a blog by joe rae

Can You Hear Me Now?

2010-12-08T11:32:00.003-05:00

Every once in a while, I'll say to my self "Self, you should really update your blog". Then I respond "Well self - I'll get to it tomorrow". Next thing you know, five months have gone by, you find more gray hairs on your head, and the blog hasn't been updated.

Well - until today.

Anyway - last week I finally got around to getting a new phone. I find that usually getting a new cell phone is a fairly painful process - the tech geek in me loves new technology and is fascinated to go to the store to see what kind of new "gee whiz" gadgets they have out now and test drive the equipment, but my emerging old, cranky side hates to deal with all of the slobbering teenagers who are huddled around the phones, dazed and confused on ritalin and energy drinks, wondering how they can get mommy and daddy to pay for this, all while randomly yelling out "OMG!" and "I love Justin Bieber!"

This time around, my cell phone store experience was pretty lackluster - I pretty much settled on what phone to get beforehand, and the in-store experience was more to make sure there wasn't another cool, "gee whiz" gizmo out there that I would have been kicking myself over if I didn't get it. And there weren't even many teenagers in the store - guess that day there must have been a Red Bull shortage or something.

I gotta say - I've been fascinated with this thing so far. I first got a cell phone (rather reluctantly) back a few years ago when I was doing some overnights at another radio station around here, and didn't want to get stuck somewhere in the middle of nowhere. Back then it was nice to know that you could make a phone call to somebody from anywhere. Now - with texting, mobile internet, and GPS systems - if I don't have instant access to anything or anyone or know where I am, I feel lost. Darn technology :)

Speaking of cell phones - if you have a smartphone, Magic 93 rolled out our very own app recently. The app will let you listen to Magic 93's webstream from anywhere, and also gives you the artist and title of the song playing, as well as song lyrics.

Right now - the Magic 93 app is available for iPhone users in the iTunes store - just search for "Magic 93" or "WMGS" to find the app. If you have a Blackberry, you can log into the Blackberry App World and search for "Magic 93", or just click here. If you have an Android device (like I do), the Magic 93 App is on the way for it - it's still in development the last time I heard about it ("in development" - I found out - being corporate-speak for "we'll get it done soon - shut up about it and stop bothering us"). We're hoping to roll that out soon.

Hope you enjoy the app - if you have any comments or questions about it, feel free to drop me a line at joe (at) magic93fm.com.

Hope you have a great holiday season - I'll try to update this blog again soon (well - at least before next July).

Joe

A Little YouTube Find

2010-07-13T17:43:00.002-04:00

I ran across this video today about the making and production of 10cc's "I'm Not In Love". I thought it was fascinating, but I'm a little bit of a geek when it comes to music production.

I figured I'd share this, so next time you hear this song on the "Magic Flashback Weekend", you'll understand what went into making this song.

Shameless Plug Alert!

2010-07-07T11:17:00.004-04:00

If you've been listening to Michael Neff on the morning show over the last few days, you probably heard Frankie's "Meet The Staff" interviews. Well - on Thursday's show, it's going to my turn to answer a few questions.

We taped this a few days ago, and I honestly think it's the only time in my life that I've ever been interviewed (well - at least without a lawyer present. No - really - I'm just kidding about that. I always represent myself :)

So - as a shameless plug - if your tune into Thursday's morning show, you'll get a chance to "Meet Joe Rae". Hope you enjoy the interviews.

Keep cool,
Joe

Are There Any Women Here Today?

2010-06-08T20:50:00.004-04:00

It hasn't been the best of weeks, and it's been a while since I posted anything here, so I figured that I'd post the funniest scene ever in a movie.

If you've never seen Monty Python's The Life of Brian - go rent it today.

Sweet...

2010-04-12T15:31:00.001-04:00

It looks like I have a concert to look forward to this year :)

Link

Roger Waters Taking 'The Wall' On Tour

Pink Floyd founding member Roger Waters is taking the group's album 'The Wall' back on tour in North America later this year.

Pink Floyd founding member Roger Waters is taking 'The Wall' back on tour.

The former bassist in the psychedelic rock band has previously staged the band's show - in which the album 'The Wall' is performed in its entirety while a physical wall is built between the band and the audience - 31 times since it was recorded in 1979, but is now about to embark upon a huge North American tour in support of the album's 30th anniversary.

