When Local News Is Only National

(Today's word will be in ALL CAPS, BOLD, ITALIC, and STRIKETHROUGH.)

For car lovers in the Portland, Oregon metro area, this past weekend was a major one. From Thursday, January 26th, to Sunday, January 29th, the 2012 Portland International Auto Show was held in the Oregon Convention Center.

The annual event featured the newest cars and prototypes from major auto makers; as well as exotic cars, exhibited throughout the Convention Center.

In addition, there were many displays giving show goers a chance to experience how vehicles, such as the Jeep Wrangler, behave under certain conditions.

In all, the 103rd Portland International Auto Show was it's usual success; at least as far as local coverage portrayed.

There was one major story from the auto show in Portland that made news nationally though; that wasn't reported locally, (except by one radio station, according to a friend of mine).

The incident took place January 25th, the day before the auto show was to open. One of the rules for cars being displayed in the convention center is they can have no more than 1/4 of a tank of gas. This is for obvious safety reasons.

One car had more than the limit, and would not be admitted into the building until the gas was at an acceptable level.

The end result of trying to reduce the vehicle's gas tank level was a car fire. How you may ask? According to one source, www.motorauthority.com, the people in charge of the vehicle didn't use the best judgement in dispensing of the gasoline.

Suffice it to say, rather than use a conventional method to get rid of the extra fuel, it was decided that the car would be redlined to burn it off. Add to this, that those in charge got tired of holding their foot down, so took a piece of wood and wedged it between the floorboard and the gas pedal, letting it stay that way for 15 minutes, resulting in the car catching fire.

What's one car out of hundreds you may think; after all, it is an auto show. What made this story so big is the type of car that caught fire. It wasn't one of your run of the mill car lot automobiles. No, this vehicle was a LAMBORGHINI!!! A Lamborghini Gallardo, worth between $200,000 and $300,000! Me thinks there is someone out there who no longer has a job working with cars!

(Photo courtesy of www.jalopnik.com)

What I wonder is, were the people in charge of this particular vehicle knowledgeable about it? I would think for the value of car they should have been!

For those interested in reading the entire article, here's the link: http://www.motorauthority.com/news/1072166_exclusive-lamborghini-gallardo-catches-fire-at-portland-auto-show

2012 Portland Music Awards

(Today's word will be in ALL CAPS, BOLD, ITALIC, and STRIKETHROUGH.)

The fifth annual Portland Music Awards were held Sunday, January 22, 2012 at the Crystal Ballroom in Portland, Oregon.

This year's hosts were Chloe Houser from PDX TV, and Silas Weir Mitchell, ("Monroe" on the NBC series, "Grimm").

The three hour program was also simulcast live on Freedom 970 AM. Hosting the radio broadcast were B-Dub, from KUPL's "Northwest Nights", and Byron Beck.

Several local artists in all genres of music were on hand to perform, and present the twenty-two awards given out that evening. Fans from across the area voted online to choose who the winners would be.

While most of the awards went to musicians in the Portland metro area, there were also awards given for best venue, music store and record store, as well as best radio station.

For those interested, here is the complete list of winners:

1. Pioneer Award

Tony DeMicoli


2. Legends Award

Marv & Rindy Ross


3. Album of the Year

‘We Will Be Forgotten’ by Scotland Barr & The Slow Drags


4. Band of the Year

Portugal The Man


5. Best Male Artist of the Year

Rob Wynia


6. Best Female Artist of the Year

Beth Willis


7. Best New Artist

Red Fang


8. Best Compilation Album of the Year

'Live From Nowhere Near You' by Greyday Records


9. Outstanding Achievement in Jazz

Devin Phillips


10. Outstanding Achievement in Blues

Lisa Mann


11. Outstanding Achievement in Folk Music

Lauren Sheehan


12. Outstanding Achievement in Classical Music

Portland Cello Project



13. Outstanding Achievement in Country Music

Concrete Cowboys


14. Outstanding Achievement in World Music

3 Leg Torso


15. Outstanding Achievement in Talent Buying

Peter Dammann (Waterfront Blues Festival)


16. Best Music Store

Portland Music Company


17. Best Record Store

Music Millennium


18. Best Music Venue - Large

McMenamins Edgefield


19. Best Music Venue - Mid-size

Aladdin Theater


20. Best Music Venue - Small

Jimmy Maks


21. Best Live Performance

Floater


22. Best Radio Station

KUPL 98.7fm

This was the second consecutive year that KUPL has won for best station. Way to go KUPL!!!

And of course, CONGRATULATIONS to all of the evening's winners!

Of Weather & Roadways

(Today's word will be in ALL CAPS, BOLD, ITALIC, and STRIKETHROUGH.)

I've been sitting at my computer, trying to figure out how to write today's post. I've started several times, only to delete what I've written and try again.

It's not like I haven't written about the weather before; most of my recent posts have mentioned the conditions I've been experiencing in my part of the Pacific Northwest.

Today's post however has to do with the weather and drivers. I don't know what it is, but some drivers just seem to lose all common sense with the changing of the weather.

For instance, around here, it rains a lot, so when the sun comes out, there are those who seem like moles. The bright sunlight blinds them and makes them drive crazy.

Then again, when it hasn't rained in awhile, there are those who seem to be just as crazy as the sun people.

Rather than try to make sense of it to those drivers, I've decided to make things simple.

Dear drivers,

Whether it's sun, rain, hail, sleet, or snow coming down, trust me, the sky is not falling; therefore PLEASE don't drive like it is!

Thank you.

Reading Between The Lines

(Today's word will be in ALL CAPS, BOLD, ITALIC, and STRIKETHROUGH.)

Right up front I'll say this, weather people do tend to get a bad rap over all. I don't think there's anyone who hasn't heard, or made, a joke about how weather people can still have jobs when they're wrong a lot of the time.

To be fair though, even with the best tools and equipment, those reporting the weather are still at the mercy of Mother Nature.

Over the years, I've learned to read between the lines when it comes to weather reports.

If it's a run of the mill, average weather report for whatever time of year it is, then it's probably going to be exactly that.

However, if the weather becomes the top story of the news, and a majority of the broadcast is dedicated to the subject, it's probably NOT going to happen. This is especially true if stations stay on the air with continuous reports, when the actual news broadcast is over.

Doesn't matter if it's extremely warm weather, cold, windy, or what, if there's a big hoopla about it in the media, it's more than likely going to fizzle out and be nothing.

On the other hand, when forecasters say there might be a chance of some type of extreme weather, (again, warm, cold, windy, etc.), but it's just a slight chance, and not a big deal, it's time to hunker down and take cover!

Such was the case with the snow here this past week. At first the stations were making a big deal about it; then it looked as though it wasn't going to happen after all. When it looked to be quieting down is when the snow hit.

Predictions were then made that there would be a slight chance of more snow before the weather switched over to rain. This was to happen probably between 1am and 7am yesterday, (Wednesday, January 18, 2012). It was a small window of time and each station said there wouldn't be too much, if any snow accumulation, during that time. Guess what? Yeah, it started snowing heavily around 9pm Tuesday night, and continued until at least 4 Wednesday morning.

It's switched over to rain now, however the snow isn't clearing out very fast at all where I live. Other places, yes, just not here at 1100' in Washington.

Hopefully the weather will just be normal for a bit, and the weather people can have a break, and so can the rest of the area.

Okay, It's Pretty!

(Today's word will be in ALL CAPS, BOLD, ITALIC, and STRIKETHROUGH.


Well, it's officially winter in the Pacific Northwest. West to east, from the coast to the Cascades; and north to south, from Longview, Washington to Salem, Oregon, almost everyone saw some snow on Monday, January 16, 2012.

A lot of the snow below 1000' didn't last, even though there were snow showers all day.

For those of us above 1000' feet, it was a different story. I wasn't able to make it out of my driveway, and ended up taking a vacation day from work. I took photos from my front window and back door of the snow and sent them to my co-workers. This was around 8:00 AM, (West Coast time).


Later in the afternoon, around 3:00 PM, I shot the following video, and sent it to my co-workers as well.


As I've always said, compared to other places, the snow we get isn't a big deal. For us living here though, it can be. Monday's snow wasn't the last either. There's a winter storm watch in effect through Wednesday. Depending on what the weather does, we could get more snow then. Today, above 1000' is supposed to get 1 to 3 more inches of snow.

Not too thrilled at that prospect, because of work, (had to take another vacation day today), but I will admit, it *is* PRETTY!

How Do You Mend A Broken Heart?

Anyone who's ever loved someone has experienced it. Doesn't matter if it's family, friends, or someone you love and want to spend the rest of your life with; sooner or later we all fall victim to a broken heart.

A lot of times the hurt is unintentional; other times people know it's going to happen. Either way, it still hurts. Unfortunately, it seems the longer a relationship has been, the longer it takes for the heart to mend; sometimes it never does.

When you're not the person going through this, it's easy to sit back and give advice. Often times the advice is really just someone telling the person who's hurting what to expect, and reassuring them that how they feel is normal. That's the case with a friend of mine.

This person was hit out of the blue that their spouse wanted a divorce, not too long before Thanksgiving. Needless to say, there was hurt, frustration, confusion and anger going on inside my friend. I found out when my friend emailed me, letting me know what had happened, and telling what they were going through at the moment.

I knew exactly how this person felt, having been there myself eighteen years ago. Though I was the one who called off my marriage, I still had the same feelings my friend was describing.

Through emails I listened to my friend, going through all the emotions again, and trying to let them know they'd be okay. My friend has a child from the marriage also, which makes it even harder; though from what I've been told, the child is taking it well, for the most part.

Back to my friend. When I first heard of all the emotions this person was going through, I let them know it's normal. There are five stages of grief, and no matter what kind of grief it is, we all go through the stages. Sometimes we go backwards for a time, but eventually we all get through them. I did let my friend know this, and that everyone has their own timeline of when they get through the stages; not to stress about it. Just take one day at a time, get through that one, and see what's next.

As I said in the beginning of this post, it's easy to sit back and give advice, when you're not the one in the middle. I explained to my friend though, I really wasn't trying to give advice, as much as I was trying to reassure them that what they're going through is normal. I also know my friend would tell me to butt out if I was getting too involved with the advice. My friend knows I mean well.

Over all, my friend still has a long way to go; though whether they see it or not, I've already seen improvement in them. There have been a few steps backwards, as I said though, it's normal. Over all, no matter how much it hurts right now, I know my friend is a strong person, and will get through this in time. And I know that as long as my friend needs someone to listen, I'll be there for them.

Baby It's Cold Outside

(Today's word will be in ALL CAPS, BOLD, ITALIC, and STRIKETHROUGH.

We all know winter is supposed to be cold. Even the mildest winters are still cold, in relation to the other three seasons of the year. You would think living my entire life in the Pacific Northwest, I'd be used to the cold weather; not so much.

True, even the coldest winters here are nothing compared to the east coast, Alaska, or other places. For instance, this photo was taken by my cousin in Alaska, January 10, 2012. He described it as "blizzard like conditions". The photo was taken from the porch of his house:

(Photo courtesy of Troy Hvass)

BRR!!! No thank you to that!

We're actually barely into winter and I've already come to a conclusion about it. Besides not liking the cold, I'd actually rather deal with that, and rain, than wind.

The next few days we're supposed to have a lot of wind; not good. It's bad enough when it's 30 some degrees out and raining; add wind to that and the wind chill factor just makes it worse.

Of course, this is just my opinion on the whole subject of cold weather. I know there are those who love this time of year, and I'm happy for them. I'll just be even more happy when summer finally gets here!

Messed Up Monday

(Today's word will be in ALL CAPS, BOLD, ITALIC, and STRIKETHROUGH.)

I have no idea what started the whole thing; I just know that whatever it was, I got sick from Sunday evening well into Monday afternoon. I thought maybe it was something I ate; however, I didn't eat anything different than anyone else in my family, and they were all fine. I just don't get it. Or I guess I should say I got it, I just don't know what it was.

Anyway, about the time I'm feeling a bit better, the heat pump for the house starts making noise. Not a little noise, a HUGE noise; like it was going to fall apart any second.

My son turned it off and we called the company that installed the heat pump. Long story short, the motor bearings went out, and need replacing. Replacement isn't happening until 10 or 11 am this morning. Needless to say, it was a cold night and morning!

Thankfully, I'm feeling better. Hopefully the house will be back to it's nice warm self by the time I get home from work. I don't like the cold!

I will be thinking warm thoughts all day, to help the process!

David Lee Murphy

I've been a fan of David Lee Murphy, (DLM), since 1995, when I first heard his music on the radio. There was just something about his voice that stood out, caught my attention, and had me hooked.

Living in the Pacific Northwest, the only songs I really heard on the radio were, "Party Crowd", "The Road You Leave Behind", and "Dust on the Bottle".

(Note: All videos are posted here. Push the arrow button at the bottom of the video screen to skip a song.)

When I got a computer, and connected to the internet, a whole new world opened up to me.

I was able to find information about my interests,(including DLM), and I met other David Lee Murphy fans online, from all over the U.S. and Canada. These new friends would go to shows, then send group emails to the others, with photos, telling about the show. Those of us on the West Coast were grateful to those doing this, for sure!

At one point, the DLM fan group I was part of online, became known as the "DLM Angels", in reference to a DLM song, "We Can't All Be Angels". Except for those Angels who lived in the same areas, we were all online friends. The first time any of the DLM Angels actually planned to meet was in Las Vegas, 1998; and I was lucky enough to be one of the Angels attending.

(Photo courtesy of Linda Porter-Smith)

Over time, for whatever reason, radio stations weren't really playing DLM much anymore. Where I live, the only song you hear is "Dust on the Bottle", as it was David Lee's only #1 hit.

David Lee continued to tour, and write music, however, and Angels everywhere still attended the shows; so those unable to do so still experienced the fun vicariously.

From 1997 to 2004, David Lee Murphy didn't release any new music, though he continued to tour extensively across the Midwest and Canada.

As is the norm, when an artist isn't seen or heard on a regular basis in the media, people wonder what happened to them. With a seven year gap between albums, this also happened with DLM. However, while no one was hearing *his* voice on any new songs, people were still hearing DLM penned tunes on radio and videos. During this time, DLM also had songs he'd written, or co-written, recorded by other artists, like Brooks & Dunn, James Otto, Aaron Tippin, Trick Pony and a host of others.


In 2004, David Lee Murphy released his fourth album, "Tryin' To Get There". The title track was a tune he'd written with his late idol, Waylon Jennings.

The album produced a top 5 hit for DLM, "Loco".


A second single, "Inspiration" was then released to radio, and was getting a lot of good response from critics and listeners alike. The song seemed destined to be DLM's next #1 hit. However, Koch Entertainment, DLM's label, decided to switch gears on what type of music they'd be handling, and David Lee was dropped from the label.

Since that time, there have been no other David Lee Murphy albums released; and in recent years, DLM has also been touring less. There are usually only a few shows here and there throughout any given year now.

Instead, David Lee has turned most of his attention back to writing songs for others; and he's doing quite well at it.

The list of album cuts by others DLM has had over the years is extensive, and growing all the time. Instead of listing them ALL here, I've posted three songs that have charted in recent years.

(Note: All videos are posted here. Push the arrow button at the bottom of the video screen to skip a song.)

Kenny Chesney, Jason Aldean and Thompson Square have provided David Lee with four #1 hits as a songwriter. Thompson Square's "Are You Gonna Kiss Me or Not" is also up for two Grammies in February 2012.

(Note: All videos are posted here. Push the arrow button at the bottom of the video screen to skip a song.)

For those who are fans of Trace Adkins, his current single, "Million Dollar View" is another DLM song; co-written with George Teren. Trace also had a DLM tune on the deluxe version of his last CD; "Happy Man", co-written with actor/singer Christian Kane.

(Note: All videos are posted here. Push the arrow button at the bottom of the video screen to skip a song.)

Obviously, as a David Lee Murphy fan, I could go on and on about the man; I won't though. Today's post is simply my way of sharing information with those who may not know who David Lee Murphy is; or all that he's accomplished in music. It's also my way of saying, happy 53rd birthday David Lee, and here's to many more!

(Photo taken August, 2010, courtesy of Louise Wright Hargis)

Keep It Simple Silly!

(Today's word will be in ALL CAPS, BOLD, ITALIC, and STRIKETHROUGH.)


Sometimes I think I make things more complicated than they should be; for instance, coming up with a post for the "KUPL Listener Word of the Day". Normally I talk a mile a minute, about anything and everything. Because of that, you'd think writing a post and having a word would be a breeze; not the case.

Instead, there are times I find myself wracking my brain to come up with something worth reading, and a good word to use; such is the case with this post. Thinking, and thinking, wondering what to write about; then all of a sudden the light bulb came on, DUH! When all else fails, just keep it simple, and write a post about not having anything to write about!

Mission accomplished! Now let's just hope I don't have this problem again!

Two for Three and One for One

On January 4, 2010, "Simon & Sam in the Morning" signed on the KUPL airwaves for the very first time.

At that time, it was Scott Simon, Amy "Sam" Bishop, and Jolynn Winter.

The new morning team had their work cut out for them, to say the least. They were stepping into territory that had been occupied for fourteen years by Lee Rogers. To say the least, many, many listeners were not happy about this.

For a time "Simon & Sam" struggled to gain the support of listeners. Some had completely tuned out KUPL, in protest of the changes that had been made; others stuck it out a bit longer, with some eventually leaving as well.

Four months into "Simon & Sam" being on the air, "Sam" decided to leave and go back to Arizona, where she was from originally.

The show title was changed to "Simon in the Morning", and long time KUPL employee, Earthquake Jake, was brought in to take "Sam"'s place.

Jake has always been a favorite of KUPL listeners, and he fit in well with Scott and Jolynn.

The three hit it off immediately on the air. What had once sounded forced with "Sam", was genuine with the reformed "Simon in the Morning" team.

Two years later, it's the same way. You can hear it in their voices on the air, how well they work together and genuinely like each other. I don't know about anyone else, however, for me, the people on the air are almost more important than the music. Granted, I have to like the music I'm listening to; though if the DJ's aren't good, I'd change the station. Never happens in the mornings anymore with me. There's so much going on between 5 and 10 am weekday mornings on KUPL, you almost forget there are songs being played also!

So here's to a very happy second anniversary of "Simon in the Morning" and hoping for many more!

On a side note, January 3, 2012 was the first anniversary of now producer, Eduard "Sputnik" Rusu, joining the morning team.

Eduard was an intern when he started with KUPL, and has since been hired as part of the morning team. Congratulations, and happy first anniversary to Sputnik as well!

3D Fun

Well, the holidays are behind us, and it's time for everyone to get back to their normal routine.

For those who took vacation during the holidays, it may be a bit rougher to head back to work. While co-workers held down the fort, those on vacation were able to set their own pace for the holidays. No getting up early, no having to dress for work; none of the average things one does daily.

Because of this, one would think it would be best to let the returning employee(s), ease back in to their schedule; not true! The longer someone has been gone, the better it is to snap them back into reality as soon as possible!

For example, one of my co-workers, Doug, (I wrote about him in a previous post, when his bear ran away), took the last two and a half weeks of the year as vacation.

Where we work, a lot of the time those last two weeks of the year can be really, really busy; so one person gone can make a difference. Luckily, this year was an exception to that rule, and our department wasn't overloaded too much. Not that Doug can escape that easily though!

That's where the "3D Fun" comes in to play. "3D" stands for "Doug's Desk Dilemma". Rather than bore everyone with details, I've supplied photos of Doug's desk, beginning the day after his vacation started:

At the end of every day, if something had been changed, I took a photo of Doug's desk:


It was a lot of fun, even though the boxes did come back to bite me. Someone ordered an item that was in one of the boxes; and we had no idea which box it was in; so we had to lug out a bunch of them to find what we were looking for. My cube is on the left, showing how many boxes had to be moved.

Once we were done looking, all the boxes were put back into Doug's cube; though they didn't all go back in the same way they came out. No big deal though, just added some tape, and the job was complete!

For those anxious to know the outcome of Doug's Desk Dilemma, the following video was shot the morning of Tuesday, January 3, 2012; Doug's first day back to work after his long vacation.


Despite all that was done to his desk, Doug had it put back in order within 45 minutes! He's still missing one of his carts though; it's been hidden in our department.

Thanks once again Doug for being such a good sport!

Smell The Roses!

(Today's word will be in ALL CAPS, BOLD, ITALIC, and STRIKETHROUGH.)

It doesn't matter if you like sports or loathe them. It doesn't matter if you have a favorite team, athlete, etc., or not. What matters, in the long run is, when something major happens, everyone bands together as one to support the local team.

Such is the case with the University of Oregon. Whether you're a die-hard U of O football fan, or like their rivals, the Oregon State Beavers, better, or even another college team, it doesn't matter. The University of Oregon made it to the 2012 Rose Bowl, to play the Wisconsin Badgers. Anyone in the Pac 12 region should be proud the team made it that far, whether they're a fan or not.

And what made it even better for the 2012 Rose Bowl game is this:

The Rose Bowl winner's trophy! For the first time since 1917, the University of Oregon has won the Rose Bowl, (45 to 38)!

Way to go DUCKS!

Welcome 2012!

Whether 2011 was a good year, or a bad year, it's now the past. Time to start new in a new year, and hope for the best for everyone.

With that, I'd like to wish everyone a very happy new year. Let's all strive to make 2012 the best yet!

(My apologies that this wasn't posted sooner! I *thought* I had posted it; but I didn't, until now. Oops!)