I decided to buy a new car this week. My Volkswagen has been a perfect lil' car for the last year. supa' mileage and very comfortable. But I've been piling up the miles and thought it was time to make a switch. I wanted a little more room, and a little more VROOOOOM. Been looking for a Mazda 6 or a Jetta GLI. after a few weeks with no luck i swung into my dealership yesterday and spotted a gorgeous SAAB 9-3. woooo. It took 30 seconds of test-driving to convince me that i was in love. Signing the papers tomorrow.

Without question, this is the nicest car i've ever owned and i couldn't be happier. Since i spend 90 minutes a day in my car (at least) i figured i needed a comfortable place. This fits the bill. Sunroof? Turbo? 5-speed? check. A very reasonable price? also check. If you're thinkin' about buying a car...why not look into a used car? My Saab is less than 4 years old and was a top-of-the-line car when it was new. it's got low miles, but i bought it for less than a 2009 sedan with far less options and luxury. Just seems like you get a LOT more bang for your buck. Sure, you're taking a chance that there could be problems. DO your homework, find people you trust and pay attention to small details.

I try to eat and drink somewhat healthy. It's not a full-on commitment, but i do my best. I've been trying to drink more water the last few weeks. Not sure if it's making me healthier, but i have to walk to the bathroom a lot more often. so i'm getting more exercise that way.

Heated seats is the most underrated option in automotive history. I've always said that i'll never own another car without sunroof. Now, i'm adding heated seats to that list. Wow. my butt toaster was workin' nice this morning as i headed to work.

American Idol is on tonight and i could care less. Call me when we're down to the final 4. until then, i got other things to do. The gym beckons.

Speaking of the gym...i sincerely hope the steroid guys are more subtle tonght. I'm not passing judgement, i'm just saying.. If you want to openly discuss your steroid use, please don't do it in the middle of the weight room in an extremely loud voice.

Wait, this car gets better highway mileage than my VW GOLF? wow. when gas goes back to $4 a gallon this summer i won't be dying. whew. i never sweated gas mileage until i started driving 70+ miles a day for work.

Brief glimpses of sunshine and temps in the upper 40's have given me hope that i'll survive this winter. Every time i look up, i expect it to be spring...and it's not. i fully expect one more blizzard before the year is over.

How on earth did we shop for cars before the internet? In less than 2 hours i read about every price, option, glitch, road test and consumer review that's been published on my new ride. Went to the dealer and had them check two areas where problems were common. i can't fathom how i plunked down a few thousand dollars for my first new car in 1999 without doing hours of exhaustive online research.

My friend thinks that "Jai Ho" should become the new "whatzup". just a nice general greeting that fits in a variety of circumstances. I'll give it a shot.

In the hubbub about our show with David Archuleta on Saturday, i hope you don't miss out on THRIVING IVORY on Friday night at the chameleon. great band! cheap tickets! lots of exclamation points!

i get a lot of press releases and newsletters in my email every week because of my work here at the station. i get 3 or 4 newsletters that are completely in spanish. I want to unsubscribe, but i can't find the link because i can't speak spanish.

almost died this morning as i was trying to program all my presets into the radio of the Saab. wow...12 preset buttons? was this car built for a radio geek? yes. i should let my radio friends campaign for their stations to be the better buttons, and not stuck at the bottom. #1 is FM97, #2 is my sister station WRFY. The rest are fair game. begin your bribery.

One of my friends used to sing "thanks for the mammaries" when he heard THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES by Fall Out Boy. Now, everytime i hear that song i think of boobies. maturity is not my strong point.

In the market for a 2002 VW Golf that's had nothing but tender loving care for the last year? lemme know. I'd type the dealership here...but they're not paying me. yet.

# of thoughts related to my new car in some way: 7
# of thoughts related to Best Picture winner Slumdog Millionaire: 1

my car deserves an Oscar.

Would it really hurt the Oscars and Grammys to give some awards to movies/music that people actually LIKE? I'm not saying they should nominate Paul Blart:Mall Cop...but at least take audience and box office into consideration. Even create a "peoples choice" where we can vote? C'mon...don't take yourselves too seriously, it's just movies.

Speaking of which. Whose idea was it to have 5 nominees come out and give a tearful speech about how cool each nominee was? lame-o. This event is already a big Hollywood circle jerk...but you don't need to spend 5 minutes telling me how Anne Hathaway is brave for her choice of roles. We're making movies...not curing cancer.

Also...i refuse to completely trust Hollywood after hearing that Paul Blart:Zookeeper has been greenlighted. Don't try and tell me it's a good idea. It's just not.

Brad Pitt was sporting a goatee last nite. does that mean that it's coming back into style? Crap...I'm 33 and still can't grow decent facial hair. Guess i can't be a slave to this particular fashion.

Ratings for this years Oscars were up slightly from last year. However, let's remember that last years show was the WORST RATED OSCARS ever. So this year was rated higher? yay. it's still in big trouble. i firmly believe this has something to do with Ryan Seacrest being on the red carpet. either that, or normal people don't really care to watch exceedingly rich, fake people get awards and have everyone tell them that they're great. (see: cancer, not curing).

I love Mickey Rourke. someone please get him a reality show, stat. This guy is nuts, funny, unpolished and extrememly fun to listen to. His acceptance speech at an awards show earlier this weekend involved swear words, mentioned actresses butts, etc... Take all of Kim Kardashian's cameras away and point them in Mickey's direction, please. for the love of all things sacred...if Denise Richards can get a show, Mickey Rourke can. He oooooozes with personality and talent. Denise Richards can cover her talent just by buttoning up her shirt.

It's amazing the amount of people who come out of the woodwork when you have a very big concert coming up and tickets are sold out. There's nothing wrong with asking...but if you haven't spoken to me in 2 years and NOW is the time you choose to start emailing, don't be shocked if you're not getting tickets.

I always see these ads pop up on the side of Facebook that talk about $100/hour part time jobs with no experience or training required. Really? please tell me no one is stupid enough to believe this. Off the top of my head, i can think of one Part-Time job that pays $100/hour and requires no training. Stripper.

Actually...even strippers need some training. You're not just BORN with the ability to slide on a pole and dance. I don't think they offer that skill at technical school.

I'm dangerously close to deleting my Myspace page. just feels like something that's come and gone. i don't talk to anyone exclusively on Myspace. it's just an extra page for me to get spam on. if you've got some incredible, life-altering reason to keep a myspace page...lemme know.

We're into the point of winter where i start to veg and get depressed. I'm so sick of being stuck inside. i stop doing laundry and let the housework slide. it's a vicious cycle, since the pile of laundry just depresses me more. i stare out the back window and wonder how much longer until i can reopen the patio and hang the hammock. the warm weather we had 2 weeks ago just made it worse, because i remembered how nice it was to be warm!

Does anyone honestly like the Fairness Doctrine? It's rare that i find an agreement where both Rush Limbaugh and Barack Obama agree...yet here's one. They both think the fairness doctrine is a bad idea. Don't believe people who tell you that Obama is trying to shove this legislation down people's throats. he already said he's not in favor and it's a dead issue. Fair enough. Let's debate the economy instead. That's where we need to focus our energies.

What's the fairness Doctrine? It's legislation that would guarantee that all viewpoints are expressed in media. Right wingers feel that it attacks conservative talk-radio. They're at least partially right. Stations that air shows like RUSH and HANNITY would be forced to express more Liberal viewpoints as "balance". I always found that stupid, and I'm undoubtedly liberal. Who would determine what "balance" was? It's a horrible minefield to start monitoring viewpoints. If you don't like conservative talk, flip the dial. If you don't like liberal viewpoints...don't Tivo Keith Olberman. Seems like a much easier solution that spending millions of dollars and possibly endangering the ratings (and revenues) of local American radio and tv stations. And where else would this apply? Would liberal and conservative blogs be forced to offer varying opinions? Can you imagine trying to monitor online activity and podcasts to insure "balance". what a nightmare.

Luckily, Obama says it's not happening. so we can stop worrying about it.

Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity are popular because they're pretty amazing radio hosts, regardless of what you feel about their viewpoints. i hate most of their thoughts, but i wish i possessed half of their ability to deliver views and drive an audience to action.

I'm looking forward to two concerts this week. Thriving Ivory should be amazing on Friday night and Archuleta will be a good show on Sat. tickets for the Ivory show are only $9.70 at chameleonclub.net. please come out and support this up and coming band. you won't be disappointed!

Is it wrong that i want Thriving Ivory to cover "Chloe Dancer" by Mother Love Bone? Is that inappropriate to ask them?



Number of times i mentioned Seacrest in today's blog: 1

Number of times Seacrest mentioned Me in today's blog: 0

you owe me one, Ryan.

wocka wocka wocka.

i dont know why i'm so tired today. Went out for a little bit last night, but i wasn't drinking because i had to drive. so i hung out for a while and then came home. woke up late this morning and have been half-asleep all day. was really hoping to hit the gym and get some launndry done. neither has been achieved...yet.

random randoms for 2.22.09

- played volleyball yesterday morning for the Schreier Pediatric tournament. they're a wonderful charity and it's a great time every year. We played against the college radio station from Millersville University (WIXQ....website is here http://www.wixq.com/). great bunch of guys who were having a lot of fun. i MAY have worn my Mansfield University shirt as a little bit of a college smackdown. haha. :) was really great to see them and also raise money for a wonderful chairty.

-after playing volleyball for 2 straight hours i would expect my forearms and legs to be very sore. nope, not a bit. i'm very sore in my upper back. wtf? that muscle right between my shoulder blades hurts today. how do i hurt THAT playing volleyball?

- i DID wake up at 730am on a saturday...maybe that's why i'm tired.

- Kelly and i decided to go to the Saturday Market for some lunch and bargain shopping on Saturday afternoon. I managed to avoid the delicious looking potato chips and kettle corn (gotta eat healthy). i did mange to make one very nice find....a model 466 General Electric tabletop radio.



nice and vintage, it's going to look cool in my offce. I've got a cool little collection of vintage radios started. i really love these little plastic 1950s , 60s and 70s ones. got one? email me...maybe we can make a deal-i-o.

I'd forgotten my username and password for this blog...so i finally gave in and reset everything. i promise i'll update more!

- When i type the date, i use periods between the numbers instead of slashes. it looks like 2.17.09 instead of 2/17/09. where did i pick up this annoying little quirk? am i a bold "outside the box" thinker? no...the "." key is just one key closer than the "/" and i'm lazy.

- I'm trying out TWITTER. Like i need ANOTHER online distraction! Follow me..i'll follow you...http://twitter.com/JeffHurley. If you're on twitter, does that mean you're Twittering? Twitting? Getting Twitty Wit' It? ok..i'll stop now.

- As we make the push into spring i'm trying my best to stay in shape. Been hitting the gym regularly and trying to eat well. I say "trying" to eat well...because there's 3 kinds of dessert PLUS a package of Double Stuf Oreos in my kitchen. it's going to be hard to resist temptation when there's that much good food in the house. I always figure i can eat desserts as long as i continue to hit the gym, but the sheer amount of junk food might win out this time.

- Spent about 45 minutes preparing for a meeting today...and then the meeting was cancelled. i feel like i spent all night studying for a quiz and the professor decided not to do it. grrr. at least i feel caught up on everything that's happening on the station.

- the first race of the NASCAR season was laaaaaammmee. i hate rain-outs. It's confusing this year because Tony Stewart now drives a red #14. I keep seeing the Orange #20 and thinking it's him. Gonna take a while to get used to the new colors and #'s. Yes. i like nascar.

- i was flat-out AMAZED that i got a tax rebate. I've come to expect the absolute worst from taxes. Every year there's some little loophole or rule change and i've ended up owing money. i finally got everything in order this year and booyah...a tax rebate. When i pay taxes, can i specifically tell them which potholes to fill? There should be a little box that i can check for that. I'd like the pothole at the end of my street fixed please...here's 38 dollars.

- Is CAR CRASH by Matt Nathanson the best song this year? I would vote "yes". Of course, we're only 6 weeks into 2009.

- Why would anyone even consider buying REGULAR Oreos when the DOUBLE STUF Oreos are sitting next to them? Regular aren't cheaper or any healthier...so just go for the gusto and get the double stuf! Buying regular Oreos is just saying "i hate myself and don't deserve good things".

- I got a nice new leather jacket at Christmas from my parents. It's in the style of a motorcycle jacket. I haven't ridden my bike in years...so i dont really count as a "motorcycle rider" anymore. One night i was in this dive bar and some reeeaaalllly drunk guy looked at my jacket and slurred "heeeyyy...what the f**k bike do youuuuu ride?". i had 2 choices...admit that i hadn't ridden my Japanese bike in years and incur his drunken wrath...or blatantly lie. Of COURSE i lied like my life depended on it (it might have). He and i became best of friends immediately and talked about bikes for a few minutes. whew. I know lying is a sin, but getting beaten by a drunk guy is more painful. I should get a free pass on that lie come judgement day.

- Kel and I went to Olive Garden for dinner the other night. Why do i not go there more often? It's nearby, tasty and their house Merlot is yummy. i know that "real" wine lovers don't use the term "yummy"....but i do. Picture some wine snob with a French accent saying "this 2001 Ecco Domani Merlot is YUMMY with a full body and rich color". haha.

- Friday night i'm sitting on my couch (probably watching history channel or hgtv) and my phone beeps. I look at the screen and there's a new text... John from Secondhand Serenade felt the need to remind me that he was in the Bahamas enjoying the warm weather. I angrily texted him back. i dont remember the exact words, but i think it was something like "hate...snow...blah blah....you suck....snow...." Remind me to punch him next time he's in town. haha. FYI, please keep requesting his new song "Your Call". i love it.

- My dad and i had a long talk this weekend. He's got a fairly big surgery coming up in the next few months and wanted to go over everything with me. It's hard for a young man to deal with the fact that your dad is growing older. He's the last "hero" that most of us hold onto. When we're little we aspire to be like dad and see him in a different light than the rest of the world. He's Spiderman and Superman all rolled into one. As we get older we see the cracks in his armor, and it's tough to come to grips with. We start to realize that he's just like us, with issues and problems that he deals with everyday. My dad is still the toughest man i've ever met and i'm glad he's dealing with his health quickly before it blossoms into something more serious. Love ya dad!

- 'Dats all i gots. Maybe more another day. email me...or twitter.