I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream! It's hard not to love the stuff. A cool cup of dairy on a hot summer day always puts a smile on my face, and it's been a favorite frozen treat for generations. 

At home or at the stand, in a cup or a cone; it's my top ten ice cream flavors! 

Lemon

Strawberry

Vanilla

Strawberry Swirl

Rainbow Sherbert

Birthday Cake

Vanilla (Soft Serve)

Grape

Blue Moon

Superman

As for toppings, I almost always go for rainbow sprinkles. Every now and then, if I'm feeling fancy, maybe I'll do a little whipped cream and a maraschino cherry. The strawberry syrup is some good stuff too, but what I really like are those cherry dipped cones. Sadly, Dairy Queen discontinued theirs last year, but they're allegedly making a comeback this summer. 

Going off that, I must give a special shoutout to the DQ Cherry Dilly Bars. They're the best thing ever put on a stick!

Well, that's this week's top ten blog. I'd love to hear about your favorites, too. Thanks for checking this out and thanks for listening to 94.9 WQMX!

Since first seeing The Fast and The Furious as a little kid, I've always thought manual transmissions were cool. Anyone can drive, but it takes a little more to row through the gears. The car and driver share a special connection through that extra pedal and shift knob, and there's lots of good reasons to have them. 

Right off the bat, let's go ahead and put this to rest: yes, a modern automatic transmission shifts faster than any human with a manual. It's proven, and that's why uber-fast cars like Dodge's Challenger SRT Demon only offer the auto. 

Moving past that, there's still many advantages to driving a standard shift. Performance is a big one; from drifting to rock crawling, the added control of being able to pick what gear you're in exactly when you want it gives the manual an edge. As such, there are a lot of cars these days with paddle shifters, which attempt to give this capability without having the burden of a clutch. 

Outside of automotive sport driving, a commuter may enjoy the active engagement in the driving experience a manual brings. Simply put, they're fun! I think so, at least. 

There're practical reasons to buy a manual too. Oftentimes, particularly in older vehicles, a standard shift is more fuel-efficient than an automatic. This largely involves parasitic power loss, but there's also just the difference in how each is driven. Additionally, factors such as maintenace and repair costs come into play. Certain manuals are less prone to breaking than their automatic counterparts, and they're generally easier to fix if they do. What's more, in terms of practicality, knowing how to drive a manual might be the difference between you getting where you need to go or not. This is especially true outside of the U.S. 

Finally, is the reason why I wrote this. Just recently, news broke of a woman in Boulder Colorado who stole a truck and ditched it immediately because she didn't know how to work a clutch. It rolled and crashed into a hydrant, and she was arrested yet again for the same crime she had also committed a day prior. So, that right there is another advantage of owning a stick shift: for theft deterrence. 

Here's that story, and thanks for reading this blog. I respect whatever you choose; I mean, I own both a manual and an automatic and love driving them each. Just be sure the radio is tuned to 94.9 WQMX! 

I'll be honest, I'm bothered. Most of my blogs I want to make uplifting and positive, but writing this, I'm irate. Maybe this is a cliché topic or old news to most, but what is going on with access to 76 from downtown Akron? 

Taking a quick step back, our 3rd annual WQMX Think Pink Party for Bosom Buddies was a blast! HunterGirl and Corey Kent were amazing, and alongside the Klaben Auto Stores, we want to thank all our wonderful listeners who came out in support of breast cancer awareness. Check out our socials for all the pictures of this great night! 

Now, heading back home from that for me was a different story. It was awful. 

In the El Camino, I can hardly afford to drive all over as she really sucks down the plus-grade gas with that big V8. So, I figured I'd go straight from The Civic to 76 East and hitch it home. Well, what do you know, 76 East off South Main* said it was closed down for construction. No problem, I thought; I'll just head west and turn around at the next exit.

So that's what I attempted to do, and wouldn't you know it, that eastbound on-ramp was closed too! Wonderful. With the way that area was, I couldn't seem to just jump back on westbound to hit up the next off-ramp, so I took the backroads going that way (further west) instead. Eventually, cruising up to the area of the next exit, I noticed that ramp was closed too....

You've got to be kidding me here. 

Then, of course, I got all mixed up in that unfamiliar area with no directions and a dead phone battery. I tried following the detour signs, but they were just for the certain neighborhood streets and not the highway, and that messed me up even worse. I somehow went all the way to the Kenmore Boulevard looking for any plausible route before I surrendered and turned around. I back tracked all the way to South Main where I then continued running the back roads going east, parallel to the interstate. It wasn't until Kelly Avenue that I could find my way on to 76, and at that point I was ready to scream. I'm still so frustrated.

I must ask; how can they close down three* consecutive on-ramps like that? Doing so eliminates access for a huge radius of traffic and inconveniences lots of folks daily. My fifteen minute commute took every bit of forty-five minutes and then some. For that, I'm still irate. 

I was already up well past my bedtime, then there's this nonsense and I'm all amped up. Catching any shut eye before working the third shift went right out the window. Even before, it was a nightmare for me on the way to the show with the ATM glitching for a long time while my card was in the machine, alongside some other issues. And don't even get me started on the amount of expensive fuel I wasted. Oh, and my hubcap went flying into the ditch after I hit a nasty Akron pothole; so I had to stop and look for that as well when I should have been asleep. Hopefully my truck's alright.

My heart goes out to everyone who lives in that area and has to deal with the metaphorical middle-finger from whoever's responsible for what's going on with 76. To cut off access to practically the entire west-central half of the city is not cool. Then, of course, there's the issue with 76 to 77 South at the Central Interchange, but at least I can run up north by the University and turn around there, as these things should go at the minimum. I'm pretty sure 77 South to 224 is still shut off too, after all this time! It's totally out of hand with these Akron highway projects, and I just want to know why. 

I'm typically an easy-going individual, but I'm still bothered. Good music always helps better my mood, so I'll leave you off with a song that sort-of relates, below. Thanks for reading! 

*Update: I'm pretty sure South Main to 76 East is NOT closed. The signage suggested otherwise, I thought. Looking at the maps online, though, it appears open. My GPS tried to take me that way initially, too, before my phone died. Surely I read it wrong. You already know I'm going to go back and find out exactly where the disconnect was, though. Stay posted! 

If you missed the Northern Lights spectacle over this past weekend, don't fret. I know a lot of people felt some FOMO and disappointment Saturday when the internet became flooded with pictures, but hear this: it wasn't like they're portraying it. 

Some of these pictures are making it seem like the Aurora Borealis in the movie Brother Bear. If you don't get that reference, essentially, these photos show a vividly tie-dyed multicolored mystical canvas in the night sky. But it wasn't like that at all. Instead, those crazy snapshots were simply the result of camera effects from advanced smartphones. 

In actuality, the Northen Lights were dim and relatively dull. They're amazing, but if you had the expectation that they'd appear just like they do in these photos, you'd be totally underwhelmed. 

So, don't beat yourself up so bad if you missed them! If you have to use your phone to get a good look at them either way, I don't care who's taking the shot. 

And for some reason, I feel like this phone camera method detaches oneself from the experience. It's somehow different from using a telescope to see a planet, for example. I don't know; maybe that's just me, but it's like being at a concert and watching the big screen because you're so far away from the stage. It just feels like there's less of an impact. 

The Northen Lights are undoubtably cool, however you see them. As your Overnight host here on WQMX, I'll be sure to keep you informed on all such things after dark. Thanks for listening day and night! 

By the way, did you hear about the new Lainey Wilson Album? It's called Whirlwind, and she just dropped a second track off it, after Country's Cool Again. This one's Hang Tight Honey, and you can give it a listen below! Don't forget, Lainey's hitting the stage at The Country Fest 2024 here in less than one month. I can't wait, and hopefully we'll see you there! 

...one week since I got my Hank! 

You see what I'm going for there? You know that Barenaked Ladies song? 

I'm corny, I know! 

Really, it has been one week since I've brought home my bloodhound puppy, Hank. I love him, and he's doing great! It's been a totally new experience for me to take on such a responsibility, and I think I'm doing alright. 

Hank is definitely a little ball of energy, and I can hardly keep up! Although he's pretty much always got someone at home with him, we're learning a little break within his crate can be a good thing, mutually. He calms down quickly, and I can secure a powernap. Aside from that, we do everything together.

Hank's been running errands with me and melting hearts along the way. He's a good boy in the car, but he's not great at shifting gears. He sure tries! I said, "Hank, you're going to make me go back to an automatic, huh?" Dude just wants to get all up in my business and I only have so many hands. One stays on the wheel, then one is split between his squirely butt and my shift knob. His leash buckles into the seatbelt, though, so at least I don't have to worry about him trying to exit the vehicle. 

Potty-training is going well, for the most part. He's still having some accidents, but he's learning! We're still nailing down what schedule works best for him when it comes to food and water and going outside. Prior to Hank, outside of work, my life was pretty spontaneous. I'm adjusting. 

That's about it. We had to pull a tick off of him yesterday, and that wasn't fun for anyone. Oh, and he is still not loving the leash taking walks. 

We'll get there! 

When the temperatures outside surpass eighty degrees and summertime is hitting, nothing compares to an ice-cold glass of Kool-Aid. It was a staple of my childhood, and I don't care how old you are: it's tasty! 

I'm the type who wants my Kool-Aid sugary. The sweeter it is, the better (to an extent). My "recipe" is to follow the packets instructions, then dump some more sugar and sweeten to taste. The trick is to use hot water to best dissolve all those granules. 

That's about as far as I get in the kitchen.

I especially like Kool-Aid because of how cheap it is. These days with the price of soft drinks, and groceries in general, it's nice to have a whole gallon of refreshment for pennies on the dollar. You can make it however you like best, and there's so many flavors from which to choose. It even works with sugar alternatives. Put Kool-Aid in the freezer to make popsicles, or maybe even use it as the mixer for a fun adult beverage. It's hard to beat the stuff, and that's why its been around for nearly a century as a household name and summertime staple. 

So, grab a wooden spoon and let's get to stiring up this mix; it's my top ten Kool-Aid flavors! 

10. Lemonade

9. Sharkleberry Fin

8. Black Cherry

7. Green Apple

6. Cherry

5. Lemon-Lime

4. Pink Lemonade

3. Blue Raspberry Lemonade

2. Orange

1. Grape

Also, when it comes to the different forms of Kool-Aid, it goes like this: Bursts, powdered, then Jammers. That's not suggesting that any are bad, those are just my prefrences. It's just like how Coke is a little different out of a can, bottle, or machine. What do you think?

That's this week's top ten blog. Thanks for checking it out, and thanks for listening to WQMX. 

Oh yeah!

We love Lainey Wilson here at WQMX and cheer her on through all her accomplishments. She's had the wind at her back in scooping-up awards, partnering with big brands like Levi's, appearing everywhere from talk shows to Yellowstone, and blowing the roof off of every venue at which she performs. To say we're excited to have her at The Country Fest 2024 is a total understatement. 

With that, something new has come up for Lainey; she's opening her own bar! That's right- she's teamed up with the same organization behind the bars of Luke Bryan, Jason Aldean, Miranda Lambert, and Morgan Wallen to open her own downtown Nashville destination. T.C. Restuarant Group is planning on the hot spot to be at the location formerly occupied by FGL House.

That seems sensible to me. It should be relatively quick and easy to redo the place in Lainey's vision. One of the toughest parts, I bet, is figuring out what she'll want to call the place. 

So, here's where I'll throw it to you! What do you think Lainey's bar should be called? 

Thanks for reading this blog and for listening to Your Country! 94.9 WQMX.

Normally, I don't hesitate to share my opinions here with you through these blogs. This time around, however, I'm not quite sure how to feel about it all. So, let's first let this story from CBS Sunday play: 

A few days back, I tipped you off to something huge (yet small for now) coming into my life, and here he is. 

Drumroll, please... 

Meet Hank! He's my little puppy I just picked up out of West Virginia. Hank is a purebred bloodhound from the Taylor Made family of pups. He's just about eight weeks old, and the cutest thing on this planet Earth, if you ask me! Seriously, I'm melting over him, and his personality is just as great as his looks. 

He's the biggest puppy from his litter, and "Brown Boy" as he was formerly known as, was the one everybody wanted. I believe he has nine siblings, boys and girls. Some of their coats are a similar black and tan, while others are mostly tan or even liver. They're all so dang cute. 

The name Hank comes from a combination of things. As silly as it may be, in the show The King of the Hill, the main character's name is Hank. Well, Hank has a bloodhound, Ladybird, and he loves her dearly. That's some inspiration. Then, of course you got old Hank Williams. That man will always be THE Hank, and a nod to him seems appropriate for my little country hound. Also, Hank just seems right. You know how it goes! 

I'm totally obsessed with my little good boy. He slept nearly the entire car ride back and didn't whine or bark. He's such a well-mannered dude already, with a laid-back demeaner. Who knows if that will stick around, or if he'll grow into a toddler with a temperament- I think it's a good sign, though, and we're going to nurture him into good behavior as best we can, too. 

Our cats are not into Hank at all, but he seems very much open to them. They'll warm up to him in time, I'm sure. He's here for the long run, regardless. 

I could go on and on about my bloodhound puppy Hank, and I'm sure I will in future blogs, but I just wanted to give you a little introduction to my new four-legged family member. He's perfect. 

We're planning on a photo shoot this weekend before blowing up social media with pictures of the pup. I can't wait to spend time with him! 

What could make this time any better? I don't know... maybe... A NEW ALBUM ANOUNCEMENT FROM MEGAN MORONEY WITH A NEW SONG OF HERS DROPPING TOO?!?!!!

Oh yeah! Her sophomore album is titled Am I Okay? and it is set to come out July 12th. This announcement came with the release of her brand-new song, Indifferent. Here's that for you to check out: