Couple quick updates to keep my recent string of blog postings going...

1) NGEN is alive! The NGEN launch went as smooth as it could have gone when we got to the actual launch time.  www.NGENradio.com went online, and we went live on HD radio in the Houston area.  With most of my part being the web-side/site/mobile launch, and with my part being a huge part of how the listeners will interact with the station since most people don't use HD radio yet, I was under a lot of personal stress.  How many times though, do we always look back and say "Why didn't I let go and let God, since He always comes through?"  Well this time was more of the same. Things were stressful, but they all came together at the right time, and none of the listeners would have known otherwise.  They wouldn't have known that we didn't have an HD signal working until the morning of the launch.  They wouldn't have known that we didn't have normal radio coverage in the Texas A&M area until hours before the launch.  They wouldn't have known that we didn't have a final version of the website until MINUTES before the launch.  Yeah, so this time it seemed God wanted to really say to us "Sit back, relax, and let me do my work."  It was amazing though, as soon as we went live, and after I checked the webstream, it was like a million pound weight was off my back!  It's been amazing to see this launch and I can't imagine what it will bring...which leads me to my next update...

2) I'M AN NGEN DJ!!!  I approached our new Program Director, Carlos, just to say I'd love to help with any voice parts he'd need for production, and he told me that a bunch of people actually thought I'd make a great NGEN DJ!  That was pretty cool to hear, and flattering as well to think people could see me in that role.  Does that mean they don't think I'm a good IT guy?!  UH OH?!  HA!  Anyway, so we sat down for an interview-ish type of meeting a few weeks back, and he said he'd love to give me a chance to see what I think, do some weekend shifts, and then meet again after.  So, for a few weeks, I'm the 12p-2p guy on Saturdays, and will probably expand to longer hours providing I can do well.  I'm voice-tracking my shows, which means I record them throughout the week, and then we play them during my actual show time. It's the best of both worlds for me...get to dip my toe in the DJ world and see how I do, but yet don't have to sacrifice time with the fam, since I can record my show over lunch and what-not during the week.  My first show was today, and me and the fam thought it went pretty well.  I don't know who all listened out there on the web, but I do know a couple people heard me and thought I sounded good for a first time.

3) Remember my previous post about me winning that national contest, where I'd be getting something in the mail?  Well, it's 14 days later and I still haven't heard anything from them.  They don't even know where to send whatever it is I've won, to wherever I am.  Kinda dissappointed, but I know eventually they'll send me something.  Oh well...it's hard to not sound like a crybaby when I'm not mad-mad, but just am anxious about knowing what I've won, when I think it could be something amazing based off things this company has done in the past.  I'll update you if I ever hear anything from them, and I'll update you if I don't.

4) Had a lovely Thanksgiving. B had to work, but surprised us by getting off early, and so she got to go with us to my mom's and spend the entire time with us.  This year we had a late meal around 4pm.  Didn't seem too big of a deal until after, since it threw off the whole "eat big lunch, start watching football, take nap, get up, repeat" cycle the day usually entails, but it was nice to have B there when I didn't think she would be.

5) Black Friday is a day I usually work, but last year, and for the first time I've ever known, I hated working extra days like that during the holidays. So, this year I decided to try my best to keep a few days saved for the holidays, and the "BLACK FRIDAY" was one of the days I decided to take off.  I have NEVER wanted to go Black Friday shopping...and I still have never found a deal that was something big enough to brave any kind of weather, but this year I decided I wanted to try and go, just so I could SEE the experience. B went with a friend late Wednesday, and was home by 12:33pm because it was nasty cold, windy, and rainy. When I got up at 4, I almost didn't go, but when I went outside there was no rain in sight, so I decided to brave the Blackness.  I decided to go to a store that I might actually want to buy something just in case the deals were there, so naturally where do you think I went?  You guessed it...Best Buy...my favorite store.  I got to the main one around here, thinking that if there was a line, I might be able to score something because you would think they would stock more, but when I got there, the line was wrapped around the store.  So I decided that if I was going to be stuck in a line there, I might as well try the other Best Buy closer to our house (even though it's much smaller), in case it had a smaller line.  When I got to the other one, the line was just as bad.  There was even a tent out front.  I don't know if someone actually camped out, or if it was a joke, or maybe they were just using it because of the rain.  Either way, the line was wrapped way around the building, so I just decided to stay in my truck, stay warm, and look at the Best Buy ad one more time to see if there was something new in the BB ad to create this wave of shoppers.  I didn't see anything before, and I didnt' see anything now.  When the line started to move, I stayed in my car until I figured it was getting short.  As I started walking to the line, I noticed that dozens of people were arriving all the time and were heading to the line as well, and when I got there, it hadn't really gotten any smaller, but at least it was moving.  When I finally got inside, I looked for the bigger deals that seemed to me to be the reason people would come, and I saw NO short supply of all of the items.  I always thought that stores would have like 5-10 of the items, and you'd be stuck buying something else or nothing at all, but this Best Buy had what seemed to be 50+ of each of the the Xbox 360 deals, the Wii deals, the TV's in their ad, etc.  And when I got up and close to the items, none of them impressed me.  Nothing caught my attention enough to purchase that morning, so I just looked around at the people who felt the deals were too good to pass up, and I just laughed.  Ever since the internet came around, and shopping online became safe, that was all I'll ever need to use until the stores decide to have better prices year round, not just on crazy, crackhead Friday.  God Bless you Amazon, and your fruitful bountiful harvest of Christmas deals.  Seriously, they have free shipping now, and had an amazing Black Friday like sale ALL DAY that you could do from the comfort of your lazy boy, and heated home.  I came, I saw, I conquered Black Friday.  One item crossed off my Bucket List.

Well, that's a few quick updates for you guys.  Hope you had a Happy Thanksgiving!  My fam and I put up our Christmas tree on Friday, and now we count down to the best holiday ever...the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!  God Bless!

E