"Hi Eddie!" I turned real quick and gave the guy a puzzled look. "Great to have you here at LeSea!" I said thanks with a puzzled look. "Eddie?" "That's what your shirt says...". Oops.What a week. More like a whirlwind. So much to take in, do, and see. I want to do my very best each day. The task is 'mucho', but so worth it. I'm working side by side with a great bunch of folks. Today, an email was sent out along with my photo welcoming me to the staff and building. I feel like I am a part of something that has purpose....again.

So it's time to head home today. Its a good 25 minute drive so there's some "car time". I try to pick something to listen to so I'm not fumbling around during the drive. Today, before I bust out of the office, I see Chris Sligh, (remember this guy from American Idol?) I've heard only one song but I remember liking him on the show...I was pleasantly surprised on how much I liked what I heard. I've listened to the album twice through, and the single "Empty Me" is good but does not do the rest of the album justice. This young man can sing, and hopefully we will cross paths sometime in 2009 so I can give him the CMANN high-five of approval.

So, a few days into the new job. Its a complete reversal from what I was doing just one month ago.Today, as I sat in a pow-wow with my co-hort, (Gary...name drop) there were a couple times where we needed to just catch our breath.So much to do, so much we want to do. We kept saying "It won't happen overnight", but at the same time the excitement makes us want to charge at it. "Stuff" just kept piling. I thought of a mountain. I used to not be a fan of any kind of strenuous anything...this "mountain" is going to be a climb, but truly one worth climbing and seeing what it looks like from the top.

(Thank you Rolling Stone Magazine January issue!)"Get On Your Boots"The likely first single, this blazing, fuzzed-out rocker picks up where "Vertigo" left off. "It started just with me playing and Larry drumming," the Edge recalls. "And we took it from there." "Stand Up Comedy"Another hard rock tune, powered by an unexpectedly slinky groove and a riff that lands between the Beatles' "Come Together" and Led Zep's "Heartbreaker." Edge recently hung out with Jimmy Page and Jack White for the upcoming documentary It Might Get Loud, and their penchant for blues-based rock rubbed off: "I was just fascinated with seeing how Jimmy played those riffs so simply, and with Jack as well," he says. "Crazy Tonight""It's kind of like this album's 'Beautiful Day' — it has that kind of joy to it," Bono says. With the refrain "I know I'll go crazy/If I don't go crazy tonight," it's the band's most unabashed pop tune since "Sweetest Thing." "Unknown Caller"This midtempo track could have fit on All That You Can't Leave Behind. "The idea is that the narrator is in an altered state, and his phone starts talking to him," says the Edge. "Tripoli"This strikingly experimental song lurches between disparate styles, including near-operatic choral music, Zooropa-style electronics, and churning arena rock. "Cedars of Lebanon""On this album, you can feel what is going on in the world at the window, scratching at the windowpane," says Bono, who sings this atmospheric ballad from the point of view of a war correspondent. "Magnificent""Only love can leave such a mark," Bono roars on what sounds like an instant U2 anthem. Will.i.am has already done what Bono calls "the most extraordinary" remix of the tune. "Moment of Surrender"This seven-minute-long track is one of the album's most ambitious, merging a Joshua Tree-style gospel feel with a hypnotically loping bass line and a syncopated beat. "Every Breaking Wave"A swelling soul-pop song, with bright synth sounds influenced by OMD and, Bono says, "early electronica." "You don't hear indie bands doing blue-eyed soul [like this]," he adds. "No Line on the Horizon"The title track's relentless groove began as a group improvisation. "It's very raw and very to the point," says the Edge. "It's like rock & roll 2009."

A new feature on the blog for 2009. I love advertising ideas, whether its print, media, whatever. This "caught my eye" today, from an agency in Brazil.

I'm 39I was 5' 11", but Debbie tells me I'm shrinkingI love music, movies, mediaI like to read a good bookI love to recommend a great bookI anger quickly, its a daily battleSome days I don't enjoy being "on"I wish we all had the nerve to say what we really want to say to each other, saves timeRoutine bothers me, but sometimes that's what has to happenI can't stand how much work it takes to get in shape and how quickly you can get out of shapeI have a 2 year old boy named Caleb. He bit me today.I have an 11 year old teenager named Chloe.My wife Debbie of almost 15 years, is a "hair designer", (because 'hair stylist' sounds dated)I run a radio station starting Monday, (1/5)I've met most rock starsSome days I fail horriblySome days I make it through by the grace of GodSome days are memorableI love my extended family more than I probably sayI love to laughDid I leave anything out?

New Year's Resolution...if I want to see a movie, I'm gonna go see it, (and not read other blog reviews until then!) I did just that with Will Smith's new movie "Seven Pounds". I wanted to see it, but after reading a few reviews, and heard from some folks that they didn't like it...I put it off...until today.I liked it A LOT. Will Smith hasn't let me down yet as far as an entertaining movie. I held off the 'sniffles', (unlike the weeping couple behind me) but I enjoyed this movie.

While all genres were down in sales for 08, the rock categories fell the least. Alternative sold 80,919,000 this past year while Metal albums accounted for 50,476,000 sales. Neilsen SoundScan breaks music genres into 12 categories.The biggest selling genres were:1. Rock (139,666,000)2. Alternative (80,919,000)3. R&B (77,014,000)4. Metal (50,476,000)5. Country (47,657,000)6. Rap (33,410,000)7. Christian (29,793,000)8. Latin (25,125,000)9. Soundtrack (20,847,000)10. Classical (13,323,000)11. Jazz (11,791,000)12. New Age (2,942,000)

Great article about striving for more in life...The 5 D's...Define excellence for yourself...Decide on your values...Determine your goals...Declare to others what you expect from them...Direct your own life...

...and it also just happens to be blog-post #4000! Here's to a brand new year, new start, new beginning, whatever you want to call it.Here's to a handful of people we love and are surrounded with that make life oh so much better!You guys are the 'Bull's Balls!"

1.....Happy New Year!

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God's timing. Funny if you think about it. He's always up to something but unfortunately its on HIS timetable and not mine. He is always working on a plan, and there have been times when I have said out loud, "Would you please let me in on it?!?"Well, He finally did. It has been a roller-coaster month for us, but all is good.Today, I accepted the position at LeSea Broadcasting as the morning/programming guy at Pulse FM, (96.9 and 92.1) I worked at LeSea back in the Fall of 06' for a short time. But starting Monday I'm back on the air with an amazing company that has a vision...Thanks to many of you that kept us in your prayers this past year. We have been up and down, and up and down again. You find out what you are made of in the storms of life. Somedays I was sturdy ship sailing the sea, other days I folded like a cheap tent.I'm excited about this day. I'm excited for 2009.

I took a dive into the archives and came across an article I liked about "resolutions"."Everybody who makes resolutions resolves to make the upcoming year better than the year before. It also means that we're all engaging in the process of personal development.""Simply and straightforwardly, the secret to achieving your goals is to turn them into habits."According to the article Implementing New Year's Resolutions by Suzanne van Gils, here are statistics on how we maintain our resolutions throughout the year:Past the first week: 75%Past 2 weeks: 71%After one month: 64%After 6 months: 46%What's your New Year's Resolution?

Not bad at all. I wish I would have paid more attention in History class. Tom Cruise is good, but this movie is definitely an ensemble-movie with many great actors. Plus, I'm still 'flyin' off of my 'Band O' Brothers' marathon, so this movie fit in nicely.

Admist present opening and conversation, out came this one..."Measure twice, cut once...that's in the bible isn't it?"(My uncle chimes in) "Yes, its about circumcision."Laughter ensues.

I remember seeing "Band of Brothers" the first time around in 2001. I thought it was good, but it didn't have the same effect as it did on me this time around. This is truly one of the best mini-series ever, period. 10 segments, high-budget movie quality, produced by Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg, and HBO. The cast alone, in top form, is perfect...Watching Damien Lewis as Dick Winters move up the ranks as a true leader of his men.Donnie Wahlberg as "Lip" keeping the morale of the men up, (his shining moment is the "Bastogne" episode)Scott Grimes as "Malarky"David Schwimmer as "Sobol" (When this first came out in 2001, you couldn't get the character of "Ross" out of your head watching this, but now...good stuff)If I had to pick just a couple of the segments as my favorite...Episode 2 "Day of Days"Episode 6 "Bastogne"Episode 1 "Currahee"One of the best war movie/series ever. Thanks mom.

This picture says so much to me. He always has his eyes on her, watching, learning, mimicking...He watched how she opened presents on Christmas Day and would do the same. He loves to laugh with her, play with her, and just be around her. He calls her "sissy". She's a great 'big-sister'.Or....maybe she has something in her nose that caught his attention?