My Facebook went up in flames this morning over a post I wrote a couple of days ago. I stated that all too often that female broadcasters were laugh tracks to male colleagues.
Holy mackerel.
People wrote to say my comments were a slap in the face to female broadcasters in this market. I do not work in radio. I just write about it, so how could I know what is the truth?
Fair comment.
Since my post the other night on this subject, I have received several positive and supportive comments from women in the medium who feel they are marginalized. Some of these comments were sent privately. No names. But I am using the present tense. They feel marginalized.
Now.
The female broadcasters in this market are certainly not laugh tracks. None of them. They put forth their opinions with wonderful articulation, get in their own jabs, and, yes, laugh by times at the comments made by their male co-hosts. I regret my wording, although, once again, "laugh track" was a phrase supplied to me over the years by more than one female broadcaster.
Marginalization is not just a function of how these women are treated and what their on air role is and how they are respected in that role. It is a function of how they are compensated. If the male co-host (the lead if you will) makes much more than his female colleague, and she does pretty much the same work, she should make pretty much the same amount of money, keeping in mind things like years of service and experience and so on. It does make sense that a 30 year broadcast veteran should make more than a person fresh out of school, whether that veteran is male or female. And if the lead co-host also does more show prep than the second co-host, and produces the show, and makes coffee, and cleans out the fridge, then I can see how that should tip the compensation in favour of the lead co-host.
That's all I'm trying to say. It is about fairness.
Any questions?
In other news, Wayne Harrett was right, and I was right to hang on his coat tails. Lite 92.9 is now Jack FM, where they play anything at any time. I look forward to hearing Ernest Tubb tunes, maybe a little Lefty Frizzell, not to mention J.S. Bach.
Hmm? What's that?
Oh.
The stuff they are playing so far seems to be the stuff that one hears on The Wave, with a smattering of newer stuff. Just keep in mind that Katy Perry's "I Kissed A Girl" is 10 years old, so I'm hesitant to refer to it as new music. However, I promise to give the station a chance. I will check out the morning show. And Wayne and I were both right when we stated that Griff and Caroline will be the hosts of the morning show. Welcome back to the airwaves, Griff and Caroline!
I do not know whether other day parts at Jack FM will be staffed. Lite 92.9 had a morning show, and then nothing live again until Drive. John Tesh at night, providing intelligence for my life. VT'd stuff on the weekends. I have no reason to think that this staffing level will change under Jack FM.
Ratings begin on March 1st and continue for 2 months. It will be very interesting to see how things shake out. Will G&C just grab back their market share, probably from The Wave? Will The Wave continue to do well anyway? Will other stations take notice and adjust their play lists as well? Will Q104 cede the older and softer music to these other stations, and go back to saying "Blah blah blah, blah blah. Jesus Jumping Christ" again? Time will tell.
I wish all of the local radio stations the very best during this ratings periods. May you all tie for first place!
See you tomorrow. You are prolly missing Newbie, so expect a picture or two of him this weekend. No mention of radio for a while. This is a radio-free zone.
Bevboy
Friday, February 28, 2014
Thursday, February 27, 2014
Post 2605 - Son Of Yet More Radio Musings
Very briefly.
It sure looks as though, come 8 Friday morning, that Lite 92.9 goes a way, to be replaced by a Jack FM format, where they play anything at any time. You may recall that KOOL FM also had the "We play anything" slogan. This new format will likely be older music with some new stuff mixed in.
(Oh, my friend Wayne Harrett is the one making these predictions. I agree with them. They're not that far off from what I was predicting, but I'm happy to give Wayne full props. )
Griff and Caroline will be the hosts of said morning show. I don't know if Rogers will bother to staff other day parts. KOOL FM didn't. Why staff other day parts when they can save a bunch of bucks and just play wall-to-wall music?
The question then becomes: what does The Wave do? If they want to protect the market share they have secured, then they will have to throw some money at their format, lest Griff and Caroline just re-acquire their market share. Probably exactly what Rogers wants.
I still don't know who Floyd's new co-host will be on Live 105. I will have to find out along with everyone else. It's unfortunate that the news about Chris and Lisa and Lite 92.9 is taking away from Floyd's excellent news of becoming the lead co-host at Live.
And, I'm tapped out. I have nothing else to write about impending changes in the radio market in Halifax. You're probably happy about that, and want me to resume running candid pictures of Newbie sitting on my lap.
Have a large evening.
See you tomorrow.
Bevboy
It sure looks as though, come 8 Friday morning, that Lite 92.9 goes a way, to be replaced by a Jack FM format, where they play anything at any time. You may recall that KOOL FM also had the "We play anything" slogan. This new format will likely be older music with some new stuff mixed in.
(Oh, my friend Wayne Harrett is the one making these predictions. I agree with them. They're not that far off from what I was predicting, but I'm happy to give Wayne full props. )
Griff and Caroline will be the hosts of said morning show. I don't know if Rogers will bother to staff other day parts. KOOL FM didn't. Why staff other day parts when they can save a bunch of bucks and just play wall-to-wall music?
The question then becomes: what does The Wave do? If they want to protect the market share they have secured, then they will have to throw some money at their format, lest Griff and Caroline just re-acquire their market share. Probably exactly what Rogers wants.
I still don't know who Floyd's new co-host will be on Live 105. I will have to find out along with everyone else. It's unfortunate that the news about Chris and Lisa and Lite 92.9 is taking away from Floyd's excellent news of becoming the lead co-host at Live.
And, I'm tapped out. I have nothing else to write about impending changes in the radio market in Halifax. You're probably happy about that, and want me to resume running candid pictures of Newbie sitting on my lap.
Have a large evening.
See you tomorrow.
Bevboy
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
Post 2604 - Yet More Radio Musings
Trust me, folks, if I could find something to write about radio every day on the blog, I would. Every time I do, I pick up more and more readers. In the last 24 hours I have had something like 6 Facebook friend requests, mostly from people who have friends in the radio industry. Thanks for looking me up.
Jodi Delong and Niki Jabbour, both writers best known for their gardening prowess, have admitted to reading the blog. Jodi left a comment to last night's post.
I don't have that much to write about. Just a follow up comment or three.
Griff Henderson is being playful with me. I asked him if he had an announcement to make regarding a new on air job in Halifax. He just replied that there has been a lot of speculation about his future and then asked me if I had purchased my red string, which tells me he has read what I wrote last evening. Hello, sir. He did send me a picture of a giant happy face, so that should tell you something. I am waiting for Friday to get here to see what happens. So is he. So is Caroline Parker.
Lite 92.9 has nobody doing the morning show. Just wall-to-wall music punctuated by commercials and station identifications. Yawn. There is no effort to maintain even the semblance of a morning show; they are just marking time until probably Friday, when the big switcheroo happens.
I have a comment about the situation with Floyd at Live 105. As you know, she is going to be the lead co-host of the morning show once they name who her male co-host will be, probably by Friday. All good. What isn't all good is the attitude among too many male jocks that they don't want to play second fiddle to a woman.
For too many years, women in radio have been relegated to being a laugh track to male broadcasters. They are supposed to laugh uproariously at everything the guy says, whether it is amusing or not. Oftentimes, it is funny; but that should not mean that the woman should have to be reacting to it so enthusiastically. She should be able to put in some jabs here and there too.
(February 28, 2014 update: When I wrote this post, I did not, and SHOULD HAVE, mention that this "laugh track" thing is not nearly as prevalent as it was in the Halifax market. As recently as 5 years ago, I would hear women on local stations being what I would call "laugh tracks". I would not consider Kate Peardon, Lisa Blackburn, Anna Zee, Kate Milton, Jax, K8, Moya, or any other female broadcaster in Halifax to be a laugh track.)
(And, don't get me started on the economic inequity between the first and second co-hosts at a given morning show. They both do the same work. Pay them the same amount.)
I am guessing that a lot of male jocks would find it emasculating, galling, insulting, to be the second co-host on a morning show, one led by a woman. I don't get this. I have worked with and for many women over the years. I can assure these guys, and my 4.7 readers, that my little Bevboys are still dangling down there where they have always been. Having women in my professional life has done nothing but enrich it. Reporting to women has not had any marked difference than reporting to a dude. So, male jocks who don't want to work as a second co-host to a woman, get over your damn selves.
It is probably the case that the Floyd's male co-host has been hired, but I don't know who he is. Whoever it is, he will learn a lot from Floyd. But more importantly, he will learn a lot about himself and become embarrassed by the attitude of many of his male colleagues in the industry who wouldn't dream of being the second co-host in a morning show, where the first co-host is female.
I wish Floyd's co-host all the best. He will be blazing a trail along with her. And I look forward to shaking his hand.
See you tomorrow.
Bevboy
Jodi Delong and Niki Jabbour, both writers best known for their gardening prowess, have admitted to reading the blog. Jodi left a comment to last night's post.
I don't have that much to write about. Just a follow up comment or three.
