I say the same thing every year, practically every month…August, (my birthday month – Hey, Leo’s LIKE their birthdays!)  is almost here… look forward to it …my favorite time of year…August, September and October…right before the big holidays…days are still warm and long…and being here in the Bay Area, well, it’s a paradise onto itself…I love it…

I read alot of various articles and books to help maintain a sense of balance in this crazy world we live in…here’s an example:  “How to be Happy in the next 30 minutes!”

I find that if I have an “attitude of gratitude” for ALL things in my life – the good and the bad, knowing that all things have a purpose in moving you to a new direction…it takes alot of stress and pressure off my mind…perhaps this is just wisdom that comes with age…

      Girl friend Joy and I decided not to go to Vegas.  Let’s stay in the Bay Area and have a mini “Staycation” that we’re always talking about:
                 We decided to start the weekend with a movie; preferably something that wouldn’ t tax our limited attention spans.   We chose “Step Brother,” which had gotten decent reviews, and sounded like it might be fun.    It did provide some laughs.  Two 40 year olds who become step brothers, and are forced to share the same bedroom.  Yep, it was a natural for guy situations.  Lots of “locker room” humor, flatulance jokes, and naughty talk.   Joy stuck it out cuz I reminded her I sat through her movie “26 dresses.”  (Actually, I think Katherine Heigel is hot)  The plot  of “Step Brother” was silly, but it provided some laughs, and yes, the popcorn was good.  Joy and I both gave it an 8. (We are immature for our age).
         Saturday started with breakfast at “Willies,” located next to College of Marin in Kentfield.  I’ve been going there for brunch for ten years, and my eggs sunny side up are always perfect.
     Later,        
 Joy decided she wanted to go shopping, while I opted to make the hour drive to the River Rock casino for a few hands of blackjack.
                Three hours later, I was actually going home with my wallet fatter than when I started.  And Joy was excited to show me the outfit she had purchased at Macys.  “Sixty percent off,” she coooed.   She modeled it for me.  Yes, it was very cool.   She decided to wear it that night.
           We were going to see the musical “Drowsy Chaperone” for two reasons.  First, I had free tickets, and second, it had gotten some good reviews.
               We enjoyed it.  Great cast.  Good singing.  It only lacked one thing.  Familiarity.  That which made “Mama Mia” and “Jersey Boys” such huge hits.  The songs that you recognized, and could sing along with were not in evidence in Drowsy Chaperone.  But it was still good.  We both gave it an “8.”
               I promised Joy I would take her dancing.  We chose the “Tonga Room.”  We had heard the band played a lot of 70’s and 80’s tunes that we feature on KOIT.  I pulled into a garage a block from the Fairmont.  “How much for three hours,?” I asked the attendant.  “40 dollars,” he replied.  “That’s BS,” I said, and backed the car out of the garage.  We started down California Street, when the unbelieveable happened.
  Somebody was pulling out from the curb immediately in front of the Tonga Room.  Absolutely  astounding.  Free parking, and right in front.
             We had made reservations.  We decided on a snack plate filled with Asian goodies.  Joy is Asian, and she agreed with me.  It was not very good.   The food was cold and greasy.
                      But the band was good.   As promised, danceable cover hits from the 70’s and 80s.  The crowd was a mixture of tourists and locals.  I was the only guy in the room wearing a sport coat.   I took it off.   Joy looked adorable in her new outfit.  The tourists still get excited when the Tonga Room plays it’s “rain storm,” which is every time the band takes a break; which is often.    The waiter brought the bill.   I thought it seemed high.   “Seven dollars each for entertainment charge,’ he said.    Joy and I gave the Tonga Room experience a 7.  For dancing, we preferred Harry Dentons.
                On a sunny Sunday morning, we love going to Tiburon and enjoying brunch out on the deck at “Sams,” a Marin County favorite for years.  Chances are good, you might see Huey Lewis, Sean Penn, Bonnie Raitt, or other luminaries.  The food is overpriced, but the experience makes it all worthwhile.  After lunch, take a walk along the  water.  And there is a wonderful sweet shoppe that makes home made sugarless chocolate.  Ummmmm.
           After our walk, Joy wanted to go to the gym to “work out.”  (Hmmm…how do I dodge this bullet?}     I explain that I have this new system for winning money at blackjack.  I had picked up an easy $400 the day before, and needed to see if I could do it again.  Joy pouted.  She looks sooooooooo cute when she pouts.  We agreed to meet at my place later, and were going to see another movie to complete our “Staycation” weekend.
             Damn.   I lost the money I had won the day before.  But Joy worked out for a couple of hours, and looked radiant. And she didn’t ask me how I did at River Rock.
                    Neither one of us can cook, so we decided to have movie popcorn for dinner.   (Good roughage)     The movie was terrible.  Angelina Jolie was completely wasted in a flick called “Wanted.”  A complete waste of time.   Unbelieveably violent.  We saw at
 least a dozen people walk out.  We gave the movie a “4.”  And the popcorn was stale.
               Overall, it was a good “Staycation.”  One bad movie couldn”t  ruin the weekend.  

I’ve been getting up very early in the morning to fill in for Jack Kulp (who’s on staycation)  I’ll return to my afternoon slide home with you on Monday, July 28th…

Saw the new “Batman” movie  -  “The Dark Knight”   7 out of 10 …  Something was missing tho,
Heath Ledger was terrific…scarey makeup, and a twisted “tic” of licking his lips…Didn’t like Maggie Gyllenhaal, but I didn’t like Katie Holmes either…Christian Bale…ok…not as convincing as the 1st – “Batman Begins”

Until tomorrow….ciao

       People often ask me how I get to work.  I say the ferry.  And the usual reply is something like-”Oh, you only have a half hour commute.”   Well………Not really.
             I leave the house about 7:50 for the 10 minute drive to the ferry.  The line has already formed for the 8:20 ferry to the City.  Why so early?  Cuz quite often the ferry boat sells out.
             And then the good part.  Except for the occasional stray whale, there is no traffic on the bay.  And unless there is some heavy fog, the boat ride takes about  35 minutes.  The ride is the best part.  Relax.  Enjoy a cup of coffee.  Read the sports page, and talk to you your friends.  Important stuff, like: “Who do you think is gonna win American Idol,?”..etc……
      So now it’s about 8:55.  If it’s a nice day I walk to the radio station.  It’s a 25 minute stroll. Let’s see.  That’s  technically a one hour 25 minute “commute.”  That’s kinda long.  True; but now the good part.  I did not have to fight rush hour traffic.  I did not have to pay the five dollar bridge toll.  No parking fee, no gas, and no miles on the car.  Suddenly, the hour twenty five commute doesn”t seem so bad.
                                      
                                       LUNCH AT RIVER ROCK

This is part of the group of  affable KOIT listeners posing with yours truly at the popular River Rock casino.

                    It’s always terrific  to find out who listens to KOIT,  and this past Sunday was fun.  I had the pleasure of hosting a lunch for a group of KOIT listeners.    The location was the River Rock Casino.   Ten minutes from the scenic town of Geyserville, the site is
on Indian tribal land, and is getting ready for a huge expansion.
                       By 12:30, we were ready for the bountiful buffet.  Fun conversation, and a great meal.  Our River Rock hosts could not have been more attentive and gracious.    I gave each of our guests a lucky silver dollar in hopes that the slots and tables would be bountiful.
     A couple hours later I saw one of our San Leandro guests at the Cashiers cage.  “How are you doin?”        She replied:  “I’m getting more money.”   Ooops.

