Weather...or Not: March 2012 Entries

Posted:

3/30/12

Over the past couple of days I have been dealing with my car. As you know I drive a lot during the course of a year. I'm on the road at least 500 miles a week just for work. So my car is a very important part of my life. And recently it had become clear that it was time for new tires. At the TV station we have businesses that spend money with us for their advertising…and those businesses are obviously hugely important to us. So something I try to do is spend my money with the businesses that spend money with us. It is mutually beneficial. They help pay my salary so I try to help support them.

So I decided to take advantage of a buy 3 get 1 free tire sale at one of our advertisers. Well…I won't bash the place because 1) They spend a lot of money with us, and 2) I still like their business. But I will never use their auto department again. Without getting into a long story…they had my car way too long and while the tires are good there were aspects of their service that left a lot to be desired. And there was one thing that they had to do that they simply couldn't figure out.

A tire stem had to be replaced and on the end of that stem was a tire sensor. They are connected so replacing one means you have to replace both. And that new sensor has to be programmed. And this place couldn't get it done. So long story short I called my local dealer in Mattoon, K.C. Summers…who does not advertise with us most of the time. But I know many people working there and they've done a lot of work on the car I own right now anyway.

I dropped the car by K.C. Summers and within a very short time they programmed the tire sensor for me…and didn't charge me. That kind of customer service is HUGE to me and it shows that they know how to take care of their people. I actually apologized to my boy Brent in the service department for going somewhere else to get a deal on tires. He laughed and said it was alright. But you know what? Next time I am going back to K.C. Summer's. I recommend them because they are good at what they do, and they know how to treat their customers. Now if they would only spend some advertising money with us! J

"Feedback Friday"!

From Jim (3/26/12):

I'm a long time golf fan, and like most people... I was hugely disappointed in Tiger's personal failures. It remains however that he's been the undeniable best golfer of his era, and could literally break some of the "most impossible" golf records.

I consider Tiger's personal life to be exactly that... "personal".

The ratings and cash hungry news media today thinks that it belongs in everyone's life, especially if they are a celebrity. No media people in the past ever vetted out people like Mickey Mantle, Babe Ruth, John F. Kennedy; on and on. The media showed some professional restraint back then, but that came to an end after they unfairly kept the all time greatest baseball hitter named Pete Rose out of the Hall of Fame. Pete never confessed to much of anything, and he damn sure never bet against his own team. (The Reds) Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley still gamble far more than Pete... but somehow that's perceived as being fine.

So now all athletes have to be not just great players, they also have to pass the "news test" and subsequent public image scrutiny. Sports

should be just that, and not some fertile field for greedy

investigative reporters to cash in on. Has Tiger paid enough? You'd

have to ask him. Should he be welcomed back into Golf's good graces?

I don't care. He'll win anyway. Do I like him? Yes. He's only human, and not the perfect God he's expected to be.

The heyday of sports happened back when reporters respected a thing called "privacy". His wasn't a sports problem. It was a "news problem" regarding nobody's business but Tiger's and his wife's in the first place. I just wish that the so called news media would have given that much attention to Obama's background and past history, rather than just openly supporting him.

Jim

Ha! Jim…leave it to you to take a story about Tiger Woods and make it into an opportunity to bash President Obama. You crack me up, Sir! I do, however, agree that Tiger's personal life is none of our business. But that sells in the media…which means "most" people are interested. If that kind of coverage wouldn't get so many eyeballs on it, believe me, the media wouldn't cover it. For all of the complaining people do about the media…it is the viewer that actually dictates what they cover. And that is not disputable. Ratings make the call every single time. So for people that don't like how the media covers the "news" these days all you have to do is get people to stop watching it. Good luck with that!

From Jerrie (3/26/12):

Good Morning Greg hope the weekend was good for you I was able to plow my garden rake the yard mow and make a pot roast for the family that came by today im not doing anything but laundry and having a peaceful day with my dog my husband and son drives semis so they are gone all week as far as tiger woods he has paid his dues but i do him like i do with all of the mud slinging with all of the politicains i ingnore them but it will help the news casters make there money have a good week

We are still in the thought processes for making our garden this year. Looking forward to it!

From Lee Ann (3/28/12):

It was Gilda Radner's character Emily Litella that said, "Nevermind."

I believe that is correct, Lee Ann! Our morning newscast director, Bruce, came down Tuesday morning to tell me he had been wanting to talk to me since last Friday to tell me I was wrong by saying Tomlin. He's right…I was wrong! I mixed my 70's superstar female comedians up. Good catch!

From Don (3/28/12):

What's the issue?

Gilda Radner aka Roseanne Roseannadanna did say "NEVERMIND"

It was Radner…but apparently playing a different character. Or so they tell me…

From David (3/28/12):

I noticed you said Lilly Tomlin, but couldn't think of the right name. Gilda Radner, wasn't it?

