WFSE Memories, R.I.P. Dr. C. W. Chandler...

Ok, so I haven’t posted in like two months…it’s been a busy two months. Not so busy that I didn’t have time to post, but enough that I didn’t feel like posting. There I said it; I didn’t feel like posting. So, to all three of my readers (because I’ve been marketing my blog so effectively), I apologize.

It’s been a busy 2 months. There was a move, two holidays, football heart-break, fantasy football heart-break, Christmas preparation, and some death. Not a lot of death, but some death, you see an old college advisor of mine passed away this week. I know it’s a pretty sad topic for the holiday season, but it kind of made me reflective. His name was Dr. C. W. Chandler. He was my academic advisor and, at the time, advisor for WFSE. WFSE is the college radio station I was the Student General Manager of during my last 2 years of college. It is a place where I met many of, what I consider life-long-friends. I spent nearly every week day at the station. All of the managers did. We would do our homework there; have lunch there; and pretty much lived most of our college lives there. It was the birth place of the MD3 Radio Show (for those of you who don’t know, it was a highly entertaining radio show that some of my best friends created) and led to the birth of the MD3 Athletic Club (which is really neither athletic or a club, but is mostly cool anyway). I think it could be best related to as a fraternity. When I was there, there was a brotherhood among all the men and women who touched its airwaves. I don’t know if all college radio stations have that feeling, but it was special.

Dr. Chandler advised that station from about 1994 until 2001. If you ever attended the meetings, you’ll understand what I mean when I say, as far as WFSE was concerned, he was god. That being said, he had his issues. His sense of humor made some people uncomfortable and he could be un-professional at times. It would occasionally cause some problems for him and the station, but it always seemed to work itself out some how. There were and are some people that hate the man to this day and that “is what it is”. I for one saw the man for what he was. He was lonely and the only people he really seemed to have in his life were the students of the radio station. I guess that made me sad for him. Not in a “pity sort of way”, but in a “hope for the best for him” sort of way. Maybe I only see the good in people, or expect that all people are good; either way I never had an issue with the man.

I think the main reason that I’m writing this and the main reason that I think his passing needs mentioned is because I feel that, professionally, I became who I am, because of WFSE. WFSE gave me a place to grow and to have responsibilities. The station was run by students and when I was there, it seemed to be in a golden age. The station was on the air 24 hours a day and we had over 50 different students on its airwaves. We were doing something that mattered or at least it felt that way. I think that environment can be credited to a man who, in my opinion, looked out for the students of the radio station. There are quite a few stories I could share, but each of them revolved around some DJ’s saying or doing some questionable things on the air and Dr. Chandler “handling” the situation. It wasn’t always perfect, but when he was in charge of WFSE, it wasn’t pre-programmed personality free “satellite radio” and believe me, there were plenty of “suits” on the campus of Edinboro University that wished it was.

I guess, in the end, I’m just saying I respect the man for helping to foster an environment that allowed me to grow. I thank him for being part of a place that allowed me to find some of the best friends I’ve ever had. I know he had some problems, but don’t we all... I just hope that he has now found some peace. R.I.P., Dr. C. W. Chandler and Merry Christmas.

I'm 32 and nearly 1/2-way there...

I turned 32 this month. There isn’t really anything special involved in turning 32. In fact, most of my birthday milestones have been reached. When I turned 12, I could go hunting and, in Bedford County, that’s a big deal. I got to drive at 16, get drafted and vote at 18, drink at 21, I could rent a car at 25 and at 30, well… I was 30.

People rarely associate any significant milestone with the age of 32. By 32 most of us have had a “real job” and we have usually figured out where we are in life. At 32 we aren’t quite yet middle aged and we still have memories of being thin and in shape. Most of the time 32 is just a place holder, another year to work, eat, breathe, and sleep. Not me. In my 32nd year, I have thought of something that should be celebrated. It is a goal that those of us who pray at the "Temple of Lazy" eagerly anticipate. In February of this, my 32nd year, I will have a celebration. This celebration shall be known as “my half way to retirement party.” That’s right, it’s a party entirely devoted to the celebration of being half way to 65.

Now, before I hear a politically charged argument that social security won’t be around then, just wait a second, this is an anticipation celebration. I don’t want realism, I want to dream. In this dream, I will have saved enough to retire, I will get my social security checks and I won’t be popping pills like Pez to stay alive. This is simply celebrating the anticipation of freedom—of course I use that term loosely, as in all likelihood I will be at the beck and call of some needy family member, like my parents are. In this dream I am free to roam the country and do whatever my heart desires or my income allows. If my fellow dreamers want to follow me and also have a ½ Way to Retirement Party here is all you have to do:

1. Get 65 gray balloons (black is reserved for 40th Birthday or actual retirement parties)
2. Have a cake in the shape of a RV
3. Wear a youthful shirt, but sensible pants and sandals (the law states that sandals and socks can only be worn when one truly retires)
4. Drink heavily and print out your 401K projections for the year 2041
5. End the night by printing a copy of your resume and storing it until 2041, at such time you will read it out loud and then burn it ceremoniously.

I think I might have started a trend here. If Hallmark starts printing cards for this, please let me know, because I’ll cash in and celebrate with a ¾ Way to Retirement Party.

Batman is Dead...

I know, I know... I haven't posted in forever. Well my life is a pretty calm, which I enjoy, but I don't have much to write about. So, here is a little review I wrote for a website that should be launching very soon....stay tuned!!

Batman is dead and buried. Well, to be more accurate, he is “mostly buried” as currently his skull is playing “Yorick” to the Black Hand’s “Hamlet”…consequentially if you aren’t reading Blackest Night, you should be.

Anyway, in the mainstream continuity Bruce Wayne as Batman is no more, which is exactly why I was happy to open the first issue of Kevin Smith’s Batman: Widening of the Gyre to see the original caped crusader gracing the pages. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a bleeding heart “Bruce Wayne is the only Batman” kind of guy. I’ve been a huge fan of the Battle for the Cowl series, and I was as satisfied as anyone to see Dick Grayson embrace his legacy as the Dark Knight. What I missed was the brooding, smart-assed, constantly spinning inner dialogue of Bruce Wayne as he stalked the night. If the lines that mark the differences between Grayson’s and Wayne’s Batman feel blurred (and who could blame you, it’s been over a year since his death), Smith does an excellent job at jogging our memory with a few quick frames of banter between Grayson’s Nightwing and Wayne’s Batman to start off the issue. Of course the differences between the two are what truly made me miss Bruce. His constant analysis of every situation and his step by step assessment of “worst case scenarios” is why we love Batman to begin with. Lest you forget how Batman is always thinking, Smith throws in a quick reference to Batman always keeping an eye out for an “all powerful red and blue alien take over,” and he’s not referring to a Lantern Corps.

Over-all, Smith’s return to Bruce Wayne as the Dark Knight was successful. In the first issue he managed to reacquaint us with the character and establish the world for this six issue arc. He shows us the best of Batman and even manages to throw in a short appearance by the Joker and Poison Ivy. I was pleasantly surprised at the use of Jason Blood/the Demon as a foe to remind us that Batman is truly a frail human, but the main focus of this series is more than likely the introduction of a “new player” in Gotham who makes “a splash” on the last page. The art was satisfying and aimed at an older audience, thanks to Poison Ivy sporting “Garden of Eden” garb and some minor body dismemberment/consumption by the Demon. As far as first issues go, I’m hooked and plan on collecting all six issues to get my out-of-continuity-non-Hush Bruce Wayne fix for now…

1st Post Pressure!!!

Well, I'm finally here. It's been a long time coming, but I finally have my blog. Granted it's a cookie cutter design and more than likely, due to laziness, it'll stay that way. I've learned there is more pressure in designing your page than actually maintaining it. Getting your first blog is kind of like buying your first brand new car. You know the one, it's after you finally got your first "real job" and finally had money for something other than a six-pack of American Light. This new car is supposed to represent your status and be a visual manifestation of your "cool factor". The opposite sex should see the vehicle and swoon. Your co-workers/competition should see your "mantra-on-wheels" and cower in fear. This vehicle is the one that sets up who you are and what you stand for, for the rest of your life!!!! That being said, my first new car was a Ford Focus.

Yeah, that should set you up for what this blog is about. Enjoy.