The Weekend Recap and the Week Ahead… and a little Bonus
It was inevitable– I’ve fallen off the blog wagon for more than a week, but I’ll try to “right the ship,” so to say, with some pretty cool announcements here for you…
The Weekend Recap
1. Attended my first “trivia night” last Friday on Arsenal Island for the McKinley School PTA. Finally, my inability to clear useless knowledge from my brain to clear up space for genuine intellect paid off. 5th place out of 26 teams– not too shabby…
2. Had a chance Sunday to actually get outside and go for a long run. Not quite sure what the groundhog was thinking this year by predicting six more weeks of Winter, but I’m pretty inebriated with the fact that Winter’s fading away into the grass and local drains. Frigid arctic air and snow, I hardly knew ye…
3. Watched ‘The Academy Awards’ Sunday night. I’d give Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin a ‘B’ as hosts (funny, though nothing overly memorable) and the show itself a C+. For the past two years, I’ve really enjoyed the “Best Actor” and “Best Actress” segments that feature 5 presenters who each give a special little greeting or insight into their respective nominee– nice touch.
3a. That’s all fine and good for James Cameron to come out and say ahead of time that he was pulling for his ex-wife Kathryn Bigelow (director of “The Hurt Locker”) to do well at the Oscars, but losing “Best Director” and “Best Picture” to your ex, while being in the background of both shots?! There’s got to be at least a little awkwardness there… Just saying.
… and the Week Ahead…
1. Il. Gov. Pat Quinn laid out his budget plan Wednesday, including a state income tax hike of 33%. It’ll be interesting to see how that proposal goes over. While no one’s in favor of taxes going up, we’ve had so much coverage over the past two years of just how dire the financial situation is in Springfield right now, and we’re seeing first-hand how that’s impacting schools in the Quad Cities. A softened blow? Maybe…
2. Way to go, Chicago Bears. Chester Taylor AND Julius Peppers?! That’s a wicked nice start to free-agency. As I like to explain to my non-Chicago sports fans, “The best part of the season for me is the off-season.” Why? Well, typically the Bears’ and Cubs’ seasons don’t go all that well, so let me revel in my optimistic imagination, Jim Mertens.
3. It’s time to mark St. Patrick’s Day in the Quad Cities, and this year that includes two big events to be a part of. The Annual Bi-State Parade kicks off Saturday morning at 11:00 a.m. in downtown Rock Island and heads over the Centennial Bridge into downtown Davenport (the only bi-state parade in the country). Come out and see us… and by “us” I mean “everyone at WQAD but me” as I’ll already be knee-deep in the Irish spirit up at “Kelly’s” on 53rd Street. I’ve got the honor of hosting their annual festival this year, so come up and say hi anytime between 9:30 a.m. and roughly 11:00 p.m. (and while you’re there, take in the skydiving leprechauns, a ton of corned beef, 125 kegs of green beer, 12 bands, Irish dancers and a partridge in a pear tree.
… and a little Bonus
1. It’s now official– I’m headed off to California mid-April for a little special called “Jason Goes to Hollywood.” We’re in the midst of lining up several cool behind-the-scenes looks at “Dancing with the Stars,” “Ellen,” “Dr. Phil” and “The Jimmy Kimmel Show.” Should be pretty exciting stuff. We’ll promote it all ahead of time, but I’ll be inviting you to follow along with me throughout the trip on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. More to come…
Posted: March 10th, 2010 under Uncategorized.
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