M*A*S*H MOMENTS 2009

Another radioMASH for the archives and history books. Our biggest yet and therefore, our most successful attempt. Over 5,000 Brazos Valley families (not INDIVIDUALS) were serviced in a year that we had every reason to suspect a shortfall. There are, as always, no adequate words to relay our gratitudes. Here are some brief recollections I collected:
For me, the highlight of every year is seeing some of the same staff and personnel that operate this function every year. Not the radio station peoples - they come and go - but rather The Intangibles, Civic, Service and Business organizations (Sam's Club), and just regular folks. It's always good to meet alums who were once on our list and now make contributions to The Toy Drive.Specifically this year I liked talking with the teacher from Bryan High. His students did a "5 for $500" collection, begging, borrowing, just-short-of-stealing change from fellow students through five days worth of lunch periods with a goal of Five Hundred Dollars. Plus they volunteered at the Toy Tent over the weekend. And it was all THEIR idea.
Also this year it was fun for me to be Santa Gene (at least for the kids who weren't scared). Elizabeth Martinez' daughter kept hugging me every time I got in her vicinity. I spent a lot of in-between-break and after-shift time standing on the Mall Hill (The Grassy Knoll as it's known to Conspiracists) waving to and at traffic. Observation: BCS needs to PUT DOWN THE CELL PHONE AND DRIVE.

Saturday, the most climate-friendly of our days, was the best time to be Santa Gene (aka, Tex Kringle), except for the early day cold temperatures when I was buzzing around the heater like a moth to a flame. I was talking with Toy Queen Liz in the KORA tent when she said "Somethings burning". A statement, not a question. It was me. Or my boot, anyhow. My borrowed boot was smoldering and flaming. After quickly extinguishing the Yule Tide Blaze, I began formulating some good story to tell Julie from The Chamber who graciously provided me with the Claus Accouterments. Maybe I'll be buying her a new outfit. Will those be on sale AFTER Christmas?

One last thing: Snow. We've had monsoon rains, wind and ice storms, but I don't think we've ever had SNOW. An estimated 38 flakes fell on the compound Friday and two of the flakes were JUST ALIKE. It could only happen during MASH.

Holidazed and Confused

Happy December. Right smack in the middle of the official "Holiday Season". Thanksgiving just passed where I did multiple friend/relative visits. I spent time at four feasts and coulda made it to five if my pudding would have hurried up. I have one signature dessert dish that I generally tote to the Holiday gatherings: Sugar Free Banana Pudding. I use the old-fashioned cook and serve pudding (instead of instant), so it takes longer to make, stirring constantly for about an hour. Anyhow, I found these little pastry shells (that were DEFINITELY NOT sugar or carb-free) and filled them with banana, vanilla pudding and low-fat cream cheese. This will surely be on future menus, but it threw off my schedule to go to North Zulch where my friend TOW invites me to dinner every year. One year I shocked her and actually showed up. That was the year she didn't invite me. I was planning to put in a live appearance this year, but for the cook and serve pudding and the fact she lives just outside of Egypt in relation to my other stops. So I hadda make do with a phone call.
Stopped in at The Garrett Ranch for a pre-meal, pre-game pep talk; then to my stepdaughter's house (where we have been main-mealing for several years and she had prepared...sugar free banana pudding! Just for me!), then to Grandbaby Mama's house to visit and pick up RG3, my grandson, and make a final stop at my son's place. The noted chef RG2 wanted to prepare the meal. We had more food than table space and more butts than places to park them. Our radio show friend, David Decker - the Fiddlin' Financier - provided us with pheasant (mind the buck shot). I like when all three Gene Generations get together. And a great time was had by all.

Although next year, I think I'll choose one location to stay throughout the whole day.

Remind me to tell you about the return of the Roy Gene Christmas Light Show, half completed this weekend as well, after a three year lay off.

Up next: Radio M*A*S*H #26 begins Thursday at Post Oak Mall. See ya then and there.

POTPOURRI POSTING

Been trying to post for many days now but I keep getting sidelined, criss-crossed and just plain distracted. Also I tend to forget more things more oftener. So I not only forgot to post, I forget what my cryptic notes mean.

Anyhow, I say that because I had several really good subjects I was going to write about, but many of them have lost their timeliness and relevance. I've got pages of notes and scraps tucked into my attache case (it's actually a beat-up back-pack, but "attache case" sounds classier) that were going to help remind me of my detoured wit and wisdom, but now I can barely decipher the handwriting - much less the meaning.

So in order to clear my files and conscience, I'll just transfer the information from my notes and that way I won't feel like I've completely abandoned the blog. Feel free to attach any significance you like to any of these thought starters:

Germs
Deer Season - Butch
Butterball hot line now open
Blueberries (it had something to do with dropping them on the floor)
Mideastern
Google is hiring
Red Lights/ Munson (short-lived)
Traffic: Dave and Stop Signs
Texas Constitution
ID for voting
Modern technology
Roger's S Save
Blue Ray/ Internet
Facebookings
Dave South and football delays\Political asylum

Okay, now it all gets downloaded to the trash and I'll start fresh tomorrow. Or when I remember. Now if I can just figure where I stashed the Questions/Answers/Winners of the day.

Trick Or Treat in the Modern Era

11/2/2009
Went out with RG3 and assorted associated other varmints and parents to Trick or Treat Saturday Night. RG3's given name is Kelan. He was dressed as "Elmo" from Sesame Street. Therefore he became "Kelmo" to me. We tricked or treated in College Station near Grandbaby- Mama's house because (1) It was fertile ground last year and (2) the neighborhood had a Halloween Party nearby in a park where you could play kid-games and such. The problem was with the adults. Due to a lolly-gagging RG2 (my son) our quest didn't even begin until 7pm. The kids only did a couple streets worth and then we returned to find the Carnival In The Park was already over. So, for all that preparation we only got about an hour's worth of treat-time. We were also slowed down by RG3 being scairt at some houses and trying to invite himself into others.
Now, I don't want to go all Cranky Codger and start complaining about "thewaywediditbackinmyday", but I recall making a night of it. We'd go out, fill a bag, come back and dump it, then start again until we'd made several hauls and proceeded to Step 2: sorting. I can't recall any specific Halloween Parties I attended (that doesn't mean they didn't happen - maybe I wasn't invited) and the biggest danger I faced was leaving my booty (in the Pirate sense) unguarded while I went back out. When you have other brothers and sisters who might be pilfering your stash it can lead to accusations, incriminations and retributions.
The point is RG3 did not fetch ONE SINGLE PEANUT BUTTER CUP for all his efforts. Which he had promised to me. He actually had promised 4 pieces for me, but since he couldn't fill my request (no Kit Kats, either) , I absolved him of his obligations. Not counting the ones I stole when he wasn't looking.
The other point is even though I know now how bad all that sugar is for you (I got the teeth to prove it, or DON'T have the teeth) and I keep an active restriction on RG3 when he's with me on a "normal" weekend, Halloween is the one Holiday to go nuts and consume massive amounts of sugar unfettered and uncontested. It just seems to me kids should take more advantage of that.
Next year we start at NOON!

*A couple footnotes: In modern times a slow-roiling fear has set in among the parents of the Little Monsters regarding tainted or poison candy. Did you know there has never been a documented, certified instance of a stranger giving bad treats to a child? Not just here, but Nationwide.The Lone Instance of tampering with candy came from a Father poisoning his OWN son via Pixie Sticks. (Why did have to be in Texas?)
Not to say there ain't crazy, deviated sumbuckets out there. Just they are not in the quantities we're led to believe.

Roger and Roys Halloween Grab Bag

A few hopefully helpful items for Hollerween:

Maximize Your Candy Haul

It's a great time to be alive because technology is improving almost everything that we do -- including trick-or-treating.
The real estate website Zillow.com now features their first "Trick or Treat Housing Index," which processed all their data to determine the best neighborhoods to maximize candy intake this Saturday.
They awarded points for the price of homes, the population density, how easy it is to walk around these neighborhoods and local crime data. Based on this information, neighborhoods were chosen that provide the most candy, with the least walking -- and minimal safety risks.

How To Keep Kids From Overloading On Candy

While it's virtually impossible for parents to stop their kids from eating candy, there are some ways that parents can get a handle on Halloween so children don't feel deprived -- and they also don't eat so much they get sick:

1. Early decisions with children -- Before the big night out, decide with your kids what is a reasonable amount of candy to eat that night and beyond. You can package the candy in small bags to make the holiday last longer, ration a piece or two a day or even decide to donate or throw some away.
2. Dinner -- Feed your kids dinner before trick or treating so they will not be starving and want to fill up on candy while going from house to house.
3. Allow it -- Do not ban candy or throw it away when the kids aren't looking. This may just make them want it more.
4. Role models -- Parents should be good role models by not eating all the candy themselves.
5. Emphasize fun -- Take some emphasis off candy by focusing on the fun of the holiday, like checking out the costumes and decorated houses.
6. Walk -- When trick-or-treating, walk, don't drive, to get some physical activity in while candy collecting.
7. Patience -- Suggest kids wait to eat candy until they get home, where parents can inspect the wrappers to ensure they're tightly sealed.

Cut Your Candy Consumption

You should keep empty wrappers in plain sight while eating your Halloween candy.
Brian Wansink, author of Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think, said that study participants ate almost half as many mini-size Halloween candies when they kept the wrappers in sight.
"Having a visual reminder of how much you ate, keeps you honest and eating less," Wansink said. "Your stomach can't count but your eyes can when they seen the empty wrappers."
Wansink also advised that instead of putting out a bowl of Halloween candy on an office desk at work or at home next to the sofa, it should be placed across the room because people will eat less if they have to get up and walk.

Tips for a Healthier Halloween

Mountains of Halloween candy have been on store shelves for weeks -- and there's no end in sight. There will be candy at every turn for us and our kids until Thanksgiving.
Focus on a few simple tips to get through it all without going into sugar shock.

1. Halloween is One Day -- Make the holiday just one day. Treat yourself without guilt. Enjoy the candy and festivities. Then, put it all behind you.
2. Move -- Have fun on Halloween by including physical activity. Walk, bike or play active games at parties.
3. Replace the Rewards -- Even though there will be plenty of candy everywhere, don't use it as a reward for doing chores and getting good grades. Instead, offer a game or toy they want.
4. One or Two Pieces -- Instead of following the suggested (large) serving size for bags of candy, take one or two pieces and savor them.

HERE ARE FIVE TIPS TO KEEP YOUR KIDS FROM GETTING SWINE FLU ON HALLOWEEN:

Earlier this month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that as many as ONE in FIVE American children had experienced flu-like symptoms.
--That means there's a good chance that tomorrow, you and your kids are going to come into contact with dozens of grubby little trick-or-treaters.
--Here are some tips on Halloween Swine flu prevention.

#1.) Only buy costumes that come wrapped in plastic, and fully sanitize all masks.
#2.) Bring hand sanitizer trick-or-treating, and use it between houses.
#3.) Make sure your kids wash their hands before eating any candy.
#4.) If you're at home passing out candy, make sure you distribute it on your own instead of letting kids reach into the bowl.
#5.) And if you're not feeling well Saturday, DON'T go trick-or-treating and DON'T pass out candy.

YOU CAN INSTALL A SURVEILLANCE CAMERA IN YOUR JACK-O-LANTERN TO CATCH VANDALS:

Every Halloween, the juvenile delinquent punks go around smashing pumpkins, egging houses, and throwing toilet paper on trees.
--If you're sick of it, you can put a mini surveillance camera inside one of your jack-o-lanterns. It's called the Avaak Vue, and it lets you monitor your property over a wireless connection.
--So if anyone try to deface your yard or your house, you'll know they're coming . . . and you'll be ready.

There's Candy ... And Then There's Bad Candy

If dentists were ruling the world, the only candy that would be given out this year for trick-or-treating would be sugarless gum.
Lucky for kids, dentists don't rule the world, but they still have an opinion on what candy is more and less harmful to your teeth. They recommend choosing things that melt away and disappear in a short period.
With this thinking, chocolate is actually a good choice -- as long as you brush your teeth right after eating it.

On the other hand, hard candies and lollipops are the worse because they take the longest to dissolve, leaving sugar in your mouth for the longest time.

Worst Halloween Candy

Every Halloween, kids fill up their trick-or-treat bags with loads of candy. We take the bags home and chow down until we're left with the undesirables.
The Huffington Post compiled a list of the "Grossest Kinds of Candy No Adult Should Give Out on Halloween."
Each one is up for debate, but their list is as follows:

Wax bottle candy
Pumpkin-shaped candy corn
Necco Wafers
Fruit-flavored Tootsie Rolls
Circus Peanuts
Bit-O-Honey
Dad's Root Beer Barrels
Gum Drops
Individually wrapped Sesame Crunch

WOULD YOU HAND OUT BACON-FLAVORED GUMBALLS FOR HALLOWEEN?

Halloween, you can hand out "regular" candy just like everyone else. Or you can break the mold and pass out some "less traditional" Halloween treats.
--Bacon-flavored gumballs . . .
--Garlic mints . . .
--Zit Poppers, which are oversized acne bumps filled with candy pus . . .
--Human Dog Food, which is candy kibble in a mini bowl . . .
--And Scorpion Pops, which are just like regular lollipops, only they have a dead scorpion in the center.

INTRODUCING MEAT HANDS . . .
THE BEST HALLOWEEN-THEMED MEAL EVER:

Before you take the kids out trick-or-treating, you might want to feed them a delicious, Halloween-themed meal. Like a big plateful of Meat Hands. And as gruesome as the name makes it sound, it's really just meatloaf that's been shaped to look like a severed hand . . . complete with onion slices for the wrist bone and fingernails.

Tips For Leftovers

Once Halloween's over, are you going to have Halloween candy and decorations lying around till Christmas? Follow these tips from Real Simple magazine for re-using your Halloween stuff:

1. Make fun desserts. Melt some of those candy bars down for chocolate-covered strawberries or use peppermint patties or Snickers bars for brownies (stick the candy in between two layers of the mix before baking).
2. Stock up on baking supplies. Chop leftover chocolate or candy corn and use them instead of chocolate chips in cookie recipes.
3. Make a seasonal centerpiece. Cut off the top of a pumpkin and scoop out the seeds. Arrange fresh or dried flowers in a vase and place it inside.
4. Make soup. While your Jack-o'-Lantern is still fresh, peel and cut it into cubes to make a yummy base for a savory pumpkin soup or other fall favorite.

Beautiful People

WEDNESDAY 10/28/2009

A couple items about the more physically blessed among us. Now there's a new dating site exclusively for good-looking specimens. It's called "Beautiful People" (surprise!). In order to help restrict the Ugly from Beautiful events, you must submit a photo of yourself before you'll be accepted as a member. Only after the site's existing members have deemed you "attractive enough" are you allowed to set up a profile. According to the site's managing director, "There's nothing shallow in wanting to be with someone you're attracted to . . . People are fed up wasting time and money meeting unattractive people on the net."

--Overall, BeautifulPeople.com has about 180,000 members . . . but about five times that number have applied for membership and been DENIED for being too ugly. If you'd like to see how you fare, click the picture of Roger and Roy we submitted...

Speaking of Good-Looking People, "Country Weekly" magazine asked their readers to vote for Country Music's Most Beautiful Woman . . . and they chose, for the second year in a row, KELLIE PICKLER. Here's the Top 10:

#1.) KELLIE PICKLER

#2.) REBA MCENTIRE

#3.) CARRIE UNDERWOOD

#4.) WHITNEY DUNCAN (--She was a finalist on "Nashville Star" in 2007.)

#5.) SHANIA TWAIN

#6.) DANIELLE PECK

#7.) DOLLY PARTON

#8.) MARTINA MCBRIDE

#9.) FAITH HILL

#10.) JULIANNE HOUGH

Okay, far be it for me to criticize anyone for talent or physical appearance, but Whitney Duncan? Isn't one of the guidelines Beautiful Women in Country Music? What does she sing? And where? When?
Shania has been out of the spotlight for years, Dolly has been under the spotlights too long and what kind of list wouldn't include Alison Krauss?

I rest my case

Scaredy Bears

Tuesday 10/27/2009
Over the weekend I attended a kid's birthday/Halloween Party. RG3 was one of the kids present.
As you may recall from earlier tales, I introduced The Boy to The Classics, including the Disney Winnie-The-Pooh (original movies from the 60's). When we get together to play he tells me he's WtP, while I take the coveted role of Tigger (sometime Grandma is Kanga, sometimes she's excluded from the 100 Acre Woods). I thought we'd make a good double costume this year. Except I couldn't find Pooh and Tigger in any of the Mega Stores, Grocery Stores or Discount/ 2nd Hand Shops. I even tried online to no real avail. I found some costumes but none with the justification for price. Most of the good ones were rentals (already rented), and the more "affordable" ones looked like crap. So, I was forced to wear my scary hooded spook get-up. Those of you with glasses know how difficult dressing for Halloween can be, you can't wear a mask or you risk virtually blindness without your lenses, and you can't wear your specs on the outside because (mostly) that just looks stupid. Who's going to fear a wolfman in bifocals? So, anyhow, a few years back I got this red hooded thing that has a black screen-like face covering. You can see out, but not so easily in (pictures included here display partial face due to the idiosyncrasies of camera shots). The problem is that RG3 was TERRIFIED of me (even when I opened the hatch and showed him my real face) and took about an hour before he felt confident enough to get with-in arms reach. It's not fair. I didn't panic over HIS Elmo costume. Anyhow, we're all primed and ready to hit the Halloween circuit this Saturday. I don't think RG3 will let me wear the hood, though...

Killin' Time

MONDAY 10/26/2009

Why is it with all our modern technology my alarm clock doesn't know that Daylight Savings Time begins a week later than it used to. This is the same clock that won't let me set it a few minutes ahead for wake-up purposes, but always re-corrects itself. If it's set to sync with the big Greenwich Mean Time Prime Meridian via Atomic Clock that measures absolute accurate time. But still doesn't know diddly squat about Daylight Savings. Luckily that's the only clock in the house that screwed up the time over the weekend. THE MOST IMPORTANT CLOCK IN MY HOUSE! Anyhow, perhaps this is another sign that the United States Congress should not be messing with time in the first place. There is virtually nothing the Guvmint can do that The Market or God can't do better.

Evidently, the "anti-gravity broom" story has spread far and wide. Wide enough for Joe Ross, a professor of astronomy and physics at Texas A&M to debunk it. As you recall from some of our previous episodes, listeners had told us of the mysterious phenomenon of brooms standing upright on their bristles solo without the benefit of anchor. Speculation was that it was planet alignment, gravity fluctuations or Black Magic. Cassie Smith from the Bryan College Station Eagle newspaper gets the real story here.

It's All Your Vault

This morning on the Roger and Roy Show, we were trying to play a Friday round of "If We Got It, You Got It" request time. The songs asked for are usually kind of goofy and usually several decades old. Today we had a request for "Bird of Paradise" by Little Jimmy Dickens. It wasn't much a surprise to discover that was not in the vault. It was a matter of concern that we didn't have "Fraulein" or "Good Night Irene"! Now, before you jump to unnecessary conclusions and accuse us of lax security at our oldies collection at best or not being Good Texans at the worst, remember the modern technology we have to work with, without and around. I'm sure 47 years ago when we were first broadcasting we had pristine, fresh, newly minted editions of those songs. But they were recorded to vinyl 45rpm records or maybe 78s(ask your grandpa). Since then we've converted to tape, CDs and -now - computers and hard drives. Each time the library needs to be transferred and updated. Invariably some songs get lost in the transition. Both Roger and I have held the mantel of KORA "Music Director" at one time or another, so we each blame the other for any holes in the inventory. Today we decided to call a truce. We will no longer accuse one another for missing music. Now it's all Chris Austin's fault.

A Morning Show Pie in the Sky is awarded to kid's broadcaster Soupy Sales who died at age 83 in New Jersey after a long illness. Maybe U-Tube will have some clips of him in his hey-day in the 50s and 60s. For a time he was the goofiest guy on TV (click photo for links)

Laws of Gravity Ruled Unconstitutional

Is it the alignment of the planets? Sign of the Apocalypse? Standard paranormal activity? What is causing/allowing brooms to stand on their bristles without falling over? And why is it making news just now? This morning Butch From Maaco described the phenomenon to us after Chrissy, his office manager, claimed she had a broom in the closet exhibiting the gravity and logic defying antic. Butch was leery, but checked for himself and discovered it was true. He even put it in a different spot (near the front door) to make sure he wasn't being hoodwinked and/or bamboozled. Now, assured that the feat is true, he's considering buying some Dollar Store cheapies and selling "Magic Brooms" for $10 bucks along with his standard paint and body business. Roger says he was told a few days ago that it's due to a fluctuation in gravity caused by the way the stars and planets and moons and meteors and black holes and supernovas and galaxies all line up. Another listener called to confirm the confirmation and even send photographic proof:

(actual unedited, unretouched photos from actual local listener)

My curiosity piqued, my BS detector flashing (and my Spiedy Sense tingling), I did some Internet Research (the most accurate kind) and found this CNN video posted on Brietbart.TV direct from Prattville. Be sure to read the comments, too.

In addition, there's this Scientific Discovery about eclipses and gravity.

What can we conclude from today's information on and in the Roger and Roy Morning Show? If you're ever caught in an eclipse holding a broom, grab something well anchored immediately!
You're welcome.....

Early Rodeo Warning

Yesterday the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo (not RodeoHouston?!?) sent us a press release warning and informing us of some early bookings for next year's performances. Tim McGraw, Brad Paisley and Brooks & Dunn are all scheduled to appear. I believe, but couldn't testify to the fact, that this is the earliest we've ever had and heard of musical bookings for the next year. Brooks & Dunn are an obvious choice having played the show many times previously and will be traveling across America on their "Last Rodeo Tour" and appearing together for the final time (not only at The Rodeo, but every venue they play). They will close out the shows on Saturday, March 20, 2010. Some ticket packages are on sale now. The full Rodeo line-up will be released January 11, 2010. Oh, yeah, for your screaming pre-teens and tweens The Jonas Brothers are on the roster, too.

Halloween is fast approaching and you're still unsure of what your costume will be. As a public service, The Roger & Roy Morning Show offer these suggestions:

Inappropriate Halloween Costumes

Or if you don't think you have enough time untill the Holidays, you can find your plain unimaginative outfit at

The Unoriginal Halloween Costume Shoppe.

Cell Uncertainty

Modern Technology has provided us with many electronic gizmos to help make life "easier". None more ubiquitous as the wireless cell phone. Most people have at least one and many of us have ditched the land line altogether. It definitely cuts down the number of "junk" calls (although I notice my creditors seem to have no problem finding it) and it's handy and convenient. Still, for me, it is not without certain drawbacks. Like if I have pants that don't contain a phone pocket and I stash it in the regular chamber I'm in danger of making a "Pocket Call" when I walk around. Or if I park it in my back pack which contains all my valuable and invaluable Roger & Roy Show Preparation Stuff, I'll forget to take it out and it ends up hidden in my Computer Room or elsewhere in the house, muffled. Or I'll leave it in the car. Some mornings I can't find it at all, which is my latest conundrum. Last week I was going about my usual early morning routine before waking the rooster and heading to the studios when I couldn't find my phone. I checked all the usual suspect places several times over and came up with nothing. Then I had a great idea: I'd just call my cell phone from another phone and trace the ring. Except, of course, I didn't have another cell or another land line to call my phone and it was too early to go knocking on doors. So I left the house unarmed, phone free. It was a personal and professional struggle, but I made it to afternoon without it, and then, when I got home, I had a friend keep calling my number over and over until I answered. It took several attempts, but I finally I traced the source to between the cushions of my couch. Actually, stuck in the no man's land beneath the recliner portion of the sofa. Now reunited, I swore I'd never sit and recline with my cell in my pocket ever again. This morning I heard the cell phone alarm (I use a regular alarm clock -minimum two snooze delays - and the cell as a back up in another room) and it sounded a bit muffled. Now if I had any sense, I woulda sat up bolt right in bed and run to the source of the suspicious sound. But, since I don't really have that much sense - especially at that time of day, I nodded off again. And, naturally, when it came time to leave I couldn't track down the cell phone. I heard it earlier, so I knew it was there. But-where? Yup. Beneath the recliner cushion again. I think it's crawling up there all by itself late at night. Maybe there's a nest of them there. Hope so. That way when they mature I'll be able to have a spare phone to call my main phone when I've lost misplaced it. Unless I lose that, too.

...Meanwhile, It's Suddenly Monday

Had a great weekend. Picked up RG3 on Friday and had him all weekend. Saturday was chock-full of great stuff to do and places to play. We got to as many as possible. We went to the Animal Shelter's Wiener Races at Wolf Pen Creek. I had no idea there were so many dachshund canines and sympathisers in the Brazos Valley. Many of the dogs in attendance dressed for Halloween. Big crowd, beautiful weather. We had to leave before the first heat of races (perhaps "heat" is not a good choice of words) to get over to Lowes for our ant-less picnic and radio broadcast where we could see some of the aerial acrobatics at the Colter Field Air Show right for the Bar B Q rig. At some point RG3 went from being my Roadie to Assistant Cook to sit-down/lay-down protester. He perched himself on the floor of the KORA Kooker blocking ingress and egress. Yes, it was nap time. For both of us, but he's the only one who actually got to sleep. So while the limo carried him away to Dreamland, I remained dreaming with my eyes wide open.

Sunday, after seeing the Mighty Houston Texans finally secure a viable win versus a decent team, I got out to cut the grass at last. It's not that I was avoiding it- not completely, anyway- but for some reason, Old Dependable, my vintage lawnmower wouldn't start. Even though I had done extensive repairs and reconditioning to it (changed the spark plug and added fresh gas). Luckily, George Weber of our Ace KORA Engineering Staff lives next door to me and offered the use of his mower. RG3 was to be my Helper for that job, as well. Except for one problem: he's scairt of the lawnmower. The boy is 2.5 years old and used to be fearless. A little too fearless sometimes, but now he's afraid of the lawnmower, the vacuum cleaner, occasionally the shower and a stuffed plush Winnie-The-Pooh toy. He loves the cartoon, is terrified of the tubby little cubby all stuffed with fluff. Silly old boy. It occurs to me this just be may be a way to avoid doing work around the house as he gets older. Well, that still doesn't really explain the bear...

I swear we weren't outside five minutes before being feasted on by wild 'skeeters. The recent rains have produced a plethora, not to mention a whole bunch, of those bloodsuckers. But they were out early. I thought dusk was Prime Time for Mosquitoes. This was right around 3 o'clock. And they've become more persistent. In fact, for the second weekend in a row those vampires have followed us into the car and continued the assault as we attempted to escape down the highway. Maybe these are the special African Aggressive "Killer" Mosquito breed.
Remember the old days when bugs were just pests and not potential carriers of West Nile virus?

Word From The Herd

After yesterdays controversies about Roger Miller/ Short Songs/ Classic Country Music, most everyone in the studio (Roger and Me) was happy to hear that I found "You Can't Roller Skate In A Buffalo Herd" in my own personal archive at home. We aired it in place of "Chug-A-Lug" this morning. The reception from our listeners was decidedly mixed with respondents being clearly in one camp or the other. Of the naysayers, one female listener said "I'm old, but I'm not that old" alluding to the fact that Roger Miller's heyday was the 1960's. Or, so I'm told. I'm much to young to remember it personally. Anyhow, stay tuned to this blog for further developments...

Carrie Underwood is hosting (hostessing?) a TV special December 7th on the FOX Network, performing songs from her soon-to-be-released CD "Play On" plus previous hits and - it being the season- Holiday Classics (Walking in a Winter Under-wood?). Taping will be October 22nd-23rd and you might be able to attend the taping. Click for details OCATV.com

Now Playing: Your Favorite Song (over and over)

I knew it would come to this eventually: we've been caught! As regular listeners to Roger & Roy know, we have a tendency to play "Chug-A-Lug" by Roger Miller around the same time near every morning. Okay, every morning. There is a reason for that. As Roger collects News, Sports, Weather and What Have You for the day's public performances, sometimes we'll need an extra minute or two to prepare and we'll insert a "short song" from our vast voluminous ginormous music library. At some point Chug-a-Lug became the perfect "fill" song and we were inserting it about once a week. Over a period of time, it became more and more frequent until it became a daily occurrence and a little private joke between Roger and Me. Then we were curious to see how long it would go until someone called us on it.
I gotta admit, it took longer than I thought it would, but today we were exposed! By a listener! A LOYAL Listener who, none-the-less threatened to pull the plug and/or spin the dial on the whole Morning Show Scam if we did not cease and desist.

Anyway, we took an oath and made a solemn promise to our concerned listeners that we would try harder to mix it up in the future. And much like Dez Bryant (the suspended receiver from Oklahoma State), we're very, very, very, very, very, very sorry this whole thing happened. Sorry, sorry, sorry. Very. Like David Letterman, we plead for your forgiveness. And, like Roger & Roy, we're pro'ly gonna do it again.

Sorry.

Miley, Marge and Oprah

Three of our favorite famous females making headlines this weekend:

Miley Cyrus has decided to be a Twitter Quitter. After having amassed one of the largest group of micro-blogging followers, she has decided she needs her privacy. At least that's what she wrote on a lengthy Internet Blog on her website (Do we assume she will still maintain her web-pages?). Click on pic for vid.

Marge Simpson in Playboy!
As reported last week by the Roger and Roy Morning Show (you can never tell when we're not making this stuff up), the Blue-Haired beauty will be a cover girl in the November issue. She'll be featured in a "three-page pictorial" inside the issue. The issue should be out sometime this week. What will Homer and the kids think?


Last Time Oprah was in Texas I think she was battling some cattlemen about beef defamation. Now this weekend she was at The Sate Fair of Texas with entourage and security detail in tow. Ain't nobody gonna get that Corny Dog away from her.

Roger and Roy Explain Modern Electronics

So, a listener we'll call "Ed" (because that is his real name) calls yesterday and inquires about KORA on the iPhone and iPod. We've been promoting this ervice for several months. But Ed says he's having a hard time finding the app (tech talk for "application") and could we help? Well, as it tuns out, neither Roger nor Roy has one of them iPhones and neither Roger nor Roy knows much about cell phone technology in general, except how to dial and receive calls on them (I also know how to text - but not much more). After exhaustive research and some eye-rolling/condescending conversations with one of our younger staff, I am told you go to the "iTunes Store" on your phone and search for "Radiolicious" and follow instructions from there. Now you should be able to listen to Roger and Roy anywhere in the Free World and several repressive regimes, as well. If not, get a teenager to help you.

So, we were running down a list of birthdays and special occasions for this date including the birthdays of Taylor Hicks and Simon Cowell when Roger mentioned the anniversary of Edgar Allan Poe's death in Baltimore (that's how the football team got the name "Ravens" - another story for another time). I, making innocent conversation, asked if there wasn't some mysterious stranger involved in an annual grave site ritual for Poe. That's when my co-worker, co-host and co-dependent Roger Garrett rudely cut me off. For those who are interested, here's the Poe low-down: Since 1949, a man dressed in black, wearing a fedora and scarf to cover his face, visits Poe’s grave on Poe’s birth date (not his death date as I had thought). Every year, he has left three red roses and a bottle of cognac. No one knows the significance of these gifts. One year, he left an unsigned note to let Poe know he has not forgotten him. A photographer took a picture of him. Life magazine published the snapshot, although I can't find it archived online.

Read more: Click the grave

We talked the other day about signs that a woman may be "high maintenance" include having a dog that'll fit in her purse. Here is a picture of Carrie Underwood. Make your own decision.

That's Ace with Carrie. Ace goes everywhere she does. He has his own fan club, Twitter account and MySpace page.


Lee Ann Womack has a new online club you can join. You're eligible for advance concert information, meet and greets and other stuff, but you have to follow a few simple rules and guidelines:

The following video is rated PG-13 by Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland: