*
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 = Cort's Web Pages
"Maybe I'll drive so far they'll all lose track" __ Dolly Parton __ 'Hard Candy Christmas'

 

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BASIC LESSON
Common sense & truth need to be more common.


1 MORE THING, COMPANY POLICY
Employers need to be more generous with time off, etc. Forcing an employee to use vacation time for surgery is just NOT right. Contrary to popular belief, surgery is NOT a vacation.


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 = Cort's Web Pages
"I'm sick & tired of being politically correct" __ John Mellencamp __ 'Peaceful World'

 

I don't understand it myself, but ... well, it's the way it is. Aggravating, to put it mildly....



Cort | 38.m.IL | pigValve + paceMaker + cowValve | 5 MCs + 1 Caprice Classic
CHD.MCs.CC + RoadTrips.hobbies.RadioShows.us66 = Cort's Web Pages
"Action speaks louder than words" __ Black Crowes __ 'Hard To Handle'

 

Nope.

Done warning.



Cort | 38.m.IL | pigValve + paceMaker + cowValve | 5 MCs + 1 Caprice Classic
CHD.MCs.CC + RoadTrips.hobbies.RadioShows.us66 = Cort's Web Pages
"Don't look now, things just got worse" __ Dog's Eye View __ 'Everything Falls Apart'

 

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EXTRA! EXTRA!


CHURCH STATE
The US holds the notion of the separation of church & state. But, if this is true, why do some voters (me included) have to vote at a polling place that is located...IN A CHURCH?


REASON PHRASES
Two of the most-used (overly used?) phrases are "Everything happens for a reason" & "It all works out in the end". Really? You actually BELIEVE that? Well, I suppose, I do, too. YET, if these ARE true, how does that explain...the homeless?...the hungry?...people facing bankruptcy due to medical bills for procedures that have saved their life?...companies getting away with lies?...etc.


SPEAKING OF LANGUAGE
"We've got" ... and other similar phrases ... are so not correct English. Yet, we're bombarded with them EVERY day. Perhaps Congress could waste more time and outlaw the use of those phrases....


FOX BOX
Just who designs those "game info" graphics for sports telecasts? With the advent of HD TV, it seems the boxes are smaller. I bet those graphics look HUGE to those creating them ... because the computer screen is RIGHT IN THEIR FACE. Don't know about you, but I don't watch TV that close. As small as some of those boxes are, with teeny tiny numbers, they've become virtually useless. WAKE UP PEOPLES!


Just sayin'. Done warning.


I'm Cort & I approve this post.



Cort | 38.m.IL | pigValve + paceMaker + cowValve | 5 MCs + 1 Caprice Classic
* POST-SURGERY PARTY = ~5:30p-10:30p, SAT, 02/11/12; Beef Villa, 1225 W Spring St, S Elgin IL *
"Never compromise what's right" __ Aaron Tippin __ 'You've Got To Stand For Something (Or You'll Fall For Anything)'

 

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ART'n'LIFE
It can be interestingly humorous, and maybe a bit scary, when a TV show, movie, book or song reflects your life experiences...sometimes TOO much. The revelation can leave you feeling edgily uncomfortable, though I've felt that way for a while now for too many reasons, not necessarily connected to any media. Life's too short to not be content, though....


TOO MUCH WORK, NOT ENOUGH PLAY
Speaking of life being too short, anyone else notice that we work TOO DAMN MUCH? We don't always have the time to FULLY enjoy life. So ... maybe politicians can set a "minimum vacation amount" of, say, 20 days per year. They set the "minimum wage", so why not a required minimum number of vacation days...?!


THERE ARE
*shudders*

Sentences like this grate on my nerves:
'There are many reasons why politicians should set a minimum vacation requirement.'

This is better, imho:
'Politicians should set a minimum vacation requirement for many reasons.'



I'm Cort & I approve this post.



Cort | 38.m.IL | pigValve + paceMaker + cowValve | 5 MCs + 1 Caprice Classic
* post-surgeryPARTY = 5:30p-10:30p, SAT, 02/11/12 | Beef Villa, 1225 W Spring St, S Elgin IL *
"Spare me your freaking dirty looks" __ Katy Perry __ 'Waking Up In Vegas'

 

Indeed ... and something that pisses me off to no end.

*shrugs*


*
ON SECOND THOUGHT
Maybe we should vote out most of the current politicians. Surely ... SOMEONE ... is willing to work in Congress WITHOUT participating in the constant FLAME WARS during campaigns & sessions & *gasp* actually WORK together.... Isn't that why we taxpayers pay them...to work? Salary is nice enough, as is the excellent health insurance benefits. Hmmmmmmmmm....


COUPLES CONNECTION
"Someone for everyone" is NOT always the case. Those of us "chronically single" know this all too well. Yet, society seems to think otherwise.... Just because we're single does NOT mean we are worthless or don't have a FULL life.


RADIO STATION FRUSTRATION
Funny, radio stations keep asking what people want to hear, but then don't deliver. Instead, they play the same 10-50 songs over & over again...EVEN so-called "classic stations" that claim to have a "wide variety". You would think, then, that in trying to give people what they want, it'd be easy to get businesses to sponsor a show or become part of the Radio Shopping Show TO help get that type of show back on the air, but NO. "Too much risk!" So, giving people what they want is risky business? Maybe.


QUOTES
"Doubt is the rust of life."
"It's not the employer who pays the wages. Employers only handle the money. It's the customer who pays the wages."
"Leaders must communicate a million complicated things if they fail to communicate a few simple and profound things."
"I cannot give you the formula for success, but I can give you the formula for failure...try to please everybody."
"10% of organization is knowing what to do. The other 90% is doing it now."


WRAP UP
"I'm done with how it feels, spinning my wheels". LIFE IS TOO SHORT & difficult, no doubt. "Fun" time is limited because...
...of things we HAVE to do
...of expenses, medical & otherwise
...people like to watch "trainwrecks"
...situations & people can be VERY cruel
...health issues cloud our world
...etc.

The intent of ALL of this is NOT to offend, but if so, fine. My "big heart" is GONE. I hope I've sparked something with "food for thought"....



I start back full-time at work, Monday, 02/06/2012, the week before the Post-Surgery Celebration (you're invited!), Saturday, 02/11/2012, which is in the middle of CHD AWARENESS WEEK, 02/07-14/2012.... Somehow, I'll continue Cardiac Rehab; I also need to do projects for which I had no energy during my recovery time at home. UGH...IRONY ROCKS!

Hard to believe that 2012 marks the 35th anniversary of my November 1977 (1st) open heart surgery & the 25th anniversary of my March 1987 (2nd) OHS.... Bah...I need a road trip...or something....


I'm Cort & I approve this TOPIC/THREAD!



Cort | 38.m.IL | pigValve + paceMaker + cowValve | 5 MCs + 1 Caprice Classic
CHD.MCs.CC + RoadTrips.hobbies.RadioShows.us66 = Cort's Web Pages
* post-surgeryPARTY = 5:30p-10:30p, SAT, 02/11/12 | Beef Villa, 1225 W Spring St, S Elgin IL *
"Not sure if I shoulda put it in writing" __ Chely Wright __ 'Single White Female'