Life List

I've been working on this for a while and was waiting to hit a major number. I originally was shooting for 100, but when i got stuck around 32, I decided 50 might be easier. My problem is a good one... I've already done a lot of things people normally have on these lists. So here ya go! If anyone wants to help, let me know! :)

Note: Since starting the list, I've been able to cross off a couple things

1. Meet a seated or former President.


2. Learn to ski


3. Perform on stage with a band


4. Skydive solo


5. Bungee jump solo


6. Visit Ireland


7. Travel by train


8. Travel by bus


9. Visit the Grand Canyon


10. Go on an Alaskan cruise.


11. Be thanked on an inside album cover by a signed band


12. Visit New Zealand


13. Take a city bus to the “end of the line”


14. Visit Antarctica or somewhere north of the Arctic Circle


15. Climb Everest (it doesn’t have to be to the top, I just want to be on it)


16. See a game at Fenway Park


17. Times Square New Year


18. Vegas New Year


19. Get married


20. Have kids


21. Visit my Grandpa Waggoner’s grave


22. Participate in a major charity/fundraising event


23. Meet Bono


24. Cliff dive/jump into a Hawaiian lagoon


25. Start a snow cone business


26. Go to Cedar Point in Sandusky, OH.


27. Camp out to win/buy something.


28. Ride the rides at Stratosphere


29. See every Bond movie. (Dr. No, From Russia With Love, Goldfinger, Thunderball, You Only Live Twice, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, Diamonds Are Forever, Live and Let Die, The Man With the Golden Gun, The Spy Who Loved Me, Moonraker, For Your Eyes Only, Octopussy, A View to a Kill, The Living Daylights, License to Kill, GoldenEye, Tomorrow Never Dies, The World is Not Enough, Die Another Day, Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace)


30. See Ben Folds in concert


31. See U2 in concert


32. Attend a black tie/benefit award show


33. Step foot in all 50 states (Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming)
    
34. Step foot on all 7 continents (North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, Antartica)


35. Camp in Yellowstone Nat’l Park


36. Ride in a hot air balloon


37. Ride in a helicopter (not a medi-copter)


38. Ice Skate at Rockefeller Plaza


39. See Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights)


40. Visit Washington D.C.


41. See a live Fútbol game


42. See Mt. Rushmore


43. Visit Rome


44. See the Great Pyramid at Giza


45. See the Taj Mahal


46. Visit Japan


47. Lick the Liberty Bell


48. Attend the Olympics


49. Watch a shuttle launch


50. Travel on the “streets” of Venice
    

Top 10 Things I've Learned in Oklahoma

I arrived in Tulsa on April 29th, 2008 which means at the end of the month, I'll have been here for 9 months. With this celebration, I present to you:

The Top 10 Thing I've Learned While Living in Oklahoma

10. How to throw change left-handed. Turnpikes! I remember pulling up to it the first time and awkwardly throwing my change in the catch like Scotty Smalls on his first attempt to throw a baseball and wondering how the person in front of me did it so effortlessly. It's second nature now and I can, like a true Tulsan, do it on the fly.

9. "Boomer Sooner":

Boomer Sooner, Boomer Sooner,

Boomer Sooner, Boomer Sooner,

Boomer Sooner, Boomer Sooner,

Boomer Sooner, O-K-U!

Oklahoma, Oklahoma,

Oklahoma, Oklahoma,

Oklahoma, Oklahoma,

Oklahoma, O-K-U!

I'm a Sooner born

And a Sooner bred,

And when I die

I'll be Sooner dead.

Rah, Oklahoma! Rah, Oklahoma!

Rah, Oklahoma! O-K-U!

Thpbpbpbpbpbpb!!!! {said with tongue flailing and thumb pointed in a downward direction}. "Boomer Sooner" is all I ever hear. I never hear people yelling Giddy'up or whatever it is the OSU Cowboy fans yell. THERE IS NO PLACE LIKE NEBRASKA!!!!

8. There are 2 kinds of Oklahoman accents on women. One annoys the crap out of you, the other is kinda hot. Oh, and no guy sounds intelligent with an Oklahoma accent.

