tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91797136475019887252024-03-17T23:01:25.777-04:00Mark McEwen's WorldI am a Stroke Survivor, Father, Husband and PontificatorMark McEwenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01761483285493197523noreply@blogger.comBlogger257125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9179713647501988725.post-36957160628802236462023-07-21T14:26:00.006-04:002023-07-22T05:44:30.205-04:00Tony Bennett<p><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span>My friend, my dear friend, Tony is gone.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6diXJgVLqqD9XKDH4_nyabuwTTcN2qef69ku8TxW0xQ5dsnS8g6QjTyzFOs5DDflVb3cB5_kqzxp3CW13eF0YJVUBYQP4laIKurfriHfQAY1-OWcwhK54QPZWHcqjTrUZYKtP5FQtdrL_9gdmdXj3l2LIK0HptN4Rf7iaR25roKWhWH4sqy7Pmm0pBRz2/s739/IMG-0067.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="739" data-original-width="553" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6diXJgVLqqD9XKDH4_nyabuwTTcN2qef69ku8TxW0xQ5dsnS8g6QjTyzFOs5DDflVb3cB5_kqzxp3CW13eF0YJVUBYQP4laIKurfriHfQAY1-OWcwhK54QPZWHcqjTrUZYKtP5FQtdrL_9gdmdXj3l2LIK0HptN4Rf7iaR25roKWhWH4sqy7Pmm0pBRz2/w299-h400/IMG-0067.JPG" width="299" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>I was running around doing things and I got a text from my friend Karen that told me what you now know is true. I was flabbergasted and began to cry. We all knew it was coming but that doesn't make that news any easier. </p><p>These last couple of years have been hard but let's go back in time. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHR_z4vXKFwYUlMkiMvyV8O4BiYcR9LkOE0BlLkHpe3wYyR5DV-d38UD2Fo_PnDBrKDaf66iuoAA7SU4NWKUilvsWXQih6_I4ZAL1fdjrsWcYRQlN96Ou7Y4F7H7XgiiuQqI62v8G8rI0o47bFSBqM3o6Agf7xYYZHvT0l9uhlI1O7TAFMftRX6PRRwiKx/s720/IMG-0165.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="464" data-original-width="720" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHR_z4vXKFwYUlMkiMvyV8O4BiYcR9LkOE0BlLkHpe3wYyR5DV-d38UD2Fo_PnDBrKDaf66iuoAA7SU4NWKUilvsWXQih6_I4ZAL1fdjrsWcYRQlN96Ou7Y4F7H7XgiiuQqI62v8G8rI0o47bFSBqM3o6Agf7xYYZHvT0l9uhlI1O7TAFMftRX6PRRwiKx/w400-h258/IMG-0165.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>I first met Tony, I first interviewed him, at The Rainbow Room at the top of Rockefeller Center. It was for CBS This Morning. Remember I was a former rock and roll DJ but I sure knew who he was. He was kind, he was decent, he was smart, and I don't have to tell you he was talented. Later on, I found out how talented Tony really was. </p><p>Keep in mind although he was Tony Bennett he wasn't yet THE Tony Bennett that was his second act. We have his son Danny to thank for that as he managed his Dad and took him to Mount Everest, the Grammy for album of the year, and more without changing what made Tony famous in the first place.</p><p>His voice.</p><p>And those songs. </p><p>He had Tony touring colleges and a new audience found out what the old audience knew. He was special.</p><p>But let's go back to my early days with Tony and what an influence he was on my life. I had him on my show a number of times and one time he said I reminded him of Ed Sullivan. He said that on national tv and I don't have to tell you that went a long way.</p><p>That was Tony.</p><p>Okay, Live By Request on A&E. </p><p>I hosted that show and Tony got that for me. You've heard the story but if you haven't it went like this. He did that show on the radio. People would call in, tell him what a certain song meant to them and Tony would sing it. They decided to bring it to television and the show was scheduled for Valentine's Day. They wanted a female host to go along with Tony and he said no. He wanted Mark McEwen. They said, "Who?" He said, "Mark McEwen."</p><p>Three times he said my name and three times they demurred until he put his foot down and they got me as the host.</p><p><i>That</i> show won an Emmy and it ran for seven years. Tony got me that job.</p><p>Over the years our friendship grew. Remember I mentioned his talents? Plural? One time I was interviewing him at his old dwelling and saw him painting, doodling actually, a plant and I said, "You paint?" He said, "Yes." And then Tony said, "I should paint you." I hemmed and hawed and by the time I was in the hall I thought, "What did I just do?"</p><p>A year went by before I saw him again and I said,"Remember when you said you'd paint me?" Tony smiled broadly and said, "Sure." Well, another year went by and on Live By Request he presented me with his painting.</p><p>It hangs in a place of honor in my home.</p><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik8CHyqNfIXj2Sen7VCs02y57w3SLIzrYT20Z8ibku2SVxqvj7LUSF6FYUx0PsbX9Hr2yVG1Q85v0nITgebbE52Mp3ioJwVGDAz_mP5p4ky8QW_9g4UI6qvVfKZuc3d6biitxZldF6cYXEWaC0yPWjo-U3cX3BPqeAUke_wQNbyS8_LdTDt5GdJgdj7tKH/s1487/Mark%20McEwen's%20World%20January%202015.png" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1487" data-original-width="1127" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik8CHyqNfIXj2Sen7VCs02y57w3SLIzrYT20Z8ibku2SVxqvj7LUSF6FYUx0PsbX9Hr2yVG1Q85v0nITgebbE52Mp3ioJwVGDAz_mP5p4ky8QW_9g4UI6qvVfKZuc3d6biitxZldF6cYXEWaC0yPWjo-U3cX3BPqeAUke_wQNbyS8_LdTDt5GdJgdj7tKH/w486-h640/Mark%20McEwen's%20World%20January%202015.png" width="486" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><p style="text-align: left;">When I had my stroke Tony called a lot. His conversations meant so much to me. One day he called as I was finishing up my book. Tony asked what I was doing, and I told him. He quietly said,"I'd be happy to give you a quote for your book." And he did. </p></td></tr></tbody></table></blockquote></blockquote><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p><br /></p><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"></blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg75QYKhfdblWKhpNZ-_1fQfyx0xiPozQFPLFKhcBEFj-w9oAUydqiIeSy8Wo_VZDNa_1H1lK_48S0NiRI5MmkYnsLTcE1S-w1HWzSCCGDJMjxTcdAD3aia5-nCa9oBjfh-LPulkJOxWNb66wuPBiL7dx_zJCA_uEPfyQfmwTFSMYCj0EqTjCnZTKgJhy55/s4032/IMG_0822.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg75QYKhfdblWKhpNZ-_1fQfyx0xiPozQFPLFKhcBEFj-w9oAUydqiIeSy8Wo_VZDNa_1H1lK_48S0NiRI5MmkYnsLTcE1S-w1HWzSCCGDJMjxTcdAD3aia5-nCa9oBjfh-LPulkJOxWNb66wuPBiL7dx_zJCA_uEPfyQfmwTFSMYCj0EqTjCnZTKgJhy55/w640-h480/IMG_0822.jpg" width="640" /></a><span><a name='more'></a></span><span><!--more--></span></div></blockquote><div><p style="text-align: left;">I'll tell you a funny story...when he gave me that quote I said to my publisher, "Do I say Tony Bennett legend or Tony Bennett singer?" She said, "If you just put Tony Bennett everyone will know who you're talking about."</p><p style="text-align: left;">True that.</p><p style="text-align: left;">I could go on and on but let me just say this. There are times in your life when you remember exactly where you were when you heard something. Tony's passing was just like that.</p><p style="text-align: left;">He changed my life. </p><p style="text-align: left;">A great man and a true friend.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Goodbye,Tony,goodbye.</p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p> #MarkMcEwen <br />
Subscribe to my blog: <a href="http://iammarkmcewen.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default" target="_blank">Mark McEwen's World </a><br />
Follow me on twitter: <a href="http://twitter.com/McEwenMark" target="_blank">@mcewenmark</a>.<br />
Like my page on facebook: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/MarkMcEwensWorld" target="_blank">www.facebook.com/markmcewensworld</a> <br />
And also visit my website: <a href="http://www.markmcewen.com/" target="_blank">www.markmcewen.com</a></p><p><br /></p></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Subscribe to my blog(<a href="http://iammarkmcewen.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default" target="_blank">Mark McEwen's World </a>)<br />
Follow me on twitter (<a href="http://twitter.com/McEwenMark" target="_blank">@mcewenmark</a>)<br />
Like my page on Facebook (<a href="http://www.facebook.com/MarkMcEwensWorld" target="_blank">www.facebook.com/markmcewensworld</a>)<br />
And also visit my website <a href="http://www.markmcewen.com/" target="_blank">www.markmcewen.com</a></div>Mark McEwenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01761483285493197523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9179713647501988725.post-27616425112187853722023-07-15T09:48:00.002-04:002023-07-15T14:42:41.233-04:00Uber Driver I am an Uber Driver. And I love it.<div><br /></div><div>How’d that happen?</div><div><br /></div><div>First of all you know I substitute teach but as Alice Cooper sang,”School’s out for the summer,” and that J-O-B dried up. My wife said I needed something to do and brought up the fact that I also needed to get out of the house and suggested Uber. </div><div><br /></div><div>My first thought was,”Do I need a hat?”</div><div><br /></div><div>After applying and giving them my license and make of car and my plate number and a photo of me (gasp gasp) I was good to go.</div><div><br /></div><div>My first week was abysmal.</div><div><br /></div><div>I made so many mistakes.</div><div><br /></div><div> See, the way it works is you get the app, go online and it dings if there is a rider. You can accept or not but if you do you’re in your car with the GPS guiding you to the pickup.</div><div><br /></div><div>After picking up the rider the GPS guides you to their Dropoff location. Sounds easy right?</div><div><br /></div><div>What I did wrong was you have to hit a certain button to signify the drop off of your passenger. I didn't do that so the first four rides were free. Not good. I learned fast, had to, so that whole thing was fixed toot sweet.</div><div><br /></div><div>Since then? Smooth sailing.</div><div><br /></div><div>Things I've learned by Mark McEwen. Some passengers don't say anything so as the driver you don't say anything. BUT. Some talk and the conversations you have are just wonderful. “Are you from Florida?” Many are many are not. If not,” How long have you been here?” “Sure is hot.” “ What do you do?”</div><div><br /></div><div>And on and on.</div><div><br /></div><div>I get to say things like,”It’s real hot in the summer here but it’s fun watching winter on teevee.” That kind of stuff gets a chortle.</div><div><br /></div><div>I’ve learned that the bigger the dollar amount the farther you drive. How’d I learn that? Picked up a big money fare and they wanted to go all the way to Tampa. Not only is it an hour and half drive, one way, you come home empty. You don’t want to do that.</div><div><br /></div><div>You have repeat customers that you get to know like old friends. That’s cool. I’ve also been to the airport more times than I care to mention. I’ve also learned to, ahem, tinkle before I leave.</div><div><br /></div><div>As they say in Shrek,”Better out than in.”</div><div><br /></div><div>The things you learn.</div><div><br /></div><div>My parents taught to me to be polite and taught me manners.</div><div><br /></div><div> Goes a long way.</div><div><br /></div><div>I’d write more but my Uber app just dinged with a new rider.</div><div><br /></div><div>I’m off.</div><div><p> #MarkMcEwen <br />
Subscribe to my blog: <a href="http://iammarkmcewen.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default" target="_blank">Mark McEwen's World </a><br />
Follow me on twitter: <a href="http://twitter.com/McEwenMark" target="_blank">@mcewenmark</a> <br />
Like my page on facebook: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/MarkMcEwensWorld" target="_blank">www.facebook.com/markmcewensworld</a> <br />
And also visit my website: <a href="http://www.markmcewen.com/" target="_blank">www.markmcewen.com</a></p></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Subscribe to my blog(<a href="http://iammarkmcewen.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default" target="_blank">Mark McEwen's World </a>)<br />
Follow me on twitter (<a href="http://twitter.com/McEwenMark" target="_blank">@mcewenmark</a>)<br />
Like my page on Facebook (<a href="http://www.facebook.com/MarkMcEwensWorld" target="_blank">www.facebook.com/markmcewensworld</a>)<br />
And also visit my website <a href="http://www.markmcewen.com/" target="_blank">www.markmcewen.com</a></div>Mark McEwenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01761483285493197523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9179713647501988725.post-41933402833867867532023-06-03T16:04:00.001-04:002023-06-03T16:35:37.851-04:00Women Sports AnnouncersWhen I was younger women didn't announce sports. They just didn't.<div><br /></div><div>We all heard the story, or maybe <i>you</i> didn't, of what happened when Jayne Kennedy announced the scores on the NFL Today as, 15 to 10, 35 to nothing, 27 to 14. Didn't say the teams just the scores. </div><div><br /></div><div>Now, I don't know if that's true but that's the kind of stuff we heard.</div><div><br /></div><div>Guys were used to sitting around the telly, hollering at it, drinking beer and getting their info from<i> male </i>announcers. Football games, basketball games, baseball, hockey. </div><div><br /></div><div>Soccer wasn't even a thing then but that's another story.</div><div><br /></div><div>What changed that perception? ESPN.</div><div><br /></div><div>Bristol, Connecticut. </div><div><br /></div><div>At first they showed junk like penguin racing (I'm being facetious but you get the idea). See, we never had a sports network. And like many things it started slow. No SportsCenter, no Top Ten plays, no,"He could go all the way." </div><div><br /></div><div>And then it began rolling.</div><div><br /></div><div>And with it came women who knew their sports. </div><div><br /></div><div>At first I, like most men, had to be on that learning curve. BUT. If you go to games you'll see women yelling just as loudly, their faces painted just as much, and their number one fingers held just as high.</div><div><br /></div><div>At first there were just a few women. It wasn't a tidal wave. Yet. But here it came. What began as just women has turned into gorgeous women. Who all know their sh@t.</div><div><br /></div><div>Turn on SportsCenter now and that's what you'll see, pretty women who all know their sports.</div><div>Anchors and reporters.</div><div>.</div><div>And then there's Doris Burke.<br /></div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiXcqcXYag0BDwm3zFbBhU6QKocwuZelx5dMGAz07xkSHLn_irBkWbazQNaggpgHnImjb47Iac46jHh9MTyRo_zzl3OCen9vOrJUrcB6gKAl5nZPebMIy9t6sz3EOhcTmq3KbiNuuSjOjZhjAFl0mSZ1xQBStOujwQA44YuidQTNhq-ffIvN8RicOrXsQ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="265" data-original-width="190" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiXcqcXYag0BDwm3zFbBhU6QKocwuZelx5dMGAz07xkSHLn_irBkWbazQNaggpgHnImjb47Iac46jHh9MTyRo_zzl3OCen9vOrJUrcB6gKAl5nZPebMIy9t6sz3EOhcTmq3KbiNuuSjOjZhjAFl0mSZ1xQBStOujwQA44YuidQTNhq-ffIvN8RicOrXsQ=w287-h400" width="287" /></a></div></div><div>You might say who?</div><div><br /></div><div>She was the first female commentator to call a New York Knicks game on radio and television. The first woman to be assigned a full NBA regular season role. She was the first woman to host the NBA Finals on ESPN radio.</div><div><br /></div><div>That's just a few of her firsts.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'm very used to her thoughts and insights and am used to seeing her behind the mike at NBA games.</div><div><br /></div><div>We've come a long way.</div><div><br /></div><div>Yes we have.</div><div><br /></div><div> </div><div><br /></div><div><br /><p><br /> #MarkMcEwen <br />
Subscribe to my blog: <a href="http://iammarkmcewen.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default" target="_blank">Mark McEwen's World </a><br />
