Grumpy Grumpy Grumpy

I'm sure this is true at all offices, but if one person is in a foul mood, it takes over the entire place. I'm sure this is more true when there are only 4 people at work! Anyway, I have been trying to figure out if I am in fact grumpy or if someone has turned me down this road. I really wasn't in a bad mood until I got here! One of life's great mysteries I guess.

I took Connor on our first walk through the park yesterday. I checked out the map and the trail we walked turned out to be right at about 2 miles. I felt really good afterwards and hope to get back out there today or tomorrow. The best part was when you get about halfway out, it is nothing but peace and quiet. If I hadn't been exercising, I probably would've been sitting on the bench out there just sitting. I think I'm going to take Bethany and Connor out there today so we can continue walking. I am really hoping to have a big week in the weight loss department, so I need to keep it up!

-Lithgow

Do I have to?

I couldn't help but feel that way as my alarm went off for the 20th time this morning. Do I really have to show up to work to get paid? That is some BS arrangement! I have got to find a gig like that.

I have to say I had an awesome start to the crazy busy August. Our nieces came over and spent the night on Saturday. We went to a drive in movie theater Saturday to see G Force. I was pretty unimpressed by the movie, but it's just because there are so many good kid movies out there.

On Sunday, we took the girls to a park that is close by the house. I had always seen people walking this trail and I wanted to give it a try. I took off with Connor in the stroller. It turns out that this course is about 2.5 miles long. Who knew going in? I walked about a third of it and had to turn around and go back because I realized I didn't bring my cell phone. All I needed was to be that far out from Bethany and the girls and not be able to be reached. My goal is to stop there 3 times this week for walks. We shall see.

-Lithgow

What is this?

I am surprised I remember the login for the blog. Things just seem to get busier and busier around here, which takes away from time I can sit here and write. My wife told me yesterday I wouldn't get back to it today, so naturally here I am.

I figured I would go ahead and update the weight loss challenge. I am currently very happy to be in 2nd place overall. This is the first week that I have not been winning. Our business manager came back from vacation and had rocked some serious weight loss. I am down 13.5 pounds for the first 5 weeks which I am just thrilled about. I have a feeling that when I get to the end of this thing I am going to be in an awkward clothes stage. Right now I wear XL tshirts. I just know that at the end I will be at the point where a large is still too small but an XL is too big and will look like a dress. Let's hope that's not the case.

I have such a busy month of August it isn't even funny. We are either going somewhere or having someone come over every weekend, so that eats up any time to do anything productive. I can't complain though, because I know that August will be a blast. Our nieces are coming over this weekend to stay at the house. Next week is Celebration, week after is our anniversary vacation, then my buddy Jared comes over from Michigan, and then High School football beings and we go North to meet our new niece or nephew that weekend.

I'm exhausted just typing all of that. I WILL see you here back Monday. Be good.

-Lithgow

Booyah

Back after a long blog vacation weekend and feeling really good. I am currently winning the weight loss challenge by fractions of a percentage point. I am currently down 11lbs in the first 3 weeks. My goal is to be down 15 after five so we will see if we can keep it going!

There is a good chance that the blog may have to take a backseat for a week as my boss Tara is on vacation. That means that I have to slide in and take care of alot of the stuff she normally handles. I will do my best, but as I always sing to myself..."and I guess your best wasn't good enough".

I'm doing my best to be positive every day, but today I really could've used a Mountain Dew on my way to work. I have stayed up quite late the past two days, last night watching the home run derby. Tonight, I will probably do the same thing watching the All Star Game. I have avoided the green can so far...it's a struggle! I wonder if it would even taste as good anymore. I had a little bit of Pepsi over the weekend and it didn't do anything for me. It was really strong! I don't remember that being the case! Damn this lifestyle change deal!!!!

-Lithgow

Take the good with the bad

I have to admit that yesterday was a swing in emotions. Some parts were very good, others made you want to just give up and go back to bed. Let me explain. I got invited to go out to the Fireside restaurant inside the Decatur Conference Center and Hotel and try out their new menu before they open tomorrow. I had a pepperoni pizza which was very good. I have to admit here on the blog, that I set aside the lifestyle change (diet) for a day and had a piece of chocolate cake. The thing that got me was that it had white chocolate on top which was AMAZING! I gotta give it up to the people at the DCCH. Doing very good things there.

The bad part of my day comes soon after. I return to my wife's parents' house to see everyone. Bethany was giving Connor a break from his bottle and he was sitting on her knee. I did a couple of things and then went to see him. I picked him up as I always do which means I lift him up in the air just over my head to say hi. As I am opening my mouth to say hi, Connor barfs and wouldn't you know it streams perfectly into my mouth. No joke. I immediately spit it into his bib and ran to brush my teeth.

Later that day, I am holding him once again. One of my other favorite things to do is put him on my shoulders and let him sit there. As soon as he sits down on my shoulders, what do you know pukes right on my head. 2 for 2 for the little boy. So once again I run and jump in the shower. Luckily, those were the ONLY bad moments! It's great to be a dad!

-Lithgow

MJ

I was at home with Connor yesterday after his doctor appointment and decided I would sit down and watch the MJ memorial. I am not a huge Michael Jackson fan. His biggest hits came out when I was an infant so it's hard to say it influenced me greatly or that I really knew a lot about what he had done. Sadly, more of my knowledge of him comes from his legal issues.

Watching the memorial, there were two things that had to at least touch you a little bit. The first was Jermaine singing "Smile". I can't imagine trying to perform at an event like that. I had to have some respect for him. The second was when his daughter Paris got up to talk about her dad. If you are a parent, that hits you. For me, as a father, I just had to think about my son being in that situation. Kudos to them for not making it a circus yesterday. Although, John Mayer I have to say makes the weirdest faces when he plays guitar. Go back and watch it. Weird....

-Lithgow

no blog today

Wouldn't be worth trying today. I'm a bit of a Grumpy Gus today. Better to just leave it alone and come back tomorrow with a smile.

-Lithgow

My job

One of the things that I usually enjoy about my job is searching the internet for the random surveys and things going on in the world that people may find interesting. It's quite a thrill when you stumble on something that people get into. I think I've found one that is going to be the topic of the show for today. I'm going to copy the summary below:

There’s growing evidence that caffeine consumption may help prevent Alzheimer’s disease, thanks in large part to two new studies. In one study, Florida researchers discovered that a daily dose of 500 milligrams of caffeine – the equivalent of five 8-ounce cups of coffee – reversed memory loss in mice bred to develop Alzheimer-like symptoms. The Florida Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center in Tampa, where the studies were done, found that caffeine in early adulthood appeared to prevent memory loss, possibly because of caffeine’s ability to calm the brain inflammation that causes loss of memory. Other experiments have shown that caffeine did not improve memory performance above normal levels. Rather, it appears to benefit those destined to develop Alzheimer’s.

Is this a terrible time to give up Mt. Dew or what? It sounds like complete BS, but since Busboom and I have given up caffiene, it is worth bringing up.

Speaking of the weight loss challenge, I haven't had the official weigh in yet, but I can say I'm down around 8 pounds for the first 2 weeks. I didn't have a very good week of getting out and walking, but I was still able to eat pretty well. I did some major ab stuff yesterday and let me tell you it was hard to get outta bed!

-Lithgow

The Ledge

I have to post this here so you can see it, just in case you haven't heard about it yet. Here is the link to the story in the Chicago Tribune:

http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2009/07/skydeck-heights-sears-tower-chicago-tourist.html

The ledge is a glass box built off of the skydeck at the Sears Tower. All I can say is HOLY COW! I must admit that I am a big wuss when it comes to heights. I think I would be sucking my thumb in the fetal position if I stepped out in this thing. The look out isn't so bad...it's that look down. Not gonna happen!!!

-Lithgow

Rabbit Rabbit Rabbit

Are we really in the second half of 2009 already? Holy cow this year has gone by quickly. If everything works out right later I will be chatting with Paul Teutel Sr. from American Chopper on TLC. I am very excited about talking to him. I have been watching the show ever since it came on the air, so needless to say I'm a fan. This is one of those interviews where you feel like you know the person well enough before you even talk to them. I don't know what direction I'm going to go with him, but either way it will be a good time.

I stopped at Walmart today to get some more healthy food. I came out with some mini bagels, bananas, and some Gatorade G2. I gotta say the G2 is awesome. I bought the 20 oz bottles and they are only 70 calories a piece. I'll take it! Here's hoping the weight loss continues.

-Lithgow

Update: Just got a call from OCC. Their flight got delayed from South America this morning so we will get him tomorrow morning. They were very nice and said they would wake him up if we wanted, but a grumpy Paul Sr. scares the hell out of me.

Back!

What a rough day to come back to work! I apparently decided to set my alarm clock's time as PM instead of AM so I woke up late, but I am here! I had a blast in Chicago visit my sister and Bethany's sister's family. I won't bore you with stories, but if you go to Chicago try the Grand Lux Cafe and order the beignets. You'll thank me.

I missed our first weigh in for the weight loss challenge because of vacation, so I caught up today. I am pleased to report that I am down 5.5 pounds for the week plus a day. I'm hoping to consistently drop around 3 pounds a week through this experience. If I left this competition down 30 pounds, I won't mind if I lose the championship to someone else.

I hope I make it here on time tomorrow! 2:30 comes too damn early after vacation!

-Lithgow

Day 4 No More!

Sorry about not blogging yesterday...my boss Tara was out sick and I had to handle a bigger work load in the morning. So the lifestyle change has been going on four days now and I'm still alive. I weighed myself today on the official scale and I am down three pounds. I am pretty proud of that. I've been getting out in the heat doing some exercising and it's nice to see it pay off.

The weight isn't even the biggest thing at this point. I just feel better. I can't wait to be a couple of weeks into this thing and see how I feel. I no longer feel like punching people in the morning or being grumpy. Kinda nice!

Speaking of nice, I'm out of here after today! I've got a couple of days of vacation. I don't think I will make it back to the blog until Tuesday either. Have a wonderful weekend sweatin to the oldies!

-Lithgow

Day 2 Electric Bugaloo

I know that the day is ready to begin because I am in the US101 studio with my Juicy Juice apple juice in the copilot spot. Yesterday, Busboom and I decided it would be a good idea to go out to Red Tail in the middle of the afternoon and hit a bucket of golf balls. I still haven't quite decided yet if that ended up being a good idea or not. We had a good time, but I don't think we had quite realized how hot it was out until about halfway through our buckets.

Someone anonymously left a comment on yesterday's post that I couldn't agree with more. They said that this isn't a diet, it's a lifestyle change. That is exactly right. I'll tell ya, with a baby, it sure was easy to just eat anything you could get your hands on when you could, but obviously doesn't work out so well for you in the end. I'm on day two without the Dew and so far so good. No one has been killed yet. I'm thinking that the workout for today may have to stay indoors.

-Lithgow

Aug. 28th

It can't come too soon. We have entered into a diet challenge here at work that is starting today and lasts 10 weeks. I have slipped into a lot of bad habits from working these early mornings. I was used to having a Mountain Dew as soon as I walked in the building, having junk food, and just not really taking care of myself. I'm hoping that this will help break those habits.

The hardest one to break is going to be the Mountain Dew. I have had a Dew every morning for about 3 years here. Today, Juicy Juice Apple Juice. It just doesn't quite measure up. We are doing this for cash, but obviously the greater goal is getting healthy. So lift up your Juicy Juice and let's have a Cheers! Meh...

I'll use this blog as a good release for this diet. Let's all look forward to August 28th!

-Lithgow

holy cow

I am glad that I have waited to blog until now because it has been an interesting morning. Everyone is dealing with the severe weather coming through the area and we are no different. We did a good job of getting info out to people to let everyone know what's going on. That is until about 8:10 or so. I had just read the sports and was playing an ad when the entire building went dark. At a normal office, it wouldn't be terrible because you would have a WINDOW or two. We are down in the basement nuclear bunker of the Cromwell empire where we have no sunlight. It was a weird 15 seconds til the power came back.

I went next door to our sales office after I got everything going again, and they had an alarm going off. Apparently, we have a security alarm. Who knew? I went next door and heard a siren along with "You have violated a secure area. The police will call you". It went for about 15 minutes before anyone figured it out.

I think I'm going to need a nap after all this excitement.

-Lithgow

Details

Details can be very important to any part of your life, especially when you are writing it down. I learned that lesson from yesterday's blog. If you go back, you'll see that I hinted to a change coming in my life. In my head, I included that this was a professional change. My hands didn't type this out for the blog however. When I got home, my wife had already fielded phone calls about if she was pregnant. I had also gotten some questions as well. So I will put it out there...no more babies for the time being! This is just about work. I'll try to figure out when I can start dropping hints without getting in trouble.

-Lithgow

Huh

Hello blog, it's me Scott. I thought I should reintroduce myself since we've been apart for a while now. I was driving to work today thinking about a couple different things I wanted to touch on today, and then all that changed. I found out that there will be a change coming to my life shortly that is going to be a big deal. I wish I could go into it further but I can't at the moment. Maybe I'll break the news here later on this summer.

I am back at work after recovering at home yesterday. I do have to say, you can feel like hell at home and Connor can still make you feel like a million bucks. We played all day yesterday and it was awesome.

-Lithgow

Family

I got into yet another spat with a family member last night, so to save myself any frustration with having to write it all out again, I'm just going to take a pass on the blog today. The good thing from last night, Wipeout was on last night!

Oh and the brownie batter blizzard from DQ kicks ass. That is all.

-Lithgow

Hard to believe

We just did this story on the air, but I still can't quite get over it. Here is a link so you can check it out from the Smoking Gun.

My question is this...how in the hell does this happen? How did this person think that a sprinkler company would need her to break the windows of the hotel? I mean really? I've been fooled on some really good pranks, but you have to appreciate what this guy pulled off.

-Lithgow

Down for the count

I'm a big enough man to admit when I've gotten my butt kicked, and yesterday I did. Connor loves to have days where you can't put him down without him exploding with screams. You guessed it, yesterday was one of those days. I've gotten used to some of it, but he was particularly insane yesterday. That meant a late night for me (10pm, sad I know) and I'm sure for my wife. I had to stop and get a Mt. Dew on the way here as a lifesaver. Otherwise I'd be napping in a ditch right now.

If today is a bad day, I'm just going to do what Connor did yesterday and scream my head off. Have a good one!

-Lithgow

Oh no

I came in today jazzed to get back to the blog (yes I said jazzed). I debated on the drive over which direction I wanted to take it. I had a fun weekend so there were plenty of things to write about. Of course, when I sign on to Facebook this morning, I see that Farmtown has again updated with a bunch of new stuff. I have spent the last couple of hours redesigning my farm to be able to install my new river. The only thing missing is the ability to name it. If you're going to have a river, it has to have a name. Oh well. Before you even comment, I do realize how sad it is that this has consumed my entire morning. Get over it and be my neighbor already!

-Lithgow

To be continued...right now!

I watched part 2 of the Obama thing on NBC last night, and there was one comment that really stuck out at me. Brian Williams asks the President and his wife about the new dog and how he behaves. They sound like a normal family, talking about how he tore up a magazine and got into some stuff he shouldn't of. Then, Obama talks about how it's an amazing sight to be out picking up dog poop on the lawn, and turn around see the White House behind him.

Are you telling me the most powerful man in this country actually picks up his own dog's poo? I think that makes the dog the most powerful thing in this country. I just have a hard time picturing him bending over with the baggie on his hand to grab some poo off the south lawn. Is this another marketing ploy to make him look like a normal guy? I can't believe there isn't an intern that is assigned to the dog doodie.

-Lithgow

Behind the scenes

I only got to catch a little bit of TV last night, so only a little to talk about. I watched the behind the scenes of the Obama administration on NBC last night. Brian Williams shows you what's going on and it was pretty much like it sounded. It turns out that watching people work in an office (when not written by the people who do the office) is just as thrilling as it sounds. There were some cool moments with the President, but it left me kind of skeptical.

You see some moments that make the President seem like a real down to earth guy. For example, he goes around taking lunch orders to go get everyone in the staff burgers. I sat there for a few minutes and thought how cool. Then the skeptic comes out in me. Is he doing this because NBC is there to shoot it or does he actually do this? Either way, kind of an interesting look at his life in the White House. More is on tonight at 8, so I'll try to see how that goes.

-Lithgow

Whoops

I think I fell asleep there for a little while this morning and missed my usual blogging time. I have to blame the debut of The Tonight Show with Conan 'O Brien last night. I am a big fan of his...my wife not so much. She can't get over his ugliness (her words not mine).

You never know how those first shows will go, because normally the hosts try too hard and flood the hour with guests. He kept it very simple with Will Ferrell and Pearl Jam. The best part was the live part he shot with Universal Studios. He acted as a tour guide on the tram. When and if the clip goes up on Hulu, I will post it here.

-Lithgow

You gotta

My wife and I went into this past weekend with a game plan. We had decided to have a pajama weekend. It basically means that we weren't going to do a damn thing, just sit around in our pajamas. I must admit, we almost pulled it off. Our grass would have officially reached forest status if I had not mowed it, and I know she did a bunch of laundry, but for most of the weekend we were able to sit around and play with Connor as much as possible.

On Friday, I sent out some floater emails to folks from the Discovery Channel about shows that I watch. You never know what you're going to get with press people. I've had some really good luck with NASCAR and would never say a bad word about it as an organization. They have no real reason to get me drivers, but if I ask for someone, they are USUALLY very accommodating. There has only been one instance where I felt like someone was just an ass (won't name any names, but the driver drives a single digit car, and it was his people not him.). Anyway, we got our first response this morning, and should be talking to Captain Keith Colburn from the Wizard on Deadliest Catch. His website is www.crabwizard.com. Should be very fun as I have been a big fan of the show for a few years. This is one of those interviews that is more for me than it is for the show, but when you book the guests you get to do that.

-Lithgow

B-L-O-G

I spent almost two hours of my night last night watching the spelling bee on ABC. It is amazing how much that thing has grown over the past few years. Not only do they trot out THE Tom Bergeron to host it, but Erin Andrews of ESPN fame is there doing "sideline" reports. It has to be really cool for the kids for it to get blown up the way it has.

You can't help but think about the kids lives when you're watching that each year. How in the world do you get into it? Do you do a couple of spelling tests at school and do well, and then get chained to a dictionary? I'm sure that most of the kids enjoy doing the work. Maybe I just sensationalize it in my head. I'm thinking I need to get Connor started early. Instead of teaching him how to say words, I'll teach him how to spell them.

-Lithgow

Oh my

Two things really caught my eye last night. First, I saw the ratings that Jon and Kate pulled in on TLC. Can you believe that this whole deal brought in 9 million people to watch the season premiere? In the cable world, that is HUGE. I can't complain too much...I was one of them. If this is all one big marketing ploy, boy did it work...


On a more positive note, I think a show just solidified itself in my top 5 of favorite TV shows. That show would be Wipeout on ABC. How great is it? You get a solid hour of time to watch people fall and get hit in the face. I loved it. They added in some new pieces to spice up season 2. If you haven't seen it, google it. I'm sure there are clips online. I cried I was laughing so hard.

-Lithgow

As promised...

So yesterday we covered the reason for my soreness. Today, we can cover a reason for mental soreness. Over the weekend, I got caught up on the show Jon and Kate Plus 8. If you live in a cave, it's a show on TLC with a husband and wife who had twins and sextuplets.

The show had it's charm until Monday night. The fun before hand was a mix of the bickering between the parents and the cuteness of the 8 kids. Now though, you just have to be disgusted watching it. Jon apparently cheated on Kate and Kate is crazy so she'll drive you nuts in her own right. The only good thing going for them is their son Aaden. He is awesome.

I have to admit that I had never seen the show until this scandal broke and it has lost me in less than a week. I guess I'll just keep my eyes peeled for the reruns.

-Lithgow

Weekend of milestones..

It was really hard to decide what to write about from this weekend. There were two big parts of the weekend for me. There's the side of being with family and all the things that happened with them, or the huge Jon and Kate Plus 8 weekend. Hmmmm....We'll start with the family. TV can wait.

We had a chance to see a lot of our family as they came by to visit Connor. It is always a good time to get together. The biggest day had to have been yesterday. Bethany's parents came over to help us do some yard work. I didn't really have a clue of what we were getting in to. Our main mission was to plant some bushes in front of our house. On one side of the door, the previous owners had laid rock down. It was ok, but not real great. The other side was the wood chips that I despise.

We ran into a few issues throughout the process. As it turns out, rock is harder to dig into than just dirt. Who knew? We got 5 bushes planted in a good amount of time and moved over to the wood chip side. Should be easier right? It's just wood chips and dirt! Well apparently, the previous owners of our house had two MASSIVE bushes that they just chopped at the base and left stumps under the wood chips. We spent some good time tearing the 2 stumps out of the ground. One of them must have taken 2 hours with a lunch break. We had to get our strength back! My father in law had to tie up a rope to his truck and try to rip it out.

Needless to say, we got the job done, but my body is telling me it was not a good idea. I just won't bend over for a week.

-Lithgow

Thank you!

I have to thank my wife who just reminded me I needed to do a blog today. Friday's are just rough for remembering this. I think it's because I had farming that had to get done. Sometimes harvesting just has to trump all. You gotta make money when it's there to be made. If you are on Facebook, join Farmtown and become my neighbor. I feel like Fred Rogers, but that's alright.

I'm not gonna lie, I have already checked out for the weekend. I have Monday off and my sister is coming over to see Connor, so I've got a lot to look forward to. Stay safe and enjoy the weekend. We'll see you Tuesday!

-Lithgow

Not too bad...

Last night was a big TV night for most people. I know that American Idol's finale is always a big deal for a lot of folks, but I was very excited for the Criminal Minds finale on CBS. If you've never seen the show, it's all about the Behavioral Analysis Unit of the FBI and their fight against serial killers.

Last night's episode was very good and quite bizarre. Without getting to gory, people were mutilated and pigs were involved. That makes for a good Criminal Minds episode. In typical Lithgow fashion, I forced myself to stay up until the most exciting 5 minutes in the history of the show when one of the main characters is shot and the crime is resolved I promptly fell asleep. My wife (thankfully) woke me up to tell me what happened because she knows me that well.

In other news, a couple good country shows were announced for the Illinois State Fair. Josh Turner, Jamey Johnson, and Chuck Wicks for one with Montgomery Gentry, Kellie Pickler, and James Otto for the other. For the cost, pretty good shows.

-Lithgow

It's a sad day

I have to take a moment and pay tribute as it is a sad day in Central Illinois. Greg Trumbold from WAND inspired me to start blogging on the website. Well as of today, it looks like he is giving it up. At least I assume that is what he means from his post today. Either way, props on a good run for the weatherman.

I am really looking forward to this weekend. Sadly, one of the main reasons is that our buddy Lavell is cooking pork butt for a co-worker's son's graduation party. He is the "Chocolate Thunder" that is going to lead our grilling team at the Moweaqua Pow Wow and no one does it quite like him. I am thinking about having him cook one just for me to take home. I've learned quickly if he has the smoker going, you better get some meat in there because he doesn't do it very often.

Oh and by the way...how bout those Cards last night? Once a year Piniero pitches like an all-star, so apparently we have that out of the way. Big game'

-Lithgow

Think Positive

Yesterday was such a nice day. Bethany had to work, so I had a day at home with just the boys. Connor has gotten really good at sleeping all day if only one of us is home, but will stay awake if we're both there. I think he just likes spending time with us.

I like to think positive. It's one of those things that gets me through every day much easier. I'm having trouble trying to figure out why people have to find things to rail on that has nothing to do with them. So much of what I do is based on positive energy, I'm just struggling with getting going after how my day got started.

Here's to a better day tomorrow!

-Lithgow

Back to it

I'm doing my best to get back to the blog since I missed it on Friday, so bear with me.

I had a blast this weekend. We celebrated my father in law and niece's birthdays. The best part was the gift that we got Ed for his birthday. If you listen to the show, you might have heard us talk about the Off Road Commode. If you've never seen it, it's basically a padded toilet seat that you hook into your toilet seat. We got one for Ed, and it is the coolest thing I have ever seen. It holds up to 500 lbs and looks hilarious coming off of a truck.

We had Big Al from Moweaqua in studio today to talk about their Flat Branch BBQ in the park. We are trying to get our buddy Lavell to sign up to be in the Pro Division for the cook off. You would have to cook chicken, pulled pork, beef brisket, and pork ribs. He is weighing it, but we have already volunteered to be on his team. I'll log the ventures of "Chocolate Thunder and the White Boys" right here on the blog!

-Lithgow

AHHHHHH!!!!!!

Today I was driving into work on I-72, and I can usually pick up the station right before I hit Monticello. So I flip on US101 and it is just pure silence. I knew right away today was going to be a bad one. Once I got to the station, I found out that we had been off since 2 something in the morning. I'm assuming that it's because of the weather, but I'm too low on the food chain to find those things out. I started thinking. I set my alarm to a radio station over in C-U. If they are off, I'm not getting up in the morning. So to all the people who have US101 on their alarm clocks, tell your boss I'm sorry. If you need an excuse, have them call the station. We can be your doctor's note.

So today, when I would normally be doing work, I have eaten biscuits and gravy and gotten my farm up to standards. I got to plant a bunch of pumpkins and buy another house. If you are on Facebook, look Busboom and I up. We would love to have more neighbors. I promise you'll get hooked.

Well, hopefully we will be making our stop in Clinton today for Hometown Voices at Snappers, but at this time I guess it's up in the air. Once again, I know nothing.

(As soon as I hit post on the blog, we got back on the air. So Snappers in Clinton is on for today!)

-Lithgow

Just Wasting time

I guess we are in for some weather today. I was in one of our other studios this morning when we had a power surge here at the station. It's a little scary when you hear a big pop and the equipment is no longer working. Fortunately, everything turns back on very quickly, so we are still on the air.

I think that today would have been a good day to just curl up in the covers and go back to bed, but my mortgage brought me back to Decatur. Oh well, just make the most of it right?

If you read Busboom's blog yesterday, he was on a tear about Mt. Dew. I think he only shows up here when something bothers him. Where are the happy stories? Anyway, he isn't blogging today because we are stocked with the dew again. We can all be relieved.

Yesterday, I saw something that I thought bears mentioning. I was driving in Urbana on Cunningham Ave, which is one of the busier streets. There are 4 lanes where we are at the University Ave intersection. At the light, as with most stop lights, the green arrow gives the people turning left a chance to go and then everyone else goes. Right? Makes sense. Well yesterday, Bethany and I were heading to do some errands when we are at this intersection. The guy in the GMC truck in front of us ignores the arrow and drives into the intersection. If not for the other driver, we would've witnessed one heck of an accident.

The moral of the story is that for the few minutes you are in the car, PAY ATTENTION. There are basic things that happen everyday that should seem routine by now. Let's all be safe.

-Lithgow
(I guess Busboom does have something to complain about. He may post today.)

Celebrate

Before I get started, Busboom came by and posted...it's below mine if you want to check it out.

The folks from the Decatur Celebration released their lineup yesterday at Central Park. I gotta say, usually the bands have to grow on me a bit before I see how well they did. I think this year they have put together a pretty good three days of music. I think the beauty of it all is that there is probably at least two musical acts that you would enjoy seeing.

The booking of Richard Marx seems to be the biggest one. I know that is was leaked a few weeks ago, but the word is that people are very excited to check out. I think Joe Diffie should be pretty cool. Of course, not everything there is my cup of tea, but if I'm wandering around that day I'm sure I'll stop and take in as much as I can.

All in all, you're not going to please everyone when planning something like the Celebration. I'm sure Fred and his people learned that very early on. There are plenty of people who don't understand how much money it takes to bring in someone like Joe Diffie, let alone a bigger name. I mean why can't we have a free show in Decatur with Toby Keith or Kenny Chesney? Come on! Good job to Fred Puglia and the Celebration staff.

-Lithgow

Mountain Dew Mayhem

I cannot understand for the life of me how the Pepsi man in our building can be so heartless to allow the Mountain Dew to run out in our pop machine. This happens all the time! It should be rather obvious that if you are selling it...replace it! Our part time help drinks it like kool aid and Scott and I need it for our life blood in the mornings as neither of us drink coffee. If our pepsi man wants an economic stimulus package...MAKE ANOTHER SLOT FOR MOUNTAIN DEW! An increase in sales might mean an increase in your pay, and for the love of god the way these people drink Mountain Dew in this building just put in a dedicated cooler for nothing other than Mountain Dew products.

Until all coffee comes in a green can and is cold...

Boomer

Back at it

Today is going to be tough. I had such a fun weekend that with many highlights, it's hard to start up again for work. My father in law and I went to see Star Trek on Friday, and it rocks. I may not be great for advice on this because I have never seen any other Star Trek movie, but this one rocks. Below is a very funny SNL video promoting the movie. Beware, there is some adult language.



Bethany also got to celebrate her first Mother's Day yesterday. She celebrated by sleeping in til noon, which she never gets to do anymore. She deserved it.

I think the highlight of our weekend though was Saturday. I was feeding Connor his bottle before we hit the road to drive home from Mt. Zion to Urbana. As he normally does, Connor lets loose with some gas right on my leg. It felt really hot, so I mentioned it to my wife and her family. They all said, "You've never felt that before?", like it was something normal to feel heat from his gas. After he finishes his bottle, I lifted him up to notice that my shorts were covered in poop. Yes, my son had his first big blowout, and my shorts were the victim.

Isn't it amazing that I was crapped on and can still say I had a great weekend?

-Lithgow

What a day

Yesterday, we had the chance to go to St. Louis for the Cardinals Pirates game. We were there to cover the Mt. Zion St Teresa game that was played afterward. Scott and I were able to have the opportunity to experience parts of a Cardinal game that you normally don't get to do with just your regular ticket.

We met with our representative, Matt Kitchell, from the Cardinals. He informs us that he was able to snag us one media pass. It turns out that a media pass at Busch Stadium is like the golden ticket for Willy Wonka. You get to go places and see things only seen by the employees (unfortunately no Oompa Loompas were seen). I head up to our seat as Busboom takes advantage of the pass first. He was able to hang out on the field during batting practice.

As we met up behind home plate, I take the pass and decide to go check out the press box. The only regret I have from my time in the press box is that I did not steal any food. It was all right there, and I walked away. I may never live that down.

We were able to see a lot of the underbelly of Busch III. Walked by the locker rooms. Got in the dugouts. Walked around on the field. Even called the high school game live too. A big thank you to everyone involved.

-Lithgow

MURDERER!!!

I have to come clean, and what better place than the Scott & Scott blog. I am a murderer. Yesterday, I took the mower out to tackle the beast that is my yard. The backyard grass had grown taller than our Jack Russell in a week and a half. The mower tackled almost the entire yard until I got to the final strip of grass.

As I pushed towards the last part of the yard, the mower gave a grown and putted to a stop. I tried and tried, almost like giving CPR, to pull the starter on it's way again. As of this morning, my lawn mower is on life support and the final part of my yard continues to become a rain forest.

RIP

-Lithgow

I did it!

Yesterday, our family had a big milestone. Bethany returned to work for the first time since Connor was born. Our schedules work out well so that I can return home before she heads off to work. That means that yesterday was my first day alone taking care of Mr. Connor.

I am happy to report that he is still alive and well. He really didn't give me any trouble, other than not wanting to go to bed. I had to be a little proud of myself, but even more proud of my wife. I know that it was hard for me to go back to work after he was born, but I am used to it now. She has spent two months at home caring for him, and now has to leave him at the house with me. That must be scary!

The one plus is that she gets to talk to people that aren't her husband! I think re-joining civilization will be great for her. The only things she gets to hear about now are the stupid things I do at work. So day 1 is down. Hopefully they are all as good as yesterday was.

-Lithgow

Damn you Iowa

My wife and I took Connor to the Quad Cities this weekend to meet his great grandma. We had a lot of fun and ate a bunch of Whitey's Ice Cream, but one thing ruined me. We went from Moline across the river into Iowa. Once we got into Iowa, I looked at my phone. My phone is one of the QWERTY phones that opens up for texting. Somehow, entering Iowa fried the inside screen on my phone.

I have been a lifelong fan of the Fighting Illini. I must let all the Hawkeyes know that this attack will not go unnoticed. I will vow to boo the Hawkeyes louder and harder than I ever have before.

-Lithgow

Let's get to the weekend

I have a feeling this work day is going to fly by faster than I can handle. I have a good amount of things to get done before I go, but I have a feeling it's not all going to happen. I normally write the blog at 5:30, and I'm already an hour behind on it.

There is just too much excitement around the office for me today. I'm excited because our family is heading out of town this weekend. I think everyone else is excited because Busboom ordered some deep dish Pizza Factory pizza.

I have to say I think the thing that is getting me behind is because I had to get my work done on Farmtown. If you're not on, get on Facebook and join the excitement. Boomer and I are both on, and we would love to have more neighbors.

-Lithgow

Not a good idea

Yesterday, a co-worker of mine asked me a couple of questions about buying a house. You hear on the news that it's a great time to buy a house, but that's about as much as I know. We bought our house in Urbana almost a year ago, so I do have a little bit of experience on the subject.

As he asked questions about what I ran into, I realized how much I hated the entire process. I'm the kind of guy who goes to a car dealership and picks out the car I want and just buys it. There's no haggling, no gamesmanship, and no playing around. I want to leave as fast as possible with my car.

This is why I hate the home buying experience. You can't just say, "Hey, I like that house. Here is X amount of money. Get out of my house!". You have to go down 18 different paths for weeks to get things done.

I tried to help my co-worker with his questions, but quickly let him know that asking me for home buying advice is like asking a blind person to tell you about the Mona Lisa.

-Lithgow

I know Kung Fu

I'm going to go ahead and assume that everyone here is fairly new to the blog since it's three weeks old. If you wish to leave a comment and you don't have an account, please be sure to put your name so it is much less creepy!

I had a great chance to catch up on some TV yesterday. The season finale of Chuck was Monday and I got a chance to finish that up. Is it just me or was the last 10 minutes of Chuck the same as the first Matrix movie? He even said the same line at the end, "I know Kung Fu". I love Chuck but only Keanu can toss a line out like that and make it work. I hope it doesn't fall off the deep end.

Speaking of falling off the deep end, 24 is a couple weeks away from being over. The show has to find ways to keep you guessing but it is getting harder and harder. I don't like seeing Tony Almieda as a bad guy, but they have to find ways to twist it up a bit. Hopefully they don't blow the ending.

No peaceful drive to work today. The people of Decatur are up and at it early today.

-Lithgow

Peace on Earth

I normally roll through Decatur pretty early in the morning. Living in Urbana, I always come in off of I-72 and get on 51 heading into town. I usually hit town before 4AM.

Today was no exception. I got to Decatur about 3:45 and proceeded into town. I didn't realize until I got to the station that I had not driven past one other driver the entire way through Decatur. I always see a few people out and about. This morning, it was quiet. I got out of my car and just stood outside of the station enjoying the silence. How often can you be downtown somewhere and not be hearing a sound?

Hopefully, your day can be that peaceful. I know mine won't be.

-Lithgow

This almost couldn't wait....

I've been hanging on to this story since Friday, and I have been dying to get back to work just to write this blog.

Friday afternoon, I was scheduled to do a live broadcast from Jackson Chevrolet Cadillac in Sullivan. If you have ever been to one of our events, or driven past our parking lot, you have seen the giant box trucks that we drive to our events. We like to think of them as moving billboards. If you haven't seen them before, they are about the size of a medium U-Haul.

Anyway, I normally get in the back of the truck to make sure that all my equipment is there and no issues will arise once I get out on location. For some reason, I decided not to do this on Friday.

I hop in the truck and head down 121 for the windy drive to Sullivan. I felt like I could kill someone at any moment on the highway from the wind blowing the truck into the other lane. Little did I know, that wasn't the only danger I was posing. Apparently, someone (I won't name names) was putting a banner into the back of the truck I was to drive, and decided to leave the door all the way open. This means that the door had been wide open for at least two days. I drove from Decatur to Sullivan at 60mph with the back door to the truck wide open.

It scares me to think what would've happened if a speaker or our 2-wheel cart flew out of the truck and hit someone. Needless to day, I learned a lesson Friday. Do not trust your co-workers. They may be setting you up to commit vehicular homicide.

-Lithgow

When is a TV ad effective?

I must say that I remember my wife and daughter going ga ga over the Diet Coke commercial where the ladies in the office were making goo goo eyes over the shirtless guy with the washboard abs at the construction site drinking the Diet Coke. Needless to say Diet Coke is their favorite drink since.

Guys, I have found the perfect hamburger ad. Hardee's and their newest hamber ad featuring Padma from Top Chef. May sound sexist, but I have now out grown McDonald's. See why below:









Happy Hamburgers...

Boomer

Why I love broadcasting

Messing around online yesterday, I found a couple of videos that reminded me why this business is so much fun.

This first video stars the Boss Tony Danza:



You know, we do some interviews with folks like this and I'm sure they're saying the same kind of stuff. Little do they know, often we are doing the same thing on the other end.


Now here is your obscene language warning:


Kudos to Shepard Smith of Fox News for getting worked up on the right side of torture against the guy who takes the point, "but it worked!". The comedic timing to say oops right as he took a breath makes that video even better. I worry that I will fall victim to the random swear word live too. The only problem with that is I guess I have enough common sense to not say WE DO NOT F****** TORTURE live on the air. Weird.

Have a great weekend!

-Lithgow

zzzzZZZZzzzzzz....

I don't think we have enough Mountain Dew in the machine to help get me going today. I don't know what it is, but I just have nothing today...

We had our 19th annual Office Party last night. It takes a ton of work and planning to get ready for, and then just goes right out the window four hours later. I hope all of our guests enjoyed the thousands of chips and plates that Kelly and I picked up from Sam's.

I am so excited for the weather we have over the coming days. I don't know if I'll spend any of my time outside, but you can't beat knowing it's sunny and 75 out.

One minor gripe, what is up with CBS playing repeats of their shows during their normal time slot and then new episodes after the fact? Why play a repeat of Criminal Minds at 8pm (the normal time!!!!) and then make me stay up another hour to see the new one. By the way, Best of Scott and Scott in the Morning today. The live version will be starting at 9am.

-Lithgow

Changes

I had a moment yesterday that taught me that I am now an adult and can't pretend to still be young anymore.

I walked to the bank to cash some checks that I got for my birthday. I started thinking of some of the cool stuff I could go buy for myself and have fun with. I thought, "Bethany and Connor can just look past this one...I can buy a new video game or something!". On my way back from the bank, I decided to go buy a bunch of stamps because we never have any at home. 42 bucks right out the window.

When I got home, we took Connor to Carle Hospital just to have him weighed. While we were up in the lactation room, Bethany wanted to check out some of the stuff they sell there. Needless to say, the frivolous spending I have done so far is buy 100 stamps (mostly for bills) and a new bra for my wife.

Happy birthday to me!

-Lithgow

I'm back

I know that we had agreed to take turns on the blog, but I am really enjoying it, so I am making the move to try to get on everyday. Boomer is still going to go every other day, so just check back daily and we'll update as much as we can.

Had a wonderful birthday yesterday with quite a few surprises. My parents came over to have some dinner to celebrate last night. My dad has been convinced that Connor does not know him or like him because every time he comes over, Connor will throw a fit when he holds him. So last night, I hand my dad Connor. Guess what happens? Yep! Connor freaks out like he never has before. My dad immediately shoots me a look like "See I told you he hates me!". Of course, the issue was a dirty diaper.

This leads me to a new theory. I think my dad literally scares the crap out of Connor. I don't know if it's his mustache, but he must poop everytime he holds him. Way to go Grandpa!

On a side note, we are getting the chance to talk to NASCAR Sprint Cup driver David Ruetteman after the show today. He is currently ninth in the Sprint Cup standings. Should be a lot of fun. I hope to post some audio on the blog, as long as everything goes well.

See ya tomorrow!
- Lithgow

Blow out the candles

Today is my 25th birthday. I think this may be the last semi important birthday for a long time. Can I now legally rent a car? Is that the last thing I had to look forward to? Oh well, now cross that milestone out. My wife told me my life is now 1/4 of the way over, and all I could say was, "Isn't it more like a third?"

I had an awesome weekend. Much of my wife's family was in town for my niece's first communion. It is always fun to get everyone together. There are so many little kids running around going crazy, you just have to try to keep up. Sometimes, I think I'm more like them than an adult. You're more likely to find me chasing one of them around or playing Candyland than you are doing something I actually should be doing.

Well, 25 years down. 25 more to go.

-Lithgow

Taco Night Musings

Nothing better on Wednesday night than going to Lock stock and Barrel for Taco Night and watching people. Had fun seeing folks put together their tacos and there are a number of different ways to build one of course. Last night I got to see the "Pile On" method. That is the person who talks to everyone in line and doesn't pay attention to what they are doing while loading their plate. Get out and enjoy Taco Night at LSB soon. Great food, good and cheap.....and a pretty fun night.

Going to Corks and Forks tonight...check out my next entry for the fun

Lithgow Friday!

Busboom

I learned a lot...

Yesterday, I was doing a live broadcast at the Kroger at Fairview Park Plaza from 5 to 7pm. There were a ton of people who got registered to win St. Louis Cardinals tickets from us, which is great. Standing outside in 40 degree weather though makes you focus on the other things going on around you.

I had a person talking to me as they walked to the parking lot, asking me about the tickets. She continued to walk into the parking lot while having her head turned back to continue our conversation, not unlike the lady in Death Becomes Her. As she walked, a car was pulling through the parking lot with a driver who was trying to reach something on the floor of their car. So both parties involved have no clue what's about to happen. The car rolls up at about 5mph and lays the lady almost on the hood before they both figure out they are about to have an incident.

You know, you just don't get to see stuff like that unless you stand out in front of a store like that for two hours.

Fun next few days coming up...starting at 9am I get to go to Panera to give away one hundred five dollar gift cards for tax day. And we just learned yesterday that NASCAR driver David Reutimann has agreed to come on the show next week.

Watch where you're going! See you on Friday!

-Lithgow

Lego Batman vs Lego Star Wars the DS Game..

Very big question this morning...Which is the better Video Game? Lego Batman is fun, but really is Clayface that important? I like the quickness of the game, and as a true fan of Batman, hate the Joker. Lego Star Wars is fun too, but I seem to spend more time getting thru levels. So let us know...Which is the better game?

Sad day for me to hear of the news that the number eight car is being parked in Nascar. Teresa Earnhardt should be real proud of herself for allowing such of piece of Nascar History to get parked on the scrap heap, and shame on her for allowing a talented young driver such as Aric Amirola to not have a ride this season. Junior appears to have made the right move to Hendrick Motorsports, and Dale Sr must be turning over in his grave right now.

Lithgow is up next...make it a great day!

Busboom

Wrap up

What a wonderful Easter weekend. I hope yours went well. We had a chance to see family this weekend. One of my sisters came down from Chicago to visit for a couple of days. Our baby Connor has had that effect on almost everyone he meets. You meet him, and then you must come back. I think he may have nicotine on his skin somewhere.

The important news of the weekend goes back to my last post on Farm Town. On Saturday night, I was hanging out with my wife and sister. In just a few short minutes, I had them both convinced that they really needed to sign up for it (if for nothing else than to shut me up). Wouldn't you know that my wife has followed the same path that I did...talking about how stupid and how big of a waste of time it was, then checking it everytime she is online. My sister has promised that she will sign up, and I won't leave it alone until she does (I know you read the blog Jana...you told me!!!).

Hope that the sugar crash from Peeps and Cadbury eggs doesn't make your Monday too hard to handle.

This may be one of the craziest sports plays I have seen in a while.



Lithgow

Customer Service Lessons

The other morning I had a great example of why business owners might need to look harder at their employees who meet and greet the public. I felt I had not received good customer service from an employee when I filled my car up with gas as a local station. Had a legit issue and the employee told me to pack sand. So, following the chain of command, I discussed the issue with the local manager who defended her employees bad customer service skills and choices. Folks, If you are going to meet and greet the public, smile if it kills you. Know that my money is good elsewhere if you simply can't smile. Know that I am paying for your good words and not your snide comments. Remember that if the customer is a jerk, he or she will eventually leave and go home. Keep smiling....You took the job.

Busboom

Time Consumption

I love the internet. It has really revolutionized radio with streaming, blogging, podcasting and what not, but the real reason to love it is all of the weird stupid time wasters you can find. One that I would like you to check out is on Facebook called Farmtown. You are given a plot of land to cultivate however you like. It is the stupidest, most boring game to see someone play, but I have wasted hours (maybe even here at work) building my farm up to it's current level 9 status (I feel like I'm talking about Dungeons and Dragons). This even feels sad just writing about. Anyway, that is our favorite time waster right now, but thanks to the internet, something better will come along days from now.

Now that you are checking out the blog, there are plently of ways to get involved with our show. If you want to point us in the direction of your favorite time wasters or just say hi, you can always email at slithgow@cromwellradio.com. We are both on facebook, just look us up. We've joked about signing up for Twitter but I don't think either of us are that advanced yet.

Of course, you can also sign up to be a member of the Country Club at http://www.us101decatur.com/. We do some exclusive give aways that are never mentioned on the air, directly to your email. Make sure you put in valid info, otherwise you'll never hear about it!!!

I don't know if we have established a theme to this blog yet, but we will keep taking turns. You can go back and see all the previous blogs here too (when did Busboom get so serious?).

I had to add this link. http://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3D6GKSJOSsExE
If you haven't seen the above link yet, it is Vijay Singh hitting a hole in one at the par 3 masters yesterday. Unbelievable!!!

Be sure to check back with us!
-Lithgow

Here's to the winners!

Thank God the elections are over! The ads were playing enough that I could quote them verbatim. Quite frankly, I have no interest in hearing anymore what I believe, just who anyone is, or children who have forgotten their mom's last name. Congratulations to the winners and Adam Brown's victory should be a wakeup call to everyone who ran in this election. People vote for the guys and gals who run clean campaigns and work hard.

Next up is the question of what to do with our public high schools in Decatur. Folks, if you think that the folks in the Kile Building aren't serious about this issue...THEY ARE. The third meeting was held last night at The Decatur Tech Academy, and the question is not whether there will be a referendum coming to repair or replace both high schools, and our Tech Academy, but in which direction they choose to go. Folks this is a very interesting time for our public schools, and all of you who have railed against the failures of the school district need to get off your butts and get involved... your opportunity to dream and be heard is now..

Next Meeting will be April 29th at Eisenhower High School...call 424-3000 and ask for more information.

Busboom

My turn

I guess it's my turn to give the blog a shot. I get a lot of time to think driving to Decatur each day from Urbana. It's kind of nice really. On my travels on I-72 today, I was thinking how crazy it is that what we do actually works. Doesn't that sound nice?

Think about it. Putting a guy in his 20's with a guy in his 40's just sounds like they'll have a ton in common right? Busboom and I got started on US101 with doing the Eisenhower and MacArthur games and people tuned in (despite the fact that the first football season we called 1 win and that was the Staley Day game).

When we got a crack at starting Scott and Scott in the Morning, we were both excited, but I don't think either of us knew what would come of it. Well we got some very gratifying news yesterday. Scott and I were named finalists for two Silver Dome Awards from the Illinois Broadcasters Association. That's sort of like our Emmy I guess, if they had local Emmy's. We are up for the best community involvement with last year's book drive, and for best broadcast team.

We are hoping to come away with some hardware, but being one of the top 3 in the state is still pretty awesome. Thanks for listening to us and now checking us out here on the website. Hopefully, we'll keep this updated M-F.

By the way, vote today! It's been kind of nice not having a dog in the fight so to speak. We have talked to a lot of the candidates and it's been impossible for me to have an agenda or form an opinion of them ahead of time since I don't get a vote.

Well see ya Thursday! Boomer is here tomorrow.
-Lithgow

Get Out and Vote

Are you tired of the campaign ads? I certainly am. Well, thankfully election day is here and I BELIEVE that folks will get out to the polls and vote in the election. JUST WHO IS getting elected? I hope that it is the folks who worked hard and campaigned hard. They deserve your consideration, because they want to be there serving our community.

Anyone who doesn't vote in the election has no right to complain about the issues facing our community going forward. I am also looking forward to seeing just what the election judges will be eating during the day at the polling place where I vote, and I look forward to seeing seven layer bean dip sitting next to the Krispy Kreme donuts once again.

I look forward to Wednesday. A day without election ads. A great day again for our community...THAT'S WHAT I BELIEVE!

Busboom