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I think Yahoo! does a great job filtering out junk mail. Gmail gets all sorts of stuff. Let’s not even talk about Hotmail.

So, of the stuff that goes get through, let’s take a look at what people are sending me.

Credit Report USA wants me to know that my credit rating may have changed. Good thing for that alert, I’m sure they can help me repair it. Guess their service will let me be as crazy as I want with my debt. Whew!

Real Visa wants to give me a credit card. To think I’ve been using those Fake Visa cards all of these years, what was I thinking?!?

Unread Crush Mail says that I have a secret admirer out there. Apparently that person is using their service to connect me. If you’re thinking of trying to contact someone, let me tell you that isn’t the way to do it.

My unknown friend, Jasmine, is helping me get meds. She writes “We address this letter to you hoping that it will help you select among the variety of online pharmacy stores.” I love how my friends are so formal in their e-mails.

Top 5 Colleges are going to help me get my degree in under a year. That’s fantastic and to think I spent a ton of money and time somewhere else. Wish I would have gotten that spam a long time ago. Oh wait, there was spam back then!

Probably one of my favorite, Snuggy, wants to help me keep warm this winter. Have you seen the commercial for this crazy, half-blanket, half-robe that you wear? Google it! If you have one, I suggest you get a rope and tie it around your waist. They make you look like a monk. That was my nephew’s awesome observation.

What’s your favorite junk mail? I could use a good laugh!

When I was a kid, yes, that’s getting longer and longer ago, children’s television wasn’t so scary.

You could say what you want about “Mister Roger’s Neighborhood” and the way he talked but he was just like your uncle. I have to admit I really never watched him as a kid. His show had a great impact on a generation of kids.

There was also “Sesame Street”. I really never watched that much either. Now I did watch “ZOOM” and “The Electric Company”. I can remember being shorted if I didn’t see the pinball counting segment or an episode of Spiderman. Brilliance! How did I learn the sounds of the alphabet? The Letter People, of course!

Oh, in my later formative years, there was “You Can’t Do That On Television” and “Mister Wizard’s World” on Nickelodeon. Both were must-see-TV for me.

But now, I have to say a little bit about children’s programming of the later generations. First, there was “Barney”. I don’t know how any little kid could sit through his shrieking. He still sends some shivers up my spine. I don’t understand how some kids didn’t go to sleep and have dreams that Barney turned evil and didn’t eat them.

There’s also one of the wackiest shows out there, “Yo Gabba Gabba!” It’s described as a fun live-action program for young children ages 1 and up. Host DJ Lance Rock makes friendly toy monsters come alive in a magical land full of music, dance, colorful cartoons, and simple life lessons. If you haven’t seen an episode, I urge you to watch it. Take a look at Muno, the red cyclops. See if he doesn’t remind you of something. The show’s webpage says he’s can be a bit clumsy and has been known to break things.

Apparently, pre-schoolers aren’t the only people who watch the show. ABC News did a story about how twenty-somethings are becoming fans. That’s probably due in part to some of the stars the show attracts. It gets celebrity guests like Elijah Wood, Tony Hawk and Laila Ali. Bands including “The Shins” and “Jimmy Eat World” have also appeared on the show.

Nickelodeon estimates since the show’s premiere in 2007, more than 21 million people have watched the show. It’s been streamed more than 25 million times online. My littlest nephew is starting to watch Noggin and it’s one of the shows he watches.

Of course, my older nephews watch “Hannah Montana”, “Fairly Odd Parents”, and the “Suite Life of Zack & Cody”. It’s all Disney Channel and Nickelodeon for them.

Watch “Yo Gabba Gabba!”, I dare ya!

I’ve already written about the fact the iPod Touch is a gadget everyone should have. Besides doing everthing else underneath the sun, it also plays music. Yep, a mini computer that even cranks out the tunes, what a concept.

At any rate, it’s got me back in the business of listening to music. I was going gonzo over songs when I was working out so much (a process I have to get back into very soon, if not today!)

You can listen to songs over speakers in your living room but there’s a whole other side to getting up close and personal to the singing and the music via headphones. Sure, there’s the concern of damage to your eardrums but do we really need to worry about that now?

I listened to the Mama’s & the Papa’s version of “Dedicated To The One I Love”. The Shirelles did the original hit version earlier in the 1960’s. The latter hit version contains the Mama’s & the Papa’s layered harmonies that make the song hard to pause.

You could listen to Jason Mraz’s “I’m Yours” at home and get one experience. There’s a whole different magic awaiting you through your iPod or mp3 player. Take a listen and see what I’m talking about.

I’ve always said music can control my emotions and even give me energy. I can pull the energy out of a song like nobody’s business. I played the Fugees’ “Killing Me Softly” to death back in the day (as they say). I milked Jack Johnson’s tunes for all they are worth. Music is magical for me. I couldn’t do without it. It make make you remember places, emotions, good times, bad times and even smells (at least for me in some occasions)

The summer when Fleetwood Mac was making their comeback, I couldn’t get enough of their music. I bought about everything there was that was Fleetwood Mac. The Barenaked Ladies are the same with me.

In many cases, it’s the emotions and the memories that music elicits from me and many other people. I can’t hear certain songs without thinking about past relationships. I can’t hear
“Celebration” by Kool & the Gang without thinking of going to Tony & Ann’s house and all of the get-togethers my parents went to in their basement. I can’t hear the “1988 Winter Olympics Theme” without thinking of Auction at Ashland University. God, we probably heard that theme 80,000 times during the big production.

Every time I hear that new song that I can’t get out of my head, I think I wonder what sort of memory or emotion it will bring several years later. I hope they’ll be the kind that bring me happiness. Listening to music is much easier when the song isn’t tied to a bad time in your life.

Happy listening!

Okay, I know I wrote on the last entry that it was the last of 2008 but it’s my blog and I can change my mind, ahem, thank you!

Here are some recent “taawd thank you’s”, a new weekly post I’ve been thinking up.

Thank you to the drive-thru clerk at McDonald’s on E. 30th & Carnegie who took the orders from three cars in the other lane instead of taking mine. By the way, my window was down the entire time. It ain’t warm in Cleveland today.

Thank you to the clerk inside who calmed me down, took my order, gave me food and a free coupon for a McDonald’s breakfast value meal.

Thank you to the two women at Wal-Mart Customer Service who waited on about 10 people before me, agonizing over each of their requests, only to spend 10 seconds with me and sending me on my way. That 45 minute wait during all of the Christmas crowd rush was appreciated.

Thank you to the man who was driving the Lexus on Columbus Avenue yesterday. As I mentioned in a previous post, I understand you drive an expensive car but that doesn’t give you the right to stop your car at certain points on your drive with people behind you in order to point out tourist {sic} attractions to your passengers. I love my moderately priced car and don’t want to have body work done to it because you slam on your brakes on a whim.

Thank you to Apple for inventing the iPod Touch. Of course, now that I have one and it dominates so much of the time, I feel the need to upgrade, ditch Sprint and my Samsung Instinct to go to AT&T for the iPhone.

Thanks to the construction workers, Cleveland Power, Cleveland Water and all the rest of you (you know who you are) for working so diligently outside of my window. Construct, repair and demolish the heck out of whatever but just take it easy on backing up. That signal is the only thing that normally wakes me out of my daytime slumber.

Thanks to facebook for creating the world’s most connected social network. They make it easy for you to become absolutely addicted. I know people who’d never get on the computer and they can’t spend a day without logging on. Welcome to the dark side!

Thanks to you for getting me addicted to Starbucks’ Chai Tea Latte. I crave them fortnightly or anytime I see that green and white logo on the side of the street or building.

Thank you to someone who pointed out to me that Darth Vader twitters. That is until Lucasfilm Ltd finds it and makes the person take it down. I’ll thank you to read it, it’s hilarious.

Thank you to all of my blogging friends and anyone who reads my blog, your comments and posts make life a little more fun.

Thank you to 2008 for all it was. I hope I can pay the same compliment to 2009 next December 31st.

Again, Happy 2009!

Did I scare you? Did you actually think I was going to stop blogging. I’ll admit the subject matter recently has been either too scarce or too personal to post on this spot on the web. So you haven’t seen a lot of entries. 2009, my friend, will be different.

My most last few posts have been a little sappy but hey, it’s the holidays and I’m allowed to do whatever I want. It’s like the teacher in high school who will always issue you a hall pass.

So onward and upward to 2009.

First, a look back at 2008, I fully embraced the life of a downtown dweller. It will be hard to leave someday. 35 (and a few months of being 36) wasn’t a bad age. I really focused on working out. I lost some weight and bulked up. The past few months I haven’t been so good with the fitness plan but hey, that’s what New Year’s resolutions are all about, right? I got into bicycling. There’s a reason they call it the Flats of Cleveland. You have to get up a hill to go anywhere else.

I have to think this sounds like one of those letters that my sister sends out updating everyone about the past year.

I could go on for hours but I’m not gonna.

So what’s ahead in 2009? My friend is getting married down in South Texas in February. I’m part of the wedding so I guess that means I’ll be booking a flight in February. I’m sure it will be a drag to go down to South Texas to weather that’s around 60 or 70 and sunny instead of the cold and snows of Cleveland. I also hope I get a chance to see Europe (especially Switzerland) next year around this time.

I do wish I had a crystal ball to see all of the rest of the year. Wouldn’t it be great if they had movie trailers that showed you snippets of your life from the coming year?

Well, since they don’t I’ll (we’ll) just have to wait and see. I’m sure you know the place to come if you’re looking for details (both good and bad) about me. It’s right here (if you didn’t figure that one out for yourself — there’s no charge by the way)

Happy 2009!

Yep, I love Target, I admitted that…

I’ve sold out and joined the cult of Starbucks lovers.

My iPod touch rules my life. I can’t live without it now. I have now have two “touch” devices. When I don’t have WiFi, I can get online via Sprint.

Now comes the latest “selling out”… I have The North Face apparel. A hat, gloves and a coat. Yep, I’m a walking billboard. If you aren’t familiar with the “Face”, I’ve also included a link on my blog, but how couldn’t you be?

So, this is going to be a short post. I just wanted to admit my giving into peer pressure in hopes of being more like the cool kids.

First, Happy Christmas!

This is such a great time of the year. People smile more at the store, we are all a little happier, friendlier and tolerant of each other. For that, I am thankful.

There are exceptions to that Christmas cheer. I told someone last night people often forget the tru meaning of Christmas. You know what it is, I don’t need to tell you. It’s a season of giving, happiness, joy and lastly, receiving. It’s not a season of hate, anger, frustration or vindictiveness.

Here’s the challenge this Christmas. Forget what you don’t have and cherish what you do. Throw away the feelings of the past and embrace what’s here in the present. Every day can’t be Christmas. It comes once a year. That’s what makes it so special.

I hate that there’s such a rush to get people things. Some of the best things aren’t bought with money but given with love. My mother is giving me a quilt my great-grandmother made. Is there any price for that? It’s a selfless act my mother is doing for me. Remember the day isn’t made up of expensive clothes, jewelry, toys, gadgets and electronics. It’s all about family, friends and loved ones otherwise not mentioned in the first two descriptions.

Celebrate the holiday in your way. Forget what it’s become, for me, some of the best memories of past Christmases are what bring happiness to each year. It’s listening to Christmas songs that made your holidays. For me, it’s Phil Spector’s Christmas, Motown, Carpenters, Gene Autry, Brenda Lee, Bobby Helms and yes, even Band Aid’s “Do They Know It’s Christmas”.

I should, of course, be loading up my car with presents to make the trek down to Wayne County to see my family but I just wanted to say a couple of things before I got these next two days officially started.

Thanks for reading my blog. I’m honored by the fact that anyone reads my blog to get taawd’s thoughts or cares what’s going on in my life. It’s the only one I have and I’m thankful for all of the family, friends and loved ones I have. Each one of you holds your own special place in my life and I’m happy you are part of my being.

Now go and enjoy Christmas. Enjoy the fellowship it brings, enjoy the happiness it delivers, embrace the love and joy that’s unequaled the rest of the year.

Love. Peace. Joy.
& always, Happy Christmas,

I’m cool, I’ll admit it because I wear a bluetooth in public. Yep, you want to be cool just like me.

Actually, I’ll admit it, I’m not cool, because I wear a bluetooth in public. It’s because I’m lazy and a bluetooth is convenient. I can do the wash {not pronounced WORSH} while talking to you on the phone. I can put away the laundry while talking to you on the phone. I can do all sorts of things while I have my bluetooth on.

I’m part of an elite group of people who wear their bluetooths inside of Target while I talk to my family and friends.

I don’t like doing it but I hear all of the cool kids are doing so, so I’m doing so too. Try to stop me.

Just look around the next time you’re in a store, are you the only person not with a bluetooth fired up?

Or at least, I’m part of their promotional materials. This was at the beginning of the season on Media Day. I wasn’t aware I was going to be in some pamphlet about Progressive Field.

I live in Cleveland, the place where “A Christmas Story” was filmed back in the 1980’s. The house has become very famous in Northern Ohio. It’s situated in the Tremont neighborhood.

The play is at the Cleveland Play House right now. We do a lot of stories about the play at my station because’s we’re a sponsor.

Here’s the rub, I’ve never seen the film. I know it’s on TNT every Christmas over and over again but for some reason I’ve never been drawn to it. I’ve never seen “Miracle On 34th Street” either.

I don’t know what it is about movies but I don’t tend to see a lot of them. What are my holiday favorites? I like “Elf”, “Love Actually” and the “The Family Stone”. They are the Christmas classics that I like.

Of course, I’ve seen all of the Rankin & Bass TV Christmas shows a billion times. Who doesn’t love “A Year Without A Santa Claus” or “Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer”. There’s also “Charlie Brown Christmas”. All are great shows that I hope my kids (if there are “my kids”) will enjoy someday too.

So if you see me and make “A Christmas Story” reference and I don’t get it, you’ll know why. Maybe I ought to spend some time this holiday watching it.

Happy Christmas,