7. No one in Tulsa is from Tulsa. I kid you not, I've met 2... two people in 9 months originally from this town.

6. I'm organized. Who knew?

5. 50 degrees and sunny is cold and it "could snow any minute" as one fine upstanding gent put it. And yes, he said it with an Oklahoman accent

4. Never throw away a contact. In this business, its all about who you know

3. Working at Quick Trip is a completely respectable job. People in Iowa drop out of school and end up working for a gas station. In Tulsa, its considered a career. And a good one at that.

2. Turn signals aren't important, you must either go 20 above or 20 below the speed limit, a yellow light means speed up, and a red light means you only have 5 more seconds to get through the intersection unless its a turning lane, in which case you have 10.

1. No one is a good driver {see above} including Cops. If you turn on your signal and slow down you'd better turn or (nearly) get rear ended. And for the trouble he'll pull you over for an "unsafe lane-change". "But officer, I didn't change lanes" will not get you out of a ticket. "I'm sorry officer, I'm from Iowa. See-my license and tags clearly show that"; will, in fact, get you off with only a warning.

The Other Side of the Radio

So far my resolution to blog more isn't going stupendous. I'm working on it.

I was thinking about my blog name today and the meaning behind it. Originally when I decided on it, it was because I would share with you all what happens on the "other" side of the radio. While I do try to do this from time to time, its more about random thoughts, websites I come across, TV shows, and other things that happen when I'm not working (and admittedly, sometimes when I am!). Maybe I should have chosen "The Other Side of the Morning Commute" as my title.

But today I wanted to share with you "the other side of the radio." I stole the title from a song by Christian artist, Chris Rice. I vaguely remember the song from my years interning at KGBI over 5 years ago, but ask me to repeat a line from the song without looking, and all I could come up with is "Here I am on the other side of the radio." I read the lyrics and they do a pretty good job of portraying why I do what I do, just substitute singing for speaking.

Music is one of the most effective means of reaching people. I sat at a concert the other night and all I could think about was how many people this guy must be reaching (that and the ridiculous dancer in the white pants who seemed to serve no purpose to the music). It wasn't just a good Christian concert, it was a good concert period. My friends, both Christian and non-Christian would have enjoyed it and walked away thinking it was one of the greatest concerts they've been to. You have no idea the kind of impact relevant Christians can make on the rest of the world. I know for a fact that many of them don't feel you can have fun and be a Christian. I grew up surrounded by fun-loving Christians and I forget, not everyone has a children's pastor who's podium spews fire. (Not for visual effects mind you, but for convenience!)

We're changing somebody's world from the other side of the radio. Oh, and it makes my day to see the smile on their face, and in some small way I remember my place.

That's a line from one of the verses to the song and time and time again, I've seen this. I'm blessed to be working for a station that believes in what they are doing. Not only do I hear it from the listeners, but I am constantly hearing from my "contemporaries" of how lucky I am to be where I'm at. Success is a reflection of leadership, and this is a station that is owned by a man who's grandchildren run the halls and who (before direct deposit) insisted on personally handing out each pay check. His son manages the station but also teaches a Sunday school class. The Program Director is greeted by nearly every artist and label representative with a warm hug. He's a man whose advice was almost immediately sought after when a musician lost his little girl. These are the things I've noticed in the 9 months I've been here.

I'm proud to be where I'm at and thankful for the opportunities I've been given. The Bible tells us to "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation". I believe music can reach people nothing else can reach. Not Billy Graham or Joel Osteen, TBN, or "testamints". Music is my world. The Bible says we are the light of the world and we are to let it shine before men that they would praise God. Ghandi basically said the same thing when he said "Be the change you want to see in the world." We, as Christians need to present ourselves in such a way that people look at us and hear us and say to themselves, "I want that." Ghandi, by the way, also said "I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ."

Of course I love having that "all access pass" at concerts, and I love talking to artists where my content is not "what inspired you to write this song", but "how's your family". And I'll never forget the first time someone said "Oh my gosh, you're David Wage!" But, with God's help, I'll also never forget why I do what I do.

Giving Thanks

Wow, has it really been so long since my last blog? My apologies. I've actually had a lot going on, but haven't felt the need to blog about it. I'll try to get in a "recap" blog tomorrow while I'm waiting for mom's delicious Thanksgiving meal to be prepared, but in light of the holidays, there's one particular opportunity I've been blessed to be a part of that I wanted to share with you all in light of the season.

I have a couple stories to share with you to lighten your heart for the holidays.

