The new year is upon us and as 2008 wraps up, I wanted to take this time to discuss a few details about the blog you are reading. "Luke's Ponderings" had more blog postings in 2008 than in any other year. Obviously you don't have any control of that - but it's a small personal achievement for me. Usually what I try to do with the blog is write a minimum of five blog postings per month. I mean, that's not terribly hard to follow, right? Last month I fell short of that and I am going to prevent that from happening again this month.
There are also a few other notes that I wanted to share with the readers about "Luke's Ponderings." In the new year, as a way to generate more postings in this blog, each blog posting will be shorter. This won't occur all the time as I tend to have a lot to say for certain subjects. But for other things that cross my mind - and as a way to post everyday, I will be writing two to three paragraphs per blog as opposed to the four paragraph-minimum I typically set for myself. Just a small compromise for getting more out of this blog. Even if I have to write about the weather every day for a lack of a better subject, I'll do that. For those long-time readers of "Luke's Ponderings," you may have noticed I used to do daily weather reports. Even though weather is something very easy to write about, I got bored of doing that and quit doing those particular reports. At the time I thought it was taking away from my regular blog postings. I won't write about the weather every day, but definitely from time to time.
Also in 2009, I have decided to start writing about American Idol again in "Luke's Ponderings," once the new season begins in mid-January. This is different from what I said at the end of last season, when I had planned on starting a spin-off blog just for American Idol related posts. I feel that American Idol helps to better define "Luke's Ponderings" as an entertainment blog in edition to my usual blogs about life and events here in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. I know you either love American Idol or hate it. For those that hate it but still love this blog, just skip that particular blog. You can be sure that while the new season of AI is going on, I will also be writing about other topics, too. Last year I began the American Idol show re-caps once the top 12-portion of the competition started. This year I will begin a little bit earlier, probably once the top 36 start. Look for this to begin probably towards the end of January '09.
That about does it for what's ahead in 2009 for "Luke's Ponderings". I want to thank everyone who has checked out my blog at some point in time. Hopefully you have stopped by long enough and liked what I had to write about. Here's hoping for bigger and better things as 2009 approaches. Happy New Year!
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Monday, December 29, 2008
Songs I Dig - 12
It's been a few months since I churned out a new "Songs I Dig" blog, which I was sort of expecting. There are times when I can sense that it might be awhile before I put out a blog like this and in October, that was exactly what I had sensed. Luckily it did not go into the new year before I could write about some new songs. A few of these have been playing on the radio for awhile and some are fairly new. And for the most part, the majority of the artists featured in this edition are new to the SID blog. There are a couple that aren't so familiar to "Luke's Ponderings," but have yet to be featured in this particular specific subject blog. So let's get on with it already, why don't we?
"A Little Too Not Over You" by David Archuleta - For those of you who have been following my blog for awhile, you probably are aware that David Archuleta was my favorite artist from season seven of American Idol. And although he did not win the competition, I must say he is doing quite well for himself after the Idol experience. His debut self-titled album is nearly certified gold, if not there already. The first song released off his album, "Crush," has already been certified platinum and it continues to gain sales. In fact, "Crush" is one of the top 50 songs in 2008 on a number of music charts. And in my personal opinion, "A Little Too Not Over You" won't be all that far behind. Obviously it hasn't been released long enough this year to get any kind of accolades for 2008, but maybe more into next year if the popularity of the song continues to spike. I don't anticipate his second tune to do quite as well as "Crush" did, but it shouldn't do all that badly for him. It's another fun, upbeat song that's just as catchy as it's predecessor, so don't be surprised to find yourself humming along to it once you hear it.
"Light On" by David Cook - Ah yes, it wouldn't be fair not to include the other David from season seven of American Idol; the David that won it all. And I'm not including him just because; I actually do like the first single from his self-titled debut album that has already been certified gold. "Light On" hasn't done quite as well as David's coronation song from American Idol, "Time of My Life" has done. But it's still early-enough in the game for the popularity of the song to continue to rise. And you look at his album; it's still gaining sales week after week. "Light On" is the perfect rock ballad for David. I would classify it as a mid-tempo song that could be described as a break-up song. From reading over the lyrics, the male protagonist is feeling rather down about the state of his relationship, almost as if to feel there's no hope. But towards the end of the song, he realizes that he's ready to give it a second chance. And the symbol of light in the chorus is basically a symbol for the entire song; the light being a beacon of hope. It can't be said much better than that.