That's it, David! Both extremely funny ladies. And of course Gilda was one of those talents that left us way too soon.

From Ole Dave (3/29/12):

Hi Greg, Ole Dave here again to put his two cents worth in the mix. I have been a hater of Tiger Woods ever since he arrived on the pro Golf scene. Hate is a strong word, but my dislike for him almost stretches to that level. When he first came on the tour, he was playing in the Crosby ProAm, and was paired with Kevin Costner, and said he didn't play as well as he could because of the distraction of all of the people. He only shot 66-69. In that day, it was equivalent to the 62-63's they are shooting today. Poor Tiger. I also was disgusted that he never had to make a living from the tour, as most young pros do, but was given a 40 million dollar contract by Nike, before he ever teed it up in a pro event. I wonder how many other young pros would have reached his heights if they had that money in the bank before starting their career. I could go on to other reasons, but I think I have made my point. Oh, one more thing. His dad was a complete arrogant ass.

Hi, Dave! Good to hear from you again. I remember when Tiger was given that endorsement product just before he hit the tour. It did ruffle a lot of feathers! Of course in hindsight that endorsement did go well for Nike, until of course Tiger blew up his personal life. Like him or not, though, you can't dispute the fact that Tiger Woods playing well is great for golf. Last year when he dropped out of the tour because of injury the ratings for the remaining tournaments of the season went down 40%. That is a HUGE impact for one person.

That's it for this week! Thanks for the feedback…and thanks for coming back to this blog! It's a 3 day weekend for me. Sunday night is WrestleMania…and I always take the Monday after WrestleMania off so I can enjoy the one pay per view of the year that I actually buy!

3/29/12

If you could arrange to have your mind downloaded into a robot would you do it? If you could have your body frozen when you die so it could be thawed out in several decades when they can cure what ailed you…would you do it? Ted Williams was famously decapitated when he died and his head is in an ice box somewhere frozen. In time the hope is that scientists will be able to either attach his head on the body of an android/robot, or they will be able to clone him. It is even conceivable that in time they will be able to thaw his brain and download it into a robot, effectively making it possible for Ted Williams to live forever.

Ted Williams is not the only famous person to have this done. Reportedly Walt Disney is on ice somewhere in a facility waiting for the same technology. Or maybe it is better to say that Walt Disney IS ice somewhere. I'm not completely sure how the technology works. But I think they basically encase the body in liquid nitrogen or something.

I was listening to a scientist on the radio this morning talking about artificial intelligence. This guy is working in one of those "super labs" in Hong Kong with other brilliant minds making the next generation of computer chips and robots. He was saying that he thinks the time for us to be able to make artificially intelligent robots smarter than us is very, very close. It was a fascinating conversation with a guy that is actually in the know when it comes to this technology.

He basically said that he is also having his body frozen when he is done with it, and it is not out of the current realm of possibility that we will be able to "download" our minds into a chip in a robot…and that would effectively allow us to live forever. That possibility opens up so many questions and dilemmas that I'm not even sure where to begin! Is the mind all there is to us? Where does the soul come into play here? Would not eventually dying take away the specialness of being alive? Should we even be toying with these kinds of things??

Tomorrow is "Feedback Friday". Feel free to hit the feedback form at the bottom of this blog to send me some thoughts on this topic. As always if you have a lot to say just send me an email with "Blog" on the subject line. I will post your thoughts on this tomorrow…

3/28/12

--Thank you to those that helped make Faye's birthday a great one yesterday. I've mentioned here before that Faye has started a Norwex business. With that business she has begun a Facebook page as a way to distribute information about cleaner living in a household. So yesterday I pushed people to "like" her page and tell her happy birthday. The Peeps responded in force and kept her page lit up all day long. She loved hitting the page off and on through the day and seeing so many strangers telling her happy birthday. She digs that kind of stuff. So thank you to those that took part!

--I've had a couple of people mention and error that I made on the blog last Friday. If you read the feedback someone made a reference to a 70's comedy icon. I incorrectly called out the wrong comedian. And I've also been told that the person sending the feedback called the wrong character. Do you know to which this all refers?? Try to make a guess at it…and we will chat about it again on Friday!

--Have you seen the picture of our two larger pooches? You can find the picture by hitting this link. They are Boomer and Buster. They are brothers. The one towards the back of the picture is Buster. Yesterday we took him for his summer hair cut. They don't exactly shave him…but take him down fairly tight to a safe level. I may try to get a good picture of this…but Buster looks like a polar bear right now. It is very cute. Or handsome…as Buster would prefer to be called.

