother me. On one hand being wrong once in a while comes with the territory. Weather is at times simply unpredictable. But on the other hand…this is what I do for a living, and believe it or not I do take it seriously. And when I am wrong it does get to me. Overall it is a small thing, though. And life moves on. Plus…we did need the rain.

From Mary Jo in Decatur (10/2/10):

Yes Greg, imagine my surprise when I woke up Saturday morning to pouring down rain. Oh well, nobody's perfect. Just gotta give ya a hard time. Hope you're having a great weekend.

Believe me, Mary Jo…no one was more surprised Saturday morning than me!

From Phil in Cissna Park (10/4/10):

Greg, here is a link to an article about oil changes...and a new GM oil, dexos-1. For 2011 GM vehicles, if you DON'T use it and engine failure is determined to be oil-related, it could void your warranty.

I have a 2009 HUMMER H3 and I am going to switch to dexos-1 on my next oil change...and do as you're planning to do and extend my oil change out, some.

At 3,000 miles on more than one instance I overheard the mechanic saying that the oil still looked brand new.

Thanks for the link, Phil. Next week is my scheduled 5,000 mile oil change. I will likely go ahead with it and then back out to every 7,500 miles for the next change. I will be sure to let everything know if my car blows up because of it!

From Cindy in Macon (10/5/10):

Hi Greg, I was reading your blog about the plastic bottles, that happened last summer at my mom's house and it was very frightening. Mom and I were sitting at her table talking and we heard a loud explosion by her front door, I called my husband and brothers who were down the street and also called the police. Why they did this to mom i don't know but the police just kind of laughed it off and said it was just some kids playing a prank. We didn't think it was very funny because right before that there were kids playing out there. It could have been a horrible situation, needless to say they didn't even write up a report. We told them that was fine because if it happened again we would handle it ourselves. It always helps to be prepared for anything now a days.

It certainly does help to be prepared. It's a little alarming though that a police department would not take something like that seriously in this day and age. With heightened vigilance all around the country since 9/11 these types of things in other places in the country are dealt with much more appropriately, I think. Like you said…nothing horrible happened this time. But next time it could be much, much worse. I'm glad no one was hurt.

As a kid I was very curious about fire, and probably still am to a degree. There were a couple of times as a kid when I started a situation that could have easily ended in tragedy. I consider myself lucky…and stupid. Kids are generally curious…and I don't know how you keep them from hurting themselves or other people with stuff like this. But for the po po to not take it seriously is not cool.

From David in Decatur (10/5/10):

Greg, I found this article on the bottle bombs, to be quite informative. My question now is, since the news is out, how many more kids or idiots or going to start making them and putting them in yards?

As part of the media there is the question of whether or not to report how certain things are done. Back in the day there seemed to be more , restraint with stuff like this. But these days, David, any person can learn how to do anything just by hitting the internet for 20 minutes. There have even been websites explaining how to make nuclear weapons. While most people don't have access to plutonium…you can apply the same theory to making other bombs.

That is why I don't hesitate to post things like this when it comes as a warning. Anyone that wants to do something like this will learn how to do it anyway. And by making EVERYONE aware of how to do it maybe people will pay more attention to what is happening around them. It's like carry/conceal laws. If you know that any person you approach could be packing heat…won't you be less likely to walk up on a stranger with bad intentions? I certainly would.

From Pamela in Mount Zion (10/6/10):

Hey Greg, I think that Scot England just gave you a run for your money, on the funny side. He just did the piece on airlines that recommend that you be "available". Well, it was pretty cute when Scot took off his wedding ring to show his "availability" and used his "come hither look". It made me laugh out loud. That's what I love about the morning show. I can always count on it for a laugh or two. That's a great way to start the day!

Dude…Scot was hysterical with that! That kid knows what he is doing. Some people think it is easy to stand in front of a camera and pull off something like that. But it isn't. First you have to have inspiration to do something. Then you have to have the guts to actually do it. And then you have to have the talent to stay in character. And you have to have the timing to make it work. Scot did all of that in a short amount of time. It was riotous!

