My fiancée and I sometimes like to try new versions of the foods we normally eat, whether it's switching up the brand or maybe the flavor variety. We don't know which queso out that we like best until we try around, for example, and the same could be said for just about anything in our refrigerator/pantry. On our most recent shopping trip together, we needed to pick up a certain purple spread to go with peanut butter. 

I was comparing the different brands of grape jelly when suddenly, my eyes found their way to the most fascinating thing: jam! Mackenzie walked up attempting to scoop up the generic jelly and pull me along to continue on our way, but I said woah, woah, woah! This is a serious decision right here. Do we go with the grape jam or jelly? And why? 

I did a quick internet search to confirm that they are pretty much the same thing, and we learned that the difference lies in the process of making the preserve, which leads to their slightly different tastes. According to those Google results, jam is made using the crushed grapes themselves whilst jelly just uses grape juice instead. This allows for more of the fruit flavor to shine through on a jam, whereas a jelly tastes sweeter but lacks the same depth of flavor. 

We went with the Welch's Jam, and let me tell you, it was an awesome choice. I didn't have any jelly with which to directly compare the jam, but as the MVP of my lunchtime PBJ, it was heavenly! I think jam is more difficult to spread than jelly, but (when it comes to the Welch's stuff) they both hold that smooth, gel-like consistency. Jam oftentimes includes bits and chunks from the fruit's pulp, but this particular one did not. 

So, yeah... I'm a jam type of guy now and we have unapologetically become a jam household. The only jelly products I want to see up in those cupboards are petroleum and beans! 

With this, don't be afraid to venture outside your comfort zone. Maybe you always order that certain type of coffee but there's one on the menu you'd like better; you just haven't tried it yet. Tried and true certainly means something, and there's no harm in being loyal to something; whether it's the beer you drink, the truck you drive, or the boots you wear on your feet. All I'm trying to get across here is that you shouldn't be timid to experiment with different options and open your horizons! 

With Deadpool 3 coming to a filming conclusion.  Ryan Reynolds are Hugh Jackson will not hit the Big Screen until July 26th....

But the big release today was the Trailer for Roadhouse.  I think the original looked a lot better fighting wise.  Patrick Swayze's small town charm will never be duplicated.   Sam Elliot is just a legend.  Anyway see what you think of this rendition.  "I thought it'd be bigger" if you are a Roadhouse Fan.

The day is finally here, Scotty McCreery at the Dusty Armadillo! SOLD OUT charity show benefiting WQMX's Bosom Buddies, we are so thankful to you for selling out this show and helping us raise money for charity! I thought it would be fun to celebrate by playing a new song from Scotty, one that he posted a portion of on this socials. Oh and he wrote it for his upcoming album, we'll keep you posted! It's called "Can't Pass The Bar" and it is such a fun song!

Here's Scotty talking about the story behind the song:

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Scotty McCreery (@scottymccreery)

I'm generally not deep into Hollywood and keeping up with its celebrities, but with the current controversy over this year's Oscars nominations list, I figure now is as good a time as ever to discuss actors and actresses. My favorite movies go hand-in-hand with the people on this list, naturally. As you'll discover, I'm a fan of the comedy genre best, but I enjoy just about any film with a decent storyline. 

I hardly know any of the newer movie stars, so you'll find that this list is primarily composed of individuals who reigned supreme a good ten years ago, or so. When I read entertainment news or try to watch something like TMZ, I'm googling people left and right. It's especially bad when not only do I not recognize the individual, but also the alleged blockbuster from which they're known. You shouldn't have to worry about that with My Top Ten: Actors! Grab some popcorn, a soft drink, and a box of candy, and let's get into them. 

10. Brad Pitt

9. Emma Stone

8. Will Smith

7. Johnny Depp

6. Micheal Cera

5. Mark Wahlberg

4. Jennifer Anniston

3. Adam Sandler

2. Jack Black

1. Will Ferrell

I wanted to include Paul Walker from The Fast and The Furious on here, but I'm not sure he's on the same level as these others, especially in terms of his catalog. He's definitely one of my favorites, but all things considered, I'm content with the stars included in this list, though my order may fluctuate. 

So, what about you? Who are your favorite actors and actresses? Also, how do you feel about the whole Barbie situation with the Oscar nominations announcement? I never saw the movie, but it would seem as though the director Greta Gerwig most certainly deserves some recognition. Barbie is nominated for best picture. Leading actress Margot Robbie was also snubbed, according to fans, and I can't say that's inaccurate. 

Thanks for checking out this blog and for keeping it tuned to 94.9 WQMX! 

Tomorrow evening, I will be at the Dusty Armadillo for our charity concert with Scotty McCreery. Rick Allen will be here at the station to keep you company in my absence.

In the New at Nine for the spotlight song, Rick will be playing a bonus track from Scotty called "Can't Pass The Bar". What will be awesome about this is you should hear Rick play this bonus track right around the time Scotty takes the stage out at the Dusty Armadillo! So, for a few minutes it'll be like you're there anyway!

Be sure to tune in to The New at Nine with Rick Allen tomorrow to catch this! And if you'll be at the Scotty McCreery show...I'll see you tomorrow night!

This Saturday Night is my favorite Premium WWE Event!

Undisputed WWE Universal Championship: Roman Reigns vs. Randy Orton vs. LA Knight vs. AJ Styles:  This one could be won by any of the 4 participants.  Being Roman Reigns is in the match and the holding the belt for 1000's of days is more important.  Roman Reigns retains the title but with a lot of help from The Bloodline.

United States Championship: Logan Paul vs. Kevin Owens: This may be the best match of the night.  If Logan Paul's schedule is busy.  I imagine he will lose the title to KO.   If he doesn't Austin Theory or someone will have a hand in on winning the match for Logan Paul.  

Back in 1999, my parents welcomed three big changes into their lives. There was a newborn baby in the crib, a puppy dog in the back yard, and a brand new full-size pickup truck in the driveway. I was the baby, the canine was our beloved all-white German Shepard named Molly, and the truck... well, that's the topic of this blog! 

She's a three-door 1999 Chevrolet Silverado LT 2wd with the 5.3, affectionately dubbed Ol' Betsy. My mom and dad bought it new off the lot, so it remains a one-owner vehicle, which is somewhat impressive for a truck from the 90's. I grew up in the backseat of this old Chevy, and she's taken us everywhere. That would include annual trips deep into Canada and back, vacations everywhere from Maryland to Montana, and even to high school daily as my brother and I's first set of wheels which we were permitted to borrow. 

Through all the years, we put love and effort into maintaining the truck and keeping her nice, but by no means has it been babied. From muddy four-wheelers to firewood, if something needs hauled, that's the rig with which to do so. We used to pull a pop-up camper behind it, and now that we have a boat, we use the Silverado to launch the vessel. In almost twenty-five years, that truck has never broken down and left us stranded, and it has never had any major failures in general through all the use (and occasional abuse). 

I love driving the truck and have dibs on it once my mom is done with the vehicle. I have a feeling that won't be anytime soon though, and I wouldn't be surprised if she runs it until the frame snaps in half like these trucks tend to do in the salt belt. For now it's solid enough underneath, but as you can tell from the picture of Ol' Betsy, she's rusting out. It kind-of breaks my heart to see it fall apart on the exterior, but it is what it is. The interior, on the other hand, is like a time machine to Y2K. 

From the uniquely colorful GM cloth seats to the original CD player head unit with its sticky buttons, stepping up into that truck brings oneself back to a simpler time. There's no sensors beeping at you or settings to shuffel through. There's not a dashboard full of electronics and infotainment to either go bad or turn obsolete. Heck, it's considered a luxery trim with little more than power windows and cruise control! 

I could go on and on with my love for this truck, and I'm far from the only one who thinks these specific ones are great. Especially with the 5.3 motor in it, they're known for reliability, and ours has been no exception. It's a good thing too, because I unfortunately need to count on it for commuting, currently. The Blazer is down with a major bust in the coolant system that I haven't fully tracked down and dug into yet, since it's been too cold. So, I'm very appreciative of my mom for floating me the keys to the Silverado. 

One day, it will be mine. Even if it's snapped in half between the axles, I still want the engine. In that scenario, after a rebuild, I'd love to swap it into my Blazer or maybe even the El Camino, though I'm pretty happy with the built 350 that lives in the latter. I know the truck can't last forever, but I think it would be cool to upgrade my daily's powerplant with that 5.3 while carrying on the heart from my childhood pickup. 

I love the truck, and the radio dial stays locked on FM 94.9 WQMX, religiously. If your preset number one is also Your Country, 94.9 WQMX, I thank you! 

Keep on trucking!

The Academy Award nominations were announced today. I know there are a lot of people that once the noms are announced, they try to go see each movie up for Best Picture if they haven't yet. 

I am here to tell you. You have 6 1/2 weeks to watch whatever you want to before the awards. They will be hosted be Jimmy Kimmel and air March 10th on ABC.

Now...who do you think will win each category??

The Browns held their season-ending news conference that was heavily quoted on social media and the news. The GM did his normal word salad with lot's of words without a lot of information.  But there was one thing said that really flashed on social media spurring a ton of comments, stating they would love to have Joe Flacco back next season.  I don't think he really means it, and I am 100% certain that's a very bad idea.

But you know it sounds like a good idea with as well as he played and that the Browns offense was never better doesn't make a bit of difference.  Flacco is clearly capable of playing the the NFL, and he fits well here for about 1,000 reasons but that doesn't matter.  Or that Stefanski never looked more at ease, happy and comfortable with him makes zero difference.  The cold truth is, this organization doesn't take accountability for things they have decided no matter what.  They are committed to Deshaun Watson no matter where that does or does't take them.

In two years Watson has played in 11 games and has really not played very well.  There are flashes of greatness here and there but not enough to win on the regular, and he's not healthy a lot of the time.  His 4-1 record this year is questionable.  Cincy at home with a hurt Burrow, the Titans (at home) turned out to be terrible, but a GREAT win against the Ravens (on the road) was his cap feather.  He was beyond awful in the loss to Pittsburgh, as it was shown the style of offense he wants to play isn't as effective as the play-action offense Flacco directed. 

But sadly, having Flacco as your backup is asking for gigantic problems with fans, media and the locker room.  Because the minute the offense looks sluggish or isn't working, fans will turn on the Browns and be SCREAMING for Flacco.  And so will some in the locker room who's career is ticking by week by week waiting on the Watson miracle.  If Flacco signs here the only way he would ever see the field would be circumstances similar to last season.  If Watson was the worst QB in the league, Flacco would still sit.  The organization has to be right, even if it means being bad.  Remember 2021 we had the highest paid, most capable backup QB in the league (Case Keenum) on the bench who was a friend of Stefanski for years from Minnesota. Even he watched as they marched a clearly compromised Baker out to play in winnable games all year.

No veteran backup QB may want to come here because of that very fact, and with the Browns drafting DTR, a player they really like and seem committed to as well.  There is also a money component to it, as we have a ton already in the QB room spent.  The Browns should remember better than anyone, when the most popular person on the team with fans is the backup QB, that leads to very big problems.  We've been there a few times, and it never worked out at all.

I love Flacco and how well he played.  But for him and all concerned it would be best he go elsewhere to play or mentor a young QB who observes Flacco for a year of two.  At his age why play, if you're not going to play?  Having an able and popular QB that talented on the bench with a QB that's "guaranteed" is a recipe for disaster with the fans, media and the locker room.

I love him too.  They have every bit the same chance to win with Flacco than with anyone else, but it's just too divisive.

Should be interesting.

The Inaugural WQMX Winter Euchre Tournament is just around the corner, and if you're a fan of the classic card game like me, then be sure to get yourself signed up to participate before it's too late!

I was personally reassured that I'm a solid partner with a victorious game just yesterday amongst friends from the station. I play boldly and felt synergy with my partner's style, and of course we sure got some help from decent hands! It was a great game, but I became aware that I do need to work on my shuffling and overall table etiquette. You see, I learned to play Euchre on the internet, so... you know. 

Once more, we'd love to have you come on out to St. George Fellowship Center for our Inaugural Winter Euchre Tournament on the 3rd! It's going to be a great time, and proceeds benefit a great cause: NEOPAT, which supports Military members and their families in Northeast Ohio. Even if you don't have a team to sign up with, no worries! We'll find you one. 

Thanks for reading this and for listening to 94.9 WQMX!