The Faces Of Facebook

Do you remember the days before Facebook? When a conversation or discussion was made over the phone; not today’s cell variety but one that was actually attached to a wall? Or better yet, a conversation that was carried out eye to eye and face to face? I do. And maybe that’s why I have become increasingly less interested in opening up my Facebook account over these last several weeks. Admittingly, the need to keep in touch with the latest things going on in the lives of family and friends continues to drive me to click that icon more often than I probably should. 

Knowing that a new baby has been born, someone has reached an important place in their lives or yes, even the latest new cocktail recipe or cute animal video are all  fine reasons to flip through your newsfeed. Nothing better than to see photos of people you know simply enjoying their lives through work, recreation, exciting events or wonderful accomplishments. Lately though to me it has become a dumping ground for political half truths and sometimes even total fabrication, unwittingly or not by those who post in an effort to force their beliefs on those they think unable to understand the world around them as well as they do. Many times those types of posts come from people I respect and even family members that I love and that is when it becomes hardest not to get sucked into a conversation you, as a commenter, just cannot win. How can people with the same type of background; and in some cases even the same upbringing view the world so differently than you? But expressing an opposing point of view with them on the threads of Facebook? Well, that is tailor made for the origin of the phrase “it’s like pissing in the wind”. So, as difficult as it is for me to refrain from that type of conversation....and with some....it is almost impossible, I will do my best to resist that treacherous “Comment” section and save my energy & opinions for Face To Face conversations rather than Facebook To Facebook.

Filling Shelves Fills The Heart

A heartfelt “Thank You” to all Catamount Radio listeners & especially those of you who listen to The Drive for all of your help with another very successful Stuff-A-Bus. More than 21,000 pounds of non-perishable food items were collected this past Thursday, Friday & Saturday to be distributed to food shelves in Rutland County. In years past we have pretty much concentrated on the Rutland area for our food collection, but this year we added the food shelves in Brandon & Fair Haven to our efforts. So those of you in those areas of Rutland County deserve a thank you as well. The Drive spent some time in Brandon during this year’s Stuff-A-Bus setting up our broadcast at Hannaford there & helped the Brandon Food Shelf pack their shelves with 2,300 pounds of non-perishable food items. Rutland County is an amazingly generous place to live. One final thought; if you wanted to donate to Stuff-A-Bus but missed your chance remember that Catamount Radio is now in the process of collecting monetary donations for this year’s WSYB Christmas Fund. The Christmas Fund has been helping those in need throughout the county for more than 40 years. We would love to have you join us in this ongoing Christmas tradition of giving. Here’s to you enjoying a very happy holiday season and thank you again.

Wonderment...And Heartache

There was nothing better growing up than coming from a large, close & loving family. Not just with ten brothers and sisters but with nearly twice as many uncles and aunts on both my dad's side of the family and my mother's. Add in what seems like hundreds of first cousins and you get the idea of growing up in the Kelly-O'Brien family. Irish Catholic to the core! Perhaps a bit more Irish than Catholic for some today but the memories of both still linger for us all. The holidays, the birthdays; the visits. They were all amazingly special in a way that some may never understand, but amazing they were. Yet, life happens. We get older, we get grayer, we hopefully get wiser; and in the process we begin to say goodbye. For the wonderment of such a family is also its heartache. So many to love and so many to loose. Earlier this month we said farewell to the head of yet another great Irish family line, my Uncle Bill Halloran, my mother’s brother-in-law. Then just yesterday my mom’s own brother Charlie, the last of her generation. Heartache. But for those of us who remain we hold on to the wonderment. The wonderment of the family that they both helped build. The brothers, sisters, cousins….the families that they now build to hopefully create that same wonderment that my generation has known. Because that wonderment will be the only thing to help lessen that inevitable heartache.

I Love A Parade

So it seems that Mother Nature doesn’t feel like turning things over to Old Man Winter any time soon in Rutland County. She hasn’t even really invited autumn in just yet but that won’t stop the festivities planned in Rutland this weekend. Saturday night the streets of downtown Rutland will be full of the ghosts, goblins, witches & spectacular floats that will make up the 58^th annual Halloween Parade. The parade is one of the largest & longest running Halloween parades in the United States, getting its start when Eisenhower was still President. The first parade took to the streets of Rutland in October of 1960 and has been part of Rutland’s history ever since. My first parade was in 1993 and as a local radio guy I have been part of it ever since.

So even though Mother Nature isn’t quite ready to relinquish her hold on the warmer weather, the good news is it should be a perfect fall evening for the 58^th Halloween Parade. 94-5 The Drive will be there on Saturday night as we have been since we went on the air here in Rutland in 2008. Look for us….we’ll be looking for you!

Isla

Five years ago this past September I was enjoying one of the special days in my life when my daughter was married to one of the finest men I know. Now, five years on I spent the anniversary of that wonderful day with my granddaughter as mom & dad celebrated their fifth anniversary. When you have a chance to spend time with the innocence of a beautiful child you remember how truly special & truly important the simplest things in life are. The burdens of everyday life that always seem to bog you down melt away when you take the time to let yourself look inward; to the truly important things in your life. Like the wonderment  of being a grandfather. A beautiful feeling only surpassed by an even more beautiful little one...named Isla.

Thoughts On Those In the Gulf Region

I was thinking about the people in Houston and how so many have lost so much in such a short period of time. It caused me to think of how lucky most of us are that we have never suffered through anything of that magnitude. All of us have gone through a tough stretch here and there I have no doubt. Some more than others I am sure but so many in the gulf area have lost everything. Some today grieve over the loss of family members. Others have lost cars, homes…. And in some cases even jobs. So very many have no place to return to. We know how difficult it was to put lives back together here in the northeast after Irene. We can only hope that those in the gulf region will find a way to put their lives together after a storm that was so much worse.

It's Getting Very Near The End

Only a couple of more weeks to go before we find out who the winner is in our Sgt. Pepper Summer Giveaway. All summer long we have been qualifying our listeners for a chance to win the complete 50^th anniversary collection of Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. The collection is chock full of great Beatles music, memorabilia, CD’s & DVD’s. You can see the complete layout of our prize by checking out the Sgt Pepper video here on our website. So yes, we are coming to the final weeks of our Sgt. Pepper Summer but you still have a chance to qualify to win this great package by listening to Uncle Dave weekday mornings and my show in the afternoon. If you’re a Beatles fan…or know someone who is I can tell you firsthand how great an anniversary collection this is. You see, I purchased my own set back in early June. So be sure to listen for your last few chances to qualify over the next couple of weeks because if you are chosen as the winner…”A splendid time is guaranteed for all”