Ramblings, Incoherent Thought and Family

Ya know...I love the holidays. From frigging Halloween I start thinking about Christmas. What am I gonna get Deb? What's Deb gonna get me? What's my parents gonna get me? What's my sister gonna get me? What's my friends gonna get me? You get the idea... Seriously though...I do love this time of year. Yeah it's busy. I remember back the first week of November and going through the calander and seeing what each weekend consisted of. We had PRETTY MUCH every weekend but 1 mapped out till the end of the year. When you're sitting and looking at 12 weeks of plans you start to get a little overwhelmed I think...I know I did. So here we are...10 days out. My last ten days in my early 30's...from here on in it's a race to 40 and for the life of me I can't imagine my life any different. This week alone I had a meeting last night, tonight is a meeting with Deb to see where we're at with Christmas, tomorrow is actually open, Thursday is Men's...

Ya know...I don't have a whole lot to gripe about. I sit here tonight...11:00 on a Thursday and this time tomorrow I'll be halfway through what could be the final chapter of a dream I've had for years. Doing a (what I hope is) quality radio show regularly...playing music I enjoy and being entertaining. It was always something I thought about in my mid-20's. I listened to guys like Don and Mike and occasionally Brother Wease and thought "I can do that...sure I'm weird...but I can be funny." Four years ago...I got the shot. After being a regular guest on Uncle Samoo's Zoo as the third wheel...and doing some voice calls...I got my own show. Samme handed me The Living Rock. I admit for the first year I didn't know WHAT to do with it. The show lacked focus and direction. I went in...played my chart (in no discernable order) and did some mike breaks in between. I had a few 'co-hosts'...but they didn't pan out. Rollin Joe was ok...b...

Well it happened... Last night was the big meeting...they herded us all into a room and at 7:05 PM Karey Pine got up who is the head of RIT's Student Organizations...and reminded us all to be civil to each other no matter what is said. It was at that point I knew what was coming... Well...I mean I knew it before that...the writing was on the wall. I managed to corner the program director on Friday while at the station. He was there after Hockey doing his new show "Skank On"...and when I spoke to him I asked him Man-to-man whether The Living Rock would continue. He wouldn't answer me...he looked up and to the left when I asked again and said "We haven't made any decisions yet"...a sure sign he was lying and I knew then. However I still had hope and last night the hope was dashed. The Living Rock is one of the cut shows by WITR. Along with Weathered Steel, Uncle Samoo's Zoo, Histories, Axecalibur, and Jeff and Jeff (However as of this morning...I un...

Hey Guys; The below is what I wrote on our Facebook Group's discussion board. (If you're a fan of the show...join Modern Music...No More save WITR). Short short version is the current management of the station (run by college students) wants to make some changes...this impacts the community members' shows...and at one point they wanted to bounce us ALL off the air. We had a meeting last night with RIT administration and the below are my thoughts on it... ***OFFICIAL DISCLAIMER*** These are my own thoughts/conclusions from last night's meeting. These are written from MY POV...and with my conclusions. They're TOTALLY open for discussion but wanted to get SOMETHING on here. ****End Disclaimer**** Last night a lot of community members met with Kaity Werner, Karey Pine, Mike Saffran and Carol Reed as well as I believe the HEAD of Student Government (his name escapes me...but his presence unannounced didn't fill me with warm fuzzies). My initial reaction to HEARING of...

It's finally happened. I have turned the corner and the journey has begun. As of Monday September 21, 2009...I have begun the diet. It's weird for me. I wasn't ALWAYS a fat man. I wasn't ALWAYS a tubby...I was a VERY skinny kid...to the point where I (along with my sister) used to be able to convince our Grandmother to make us pancakes cause she thought we weren't eating enough. (I loved her pancakes...). Even in High School I was a little guy...started getting a BIT of a gutt my senior year...but for the most part wasn't big. Then I hit college. The Freshman Fifteen became the Freshman Forty. I made a great friend in Samuel Adams and the rest as they say is history. Thing about it is though...that never bothered me. I didn't care. I was HAPPY the way I was. I still got dates, I still had fun, my family loved me...I made friends...I was productive. So I was a little heavy. Big Deal. That mindset carried me 14 years...then I married Deb and I added...