From Bart in Champaign (10/6/10):

Oh, those bombs are very real....and they've been around awhile. I knew a guy in high school that made them for fun (you know, as kids do) to blow up things on his farm. As you know, that was 20 yrs ago. He used those exact same ingredients, so be careful!

Ahhh, yes. You speak of our old friend "Sparky", Bart. We call him Sparky because he once blew off his eyebrows. And while it was very funny at the time…Sparky was also lucky and stupid. Don't get me wrong…Sparky was and is a genius. But what he used to do was stupid. And I think he would agree.

It's like I was saying earlier. Kids are curious. And I don't know how you find the boundary between exploration and stifling creativity. You hear stories about how some of our best scientists today used to blow up their parents' garage when they were young. If someone stifl, ed , their curiosity maybe we wouldn't be able to go to the moon today.

I will say this, though…there is a very BIG difference between me setting the curtains on fire or Sparky blowing his face off…and kids maliciously making bombs to possibly hurt other people. The difference is intent, and I have no idea how you keep mean kids from being mean. The best I think you can do is know what tools/weapons these kids have at their disposal and be as prepared as possible. And that is why I posted such a detailed link on the blog.

From Bruce in Decatur (10/7/10):

Hi Greg...I liked your comment about taking care of one another. One of the best ways I know of to do that is to donate blood. Every donation can save up to three lives but only about 5% of those who can donate do so. You can call: 1-800-GIVELIFE to schedule an appointment. It only takes about an hour and you can donate every 56 days.

Hey, Bruce! That is a fantastic plug. Personally I always feel like a hypocrite telling people to donate blood, because I can't seem to donate blood myself. But it is a great way to help for people that are allowed to donate.

I don't have a blood condition or health concern regarding donating. But apparently they don't like to take blood from people that are lying on the floor. I'll never understand the Red Cross's hang-up with that!

From Jennifer in Decatur (10/7/10):

Greg-interesting choice for a new profile pic....

Thanks, Jen! As I think I explained above on the blog…the new picture is some fan mail I recently received. It is the third piece of mail from the same person in the past year. If I get another one from this person I will let someone official know about it, cause I am not going to take any chances. But it does amuse me…for now.

From David in Decatur (10/7/10):

Hi Greg. I go,, , to the WANDTV web site every day to check out the news, local and state. This web site has an 18 second lag time every time you return to the Home Page from a news item. I have emailed Cody about this and he says it is normal I have checked numerous web site that have news, this includes all of the TV stations in this area, along with national news, and have found none of them to have this problem. When you add in the ads that you have to watch before every video, this becomes quite annoying. Do any other of your viewers that use the web site, have a problem with this? In the grand scheme of things, this is trivial, but this old fellow doesn't have a very eventful life.

Hi, Dave! No one else has let me know about this problem…but that doesn't mean they aren't having the same issues. I find the pre-video ads irritating, too. But when you get to watch something for free you have to understand that there will be some inconvenience. Everything has a price…and you have to sell ads to keep a website going. But the upload speed of our website could be because of your internet connection? Are you using dial up, DSL, or cable? Anything past that gets a little out of my wheel-house as far as trouble shooting is concerned!

From Meredith in Effingham (10/7/10):

Greg,

I have never sent feedback before, but I am a devoted reader every morning. I wanted to thank you for the link in your "I'll be watching you" post. I used the article in the link as an assignment in the statistics class that I teach. You should have heard the comments among the students as they read through the article! Thanks for sharing the article - I'm always looking for outside articles that are pertinent to the information we're studying in the classroom.

That is awesome, Meredith. I'm glad that this blog is being used to shape and mold young minds! Heh. The article wasn't completely surprising to me. But it still makes you really think about being more careful about what you use.

