Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Tuesday Thoughts

It seems like I'm usually adding to the blog on Mondays, but this week I'm being a wild man and taking care of it on a Tuesday! I'm CRAZY, I tell ya.

So I'm having fun filling in for Dana this week. It's a refreshing change in routine to be on in the middle of the day. Been hearing from some of my regular listeners. I'm glad you guys have 'BOS on night AND day. Smart move.

Still trying to figure out when I'm going to catch The Simpsons Movie. I may be over thinking it, but I want it to be the right time. Don't want the theater to be too crowded - want it to be at a time of day when I'm nice and alert so that I don't miss any of the subtle jokes. I'm pretty serious about this. The other movie I want to see is the latest Harry Potter. And I definitely want to read the last book. I'm walking around doing my best not to accidentally hear people talking about the plot, because I want it to be fresh when I read it. If someone says "I can't believe that Snape..." I cover my ears with my hands and go "I'm not listening.. neee neeeee waaa waaaaa ooooh goooo" and go running away from the person. Well, that hasn't actually happened, but it could.

My song is running out - gotta go - 'til next time!

-George

Friday, July 27, 2007

I am about to walk around even more confused

Well, not exactly. And when I think about it, confused can sometimes be my natural state.
It's not a bad source of confusion, it's just that for the next few weeks my on-air schedule will temporarily be all over the place. Starting Monday, I'll be filling in for Dana on the WBOS Midday show. Should be a blast. I really like listening to her show when I'm on the other side of the radio. The week after that, I'm back to nights, then I'm on vacation, then I'm doing the afternoon show. One thing I learned about radio a long time ago, is the importance of being flexible. Just call me "Flex."

Big weekend in Boston! The Police at Fenway Park Saturday and Sunday.

The 'BOS family will be in attendance Saturday night. The amazing Dave G. let us know last week that he was taking us all to the show. He's a good man, and I'm not just saying that because he's my boss. Unless of course it helps my career to say that, in which case I am.

I love being at Fenway. The whole experience of being at the park is amazing. It's partly the look (old school), but it's also other sensations including the smells (ranging from burned Popcorn to inner-city stairwell).

Looking foward to hanging out with my buds and catching La Policia.
If you're going to the show - keep an eye out for us!

-George

Monday, July 16, 2007

I love the nightlife... I've got to boogie

Monday blog entry once again - after a very cool weekend.
Actually got out of the house and hit the town - it was awesome!
I love my kids, but having three kids, combined with working every weeknight, makes recreational evenings few and far between.

The excuse for getting out was a party for an old friend of mine (in full disclosure, an ex-girlfriend) who was having a fortieth birthday party. Michelle and her husband (and kids) actually live in Australia, which puts a kink in hanging out with them very often. But they were back for this and our friends Bonnie And Amy organized a great party at District, which is a very cool restaurant/club in the leather district. Don't feel out of it if you're not sure where the leather district is, I wasn't too sure either. It's an area near South Station, and Kneeland Street in Boston, adjacent to Chinatown.

We had a blast. Caught up with folks I hadn't seen in a while, met some very cool new people, did some dancing, had birthday cake, adn I even read a strange poem I had written in Michelle's honor. In case you're curious, my wife is totally cool with the fact that Michelle is an ex. She had a great time too.

I gotta get back to the Monday night radio show - we'll catch up soon.

-George

Thursday, July 5, 2007

Happy Birthday U-S-and-A

Hope you had a fun fourth of July.
It was really nice for me & the family. We ended up going to Lincoln to see fireworks and - despite the rain - they were great. Initially we were going to meet up with my friend Pete who lives in Lincoln, but when the rain started, Pete and family bagged out. After some phone calls, we figured out that the fireworks were still going to go on, and we decided to brave the rain and head out anyway. Glad we did. It was really cool. Nice job, Lincoln!

They were amazing. We got there just as the fireworks were starting, and it was clear that they were pretty loud, so Margaret stayed in the car with the baby, and the older two boys and I got out and walked a ways to see the fireworks better. They loved it. At one point, during a period of relative quiet between explosions, Andy yelled out in his cute, enthusiastic three year old's voice "I really like these fireworks", which drew some laughs from the people standing near us.

Things to work on in life:
Not letting stress creep in where it's not warranted. Life will give me enough to stress about. Why add to it?

What made me think about this is that when we were leaving the school in Lincoln where the fireworks were, I was in the left of two lanes exiting and realized I wanted to be in the right. I put on my blinker, and probably could have pulled a power move and zipped in to the right, but I decided to lay back a bit to give those in the right lane enough time to see what I wanted to do. As I'm doing that, an Audi pulls up and fills the space I was going to move into. I was pissed. Now, I believe I'm a fairly level headed guy who would much rather go through life getting along with others, but it can raise my blood pressure pretty quickly of I feel my niceness is being taken advantage of, or if I sense someone is being a weenie. And that's what happened. So for a couple of minutes, I'm driving along being pissed at the driver of this Audi, fantasizing about how much of a bitch I could make payback be.

But then I start to realize that is not the right approach. Why? Because it's a waste of energy.
The truth is, maybe the driver of the Audi didn't know what I was trying to do. That's happened to me before, when I've unintentionally shut someone out of a lane change and felt bad about it.
The other possibility is that the driver was perfectly aware what I was trying to do, and wouldn't let me into the lane because they are... a jerk! And at the end of the day they will still be a jerk, and that's the way it is. I choose to do nice things for people - like letting them merge into my lane - because it's what I like to do. Viva la difference.

I'm a ways off from being truly stress free, but every little bit helps.
I feel better now.

By the way - thanks to New England Cable News (and Karen Swensen who I chatted with) for once again letting me come on during their Good Morning Live show and talk music on TV. I hang out with them on the first and third Thursday mornings of the month, right around 8:45. You can see today's segment by going to http://www.necn.com, clicking on NECN Shows, then Good Morning Live.

-George