3/27/12

--Today is the day my Love was born. This woman has enriched my life in ways I won't break down for you here. She came along at a time when I wasn't sure which direction my life would take. And now I am very, very happy to see that our lives are still on the same path.

Happy birthday, Faye!

--Did you happen to hear the President talking to the current Russian President yesterday? It comes off as sounding fairly cocky. But if you are a man running for your second term of office you kind of have to at least think you are going to win, right? It doesn't matter. The President knew the cameras and microphones would be on, so I am sure he wouldn't have said anything he didn't want people to hear. Here is a link to an article about it. Give it a look if you choose! There is even the video of the actual event on the article.

3/26/12

Yesterday Tiger Woods won his first pro tournament in 30 months. He was driving well, hitting his short game, and for the first time in a while putting fairly well. The next big tournament is the Masters…Tiger's favorite tournament. Some are saying he is back to Tiger of old…and others are saying the field at this Arnold Palmer tournament he just won didn't include enough of the other best players in the world. Personally I think we will obviously just have to wait and see. But it will be good for golf to have the Tiger of old on courses throughout the year. Undeniably ratings will spike for the PGA again if that is the case.

My question this morning is how do you feel about the prospects of Tiger being all over television again? When his scandal broke a few years ago there were people that vowed they would never again be a fan of or care about Tiger Woods, either as a person or a golfer. If Tiger is going to start winning again he is going to be back in the public eye a lot more than he has in the past year or so. How do you feel about Tiger now? Has he paid for his "crimes" against the institution of marriage enough that you will care about him again? Are you simply done with him? Hit the feedback form below to sound off on this issue. Or if you have a lot to say feel free to send me an email with "blog" on the subject line.

3/23/12

We have a cat named Macy that is around 12 years old. We also have 3 dogs, two of which are between 50 and 60 pounds. They are good mid-sized models and overall very good pooches. Macy was introduced to these two larger dogs a couple of years ago when we combined out households. It took a while…but eventually the natural order of things took shape. You would think that the dogs would rule the house, wouldn't you? Of course now that I have phrased the question like that it has probably led you to your answer. And you are right.

I mentioned yesterday and in previous weeks how important routine is to surviving my schedule. Well the animals are all on my morning routine, too. And I have mentioned before how their routine can actually help me stay on my routine. Well this morning during my routine I was in the basement finishing dressing. Boomer and Buster were downstairs with me. Many times they will lay in the basement while I am getting ready, mostly because it is cooler down there…although I would love to think it is because they HAVE to be around me.

This morning Macy decided to throw a wrench in the routine. Usually she stays upstairs doing her own thing, as cats often do. But this morning when it was almost time for us to go upstairs I saw Buster sitting at the bottom of the stairs. Then I heard a sound I've been hearing for going on 13 years now…"rrrrooooooaaaaaaa". It was Macy. I peeked around the corner to see Buster cram his larger body into the very left side of the stairs like he was trying to become part of the wall. He ran up the stairs as quickly as he could…and I saw that Macy was on the right side of the stairs just watching him in that creepy/scary way that cats do. At this point poor Boomer was sitting at the bottom of the stairs frozen as he watched Macy. I had to actually shoo Macy up the stairs before Boomer would set foot on them.

Clearly the natural order of things in our house has Macy planted atop the food chain.

"Feedback Friday"!

From Sue (3/21/12):

LMAOOooooOOooooOOOo!!

I'm glad me being a moron can make you laugh so hard, Sue!

From Jill (3/21/12):

oh no, did you call the company to apologize? I would've felt horrible and also probably laughed my ass off. Its a sinking feeling when you feel you're being so righteous when in fact you're so wrong...eous. I guess you could call and complain about the cards sticking together.

No I didn't call the company to apologize!! Actually I've kept the final email between me and the company. I've looked at it every day since it happened. And I just haven't been able to reply to tell the lady what happened. Call it a few moments of weakness! I know I should reply…

From Jerrie (3/21/12):

dear greg dont beat yourself to much we as adluts we think things should be alright but this is some things that make the world go round put in one of your books of silly things that happen on vacation just remember the good things and dont worry be happy

That's sweet, Jerrie. But don't worry…I am not really beating myself up over it. I do feel badly, though, that I can't seem to bring myself to replying to the company to tell them it wasn't their fault!

From Nannette (3/21/12):

You couldn't stop your blog, your antic keep all of so amused. Thanks for a good laugh.

Yeah…you right, Nannette. You right.

From David (3/21/12):

OH GREG , That made me laugh/out/loud, literally !! I too took Spanish in HighSchool barely passing it with a D. I tried to drop it but my Dad wouldn't sign the paper to let me. I even told him "I'm not Spanish, I don't ever plan on becoming Spanish". He didn't buy it. SO, with some help from a couple of friends, I passed it by the skin of my teeth. OH, the one grade period when I got an F, my Dad grounded me, seriously !! I couldn't win.

