Looking for the worst: Don't be so judgmental

Mila Kunis/Celebuzz.com

Is it wrong to wonder why we lost all respect for each other? I'm not really saying you and me...although I guess theoretically I could be.

No, my question is more along the lines of why everyone is so angry and quick to criticize and more importantly, so damn quick to judge?

I was thinking about this after watching the Oscar's last night with TLB (The Lovely Bride) in part because of something she brought up. Here we were, sitting on the couch, watching the Pre-Game show (Red Carpet show) before eating dinner and I asked a question. "Why is this all about the fashion?". Her answer "It's the only thing that really counts".

My question is why? Is it that important to line up people to criticize and harangue these multi-millionaire actors and actresses for how they dress for an event? Or for that matter, who are we to judge them for it? And yet we do. I mean, heck, look it the long list of "Experts" who chime in and grade the actresses for what they are wearing. Is that what we've become?

((In the photo--Apparently the dress on Mila Kunis here, was judged a "B-Minus"---what the hell does that mean?))

There are tons of other examples of this. Heck, I experience it at work almost every day. Yeah, sure, I'm a journalist and writer and I get paid to write. But I don't claim to be perfect. I may strive to be perfect, but I'm not.

Writing Class/Courtesy: this.org

And yet the criticism is not only fast, it's nasty. You'd be amazed at the comments we get on my stations website ((www.wcpo.com)). "Who the hell taught you how to write?" "Are you on crack, hell I can do better than you""Are you all 3rd graders with no English skills" "You can't even write a clear freaking sentence".

Hell, when did the people who take the time to comment on websites become the grammar police? And if they are so great at it? Why aren't they professional writers?

But you can't say anything to them. You want to, but you can't. And quite honestly, it's the tone more than anything else that pisses me off. It's okay to point out a mistake, I have no problem with that. Just don't be so damn nasty about it and act like you've never made one. It's the same with the clothing critics...if you know so damn much then why aren't you the greatest designer that ever lived? Until you are..."Shut the fuck up!".

Sorry about the language.

I don't know. Heck, I have no problem admitting that I'm a cynic. But I don't judge everyone else either.

Here's another example. I'm reading a story about the NFL Scouting combine. Oh my GOD! Mark Ingram ran a 4.65 40-yard dash. According to the writers there (and there are way to freakin' many of them), he just killed his draft stock in the NFL.

Mark Ingram at combine/Courtesy: nba.msg.com

Really? How do you figure? One, the kid hasn't played a game yet. Two, how often in a football game is he going to be running 40-yards in a straight line in track shoes and dry-fit clothes on?

Let the kid play football. We'll see.

If you read all the story's from the Todd McShay's and Scout.com's and NFL Network guys, you'd think the only way to judge a football player is by measuring every part of his body, asking him a bunch of bizarre questions to see how he'll respond (the Wonderlic test) and then have him run the 40.

Come on guys, you can't measure heart. You can't put a metric on how bad someone wants to be successful. If you go by the Combine results as the all-mighty, then every 1st Round Draft pick would be the greatest to ever play the game. That folks, ain't happening.

I'm asking a question here, and really, I know it's rhetorical. But when did we become so damn mean? When did we become a nation of back seat quarterbacks? When did those of us who've never done anything, proclaim ourselves "Experts" who can rip and destroy someone who's attempting to do something? I'm all for the "1st Amendment" and "Freedom of Speech", I mean I'm a frickin' Journalist, I live by it.

Sure, when I write a story on the OnlineSportsGuys.com blog, I express my opinion about things. But its just my opinion. And I always put facts or an explainer in there as to why I am saying it, I've worked in and around Sports for well over 20-years, I'm qualified to offer that opinion. If you can give me a good, rational, logical explanation as to why you are judging someone, insulting someone or criticizing someone, you have every right to do it. Just don't hide behind your frickin' computer, be a douchebag and not be willing to back up anything that you say.

There...I feel better now.

If it will make you feel any better, I found this old Santana song from the early 80's...enjoy it:

Beerfest: A sellout crowd and great diversion

Cincinnati Beerfest/Courtesy: Me

Sometimes the right thing comes up at the right time to take your mind off the other things you are dealing with at the current time. I really needed it this past weekend.

Last weekend, the second weekend in February, was one of those weekends. The Lovely Bride and I didn't do a ton, but we went to one event we'd been looking forward to. Beerfest.

Honestly, the event wasn't the all-out party that you'd think it was. It was the 4th Annual Cincinnati Beerfest, a celebration of the Craft Beer movement.

Most of you reading this are friends of mine and you all know how much of a fan we've become. Look at it like being a wine connoisseur.

I might add at this point, the picture isn't deceiving, the place was absolutely packed. The crowd was estimated at around 6,000. I can't argue with that. And yeah, there was a percentage of them that were there to just get drunk. But, at $30 a head, most were there to try new and exciting flavors of beer.

The Lovely Bride Enjoys/Courtesy: Me

And there were plenty of them. The popular favorites, Dogfish Head, Stone, Rogue, Left Hand, Sierra Nevada and a whole lot more. There also were some smaller breweries that had some pretty good stuff too. I've already found a couple of good local Microbrewers here, Rivertown and Mt.Carmel, this night I found a new one, Elevator Brewing from Columbus, Ohio.

We didn't spend an inordinate amount of time at the event, a couple of hours. And yes, before you ask, I stopped sampling after the 1st hour and nursed a bottle of water the rest of the night. But we had a great time.

Me at Beerfest/Courtesy: TLB

We spent a good 20 minutes just waiting to get in. The reason. The line. General admission ticket holders couldn't get in until 7:30 or an hour after those who paid $60. We were armed though. Armed with a 4 oz. tasting glass and 25 drink tickets, we were good to go.

We started out at the first booth we saw, Dogfish Head. We thought they had a Palo Santo Marrano, but they didn't so we ended up with an India Brown IPA.

We worked the room, Elevator's Porter, a Bell's Stout, Founder's version of an Ale, Left Hand's Milk Stout...all great beers. (If you are wondering, I love me some Stout beer...and some Porters) The other kind of funny thing, each table had, along with their beers, a container of water to wash out your tasting glass with before the pour.

I wonder sometimes if we've just picked up an odd habit or we are onto something. Proof, really is in the pudding. Over the past year, sales of Budweiser and Miller Products are down some 12-percent, while craft beers continue to gain market share. Yeah, I've had my fair share of their products, and didn't think anything about it at the time.

Maybe it's just age. Maybe it's just selectivity, I don't know. I don't really drink to get drunk anymore, I don't need to. I drink beers because I enjoy them. Because I've discovered there are an incredible amount of creatively crafted versions of beer. No, I don't like them all, but there are so many of them, it will take a long, long time before I repeat myself.

Next time you find yourself in a restaurant or bar, go ahead, try something different. Try something that's not the same thing you've tried over and over again, you might come to realize what we have....there's a whole new world out there.

This is what passed for fancy beer when I was a kid...or at least a clip. Enjoy some Bob and Doug McKenzie : (yes, they pre-date "spuds")

How do you say thanks?

Young Daisy/Courtesy: Me

This is something I never really contemplated writing about, but if I don't do it now, I don't know if I will. It's more a rhetorical question than anything else, but one of those things that when you get to the point where you are thinking about it, you want to know how to do it?

It's not something I've had to do on the level that I am about to. I've had relatives pass away, we've had to put down family dogs before and TLB and I had to say goodbye to her 1st cat, Simon on New Years Eve day a couple of years ago. Heck, when I was 16, my father had to go put down a German Shepard pup (Sam) that we had because she had mental issues when I wasn't around. 

That being said, Daisy is different. Daisy the Wonder Dog came into my life as a pup. My sister had adopted her from a pet rescue and tried raising her along with my niece, Jordan. It was too much for her.

When I moved to Atlanta in 1999, Daisy and I spent time together and bonded. At that point, she had ended up with my parents, who lived there at the time. They already had a Golden Retriever, Hallie.

Fast forward to March of 2000 and I'm getting ready to buy a Townhouse when I asked. "If you'd like, I'd be glad to take Daisy in". "She'll have some room in the Townhouse". They said yes.

Sure, she was still pretty destructive when I got her. She ate a pair of my sneakers, a baseball glove and a part of the window sill along with any piece of wood or leather she could find. But she grew out of it. And we bonded. She was brought up right, Crate Training, healthy eating and exercise.

We were inseparable. Sure, I had to leave her with my parents to dog sit when I was traveling for work, which I frequently did in those days. Daze would sit at the window of their house and cry when I left. And come tackle me at a full sprint when I came to pick her up. Always.

It was the greeting when I came home that I'll always remember. It didn't matter if I was gone an hour...or 8 of them, she went crazy when I came home. She was there, smiling, with not 1, but 2 tennis balls in her mouth. And she would proceed to run laps around the couch before pouncing on me.

And then there was the "Moment of Zen". Truth be told, my best friend came up with that. Since Jon and  I talk most everyday, most of our conversations were while I was on my way home. And quite often, it would be as I got home to Daze. You had to hear the Zen to understand it. It really sounds like she's saying "Hello" if you listen. It's just really funny to hear it from a dog.

It's the little things you remember the most. When I would stretch out on the couch, she was right there at my feet. If I went in the office to do work, she had to be underneath the desk. Even at night, she had a bed next to mine, she was there when I went to sleep, she was there when I woke up. When she was young, it would involve her paws and face on the bed trying to wake me up, as she got older, it was just sitting there waiting to be pet.

