Sharathon

The 2007 edition of Sharathon is in the books, and this was a VERY different experience than last year. Last year I was SOOOOOOOO nervous and didn't think I was very good at all. This year I probably wasn't much better, but I wasn't nearly as nervous. It's funny because when I'm on with Scott or Steve then I'm nervous. But put me with Crystal or Junky and I'm ok. Why is that? Steve and Scott have got years of Sharathons under their belt, they are the "experts." I think I know why. It's the same as when I play sports with REALLY good people. I tend to tense up some more and feel the pressure to be as good as they are. (Like if I'm not at their level then they won't want me on their team.)

I got past my fears and insecurities and managed to make it through the 2 days. And what a couple of days it was! We smoked our goals, getting pledges for 108% of our one-time goal, and 103% of our monthly goal. WAY TO GO LIFERS! You did us proud. God certainly is "Big Enough." It's been such an encouraging couple of days. I'm very grateful to have been a part of this year's Sharathon.

Sharathon - Day 1

I'm pretty bagged at this point... It's been a long day, but a very productive day. Here's where we stand after one day of Sharathon.
One Time ($80,000 goal) - $38,367 - 48%
Monthly ($22,000 goal) - $20,329 - 92%
I'd say that's pretty impressive. Almost hit our monthly goal in the first day? Sweetness! We'll hit that by the end of the Breakfast Club. I must say I am VERY impressed. You have stepped up to the plate and delivered. Well done my friends... well done!

Some Weekendish News

This past weekend I attended a Young Adults coffeehouse thing at my church (Trinity). It was a lot of fun, good turnout and very friendly people. A lot of new faces, and new people that I connected with for the first time. I had some fun with one of them, at their expense, I introduced myself as Steve Jones. She (of course) took the bait and believed me. Which was fun at the time, but then I felt kinda bad for lying to her. I got over it eventually, but I love how trusting people are... Or maybe they aren't really listening to me? I probably could have told her I was a bounty hunter and she still would have said : "Uh huh... that's really cool."

Try that next time you meet someone new, make up some totally outlandish claim (like you're the heir to the throne in Tonga) and see if they believe you.

First Weekend Of Spring

We are about to embark on the first weekend of spring. It's amazing how 6 months can change how you feel huh? I mean in the fall, you're bundling up when it's 10 degrees, saying it's chilly outside. But 10 degrees in March is a reason to bring the shorts and flips out of the closet. How does that work? Do our bodies really adjust and get used to warm and cold temperatures? I went through my closet today and tried on some of my summer gear. (Some of it didn't fit anymore) And I noticed I look really pale. Yeah it's time to get a membership at the fake-n-bake again. I'm working on having that nice tan by the time May two-four comes around. It'll arrive faster than you think.

Chuck Norris

It was Chuck norris night on the Slam tonight... Chuck Norris jokes coming in left right and center. It was great. Some of the hilites:
- "Chuck Norris defines love as the reluctance to murder. If you are alive, it's because Chuck Norris loves you."
- "Chuck Norris can win a game of Monopoly without owning any property."
- "Chuck Norris went into Burger King, ordered a Big Mac, and got one."
- "Chuck Norris is the only man to ever defeat a brink wall in a game of tennis.
- "When Chuck Norris runs with scissors, other people get hurt."

My question is, how did these jokes start? I did some research and guess what I found?!? Chuck Norris is apparently a Christian! Check it out...

In response to "There is no theory of evolution. Just a list of creatures Chuck Norris has allowed to live.", Norris said: "It's funny. It's cute. But here's what I really think about the theory of evolution: It's not real. It is not the way we got here. In fact, the life you see on this planet is really just a list of creatures God has allowed to live. We are not creations of random chance. We are not accidents. There is a God, a Creator, who made you and me. We were made in His image, which separates us from all other creatures. By the way, without Him, I don't have any power. But with Him, the Bible tells me, I really can do all things – and so can you."

So there ya have it... I'll start working on getting a Chuck Norris interview for the slam.

Barfallo

Yesterday I took a day off, and Crystal and I travelled down the QEW to Buffalo to do some shopping. We had left with a certain number as the limit, once we had collectively spent the pre-set amount we couldn't buy any more. Now this is often a tough thing to do. Especially when you see so much stuff you like! Central Ontario really needs stores like Aeropostale, Hollister and PacSun... Seriously! Anyway... we hit the magic number before we even made it to our final 2 stops so we stopped. CRAZY I KNOW! We made our way over to this new restaurant at the Walden Galleria (The Cheesecake Factory) and got ready to wait. (Yeah a 30 minute wait on a Tuesday night. This place was popular!) It was definitely worth the wait, nice big portions and then came dessert. What do ya think we ordered? CHEESECAKE. I had the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake, and Crystal had a Chocolate Coconut Cream Cheesecake. So good!

I'd call the day a success. Got a couple pairs of shorts, a pair of jeans and a polo, PLUS a ripper dinner. Now it's time to look into an Aeropostale franchise in Barrie... Hmmmm.

***DON'T FORGET - TOMORROW NIGHT I CHAT WITH DAN FROM THE FOLD.***

Face Full Of Concertos

After a month and a half of qualifiers we finally picked a winner in the "Face Full Of Concerts" contest today. And the lucky son-of-a-gun is Jared Williams from Owen Sound! Yeah, from the 90.1 listening area. He (and a friend) will be going to every single show Life 100.3 goes to for FREE! I know it's a sweet prize. Sure beats a Hot Tub!

Friends and Family

So Tim Maassarany voiced his displeasure of my questioning how often he must visit his parents in Toronto. You see everytime I ask Tim if he wants to hang out, say on a Saturday, his excuse is always: "I'm going to my parents this weekend." or "I'm actually going to Toronto." He claims that he NEEDS to go home and see his folks, or hang out with his cousins in Toronto.

Here's my thinking... Tim, you left the womb over 20 years ago... It's time to grow up and become your own person. Sure it's great to see your family, but to go down every other week? I think that's overdoing it just a little. His parents came from Egypt... Did they go back to see their cousins every weekend? NO! So why must he? I know it may be a little harsh, but it's time to forge a path for your own life Tim... time to come out from under your parent's shadow and make your own mark on society. Don't get me wrong, hs parents are cool, and I love seeing my folks, but there comes a time in every young man's life... Forget it.

I make the big Face Full O Concerts draw on Monday! Make sure you're sitting by your phone!

Bowling For Croissants

My alarm went off this morning, and as I rolled over to turn it off my mind was flooded with excuses not to get out of bed. "I got home late last night, they'll forgive me", "I could sleep for another 30 minutes and grab a breakfast sandwich on my way in to work", "I don't need to shower today" and "I'm too comfy to get out of bed." I shook the sleep from my head and managed to roll out of bed onto the floor. OK, now I'm out of bed, time to get moving. I stumbled my way into the bathroom while my wonderful wife baked fresh croissants. I couldn't sleep in today, it was vital that I arrive at the station on time so we could make our way to Huntsville. Before we hit the road I jumped on the "Scott Jackson Experience" and gave a quick plug for Life Bowling Day in Huntsville. Alright now we're on the road, Junky at the wheel, I'm reading the Sports Illustrated that arrived in the mail yesterday. (Who makes global warming the cover story in a sports magazine?) I finish the magazine and a couple chapters of Soul Cravings before we arrive in Huntsville. After a couple missed turns, Junky manages to find the bowling alley. We unload the van and get ready for a fun afternoon. We get upstairs and I notice there's a problem... Only 8 lanes. What if we get more than 50 people? (It was the smallest bowling alley I'd ever been to) We figue out if we make people play in shifts, then we can hammer through the participants quickly and hopefully not annoy too many of them.

1 o'clock arrives and the bowling alley is already packed. People bowling, people playing pool, and people chatting around the table in the lounge. We implement the one and done rule and things seem to move along pretty smoothly. Then I'm told the bowling alley has run out of shoes. So the gathering crowd has taken all the size 8, 9 and 10 shoes. So then we implement the one and done rule for shoes too! Let me tell ya it was great. The turnout was amazing and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. Little kids, to teens, to adults all having fun together... It was quite the sight. To everyone that was out this afternoon, Thank You! You guys were a blast and with this kind of response, we'll have to do it again!

Shooting some pool before their turn.

Granny style still works best

The happy crew!

Pastor Dan multi-tasking

Analyzing the shot

Show me some love!

Let's Pack Up And Move To...

CALIFORNIA! Earlier today I was putting up some pictures of my trip to California a couple years back. (I went to visit my best friend Mark; he worked at Google.) And it brought back such good memories. Driving down the coast on highway 1, touring the Google campus and being amazed at the facilities (you never have to leave, they have everything you'd want there on site), visiting radio stations and going to a San Francisco Giants baseball game. If you have never been, you must go to California! In my opinion it's the nicest place in North America. It hardly ever snows and is sunny most of the time. You're right on the ocean with some great surfing, killer beaches and year-round tans! Nevermind the killer music scene (Switchfoot anyone?) It's is a must see before you die kinda thing. Take a drive along the coast from San Fran to LA... It's a mind blowing experience!

Now that we've got that out of the way... When you do go, send me some pics and let me know how much fun you had.

Costco

If you're hungry, but you have no money to buy anything to eat, what can you do? Go to Costco and eat samples until you're satisfied. Well we got a sample of summer today. I drove with my windows down, playing my summer music (you know the music that makes you think of summer), and my sunglasses on. It was SOOOOOOO nice! Too bad it's supposed to get colder again by the weekend. But today totally lifted my spirits. I had been suffering from the winter "blah"s, you knwo when you don't feel like doing anything because it's dark by 4:00 and it's way too cold to go outside? Yeah, well totday I was finally cured of that horrible ailment. Let's hope that there's more days like today in the near future!

Tell Me Why...

I don't like Mondays. (It's a song by Bob Geldof) Today was an exception. It was a good Monday. We started off with the skating party in Newmarket. Much love to everyone who came out. (I got beat up by a 5 year-old)We had people come from all over... Barrie, Aurora, Richmond Hill, Uxbridge and Newmarket. With that kind of support, we'll be sure to do it again next year for you guys.

Then tonight I had Hollee, the Slammin' Intern sit in and watch me work tonight. She made me sandwiches, got me coffee and even shined my shoes for me! It was pretty entertaining. She asked all kinds of interesting questions, like when is it busiest, how can she win a cd, and what do I like least about my job. (The right answer is "nothing it's amazing") The phone lines were buzzing, Brian from Pefferlaw had kittens, and (apparently) I was in a good mood tonight. Good Times!

If you're tuned in at 98.9, we come up your way on Thursday for Life Bowling Day at Huntsville Bowl... GET READY!

Oh The Memories...

So march Break has officially kicked off! Now this may make me sound like an old guy, but I don't ever remember getting the Friday off before March Break. Now I know people who took the day off, but as for the school board deciding to give the day off, I don't think that ever happened.
My favorite memories of March Break would be the trips to the rockies. You see (apparently, but I don't remember) as a kid I chose not to play hockey, and go on family ski trips each year. That meant we'd take a week and go to Banff, Whistler, or another ski destination in Western Canada. My favorite place to go had to be Big White. It was just outside of Kelowna, BC so we'd land in Kelowna (it would be like 10-15 degrees) and then get in the rental car and drive out to Big White. They seemed to always get fresh snow overnight and have nice sunny days for us to ski in. It was so much fun. My brother and I racing down the mountain, having great bacon adn egg breakfasts each day and steak dinners followed by a dip in the hot tub. It was pretty sweet and I probably didn't appreciate it as much as I should have. Looking back I see just how lucky I was to a) get along with my family so that the trips were enjoyable and b) have the chance to do these fun things that 90% of my classmates never got to do. So in a way this is a thank you note to my family (I know you read it). Thanks guys for giving me such great memories and for being such a cool family!

It's Dangerous Business Walking Out Your Front Door

I've discovered a new hazard on the streets of Barrie... No it's not another driver, in fact it's not a living thing, and it'll be gone in another month. SNOWBANKS! Three times today the evil snowbank reared it's ugly head on me today. Once when I was coming off a side street making a right onto Essa Rd in Barrie. I couldn't see down the road to see if there were any cars approaching that would inhibit my ability to make the turn. I slowly crept out onto the road and (you guessed it) this civic comes flying down the road and zooms by me. Yikes! Next I'm on my way to work, and not once, but twice did someone pull out from behind a snowbank and make me swerve. It's dangerous business driving through Barrie right now. Take the extra precautions and "arrive alive."

That's all for tonight.
Until Tomorrow...
Wonderdog

K Cars

Another New Music Tuesday tonight, and I think this might have been the best one so far... In fact it was the best one so far! (No offense Anberlin or tobyMac) The new disc from Relient K is SOOOOOOOOOO good! I mean that song - Come Right Out And Say It - is the best song I've heard in a long time. And not to mention how many people were begging me for a CD. It's amazing how low people will stoop to get a CD. (I actually had someone offer to wash my car for me for the next year if I gave them a copy of the CD.) This is definitely an album I am going to buy... I'll probably stop in to the Treasure House tomorrow and pick one up. A very solid album, and Matt Thiessen (I know you read this) my hat comes off to you!

WELL DONE BUDDY!

Different Strokes

"Different strokes for different folks" You've heard that phrase right? Well it's very true... This past weekend Crystal and I went to a murder mystery dinner in Downtown Toronto. It was SO fun! (I'll get into that later) On the way home, I decided to see if I could get back to Barrie using country roads and avoiding the 400, just one of those things I like to do. Try and discover some new towns, new ways of getting to Barrie. Crystal wasn't feeling any of it... She just wanted to get home as fast as possible. You see some people view driving as a way of getting from point "A" to point "B." Not me. Driving is an experience. It is a relationship between man and machine. When you hit the throttle, the car responds and when you go through that s-turn, (WHOA!) it is pure magic. I'm not a big fan of highways (or "freeways" for my American friends) They are too sterile, nothing much to see, just fly by on your way to wherever you're going. If you've never done it, try taking some backroads to your next destination... You might be a convert.

As for the Murder Mystery Dinner... It was so much fun. They provide the actors, and you're just a dinner guest. HOWEVER, they let you get involved if you want (you just be yourself). Well I was called up as a suspect in the murder, and I was grilled pretty good. I did manage to sneak in a plug for Life 100.3 though :-) At the end you get to guess who did it, and if you're right you were entered into the draw for a t-shirt and mug... I didn't win. But I did have a lot of fun, and would do it again next year for sure. If there's a birthday coming up, it's a good unique gift... Might be something worth looking into.

Snow

I thought that groundhog said we'd have an early spring!?!?!? Last night did feel like Spring to me. Me car actually got stuck a couple times on the way home. I had to get the towtruck driver to give me a push to get out of the radio station parking lot, and then I got stuck at the bank, coming out of the bank, turning onto a side street and again turning into my parking lot. ARGH! I cannot wait until summer gets here... Flips, board shorts, swimming, and nice WARM weather... Summer come quick!

Switchfeet

No blog yesterday because I was in Toronto to see Switchfoot. (It was my first time) I'll be honest with you, I went down thinking Switchfoot was overrated, but I had never seen them so I had to scratch that off my list. Well they impressed me. Jon Foreman interacted with the audience, his "talks" between songs were good, and the show was pretty solid. The coolest thing was that after the show we got "live bootlegs" of the first 7-8 songs.of the night. Yeah they ripped off hundreds of copies of the first hour (or so) of the concert for people to take home. I thought that was a pretty cool idea. I mean we have the technology, so why not do it right? So despite my dislike for their latest album, Switchfoot has now moved into the top 5 on my bands list. Here it is:
1 - Mat Kearney
2 - Relient K
3 - David Crowder
4 - Anberlin
5 - Switchfoot
Send me your top5 - aj@lifeonline.fm
Catch ya tomorrow!