I am Pop-a-Rock Radio

I decided to try my hand, once again, at operating my own internet radio station. I have had internet stations, hosted through LIVE 365, a couple of different times. While there is a monthly fee, I find that I really enjoy the internet radio world. This little endeavor has afforded me opportunities to discover different music and a variety of artists. The monthly cost covers the royalties that go along with playing music that is not your own. LIVE 365 offers a nice selection of packages for personal broadcasters like myself. They also host professional stations.

I have realized that there is much to learn, both technically and legally speaking. Each station must meet the legal guidelines for their broadcasts. I have also learned about promoting my radio station, selecting music which will appeal to my listeners, and much more. I receive many requests from newer artists who would like airplay on my station. It takes a discerning ear to pick the potential “hits” from the numerous “flops” that can drive listeners away.

Since I am a personal broadcaster with my own station, I also chose to become a VIP listener. This means that I can listen ad-free. Additionally, I am able tune into any LIVE 365 VIP-only station. Another cool feature, is the mobile application. I can listen to any LIVE 365 station in my car by using my cell phone, an unlimited data plan, and a cassette adapter. I also found that I needed not one, but two, additional adapters to connect my cell phone to the cassette adapter. It took a little searching, but I found exactly what I needed. I love being able to listen to internet radio in my car! It is very cool.

Find out more about hosting your own internet radio station by visiting the LIVE 365 website.

Visit the Pop-a-Rock Radio page on LIVE 365

Bluegrass & BBQ

I spent the weekend of Memorial Day at a retreat in nearby, Branson, Missouri. The retreat began Friday evening and ended around 10 o’clock Monday morning. We began boarding the church vans for the rather short drive home. As I was loading my luggage, my friend announced to me that he had two free guest passes to Silver Dollar City. Apparently, he was planning on meeting his parents, who both held season passes, for the annual Bluegrass and BBQ festival. The regular adult admission to Silver Dollar City is quite hefty, so I knew that this was the perfect chance to go there without breaking the bank!

I enjoy most all genres of music, at least a little bit, but bluegrass isn’t at the top of my list. Then again, it isn’t exactly at the bottom either. I decided to attend the festival with my friend, who also treated me to lunch, even with the sky-high prices that are prevalent at theme parks such as this. I ended up having a great time! Additionally, I was exposed to some bluegrass bands with which I was not familiar. As a result, I developed a new appreciation for the genre. Three of the bands became new favorites to me.

• Cherryholmes is a Grammy-nominated, family based out of Nashville.
• The Grascals are a six-man band, also based out of Nashville.
• Dailey & Vincent, is a five-part group, including leads, Jamie Dailey and Darrin Vincent.

I had a fabulous time at the retreat! Then, just when I thought the weekend was over, it got even better!

Justin Timberlake + Medical School = StudyBack

What do you get when a group of medical students remix Justin Timberlake’s Sexyback?

Why, you get StudyBack, of course!

Grand Central Freeze

Someone came up with a really neat idea for a youtube video. It is a clever, but harmless, practical joke involving around 200 people.

I am on a Reading Bonanza

I recently registered with Bookmooch. This is a site that is very useful for book lovers on a budget. You simply post books that you currently own, but are willing to swap for books that you wish to read. You earn points for mailing out books to other requesters, posting books, and acknowledging receipt of a book sent to you. The only cost is the price of postage. Since you would be mailing books, you can opt to send them media mail which is quite reasonable in cost.

Here is my current pile of books that I recently received:

• Tender at the Bone by Ruth Reichl
• Don’t Waste Your Life by John Piper
• The Memory Keeper’s Daughter by Kim Edwards
• Marley and Me by John Grogan
• The Sweet Potato Queens’ Book of Love by Jill Conner Browne
• Fifty Reasons Why Jesus Came to Die by John Piper
• Looking for Andrew McCarthy b Jenny Colgan
• The Modern Girl’s Guide to Life by Jane Buckingham
• The Bullfighter Checks Her Makeup by Susan Orlean
• French Women Don’t Get Fat by Mireille Guiliano
• Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces: 4th Edition
• One for the Money by Janet Evanovich
• Julie and Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen by Julie Powell
• Shopaholic & Sister by Sophie Kinsella
• At Home in Mitford by Jan Karon
• Giving by Bill Clinton

1984 Arcade: Old-School Video Games for Grown-Ups

Earlier this week, I was fortunate enough to be on the guest list for a birthday party held at the 1984 Arcade in Springfield, Missouri. This party was celebrating several birthdays in the month of January. I was one of the older attendees, probably the only one who actually went to high school in the 1980′s. I wasn’t sure what to expect. I really had pre-conceptions that the arcade would be small and kind of rundown. Boy was I wrong! This place rocks! It is very neat, clean, and nicely decorated – simple, yet colorful. They had three areas, with many games I remembered playing as a teen-ager back in the good-old 80′s. They had everything! They even had more than one of several of the more popular games. The cost to play was extremely reasonable at only $5. With the $5 cost, you had unlimited play. The only games that are extra are the pinball machines which run on a quarter. The 1984 Arcade was smoke and alcohol free. They also have a party room which is avaible for private functions. I became addicted to Asteroids, Pac-Man, and Centipede all over again! They had many more than those, including Guantlet, Donkey Kong, P.O.W, Moon Patrol and more! The service was great – friendly but unobtrusive. This arcade is more geared toward older teens and adults. I believe that those under 16 must be accompanied by and adult. Kids under 8 must have one-on-one adult supervision at all times. This place is awesome!

