Parallel Johnny

Hey everyone, July 28th is fast approaching and I have yet to reserve a spot.  They need a roster and deposit before I can reserve our spot.  The deposit is $4 per person.  I need to know if you are going or not and the money asap.

So far off the top of my head:

Me
Lauren
Araz
Chrissy
Lisa
Adam
Miranda
Shaun Lee*
Dan*
Sara*
Bill*

*Uncertain

For more info go to paralleljohnny.com/camping

Holy crap.  It just took me an ahour and a half to get home.

Luckily I had the Tigers to keep me company.  They made me proud again tonight with their final innings magic.  We were behind until the 7th where we took the lead with a final score of 8-5.  That makes us 31-14, thats 1 game ahead of the Sox with a .689.

Pistons lost, so what.  Its baseball that I love.  Everyone talked about the possible double championship going into the playoffs.  Parker and the man asked callers which would they prefer if tehy had to choose one.  Now we may not get either.  Wings knocked out in the first, Pistons almost out in the 2nd and already off to a bad start in the 3rd.

No one talked about the Tigers.  Even after their amazing record breaking start.  They lost the Sox series and everyone said, “See, they’re no better.  They’re gonna fail just like the past seasons.”  Pardon my french, but I said “F*** you, you nay-sayers!  Don’t be telling me how ‘you knew it all along’ 30 games later when they took the MLB’s #1 postion and have kept it to date”

Got called from GD.  I start Monday.

Tigers won last night making them #1 in the Major Leagues

Mom is feeling better.

Going to Julies track and field regionals today at 4.

Later tonight is Chrissy’s Relay for Life bowling fundraiser.

This post has ADD.

I like nuts

I’ve been meaning to write this for a while now. See, I have this theory of how Coleman planned to make the format changes without losing approval. This is pretty much copied word for word from my comment on Metroblogging Detroit. Go there for the whole discussion.

When Coleman came to WDET he tried something different with the pledge drive. Rather than the normal drive (ask until you reach your goal), he limited it to about 2 weeks. The “nag time” was also limited to only a few hours a day and — if I remember correctly — weekends were left alone. Soon after, they held an emergency drive to try and reach their goal. You would think a plan that resulted in failure wouldn’t be tried again.

Fast forward to the last drive before the big changes. Does anyone else remember this drive lasting only a week? I recall turning on the radio hearing a thank you and thought to myself, “Wow, they’re done already. They must have reached their goal pretty fast.”

The fact was they didn’t reach their goal by a long shot. That motivates people to try a something new and here comes Coleman to save the day. He tells everyone, in short, cut the music, add more news and profits will rise. And to help prove they will, he held the pledge drive for longer than its been in a few years.

But the plan backfired a bit. He wasn’t expecting the outrage. Sure, there were only a laughable few in the streets protesting, but that didn’t mean the non-approvers were still planning on pledging their support. Sadly, if the last drive raised more than last fall, that’s enough proof to the Board that Coleman’s format change was the right choice — regardless of the fact that the spring drive lasted much longer.

From one of the recent people laid off this past week:

Well that’s history now and we can’t go back. It’s a shame it had to work out this way. I hope Irv Reid, Steve Brown, Michael Coleman, Harvey Ovshinsky, and Marla Stone enjoy the shell of a radio station they will have left when it is all said and done.

Know this for sure, the six of us let go in last Thursday’s bloodbath will not be the only employees to leave WDET. Whether voluntarily or by further lay-offs the bleeding will continue. As one of my former co-workers (one who got to stay) told me privately Thursday: “I used to like working here, now it is just a paycheck until something better comes along.”

The city council has voted to ban the use of a cell phone while driving…sort of. Actually then banned the use of a cell phone without a hands-free device. Hizzoner has a week to approve the ban. If and when approved, violators will be fined $100.

Read the rest of my rant at Metroblogging Detroit.

I havent been into much techno for the past so many years, but I’m always half drawn to the DEMF/Movement each year.  If it weren’t for getting free passes last year, I would have skipped it entirely.  There was just a press release yesterday with some of the lineup.  This just may be the year.

Three artists I’ve actually heard of outside of Detroit will be there:

1. Josh Wink — Pretty cool
2. Photek — even better
3. Orb — holy crap!

I really want to go see Orb.  NO word on if there will be an admission this year.  Lets hope not.

Here is the Press Release in full:

April 14, 2006 Contact: Shannon McCarthy shannon@demf.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Chrysler Jeep Superstores and Motor City Dodge Dealers Back Detroit’s Electronic Music Festival; Paxahau Promotions debuts artist lineup and confirms Hart Plaza as Festival’s home.

DETROIT- Just three weeks following their selection by the City of Detroit to produce Detroit’s Electronic Music Festival in 2006, Paxahau Promotions Group today announced Chrysler Jeep Superstores and Motor City Dodge Dealers as the event’s title sponsors, revealed a lineup of artists and confirmed that Hart Plaza will remain home to the international event slated for May 27-29. (more…)