George Jones – Still Doin' Time  - 1981

We have reached my Top 10!  Truth be told, this song inspired me to do the 50 Favorites list about a year ago.  I was sitting on my sunny patio having a cigar and a whiskey when this song came up on my play list.  I hadn't heard it in years and forgotten how much I loved it.  I thought right then that it may be one of my all-time favorite COUNTRY songs.  Then the light went off.  This song is so "George Jones."   I was not a huge Jones fan, but at this time, Jones had a new, reinvented stride that was serving him very well.  Of course, He Stopped Loving Her Today (#1)  was an immense hit, Tennessee Whiskey, (#2) and another great song, Same Ole' Me with the Oak Ridge Boys  (#5) were huge around this era.  I was new in country, and was learning the music as a 20 year old.  This song, along with Earl Thomas Conley's, After The Love Slips Away  introduced me to the hard hitting country "love gone wrong song."  We don't really record them anymore as they can sound dated to some.  But as hard as they can hit, they are a part of who we are and there are times I love hearing them.  This song is powerful and honest as a guy comes to grips with the fact he screwed up his happy marriage twice by cheating.  Gutty stuff, and Jones was really good at this kind of thing.  This was a big number one!  Classic Jones!

Last Week #11

With the weather cooling down and fall taking hold, we are looking for some great comfort food.  Grilled cheese is always good but when it's cold, a great grilled cheese with soup is tough to beat.

And YOU deserve a better grilled cheese!

Greatest Grilled Cheeses!!!

It's no secret that I am a huge fan of Megan Moroney. I'm picking up what she's putting down musically, and I think her voice is just so unique and cool. This might be a bold claim, but I think she's got the potential and right sound to work as (female) Morgan Wallen type. I feel like you could put the same song in front of them and either would make it great, and that she could cover just about any one of his songs tastefully. I NEED a duet between them! That's not exactly the topic of this blog, however. 

On the note of cover/tribute type songs, Thomas Rhett has been getting some appreciation and love thrown his way by a variety of country music stars, including Moroney. He just recently released his 20 Number Ones album, and to honor his impressive legacy with this milestone Fritos has sponsored a number of these cover performances with names such as Breland, Conner Smith, and Mackenzie Carpenter joining in to offer their talent. Like I said, I'm big into Megan Moroney, so hers was the one who brought my attention to this performances but I am excited to watch them all and see how each artist takes a spin on some notorius Rhett tunes. Here's her video:

The first Friday of October is World College Radio Day! I, like many others, got started at my college radio station. WXUT-Toledo at the University of Toledo. Our "official" fomat was Alternative Rock, although they allowed us to take our show and make it anything we wanted to. Therefore, I played the music I had from home on CDs.

My shift was Friday mornings 8-10. I will tell you, being in college I didn't always want to get out of bed at 7:15. I did it though because I knew it was part of the career path I wanted to follow. I had my fun times there and it led to bigger things as well. I was able to land my internship at a cluster there in Toledo to fulfill my credits. I was able to gain very valuable experience that I still use to this day.

In case you missed some of my articles from WQMX.com this week, here they are! Grab a coffee and some earbuds and thanks for reading and for listening every day!

BROWNS - The Wake Up Call

Eat Of The Week

50 Favorites From 40+ Years - #11

Forgotten Jukebox SE-16

Country Music Memory Lane - Marie Osmond Birthday (Revisit)

Wynn At The Movies And More

Box Office Results - The Exorcist:Believer -  (28 million)

#2 Paw Patrol  (18 Million)      #3  Saw X (8 million)

New This Week - Taylor Swifts Era's Tour

Barbie – Dropped out of the top ten for the first time since its July release

Barbie - Stars Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling will reunite in the Ocean’s 11 prequel movie

The Equalizer 3 - Is still in theaters and began streaming over the weekend

Pet Cemetery Bloodlines - Began streaming over the weekend on Paramount Plus

This Weekend – Check out my Country Music Memory Lane (link)

Also - My 50 Favorites Over 40+ Years This Week #11 (Link)

It's about time I introduce you to my furry friends, Freddy and Fiona. Freddy, or Frank as I often call him, is my big boy who's essentially a slinky ragdoll. We got him a few years back for Christmas, and he was the last pick of the litter. I like to play fight with him and throw some karate chops his way as he claws and bites me. He's a bit of a menace who enjoys tearing up whatever he can get into, laying on top of our flat screen T.V. as it wobbles, and most of all eating tape. We have to hide packages, or he goes right at 'em. 

Fiona on the other hand, is a "sweet princess." She's just as affectionate, but only on her own terms more like your typical housecat. We found her at Belgrade Gardens in Barberton living in the streets, malnourished and in need of a good home. It truly was love at first sight, and without hesitation she became part of the family. She's got a bit of a mouth on her, and even squawks like a bird from time to time. She's a weirdo! 

At first, the relationship between the two cats was not good. They would attack one another on sight, with Fiona being the primary aggressor. It was so bad we had to keep them separated for a long time, with each living in a  separate part of the house. We gradually got them accustomed to one another, and after some pretty gnarly battles and lot's of treats, they have finally found peace in their coexistence. It's awesome now, and on my way into work I saw the cutest thing that stopped me in my tracks and made me take a picture, which prompted me to write this blog. 

Frank and Fiona were butt-to-butt on the couch! It's incredible and so dang cute that they have finally became friends. There was a point in time where we legitimately considering having to give Fiona up for Freddy's well-being, so I cannot emphasize enough how huge of a moment this was for me to see them cuddled up together. 

I've said it before;  I love pets and I've never met a cat or dog that I didn't like, just ones that didn't like me. I like all the furry friends, but some of the reptiles, amphibians, fish, and arachnids freak me out a little. A Komoda dragon for example, is like nightmare fuel for me. Those capybaras make me a little uncomfortable too... but I digress!

To all the Teacher's, you deserve the world building our youth... minds, body and spirit.  
I loved school!  Basically, because I lived in the middle of nowhere and it was the only way that I got to see friends.

My teachers were a trip looking back.  The Late Eileen Rensel was a stickler.  I had her in 7th and 10th Grade.  She taught English and before you could enter her room.  You had to look her in the eye, shake her hand with the correct pressure and say "May I enter the classroom and be seated."  There were a lot of students who barely made it into the classroom after 3 or 4 tries after going to the back of the line.   It definitely is something that stuck with me.  Her public speaking portion of her class was top notch also.  She was one of the best.

I also had a History Teacher, Mr. Shade.  He was nuts.  For our review days... He would sit in the front of the room in a chair on a table with a catchers mask on.  Students who answered questions correctly would get to throw a tennis ball at him from the back of the room.  The Valedictorian and everyone were warming up before that class!  Talk about a reason to retain information.

Mr. Leiber, Mr. Varner and many more have stuck with me thru the years.   

Being Teacher Day remember some of your favorites...  I Thank All The Teachers!!!!   You are very important and thank you for all you do... I hope you get all the apples and the raises you deserve.  Thank you. 

A couple days ago, I was sitting in the house and heard a thud in my driveway. I looked outside to see that the new phonebook had been dropped off for my convenience. The only thing is...it's been YEARS since I have needed to use one!

What about you? Do you still use it? Maybe a rolodex? A little black book? I was thinking that in 2023 the internet is our phonebook. Whether on the computer or even on our phones themselves. Kinda strange they still take the effort to print new phonebooks and deliver them out isn't it?

Video games are awesome! They're a fun way to kill some time, connect with friends, and decompress. Some people take them very seriously, but I would describe myself as a casual gamer. I like a game that I can pick up and play at any given time, with minimal commitment. RPG's like Skyrim are super fun, but these days I just don't have the time to get into any one game as such. 

Through the years, I've played on just about every console or handheld gaming device you can think of, and I got to give it to the old Xbox 360 as my favorite one, with the Playstation 2 coming in at a close second. There's hardly a bad console, and I favor the Nintendo DS or Switch for portable gaming. I have a Grand Theft Auto bundle for the Switch that has been a total game changer on road trips and vacations. 

Let's get into another top ten, and if you have any thoughts on some things I could rank in future editions of this blog theme, please do let me know! You can reach me on the WQMX studio phone line at 330-370-2000. I'm in weekdays from Midnight-5a.m. but if you're not up during the overnight, no sweat. You can send a message to our studio textline (sponsored by Cricket wireless) any time and I will be sure to see it! 

10. The Simpsons Hit and Run

9. Pokémon Diamond/Pearl

8. Madden NFL '10

7.Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec

6. Call od Duty: Black Ops II

5. Gran Theft Auto: Vice City

4. Minecraft

3. Gran Theft Auto: San Andreas

2. Skate 3

1. Gran Theft Auto V

So how about you; what are your favorite video games? I couldn't tell you how many thousands of hours I have dumped into gaming, but I do get outside a ton so I think it all equals out. LOL! I have been playing Grand Theft Auto V consistently, offline, since it's release in September of 2013. I had the game preordered and everything, and a literal decade later here we are still waiting on 6 to come out. I told myself I would buy a console newer than the Xbox 360 once Skate 4 or the next GTA was released and well, I'm still waiting!!! Thanks for reading :)