Hopefully, your niece will take right too it. Sometimes I wish I would have done better in it, but other times, not so much.

Sounds like you have a good, strong Father. Yeah…me too. And I often find myself realizing I should have tried harder to learn Spanish.

From Don (3/21/12):

About the birthday gift.....Occasions like that happen. Did you email the company back and say as RoseAnn RoseAnna Danna would say "Nevermind" ?

Love the Tomlin reference! And no…I have issued no apology yet. At this point I think I have to do it today, don't I? That will be my goal for the day…

From David (3/22/12):

I bet Stephanie had a ball with watching you 2 put your makeup on. She might share her mirror, that wouldn't be weird, would it?

Don't be fooled by Stephanie's beautiful and sweet-seeming exterior, David. If she were to sit and watch us do our makeup she would be laughing hysterically at us. And she would make fun of us.

That's it for this week! Thanks for playing along. We do have a slight chance for severe storms this afternoon into this evening. Our biggest issue right now with the storms looks to be the potential for hail. Stay tuned and be safe!

3/22/12

--I'm having one of those mornings where time just skips right on by. That means that everything I do this morning seems to take a lot more time than usual. And because of that I have been late for all of my little deadlines in the morning! In order to keep myself happy on this morning shift I've rigidly structured my routine. Being well-structured allows me to sleepwalk through the early morning hours if I need to…and this morning I've needed to do just that. Everything will be alright, though. I'm not complaining about anything…just passing along how my morning has been so far.

Part of that rigid routine is when I do my makeup. Right around 4:45 I am ready to put this stuff on my face. It's something that used to feel a little weird…but I've been doing it for so long now that I don't think much of it. There is a spot in the studio where I have been doing my makeup for years now. And it is not the spot where most everyone else does their makeup. Most everyone else does their makeup in front of a makeup mirror that is fairly well lit. But I choose to do my stuff in another spot, purely out of habit.

Mark Rivera, however, does his makeup in the makeup spot. This morning it occurred to me that Mark and I routinely do our makeup at the same time, just in different places. I mentioned this to Mark and said that if we were women we would likely bond by doing our makeup together at the same mirror. Mark and I quickly agreed, though, that since we were men that kind of bonding is to never take place! I did my makeup in my usual spot…and Mark did his stuff in his usual place across the room. And we will never speak of this issue again.

Do what you will with this information!

--Tomorrow is "Feedback Friday". If you have any thoughts, questions, or comments you would like to share feel free to hit the feedback section below. You can also sign up for email alerts at the bottom of this blog. If you do…you will receive an email anytime I update this blog…so you'll never miss a blog post!

3/21/12

--I have a niece in Myrtle Beach that is 2 ½ years old. For her last birthday we got her a Spanish language program meant for young kids. "They" say that the best time to teach humans a second language is when they are pretty young. So I thought it would be great for her to learn Spanish. My sister and bro-in-law agreed and loved the idea. So I picked up this program at Wal-Mart and we gave it to her last week when we were out that way.

When we got to their house we settled in for a bit and then gave my niece the present. She opened it quickly and gave the box to her Mom. Frankly I didn't expect her to be impressed because it is one of those gifts that she won't be thankful for until years down the road. And that is perfectly fine by me! After a little while I grabbed the box to open it and see of what this program consisted. At first I noticed that it was a set of DVD's and flash cards. Pretty cool!

I didn't really look at the DVD's because I figured they were just DVD's…and I have seen those before. So I went instead to the flash cards. They were also very cool. On one side of a flash card was the picture of an object. For instance…on the "1" card was the picture of one beach ball and the number 1 on the ball. On the "2" card was a picture of two other objects and the number 2. And so on and so forth. I also noticed on the back of the card was the corresponding number…only in Spanish.

In high school I took Spanish and flunked it. That was during a time in my younger years when I was a bit of a slacker/underachiever. I'm not proud of it…but it happened. And now I really wish I would have tried harder to learn the language. But some of the language stuck with me, including the numbers. As I further examined the flash cards I began to notice something wasn't quite right.

I again picked up the "1" card. I saw the beach ball on the front of the card. But when I flipped the card over the word was "ocho". Even with my very unsuccessful attempt to learn Spanish in high school I knew that ocho in Spanish means eight in English. I pointed this fact out to Faye and my sister. They agreed that it was incorrect. I checked another card…turned it over…and saw that it was incorrect also. And another card was incorrect! In all I found four cards that were not right. Something about me I may or may not have mentioned on this blog before…I HATE to feel like I've been taken advantage of, especially by corporations.

