"Money, so they say, is the root of all evil today." - Pink Floyd
I'm in the soup again in terms of monies owed to me. Say what you want about me, and believe me there is plenty to be said, but one thing I seem to be is a little bit gullible. I try to give people the benefit of the doubt beyond what most other people would do, and certainly what many people have done with me in certain circumstances.
If you've been looking for my Internet radio show the last 2 weeks, you know that it hasn't been on the air, and that's because of money. I had been working a full time job for a company, but that company has been unable to pay me, or any of my fellow employees, for several months now.
I don't want to get into specifics about this because I'm still hoping that my checks will be made available any day now, which is what I and my fellow employees have been told for months now that things would be resolved. I don't want to further add to the troubles that the company has faced trying to resolve this situation, based upon what they've been telling me is the problem as best they can. It has to do with their relationship with the banks and the verification of funds.
Nevertheless, I have reached a real breaking point because of this. And not that losing a stream of finances can ever come at a good time, for me in my attempts to launch my radio career, it couldn't have come at a worse time.
This is because I need to generate payments for air time, studio location, and those helping me produce the show. I'm hoping to reach out to prospective advertisers to hopefully alleviate this situation, but I know this will likely take some time.
Of course, this is not the first time this has happened to me. In fact, three of my last four major employers have faced financial issues. One of them currently owes me $5,000 from a three-month project. The other still owes me a large deferment of salary from a couple of years ago.
So if you've wondered why you haven't heard from me on Twitter or Facebook, via e-mail or cell phone, and why the show is currently 'on hiatus', now you know. The second that these funding issues resolve themselves, I will be back on the air and hopefully better than ever.
ITEM TWO: NFL 2009 preview
Well, at least I get to ease my pain and numb my depression with the start of the NFL season tonight as the Titans visit Pittsburgh in the opener.
I've moved through projecting the final standings using several simulation sources, and here's what foggy view through my cracked crystal ball looks like:
AFC EAST
New England 13-3, NY Jets 9-7, Miami 7-9, Buffalo 4-12
AFC NORTH
Pittsburgh 12-4, Baltimore 12-4, Cincinnati 6-10, Cleveland 5-11
AFC SOUTH
Indianapolis 12-4, Tennessee 10-6, Jacksonville 8-8, Houston 6-10
AFC WEST
San Diego 12-4, Denver 6-10, Kansas City 4-12, Oakland 4-12
NFC EAST
NY Giants 11-5, Philadelphia 10-6, Dallas 9-7, Washington 7-9
NFC NORTH
Minnesota 9-7, Green Bay 8-8, Chicago 8-8, Detroit 4-12
NFC SOUTH
Atlanta 10-6, Carolina 9-7, New Orleans 9-7, Tampa Bay 3-13
NFC WEST
Arizona 11-5, Seattle 10-6, St. Louis 4-12, San Francisco 4-12
My playoff teams (in order of seeding) are New England, Pittsburgh, San Diego, Indianapolis, Baltimore, and Tennessee in the AFC; NY Giants, Arizona, Atlanta, Minnesota, Seattle, and Philadelphia in the NFC
My Super Bowl prediction (take it for what it's worth): Patriots versus Giants
ITEM THREE: Other stuff
Although my radio show is on the shelf for now, I will still be covering the LA Kings for Examiner.com and will be at the first day of practice this coming Sunday morning. The Hockey Fest that took place two weeks was amazing, and the Kings deserve an enormous amount of credit for putting on a first-class show, despite weather challenges (maybe the hottest weekend all summer here in LA)... My college football picks by conference: Florida State in the ACC Atlantic, Virginia Tech in the ACC Coastal, West Virginia in the Big East, Penn State in the Big Ten, Nebraska in the Big 12 North, Oklahoma State in the Big 12 South (you read that right), East Carolina in Conference USA East, Houston in Conference USA West, Buffalo in the MAC East, Central Michigan in the MAC West, TCU in the Mountain West, California in the Pac-10 (yep, you read that right too), Florida in the SEC East, Ole Miss in the SEC West, Florida Atlantic in the Sun Belt, and Boise State in the WAC. I'm picking Florida over Penn State in the title game... I think Oregon handled the mess with running back LeGarrett Blount properly. I think Boise also handled things appropriately, but I think that they should use video imaging to single out the people who antagonized Blount from the crowd and ban them from games... excited for the new TV season to begin in two weeks. Five shows I'm going to try out this year are: NCIS Los Angeles, Three Rivers, The Good Wife, Modern Family, and FlashForward
