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Monday, July 20, 2009

HGTV Is Evil!


I absolutely LOVE cable TV; Sports Center, The First 48, VH-1...all GREAT! HGTV...not so much!

For those of you unfamiliar with HGTV it's Home & Garden Television...and it's pure evil! And not just plain old evil either...it's eeeevviiiillll! What's wrong with HGTV you ask. Oh that's simple: it airs shows on how to do home repairs and remodeling. That's right, forget about calling in the professionals...you can do it yourself...or so they make you believe you can do it by yourself!



Alright, maybe some people can open up a book, read a website, or attend a class at Home Depot and then go rip down a wall without the house caving in, pull out a shower and replace it, or in my case...rip out all of the carpet in your house and replace it with hard wood floors!

How I fell for this trick is anyones guess. Perhaps it was because I really wanted to do something nice for my wife. Or maybe it was because my friend Wayne told me it would only take a day or two to complete, or maybe it's because I'm what my mom calls a huge ignoramus!

No matter, because the fact is that I spent the last three days of my vacation pulling out carpet, removing base boards, and discussing the virtue of quarter round. Five days ago I didn't know what quarter round was. If asked I would have guessed it had something to do with ground beef! Needless to say, but now I know it isn't prepared on a grill or served with fries!

I was so happy to get back to work and away from saws, hammers, and staple guns that I actually woke up and got to work early! Although I'm reminded of all the crawling around on the floor, the pushing and the pulling every time I stand up. If my back isn't hurting then my knees are popping like a bowl of Rice Krispies!



In all honesty the floors in my living room, family room, and boys bedroom look GREAT! I wish I had taken "before and after" pictures to post here. I also wish that I could take more credit, but it really goes to my friend Wayne who had all the really awesome tools and did the majority of the tough stuff.

And I guess if I had to admit it...it was actually pretty fun. But I'm still considering blocking HGTV before my wife sees a show about how to rip out the kitchen cabinets or replace the counter tops!

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Wednesday, July 8, 2009

My Final Word on Michael Jackson


I've held off on blogging about the passing of Michael Jackson for a couple of reasons. First, like most people, I was shocked by the news. It's certainly one of those events that I'll always remember where I was and what I was doing when it happened.

I also wanted to wait until after the initial hoopla had worn off and there was a clearer picture of what really happened...although I'm not sure that's going to happen anytime soon. And then before I knew it a week had passed and it was time for the memorial service.

Let me begin by saying that I was never a huge Michael Jackson fan. If you look in my CD collection you won't find a single MJ title. The only Michael Jackson album I ever owned was Thriller, and it was given to me by a high school girlfriend in 1983. By the way, this is the same girlfriend I broke up with a week later because she like Billie Jean better than she liked Down By The River by Neil Young!

This isn't to say that I don't like Michael Jackson's music. I actually love Off the Wall and Thriller, and needless to say the early Jackson 5 stuff is awesome.



As I've gotten older my musical tastes have matured as well. As a kid , into my early 20's, I was a Rock guy. Then as I approached my 30's I discovered a whole treasure trove of music that I had ignored earlier in life. All of a sudden I was listening to Top 40, Rap, and Country...and surprisingly I liked a large majority of it. That's when I rediscovered Michael Jackson...and that led to way too many nights spent on a packed dance floor shakin' my groove thang with a PYT...yeah, scary vision I know!

For me it's always been about the music. Sure, I couldn't ignore the crazy stories about Michael...who could? There was the story about trying to buy the remains of the Elephant Man, sleeping in some sort of chamber to stay young, there was the ever changing nose, and of course the horrible charges of child molestation. Through all of that, I, like a lot of other radio personalities, made jokes and took pot shots at the King of Pop. He was an easy mark and good for a quick laugh. His superstar status made it all the easier to make him the butt of jokes. However, there was always the music...there was never any denying that.



As Americans we love our celebrities. We go to great lengths to build them up, put them on a pedestal, and make them bigger than life. Then after they reach a certain level, we love to tear them down, put them through the wringer, and shred them to pieces.

Obviously when MJ was accused of child molestation that got the worlds attention. We were all shocked that such a beloved figure could possibly do something so horrific. Then when we found out that Michael had paid to settle out of court, many of us saw that as an admission of guilt. Why else would he pay? Who does that? The answer? Michael Jackson. I don't know if it's because he was guilty or if he was just worried about the damage to his career. Either way, it certainly cast a shadow of doubt and tarnished his image.

Then when Michael married Debbie Rowe, had kids, divorced and paid her off...several different times...again, we all scratched our heads. I always thought it was odd, but hey...it's Michael Jackson, it's Hollywood, he's a star...they all do weird stuff. It's part of being famous.

The Martin Bashir documentary, designed to help redefine his image as devoted father and pop superstar, only fueled the fire for those set on defining him as a freak and a pedophile. Most of the world couldn't get passed the words they heard him say long enough to hear what I think Michael was truly trying to say. It's always been my impression that he was just a kid himself...forever trapped inside an adults body...just trying to recapture what was taken from him when he was a kid.



When someone is accused of something as deplorable as molesting a child it's easy to judge and convict them in the court of public opinion...without ever seeing the facts. We read the tabloids or watch Access Hollywood, or listen to the story being told by a co-worker in the break room. We don't know the truth.

Who among us hasn't done something that witnessed, or overheard and then taken in the wrong context, would potentially make us look like a horrible person? If you have kids, think about a time you may have snapped at them in public or taken hold of their arm in a manner that if viewed by the wrong person you may have been accused of child abuse.

I think we've all done things we're not proud of and would like to keep from others. The difference is most of us don't live our lives on the world stage where our every move is scrutinized, nor do we have the money to keep it quiet in the event someone does find out.

I don't know if Michael Jackson took advantage of young boys. And unless you've seen the evidence that the Los Angeles District Attorney and the jury in his subsequent trial saw, then neither do you. I know what he was accused of and it turns my stomach. I also know he was never found guilty.

Many will never set aside the accusations, the plastic surgeries, and the circus that was Michael Jackson's life long enough to see who Michael Jackson really was...a son, a brother, and a dad to three kids. I can't imagine how they must feel when they hear all of the negative things being said about their father. How could anyone watch his daughter Paris at the memorial service and not feel the pain she and her siblings are going through.



Strip away all the stories, the rumors, and even some of the ugly truth...and at his core MJ was possibly the greatest entertainer to have ever lived.

And when I can finally find someplace that has his music in stock again I think I'll finally add a few of his CD's to my collection.

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