Kiara is sick, so she won't be able to go out for 'Trick or Treating' tonight. Hope that everyone else has a SAFE Halloween! Hope that everyone gets what they want in their goodie bags.
My niece, Selena, is currently at Children's Hospital in Detroit. She started having problems breathing a couple of days ago.
Selena...get better soon!
I also found out yesterday that just about everyone else in my family is sick as well. Maggie, Kiara, Jimmy... just to name a few. My niece, Katie, is at school in Grand Rapids. I hope that she's away from all of this.
Everyone... GET BETTER...please?
UPDATE (10-28-2005 12:00PM EST): I just found out from Jennifer that Selena is being discharged from the hospital. More details coming soon.
At LotusGeek.com, Rocky Oliver will be making an announcement about something cool coming to Lotusphere 2006. Since he can't announce it yet, he decided to give 'clues' to what it is. I don't know if it's because it's Lotusphere or that I have a 3 year old that likes 'Blue's Clues' (ok, I like the show also), but I can't wait for the next clue.
Since the last clue was Friday, (Are you okay, Rocky?) you can catch up with them all now:
Elmer "Len" Dresslar Jr. died October 16th of cancer. He was the voice of the Jolly Green Giant...you know, "Ho, ho ho...Green Giant!" He actually was an entertainer that had his had in other commercials as well. I don't know if you can say that we'll miss him, but that booming "Ho, ho ho" is something I'll never forget.
This morning, I found out that the local station in Detroit (97.1FM) broadcasting Howard Stern is not replacing him with David Lee Roth or Mancow, but with some show out of Cleveland called 'Rover's Morning Glory'. (Does anybody know anything about him? Please let me know.) Infinity Broadcasting (which owns WKRK-FM 97.1) is also rebranding some of their stations as 'Free FM'.
I find this almost too funny for words. Isn't the lack of freedom by the FCC one of the reasons Howard Stern is leaving regular radio for Sirius Satellite Radio?
After about 2 days, it looks like things are finally done. My friend's home did not get destroyed, but there is clean water damage in one of the rooms. The cause of the fire is still under investigation. There were actually 2 other fires in the area about one day after this big one happened. Some are saying that they might be related. I tried to contact my friend, but I got voicemail. Maybe we'll touch base later in the week. I'll keep you posted.
I would normally not report on something like this, but if you go to clickondetroit.com (WDIV-TV), read the article and view the video, you'll hear about a guy named David Mardeuz. Dave (or 'Friend Dave' as my daughter calls him) is a good friend of mine. To see him having to go thru this is tearing me up inside. My family has survived a fire, so I know what he's going through. I will say this until my dying days...THE DETROIT FIRE DEPARTMENT ARE OVERWORKED AND UNDERPAID! THEY ARE HEROES TO MANY OF US! They kept Dave's home from getting destroyed, and even though the fire started around 4PM Sunday, it was still burning this morning.[One of these days, I'll do a podcast where I'll tell my fire story...promise!] Dave's home was spared, but I hear that his garage didn't make it. I also know from experience that the smoke damage will be pretty intense. Dave...your friends are here for you. I'll call you later. If anyone has a chance, keep my 'Friend Dave' in your prayers.
Tomorrow, October 15th, the price for a ticket to Lotusphere will go up to $1595 (until December 3rd, then it's up to $1795). Take advantage of the certified (or Friends and Family) rate of $1395 by clicking here. (Note: you will be asked to log in...it's your IBM certified username and password.)
Hope to see you there...heck, hope to see ME there!
We celebrate another tapping of a cask conditioned beer at the Fort Street Brewery. Brewmaster Doug Beedy has done another excellent job, this time with a beer called Double Scotch. I've become a BIG FAN of Doug's work. He's a great guy to talk with, and he has a monthly 'Beer Fantasy Camp' (limited to 10 people) that even Jennifer likes a lot. This is without a doubt the best place to get a beer and something to eat in the Metro Detroit area. If you are in the area, you are wasting your time if you don't stop by this place. I will be telling you more about this place (and Doug) in the future, trust me!
Nine years ago today, someone was silly enough to marry me. I'm so glad that she did. Today's podcast is dedicated to her, and to someone that helped me marry her, recording artist Joshua Kadison.
Jennifer, thanks for 9 wonderful years. You still make me laugh, smile, and think. We'll make it to the Pridelands some day... I promise!
Shownotes: This is dedicated to my beautiful wife, Jennifer, on our 9th wedding anniversary.
This is also dedicated to the one man who helped make it all possible, Joshua Kadison. (http://www.joshuakadison.com) He helped me propose to Jennifer back in 1995, and thanks to the permission granted directly by him, I'm able to provide all of you into a glimpse of his genius.
Joshua - Thank you so much for giving me permission to share this with the world. May you always have happiness and peace.
Jennifer - It's been a wild and crazy 9 years, and I can't imagine taking this trip with anyone other than you. You've been my best friend through it all, and as Joshua has said, you'll always be "Beautiful in My Eyes".
Songs replayed with written permission by Joshua Kadison. Please go to www.joshuakadison.com to purchase any of his songs. Tell him that the Lion King sent you.
Songs played: - Do You Know How Beautiful You Are? (The Venice Beach Sessions Part 1) - Love Will Rule the World (The Venice Beach Sessions Part 1) - Wild Angel (The Venice Beach Sessions Part 1) - Take It On Faith (Delilah Blue) - Beau's All Night Radio Love Line Painted Desert Serenade) - Beautiful in My Eyes (Painted Desert Serenade)
I know that it's short notice (considering it starts in 1 hour), but if you happen to be in the Detroit area this morning (where it's currently 41 degrees), the Columbian Squires from Circle 801 are having a Car Wash for Katrina. Come get your car washed for FREE, except that we are asking for donations in any amount to help support the different hurricane victims.
It will be held at Holy Cross Council Knights of Columbus, 4381 Larkins St (at Michigan Ave) in Detroit. You can get the directions here.
I made a public service announcement (PSA) for the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund. I'm going to submit it to the PodShow Podcast Network. Maybe some other podcaster will get some use out of it. Check it out here and here:
Updated information on the happy adventures of Ray, Jennifer and Kiara Anne Bilyk...with Lotus Domino and Lotus Notes information in there (just to keep it interesting). Our goal...getting to the Pridelands (of Florida). CHECK OUT THE REAL BLOG AT HTTP://WWW.THEPRIDELANDS.COM
