Hi and welcome to the Attic, I'm Frankenberry of said Blog Title and I write of just my everyday here, sometimes funny, sometimes heartfelt, sometimes angry, sometimes funny again because, well, who don't like funny, thoughts on getting older and sometimes stuff that's just kinda shit. I pen and sing the occasional parody tune and other songs, sometimes I even get a little bit poetic or short story-etic or something like that. If you're joining me here I thank you, but just mind your head and feet and keep an eye out for my little Bella and Cricket The Blind as well as the memories of Raspberry (Razzy), Mimi the Quirky, of Blink The Lil' Kit, Grayson the Mighty, Shoes the Big Orange, Shana-Girl, Benny Good Man Benny Brown, Merlin & Bob. Wouldn't want you step on them or anything … 'cause then I might just have to throw you down the stairs … damned humans.
Author: Stephen J Frankenberry
Just some guy in a Pirates hat, couple'o cats and this spot
I know you’re saying “But Frankenberry, you are just one man, with just one ass and two elbows for the resting while PC’ing, how could you possibly need 3 PC chairs? And isn’t this just one more example of grotesque American over-indulgence that we should try to avoid to stop painting ourselves us in some sort of grossly privileged light just in the form of excess computer furniture?”
And I reply “Yes, I am but just one man with one ass and two elbows for the resting while PC’ing … but I have cats”
“Oh well shit! Ok, our bad … you should have mentioned that up front … sorry we judged. This is just practical then?”
“Indeed”
“Genius … apologies again”
“No worries”
“Have we shown you pictures of Mr Bimbles in our PC chair by the way? (though this standing to do our own PC’ing reply here is quite uncomfortable)”
Discovered earlier the actual measurable expense of me being lazy.
Meant, earlier in the day, to head over to Tractor Supply Company on my break to pick up a new bag of pellets, Tractor Supply Company horse bedding pellets as they are labeled, that can serve as a fine kitty litter. Been using them for quite a while now, wonderful things these pellets, well, as far as “wonderful” can be described to something your cats pee and poop on.
On my way home though I suddenly realized that I had not done such, but I realized in time, time enough that I could have made a couple of right hand turns and backtracked a bit to pick them up then instead.
But, after a day that was a day, a headache inducing one, I just wanted to be lazy and keep going straight, wanting none of this couple of right hand turns backtracking nonsense to get to Tractor Supply and then another right and a U-ey to get back on home track.
Rationalization: You can just stop at PetSmart instead Steve, which is on your straight home ride way, they have pellets there too … plus you … ummmm … could use with stopping there anyway for some new Bella and Cricket food right? Oh, ok … yeah, that’s right … need some new Bella and Cricket food anyway (I didn’t) and sure, PetSmart can be rather expensive but you just got paid last week and haven’t blown it all yet on food and rent and hookers and how you will have none of this couple of right hand turns backtracking thing to add unnecessary time to your ride home … right? Oh, right indeed Mr Rationalization!
Actual measurable cost of lazy?
Hold on … math … wow, this shit hurts my head … hold on still … hey math is hard so hold your numbers horses will ya?! … math … math … math … (break out the calculator that you were told you were never going to be allowed to use)
Or word problems … If the train leaves the station carrying Tractor Supply bags of pellets traveling at 45 miles an hour in a car with horses …
Tractor Supply Company horse bedding pellets that can make a fine kitty litter? $8 for a 40lb bag = 20 cents per pound.
PetSmart other brand of pellets? $16 for a 25lb bag = 65 cents per pound.
Lazy and the rationalization that comes to support it? Jesus lazy, you’re an expensive mother f’er!!
Rationalization: But did you get home in lazy good time?
So a longtime friend, Rick, posted at Facebook not too long ago the sentiment “Uplift your friends, they are amazing”, something we could all use in doing more of, especially these days, almost at exactly the same time that I had done something to just that effect here in the Attic, for a co-worker. Longtime friends tend to unintentionally find themselves on the same page with this sort of stuff, thus, one of the reasons behind longtime friendships explained.
Anyway, with that “uplift your friends” thought in mind, a something then for a different co-worker, friend, Bob Miller, host of one of our Morning Shows here in the building, WBPM.
I’ve known Bob for many radio years and he is one of those co-worker friends that you are truly disappointed if you, say, come into work only to find they have that day off that you then curse for being so selfish as to ruin your day by them not being around.
Anyway twice, I was talking to Bob yesterday morning and he was telling me of his gig from the night before of WBPM being the host station for a night at the ballpark with our local Hudson Valley Renegades, a NY Yankees affiliate.
Now at these events, whatever station might be the one on hand for the night, the jock representing the station is always in line to throw out the first pitch with that fanfared announcement from the P.A. guy Rick Zolzer “Zolz” of “Please welcome now, (echo echo echo … hehe) to throw out the first pitch, so and so from so and so radio station!!” or something of the sort, followed always by raucous applause and fans clamoring at the front row of seats for autographs after that first pitch is thrown.
Ok, well … but still, it is a pretty cool moment, I’ve been there.
But when Bob was recounting his night after I had asked him how it went he told me that while he was hanging out in the WBPM spot with the WBPM vehicle, greeting game goers, he saw a dad and his son playing catch in the parking lot. He said he approached the dad and son and asked the dad if maybe his son might like to throw out the first pitch. He even told the young fan and his dad, to help alleviate any of the young fan’s newfound sudden nervousness, that he would accompany them out to the mound.
Now Bob couched all of this in “I didn’t really want to do it anyway (the first pitch) Mr F so the kid helped me out” but I could tell he was pretty pleased about how this went down, pretty proud to tell me about the cool thing he had done.
So, a young baseball fan got chance to take the mound at a Minor League ballpark, with his dad, in front of the crowd at a Minor League ballpark and throw out the first pitch to a catching prospect in the NY Yankees system … and then get to keep the ball (and also possibly save Bob Miller the embarrassment of bouncing one or hitting a P.R. assistant).
Nicely done Bob, nicely done my friend.
And nicely done as well Rick on this “uplift a friend” thought.
Bella: (sigh) the direction you always do your weird little Cricket circles in.
Cricket: Right!
Bella: No, left … wait, ya know what Cricket? Just say “correct”, gonna stop this now before it turns into some some sort of annoying comedy routine.
Cricket: Right! … sorry … correct!
Bella: Now, just sit there, point your head forward and use your nose.
Cricket: My nose? why am I using my …
Bella: ‘cause I just ate some Tuna Fancy Feast for dinner, like you.
Cricket: (a head loll, nose up) Oh, there you are!! Whoa, you could use a cat tic-tac or something girlfriend, sheesh!
Bella: Shut up. Whattaya got?
Cricket: (excitedly) did you know today is International cat day?!
Bella: Yes, and I’m annoyed.
Cricket: Why?
Bella: Well, why do all those fancy schmancy ‘international’ cats with accents and stylish hats and snobbish attitudes get a day and not us, you know, us regular ol’ Continental U.S. cats?
Cricket: Well, and I’m usually not one to correct you, forgive me, but I think the ‘International’ here is meant to cover all of us, all of us cats on this big blue yarn ball.
Bella: You mean it’s not just for those overseas cats in their hoity-toity international cat places?
Cricket: Nope, the whole bouncing bell ball of cats.
Bella: Ok, well I feel a bit better now. Do you think Steve posted some pictures of us then, you know, in honor of us and our day?
Cricket: I’m sure he did, plus it would be a little strange, with all the pictures he posts and stories he tells of us on all the other days of the year, that he would forget a day as important as this one.
Bella: You’re probably right. Plus, I like when he tells us he made us famous again today.
Cricket: Me too.
Bella: We should though try to figure out a way to get him out of the house a little more. I mean it is a LOT of pictures.
Bella ponders her Bella world: Ahhhh life, the universe, that squirrel. Who are we, what is this all about? Who is “cat”? Who are “cat”? Should I maybe go with a salad on occasion, hit the gym? Where are my shoes? Oh, wait, right, that’s a Steve thing, back to existential cat.
Breeze, from whence do you come, who bringeth you, (I’m a cat, I didn’t say ‘whence’ or ‘bringeth’ and who talks like that anyway?) is there a cat greater than all of us, greater than me? Is there still anything left in my bowl? I’ll check later.
Early morning sunshine, the glory, should I clean myself or maybe stretch or even just continue to sit and wonder? What is the nature of all of this? Why do I like bells in plastic balls so much or crumpled toilet paper wrappers? Did I mention that squirrel?
No, seriously, there’s a squirrel. Look, he’s right there!
I am not a handy guy, like do stuff around the house handy kinda guy, something proven in stark things are falling apart relief when I briefly owned a house with a better half and her son years ago.
So strange then that I woke this morning from out of a dream where I was having a conversation with some guy in a big echoing warehousy home improvement type place about why we were there and what we were each working on now, what were we going to do this weekend. A real guy’s guy conversation with plenty of “hmmm’s” and knowing nods and talk of power tools.
Now I don’t recall what he said were in his plans but I nodded approvingly in that guy’s guy approving nod sorta way, a guy’s guy nod that says “cool” and then, with complete and utter confidence, I responded when he asked of MY plans with “I’m going to freezeline my wood grain vinyl in petches”. ??? (I know, THAT’S what I remember from a dream?! That’s what I freakin’ remember enough to write down?! What the …?!)
To which he said “NICE!”
Whoa, hold on then … he was impressed … so it seems though, in this guy’s guy home improvement project dreamland gibberish world, that I know my shit! Go dreaming home improvement me!!
Well, If I somehow return to that big echoing warehousy type place later or sometime soon I am REALLY interested as to what my next home improvement project might be.
I know I have talked of what I do work-wise in posts here before but never really the direct object of such, usually more just a reference for maybe some context as, for instance, I will often mention “our production music website” when I borrow an instrumental or two (shhhh, don’t tell this production site of my borrowing) and write some lyrics to them as if these instrumentals were my “band” and I was dreaming a rock n roll lead singer dreams, something other than my parody songs which are always to the instrumental version of whatever the known tune is that I am parodying, with a political bend, a left one to be upfront with you, as I have a lot to say and a lot of anger and cynicism and sarcasm and dismay and a bunch (more than a bunch, a bushel maybe, or a cartful, or a boatload, maybe even a shitload) of other words that convey a similar thought that I find best to put into these song parodies for easier consumption rather than a straight up editorial where I would most probably lose you before you’ve even yawned over the second or third sentence and gotten up for a pee break with something new in mind when you get back.
For those of you that follow along with the bouncing ball (an old dude reference) of my “originals” or “editorials in song” you have no idea how much I appreciate you all and the knowing that I have a bit of an audience out there for these songs and for those who take the time with me on my other posts of the simple musings of a Frankenlife.
It’s an exploration, a sanity, this place, this cluttered Frankenberry’s Attic, of just an everyday kinda guy’s life in a simple sorta mish mash of thoughts everyday kinda guy way. Thank you all once more for your time on that, especially for those that continue to come back, you are hardy souls all.
Anyway, I do radio, have professionally since the beginning of the 90’s minus a six year layoff after my personal life decided to get all explody on me and I had to find a new direction, even if just for a moment, a six year moment that included at one point me wearing tights, clown shoes, Hawaiian shorts and a big ass plastic head. I came back though, as I always knew I would, and have been in the radio game again since 2003.
After Pittsburgh and Dayton OH I eventually found myself in Poughkeepsie NY, in the Hudson Valley, just north of the big NYC, after that 2003 and where I have been found since, with the most recent 8 + years being at the group stations I’m at now.
I’ve been a morning show co-host, a drive time DJ, a Music Director, a Program Director and then a Production guy which is where I sit in my small lamplit studio where I curse a lot and where I have discovered that I am happiest (often because of the cursing – therapy comes in many forms) this production gig being the one best served for that happy.
It’s a “spot”, a one that I like and a one that I am good at.
Though I may not have a lot to show for all of this in my bank account after all these years I am least one of those folks that can claim to be genuinely happy with what they do, with no trudging, no heavy “sigh’s” to start my day after I wing my feet to the right side of the bed to land on the floor with a sit up and face to rub in my hands, a cat to pet (well some heavy “sighs” still maybe as I don’t sleep well, never have, but the only “trudge” then is to the shower – not to the job).
One of the things I do in my production position, other than to build commercials, with the voicing or sometimes assisting in the writing of spots, voice and build some of the imaging for one of the big stations in our group and market, is to edit and produce some shows, “podcasts” that run on the weekends, one of which I am a part of (and one I will write of and share as well at a soon future time here in the Attic) but another is from a dear friend of mine and where the title of this post comes from.
Now Kacey has been in the radio biz since the early 1850’s as the two of us joked this morning when I slyly asked her asked her without telling her the reason of my new post, how long it’s been that she and Mike, of the Hudson Valley’s “Mike & Kacey” in the morning fame have been together.
“23 years” she said (and since 1985 in total).
In the radio world? 23 years is pretty impressive for one show, especially when it consistently continues to rank and with her recently being awarded a “Best” from a local magazine’s “Best Of” edition. And as an offshoot of her Kaceyness she, quite some time ago, began a show called the “Health & Happiness Show” which eventually morphed into “Shine On” with a health and happiness subtitle.
It’s a show that has just that intent of the titles, to offer something positive to the audience in the way of health and happiness and shining on in the way of guests that can help lead in that direction. Well publicized self-help guru’s, interesting book authors and their interesting things, both fiction and non, famous people and their famous people stuff brought down to earth in fun Kacey conversation, guests with uplifting stories, maybe those with a spiritual bend, sometimes “woo-woo” stuff as well as Kacey might call the mystical or the otherworldly, local folks who have done and do the community a great service etc., etc., etc.
Plus, the aspect of the show where Kacey directly connects with this Hudson Valley audience through the many good works of her food pantry, or thrift shop, or her Facebook group “A Circle of Women” for a feeling of inclusion and belonging and not being judged that I am sure is beyond being most welcome. She even has planned get togethers to assist in that belonging.
But it is all with a genuine feel good and helpful intent as who can’t use taking a moment away from their world, this world, for some “feel good” right? Well, Kacey does that well and has done, like we joked since the mid 1850’s … well maybe the mid 1860’s as she picked this idea up a little bit into her continuing run on the morning show.
Recently though, and the reason that I am being my usual longwinded Frankenberry self (I know … “Frankenberry, a back story shouldn’t really take this freakin’ long dude!”) is that she came up with an idea, a direction to take her Shine On show that I find brilliant, a direction, at least through the rest of the summer, where her guests would no longer be those well publicized self-help guru’s or published authors or famous folks but instead be stories of just regular Janes or Joes, stories of a you and a me.
Talking with her this morning I explained why I liked the idea so much as there isn’t a one of us who hasn’t watched a late night talk show host conversating with some famous person that hasn’t thought about what it would like to be sitting crosslegged in that comfy chair themselves, with a bit of a spotlight, with that branded mug in hand, next to the host’s desk laughing and telling THEIR story.
Well, that is what Kacey has done here. She put the idea out there for listeners to email her their stories of maybe kismet, or strange coincidence, or happenstance, or unexpected spiritual revelations maybe coming about through loss, of joy, of funny things that other people might be able to relate to.
Sorry famous person, but you ain’t Marge or Danny, or Jerry or Elaine from up the street, or just over the way, or around the corner and that story of their dad or mom or sister or brother or friend or neighbor that we can all more relate to, reveling in the regular story of regular folk, those who seem more “real” to us.
The first show which was one of Owls and loss and the remarkable that came with it and a second story about an accent is here.
I really think that you all, my hardy Frankenberry friends, might get a lift here, especially if you are a one that likes taking to listening to podcasts and there is nothing scripted here, no false “genuine”, no, just Kacey being Kacey.
Hi and welcome to the Attic, I'm Frankenberry of said Blog Title and I write of just my everyday here, sometimes funny, sometimes heartfelt, sometimes angry, sometimes funny again because, well, who don't like funny, thoughts on getting older and sometimes stuff that's just kinda shit. I pen and sing the occasional parody tune and other songs, sometimes I even get a little bit poetic or short story-etic or something like that. If you're joining me here I thank you, but just mind your head and feet and keep an eye out for my little Bella and Cricket The Blind as well as the memories of Raspberry (Razzy), Mimi the Quirky, of Blink The Lil' Kit, Grayson the Mighty, Shoes the Big Orange, Shana-Girl, Benny Good Man Benny Brown, Merlin & Bob. Wouldn't want you step on them or anything ... 'cause then I might just have to throw you down the stairs ... damned humans.
Sundarbans,The sunderbans, Sundarban Tour, Sundarban Travel Guide, Mangrove Forest, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Royal Bengal Tiger, Tiger Sighting, Wildlife Photography, Bird Watching, Sundarban Safari, Houseboat Tour, Ecotourism, Adventure Travel, West Bengal Tourism, Bangladesh Tourism, People of Sundarbans, Local Culture, Bonbibi, Mowal, Honey Collector, Sundarban Legends, Mangrove Ecosystem, Conservation, Climate Change, Biodiversity, Sundari Tree, Sundarban Itinerary, Travel to Sundarbans, Kolkata to Sundarbans, Sundarban Boat Trip, Wildlife in Sundarbans, Saltwater Crocodile, Spotted Deer, Indian Python, King Cobra, Sundarban National Park, Sundarban Tiger Reserve, Bay of Bengal, River Cruise, Nature Photography, Forest Life.
A personal exploration of autism from a brother’s perspective, including family relationships, philosophy, neuroscience, mental health history and ethics
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