He told website Spinner: "30 Years ago when I wrote 'The Wall' I was a frightened young man.

"Well, not that young - I was 36 years old. It took me a long time to get over my fears. Anyway, in the intervening years it has occurred to me that maybe the story of my fear and loss with its concomitant inevitable residue of ridicule, shame and punishment, provides an allegory for broader concerns: Nationalism, racism, sexism, religion, whatever!

"All these issues and 'isms are driven by the same fears that drove my young life."

The new production of 'The Wall' - which includes the hits 'Another Brick in the Wall, Part II' and 'Comfortably Numb' - will be state of the art with a new production and backing band.

Waters also promised that despite being 30 years old, the show will still resonate with today's audiences.

He said: "This new production of 'The Wall' is an attempt to draw some comparisons, to illuminate our current predicament, and is dedicated to all the innocent lost in the intervening years."

'The Wall' was largely written by Waters and upon its release was accompanied by a film of the same name. Pink Floyd toured the album in 1980 and 1981 but Waters left the group in 1984.

He then staged a solo version of the show in Berlin, Germany in 1990 to commemorate the falling of the Berlin wall.

Water's latest tour will take in dates across the US and Canada between September and December this year.

For more information visit www.roger-waters.com

Why - Yes

2010-03-26T20:02:00.002-04:00

I had to share this. And yes - there was alcohol involved:

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10085/1045894-100.stm

Police: Man tried to revive dead possum; alcohol involved

Police said a man will be charged with public drunkenness after a witnesses saw him attempting mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on a road-killed opossum.

State police said they charged Donald Wolfe, 55, of Brookville, Jefferson County, after they arrived at the scene on Route 36 in Oliver Township around 3 p.m. Thursday.

Trooper Jamie Levier said several witnesses saw Mr. Wolfe near the animal. The trooper said one person saw Mr. Wolfe kneeling before the animal and gesturing as though he were conducting a seance, while another saw the mouth-to-mouth attempt.

Trooper Levier said Wolfe was "extremely intoxicated" and "did have his mouth in the area of the animal's mouth, I guess."

Did You Ever...

2010-02-18T15:28:00.004-05:00

I just have to vent for a moment here...

Did you ever have a day at work when it seems that the phone won't stop ringing, and it's all companies looking to sell you something? I just can't seem to get them off the phone either. I had a call today from a company trying to sell me data services, and you really would think that after 10 minutes on the phone when I started off as being nice and now I'm clearly getting annoyed, finally telling her "I have no control or input into our vendors", "we're happy with our current provider", and "I have another call that I have to take", you'd pretty much say "thanks" and move on. I guess not though - let's just keep Joe on the line a little longer and see if we can waste more time.

Whew - ok, that feels good to vent. Thanks for listening. See you on the air tonight.

(afternoon update - the vendor called back:

Rep: "Hi Joe - we were cut off before so I wanted to call back and finish our survey!"
Me: "We weren't cut off. I hung up on you." *click*)

Huh?

2010-01-15T13:10:00.003-05:00

I'm not really into the whole American Idol thing, but I did hear the "Pants On The Ground" audition from Moonshine when I was filling in for Brian the other day. This - well, this is cute though.

Never Got A Chance...

2010-01-12T14:58:00.003-05:00

to post this. Fantastic show and a fantastic band, plus getting to meet Brian Wilson before the show was amazing.

One More Video....

2009-12-24T23:47:00.004-05:00

Merry Christmas from the Muppets

Because It Just Isn't Christmas...

2009-12-22T10:19:00.000-05:00

without something from Da Yoopers.

For Sale...