We had some adventures. I took her with me to Panama City on a Scuba Trip in 2004. She was great in the hotel...except when she saw a squirrel near the tree on the other side of the parking lot. She treed it. Couldn't have been prouder. Much later, she would go with us to visit my parents after they moved to Wilmington, North Carolina. We had a crazy trip to Michelle's hometown Lafayette, Lousiana in 2007. Just me and the dog, driving 9 hours in a non-stop rain that ended as severe thunderstorms. But she was always there. And as long as I was there too, she was happy. She even came with me to the 1st ever WGCL Fantasy Football draft in the old Channel 46 shack on Briarcliffe Road. She just hung out, visited and got spoiled, by everyone there.

There is a saying that "The world is their playpen". That's the Wonder Dog in a nutshell. She had a "Stupid Pet Trick", and it made everyone who saw it, laugh.



I think the toughest adjustment that she's had to make, much like Michelle and I, was moving up north. The house we rented when we moved up here was a challenge for her, never mind us. But, it had a backyard, something she had never had. However, the first time I tried to let her out the back door onto the back deck leading to the yard, she just stopped. Stopped and stared "What? You're not coming with me?". I did. But the house was rough on her. Cold. Un-insulated, the winter was rough.

It got worse. She developed allergy issues. Bad allergy issues. We got a cat. Being the friendly dog that she was, she accepted him. And she just rolled with it, like she always does.

It's been really tough this winter. Even more so than last. Last year it snowed. A good amount. And she enjoyed it. She always liked the snow, the once or twice that it snowed in Atlanta, she'd run around like it was a new toy. But this winter has been too much. It's snowed. It's iced. A lot. Even more than the precip, is the cold. It's been horribly cold this winter. It's been tough on me, I can't imagine how hard it's been for her. But she's tried.

It started getting bad a couple of months ago. She was chewing the top part of her legs raw. She was shedding in clumps. But she never complained. Never wavered. We found out in September that she had Thyroid issues. I was giving her pills twice a day and rubbing solution on her legs to keep her from chewing. About...I guess a month ago, she started slowing down. I'm not sure if it was even noticeable then. She didn't greet me at the door with the two-tennis balls in her mouth, she didn't give me...or Michelle the "Moment of Zen". She just kind of wagged her tail, smiled and laid down.

It's been worse the past few weeks. She was spending most of her time in her orthopedic bed, next to where I sleep. She'd get up to eat, but that was about it. Last week, we realized where we were. I took her out to go to the bathroom on a cold, snowy morning. She went, but then laid down in the grass and just stayed there. I picked her up and carried her back to the apartment and we went to the doctor.

He gave her some pills and we did an x-ray and saw something not right. Her heart isn't right. By heart I mean the organ that pumps the blood. Her heart, that was and has always been right.

I struggle with this part, not because I'm sad, but because I want to do what's right. More than anything I don't want her to suffer and I don't want her to be miserable. I owe her that. I don't look back and I'm not going to be upset.

How do you thank a dog for doing what all good dogs do? How do you thank an animal for being your best friend for all these years? How do you thank her for listening to all your problems and always just being happy that you are there and sharing? I don't know if even something like this can do it justice. But I refuse to think anything else.

((Note--We are going to see the Oncologist today 2/9/11 at 4:30pm. My regular vet today said Daisy doesn't have much time left. Michelle and I know this. We are okay with this. We just want to know for sure.))

((2nd Update--Don't know if anyone else is reading this so far after its written, but we had to put Daisy down on Sunday. It wasn't good. She was really struggling and we couldn't bear seeing her like that. Especially since we knew it wasn't going to get better. Honestly, I couldn't really talk much about this until now. I'm still getting used to her not being there when I get up in the morning. The apartment is really quiet. Too quiet, which honestly, is the hardest thing to deal with))

Betcha' Didn't Know....Radio, radio

The college roomies at my wedding/Courtesy: ???

How many of you know that I did a stint as a radio DJ? Probably a few of you do. Ross, Big Tom, my family and a few others...but not many. Yes, believe it or not, for a few months, many years ago, I was a DJ at WVGS, the student run radio station at Georgia Southern.

There were a few reasons that I did it, despite the fact that I'm incredibly self-conscious about having way-too deep of a voice.

It was during my summer off in I guess it was 1984 or 1985 when I got interested in maybe going the radio route. I spent that summer as an unpaid intern at what was then Y-106, a top-40 radio station in Orlando. It was a lot of fun, despite starting out as the guy who filed records in order. As the summer wore on, they gave me more stuff to do and I ended up working with the promotions department. I got to drive the station custom van to events and bring the giveaway items. You know, the giant party sub, the beer, free stickers--stuff like that. Heck, I even got drafted one time to be a judge at a bikini contest at a local hotel (yes, it was fun).

