Davy Jones

In a recent post I mentioned that the only "non-real" monkeys I like is the group from the sixties, The Monkees.

I've been a fan of the group since I first saw and heard them on TV in 1966. The show was a mix of crazy gags, loose plots and music each week. To a seven year old, the silliness of the show had an attraction. At the time, the music was kind of secondary to the show, though I did find myself liking the music as well.

Even at that young age, I remember having my first "crush" on a celebrity. Davy Jones, with his cute face, and charming English accent sent pre-teen and teenage girls' hearts aflutter around the world.

In reality, The Monkees were a put together band, aimed at drawing attention away from the Beatles and the subsequent British Invasion of music. Though they were never taken as seriously as the Beatles, (having been weighed down with the "bubble gum music" moniker), The Monkees definitely made an impact in the music world.

Generations have grown up watching reruns of the show, and buying the group's music. And while members, Micky Dolenz, Mike Nesmith, and Peter Tork have all had their adoring fans, it was Davy who always had the largest following.

As with any celebrity, you hear good and bad about any one of them. Davy is no exception. Whether the stories are true or not, I can't say. I do know that when a friend and I met Davy after a show a few years ago, he was very kind and courteous.

I feel lucky to have met Davy Jones, especially in light of today's news that Jones died in Florida, due to an apparent heart attack. He was fairly young, in retrospect to most sixties teen idols; he turned 66 years old on December 30th last year.

Davy was still performing until his untimely death; his latest, (and last), performance being in Oklahoma, February 19th.

While Jones' death will never rival say, Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson, or Whitney Houston, his death is newsworthy. The news media, social networks and the like, are abuzz remembering Davy Jones today, and the memories he's left to all those former teenybopper girls. And I'll admit, for 66 years old, I think Davy aged pretty well!

Rest in peace Davy, knowing you made the lives of girls everywhere a little brighter.

Snow & Angels

First, aside from the subject of this post: Happy Leap Day everyone! And happy birthday to my former co-worker, Sheila McCluskey, who becomes a "teenager" today...13 years old...In leap years anyway!

On to the rest of this post. By now anyone who knows me, or reads this blog, knows I live up in the hills outside of Vancouver, Washington. This time of year can mean a lot of snow at times, and today is no exception. Right now I have about 4-5 inches at my house.

I already had today and tomorrow planned as vacation days, so no worries about that. Whenever I get snow here though, I have co-workers who insist I need to make a snow angel and send them the photo.

Finally after hearing this over and over this winter, I did what they asked. I made a snow angel, took a photo of it and sent it to them. They now tell me I cheated! I say I didn't. Technically no one said *I* had to LAY in the snow and make a snow angel; they just asked me to make one, and I did.

I think it's a pretty good snow angel, and it was much easier than laying in cold, wet snow. Just took a couple of jar lids and made it in the snow on the hood of my car.

So, did I cheat; or did I fulfill what my co-workers asked of me? (SMILE!)

2012 Daytona 500--History in the Making

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

Held each year in February, the Daytona 500 is the start of the stock car race season. The one who wins this race will go down in the history books, and be known forever as a "Daytona 500 Race Winner".

The 2012 Daytona 500 was scheduled to run February 26th, though history was being made well before the green flag was finally waved.

The biggest hoopla surrounded race car driver, Danica Patrick; only the third woman in history to start in the Daytona 500.

Though she's not running a full Sprint Cup schedule in 2012, Danica has taken her place alongside Janet Guthrie and Shawna Robinson, as part of Nascar's most famous race.

When race day arrived though, more history was to be made. Light rain was falling that Sunday, and though all the pre-race rituals were taken care of, right down to the prayers and national anthem; in the end, the race was postponed until Monday morning. In it's fifty-four year history the Daytona 500 had never been postponed; until then.

That wasn't the end of the history making though. Monday morning came, and went, with more rain, and the race being delayed until 7 pm eastern time. The delay also made history as being the first time the Daytona 500 has ever been held at night.

It seemed like a let down, after the day before, to just have the cars on track, and the race start. No repeat of prayers, or the national anthem, just start the race. Such a grand race and start to a season reduced to a common, ordinary race.

That is, until just before lap two. Elliot Sadler caught the corner of Jimmy Johnson's car, causing Jimmy to spin out, taking other cars with him. Way too early in a five hundred mile race to be racing like that; and several drivers expressed that as well.

As the race went on, the usual things were happening; tagging, drafting, car problems,lead changes, all that. Then, with forty laps to go, the BIG one happened!

Usually that statement is made when there's been a major crash, with lots of cars involved. In this case, the "big" one involved Juan Montoya and a jet dryer that was on the track during a caution.

Montoya had been having trouble with his car, had gone in for work, and had just come back on the track from the pits. He was racing around the track to catch up to the rest of the pack, when his car let go and he had no control. As his car slid sideways, it slammed into the jet dryer, setting both vehicles on fire.

Fortunately both Montoya and the driver of the jet dryer were able to get away; though the driver of the jet dryer was flown to a nearby hospital for observation.

When two hundred gallons of jet fuel spills onto a track, and ignites, you can bet it will cause a red flagging of the race! It did; for a couple hours or so, at least. During the red flag, it was stressed several times that neither Montoya, or the driver of the jet dryer had done anything wrong; it was just a fluke accident.

As all the FOX Sports announcers said, in all their years of racing, none had seen a wreck like the one between Montoya and the jet dryer; another first for the history books.

It doesn't end there though. Unlike the old days of racing, today's drivers have more than just a steering wheel at their fingertips while in the car. This was proven in another history making event when driver Brad Keslowski tweeted the first photo of Montoya's wreck, while he was sitting in his race car.

Since that photo, it's been rumored that Keslowski picked up about 55,000 new followers.

When the race restarted, more history was to be made. The Daytona 500 race day started on a Sunday; was postponed to a Monday; and with 10 cautions, including the red flag, finished on a Tuesday at 1 am eastern time.

When all was said and done, Matt Kenseth was named the 2012 Daytona 500 winner, with Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Greg Biffle coming in second and third, respectively.

All in all, quite an eventful show, even if it did take three days to get through it!

One Of THOSE Days...

(Today's "KUPL Listener Blog Word" is in the post just below this one.)

Ever have one of those days? Not a bad day, nothing going wrong or anything.

Just kind of tired. Tired due to lack of sleep, yet not really sleepy.

Except your mind; your mind just races around dragging you with it, wherever it decides to go.

And it doesn't necessarily go anywhere it usually does; or stay in any one place for long.

That's me today! Added to the equation is that I talk a lot when I'm tired. Okay, those who know me will tell you THAT'S normal for me; I ALWAYS talk a lot!

The difference when I'm tired is that I drive myself crazy, as well as everyone around me.

Even when I'm not talking out loud, my mind is bouncing around, talking and just spinning, and I get silly. Not just the usual silliness, but really silly. Bad puns, bad jokes, chatter, chatter, chatter. It's like someone is playing multiple games of ping pong in the space between my ears!

And then it just goes, and goes, and goes, on, and on, and on. Music usually helps though. I can put on my headphones and drown myself out with music; unless I forget my mp3 player, like today. Then I'm just stuck with the racing, running and all. What happens when I get this way is, I have to find some way to get it out, which isn't easy. It's not easy because I can't type, or write as fast as I can talk or think. So after awhile everything just jumbles together into total chaos. Forget paragraphs and punctuation; I'm just lucky to actually spell things correctly! Even when I start out with paragraphs and all, it will usually end up being one big massive knot of words and symbols that don't make any sense to anyone but me, because it's what's in my head as I type. A friend once told me it's like my mind gets too full and has to throw up the excess; isn't THAT a pretty picture?! NOT! I guess it's true though, since I'm typing and this paragraph seems to be getting longer and longer, and I'm rambling more and more. Which is why the name of my blog is "Ramblings from a KUPL Listener", because that's what I do best; ramble!And in the course of rambling, other thoughts are brought to mind, so I go off in that direction, which leads to another, and another, and well, yeah, I think you're getting the idea. Really thought righting it out wood help; knot shure it did tho. Maybee it did, what dew u think? I'm thinking spelling is highly overrated. I think I should just right as I go, (or left, since I'm left handed); or maybe this should just be left a loan. Speaking of a loan, I could use won of those; a bit short on funds. Gnaw, knot really, just won of those there thoughts again. Gotta love puns! I do, four, (or is that "fore"?), shure! I think the punnier, the better! Just luv them! This is really getting annoying! This is what I've ben trying to explain here; hope its making some sense to someone! O good grief, somebody please save me from myself already!.....

Phil Vassar--"Don't Miss Your Life"

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


To me, Phil Vassar has always been one of the most underrated singer/songwriters in country music.

While it might be true that Vassar's music leans more towards pop, his tunes are some of the best country music in recent decades.

Likewise, though Vassar's singing capabilities may be overshadowed by other artists, this doesn't mean he doesn't have a great voice; he does. Vassar's voice is distinctive, and recognizable almost immediately on any song he's performing.

This brings us to PHIL's latest contribution to country airwaves, "Don't Miss Your Life".

"Don't Miss Your Life" tells the story of two men meeting on a flight to the West Coast. Though it's the typical story of older person bestowing knowledge on an eager, go-getter, workaholic, Vassar has managed to tell this time worn tale in a fresh, interesting and very touching way.


"Don't Miss Your Life" has been enjoying some airplay on KUPL's overnight airwaves as of late. Hopefully it will gain momentum and become another hit for Phil Vassar; he's long overdue for one.

Whitney Houston

I've had people ask me why I haven't made a post about Whitney Houston's death; after all, it's been over a week since then. My answer is simple: because just about everyone else has already written about it, covered every angle, you name it; what's left to be said? For those who still wonder about my opinions though, please read on.

It's not that I have anything against Ms. Houston, I don't. I can see both sides of the whole situation of her death though.

On one hand, here's this person who had an incredible voice and presence, who helped set the course of music in the 80's. For this Whitney should definitely be remembered, and respected.

On the other hand, does this mean that I think her death should have been honored so far as to have flags flown at half staff? No, I don't. I think this is something that should be held for true heroes, the military, firefighters, police officers, etc.

While Whitney had a fantastic career, she also made some bad choices in her life; choices that affected her, her family and her career. Certainly, this can happen to anyone, anywhere, at any time; so it's not my place to pass judgement on her actions. What I'm trying to say is, we all have our own demons; in some cases it just seems the media has glorified Houston's in light of her untimely death.

I truthfully believe there should be tributes to the woman, she's earned it on some level. I just think they should be a bit more subdued than they have been. While she's left an indelible impact on the entertainment industry; Whitney is not a hero. I say this, not because of the drugs and alcohol, I say it because compared to those who lay their lives on the line every day, Whitney Houston doesn't even come remotely close.

This doesn't apply just to Whitney though. It's just my opinion, but I don't think there's an entertainer, athlete, or anyone who could, or should be considered a hero, unless they've actually been in the same footsteps of real heroes.

Now those reading this know why I wasn't going to write about Whitney's death; because of my definite opinions on the subject. I try my best to NOT offend anyone, and I'm pretty sure I may have with this post. If so, I do apologize.

The Reality Of Reality TV

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

In one of my earliest posts, I wrote that I don't watch television much. I also noted that I especially try not to watch the "reality" shows that are on all the networks.

Since the long President's Day weekend though, I've realized that, while I don't watch a lot of TV, I do watch a lot of reality shows. Well, at least as real as any reality show can be, I suppose.

It's not the run-of-the mill reality shows like "Survivor", "The Amazing Race", "Celebrity Apprentice" or any of those; (though I have watched some of them in the past).

The reality shows I tend to watch are usually on A&E, I.D., TRU, BIO, and the like. In reality, (excuse the pun), I've come to realize I watch these particular programs more than I thought; a lot more.

I don't actually watch them ALL the time; instead, I tend to go through phases. I'll watch the true crime shows for awhile, or the shows about crazy things people do, those types of programs. Then I'll stop watching them for awhile. The shows about ghost stories are the ones I tend to watch on a somewhat regular basis.

I fully admit, the shows I watch probably aren't anymore realistic than the other so called reality shows. I guess I tend to watch them more, because they seem to be more entertaining. Not something to necessarily be proud of, I know, but it's the reality, (every pun intended), of my situation that I've become aware of.

I guess there are worse things in life that I could call a bad habit.

Hey, Hey, They're Not Monkeys

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

KUPL's "Simon 90" for Valentine's Day started as usual, with information and suggestions for gifts for the special day. It started with Jake, then Jolynn, and about a minute and a half into the video, it was Scott's turn; that's what really got my attention.

When talking about Valentine gifts, Scott suggested a sock monkey, because, "who doesn't like sock monkeys"? Well, me for one!

Honestly, I think they're just plain creepy! I don't know why, but I've always felt that way.

It got me thinking about other primates I think are creepy. I realized that real, live monkeys, chimps, gorillas, etc., I'm okay with. It's the fake ones that get to me.

Besides sock monkeys, I also have a keen aversion to those toy monkeys that play cymbals. Honestly, who could think that's a great gift for anyone, especially a child?! Eeeewwww!!!

Then there's "The Wizard of Oz", with the flying monkeys. I don't care how old I am, I still can't watch when all those monkeys are flying through the air; too scary!

I've come to the conclusion, the only non-real monkeys I like are these:

Davy, Micky, Mike and Peter, the MONKEES! I grew up watching the show and buying all the albums, and to this day I still love them!

I'm pretty sure if all the monkeys I've mentioned were more like the Monkees, this post would have never been written!

A Love Story With A Twist

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

Today is Valentine's Day, the day associated with lovers. It's the day those in love are supposed to show that special person in their life how much they mean to them. It's designated as a day for couples to celebrate.

To me, it should be more than that. For instance, what about those who have a true love, though aren't with the person, and may not have even met them in person?

I know, it sounds strange, but it really isn't. It's true; it exists; and it's the very touching story of a man named Chuck B. Kelley.

In 1976, Chuck's sister, Kelley, was born. Kelley had cerebal palsy and never grew larger than a newborn baby.

Kelley was the light of Chuck's life, with a smile that brightened the darkest of days. He'd take her with him everywhere he could, and loved looking after his little sister.

Four and a half years later, in 1980, while Chuck was babysitting Kelley, she passed away. Having been so close to Kelley, Chuck was of course devastated.

Doctors said that Kelley's brain had just stopped functioning; Chuck blamed himself though, thinking he should have been more aware of what was happening with his sister.

For the first week after Kelley's death, Chuck would stay in his room, listening to the radio, crying himself to sleep. It was one of the lowest points in Chuck's life, and he seriously thought about ending it all. He even went so far as planning how he'd do it; until one evening a song came on the radio that would change his life. The song was, "You Lifted Me Up (To Heaven)", by REBA McEntire.

Chuck heard the lyrics, and felt the song was a sign his sister was looking down from heaven; letting him know everything would be alright.

The next day Chuck rushed out to purchase the song at the local Sears store. The clerk asked Chuck if he'd like the single, or the album; and he decided on the album.

When the clerk handed him the album, Chuck about fainted. The face staring back at him from the album cover had the same smile as his beloved sister, Kelley. At that instant Reba had a fan for life.

Though Reba's first top 10 single got Chuck through that dark time in his life; it was still two years before he could bring himself to visit Kelley's grave.

On that day, in 1982, he heard Reba's "Can't Even Get The Blues", and knew he was strong enough, and the time was right for him to go to Kelley's gravesite. The song also went on to be Reba's first #1 hit.

From that time on, it seems that Reba has always managed to have a song on the radio at just the right time; for whatever situation Chuck has had to go through in his life. She's lifted him up when he's down, and kept the good times going when he's up; and of course has always been a reminder to him of Kelley.

And yet, in the 31 years Chuck has been a true to the bone, die-hard Reba McEntire fan, he'd never had the chance to meet the woman; or let her know how much she means to him. That is, until six months ago today.

On August 14, 2011, Reba was the headlining act at the Astoria Bicentennial Celebration in Astoria, Oregon. Of course Chuck was going to be at the show, held outdoors at Camp Rilea; and lo and behold, he was able to get a meet and greet pass for his idol!

Chuck had a beautiful bouquet of roses made up to present to Reba, as well as a letter letting her know how much she's helped him through the years; and how he became a fan.

When the time came, the meeting with Reba was everything Chuck had dreamed it would be, and more. The 31 years it took before he actually met her were well worth the wait. It's also something Chuck will never forget, and will cherish the rest of his life.

And there you have it. While most celebrate Valentine's Day as couples, Chuck's story is proof that true love comes in many forms, and can last a lifetime.

Jon Pardi @ The Bing Lounge--February 6, 2012

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

Monday, February 6, 2012, the Bing Lounge played host to singer/songwriter, Jon Pardi.

If you haven't heard of Jon before, it's probably because he's fairly new to the country music scene, having moved to Nashville in 2008. If the performance he gave in the Bing Lounge is any indication though, people will be hearing a lot about this young man in the months and years to come.

Listening to him sing, and interact with the crowd, it's hard to believe Jon is only in his mid twenties. He possesses not only a great voice, but great stage presence and charm as well. From the time he walked onstage, through to the last photo taken and autograph signed, Jon was a true professional. You could tell he loves what he does for a living, and enjoys meeting the people from the audience.

One of the songs Jon played is his single that's just been released to radio, "Missin' You Crazy". This song is great, and blends traditional country, with the new, all tied together with Jon's unique style of singing.

Though Jon's performance in the Bing Lounge was short, he definitely made an impact on the audience that evening. As stated at the beginning of this post, you may not have heard of Jon PARDI before, but I'm fairly sure you'll be hearing a lot from him in the near future!

Comic Strips Aren't What They Used To Be

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


Most everyone has read the comics at least once in their life. It used to be you could only read them in the newspaper. Daily strips would be three or four panels in black and white, while the Sunday strips would be larger and in color. Of course, as far as papers go, it's still that way. What's changed in the past few years is, now you can get your daily dose of the funny papers online.

Older comics that have been around for generations; new comics that have only been around a couple years or so; and even classic comics that are no longer in print all have a home on the internet.

Not a big deal, I realize, it's the way of the world nowadays. Really, what caught my attention are the comments that are left for some of these strips; it's something you don't have reading them in the paper.

The comments are odd sometimes, very serious at others, and sometimes just creepy!

For instance, I read the strip, "Nancy", daily. Depending on the day's subject, I've seen some posts that just don't go with the strip.

Likewise, there are times when the strip is supposed to be funny, and people are making comments that lead me to believe they're taking the whole thing way too seriously.

Then there are the "creepy" posts. "Nancy" is raised by her "Aunt Fritzi", who, by cartoon standards, is very pretty. You'd think she was a real person though, judging by all the comments made about her, her looks and her figure! Come on, she's a CARTOON people!

("Nancy" comic strip courtesy of Guy Gilchrist.)

Of course, it's like with anything, if you don't want to see/hear it, then change the channel, or don't read it. That's what I do; I just choose not to read the comments. I have the best of both worlds then; the comics online, yet still the way they are in the paper. Life's good.

Happy National Dancing Sausage Day!

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


Happy National Dancing Sausage Day everyone!

What? Really? You haven't heard of National Dancing Sausage Day? I thought EVERYONE knew about this wonderful day!

The holiday has actually been around for eons; and is celebrated on February 2nd every year.

What's that you say? February 2nd isn't National Dancing Sausage Day? Oh contraire dear reader, it is, it is! Your confusion about this day may be that you know it by it's more common name, Groundhog's Day.

In reality, whether you call it National Dancing Sausage Day, or Groundhog's Day, they're the same thing, though celebrated differently.

Since National Dancing Sausage Day is the one people seem to know little about, please allow me to enlighten you on the subject; it's a quite simple explanation.

First, going back to the more common word, "groundhog"; what can be made from "ground" "hog",(pork)? Sausage!

Second, as stated earlier, the date for this celebration is February 2nd. Simply break down the date into numerical form: 2-2. Now, what do ballerinas wear? That's right, tutus! And of course ballerinas are dancers.

Combine the two factors above, along with the fact that most people in this country have heard about sausages and ballerinas, and you've got a national holiday.

Still not convinced? Probably wondering how dancing sausages have anything to do with predicting a longer, or shorter winter, am I correct? If so, please do read on!

Though how the name National Dancing Sausage Day came to be is fairly simple, it's connection with Groundhog's Day is a bit more complicated.

As stated earlier, both days celebrate the same thing, either a longer, or shorter, winter. Groundhog's Day is the simpler version in this case. Everyone gathers around to see if a furry rodent in Pennsylvania sees his shadow or not. If so, we have six more weeks of winter. If not, winter will end sooner.

National Dancing Sausage Day on the other hand actually starts the day before the actual holiday. On February 1st of each year, sales and preparation of sausages across the nation are tallied for the previous year, (February 2nd to January 31st).

If the results show more sausage was sold to individuals and families, then there will be six more weeks of winter. If more sausage was sold at restaurants, fairs, festivals, etc., then winter will be shorter.

The reasoning is that, private citizens who buy sausage for personal consumption will have to take the sausage from the refrigerator or freezer, before fixing it for themselves and/or family. Because they come in direct contact with the cold food, winter will be longer.

On the other hand, if more people buy their sausage from restaurants, they don't have that direct contact. True, those working at the restaurant do; however, the tally is for those consuming the sausage. People who eat at restaurants aren't in direct contact with the cold sausage. Instead, it's served to the diner piping hot. Therefore, if more people haven't prepared their own sausage over the past year, winter will be shorter.

Yes, as I said, the explanation is complicated. The simple way to put it is, eat more sausage at home, more winter. Eat more sausage in restaurants, less winter.

When all the facts and figures are tallied, the results are announced to the nation bright and early on February 2nd each year.

Hopefully I've explained National Dancing Sausage Day well enough that you, dear reader, can now go out and fully appreciate the day.

(The sausage in the video is not a professional dancer; they were too expensive.)