2009-10-12T22:44:00.002-04:00

2 tickets to Game 5 of the NLDS Tuesday night in Philadelphia*. I'm willing to part with these cheap! :)

(*I'm just kidding of course - the Phillies clinched the series tonight, and it would be unethical if I sold these to somebody. And yes - I can get a refund on these from the Phillies, although I'm not too happy about the $20 "handling" fee. What is a "handling" fee anyway? Does it really cost $20 to throw two tickets in an envelope and throw a 44 cent stamp on it? I wouldn't mind having a job where I got $20 a pop for stuffing an envelope with tickets. I could handle that - probably wouldn't have to leave my house. I could get up in the morning, stuff a few envelopes, do some work around the house, make a little dinner, and stuff a few more before heading off to sleep. Boy - I seem to have gone off topic here. What were we talking about? )

It figures though - I got tickets for the NDLS in this year's lottery for game 5 and it isn't going to be played. Last year, I had tickets for game 4 of the World Series. It was played, but it also fell on the day that we were leaving on a cruise, so Mary Catherine and I ended up watching the game as we sailed out of Brooklyn harbor. In '93, you had to send in a post card to get into the ticket lottery - must have sent in about 50 post cards, but wasn't selected. Guess I wasn't meant to see a post season game...

Anyway - if you interested in getting into the ticket lottery for the World Series (if the Phillies make it), you can register at http://mlb.mlb.com/phi/ticketing/postseason_info.jsp - good luck if you enter.

Way Too Early...

2009-09-22T07:50:00.002-04:00

I enjoy filling in every once in a while for Brian for the morning news, but I forgot how early 2:45am rolls around. Fortunately, the coffee here at the station is hot, plentiful, and much needed...

Are You Ready For Some Football?

2009-09-10T16:24:00.006-04:00

The NFL season kicks off tonight, and Joe would sincerely like to apologize to his neighbors ahead of time for any screaming, yelling, and/or throwing of objects on his behalf during Steelers games this upcoming NFL season.

Okay - Everybody Smile...

2009-09-08T23:49:00.004-04:00

Caught this in today's Times Leader - it seems Google is in NEPA photographing parts of the area for their "street view". Try not to do anything strange or embarrassing along a road the next several weeks, or you could end up on the internet(s).

Google Photographing Area

Google Inc., that ubiquitous entity on the Internet, has been branching out into reality for some time, and now it’s even covering the Wyoming Valley. Just look for the Google cars.

Like narwhals of the asphalt, vehicles sporting the Google logo and brandishing a contraption dubbed “the lollipop camera” on their roofs have been sighted in the region, and proof of their local travels are slowly appearing on Google’s mapping Web site. Street views are available for much of Scranton and West Pittston, along with main arteries such as the interstates and Schooley Avenue.

Well known for online search and virtual mapping functions, Google continually adds functions and features that make its software progressively more useful and entertaining.

A prime example is Google Maps. It began with simple maps, expanded to topographical maps and aerial photographs and now features street-level photographs digitally stitched together to form continuous images. Basically, it’s like virtually walking down a street – reading the signs, identifying the landmarks – all without leaving your house.

But the feature has primarily stuck to highly populated areas such as New York, Los Angeles and Tokyo, leaving Northeastern Pennsylvania in the virtual dark – until now.

When will the rest of the region be photographed? Hard to say. “We do try to have coverage of an entire region before we launch it,” Google spokeswoman Elaine Filadelfo said. “It can take … several months (to photograph) a large city.”

The process begins with the cars, equipped with a nine-camera array, driving public streets and taking photos in all directions. Faces and license plates are blurred in the still images, and they are stitched together before they’re uploaded on the site. The whole process can take up to a year, Filadelfo said.

Locals are contracted to drive the cars, which Filadelfo said helps Google determine which roads are more important to drive first. Another influence is user feedback.

Beyond expanding the program, Filadelfo said, Google is continually improving it by re-driving areas to take better-quality pictures. It’s also created a bicycle-mounted system to photograph off-road areas such as amusement parks and tourist areas, she said.

Google considers the photos an “integral part” of its mapping program, Filadelfo said, so when the expansions and improvements will end is unclear. “There’s certainly a lot of ground left to cover,” she said.

I guess I should...

2009-07-30T18:34:00.002-04:00

post something here. Honestly - I keep meaning to, but I just haven't gotten around to it yet. I will - I promise... :)

If you're afraid of heights...

2009-07-01T22:46:00.002-04:00

...like I am, just skip this post. Watching this made me queasy...

From MSNBC

Sears Tower set to open ‘Ledge’ to thrill seekers

Glass platform suspended from 103rd floor Skydeck, can hold 5 tons

CHICAGO - The Sears Tower is offering a new way to push your fear of heights right over the edge.

A glass ledge, actually, suspended from the building's 103rd floor Skydeck.

“The Ledge” is the nickname given to a set of glass balconies that open to the public Thursday.

Sears Tower officials say the inspiration for the balconies came from the hundreds of forehead prints visitors left behind on Skydeck windows every week.

The glass is three layers thick, and each layer is a half-inch (1.3 centimeters) thick. The balconies can hold about five tons.

Other changes are on the way for the tallest building in the United States. They include its new name of Willis Tower and a $350 million green renovation for the 110-story skyscraper.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Happy Sushi Day...

2009-06-18T09:05:00.004-04:00

I didn't realize this, but today (June 18th) is International Sushi Day. Never heard of the holiday before, but considering how much I love sushi, I'm just going to have to celebrate.

Anyone want to join me for lunch? ;)

Frankie on WNEP

2009-06-17T08:43:00.001-04:00

I've had better weeks.

2009-06-12T09:14:00.009-04:00

Really - I've had better weeks.

It was a week ago this morning that I was on my way to Northeast Eye Institute in Scranton to speak to them about getting the LASIK procedure done to my eyes. See - I'm pretty much blind and - if you wear glasses or contacts, you'd agree - I would love to not have to deal with the hassles of wearing glasses and contact lenses.

My trips to the eye doctor usually go like this:

Doctor: "Ok Joe - what's the top line on the chart you can read?"
Me (without glasses or contacts): "What chart?"
Doctor: "The one on the wall in front of you."
Me: "What wall in front of me?"

It was a little irritating to have to wear my glasses for two weeks before the evaluation, but I thought the inconvenience would be fairly minor if I didn't have to worry about contacts again.

So on that morning, Mary Catherine decided to come with me, simply because she doesn't trust me that I'll ask questions (and she's right) and also I'd be getting my eyes dilated and probably shouldn't be driving. The exam went really well - the first part only takes about five minutes where they take you into a darkened room and then you rest your chin on this machine and they take pictures and scans of your eyes. After a few minutes back in the waiting room, we were called back into another room to see Dr. Randle, where she gave me a full eye exam to see how much my eyes have changed since the last time I got glasses. She dilated my eyes, and while we were waiting she explained the various procedures and was very informative and explained everything thoroughly, so much so that I was ready to have the LASIK done right then and there. Once they were fully dilated, she began to look closely at the eyes themselves....

Doctor: "Joe - have you ever had any problems with your retinas?"

You could kind of feel the energy being sucked out of the room at that point.

Doctor: "Any flashing lights in your eyes?"

Actually - I had been seeing that. Every once in a while I'd notice something in my left eye. Felt like it was rolling and I'd see a little flash. It was so minor that I didn't think much about it - just figured I'm getting older and things don't work quite the way they did on my body at times.

Doctor: "Let's go talk to Dr. Peairs - our retina specialist."

A few minutes later, he was looking in my eyes, and I heard a few words I hoped I'd never hear.

"You're going to need surgery."

Guess that I've been pretty lucky in my life - 36 years old and never required surgery or had been knocked out before. Let's just say I wasn't looking forward to this. Normally - this is a medical emergency, with people being taken right from the office to the OR to get it fixed, but because of the type of detachment and where it was located on the eye, we decided to hold off until Wednesday.

It turns out that this can be a common occurrence in near-sighted people, although quite honestly I'd never heard of it. Because of the myopia, the eye gets stretched thin placing pressure on the retina. I needed a "buckle" surgically implanted around the left eye and a simple laser procedure to fix several small holes in the retina in my right eye.

The next several days before the surgery were not fun. I had a ton of work to do not only with the financials of all of this, but the added pleasure of running to different medical appointments and trying to get everything in order at work to try to minimize any damage for when I get back. (I sent an email out before I left explaining that I'd be out of the office for a bit, and reminding everybody of the IT policies when I'm gone: Rule #1 - Don't break anything. Rule #2 - If you have a question, refer to Rule #1).

