#4 of oddities, observations, & ?'s
#4 of oddities, observations, & ?'s...
Last February, along with other former and current broadcasters, I was invited to help judge the Indiana high school and college annual student broadcast competitions held at the University of Indianapolis.
It's good to be relevant.
As Regina and I drove north on I-65, we were just south of Seymour, Indiana heading for the Circle City, when we saw two young motorcyclists across the grassy median heading south and zipping by every car they approached.
Doing wheelies at 70 miles per hour or more on an interstate would qualify anyone as an adventurist. The front wheels of the motorcycles were three or four feet in the air as those cowboys straddled their bikes like rodeo heroes taming a pair of wild mustangs. The whole time, the two foolhardy twenty-somethings were singing at the top of their lungs.
It was a mild day and my window was halfway down. The scent of testosterone and spring were in the air.
This year's competition event was exciting for the Indiana Association of School Broadcasters (IASB) because there were a record number of entries, 925. Student broadcasters from all four corners of the state vie for these coveted awards.
Two former colleagues, Rob Hendrix and John King, both now retired from North Central's Walker Career Center (Indianapolis), joined me as we watched video and listened to the creations of 45 students. We rated entries in two college categories: Radio Interviewing and TV Commercials.
Prior to my 1:15 appointment with U of I's Scott Uecker, Executive Director of IASB, Regina and I had lunch with Kayla McCarty Kapps at City Barbecue on Indy's south side. Kayla succeeded me at Franklin Central High School after I departed in pursuit of my second Encore Performance.
The eatery we chose was close to U of I, plus, the father of one of my former students was the manager of the restaurant. I had hoped for a family update, but, it wasn't to be as Mr. Welch had long ago departed the company.
Before leaving the aroma of smoked ribs behind us, I was getting the sticky stuff off my fingers when a sign above the wash basin caught my eye: If Pro is the opposite of Con, what is the opposite of Progress?
That was the first question of this post.
This is the fourth in a series called, oddities, observations, and, ?'s. Here's the second ?.
Why is it when my favorite supermarket is out of any item, I am told it will be in the store the next day? No matter what it is, no matter who I ask, the item will magically appear in 24 hours. Through repeated next day follow up visits, I know it will not even be on the property, let alone displayed on a shelf.
HUH? What's up with that?
Couldn't help but notice my beloved brand of ice cream now has a new flavor, Chicken and Waffles. Rocky Road is still my #1 out of 31 choices. Pralines 'n Cream is a close second.
William Randolph Hearst and his cronies were some of the earliest journalists to employ Yellow Journalism as a ploy to sell newspapers. Supermarket tabloids use the same strategy today.
Tucker Carlson has to be the current leading television Hearst disciple. I question his integrity and character as a news reporter.
I noticed the price tag for a Dodge Charger Hellcat starts at 72 thousand and goes north of 85K.
Hollywood is going to have to figure out gender designations for two Oscar categories. During the latest presentations, Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress awards were given out. That was fine with me, but, it was my understanding today's actresses want to be called actors.
There's a hair salon in downtown New Port Richey, Florida named, Rock, Paper, Scissors. A sign is displayed facing main street that reads: We welcome: All Races, All Religions, All Countries of Origin, All Sexual Orientations, All Genders. We stand with you. You are safe here. The presence of the sign made me wonder what had transpired at some earlier time to warrant placing such a gesture in the window.
I have noticed the proliferation of Potential Spam calls and the volume can be overwhelming. Some days this spring I have received 10-12 calls a day. The National Do Not Call List must not be working for me.
Are Biden and Trump really the best America has to offer? Isn't it time for a Kennedyesque persona to come riding over the hill to unite the country?
Regina and I took a 10 mile ride east of Louisville on I-64 recently. Our destination was a town called Simpsonville, Kentucky, where an outlet mall is located off the interstate exit.
As we were walking around the mall concourse looking in store windows and checking out overpriced handbags, shoes, and, other high end merchandise, an advertisement on a kiosk got my attention:
Now Open! Carali's Chicken! It's all about the charcoal!
For me, it was all about the slogan. The chicken was delicious.
As a mall walker on a cold or rainy day, I am familiar with every store in Oxmoor Center Mall here in Louisville. Assuming that is true, why is it I cannot remember what store was located in any vacant space?
Is it possible there could be a few less mass murders if there were zero media and press coverage? No social media, no newspaper, no television, no radio. Is it possible some of these tragedies are driven by disturbed egos seeking his or her place in history?
It's about time for a new computer. This one is 14 years old and we are having problems. Doesn't seem possible we have had this Mac since January, 2009.
Circuit City's doors were still open in 2009 although they had filed for bankruptcy protection in 2008, and, Beyonce's, All the Single Ladies was the number one song in America.
I like the idea of supporting Apple, but, I am going up against some major naysayers. This is probably one I won't win, but, in the immortal words of Kenny Rogers, You've got to know when to....
Coming up: a job$ somebody's gotta do in two weeks; another oddities, observations, & ?'s, and; a post on memories.
HUH? What's up with that?
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