First off comes from my three year old niece. My sister, Stephanie, was watching the news back in Omaha and saw a story of a family who lost all their stuff in a house fire a month or two ago. Forgive me for not knowing all the whole story, but although thankfully no one died in this fire, the details were enough to bring tears to my sister's eyes. My niece came into the room moments later to find her mother obviously distraught and asked what was wrong. Stephanie told her this family's house caught on fire and now the kids didn't have any toys to play with. Annabelle immediately jumped up and exclaimed "We could give them some of our toys!" and ran over to the toy chest and began pulling things to share. Despite the fact that she pulled only her younger brother's toys aside to giveaway, her heart was still genuine and she continued to ask mommy about it for several days.

The second story is one of my own experience and comes in two parts. There is a local homeless shelter that our radio station supports called John3:16 Mission. We do several things with them throughout the year, but especially around this time of year we make a hard push for donations. The mission supplies a Thanksgiving meal to over 20,000 individuals between a Thanksgiving Banquet at the mission and baskets that are delivered to needy families. A couple weeks ago we were out on remote at a grocery store collecting canned goods and a little boy came up to me and handed me a sac full of cans and gave me a big hug to thank me. I'll admit it was a little awkward, but afterwards, I thought there must have been a good reason this boy was so thankful we were helping the needy. We saw so much generous giving that day including one individual who drove by and saw what we were doing, and went inside specifically to get cans for us. What he came out with was a shopping cart literally filled to the brim with cans of fruits and vegetables. It was great!

The second part of this story happened last week. One of our sales managers let me know that every year, the staff travels down to the mission to serve a meal and tour the facility. The schedule said we would serve the food, and then get a chance to eat before we toured the facility. I have to admit, I was a little nervous to actually eat food that was served at a shelter. It was anything but unnerving! BBQ pork, vegetables, potatoes, salad... a great spread. Probably better than any lunch I'd prepare for myself! These people eat great and its because of people like that generous individual who donated a shopping cart of food! The people we served were so happy to have us there too. It was a gratefulness that reminded me of the people of New Orleans on my visits shortly after the hurricane: even though we weren't necessarily down there to fix their home, our willingness to come down and help others truely touched them. And likewise, these people knew we did nothing to provide the food they were eating. They'd get a hearty meal with or without us there, but our presence just let them know someone out there cared.

My final story is one I actually stumbled upon immediately after starting to write this blog. My friend Anna (you can find her in my blog roll) had a very encouraging experience as well. Rather than retell it, I'll just direct you to her story. Its an awesome one!
http://adetrich.wordpress.com/2008/11/24/i-forgot-to-get-him-a-fork/

So this Thanksgiving, as you gorge yourself in mom's home cooking, eating enough to slip into a tryptophan-enduced coma, give thanks. Not only for the food and lifestyle God has blessed you with, but also for those who have a heart to bless others.

Matthew 25:35 "For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in."

An unsuccessful day of cleaning

Well, it doesn't happen often but I was struck with a cleaning mood yesterday. I woke up and was going to go to the sports bar that my Husker Club meets at to see the ISU game but somehow I knew it wouldn't be much of a game. Plus I knew these "spirits of cleaning" don't come around often so I stayed home.

So first I swiffered the kitchen floor and did some dusting in the living room and my room. I threw some laundry in and used some of kristen's new fabric softener she was bragging about. She bought a 3 gallon jug for like $6. I then put together a new vaccuum we bought and did some vaccuuming. When I was nearly complete I heard a snap and noticed the vaccuum no longer sucked as well. Sure enough I turn it over and the belt for the rotating floor brush broke. On our brand new $300 vaccuum. I mean $40. Can you believe it?

So I take a break and lay on the couch until my laundry finishes. Despite the little snag with the vaccuum, I'd felt accomplished. I laid there and reveled in how good the house smelled. So fresh, so clean, so... Something doesn't seem right. I go to change out my laundry and I see 3 gallons of fabric softener all over the floor in front of our washing machine. The bottle was on top of the washer and during the spin cycle, it shook right off. So once again I found myself swiffering the kitchen floor.

It was just not my day...

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

I smell rill niice

I forgot how much I like getting compliments. When I worked at the hotel and was wearing suits and cologne more often, I used to always get the comment "you smell really good". I would get the comment from random people; cashier at the check out line at the grocery store, random hotel guests, even people walking next to me on the street or mall. And those who actually knew me; co-workers/friends, would actually lean in and smell me. They always ask what I'm wearing and I usually respond that its this custom stuff I buy on the internet. Not so much to show off and be flashy but to joke at the irony of their expectations.

Usually I give out my stamp of approval to restaurants or movies... things of entertainment value, but I'm going to change it up a little and give the $7.00 bottle of Really Ripped Abs: Bod Body Spray from Target the David Wage Stamp of Approval for brightening my day. I was at the sundries shop at work and the nice black lady at the cashier said. "Mmmmm, honey, you smell goood." in the least creepiest way. The tone in her voice told me it wasn't flirting. It was a fact :)

I'm heading up to the City of the Sioux this weekend for another wedding. I won't do any travel blogging, but I'll be sure to update you when I get back.

What really grinds my gears

I'm generally a pretty calm person and don't get upset over much. People ask what my pet peeves are and they are generally pretty minor and even the things that do get on my nerves don't really leave me that upset. But every year, I'm reminded what gets me upset like nothing else... the commercialization of Christmas!

I've got a wedding this weekend for a friend from college, so I'll be making the journey back to Sioux City this weekend and staying in a hotel. I just called the hotel to confirm my reservations and she precedes to put me on hold. Here it is, September 29th... yes SEPTEMBER!!!... and I hear "just hear those sleigh bells jingling, ring-ting tingling too..."!

Don't get me wrong, I love love LOVE the holiday season, including the music, but I hate how it starts earlier and earlier every year. My opinion is that its not to put people in the spirit of Christmas, but to put people in the spirit of buying. I could go on a million tangents with this including my hatred of our desensitization and concern for being P.C. that "Christmas" has become offensive. In fact, once its actually Christmas season, I'll post a transcript of someone else's tangent because they said it much better than I could. I think it was Andy Rooney or maybe Ben Stein.

Anyways, thanks for letting me vent. Merry Christmas.

A message from New Orleans

Many of you know I made a trip down to New Orleans to help with some relief work post-Katrina. What started as an act to simply please a girl (don't things always start this way) ended as a life-changing experience and I now have a very deep love for the city. Many people shared this same experience, including a friend of mine from Omaha. She went down with her college to help out and after several more trips, even took a position spearheading some of the efforts as a point person for groups wanting to go down. After completing her year-long position, she decided to stay down there and become a New Orleans Police Officer. I can't tell you how much I would not want this job, and how much respect I have for her for going for it.

With Gustav hitting land this morning I ask you say a prayer for my friend, but also the people of New Orleans. I have seen with my own eyes the damage and hurt Katrina caused, but I have also seen a city of people rise up in the middle of a disaster. This was a message my friend, Stephanie, posted yesterday morning, and a few updates from her mom.

---

*posted August 31st at 5:22a.m.

Today it slowly sank in. Gustav is coming. And Gustav could be big. I woke up to a note from my roommate. She works for a nursing home and evacuated with her residents today. Then, I went to run errands (pick up some BDU’s, get a knife, more food, etc) and the interstate was crazy backed up. From what I hear from my local friends, people are taking this storm seriously. I say- good. People need to evacuate. We don’t need a repeat. Homes and material things can be replaced but lives cannot. Plus, it gives us less to do after it hits.

Then, as the day went on the streets just got emptier and emptier. The interstate is backed up getting out of town. The stores are boarded up and closed. Little to nothing will be open tomorrow. Some gas stations are empty. Ice is hard to come by. And the national guard is here. I’m also told we have two boats at our station ready to go. I’ve never been through a storm that has such advanced warning before- it’s an eerie experience. I’ll take a tornado any day over this. The threat comes and goes within a few hours. And they rarely wipe out a whole coastline.

I feel like I’m preparing for war. Everyone moves out and we move in. I have my police gear and lots of canned food, water, and such ready to be put in my car. We’ll see what the next week of my life holds. We’re definitely going to get something. It’s not looking good. But this is why I signed up to be the police, right? This is what we do. This is where I belong right now. I trust God is watching over us and I’ll cope with what comes our way. I’m not worried about my stuff or my life (okay maybe a little)… I’m concerned for my city and its future and the dear (and even the not so dear) people who live here. Pray for the gulf.

As I did one last load of laundry today, I looked over and saw the Katrina water settling mark on the house next door. I’m pretty much planning on my home getting flooded and losing most everything I own. I honestly feel that it’s kind of a guarantee right now. I have some stuff over at a friends… so hopefully that’ll make it so I have more to wear than BDU uniforms after the rescuing is done.

Not gonna lie… this is an eerie feeling. I’m not sure where we’ll be stationed while the storm passes. I report to work in a few hours and, well, I'll leave when I leave. I will probably not be able to update for awhile. But feel free to check back for updates. If I text someone maybe they can leave it as a comment? Anywho, pray for the gulf. Pray Gustav isn’t related to Katrina. And pray all the stolen trucks that have popped up in my district (to be used in looting) break down :0) Seriously… I have no idea what is coming our way… but I feel it. And I honestly cannot describe the feeling. May God be with us all. And thank you for your prayers!!!

---

*posted September 1st at 8:07a.m. by Stephanie's mom

I received a text message from Stephanie this morning at 1:37. She was patrolling the streets in a humvee with 3 soldiers. She said it was windy but but not raining at that point and for me to not believe the news. Thank you all for praying for Stephanie. At this point she has probably been pulled off the streets since Gustav is hitting land.

I just got another text from Stephanie, she is at the convention center riding out Gustav's land fall. She also said that CNN is stationed at her station doing stories. So you may to check CNN once in a while.

---

posted September 1st at 3:21pm by Stephanie's mom

I've heard from Steph about an hour ago. She is still inside. The big concern is waiting to see what the levees do and if they hold. Thank you for all your prayers. I'll keep you all updated.

---

*posted september 1st at 10:18PM by stephanie's mom

Another update on Stephanie (8:30 PM) She hadn't heard about any major damage in NOLA. Lots of rain. She said her district 6 seems ok. She has had access to water and food and still had power. She is currently out on patrol. Someone said on TV that NOLA dodged a bullet. My belief is that Gustav getting weaker and not coming a shore as a category 3 or 4 was God answering all our prayers.

Better Off Alive

It all started with an innocent t-shirt. I was flipping through a magazine and I saw an ad for an $8 t-shirt that said "Better Off Alive". It was an ad for an anti-abortion website but what caught my eye was that it was a cool t-shirt. If anyone knows me, they know how much I love t-shirts, especially internet t-shirts. As guilty as I feel now, my honest thoughts were, "its a cool t-shirt and being political is trendy". I decided to take a look at the site so if anyone asked me about the shirt, I'd at least have a response. What I found put a whole new viewpoint on an issue that I have specifically tried to avoid having a viewpoint on.

I'm not going to apologize for my views on the matter, but I will apologize for getting political on a blog that is anything but. So this is your one chance to stop reading. This is going to be an anti-abortion blog and if you don't want to read about it don't. I don't want nasty comments on your views.

I'm going to try to keep this as brief as possible and let the website do most of the talking for me, but there are a few things I'd like to talk about. The first is my callousness on the matter. Much to the dismay of my right-wing, evangelical family (which, don't get me wrong, I am very much apart of) I have to honestly say I've never had a strong stance on this matter. I've got my own feelings towards it ("No wife of mine will ever have an abortion," I've thought) but have opposingly felt "Your body, your choice. Stupid choice, but yours nonetheless."

Secondly, I'd like to address the ignorance I've had with the issue. As a strong Christian, there are certain things that science can't explain that I have to rely on my faith to believe in. One of these things being the question I've heard many times in the face of abortion issues, "When does life begin." Much to my surprise, this isn't an unanswerable question at all. Its a question, nearly every medical book agrees with. Life begins at conception. From the moment of fertilization, the tiny zygote has a genetic code all of its own. In fact, one of the first things to happen after fertilization is a weakening of the mother's immune system so it doesn't expel this "foreign body." Once you have determined that it is indeed a form of life, that ends all questions for me. I'm further baffled by cases where a pregnant woman is beaten or killed and that offender can be charged with murdering the baby. Or if a pregnant woman takes drugs or alcohol during a pregnancy and something happens she can be charged with "fetal harm". So basically we're saying as long as its intentional, its legal.

I'm more or less going to end it here and direct you to the website. Mostly because it can say so much more than I can. I feel the need to first post this warning. It opens with some very gruesome images of what an abortion does. These are not the controversial "third trimester" abortions. These are the standard abortions done every day on thousands of embryos and fetuses.