So Wednesday finally came around, and I went off to CMC in Scranton to get this done. I had a little bit of a bad feeling about the whole thing when I was in a dressing room to get out of my street clothes, and I really had no idea how to put on the hospital gown. I thought she said put it on backward, but my mind was somewhere else and for some reason that didn't seem right so I tried it frontward but very quickly I knew that wasn't right, so I fumbled with it for a few minutes before finally calling a nurse who must have thought that I was something special for not knowing how to put on a simple hospital gown. After spending a bit of time in pre-op going over all of the final details, they walked me into the operating room where I sort of remember speaking to one of the technicians where I meant to ask if while the surgeons were in there, if they could implant a little laser in my eye so that I could impress people at parties by setting papers on fire, but then the anesthesia hit....

Fast forward a few hours to the recovery room where they woke me up and explained that everything had gone well with no complications. Mary Catherine brought me home, where I remember asking her for something to eat, but for the life of me, I could not get off the bed. Thursday I had the follow up exam where they took off the bandages and I was very happy that I was able to see out of that eye. So far, everything looks good - just have a series of eyedrops that I have to put in for a few weeks and I have another follow-up or two, but hopefully I'll be back to my normal self shortly...

I do want to say thanks to everybody at Northeastern Eye Institute and CMC. Everybody that I dealt with was unbelievably nice and they went out of their way to make sure I was comfortable and worked with me every step of the way. I could not recommend them any higher...

I also want to say thanks to Mary Catherine for putting up with me through this. I'm sure the "Honey, could you get me a glass of water?" and the "Dear - could you turn on the fan?", and the five thousand other requests I ask that I'm sure are driving her nuts that she's taken in stride over the past several days. I think I'm going to owe her big time for this....

Hopefully I'll see you back on the air sometime next week if everything continues to go well.

Pocono...

2009-06-07T22:25:00.007-04:00

It's been a while since I've been up to Pocono to see a race. We used to go twice a year to the infield, but maybe it's because I'm getting older but the idea of getting up at 4am, getting all of the food, the grill, a canopy, and an....uh... adult beverage or two, then sitting in the middle of a field for 16 hours with the sun beating down on you and then trying to deal with 100,000 people all trying to leave at the same time is - shall we say - a little tiring. But it was fun... I was watching the race of TV this afternoon, but I really wished I could have been there. Maybe for the August race.

The last time I was at a race, Mary Catherine got us tickets through work for one of those chalets for Kellogg's - we showed up too late to meet Kyle Busch (oh - darn... ;) but I did manage to win an autographed Kyle Busch cardboard cutout. I took it home and put it in my closet and figured I'd give it to one of his fans.

And it's still in my closet.

Anyway - the video above is from after Saturday's Nationwide race. Kyle Busch won at Nashville, and one of the really cool trophies that they give in sports is the Gibson Les Paul to the winner (well - that and the Grandfather clock they give out at Martinsville). So - they gave Kyle the trophy and he went "Pete Townsend" on it. Smashed it to pieces. That beautiful $4000 guitar. Just sad...

It's Back...

2009-06-04T17:35:00.005-04:00

Cheap Trick has a new album coming out next month called "The Latest" (catchy name, heyna or no?). While I can't say that I'm a big Cheap Trick fan, I thought it was pretty cool that they're releasing the album on CD, vinyl, and.... 8 track?

Link

Do you remember the good old days of 8 tracks? Driving down the road and hit a bump, then you hear a "CLUNK" and it changes to the next track? Or the wads of paper you had to stuff in the slot to keep the cartridge aligned so it would play? Or the long songs that would fade in the middle then fade up when it changed tracks?

Yeah - I don't miss them either...

Please Stay Off The Grass...

2009-05-29T20:16:00.003-04:00

Caught this item today in the news...

UPPER SANDUSKY — An Ohio man arrested for mowing unkempt grass at a public park said he just wanted to make his city look nice. John Hamilton said he took control of the situation because the grass in Sandusky's Central Park was about a foot high. According to a police report, a witness said Hamilton was blowing grass onto the sidewalk and shredding trash in the park that had not been picked up.

Police said they arrested 48-year-old Hamilton after he refused to stop mowing and charged him with obstructing official business and disorderly conduct.

City Manager Matt Kline called the arrest unfortunate and said he understands Hamilton's frustration. Kline said budget cuts have left Sandusky understaffed for seasonal maintenance work.