"Without You" by Hinder - Hinder is a relatively new rock band to make it big; relative to a group like Bon Jovi who has been around forever. The group was formed in 2001 and their first record was released in 2003, only selling around 5,000 records. But it wasn't until 2005 when they were signed to a major label; Universal Records. Their first major album was released and titled "Extreme Behavior," but was negatively criticized by one publication, calling it 2005's worst album. But hit singles "Lips of an Angel" and "Better than Me" came from that album. It certainly ended up being a lot more favorable of an album than "worst of the year." Their newest album, "Take it to the Limit" was released in November 2008 and has already been certified gold. "Without You" is the second song released from "Take it to the Limit" and it continues to receive increased airplay with each day. I would classify it as an unconventional break-up song in that instead of the first person protagonist longing for the person they broke up with, this song goes in the complete opposite direction by saying, "When I watched you walk away ... Well I never thought I'd say ... I'm fine ... Without You." In other words, the break up was for all the right reasons.
"Gotta Be Somebody" by Nickelback - Here I thought Nickelback was featured on the "Songs I Dig" blog at some point in the past, but upon going back in the archives, I can't find it at all! That's a shame because I consider Nickelback to be one of the premiere rock groups of our time. They've had so many great hits already and they keep coming out with new ones all the time. Their current mainstream success began in 2001 when their album "Silver Side Up" was released with the song "How You Remind Me" shooting up to number one. They followed it up with "Too Bad" and "Never Again" from "Silver Side Up." Additional hit songs that Nickelback has released since then are "Someday," "Photograph," "Savin' Me," "Far Away," "If Everyone Cared," and "Rockstar." Nickelback is off to a great start with their newest album "Dark Horse," helped by the song "Gotta Be Somebody." In fact, "Dark Horse" has already been certified platinum and "Gotta Be Somebody" gets a tremendous amount of radio play. And for anyone single out there (like me), this song is great single's ballad, especially for those who've struggled to find the perfect soulmate in life. Because as it states in the chorus of the song, "Nobody wants to be the last one there ... 'Cause everyone wants to feel like someone cares ... There's somebody else that feels the same somewhere ... There's gotta be somebody for me out there."
"Let Me Be Myself" by 3 Doors Down - I can't tell you how happy I am to present such a great listing of songs and artists this time around, including such epic groups like Nickelback and 3 Doors Down. 3 Doors Down is another group I consider to be one of the premiere rock bands of our time. They have such an incredible listing of epic songs and continue to release hit songs all the time. 3 Doors Down started to hit the big time around 2000-2001, about the same time that Nickelback became a household name. Their song "Kryptonite" off their album "The Better Life" shot straight up to number one and stayed their for 11 consecutive weeks. The album was certified platinum six times and was helped with other hits such as "Loser" and "Be Like That." Since then, 3 Doors Down has gone on to release other big hits such as, "Here Without You," "When I'm Gone," "Away from the Sun," Let me Go," "Behind Those Eyes," "Landing in London," and "It's Not My Time." And you'll be able to add "Let Me Be Myself" to that list, as well. It's a power ballad and it deals with a first-person protagonist looking for some separation from their partner, as the lyrics say, "Please would you one time, let me be myself? ... So I can shine with my own light, let me by myself." For a better understanding of the meaning of the song, lead singer Brad Arnold says, "It's about living your life, and doing things your own way, but it's also about kind of bringing yourself back from being lost." Couldn't have said it any better than that.
That wraps it up for this edition of the "Songs I Dig." As always, thank you for stopping by to read what I have to say about music and life in general. I hope you enjoyed what I had to say and please look forward to a new "Songs I Dig" blog within the next few months. It all depends upon the newest song releases that come out between now and then. Hopefully it will be soon rather than later.