They must have liked what I was doing because at the end of the summer, the Promotions Director (also a DJ), wanted me to stick around and be his Assistant. But...it didn't pay very much ($9,000-a year), so I declined.

That fall, when I returned to Georgia Southern, I decided to see if that was what I wanted to do, so I signed up to be a DJ at the college station. They accepted me and low and behold, I had a show...every Saturday from 10 a.m until 1 p.m, which left me just enough time to get to the football games, which at that time kicked off at 1:30.

Bears/Falcons 2005 (chicago, it was -2)/thanks: hager

It was pretty fun, I called the show "The Saturday Morning Hangover Shift" and learned how to operate the board and everything pretty fast. The challenge....the music. At that time, my music knowledge wasn't that great, limited pretty much to Classic Rock and the stuff I saw on MTV (back when they played videos). WVGS at the time had a pretty good library of records in back, we could pick pretty much anything we wanted out of there, but had to pull at least 70-percent of our music from a bin in the front of the studio.

I had never heard of most of the music in there; REM, Midnight Oil, Squeeze and other 80's alternative music. But I learned...and learned to like a lot of it. One of the fun things was picking artists and tracks that I wasn't familiar with and playing them on the show to see if I liked them.

I did have a few regulars that I played. I loved the Police...I played a lot of their music during the show. My signoff song--"Walking on the Moon". I played David Bowie's "Young American" a lot too. Mostly it was stuff that I had seen on MTV, they played a lot of New Wave music at the time: Devo, Simple Minds...all kinds of stuff.

The other challenge was talking on the mic. Those who knew me when I was in Middle and High School will tell you I was kinda quiet. I was. Really. If I wasn't comfortable with the people or things around me, I didn't talk much.

But I had to talk on the radio at some point. And be engergetic...or at least interesting. One show, on a home football gameday, my replacement was late. So I had to stay on the air until they showed. Each break and in between songs, it was "Hey, I'm still here, but really anxious to get to the game....so and so should be here, well, should've been here 20 minutes ago to take you through the day. If so and so is listening, please hurry.

Me and the Vanderbilt Commodore/Courtesy: Eric Hager

The other was on a day where believe it or not, it snowed in Statesboro, Georgia (45-min. West of Savannah). There was a celebration scheduled for our 1-AA Champioship team that afternoon, the EagleFest. Our program director called me during my show and said "Hey, EagleFest is cancelled, make sure you mention it whenever you can". So I did. Every break. In between songs, coming out of songs...probably 75 times in 3 hours.

Anyway, there really isn't a deep seated meaning in this post, I was just thinking about it the other day. I still have a couple of my airchecks, though they are on cassette. I laugh when I think about it. I really had a lot of fun doing it, but I'm glad I went the route that I did.

I always thought I would be either on the radio, a writer or work in TV. And hey, low and behold, that's exactly what I did. It's not everyone that can say they are REALLY living the dream, but to some extent, I really am. Damn happy about it too.

With that in mind, here's your Police--"Walking on the Moon":

Watcha been doin' lately?

Dear Everyone,

Oliver the Christmas Cat/Courtesy: Me

Hey! I'm back again. Yeah, I guess its kinda lame that I started this out posting almost everyday and now if I'm lucky, I get to this once a month. Sadly, there really isn't much of an excuse. Sure I'm busy, but I'm not that busy. And there has been stuff going on. So it's not like I've got nothing to talk about.

I guess the last time we talked was before Christmas. Wooo...that was a long time ago, wasn't it? Christmas was different this year. Very different. We, of course made the best of it, but it was tough because I had to work. I worked not only Christmas Eve, but had to around and go right back in at 7 the next morning.

Really, it was all worth it when I came home. TLB (The Lovely Bride), made a smaller scale version of a family tradition, "Italian Feast Night". In no short order, we had marinated tomatoes, marinated artichokes, some roasted peppers, some italian cold cuts and cheeses and some wine for starters. Dinner was a really, really big and very tasty lasagna. To say it was tasty would be selling it short, but if you ever want to come visit and try it out, let us know, it'll be one of the best meals you'll ever eat.

It was strange not being with the rest of our family, but there isn't much we can do about that right now. It's been kind of a bummer because both the family and most of our friends haven't been able to make it up here to see us in a long, long time.

Snowy Apartments/Courtesy: Me

New Year's wasn't a whole lot better. I had to work until 5 on New Years Eve...and yes, had to be back at work by 7 the next morning. We did go out though. For a little while anyway. We had dinner over at a friend of Michelle's and hung out for a bit before we headed home around 10. We got comfy and watched Robo Dick Clark until midnight and went to sleep.

 Aside from it being perpetually cold here, there really hasn't been too much else going on. I'm still plugging away at work. It's been a bit of a challenge there, or at least it was during December because of vacations and the like. My schedule was really all over the place and had to jump between the desk and writing sometimes in the same day.

Really, I need...no, we need a vacation. Some time off. Even if it's a long weekend that isn't here in Cincinnati. But that isn't so simple. February is already coming up fast and I can't take time off. To go anywhere, we've gotta put the dog at Camp Bow Wow. While she seems to like it there and we like the way they take care of her, it really takes a toll on her. She turned 13 October and really just doesn't do much anymore. Pretty much eats, poops and follows me around the house.

We are, at least as of now, going to take a couple of days in March. My cousin Ilene's youngest kid is getting his Bar Mitzvah in New Jersey and we are going to go. TLB went to the kids older brother getting his a couple of years ago with my parents, I couldn't go. I'm going this time. We're going to take a couple extra days to do some New York stuff for ourselves.

Inside the Museum Center/Courtesy: Me

Really, there isn't much else going on in my oh, so exciting life these days. We haven't even had a lot of "Excellent Adventures" as of late. Oh, we did go visit the Cincinnati Museum Center and I've gotta say, it was surprisingly cool. The whole thing is an old, renovated train depot. There was a lot to see and we spent the better part of a day there checking it out. If you ever come visit us, we'll take you.

Thanks for reading my letter. I really should write them more often, but we all know how much of a slacker I can be. Hopefully I'll get more motivated....or pissed off about something and find an outlet for it by writing it down here.

Talk to you soon,

Phil

Enjoy your Bonnie Raitt, listen to this while reading please:

Damn it's cold!

Apt. Parking Lot/Courtesy: Me

Sure, I know it's cold in other places too, but humor me if you will. I'll admit it. Got no problem saying it. I hate the frickin' cold.

I've always been a warm weather guy. Probably because of my upbringing in Florida although the fact that until 2009, I never really lived north of Lynchburg, Virginia. I've ranted about this before. I mean heck, we got 22 inches of snow here in Cincinnati this past February and I had more than enough time to ramble on back then.

No, we aren't expecting 22 inches of snow this month in Cincinnati. At least not that I'm aware of. I just don't remember it being this cold, for this long last winter.

It's been below 32 degrees here since, I'm pretty sure, Thanksgiving. Okay, maybe it's been since the 1st of December, but you get my point. It did, briefly pass 32 last Saturday...for about 5 hours...and then it got really cold and snowed...again.

Daisy in the Snow/Courtesy: me

I used to like snow. It was something that I didn't get to see very often growing up. Any chance to see it before moving to Cincinnati was always kind of cool. It's not so cool anymore. I'm pretty sure the only one of us enjoying this right now is Daisy the Wonder Dog. Even though she's 13, she gets in the snow and starts running like she did when she was younger. Yeah, it snowed a couple times when we lived in Atlanta. Not often, but a couple of times...and it accumulated.

It snowed when I lived in Nashville too. I remember being stranded in Bowling Green, KY in 1995 when it snowed almost a foot and the News Car me and intrepid reporter Nick Beres were in died on us. Admittedly, it was kind of fun, we broke down right near a hotel and we found an open steak place right near the hotel. We sat in the hotel room drinking beers and laughing at severe weather coverage the whole night.

Probably the most snow I've ever seen was in January of 2005. Over a foot came down in about 4 hours when we were in Philadelphia for the Eagles/Falcons NFC Championship game. I've never seen anything like it. It was literally a snow downpour.

X-Mas Tree Lot across street/Courtesy: me

I guess it's a good thing I'm semi-retired from working in the field. I don't have to go outside anymore and show people that it's snowing. Or that it's cold. I don't have to stand on a bridge overpass like I did in Nashville in 1998 when it was -10 with the wind chill, doing live shots every 30 minutes. But still it's frickin' cold.

Tonight, while I write this, the low is supposed to be 5. No, that isn't a typo (though I do make a lot of them). Really...5 degrees. With about a 10mph wind. I don't know what it makes the windchill...other than frickin' cold.

Maybe you get used to it over time. Maybe that's why I like the warm weather. A 90 degree day doesn't bother me at all. But I grew up with that. I didn't grow up with this. Heck,  most years as a kid, Christmas was a day where we got our presents in the morning and then went outside in shorts and t-shirts to play with them. Don't see that happening this year.

In honor of the Snow...enjoy a rare cut from Styx....Snowblind. Thanks YouTube:

Holidays and Other Things

Hockey Night/Courtesy: me

Hey! It's been awhile since I've posted here. Yeah. I know. I'm going to make some lame-ass excuse as to why I haven't kept it up, but really, I can't. It's been almost a month and yeah, I've had a few occasions where I could have posted something. But I didn't.

It's been an interesting last couple of weeks. Nothing incredibly special has been going on, but we've (me and TLB) been busy. Work is taking increasingly larger chunks of my time and when I'm not working, the OnlineSportsGuys site has been taking the remaining time.

Sure, we've done some fun stuff over the last few weeks. We went to an event called "The Rusty Ball" a couple of weeks ago. It was a lot of fun. The event is a charity fundraiser put on by a local party band that does '80's cover songs, their name--The Rusty Griswolds. They are pretty good and really popular here. Picture a 500 or so 30-50 year old people with some money, partying in a ballroom at the local convention center. It was goofy as hell, but we had fun.

The Rusty Griswold's

Back to my days off. Monday's have become some work because of the OSG site. I do a radio drop for my friend Gil Tyree (former Sports Director when I was in ATL). Gil does a radio show on VoiceAmericaSports.com on Monday's from 1-2pm. Generally, I try and post as many stories as I can on Monday's so we have stuff to talk about on the show. It's been a lot of fun, Gil and I can talk sports til the cows come home and it's a great promotional opportunity for the Online Sports Guys.

Thanksgiving has come and gone, the weather has gotten colder and it already feels a lot like winter. No, I'm not going to say Christmas, because I'm really not incredibly excited about Christmas this year. This year I'm working and we are a long, long way from family. I've worked the day a few times in the past, but the family was in the same town at the time, so it wasn't a problem to get home. Michelle and I will have fun and make the best out of it, because that's what we do, but it won't be the same. Really, the only thing keeping me from going crazy about it is that if I have to spend a holiday with one person in the world, that one person is already here and we'll be together.

Work has been pretty decent, I'm always busy there. I'm still learning a new job. Well, actually a couple of new jobs. I still have some work to do as a News Writer, but I've gotten better at it. My stuff has been solid, the details have been much better. I just need to get a little more creative. As for the Assignment Desk, that's been a fairly easy transition. There hasn't been a big learning curve, I've gotten much better on keeping up with things. The Web Producer on the weekends part has been tough. Mostly because I have to do it along with the desk and it just physically isn't always possible.

Daisy the Wonder Dog/courtesy-Me

There isn't much else to talk about at the moment. The Wonder Dog is getting really old. She's changed a bit. Her behavior is borderline strange at times. She just kind of lies around during the day, and at night...doesn't leave me alone. She gets into stuff for no apparent reason and is constantly hungry. She's 13 now and physically is in good shape, mentally, not so much.

That's about all I've got at the moment. I'll try and get better about this. Admittedly, it's tough when you spend your whole day at work on the computer to come home and get on the computer. But TLB is out of town and there isn't anything worth a crap on TV, so tonight, I'll crank out a blog. Just to catch up.

Enjoy your appropriate music, in this case, Holiday Road by Lindsay Buckingham, the theme to National Lampoon's Vacation--co-starring--Rusty Griswold:

Politicians and elections are a joke.....a bad one at that.

My name is Phil Cantor and I approved this blog.

Politician/Courtesy: I-Heart-god.com

Before you ask. I don't like any politicians. Republican, Democrat, Tea Party, Green Party, write-in, alien party...none of them. They are all--or at least the people who orchestrate their campaigns are all evil. They are. Think about it.

Sure, back in the 1900's politicians meant something. It was an honorable calling. It was a way to make a difference and help others. Now, it's about one thing. Money.

The basis of our political system is a "Two-Party" system. However, somewhere along the way, the Republican party became the party of narcissism and the Democrats became the party of passive aggressiveness. And I'll say it again. They lie. All of them.

Name me one politician who got someone fired from a job. Yet all we hear is (fill-in the blank....let 5 zillion jobs leave or city-state-or country). No, there is not a single politician who has done that unless they own a particular business that picked up and moved and fired everyone. Though I guess some of them--no--all of them are culpable for a corrupt financial system. But its always the opponent who did it, not the guy who's ad we are watching.

Really, I shouldn't complain too much about political ads, I mean hey, there has been over $4 Billion spent on political ads this year. For my business, that's great money. However, its all dirty. It comes from groups with agendas. And those agendas are not what is best for everyone, its what is best for them. Why not put the $4 billion towards something that would help solve our problems, not add to them?

Heck, I don't personally know many actual politicians, I don't hang out with them. Maybe they are good people to have a beer with, but I don't think so. Maybe all the evil horrible things they are saying about each other are true. Though if they are, we all went to hell several years ago.

Really, the problem is more special interest groups. But that's who runs the government these days anyway. Tell me one politician who doesn't make a decision if they like the special interest involved and I'll call bullshit. There no longer are any. Lobbyists control politicians. They didn't always, they do now. If they need something beneficial to them that screws the common folk, you can bet the politician will do what the lobbyist asks.

Things are done politically and that odd place called Washington D.C for one reason and one reason only. Greed. If being a politician wasn't profitable, why would so many rich people want to do it? Poor and what's left of the middle class can't afford to do it. So rich people do. There are many more high paying jobs than that of a politician, look it up. But yet people who make more money as a working professional, give it up to be a politician. Doesn't that strike anyone as odd?