Griff Henderson is being playful with me. I asked him if he had an announcement to make regarding a new on air job in Halifax. He just replied that there has been a lot of speculation about his future and then asked me if I had purchased my red string, which tells me he has read what I wrote last evening. Hello, sir. He did send me a picture of a giant happy face, so that should tell you something. I am waiting for Friday to get here to see what happens. So is he. So is Caroline Parker.
Lite 92.9 has nobody doing the morning show. Just wall-to-wall music punctuated by commercials and station identifications. Yawn. There is no effort to maintain even the semblance of a morning show; they are just marking time until probably Friday, when the big switcheroo happens.
I have a comment about the situation with Floyd at Live 105. As you know, she is going to be the lead co-host of the morning show once they name who her male co-host will be, probably by Friday. All good. What isn't all good is the attitude among too many male jocks that they don't want to play second fiddle to a woman.
For too many years, women in radio have been relegated to being a laugh track to male broadcasters. They are supposed to laugh uproariously at everything the guy says, whether it is amusing or not. Oftentimes, it is funny; but that should not mean that the woman should have to be reacting to it so enthusiastically. She should be able to put in some jabs here and there too.
(February 28, 2014 update: When I wrote this post, I did not, and SHOULD HAVE, mention that this "laugh track" thing is not nearly as prevalent as it was in the Halifax market. As recently as 5 years ago, I would hear women on local stations being what I would call "laugh tracks". I would not consider Kate Peardon, Lisa Blackburn, Anna Zee, Kate Milton, Jax, K8, Moya, or any other female broadcaster in Halifax to be a laugh track.)
(And, don't get me started on the economic inequity between the first and second co-hosts at a given morning show. They both do the same work. Pay them the same amount.)
I am guessing that a lot of male jocks would find it emasculating, galling, insulting, to be the second co-host on a morning show, one led by a woman. I don't get this. I have worked with and for many women over the years. I can assure these guys, and my 4.7 readers, that my little Bevboys are still dangling down there where they have always been. Having women in my professional life has done nothing but enrich it. Reporting to women has not had any marked difference than reporting to a dude. So, male jocks who don't want to work as a second co-host to a woman, get over your damn selves.
It is probably the case that the Floyd's male co-host has been hired, but I don't know who he is. Whoever it is, he will learn a lot from Floyd. But more importantly, he will learn a lot about himself and become embarrassed by the attitude of many of his male colleagues in the industry who wouldn't dream of being the second co-host in a morning show, where the first co-host is female.
I wish Floyd's co-host all the best. He will be blazing a trail along with her. And I look forward to shaking his hand.
See you tomorrow.
Bevboy
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
Post 2603 - More Radio Musings
Here, deep in the bowels of Casa Bevboy, there is a room to which I have the only key. Therein, upon one wall, is a map depicting all of the radio stations in Halifax. There are stick pins on each station, and red strings are wrapped around them and joining the pins. I update the configuration whenever an on air person comes or goes, or when a station changes format. That kind of thing.
I have been very busy the last few days. I am running out of red string.
Today, Chris Lawrence and Lisa Paterson were shown the door, dismissed, let go, fired, given the old heave ho. Lisa had been at the station since it went on the air in 2009; Chris had been there less than a year, having been wooed to Lite 92.9 away from competitor Energy 103.5.
Let's examine this in more detail.
Griff Henderson was offered a position at The Wave several weeks ago and turned it down, even though he has a family and he's been off work for some six months since KOOL FM went bye-bye. Why would he do that? Could it be because he had another iron on the fire?
I speculated that the offer would not be one as the new co-host at Live 105. I stand by my supposition that it will be a part-timer at Newcap (with one caveat; see below). I am starting to think that Griff has been offered a position at Lite 92.9, one that commences in time for ratings, which is March 1st.
Why fire both Chris and Lisa? Could it be that the path is being paved for the return of both Griff and... Caroline?
It is no secret that the Lite format is not very successful. If you take all the stations in the market and express their playlists as an admittedly complex Venn diagram, you would see no station save perhaps News 95.7 has a playlist that is exclusive to this market. That is to say, every station plays songs that are played on at least one other station. In some cases, the overlap is huge. I like me David Myles, but when I can hear his songs on Lite, on Radio 965, on C100, on CBC Radio One and Two, on The Bounce (in the case of "Inner Ninja"), then there is a problem somewhere. Serena Ryder is awesome, but "Stompa" is played on Live 105, Lite 92.9, C100, Radio 965, and CBC. There are many more examples. You get my drift.
I think that Lite 92.9 as a light rock station, is toast. If they do hire Griff and Caroline to come back to the airwaves, then the format will become something else, something that fans of Griff and Caroline are used to.
I hate to say it, as I think the format is pretty much played out, but I think Lite 92.9 will become something akin to the old KOOL FM, which is to say, a classic hits type format. Since we already have the Wave, I don't know what that will mean in terms of what will shake out. Which station will be the more successful? And what effect will this have on the content at Q104, which plays some of that old KOOL FM music and has had its morning show spoken word content toned down to the point where they can no longer say "shit" or "ass". They no longer say "blah blah blah, blah blah. Jesus Jumping Christ" at the end of the morning rant lines, either.
Another possibility is that Lite 92.9 will become a Country station. Highly unlikely. There is no other market in the nation that has two FM Country stations. Doesn't mean there's a law saying this can't happen, but I have my doubts.
There is also the KISS format that Rogers has. It is a Hot AC format, similar to The Bounce and Energy 103 and parts of C100. Once again, I don't see what the upside of that is.
I therefore stand by my contention that Lite 92.9 becomes a Classic Hits-ish station as of March 1st.
I'm not that happy about this. All things being equal, if you can hear many of the songs you like on multiple stations, what is the incentive to check out another station at all? If you love The Breakfast Club (and who doesn't?), and there is much music on another station that's played on C100, then why bother checking out that other station?
In my inestimable opinion, if any station wants to be successful, it should at least consider the possibility of trying something different enough that the Venn diagram I discussed above has much less overlap with all the other stations in Halifax. It likely can't or won't happen, but it is something I wish PD's and MD's would think about before it cannibalizes the content at another station.
Now, my caveat about the new co-host on Live. Chris Lawrence, who worked at Evanov as recently as 2013, is now at loose ends. I wonder if he would want to become the co-host with Floyd on Live 105, with Floyd getting top billing. Hard to say. A radio job is a radio job. If it were me, I would take such a job, knowing that it is not emasculating or anything to work with a woman. Since the news about Chris Lawrence is so recent, it is hard to say whether they will reach out to him in the next day or three. I have my doubts.
What are your thoughts? Will Lite 92.9 go away? Who will be on the morning show of whatever the station becomes? And where will Chris Lawrence and Lisa Blackburn end up? You know how to contact me, folks! Please do so.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go to Fabricville and get some red string.
See you tomorrow.
Bevboy
I have been very busy the last few days. I am running out of red string.
Today, Chris Lawrence and Lisa Paterson were shown the door, dismissed, let go, fired, given the old heave ho. Lisa had been at the station since it went on the air in 2009; Chris had been there less than a year, having been wooed to Lite 92.9 away from competitor Energy 103.5.
Let's examine this in more detail.
Griff Henderson was offered a position at The Wave several weeks ago and turned it down, even though he has a family and he's been off work for some six months since KOOL FM went bye-bye. Why would he do that? Could it be because he had another iron on the fire?
I speculated that the offer would not be one as the new co-host at Live 105. I stand by my supposition that it will be a part-timer at Newcap (with one caveat; see below). I am starting to think that Griff has been offered a position at Lite 92.9, one that commences in time for ratings, which is March 1st.
Why fire both Chris and Lisa? Could it be that the path is being paved for the return of both Griff and... Caroline?
It is no secret that the Lite format is not very successful. If you take all the stations in the market and express their playlists as an admittedly complex Venn diagram, you would see no station save perhaps News 95.7 has a playlist that is exclusive to this market. That is to say, every station plays songs that are played on at least one other station. In some cases, the overlap is huge. I like me David Myles, but when I can hear his songs on Lite, on Radio 965, on C100, on CBC Radio One and Two, on The Bounce (in the case of "Inner Ninja"), then there is a problem somewhere. Serena Ryder is awesome, but "Stompa" is played on Live 105, Lite 92.9, C100, Radio 965, and CBC. There are many more examples. You get my drift.
I think that Lite 92.9 as a light rock station, is toast. If they do hire Griff and Caroline to come back to the airwaves, then the format will become something else, something that fans of Griff and Caroline are used to.
I hate to say it, as I think the format is pretty much played out, but I think Lite 92.9 will become something akin to the old KOOL FM, which is to say, a classic hits type format. Since we already have the Wave, I don't know what that will mean in terms of what will shake out. Which station will be the more successful? And what effect will this have on the content at Q104, which plays some of that old KOOL FM music and has had its morning show spoken word content toned down to the point where they can no longer say "shit" or "ass". They no longer say "blah blah blah, blah blah. Jesus Jumping Christ" at the end of the morning rant lines, either.
Another possibility is that Lite 92.9 will become a Country station. Highly unlikely. There is no other market in the nation that has two FM Country stations. Doesn't mean there's a law saying this can't happen, but I have my doubts.
There is also the KISS format that Rogers has. It is a Hot AC format, similar to The Bounce and Energy 103 and parts of C100. Once again, I don't see what the upside of that is.
I therefore stand by my contention that Lite 92.9 becomes a Classic Hits-ish station as of March 1st.
I'm not that happy about this. All things being equal, if you can hear many of the songs you like on multiple stations, what is the incentive to check out another station at all? If you love The Breakfast Club (and who doesn't?), and there is much music on another station that's played on C100, then why bother checking out that other station?
In my inestimable opinion, if any station wants to be successful, it should at least consider the possibility of trying something different enough that the Venn diagram I discussed above has much less overlap with all the other stations in Halifax. It likely can't or won't happen, but it is something I wish PD's and MD's would think about before it cannibalizes the content at another station.
Now, my caveat about the new co-host on Live. Chris Lawrence, who worked at Evanov as recently as 2013, is now at loose ends. I wonder if he would want to become the co-host with Floyd on Live 105, with Floyd getting top billing. Hard to say. A radio job is a radio job. If it were me, I would take such a job, knowing that it is not emasculating or anything to work with a woman. Since the news about Chris Lawrence is so recent, it is hard to say whether they will reach out to him in the next day or three. I have my doubts.
What are your thoughts? Will Lite 92.9 go away? Who will be on the morning show of whatever the station becomes? And where will Chris Lawrence and Lisa Blackburn end up? You know how to contact me, folks! Please do so.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go to Fabricville and get some red string.
See you tomorrow.
Bevboy
Monday, February 24, 2014
Post 2602 - Radio Musings
Well, I can now tell you what I couldn't tell you on Sunday: Floyd is now the lead host on the Live 105 morning show, effective today.
In a classy move, they mentioned that Jeff had left the show and would not be returning. He has health issues that dog him and which must be beaten down before he can consider returning to work. He now has that time. I wish him every possible success. I know we haven't heard the last of Jeff Cogswell.
Meanwhile, Floyd is going to revamp the show. Those changes start taking place on Tuesday. I look forward to what she does with the show. I also look forward to learning who her new co-host will be. I know it will be a man. And she has indicated via twitter and via emails with me that it is a guy who's already in the market and that an announcement will likely be made later on this week.
She did not state whether it is a guy who's on the air right now. It might be a fellow who was laid off at a station. I doubt if it is Jamie Paterson or Griff Henderson. Both guys are used to being the lead on a morning show. The only thing that lingers about Griff Henderson is that he turned down an opportunity to go to The Wave in the last few weeks. He has a family to support, so why would he turn down a job at The Wave, in a format very similar to the one at the late-and-lamented-by-old-farts KOOL FM, unless he had another iron on the fire? Could that possibly be Live 105? Doubt it.
My gut feeling is that the man they will hire is presently a part-timer at another station. Newcap, and in particular Q104, has a few part-time broadcasters who would doubtless love to be fully employed. I'm hesitant to mention their names only because if I just so happened to list the name of the guy they plan to hire, then that might be embarrassing to all parties involved. But you can go to the station's website and click on Q Jocks and look at the names yourself of broadcasters who are not full time at the station. I see five names there, but isn't Scotty Mars also pulling in a few shifts here and there on that fine station? So, six.
My conclusion is that the dude who will be working with Floyd will be one of the six people on that list. The show on Live 105 will have Floyd's name mentioned first, which is apparently the first time anywhere in Canada this has ever happened: that a female will be the lead host on a rock format radio station.
Congrats to Floyd!
So, in your opinion, who's going to be Floyd's co-host? You can reply via commenting on the Facebook post, to my twitter, by way of a comment to the blog post, or through emailing me directly if you want it to be confidential.
I'm excited to find out who it will be, and what effect this guy will have on the morning show going forward. I have every confidence that they will select an excellent candidate.
In totally other news, the police are re-opening the investigation into the death of my friend Holly Bartlett. Her mysterious death in 2010 was a big shock to all of us. It is hard to believe that she died in the way it was described in the media. She was able to make her way through the city with little more than her white cane, and by times by her holding on to my elbow. If the Quebec police brought in to take a second look at her situation still conclude that it happened the way the original investigation says it did, then that will do little to assuage her friends' scepticism.
The police actually contacted me last week to ask if I knew who the man was in my Toastmasters club who had invited Holly to go swing dancing with him. I passed along what little I knew including his private email address. I don't know if they contacted him or not.
I hope that this re-examination answers the many questions we have about what happened to Holly. We deserve those answers. And so does Holly.
See you tomorrow.
Bevboy
In a classy move, they mentioned that Jeff had left the show and would not be returning. He has health issues that dog him and which must be beaten down before he can consider returning to work. He now has that time. I wish him every possible success. I know we haven't heard the last of Jeff Cogswell.
Meanwhile, Floyd is going to revamp the show. Those changes start taking place on Tuesday. I look forward to what she does with the show. I also look forward to learning who her new co-host will be. I know it will be a man. And she has indicated via twitter and via emails with me that it is a guy who's already in the market and that an announcement will likely be made later on this week.
She did not state whether it is a guy who's on the air right now. It might be a fellow who was laid off at a station. I doubt if it is Jamie Paterson or Griff Henderson. Both guys are used to being the lead on a morning show. The only thing that lingers about Griff Henderson is that he turned down an opportunity to go to The Wave in the last few weeks. He has a family to support, so why would he turn down a job at The Wave, in a format very similar to the one at the late-and-lamented-by-old-farts KOOL FM, unless he had another iron on the fire? Could that possibly be Live 105? Doubt it.
My gut feeling is that the man they will hire is presently a part-timer at another station. Newcap, and in particular Q104, has a few part-time broadcasters who would doubtless love to be fully employed. I'm hesitant to mention their names only because if I just so happened to list the name of the guy they plan to hire, then that might be embarrassing to all parties involved. But you can go to the station's website and click on Q Jocks and look at the names yourself of broadcasters who are not full time at the station. I see five names there, but isn't Scotty Mars also pulling in a few shifts here and there on that fine station? So, six.
My conclusion is that the dude who will be working with Floyd will be one of the six people on that list. The show on Live 105 will have Floyd's name mentioned first, which is apparently the first time anywhere in Canada this has ever happened: that a female will be the lead host on a rock format radio station.
Congrats to Floyd!
So, in your opinion, who's going to be Floyd's co-host? You can reply via commenting on the Facebook post, to my twitter, by way of a comment to the blog post, or through emailing me directly if you want it to be confidential.
I'm excited to find out who it will be, and what effect this guy will have on the morning show going forward. I have every confidence that they will select an excellent candidate.
In totally other news, the police are re-opening the investigation into the death of my friend Holly Bartlett. Her mysterious death in 2010 was a big shock to all of us. It is hard to believe that she died in the way it was described in the media. She was able to make her way through the city with little more than her white cane, and by times by her holding on to my elbow. If the Quebec police brought in to take a second look at her situation still conclude that it happened the way the original investigation says it did, then that will do little to assuage her friends' scepticism.
The police actually contacted me last week to ask if I knew who the man was in my Toastmasters club who had invited Holly to go swing dancing with him. I passed along what little I knew including his private email address. I don't know if they contacted him or not.
I hope that this re-examination answers the many questions we have about what happened to Holly. We deserve those answers. And so does Holly.
See you tomorrow.
Bevboy
Sunday, February 23, 2014
Post 2601 - A Post 50 Years In The Making!
It is nearly 8pm. I am leaning back in my good-for-nothing chair with a laptop on a plastic device that prevents the laptop from overheating and which keeps my thighs nice and comfortable. I will be watching another episode of "House of Cards" as soon as I finish this blog post.
I drove back to the city mid-afternoon. Patricia made me a birthday dinner of salmon and rice, which was excellent. For dessert, we munched on some of the dark chocolate and pomegranates my sister gave me.
Yes. I am now 50 years old. It is difficult to type these words. I figured that as long as I was in my forties, I could talk to a 30 year old person and think, "Well, he's only one decade and change behind me." Now, he's 2 decades behind me. When I interview a radio broadcaster who's in her 20's, I am robbing the cradle. Would I be arrested for that? Hard to say.
I have had about 100 happy birthday messages on Facebook today. Some people find that stuff creepy. I love it. I enjoy how 1 out of 8 of my Facebook "friends" have taken the time to write me a birthday wish. I appreciate it.
At the half century mark, a fella is supposed to look back on what he has accomplished so far and then look forward to what is to come. I did not have a brother to blaze a path for me when I was growing up, and my father was always workin', so I was pretty much left to my own devices when it came to going through life.
If I have learned anything, it is that I try to treat people the way I want to be treated. Good manners do not go out of style. If I put out my hand and the other person doesn't want to shake it, then that is his problem, not mine. If I say good morning to someone and receive only a snarl in return, then that is not my hang up. It's his.
I have tolerated many fools for a long time. I have walked away from arguments not because I was conceding the other person's points, but because I had more important things to do than argue a point with someone whose intransigence had no hope of wavering. If they want to think they won, then that is fine. Doesn't cost me anything. Doesn't change the car I drive, or make me smell any worse.
I believe that part of the price of living in a democracy is paying one's taxes, so I do so willingly, but not gladly. I also am of the opinion that part of the price of holding down a job is to put up with a degree of BS and to endure a modicum of inconvenience. But if those things become the majority of my perception of my job, then it is time to look around for something else. Which I have done a couple of times in my life.
It is my belief, my conceit even, that I should try to leave he world, or my piece of it, in at least as good a shape as how it was when I entered it. I do not litter. I do not drink and drive. I try to conduct myself in a way that is consistent with how I was brought up, and in a way that would not bring embarrassment or chagrin to my family.
I continue to believe that I can do better, in every aspect of my life. I am not perfect. I make lots of mistakes. But I am aware of them and try to make sure they don't happen over and over again.
Sometime during this decade of my life, I expect to retire from the job I hold now, and go on to do something else. I do not know what that something else will be. I just know that I will tackle it with as much enthusiasm as I can muster. If I find afterward that I don't like it, or don't want to do it, I will go do something else. I will have earned the right to do that.
In other, unrelated news, I have it on good authority that there will be a very interesting announcement on Live 105 first thing Monday morning. I have a good idea of what half of it will be. The other half, I can only speculate about. I have been asked not to spill the beans until the morning, so I just urge you to tune in and find out along with the rest of the world. It may be history in the making!
See you tomorrow.
Bevboy
I drove back to the city mid-afternoon. Patricia made me a birthday dinner of salmon and rice, which was excellent. For dessert, we munched on some of the dark chocolate and pomegranates my sister gave me.
Yes. I am now 50 years old. It is difficult to type these words. I figured that as long as I was in my forties, I could talk to a 30 year old person and think, "Well, he's only one decade and change behind me." Now, he's 2 decades behind me. When I interview a radio broadcaster who's in her 20's, I am robbing the cradle. Would I be arrested for that? Hard to say.
I have had about 100 happy birthday messages on Facebook today. Some people find that stuff creepy. I love it. I enjoy how 1 out of 8 of my Facebook "friends" have taken the time to write me a birthday wish. I appreciate it.
At the half century mark, a fella is supposed to look back on what he has accomplished so far and then look forward to what is to come. I did not have a brother to blaze a path for me when I was growing up, and my father was always workin', so I was pretty much left to my own devices when it came to going through life.
If I have learned anything, it is that I try to treat people the way I want to be treated. Good manners do not go out of style. If I put out my hand and the other person doesn't want to shake it, then that is his problem, not mine. If I say good morning to someone and receive only a snarl in return, then that is not my hang up. It's his.
I have tolerated many fools for a long time. I have walked away from arguments not because I was conceding the other person's points, but because I had more important things to do than argue a point with someone whose intransigence had no hope of wavering. If they want to think they won, then that is fine. Doesn't cost me anything. Doesn't change the car I drive, or make me smell any worse.
I believe that part of the price of living in a democracy is paying one's taxes, so I do so willingly, but not gladly. I also am of the opinion that part of the price of holding down a job is to put up with a degree of BS and to endure a modicum of inconvenience. But if those things become the majority of my perception of my job, then it is time to look around for something else. Which I have done a couple of times in my life.
It is my belief, my conceit even, that I should try to leave he world, or my piece of it, in at least as good a shape as how it was when I entered it. I do not litter. I do not drink and drive. I try to conduct myself in a way that is consistent with how I was brought up, and in a way that would not bring embarrassment or chagrin to my family.
I continue to believe that I can do better, in every aspect of my life. I am not perfect. I make lots of mistakes. But I am aware of them and try to make sure they don't happen over and over again.
Sometime during this decade of my life, I expect to retire from the job I hold now, and go on to do something else. I do not know what that something else will be. I just know that I will tackle it with as much enthusiasm as I can muster. If I find afterward that I don't like it, or don't want to do it, I will go do something else. I will have earned the right to do that.
In other, unrelated news, I have it on good authority that there will be a very interesting announcement on Live 105 first thing Monday morning. I have a good idea of what half of it will be. The other half, I can only speculate about. I have been asked not to spill the beans until the morning, so I just urge you to tune in and find out along with the rest of the world. It may be history in the making!
See you tomorrow.
Bevboy
Saturday, February 22, 2014
Post 2600 - Radio News
Welcome to Saturday evening.
I am still at my mother's. The last day and a half has been about taking care of a few financial matters and spending time with my mother. She's loving the 14 bags of magazines I dropped off for her. Imagine having 36 issues of "Women's World" to read. Plug who knows what else is in those bags? All I know is that my car's shocks are much happier.
I've had quite a bit of rest as well. My body just kinda shut down early Friday evening.
When I did get up this morning I went to the Wolfville Farmer's Market. I bought some shea butter for when my hands get dry. I made sure it has a relatively masculine scent.
While there, I heard someone yell, "Bevboy!" Turned out to be my friend Darrin Harvey. We chatted for a moment before he asked me what I'd heard about Jeff Cogswell. Turns out he's left Live 105. He was classy about it, thanking staff at the station for their support.
Darrin asked me what I knew, which was nothing. News to me. Floyd has been silent as well, which is unlike her. They're very good friends and I am assuming she's upset by the news.
Jeff sounded very ill on the air as recently as 3 days ago. His voice was barely above a whisper. I ascribed his absence the last couple of days to his being ill. Now I know it's something else. Very sad. I just hope he's able to address his health concerns now that he has some time away from the mic.
People have often asked me why I never went into radio. Self confidence was a big factor. But another huge reason was how vulnerable on air people are. They can be, and often are, here today and gone later today. Formats change and the on air staff no longer "fit". There's a perceived lack of chemistry with on air staff and someone must go. Revenue is in the toilet and layoffs must be made. Whatever.
I had someone tell me about a case at a station in Canada where a guy worked, whom everybody liked. Station had to build a new studio, whose cost was about the same as this fellow's salary.
So they fired him.
I love the medium of radio. But I don't like how even veteran people labouring in it are treated and how they can be fired willy nilly. I'm unaware of any other work place where people are so vulnerable.
This is the second time Jeff's been let go by Evanov in 3 years. He will land on his feet because he's Jeff Cogswell and that is what Jeff Cogswell does. He will get another job in radio before he knows it.
I am just a few hours away from saying goodbye to my forties. I will be 50 come morning. I have no idea where the years have gone. I'll have more to say about that on Sunday. Right after I apply Bengay and consume my Geritol.
See you then.
From Bevboy's BlackBerry to Bevboy's Blog!
I am still at my mother's. The last day and a half has been about taking care of a few financial matters and spending time with my mother. She's loving the 14 bags of magazines I dropped off for her. Imagine having 36 issues of "Women's World" to read. Plug who knows what else is in those bags? All I know is that my car's shocks are much happier.
I've had quite a bit of rest as well. My body just kinda shut down early Friday evening.
When I did get up this morning I went to the Wolfville Farmer's Market. I bought some shea butter for when my hands get dry. I made sure it has a relatively masculine scent.
While there, I heard someone yell, "Bevboy!" Turned out to be my friend Darrin Harvey. We chatted for a moment before he asked me what I'd heard about Jeff Cogswell. Turns out he's left Live 105. He was classy about it, thanking staff at the station for their support.
Darrin asked me what I knew, which was nothing. News to me. Floyd has been silent as well, which is unlike her. They're very good friends and I am assuming she's upset by the news.
Jeff sounded very ill on the air as recently as 3 days ago. His voice was barely above a whisper. I ascribed his absence the last couple of days to his being ill. Now I know it's something else. Very sad. I just hope he's able to address his health concerns now that he has some time away from the mic.
People have often asked me why I never went into radio. Self confidence was a big factor. But another huge reason was how vulnerable on air people are. They can be, and often are, here today and gone later today. Formats change and the on air staff no longer "fit". There's a perceived lack of chemistry with on air staff and someone must go. Revenue is in the toilet and layoffs must be made. Whatever.
I had someone tell me about a case at a station in Canada where a guy worked, whom everybody liked. Station had to build a new studio, whose cost was about the same as this fellow's salary.
So they fired him.
I love the medium of radio. But I don't like how even veteran people labouring in it are treated and how they can be fired willy nilly. I'm unaware of any other work place where people are so vulnerable.
This is the second time Jeff's been let go by Evanov in 3 years. He will land on his feet because he's Jeff Cogswell and that is what Jeff Cogswell does. He will get another job in radio before he knows it.
I am just a few hours away from saying goodbye to my forties. I will be 50 come morning. I have no idea where the years have gone. I'll have more to say about that on Sunday. Right after I apply Bengay and consume my Geritol.
See you then.
From Bevboy's BlackBerry to Bevboy's Blog!
Thursday, February 20, 2014
Post 2599 - Thursday
Whee! My weekend is here! Whee!
I will be down in the Valley this weekend. I haven't been down there in nearly 5 full weeks. My mother has been carefully planning and plotting what I will be doing over the next couple of days. I doubt if I will have more than a couple of hours of sleep per night, so busy will she keep me. She knows that a few stores are open 24x7 down there. She will make good use of that information between Friday morning and Sunday afternoon.
The back seat of my car is positively festooned with bags of magazines. There are now 3 women in town who give me their castoff magazines to give to my mother. I haven't examined fully what is in the bags, but her reading habits have expanded greatly over the last year or so. She reported to me a few minutes ago that she is down to her last couple dozen issues of Reader's Digest and then she will have nothing to read. She has been preparing for the magazine onslaught.
I have to make sure that Newbie doesn't read this blog post. Please do not tell him on the cat-friendly chat room that he visits, Pussies Galore. He hangs out there a lot, probably having meow meow sex with other cats. If he knows that I am going to the Valley tomorrow and plan to take him with me, he will go into hiding. It will almost be as if he were going into WITSEC.
This will be a shorter post. I just want to finish it by thanking Bill Hart of the 89.9 The Wave morning show. He saw the picture I put on my Facebook yesterday, and on the blog late in the afternoon, that the old lady had put on the windshield of her car. Bill thought that her plead not to get a ticket would be an interesting item for discussion. He mentioned me and the blog several times, and asked people to discuss it on the station's Facebook page. There was lots of discussion, mostly from people angry that the snow banks would make it difficult, even impossible, for lots of people to access in order to feed the parking meter by their own car. Many others mentioned they'd be very happy to put money in the meter for the lady. A couple a-holes said it was too bad, too sad. If she were too feeble to climb a snowbank and put money into a parking meter, then she shouldn't be out in the elements at all. Nice people, those.
Anyway, I plan to watch an episode, maybe two, of "House of Cards" on my pride and joy 1080p 42" HDTV. Do not judge me.
I will see you tomorrow, from downtown Port Williams.
See you then.
Bevboy
I will be down in the Valley this weekend. I haven't been down there in nearly 5 full weeks. My mother has been carefully planning and plotting what I will be doing over the next couple of days. I doubt if I will have more than a couple of hours of sleep per night, so busy will she keep me. She knows that a few stores are open 24x7 down there. She will make good use of that information between Friday morning and Sunday afternoon.
The back seat of my car is positively festooned with bags of magazines. There are now 3 women in town who give me their castoff magazines to give to my mother. I haven't examined fully what is in the bags, but her reading habits have expanded greatly over the last year or so. She reported to me a few minutes ago that she is down to her last couple dozen issues of Reader's Digest and then she will have nothing to read. She has been preparing for the magazine onslaught.
I have to make sure that Newbie doesn't read this blog post. Please do not tell him on the cat-friendly chat room that he visits, Pussies Galore. He hangs out there a lot, probably having meow meow sex with other cats. If he knows that I am going to the Valley tomorrow and plan to take him with me, he will go into hiding. It will almost be as if he were going into WITSEC.
This will be a shorter post. I just want to finish it by thanking Bill Hart of the 89.9 The Wave morning show. He saw the picture I put on my Facebook yesterday, and on the blog late in the afternoon, that the old lady had put on the windshield of her car. Bill thought that her plead not to get a ticket would be an interesting item for discussion. He mentioned me and the blog several times, and asked people to discuss it on the station's Facebook page. There was lots of discussion, mostly from people angry that the snow banks would make it difficult, even impossible, for lots of people to access in order to feed the parking meter by their own car. Many others mentioned they'd be very happy to put money in the meter for the lady. A couple a-holes said it was too bad, too sad. If she were too feeble to climb a snowbank and put money into a parking meter, then she shouldn't be out in the elements at all. Nice people, those.
Anyway, I plan to watch an episode, maybe two, of "House of Cards" on my pride and joy 1080p 42" HDTV. Do not judge me.
I will see you tomorrow, from downtown Port Williams.
See you then.
Bevboy
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
Post 2598 - Wednesday
Ray is still working away at his Lebanese place even though they're still booting his arse from the food court in another 40 days or so. A news update on Monday indicated that Sobeys has approached him and Buddy who runs "A Taste of India" next door to find a way to keep them here. It's obviously a face-saving gesture on Sobeys' part. Sobeys: the insidious, pernicious, sleazy conglomerate that cares.
I had a doctor's appointment this afternoon so I left work early. My doc told me about some cough medicine that will spirit my cough away into the night as if it were a North Korean political dissident. If that doesn't work he can prescribe something.
It's called "Delsim".
The conversation went something like this.
Ahem!
---------------------
I said, "Isn't that a shampoo, the blue stuff?"
"No, you silly sausage. That's Selsen. You don't want to drink that. Might turn you into Papa Smurf or something. I'd have to get up and consult one of my medical journals to be sure. You don't want me to get up."
"Never mind. I trust you."
I have a pivotal birthday this weekend. that means that I can look forward to blood work and a physical. Sigh.
After the appointment I returned to my car, parked on Sackville Street, close to an entrance to the Public Gardens. I noticed a sign on the windshield of the car in front of me. I had to get a picture of it. Turns out it really was a little old lady as I saw her shuffle up to her car and take off. Truth in advertising.
Around 4:30 I drove downtown. I'm now parked on Granville Street by the legislature. Turns out the parking meter I ambled up to, already had time on it. It's technically illegal to use a meter with time on it IF you don't add some time to it yourself. I did but only because the parking enforcement dude was eyeing me suspiciously. Maybe he wanted to check me out.
On the way to the food court I checked out my gym for the first time in far too long. They've since moved to Granville Mall. Easily twice as big as the old place. The spin class room is spacious. When I resume spin classes I doubt if I'll end up with my nose in the ass crack of the person in front of me. A selling point.
It's now pushing 5:20. I will take the balance of my coffee with me to my TM meeting and wish you all a pleasant yet wholesome evening.
See you tomorrow.
From Bevboy's BlackBerry to Bevboy's Blog!
Monday, February 17, 2014
Post 2597 - Monday
Welcome to another fun-filled weeks, boys and girls.
It is past 10pm Monday night. I just watched another episode of "House of Cards" on Netflix. It's the kind of show that people binge-watch when they probably shouldn't. There is so much going on that I can't imagine how a person could watch more than, say, 2 episodes in a sitting. Your mileage may vary, of course.
I have just spent 20 minutes looking at my Netflix account online. I asked it to show me all the horror movies. I'd swear that there are films in that category that I hadn't noticed by browsing the titles available to me through my media player. At this rate, quitting my job and sitting home in my foundation garments and watching Netflix all day is becoming a viable career option.
I keep finding stuff on Netflix I want to see, even though, as I mentioned before, it is like stumbling into an old-fashioned video store on a Saturday morning, the night after all the local yokels have rented all the new releases. You're left with things you don't recognize, or only vaguely do. For example, did you know that Ellen Degeneres had a sitcom in 2001 that lasted for 18 episodes? Neither did I. I wonder if she even remembers it?
This is a short week for me. I have to be in the Valley this weekend to take care of some business. Only another blizzard can keep me here in Halifax for this weekend. I am beginning to forget what the family abode looks like.
There is not much more to report. My cough is still woefully present. Anybody at my work can attest to that. I will be seeing my doctor about it on Wednesday to see what delightful things he can prescribe to take it away. I am hoping for a puffer. Maybe the blue one this time. It's my favourite. What is yours?
Hmm. I wonder if I have time to watch one more episode of "House of Cards" this evening? The evening is still relatively young.
See you tomorrow.
Bevboy
It is past 10pm Monday night. I just watched another episode of "House of Cards" on Netflix. It's the kind of show that people binge-watch when they probably shouldn't. There is so much going on that I can't imagine how a person could watch more than, say, 2 episodes in a sitting. Your mileage may vary, of course.
I have just spent 20 minutes looking at my Netflix account online. I asked it to show me all the horror movies. I'd swear that there are films in that category that I hadn't noticed by browsing the titles available to me through my media player. At this rate, quitting my job and sitting home in my foundation garments and watching Netflix all day is becoming a viable career option.
I keep finding stuff on Netflix I want to see, even though, as I mentioned before, it is like stumbling into an old-fashioned video store on a Saturday morning, the night after all the local yokels have rented all the new releases. You're left with things you don't recognize, or only vaguely do. For example, did you know that Ellen Degeneres had a sitcom in 2001 that lasted for 18 episodes? Neither did I. I wonder if she even remembers it?
This is a short week for me. I have to be in the Valley this weekend to take care of some business. Only another blizzard can keep me here in Halifax for this weekend. I am beginning to forget what the family abode looks like.
There is not much more to report. My cough is still woefully present. Anybody at my work can attest to that. I will be seeing my doctor about it on Wednesday to see what delightful things he can prescribe to take it away. I am hoping for a puffer. Maybe the blue one this time. It's my favourite. What is yours?
Hmm. I wonder if I have time to watch one more episode of "House of Cards" this evening? The evening is still relatively young.
See you tomorrow.
Bevboy
Sunday, February 16, 2014
Post 2596 - Sunday
Another weekend gone. Where did it go?
From Bevboy's BlackBerry to Bevboy's Blog!
Saturday, February 15, 2014
Post 2595 - Saturday
I think that Newbie is getting enough sleep for all of us.
See you tomorrow.
From Bevboy's BlackBerry to Bevboy's Blog!
Friday, February 14, 2014
Post 2594 - Friday
Remember what I wrote the other day? My thoughts about Netflix? How in terms of content it is often like an old-fashioned video store on a Saturday morning, after a Friday night when the locals have swept through it and rented most of the new releases and the majority of the other cool stuff?
I'd like to revise that opinion.
Netflix is more like an old-fashioned convenience store that OWNS most of its movie stock. On a Saturday morning. Blah blah blah.
I'm not saying that what's on Netflix is crap. I'm just bewildered by the eclectic aspects of what it has to offer. I love the documentaries. It's hard to think of another place where one can find a cooler selection of them. The tv shows are neat especially if you want to binge watch them, a perfect activity for a weekend when you don't feel like doing housework.
It is the films that I find the most perplexing. A good 60% of them are unfamiliar. Doesn't mean they'd suck. Just makes me wonder what rock they were found under.
This evening I mostly watched a "teenagers in trouble" horror movie called "The Caretaker". Don't bother. I'll finish watching it because the girls have nice ta ta's and swear short dresses. After that I'll select something else I have never heard of and see what I think of it. It's like a crap shoot.
Crap.
Yeah.
Let's go with that.
At least it in HD.
See you tomorrow.
From Bevboy's BlackBerry to Bevboy's Blog!
I'd like to revise that opinion.
Netflix is more like an old-fashioned convenience store that OWNS most of its movie stock. On a Saturday morning. Blah blah blah.
I'm not saying that what's on Netflix is crap. I'm just bewildered by the eclectic aspects of what it has to offer. I love the documentaries. It's hard to think of another place where one can find a cooler selection of them. The tv shows are neat especially if you want to binge watch them, a perfect activity for a weekend when you don't feel like doing housework.
It is the films that I find the most perplexing. A good 60% of them are unfamiliar. Doesn't mean they'd suck. Just makes me wonder what rock they were found under.
This evening I mostly watched a "teenagers in trouble" horror movie called "The Caretaker". Don't bother. I'll finish watching it because the girls have nice ta ta's and swear short dresses. After that I'll select something else I have never heard of and see what I think of it. It's like a crap shoot.
Crap.
Yeah.
Let's go with that.
At least it in HD.
See you tomorrow.
From Bevboy's BlackBerry to Bevboy's Blog!
Thursday, February 13, 2014
Post 2593 - Help Ray
He's a great guy who works 12 hours a day and who puts out an excellent product. If those little so-and-so's are kicking this fine man and his next door neighbor out, then that plain sucks.
Help Ray find a new place to sell his wares. He needs our assistance. We need his excellent food. Contact him or me and let's see where we can relocate him to.
And, oh, yeah. Frig you, Sobeys.
From Bevboy's BlackBerry to Bevboy's Blog!
Wednesday, February 12, 2014
Post 2592 - Home Theatre Stuff
So, tonight, after I got home from Toastmasters, I fired up my HD tv and initiated Netflix on the media player I use for that purpose. I ended up watching a horror movie called "Rite of Spring". Don't bother.
I spent a few minutes before that hooking up another set of speakers to the television. I bought them today from a woman who was selling them on kijiji. Ten dollars. They are computer speakers, but what interested me was that they came with a subwoofer. Ten dollars was a very good price.
On Sunday, 3 days ago, I bought a soundbar at Future Shop. It was an open box sale; I got it for 50 clams. The remote control that had come with it had been lost, but I didn't care too much because the entertainment centre is just like 1.5 meters from where I am typing this post. I don't mind getting up and manually adjusting the volume. I ran two splitter y cables from the back of the television, using one branch for the existing set of speakers (with its own subwoofer), and the other branch to the afore-mentioned soundbar. Sounds not too bad at all.
This evening, I plugged the input of the speakers I bought today, into the output jack of the soundbar, which is asking for a subwoofer. This powered subwoofer has a speaker out jack, to which I have running the other 2 speakers I bought today.
The resulting sound during "Rite of Spring" was pretty darned good. The 2 subwoofers are on different levels of my entertainment center. In theory, they are working together. I heard every rumble and bass to the point where Patricia knocked on the door to the recroom and asked me what I was watching. Meanwhile, all the other speakers are putting out sound at a pretty good level as well. Except for maybe a speaker devoted to dialogue as part of a 5.1 speaker package, I think I'm quite well set up. And I did it for very little money, less than 100 dollars.
There is a guy at work whose interest in home theatre and home audio makes mine shrivel up like a wee willy wonka in a cold shower. He would look aghast at the sound system I have cobbled together and perhaps arrange for me to get some overtime hours at work to be able to afford a better one. Well, not really, but a fella can dream, can't he? I am quite pleased with the arrangement I have now, and will probably not muck with it very much at all going forward.
I wonder how many of you, my 4.7, have any kind of home sound system which supplements the speakers on your television. Do you want to make mine look bad? Go ahead. I am boy enough to take it.
In other news, I hear that Energy 103 has been rebranded to "90's and Now". I do not know if this will mean any major changes to their playlist. I will find out for you, as I know you all want to know this.
You guys have a great evening. See you tomorrow!
Bevboy
I spent a few minutes before that hooking up another set of speakers to the television. I bought them today from a woman who was selling them on kijiji. Ten dollars. They are computer speakers, but what interested me was that they came with a subwoofer. Ten dollars was a very good price.
On Sunday, 3 days ago, I bought a soundbar at Future Shop. It was an open box sale; I got it for 50 clams. The remote control that had come with it had been lost, but I didn't care too much because the entertainment centre is just like 1.5 meters from where I am typing this post. I don't mind getting up and manually adjusting the volume. I ran two splitter y cables from the back of the television, using one branch for the existing set of speakers (with its own subwoofer), and the other branch to the afore-mentioned soundbar. Sounds not too bad at all.
This evening, I plugged the input of the speakers I bought today, into the output jack of the soundbar, which is asking for a subwoofer. This powered subwoofer has a speaker out jack, to which I have running the other 2 speakers I bought today.
The resulting sound during "Rite of Spring" was pretty darned good. The 2 subwoofers are on different levels of my entertainment center. In theory, they are working together. I heard every rumble and bass to the point where Patricia knocked on the door to the recroom and asked me what I was watching. Meanwhile, all the other speakers are putting out sound at a pretty good level as well. Except for maybe a speaker devoted to dialogue as part of a 5.1 speaker package, I think I'm quite well set up. And I did it for very little money, less than 100 dollars.
There is a guy at work whose interest in home theatre and home audio makes mine shrivel up like a wee willy wonka in a cold shower. He would look aghast at the sound system I have cobbled together and perhaps arrange for me to get some overtime hours at work to be able to afford a better one. Well, not really, but a fella can dream, can't he? I am quite pleased with the arrangement I have now, and will probably not muck with it very much at all going forward.
I wonder how many of you, my 4.7, have any kind of home sound system which supplements the speakers on your television. Do you want to make mine look bad? Go ahead. I am boy enough to take it.
In other news, I hear that Energy 103 has been rebranded to "90's and Now". I do not know if this will mean any major changes to their playlist. I will find out for you, as I know you all want to know this.
You guys have a great evening. See you tomorrow!
Bevboy
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
Post 2591 - Short And Sweet (2)
Take a look at the time stamp on this post and add 4 hours. That's what time it is as I thumb these few words.
Got home from work just after 6pm. By the time we were watching "Inner Space" on the Space channel (excellent show!) we were nodding off. They were interviewing a rapper who's produced 50 albums nobody's heard or seen. I left the room to come down to the rec room to watch Netflix.
By 8pm I decided to close my eyes for a few minutes and that's about the last thing I remember. Except for a pee or three and a snack for Newbie, I've been blissfully asleep. I woke up a few minutes ago and decided to produce a quick post for your reading pleasure.
Wish I could think of a joke to share with you. I'm taking offers through the usual channels.
See you tomorrow. Technically, later on today.
From Bevboy's BlackBerry to Bevboy's Blog!
Got home from work just after 6pm. By the time we were watching "Inner Space" on the Space channel (excellent show!) we were nodding off. They were interviewing a rapper who's produced 50 albums nobody's heard or seen. I left the room to come down to the rec room to watch Netflix.
By 8pm I decided to close my eyes for a few minutes and that's about the last thing I remember. Except for a pee or three and a snack for Newbie, I've been blissfully asleep. I woke up a few minutes ago and decided to produce a quick post for your reading pleasure.
Wish I could think of a joke to share with you. I'm taking offers through the usual channels.
See you tomorrow. Technically, later on today.
From Bevboy's BlackBerry to Bevboy's Blog!
Monday, February 10, 2014
Post 2590 - Monday
Well, that was an expensive day.
I got up at 6 as always. But what doesn't always happen is for me to drive my car to the dealership to have $1200 in work done. The front brake pads were toast. So was the power steering column. Let's not even talk about the emergency brake cable. It is a good thing that I like the clothes I wear and that my underwear is not shot full of holes, because they will have to last me quite a while longer.
You will dimly recall that I bought a new-to-me 42 inch 1080p HD television the other week. I am loving it so far. It is so nice to see Netflix in such a way that I can read and select what I want to watch without squinting my eyes and reaching for a non-existent app on my smart phone that would blow up the size of text read from afar. Now, I can see the text so much better than before; it is even better than what it on the HD tv in the living room, one level up.
The selection of things on Netflix is, well, eclectic. Let' s go with that. It's like an old-fashioned video store on a Saturday morning, the night after everybody had cleaned out the new releases to watch over the weekend. You're stuck with older films you maybe haven't seen at all or in a long time, or newer releases you thought you might see but never got around to.
On Netflix, I am especially fond of how categories come and go like the morning dew. The horror film category disappeared on me a week or 10 days ago. In order to have it reappear, I had to select a horror film from another category. Then, as if by supernatural means, the horror category showed up again, revealing films that were not under any other category. (Does anybody know a good synonym for "category"?) Makes me wonder what other things those sneaky little rascals are hiding from me. And, this evening, I now have 24 films in a "Zombies" category, which was never an option before. Last week, in addition to the "horror" category, I also had a "gory horror films" category. Sunday, both "horror" film categories were gone, so I watched "Quarantine 2: Terminal", which this evening brought back the main horror category and gave me a "Zombies" category for the first time. I wonder what will show up if I watch a romantic comedy featuring zombies who were graduating high school and who want to lose their virginity before they go off to college, and who like to surf and play volleyball, all while speaking like characters out of "Downton Abbey"? What category would I see then?
It is now after 11pm. Even though I wish I could stay up all night long and watch Netflix programming offered to me in the "Documentaries About Field Mice" category, such cannot be the case. I must get some sleep, lest Newbie steal the bedsheets from me and use them to effect his escape from theprison house he calls home.
See you tomorrow.
Bevboy
I got up at 6 as always. But what doesn't always happen is for me to drive my car to the dealership to have $1200 in work done. The front brake pads were toast. So was the power steering column. Let's not even talk about the emergency brake cable. It is a good thing that I like the clothes I wear and that my underwear is not shot full of holes, because they will have to last me quite a while longer.
You will dimly recall that I bought a new-to-me 42 inch 1080p HD television the other week. I am loving it so far. It is so nice to see Netflix in such a way that I can read and select what I want to watch without squinting my eyes and reaching for a non-existent app on my smart phone that would blow up the size of text read from afar. Now, I can see the text so much better than before; it is even better than what it on the HD tv in the living room, one level up.
The selection of things on Netflix is, well, eclectic. Let' s go with that. It's like an old-fashioned video store on a Saturday morning, the night after everybody had cleaned out the new releases to watch over the weekend. You're stuck with older films you maybe haven't seen at all or in a long time, or newer releases you thought you might see but never got around to.
On Netflix, I am especially fond of how categories come and go like the morning dew. The horror film category disappeared on me a week or 10 days ago. In order to have it reappear, I had to select a horror film from another category. Then, as if by supernatural means, the horror category showed up again, revealing films that were not under any other category. (Does anybody know a good synonym for "category"?) Makes me wonder what other things those sneaky little rascals are hiding from me. And, this evening, I now have 24 films in a "Zombies" category, which was never an option before. Last week, in addition to the "horror" category, I also had a "gory horror films" category. Sunday, both "horror" film categories were gone, so I watched "Quarantine 2: Terminal", which this evening brought back the main horror category and gave me a "Zombies" category for the first time. I wonder what will show up if I watch a romantic comedy featuring zombies who were graduating high school and who want to lose their virginity before they go off to college, and who like to surf and play volleyball, all while speaking like characters out of "Downton Abbey"? What category would I see then?
It is now after 11pm. Even though I wish I could stay up all night long and watch Netflix programming offered to me in the "Documentaries About Field Mice" category, such cannot be the case. I must get some sleep, lest Newbie steal the bedsheets from me and use them to effect his escape from the
See you tomorrow.
Bevboy
Sunday, February 9, 2014
Post 2589 - Sunday
For the first time I can see this in glorious HD. It's not 1080p but I will have to get by with "just" 720.
Sorry for the short blog posts lately. Longer ones are in the works.
See you tomorrow.
From Bevboy's BlackBerry to Bevboy's Blog!
Friday, February 7, 2014
Post 2588 - Friday
Hi. Remember me?
I am sorry I couldn't write much the last couple of days. My home internet connection was acting up the last two nights. It is back as of this morning.
Meanwhile, I am here at my work during my lunch hour. I thought I'd play catch up with you for a few paragraphs. I hope you appreciate the fact that I am giving up part of my time off to write you guys.
Thursday night was great fun. I interviewed the latest blog person. It was Courtney Amirault of Live 105. She is the mid day gal there, and she was a tremendous delight to meet. The 3 hours we spent together at Michael's Bar and Grill flew by. I look forward to sharing the interview with you. I promise it will NOT take 9 months for me to transcribe this puppy, like the Michael Cranston interview did. I will start work on it this weekend in fact.
Throughout the evening, Patricia and Courtney's partner were drinking wine while Courtney and I were chatting. I hope they weren't bored, but I am guessing that the wine helped them pass the time.
One funny story from yesterday that I must share with you. When Patricia and I first started seeing each other, people thought that we were gay. Patricia was going on about how, "Bev and I did this. Bev and I did that.", and people drew the wrong conclusion, because they did not know me. I told this to Courtney, who is gay, and she responded by calling me a "big old lesbian". It made my damn day. I have been called many things by many people, some of them quite uncomplimentary. But I feel in pretty good company when someone calls me a lesbian. I suppose it is the irony of my being called something that is a physical impossibility which has delighted me so much. It won't double my chances of getting a date on a Saturday evening, but it is a badge I wear with some pride. And it got a good chuckle from the boys this morning at coffee. I wonder if a few of them might be jealous?
I will be in the Valley this weekend. The fellow I owe money to for clearing my mother's drive way wants to be paid, and I don't want the amount to become so large that I will have to sell my blood or my back up kidney to satisfy this debt. And I have something like 10 bags of magazines in my car to give to my mother for her to peruse before she shares them with the other people in her nursing home. If I do not soon rid myself of these magazines, they will threaten to throw my car out of alignment. Besides, my mother is down to her last few dozen back issues of Reader's Digest, and that is a fate I would wish on no one.
You guys have a good weekend. I will write you from the Valley this weekend. I may even include a picture or two of Newbie if I can trick him into his carrier instead of him tricking me into it like he did last month. Grr.
See you tomorrow.
Bevboy
I am sorry I couldn't write much the last couple of days. My home internet connection was acting up the last two nights. It is back as of this morning.
Meanwhile, I am here at my work during my lunch hour. I thought I'd play catch up with you for a few paragraphs. I hope you appreciate the fact that I am giving up part of my time off to write you guys.
Thursday night was great fun. I interviewed the latest blog person. It was Courtney Amirault of Live 105. She is the mid day gal there, and she was a tremendous delight to meet. The 3 hours we spent together at Michael's Bar and Grill flew by. I look forward to sharing the interview with you. I promise it will NOT take 9 months for me to transcribe this puppy, like the Michael Cranston interview did. I will start work on it this weekend in fact.
Throughout the evening, Patricia and Courtney's partner were drinking wine while Courtney and I were chatting. I hope they weren't bored, but I am guessing that the wine helped them pass the time.
One funny story from yesterday that I must share with you. When Patricia and I first started seeing each other, people thought that we were gay. Patricia was going on about how, "Bev and I did this. Bev and I did that.", and people drew the wrong conclusion, because they did not know me. I told this to Courtney, who is gay, and she responded by calling me a "big old lesbian". It made my damn day. I have been called many things by many people, some of them quite uncomplimentary. But I feel in pretty good company when someone calls me a lesbian. I suppose it is the irony of my being called something that is a physical impossibility which has delighted me so much. It won't double my chances of getting a date on a Saturday evening, but it is a badge I wear with some pride. And it got a good chuckle from the boys this morning at coffee. I wonder if a few of them might be jealous?
I will be in the Valley this weekend. The fellow I owe money to for clearing my mother's drive way wants to be paid, and I don't want the amount to become so large that I will have to sell my blood or my back up kidney to satisfy this debt. And I have something like 10 bags of magazines in my car to give to my mother for her to peruse before she shares them with the other people in her nursing home. If I do not soon rid myself of these magazines, they will threaten to throw my car out of alignment. Besides, my mother is down to her last few dozen back issues of Reader's Digest, and that is a fate I would wish on no one.
You guys have a good weekend. I will write you from the Valley this weekend. I may even include a picture or two of Newbie if I can trick him into his carrier instead of him tricking me into it like he did last month. Grr.
See you tomorrow.
Bevboy
Wednesday, February 5, 2014
Post 2587 - Short And Sweet
Meanwhile, Newbie is starting to like my new television. Thought you'd like to see this.
Or not.
See you tomorrow.
From Bevboy's BlackBerry to Bevboy's Blog!
Tuesday, February 4, 2014
Post 2586 - Tuesday
I have mentioned before that I have scheduled another blog interview for this coming Thursday after my work. I am shaping the questions now, and today received the special bonus questions courtesy of another radio celebrity. The person's questions were excellent, and I am looking forward to sharing them with my subject, and with you guys down the road.
Tomorrow is Wednesday. That is not a profound statement, folks. Wednesday follows Tuesday in this part of the world. But it will likely be the third Wednesday in a row during which there will be a Nor'Easter. I do not look forward to driving home tomorrow evening. If the weather is as bad as the forecast is indicating, then Toastmasters will likely be cancelled for the 3rd week in a row. I am forgetting the names of the people in the club already. I am also struggling to recall the name of the club I'm in.
The tv I picked up on Saturday is fine. I love it. But one thing I don't like, which is not the television's fault, is that no local channels seem to broadcast in 1080p. The best I seem to be able to do is 720p. This means that the HD tv on the main level, the one I got Patricia for Christmas, is not nearly as obsolete as I thought it might be when I bought it in December. From what I am reading, 1080p broadcasts are nowhere near on the horizon around here, due to bandwidth concerns from my cable company. I am not even sure if the over the air channels broadcast in 1080p. I doubt it.
I am not sure what the resolution of my Netflix is. The picture is fine and it fills the screen fully as if it were HD; but if that is HD, then my middle name is Denise. Which it isn't. I promise. Do you actually think my parents would have named me Beverly, and then compounded that obscenity by giving me a woman's name for my middle name as well? Give your head a shake.
Whenever I plop myself down in the chair in my recroom, Newbie is not far behind, plopping himself on my lap, gleefully paying attention to my Bevboys while doing so. If he still had his Newbies, then I'd do to him what he does to me just to show him who's boss.
Anyway, I have to get to work on devising those questions for Thursday.
See you tomorrow.
Bevboy
Tomorrow is Wednesday. That is not a profound statement, folks. Wednesday follows Tuesday in this part of the world. But it will likely be the third Wednesday in a row during which there will be a Nor'Easter. I do not look forward to driving home tomorrow evening. If the weather is as bad as the forecast is indicating, then Toastmasters will likely be cancelled for the 3rd week in a row. I am forgetting the names of the people in the club already. I am also struggling to recall the name of the club I'm in.
The tv I picked up on Saturday is fine. I love it. But one thing I don't like, which is not the television's fault, is that no local channels seem to broadcast in 1080p. The best I seem to be able to do is 720p. This means that the HD tv on the main level, the one I got Patricia for Christmas, is not nearly as obsolete as I thought it might be when I bought it in December. From what I am reading, 1080p broadcasts are nowhere near on the horizon around here, due to bandwidth concerns from my cable company. I am not even sure if the over the air channels broadcast in 1080p. I doubt it.
I am not sure what the resolution of my Netflix is. The picture is fine and it fills the screen fully as if it were HD; but if that is HD, then my middle name is Denise. Which it isn't. I promise. Do you actually think my parents would have named me Beverly, and then compounded that obscenity by giving me a woman's name for my middle name as well? Give your head a shake.
Whenever I plop myself down in the chair in my recroom, Newbie is not far behind, plopping himself on my lap, gleefully paying attention to my Bevboys while doing so. If he still had his Newbies, then I'd do to him what he does to me just to show him who's boss.
Anyway, I have to get to work on devising those questions for Thursday.
See you tomorrow.
Bevboy
Monday, February 3, 2014
Post 2585 - Things That Make Me Go Grr!
I heard about this on Saturday evening, and in the 2 days since, the story has only grown larger. The more I think about it, the more it ticks me (and hundreds of others) off.
Ray's Lebanese Cuisine and A Touch of India, two entries in the Scotia Square food court, are being evicted by the end of March, 2014.
I am not happy about this. Ray's falafels were so popular that he won for best falafel year after year in the Coast. It reached the point where they retired the category because nobody else had a chance of winning in it. I loved his combo plate, containing tabouli salad, chicken, rice, lentils, hummus and a piece of pita bread for only about six dollars. He always pretended to recognize me and to call me "friend". He is a great guy, with a wonderful product. Routinely at lunch time, people are lined up for his excellent food. If his lines were too long, or the lines were too long at A Touch of India, people would migrate to other entries in the food court.
I don't miss much from my years of working in downtown Halifax. I did at first, but not now. I don't miss the traffic. I don't miss the panhandlers. I don't miss the dirt and grime of that part of the city. But I do miss little restaurants like Ray's Lebanese Cuisine and I hope to get at least one more combo plate from him before he has to leave Scotia Square.
The brain trust who own Scotia Square, the Sobeys, have decided that it is better to get rid of Ray's business and the Indian restaurant next door to him, in favour of a large multinational like Subway. There is no way that this will be an improvement for anybody. People are not going to line up for blocks around for a six inch tuna sub from Subway. What they will do is line up outside of wherever Ray moves to and to wherever the folks who own A Touch of India end up.
Small business is the life blood of any economy. They seldom need government subsidies. They hire a few people and buy local supplies and provide a product that is consumed locally. It's all good. It should be encouraged, and not thrown under the bus by people who are jealous of the business and want to be there instead.
I am not going to organize any kind of boycott here. I am just stating that I have made the personal decision not to patronize anything from the Sobey family. That means I won't go to their grocery stores, I will not buy anything from any Lawton's drug store, and I will endeavour not even to enter any building owned or managed by that family company. They have to understand that people are disappointed by this decision; the only way to do that is to vote with your pocketbook. Do what you want. I know I will.
Ray, I hope you land on your feet. You are too good for downtown Halifax. Go to where you are wanted, like the North End. Hey, move to Young Street so that I can go to your establishment a couple of times a week.
Good luck, my friend.
See you tomorrow.
Bevboy
Ray's Lebanese Cuisine and A Touch of India, two entries in the Scotia Square food court, are being evicted by the end of March, 2014.
I am not happy about this. Ray's falafels were so popular that he won for best falafel year after year in the Coast. It reached the point where they retired the category because nobody else had a chance of winning in it. I loved his combo plate, containing tabouli salad, chicken, rice, lentils, hummus and a piece of pita bread for only about six dollars. He always pretended to recognize me and to call me "friend". He is a great guy, with a wonderful product. Routinely at lunch time, people are lined up for his excellent food. If his lines were too long, or the lines were too long at A Touch of India, people would migrate to other entries in the food court.
I don't miss much from my years of working in downtown Halifax. I did at first, but not now. I don't miss the traffic. I don't miss the panhandlers. I don't miss the dirt and grime of that part of the city. But I do miss little restaurants like Ray's Lebanese Cuisine and I hope to get at least one more combo plate from him before he has to leave Scotia Square.
The brain trust who own Scotia Square, the Sobeys, have decided that it is better to get rid of Ray's business and the Indian restaurant next door to him, in favour of a large multinational like Subway. There is no way that this will be an improvement for anybody. People are not going to line up for blocks around for a six inch tuna sub from Subway. What they will do is line up outside of wherever Ray moves to and to wherever the folks who own A Touch of India end up.
Small business is the life blood of any economy. They seldom need government subsidies. They hire a few people and buy local supplies and provide a product that is consumed locally. It's all good. It should be encouraged, and not thrown under the bus by people who are jealous of the business and want to be there instead.
I am not going to organize any kind of boycott here. I am just stating that I have made the personal decision not to patronize anything from the Sobey family. That means I won't go to their grocery stores, I will not buy anything from any Lawton's drug store, and I will endeavour not even to enter any building owned or managed by that family company. They have to understand that people are disappointed by this decision; the only way to do that is to vote with your pocketbook. Do what you want. I know I will.
Ray, I hope you land on your feet. You are too good for downtown Halifax. Go to where you are wanted, like the North End. Hey, move to Young Street so that I can go to your establishment a couple of times a week.
Good luck, my friend.
See you tomorrow.
Bevboy
Sunday, February 2, 2014
Post 2584 - Sunday
I'm a little hurt.
Sniff!
See you tomorrow.
From Bevboy's BlackBerry to Bevboy's Blog!
Saturday, February 1, 2014
Post 2583 - Saturday
Sorry for the short posts. Just lovin' this HD experience too much.
See you tomorrow.
From Bevboy's BlackBerry to Bevboy's Blog!
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