Make a Trailer Park Ginger Bread House

I received this photo of a trailer park ginger bread house in an email. It looks like it might be fairly easy to make, although I have not tried it myself. I am sure anyone who is creative and good with cake decorating and baking could do this.

Wine Club: Not What I Expected

This weekend my friend Sheila hosted Wine Club. This is a group of wine-lovers who meet monthly to share new discoveries in the world of wine-tasting. I am not much of a wine connoisseur. Honestly, I have never developed a taste for wine. I usually prefer the sissy fruity drinks over wine. I can also be somewhat shy when I first meet people. That combination was a little intimidating when Sheila invited me to attend the party.

For about the first hour I was intimidated. There were several lawyers, members of Junior League, and other professionals. Having never been to this event, I did not know that I was supposed to bring a bottle of wine and an appetizer or dessert. Thus, I was the only guest who showed up empty-handed. I was also the only the only one who was walking around with a wine glass filled with water. Now that I look back, I am sure nobody noticed that. Everyone was busy chatting and having a good time.

My attitude changed and my confidence level went up by leaps and bounds as the night went on. Keep in mind, that I wasn’t drinking. Thus alcohol wasn’t a factor in my increased comfort and confidence. What did the trick, was that a small group of people settled in the living room, with me being one of them. This is where I met some very interesting and, overall, nice people. As a rather new blogger, I was intrigued to meet Matt and Zarah, who are also bloggers. I enjoy dining out, and writing restaurant reviews as part of my blogging, as does Matt. We all exchanged blog URLs. I checked their blogs out that night and found both to be thoroughly enjoyable.

All in all, the night turned out to be a great time. It was something that I just did not expect. I hope I have the chance to attend again in the future. Who knows, maybe next time I will venture out and try some new wines. I think that there is a distinct possibility that I just have not found the “right” wine for me. Surely, with literally hundreds of wines out there, I should be able to find one I can actually enjoy.

Cheers!

Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon: It’s All The Rage

I am sure that by now, most of movie buffs have heard about the nearly unexplainable phenomenon of the 6 Degrees of Kevin Bacon. Basically, the concept boils down to the fact that somehow Kevin Bacon has been involved in so many movie projects that he can be connected to any other film actor in 6 degrees or less. While this is a novel, neat concept, somebody somewhere had far too much time on their hands to dwell on the subject. There is even a now-famous game named The Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon. That being said, I, also having too much time on my hands, have browsed some of the websites related to the Six Degrees concept.

The Andy Gotts Six Degrees Photo Project
was started by the photographer with the intent to raise funds and awareness for diabetes research. He photographed various actors connected to Kevin Bacon and compiled a book of these photographs. Some of the celebrities include Brad Pitt and George Clooney.

The Cinema FreeNet Movie Connector allows users to search for relationships between movies, actors, directors, and producers. The information on the site is provided by the Internet Movie Database.

Bacon Numbers is a Wikipedia article that explains how the Erdős number concept applies to the movie industry. More specifically the article explains how it is applied to the Six Degrees theory. The higher the Bacon number, the farther away the actor is from Kevin Bacon.

The Kevin Bacon Game Online and The Oracle of Bacon are two sites where you can actually put the theory to the test. You simply enter an actor’s name and the sites will show you the number of degrees that person is away from Kevin Bacon. I have tried The Oracle of Bacon site, which is a project of the University of Virginia Computer Science Department. So far, the theory has always proven true.

Six Degrees for Charity: Be a Celebrity for Your Cause. The site, Sixdegrees.org allows users to create a “badge” to be placed on your website,blog, myspace etc. This badge allows you to raise money for a charity close to your heart, while applying the Six Degrees concept. There is actually much more you can do with this site. You just need to check it out!

One fun idea for movie buffs is to host a Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon Movie Night once a week or once a month. I had some friends, Chris and Sarah host the Thursday Movie Fun Club. One of the themes for the night was to begin with one Kevin Bacon movie the first week. Then for the second week, the guests would nominate a costar in the first movie. Chris and Sarah would make a short list of other movies that starred that actor. The guests would vote on a movie from that list. For the third week, they would use the same concept by choosing a costar from the second week’s movie. I believe this theme went on for about 6 weeks.

Are there any ways YOU could apply the Six Degrees concept? Be creative!

Boy the Bear’s Age Gauge

I discovered this nifty little site a few years back. It is Called Boy the Bear’s Age Gauge Users just enter their full birth date, complete with month, day, and year. The Age Gauge simply calculates how much older or younger you are than certain celebrities, politicians, sports figures, etc. It also tells you how old you were when specific historical events occurred in your lifetime. You can also view what your age was at the time certain top 40 songs, tv shows, and movies came out. This site is quite fun and can come in handy as well. They offer a printable “birthday card version,” so you can give a unique and fun gift to your friends and family. I have found that the older I have gotten, the more fun and interesting the results have become. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have!