You know, if at any time John wants to mow some grass, part of mine is only about two feet high. He's more than welcome to stop on over...

:)

It's Been...

2009-05-22T19:01:00.003-04:00

I was looking at the calendar today, and if I remember correctly, today's my 1 year anniversary at Magic 93. It still seems funny that I ended up here - I left Metro Traffic about 6 months before looking for a better opportunity (and a job that I could sleep past 4:30 in the morning) and figured I was done with radio. It was fun, but it wasn't paying the bills...

I ended up working at an IT job that, well - honestly - I couldn't stand working there, but it was good experience, when I first got an email from Brian then a call from Stan asking if I'd be interested in coming over to fill in on the morning newscasts and work weekends on the air. When I was a traffic reporter, really the only fun I had at my job was being on the air with the gang from Magic 93, so the offer was a no-brainer.

Fast forward a year, and now I'm working here during the day as the IT guy and get to spend a few evenings a week on the air having fun. I'd say it's been a pretty good year...

I hope you enjoy your long weekend. On Saturday, Mary Catherine and I plan on heading to Jessup for the St. Ubaldo Day Festival and hopefully catch the race of the Saints. I know St. Ubaldo has a pretty good track record in the race, but if you're a betting person, I'm laying great odds on St. Anthony this year... :)

Have a great holiday weekend.

My weekend...

2009-05-11T03:28:00.006-04:00

I'm not the type of person that regularly goes to movies - I'm kind of lazy and cheap, and I don't really see many movies come out that grab my attention. A few months ago, I saw the trailers for the new Star Trek movie, and something about it did grab my attention. It's hard to admit, but at one time in my life I was a bit of a Star Trek nerd - I knew all of the episodes of the original series, all of the characters, and of the back stories, etc... I did not - however - become one of those people that went to the conventions or can engage in conversational Klingon. I don't think there's a way to recover once you get to that point. :)

I've seen all of the movies, and when the Next Generation series came out, I did watch it and thought it was a pretty good show. Deep Space Nine and Voyager - however - were just awful, awful shows, and I'll confess that I may have watched Enterprise for about 10 minutes one time and didn't think much of it.

Well anyway, I did break out of my little shell and headed out to see Star Trek last Saturday. I have to say that it was really good - didn't really know what to expect (heard the term "Star Trek 90210" by a critic of the movie, and wasn't sure if that was going to be the case).

(Warning - spoiler alert here!)

The term "reboot" really did apply to the movie with how the producers decided to handle the time line of the original series. It was strange to see a character that appeared in the original series die, and I thought "Oh well - she can't really be dead. I wonder how they'll get her back", then by the end of the movie you realize that "Oh wait - she isn't"...

Either way - it's a good movie, and I'll be looking forward to the sequels.

And as far as me getting out to see a movie - it's not going to happen for a little while, at least until "Trailer Park Boys - Countdown To Liquor Day" comes out later this fall. Now - that's going to be a fun movie...

Did you catch this...

2009-04-27T03:45:00.002-04:00

Did you happen to see the end of the NASCAR race on Sunday?

Umm...

2009-04-23T19:16:00.002-04:00

The Oak Ridge Boys covering the White Stripe's Seven Nation Army. I'm not sure if this is really good or really weird....

Today...

2009-04-16T18:07:00.002-04:00

It would have been such a nice day to be outside enjoying the spring weather. Perhaps doing a little yard work, getting that garden started, fix the lawnmower and get it ready for mowing season, getting out the fishing poles and get them ready for this weekend, spend a little time in a lawn chair reading a good book...

There would have been a lot of nice things to do outside today, but unfortunately it was a Thursday. Guess I'll just have to wait until Saturday for all of that. Hope the weather's nice...

Please remind me...

2009-04-08T16:07:00.002-04:00

to do something interesting already so I have something to write here? :)

It's been an extraordinarily quiet couple of weeks for me. Work, sleep, work, sleep, work, sleep, etc... (well - there was that one Tuesday where I think I was doing both at the same time, but I digress).

