- This edition has been subtitled the "quiet" edition primarily because things have been extremely quiet and slow on many fronts for me this past month. Whereas last year I had several things going on around me to talk about during the month of February, this year things slowed to a crawl comparatively...at least more than usual. I'm still waiting on more stuff from the USFL and from MCW and it's about a month before my birthday (I'll get to that more later). I honestly didn't mind so much because it's been rather cold and I wanted to wait for better weather to do stuff. The one thing I did do was watch a great Elimination Chamber PPV with Bob & his family, but outside of that...zilch, zero, nada. Things are definitely going to pick up in a month or so and maybe even in the meantime, but it has definitely been quiet in the world of DJ as of late.
- Query: For those of you who are single and unattached...do you sometimes get sick and tired of seeing stuff about having or looking for your "soulmate" and wish they were just already an active partner in your life? I've seen a lot of soulmate-related posts and stuff lately and thought it was worth asking those of you in that situation. For the record, I'm in it too, but I wanted to ask.
- I do have a tentative gameplan for celebrating my birthday this year and, yes, I am celebrating this year. I already mentioned that I was going to Pizza Hut a couple days before my actual b-day and then go watch Wrestlemania 29, but I've added something to do on that day (Sunday the 7th)...before Pizza Hut, I want to go see G.I. Joe: Retaliation. I do know that it is a week and a half after it's release in the theaters, but this is the first film that I can remember that has ever been released that I wanted to see around the time of my birthday. I wanted to make that a part of the celebration since it's something I've never done for my birthday...going to the cinema. Like I said, it's a tentative gameplan and, for those of you who want to celebrate with me, I'll get more specific information about that stuff or anything else I might be doing to celebrate my birthday closer to the date of the planned events. If it's anything close to what I did a couple years ago for my 39th b-day, it'll be a great time so keep your eyes peeled.
- Speaking of my birthday, I came across a website containing the birthdays of famous people. Even though I'm not all that big on celebrity statuses, I was curious as to who had the same day and month of birth (not the year, obviously) that I did. I knew Hugh Hefner had the same birthday, but I discovered it was also the same for Kristen Stewart (Twilight), Dennis Quaid and several other people that are pretty well-known. Here's a link to the page I found this info on (if you search around the site, you might find the same info for your birthdays...I'm just putting a link up for my b-day as a starting point): Famous Birthdays - April 9th.
- A recent development in the city of Akron has been the potential purchase of Mayflower Manor in downtown Akron and the changes being planned for the place. It used to be a hotel back in the day, but today it currently serves as housing for low-income and disabled folks. Over the next year and a half, the people who live there will be moved out and the place will be renovated into something else...to what is not certain, but it will be different than what it has been. I am of two minds about this. Over a decade ago I used to work down the street from the Mayflower and as part of my job at the time I served several residents who lived there. There were some really good people who possibly still live there (I say possibly because I haven't been down there regularly since that time) despite the common stereotypes I hear about stuff regarding the Mayflower and I know how much it sucks having to deal with a major change like the ones these folks are going to be dealing with. I feel for them but at the same time it may be for the best. That area has changed significantly over the past 15 years and a lot of the services that used to be concentrated near the Mayflower have been spread out elsewhere around the region. Downtown Akron itself is changing so much that the Mayflower as it is currently is no longer a fit for the area. That area of downtown has been desperate for a redevelopment for a long time now. As much as I feel for those folks who are going to be displaced, it might be best if the Mayflower was repurposed for something that would fit being across from a baseball stadium and become part of the potential vibrancy that for years downtown Akron has been clamoring for. I don't know...I'm still torn about exactly what the best thing is, but I do hope that everything turns out the best for everyone involved.
- One thing on the horizon that I am extremely excited about is the return of one of my favorite TV shows of all time, Whose Line Is It Anyway?, with new episodes this summer. This incarnation will be hosted by Aisha Tyler, but it will have many of the old favorites like Ryan Stiles, Colin Mochrie and Wayne Brady. I am pumped to see it coming back because it is probably the funniest show I've ever watched.
- Song on Repeat: "Thrift Shop" by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis. Admittedly, I'm not much up on the latest in music but this recent song came to my attention through a friend of mine posting a YouTube video on their Facebook after it hit the top of Billboard recently. There is stuff talked about in the song and things from the video that described exact scenarios of things I had seen during my club days. When I mean exact, I mean EXACT scenarios...so much so it was shocking how accurate some of that stuff was. I do want to warn folks that there is some vulgarity and some adult themes in the song, so just be aware of that when you listen to it.
- Shoutouts: Kristin, Cheryl, Debbie, Holly, Bob, Lynn, Kyle, Diane, Carl, Jenny K., Benjamin Boone, Stan, Robert N., Paula, Dani, Xavier, Justin Mane, Daryl & Joe Dawg Brother.
That's it for this edition. In a couple of weeks or so, it'll be the beginning of that time of year for me that things and activity pick up. I don't think it's a coincidence that spring also officially starts around that time as well. I am ready for this winter season and cold weather to leave and I can't wait. Until next time, folks. Take care and God Bless.
DJ
