Transistioning To Transistion

I knew it to begin with and I can only hear you say, "I told you so", so many times before I have thoughts of jamming a sharp object in my ear in hopes of drowning you out. I seriously wouldn't do that, but the thought of it does give me this weird cumbersome feeling. Is that odd? Well, yes, and that's life in the radio.

I admit that after high school back in 1994 my decision to study broadcasting (radio, specifically. A weird fascination of mine.) instead of attending a culinary academy (aka: cooking school), I probably wasn't thinking about the consequences. Of course, not being able to develop that keen sense of soothsaying also played a major factor in where I am now. Where is that? Well, at the Whetstone Branch of the Columbus Metropolitan Library searching for a full time job and submitting applications for less-than-desired employment in order to pay bills, buy food and gas for my car and what little bit of a Christmas I can offer to loved ones. Something is better than nothing.

http://www.columbuslibrary.org/

I have no one to blame, but myself. My professors told me, my college advisor (David R. Collins: tough, but sincere) warned me and the folks who allowed me to volunteer, intern and work-study at Morehead State University's WMKY Public Radio gave me the heads up. Nevertheless, I figured working at a job that you love, have fun with and are good at would outweigh the fact that a lucrative career in radio would probably never happen. Come on, I'm not getting into this for the money. Any veteran radio or television person will tell you that, most likely, will not happen.

Fourteen years later, I'm not necessarily regretting past decisions. I just wish I would have seen the light a little sooner, however dim it may be. And it really doesn't have anything to do with money.

Radio just hasn't been that good to me. I'm sure I deserved what I have received. You reap what you sow. At this point radio has taken me to four states, from public to commercial broadcasting and from small market to medium-ish market. I still enjoy radio, but not as much I should. I even thought that going back to school to get a graduate degree (achieved 2001) would change my attitude and/or horizons. Nope, my views haven't changed. And it isn't because of the downsizing and dwindling status of radio over the last several years nationwide. It's me. To add to that, I was recently let go from my most recent radio job.

What If I could use what radio has taught me elsewhere?

Well, I love to write, produce and edit and think that my communications background is extensive enough that I could get my foot in the door pretty much anywhere. Then again, the rough economic times have forced businesses and corporations to hire only those who have the exact qualities (i.e. experience) they need. Taking a chance on someone who has talked a good game, but doesn't have much of a case to present is on the outside looking in.

The more I examine my attempt at at career change I realize I want to be in communications. I'm good at it, I know I am. I'm not cocky, I'm just confident in my abilities. I was never one to expect to become wealthy in broadcasting. Radio allowed me to keep my head above water, that's okay, I'm a good swimmer. Unfortunately, I have been treading water too long and have grown tired.

I sometimes wonder what would have happened had I taken all that time I spent bugging my mom (Greatest cook I know!) in the kitchen, picking up her techniques through osmosis, and put it to work for me professionally. Would have I succeeded? Would have I been happy? Or would I still be where I am today, but wondering "What if?" about radio? What is done is done.

Cooking school could still be a possibility, but the price tag is a bit beyond my realm. And there aren't many restaurants who want to hire a 33 year old wannabe chef with no experience. Impressing friends and family in my small apartment kitchen is my current status chef status. Though I have been exploring a communications job in the food industry and have done a few restaurant reviews on my own for the place I used to work (http://www.akronnewsnow.com/). They did get plenty of views from Akron/Canton area residents, but whether they were taken seriously, I don't know.

http://www.akronnewsnow.com/entertainment/itemdetail.asp?ID=21999&section=entertainment&subsection=localentertainment

http://www.akronnewsnow.com/entertainment/itemdetail.asp?ID=22764&section=entertainment&subsection=localentertainment

In the meantime, as I search for full time work and work that will at least pay the bills, I have suddenly noticed that small flicker of opportunity. It is extremely hard to see. My hopes rest now on networking (I'm on http://www.linkedin.com/), setting up possible freelance opportunities (http://www.guru.com/), moving to Columbus and ignoring the sickening feeling that I took the wrong path somewhere way back when.

http://www.linkedin.com/profile?viewProfile=&key=25248256&trk=tab_pro

http://profile.guru.com/1077145

I'm not looking for sympathy and I'm not looking for charity, but damn, it does make me think.