                          The current Batman flick-”The Dark Knight”-has had phenomenal early reviews. The two reviewers on the “Ebert and Roeper” show called it the greatest super-hero flick ever made.  And it’s quite a perfomance by the late Heath Ledger.   His performance as ‘the joker’ ranks him right there with Hannibal Lector as one of films all-time creeeeeeepy bad guys.
               And you can see “The Dark Knight” tonight.  There are midnight shows at both the  Metreon and AMC theatres in San Francisco.  And the Metreon even has showings at 1am and 3:30 am.   You can get up early, watch the 3:30 flick, have popcorn for breakfast, and go to work.                                                  

                  Let’s give credit where credit is due.  My brother Ricky Ickes (I know-it rhymes-what were our parents thinking?)…anyway, Ricky comes to visit for his birthday.  Big  brother Larry puts him up in  Larkspur’s Marriott Courtyard Hotel.:)    I mention to manager Amy Stone  that it’s Ricky’s birthday.  She promises to have a bottle of wine, and some decadent chocolate goodies placed in his room.  
                  My bro tells me later that not only was the wine awaiting his arrival, but it was the “good stuff.”  Thanks to the genial Amy and staff.   This hotel is only a five minute walk from four  good restaurants.
                                         I HATE CELLPHONES

              I think the cellphone  was the worst invention of the 20th century.   They are constantly ringing when I’m taking my afternoon nap on the Larkspur ferry.   People in monstor SUV’s are narrowly avoiding crashing into my tiny Mazda Miata while talking.    Plus, I’m “techno-challenged.”  I don’t know how to work most of the goodies on the phone. A couple years ago, I bought the best cell-phone available.  It had all the bells and whistles:  Camera, e-mail capability, texting, etc…   I hated the monstrosity.   I knew how to answer it  and make a call.   That was it.  Friends would say: “I left you a call on your cell telling you about a party, and you never responded.”  Embarrassing.
                           Finally, a friend came to the rescue.  She gave me a twenty dollar cell phone.  All it does is enable me to make and answer a call.    I love this phone.   If friends can’t reach me on the cell, they can call me at home.

           Julie Shannon is KOIT”S very capable music director and Saturday morning host.   She came into the studio during my show, and said:  “Good news, gimme a “high five.”  Wow, this must be something extra special.  It was.  We slapped hands, and she told me:  The National Association of Broadcasters had just nomintated KOIT for the very prestigious ‘MARCONI AWARD.”   It is given to the radio stations that best exemplifiy  “excellence in broadcasting.”  When you consider there are thousands and thousands of radio stations in the US, this is indeed, quite an honor.  KOIT was nominated in the “Legendary” category, along with four other stations.

                                                                   ANOTHER HIGH FIVE

            About 20 minutes later Julie came into the studio with another cheshire cat   smile.   “Gimme another high five.”   My palm was still stinging from the last one; Julie gives a great “high five.”
                                   I ask:  “What’s up Jules?”
      “We also got nominated for “Major Market Station of the year.,” she bubbled.           “You’re kidding me. You mean we got nominated for two awards?”        “Yes, she said.  Along with one of our sister stations.”
           Did you tell the “Coach?” (our boss)
          “No,” says the beaming Julie. ” He’s laying on a beach in Hawaii with his cell  phone turned off.”
                                  Hmmmmmmmmm.  We thought  of renting an airplane that would tow a sign that would tell the good news.  We decided we couldn”t  afford it.
                                   The boss will just have to wait.
                                       
  

      
              It’s true.  My girlfriend can’t cook.  But she’s charming, affectionate, intelligent, and has a great sence of humor.  but she can’t cook.  Not at all.  But do I care??  Nope.  We eat out a lot.

                YEP, AND OVER 10,000 A. I. FANS WERE AT ARCO ARENA IN SACRAMENTO FOR THEIR ‘TOP TEN’ TOUR.”  MY SPIES TELL ME IT WAS A MIX  OF ‘OLDER’ COUPLES AS WELL AS TEENS.   DON’T GET ME WRONG.  I LOVE THE IDOL TV SHOW,  ALTHOUGH I’M READY FOR A BREAK, AND I’M GETTING A LITTLE TIRED OF THE JUDGES.
                           IF RANDY SAYS, ONE MORE TIME- “I DON’T KNOW DUDE, IT WAS A LITTLE PITCHY FOR ME,”I THINK I’LL SUFFER AN  INVOLUNTARY  PROTEIN SPILL..(THROW UP)     PAULA TRIES HER BEST TO BE THE ‘GOOD GUY,” BUT SOMETIMES I WONDER IF HER ADD HAS TRANSPORTED HER TO ANOTHER REALM.   AND SIMON? EVEN A LOT OF HIS CRITICISMS SEEM CONTRIVED.  HOW MANY TIMES HAS HE SAID:  “YOU SOUND LIKE A SINGER IN A KAREOKE BAR?”

                                                                          DIFFERANT JUDGES??

                  I LIKE TO IMAGINE WHAT THE SHOW WOULD BE LIKE WITH DIFFERANT JUDGES.  DO YOU HAVE ANYONE IN PARTICULAR THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE AS A JUDGE?
    HOW ABOUT GLADYS KNIGHT OR J-LO REPLACING PAULA?   THE BAY AREAS OWN BEN FONG-TORRES IN PLACE OF RANDY?  BEN CERTAINLY KNOWS MORE ABOUT MUSIC.   AND FOR SIMON??  HMMMM…LET ME THINK ABOUT THAT ONE.  
                                                                         
                                                                        BAY AREA AUDITIONS

                 THEY’LL BE HELD AT SAN FRANCISCO’S COW PALACE. WHICH TECHNICALLY, IS IN DALY CITY AT 2600 GENEVA AVE.  YOU KNOW THE DRILL;
                             YOU HAVE TO BE BETWEEN 16 AND 28.  THE DATE IS JULY 17.  HOWEVER,  WRISTBANDS WILL BE DISTRIBUTED BEGINNING ON TUESDAY JULY 15 FROM 7AM  UNTIL THURSDAY AT 8AM.  AND THERE IS NO CAMPING OUT.  LEAVE YOUR TENT AT HOME.
                     NOW, WHO IS A GOOD PERSON TO REPLACE SIMON COWELL AS JUDGE?

As I mentioned on the air, I am venturing beyond the comfortable confines of not only our lovely state, but the entire United States and traveling abroad to Italy in September for my “Big” annual vacation…My friend Camber and I have traveled together in the past and both have had a passion for exploration, spontaneity and culture…so Italy was at the top of our list. We are now in the planning stages of our journey, and wondering where to stay?

It’s a 13 day trip when it’s all said and done, from September 8 – 21…and we’ve chosen Rome, Florence and perhaps Naples (because of friends and family here in the States)
Yes, we’re going to do all the touristy things…Vatican City: St. Peters Catherdral, Sistine Chapel, Vatican museums, Colosseum, Forum, Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, Uffizi  - Michelangelo’s David, Botticelli’s Birth of Venus, and Raphael’s Madonnas.

But my question to you is, where to stay?  I don’t need nor want a high end hotel, but something comfortable, with character (if possible) easy to get to the train station or at the very least, not get lost!

What one thing that you should have taken, but either forgot or didn’t know to take with you?
I’d love to hear from you…on your “do’s and don’ts” for traveling to Italy…

Today’s trivia on KOIT

Hot weather question:  From what wood are Popsicle sticks made?

A: birch

By the way, the popsicle was invented, accidentally, by Frank Epperson in 1905.  He was only 11 at the time, and 18 years later he finally patented the “Epsicle”. His kids would ask for pop’s ’sicles’, and so the name Popsicle was born. In addition to the twin popsicle, Epperson went on to create the Fudgesicle, the Dreamsicle, and my fave, the Creamsicle. In fact I might buy a box of those on the way home today.

Besides lots of popsicles, how are you beating the heat?  We headed to the air conditioned movie theater for a matinee yesterday….”Hancock”. I guess I can kiss my career as a movie critic goodbye, because I liked it. Most critics didn’t.  Nobody can deny Will Smith’s drawing power though.

The numbers are in. About 100 Bay Area drivers have been ticketed so far for driving while chatting on a non-hands free cell. The law went into effect last week, but it seems like even more people are on the phone while behind the wheel.