I picked up the box to find out who made the program. After I found out whom that was I went online to find their website. I found the website and went to the contact information. At that point I began to type the same kind of email I've typed maybe a hundred times before, basically saying, "YOU'VE WRONGED ME AND MY FAMILY AND I WANT TO KNOW HOW YOU WILL RESOLVE THE ISSUE!!!" In this case, though, I was more concerned about the thousands of kids that might have this same program that will be learning the wrong Spanish words, including my dear, sweet niece!

So I typed the email and tried to keep my attitude out of it. I let them know of the mistake. I let them know of my concern that kids will be learning the wrong Spanish words. And I even made a short video to explain to them the issue I found. When the email was finished I sent it to the company. Several hours later I received a response from someone in their customer service department. The woman typed that she apologizes for the issue and I should take the item back to the store of purchase to get my money back.

I responded to her response by saying that I wasn't concerned about taking the item back to Wal-Mart to get my money back. Wal-Mart didn't make the product and Wal-Mart didn't make the mistake. I reiterated to her my concern about kids learning the wrong Spanish words. After that email I felt very good about my argument. After all…I was standing up for kids and for education and for culture! My goal was to make a difference, dammit!

The lady then replied that the error was likely made at the factory and that she would look into it. That was great. That was what I wanted! If they found it to be a problem on their end they were at least aware of it. I had done my part to help make a better society. And there was no more communication between me and the company.

Fast forward four days later. We were in the car on our way home. A few hours into our 16 hour drive the phone rings. It was my sister. She called to say that they had a great time during our visit and it was good to see us. She also mentioned that after we left they got the Spanish language program out to begin learning. The DVD's were great and my little niece was as excited to learn the new language as a 2 ½ year old can be about learning a new language.

My niece grabbed the "1" flash card to see what it was all about. My niece really is a brilliant little girl and I am not even saying that in a proud uncle kind of way. I think she may legitimately be brilliant. Her command of the English language is already better than a lot of adults I know. So anyhoo…she grabs the flash card to inspect it. My sister was watching her and lurched in horror as she thought my niece was tearing the card in half. But as it turns out…she was just pulling one flash card off of another flash card. Yeah…that means that one flash card was stuck to another flash card.

My sister grabbed the "1" flash card…and then the "8" flash card…only to learn that the cards were indeed correct. It was my stoopid &*%^&%^ that didn't realize that the cards were stuck together in the first place!

3/20/12

--I've been to Myrtle Beach several times over the years to see my sister and her family. Before this last trip it had been almost 3 years since I had been. In that almost 3 years a lot has changed out there. A new boardwalk was put in that really enhances the southern edge of the touristy part of the beach. And there are many new buildings and businesses in the area.

One business that has been there for a long time is the Ripley's brand of entertainment. There is a museum that houses the "Believe it or Not" stuff. In that museum you will find things like scripture printed on a grain of rice and replicas of the world's tallest man. It provides your garden variety circus freak show stuff that I've always found fascinating.

While we were on our trip we took in this museum. We also went to the Ripley's Haunted House. I've been to this haunted house before a long time ago. It was fantastic back then and it was fantastic this trip! There is nothing quite like walking through a house of horrors and watching your girl lose her "stuff" and scream in terror! Heh. Okay…so she didn't scream…much. But she certainly did enjoy the tour. And to be completely honest there were a couple of times that caught me off guard as well. (The translation for this is that I MAY have screamed like a little girl once or twice!) Overall that haunted house is the best I think I've ever been to…as an adult. I'm not sure anything can ever replicate the haunted houses you visit as a child simply because the suspension of disbelief is so much easier when you're a child.

I highly recommend a trip to The Beach if you have the time, money, and opportunity.

3/19/12

--End-of-vacation reality set in this morning as I, for the first time in a week, put on a long-sleeved shirt and long pants. Then I put on my socks and shoes after a week of no socks and sandals. I came close to pulling a JC Fultz this morning and still wearing the sandals. Maybe tomorrow.

--Vacation was a fantastic time! Faye and I drove to Myrtle Beach to see my sister and her family. The drive is about 15 hours but well worth the trip every couple of years. On the way we drove through Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, and South Carolina. We drove on the northeastern edge of the Great Smokie Mountains. And of course finally drove close to the ocean.

We got to meet my new niece who was born on Thanksgiving. If you go to my Facebook page I uploaded a video of me trying to tame my niece who was very angry at the time!

Faye and I walked in the ocean a little bit. We ate great seafood. We had wonderful baby time. And had a great drive to and from The Beach.

--The weather here seemed a little warm while we were away! The weather was about the same out in South Carolina, although the ocean water was still pretty cold. We'll have a couple more days of lower to middle 80's here before we settle into the 60's starting on Thursday. And then it will be middle 60's through the weekend. Obviously it isn't record-breaking warmth…but still 10 degrees warmer than average.