For those of you who are also job searching, good luck and keep the faith. And if you need to bounce ideas off of someone who understands, don't be afraid to send me a note. We're in this together.

Unemployment is an island, but its a crowded one.

Ghosts Of Christmas Past In The Present

Stan Hywet Hall, an old Christmas by any other name just wouldn't be the same. Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens has officially been decked out for the holidays and if you are one who enjoys the sights, scenes, colors and sounds of the season this is the one place to experience it. And I'm not just talking about Christmas, I'm talking about OLD Christmas. The 65 room Tudor Revival Mansion is the former home of F.A. Seiberling, the founder of Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, and his family.

Original Story: http://www.akronnewsnow.com/news/itemdetail.asp?ID=26758&section=news&subsection=localnews

I, for one, am nostalgic and nothing is more special than reliving the holiday seasons of the past. Was it more simple then? Maybe, but getting to enjoy what a holiday season would have been like 100 years ago in a mansion from the American Country Estate boom is a history buff's dream come true. Sure, the Seiberlings were wealthy and they lived better than the vast majority of people during that time. But trying to understand what life would have been like in the early portion of 1900's is something we don't get to do very often. Lucky for us we have, in Akron, a home where time stands still. The antiques, the photos, the feel and the smells allow us to revisit this era.

As we speak Stan Hywet Hall has been transformed into a Christmas (and history) lover's fantasy.The historic structure allows your imagination to run rampant. The ghosts of holiday seasons past guide you through The Great Hall where it seems as though the trimmed Christmas tree is just as tall as the ceiling, three stories high. Lighted messages over doorways, such as "Good Will Toward Men", are surrounded by bright red bows. Greenery is strung through out the home as if it were one long strand that has some how slithered its way into each and every perfect location. A statue of a horse pulling a yule log on a small, old time sleigh into the room from outside stands before you. Sounds weird, right? But that's how it took place. A black & white photo of that very same scene, in that very spot, is right nearby.

The entire home, upstairs and down, is dressed in a festive fashion. Not too much, but yet, not too little. On Friday evening we had additional help in imagining Christmas' of long ago. On video (transferred from old reel-to-reel film) is the 1923 Christmas Day Wedding of Irene Seiberling to Milton Harrison. It shows the home decorated for the holidays (in black & white and silent, of course) as well as the wedding's procession through the home to the vehicle that would take them away on their brand new journey together as snow lightly falls. (FYI, they left from this point to a honeymoon in Jamaica) Also, on video was the 1932 Christmas reel labeled "So Many Grandchildren".

The Seiberlings had seven children and it seems as if there are a thousand grandchildren. The kids take part in Christmas activities and horse around like, well, children...go figure. The videos give you another perspective of the family photos seen on the walls, the people all look the same and come to life before your very eyes. As if the videos weren't enough the family had a tradition of performing before one another and recording it. We were treated to a recording of Santa Claus arriving and entertaining the Children. This includes the scratchy sound of the original record recording in the background. Listening to the recording and strolling through the decked out home you can almost see the Seiberling family & friends enjoying a holiday season.

The large dining hall table is set with the best holiday china. You can only dream of the Christmas feasts that must have been devoured by the many guests who once visited the home. Some of them famous (several presidents, Thomas Edison, Helen Keller, etc.), so of them not so famous.It is not just the fact the Seiberling family lived there that makes one wish they could have experienced life at Stan Hywet Hall. They just happened to live there. Rather, it is the history and life from 80 to 100 years ago that we will no longer be able to experience and can only read about. In Stan Hywet Hall that is preserved for all those who have an imagination, a love of history and that part of them that just doesn't want the past to be IN the past.

If you get the chance to visit the hall at night, you should do it. It just adds to the mystic of a what a Christmas Eve might have been like. Yeah, I'm a softy to when it comes to history and old Chistmas. I grew up with it. My family has a long history in southern Ohio (near Chillicothe) from the pre-civil war era (former U.S President and General Ulysses Simpson Grant is a distant relative) and on. Thus, my childhood was spent in homes that were literally walking history books.Stan Hywet Hall is no different.Adding to the holiday fun the hall is presenting the exhibit, Art Of The Nativity, featuring over 40 creches (French for "manger") from around the world.

The nativity scenes on display come from may different countries and cultures. The art work is provided by the Marian Library at the University of Dayton which houses a collection of more than 1,300 nativity scenes, or creches. The scenes are set up through each room of the house and adds that perfect touch to a holiday tour.Okay, I'm in the mood now. So don't hate me if you don't want to hear it, but....Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays. From our house to yours, we wish you the very best.

Now, where's the eggnog and fruitcake?!

On the web: http://www.stanhywet.org/

Stick That In Your Campaign And Smoke It!

They are all gone! No more: "We can't trust Joe Shmoo", "She's corrupt and eats babies", "He took money from taxpayers to fund his bikini waxing fetish!" Ahhh, I can't tell you how good it feels to know I can flip on the television in the morning and see an actual commercial. Acne cream, coffee filters, chocolate covered dandelions in cream sauce, I don't care, let me see them in succession for the next week!

Those absolutely ignorant campaign ads (television or radio) have come to an end. I can imagine how annoying they can get to the average voter. That also goes for the mountains of campaign mailers that are shoved in our mailboxes like stocking stuffers (Does Santa hate me?!). As a member of the media we have to endure the same ads as you do, but with a sinister twist. We have to interview these people who apparently think we enjoy hearing about their opponent's dirty little secrets.

Election preview stories make my skin crawl. It wouldn't be so bad if I contacted Sherry I'm-Really-An-Illegal-Alien and she just told me about herself and what she wants to do if elected. Instead, more often than not, we are also forced to hear what they really think about their opponent. Listen Sherry....that's all great. I'd love to hear about Tim I-Have-Four-Wives' attempt to grow marijuana in his basement with a hair dryer and flood lights, but the fact is I DON'T CARE! It is about the issues! Who wants to do what and how? What are the priorities for whatever office or district you will be representing? Does your agenda fit in with mine? These my friends are the nuts and bolts that SHOULD encompass a campaign.

Yes, I know, I have never run for office and I don't know what it is "really" like. But we are not completely stupid, SO STOP ACTING AS IF WE ARE!! Unfortunately this is what campaigning has become: a smear fest to see who can find the best dirt, put together the most original parody of their opponent and avoid the real issues at all costs. It is a wonder why so many countries hate us and for all the wrong reasons

Yes, November 4th is now history and we can go back to watching real commercials on products we wouldn't dream of purchasing...how wonderful! And just in time for Christmas! (I can't wait for those killer "Give-uh, give-uh, give-uh Garman" satellite navigation device commercials, they get me everytime!)

Although those campaign commercials are only gone for a few months as the primary election will roll around in late Spring. We can at least rest easier knowing the dreary, dark winter months can be experienced without the suicide inducing crap fed to us from all media avenues.

Akronites going to hell? http://www.akronnewsnow.com/news/itemdetail.asp?ID=26612&section=news&subsection=politicsnews
(The good part is on the audio link at the bottom. It's the one titled: Hear Plusquellic address supporters after Issue 8's defeat. His 'hell' comment is at the end, but the build-up to it is interesting)

As for myself, I get to spend the next few months playing back the soundbite of Akron Mayor Don Plusquellic telling the opposition to this Issue 8 Akron Scholarship Plan that they will have "...a special place in hell..." for leading the campaign that ultimately led to the issue's large defeat on Tuesday.

The mayor made his comments at the Issue 8 election night watch party at The Lockview, a pub in downtown Akron. It's a place I'd highly recommend for a beer and a bite to eat.

It's across the street from Lock 3 Park: http://www.thelockview.com/

If you find yourself there, say hello to Matt the manager for me. A very good guy who went out of his way to accommodate my setting up some live remote equipment for Tuesday's broadcast.

Take care Akron...the next election is closer than you think.

Wrong Number Gone Awry

Shortly after moving to Canton in 2004, when the summer months finally rolled around, I took the time outside of work to try and meet some people. Not knowing anyone and being a little unfamiliar with the territory I looked at all avenues. This didn't have much success for the basic fact that I worked 3pm to about midnight and everyone I could meet and hang out with were either at home or sleeping (like most normal people).

I was by no means desperate, but I was hoping for a change in my social life soon and it did. Just not in the way I had envisioned.

One afternoon as I was preparing to head off to work, my phone rings and an unfamiliar number appears. As I answered the female voiced on the other end says, "Charlie?! Where are you? And how do I get to the gym?" At a loss as to who Charlie may be, I told her she must have had a wrong number. She apologized and we hung up. No more than a minute later my phone rings again and its from the same number. On a cell phone in her car the girl says, "I'm sorry I know I just called you, but would it be possible for you to give me some directions?"

This seems a little weird, but I'm game. I have only lived in Stark County for a few months, but I have a Stark County map on my apartment wall in order to help myself out with the new surroundings. Eager to help I consulted my map and gave her the directions she was looking for. Once she received her requested information and located her destination, we continued to chatting. Lauren tells me she's 21, a personal trainer and has just moved here from Hawaii. As our friendly conversation continues I find out she's the step daughter of Stark County Sheriff Tim Swanson, someone I talk to on a regular basis through work.

Soon enough I have to leave for work, she takes my phone number and we agree to keep in touch. It was a friendly conversation that began in the most odd way and I figured I had at least found someone to hang out with.

I get to work and tell my co-workers, Sam and Marlene, about the phone call. I tell Marlene due to the fact the phone was so random. I tell Sam because I wanted to gloat. A 21 year old female personal trainer calls you out of nowhere and you hit it off, that my friends is what heterosexual dreams are made of!!

Marlene, using her damn common sense, begins questioning everything Lauren told me. It all seemed to check out....that is until Marlene remembered that Sheriff Swanson was married to his high school sweetheart. Better yet, he had no children. As much as I hoped she was wrong, I shrugged it off and thought maybe I misheard what Lauren had said. Marlene said she would ask Sheriff Swanson about it the next time she talked to him. Sam, on the other hand, was freaking out in a jealous reaction. I rubbed it in as best I could.

Over the next week or so Lauren and I spoke several times. Just shooting the bull and eventually agreed we should meet sometime. Seems logical. As I'm thinking about what we should do, she continues to call...and call....and text..and call some more. The next few days were nuts, this girl is calling and sending me text messages at all hours of the day. Even when I mention that I'm busy or at work, she continues to give me a ring.

At work Marlene jokes that Lauren is some sort of mental patient who has found her next victim. Sam, too, suggests the girl is mental but as any good man would, he says I should at least meet the girl to see if the "package is worth more than headache". In other words, if she turns out be smokin' hot how long am I willing to subject myself to the wacko in order to show off my trophy girlfriend.

Now I'm no longer thinking about meeting the girl. I'm wondering if this girl has a life outside of annoying me and how much of a burden it would be to change my phone number.

Back at work, Marlene finally gets a hold of Sheriff Swanson. She made sure to call him with me sitting at the desk next to her. Apparently she could tell the future. Swanson confirms the has been married one time and has no children, let alone step children. Also, he says a girl fitting Lauren's background (real or fake) was reportedly trying to buy a car in the Akron area a few weeks before and gave Sheriff Swanson's name as a potential a co-signer for a loan. He had no other information and, thus, couldn't follow up on it.

Lucky for him, I was his new found informant.

I gave the sheriff the name she had given me and her phone number. And pondered a way I could get her to stop calling me. Sam continued to say I should meet the girl, Marlene is telling me to ask the sheriff about the witness protection program.

As the next few days went by I answered only a handful of the what seemed like a thousand phone calls and text messages. I used the excuse of being busy at work, she bought it. Finally, when I was ACTUALLY at work, my phone rang. I checked to see who it was and, SURPRISE, it was Lauren the leech.

Marlene, who up to this point has found the situation funny, can see the consternation on my face. It was funny...for awhile, but it now has become a serious burden. Marlene takes it upon herself to end the annoying calls. I avoid answering the phone and toss it aside, but Marlene grabs it and answers the call. She calmly says 'hello' then asks, "Who is this?" When Lauren asks the same question Marlene answers, "This Craig's WIFE! I see you have called several times and I'd appreciate it if you'd stop calling. Thank you very much!" She then hangs up. I'm stunned with a huge smile on my face. As goes with Sam and our company custodian Mary, who bursts into laughter.

Looking like she couldn't be more proud of herself, Marlene says the girl was quiet and didn't say much. And seemed to have hung up before she did. Marlene says she just thought of it and wanted to see if it would get Lauren to stop calling. And it did! For three days I heard not a word from her.

On the four day after being told I was married, Lauren did call. It was after I had come home from work and went to bed. The phone rang, seeing that it was her, I answered to see what she had to say. I was curious. After my quick 'hello' she says, "I cannot believe you are married?!" Not wanting to drag it on, I said 'yup' and hung up. Though I was relieved, I was still curious to know if she was a whack job or I if had just made a huge mistake. Sam's words continued to haunt me.

I didn't hear from her again.

Shortly thereafter Sheriff Swanson called to let me know that by using the phone number I gave him he tracked Lauren down. He confirmed here name was Lauren, but that was about the only truth that I knew about her. She wasn't 21, but 19. She wasn't from Hawaii, but from right there in Canton. She wasn't his step daughter, just some deranged girl with a vivid imagination who lived with her parents (who are still married by the way). She could have been a personal trainer, but you wouldn't find many of them who serve Whoppers part-time. Though Sheriff Swanson tells me that she was cute...for a teenager.

He also said he gave her, and her parents, a stern warning about what may come from any additional phone fantasies or attempts to use his name in any unlawful way.

"Dude! You missed your chance!," Sam says through a hearty laugh. I think he was just relieved that Lauren didn't turn out to be who she said she was. That would have really ticked him off.

Marlene holds back the laughter, but the phrase "I told you so" was written all over her face. I'm a little disappointed, but happy to know I wasn't taken for more than just my trust.

I never heard anything more from Lauren. Though, still to this day, I'm very good friends with Sheriff Swanson. I may live and work in Akron now, but still call him through work. In those calls I refer to him as dad and he refers to me as his son. Nice to know he has a sense of humor about it.

But a few things still remain unsolved. In that original wrong number call, who was Charlie? Why didn't she know the directions to a location that was just three miles from her in her own hometown? Who was she trying to call to begin with?

We will never know.

Autumn In Southern Ohio

Pics from Chimney Rock down there in Ross County...pretty place, especially in the fall (These are from last fall '07).

A Columbus, OH Street Has An Alternative Lifestyle?

This just makes me laugh. I'm easily amused.

Schlitz Lovers Rejoice!!

Click on the title above to link to the original story!!!

A COMEBACK IS BREWING
Beermaker is betting on nostalgia in restoring a Milwaukee icon
By Emily Fredrix ASSOCIATED PRESS

MILWAUKEE — It’s The Beer That Made Milwaukee Famous. Now Schlitz is making the city nostalgic. That beer with the old-time mystique is back on shelves in bottles of its original formula in the city where it was first brewed more than a century and a half ago. Schlitz was the top-selling beer for much of the first half of the 20th century. But recipe changes and a series of snafus made the beer — in many a drinker’s opinion — undrinkable, turning what was once the world’s most popular brew into little more than a joke. But after decades of dormancy, the beer is back. Schlitz’s owner, Pabst Brewing Co., is recreating the old formula, using notes and interviews with old brew masters to concoct the Pilsner again. The maker of another nostalgic favorite, Pabst Blue Ribbon, it hopes baby boomers will reach for the drink of their youth. They also want to create a following among young- er drinkers who want to know what grandma and grandpa drank. “We believe that Schlitz is, if not the, one of the most iconic brands of the 20th century,” said Kevin Kotecki, president of Pabst Brewing Co., which bought the brand that dates to 1849 from Stroh’s in 1999. “And there’s still a lot of people who have very positive, residual memories about their experience. For many of them, it was the first beer they drank, and we wanted to give it back to those consumers.” In Milwaukee, the comeback is creating a buzz. Stores are depleted of their stock within days, they’re taking names for waiting lists and limiting customers to only a few six- or 12-packs each. People like Leonard Jurgensen say the beer reminds them of better days. The 67-year-old, who grew up on the edge of the brewery downtown, said decades ago it seemed that everyone in the city either worked for the brewery or knew someone who did. If there was a special occasion, you drank Schlitz. Jurgensen had it on his wedding day 45 years ago. “For many years, the product was associated with happy times, especially to people my age,” said Jurgensen, who’s writing a book on Milwaukee’s breweries. Hearing from Schlitz-thirsty consumers prompted Pabst to revive the brand, Kotecki said. It was the world’s bestselling beer from 1903 until Prohibition in 1920, and regained the crown in 1934 until the mid-1950s. That’s when a strike by Milwaukee brewery workers interrupted production and made way for others, like St. Louis’ Anheuser-Busch, to eat into Schlitz’s market share. Before it vanished, the beer changed — for the worse. According to Jurgensen, new owners eager to expand wanted to shorten the fermenting process. There also were quality-control issues for barley, so the beer went flat quickly. To fix the flat problem, the brewers added a seaweed extract to give the beer some foam and fizz. But after sitting on the shelf for three or four months, the extract turned into a solid, meaning drinkers got chunky mouthfuls. And then, the biggest of errors. “They decided not to pull their product off the shelf,” Jurgensen said. “They decided to weather the storm and sell that product. That’s the worst possible mistake they could have made.” And by 1981 the Schlitz brewery closed. The owners sold the brand to the Stroh Brewery Co. in Detroit in 1982, which eventually sold some of its lines to Pabst. Kotecki wouldn’t disclose sales figures for Schlitz but said they are considerably smaller than for the company’s top-seller, Pabst Blue Ribbon. In Milwaukee, it’s at about 75 locations, including bars and liquor stores, though that’ll grow when more is made. John Thielmann, 55, of Milwaukee, says his first sip of the new Schlitz sent him back decades. He remembered being a teenager — drinking underage, he noted — spending summers with family on Druid Lake, about an hour from Milwaukee. But when the formula changed, he started getting headaches after two or three sips, so he stopped drinking Schlitz. Thielmann, who works at a liquor store in suburban Elm Grove, said he was confident the new formula wouldn’t fail him. He figured Pabst had put in enough effort that they’d get the old formula back. They did.
“That first sip was like ‘I remember this. This is right,’” he said.
Some stores in Milwaukee limit the amount of Schlitz beer customers can buy because of the demand.

Schlitz timeline • 1849: German immigrant August Krug opens a small restaurant and tavern in Milwaukee, begins to brew beer and turns it into a brewery. • 1850: Joseph A. Schlitz, 20, emigrates from Germany and works for Krug as a bookkeeper. • 1856: Krug dies, leaving no offspring, and Schlitz takes over management of the brewery. • 1858: Schlitz marries Krug’s widow, Ann Marie. • 1861: The brewery is renamed the Joseph Schlitz Brewery. Schlitz runs it with Krug’s four nephews, the Uihlein brothers. • 1871: The Great Chicago Fire destroys many of that city’s breweries, giving Schlitz an opening to expand his business. • 1875: Schlitz travels to Germany and is presumed dead when his ship sinks in a storm. Because he had no children with Krug’s widow, the Uihlein brothers take over the brewery. • 1893: The company introduces the slogan The Beer That Made Milwaukee Famous. • 1902: Schlitz surpasses Pabst as the world’s best-selling beer after selling 1 million barrels that year. • 1920: Prohibition begins. The brewery makes soda, malt syrup and candy. It survives because the Uihlein brothers have extensive real-estate holdings. • 1934: Prohibition ends, Schlitz resumes production and retakes the No. 1 sales spot. • 1953: Strike by Milwaukee brewery workers hurts brewers like Pabst, Blatz and Schlitz, which lose market share to rivals such as Anheuser-Busch of St. Louis. • 1954: Schlitz briefly rebounds to again be the world’s best-selling beer. • 1955: Anheuser-Busch takes over the top spot, which it still holds. • 1975: Immediate family management of Schlitz ends and distant relatives and outsiders take over the operation. • Mid- to late-1970s: Schlitz still sells well, so the new owners try to make more by shortening the fermenting process. But the beer has no foam and is flat, so managers add a seaweed extract. But that turns solid after sitting in bottles for a few months. Schlitz sales fall and the old formula is gone. • 1981: Production of Schlitz ends in Milwaukee when workers strike. • 1982: Detroit’s Stroh Brewery Co. acquires Schlitz and sells off many of Schlitz’s plants to pay for the acquisition. It focuses on promoting Schlitz’s secondary brand, Old Milwaukee. • 1999: Pabst Brewing Co. buys Schlitz from Stroh. • 2008: Schlitz’s classic formula is reintroduced. Sources: Leonard Jurgensen, Milwaukee brewery historian, and Pabst Brewing Co.