Lou Pickney's Online Commentary
Rounding Up
Thursday
September 1, 2005
First, I want to concentrate on some non-hurricane issues. The Karg Boys have a new song out that I think is their most radio-ready song to date. It's called "One Of Those Days". It's a definite country song (versus some of their other songs, which could fit on a Hot AC format as well as country). Take out the A Cappella opening line, and I think it's ready to go to radio right now. Plus with a runtime of roughly 2:30, it does everything it needs to without dragging on and on, which will make it appeal to radio all the more. As of this writing you can listen to it for free on myspace.com/kargboys. Give it a listen and see what you think.
I decided that I wasn't in the mood to cheer and yell at a football game today, so I opted to sell my tickets for the Bucs/Texans game. Unfortunately, it was a buyer's market. The face value of $71 was ridiculous for level 300 seats, but so it goes. I had hoped to get $25 each, and my friend Tony at DigiQuest had someone lined up to buy them (along with four tickets Tony had)... but then that connection decided that my tickets were too far away from where Tony's tickets were located, so it was a no-go. Tony called another friend, but again it was a dead end. I ended up driving down to Dale Mabry and selling them to one of the guys holding one of those "I Need Tickets" signs. He was only willing to give me $15 for them ("300 level are the kiss of death", he told me), but somehow I actually believed him. I probably could have gone outside the stadium and hustled them for a few more bucks, but I had a toothache (I have some nice drugs to help with the pain now that my dentist called into the pharmacy for me), and at that point my time was worth more. Live and learn.
|  | I opted to not go to tonight's Bucs/Texans pre-season game.
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Meanwhile, it's been 2 months since the Bucs ticket office not only double-charged my Mom's credit card for the tickets, but charged me 100 level prices for 300 level seats. I sent them an e-mail asking for answers (the complaint has been put in about the double-charge over the phone), and hopefully they'll get back to me soon.
This is a hurricane-related issue, but I guess it's a segue if nothing else. Gas prices have shot up ridiculously high. I noted that yesterday, but now comes word that there are likely to be gas shortages here in Florida, including here in the Tampa area. I just know that I'm very, very glad that I filled up my Honda Accord on Monday. My hindsight paid off.
I think to what my parents told me about the gas shortages of the 1970s. My Mom's car didn't have a lock of its gas tank, but my Dad's did. To prevent someone from siphoning gas out of my Mom's car, my Dad would park right next to hers, so close that you couldn't even open the tank. That way no one could get into either tank. Will we see a return of that sort of behavior now? We'll have to see.
The talk about the New Orleans Saints is that they're going to play their home games this season at LSU's stadium. Hopefully they can get support from the LSU students, plus people in the outlaying areas west of where the storm hit, to rally around the team as a sign of solidarity and support for New Orleans the city (and the region in general).
Ridiculous quote of the day: House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R) suggesting that it "makes no sense" to rebuild New Orleans. Within an hour of that gaffe, his spin doctors were out there clarifying his remarks. Can't the politicans keep quiet and worry instead about helping the people who are in dire need down there right now? And don't think that I've forgotten about you, Mississippi and Alabama. I know you're hurting, too.
I heard from my friend Ashley Wells (who I went to high school with) today, which was a good sign. She works as a casino in Tunica, and at our class reunion in June she had mentioned the possibility of moving to Biloxi to take a job at one of the casinos down there. Turns out she went down for an interview, but they only had part-time available, so she didn't move. Had she gone, she would've been there for less than two weeks... and lost everything. No job, no home, nothing. Obviously she's glad she stayed. So am I.
If things had played out just a little bit different, I could've ended up in New Orleans. I tried very hard to get a TV news producing job there in 2001, and maybe three months following my move to Tampa, WGNO (New Orleans' ABC affiliate) contacted me about its 5 PM news producing job. Life is funny like that, how the slightest change in paths can end up making huge differences for you on down the line.
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