So I was browsing around on the Internet last week and made a stop at diamondrio.com as I do quite often to check for any news on the band. While I was there, I went and I was checking out each member's biography. I came upon keyboardist Dan Truman's bio and read that he had done some work on another project with his old college buddy, Ron Saltmarsh. The two of them got together and composed and produced a smooth jazz CD. They call themsevles This Way That and the title of their CD is Festival.
I become rather curious so I went over to This Way That's website at thiswaythat.com to see what else I could find out about it. While there, I listened to the sound clips that they had provided on the site. I really liked what I heard, so much so that I decided to order the CD. It finally arrived today and I have been listening to it. I must say, it is a really good CD and I have been enjoying it.
While I was waiting in anticpation all week for the CD to arrive, I have been listening to the Smooth Jazz station on Radio@AOL and have really liked what I have heard. I seem to have found myself perfering to listen to jazz rather than my norm country music.
I have to tell you, I never thought that I would ever listen to jazz music for any reason, ever. Not only did I never think that I would listen to jazz, but I never thought that I might actually like it. Boy was I wrong. I have found that jazz is rather relaxing, soothing, and enjoyable. It makes me sit back and relax and just enjoy the sound. It makes for a good stress reliver as well. I guess you could say that I have become a jazz fan.
I am sure that there might be some out there that think I have lost my mind because of the fact that I am becoming a jazz fan. To be honest, I do not really care what they think. I think that you all ought to give jazz a chance if you haven't already. I really think that you might enjoy it if you give it a chance. It never hurts to try, folks.
For those jazz fans that might be reading this, I recommend that you surf on over to thiswaythat.com and take a listen to the sound clips provided. If you enjoy what you hear, I recommend placing an order for the CD. Be sure that if you do take a listen and/or buy the CD, to come back here and let me know what you think.
Well, that is going to wrap it up this time around. Thanks for reading.
'Till next time.
Jason
Wednesday, January 26, 2005
Sunday, January 23, 2005
A Sad Day
Man, today was a sad day. The following is the reasons why...
As time goes on, you all will begin to notice how much I adore the fire service and all those men and women who serve so selflessly to help others in their time of need.
Today the Fire Department of New York City (FDNY) lost three of it's firefighters in the Line of Duty.
Lt. Curtis Meyran & Firefighter John Bellew died after they were forced to jump out of a fourth story window after the fire they were fighting became to intese and became even more dangerous. Four other firefighters were cirtically injuried when they to, had to jump from the window.
The other firefighter whom was lost today was Firefighter Richard T. Sclafani. He became separated from his comrades when they were searching for a fire and possible victims in a basement fire. When he was found, he was unconscious and was in respiratory arrest. He died at the hospital a short time later.
This goes to show how dangerous being a firefighter is. These men gave their lives to help others. They knew the dangers and did the job anyway, putting their lives at risk and in the end, paid the ultimate sacrifice.
After hearing word of these men's deaths, I went into a sad, mourning state of mind. Anytime a firefighter dies in the line of duty it is very hard. Its not only hard on the loved ones of the person that dies and his co-workers, its also hard for those of us that love the fire service and look up to those who gave their lives.
May these men rest in peace and may God watch over their families, friends, and their "brothers" in the FDNY. May He give them the strength to carry on during this very difficult time.
You can read an article regarding these heroic men by following this link:
Three Firefighters Dead, Four Critical in Bronx, Brooklyn Blazes
Also, another person that passed away today was the great Johnny Carson. I never did watch any of his work but I know that he is a television icon and he will be sorely missed.
It just seems that all the good ones are passing on.
The topic of my next entry will be music-related and that should be coming in the next few days, I hope.
'Till next time.
Jason
As time goes on, you all will begin to notice how much I adore the fire service and all those men and women who serve so selflessly to help others in their time of need.
Today the Fire Department of New York City (FDNY) lost three of it's firefighters in the Line of Duty.
Lt. Curtis Meyran & Firefighter John Bellew died after they were forced to jump out of a fourth story window after the fire they were fighting became to intese and became even more dangerous. Four other firefighters were cirtically injuried when they to, had to jump from the window.
The other firefighter whom was lost today was Firefighter Richard T. Sclafani. He became separated from his comrades when they were searching for a fire and possible victims in a basement fire. When he was found, he was unconscious and was in respiratory arrest. He died at the hospital a short time later.
This goes to show how dangerous being a firefighter is. These men gave their lives to help others. They knew the dangers and did the job anyway, putting their lives at risk and in the end, paid the ultimate sacrifice.
