- December 19, 2007 was the day I started thinking about doing a blog again. I had several aborted attempts before then with blogging and website design and such, but nothing stuck around. This time obviously was going to be different. I started this blog as just a general blog on Myspace with the first untitled what-I-consider-to-be-officially-the-first Random Thoughts blog entry the following January. About a year and a half later I moved the blog to Blogger and renamed it DJ's Random Thoughts because, at the time, it was easier to use in the web address on Blogger. Soon after I just went ahead and embraced the title outright since that's what the blog was about: my thoughts. I started expanding it beyond just my thoughts to try to make it more of an all-inclusive type of blog but still retaining the format it's generally had since the first RT blog, with individual blurbs and the layout and such. I've had my ups and downs with it but with it still going for almost four years now, it has become one of the few constants and solid things going for me in my life. That's a blessing, to say the least...one that amazes me.
- I was hoping that this 100th edition would be a completely different type of blog that would transform how I went about doing Random Thoughts, but because it's going to take me probably a pretty long time to get what I need to make that happen I decided I couldn't wait that long between blogs so I decided to keep things the way they have been for the most part. There are some changes though. The biggest one has to do with the titles of the individual editions. I've decided starting with this one to go with the edition number instead of the date. I've found it easier to refer to a specific numbered edition blog that a dated one, so instead of RT so-and-so a date, it will be RT edition # from now on (the subtitles are here to stay...I like those...tee hee). As you can probably tell by now, for those of you who have followed this blog, I've done some early spring cleaning by changing and uncluttering the overall layout. I got rid of several things that are either inactive, no longer useful or being discontinued outright. The links are now strewn across the top of the blog shown as a row of small pics (BTW, since I post individual editions on social networks more often than not, if you want to read this blog in full that first pic with my logo will let you do that). I've cleaned up the end of each blog entry with the Facebook sharing button next to the date and the "+1" and "Like" buttons for Google and Facebook respectively for liking on those social networks below that. The stuff that used to be on either the left or right hand side have been either removed or placed at the bottom of the page. Some of the stuff has been or was discontinued so obviously I had to remove that stuff. The bottom now has my personal description, my blog archive, the "DJ's Random Thoughts" Facebook like gadget (I'll talk more about that in the next blurb), the Paypal donation link where you can donate to help me out here with DJRT & where I want to take it, and the "subscribe to the blog by e-mail" gadget below that. This is probably the cleanest this blog has ever looked, maybe even the most professional-looking as well, and this is how it will probably look for the long-term (in other words, no Dynamic Views formatting) from this point forward.
- If you remember from the last update, I now have brand/fan pages on both Facebook and Google Plus dedicated to the DJ's Random Thoughts blog. The Facebook one has been around a while while I just set up the Google+ one in the past month. Both pages are public and accessible by anybody, but I think you have to be on those social networks to "like" or "+1" them (I'm not entirely clear on that though). For Facebook, you can go to the bottom of this blog and "like" DJ's Random Thoughts from the gadget I mentioned earlier at the bottom of the blog or do so directly from the brand page here: DJ's Random Thoughts FB page. The DJRT Google Plus page can be found here: +DJ's Random Thoughts. Go check them out when you have the chance.
- As some of you have noticed, I've been promoting Google+ quite a bit more than Facebook over the past couple of months. Basically, Google+ is another social network where you connect to people like you would on Twitter while the posting is generally the same as Facebook. It doesn't have all the bells and whistles of Facebook apps, but given how most of those apps run on FB and the concerns about privacy there that might be a good thing for right now. Google+ also has better and more secure privacy options and you can edit your posts (you can't on Facebook). Getting back to the blog pages for a moment, I can do certain things through the DJRT G+ page that I can't do with Facebook's (you'll see one of them in a later blurb). The G+ page was also one of the first "brand" pages on Google Plus when they opened them up to companies, websites, etc., so I have something to brag about there. It's also nice that I now have over 550 followers on the G+ page, something I hope to increase on both pages. Even though a lot of my friends aren't on there yet and I still spend a lot of time on Facebook, Google+ is really making me a happy camper right now.
- Some of you have probably been wondering what I've been up to. Well, since the last actual edition of RT, I am in a completely different place than where I used to be. In late September I moved away from Columbus and moved in with my family in Tallmadge. Things for me were winding down for me in central Ohio and it was time for a change. I don't know how long I'm actually going to stay here, but it is going to be for the foreseeable future. I've been doing some job searching, but with my unique personal issues combined with a tough economy, it's been difficult finding something I'm comfortable with and able to do (BTW, this is NOT an invitation for suggestions or job tips b/c I have enough of those...gonna look on my own for now). I haven't found a decent Browns Backers group here yet but I am watching the games with one of my best friends somewhat regularly. Even though I'm physically settled in, I still feel like mentally & spiritually I'm still trying to settle in. For the most part I've been keeping to myself, doing online stuff like job searching and other internet-related things, and getting this blog ready to go forward. There is one thing that has majorly changed...I'm losing weight. I used to have a rather big gut but that's now starting to flatten out somewhat, at least enough to notice. I used to be a size 40 comfortably but thanks to some diet choices I've dropped to around a size 36...two full pant sizes! I haven't been close to that in 15 years. Even my belts were too big for me and I had to get one just to wear my current stuff. I'm hoping at Christmas I get some gift cards to get some new jeans or pants because with all the ones I have right now I feel like I'm wearing parachutes. I didn't want to wear what I have now with those now-outsized belts in a public place and then have me pants drop down on me when I didn't want them to...it almost happened a couple of times...so I'm gonna be in a search for new clothing. Other than one thing I did last week (see the blurb after the next one) and hanging out with a couple of my best friends I haven't really been that active. I'm hoping that picks up sometime in the near future but in all honesty I'm not in a big hurry for it.
- Three more things about the blog before I move on. First, I have to admit I've been rather self-focused these past few RTs and I haven't really given much time to general thoughts and opinions I've had on other things, or at least given them the same attention I had previously. I'm not talking about the deeply personally involved stuff because that's the only stuff I've really delved into in that time. I'm talking about my opinions on things like politics, technology, life, people in general, etc. It may seem like I have but in actuality I've been reluctant to talk anything but generally on those aforementioned things for a while now. That is going to change. I've been playing it safe but it's time to take my foot off the brakes and start being adventurous with expressing my views again. People may or may not like what I write but I hope it will be respected because I will be honest about things and what I see whether it serves me well or not. If I want this blog to be where I want it to be in the future, that's a risk I'm gonna have to take. The second thing, keeping on the content theme for a moment, is that along with RT staples such as the Song on Repeat and SLP, I am adding another new RT concept called "Peaceful Journey" about those who have passed on. This is in memory to Heavy D who just passed away recently and was influential to me and others I know in regards to music and dancing. It obviously won't be a regular thing (I hope) but when somebody passes away that I want to recognize, it will be under the "Peaceful Journey" title. Also regarding Song on Repeat and SLP: for the Song on Repeat, if I find a reasonably usable song embed code online for a particular song, I will try to post that when I can for songs whether it be from YouTube or elsewhere; for SLP, I will no longer post birthdays unless I miss one or I can't get a hold of a particular person any other way, the reason being I already acknowledge most of them online through my social networks (Facebook mostly) and in person and I don't want to post them in SLP just for the sake of having them in SLP (a "quality over quantity" decision on my part). The third and last thing is about my DJ Customs blog. I have taken it down because it's served its purpose. Sometime in the future I am going to post those pictures through the DJRT Google+ page (in a future edition of DJRT) because I can make my pics and albums public there (I can't do that on Facebook or even Blogger without a hassle)...that's one of those "certain things" I mentioned earlier I'm going to do through G+ with an example in the next blurb...
- Last week on Black Friday I ventured into downtown Akron for a Christmas tree-lighting ceremony at the Lock 3 park. Aside from the tree itself, the Lock 3 park on Main St. includes a big ice skating rink (supposedly the largest artificial outdoor one in Ohio) and this year included a sled-riding hill attraction. I'm not going to get into too much detail here but it was a really nice ceremony to light the tree. I did take some pics which you can view here on G+: 11-25-11 - Lock 3 Christmas Tree-Lighting Ceremony - Akron, OH (it's a public page but if anybody has any trouble with the link or seeing the pics, let me know).
- Since the last time I regularly visited downtown Akron at night around 2003, things have definitely changed. Enough so that I am now considering celebrating New Year's Eve at their First Night for the first time in 10 years. It's still in the planning stages but if anybody has any input on that idea, wants to do that with me, or have another idea for NYE let me know through Facebook or Google+.
- I want to congratulate Al (Finodi) on his retirement from the club scene. He's been a clubgoer for as long as I've known him and even longer. Honestly, it's something I never thought would really happen in regards to Al...I thought he would do it until he was 100 or so. In any case he's decided to move on from it and do other stuff like his Finodi clothing line. If he does go out again (or un-retire), show him respect because he deserves it for all the fun he's brought to so many of us over the years. Happy retirement, Al.
- This has been a long blog so far...and it's going to get longer...
- The reason for the subtitle of this edition, "regularly scheduled programming," actually has to do with something from back in my grade school days and influenced my childhood. In the mid to late 80's there was a TV channel, Channel 67 WOAH, based out of Canton that didn't have the greatest of signal strength regularly. However, on every Saturday night for several years they always had sports entertainment programming. Yes, I am talking about pro wrestling but they also had on other stuff that could have been considered sports entertainment as well. At 8 PM it was always WWF Superstars (WWF Challenge was on Sundays), usually a repeat of one that was on another channel earlier in the day. At 9 PM it was NWA Wrestling, the company that eventually became WCW. At 10 PM it switched off between the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling, otherwise known as GLOW (I really, really liked that show even as cheesy as it was) and RollerGames, a roller derby show with some of the aspects of sports entertainment (the "other stuff" I mentioned earlier). Those Saturday nights for me were not to be missed even if there were repeats on. It was comfort TV from the harsh stuff I faced in school and elsewhere so it meant an awful lot to me. It's been so long that I had actually forgotten about those nights until I came across an article mentioning the old Channel 67 and the memories then started flooding back in from that time. I think Channel 67 is now some type of home shopping network channel now, but it was something big for me back in the day.
- It's hard to believe that 20 years ago last week that Queen frontman Freddie Mercury died. I really didn't get into Queen until an ex-girlfriend got me into the music a couple years after he passed. It's probably the only thing that survived that relationship intact. He was such a dynamo on the stage and so gifted and talented to this day he gets compared to Michael Jackson and Mick Jagger...and he deserves it. He is definitely missed.
- Earlier last month there was a midterm election here in Ohio that was probably one of the most voted on in recent memory. It primarily had to do with a bill named Senate Bill 5, a cornerstone of Ohio Governor John Kasich's agenda, and something that affected a lot of people I know. It was Issue 2 on the ballot and, thankfully, it went down in flames at the polls. Senate Bill 5 was a bad idea from the start, from a governor and his supporters who hated collective bargaining and unions probably because they were either too impatient or just did not have the actual ability to deal with them. Even though he is the governor, I am definitely not a fan of John Kasich and this Senate Bill 5 thing is one of the reasons why. He tried to claim it was about keeping and creating jobs in Ohio and saving money. Those were admirable goals but this bill would not have done that. What this bill would have done was scare away potential recruits to government positions because it was a "their way or the highway" type of legislation with "their way" being the person in charge of filling the positions. It also had other effects that had nothing to do with what the bill's supporters were claiming, including curbing rights and busting much-needed legally-operating unions. If it had become law, with the restrictions put in place by that bill it more than likely would have gone through the courts and declared unconstitutional anyway, even in the most conservative of courts. I just hope Kasich or any of his other subordinates or cronies doesn't try to pull an end-around in another attempt to make this bad idea law.
- Ohio State football has been in a lot of turmoil this past season. They had a rookie head coach, many players suspended for multiple games, and ending their regular season with a 6-6 record. With that at hand, Ohio State went out and hired a new coach, former Florida Gators coach Urban Meyer. I was happy when Jim Tressel was hired. He got us to the promised land of a national title and did a lot of good for the program despite the circumstances surrounding his resignation. Urban Meyer is a really good coach with two national championships under his belt and he was a graduate assistant at Ohio State when Earle Bruce was coaching the team. For some reason though, my initial impression is "eh." I really don't know why because he is a good coach but for some reason I can't wrap my head around it yet. Maybe it's because it happened right after the Michigan game and OSU hasn't had it's bowl game yet or maybe it's because of why he left coaching initially in the first place, health problems...I really couldn't tell you why, but there's something in my gut telling me something's off about this. I might get into the decision later on but for right now I'm not completely sold on this decision or him just yet.
- Regarding the Cleveland Browns in 2011...I'm not gonna talk about them too much right now other than to say that they are doing better than I had expected of them this year. That may come as a surprise to a lot of you (especially you Steeler fans who like to rag on the Browns and us fans of the team), but I will get more into why in the next edition of Random Thoughts.
- Something I plan on doing from time to time in the blog as a way of generating discussion on the Facebook and Google+ DJRT fan pages is pose general questions about things going on in your lives. I do have a question for this edition today....as I roundabout mentioned earlier, Christmas is coming up in a few weeks. I already know what I want to get my family for the holidays but in the past it has been a chore just to think about what to get people. I'm pretty sure a lot of you have that problem too, so I pose the following question: what do you do in order to determine what you get people for Christmas? Post your answers on the fan pages on Facebook and Google+...I would like to know your thoughts on that.
- A few weeks ago my uncle James re-opened his Frussie's deli in Knoxville, Tennessee. He is an excellent cook and his food is to die for. If you ever pass through Knoxville and see the deli, stop in and order some food. There is a public Facebook page set up for the deli where you can find location info and and when it's open here: Frussie's Deli & Sandwich Shoppe. You will not be disappointed.
- Song on repeat: "Just The Way You Are" by Billy Joel. I thought this was appropriate given how I'm keeping the blog the way it is. Here's the song below:
- SLP to the following: Dave, Bob, Lynn, Al, George, Isaiah, Jim, Todd, Griff, Ron & Pastor Cory.
Again, I want to thank everyone who's read my blog and joined alongside me for the ride. I'm happy you're here to read what I have to say. This has been a rather long edition and I'm tired so I'm gonna take off now. Until next time, everyone...take care and God Bless.
DJ