Follow me on twitter: <a href="http://twitter.com/McEwenMark" target="_blank">@mcewenmark</a> <br />
Like my page on facebook: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/MarkMcEwensWorld" target="_blank">www.facebook.com/markmcewensworld</a> <br />
And also visit my website: <a href="http://www.markmcewen.com/" target="_blank">www.markmcewen.com</a></p></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Subscribe to my blog(<a href="http://iammarkmcewen.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default" target="_blank">Mark McEwen's World </a>)<br />
Follow me on twitter (<a href="http://twitter.com/McEwenMark" target="_blank">@mcewenmark</a>)<br />
Like my page on Facebook (<a href="http://www.facebook.com/MarkMcEwensWorld" target="_blank">www.facebook.com/markmcewensworld</a>)<br />
And also visit my website <a href="http://www.markmcewen.com/" target="_blank">www.markmcewen.com</a></div>Mark McEwenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01761483285493197523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9179713647501988725.post-84795550984984893532023-03-25T19:10:00.002-04:002023-03-26T16:11:14.474-04:00Some ThoughtsFile this under' Am I dumb to just now notice this or what?'<div><br /></div><div>Remember hub caps? <br /><div><div><br /></div><div>As you're driving around look at the tire rims of cars, suvs, jeeps and pickups. Check them at a red light or in the parking lot of your supermarket. They have these kinda spoke like rims and here's the catch many have a variation of that theme but theme it is. Most of them have the same kinds of rims which begs questions. </div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi2mt_KTbHQxylz2hv5AB6mz-nsPhvyTWJ2g0ccS7mVY8JTaNrTYFoyITdLCpxVx7ZC2HKPxypO93-rBLWJjlTVcjoWlZiaTmtKKnj0k28SKrvIrcVwChX82fyQHgQvFs5PZZIl_paPY0SYlVjRbXXGyJBxisssjKooX6BweLoR011n3XDJtwehhnlptg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="194" data-original-width="259" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi2mt_KTbHQxylz2hv5AB6mz-nsPhvyTWJ2g0ccS7mVY8JTaNrTYFoyITdLCpxVx7ZC2HKPxypO93-rBLWJjlTVcjoWlZiaTmtKKnj0k28SKrvIrcVwChX82fyQHgQvFs5PZZIl_paPY0SYlVjRbXXGyJBxisssjKooX6BweLoR011n3XDJtwehhnlptg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>First why are they all pretty much the same? </div><div><br /></div><div>And second who decided that was the way to go? And what made everybody follow suit?</div><div><br /></div><div>Plus what is the company that benefits from all this?</div><div><br /></div><div>You check and see if I'm crazy.</div><div><br /></div><div>How come teenage girl students call each other 'bro? Last I checked 'bro was what you called your 'bro.</div><div><br /></div><div>Kids also think we were never young once. Like<i> they </i>invented staying out late, fake IDs and hooking school. I'll say this, I did things then they would never do now.</div><div><br /></div><div>Like hitchhiking.</div><div><br /></div><div>They play that Jaws like music in movies if that ever comes up. And you can bet the killer is behind the wheel of that car.</div><div><br /></div><div>Plus it's different being a parent than it is being a kid. As a kid you worry about nothing. As a parent you worry about <i>everything. </i>My Dad used to say he'd jump in front of a train for his kids and I was like riiiight.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'd jump in front of a train for my kids.</div><div><br /></div><div>One thing I had to get used to in the South was praying before public meals. Now, I was raised Catholic and we prayed before every dinner,"Thank you Lord for these Thy Gifts..."</div><div><br /></div><div>Just not in public.</div><div><br /></div><div>Had to get used to it.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><p><br /> #MarkMcEwen <br />
Subscribe to my blog: <a href="http://iammarkmcewen.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default" target="_blank">Mark McEwen's World </a><br />
Follow me on twitter: <a href="http://twitter.com/McEwenMark" target="_blank">@mcewenmark</a> <br />
Like my page on facebook: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/MarkMcEwensWorld" target="_blank">www.facebook.com/markmcewensworld</a> <br />
And also visit my website: <a href="http://www.markmcewen.com/" target="_blank">www.markmcewen.com</a></p></div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Subscribe to my blog(<a href="http://iammarkmcewen.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default" target="_blank">Mark McEwen's World </a>)<br />
Follow me on twitter (<a href="http://twitter.com/McEwenMark" target="_blank">@mcewenmark</a>)<br />
Like my page on Facebook (<a href="http://www.facebook.com/MarkMcEwensWorld" target="_blank">www.facebook.com/markmcewensworld</a>)<br />
And also visit my website <a href="http://www.markmcewen.com/" target="_blank">www.markmcewen.com</a></div>Mark McEwenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01761483285493197523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9179713647501988725.post-41497661130822652362022-07-16T17:01:00.000-04:002022-07-16T17:01:06.476-04:00ThoughtsWe live in a golden age. Of insurance. <div><br /></div><div>Say what?<div><br /></div><div>You'd think so the way their commercials on television are everywhere. </div><div><br /></div><div>No? Let's play a little game.</div><div><br /></div><div>Who is Flo and that lizard with the British accent? You only pay for what you need. Who's <i>that </i>belong to? Which insurance has a host who's an Oscar winner? Hint: We know a thing or two because we've seen a thing or two.</div><div><br /></div><div>I've got more.</div><div><br /></div><div>How about I say Jake from...I bet you can finish that sentence. Last one...to save you from mayhem like me. What insurance company is that? Can I say I love that guy?</div><div><br /></div><div>A Golden Age.</div><div><br /></div><div>Look around you and you'll see guys with beards. I know what you're thinking-no big deal right? Beards used to be kinda short but what I'm talking about is guys these days who have beards like they're in ZZ Top.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKG3qu6VbqG90-5Khg9URtlVvCtPmWfIH59brHBqyYBOeaMpZbo_jeVFHUSmuuej1SryhX7fJVSEvU382ZUatQueKYlekeIOBUUFrha2WQtd0Hi47ckzXBRUQ7jsqSR9Fh1G2h8HPba9dV6Dms8F0T2sZwEQ5-zKAgMKMnHiqYgDrL-9RwWX5qVCY88Q/s735/A-383191-1483847895-2025.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="735" data-original-width="488" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKG3qu6VbqG90-5Khg9URtlVvCtPmWfIH59brHBqyYBOeaMpZbo_jeVFHUSmuuej1SryhX7fJVSEvU382ZUatQueKYlekeIOBUUFrha2WQtd0Hi47ckzXBRUQ7jsqSR9Fh1G2h8HPba9dV6Dms8F0T2sZwEQ5-zKAgMKMnHiqYgDrL-9RwWX5qVCY88Q/s320/A-383191-1483847895-2025.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>You see them all over the place or at least <i>I </i>do. You know the old joke when you have a beard that long. Something about finding parts of your dinner in it. </div><div><br /></div><div>Dinner from two days ago.</div><div><br /></div><div>I ain't gonna lie to ya...whenever I would go to the grocery store I would ride around until I got a close parking space.</div><div><br /></div><div>Which got me to thinking.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgETrxCN89f_NCggc2guk0GqrcQciESn7mdz-hrMepXCyyBkelEJABcwZo78nlxQdiw1aWBoKoYuFDbu7SG5eVNYzkdZVl1y5f0h1N4LN1I2iIwoeG8tiSQIFvRG5gi6Sd0g9kwaS0tMJaOlsfazjQBVMlsRl76TTdJ-bDesg-dSsetwQ0Q89MkMeIj_g/s272/Unknown.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="186" data-original-width="272" height="274" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgETrxCN89f_NCggc2guk0GqrcQciESn7mdz-hrMepXCyyBkelEJABcwZo78nlxQdiw1aWBoKoYuFDbu7SG5eVNYzkdZVl1y5f0h1N4LN1I2iIwoeG8tiSQIFvRG5gi6Sd0g9kwaS0tMJaOlsfazjQBVMlsRl76TTdJ-bDesg-dSsetwQ0Q89MkMeIj_g/w400-h274/Unknown.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>People who work out...do they purposely look for a space further away so they can get that extra bit of exercise when they walk from the car to the gym then back to the car?</div><div><br /></div><div>I deal with news differently now.</div><div><br /></div><div>You've heard me say I like knowing things and that I read three newspapers a day. I do. However the<i> way</i> I read them has <i>evolved. </i>There are parts I sometimes skip over. I never used to do that but the news these days is wearing me out. </div><div><br /></div><div>Nowadays sports, the newest show to stream, Carolyn Hax on advice and the newest artist I should know. That kind of stuff gets a lot of play. </div><div><br /></div><div>Oh, I read hard news so I know what's going on but just.so.much.</div><div><br /></div><div>Since we're talking, the news on television is a lot of <i>opinion </i>journalism which means they rehash the same things over and over. And over. </div><div><br /></div><div>You ever watch golf on tv? </div><div><br /></div><div>The next time watch when the golfers shake hands on the 18th green and take their caps off. Am I only one who notices how stone cold white their foreheads are?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKgXeIgTnyRGzm7OV_Bqh0uX_ECHOPQsHu3rm6bT-5JdhxMYeGpSG6g9FXVhFDoVNc59UuCr3cPIAu5WVs6VVrnc7hUSE9i3IGKX8xbqBPfCdxHNbKBfJT3yvv6SBt4YIiifyGkXrBbACP1Ts7oo0bz0c8m5poTruVqs6SRMhv1X8TecpmlsI94poKjg/s1200/CcaAZ62dwDWWQLuj.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1200" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKgXeIgTnyRGzm7OV_Bqh0uX_ECHOPQsHu3rm6bT-5JdhxMYeGpSG6g9FXVhFDoVNc59UuCr3cPIAu5WVs6VVrnc7hUSE9i3IGKX8xbqBPfCdxHNbKBfJT3yvv6SBt4YIiifyGkXrBbACP1Ts7oo0bz0c8m5poTruVqs6SRMhv1X8TecpmlsI94poKjg/w640-h360/CcaAZ62dwDWWQLuj.jpg" width="640" /></a></div></div><div><br />I get it, you're in the sun all day but the first time I saw that I thought what the...</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>A pet peeve of mine is that there are speed bumps in parking lots here.</div><div><br />One of my favorite things to do is go 80 miles an hour through one.<br /><br />Just kidding.<br /><br />Truth is I couldn't if I wanted to.<br /><br />There are speed bumps all through them like<i> that </i>reality is the <i>real </i>reality. I've always wondered if the shock guys and the speed bump guys are in cahoots. <br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">This next tale will sound familiar to some of you. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">I have a stepdaughter, Jenna, who told me very strongly at fifteen that she was<i> never</i> going to have kids.<br /><br />I reminded her that when you say that at fifteen you're allowed to change your mind.<br /><br />Nope. Ain't gonna happen for sure.<br /><br />What about if you meet the sun, the moon, and the stars, and he wants to start a family with you?<br /><br />Wouldn't budge.<br /><br />Well, ladies and gentlemen meet the sun, the moon, and the stars. His name is Austin. Not only is he a great guy but he's all that and a bag of chips. Jenna is now deep in talks with Austin, ahem, about you know what.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHhxSTgY8s-m3UhwxV7qJbbipVgA9M0UBzLZ2sHw3i-kYSLh150E95fNw6yxdFWVdv7yVJ9QBtP9NS9kMX_Bn8YmwZIDMakddfeoEnal39jBzH3I-VrlWr0f3tA_vEnEVngBg4wwbI7D0iugjyj4v3YAF13WUmY-8d8eOlAPYOsEMonA_WzTiSkqEuKg/s2048/IMG_0446.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHhxSTgY8s-m3UhwxV7qJbbipVgA9M0UBzLZ2sHw3i-kYSLh150E95fNw6yxdFWVdv7yVJ9QBtP9NS9kMX_Bn8YmwZIDMakddfeoEnal39jBzH3I-VrlWr0f3tA_vEnEVngBg4wwbI7D0iugjyj4v3YAF13WUmY-8d8eOlAPYOsEMonA_WzTiSkqEuKg/w480-h640/IMG_0446.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><br /></span><br style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /><br /><p><br /><br /> #MarkMcEwen <br />
Subscribe to my blog: <a href="http://iammarkmcewen.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default" target="_blank">Mark McEwen's World </a><br />
Follow me on twitter: <a href="http://twitter.com/McEwenMark" target="_blank">@mcewenmark</a> <br />
Like my page on facebook: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/MarkMcEwensWorld" target="_blank">www.facebook.com/markmcewensworld</a> <br />
And also visit my website: <a href="http://www.markmcewen.com/" target="_blank">www.markmcewen.com</a></p></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Subscribe to my blog(<a href="http://iammarkmcewen.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default" target="_blank">Mark McEwen's World </a>)<br />
Follow me on twitter (<a href="http://twitter.com/McEwenMark" target="_blank">@mcewenmark</a>)<br />
Like my page on Facebook (<a href="http://www.facebook.com/MarkMcEwensWorld" target="_blank">www.facebook.com/markmcewensworld</a>)<br />
And also visit my website <a href="http://www.markmcewen.com/" target="_blank">www.markmcewen.com</a></div>Mark McEwenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01761483285493197523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9179713647501988725.post-77442395246879665952022-03-15T16:21:00.010-04:002022-06-15T11:44:25.822-04:00My Son Miles<br />I have a son named Miles, you know that. He's a senior in high school, is 18, and drives himself to school. And to work.<div> <div>It's great when the dinner check comes and your kid says, "I'll get that."</div><div><br /></div><div><div>I also have a dog who answers to the name of Lola. She gets asked the same question all the time, "Who's a good girl?"</div><div><br /></div><div>Now here's where we take a bit of a turn and why it's so great being a dad. One day I'm sitting at the kitchen table playing the who's a good girl game with Lola when Miles said something I'd never heard before. "We call them dogs," he said kissing Lola. "That's a human term. I wonder what they call themselves. If anything."</div><div><br /></div><div>You know how you cock your head when you have a thought you never had before? And you make a sound that goes up at the end?</div><div><br /></div><div>It had me go to a place I hadn't been before and my<i> son</i> led me there. How cool is that?</div><div><br /></div><div>Do elephants call themselves elephants? Do cows call themselves cows? Do snakes call themselves snakes? It goes on and on and...I wonder what they call<i> us</i>?</div><div><br /></div><div>Things your son made you think about.</div><div><br /></div><div>Miles and I do things that only he and I do. Like go see the latest Batman movie.<i> I</i> get the tickets<i> he</i> gets the snacks <i>we</i> get father son time. Oh the movies we have seen...<i>A Quiet Place, Iron Man, The Joker, The Batman Trilogy</i>, the one with Christian Bale and <i>Star Wars. Star Wars</i>? Do you know how surreal it is to talk about Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker and C3PO with your kid? </div><div><br /></div><div>It came out in <i>1977</i>!</div><div><br /></div><div>Needless to say we've seen all the<i> Star Wars</i> movies since.</div><div><br /></div><div>Never forget he is a twin. For people who don't have twins they think they're exactly alike. For those that have them they know they're not.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiTlwZp9vOMUsZNQXW6NLonb9fo3hOmOJla0gOoVuKZFWQLmVq8s30qrVMN0UB5BXt8eQarygm31hSzY-gZLuuNPQsGTD95dlJy42U_-Q3OezyZ31NK1fgN_zhzsPtVUEPRMRIQ4NhIuHeEQa3AEVgrQ_o6PmrZ80noruEeofjnmDI3CrjJ3UYdVBXo9A" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiTlwZp9vOMUsZNQXW6NLonb9fo3hOmOJla0gOoVuKZFWQLmVq8s30qrVMN0UB5BXt8eQarygm31hSzY-gZLuuNPQsGTD95dlJy42U_-Q3OezyZ31NK1fgN_zhzsPtVUEPRMRIQ4NhIuHeEQa3AEVgrQ_o6PmrZ80noruEeofjnmDI3CrjJ3UYdVBXo9A" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgW2wFTcjG7tE8KJ9h6BgBOr34dQZUZ_YF6za5zzssjGZfaE-Gs5WHrzM0ot_igz0hJ0WGdjm9UAAGwXiBO65a4NmvBO_2LrnTBqXv8LchCMoIeeGTA5OHhACwUa1KeSjirJHDDyl1Pj8MKHM8EDSZNbBHeEEuvT8eHZCu1Pqcy3OW7shci6ltxcj9-0A" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1990" data-original-width="1492" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgW2wFTcjG7tE8KJ9h6BgBOr34dQZUZ_YF6za5zzssjGZfaE-Gs5WHrzM0ot_igz0hJ0WGdjm9UAAGwXiBO65a4NmvBO_2LrnTBqXv8LchCMoIeeGTA5OHhACwUa1KeSjirJHDDyl1Pj8MKHM8EDSZNbBHeEEuvT8eHZCu1Pqcy3OW7shci6ltxcj9-0A=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div><br /><br />Miles and Griffin grew into Griffin and Miles.</div><div>Couldn't love them more.<br /><p><br /><br /> #MarkMcEwen <br />
Subscribe to my blog: <a href="http://iammarkmcewen.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default" target="_blank">Mark McEwen's World </a><br />
Follow me on twitter: <a href="http://twitter.com/McEwenMark" target="_blank">@mcewenmark</a> <br />
Like my page on facebook: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/MarkMcEwensWorld" target="_blank">www.facebook.com/markmcewensworld</a> <br />
And also visit my website: <a href="http://www.markmcewen.com/" target="_blank">www.markmcewen.com</a></p></div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Subscribe to my blog(<a href="http://iammarkmcewen.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default" target="_blank">Mark McEwen's World </a>)<br />
Follow me on twitter (<a href="http://twitter.com/McEwenMark" target="_blank">@mcewenmark</a>)<br />
Like my page on Facebook (<a href="http://www.facebook.com/MarkMcEwensWorld" target="_blank">www.facebook.com/markmcewensworld</a>)<br />
And also visit my website <a href="http://www.markmcewen.com/" target="_blank">www.markmcewen.com</a></div>Mark McEwenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01761483285493197523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9179713647501988725.post-25405328925252460362022-01-29T13:00:00.005-05:002022-01-29T13:12:07.048-05:00Winter In FloridaI always say that if you told me I'd be living in Florida...<div><br /></div><div>But I do.</div><div><br /></div><div>This is the time of year I get to use the phrase I say maybe three or four times a year. "It sure is cold outside." It says it right on our license plates that Florida is The Sunshine State. It should say the Hot As Hell State because a lot of the time that's what it is.</div><div><br /></div><div>But it is winter here and the happiest one about that is Lola the Dog who has a coat and can't believe how much fun<i> now</i> is. Man, she's 13 and to see her running around like when she was younger?</div><div><br /></div><div>So very cool.</div><div><br /></div><div>And I used the play on words on purpose.</div><div><br /></div><div>Meanwhile to see people in wool hats, gloves and zipped up jackets? Different. It's so unusual and happens here so rarely that you forget how different it is to live in the land of no blizzards.</div><div><br /></div><div>Let's talk about that blood thins thing. I disagree. I think that you don't see real cold often that when it does happen, and you're used to it being 80 degrees and up, it affects you differently. They say your blood thins. I used to live in New York and you get used to wind chills and snow. In Florida not so much.</div><div><br /></div><div>I do say this.</div><div><br /></div><div>If people from Buffalo came down right now, they'd be in shorts, Hawaiian shirts and flip flops. As I watch people in scarves and trench coats when it is 50 I think to myself, "You have no idea."</div><div><br /></div><div>And they don't.</div><div><br /></div><div>We've all heard the term snow bird and for the very few who haven't, someone who lives here in the winter to avoid the cold. All together now,"Mwah ha ha!"</div><div><br /></div><div>So it's cold here and it's actually colder <i>in my house </i>than it is outside. That's because most of us have trouble finding the heat button. We use it so rarely.</div><div><br /></div><div>Soon it will go back to being hot as heck with the air conditioning on full blast. And the cold will become a hazy memory.</div><div><br /></div><div>But for now? </div><div><br /></div><div>Cold.</div><div><br /></div><div><p><br /> #MarkMcEwen <br />
Subscribe to my blog: <a href="http://iammarkmcewen.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default" target="_blank">Mark McEwen's World </a><br />
Follow me on twitter: <a href="http://twitter.com/McEwenMark" target="_blank">@mcewenmark</a> <br />
Like my page on facebook: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/MarkMcEwensWorld" target="_blank">www.facebook.com/markmcewensworld</a> <br />
And also visit my website: <a href="http://www.markmcewen.com/" target="_blank">www.markmcewen.com</a></p></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Subscribe to my blog(<a href="http://iammarkmcewen.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default" target="_blank">Mark McEwen's World </a>)<br />
Follow me on twitter (<a href="http://twitter.com/McEwenMark" target="_blank">@mcewenmark</a>)<br />
Like my page on Facebook (<a href="http://www.facebook.com/MarkMcEwensWorld" target="_blank">www.facebook.com/markmcewensworld</a>)<br />
And also visit my website <a href="http://www.markmcewen.com/" target="_blank">www.markmcewen.com</a></div>Mark McEwenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01761483285493197523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9179713647501988725.post-6340505342361790842021-09-11T09:27:00.003-04:002021-11-05T18:23:12.299-04:00What I remember Here are my 9-11 memories.<div><br /></div><div>Although I lived in Manhattan, I was in Los Angeles. I was doing CBS This Morning and that day was to be the first <i>Latin </i>Grammys. I was there to cover that. That morning I broadcast out of Television City. Whenever I went anywhere we always broadcast on the shows' time-7 to 9 a.m. Eastern. So of course we had to be up and at 'em to be on the air at 4-6 L.A. time.</div><div><br /></div><div>That morning was pretty uneventful. </div><div><br /></div><div>On my end, in addition to doing the weather, I interviewed an artist from Columbia named Juanes. He was up for multiple Grammys that evening and not only did he agree to the interview he was kind enough to perform. When he was done and they cut back to New York I asked him to autograph his CD. He did and I still have it.</div><div><br /></div><div>After the show ended we went across the street to Katz' Deli to get a bagel with a schmear before going back to bed. </div><div><br /></div><div>Here's where it all began.</div><div><br /></div><div>Our waiter as he was taking our order casually said, "You're from New York, right?" I nodded yes and he continued, "A plane hit one of the World Trade Center towers." My first response was like so many,"A Piper Cub?" "No, a jet airliner. And another airliner just hit the other tower." What?</div><div><br /></div><div>We (I say we because it was me and my dear friend Barbara Dally makeup person extraordinaire) hustled back to the studio to watch on the monitors and the first words I heard were from Bryant Gumbel. He said, "Oh my, The Pentagon is under attack." That <i>definitely</i> got my attention.</div><div><br /></div><div>Like most of America we were transfixed in front of the television all day. Again, memories.</div><div><br /></div><div>I remember they had a video that somebody had shot from a balcony in Newark on their cell phone. It showed the second plane hitting a tower and you could hear the voices in the background reacting in horror. Get this, they freely used curse words, which you could hear, and still it was shown over and over again. Now we are used to hearing and reading those words but back then that was definitely something I had never heard on television before.</div><div><br /></div><div>I was worried about my wife and daughter but because the cell phone antennas were on top of the World Trade Center it all went dark. You couldn't get through.</div><div><br /></div><div>That day was full of images. Holes, big holes, in each tower where the planes had hit. People being shown jumping out of windows to their deaths which made me wonder what was so horrible behind them to make them choose that alternative. People covered in soot staggering away down streets. Firemen and first responders heading <i>towards</i> the flames. We're used to 24/7 news channels now but were not used to news all the time then.<br /><p>By the end of the day both towers had collapsed.</p><p>And you could have wrung me, and America, dry.</p><p>A day I will never forget.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /><br /> #MarkMcEwen <br />
Subscribe to my blog: <a href="http://iammarkmcewen.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default" target="_blank">Mark McEwen's World </a><br />
Follow me on twitter: <a href="http://twitter.com/McEwenMark" target="_blank">@mcewenmark</a> <br />
Like my page on facebook: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/MarkMcEwensWorld" target="_blank">www.facebook.com/markmcewensworld</a> <br />
And also visit my website: <a href="http://www.markmcewen.com/" target="_blank">www.markmcewen.com</a></p></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Subscribe to my blog(<a href="http://iammarkmcewen.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default" target="_blank">Mark McEwen's World </a>)<br />
Follow me on twitter (<a href="http://twitter.com/McEwenMark" target="_blank">@mcewenmark</a>)<br />
Like my page on Facebook (<a href="http://www.facebook.com/MarkMcEwensWorld" target="_blank">www.facebook.com/markmcewensworld</a>)<br />
And also visit my website <a href="http://www.markmcewen.com/" target="_blank">www.markmcewen.com</a></div>Mark McEwenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01761483285493197523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9179713647501988725.post-30854141244123991222021-08-28T16:32:00.003-04:002021-08-29T11:04:39.041-04:00My DadMy Dad used to say something to me as a kid.<div><br /></div><div>He'd say he'd take a bullet for me and I thought, "Yeah, right." Now I'm the father and I understand that now. I tell my kids, well, you know, and I mean it like my Dad did. </div><div><br /></div><div>My Father passed on Valentine's Day and I've been struggling with his passing ever since. I thought it would be easier and it's not. What did<i> I </i>know?</div><div><br /></div><div>Odd things make me think of him. </div><div><br /></div><div>Odd? How about <i>Jethro Tull</i>? Hear me out. I was walking my Lola, had my headphones plugged in to my iPhone, listening to music. "Cross Eyed Mary" came on and all of a sudden there I was misting up. My Dad never, ever, listened to rock and roll, or pop, or r&b. He was an opera guy, a symphony guy, a <i>Lambert, Hendricks and Ross </i>guy.<i> Tull</i> had a flute and I brought that to my Dad.</div><div><br /></div><div>Orchestras had a flute, right?</div><div><br /></div><div>I loved my Dad and thought it would fit right in... To his credit he smiled and listened to <i>Jethro Tull</i> and made his son feel ten feet tall.</div><div><br /></div><div>How about<i> Mike and The Mechanics</i>, "In The Living Years?" The line, "I wasn't there that morning when my father passed away," is hard just to write much less listen to. Man, there are so many.</div><div><br /></div><div>My wife's Mother died a year ago January when my Father was still very much alive. I didn't quite grasp the enormity of that moment and she said, "I mean no ill will but just wait. You'll see."</div><div><br /></div><div>Turns out she was more than right.</div><div><br /></div><div>My Mom's been gone for over twenty years and I miss her every day but I always had my Dad. And now I don't. </div><div><br /></div><div>I hope to see both of them again.</div><div><br /></div><div>This is my favorite picture of me and Pop.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcls84t67PR64bTGbRwybey6hMbZP-MPW9l2lIPVfv8z2Jid3k1-TiqnHLOv43uyR8ZodxCcvJcboLoqsQSr0J3FJ6VMt5Cg-DnPgAiBbJ-LLQpBWA9OwKYq55bqlMxE55jwh8DadHDM-o/s2048/0-9.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcls84t67PR64bTGbRwybey6hMbZP-MPW9l2lIPVfv8z2Jid3k1-TiqnHLOv43uyR8ZodxCcvJcboLoqsQSr0J3FJ6VMt5Cg-DnPgAiBbJ-LLQpBWA9OwKYq55bqlMxE55jwh8DadHDM-o/w640-h480/0-9.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /></div><div><p>Favorite one.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /><br /> #MarkMcEwen <br />
Subscribe to my blog: <a href="http://iammarkmcewen.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default" target="_blank">Mark McEwen's World </a><br />
Follow me on twitter: <a href="http://twitter.com/McEwenMark" target="_blank">@mcewenmark</a> <br />
Like my page on facebook: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/MarkMcEwensWorld" target="_blank">www.facebook.com/markmcewensworld</a> <br />
And also visit my website: <a href="http://www.markmcewen.com/" target="_blank">www.markmcewen.com</a></p></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Subscribe to my blog(<a href="http://iammarkmcewen.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default" target="_blank">Mark McEwen's World </a>)<br />
Follow me on twitter (<a href="http://twitter.com/McEwenMark" target="_blank">@mcewenmark</a>)<br />
Like my page on Facebook (<a href="http://www.facebook.com/MarkMcEwensWorld" target="_blank">www.facebook.com/markmcewensworld</a>)<br />
And also visit my website <a href="http://www.markmcewen.com/" target="_blank">www.markmcewen.com</a></div>Mark McEwenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01761483285493197523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9179713647501988725.post-2382615072912301032021-08-27T14:05:00.002-04:002021-08-27T14:05:44.741-04:00Willie Nelson<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-fQzivzJquV622X-ivpyQtYje1oAGKMPt3aj8zWCWX5Z6MZsMauWAMCEGSoAGVgwqyGOUKOMHt9_qgirkfoPY4k2YnhryB2Ud2ewM_Tio0ScpBuhp3QvwEakvYFjdo4ylvjH8ELqMzBQT/s1600/sc0000d01502.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="664" data-original-width="953" height="444" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-fQzivzJquV622X-ivpyQtYje1oAGKMPt3aj8zWCWX5Z6MZsMauWAMCEGSoAGVgwqyGOUKOMHt9_qgirkfoPY4k2YnhryB2Ud2ewM_Tio0ScpBuhp3QvwEakvYFjdo4ylvjH8ELqMzBQT/s640/sc0000d01502.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<u>Willie Nelson</u><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
There’s a story behind the first time I met Willie. <div><br /></div><div>I had just started with CBS and we went to Nashville and the Grand Ole Opry to get some interviews. The Country Music Awards were broadcast on our network and this was for a set up piece.<br />
<br />
I’m up in the seats watching Kris Kristofferson onstage and my producer says, “Go down there and get Willie for an interview.” I said okay and proceeded to head down to talk to his tour manager. <div><br /></div><div>Willie was back on the tour bus.<br />
<br />
When I got down to the stage I politely asked his tour manager if I could talk to Willie.<br />
“No,” she said, “N-O,” she spelled just in case I didn’t hear her the first time. I turned tail and went back to my producer and told him what had just happened.<br />
<br />
“What!” he said, “You’re from CBS. Get your ass down there and get that interview!” "Goll-ee," I thought, "This guy is kinda mean," but back down I went. Here was one of the first times that knowing music as opposed to being a <i>news</i> guy helped me. </div><div>
<br />
When Willie came off the bus I said, “My name is Mark McEwen, I’m from CBS. Two of <i>your </i>songs, <i>Blue Eyes Crying in The Rain </i>and<i> Angel Flying Too Close To The Ground </i>are two of <i>my </i>favorite songs. Can I talk to you?”<br />
<br />
He stopped, smiled, and said, “My time is your time.”<br />
<br />
And that’s how I met Willie Nelson.<br />
<br />In my younger days I knew who was but had never met him. Over the years I <i>had </i>heard stories about him though. <br />
<br />
Like this one.<br />
<br />
Willie was one of the founders of Farm Aid, a concert event that gave all the monies raised to charities that helped farmers. It attracted all kinds of big name people and was broadcast on cable, so we're talking big dough. Over the years he owed a bunch of money to the IRS, due to bad tax advice, and they seized his properties. When they had an auction for his stuff farmers bid for his houses and things, bought them, and <i>gave</i> them back to Willie.<br />
<br />
They thought that much of him.<br />
<br />
Hearing stories like that will make you cry.</div><div><br /></div><div>Okay one more.</div><div><br /></div><div>I did a<i> Live By Request </i>on A&E with him. He couldn't have been nicer and by now we were old friends. The show went well, his performance was great, and the audience<i> loved </i>him. After the show I went back to his bus to thank him for everything. On that bus he had a joint as long as my arm (doesn't make you a bad person) and he cupped it behind his back. I used to do that with my ciggys back in the day. The bus reeked of you know what. </div><div><br /></div><div>Willie shook my hand, we hugged, and off I went.</div><div><br /></div><div>Willie Nelson. A great, great, man. And I've told everyone.<br /><div><br /></div><div><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />
#MarkMcEwen <br />
Subscribe to my blog: <a href="http://iammarkmcewen.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default" target="_blank">Mark McEwen's World </a><br />
Follow me on twitter: <a href="http://twitter.com/McEwenMark" target="_blank">@mcewenmark</a> <br />
Like my page on facebook: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/MarkMcEwensWorld" target="_blank">www.facebook.com/markmcewensworld</a> <br />
And also visit my website: <a href="http://www.markmcewen.com/" target="_blank">www.markmcewen.com</a></div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Subscribe to my blog(<a href="http://iammarkmcewen.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default" target="_blank">Mark McEwen's World </a>)<br />
Follow me on twitter (<a href="http://twitter.com/McEwenMark" target="_blank">@mcewenmark</a>)<br />
Like my page on Facebook (<a href="http://www.facebook.com/MarkMcEwensWorld" target="_blank">www.facebook.com/markmcewensworld</a>)<br />
And also visit my website <a href="http://www.markmcewen.com/" target="_blank">www.markmcewen.com</a></div>Mark McEwenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01761483285493197523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9179713647501988725.post-58729019623840604922021-08-09T15:41:00.004-04:002021-08-11T19:51:40.356-04:00Gary WordlawGary Wordlaw changed my life. Pretty bold, huh? But true.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzHyauFZwjNQ2OuZVPs_KTioa7VCgOisPjf5imN1X9blUPNFqNb3fXYgV5quQJghXQkCOClcx74-wydL_WzV52qJEqrlKL-Tvu8HKliJyH5VWNMOHZEBO65Mj85L8N6n4T2WZ5-EizRtew/s414/67731043_10219127325124419_837201409320419328_n.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="414" data-original-width="414" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzHyauFZwjNQ2OuZVPs_KTioa7VCgOisPjf5imN1X9blUPNFqNb3fXYgV5quQJghXQkCOClcx74-wydL_WzV52qJEqrlKL-Tvu8HKliJyH5VWNMOHZEBO65Mj85L8N6n4T2WZ5-EizRtew/s320/67731043_10219127325124419_837201409320419328_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Let's jump in the Way Back Machine.<div><br /></div><div>I first met Gary when he was the GM of our CBS affiliate in Syracuse. He was doing a huge promotion with his station where viewers could enter a contest to fish in a lake. Oh yeah, I should mention he's pretty gosh darn smart. If a viewer caught a special fish he put in there they would win a million dollars.</div><div><br /></div><div>Well, my show sent me up to Syracuse to put the whole thing on national tv and that's how we met.</div><div><br /></div><div>Great guy.</div><div><br /></div><div>It's now 2019 and I hear from him about the Black News Channel that is going to launch in 2020. Gary was its' Vice President of Programming and News and asked me would I be interested in being a part of it. Uh, yeah. We, he and his lovely wife Marjorie, agreed to meet for lunch.</div><div><br /></div><div>One of the best lunches I've ever had.</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-vcysRG2DHPg_tbopxy343wkEaPE3Y0HoxCAVri1okfMqJrn9jY8UsP-a3jYebyIPqYKlKAjCsSxVt6FMoPN1dbi-_IQrsJjamMgUOHTRT1Pui6V29bE-YnGIie5XR1aw66vZNoDortJP/s1440/0-12.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="810" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-vcysRG2DHPg_tbopxy343wkEaPE3Y0HoxCAVri1okfMqJrn9jY8UsP-a3jYebyIPqYKlKAjCsSxVt6FMoPN1dbi-_IQrsJjamMgUOHTRT1Pui6V29bE-YnGIie5XR1aw66vZNoDortJP/w225-h400/0-12.jpeg" width="225" /></a></div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>See, this was post stroke and while I had done a few things since they weren't exactly banging down the front door. During that lunch we talked about all kinds of things and then Gary asked me what did I think about doing drop ins for Men's Health. I didn't know then, but men, Black men, are notorious for not going to the doctor. </div><div><br /></div><div>You know the old saying if you can help one person...</div><div><br /></div><div>So I said yes I was more than interested. He said, "I'll be in touch," and off he and Marjorie went. About a month later I get a call from him and Gary said something that is one of my favorite things that anyone has <i>ever </i>said to me.</div><div><br /></div><div>"My wife said if I don't offer you a job she's gonna kill me." He continued with a twinkle in his voice,"And I don't want to die!"</div><div><br /></div><div>And that's how I got on the Black News Channel.</div><div><br /></div><div>A month later Gary called again to tell me I had a show that would cover all things men...cooking, teaching, doctors, health, music, and on and on. He said it needed a title and I said, "How about All Things Men?"</div><div><br /></div><div>So here we are. I'm so excited that I'm back on national television and so excited to have the show I have. It was pointed out that women have shows, think <i>The View</i> think<i> The Talk</i>, but there<i> isn't </i>a show about men.</div><div><br /></div><div>We hope to change that.</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWfY6mUdCtRTdEJjiYNM2fj38IW2L7efgwUUEhLmu9Txy11IWIVFA0AUSLAY2yOE0omB38knFja7yMrRro7LrCNVYJzcrS0QdM6xmR3101i6VPFSCNvoxm9LhludXSxNb3q7yx5kLGQcRy/s2048/213668380_10158595948366032_6459671777856495869_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1147" data-original-width="2048" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWfY6mUdCtRTdEJjiYNM2fj38IW2L7efgwUUEhLmu9Txy11IWIVFA0AUSLAY2yOE0omB38knFja7yMrRro7LrCNVYJzcrS0QdM6xmR3101i6VPFSCNvoxm9LhludXSxNb3q7yx5kLGQcRy/w640-h358/213668380_10158595948366032_6459671777856495869_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /></div><div>Gary Wordlaw changed my life. Pretty bold, huh? But true.<br /><p><br /> #MarkMcEwen <br />
Subscribe to my blog: <a href="http://iammarkmcewen.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default" target="_blank">Mark McEwen's World </a><br />
Follow me on twitter: <a href="http://twitter.com/McEwenMark" target="_blank">@mcewenmark</a> <br />
Like my page on facebook: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/MarkMcEwensWorld" target="_blank">www.facebook.com/markmcewensworld</a> <br />
And also visit my website: <a href="http://www.markmcewen.com/" target="_blank">www.markmcewen.com</a></p></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Subscribe to my blog(<a href="http://iammarkmcewen.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default" target="_blank">Mark McEwen's World </a>)<br />
Follow me on twitter (<a href="http://twitter.com/McEwenMark" target="_blank">@mcewenmark</a>)<br />
Like my page on Facebook (<a href="http://www.facebook.com/MarkMcEwensWorld" target="_blank">www.facebook.com/markmcewensworld</a>)<br />
And also visit my website <a href="http://www.markmcewen.com/" target="_blank">www.markmcewen.com</a></div>Mark McEwenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01761483285493197523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9179713647501988725.post-21930326439572495072021-08-06T16:00:00.006-04:002021-08-08T09:58:01.661-04:00Random Thoughts<div>They have movies now that show the life of musical legends. We didn't have that when I was younger.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl4KEjM7_amNHy4sW2qvgXKvJn7oSkZQvQXmNQ8B_SBUZLLBu4Xsv8XOy3Lk_ci5q1ITp1GpWIdR4NtnxYmI41jQKLsBJKCekBQW9a0SBQyxVwqBnrwbh3HItqfZ8ejg1hVaL_lNtfqJVg/s259/Unknown.jpeg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="194" data-original-width="259" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl4KEjM7_amNHy4sW2qvgXKvJn7oSkZQvQXmNQ8B_SBUZLLBu4Xsv8XOy3Lk_ci5q1ITp1GpWIdR4NtnxYmI41jQKLsBJKCekBQW9a0SBQyxVwqBnrwbh3HItqfZ8ejg1hVaL_lNtfqJVg/w320-h240/Unknown.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Jamie Foxx won a well deserved Oscar for playing Ray Charles in <i>Ray. </i>There is a movie about Elton John (<i>Rocketman), </i> a good one, too. Rami Malek also garnered an Oscar for portraying Freddie Mercury in<i> Bohemian Rhapsody.</i> And here comes Aretha and the movie<i> Respect.</i></div><div><br /></div><div>I've got a new game I play when I'm driving. </div><div><br /></div><div>I count how fast it get's me to see ten pickup trucks. You might be surprised. Sometimes it takes awhile and I'm not talking that much, bu<i>t sometimes</i> it's the wink of an eye. Is it because I live in Florida that there are so many? </div><div><br /></div><div>You try it and let me know if it's just here or is it everywhere.</div><div><br /></div><div>I wonder if dogs think of themselves as dogs or call themselves something else.</div><div><br /></div><div>A question that's been asked a thousand times. Does anyone cook in their microwave?</div><div><br /></div><div>You ever watch golf on tv? The next time watch when the golfers shake hands on the 18th green and take their caps off. Am I only one who notices how stone cold white their foreheads are?<br /><br />I get it, you're in the sun all day playing but the first time I saw that I thought what the...</div><div><br /></div><div>I heard Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes <i>Bad Luck </i>on my headphones today and that made me realize how much I love Teddy Pendergrass. Remember him? </div><div><br /></div><div>You should.</div><div><br /></div><div>And does<i> What I Like About You </i>by The Romantics <i>ever</i> get old?</div><div><br /></div><div>Not for me.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><p><br /><br /> #MarkMcEwen <br />
Subscribe to my blog: <a href="http://iammarkmcewen.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default" target="_blank">Mark McEwen's World </a><br />
Follow me on twitter: <a href="http://twitter.com/McEwenMark" target="_blank">@mcewenmark</a> <br />
Like my page on facebook: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/MarkMcEwensWorld" target="_blank">www.facebook.com/markmcewensworld</a> <br />
And also visit my website: <a href="http://www.markmcewen.com/" target="_blank">www.markmcewen.com</a></p></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Subscribe to my blog(<a href="http://iammarkmcewen.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default" target="_blank">Mark McEwen's World </a>)<br />
Follow me on twitter (<a href="http://twitter.com/McEwenMark" target="_blank">@mcewenmark</a>)<br />
Like my page on Facebook (<a href="http://www.facebook.com/MarkMcEwensWorld" target="_blank">www.facebook.com/markmcewensworld</a>)<br />
And also visit my website <a href="http://www.markmcewen.com/" target="_blank">www.markmcewen.com</a></div>Mark McEwenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01761483285493197523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9179713647501988725.post-29842117561599332292021-06-17T18:12:00.002-04:002021-06-17T18:21:27.473-04:00Going To ChicagoThere's a story behind this picture but before I tell you<i> that </i>let me tell you who's <i>in</i> this picture.<div>Left to right--my dear friend Howard Grufferman, Gene Siskel (of Siskel and Ebert), a Chicago Bulls cheerleader, and me.</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6WIyYpqoRqOrT25X7D8bX-NYfBaztodDocg5XZLJ-aO03B_vaDSpnDfCb_ih2v4RaXRVQjNFlS4YhuehMl8l5Coon7-zWa4vOP87a6tn3NUrK_-XJX1nNY6JMIeg3jTZxWkNCUVbbeCv2/s458/0-7.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="458" data-original-width="379" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6WIyYpqoRqOrT25X7D8bX-NYfBaztodDocg5XZLJ-aO03B_vaDSpnDfCb_ih2v4RaXRVQjNFlS4YhuehMl8l5Coon7-zWa4vOP87a6tn3NUrK_-XJX1nNY6JMIeg3jTZxWkNCUVbbeCv2/w530-h640/0-7.jpeg" width="530" /></a></div><br />This was taken in the United Center home of the Bulls. Gene was a movie reviewer along with Roger Ebert and their TV show <i>Siskel and Ebert</i> gave us the phrase, "Two Thumbs Up." Gene, a huge star, was on CBS with me. We became fast friends and he gave me two ringside seats so we could see Michael Jordan play. </div><div><br /></div><div>My guest was Mr. Grufferman and off we flew to Chicago. </div><div><br /></div><div>Like giggly school boys we were, so excited to see MJ. In person. Gene met us outside the arena, took us in, and on our way to the seats we took this picture. That's Scottie Pippen over Howard's shoulder. I always say I'm old, 'cause I am, but I can remember when Jordan was on TV just about every week. So like giggly school boys we were.</div><div><br /></div><div>Gene said that he and Oscar winner Spike Lee were tight and that it went back to<i> Do The Right Thing</i>, Spike's first big feature. Turns out Gene gave it a sterling review and a friendship was born. Gene used to trade court side seats with Spike's court side seats in Madison Square Garden. The New York guy came West the Chicago guy went East.</div><div><br /></div><div>Back to the game.</div><div><br /></div><div>We were vibrating actually seeing Michael in the flesh, I hardly remember the game. I couldn't tell you who they played or how many points MJ scored but I remember this. Every time he shot free throws the Arena lit up from the flash bulbs from the cameras people had in their seats. It was like seeing diamonds.</div><div><br /></div><div>I had never seen anything like it. It's a memory that has stuck with me forever.</div><div><br /></div><div>There's more to this story.</div><div><br /></div><div>Howard and I had a late lunch with Gene. We went to the famous restaurant Gene & Georgetti known for it's tasty steaks and tasty seafood and tasty Italian dishes. And then we flew back to New York and the second part of this story unfolded.</div><div><br /></div><div>On the jet Howard and I were chatting like magpies and I forget how Marilyn Monroe came up but she did. We were talking about her marriages to Joe DiMaggio and Arthur Miller, who wrote <i>Death of a Salesman.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHc3-XjaD5OtKi020P3IPAVYQ02wwGGJS1uIhMojagg8kaohygjwHB3qJLPoQhuIDluMBu7ASurahzZzX77V9-SmMr4Xt0BREHiUa7TxnYKn2KLAmLFNd9AnAiq8NK6aDgDumhmFvXPH_O/s284/Unknown.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="177" data-original-width="284" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHc3-XjaD5OtKi020P3IPAVYQ02wwGGJS1uIhMojagg8kaohygjwHB3qJLPoQhuIDluMBu7ASurahzZzX77V9-SmMr4Xt0BREHiUa7TxnYKn2KLAmLFNd9AnAiq8NK6aDgDumhmFvXPH_O/w400-h249/Unknown.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div>We're talking and a guy right behind us gets up to go to the bathroom. Didn't see his face. On the way back I<i> did</i> see his face only because he was glaring at us.</div><div><br /></div><div>Arthur Miller.</div><div><br /></div><div>What were the chances of that?</div><div><br /></div><div>Both Howard and I were stunned into silence the rest of the flight.</div><div><br /></div><div>Flew to to see Jordan play saw Arthur Miller on the flight home.<br /><p><br /><br /> #MarkMcEwen <br />
Subscribe to my blog: <a href="http://iammarkmcewen.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default" target="_blank">Mark McEwen's World </a><br />
Follow me on twitter: <a href="http://twitter.com/McEwenMark" target="_blank">@mcewenmark</a> <br />
Like my page on facebook: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/MarkMcEwensWorld" target="_blank">www.facebook.com/markmcewensworld</a> <br />
And also visit my website: <a href="http://www.markmcewen.com/" target="_blank">www.markmcewen.com</a></p></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Subscribe to my blog(<a href="http://iammarkmcewen.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default" target="_blank">Mark McEwen's World </a>)<br />
Follow me on twitter (<a href="http://twitter.com/McEwenMark" target="_blank">@mcewenmark</a>)<br />
Like my page on Facebook (<a href="http://www.facebook.com/MarkMcEwensWorld" target="_blank">www.facebook.com/markmcewensworld</a>)<br />
And also visit my website <a href="http://www.markmcewen.com/" target="_blank">www.markmcewen.com</a></div>Mark McEwenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01761483285493197523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9179713647501988725.post-21045968938075396092021-05-07T10:00:00.000-04:002021-05-07T10:00:06.562-04:00I Remember When<div>I remember when you had to have a camera, an actual camera, to take a picture.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpOcxJ26Xkuk7QVyOvFbsxhhaV-ar8qMM0nYa9javR57P7I6fmqDT6wTCszjSuLpYv5tPh1to1lLuMQX9smgDv98qeTIux90-T6BGD9480Y2tcEldcN0NTX-DP89ejGqyl9SNeZpfj5Nzm/s251/images.jpeg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="251" data-original-width="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpOcxJ26Xkuk7QVyOvFbsxhhaV-ar8qMM0nYa9javR57P7I6fmqDT6wTCszjSuLpYv5tPh1to1lLuMQX9smgDv98qeTIux90-T6BGD9480Y2tcEldcN0NTX-DP89ejGqyl9SNeZpfj5Nzm/s0/images.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><br /></div><div>Selfie wasn't even a word back then. It is now. In that same vein I used to memorize phone numbers because you kinda had to. Ask someone now if they know your number. I bet they don't. Now, if you lose your phone you also have lost all your numbers.</div><div><br /></div><div>I remember when there wasn't a girl I couldn't beat in basketball. Now? They won't even take their high heels off as they're beating your butt. The center of my high school basketball team was 6'5" and we thought<i> that </i>was tall. Nowadays there are <i>guards </i>that are taller. Kareem-Abdul Jabbar, back when he was Lew Alcindor, was the first seven footer I saw who could actually play. Back then tall guys were just tall. </div><div><br /></div><div>Now they shoot threes.</div><div><br /></div><div>I remember when gas was thirty cents a gallon. My Father saw me wrestle once, I pinned the guy, and Dad ran down to the mat and gave me five dollars. That doesn't sound like much now but back then I could put gas in the car and take my girl to Mickey Dees for a Big Mac. They were all of sixty cents then. Cigarettes were also 30 cents. A pack. These days a pack will set you back ten bucks or so. And everyone smoked back then. </div><div><br /></div><div>If you need an incentive to quit price is a good one.</div><div><br /></div><div>I remember when rock and roll was rock and roll before it became <i>classic </i>rock. If you want to feel old that's the ticket. Zeppelin, the Beatles, the Stones, the Who, Journey, U2, AC/DC, it seems like you were swimming in a pool of rock bands. </div><div><br /></div><div>Look around now, not so much.</div><div><br /></div><div><div>I remember before there was rap. Younger people today gasp like you're speaking to them in another language when you mention that. When it first came on the scene they had different genres back then. Funny rap, dance rap, inspirational rap, and more. Lots more. Turn on the radio now and it's pretty much all the same thing. Next time you're at a red light listen to what is blasting out of the car next to you. </div><div><br /></div><div>You'll see.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhohk1RrcYvo_Wk0r1q63EHcku3bgxIx8Yfdtx32wylmkRFjysELwPOyts1YQPBR-JRpRVevdkF8aNCrof2PVFbtJcsgy5-NeCGYC2Agi7dmLB21ACSSzZxj7f_neL06Ghz1vh263_Zb2Fv/s336/Unknown.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="336" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhohk1RrcYvo_Wk0r1q63EHcku3bgxIx8Yfdtx32wylmkRFjysELwPOyts1YQPBR-JRpRVevdkF8aNCrof2PVFbtJcsgy5-NeCGYC2Agi7dmLB21ACSSzZxj7f_neL06Ghz1vh263_Zb2Fv/s320/Unknown.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div></div><div><br /></div><div>I remember when movie stars didn't make commercials. Turn on the tv now and they are all over the place hawking things like they were always doing it. And you'd never see them in a tv series or on a movie of the week. Sounds quaint now doesn't it?</div><div><br /></div><div>And speaking of quaint.</div><div><br /></div><div>I remember when you couldn't tell which way a newsman was leaning. I was taught at CBS News to hold your cards close to your vest, ask hard questions to the left as well as to the right; and the viewer shouldn't know which way <i>you</i> leaned. If you're looking for a newsman or a news channel that agrees with everything you do they're out there.</div><div><br /></div><div>Yep, quaint is a good word.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbMdGdgOtTTj7PmYxm6hujtsBgekaxRy8oUcRqE2XKuRcg8gBI-WJjlp-Dy0jkPz0afJzMj836LbG7jl6BLrZxbprNSbFlZTnTPBJ6_vTlqihX-I5srJXfReR2nGW-rpRM0qbR2tgvQcWg/s225/Unknown-1.jpeg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbMdGdgOtTTj7PmYxm6hujtsBgekaxRy8oUcRqE2XKuRcg8gBI-WJjlp-Dy0jkPz0afJzMj836LbG7jl6BLrZxbprNSbFlZTnTPBJ6_vTlqihX-I5srJXfReR2nGW-rpRM0qbR2tgvQcWg/s0/Unknown-1.jpeg" /></a></div></div><div><br /></div><div>I remember when candy for us was a 'hope it's chocolate.' Snickers, Milky Way, bunnies in Easter baskets that were solid not hollow. There were SweetTarts but that was pretty much it for tangy candy. Nowadays things like Sour Patch Kids and Starburst are everywhere. Don't get me wrong chocolate still rules the day but there's a lot more tangy competition.</div><div><br /></div><div>And while we're at it Reese's Cups should be outlawed.</div><div><p><br /> #MarkMcEwen <br />
Subscribe to my blog: <a href="http://iammarkmcewen.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default" target="_blank">Mark McEwen's World </a><br />
Follow me on twitter: <a href="http://twitter.com/McEwenMark" target="_blank">@mcewenmark</a> <br />
Like my page on facebook: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/MarkMcEwensWorld" target="_blank">www.facebook.com/markmcewensworld</a> <br />
And also visit my website: <a href="http://www.markmcewen.com/" target="_blank">www.markmcewen.com</a></p></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Subscribe to my blog(<a href="http://iammarkmcewen.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default" target="_blank">Mark McEwen's World </a>)<br />
Follow me on twitter (<a href="http://twitter.com/McEwenMark" target="_blank">@mcewenmark</a>)<br />
Like my page on Facebook (<a href="http://www.facebook.com/MarkMcEwensWorld" target="_blank">www.facebook.com/markmcewensworld</a>)<br />
And also visit my website <a href="http://www.markmcewen.com/" target="_blank">www.markmcewen.com</a></div>Mark McEwenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01761483285493197523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9179713647501988725.post-35685507215523975362021-03-23T19:23:00.011-04:002021-03-24T09:00:43.334-04:00Flags At Half MastWhere I live we have flag poles at either end of our main drag.<div><br /></div><div>They seem to be at half mast all the time. So much so that I have to think: why are they like that before I remember why. For those who don't know a flag is at half mast when someone dies.</div><div><br /></div><div>We were just beginning to process Atlanta and now here comes Boulder.</div><div><br /></div><div>Man, those flag poles get a lot of work. Am I getting numb to why it's like that? Are <i>we </i>getting numb? Can I ask, along with many other people, why don't we do something about this? Yeah, yeah, I've heard that they're coming to take our guns and the Second Amendment and all that.</div><div><br /></div><div>But. </div><div><br /></div><div>I don't remember any uproar over seatbelts in cars. They long ago made that the law. Here the phrase is 'Click-it or ticket.' Even whisper the words gun control and stand back and watch the uproar.</div><div><br /></div><div>People aren't saying take your guns away they're just saying to license them plus have stiffer background checks so people who shouldn't have guns don't get them.</div><div><br /></div><div>Is that such a big deal? </div><div><br /></div><div>Tell people who've lost their father, their mother, their husband, their wife, their <i>children. </i>Losing them is a forever thing. Something you think about every day, every night, all the time, thinking about the person who is no longer here.</div><div><br /></div><div>I see people in a dark room crying.</div><div><br /></div><div>Imagine if it was you. Imagine if it were your daughter, your father, your mother, your son. I don't know about you but if it were me? I'd be the one in the dark room crying.</div><div><br /></div><div>And while we're at it I'm not talking about taking away hunting rifles or guns that a person uses for protection. But a question that I and many others ask: What are you hunting with an assault rifle?</div><div><br /></div><div>The answer is people.</div><div><br /></div><div>In my humble opinion you shouldn't be able to do that. I feel for the people in Boulder who were just shopping for bread, for dinner, for groceries. And then everything changed likethat. </div><div><br /></div><div>Where I live we have flag poles at either end of our main drag. It seems they're always at half mast.</div><div><br /></div><div>So sad. So very sad.</div><div><p><br /><br /> #MarkMcEwen <br />
Subscribe to my blog: <a href="http://iammarkmcewen.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default" target="_blank">Mark McEwen's World </a><br />
Follow me on twitter: <a href="http://twitter.com/McEwenMark" target="_blank">@mcewenmark</a> <br />
Like my page on facebook: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/MarkMcEwensWorld" target="_blank">www.facebook.com/markmcewensworld</a> <br />
And also visit my website: <a href="http://www.markmcewen.com/" target="_blank">www.markmcewen.com</a></p></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Subscribe to my blog(<a href="http://iammarkmcewen.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default" target="_blank">Mark McEwen's World </a>)<br />
Follow me on twitter (<a href="http://twitter.com/McEwenMark" target="_blank">@mcewenmark</a>)<br />
Like my page on Facebook (<a href="http://www.facebook.com/MarkMcEwensWorld" target="_blank">www.facebook.com/markmcewensworld</a>)<br />
And also visit my website <a href="http://www.markmcewen.com/" target="_blank">www.markmcewen.com</a></div>Mark McEwenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01761483285493197523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9179713647501988725.post-48876732313520199662021-03-21T07:55:00.001-04:002021-03-21T08:01:06.735-04:00JennaI got interviewed by my Stepdaughter Jenna in our house. And this from a very proud Stepfather. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz9QGqBQwEDZfXiKpPL4p1Km4zS9w3HuXoxKNtNN6690zgMMb2vvTgD55ahddeJiSE2sSnmdgdhoDzLEPaUt2jb8wXHluntHiUmTDa-X0FssQx89bq86GYYkSxBJnZ-vIjT3ok_t_o1-p9/s2048/0-8.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz9QGqBQwEDZfXiKpPL4p1Km4zS9w3HuXoxKNtNN6690zgMMb2vvTgD55ahddeJiSE2sSnmdgdhoDzLEPaUt2jb8wXHluntHiUmTDa-X0FssQx89bq86GYYkSxBJnZ-vIjT3ok_t_o1-p9/w640-h480/0-8.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>It was for Stroke Awareness Month and we all know it's May so we were getting a jump on things. Jenna graduated from college and unlike many of her peers got a jay-oh-bee. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinb5_rJyMxpQfLMU5o79GkJNHK2VrlhXULk1gWAoy5z0bJp_CgE6GNujFoaSMLFleGGQSTuXSDQfqe-NSwOxI2jhy5ksh4SHFyGKTipUgsSF12iALmyhDjcnVcnN4236fzrk5Sno5z_L6-/s2048/0-9.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinb5_rJyMxpQfLMU5o79GkJNHK2VrlhXULk1gWAoy5z0bJp_CgE6GNujFoaSMLFleGGQSTuXSDQfqe-NSwOxI2jhy5ksh4SHFyGKTipUgsSF12iALmyhDjcnVcnN4236fzrk5Sno5z_L6-/s320/0-9.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br />She works at Ivanhoe Broadcast News a place that makes pieces for television news. They go to local stations all around the country and are shown in, all together now, <i>over 50 million homes.</i></div><div><br /></div><div>That's a lot of eyeballs.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'm married to her Mom and I first met Jenna when she was five. I've known her a long time and it's been so much fun to watch her grow and blossom.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQrmriJbqoYqLVgJeYVcTtLq6mqwoLkw3y2firxMovgVvU30-Ni22BMtSFjLgeY8_LjMwOUr69hYmmAz5A4Dhr1SEFgozuMZYS-ZmceqhFVmQ6W4uABkSmI1JYiXisBfHuwT68dqUwnTeg/s640/0-7.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQrmriJbqoYqLVgJeYVcTtLq6mqwoLkw3y2firxMovgVvU30-Ni22BMtSFjLgeY8_LjMwOUr69hYmmAz5A4Dhr1SEFgozuMZYS-ZmceqhFVmQ6W4uABkSmI1JYiXisBfHuwT68dqUwnTeg/s320/0-7.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>She was a news anchor on her middle school and then high school TV channels. When she went to college she did that and much more. She learned how to edit, how to produce, as well as being an on air reporter. During the whole time she would show me tapes and I was very impressed.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div>Because of the pandemic times are a bit different and graduating now and looking for a job can be very difficult. But all her life difficult has been just a word. So every morning, Monday thru Friday, Jenna leaves the house, gets in her car, and off she goes. It's great to see her in work clothes and great for me to say, "Bye Bye."</div><div><br /></div><div>Meanwhile do you know what it's like to see a camera crew coming up your sidewalk with your Stepdaughter leading the way? It touched this guy's heart and this guy's chest was puffing way out.</div><div><br /></div><div>She asked great questions. Listened and followed up on things I said and just did a bang-up job.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj_lsAsks_UkzxiSBXIUX5LmggotGoSfV1CB2mtuw0Xh6CtLCGEU6B-MO-KZYPMtLTShYmtEEi_IbLTtwrtXzIfE-c5RBNrbfZAr3OKq7nkxncEV0VJuG2klpl1561ncV6wcr2rxnYsb4e/s2048/unnamed-3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj_lsAsks_UkzxiSBXIUX5LmggotGoSfV1CB2mtuw0Xh6CtLCGEU6B-MO-KZYPMtLTShYmtEEi_IbLTtwrtXzIfE-c5RBNrbfZAr3OKq7nkxncEV0VJuG2klpl1561ncV6wcr2rxnYsb4e/w640-h480/unnamed-3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Normally a family member this time a great interviewer.</div><div><br /></div><div>Lights, camera, action.<br /><p><br /><br /> #MarkMcEwen <br />
Subscribe to my blog: <a href="http://iammarkmcewen.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default" target="_blank">Mark McEwen's World </a><br />
Follow me on twitter: <a href="http://twitter.com/McEwenMark" target="_blank">@mcewenmark</a> <br />
Like my page on facebook: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/MarkMcEwensWorld" target="_blank">www.facebook.com/markmcewensworld</a> <br />
And also visit my website: <a href="http://www.markmcewen.com/" target="_blank">www.markmcewen.com</a></p></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Subscribe to my blog(<a href="http://iammarkmcewen.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default" target="_blank">Mark McEwen's World </a>)<br />
Follow me on twitter (<a href="http://twitter.com/McEwenMark" target="_blank">@mcewenmark</a>)<br />
Like my page on Facebook (<a href="http://www.facebook.com/MarkMcEwensWorld" target="_blank">www.facebook.com/markmcewensworld</a>)<br />
And also visit my website <a href="http://www.markmcewen.com/" target="_blank">www.markmcewen.com</a></div>Mark McEwenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01761483285493197523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9179713647501988725.post-59488821699332165172021-03-08T19:03:00.001-05:002021-06-01T03:26:25.869-04:00Dad ReduxIt's been almost a month since my Dad died.<div><br /></div><div>It's hard to write that sentence.</div><div><br /></div><div>First off my heart goes out to people who are in the crowded boat I'm in. As I've said before not a boat you want to be in.</div><div><br /></div><div> Let's do a bit of history.</div><div><br /></div><div>Preparing for Dad's service I found myself in a dilemma. Do I fly up there to be there in person? Being a stroke survivor gave me pause about flying. I've got a bullseye on my back, I think the term is At Risk. Because of Covid-19 I haven't been on a jet since October <i>2019. </i>Heck I'm nervous about even going to the airport. I picked up my Maya when she came to visit back in September. When she was leaving I parked the car and went inside. Heard the theme from <i>Jaws</i> the entire time.</div><div><p>So I had that voice in my head saying "You might catch it." But there's more. What if I brought something with me? I didn't want to do that. But he's my Father. So you can see my dilemma.</p><p>I went back and forth and asked <i>everybody.</i> They all said not to do it.</p><p>Then I thought I would just drive up there. It's 11 hours, one way, from Florida to Maryland. Again I asked everybody and the consensus was again "Don't do it."</p><p>Then someone came up with the idea to include me via Zoom. Like most people I first heard of Zoom last year. You see Zoom guests all over news shows and we, the viewers, are used to it by now. We're used to the fact that some Zooms are sharper and more in focus and some aren't.</p><p>To be honest, I'd never been part of a service with Zoom much less my Father's service. </p><p>So there I was with my wife and my twins in front of my computer to honor my Dad, their Pop Pop. I told myself I wouldn't cry and I was wrong.</p><p>The Reverend couldn't have been nicer or better, it was a walk down memory lane. He talked about Dad's life and talked about how great he was in the church choir, how loved he was at his Assisted Living home. The organ played, he spoke, they even played a song my Dad sang from his CD that he made for my autistic brother Sean.</p><p>And then it was time for his kids to talk. And here came the tears.</p><p>My sister Karen went first and she was eloquent and she cried through the whole thing. My brother Kirk went next and he was eloquent and cried through the whole thing.</p><p>And then it was my turn.</p><p>Talk about tough.</p><p>I spoke about my Dad and spoke about my Mom as well. I said they were great partners great parents. I spoke about how important he was to us children. And cried through the whole thing.</p><p>I did tell a famous McEwen story.</p><p>My Dad's name was Al<i>fred</i> and one day a letter came to the house addressed to Al<i>bert </i>McEwen. Well, my brother thought that was so funny and used to call my Dad Bert all the time after that. Cut ahead to a vacation in Cancun and Kirk tried to get my Father's attention from across a street. He yelled,"Hey Bert!"</p><p>A snooty man heard him, turned to my Dad and said, "You know, I don't let<i> my </i>kids call me by <i>my </i>name." Without missing a beat Dad smiled and said, "That's not my name."</p><p>Crying and laughing.</p><p>When it finally was over I was so glad to be a part of it. It's a memory I won't ever forget.</p><p>I got to say goodbye to my Father.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQv-sEtetC_Bdu1DY6UposyDGs0lgLH13AA-yYgJIuCRt25oiy3KIHeiUjcafed9DK-yZR9mUmZfMkqLkTfvH64jOmXpQQstc2kidp-MxiyrQIvKGlCtWoIMO53SrVZ_n6eiTD4rAEoi3r/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1926" data-original-width="1444" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQv-sEtetC_Bdu1DY6UposyDGs0lgLH13AA-yYgJIuCRt25oiy3KIHeiUjcafed9DK-yZR9mUmZfMkqLkTfvH64jOmXpQQstc2kidp-MxiyrQIvKGlCtWoIMO53SrVZ_n6eiTD4rAEoi3r/w300-h400/0-5.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><p></p><p>I got to say goodbye to my Dad.<br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /> #MarkMcEwen <br />
Subscribe to my blog: <a href="http://iammarkmcewen.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default" target="_blank">Mark McEwen's World </a><br />
Follow me on twitter: <a href="http://twitter.com/McEwenMark" target="_blank">@mcewenmark</a> <br />
Like my page on facebook: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/MarkMcEwensWorld" target="_blank">www.facebook.com/markmcewensworld</a> <br />
And also visit my website: <a href="http://www.markmcewen.com/" target="_blank">www.markmcewen.com</a></p></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Subscribe to my blog(<a href="http://iammarkmcewen.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default" target="_blank">Mark McEwen's World </a>)<br />
Follow me on twitter (<a href="http://twitter.com/McEwenMark" target="_blank">@mcewenmark</a>)<br />
Like my page on Facebook (<a href="http://www.facebook.com/MarkMcEwensWorld" target="_blank">www.facebook.com/markmcewensworld</a>)<br />
And also visit my website <a href="http://www.markmcewen.com/" target="_blank">www.markmcewen.com</a></div>Mark McEwenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01761483285493197523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9179713647501988725.post-48419196436480642672021-03-05T11:29:00.002-05:002021-06-01T03:02:12.023-04:00VaccineI got my vaccination.<div><br /></div><div>I don't even have to tell you for what I bet you already know.</div><div><br /></div><div>My appointment was for 9:30 but I was wide awake at 6. Can you say excited? I had about three hours to read the papers, shower, shave, and have coffee. All that was done by 6:30.</div><div><br /></div><div>Finally 9 rolled around and I was off. Let me explain something, the distribution of shots will make you shake your head. I'm on three waiting lists-nada. It was our neighbor who told my wife about shots at our local church. That's how I found myself in it's quickly filling up parking lot. You were instructed to call and make an appointment, which I did, and to bring your drivers license to verify your age and I did that too.</div><div><br /></div><div>The policeman at the front made me feel great. He looked at my license and asked, "Are you a front line worker or in health?" This old guy pointed out his age on said license, the guy said oh, and inside I went. I mention that he made me feel great because he didn't think I looked my age.</div><div><br /></div><div>Cool.</div><div><br /></div><div>Inside was a room filled with chairs and it was filling up with people. I registered I was there, got a number, and waited. Before too long they called my number and up I went. The officer at my table couldn't have been nicer. He did say, "This first shot will protect you up to 75%." As I was rolling up my sleeve I was thinking I'm so there.</div><div><br /></div><div>After a very short while the syringe was empty and I was heading to the waiting room. There you're under surveillance for about 15 minutes to make sure you don't have a bad reaction. I didn't and before you knew it I was in the car heading home.</div><div><br /></div><div>I can barely describe the feeling knowing you have the vaccine in you. Wonderful, marvelous, safe, armor protecting you. I'm babbling but you get the picture.</div><div><br /></div><div>I don't have to tell you how tough this Covid-19 has been. Turn on the news, read the newspapers, listen to the radio. Tough. It felt so good to know that the times they are a changing.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'll still wear a mask, still wash my hands a lot, and still social distance.</div><div><br /></div><div>They say the second shot can make you feel a bit upset.</div><div><br /></div><div>Don't care.</div><div><br /></div><div>The upside is way up. Protected.<br /><p><br /><br /> #MarkMcEwen <br />
Subscribe to my blog: <a href="http://iammarkmcewen.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default" target="_blank">Mark McEwen's World </a><br />
Follow me on twitter: <a href="http://twitter.com/McEwenMark" target="_blank">@mcewenmark</a> <br />
Like my page on facebook: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/MarkMcEwensWorld" target="_blank">www.facebook.com/markmcewensworld</a> <br />
And also visit my website: <a href="http://www.markmcewen.com/" target="_blank">www.markmcewen.com</a></p></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Subscribe to my blog(<a href="http://iammarkmcewen.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default" target="_blank">Mark McEwen's World </a>)<br />
Follow me on twitter (<a href="http://twitter.com/McEwenMark" target="_blank">@mcewenmark</a>)<br />
Like my page on Facebook (<a href="http://www.facebook.com/MarkMcEwensWorld" target="_blank">www.facebook.com/markmcewensworld</a>)<br />
And also visit my website <a href="http://www.markmcewen.com/" target="_blank">www.markmcewen.com</a></div>Mark McEwenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01761483285493197523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9179713647501988725.post-68285392307204799092021-02-14T18:28:00.005-05:002021-04-04T16:46:50.411-04:00My DadWhen your cell phone rings at 6:32 in the morning and it's from your sister and your Dad is 92 and fading fast, you have a premonition.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKpU9_lFsKbfSyWuz6C-wfobfqUwmxd4RKoQTuEytWigpdVJP0VY4Sy5NjN0XjBsULCVULGfxAUxzqSIkqY4rE0QhSD707IHUyQU9HhJehrYPbHQ02X6ECJ68tJh61-CphBmn8aVo3E4kY/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKpU9_lFsKbfSyWuz6C-wfobfqUwmxd4RKoQTuEytWigpdVJP0VY4Sy5NjN0XjBsULCVULGfxAUxzqSIkqY4rE0QhSD707IHUyQU9HhJehrYPbHQ02X6ECJ68tJh61-CphBmn8aVo3E4kY/w640-h480/0-1.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /></div><div>Turns out I was right. Karen in tears. Dad. Gone.</div><div><br /></div><div>On the good side we saw Dad to a ripe old age. Our kids knew who their Pop Pop was and they in turn will tell their Grandkids about <i>their </i>Grandfather. It was great talking to Dad every day and telling him stories of my youth, telling him about his wisdom over the years, and telling him how important he was in my life. I would tell him all the time that I am who I am because of him.</div><div><br /></div><div>On the bad side is there ever enough time? Also you see him getting weaker and weaker like a light bulb getting dimmer and dimmer.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_uzS3wc-RrHzwgZXv-vgbMGxfsQihCJAuT0adSjyAy-l_iunHhb6KvhOUVrf1GNgGyhdyy4qZLRo1uJTKBcIgeiVpOVWZZIOVRtLsXQiICdMaXAmTbMoVY_s_wnTZLY0H8mMci2CQTO2d/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_uzS3wc-RrHzwgZXv-vgbMGxfsQihCJAuT0adSjyAy-l_iunHhb6KvhOUVrf1GNgGyhdyy4qZLRo1uJTKBcIgeiVpOVWZZIOVRtLsXQiICdMaXAmTbMoVY_s_wnTZLY0H8mMci2CQTO2d/w300-h400/IMG_0443.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /> </div><div><br /></div><div>I was lucky, I had these wonderful, great parents. Intelligent, classy and each one left their stamp on me. My Mom had a sense of style, was oh so pretty, and she was a great mother. She was a great friend. She watched tennis on television in the days of Bjorn Borg and Jimmy Connors. I remember hearing 40-love and thinking that I needed to ask somebody about that. Sounds funny to say this but I heard her curse once in my entire life. Think about that for a second. Plus she turned me on to Sam and Dave and the Rolling Stones.</div><div><br /></div><div>My father was handsome, a colonel in the Air Force, a great Dad and sang opera. He was also a great friend. If you asked him a question that he didn't know the answer to he wouldn't just tell you something so you'd go away. He would go find out the answer before getting back to you. And this was before the internet. Think about that for a second, too. He passed on his love for reading and trivia. Plus he turned me on to Emerson, Lake and Palmer.</div><div><br /></div><div>We grew up<i> different.</i></div><div><br /></div><div>Different in that my folks were strict and loving at the same time. We learned manners, we learned to be polite, and as my Mom said, "Be sweet."</div><div><br /></div><div>I always say they prepared us for the cold world on the other side of your window. And for that I'm eternally grateful.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_DRmWQLJDev0Cfg3OjBL5mdZaEcGd00vUZKC0JnYb_n31i2WTq86XgAx8yvqQ9b9LJ5gIRmuUuQ1iwKqIWIBsaBQc8BPk9IEoeInQlp5pwMYfChI9-TT3sO88Q2T4sQ3s91P_-ShCnf_B/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_DRmWQLJDev0Cfg3OjBL5mdZaEcGd00vUZKC0JnYb_n31i2WTq86XgAx8yvqQ9b9LJ5gIRmuUuQ1iwKqIWIBsaBQc8BPk9IEoeInQlp5pwMYfChI9-TT3sO88Q2T4sQ3s91P_-ShCnf_B/w400-h300/0-4.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>The difference between your kids and your parents is like night and day. You can remember a time before your kids you can't remember a time before your parents. And then you watch them go from these towering oaks to lesser trees to older grandparents to...</div><div><br /></div><div>Which brings me back to Dad. For those who haven't lost a parent they have no idea. Those of us who have know.</div><div><br /></div><div>Those of us who've lost both?</div><div><br /></div><div>Not a group you want to be a member of.</div><div><br /></div><div>Today is a Valentine's Day I'll never forget.</div><div><br /></div><div><p><br /><br /> #MarkMcEwen <br />
Subscribe to my blog: <a href="http://iammarkmcewen.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default" target="_blank">Mark McEwen's World </a><br />
Follow me on twitter: <a href="http://twitter.com/McEwenMark" target="_blank">@mcewenmark</a> <br />
Like my page on facebook: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/MarkMcEwensWorld" target="_blank">www.facebook.com/markmcewensworld</a> <br />
And also visit my website: <a href="http://www.markmcewen.com/" target="_blank">www.markmcewen.com</a></p></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Subscribe to my blog(<a href="http://iammarkmcewen.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default" target="_blank">Mark McEwen's World </a>)<br />
Follow me on twitter (<a href="http://twitter.com/McEwenMark" target="_blank">@mcewenmark</a>)<br />
Like my page on Facebook (<a href="http://www.facebook.com/MarkMcEwensWorld" target="_blank">www.facebook.com/markmcewensworld</a>)<br />
And also visit my website <a href="http://www.markmcewen.com/" target="_blank">www.markmcewen.com</a></div>Mark McEwenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01761483285493197523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9179713647501988725.post-1359384560814800492021-01-22T16:30:00.004-05:002021-04-11T09:19:50.466-04:00Hank AaronAnd it just keeps coming.<div><br /></div><div>Hank Aaron is gone.</div><div></div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK5k9-FKJrNl2zFwaDwaT1umZQAUrRlwOD1syXQ5VJ1kHFManYginTgAiT-LM1TZ2P1WVeYk6uKSZEYjIgr5QNsNy24w3sGWVDb_B6yxuRkRZI4Z47Xc91SGDfXilgdXxNGRWebfDFSs4/s2048/Atlanta+Journal+1981+w+Hank+Aaron.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK5k9-FKJrNl2zFwaDwaT1umZQAUrRlwOD1syXQ5VJ1kHFManYginTgAiT-LM1TZ2P1WVeYk6uKSZEYjIgr5QNsNy24w3sGWVDb_B6yxuRkRZI4Z47Xc91SGDfXilgdXxNGRWebfDFSs4/w640-h480/Atlanta+Journal+1981+w+Hank+Aaron.jpg" width="640" /></a>Now if you're younger you may not even know who he is but if you're my age you <i>definitely</i> know. Hank was a Hall of Famer and broke Babe Ruth's all time home run record. Again if you're younger you might have no idea how big a deal that was. </div><div><br /></div><div>A<i> very </i>big deal.</div><div> </div><div>That picture was from the front page of the Atlanta paper and it was taken in the Fulton County Stadium stands after my show on CBS. The Atlanta Braves were going to the World Series for the first time. Oh, the Braves had been there before but that was when they were the<i> Milwaukee</i> Braves.</div><div><br /></div><div>Big deal in Atlanta. Huge.</div><div><br /></div><div>There's a story behind this pic. I'm there with two Hall of Famers, Willie Stargell is the other one. If you know your baseball you know that Willie played his whole career with Pittsburgh and for the life of me I can't remember why he was there. </div><div><br /></div><div>I was excited to meet both of them.</div><div><br /></div><div>You see Hammerin' Hank as he was known was this beacon of light for us Black people. Not only was he great but the home runs he hit kept growing in numbers and my pride in him got bigger and bigger. He never hit 50 but he hit 40 or more 8 times. </div><div><br /></div><div>No steroids, no weak pitching, and now add the racist taunts he heard all the time as he was playing and tough is a good word. They say that in his final chase to break Ruth's record he got more mail than anyone in baseball and most of those letters were from people who didn't want him to do that. </div><div><br /></div><div>That didn't stop him, he kept going.</div><div><br /></div><div>Hank saw Jackie Robinson when he was young and that changed his life. Before Jackie Major League Baseball was all White. You didn't see brown faces like you see all the time today. You could aspire to play in the Negro Leagues but that was pretty much it. Jackie showed there was a new path and Hank took it. He went on to greatness and I followed everything he did. And through it all Hank was this quiet, caring, decent man.</div><div><br /></div><div>Back to that picture.</div><div><br /></div><div>I was glad to meet Willie but I was<i> really</i> glad to meet Henry Aaron and gush all over him. To tell him how important he was to me and how great a player, how great a person I thought he was. You know how people say something brings them back to when they were a kid? That was me. And as you can see I got him to sign a baseball.</div><div><br /></div><div>It's one of my prized possessions.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8YpLkFI1YLZGTuJ615XsLXuU4GuaNMcO4gJ6YkhpcjVAmR7vb-opsoiek9f59vcHPtpcO9h-Qp2gXf99f89jPxak7HfQzdaxXP1TRKCPAuBOvi4wwQ7RaRGdt9y_p0Xus73HuYEbd-Qs/s2048/Hank+Aaron+Autographed+Baseball.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8YpLkFI1YLZGTuJ615XsLXuU4GuaNMcO4gJ6YkhpcjVAmR7vb-opsoiek9f59vcHPtpcO9h-Qp2gXf99f89jPxak7HfQzdaxXP1TRKCPAuBOvi4wwQ7RaRGdt9y_p0Xus73HuYEbd-Qs/w400-h300/Hank+Aaron+Autographed+Baseball.jpg" width="400" /></a>The Atlanta Braves didn't win that World Series but I didn't care. In my mind I got to do the most important thing.</div><div><br /></div><div>I met Henry Aaron.</div><div><i><br /></i></div><div>And the news of him passing was a shock to me. I don't know how else to put it. I always say I'm old because I am but that information brought me back to when I was ten and when I first discovered baseball.</div><div><br /></div><div>There are few things that can do that.<br /><br /><p>Rest In Peace Hammerin' Hank Rest In Peace.<br /><br /> #MarkMcEwen <br />
Subscribe to my blog: <a href="http://iammarkmcewen.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default" target="_blank">Mark McEwen's World </a><br />
Follow me on twitter: <a href="http://twitter.com/McEwenMark" target="_blank">@mcewenmark</a> <br />
Like my page on facebook: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/MarkMcEwensWorld" target="_blank">www.facebook.com/markmcewensworld</a> <br />
And also visit my website: <a href="http://www.markmcewen.com/" target="_blank">www.markmcewen.com</a></p></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Subscribe to my blog(<a href="http://iammarkmcewen.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default" target="_blank">Mark McEwen's World </a>)<br />
Follow me on twitter (<a href="http://twitter.com/McEwenMark" target="_blank">@mcewenmark</a>)<br />
Like my page on Facebook (<a href="http://www.facebook.com/MarkMcEwensWorld" target="_blank">www.facebook.com/markmcewensworld</a>)<br />
And also visit my website <a href="http://www.markmcewen.com/" target="_blank">www.markmcewen.com</a></div>Mark McEwenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01761483285493197523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9179713647501988725.post-70401024921551834802021-01-09T10:42:00.002-05:002021-04-11T09:25:57.213-04:00Tommy LasordaTommy Lasorda has passed. That news made this guy stop.<div><br /></div><div>You may ask why someone who lived in New York forever and even wears a Yankees hat all the time because he's a huge fan would be so affected. </div><div><br /></div><div>Let me tell you a story.</div><div><br /></div><div>Every year on CBS I used to do spring training and Vero Beach was always on our list and you know why. I'm a baseball guy so it was always a great time for me plus while most of the country was up to their ears in winter it gave me a chance to show them Hawaiian shirts, sunglasses, and shorts.</div><div><br /></div><div>Win win.</div><div><br /></div><div>I would wear Frank Howard's uniform because it was the only one that would fit me. In case you don't know Frank is 6 foot seven and huge and since I was, ahem, bigger then a match was made. I used to bat and pitch and field and interview Tommy.</div><div><br /></div><div>I can still remember him saying things on the air like, "You're wearing Dodger Blue. Notice how you're standing taller, standing prouder." He was one of a kind plus he was very nice. I thought he was great.</div><div><br /></div><div>One time I was batting against Orel Hershiser who was pitching with Mike Piazza catching. Orel whispered to me, "You have to hit because you're on teevee so I'll let you." He actually said that to me. Great guy also.</div><div><br /></div><div>So there I was getting hits off of Orel Hershiser.</div><div><br /></div><div>Mike Piazza referred to Lasorda as Uncle Tommy because he was the reason that Mike was in the bigs in the first place and playing for the Dodgers. Lasorda saw him as a very young ball player and stuck his neck out for him. I thought Tommy was his<i> real</i> uncle. Of course he wasn't but I didn't know that. I<i> do</i> know that Mike Piazza is in the Baseball Hall of Fame. </div><div><br /></div><div>Great eye Tommy.</div><div><br /></div><div>After leaving Dodgertown the next stop was Tampa spring training home of the Yankees. I tell you this story because it has always been one of my favorites. Remember I said I always wore a team uni? I was putting on a Yankee uniform when Reggie Jackson walked by, stopped, and fiddled with my uniform for about 15 minutes till it was just right. Reggie said, "You may not be a ball player but you have to look like one." And that's why that story has been told so much.</div><div><br /></div><div>Back to the Dodgers and Tommy.</div><div><br /></div><div>The next day I'm on the air with Joe Torre and Yogi Berra. I always say that every now and then you see <i>real </i>tv. This was one of those times. Joe Torre says to me on live television, "I saw you yesterday with Tommy Lasorda and you were wearing a Dodger uniform. I was sick to my stomach." What?! He was teasing but I didn't know that. I began to stutter and stammer as I said, "I'm sorry." Like I said every now and then...</div><div><br /></div><div>Tommy Lasorda was one of a kind. He was decent, kind, funny and he always said he bled Dodger Blue.</div><div>Always. I know Los Angeles is in mourning.</div><div><br /></div><div>Rest in Peace Mister Lasorda. <br /><p><br /><br /> #MarkMcEwen <br />
Subscribe to my blog: <a href="http://iammarkmcewen.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default" target="_blank">Mark McEwen's World </a><br />
Follow me on twitter: <a href="http://twitter.com/McEwenMark" target="_blank">@mcewenmark</a> <br />
Like my page on facebook: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/MarkMcEwensWorld" target="_blank">www.facebook.com/markmcewensworld</a> <br />
And also visit my website: <a href="http://www.markmcewen.com/" target="_blank">www.markmcewen.com</a></p></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Subscribe to my blog(<a href="http://iammarkmcewen.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default" target="_blank">Mark McEwen's World </a>)<br />
Follow me on twitter (<a href="http://twitter.com/McEwenMark" target="_blank">@mcewenmark</a>)<br />
Like my page on Facebook (<a href="http://www.facebook.com/MarkMcEwensWorld" target="_blank">www.facebook.com/markmcewensworld</a>)<br />
And also visit my website <a href="http://www.markmcewen.com/" target="_blank">www.markmcewen.com</a></div>Mark McEwenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01761483285493197523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9179713647501988725.post-36738798094928066502020-12-08T11:05:00.011-05:002021-01-27T20:06:03.430-05:00Some You May Know Some You May Not<div><br /></div><div><div>I've liked this for a long time. Dan Hartman's<i> I Can Dream About You. </i>A bit of history...Dan was in<i> The Edgar Winter Group.</i> Remember<i> Frankenstein?</i> He wrote and recorded<i> Free Ride </i>for them and co-wrote <i>Living in America </i>for Mister James Brown but this is the song that drew me in. And get this. I liked the song but <i>loved </i>the video. And he's not even in it. <i> I Can Dream About You </i>was in the movie <i>Streets of Fire</i> (I didn't see it I'll bet you didn't either) and the group that performs it is red hot. BTW the <i>middle </i>guy in the background singers? A young Bubba from Forrest Gump.</div><div><br /></div><div>Check it out.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vzBOG-QW3_E" width="320" youtube-src-id="vzBOG-QW3_E"></iframe></div></div><div><br /></div><div><div>This is a sweet piece of pie, a sweet piece of pop. Mandy Moore is known more now for her acting than her singing but that wasn't always the case. Mandy was in <i>Princess Diaries </i>and you can see her currently on <i>This Is Us. </i>When she was 15 she released this song and I've been singing along ever since. Just for fun listen to her background singing in the first verse.</div><div><br /></div><div>Mandy Moore.<i> Candy.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NkVsJGl5d6E" width="320" youtube-src-id="NkVsJGl5d6E"></iframe></div></div></div><div><br /></div><div><div>Next up we go further back to 1965. This song was all over the radio. If you weren't around in it's heyday Motown to you is songs that you hear a lot on oldies stations. If you were there then it was this never ending sound of magic. </div><div><br /></div><div>The Supremes were the shizznit and copies of them were all over the place. Martha Reeves and the Vandellas and The Shirelles to name just two. And this group.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Toys and<i> Lovers Concerto.</i></div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/FmJ1AqtTuyo" width="320" youtube-src-id="FmJ1AqtTuyo"></iframe></div><br /><br /></div></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div></div><div><div>You may have heard this maybe not. His name is Grayson Hugh and the song is <i>Talk It Over. </i>I've<i> </i>loved this song<i> forever. </i>When I first heard it I perked up. I don't have much more to say other than it's great. Oh yeah the video for this is boombang.</div><div><br /></div><div>But you be the judge.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/G-Db3scgx3M" width="320" youtube-src-id="G-Db3scgx3M"></iframe></div><br /><br /></div></div><div><br /></div><div>And those are a few old songs that I like.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div><br /></div><div><br /><p><br /><br /> #MarkMcEwen <br />
Subscribe to my blog: <a href="http://iammarkmcewen.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default" target="_blank">Mark McEwen's World </a><br />
Follow me on twitter: <a href="http://twitter.com/McEwenMark" target="_blank">@mcewenmark</a> <br />
Like my page on facebook: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/MarkMcEwensWorld" target="_blank">www.facebook.com/markmcewensworld</a> <br />
And also visit my website: <a href="http://www.markmcewen.com/" target="_blank">www.markmcewen.com</a></p></div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Subscribe to my blog(<a href="http://iammarkmcewen.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default" target="_blank">Mark McEwen's World </a>)<br />
Follow me on twitter (<a href="http://twitter.com/McEwenMark" target="_blank">@mcewenmark</a>)<br />
Like my page on Facebook (<a href="http://www.facebook.com/MarkMcEwensWorld" target="_blank">www.facebook.com/markmcewensworld</a>)<br />
And also visit my website <a href="http://www.markmcewen.com/" target="_blank">www.markmcewen.com</a></div>Mark McEwenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01761483285493197523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9179713647501988725.post-74729419630057743242020-10-25T19:12:00.007-04:002020-10-25T21:27:07.165-04:00Bruce Springsteen. A Letter To You.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgJQKILXccN6ofkaJuMuNzHiDa0zhiPMWeUjvekfa2hU38xRw6QQZY4vFJAeJ5euBTcJJzdSFwsSia9BNNqWussBlKP45EUo-tz9F2SJd3jkbHu_hnevSWRKfBAz1iZv8Hm0pQTG2q8Kl-/s982/newFile.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="726" data-original-width="982" height="474" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgJQKILXccN6ofkaJuMuNzHiDa0zhiPMWeUjvekfa2hU38xRw6QQZY4vFJAeJ5euBTcJJzdSFwsSia9BNNqWussBlKP45EUo-tz9F2SJd3jkbHu_hnevSWRKfBAz1iZv8Hm0pQTG2q8Kl-/w640-h474/newFile.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />Bruce Springsteen has a new album and it's really, really good.<div><br /></div><div>I've been a Bruce guy for almost 50 years, that's five oh. Think about that. That's a long time. Blame it all on my good friend Bill Wight. We were both in college at the University of Maryland. Bill, who is from Manasquan, New Jersey, had heard of Bruce and one day said, "This guy is from Asbury Park near where I'm from, we should go see him." So we did. </div><div><br /></div><div>And my life was forever changed.</div><div><br /></div><div>He was so good, so real, so good. I came back from that concert a raving lunatic. And it didn't hurt that his sax player, Clarence Clemons aka Big Man, was Black. I thought that was very cool plus, plus, he treated him not like he was just some guy in the band but like a co-star. </div><div><br /></div><div><i>Very</i> cool, </div><div><br /></div><div>Thus began my life long love affair with Bruce Springsteen. At that time he only had two albums out, <i>Born to Run</i> hadn't dropped and he played concerts from Jersey to Maryland; so a lot of people weren't hip to him yet. Plus getting people to try him was an uphill battle at first and I was on the front lines<i> </i>of <i>that </i>battle.</div><div><br /></div><div>It sounds a bit ludicrous now but every new band, every new sound, has to start somewhere and that was the beginning. Well, I've seen him in concert a bazillion times since and even saw him on Broadway. I might have cried then. Maybe.</div><div><br /></div><div>So here comes his latest record. He's older now.<i> I'm </i>older now. Age is different when you're older. Clarence is gone, Danny Federici is gone. My best friend? Gone. My cousin who I love dearly? Gone. My sister and brother? Gone. My Mother? Gone. He sings about things like that. The themes, the songs on the record speak right to my soul.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'll tell you a secret. I first listened to it in the dark of my bedroom curious to what I'd hear. Turns out I listened to the whole album all the way through. Just me, Bruce, and his music. I might have cried then. Maybe.</div><div><br /></div><div>Did you see him on the cover of<i> Rolling Stone?</i> Great picture. Even greater interview inside. Over the years I've been side by side with him. He's been there through my good times and my not so good times. Over the years I've liked<i> him </i>as much as his music.</div><div><br /></div><div>Great guy.</div><div><br /></div><div>How come when they talk about his music they don't talk more about his lyrics, his poetry as it were? Oh, people do but they talk a lot about the<i> songs</i>. Music <i>and </i>lyrics. The words on this album as in all his albums speak volumes to me.</div><div><br /></div><div>Getting older, man.</div><div><br /></div><div>Some things one thinks about: You think more of being here a finite time. You think of your kids and their future. Some of us even think of our grandkids. You think about the time you won't be here.You think of people who were always here and now they're not.</div><div><br /></div><div>Bruce thinks about all that and more. He's like an old friend to me and millions.</div><div><br /></div><div>Bruce Springsteen has a new album. <i>Letter to You</i> it's called. And it's mighty fine.</div><div><p><br /><br /> #MarkMcEwen <br />
Subscribe to my blog: <a href="http://iammarkmcewen.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default" target="_blank">Mark McEwen's World </a><br />
Follow me on twitter: <a href="http://twitter.com/McEwenMark" target="_blank">@mcewenmark</a> <br />
Like my page on facebook: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/MarkMcEwensWorld" target="_blank">www.facebook.com/markmcewensworld</a> <br />
And also visit my website: <a href="http://www.markmcewen.com/" target="_blank">www.markmcewen.com</a> </p></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Subscribe to my blog(<a href="http://iammarkmcewen.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default" target="_blank">Mark McEwen's World </a>)<br />
Follow me on twitter (<a href="http://twitter.com/McEwenMark" target="_blank">@mcewenmark</a>)<br />
Like my page on Facebook (<a href="http://www.facebook.com/MarkMcEwensWorld" target="_blank">www.facebook.com/markmcewensworld</a>)<br />
And also visit my website <a href="http://www.markmcewen.com/" target="_blank">www.markmcewen.com</a></div>Mark McEwenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01761483285493197523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9179713647501988725.post-66828007481895232242020-10-07T12:12:00.010-04:002022-04-22T18:25:11.013-04:00Eddie Van HalenHere we go again.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWZJI9QsFiDjZmizRIzw5TL61CX1z-GxIJvFet3vGmyNgczCu8z8xKSwapQscY4SPeQJdyabLUpANvMI17C4ppEpZWnBswEJ1zBhrE7tYe1Ww_RDOJv7WhJ2Qik0yHJgsHPXrYm5K7Q4Ns/s2048/Eddie-Van-Halen-2.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1253" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWZJI9QsFiDjZmizRIzw5TL61CX1z-GxIJvFet3vGmyNgczCu8z8xKSwapQscY4SPeQJdyabLUpANvMI17C4ppEpZWnBswEJ1zBhrE7tYe1Ww_RDOJv7WhJ2Qik0yHJgsHPXrYm5K7Q4Ns/s320/Eddie-Van-Halen-2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>My hero Bob Gibson just passed. Prince, David Bowie, Glen Frey, Tom Petty, Luther Vandross, Eddie Money, Maurice White, and too many more. And now Eddie Van Halen. </div><div><br /></div><div>It seems like it's relentless.</div><div><br /></div><div>I was a deejay on WKTK in Baltimore when I first played them. <i>Van Halen</i>'s first album...<i>You Really Got Me, Jamie's Crying, Aint Talkin' About Love.</i> I played them all. </div><div><br /></div><div>That mix was new to me, Heavy Metal Thunder on catchy pop tunes. </div><div><br /></div><div>As I moved on to other markets they came with me. I'd never heard that kind of guitar playing before and that's the point. A front man for the ages in David Lee Roth and Eddie's band on what seemed like every radio.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGjCEPOC8aPRvaQIELEYuVakMkhGikMIGJytHTPOfYs-8HZwalP8OUYFk40ZGFXTWy18GMcUb1rsczvCQ0rsvICPbCHAm8Ap0n6T77DzGIgE-f4XpYLpaTG_7JvtFTiz96FaEW_pB0rBD9/s400/thumbnail-4.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="300" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGjCEPOC8aPRvaQIELEYuVakMkhGikMIGJytHTPOfYs-8HZwalP8OUYFk40ZGFXTWy18GMcUb1rsczvCQ0rsvICPbCHAm8Ap0n6T77DzGIgE-f4XpYLpaTG_7JvtFTiz96FaEW_pB0rBD9/w480-h640/thumbnail-4.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><br /> I first saw<i> Van Halen</i> in concert in Detroit. I was on WWWW Detroit's W4 and that's me above with every Van Halen member but Eddie.I mention that because I first found out about him on Facebook. A dear friend of mine, Mike Skill of <i>The Romantics </i>(from Detroit), had a post about Eddie's passing.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Van Halen </i>is all over my iTunes<i>, Eddie</i> is all over my iTunes.</div><div><br /></div><div>Legend has it that the instrumental only version of the song <i>Jump</i> was played at a boardroom meeting of their record executives and they gave it a standing ovation. That's Eddie on keyboards as well as guitar. He, they, were always one of my go tos. Am I wrong saying his name with the great guitar players? Don't think so.</div><div><br /></div><div>Okay, some history I'll bet you know...David Lee left Van Halen and their new lead singer was Sammy Hagar. I was on the radio in New York, WNEW-FM, when I heard his very first single with them, <i>Why Can't</i> <i>This Be Love</i>? I was impressed with it and said, on the air, it would go Top 5 on the charts. It went to #3 on the Billboard Hot 100. </div><div><br /></div><div>And don't get me going on <i>Dreams</i>. Great song.</div><div><br /></div><div>Later I flew from Los Angeles to New York sitting next to Eddie. We talked the whole way. A sweet, nice, guy we had a grand old time. Not once was he like, do you know who I am? And yes, I knew<i> exactly </i>who he was.<br /><p>Eddie Van Halen had more talent in his pinkie than most people have in their whole families. He was one of the great ones. Is there a guitar player out there who sounds like him? </p><p>The last time I saw<i> Van Halen </i>in concert, in Orlando, David Lee Roth was back in the band and Eddie's son, Wolfgang, was on the bass. Along with his brother, Alex, on drums it was David Lee with the Van Halens.</p><p>Suffice to say they tore the place up.</p><p>I'm getting weary of saying Rest In Peace. But.</p><p>Rest In Peace Eddie Van Halen.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXVpfVLz2XAVlCAGqRXH2B7Hoz4iBPtXDTAH5fQrLp0kE84eu6_S2C57U9FISlez1o2slsUyEeZDupvIDoXQ-TkZhz-LG315iRig4qpbxscC9RtHmyFx3pB9fQ-RtOhwY1V-STeRv7fO6Z/s2000/image.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXVpfVLz2XAVlCAGqRXH2B7Hoz4iBPtXDTAH5fQrLp0kE84eu6_S2C57U9FISlez1o2slsUyEeZDupvIDoXQ-TkZhz-LG315iRig4qpbxscC9RtHmyFx3pB9fQ-RtOhwY1V-STeRv7fO6Z/s320/image.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /> #MarkMcEwen <br />
Subscribe to my blog: <a href="http://iammarkmcewen.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default" target="_blank">Mark McEwen's World </a><br />
Follow me on twitter: <a href="http://twitter.com/McEwenMark" target="_blank">@mcewenmark</a> <br />
Like my page on facebook: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/MarkMcEwensWorld" target="_blank">www.facebook.com/markmcewensworld</a> <br />
And also visit my website: <a href="http://www.markmcewen.com/" target="_blank">www.markmcewen.com</a><p></p></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Subscribe to my blog(<a href="http://iammarkmcewen.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default" target="_blank">Mark McEwen's World </a>)<br />
Follow me on twitter (<a href="http://twitter.com/McEwenMark" target="_blank">@mcewenmark</a>)<br />
Like my page on Facebook (<a href="http://www.facebook.com/MarkMcEwensWorld" target="_blank">www.facebook.com/markmcewensworld</a>)<br />
And also visit my website <a href="http://www.markmcewen.com/" target="_blank">www.markmcewen.com</a></div>Mark McEwenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01761483285493197523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9179713647501988725.post-20002947530274017072020-10-03T08:29:00.005-04:002021-06-11T20:09:36.298-04:00Bob Gibson<span></span><span><a name='more'></a></span>Bob Gibson has passed. He was my hero. He was my friend.<div><br /></div><div>When I was 10 I played Little League for the first time. My team was named the Cardinals and I pitched. Turns out the real Cardinals were playing the Yankees in the World Series and were led by a pitcher, Bob Gibson. They won and he became my guy.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvIquNDGhUUt8C2HyilIobQgFHfjnOZ_31BdMpx-p93K-tTpK5sz751Zg7Bt1YyQgugsBdMPTvYRdAwC1dSrvMG07l3ikb_LbTEAo7aeao6zzdfNUaWGrX9DP61UeWl14B6z2JZU5laKe0/s400/thumbnail.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvIquNDGhUUt8C2HyilIobQgFHfjnOZ_31BdMpx-p93K-tTpK5sz751Zg7Bt1YyQgugsBdMPTvYRdAwC1dSrvMG07l3ikb_LbTEAo7aeao6zzdfNUaWGrX9DP61UeWl14B6z2JZU5laKe0/s320/thumbnail.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>Cut ahead to years later and I'm the weatherman on CBS and I would point to Omaha where he was from and say things like, "Today in Omaha, home of the best big game pitcher Bob Gibson, it's going to be sunny today." I'd say things like that all the time because, well, I could; and wondered if Bob ever heard me.</div><div><br /></div><div>I read where he had published a new autobiography and begged my Executive Producer to let me go to Omaha to interview him and he said yes. Talk about a kid in a candy store, I was so excited. I flew there and Bob agreed to come to the hotel to pick me up and take me to his house to meet his family and have dinner.</div><div><br /></div><div>Right out of a movie.</div><div><br /></div><div>He arrived driving a black Mercedes with a license plate that read BG1. Very cool. We drove, he behind the wheel and me trying not to scream. I couldn't believe I was in the car with him. He was so nice. He said a friend said to him, "This weatherman talks about you all the time. You should check him out." And that's how he knew about me. I met his wife Wendy, his son Chris and even his mother in law.</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8I0q_PpksL0cyunaTCht9V8hiVzQ8zQ0v0CF6fotOsO0i554YSmU_3ldoIPmQ22kKpVM18I5PmAhZPaPwuWktiJsBxoypAgfR1SZ0d1HPtH7R44odnBztpFvZCE3Aw00FXqFOcnZqyyn6/s400/thumbnail-3.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8I0q_PpksL0cyunaTCht9V8hiVzQ8zQ0v0CF6fotOsO0i554YSmU_3ldoIPmQ22kKpVM18I5PmAhZPaPwuWktiJsBxoypAgfR1SZ0d1HPtH7R44odnBztpFvZCE3Aw00FXqFOcnZqyyn6/s320/thumbnail-3.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /> </div><div><br /></div><div>And thus began our friendship.</div><div><br /></div><div>Over the years he's been to my apartment in Manhattan and my home in Orlando. Story...you know I have twins and one of them is Miles <i>Gibson</i> for Bob. When I told him that my unborn son's middle name was going to be Gibson he twinkled and said with a smile, "You don't like Bob Gibson McEwen?' Too funny.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH2WZakBJdhE50Aj5whyphenhyphenL9bzJSIyYtiwGbfU_pqypjdTDBP4Ww7Qu5xqt_xZE0JV-UVVPTjfR_ssuAbBHseCjXIdtBKcUopOUrXkNa5934gNer-oJF1x6Sv6SEbdCBRZbdeKE8eqz4TJea/s1080/thumbnail-1.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="810" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH2WZakBJdhE50Aj5whyphenhyphenL9bzJSIyYtiwGbfU_pqypjdTDBP4Ww7Qu5xqt_xZE0JV-UVVPTjfR_ssuAbBHseCjXIdtBKcUopOUrXkNa5934gNer-oJF1x6Sv6SEbdCBRZbdeKE8eqz4TJea/s320/thumbnail-1.jpeg" /></a></div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>And get this, his dear friend was baseball great Joe Torre. I met Joe through him. They became great friends when Joe played with Bob. I asked him once was it tough being in New York after beating the Yankees. He said no. Walking the streets people stopped him all the time to shake his hand.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheEKf9q6YedKr8mhEXelojFSqqw8e3arHyBbImul9lkDzG7IUtq6lUImB5-F3UNcSl3xhRtihALrx7s_W-woiUv5DZgNKz2-d_n-Pzd4UdzNXjFuNaaya4GZFux6HhbjuBB0MhLoltVt09/s400/thumbnail-2.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheEKf9q6YedKr8mhEXelojFSqqw8e3arHyBbImul9lkDzG7IUtq6lUImB5-F3UNcSl3xhRtihALrx7s_W-woiUv5DZgNKz2-d_n-Pzd4UdzNXjFuNaaya4GZFux6HhbjuBB0MhLoltVt09/s320/thumbnail-2.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>So many memories...playing in his celebrity golf tournaments, sitting with Wendy, Chris, and Bob at the main table at the big gala that evening. I met Sandy Koufax, Ed 'Too Tall' Jones, Vida Blue, Bob Costas, and many more at those functions. Watching the football Giants on the tube and Bob calling my place "a great bachelor's pad." Going out to dinner with Wendy and him. Again, trying not to scream.</div><div><br /></div><div>Great memories.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'm a lucky guy. I got to meet and hang with my hero. They say sometimes you meet your heroes and they are not very nice or don't live up to your expectations. They say you shouldn't meet them. In my case Bob was everything and more.</div><div><br /></div><div>I had just woken up and began reading the paper on my iPad in bed when I saw the news. It made me stop and gasp. You know the old saying, "Father Time is undefeated." But still. You never get used to hearing it, what you get used to is never getting used to it.</div><div><br /></div><div>My heart goes out to Wendy and Chris.</div><div><br /></div><div>Bob Gibson. A great pitcher a great man. May he Rest In Peace.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /> </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /><br /><p><br /><br /> #MarkMcEwen <br />
Subscribe to my blog: <a href="http://iammarkmcewen.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default" target="_blank">Mark McEwen's World </a><br />
Follow me on twitter: <a href="http://twitter.com/McEwenMark" target="_blank">@mcewenmark</a> <br />
Like my page on facebook: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/MarkMcEwensWorld" target="_blank">www.facebook.com/markmcewensworld</a> <br />
And also visit my website: <a href="http://www.markmcewen.com/" target="_blank">www.markmcewen.com</a></p></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Subscribe to my blog(<a href="http://iammarkmcewen.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default" target="_blank">Mark McEwen's World </a>)<br />
Follow me on twitter (<a href="http://twitter.com/McEwenMark" target="_blank">@mcewenmark</a>)<br />
Like my page on Facebook (<a href="http://www.facebook.com/MarkMcEwensWorld" target="_blank">www.facebook.com/markmcewensworld</a>)<br />
And also visit my website <a href="http://www.markmcewen.com/" target="_blank">www.markmcewen.com</a></div>Mark McEwenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01761483285493197523noreply@blogger.com0