As a side note while composing this blog entry, I remembered why I had thought I had included Nickelback in the SID blog in a previous edition. A few years back at my old WordPress blog, I had done a blog doing a comparison of the Nickelback song "Photograph" to events that happened in my past. It was a fun little entry but was sadly deleted by an unfortunate hiccup by the webhost of one of my web projects. So that answers that particular question.
"A Little Too Not Over You" by David Archuleta - For those of you who have been following my blog for awhile, you probably are aware that David Archuleta was my favorite artist from season seven of American Idol. And although he did not win the competition, I must say he is doing quite well for himself after the Idol experience. His debut self-titled album is nearly certified gold, if not there already. The first song released off his album, "Crush," has already been certified platinum and it continues to gain sales. In fact, "Crush" is one of the top 50 songs in 2008 on a number of music charts. And in my personal opinion, "A Little Too Not Over You" won't be all that far behind. Obviously it hasn't been released long enough this year to get any kind of accolades for 2008, but maybe more into next year if the popularity of the song continues to spike. I don't anticipate his second tune to do quite as well as "Crush" did, but it shouldn't do all that badly for him. It's another fun, upbeat song that's just as catchy as it's predecessor, so don't be surprised to find yourself humming along to it once you hear it.
"Light On" by David Cook - Ah yes, it wouldn't be fair not to include the other David from season seven of American Idol; the David that won it all. And I'm not including him just because; I actually do like the first single from his self-titled debut album that has already been certified gold. "Light On" hasn't done quite as well as David's coronation song from American Idol, "Time of My Life" has done. But it's still early-enough in the game for the popularity of the song to continue to rise. And you look at his album; it's still gaining sales week after week. "Light On" is the perfect rock ballad for David. I would classify it as a mid-tempo song that could be described as a break-up song. From reading over the lyrics, the male protagonist is feeling rather down about the state of his relationship, almost as if to feel there's no hope. But towards the end of the song, he realizes that he's ready to give it a second chance. And the symbol of light in the chorus is basically a symbol for the entire song; the light being a beacon of hope. It can't be said much better than that.
"Without You" by Hinder - Hinder is a relatively new rock band to make it big; relative to a group like Bon Jovi who has been around forever. The group was formed in 2001 and their first record was released in 2003, only selling around 5,000 records. But it wasn't until 2005 when they were signed to a major label; Universal Records. Their first major album was released and titled "Extreme Behavior," but was negatively criticized by one publication, calling it 2005's worst album. But hit singles "Lips of an Angel" and "Better than Me" came from that album. It certainly ended up being a lot more favorable of an album than "worst of the year." Their newest album, "Take it to the Limit" was released in November 2008 and has already been certified gold. "Without You" is the second song released from "Take it to the Limit" and it continues to receive increased airplay with each day. I would classify it as an unconventional break-up song in that instead of the first person protagonist longing for the person they broke up with, this song goes in the complete opposite direction by saying, "When I watched you walk away ... Well I never thought I'd say ... I'm fine ... Without You." In other words, the break up was for all the right reasons.
"Gotta Be Somebody" by Nickelback - Here I thought Nickelback was featured on the "Songs I Dig" blog at some point in the past, but upon going back in the archives, I can't find it at all! That's a shame because I consider Nickelback to be one of the premiere rock groups of our time. They've had so many great hits already and they keep coming out with new ones all the time. Their current mainstream success began in 2001 when their album "Silver Side Up" was released with the song "How You Remind Me" shooting up to number one. They followed it up with "Too Bad" and "Never Again" from "Silver Side Up." Additional hit songs that Nickelback has released since then are "Someday," "Photograph," "Savin' Me," "Far Away," "If Everyone Cared," and "Rockstar." Nickelback is off to a great start with their newest album "Dark Horse," helped by the song "Gotta Be Somebody." In fact, "Dark Horse" has already been certified platinum and "Gotta Be Somebody" gets a tremendous amount of radio play. And for anyone single out there (like me), this song is great single's ballad, especially for those who've struggled to find the perfect soulmate in life. Because as it states in the chorus of the song, "Nobody wants to be the last one there ... 'Cause everyone wants to feel like someone cares ... There's somebody else that feels the same somewhere ... There's gotta be somebody for me out there."