Another politician/Courtesy: preservingmarriage.blogspot.com

I've seen and met a lot of politicians in my career. I can count on one hand the ones that came across as a real person. They live in alternate universe's and do things that most of us never will be able to. They walk around rooms and shake people's hands. But they don't get dirty. The don't change a tire. They don't pick crops. They don't fix appliances. They get wined and dined by lobbyists, while the rest of you struggle to afford dinner out once a week.

Does anyone really think that a politician is going to walk into Congress/Senate/Governors office etc.and they are going to make an instant impact? No. There are too many other politicians involved in the process of running government with too many different agendas. Some will say no, no matter what the opposing party says. Some will say no unless they get a payoff for saying yes. None are doing it in your best interest.

Think about it. Are any of these clowns going to reduce unemployment? No. As much as it sucks, most of the jobs lost in the past few years aren't coming back. They aren't. Really. They aren't.

Over the past 20-years, our "Hero's" the politicians have allowed corporations to do whatever they please. They please to make lots and lots of money...for the CEO. If it means laying off 100 people, making the other worker bees work more so the profit margin will improve for the CEO to get his $50-million bonus...then so be it. And once those jobs leave and the company realizes they can get the work done with less people and make the same amount of money. That's it. They aren't hiring any more.

Will things improve and get better? I don't know. Probably. Eventually, but not in the next two years. It ain't going to happen. Two years ago, a whole new wave of politicians got voted in. They've tried to do things differently to try and jump start a now flawed system. It hasn't worked.

Now we are about to go back in time. We've forgotten who and why the problems were created in the first place. No, nobody wants to actually do anything to fix the problems. Because politicians (ALL OF THEM) aren't affected by it. No, its those of us who work for a living. Those of us who hope to make enough money to take a vacation someplace....or buy a car. Politicians, much like athletes and movie stars who don't need it, don't buy cars, they are given cars to use.

If it sounds like I am being Mr. Narcissism or Mr. Negative, I'm not. I'm being Mr. Realist. It amazes me how some of my friends seem to think that if I or someone else likes one party over the other that we are stupid. Hardly.

Winning a political race is about who screams the loudest. It's not about who's right or who has the best plan. It's who calls the other the worst name. It's about who can cast the opponent in the most evil light. Somewhere along the way the civility of debate, the agreeing to disagree, the idea of doing what's best for those who can't help themselves got lost.

I wish I could motivate myself to go out and "Cast a Vote" that my one "Vote" will make a difference. It won't. Yeah, I said it. It doesn't matter what I think. It doesn't matter what's best for me. And that is disappointing. I really want to elect someone to office that will make a difference. I want to vote for someone who is truly in office for the "Right" reasons. But I honestly don't believe that person exists anymore.

On that note, here is the most relevant thought in my rant. Enjoy your Thompson Twins....it is accurate...and should be about these guys. Thanks YouTube:

Long, long way from home....

Okay, I'm going to admit that I've used this forum to bitch about some things. I don't really bitch about everything, though it sometimes seems like it. Really, I'm just voicing things that I think about, things that bother me or things that I'm worried about.

I've said this before and I have no problem saying it again, it's been tough living where we are right now. I don't regret the decision and if it came up, we'd do it again. It's just been tough...because we are so far away.

Both TLB (The Lovely Bride) and I have never lived so far away from friends and family. Yeah, I know, I spent a year and a half in Lynchburg, Virginia...but that was in 1988 and I was fresh out of college and didn't know any better.I don't like touching on this subject very much.  It really bothers TLB, she, wrongly, feels that it's her fault we are now in Cincinnati. It isn't. She got promoted to a great job. An opportunity that we had to do for her career. We jumped on it this time...and wouldn't hesitate to do it again.

She's going to read this and get upset. Honey, please don't. We did what we had to do. We have to live our lives and do what is best for us, coming up to Cincinnati, though not perfect, is something that we had to do.

Mom-Daisy and Hallie-X-mas 2004/courtesy: me

Like everyone else, my parents have aged. We've always been somewhat close, though I really haven't lived in the same town as them since I graduated from college. Seven years nearby in Atlanta was good, which quite honestly was prompted due to my fathers health issues at the time. They moved from Atlanta after I got married in 2007 which was great for them, TLB and I still saw them 3 or 4 times a year.

Yeah, my friends aren't close by either. But most of them are people that I've met and became friendly with at different places...not all of them have lived where I did. I'm good with that.

Really, I think it started bothering me over the holiday's. TLB, the Wonder Dog and I piled in a car and drove...12+ hours to Wilmington, North Carolina, 3-days before Christmas last year. Sure, the drive sucked, it was all through the mountains, but I wasn't working at the time either.

As you all know, I'm working now. But in typical TV-ness, I'm low on the totem pole, so guess who is working during the holidays--all of them. It's going to be tough. We don't really have anyone here to spend the holidays with and the family won't be able to come see us.

As I write this, I'm lamenting a few things. My mother, just had surgery to remove what was called a "Rather Large" bone spur out of her back. She's had trouble with her back for some time and never really knew why. The problem is, they had to insert 3 screws among other things to stabilize her back.

What is worse is the rehab. It's going to be awhile before she's going to be able to get around, there is a lot of physical therapy ahead. The parents now live in Bluffton, SC. The surgery, was done in Beaufort, about an hour away.

But the part that has me worried is her getting taken care of once she's sent home. My father (the chief) really tries, but he's got his own set of problems. He's been taking a cancer medication to prevent the return of the Non-Hodgkins lymphoma that he had back in 1998. It's been draining on him physically. Well, that and he's 70 now.

Maybe I'm worrying too much and they'll handle everything just fine. No, actually, I'm really hoping that is the case. As much as I want to go down to see them and help, that is neither simple or easy for me to do. Not to say that I couldn't...and I still may, but I don't have to do it immediately.

It's true that you really can't live or plan your life around others, you can't. This too will pass and things will continue moving forward....they always do. But sometimes you lament, sometimes you think about things.

TLB and i will be fine, we've got each other. We are being good residents up here. We have explored things and gone to stuff that people who've lived here all their lives have never done. I just felt like I needed to get this out there. Like I said at the beginning, it's been on my mind for a couple of weeks. One of the reasons that I write this is to get stuff off of my brain so they don't weigh me down, so that's what I did.

Here is the appropriate music for the title. Foreigner if you will, thanks YouTube:

We're Back!!!!!

Downtown Cincinnati/Courtesy: Me

Sorry it has been awhile since I've posted here. If you follow these on occasion, when I have time to post...you know that we moved over the past week. That, unfortunately took precedence over this, though I did post a few things to the OSG Sports website.

I made a statement during the move that I think sums up the last couple of weeks pretty well. "Moving is the single most stressful thing you'll ever do in your life". Though I probably should amend that to say one of the three most stressful things you'll ever do in your life".

It's a horrible feeling to have your life in transition, which is exactly what we did. We also made the mistake of doing a lot of it ourselves. There really isn't a good way to do it without having it just plain take over your life for the amount of time it takes you to move.

But I'm back...and I promise that I'll at least crank out one of these, if not more a week. Really, I kind of enjoy this format more than the OSG blog, just because the stories are about my experiences. On the OSG site, it's more Sports, though since I worked in Sports for so long, there are opportunities to throw my own experiences in their too.

Daisy and The Cone of Shame/Courtesy: Me

We've also been dealing with the Wonder Dog's health issues and a health issue of my own. Mine, thankfully was just an infection, but it was a bit scary for a day or two until I made it in to the doctor's office. A nice bottle of Cipromax later and I'm clean and healthy...aside from the strained tendon in my hand and my chronically bad shoulder and ankle. The Wonder Dog is still recovering from some allergy issues and has had to deal with the dreaded "Cone of Shame".

We did get a chance to go to one of our favorite events here in Cincinnati a couple weeks ago. Oktoberfest Zinzinnati was the first real exposure that I got to this city when I moved here slightly over a year ago. Yeah...I've been here a year now. Michelle has been here longer, she had to move in June of 2009, while I stayed in Atlanta until our house their was sold. It sold in September, 2009.

Oktoberfest Zinzinnati 2010/Courtesy: Me

It's kinda strange to think that we've lived here over a year now. It really, at times, feels like I'm on an extended out of town assignment. I'm not. But it feels like it. I don't hate it here, but I'm not a huge fan either. I'm making the best I can out of it. I've been lucky enough to find a place to work that isn't nearly as cutthroat as the station I worked at in Atlanta. The people I work with here have been pretty nice and as far as I know, nobody has thrown me under the bus.

Really, I've lived in enough places now that I can adjust to anything. And I think that I have. Honestly, I don't like the fact that we are far away from our closest friends and family. And I don't like the fact that I haven't gotten to see my best friend in over a year. I'm not thrilled that my family, whom I'm very close to, I haven't been able to see since January. And I don't really know when we'll get to see them again.

But, you adjust. You make the best out of it. You try to have fun. Michelle and I venture out often on the weekends. We do a lot of festivals. We have date night on Saturday's most weeks. We make a concerted effort to go out to dinner someplace we've never been at least once a month.

We aren't moving again...as long as we live here. No. We won't be going through the whole moving in town thing again. The apartment that we have is just fine. Cozy and nice. Not ideal, but it will work....for now.

Here's your blog music accompaniment...enjoy some Ace Frehley...Back in the New York Groove...it sort of fits, even though we aren't talking about New York. Thanks YouTube: