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THIS is your official "fair warning" ... my "big heart" is NO MORE. Literally, It was replaced with a cow valve, 11/11/2011. Figuratively, the jury is still out....
I'm the opposite of the Grinch. Instead of my heart growing bigger, it is now smaller. Perhaps the following vignettes will provide proof...or not.
ENERGY BOOST
It's amazing how people's words/actions affect how you feel, bad & good. After my Christmas Eve radio broadcast, I had rather low energy. But, seeing all of the posts & Emails about my radio show ... & talking to people at the Christmas Eve service, along with a short drive to see Holiday decorations ... really re-energized me.
Too bad some people in this world tend to have the opposite affect....
FLAME & FIRE
Flame wars? Life is too short, or is that NOT through your THICK SKULLS yet? BTW, despite what Billy Joel sings, WE STARTED THE FIRE.
SNOW DRIVING
In December, the Chicago area had a "snowfall" under 2 inches. Yet, drivers forgot how to drive in the white stuff, as collisions galore were reported. NO EXCUSE for collisions in less than 2 inches of snow, ESPECIALLY if the vehicle CAUSING them is front-wheel drive. Perhaps, the NTSB should suggest driver's licenses be revoked instead of banning the use of cell phones....
GATHERINGS NOT
By popular demand, I will NOT put together or promote gatherings in 2012. Attendance at the 2008 MidSummer Chitown Gathering was 65; attendance plummeted since then, to FIVE in 2011. People simply do not "talk up" the gatherings. I went for a "Friday Night Lights" drive the day before Christmas Eve & thought that I could've made it a meet'n'greet event. But, I had other stuff (wrapping gifts, prepping for my radio show, etc.) to do anyway.
I had hoped to have plans for New Year's Eve, but those fell through. And, a mini road trip was out of the question, too.
HOWEVER, my 2012 ROAD TRIP is in the works; DETAILS TBD....
FALSE SLOGANS
Laws against false advertising should INCLUDE slogans....
Chicago's WUSN (99.5 FM) claims to play "everything country." That must mean the likes of Barbara Mandrell, Crystal Gayle, Jim Glaser, Ronnie Milsap, Ed Bruce, The Bellamy Brothers, etc., all are now pop, rock, or rap artists, since WUSN does not play their music at all. WUSN also claims to be "America's country station", but that title belongs to AM 650, WSM, Nashville TN, which has been playing country music ... old & new ... longer. In some cases, it doesn't need the web to broadcast to other states.
Ch#$r%*et's current ad campaign [I liked "heartbeat of America" best] is "Chevy Runs Deep". Really? Like it or not, Chevy is in my blood & has been from the time I first cried that Mom & Dad were leaving behind a 1976 Monte Carlo after a TEST DRIVE, prior to them trading in Dad's red 1968 Impala SS for a buckskin tan 1976 MC that led me to pointing to other MCs, saying "arlo". I was 3. BUT, why are we supposed to believe that the company itself cares about its past? They've done just about everything to ignore it, starting with the 1980s Toyota Nova. At the core of business is making money, leaving little to no resources for celebrating the heritage.
TRUTH TELLING
Ignored facts/technicalities are NOT acceptable.
Why is Toyota considered a FULL line company? I don't believe they have any rear-wheel drive cars for 2011 or 2012.... And, why are RWD cars compared to FWD cars, like the Dodge Charger (RWD) & Ch#$r%*et Celebrity/Lumina/"impala" (FWD) considered to be "competitors"?
According to the book _Chevrolet: The Complete History_ [copyright 1996 by Publications International LTD], on page 348: "With the new Lumina coupe and sedan effectively replacing their Celebrity counterparts...." On page 359: "Taking the place of the aging Celebrity sedan was the Lumina sedan ... a coupe version followed in the fall." ALSO, the Lumina shared types (Eurosport), dashboards (flat/horizontal), tail lights (3 square on each side, across the back panel) & FWD with the Celebrity.... Translation? The Lumina did NOT replace the Monte Carlo (1995-2007) OR Impala (2000-current). Ironically, the MC was the only one of the cousin names (Buick Regal, Olds Cutlass Supreme, Pontiac Grand Prix) to NOT be slapped on a FWD car IMMEDIATELY after the RWD versions ended in 1987/1988.
The Tribune Co isn't any better. After YEARS of claiming they wanted to sell the Chicago Cubs COMPLETELY, what do they do? They RETAIN 5% ownership, & it shows. Theo & Co said they wanted a manager with experience, eliminating Ryne Sandberg as a candidate. Who do they hire? Someone with only 12 DAYS of managerial experience. 12 DAYS does not a manager make.
PERSONALLY
I don't have any regrets, though some things I'd do differently or just DO.... It's NO secret that I'm unhappy with the financial strain my health issues cause, but I do the best I can.... Even though my life isn't like I thought it'd be by this age, perhaps I'm where I'm supposed to be ... not much comfort when I look at the lives of my peers & see how much "farther" along they are. But, maybe we are as far along as each other ... just taking different paths. That sounds better. I have so much on my WANT TO DO list, but not enough time OR energy OR money to actually DO all, let alone some, of that list. Those of us with chronic health issues or who've endured surgery know the difference a POSITIVE attitude can have. It's not always easy & sometimes what others see as a "positive" attitude doesn't feel that way to us....
I'm Cort & I approve this post.
Cort | 38.m.IL | pigValve + paceMaker + cowValve | 5 MCs + 1 Caprice Classic
CHD.MCs.CC + RoadTrips.hobbies.RadioShows.us66 =
http://www.chevyasylum.com/cort"Maybe I'll drive so far they'll all lose track" __ Dolly Parton __ 'Hard Candy Christmas'
