See what I did there... with the title of this blog? You might put a palm to your face, but I think it's fun! 

We're talking about the upcoming total solar eclipse, of course, and I wanted to toss some information your way on how our area is anticipating handling the influx of visitors for the celestial celebration. 

First, here's a webpage with some general information and links. Between community centers and parks, we're expecting a whole lot of people coming out to public spaces to enjoy this momentous event, and Akron is doing its best to avoid being caught with unprepared its pants on the ground. 

 City of Akron Announces Plans for Solar Eclipse (akronohio.gov)

Next, here's a guide for experiencing the eclipse with some fun events.

 Your Guide to Experiencing the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse in Downtown Akron | Downtown Akron Partnership | Akron, OH

For those worried about traffic and congestion, check this out! 

 METRO RTA to Provide Free Fares on April 8 to Assist in Traffic Safety During Total Solar Eclipse | Downtown Akron Partnership | Akron, OH

Lastly, here's what the Beacon Journal thinks is important you know from a local perspective. 

Total eclipse in Ohio 2024: What Akronites need to know (beaconjournal.com) 

Driving... It's one of the most fun and rewarding things to do for a car lover like me, but at times, it can be the worst. There's those drivers out there that make us scratch our heads as to how exactly they acquired a license. Road rage, accidents, and traffic all stem from these careless, negligent people behind the wheel and the situations they create. It can make you want to rip your hair out! 

So, maybe you'll find some comfort in knowing you're not alone on some of these things. Or maybe I just need to take a chill pill. Either way, here's my top ten driving pet peeves!

10. Tailgating

9. Full stopping before an empty roundabout (or worse, stopping in the roundabout)

8. Distracted driving

7. Poking about in the fast lane then moving over only after I pass on the right

6. Cars pacing one another ahead of me blocking any chance to pass

5. Dangerously pulling out into traffic

4. Blinding bright headlights 

3. Littering the roadside

2. Coming up as close as possible behind me at a stop

1. Failure to use a turn signal

Most of these are self-explanatory, but let me give a little context on those that may not be. 

#7 happens to me so often. I drive like I've got somewhere to be, so I'm no stranger to overtaking. Out of courtesy, I always try to pass on the left. When I come up on a lone vehicle in the leftmost lane, I give them a moment to throw their blinker on and move over, and usually they will. Sometimes, though, they stubbornly remain in the lane, which prompts me to pass on the right before coming back into the fast lane. Now, that's all fine, but what happens next makes me want to scream: it's at this point that the car I just passed decides to move over. After I overtook them from the right, like I want not to do. 

#6 is a bad one for me too. If you've ever been out to the Dusty Armadillo past Kent on 76, you've probably experienced something similar. When a highway is two lanes, the left one should always be moving faster. When a vehicle in that passing lane wants to go the same speed as the car to its right for an extended distance, it frustrates me to no end. Somebody either speed up or slow down, and let me by!

#4 used to bother me a lot more than it does now. I got nicer anti-glare lenses in my glasses this past time and I think it's really helped. I also feel like cars have better low beams, so less drivers may be using their brights regularly. Who knows? 

Lastly, #2 has always annoyed me, and its only worse now that I drive a manual. Why do people feel the need to be as close as possible behind me at a stop? Whether it's a red light or a fast-food drive-through, give me a little space please. I don't need you to keep back 100 feet like I'm driving a dump truck or anything, but you shouldn't be so close I can't even see your hood. 

That's that! It feels good to air out some of these pet peeves of mine when it comes to driving. If you have anything to add, something that really get under your skin when you're behind the wheel, I'd love to hear about it. The best way to connect with me is by dropping a message any time on the WQMX Studio Text Line (sponsored by Toth Buick GMC) at 330-370-2000.

Till next time, safe travels!

There's this viral video circulating the internet depicting a man being flung out from his SUV after rolling it on the beach. He was out looking to be having fun, tearing it up on the dunes, when all the sudden his Toyota caught a bad angle and tumbled sideways several times. 

He's so lucky to walk away from the accident. I'd be counting my blessings. The way he was ejected is just wild, and it was totally preventable. First off, maybe don't take your top-heavy FJ Cruiser on such unstable terrain at those speeds. My Blazer even has a rollover warning label. He knew the risk, or he certainly does now. 

Secondly, though most importantly, buckle up! It takes two seconds and can be the difference between life or death. It doesn't matter where you are, what car you're in, or who's driving. Just strap in, please.

As a little sidenote, I can't go without noting how bad it is to drive in saltwater. You can't do much worse to a vehicle. Well, maybe rolling it three times....

Okay, so, I'm sure you want to see it. Here ya go! 

In my young career in radio thus far, I've met some awesome people. From Sales to Street Team, I've made professional connections I'll carry with me long into the future. Of those, it's especially great to encounter peers from my college station out in the field or in the studio, and I bumped into one last night. I haven't seen Jake since I did the weekend evening shifts here on WQMX, and my face lit up when I pulled into the lot and saw his vehicle. 

He was finishing up broadcasting the Guardians game on our sister sports station as I settled into my overnight shift here, and it was so nice to catch up and chat. It'd sure been a while, probably even longer than I realize. We talked about life post-college and all that it holds, such as marriage and long-term career goals. Him and I are in the same boat on a lot of stuff like that. 

Now that we're back into baseball season, hopefully I'll get some more chances to run into my pal Jake. It'll have to be a late game, like some in the West Coast run. I've long been thinking about reaching out to some other folk I haven't spoken with in a while, so maybe this positive experience will be the catalyst for me to do so and reconnect. 

Time flies; that's for sure. 

By the way, the Guardians lost to the Mariners in Seattle 4-5 in the first of the series, leaving Cleveland with a 3-2 record so far this season. The next game is today, Tuesday, at 9:40 PM EDT.

I hope you had a nice weekend. Personally, mine had some ups and downs. The worst part was when my antenna ball was stolen. 

I don't know exactly when or where it happened, but I noticed my little smiley-face dude was missing when I came out of the dollar store Saturday afternoon. We were also out shopping Friday, and it could have easily happened then, so there's no way to know. Regardless, I was both sad and angry to discover that someone took from my vehicle in broad daylight. I hate the idea of someone touching my car, let alone stealing from it, so this hit me hard. And, just... why? It's low of someone to do, surely. It's not even worth anything. 

I bet they don't even put it on their car. They probably don't even have a car with an antenna! The phrase, "this is why we can't have nice things" rings through my head. My trust in the public suffered a slight blow, but I won't let one ugly-hearted individual keep me from seeing the good in the world. I've got another ball already coming my way in a package, and I suppose this time we'll try some superglue. It's just a little saddening that I should have to do so. 

With this, I'd like to put out a little call to action for you: be the good in the world. Be the reason why someone smiles and not the reason why someone's smiley-face is taken from them. This could be something as simple as holding the door for somebody or waving to your neighbor. We're all in this community together, and I know we can do good. 

Minimally, just don't be THAT person....

Thanks! 

Wow! What an awesome show that was at the Dusty Armadillo Thursday night with Chayce Beckham and Zach Top. Those guys were fun to meet, and each put on a good show. We raised a bunch of money for NEOPAT and sold the place out! That's all thanks to our wonderful listeners, like you. We appreciate all the support helping this worthy charitable organization in their mission to uplift local Veterans. 

So, thank you! I'm not exact on the who, what, when, and where for our next charity show, but if its anything like last night, it's bound to be a blast! It's all part of bringing you more in 2024. Stay posted on WQMX announcements and check out all the pictures from our Chayce Beckham with Zach Top Charity Show at the Dusty on our socials. Just search WQMX on Facebook or Instagram, and we'll pop right up! 

PS: If you celebrate, I hope you have a nice Easter Sunday. BTW... I'm that guy who LOVES Peeps. (Shoutout to my fiancée's mom, Michelle, for hooking me up with like six packs of them!) Give me ALLLLLLL the Peeps :) 

With Easter just around the corner, I've really been scratching my head on what I could rank this time around in relation to the holiday. I've already done my top ten holidays and I've listed my favorite candies too. I did Thanksgiving dinner dishes, but Easter meals really don't hold the same notoriety. Outside of all that, we've been in the midst of March Madness, Springtime is upon us, and April Fools' is only a few days away. Still, nothing topical feels right....  

So, out of left field, here's my top ten Pixar Movies! 

10. A Bug's Life

9. Toy Story 2

8. The Incredibles

7. Toy Story

6. Ratatouille

5. Monsters Inc

4. Finding Nemo

3. Up

2. Wall-E

1. Cars

Well, there you have it! Now I'm in the mood to sit down with a big bowl of popcorn and rewatch some of my favorites from Pixar. I'm not huge into Disney, but Pixar puts out some of the very best, and this here list ranks those I like most. What about you, though? 

As you may know already, the Powerball and Mega Millions lotteries have been steadily growing to about a billion dollars each. The latest drawing was Tuesday evening for the 1.2 billion dollar Mega Millions prize, and as of the time I'm writing this, no winner has come forward. On Monday, a winnerless Powerball drawing was held, as well. That results in another shot at this massive wealth come Wednesday evening (tonight), now at 865 million dollars. 

First and foremost, can we agree that these figures are beyond excessive? Nobody actually needs that much wealth, in my opinion. Chat with me in person sometime and I'll really tell you how I feel about our lopsided economy. I think it's silly that more and more people become interested and take their shot at the lottery the higher the jackpot is. I can all but guarantee that 200 million would change your world no differently than 800 million. The kicker is that as more individuals play, your odds decrease. If you're selective about when you buy a ticket, wouldn't you want to do so when you have the best shot at taking home a grand prize? 

I could continue with my distaste for gambling and the whole notion of lottery, but I don't want this to be a negative or critical blog. Rather, I thought it would be fun to give a little rundown on what I would do with the money, if such an amount was bestowed upon me. 

To begin, I'm hooking my friends and family up. I would buy a huge amount of property and invite whoever wanted to live upon it in a separate and distant house to do so free of charge. That's largely so I don't have to travel far to see those I love and to know my surroundings are secure. Naturally, I'd build a massive house for myself and Mackenzie, completely custom and surrounded by woods and wildlife. There would be crazy trails throughout my property, a go-kart track, a hot tub, a skatepark, a lake, and all sorts of cool stuff outdoors. Inside; a pool, movie theater, recording studio, range, arcade, second skatepark, shark tank, sauna, isolation tank, VR chamber, and whatever else I could think up are in the plans. 

Dinner would be pretty much identical to that of Ricky Bobby's in Talladega nights with all the fixings from all my favorite places. I'd hire butlers to take care of the things I don't like to do, and I'd pay them handsomely. I'd also probably hire a chef, a health expert, a maid or two, and most importantly: a mechanic ...which leads me to the garage. 

I'd have a huge garage. In it, there would be hundreds of different machines. I'd have the finest examples of every powersport vehicle I've ever wanted. There would be vintage motorcycles aplenty and newer bikes too. Of course, my car collection would be insane. My dream is to find exact replicas of every car I've ever owned but in showroom condition. I'd do a full restoration and custom job on my El Camino, and the Blazer would grow into a gnarly off-road rig. I'd own my favorite movie cars like Bandit's Trans Am and The General Lee, and I'd drive all my cars like I stole them. 

In fact, the very first major purchase I'd make once the money hit my account would be a Dodge Viper. They're far from the most expensive car available, but something about them screams success. You're a bigshot in one of them, if you ask me. Those cars are like rocket ships, too! It's between that or a white Lamborghini Countach. 

Initially, I'd have no interest in investing or diversifying my portfolio. I don't want real estate or stocks or businesses. I could go for putting money into gold and other precious metals, though. I'd just buy a lot of material stuff, to be honest! 

When it comes to bettering the community, I'd love to have the financial ability to make major impacts on some of the problems we face. Homelessness is near the top of my list, and litter too. I'd give money to the parks and animal rescues especially. Having supported them through WQMX, NEOPAT has become an important cause for me too; I'd make sure our heroic veterans receive whatever they may need. I never want to see a kid go hungry, and providing scholarships would be great too. 

I feel as though this blog is turning into more of an essay at this point, so I'll go ahead and grind to a halt here. I'll keep dreaming, though. To leave off, how would you spend hundreds of millions of dollars if you were to win the lottery? 

Till next time! 

For Gambling Help: More Support - The Ohio Voluntary Exclusion Program (timeoutohio.com)

This is so incredible, I couldn't neglect to share. You know how most of the time you're feeling well, then you get sick and think about how you took breathing out of your nose for granted? Or let's say you're laid up from an injury; then your appreciation for the times you're in better health increases? That's how it always goes for me, at least. Those examples reflect the feeling I felt on my latest drive in to the station. Here's why. 

Normally, there's several lights lit up on my dash at any given time. Typically, it's some combination of the Check Engine light, the ABS light, and the Airbag light. Throw in that low fuel light too! I also just fixed my brakes and got that warning to blink off (separate from ABS). There's the common expression of a dash being lit up like a Christmas tree, and that is usually an accurate description for my old Chevy. However, after I turned my key and began to make my commute, I noticed everything was clear. Woah! 

I really wanted to take this opportunity to remind us to cherish whatever good conditions we live with. Sure, I don't have some fancy automobile with a backup camera and heated seats, but I'm fortunate for it to run well and am just thrilled to see a lack of warning lights. Heck, I'm glad it's on the road and not sitting on jack stands in disrepair. Wealthy I am not, yet I don't struggle to survive. I'm also not some chiseled marathon runner, but I move around with ease. My back doesn't hurt, I don't experience migraines, and my blood sugar is regular. For those reasons and countless more, I'm grateful. I believe it could always be worse, and for most of us, it could be way worse. 

When it comes to the Blazer, currently, things could hardly be better! 

Thank you for checking out this out and for listening to 94.9 WQMX, especially.

Working overnights, there're advantages and drawbacks. For example on the plus side, there's very little traffic during my commute to and from the station here. As for the downside, it's little things like my inability to stop by the store on my way out to pick up whatever I might need. My schedule is a bit different than that of anyone else in my life, too. I full heartedly love what I do and I'm certainly not complaining; I take the good with the bad. 

With that, one of my favorite perks of working third shift is every chance I get to see a full moon. Lucky for us, there's one here for your Monday with something special happening in the 3 AM hour. Depending on when you come across this blog, you may have already missed it, but that's okay. To the naked eye of a casual stargazer, the moon should appear full for at least a night before and after. What you will miss, however, is the lunar eclipse. I'd go into detail on that and what exactly this Worm Moon is and means, but somebody who knows more about it than I already has. So, here's some further reading on March's full moon, if you're interested: Penumbral lunar eclipse March 24-25, 2024 (earthsky.org)

I'll cap this off by offering a thank you to everyone who's up keeping the world moving during the nighttime. Maybe you're a first responder, truck driver, healthcare professional, factory worker, or gas station attendant. For WQMX, I'm here with you live and local, all through the overnight supplying the tunes. I can certainly relate to some of the complaints we might carry being on the clock during these hours, but I'm sure to appreciate cool space occurrences and I hope you do too!