Rumors Of Christmas Music
Another month is gone. Fall is here. The nights are nippy and the days are cooler. I’m not exactly sure where the year has gone. I did drink a lot on New Years, so maybe this is only Friday the 2nd of January.
Maybe this is only Friday, January 2nd.
Stores are gearing up for Halloween and a few have started to put out their Christmas displays. Never too early for Christmas.
I’ve even heard through my media grapevine that a couple of the music stations in Boise are starting to program their computers with Christmas music. I wonder which one will switch over first.
While I’m on the subject of Christmas music, when I lived in Los Angeles I never could get used to driving around LA in December when it was 73 degrees and the stations were playing White Christmas by Bing Crosby. For some reason Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer didn’t bother me, but I never got used to White Christmas .
When I worked for a radio station in Seattle during the 70′s I had the Godfather steal Christmas. I had the story line go on for about two weeks and couldn’t find an ending. Finally, the night before the last episode I had Santa make the Godfather an offer he couldn’t refuse. I no longer have the original script, but I think it had something to do with 30 or 40 Elves with really sharp knives. That or something about coal and socks.
© 2009 Moody Publishing Co
Small Town America
I read all kinds of newspapers throughout the week. One that I read on a regular basis is the Minneapolis Messenger, a weekly newspaper in Minneapolis, Kansas. My connection to this community was my father, who was born and grew up there until he decided to explore the world and join the Army in WWII.
What interested me was an article the Messenger was an article written by Terry Rombeck for the Lawrence Journal-World newspaper, Lawrence, Kansas, about the challenges of living in a small community. In particular, the fact that there are six counties in the state with no pharmacy. Thirty of the 105 counties have only one pharmacy. It’s a need the Kansas University School of Pharmacy is hoping to help alleviate by expanding its Lawrence location and opening a new branch in Wichita.
I bring this up, partly, I suppose, because I’ve lived in large cities most of my life (Seattle, Los Angeles and Boise) and long for the image of a quieter life in a smaller community.
© 2009 Moody Publishing Co
Road Trip part 2
I’ve been watching Lords And Ladies Of Leisure, a Blog about being unemployed for several weeks now to see how it would evolve. I first learned about the Blog in a Seattle Times article. Since the article was written, Kerri Robinson, who authors the Blog has found employment, but still writes about her muffin top and lounging around in PJ’s. There are also links to other Blogs written by other unemployed people in Seattle…
One of my favorite things to do in Port Orchard, especially when I have grandkids around, is to visit the Kitsap Live Steamers. This is one of the more unique things to do in Port Orchard and a great deal of fun, especially for train lovers…
I’m not sure I mentioned this before, but I lived in Seattle (with a few short excursions to Los Angeles, Detroit, Augusta, Georgia and Boise, Idaho) for most of my adult life. While I was not born in Seattle, but rather a transplant from Eau Claire, Wisconsin, still I fell in love with the lifestyle afforded by the Seattle area. I had always thought of myself as a city dweller until…
Until I discovered life on the Kitsap Penninsula, where there was a lot more room and fewer people. I started my love of living on the Penninsula when we moved to Bainbridge Island. While the commute by ferry to Seattle lost its romantic allure after the first six trips, we decided to stay on Bainbridge for the calmer lifestyle…
After six years or so, we moved to Port Orchard and came to enjoy the lifestyle of the Kitsap Penninsula even more. Especially when we were visited by deer, blackbears and the occasional skunk…
While we are currently living in Boise, and I truely enjoy living in a big city, I miss the adventures of Kitsap. Maybe we’ll move back someday. Who knows…
© 2009 Moody Publishing Co
Just For Fun: Clean Copper Clapper Caper
By Ray Littrell
This was one of the funniest Tonight show bits with Johnny Carson and Jack Webb done in the style of Dragnet, which was very popular at the time.
© 2009 Moody Publishing Co.
Podcasting Or Phoning It In
By Ray Littrell
I started Podcasting a couple of weeks ago by interviewing my friend EF Cussins. I had thought about Podcasting for quite some time, but never got around to it until last week. I’ve always had an interest in it because I was in broadcasting earlier in my life and have always been fascinated by its “magic”
Magic? Yeah, magic. Imagine sitting in a room surrounded by microphones and transmitter stuff and pressing a button. Suddenly there are 1,000,000 people (I worked in Los Angeles) listening to your voice. No printing presses, no TV cameras. Just a microphone and a human voice. Amazing.
To start Podcasting, though, I had to get used to its simplicity. I had originally wanted to buy an expensive microphone and mixing board, not to mention some equally expensive software. Then, when I was introduced to TalkShoe I suddenly realized that all I needed was a telephone. Expense problem solved. I already have one of those.
At the moment, my audience is a lot smaller than what I’m used to, but that will change over the course of the next year or so. And, best of all, I get to “phone it in”. Couldn’t do that in Los Angeles or Seattle.
Join me on the My Northwest Journal Podcast. I do a short fifteen minute cast Wednesday, Thursday and Friday (unless someone calls or writes in then it gets longer). I also do a one-hour Podcast on Saturdays at TalkShoe.com
Copyright © 2009 Moody Publishing Co.
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