"Let Me Be Myself" by 3 Doors Down - I can't tell you how happy I am to present such a great listing of songs and artists this time around, including such epic groups like Nickelback and 3 Doors Down. 3 Doors Down is another group I consider to be one of the premiere rock bands of our time. They have such an incredible listing of epic songs and continue to release hit songs all the time. 3 Doors Down started to hit the big time around 2000-2001, about the same time that Nickelback became a household name. Their song "Kryptonite" off their album "The Better Life" shot straight up to number one and stayed their for 11 consecutive weeks. The album was certified platinum six times and was helped with other hits such as "Loser" and "Be Like That." Since then, 3 Doors Down has gone on to release other big hits such as, "Here Without You," "When I'm Gone," "Away from the Sun," Let me Go," "Behind Those Eyes," "Landing in London," and "It's Not My Time." And you'll be able to add "Let Me Be Myself" to that list, as well. It's a power ballad and it deals with a first-person protagonist looking for some separation from their partner, as the lyrics say, "Please would you one time, let me be myself? ... So I can shine with my own light, let me by myself." For a better understanding of the meaning of the song, lead singer Brad Arnold says, "It's about living your life, and doing things your own way, but it's also about kind of bringing yourself back from being lost." Couldn't have said it any better than that.
That wraps it up for this edition of the "Songs I Dig." As always, thank you for stopping by to read what I have to say about music and life in general. I hope you enjoyed what I had to say and please look forward to a new "Songs I Dig" blog within the next few months. It all depends upon the newest song releases that come out between now and then. Hopefully it will be soon rather than later.
As a side note while composing this blog entry, I remembered why I had thought I had included Nickelback in the SID blog in a previous edition. A few years back at my old WordPress blog, I had done a blog doing a comparison of the Nickelback song "Photograph" to events that happened in my past. It was a fun little entry but was sadly deleted by an unfortunate hiccup by the webhost of one of my web projects. So that answers that particular question.
Friday, December 26, 2008
Happy Holidays!
Hello again everyone. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas holiday. New Years is coming up fast and then after that, it's just the rest of the gloomy winter to look forward to. Not that I have anything against winter, but this year we have been hit with a lot of snow and cold. And we've just started astronomical winter just a few short days ago! Well hopefully this year spring will come sooner. The last couple of years we've had a late start to winter and at the end of the season, spring was slow to arrive. There've been a couple of memorable April snowstorms in 2006 and 2007. Hopefully this coming year will be different because we've had an early start to winter. It's amazing how high the snowbanks are on the streets and parking lots for this time of year. You would think it was late January or February. And from the looks of it, we aren't done with the snow quite yet. We're under a Winter Storm Watch for late Saturday and Sunday! It just doesn't want to quit. Time to get out those cross country skis and make the most of this winter onslaught!
The snow I don't mind all that much; it's just the cold that really gets to me. And it has been cold lately, too. Today's temperature reached the mid-30's, the warmest since earlier this month. For awhile we've been stuck with temperatures for highs in the single digits and teens. So today was a nice reprieve from the cold. The thing that's most hazardous as the temperatures rise is the possibility of freezing rain. As I ventured out to run a few errands this afternoon, it was drizzling but the temperatures were above 32. If those temperatures started to drop below the freezing mark, roads and sidewalks would begin to get very slick. I've never experienced a whole lot of bad luck while driving in trecherous conditions (knocks on wood). I nearly went into the ditch a few winters back while driving on a slushy road and I did a bit of fish tailing on a state highway last winter. But I am happy to say that is the extent of my driving nightmares during winter-weather driving. And that is just fine with me.
It's no secret that a lot of people drive too fast for conditions and take chances. I was driving home from work after working day shift when a car came up on me pretty fast. I was going much slower because the roads were very snow covered and they hadn't been plowed for awhile. The driver of that vehicle slowed down and stayed pretty closely behind me. There's nothing that annoys me more when someone decides to tailgate you just because you're being careful on the roads. Well, we were rounding a pretty sharp curve and the conditions were less than ideal to round this curve at a higher speed. I was probably going a bit faster than I should've, but I drove this curve many times so I knew how to handle it. The car behind me apparently didn't because at the next glance, I saw it start weaving back and forth on the road and was heading towards the ditch. Luckily the driver regained enough control of the car to keep it on the road. But the car was very close to going in the ditch. And I've seen a few other occasions where certain drivers would speed up to me and even pass me, only to find them in the ditch just up the road. I realize that some people are in a hurry and need to get to their destination without running late. And sometimes we forget to leave early and plan for driving in bad weather. But there's no excuse for going into the ditch for driving too fast for conditions.
So we are about to say goodbye to another holiday season and make the best of the remainder of this winter season. I tell ya what, this November and December flew by so fast, it's hard to believe that Christmas is over with already. Seems like we just experienced Thanksgiving just a few weeks ago. I'm not much of a shopper so for me, Christmas shopping is for the birds. I must do better at starting my Christmas shopping earlier in the future, though. I procrastinated too much this year that I actually started about a week in a half before Christmas. Then I worked two 12-hour shifts on the weekend prior to Christmas which really limited my shopping. I ended up finishing my shopping three days before the 25th. At least it's not Christmas Eve which would've really left me feeling embarassed. But I need to start earlier and always think of unique presents for my family because this year was more of a struggle for me than ever. And it doesn't always hurt to start shopping for Christmas even six months prior! So be sure and enjoy those after-Christmas sales for those that like that kind of stuff and be sure to make the most of the New Year. Hopefully it was as good, if not better than 2008 was.
The snow I don't mind all that much; it's just the cold that really gets to me. And it has been cold lately, too. Today's temperature reached the mid-30's, the warmest since earlier this month. For awhile we've been stuck with temperatures for highs in the single digits and teens. So today was a nice reprieve from the cold. The thing that's most hazardous as the temperatures rise is the possibility of freezing rain. As I ventured out to run a few errands this afternoon, it was drizzling but the temperatures were above 32. If those temperatures started to drop below the freezing mark, roads and sidewalks would begin to get very slick. I've never experienced a whole lot of bad luck while driving in trecherous conditions (knocks on wood). I nearly went into the ditch a few winters back while driving on a slushy road and I did a bit of fish tailing on a state highway last winter. But I am happy to say that is the extent of my driving nightmares during winter-weather driving. And that is just fine with me.
It's no secret that a lot of people drive too fast for conditions and take chances. I was driving home from work after working day shift when a car came up on me pretty fast. I was going much slower because the roads were very snow covered and they hadn't been plowed for awhile. The driver of that vehicle slowed down and stayed pretty closely behind me. There's nothing that annoys me more when someone decides to tailgate you just because you're being careful on the roads. Well, we were rounding a pretty sharp curve and the conditions were less than ideal to round this curve at a higher speed. I was probably going a bit faster than I should've, but I drove this curve many times so I knew how to handle it. The car behind me apparently didn't because at the next glance, I saw it start weaving back and forth on the road and was heading towards the ditch. Luckily the driver regained enough control of the car to keep it on the road. But the car was very close to going in the ditch. And I've seen a few other occasions where certain drivers would speed up to me and even pass me, only to find them in the ditch just up the road. I realize that some people are in a hurry and need to get to their destination without running late. And sometimes we forget to leave early and plan for driving in bad weather. But there's no excuse for going into the ditch for driving too fast for conditions.