About the most exciting thing that's happened is that I'm getting a new cell phone. Not that I need a new one, but it's two years old now and the other two phones on the plan have already had dead batteries, so I guess I'm getting a new one. I was hoping to get one of those newfangled "smartphones" that can make calls, email, surf the internet, tell me where I am, and microwave TV dinners with the press of a button... that is, until I heard of the concept of the data plan. And me - being what many call "cheap" - didn't think the concept of paying an extra $30 a month to do all of those things when I have a perfectly good microwave at home was that great of an idea, so instead I just went with a phone that just makes calls.

A phone that makes calls - that's just weird in this day and age, heyna or no?

We did opt for the texting plan though, which should make my friends happy. Not that they can text me - it's just now when they text me, they won't be getting a call from me two minutes later screaming "DON'T DO THAT - IT COSTS ME 15 CENTS!"

Anyway - have a great Easter. Hopefully the big bunny will be good to you this year...

Please Help Celebrate...

2009-03-27T09:31:00.005-04:00

...National Joe Day.

(no - seriously - it's a real holiday. Well - semi real, much like National Pig Day, Festival Of Extraterrestrial Abductions Day, and Valentine's Day...)

I'd never heard of this day until Moonshine from JR 93-7 mentioned it to me, but as I do a little reading on this most important of days, the more I like it. Feel free to send gifts (or cash) if you'd prefer to your favorite Joe :)

How to celebrate National Joe Day

Woo Hoo...

2009-03-20T17:13:00.001-04:00

Another video for Neil Young's new album...

Neil Young - Cough Up The Bucks

Hurray...

2009-03-20T15:38:00.002-04:00

It's Friday.

Been a strange week - I usually work mid-afternoon to the evening during the week, but this week I was in the office earlier than usual to fill in for Stan as he took off for the week. Of course, it's always fun when I'm here in the morning and somebody who I'll leave unnamed (but for the sake of argument, we'll just call him Moonshine) always looks at me weird and points to his watch whenever he sees me before noon...

Anyway - I'm just hoping the weather will be nice for tomorrow so I can get outside and do some work in the yard. Anybody want to help me tear down an old shed tomorrow? I hear it's lots of fun... :)

Speaking of Neil...

2009-03-10T16:49:00.002-04:00

He has a new video out today.

Cool...

2009-03-09T17:15:00.010-04:00

Neil Young Film Set for SXSW

A concert film featuring songwriting legend Neil Young is set to premiere March 21st at the South by Southwest Film Conference in Austin, Texas.
'Neil Young Trunk Show' offers footage from two shows Young performed in Philadelphia in December 2007. The movie was directed by Jonathan Demme, who also was behind Young's 2006 film, 'Heart of Gold'.
Young is scheduled to headline the last night of England's Isle of Wight Festival 2009 on June 14th.
I'm just one of these nutty Neil Young fans, so I'm excited (I once drove 5 hours to Pittsburgh a few years back for one of the Greendale shows. I probably would not have driven that far for a show, bit I lucked out on the tickets during a presale and ended up sitting in the fourth row dead center. God bless my girlfriend for putting up with me at times). I was actually at the one show at the Tower Theater - I really had no idea at the time it was being filmed for release, so this will be really neat to see.

If you ever get a chance to see a concert at the Tower, go. The place had this really cool 70's rock vibe which made the show almost surreal. The sound is fantastic, and just seeing Neil live in such a cool setting is amazing. I still remember leaving the theater thinking the show was over, and as Mary Catherine and I were walking to the parking garage, I could hear the band playing "The Sultan" (which I believe he's only played live 16 times over the course of his career, and I walked out early thinking the show was over. I mean - they were playing Greensleeves, which they do at the end of every Neil Young show, so I thought it was all over with and now I have to live with the thought that I missed out on hearing that song live... But I digress.)

To say I was angry with myself for leaving too soon would be an understatement...
I can't wait for this to come out.

Please remind me...

2009-02-27T20:04:00.002-05:00

...to update my blog one of these days. It's been a busy week, and I haven't really felt "chatty". It's just been a hectic week, plus throw in the lack of meat for two days this week (I'm really hungry for a nice juicy steak right about now) for Lent, and I wonder why my energy's a bit down...

At least I do have Saturday off this week. I'm just afraid I'll get a phone call or an email of somebody asking me to work, so I may just be cautious and disconnect myself from the world until Monday.

Enjoy the Magic Flashback Weekend - I'll catch up with you on Monday. Maybe... ;)

Calling Elvis...

2009-02-20T20:10:00.003-05:00

So if you're still having trouble with the digital TV transition, you're not alone.

Link

The digital transition has left some confused, but a Joplin man was down right frustrated with the switch. So frustrated, in fact, that he peppered his television set with gunfire.

Police responded to the man's house Wednesday after reports of shots being fired inside.

Turns out the 70-year-old gunman was livid over losing cable and could not get his digital converter box to work. Police took Walter Hoover into custody after a brief standoff and charged him with unlawful use of a firearm.

Hoover's wife told police that he had been drinking before the incident.

Interesting....

2009-02-18T14:18:00.003-05:00

When most people install software, you probably gloss over that legal notice that you have to approve and hit "I accept" quickly. I usually do that as well, but today I was updating iTunes on a machine, and saw this in the terms:

THE APPLE SOFTWARE IS NOT INTENDED FOR USE IN THE OPERATION OF NUCLEAR FACILITIES, AIRCRAFT NAVIGATION OR COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS, AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEMS, LIFE SUPPORT MACHINES OR OTHER EQUIPMENT IN WHICH THE FAILURE OF THE APPLE SOFTWARE COULD LEAD TO DEATH, PERSONAL INJURY, OR SEVERE PHYSICAL OR ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGE.

You have to wonder if this terminology is in there because somebody had sued Apple at some point because they were running their nuclear reactor through iTunes...

Please stand by...

2009-02-17T17:26:00.006-05:00

If you tried to log into http://www.magic93fm.com/ and hit the "Listen Live" link in the last day or so, you may have noticed it wasn't working (actually - the same Coldplay song kept playing over and over again. Which is great if you really like Coldplay, but...)

Well - anyway - it took all of my technical knowledge, several hours, and some very expensive consultation visits, but I think everything is up an running again (okay - just between me and you - I just rebooted the streaming computer and it started working again, but don't let the boss know or they'll think anybody can do the IT work around here...)

So anyway, I do want to thank two of our listeners - Terry from Scranton and Jennifer from Wilkes-Barre - for letting me know it wasn't working.

Thanks - as always - for listening (online and offline)
Joe

Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes....

2009-02-09T17:09:00.004-05:00

Well, if you've pointed your favorite internet browser recently to our website - http://www.magic93fm.com/, you may have noticed a few subtle changes to the site. We've been doing a little work to it, trying to bring everything up to date and making a few changes.

First - you may have noticed the new "blogs" link on our website. It's a new little feature we've added to the website, and I hope it's something you'll enjoy reading.

Also - if you click on the "events" tab on the site, we've enabled the calendar for you to submit your events. If you have a community event that you'd like people to know about, please feel free to hit the "add an event" link and let us know about it.

And while you're on the site, if you're not already a member of the Magic 93 Loyal Listener Club, please make sure to join. We're getting ready to send out another newletter this week, and I have a feeling there's going to be a nice little giveaway that only members of the club are eligible to win. Last month, we gave away a pair of front row tickets to the Barry Manilow show to one lucky subscriber, and this month we're going to give away.... well, if you're a member of the Loyal Listener club, you'll find out shortly....

And finally - if you tune in tonight for the 70's at 7, you may hear an familiar voice hosting tonight. I don't know if I want to spoil the surprise and tell you who it will be, so - for the sake of argument - we'll just call him Jeff Gordon.... :) We're glad to have Jeff back on the air with us, so feel free to give him a call after 7 at 1-800-MAGIC93 to say "welcome back". Jeff and I are going to be splitting up the evening duties around here, so I'll be back with you Thursday night for the 70's at 7 and the 80's at 8.

Now - I'm going back to figure out why the title bar on the website won't render properly in Internet Explorer 7....

Thanks for reading and listening,
Joe

Just saying 'hi'

2009-02-06T16:44:00.004-05:00

Well - it's looks as if I've finally have gotten into the 21st century and decided to blog.

Now I just have to come up with something to say.

So, while I'm trying to find something to write about, I'll leave you with a picture of Ranger (the cat)

Testing, testing, 1,2,3,4...

2009-02-05T17:59:00.005-05:00

Well - I'm just testing this thing to see if it works. Hopefully it does...