After hearing word of these men's deaths, I went into a sad, mourning state of mind. Anytime a firefighter dies in the line of duty it is very hard. Its not only hard on the loved ones of the person that dies and his co-workers, its also hard for those of us that love the fire service and look up to those who gave their lives.
May these men rest in peace and may God watch over their families, friends, and their "brothers" in the FDNY. May He give them the strength to carry on during this very difficult time.
You can read an article regarding these heroic men by following this link:
Three Firefighters Dead, Four Critical in Bronx, Brooklyn Blazes
Also, another person that passed away today was the great Johnny Carson. I never did watch any of his work but I know that he is a television icon and he will be sorely missed.
It just seems that all the good ones are passing on.
The topic of my next entry will be music-related and that should be coming in the next few days, I hope.
'Till next time.
Jason
Sunday, January 16, 2005
Another Rant
Football season is officially over for yours truly.
The Colts and Peyton Manning couldn't exercise their New England demons today as they got beat by the Patriots...again. I am going on record as saying that the weather was the factor that burned us (the Colts) in the end. I just do not think that they Colts can play good football in snowy weather. It's that or the Patriots were just to good on both offense and defense. It just pisses me off how we cannot get the job done in New England. There is no doubt in my mind that had this game been in Indianapolis, the result would have been different. I am starting to get the mentality that the Chicago Cubs fan (me included) of "wait 'till next year" for the Colts. As long as the Patriots are contenders in the AFC, the Colts are not going to make it to the Super Bowl. If someone else can take care of New England for us, then we MIGHT be able to make it to the Super Bowl but not until then.
Not only am I frustrated about the Colts game, I am also frustrated that Denis Leary didn't win the Golden Globe award for Best Actor in a Drama Series for Rescue Me. He totally deserved it for his portrayal of Tommy Gavin, a man plagued by the after-effects of 9/11, those that he failed to save on the job, his failing marriage, and his alcohol problems. Denis is phenomenal in this role and didn't win the Globe? That is absolutely ludicrous.
Well, I think that about covers everything that I needed to rant about this time. Do I feel better? Not really, but oh well. LOL.
'Till next time.
Jason
The Colts and Peyton Manning couldn't exercise their New England demons today as they got beat by the Patriots...again. I am going on record as saying that the weather was the factor that burned us (the Colts) in the end. I just do not think that they Colts can play good football in snowy weather. It's that or the Patriots were just to good on both offense and defense. It just pisses me off how we cannot get the job done in New England. There is no doubt in my mind that had this game been in Indianapolis, the result would have been different. I am starting to get the mentality that the Chicago Cubs fan (me included) of "wait 'till next year" for the Colts. As long as the Patriots are contenders in the AFC, the Colts are not going to make it to the Super Bowl. If someone else can take care of New England for us, then we MIGHT be able to make it to the Super Bowl but not until then.
Not only am I frustrated about the Colts game, I am also frustrated that Denis Leary didn't win the Golden Globe award for Best Actor in a Drama Series for Rescue Me. He totally deserved it for his portrayal of Tommy Gavin, a man plagued by the after-effects of 9/11, those that he failed to save on the job, his failing marriage, and his alcohol problems. Denis is phenomenal in this role and didn't win the Globe? That is absolutely ludicrous.
Well, I think that about covers everything that I needed to rant about this time. Do I feel better? Not really, but oh well. LOL.
'Till next time.
Jason
Tuesday, January 11, 2005
The Media
Before I start, allow me to warn you that this entry contains some rather graphic content. If you are easily offended by "colorful" language, please stop reading now because this is not going to be pretty.
Sometimes the media just pisses me off.
I read an article today on one of my favorite websites that made me furious. Firehouse.com reported that the Sacramento Bee published a "cartoon" that has many firefighters from around the country enraged. I use the quotation marks because this cartoon is no cartoon at all.
This "cartoon" features three illustrations. Two of the three are drawings from two famous photos that remind us of two of the worst tragedies in American history, those being 9/11 and the Oklahoma City Bombing. These photos were redrawn and manipulated by the artist.
The first photo is the most famous image from 9/11. The image of the three New York City firefighters raising the flag above the carnage of that faithful day. The flag was change to a flag featuring the Playboy bunny symbol. The second photo is one from the Oklahoma City Bombing of a firefighter carrying the body of a deceased baby. The artist manipulated this photo to have the firefighter carrying an unconscious women wearing only her underclothes with a caption of "Hey babe!" The third image is of a firefighter leaning out the driver side window of a fire truck asking the mayor of Sacramento, who happens to be female, if she "needs a lift." Which is meant in a sexual way.