So we are about to say goodbye to another holiday season and make the best of the remainder of this winter season. I tell ya what, this November and December flew by so fast, it's hard to believe that Christmas is over with already. Seems like we just experienced Thanksgiving just a few weeks ago. I'm not much of a shopper so for me, Christmas shopping is for the birds. I must do better at starting my Christmas shopping earlier in the future, though. I procrastinated too much this year that I actually started about a week in a half before Christmas. Then I worked two 12-hour shifts on the weekend prior to Christmas which really limited my shopping. I ended up finishing my shopping three days before the 25th. At least it's not Christmas Eve which would've really left me feeling embarassed. But I need to start earlier and always think of unique presents for my family because this year was more of a struggle for me than ever. And it doesn't always hurt to start shopping for Christmas even six months prior! So be sure and enjoy those after-Christmas sales for those that like that kind of stuff and be sure to make the most of the New Year. Hopefully it was as good, if not better than 2008 was.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
$1.50 for a Small Fraction of Fame
For those who may or may not be aware, a new variety show is set to premiere on the FOX broadcasting network this January featuring the Osbournes (Ozzy, Sharon, Jack, and Kelly). It will be titled "Osbournes: Reloaded" and is expected to put a new spin on the classic variety shows of the past. And believe it or not, I may end up playing a very small role in one of the episodes. LOL Before I get too carried away; no, I'm not going to be flying to Hollywood to be part of an episode (although that would be really, really cool). I was contacted just yesterday by someone from the production company of the show that wanted to use an image from one of my websites as part of a "secret" challenge. Whatever that entails, I have no idea - but I can't wait to see what it's all about!
Some of you know that in my spare time years ago, I created a variety of different websites about TV shows I liked at the time or about areas where I lived. The one picture representatives of "Osbournes: Reloaded" wanted came from the website about the town I grew up in. One of the pages on that site is about a small farming community called Slapneck, MI. Yes, for those individuals not from near my hometown, that really is the name of that community. It's roughly eight miles east of the town I grew up in and was where my dad lived when he was a kid. It's really a beautiful place and very peaceful. You can imagine not a lot goes on there. But what makes it most famous is not the land nor it's people, but the name on which it was founded. In essence, the town of Slapneck was actually named for a man with the last name of Slapnick. Well, his name became misconstrued as Slapneck and that particular name stuck. The name was temporarily changed to something different for a time, but residents were so used to the Slapneck name, they automatically reverted back to that. And thus, that is what it remains to this present day.
"Osbournes: Reloaded" is using a picture that includes probably the most noteworthy attraction in this small burrow. The picture includes a small water tower - a replica of the one that existed in the olden days of Slapneck during the railroad boom. To the left of the water tower is a small memorial to the veterans from the Slapneck vicinity that served in World Wars I, II, and in the Vietnam War. Below the veterans memorial is a small landscape replica of how Slapneck looked in the late 1800's, early 1900's. That particular picture is one I took in mid-to-late December three years ago - when there was hardly a trace of snow on the ground. This is Upper Michigan afterall, we should be seeing a healthy snowcover in that picture! But alas, it is not about WHAT is in the picture, but what the picture represents. Let's face it, Slapneck is a pretty remote place. Not a lot of people live there and it's basically just a dot on the map. It's name is what gives it recognition. This picture represents Slapneck's little slice of history. It's an active museum of sorts and gives residents from the past and present great pride of what took place on that piece of land years ago and what that land still represents to this day. I have a feeling the show may try to mock or make fun of what really makes up Slapneck as represented by this picture - but we must try to remember that it's all in fun. It is only television.
I really don't have any idea the importance this picture will have in the show. All I know is that I will take great pride in knowing one of my pictures might be used in the show and an area I am very familar with will get its representation in a variety show featuring the Osbournes of all people. They didn't say the picture would absolutely make the cut. Either way, I know my name will at least appear in the end credits. As part of the deal, if I was able to submit a standard material release and have it faxed in as soon as possible - my name would appear in the end credits of the show regardless of whether the picture makes it into the episode or not! So you can be sure that even if I don't catch any of the premiere episode (that's when I'm assuming the picture will appear), I will at least be watching the end credits. What am I saying? Of course I'm going to watch the episode because I have to see if my picture actually makes the cut! The fax ended up costing me $1.50 to send which is a very small price to pay to see your name appear on television. Obviously I'm getting a pretty big kick out of this and you can be sure I'll have screen shots and video of the whole thing if it happens to make it in the episode. So stay tuned to this ongoing story!
Some of you know that in my spare time years ago, I created a variety of different websites about TV shows I liked at the time or about areas where I lived. The one picture representatives of "Osbournes: Reloaded" wanted came from the website about the town I grew up in. One of the pages on that site is about a small farming community called Slapneck, MI. Yes, for those individuals not from near my hometown, that really is the name of that community. It's roughly eight miles east of the town I grew up in and was where my dad lived when he was a kid. It's really a beautiful place and very peaceful. You can imagine not a lot goes on there. But what makes it most famous is not the land nor it's people, but the name on which it was founded. In essence, the town of Slapneck was actually named for a man with the last name of Slapnick. Well, his name became misconstrued as Slapneck and that particular name stuck. The name was temporarily changed to something different for a time, but residents were so used to the Slapneck name, they automatically reverted back to that. And thus, that is what it remains to this present day.
"Osbournes: Reloaded" is using a picture that includes probably the most noteworthy attraction in this small burrow. The picture includes a small water tower - a replica of the one that existed in the olden days of Slapneck during the railroad boom. To the left of the water tower is a small memorial to the veterans from the Slapneck vicinity that served in World Wars I, II, and in the Vietnam War. Below the veterans memorial is a small landscape replica of how Slapneck looked in the late 1800's, early 1900's. That particular picture is one I took in mid-to-late December three years ago - when there was hardly a trace of snow on the ground. This is Upper Michigan afterall, we should be seeing a healthy snowcover in that picture! But alas, it is not about WHAT is in the picture, but what the picture represents. Let's face it, Slapneck is a pretty remote place. Not a lot of people live there and it's basically just a dot on the map. It's name is what gives it recognition. This picture represents Slapneck's little slice of history. It's an active museum of sorts and gives residents from the past and present great pride of what took place on that piece of land years ago and what that land still represents to this day. I have a feeling the show may try to mock or make fun of what really makes up Slapneck as represented by this picture - but we must try to remember that it's all in fun. It is only television.I really don't have any idea the importance this picture will have in the show. All I know is that I will take great pride in knowing one of my pictures might be used in the show and an area I am very familar with will get its representation in a variety show featuring the Osbournes of all people. They didn't say the picture would absolutely make the cut. Either way, I know my name will at least appear in the end credits. As part of the deal, if I was able to submit a standard material release and have it faxed in as soon as possible - my name would appear in the end credits of the show regardless of whether the picture makes it into the episode or not! So you can be sure that even if I don't catch any of the premiere episode (that's when I'm assuming the picture will appear), I will at least be watching the end credits. What am I saying? Of course I'm going to watch the episode because I have to see if my picture actually makes the cut! The fax ended up costing me $1.50 to send which is a very small price to pay to see your name appear on television. Obviously I'm getting a pretty big kick out of this and you can be sure I'll have screen shots and video of the whole thing if it happens to make it in the episode. So stay tuned to this ongoing story!
Wednesday, December 03, 2008
A Week of Being Sick
I haven't had a very "healthy" week, I guess you could say. I've been dealing with a very serious cold; the worst I've experienced in quite awhile - probably in at least a couple of years. I am just now starting to get over it. The coughing is beginning to subside, my nose isn't running nearly as often, and I am finally beginning to speak right. It's one of the reasons why I was only able to crank out four blogs in the month of November. I had planned to write one or two more towards the end of the month, especially around Thanksgiving. But that is when this cold struck and I haven't been the same since. Only today have I finally had the motivation to jump on the computer and write a blog. Yeah, I suppose I could've braved the sickness to write even a short blog. But when you just ain't feeling right, I figured what's the point? Anyways, here's a bit of a recap as to what I've dealt with during the past week.
It all began on Thankgiving day, in fact. I had spent the night at my mom and dad's the previous night and had just woke up. I started to get out of bed but then I was feeling very dizzy. As I walked about the house, I was even having a difficult time walking in a straight line. Gradually throughout the day, the dizziness improved, but it still continued to be a problem when I bent down. There were a few instances where I had to gather myself before I fell down. I was actually pretty bummed to feel this way because my niece and nephew were over for Thanksgiving and they are always a ton of fun to be around whenever they are over. At least I was able to get over my dizziness somewhat later in the day and spend time with them. Still, I was very disappointed to have this happen to me on Thanksgiving.
Later that day and into the evening, I started to develop a cough. I was experiencing this tickle in my throat that kept me coughing every now and again. It wasn't a steady cough, but just enough of one to know that something might not be right. It probably didn't help that I was just starting my latest stretch of midnights, either. Before the end of my first midnight shift was over, my throat was also beginning to feel rather raw and sore. This was only the beginning. The next few days got much worse. And it didn't help that Sunday and Monday mornings I had to work 12-hour shifts. My throat got very sore - this was probably the worst part about the cold. It affected my voice enough so that I nearly lost it a few different times. My nose started to run, my cough was getting worse, and I just wasn't feeling all that great. It ended up turning into a typical head cold. I ended up buying a bunch of medicines for my cold, which all seemed to help. And now today, I can confidently say that I am finally starting to turn the corner with this cold.
I can honestly say I've never had a cold start the way that this one did. To be so dizzy to start off and then to develop a cough before even getting a sore throat is pretty unusual, at least I think so. That just goes to show you that not all cold or flu strains are the same. Usually the first symptom of the common cold is the sore throat - but not in this instance. Another thing that was so unusual about this cold is how it affected my throat to the point that my voice was very hoarse for a good three or four days. I know I've had many colds where I've sounded stuffed up, but never to the point where I was losing my voice. Needless to say, it's been kind of a long road but I am very pleased to say that my condition is improving with each passing day. The lingering effects of this cold may continue for another week or so, but I am confident to say that the worst of this cold is behind me. Hopefully I don't experience another cold like this again for a very long time.
It all began on Thankgiving day, in fact. I had spent the night at my mom and dad's the previous night and had just woke up. I started to get out of bed but then I was feeling very dizzy. As I walked about the house, I was even having a difficult time walking in a straight line. Gradually throughout the day, the dizziness improved, but it still continued to be a problem when I bent down. There were a few instances where I had to gather myself before I fell down. I was actually pretty bummed to feel this way because my niece and nephew were over for Thanksgiving and they are always a ton of fun to be around whenever they are over. At least I was able to get over my dizziness somewhat later in the day and spend time with them. Still, I was very disappointed to have this happen to me on Thanksgiving.
Later that day and into the evening, I started to develop a cough. I was experiencing this tickle in my throat that kept me coughing every now and again. It wasn't a steady cough, but just enough of one to know that something might not be right. It probably didn't help that I was just starting my latest stretch of midnights, either. Before the end of my first midnight shift was over, my throat was also beginning to feel rather raw and sore. This was only the beginning. The next few days got much worse. And it didn't help that Sunday and Monday mornings I had to work 12-hour shifts. My throat got very sore - this was probably the worst part about the cold. It affected my voice enough so that I nearly lost it a few different times. My nose started to run, my cough was getting worse, and I just wasn't feeling all that great. It ended up turning into a typical head cold. I ended up buying a bunch of medicines for my cold, which all seemed to help. And now today, I can confidently say that I am finally starting to turn the corner with this cold.
I can honestly say I've never had a cold start the way that this one did. To be so dizzy to start off and then to develop a cough before even getting a sore throat is pretty unusual, at least I think so. That just goes to show you that not all cold or flu strains are the same. Usually the first symptom of the common cold is the sore throat - but not in this instance. Another thing that was so unusual about this cold is how it affected my throat to the point that my voice was very hoarse for a good three or four days. I know I've had many colds where I've sounded stuffed up, but never to the point where I was losing my voice. Needless to say, it's been kind of a long road but I am very pleased to say that my condition is improving with each passing day. The lingering effects of this cold may continue for another week or so, but I am confident to say that the worst of this cold is behind me. Hopefully I don't experience another cold like this again for a very long time.
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