I don’t know about you but my favorite thing about A to Z this year has been Stevie Ray Vaughan songs. I just like him a whole bunch. “The Sky Is Crying” is on right now and “Life By The Drop” last week might be my new favorite song. He’s so cool. I remember when he died in that helicopter crash in 1990. I was a sophomore in high school. Eric Clapton mentions it in his autobiograpy too. That’s my whole story. Happy Friday.

So far 2010 has made me discover all kinds of things that I’d squirreled away at home thinking I’d deal with later.  Welcome to later.  Stuffed toys, bedding, old files, old pictures of who knows what, old dishes, old pans…It’s making me nuts.  I need to hire my friend Jeff, who actually has a business organizing people and their stuff, to come and help me deal.  When families go through this without a referee, usually some kind of  loud misunderstanding takes place.  “Well, if I get rid of THAT, YOU will have to throw out THIS!”  You know.  So to keep the peace and make some space, I’m methodically going through old files, closets, looking under the beds, and doing trips to the charity donation bins, shredding, and burning my way through this crap. 

Pictures are the hardest.  What to do with the pictures once they’re scanned into the computer?  I’m keeping the ones of my immediate family, but beyond that, I get this creepy feeling about throwing out old pictures.  So, I’m making piles of different families and friends and will mail them the originals.  Then they can deal with them.  Way to pass the buck!

Now we’re starting a big cleaning project at the radio station.  I’ll let you know if I find anything cool.  I can NOT take anything home.

I’ve always been a cat person.  Ever since I was a toddler and could chase them down and hold those little furry purring beasts, I’ve loved cats.  I even remember when I was about 4 years old and found a litter of barn cats on the property behind our house in Louisiana.  I came home gripping two of the pitiful little things begging my mom and dad to help them and let me keep them.  My Mom told Dad to go get some flea powder at the store, because they…and subsequently I…were covered in fleas.  I helped get them powdered, fed, and was as happy as could be.  Being barn cats, Dad explained that they had a purpose, and a mother cat that was probably looking for them.  So we took them back to the barn where they were reunited with a very confused mother cat and the rest of the litter, and I was content to watch them as they grew.  Sort of.  I really wanted a pet. 

I love dogs too.  When we had moved to the shack (that’s what my son called it when I drove by it in 1993) in Louisiana from our beautiful little home in Pacific Grove, California, I had to leave my dog “Boots,” who was a gorgeous black and white mixed breed that had to be part Border Collie.  He loved to herd me to and from my playhouse in the backyard.  He was also bigger than I was at three.  So, while I loved sitting and petting him, it was hard to walk around with Boots being so attentive to me.  Just the wagging of his happy tail would knock me down.  We found him a home on lots of land when we moved away, and I was heartbroken.  Of course the great parent story of “we’ll get you another pet, honey” made the tears stop.  Well, the barn cats weren’t the answer.

I made do with pet salamanders that I’d find in the stream by our house in Ukiah when we lived there.  I put them in my baby pool filled with water so they could swim, but was mystified as to why they would disappear from the pool when I went inside the house for lunch, until one day I saw a bird flying off and carrying a wiggling salamander in it’s talons.  Then there was the box turtle that we found in the yard.   Reptiles are fine, but I still prefer the kind that bark or meow.

I never got another dog while I lived with my parents, which is weird, because before they adopted me, they always had cocker spaniels.  They decided cats were lower maintainence I guess.  I think my Dad also thought he wouldn’t get as attached to a cat as he did to dogs.  That’s what he thought.  The cats we got after that had a different idea.  Dad loved them all. 

When I was doing the Morning Show in the early 90’s, we had a guest who did cat rescue, and she also was a breeder specializing in British Shorthairs.  Those are beautiful and expensive cats.  I’ve always owned shelter cats and dogs or strays.  Oh, there was one Persian when I was in 1st grade, but we were just keeping it for a friend until they found a place where they could have the cat.  His name was Sufi, like the poets, and so soft and beautiful.  Anyway, the guest on the show , Pamela Barrett, was doing a benefit and I was invited to be a judge in the “household pet” category.  I had no idea what I was doing.  I went to the Cat Show and tried to be a judge.  By the second cat, I knew I had no business being there.  It’s one thing to love my pets, and quite another to do anything in a Cat Show.  Also the people showing cats and judging them are…interesting.  Not all of them are like the movie “Best in Show ” but there’s a lot of them like that.  Quirky.  I had a friend who showed her dogs.  Same deal.  Do not be offended if you are a person who shows your animals.  It’s your hobby.  Own it.  I’m just saying it’s a different world.  Kind of like a gathering of radio people.  We’re quirky.  We speak a different language, we’re usually loud, opinionated, and we usually are the most addictive people you will ever find.  Okay?  Feel better?  Good. 

So, I made it through the cat show, only got clawed and bitten once, and I don’t blame the animal.  I wasn’t doing it right.  It was an afternoon where I was totally out of my element.  I did however love it when the hairless Sphynx cat hugged my neck.  You’d think it would feel snake-like, but they are actually quite soft, but with a look that repels most people.  Poor naked little things.

This is all leading up to me letting you know about an event on January 30 & 31st.  The International Cat Show & Food Drive for the Oregon Food Bank.  So, you not only get to see all these varied and amazing breeds of cats, but you get to do something good for the community.

January 30 & 31, 2010-Holiday Inn at the Portland Airport

Sat & Sun, 9am to 5pm.  $3 admission+ 2 cans of food.

Funny to serious, naked to fluffy, stocky to thin…they will all be there.  My favorite is the gentle giant-The Maine Coon.  I think my Lily is part Maine Coon.  She is fluffy, she stomps, and she is polydactyl…she has extra toes.

There will also be cats and kittens up for adoption from the Chapple Hill Cat Sanctuary and Purrfect Pals, vendors, and almost continuous judging both days.  I will not be one of the judges though.  It’s been a while since I’ve been to a cat show, so I think I’ll take this one in.  Remember to bring cans for the food bank, and buy your feline a catnip mouse or two while you’re there.

I am not a crazy cat lady yet.  That is my plan for retirement.  And I’ve only had 6 cats in the household at one time along with Edgar the dog who was so very sweet and tolerant of his feline buddies.  I don’t think of that amount of animals as a big deal really, since I grew up with kids who came from families of 8 kids or more in some cases.  Cats require much less maintainence.  My Dad was the eldest of nine children.  My grandmother assured me that kids were much harder to raise than cats or dogs.  And nobody knew more than that little woman!

I always learn so much during A to Z. First, I thought “Brain Damage/Eclipse” by Pink Floyd was called “Dark Side of the Moon.” I was driving, thinking to myself, why in the hell did we just skip to the D’s right in the middle of the B’s?

Then, I just heard “Rumble in the Jungle” by Jethro Tull in the middle of the B’s. Gosh, who knew that it’s actually “Bungle” in the Jungle? The best part is that I have the entire list on my computer. I keep it open at all times to see what comes next. I don’t like the surprise factor, I save that for drive time.

So, we’re still in the B’s, but we’re near the end. The C’s will start soon and here’s a little tip: the first C song is “Cadillac Ranch” by Bruce Spirngsteen. Yay Bruce! Yay A to Z!

I’ve watched the devistation on the TV like I did with the Katrina aftermath, and the days following the September 11, 2001 attack.  There’s the Steely Dan song “Haitian Divorce” that keeps looping through my brain.  Also a comedy bit done by National Lampoon in the 70’s about vacationing in Haiti wanders through my mind where the soft sultry voice beckons “Come to Haiti” while there’s horrible things going on.  Such are the imprinted radio things that come to my mind (whether I want them or not) while watching one horrific scene after another on the news.  I can’t imagine what they are having to deal with day after day.

My friend Tudie, who I met during the early days of my radio journey, and who also was on KGON in the late 70’s, sent me this link to the story about a morning radio guy, Carel Pedre, who’s providing a huge service and choosing to sleep in his car near the radio station so he can be right there for easy access.  Here’s the link.  He’s a hero in my book.  Plus, it makes me glad that when it comes to immediate information, radio is there.  God bless this man.

It’s all very overwhelming.  If you are feeling like you would like to do something to help,  here’s a link to the American Red Cross who always rise to the challenge no matter where it is in the world.

It may seem like guys sometimes don’t notice the details — but here are six things he’ll probably take note of within seconds of meeting you.

1. Your Smile — Does it seem genuine or forced? Do you floss? (OK, he might not notice you didn’t floss, but give the mirror a quick check for evidence from lunch.)

2. Your Hair — “Roots” and “ends” aren’t really guy vocab, but they will notice if it’s soft and smells nice. So skip spikes and hairspray (like “The Gosselin”) and wash it now and again (bonus if it’s with something that smells yummy).

3. Your Makeup — Yes, they do notice if you’ve painted on a mask! Avoid looking like The Joker and go light.

4. Your Cleavage — This may shock you — sit down — but … guys will check out your chest. Just consider wearing something flattering.

5. Your Skin —- Guys are likely to ignore the zit that you’re obsessing over (it’s just a detail!) but will probably notice the toxic shade of orange you’ve turned due to the fake and bake tan.

6. Your Bag — No it’s not true that women who haul around giant purses are high maintenance … but a lot of guys will assume that anyway. Try paring it down to some essentials.

Source: Cosmo

We don’t need to tell you it’s a TOUGH job market out there. And you don’t want to make things even harder on yourself by doing something really stupid in a job interview. Here are a 6 things you’ll want to avoid during a job interview if you want to get that job …

1. Gum chewing. Not a high crime, but an easy way to look seriously unprofessional.

2. Hair twirling. It makes you look young, silly and unpolished.

3. Slouching. Good posture communicates energy and confidence, while slouching conveys tiredness, boredom and laziness.

4. Texting/checking your phone. Turn it off and put it away! If you forget and it rings, quickly grab it and shut it off, then apologize. NEVER take it out during an interview!

5. Nail biting/finger-tapping/other nervous tics. Train yourself to keep still by breathing deeply and consciously relaxing your muscles.

6. Smiling too much (or not at all). Yes, it’s important to appear pleasant and interested, but you don’t want to come off as phony.

Thought for the day: I think the Rolling Stone’s song “Angie” would sound just as good substituting “Amy.”

Amy, aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaamy. Yeah, I like it.

It’s my favorite time of the year! The hell-idays are over, my tax return is less than a month away, and it’s time for our annual A to Z marathon! Two Tom Petty songs in the first 30 minutes? I am in heaven! We’ll be posting the daily list of songs played every day so you can see with your own two eyes every song we play during A to Z. I would put a link right here but I’m too lazy. Yay for January and KGON’s A to Z Classic Rock Marathon!

Side notes: I finished the Nikki Sixx book, “The Heroin Diaries.” Excellent. I recommend! Shot my new gun yesterday up in the wild mountains of Molalla. Lotta kick on that little gun. Ouchy! Had a wonderful long weekend with the fiance. More heaven. And my son visited the dentist last week. Seven, yes SEVEN cavities! Oy vey!

Back to A to Z! Abracadabra by Steve Miller is on!!

The story is all there.  It’s compelling, amazing, and honest.  I adore Dub and Anne.  Please make your plans to join us at the event at the Roseland on January 31st.  Here’s the link to the Oregonian online.  The video is so good I just want to wrap my arms around both of them and keep them safe.  Let’s all be at the Play or Die Jam Session at the Roseland!  See you there.

Link to the video online by clicking here.