A stroll through downtown Wilmington Friday night wasn't part of the grand 3-day vacation plans, but it provided one of the most pleasant surprises of the whole weekend. After throwing down some chicken of the sea at Elijah's Oyster Bar, Beth and I followed the sweet sound of 80's power ballads to Wilmington's weekly Downtown Sundown concert series. As we drew closer to the stage, the distinct voice of Steve Perry rocked me at my core. I initially suspected a jukebox in a nearby bar was the source of 'the Voice', but there was a large crowd by the stage and the anticipation grew inside me. Finally, my ears told me it was no jukebox belting those notes, but my eyes told me that was no Steve Perry up on that stage. I've always said that no one could sing like Steve Perry but this guy was pretty darn close. The next song was Don't Stop Believin' - I was having a hard time startin'.

Turns out this guy is Jeremy Hunsicker, his band is Frontiers a Journey tribute band, and after auditioning and writing some songs with the band for their upcoming release, was actually offered the front man gig. For various reasons it didn't work out, but finding out about all of this led me to compose the following email ...

Okay, I'm not sure how this one got by me but there's a new lead singer for Journey. Don't stop reading now as this is a serious call to action!

If you take the time to read stories about this guy (here and here are a couple), Arnel Pineda, you'll discover he is filipino and Neal Schon of Journey found him on freakin youtube!

Now, on to the call to action part - People, it's obvious that Journey would have been the pot of gold for me - although not best suited for my voice I think I could have made it work - but I still believe in going after the next best prize. This is where you come in - first of all, I need to beef up my e-arsenal. I'll need donations to buy a good digital camcorder and upgrade my desktop pc situation to do some video editing. Then I'll need each one of you to collaborate and submit the top 5 bands I should audition for via youtube; specifically bands that are still trying to make a comeback but may be questionable on the lead singer front. It has to be a comeback because I need to be able to sing covers of their songs on youtube. A current example might be Aerosmith (depending on how long Steven Tyler's recent stint in rehab lasts). Aerosmith is not an ideal situation but I just wanted to get you guys thinking along the right lines. I will probably cross-post this email on my blog so if you lose it or forget any of the information just check there.

Thanks so much for your help and don't stop believin!

And I guess it's too late to add NKOTB to the list ... I thought I read somewhere that Danny wasn't into the whole reunion thing?

Nice win for Ryan Newman in the Daytona 500, it's been a long time for the Rocket Man.

In Dale Jr news, I think adidas is getting a little carried away with their marketing ideas now that they've signed Little E ...

Among the items still to come are replicas of the driving shoes Earnhardt wears. The company even is considering selling the same fireproof suit Earnhardt will wear in his car -- an item that could cost more than $2,000 and has no discernible practical use to someone who doesn't drive race cars for a living.
Source:Yahoo! Sports

I give this a 20% chance of actually happening, but if they managed to get a Dale Jr. firesuit to market by March 15th, I just might dig into savings to have that waiting at the end of the aisle for my beautiful bride.

Google has added the Triange to it's list of cities with Street View in Google Maps. Check out that awesome package car on W. Jones St!

Just wanted to let everyone know that I'm still awaiting personal phone calls from the remaining Presidential candidates (Obama-rama, Billary, J-Mac and Huckleberry-bee) before I announce my endorsement.

Is there a good way to suggest this (What Great Managers Do) as required reading at work?

I'm trying to not get too excited about NASCAR again. Don't get me wrong, I want to be excited about it again. But I don't want Jr.'s win in the Shootout to be a flash in the pan and I want B. France to follow through on his promise to ''go back to basics' - especially with letting the drivers be drivers and making races more affordable.

I'm trying to put together a wedding reception music list, any suggestions? If you're going to be there, what do you want to hear?

I've decided to approach every future forecast of snow the way I approached this weekend's forecast ... by making the proper plans and preparations for being snowed in, and then carrying out those plans whether I'm snowed in or not. That way, even if I end up being disappointed by the actual accumulation, I still get the rest and relaxation from being "snowed in".

Are meteorologists using the same modeling software that told the banking industry it was good to give sub-prime mortgages to high-risk borrowers? Is the brain power behind the Doppler5000 and DopplerMAX super radars really just an old Atari 2600?

I know I'm almost 2 months behind on this (even Beth knew about this before I did), but I've only just been introduced to the concept of "giving someone the business" as being a penalty-worthy offense in football ...



I think the last couple of times I played football, I was guilty of "giving someone the business" in each game. Luckily, Ron Cherry wasn't there to call me on it. Anyway, seeing this video piqued my curiosity about the validity of such a call. My research led me to a former AFL/NFL official named Ben Dreith. Check out the section Memorable Games from his Wikipedia bio. Interestingly enough, the next section in his bio talks about how the NFL "gave him the business" figuratively, of course, when he turned 65.

Update: Not sure if there's a clip up on the 'nets yet, but there was definitely a reference to "giving him the business" in tonight's premiere of the reincarnated American Gladiators"

Shirley¹, I'm not the only one out there who finds it silly the pedestal we place the "New Year" on and then subsequently use it to launch our renewed, repentant, and revamped lives. I don't mean to sound pessimistic, but don't most of us just end up falling flat on our faces anyway? It's not that I think the ideas of reflection and resolution are all that bad, I just think maybe we should be in a continual state of renewal. It makes sense to try to put our mistakes of the past year behind us, after we learn from them, of course. But doesn't it also make sense to do this everyday?

Probably it does. And since I haven't been doing this on a daily basis this year, I'll go through a quick rundown of the things I've learned this year and the things I look forward to learning in 2008. If I'm about to lose any of you right now, Happy New Year!

Health
In 2007, I learned that I can't stay up as late, I can't run as fast, and I can't eat as much as I did 5 years ago. It only took me 5 years to learn that. In 2008 I look forward to learning how to get my eating habits to catch up to my metabolism. Or vice versa if the opportunity presents itself.

Work
In 2007, I learned that getting a promotion is only fun as long as the paychecks keep going up (note-to-self: 1 promotion = 1 raise. That paycheck stops going up after the first one). In 2008, I look forward to learning that keeping the challenges fun at work is not necessarily the responsibility of my employer and how to find ways to do so.

Friends
In 2007, I learned that it only gets harder and harder to keep close friends close as "oh bla dee oh bla da life goes on". In 2008, I hope I learn to manage my time better and that when it comes to friends, time management is a waste of time.

Love
In 2007, I learned that there are an infinite ways of presenting a finite number of diamonds in the world, and that infiniteness does not necessarily conform to the laws of supply and demand. I got engaged this year and was never able to find a way to present that in blogese. In 2008, I look forward to learning how to be a loving, respectful, and devoted Christian husband.

This is, by no means, an exhaustive list of the things I've learned this year nor the things I look forward to learning in the coming year. Some things are harder to type than these, and thus require an entirely different state of mind. I'll make sure you're the first to know when that state of mind arrives. Until then, and once again, Happy New Year!

¹ Intentional.

If you've heard the rumor going around that I've gotten a new desk chair, I am here to confirm that the rumors are, indeed, true. My new desk chair is a fitness orb.



I can feel my core getting stronger already.

I bought a new jacket today that I've been wearing since about 7 p.m. when we hit up Chipotle for dinner. It's now five after eleven and we've been back from dinner for at least 3 hours. I even made a special trip to the mailbox to get the mail, a task I normally leave for the return trip from a jog or running some errands. I'm pretty sure I'll be able to keep myself from sleeping in it. Probably. I'm a little worried that this slight attachment I have for the new jacket will lead to a lower tolerance for cold weather. I've already devolved from the peak resiliency of my youth when I would walk out into the snow with shorts on. Ahh to be young, stupid and warm.

Awake Dustin has overstayed his welcome at Sleepy Dustin's house a few too many nights over the last week or so, searching YouTube and iTunes for good new music, and nostalgic old music. I think if I could put my finger on one thing I miss most about growing up, a close second to being able to "go outside and play" is spending hours - yes I said hours - just listening to music. I'm not going to try and stake some triumphant claim of having the most discriminating taste in music, but the music that I love, I really do love. And in return for this affection that I bestow upon the pops, the rhythm & blueses/hip-hops, the country and westerns, and the modern/alternative rocks I am inspired, mused and motivated, calmed and relaxed, and simply carried away.