Have a look for yourself:
Here are the originals in case anyone has forgotten:
Now I must ask, just what in the hell is this artist and the editor of this newspaper thinking!?
This "cartoon" is absolutely sickening and degrading. The nerve of these son of a bitches to publish such a "cartoon." These people (the newspaper) are despicable human beings. These a**holes must not have known anyone that was affected by either tragedy or else they would have never published this piece of sh*t. They don't have any respect for anyone but themselves. Do these pr*ck have any feelings, do they have any empathy for others? It sure as hell doesn't seem like it to me. I think its evident. If you ask me, these people are cold, heartless bastards.
What makes this story worse is that the newspaper is not going to retract the "cartoon" nor are they going to apologize for it. I think that everyone that buys and/or subscribes to the Sacramento Bee should boycott their paper and not buy it. Not if they are going to have this kind of trash in it.
How would they feel if they were someone that lost a loved one to either of these tragedies. I am pretty sure they would be as upset and as pissed off as the rest of us are. I might not have lost anyone or known anyone that perished or had a loved one perished in either tragedy, but I do know how I felt when they happened. I had feelings of helplessness, sadness, and fear.
Not only are they degrading the tragedies, but they are also degrading the firefighters. Sure, there might be a few bad apples out there but not all firefighters act in such a way. This "cartoon" is a spit in the face to every kind and good-hearted firefighter that puts his/her life on the line day in and day out to save others in their time of need. Not only do they put their lives on the line, they also see things that no human being should see and those images are forever encrypted into their minds.
This casts a bad light on firefighters in general and its complete bullsh*t. I hope that those that see this "cartoon" will realize that firefighters are good people and not what this piece of sh*t "cartoon" portrays them as.
Here is a link to the article:
California Newspaper Cartoon Enrages Firefighters
Well, that's going to wrap it up. Hopefully the next entry will be a happy one.
...'Till next time.
Jason
Sometimes the media just pisses me off.
I read an article today on one of my favorite websites that made me furious. Firehouse.com reported that the Sacramento Bee published a "cartoon" that has many firefighters from around the country enraged. I use the quotation marks because this cartoon is no cartoon at all.
This "cartoon" features three illustrations. Two of the three are drawings from two famous photos that remind us of two of the worst tragedies in American history, those being 9/11 and the Oklahoma City Bombing. These photos were redrawn and manipulated by the artist.
The first photo is the most famous image from 9/11. The image of the three New York City firefighters raising the flag above the carnage of that faithful day. The flag was change to a flag featuring the Playboy bunny symbol. The second photo is one from the Oklahoma City Bombing of a firefighter carrying the body of a deceased baby. The artist manipulated this photo to have the firefighter carrying an unconscious women wearing only her underclothes with a caption of "Hey babe!" The third image is of a firefighter leaning out the driver side window of a fire truck asking the mayor of Sacramento, who happens to be female, if she "needs a lift." Which is meant in a sexual way.
Have a look for yourself:
Here are the originals in case anyone has forgotten:
Now I must ask, just what in the hell is this artist and the editor of this newspaper thinking!?
This "cartoon" is absolutely sickening and degrading. The nerve of these son of a bitches to publish such a "cartoon." These people (the newspaper) are despicable human beings. These a**holes must not have known anyone that was affected by either tragedy or else they would have never published this piece of sh*t. They don't have any respect for anyone but themselves. Do these pr*ck have any feelings, do they have any empathy for others? It sure as hell doesn't seem like it to me. I think its evident. If you ask me, these people are cold, heartless bastards.
What makes this story worse is that the newspaper is not going to retract the "cartoon" nor are they going to apologize for it. I think that everyone that buys and/or subscribes to the Sacramento Bee should boycott their paper and not buy it. Not if they are going to have this kind of trash in it.
How would they feel if they were someone that lost a loved one to either of these tragedies. I am pretty sure they would be as upset and as pissed off as the rest of us are. I might not have lost anyone or known anyone that perished or had a loved one perished in either tragedy, but I do know how I felt when they happened. I had feelings of helplessness, sadness, and fear.
Not only are they degrading the tragedies, but they are also degrading the firefighters. Sure, there might be a few bad apples out there but not all firefighters act in such a way. This "cartoon" is a spit in the face to every kind and good-hearted firefighter that puts his/her life on the line day in and day out to save others in their time of need. Not only do they put their lives on the line, they also see things that no human being should see and those images are forever encrypted into their minds.