My advice is, if you are already against abortion in any circumstance, don't bother with the site. It won't give you any new information and it will just show you images you don't need to see. However, if you believe there are permissible circumstances, I urge you to look at the site and think hard about your reasons. I'll give you the same advice the opening line of the video gives... If ignorance is bliss, turn back now.

http://www.abort73.com/

A good day in radio

Today was one of those days that at the end, I just had to sigh and say "I love my job". I enjoy my job daily, even those days that are spent mostly puttsing around on the internet and waiting for my phone to ring.

I had a meeting at a church this morning to see what they had to work with for a concert we are bringing in next month. Most venues, we have to cart in a lot of our own stuff, or make do with some of the arrangements they have (green rooms in classrooms, renting a generator to power the lights and sound being brought in, guys suspended from the ceiling holding flashlights to get a spotlight). This church just built a new auditorium and they said it was built with concerts and events in mind. He said they designed the addition after a PAC (performing arts center). It was truly amazing. He also showed me a video room which alone made me want to become a member of the church. They record all the sermons and have a full TV production studio to air it complete with multiple Apple's with all the latest studio and video programs available, flatscreen preview and program monitors, state of the art switcher panels... EVERYTHING! I seriously loved it. Then, the guy who runs their AV dept used to be in a Christian band so I got to hear him and my boss trade war stories, which I always enjoy hearing.

So I returned and my boss told me there was a label stopping by with a new band and that I should introduce myself since I worked with these regularly. I had already worked with one of the guys quite a bit so it was good to meet him. They were going to take my boss and our music director out to lunch and since the label was paying for it anyway, the guy from the label invited me too (which I think caught my boss off guard that the label was willing to spend more money). So more war stories, and met new friends.

Well, to highlight the day, yesterday I had e-mailed my boss and asked him for some actual on-air time. Currently, I am voice tracking weekends for one of our stations which broadcasts out of Muskogee. Its not nearly the money maker our Tulsa station is, and in all honesty, basically just gets the leftovers from KXOJ. Its still on-air, but its not a huge deal. From the time I interviewed for this job, I left my boss know I was interested in some future on-air time. He said, yeah sure, but just kinda shelved it. Well, in the car ride to the meeting this morning, he said it was funny that I brought it up yesterday because he just heard me for the first time over the weekend and thought to himself he needed to get me on-air. Unfortunately, its not really in the budget for now, but starting next week, he is going to start me off on some weekends for KXOJ. Its a small step, but a step forward nonetheless!

Archives

Since I don't have ESPN and I don't have money to go to a pub to watch the ASU-Fresno St game, I've been watching the updates online. (ASU is currently down 5-7). While I wait, I made some changes to the blog as you can see. I uploaded some of my old blogs to this site and I pre-dated them so you'll can find them in the archives. I've also started tagging to make it easier to find.

In addition to...

I ALMOST FORGOT!!!!!

My sister and I are applying for the Amazing Race. So, I'll let you know how that goes. I'm fully expecting to at least get a call for an interview. They'd be insane not to take us. We're pretty much adorable. As always...

Thanks fer bein my friend,
David

What really grinds my gears

I haven't written a blog in a while, so I thought it was about time. Sorry that I'm going to start it out by venting a little, but this just has to be said - It is November 12th and there is absolutely no reason for Christmas decorations yet... excuse me, I mean "Holiday" decorations since apparently Christmas is offensive. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Christmas and everything about it; the decorations, the music, the Church Christmas programs - just not in the middle of November! Are we forgetting Thanksgiving? A time when we can be thankful for everything we are blessed with. People bicker so much about all the things that are wrong with this nation and what it stands for, they forget that there is so much that is great about it as well, and then the one day we should take a step back and give thanks for everything gets burried in the commercialization of the Holiday Spirit.

Anyways, things are going great. I interviewed for a job last Friday, and for any of my co-workers reading this, don't start spreading rumors... its still with the same hotel I'm at, just a better position. For the sake of not looking foolish if I don't get it, I'm going to save the details for a later blog, but I will say, it is something a little more related to my field of study, and would give total validation to why I've spent nearly 2 years in hospitality after leaving school, when all I've wanted to do is radio and promotions. The good news is, I still love my current job so if I don't get it, it wouldn't be the end of the world, but I would probably start seeing what else is out there for me.

I think what bothers me most about my job is my inability to have a life. I'm really wanting to get more involved with a church in Omaha, but I don't want to commit to something I wouldnt' be able to follow through with. Right now my only guaranteed time off is Wednesday nights and Sunday mornings, which is spent leading music at my church, and right now, its just not something I want to give up. I want to try to find something for other nights of the week that I can regularly attend.

Hopefully I'll find more info on this job tomorrow and then maybe I'll have a new blog to post in the next few weeks... until then...

Thanks fer bein my friend,
David

Now's As Good As Time As Any

Haven't had an update for a while so I thought tonight was a good time to give you all a little update of my life.

I got a new job! I got the offer a couple weeks ago, but I've been sitting on it waiting for a few things to happen first. Then on Monday, I officially put in my two weeks notice. My intention was to talk to the GM personally and let him know, then e-mail him and human resources my official written notice. It was a busy day from the moment I got in so I wasn't able to tell him right away. Then something came up with my {former} boss so he had to leave town suddenly. I told HR and her advice was to e-mail him and call him. He didn't answer so I just left him a voice mail basically saying check your e-mail. He didn't make it back to town until late wednesday and i had thursday off.

So... i got a phone call from him today. Long and short of it, it was on good terms, however I got asked to not return to work. SO! I've got a new job, but it won't start for about a week, and until then, i'm officially unemployed! And if you think i seem excited about it, its because its true. :) I also should be getting a new car within the next couple of days, and hopefully be moving into an apartment within a month or so. So life is pretty good right now, other than the fact that I just got fired...

Bleedin' Fingers Waggs

I've been working really hard on the piano lately trying to learn to play. I can't read music worth crap but i've got a pretty good ear. I've been listening to a lot of Ben Folds because its stuff I can pick out the parts for, and its surprisingly basic.

When I was in ZAMAR I would never have a chance to practice bass except for the back to back 5+ hr practices we would have before shows. This earned me the nickname "Bleedin Fingers Waggs".

One of the Ben Folds songs i've been playing (Army) has some slides down the piano and i got some pretty bad blisters on my fingers that i'm pretty proud of. I like my bleeding fingers. So deal with it. If you'd like me to serenede you sometime, call me.

I'm hoping to have some news soon so i'll probably post a "life update" blog soon. Until then....

thanks for being my friend,
david

wtf-ophobia

Anyone who really knows me knows I get squimish in certain situations involving knives or images of cuts/gashes and I'm looking for the specific phobia that identifies it. If anyone knows or can find out, let me know. I've looked all over the internet but have had no luck.
If you're interested in helping, here's a more detailed description and what I've found searching the internet so far:

I'm pretty sure the phobia stemmed from me cutting myself while working several years ago. Its not the knife or sharp object that makes me feel sick, its the thought of the person using it slipping and cutting themselves. When I see images of mutilation or bad cuts, I also get sick. Its not the blood and guts that bothers me, its more the thought of how they got there. So basically, I have a phobia of mutilation, and although images of all sharp objects will make me squirm (I blacked out when the guy in Saw pulled out the hacksaw) it seems that it's the small razors that make me squirm the most. Here's what I've found on the internet that most closely resembles what I have, although none of them hit it exactly.

Aichmophobia- Fear of needles or pointed objects
Hemophobia or Hemaphobia or Hematophobia- Fear of blood
Traumatophobia- Fear of injury
Xyrophobia-Fear of razors

I think I will make up my own term if one doesn't already exist. How about "xyrotraumatophobia"? Yeah, I kinda like that.

Tastes like... burning

So, here's some advice. Never spray pepper spray up in the air, then watch it come down. I can give this sound advice because tonight, I did just that. Ladies, if a man is going to rape you, mace will fend him off. My eyes are burning and some got on my lips which are burning pretty bad now too.

mace=pain

This is going on my list as one of the stupidest things I've ever done.

State of the World

Is this an indication of the world we live in today or an indication that I am a paranoid idiot?

I'm not normally the type that has a doomsday attitude, but I was getting out of my car to go into the store today and a guy in another car got out at the same time as me. Only, before he got out, he kissed his rosary beads and crossed himself.

My first thought was not that, "Oh, this guy must be religious" it was, "I hope he's not asking for forgiveness because he's getting ready to shoot the place up."

As I walked in to the store, I held the door for him. There was no way i was getting on HIS bad side! As he passed by, I made sure there were no "gun-shaped" bulges anywhere on his body. He seemed to pass, so I bought my things and left.