Ya know...it's not often I put people on pedestals. I have met some awesome and famous people in my time. I met Jim Kelly once at a party for a company I was working for. I introduced myself as "Hi Mr. Kelly, I'm Will Benson...Systems Admin. I'll be making sure everything is running technologically sound. Is there anything you need?" To which he replied "No Lou, thanks Lou, Good to meet you Lou." Jim Kelly thought my name was Lou and repeated it three times to make sure he remembered it. And people wonder why I'm a Dolphins Fan. Another time I met Kelly Ripa on the streets of New York. This is BEFORE she was with Regis and just some soap actor I thought my Mom would dig me getting a picture with. We got the picture and she was very kind and nice...and dug the Marvin the Martian slippers I had just bought at Warner Brothers. I was jonesed for the pic because NOONE would believe this happened. My Roommate TOOK the picture... It didn't com...

Wow...time sure is fun when you're having flies. I've often wrote about how awkward I once was as a kid...I had a big head (and little arrrms), a bigger mouth, and a complete lack of what was funny or acceptable. I had friends but I was more of the 'tag along' then part of things. It was a good time...high school probably at one of its best for me...and when they all graduated (I was a year younger)...my senior year didn't seem the same. We hung out a bit during summers in the 90's. I think the last time we all hung out was when Denise's family was selling her house so we had a party over there (if I remember correctly)...but since then we all kinda went our seperate ways. Staying in touch with a few but for the most part moving on. Fast forward to the last year when Facebook blew up. All of a sudden we found ourselves talking and remembering. Some with rose-colored lenses...but for the most part enjoying the shared experiences. Then Denise finally up and do...

***SURGEON GENERAL WARNING*** The below blog is EXTREMELY geeky and talks about a community that almost NONE of my usual readers belong to and probably won't understand. However...I felt like writing...so I did. If you're offended by geekiness or feel that by writing this I'm showing how not 'with it' I am...or that I care too much for something so trivial...I encourage you to close this now and read another post. I don't really CARE care about this...but just wanted to share my observations about things as I've been watching this play out over the last 6 days. You've been warned. ****** Man...who knew? I haven't had the iPhone a month...and already I'm hooked. Ok...if you know me at all you knew THAT would happen...let's face it I'm a gadget fiend. What I didn't know though was that there was a whole COMMUNITY based on this. See when I first got the phone I said I wouldn't 'jailbreak' it. I thought that meant that I w...

This week has been NUTS! Chris who usually gives the challenge at the men's group during week 2 was indisposed...so he asked me to go up a week. What I didn't realize is that that means I'm in Week 2 of my month as well. The week that consists of a church leadership meeting on Monday, Tuesday with Deb, Wednesday Business Meeting for work, Thursday Gauntlet/rehearsal and Friday Radio Show. He asked me on Saturday I think...and I said yes without thinking. WHOOPS. I had TUESDAY to write the challenge. However...sitting down Tuesday I just didn't feel it coming...I started writing but one of my readers felt it may not work...so I scrapped it...so on Wednesday...I figure I'll write during my business meeting.(which is usually done remotely). Except this week. Nope...they wanted us on-site. GREEATTTT. It was cool seeing the people I work with locally...but still I planned to stay awake and try to write...and experienced writer's block like you wouldn't be...

One night. One night is all it's taken me to know that I can NEVER go back. I'm awake at 6:00 in the morning because as soon as I'm done writing this I'm going to shower, and get dressed and go to the hospital where my beautiful wife is resting (I hope) comfortably after elective surgery. I left the hospital last night at around 9 because she had just gotten out and was out of it. I came home for the first time to an empty home without her. For the first time in seven years...I was to sleep in our bed without her. Feed the cats without her. Flush the cats toilet without her. Eat without her. Watch TV without her. Game without her giving me that knowing look that says I'm playing too long. We've spent nights apart before. I've been in ministry awhile and also had to go away for work a few times. However...she's always been the one here. It's somehow easier I think to have to sleep apart from her somewhere else. The whole house is her domain...

April 1, 2009. A day that will forever live in Infamy. When the news came down last week about Time Warner's plans for Internet Capping in Rochester...I remember feeling outraged and a little ambivalent at the same time. On one hand I sit and think "Man...that sux. I'm furious..." and then I think "They won't do it...they can't do it...that's nuts right?" Fast forwarding 9 days...I'm seeing now the truth. It's probably gonna happen...at least for awhile. Which has only infuriated me more. Time Warner is made up of people who's only goal is to make money. That should surprise ABSOLUTELY noone. To hear the words monopolistic, and unfair makes sense. It is...but they've got us by the short hairs here. TWC is made up of shareholders, corporate raiders, and executives who are being hit in this time by the 'economic downturn' (and by 'hit' I mean may need to only take 10 weeks of vacation in Bora Bora). So having them lo...

I woke up this morning...thankful for my friends. Such an odd statement coming from me. Especially given how little sometimes I truly know about being or having friends. Yet here I am...thankful for 'em. Most of my life...I've gone through my days thinking "why can't I have friends?...what's wrong with me?" I've said it before but I was a VERY AWKWARD geeky kid. VERY hard to get to know. I seemed to revel in being unlikable at times. Sure I desired it more than anything...but my actions and outlook seemed to cloud that. I'd make a stupid joke here that could be insulting...I'd ask a stupid question...I'd play dumb for a cheap laugh. I'd throw an insult at someone so then I'd then be backed into a corner where I usually tried to fight my way out (very badly I might add...I was NEVER a good fighter...I got one good one in once...with John Stambach in 7th grade...in Mr. Y's class...he was busting on me...pushes me and I punched him in...

Hey all; I went and saw Watchmen on opening day. There may be some spoilage here...so if you haven't seen it and want to...don't read further. OK now that that is out of the way... Watchmen as directed by Zach Snyder is NOT a comic book superhero movie. No matter what you read, see, or hear...this is NOT a movie that you should EVER EVEN CONSIDER bringing a kid to. It is based upon a 12 issue mini-series published in 1986 by DC Comics. However...it is NOT Superman, Batman or even Doom Patrol. It is a dark, gritty and very thought provoking drama using Heroes and masked vigilantes as a looking glass into a world teetering on the edge of nuclear armageddon. The heroes are not 'white hats' and not without their own hangups, issues and motivations for being 'heroes'. The book is 23 years old...and for me still very readable and relevant today (unlike much of the 80's comics). It's not a 'feel good' or uplifting story...but a morality play and...

Ya know...I didn't think it would happen to me. I mean I'm a very young at heart kinda guy. My office has Battlestar Galactica miniature ships on top of one of my monitors, I have a Green Lantern Postage Stamp Picture my in-laws got me for Christmas, I game, I watch Cartoons still. I genuinely thought I was still with it. Nope...NOT EVEN CLOSE. The below is a snippet from a friend of a friend's kid who friended me on Facebook. They replied to their Dad in their doing status...and it just made me realize how unhip I am. Below is the response to their father: "y should i b nicer 2 others while others r bin mean 2 me!!!!??? yea ik im not @ skool but i have u dat keeps tellin me 2 clean n borin stuff like dat no wonder y im bored!" WHAT IN THE SAM HILL OF DAMOCLES DOES ALL THAT MEAN?!!?!?! I've seen the commercial with the kid texting her Grandma...and Granny is a hip granny dropping an idk on her son. But man...I just don't get it. I mean I can understand wha...

7 Years. I remember being a kid thinking that was a long time. When you're in 5th Grade and someone says it's only 7 years till Graduation...or when you're 14 and it's only 7 years till you're 21 and legally an adult. It'll only be 7 years till Lake Avenue is FINALLY finished...before they tear it up again. It has such a mystique to it. Yet here I am. 7 years have passed since what could possibly be defined as the best day of my life...and it feels like yesterday. I can remember everything. Waking up in the hotel room with my friend Mark in the adjacent bed snoring away. Feeling like I should be nervous...and yet...not. Looking out the window at the city skyline still awed by the way it just seemed to envelop the area...while knowing that Rochester's 'metro area' probably spans about 3 city blocks...but it's perspective is one of a much larger city when you're in the heart of it. Having breakfast in my t-shirt so I don't get anythi...

Wow...yesterday was a jumble of emotion for me. I get a call at 7:30 in the morning that my Mom is being rushed to the Hospital with symptoms presenting a heart issue. I get dressed and make like a small aircraft toward the hospital. After clearing myself for landing with the tower...I park in emergency parking and begin to get things ready. I do what I always do when I'm at the hospital...I grab my vial of Oil and church ID badge. See...as a deacon and now as an elder of a church...I've been ordained as clergy. A heavy idea if you think about it. However...while having my Church ID has let me get out of paying for parking a few times at various hospitals...I've always felt it's my obligation to wear it when I'm in the hospital for anyone...just in case there's an opportunity to pray with someone who needs it. So I just grab it out of my center console in the truck and my vial of oil is always in the front dash board. I put em on...and go in to see whomev...