This casts a bad light on firefighters in general and its complete bullsh*t. I hope that those that see this "cartoon" will realize that firefighters are good people and not what this piece of sh*t "cartoon" portrays them as.
Here is a link to the article:
California Newspaper Cartoon Enrages Firefighters
Well, that's going to wrap it up. Hopefully the next entry will be a happy one.
...'Till next time.
Jason
Sunday, January 9, 2005
The Weekend & Other Random Thoughts
What a weekend it has been folks.
The weather here is finally starting to get better. Today was a rather sunny day so that made it possible for all this snow and ice to melt. It has been melting at a rather good pace. It's about time too, because I was really starting to despise it more than I already do!Had family up for the weekend and boy was that good entertainment. My aunt and uncle (different from the ones mentioned in the pervious entry) came up for the weekend. They live in a small town that lost power due to the ice storm. Mom told them just to come up here and spend the weekend. It was good fun. We sat and shoot the breeze and played cards. They went home today and when the got there, they found that their power had been restored.
How about the Colts!? Sure did kick some Denver Bronco butt! Not only did they beat them, they made it look easy! I wonder what all those people that say the Colts are soft think now. They probably would still say that they are. But if you ask me, that is not the case and it never was to begin with. The Colts have what it takes to go all the way to the Super Bowl, I think that's quite obvious. The Colts are THE BEST offensive team in the NFL. Sure, the defense does need to be more consistent, but they are getting better every game. Now its on to Foxboro, Mass. to take on those damn New England Patriots. The Colts have a pretty good shot at defeating them. If Peyton and the boys can play the way they did today, there is not doubt in my mind they will be playing in the AFC Championship game.
Staying on the topic of football, I was surprised that only one home team, that being the Colts, managed to advance to the next round. I was surprised that St. Louis beat Seattle. I mean, St. Louis started off bad and managed to make it in the playoffs. With the way Seattle played all year, I thought for sure that they would win their game, especially at home. I echo the same sentiments about San Diego. Actually, I wasn't as surprised on this game as I was the Seattle game. The Jets played well all year like San Diego but I thought the Charges had a good run of momentum going for them.
Next week looks to be a very interesting weekend in the NFL. Anyone can beat anyone and I am sure its going to be exciting.
Well, my mind has gone blank and I have run out of topic to ramble on about.
So...'till next time.
Jason
The weather here is finally starting to get better. Today was a rather sunny day so that made it possible for all this snow and ice to melt. It has been melting at a rather good pace. It's about time too, because I was really starting to despise it more than I already do!Had family up for the weekend and boy was that good entertainment. My aunt and uncle (different from the ones mentioned in the pervious entry) came up for the weekend. They live in a small town that lost power due to the ice storm. Mom told them just to come up here and spend the weekend. It was good fun. We sat and shoot the breeze and played cards. They went home today and when the got there, they found that their power had been restored.
How about the Colts!? Sure did kick some Denver Bronco butt! Not only did they beat them, they made it look easy! I wonder what all those people that say the Colts are soft think now. They probably would still say that they are. But if you ask me, that is not the case and it never was to begin with. The Colts have what it takes to go all the way to the Super Bowl, I think that's quite obvious. The Colts are THE BEST offensive team in the NFL. Sure, the defense does need to be more consistent, but they are getting better every game. Now its on to Foxboro, Mass. to take on those damn New England Patriots. The Colts have a pretty good shot at defeating them. If Peyton and the boys can play the way they did today, there is not doubt in my mind they will be playing in the AFC Championship game.
Staying on the topic of football, I was surprised that only one home team, that being the Colts, managed to advance to the next round. I was surprised that St. Louis beat Seattle. I mean, St. Louis started off bad and managed to make it in the playoffs. With the way Seattle played all year, I thought for sure that they would win their game, especially at home. I echo the same sentiments about San Diego. Actually, I wasn't as surprised on this game as I was the Seattle game. The Jets played well all year like San Diego but I thought the Charges had a good run of momentum going for them.
Next week looks to be a very interesting weekend in the NFL. Anyone can beat anyone and I am sure its going to be exciting.
Well, my mind has gone blank and I have run out of topic to ramble on about.
So...'till next time.
Jason
Thursday, January 6, 2005
What a Day
Boy, am I tired today. It's pretty bad that I am tired already and I didn't roll out of bed until after 11:00 this morning. I got up and got on the computer for a few minutes before going and spending some time with my aunt and uncle whom stopped by to visit for a little while. They lost power out where they live due to the fricken ice storm.
Speaking of the ice storm, things are still pretty bad around the county. It seems as though the public safety people have been busier today than they were yesterday. EMA has been dealing with downed power lines and tree branches as they did yesterday. KFD has been busier than normal today as well. A few of the calls that I can remember them responding to today were to a home that they had to investigate for carbon monoxide another to assist the Taylor Township FD with the two residential fires they were dealing with, and to a home where the residents smell smoke, the smoke alarm was going off, and they (the residents) couldn't find the smoke.
Now back to my aunt and uncle. They had come over since there power went out to hang out with us until their power was restored. We all sat and had dinner together and afterwards played some Rummy. My aunt kicked some tale. I will tell you one thing, my family is crazy. We are constantly picking on each other and giving one another a hard time. It gets crazy around here sometime. There is never a dull moment I can assure you of that. Then they got a call saying that power had been restored at their place so they headed home.
Now I am just sitting around writing this entry. Do not really have anything to do until around 8:00. When 8:00 rolls around it will be time for the weekly edition of WWE Smackdown! I know what you all are thinking:
"That wrestling crap is fake."
I know this but it is entertainment. I watch it for laughs.Not sure what else to say, do not really think there is anything let to say.
Well….'till next time.
Jason
Speaking of the ice storm, things are still pretty bad around the county. It seems as though the public safety people have been busier today than they were yesterday. EMA has been dealing with downed power lines and tree branches as they did yesterday. KFD has been busier than normal today as well. A few of the calls that I can remember them responding to today were to a home that they had to investigate for carbon monoxide another to assist the Taylor Township FD with the two residential fires they were dealing with, and to a home where the residents smell smoke, the smoke alarm was going off, and they (the residents) couldn't find the smoke.
Now back to my aunt and uncle. They had come over since there power went out to hang out with us until their power was restored. We all sat and had dinner together and afterwards played some Rummy. My aunt kicked some tale. I will tell you one thing, my family is crazy. We are constantly picking on each other and giving one another a hard time. It gets crazy around here sometime. There is never a dull moment I can assure you of that. Then they got a call saying that power had been restored at their place so they headed home.
Now I am just sitting around writing this entry. Do not really have anything to do until around 8:00. When 8:00 rolls around it will be time for the weekly edition of WWE Smackdown! I know what you all are thinking:
"That wrestling crap is fake."
I know this but it is entertainment. I watch it for laughs.Not sure what else to say, do not really think there is anything let to say.
Well….'till next time.
Jason
Wednesday, January 5, 2005
The First Entry
Hey everyone and welcome to my first entry, glad that you stopped by.
So today hasn't exactly been that great of a day. The weather here is just horrible. We are dealing with a stinkin' Ice Storm Warning. It has been raining here all day long and there seems to be no sign of it letting up.
The roads are nasty and there are tree limbs and power lines going down throughout the county making life frustrating for folks trying to drive in it. Thankfully, your's truly doesn't have to go out in it.
I enjoy listening to a scanner and the Public Safety folks in my area (Fire department, law enforcement agencies, and Emergency Management) have been busy all day long, dealing with car accidents, slid-offs, and down tree limbs and power lines. It seems as though a lot of locations around where I live have either lost power and had it restored or have just lost power. Luckily for me, power at my house has been okay. I am just hopping that it doesn't get bad enough for our power to go out.I sure hope that this stuff starts letting up soon and things start to return to normal soon, I am sure sick and tired of it!
How's that for a first entry?
Thanks for reading and please check back soon.
Until next time...Jason
So today hasn't exactly been that great of a day. The weather here is just horrible. We are dealing with a stinkin' Ice Storm Warning. It has been raining here all day long and there seems to be no sign of it letting up.
The roads are nasty and there are tree limbs and power lines going down throughout the county making life frustrating for folks trying to drive in it. Thankfully, your's truly doesn't have to go out in it.
I enjoy listening to a scanner and the Public Safety folks in my area (Fire department, law enforcement agencies, and Emergency Management) have been busy all day long, dealing with car accidents, slid-offs, and down tree limbs and power lines. It seems as though a lot of locations around where I live have either lost power and had it restored or have just lost power. Luckily for me, power at my house has been okay. I am just hopping that it doesn't get bad enough for our power to go out.I sure hope that this stuff starts letting up soon and things start to return to normal soon, I am sure sick and tired of it!
How's that for a first entry?
Thanks for reading and please check back soon.
Until next time...Jason
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