3/12/12

--This week is really going to be spring-like. The first part of the week will bring quite a bit of sunshine with highs in the lower to mid 70's. The end of the week will bring showers and storms and highs in the mid 70's. All in all…that's not too shabby!

--For those of you that like to keep track of such things today will be my only day at work this week. I will be back to work next Monday, if everything goes according to plan! Road trip!!!

--Over the weekend we perpetuated the little tradition we like to call "Spring forward". We are now operating under Daylight Saving Time in this part of the country. Do you ever wonder why we have to screw with the clocks so much? Here is a link to a webpage that provides some answers!

--If you need to know why I choose to buy our beef from a local farmer you only need to read this article. I think this story has been making the rounds for a while now. It culminated with a report about a major fast food chain eliminating the "pink film" from its beef. For us…we are more than happy buying beef from our local Peeps that feed their livestock real food and in a more natural way. And the beef is fantastic.

Since there will likely be no "Feedback Friday" this week because I can't seem to blog from my laptop I will post a piece of feedback this morning!

From Pam (3/9/12):

Hi Greg, it's Pam from Galesburg. First of all, I don't contribute much but I still read the blog daily. I'm sure that there are lots of people like me that are "silent" readers. (well, most of the time, lol) Keep up the blog and the good work oh and your mom proved that you are never to old for a smack down. lol. Go Greg's mom! I love Mary Kay products.

First, Pam, lemme say that if you need someone from whom to purchase your Mary Kay I know a great consultant! Seriously…send me an email and I will put you in touch with her.

Secondly…it is true that you are never too old to get the Smackdown from a parent!

That's it for today, and likely the week! There is a new blogger on this website. Stacey Skrysak is now doing a blog. You can find the link under the "Stormcenter 17 Blogs" tab.

Have a great week! If I can I may post an update once in a while. And I am sure I will post once in a while on Facebook and Twitter.

3/9/12

--You know that broom thing going around right now? It's the one where someone stands a broom up and takes a picture and posts it on all of the social media sites. Sorry to spoil the fun and shock of it all…but it isn't because of the solar flares. You can stand a broom up like that anytime. Suckers…

"Feedback Friday"!!!

From Mom (3/6/12):

Greg,

Mary Kay Cosmetics is still a company that does NOT test products on animals.

For over 20 years, Mary Kay has been a global leader in the commitment to end animal testing. MK is working very closely with the Chinese government to demonstrate that alternative testing methods ensure safe and effective products. MK has also been one of the first companies to meet with Chinese safety authorities to discuss alternative testing methods; has sponsored an "Alternatives to Animal Experimentation for Cosmetics" conference in Beijing in April 2011 and was also one of the first companies to work directly with dermatology experts used by the Chinese government in their review process of alternative testing for human clinical methods for product safety in 2007.

MK is deeply committed to the elimination of animal testing and their actions and record speak to that. MK has been a longstanding leader on this issue, their policy has NOT changed. MARY KAY COSMETICS DOES NOT CONDUCT ANIMAL TESTING ON ITS PRODUCTS OR INGREDIENTS, nor ask others to do so on their behalf.

MK is one of only two cosmetic companies listed as scientific contributors to the first book in Chinese describing alternative principles and applications, and MK has donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to the Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing at Johns Hopkins University. Finding alternatives to animal testing has, and will continue to be, a top priority for Mary Kay Cosmetics.

These were part of the influencing factors in my deciding to become an Independent Mary Kay Consultant...as an animal lover, these issues are important to me. I totally believe in the wonderful company I am privileged to be a part of and want these things to be known to your blog readers.

Love,

Your Mom

I knew I was forgetting one of the major companies! Thanks for the update! Love you.

From David (3/6/12):

A Red Flag warning? They do realize that the snow was still melting, today, and the ground is pretty wet. I think you might have a bit of trouble starting a camp fire if the wood wasn't covered. But if you got it going.....RED FLAG !!! LOL

I'm sure they did realize that, David. It's an excellent point you bring up, though. That warning was actually a very large one. And our 3 counties in the warning were on the very far northeastern edge of the warned area. It could be that they threw those counties in just to be on the safe side.

Regardless…here is how it works: the weather service issues a watch/warning/advisory. We run the watch/warning/advisory. Those people are VERY good at what they do. And I rarely question their products. Once in a while they will put out a head-scratcher. But I always give them the benefit of a doubt. They've earned it.

From Jill (3/7/12):

You can't quit the blog!! I'm a nay sayer! I come to work at 6:30, check e-mail, click on the link to your blog, THEN get my coffee! Shirley you understand the significance of the order in this list of actions?! A lot of big corps around Decatur block FB, Twitter (which I've never been to and I'm still in my 20's ...for 2 whole more months) and blogs, but we get yours because it is news. I need m y morning jollies, Greg. There's nothing better than a morning weather report and a joke to start your day ...and perhaps watching you present the weather with a sword on live tv. Target the fans who actually go to the news website. Zeroing in on just social websites is limiting the variety of your followers. So keep up the blog and hire a teenage girl to handle the social websites. Salutations.

I appreciate your dedication, Jill! Don't worry…I won't quit the blog for quite a while. After all…I've been doing this thing for over 3 years now. And even with the advent of social media like Facebook and Twitter…this blog is still one of the most viewed pages on this website. And that is because of devoted Gregorians like you!

Frankly…sometimes I get frustrated with certain aspects of my job (like everyone) and sometimes I use the blog to vent.

From Ole Dave (3/7/12):

After reading the blog for today, 3/7/2012, I feel the necessity to tell you that if you drop the blog, you will be losing one loyal follower. Facebook is fine for teenage girls that want to keep up with the social gossip. Twitter is for people that seem to think up to the minute information is going to change their lives. The blog gives us a change to read what normal people think, and the ability to reply in kind. While you still remain my friend, and I do not want to make you mad, I must say that lately you seem to be regressing back into your teenage life. My opinion may be the only one that leans this way, but if any others feel the same about your writings, please let Greg know. I think he needs to be enlightened over whom his true followers are.

I can't quit the blog, Dave. If I did I would miss your kind and subtle way of influencing people! Heh.

I understand the teenage regression concept you suggest. Let me just say that I wouldn't be on Twitter if it wasn't strongly "encouraged" by my employer. I do enjoy Facebook because it allows for immediate interaction with Peeps. And honestly I think the format of Facebook is better than here on the blog. But I was the first at this station to do a blog and it is still by far the most successful attempt at a blog at this station. And I am a sucker for nostalgia. So I likely won't be quitting the blog anytime soon. I will, however, try not to get forced into doing any more versions of social media. There just isn't enough content in my life to make all of these outlets interesting!

From Brittany (3/8/12):

Have you seen the show on the NatGeo channel called "Doomsday Preppers"? The show has people on there who prepare for catastrophic events or end of world type scenarios. I watched one episode of Doomsday Preppers where they were preparing for a solar flare that would wipe out all communications. This guy has tons of food stockpiled and was ready for anything. I think most of the people on this show are extreme, maybe this guy really knew something we didn't , LOL!

I have not seen that show. I am not sure we get the NatGeo channel. I may look for it on YouTube, etc, though!

Yesterday a Gregorian emailed a link to me about the doctor from yesterday's blog. I had already seen the website from researching the article I posted on heart disease. But in the interest of full disclosure I will post the link here. Check it out if you care to. Bottom line, though, is I think we would all benefit from this doctor's dietary advice.

From Jerrie (3/8/12):

Good Day Greg I have read something of this nature i cant eat fish a lot because of the gout i have in my feet fish makes it worse also the blood thinner i take there are certain veggies i cant eat because it will clot my blood and there i go again so i do eat beef pork and chicken but in modertation and exercise ive lost 25 pounds by doing this ive stayed out of the hosptial before they found the right combation i died but im doing ok i have goodays and bad days on the bad days i slow down and rest but when things are right i go i have the handi cap van or i ride the city bus get to see a lot of friends so anyone with heart troubles do things in moderation and exercise happy spring

Thanks for your story, Jerrie. Since I posted that article here on the blog, and on Facebook, I've heard from many people acknowledging how good the doctor's dietary advice really is. We are what we eat, right?

From David (3/8/12):

Have you heard about the solar activity effecting gravity? Apparently, you can stand things up that would not ordinarily stand up, like a broom , on end.

ALso, why is it called a Worm Moon? I could probably look that one up. Just lazy, I suppose. Have a GREAT weekend !!

Hi, David! Do me a favor…when we are not having a solar storm…try the broom thing. You will likely find that it still works.

Worm moon? Here's a great explanation on the NASA website.

That's it for this week! The weekend will bring warmer air and a chance for rain on Sunday. Be safe…

3/8/12

--There is something fairly huge happening to our planet today. The largest solar storm in five years is pelting us at this very second. I'm no expert when it comes to matters of space. But apparently this solar storm should have an impact on us today that we may notice. Here is a link to an article that explains it much better than I ever could!

--Due to family history heart disease is something that is always on my radar. I saw an article this morning that caught my attention. I can't claim to verify the information in the article…so let me just tell you that up front. As is often the case with any link I post I will leave it up to you whether or not you choose to believe. Here is the link. I've felt for a long time that just popping a statin isn't the answer to stopping heart disease. And I think I may have even posted a link here or on Facebook that spoke about how much of a role sugars play in allowing plaque to attach itself to artery walls. This heart doctor in the story I linked pretty much confirms all of that. And if this guy is right there needs to be a MAJOR shift in the way medicine treats heart disease.

