Daily Dose of BS June 30 5 years tomorrow

Five years ago tomorrow we started with a new radio station, Today’s Talk 1490.  I was hired as the morning guy and charged with making a show.  Here it is five years later and I still love doing it.  I have got to do some pretty awesome things, like go inside of the I 90 bridge and peer down at the river below, broadcast from the Lock and Dam, then tour all the behind the scenes things.  I also interviewed thousands of people.  I got to talk with politicians, business leaders, and rock stars including some of my favorite.  I have made some friends and some enemies.  Every single day is a new adventure. This job can also be humbling, as this year I was nominated as one of the best of Morning Dj’s and Best Radio Personality.   I often wonder when I talk with my friends who don’t like their jobs, why not look for a new one?  Why work a job you hate?  Like is short, we all have only so many breaths on this earth, so why be miserable?  I lucked out and have the best job for me.  I couldn’t imagine being shackled to a desk or have the noose of a tie around my neck day in and day out.  Plus I get to wear tee shirts and flip flops. 

Daily Dose of BS June 29 rude drivers

I’ve driven in many states, however most of my driving is confined to the Upper Midwest, as I have lived here the majority of my life.  I have seen some great drivers, ones who signal even in a parking lot to the worst of the worst.  I got an email yesterday from kars for kids that highlighted where the rude drivers are and the new survey shows that Wisconsin drivers are among the rudest in the nation. Huh?  What has happened to Midwest Nice?  The survey was done as part of our summer driving awareness campaign to promote courteous driving and guess what, Wisconsin was rated as the 5th rudest state in the country, with many of our friends and neighbors openly admitting that they would steal someone’s parking space, which is weird since we have pretty decent parking around here, but that is a whole other story.  One of the other questions that was asked in this survey is will you let someone merge, and apparently we won’t this stat doesn’t surprise me because I always hate when the me first people zoom to try to get ahead.  Do you think that Wisconsin drivers are among the worst?  Or at least the rudest?  Did these surveys check out Minneapolis, Chicago, New York or my least favorite place to drive Boston?  

Daily Dose of BS June 28 answering machines

Are you as irritated as I am when you call a business to talk to someone and they come on with a recorded voice saying we are trying to make it easier on you by streamlining the process by automating?  I call BS I do not recall a single time in my life that the automated phone answerer has made my life or anyone’s life easier.  How can listening to an answering machine telling me to listen as our options have changed possibly make it easier for me to get my job done?  I called a big business that everyone of you have heard of the other day a number that I had memorized as I have talked to these people for many years, only to end up 7 minutes later still trying to navigate their stupid time saver, the only saver of time that was saved was the person on their end of the line answering the phone and putting me thru to the person that I wanted to talk to.  This reminds me of another Midwest business that has a generic number out there, and the listing for you to talk to this department push this etc and I thought I would beat the system and push zero to get the operator, guess what that just repeated the message and then I was on a mission to find the operator number so that I could voice my opinion on how I loved the system, it was a double digit number and when I hit it I was transferred to a full mailbox and hung up on.  Needless to say I voiced my opinion next time I visited the store; their voice mail, however, is still the same.  Damn.

Daily Dose of BS June 27 sponsorships

Well, the state of Wisconsin has done it again.  By it, I mean making news for doing something absurd.  The Wisconsin DOT has sold corporate sponsorship of the DOT’s roadside assistance to State Farm and will be renamed the “Wisconsin DOT State Farm Safety Patrol.”  I am guessing that pretty soon we will have the Miller/Coors DWI Patrol and the La Crosse Fairgrounds Speedway speed control.  And if you get arrested you could stay at the Hilton Inn and Suites Jailhouse branch.  Don’t forget that hunting season this year will be sponsored by two sponsors, of course, you could be rocking the hot new orange vest and hat from the designers at Farm and Fleet and the harvest of deer brought to you by Remington.  Come on Wisconsin we are better than this, at least if you are going to get something sponsored get the potholes sponsored by a dry cleaner so we can get something for our troubles.  

Daily Dose of BS June 26 speed limit

So, the speed limit changed on Friday, the signs went up on Losey Boulevard and I avoided it like the plague on Friday and Saturday.  Sunday rolled around and my wife and I went to the mall area so we had to take Losey.  Before I noticed my speed, I saw a cop with someone pulled over I looked down and by then I was going 37.  OOPS!  Dropped the speed to 25 as I was passing the cop, set the speedometer to 25 and just watched as people passed me.  Every single car passed me and I got a few one finger salutes.  I really didn’t mind the cars and bikes going faster than me but when the lady with the walker passed on the left, I was a bit disappointed.  Having the cruise on helped me to regulate my speed on Losey but didn’t help when I approached the hill on Losey and Mississippi, I swear I started rolling backward by the time I hit the peak.  One thing I did notice on Losey besides all the new 25 miles per hour signs, is that no one drives the speed limit, no one, except for me when my cruise is set.  

Daily Dose of BS June 23 phones

Every single one of us has seen someone texting and driving, and I am guessing that many of us have also broken the 2009 law and have texted and driven.  I know I have, I try not to but I have.  Last year federal court deemed a law similar to our texting and driving law unenforceable because it implied texting only and there are so many other things to do while on your phone.  You could message, Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, email, and the list goes on, and on and on.  A new bill would seek to ban smartphone usage while driving, so basically not using a device to enter, transmit or access data while driving.  That would encompass most of what people are doing while driving.  The bill would allow you to use your phone and your smartphones navigation program but that is it.  The new fines would jump from $20 up to $100, with a max of $400.  I am not sure that the fine would make much of a difference, but if the cop could confiscate the phone, then we would see more compliance. 

Daily Dose of BS June 22 roundabouts

As we keep adding roundabouts around La Crosse, it reminds me of the game Frogger.  I used to love playing that game trying to get the frog across the street, and over the logs on the river, pretty soon we are going to be able to play the game of Frogger for real on South Avenue.  How so you ask?  Well, the city and the state will acquire land and then build up to 4 roundabouts between Green Bay Street and Ward Avenue.  And for sure we will be jumping or at least running out of the way of cars.  Maybe we could kill two birds with one stone and put a parklet in.  Here is something else to think about, If we keep adding roundabouts and collecting property we won’t have any more houses on South Avenue, then the city and state could do what they want.   

Daily Dose of BS June 21 more roundabouts

Here’s a big shocker the city of La Crosse has hired a consultant to look at South Avenue.  The most shocking part of the hire is that they not only back the DOT’s plan for roundabouts but they think that another roundabout could be added in the mile stretch of road between East Avenue and West Avenue.  WHAT? Another roundabout?  They would like the 4^th added for the people living on South Avenue so that they wouldn’t be forced to drive convoluted routes through their neighborhood to access South Avenue.  Again, What!  If we keep adding roundabouts and collecting property we won’t have any more houses on South Avenue, then the city and state could do what they want, make the whole thing a gigantic roundabout make the speed 5 miles an hour that way bikes, cars, dogs, cats, goldfish, and pedestrians can all share the road, not allowing anyone to get anywhere faster than the next, it would fair that way for everyone.  Give me a break. 

Daily Dose of BS June 20 being a dad

Father’s Day was the other day and 22 years ago today I began my journey as a father.  Weird to think about it, you are a part of adding to the population of the earth.  Just because you were a part of the creation of that baby doesn’t make you a Dad, in my mind.  Being a Dad is being there, helping out when you can, the easy stuff that is no problem, but the tough love that is what separates.  Hanging in there and not giving up.  Being a Dad isn’t always the easiest or the job to do but it is the most rewarding job I have ever had.  Happy Birthday to my 22 year old son, Hayden Schmidt.  You have irritated me, pushed me, angered me, loved me, made me happy, proven to me time and time again that I am wrong, brought me joy, smiles, and lots of love.  I am so proud of you and proud of the person you have become.  I look forward to seeing your continued growth as a Man.

Daily Dose of BS June 19 baseball

Actions speak louder than words.  We say that winning isn’t everything but our actions show that yes winning is everything.  My son’s baseball team had a tournament over the weekend, and they brought down a handful of kids from the next group up.  I know that my kids are never going to be professional athletes but they give it all, they show up to practice, they go to the games, they are suited up and ready to give 110% of their ability.  They are part of the team, and the coaches are always on the kids to be a team.  When they bring in other kids, ringers if you will in order to win a tournament, isn’t that defeating the purpose of team work?  Isn’t that showing the kids that their effort, and contribution to the team aren’t worth anything?  Doesn’t it show the kids that in fact winning is the only thing.  The thing that irritates me the most about this is that the coach, when confronted by my son as to why he didn’t play was told that they tried to get all kids in.  I call BS there were 3 games and 5 kids that didn’t play a single bit of baseball over the weekend and the 5 kids that were called down played the entire tournament, and they still didn’t win it.  This type of coaching not only pisses off the parents and the kids but shows the kids that it is all about winning.  I hate to say it but when I go to a little league game sure I like seeing all the team play, but really most of us go for the chance to see our kid play.  Let kids be kids. 

Daily Dose of BS June 16

Back in 1993 Prince changed his name to the symbol of love an unpronounceable symbol.  In a court battle that started a year ago Portland resident Jamie Shupe became the first legally non-binary person — identifying as neither male nor female.  The option, which will be available starting July 3, this year will make a difference for non-binary and transgender people using an ID marked “M” or “F”.  I have a friend who is transgender, in fact I had lunch a few weeks ago with him.  When we were talking, I said that when we first got to know each other I was full of questions of why, and how, but as the relationship became friendship I found that we didn’t even talk about that anymore.  I opened up on how being friends opened my eyes to the struggle that they have to go through with everything on how people looked at them to what bathroom to use.  A horrible situation to be in, could you imagine not knowing where to go to use the bathroom.  While I don’t know the daily struggles that they are going through, I do have more of an understanding.   

Daily Dose of BS June 15 french fries

Big shocker here, fried foods are on the increase, obesity is on the rise across the globe with America leading the way and French fries have been found to cause a higher mortality rate.  According to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, people who eat fried potatoes two or more times a week double their risk of an early death compared to those who avoid them.  I am wondering if the risk factor isn’t the fried potatoes but all the stuff that goes with that fried food?  Speaking of fried food, some buddies and I went out for some wings last night and we didn’t have any French fries so we should be fine, but who do you think has the best wing around?  

Daily Dose of BS June 14 Amber Alerts

I don’t know about you but my phone got 2 Amber Alerts on Saturday.  Two alerts after many years of none.  Sure I looked at it after the first one, then thought I am far enough away, and I am not out driving, then put my phone away.  About an hour later there it goes again with another glance at the phone think to myself what the heck, and for a brief moment I thought why am I getting this alert when I am over two hours away.  Then as soon as that thought came and went, I thought those poor parents and shame on me for thinking this way.  I bet that many of you thought the same thing, a quick thought of why am I getting this to immediate regret for thinking that.  I thought what if it were my kids that were in danger I would want everyone and their sister to help.  Wouldn’t you?  Do you think that services such as the Amber Alert help or make us less sensitive to that around us and the more of them we get the more deaf we get to the system?  

Daily Dose of BS June 13 times are a changin

With no disrespect to Bob Dylan but -The line it is drawn, The curse it is cast, The order is rapidly fading, And the first one now will later be last, For the times they are a-changin'.  Look around at our community.  Look at the buildings, the roads, the people.   I hate to sound like my dad but things are changing, and I wonder if they are changing for the better?  I drive from the Southside of La Crosse everyday winding my way through the streets of La Crosse, and then through Onalaska to get to work.  Every day there is progress being made on our streets, in our neighborhoods and with the residents - we are evolving but evolving into what?   The buildings that were once part of the skyline are now reduced to rubble, the roads that moved people through the community are now being built for more people but at a slower speed, and many of the people don’t even look up from their phones to check the progress.  Yes the times are a changin but are they changin for the better?  

Daily Dose of BS June 12 hot and humid

As hot  and humid as it was over the weekend, thank God for Air Conditioning.  I must admit that the air is on at my house and will be for the next few days.  I do like to be able to fall asleep and not wake up in a pool of sweat.  I miss the old days when my kids were younger as with yesterdays heat, it would have brought out the sprinkler and a second hose for a water slide.  Instead of playing in the back yard 4 of us went to the La Crosse Loggers game, at least we got to see a win and a walk off homerun. Try to keep cool today, what are some of your favorite ways to beat the heat? 

Daily Dose of BS June 7 Kmart

Not sure if you heard yesterday afternoon or not but the Kmart on the south side of La Crosse is set to close on September 3.  I must say I am not surprised.  The last time I was there the store had a smell, the customer service was atrocious and the shelves were not stocked.  When I was a kid we used to call it came apart, and I am not even sure why, I grew up in Roseville, Minnesota where the first Target store was, and Target was the store we used to shop.  When I moved for my radio career I ended up in communities where Walmart was king, and then shopped there.  Now I try to shop with the local business, but how many local businesses, and I mean locally owned businesses sell toilet paper, not that many.  While I am sorry to hear that the Kmart will be closing, it won’t really change my shopping.  

Daily Dose of BS June 6 lemonade stand

Entrepreneurship often starts at an early age, don’t believe it look to the streets, yesterday I saw 2 lemonade stands.  I was only able to stop at one of them.  I try to make it a habit to stop and support the dreams of the children.  It truly makes the day of a child when someone stops and buys the Kool-Aid.  My youngest son was in the car and he asked why do I always stop at these, I said did you see the faces of the young entrepreneurs when we bought?  He did, I said that is why.   I like seeing kids have these dreams, and then work towards them, you never really know when one of these young lemonade sellers will become the next million-dollar philanthropist.  

Daily Dose of BS June 5 fridge

When you open your refrigerators is it nice and neat, are things where they need to be?  Fruit in the fruit crispers and the vegies in the climate controlled veggie drawer?   Ketchup is stored in the door next to the mustard and bbq sauce?  Milk also stored in the door leaving the bulk of the fridge for food, from what is for dinner later tonight to the luncheon meats for lunches and you can’t forget about the leftovers or in my case the planed overs for my lunches.  In a perfect world all would fit in to the refrigerator like a game of well played Tetris, with left over space for what is new.   I opened my fridge this morning to what looked like a poorly played game of Tetris, with this box here and that container there, a few Styrofoam boxes shoved into the top shelf with vengeance and a bottle of ketchup placed on the edge of the shelf so the air movement of opening up the fridge will knock it off to a fiery death below.   Ok maybe a bit exaggerated but pretty close to the truth.  Somedays getting the family dinner together often involves a bit of hunting around the fridge for the best mix of leftovers to fill the bellies of the beasts.  The other day as I pulled one of the Styrofoam boxes out it caught the top of the ketchup bottle and splat the unbreakable plastic bottle didn’t break but the lid smashed into 20 pieces on the floor, the ketchup was oozing its red contents out all over the floor the only thing missing was the chalk line.   

Daily Dose of BS June 2 cell phone

I have an addiction and it is getting worse.  Hi I’m Bob and I am addicted to my cell phone.  I constantly am checking it for information.  From my emails, to my facebook to what news is breaking locally, to using my camera to the maps and gps.  There is so much that the phone has become that I feel naked if I am without it.  When I got my first watch for my first communion, I started wearing it and have been a watch wearer ever since, when I got my first job, I started carrying my wallet, most of the time it is empty but always is in the right hip pocket, when I started driving my keys were always close at hand and now the phone is teetered to me constantly.  It is like an accessory that gives back tenfold, what other carry with do you have that gives you so much.  From the ability to go online, look up information, text, among other things, like a calendar and an alarm.  Oh yea you can also use it to make and receive calls.  

Daily Dose of BS June 1 politics

Saying crooked Hillary was annoying when Trump was a candidate for President but saying it as a sitting President I don’t think is very Presidential.  The tweet went out last night after Hillary spoke about who else is to blame about her not winning the Presidential race.  Clinton said “I take responsibility for every decision I made, but that’s not why I lost,” She went on to say several factors as the reason she lost, including fake news on Facebook and troubles at the Democratic National Committee.   How about start that at home, start off by saying that you are the reason that you didn’t win, and take personal responsibility.  Speaking of responsibility is it responsible for the sitting President to make fun and name call.  I think not.  But I guess that we are to blame since it was low voter turnout that allowed these two to even make it through the primary.