Someone claiming to be Mike Sola, the former weather man that was attacked a couple of weeks ago, sent me an email yesterday. Apparently something I wrote the other day made this person think that I thought his attack was funny. I don't know if this person is really Mike Sola because anyone can create an email address and claim to be anyone they like. But that is not the point. The point is that I absolutely do not think the "polar bear" attacks are funny. What I said "cracks me up" was the fact that in our reporting of the story we refused to mention that Mike Sola worked at WCIA, our competition. I thought it was clear that was what I meant. But the written word is up to the interpretation of the reader. So in case anyone else mistook what I wrote I wanted to clarify.

Have a great weekend! The weather will be…perfect.

10/7/10

This is actually the second blog entry I've started writing this morning. I got about 4 paragraphs into a major philosophical discussion and then stopped. It got too wordy and lost its way. So I scrapped it. That happens some times. You set out to make a point and it just gets away from you.

--Do you follow baseball? Something happened last night that has not happened in over 50 years, and only one other time in the history of the sport. Roy Halladay of the Philadelphia Phillies threw a no hitter in the first game of the playoffs. Dude only walked one batter, and that was it. The last time someone threw a no hitter in the post season was over fifty years ago. It makes you wonder what Halladay's career numbers would look like if he didn't spend most of his career in Toronto. This was not a no-hit fluke. Roy Halladay is THE dominant pitcher of the decade, and certainly the best pitcher that no one talked about until he got to the Phillies. I'm looking forward to how he follows up in his next start.

--The basic premise of my philosophical rant that I deleted was that we are here, this is now, , and as far as anyone can definitively prove that is all we know. So we should do what we can to take care of one another. While one person can not save the world…we can each take care of our little corner of the world. And if enough of us do that…the world is saved. So there. Go help someone that needs it today. That is how I try to live my life. I am always looking for ways to help people that want to help him or herself.

--Tomorrow is "Feedback Friday". Get your thoughts in now to make the cut for the morning. The place to send feedback is at the bottom of the blog. Or if you have a lot to say send me an email with "blog" on the subject line. And remember…while you are free to send political stuff…with the elections coming up we are backing off of posting it on the blog! The more popular the blog becomes the more careful we have to be with stuff like that. So it's a good/bad situation!

10/6/10

--Here is a follow-up to something about which we spoke last week. There have been some arrests in the "polar bear hunting" beating of Mike Sola a couple of weeks ago. I'm giving you the link to the story that we had on our website. If you look at the story carefully you will notice that our story only mentions that Sola worked for WILL-TV, which is a PBS station, and technically they are not our competition. Our story fails to mention that Mike Sola also worked for Channel 3 in the 90's as their morning weather guy, though. And of course WCIA is our main competitor. That cracks me up. Here's our story.

--I lost both of my fantasy football matchups this past weekend. Honestly…I don&, #39;t like to lose at any, thing. I especially don't like to lose at fantasy football. Generally speaking I am pretty good at fantasy sports. There is a good deal of pride there. And losing at fantasy sports can ruin my mood on a weekend. It's sad, I know.

--It's been decided that we will stay away from politics here on the blog for a while. While I believe these discussions have been fairly good and interesting, when it comes to politics it is just too easy for people to let emotions get away. Before long it devolves into name calling and mud throwing. And I don't want us to get to that point. So you are more than welcome to send me your thoughts political…but I won't post them on the blog for now.

Also…we are a month away from elections. That is a box that I simply do not want to open here on the blog! So maybe after these upcoming elections we will discuss some of our political views.

--There should soon be some big news coming from B. Lime, the Green Store. Right now I am part of a test market for online shopping. And very soon I believe the online shopping portion of B. Lime will be ready to go. That means you don't actually have to visit the store in Champaign to buy stuff from my friends! I will keep you posted...

10/5/10

Someone sent me an email last week telling us about something that is pretty frightening. I did not post the email last week because I wanted to check it out. Obviously there are millions of warning emails that go around every day, and I don't want this blog to becoming a haven for these things. So I checked it out. It seems to be a real threat…I found it on Snopes, and on YouTube there are videos even showing it is true. It happens close to us…so here it is:

Pass this on to everybody you know. Anybody that sees a plastic bottle in their yard would think nothing of picking it up to throw it away.
Looks like these things are starting to pop up around the U.S. Check the Snopes web site below, it's pretty scary.

Important warning! NOT A JOKE! Pay attention to this.

1. A plastic bottle with a cap (Like a normal water bottle).
2. A little Drano.
3. A little water.
4. A small piece of foil.
5. Disturb it by moving it; and BOOM (Less than 30 seconds)!!
6. No fingers left and other serious effects to your face, eyes, etc.

People are finding these bombs in mailboxes and in their yards, just waiting for someone to pick it up intending to put it in the trash.

It takes about 30 seconds to blow after you move the thing.

See "SNOPES" below....it's true.

BOOM!!!

Send it to everyone on your mailing list, I did and it won't hurt to get it several times.

Truthorfiction.com also recommends calling 911 especially if you see Aluminum Foil inside of it.

10/4/10

--My car is on a 5,000 mile oil change cycle. We've known for a few years now that the mandatory 3,000 mile oil changes are a myth and just good marketing these days. Engines made in the last ten years, combined with better oil quality, mean we just don't need to change our oil as often as we once did. I've recently read some reports that suggest, depending on individual driving habits, that many newer cars can go as much as 10,000 miles without changing the oil.

While I don't believe I will go 10,000 between oil changes…yet…I am certainly thinking about backing it out to 7,500 miles between oil changes. I drive about 500 miles a week. Those miles are mostly highway miles. And from what I am reading lately I think my car can take it. I thought you should know.

--So I blogged over the weekend. As it turns out I blew the Saturday morning forecast…and I was not alone. I was supposed to do some yard work Saturday morning. There were actually preparations made on Friday to do the work starting Saturday morning. So I, like others, was emotionally invested in Saturday morning's weather. And it flopped on me. I blogged about it because I wanted to assure that we weather people are impacted by the weather, too. And yes…it hurts us too when we blow a forecast. None-the-less…some of you were compelled to email me Saturday morning about my blown forecast. Some of you were supportive…and some of you were not. I thought I would share with you one email I got. I will leave it anonymous, although the person did sign his/her name.

YES GREG IT IS RAINING AND I BELIEVED YOU IT WAS NOT GOING TO RAIN SO YESTERDAY I WASHED WINDOWS AND WASHED AND POLISHED BOTH VEHICLES.

I COULD HAVE BEEN NAPPING.

Sorry to inconvenience you! While this could have been typed "tongue in cheek", the fact that it is in all caps leads me to believe that there was some angst behind it.

10/2/10

I'm sitting at my dining room table on a Saturday morning listening to the rain. I'm supposed to be in the yard tilling a spot to do some work. But it is raining...and I can't till. It wasn't supposed to be raining. I was wrong. All morning yesterday I saw that PrecisionCast was bringing in a little rain this morning. But nothing else we use was bringing it in. So I kept saying it wasn't going to rain, because it really did not look like we'd get rain. Clouds? Sure...and I said that. But no rain. And here it is...raining.

10/1/10

See you next year September. Hello, October. Beer?

This news is not for public consumption. It will likely not be mentioned on the air during the news for a long time. I toyed with it at the end of the noon news yesterday, but only to scare Tara Barrett. Not everyone here at the station is cool with throwing their personal junk out into the public forum like I am. Tara Barrett is one of those people. So when I mention this on the blog I want you to keep a lid on it. Really. Don't send Tara emails. Don't tell your friends. Don't even think about it again after you read it here. It is just between you and me, and that is it.

Seriously. Tara Barrett is a mean woman. If you tell her that I told you what I am about to tell you she will likely cut me. She will throw me a beating that makes Mike Sola's polar bear experience look like a pillow fight. This woman is vicious…and she will tear me apart. She has the mood to pull it off. She has the iron-clad will and determination to make me mince meat. Her temperament is like a mean old rattlesnake in the old Wild West. And besides…everyone knows that pregnant women have freakish strength.

Okay. Maybe I won't break the big news. Frankly she scares me too much.

"Feedback Friday"!!!

From Kelly (9/24/10):

The tea party thing. First of all, when I first read YOUR blog…I cracked up. I knew exactly what you were meaning. Those who didn't, well, meh. Go to the store, right next to the Frosted Flakes you'll find a box marked "Sense of Humor." Buy it.

Next on the agenda. The Tea Party. Mr. Anonymous (or Ms.)…whatever it is…Well, the Tea Party members are not all they are cracked up to be. Thousands of us parents across the nation are going to attend one of their *rallies* under protest (and when I say *us parents*…I mean parents of children with autism.) Why?

http://www.examiner.com/special-needs-kids-in-nashville/autism-air-quotes-sharron-angle-s-snub-to-special-needs-children

That's why. Their party wants to cut insurance for therapies for our children. Without speech and social work, my son would not be where he is. Course, back then…insurance didn't cover it. Now, however, most states have mandated coverage for these and other therapies for our children. I myself have doled out thousands of dollars for these, and supplements, laboratory tests and specialists. Insurance has just now started picking up on paying. The financial burden is astronomical, and now this Tea Party wants to take away our insurance? The insurance coverage we fought so hard to get? Autism is much more involved than just being a social and neurological disorder. The severe internal health issues that come with it are heartbreaking. Our children are a train wreck on the inside, and we have to help them get out of pain.

Now, I hate ,, to be the bearer of bad news, but we parents are somewhat of a majority in this country right now…we are knee-deep in the evils of government and politicians..we are parents who are fed up, mad as hell and aren't going to take it any more. We dislike Dems, Reps, Green…whoever. We THOUGHT we had an ally in the Tea Party. They were new, up and coming, and seemed more real than others. Unfortunately, we've come to realize that their *party* is just another branch of liars, with as much greed and corruption as the ones we have now.

The precious Tea Party has screwed up.

Sorry... Just really - you know... - peeved.

Kelly

Oh yeah. Sorry bout the hair. Beauty lies on the inside, blah blah blah. I won't insult your intelligence with whimsies.

=)

I'm glad you read the blog with a sense of humor, Kelly. Most of the time that is how I write it. But like anything else in the public forum there will always be people that are different. Very serious and literal people often miss what I think is funny. Neither is better than the other, mind you. Just different. And that is the way it is supposed to be.

No worries about the hair. In the end I will be okay. Sure…I will be cue ball bald. But that is just fine!

I'll leave the rest of your feedback alone. But it did stir one question out of me. There is a cereal called "Sense of Humor"?? I gotta try that one.

From The Anonymous First-Time Feedbacker (9/24/10):

I always thought I was a pretty open minded person. Nice to be set straight in the fact that I'm a short sighted, tunnel visioned, strongly opinionated jerk. I expressed my political opinion without resorting to name calling. I thought my statements were open, honest and would spur a good political debate. It is unfortunate that there are those who chose to take the easy way out (Just more jabbing to get the juices flowing). I am aware that sometimes I step over the line and I appreciate those who call me out and keep me in check (when they do it properly). If we are ever going to get anywhere we need to stop talking at each other we need to listen to each other. Ask questions if we don't understand. If you don't agree with what I said, I'm OK with that. Ask me to explain why I feel that way but don't just throw out rude comments about me and judge me based on a couple little paragraphs I've written. We are all way to complex for that. We travel down our own path and make judgments based on life experiences. Sometimes we agree, sometimes we don't. When we disagree, it doesn't necessarily mean one or the other of us is 100% right or wrong. We just see certain things differently. I was called strongly opinionated. That was a true statement, but I feel it can be made about all of us. I think we should value our opinions but we should also value the opinions of others as well. I don't always agree with Mr. Trumbold's statements and opinions but I do respect them as I feel they are made after careful thought and consideration (Except for the racist joke on the Tea Party of course).

I can't disagree with much of what you write here. The one issue I would grab, though, is that you are just flat out wrong to disagree with anything that I think or feel. Clearly I am right in all matters. You would do well to just accept it so we can all move along with our lives.

(Again…some literalists will read this and not get that I am clearly poking fun. And I DIG that about you! But I was just joking above. Believe it or not…I am not right about everything.)

From Sandy in Decatur (9/26/10):

Hi Greg, Have not added to your blog in awhile but have kept up with it. Just to let you know I think you look better than ever in the snazzy outfits Faye opts for you to wear to work. Good Taste! I also Appreciate the fact that you continue to wake so Early M-F to make the drive to Decatur to be our weatherman on WAND. I hope we never have to see you leave but realize it is possible. Thanks for being on my TV wi, th a smile & reporting current weather here. Keep up with the great work Greg!! 5 Stars from me.

Happy Trails, Sand

Hi, Sandy! I agree that Faye has great taste! Heh. She really has enhanced not only my wardrobe…but every aspect of my life.

While I have no plans to leave the station…nothing gold can stay! I'm not really sure what that means, but I like to quote from "The Outsiders" every chance I get. Thanks, Sandy!

From Elizabeth in Decatur (9/28/10):

Greg, my Dad (accompanied by my husband) went on an Honor Flight last November, on Veteran's Day. They both loved it, and it was quite an honor to my Dad, a WWII Air Force Veteran. I'm sure your Grandfather will really enjoy himself!

I am mailing a card to the Honor Flight address you provided so it can be added to his mail call bundle. The mail call was one of my Dad's favorite parts of the flight! Please let us know what your Grandfather thought of the flight, okay?

I certainly will let you know, Elizabeth! And thanks for your perspective. I've heard from quite a few people that are familiar with this Honor Flight. It's already touched many people in just a short time. Very cool.

From Angie in Charleston (9/28/10):

We LOVE Art Bell and Coast to Coast! He doesn't just have the "out there" theories on his show. One of his frequent guests is Dr. Michio Kaku, a theoretical physicist. Last time I heard him, he talked about some amazing discoveries in the areas of teleportation and something about the dimensions. I didn't understand alot of it; I'm just not scientifically minded....but I can tell you it was some pretty amazing (and scary) stuff!

P.S. Card is in the mail for your Grandfather.

Hey, Angie. I was listening again this morning, and they were talking about the "Goldilocks" planet recently found. It is called "Goldilocks" because like our planet it is in perfect position to have life. Now we just have to figure out whether or not there is life there.

I've heard of Art Bell…but the times I have listened to this show lately it is some guy named George hosting. Dr. Kaku is the guy that was talking about the moon landing the other morning! He seems to know a lot about some "odd" stuff.

Thanks for sending m, y Grandpa a card!

From David in Altamont (9/28/10):

The Honor Flight is a FANTASTIC program. If it weren't for this organization, many W W II Veterans would never be able to see the memorial built to honor them. Medical personnel are on the flights for those that require it.

I know a couple of sisters that have escorted "Their Soldier" on one of these flights. You see, each Veteran has their own personal assistant, at their own cost,, to help them and get whatever they need. One of the gals is a Navy Vet. herself.

The Patriot Guard Riders are present at the returning ceremony to help welcome them home.

I hope your Grandpa enjoys every second of his trip.

Thanks, Dave! I am sure my Grandfather will enjoy his trip. Again…I will work on giving an update after his trip to let everyone know how it went. It is great that there is an organization providing such a huge and important benefit for people that obviously deserve it.

From Phil in Cissna Park (9/30/10):

Polar Bear hunting? Older white men? I guess I am a polar bear then. I will say this....if I am EVER confronted by a group wanting to do bodily harm to me that I did not provoke, I will counter with deadly force....and not think twice about it. If this is what our society is coming to...what choice do us polar bears have?

When the attacks happen...at that moment NO ONE cares whether these punks were brought up right or whether the color of their skin is different. I would simply examine the odds. 5/6/7 on 1? I wouldn't stop to see if they are shaving yet. The odds say they are committing an adult crime and I will counter as such. Heaven help them.

I don't disagree with you, Phil. It is a scary trend, for sure. And at some point people have to live with the consequences of their choices. You decide to play adult games and you have to take the adult penalties. Hopefully the city leaders can get a handle on this thing before someone does get seriously hurt.

From Anonymous, but not THAT Anonymous Feedbacker (9/30/10):

Good morning Greg,

I think this is wonderful of you for organizing this card drive for your Grandfather.

May I make a suggestion???? In your letter personally to him. I would make it as brief as possible. Saying, "A special Grandfather such as you, deserves to have my letter personally delivered in person from me." The visit itself will mean more then the kind words.

I speak as a Grandfather myself, that your letter being personally delivered would mean more to him. Far too many times we sit at home not hearing from or children, and Grandchildren. Yes we still have our minds reminding us that their lives are busy working, and doing things they like.

I always found the time to call my Mom and Dad every week or weekday, if I missed the weekend being 780 miles away from home, for the 12 years I was away from home before they passed away.

Once again my HAT goes off to you Greg for doing what you're doing for your Grand Paw.

I will admit that I am not good about keeping up with visits and phone calls. We all have things on which we must work in order to become better people. This is one of mine. Having lost another Grandfather recently I have more concern with this part of my life. While I did mail my Grandpa's card to him…I also plan to see him very soon.

From Christine in Decatur (9/30/10):

guess what time is it, greg? that's right... its time to feel your boobies! October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and it's your duty to remind all Gregorians (young and old, male and female) that feeling their boobies can save their lives! (Visit feelyourboobies.com to learn more.)

Honestly, I just love this time of year because I can get away with saying stuff like this around the office :)

thanks for the plug greg!

Well it is certainly a worthy cause, Christine! You can plug it here anytime you like. So let's get on it, Peeps! Feel those boobies!!

From Damian in Decatur (9/30/10):

I was reading your story and the comments regarding 'polar bear hunting.' I find it very sad and appalling that we have our youth inventing new and evil ways to find trouble and not be productive. In no way, shape, or form have I earned the merit badge for being the perfect parent but as a father I will say this; I will do my best to shape my children in becoming educated, and productive citizens. I do believe in corporal punishment but I don't believe in beatings. We are a much softer society; child obesity on the rise exponentially, video games galore, and parents that just don't give a damn. One of the main problems that these kids have is they don't know what the value of a good day's work is. They're constantly spoon fed by parents, think that drivers licenses and credit cards are a privilege, and will do all they can to avoid consequences...even if it's at the expense of others. I believe children should have a mother and a father in their lives, I think if they make a mistake they should accept responsibility and pay the piper, and they should WANT to make themselves a better person. It all comes down to how involved are you as a parent. If there were some guidelines and plans from the beginning, this pb-hunting would never occur. These kids involved need to be caught, incarcerated, rehabilitated, and given a chance to be more productive. The onus is then on them. If they choose not to participate then it's time to get them behind bars.

I don't have kids. I have never raised kids. So I try not to say much when the topic of what kids need comes up. But there seems to be some wisdom in most of what you say, Damian. I will say that there are kids with a single parent at home that seem to come out fine. And while it may be the exception to the rule…it can be done. Also…I fully support same-sex parents, as well. But clearly there are many parents not getting the job done. And I am sure that this issue getting so much media coverage now will only help make the conversation louder. Again…hopefully community leaders can get it figured out.

But lay off the video games, Dude!! J

That's all for this week. Thanks again to everyone that sent my Grandpa a card. It means the world to me, and I am sure he will appreciate it, too!