Who Doesn't Like To Start Over?

Let me tell you why New Year's Eve is my favorite holiday. First of all, who doesn't like to start over? I mean, you get to spend the entire night thinking about what you're gonna do different "next year". Let's face it, no matter how good your 2009 was, you can find something to change for 2010. Secondly, (at least if you're me), you get to spend the evening/night in a bar with friends and family. So, getting hammered while talking to your friends and family about what you're "gonna do different next year", SIGN ME UP! It really is my favorite holiday. By the way, My OCD gives me a distrust of odd numbers, so, bring on 2010!

Nate

I hate Christmas music

I hate Christmas music. Most Christmas music, anyway. But, that sparked a question in my mind. In your opinion, what is the worst song ever? The worst song EVER? In case you were wondering, I believe that the worst song ever is "The Christmas Shoes". Just my opinion.

Nate

He-Man? Not quite.

All right. I'll start this off by saying that I'm somewhat of a "Scrooge". I don't like all of the commercialism that surrounds Christmas, and therefore, a lot of Christmas crap annoys me. I don't like Christmas music, I don't like shopping and I don't like real Christmas trees. However, my wife does. So, every year I put up with the mess. I put up with trying to find a place to dispose of it. I put up with the needles all over the carpet. Ugh!

I've hated our tree in the past but this year's tree has reached a whole new level. First of all, we bought our tree from one of the Big Brothers, Big Sisters of the Tri-State lots (the only good thing about it). I figure if I HAVE to have a real tree, I might as well support a good cause. Well, they don't have a tree shaker thingy at their lot. So, when we get home with the tree, we notice that, it is, in fact, full of dead needles. So I figure, I'll just "He-Man" the tree over my head and shake the piss out of it (and all of the dead needles in the process). Well, it worked like a charm! My wife came outside to check my status (which usually means tell me a way to do it better), and I actually said this to her: "I can't believe how strong I am sometimes". Well, needless to say, I shouldn't have said that. Because when I turned to carry the tree into the house, my back went one way and the rest of my body went another. Ouch! Major cussing and crying. I wish that was the end of the story.

So now, the tree is in the house. My wife helped me gimp the tree into the base in the living room. No big deal, right? Well, time to water the tree. I dumped three large pitchers into the base and assumed everything was fine. I assumed. And you know what they say. Ten minutes later, my wife said to me, "didn't you water the tree? It's bone dry". "How odd", I thought. Well, it turns out, the tree had knocked out the bottom of the tree stand and the three large pitchers of water were all over my living room carpet! We (actually I should say I) had the fun task of moving a fully decorated tree from one tree stand to another. Fun stuff.

Moral of the story? My Christmas tree = a pain in the ass and a trip to the chiropractor!

Friday is my b-day, is it that big of a deal?

And the answer is, YES!

Friday I will be celebrating my 31st birthday. Let me be the first to wish myself a happy birthday! Ya know, I've always liked birthdays. Not because of the presents and all of the attention, but because, anymore, it's the only time in my life when I can act like a kid. Okay, well, it's the only time I can act like a kid and get away with it!

Friday night I'll head to one of my favorite places in the world, Athens, Ohio! I'll celebrate with some of my favorite people, fellow alumni of Ohio University and, more importantly, the alumni of the Ohio University Marching 110. That's right, all of us old "band geeks" will descend on A-town to watch the current version of the band do what we did 10, 20, 25, 30 and almost 40 years ago! Not much has changed and that's a good thing! It's Homecoming 2009! One of my favorite things about Homecoming weekend in Athens is gathering on Friday night. The percussion section of the current Marching 110 makes its way around Athens, playing a mini-show in all of the bars uptown. All of the younger alumni and current 110 members will cram their way into some of the smaller bars, jockeying for good spots. I used to do this, but, like I said, Friday I'm turning 31 and I'd like to live to see 32. So, I, along with the alumni who are my age and older, will wait for the drummers at BW3's. It's the biggest bar in A-town and it's where the percussion usually wraps up the night. During the past couple of Homecomings, I haven't remembered much about B-dubs the next day. And this year, it's my birthday! Look out Athens, here I come!

By the way, I'll be in A-town by 6, so if you want to buy me a beer for my birthday, I won't turn you down.

Nate

I'm actually pretty satisfied!

No, this is not a sexual post. It's not a blog about where I'm at in my life or anything else serious like that. It's about baseball. More importantly, the Detroit Tigers. If you know me, you know that I'm a lifelong Tigers fan. How did that happen, you ask? Well, I actually grew up less than two hours from Detroit. I used to listen to the Tigers on AM radio when I was a kid. I digress. The Tigers were picked to finish last in the AL Central Division this year (and did finish in last place behind the Indians last season). However, the Tigers actually led the division most of the year. If you followed MLB this season, you know that in the last couple of months, the Tigers suffered a monumental collapse. The surging Minnesota Twins caught and tied them last week forcing a one game tie-breaker last night.

It all came down to last night. Now I have to get up pretty early for work but I decided that since this game was so important, I'd try to stay up for all of it. It started at 5:07, so it shouldn't have been a problem. Or so I thought. Last night was a thrilling, nail-biting, marathon of a game that saw my Tigers come up short, losing 6-5 in 12 innings. Am I sad? Disappointed? Of course, but, like I said, they were picked to finish last. So, overall, I'm actually pretty satisfied.

The worst part is that I won't be getting a Championship T-shirt for my birthday! That's right, my birthday is in a couple of days and all I wanted was an AL Central Champs T! I guess I could still get one, but it would say Minnesota on it.

Nate

Blog . . . . . Thursday?

Okay, so Blog Wednesday didn't last too long. Like two weeks, actually. But, that's pretty good for me. So, we'll just make today Blog Thursday. Today I'm going to talk about something that should be against the law, FALL WEDDINGS!

Seriously, this weekend, I'll be attending my third wedding this year! My wife is a bridesmaid in this one. Thankfully, I'm not involved. This means my only job for the night is to find a drinking buddy right away and proceed to get S-faced! I digress. Back to the original point. Fall weddings should be illegal. There are too many good college football games on Saturdays to be tied up all day watching people do something that they'll just be undoing in a couple of years. Not to be negative but we do have a 50% divorce rate in the U.S. While I"m at it, why not ban weddings on holidays, too? I attended a wedding on the 4th of July this summer. The 4th! Who gets married on the 4th? My cousin, that's who! It really sucks when it's family and you can't get out of it.

You know what, let's just outlaw weddings in June, too. Actually, there are only two months on the calendar that are suitable for weddings, July and February. If your wedding date is planned for any other month, cancel it! Your marriage license will be revoked (or should be) if you don't! Do your relatives and friends a favor and plan around them. What do you think it is, your day? On a lighter note, if you're having a wedding, in the fall, or otherwise, and you need a DJ, I'm available! apexdjs08@yahoo.com

Nate

I hate Fantasy Football!

Okay, for this week's post, I thought I'd highlight my stellar fantasy football career. This is funny only because fantasy football may be the only thing in life that I'm absolutely horrible at. Yeah, I'm being cocky, but I've saved up my trash-talking because I can't use it in my league!

Let me explain to you how bad I am at this fantasy crap. The first year that I played, I led the league all season long. I thought to myself: "wow, this is fun, I'm going to win this money!". Then , in the first round of the playoffs, I lost because all of my players were members of playoff contender teams and their coaches sat them on the bench to "save" them! I played the next year, thinking that that could never happen again. Boy, was I wrong! The very next season, I was in 2nd and 3rd place all season and once again lost in the first round of the playoffs. Since then, I have finished in last place or next to last place every year! It doesn't matter if I do a live draft or auto-pick. Right now, if you don't play fantasy, I've lost you. That's okay.

Last year, I played in an NFL pick 'em league. I finished in last place! And, no offense, ladies but there were three girls in that league. You'd think I never watched football, AND I DO! This year, I'm playing in a survival league. If you're familiar, you pick the winner of one game each week and when you're wrong, you get a "strike". When you get two strikes, you're out. The last man standing wins the money. Well, I've already gotten a strike because I refuse to be like the rest of the league and just pick whoever the Lions are playing. Lesson learned. And, for you Herd fans, I needed Chad Pennington to score 90 points on Monday night in order to win this week's matchup. He scored six. Lesson learned, trade CP. I suck at fantasy football! This is my last year! And that's what I've said the last three years!

Nate

Kanye West

Just a quick one this week.

It's funny, or ironic, rather, that in Kanye West's attempt to upstage Taylor Swift at the 2009 VMA's, he, in turn was upstaged by the President!

Two thoughts: First, I can't blame Kanye for saying what everyone else in the world was (or should be) thinking. After all, if you know me, you know how I feel about that container of no-talent, Taylor Swift. However, I can't condone the manner in which he said it. Besides, I've always said that Mr. West is a racist with a mental condition.

Secondly, how bad does it feel to be dissed by the Prez? I mean, seriously, with all that is going on in this country, the President of the United States, the most powerful human being in the world, takes time out of his schedule to call you a "jackass". Priceless! Kudos, Prez!

Finally, the most ironic part of this whole situation is that I took the time to write about two people that I absolutely despise! Urrrggghhh!!

Nate

Wednesday is now Blog Day!

Okay, so, Wednesday is now going to be Blog Day. Well, I'm going to attempt to try to make this happen. Mainly because boss man has been getting on me lately and because I'm so routine-oriented that if I don't make one day Blog Day, it will never get updated. Boss man was giving me some friendly suggestions on what to blog about and he mentioned music and sports, how appropriate and coincidental for this week!

First, I received a very meaningful gift from my aunt and uncle this past weekend. I provided DJ services for my cousin's wedding over the 4th of July weekend free of charge and they wanted to show their appreciation. So, my uncle found a CD somewhere on the World Wide Web that I've been looking for for over 10 years! Have you ever heard of Toby Beau? Well, if you like softer southern rock, like the Eagles and Dr. Hook, you'll love Toby Beau. They really only had one major hit, "My Angel Baby". My mom used to play the tape over and over again when I was a kid. I can't believe how many of the lyrics I remember! Thanks Mike and Julie!

On a completely unrelated side-note, this Saturday and Sunday is our annual trip to Cleveland for the Browns home opener. They play the Minnesota Vikings. This year, my friends and I bought an old airport shuttle and have converted it into the ultimate tailgating vehicle! So, I thought it would be appropriate to dress up an old blow-up doll in Vikings gear and hang her from the side of the bus with a sign that reads: "Brett Favre is a bitch". What do you think? Go Brownies!

Nate

Cross One Off Of My List!!

Last Friday, I got to cross one name off of my "rock stars that I want to meet before die" list. As you probably know by now, Duff McKagan's Loaded stopped by our studio. After a cool interview with Reevis and a special accoustic performance in the Planet studio, they rocked Huntington that night at the V Club.

Now, I knew that I was proabably going to get to meet Duff and I was nervous from the start. I normally don't get nervous, especially around rock stars. After all, they're just people and are usually very cool (minus ZZ Top). However, I was the stereotypical pre-teen with a mullet whose parents were getting divorced when "Appetite For Destruction" was blowing up. This was Duff f**king McKagan! My first concert (14 years old) was GNR and Skid Row. I snuck out to attend the show even after my parents told me "no". I was grounded for the rest of the summer! A couple of years ago, my mom found a backstage pass from that tour on ebay and framed it for me. It was her way of saying "all is forgiven" and "I'm glad that stage of your life is over". However, it all came back while I was standing there, talking to Duff. Needless to say, he gladly signed my pass and even enjoyed the story behind it.

I won't bore you with how I was on cloud 9 like a little kid the rest of the weekend. I think you get the point. Like I said, Loaded put on one Hell of a show Friday night at the V Club. Great band, great songs. Crossing one name off of my list feels pretty sweet. One gunner down, four to go!

Another concert adventure with Reevis!

Last week I got to head on down the road with Reevis again. I'm surprised my wife lets me hang with him after last time! Anyway, we went to Pikeville, KY to the Eastern Kentucky Expo Center to see Saving Abel, Papa Roach, Avenged Sevenfold and Buckcherry. The day started rough because we couldn't leave until I finished my eye doctor appointment. Long story short, I got contact lenses for the first time in my life and we got a late start. It's okay, though, because to me, Saving Abel is that kind of band that you skip to drink beer in the lobby! They just don't have that "hurry to your seat, the show is starting" feel, yet!

So Reevis and I get going and he tells me that when we get to Pikeville, I won't believe that the town has an arena (I'd never been there). Boy, was he right! The town just doesn't look like it could support a place like that. But, let me tell you, what a nice place! One of the nicest arenas I've been in.

We arrive at the arena and Papa Roach has already started. We hurried to our seats (skipped beer for now) because Papa Roach has the aforementioned feel! They really do put on one kick-ass show! That was my third time seeing Jacoby and the boys.

Next came Avenged Sevenfold, a band that I really don't know much about. I did see them a couple of summers ago at Ozzfest but I got too drunk and don't remember much of it. Their opening number is something that every hard rock band should take notes on. It's the song "Critical Acclaim" and it begins with a long organ part. Then, like a bullet to the face, the band hits you from out of nowhere. If I remember correctly, I turned to Reevis and said something like, "now that's how you start a show". I've been listening to their album ever since last Tuesday!

Finally, Buckcherry took the stage. It was a pretty good show (it was my first time seeing them). Nothing fancy, just good ol' rock n' roll! However, I did find Josh Todd a bit distracting. There were a few times when you could have asked me which song was playing and I wouldn't have known. I was too busy watching him. He's obviously watched a lot of Scott Weiland, Steven Tyler, Prince and Freddie Mercury tapes! Put that together in your head for a nice mental combination.

All in all, great show, awesome arena and pretty good company! (just kdding, Reevis)

Side note: I swear that I had not read Reevis's blog when I wrote this!

A quick note on the Grammys

All right,

I'd love to give you my complete analysis of this year's Grammy Awards. However, I have to get up early and didn't get to watch the whole thing. I recorded the rest of the show, but I highly doubt I'll ever watch it. I don't watch award shows anymore because the band that I've never heard of usually wins the award. But, last night, my wife made me watch and I actually enjoyed some of it. However, what I was enjoying was making fun of the entire thing.

First of all, I don't care how many 15 year-old girls that I offend with this, but The Jonas Brothers SUCK! Period! They performed with Stevie Wonder and I couldn't help but think that they don't even deserve to be that close to Stevie. They should be calling him "Mr. Wonder". One of the scrotum Brothers even messed up the lyrics to one of Stevie's songs! Unforgivable! Taylor Swift performed with Miley Cyrus. And, guess what, Taylor Swift still sucks live! Period! She has millions of dollars, you'd think she'd get some voice lessons! As much as I hate to compliment Miley Cyrus, she sang circles around Taylor. Although, so does the cactus I have at home, so take it for what you will.

And now on to the biggest disappointment of the night. Coldplay wins an award in the rock category! Coldplay! Rock?! Since When? Did I miss something? Metallica was nominated for the same award, by the way. Of course, to me, the fact that Coldplay was nominated for anything is a disgrace. That's right, I'm giving them the "SUCK" label, also. They should just change their name to U2 Junior and retire.

So, as you can see, I am REALLY excited about watching the second half! Maybe I will, maybe I won't. On a more positive note, I saw "Taken" on Saturday with Liam Neeson. It kicked ass!

Nate

A & E kicks ass!!

All right,

I'll admit it, right now, A & E is my favorite T.V. network. I mean, it just gives me the most for my money. I am a huge fan of the show "Intervention", Monday nights at 9. Even though it's kind of wrong, my wife and I always enjoy a few cold beers while we watch it! I know, that's wrong! I also love "Cold Case Files", "American Justice" and anything else on that channel that is reality-based.

However, my new favorite show is "The Beast", starring none other than Patrick Swayze! I've always been a Swayze fan, no wait, scratch that, I've always been a "Roadhouse" fan! Let's face it, that movie is the ultimate guy movie. It has martial arts, a bar, explosions, boobs and a monster truck! Every time I watch it, I have to squeegee the testosterone ( I said TESTOSTERONE) off of my television screen! In The Beast, Swayze plays unercover FBI agent Charles Barker. It's basically "Dalton" from Roadhouse but older, and he's in the FBI. Same attitude, same disregard for law and life and same ability to kick ass! He's got a young partner-in-training that he abuses now and then. It's good stuff and I've set my DVR to record all episodes. As much as I hate to say it, this may be the last work Swayze does. We all know he may not be around much longer. So, check out "The Beast", Thursday nights at 10 on A & E. You can check it out more at aetv.com. But, be careful, you may love it. Don't say I didn't warn you!

Nate

The Planet's 3rd annual Super Bash!!

Hello all,

A big "thanks" goes out to the staff at the Endzone in Ironton! As you may or may not know, that was the site for the Planet's 3rd annual Super Bash on Super Sunday. We had a blast! From the food, to the drink specials, to the prizes, everything was kick-ass! The gang at the Endzone even accommodated us when we wanted to play some pick-up two-hand touch football in the parking lot. It was right out of "Wayne's World", complete with "Car!" and "Game On!" when someone was trying to park! Jeremy, the eventual MVP of what we named the "Planet Bowl", even gave up his body to go all out, diving on the pavement to make a catch! It was great! Hopefully, Reevis will have the video on planet927.com very soon.

A big "thanks" also goes out to all of the Planet listeners who attended as well! Because, it was a good time, but if it was just Reevis and I staring at each other all night long, that's not really a party! You guys made the Super Bash what it was, one helluva party! We'll see you next year and GO BROWNS!!