3/7/12

--Today will be another windy but warm day around the CI. There is another wind advisory today until 6. This time the entire viewing area is in the advisory. At this point you should already know that it is windy…and how that will impact your life!

--Today should also be a huge day in the history of the National Football League. Like Joe Montana, Johnny Unitas, Joe Namath, and Jerry Rice before him…today Peyton Manning will be jettisoned from the only pro team for which he has ever played. The press conference is scheduled for sometime between 11 and noon Central time…and the Colts will announce that they are releasing Peyton Manning. Crazy…but it is the right business move for them.

--Have you noticed that this blog hasn't been as exciting in recent months as it has been in the past? I've noticed it…especially this week. I think it is a combination of not having as much time this week to do the blog, already having a big outlet and better format in Facebook, and now the station has requested that we all have a Twitter account. Frankly I think the blog, Facebook, and Twitter is just too much exposure for one person to have, combined with the TV exposure that used to be the focal point of the job. I guess you can call it evolution. Just like the Colts moving on from Peyton Manning…so to am I gradually running out of steam for this blog. I'm not saying the blog is done…yet. But I think the natural course of things is starting to show through.

"Do you hear that? That's the sound of inevitability…"

-Agent Smith, The Matrix

3/6/12

--There is a Wind Advisory in effect today from 10 until 6 for Cass, Champaign, Christian, Coles, DeWitt, Douglas, Edgar, Fayette, Ford, Iroquois, Logan, Macon, Macoupin, McLean, Menard, Montgomery, Morgan, Moultrie, Piatt, Sangamon, Scott, Shelby and Vermilion counties. Wind gusts around 45 miles per hour can be expected (Mostly out of the south).

There is a Red Flag Warning from 10 until 8 this evening for Fayette, Macoupin, and Montgomery counties. A Red Flag Warning means that critical fire weather conditions are either occurring now or will be shortly.

This is the first time I have worked during a red flag warning. It is a relatively new warning type for the National Weather Service, I believe. Or at least it is for our area.

3/5/12

Here is a recent article that was forwarded to me that I found interesting. If you wear makeup you might try to see if your makeup company made either list that is shown in this article. This station has a deal to provide us with Merle Norman makeup. I did not find them on either list. And as far as I can tell Merle Norman is not owned by another larger company. So I consider that at least to be good news that they did not make one of the lists. Here is the link so you can look for yourself!

3/2/12

--There is a chance this morning into the afternoon that we could see some strong storms. Right now it appears the biggest threats will be strong wind and large hail. Even after the storms clear this afternoon it is going to be fairly windy with gusts up to 40 or 45 miles per hour possible. East Central Illinois will be under a wind advisory for much of the afternoon. All in all…a very active weather day for us. As always we will be here through the day to walk you through the storms.

"Feedback Friday"!!

From Teri (2/28/12):

I go to Mattoon at least once a week and I will have to limit my trips to every other weekend and just stay for the whole weekend. Where will I be taking my staycation this year at my kid's houses. Too expensive to go visit them very often I live in Decatur and they live in Mattoon and Shelbyville. I can feel your pain of driving everyday I used to do it. Although working in Decatur I still average about 30 miles a day as I live on one end of town and work on the other end.

It is certainly going to be a tight summer for those of us that have to drive a lot. I may have overstated my situation by saying I would have to reconsider where I work because of the commute. But if gas is going to hit $5 a gallon this year it will certainly cut down on what I can spend in other places. Hang in there, Teri!

That's it for today. With the potentially busy morning today there isn't much time for me to blog! Have a safe day today…and a great weekend!

3/1/12

--Yesterday morning ended up being fairly busy and I did not get the chance to blog. Apologies…

--Today should be just about perfect, weather-wise. We'll see a load of sunshine and a little bit of wind. And our highs today will push on 60 degrees. Tomorrow, though, is going to be stormy. Late afternoon into tomorrow night there is a slight chance we could see some severe weather. There is better potential for nasty storms to our south and southeast tomorrow night…in places that caught the deadly storms the past couple of days. I think everyone is hoping the past couple of days are not an indication of the spring storm season to come.

--Last week someone sent me a link to a story about how the headstones are made for military members that expire. I thought it was interesting so I will post this link right here for you to view at your leisure.

--Tomorrow is "Feedback Friday". Get your thoughts in on any subject now by hitting the feedback section below!

Weather...or Not: March 2012 Entries - Wandtv.com, NewsCenter17, StormCenter17, Central Illinois News-

Weather...or Not: March 2012 Entries