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It’s been an interesting week and a half. Last Wednesday, I woke up at 4am, to get ready for work, and found that the right side of my face was feeling numb and looking a little droopy. I had come down with a case of Bell’s Palsy, which is paralysis of my facial muscles. I guess the first sign of something going wrong was a stiff neck and an earache on the Tuesday night. Would never of thought I would wake up the next day with half a face that wouldn’t move. Have to admit, I was a little stressed with the fact I make my living with my mouth and is wasn’t cooperating on one side. Tom was on vacation, so it was KK and Scotty Taylor with me and I want to thank them for all their support. I’m glad I was able to come in and have some fun for a few hours a day. It kept my mind off of things. I also want to thank all of you who took time away from your own life to check in on me. I really appreciated that. It’s amazing how many people have dealt with Bells and the timeline for it to pass is different for everyone. You just don’t know how long it will last.

Anyways, I’m taking the first few days of next week off to visit a couple of cousins in Vancouver. Thought I would take the cheap route and go a couple of weeks before the Olympics start, while flight prices are still reasonable.
I also want to wish my two nephews Stephen and Jarod a Happy Birthday, both celebrated this week. Plus, my cousin Joe Masi, who is just as much a friend as he is family! Happy Birthday tomorrow Cuz!

Starting to get the hang of Facebook and having some fun with it. Should have some pictures up in the next couple of weeks. I want to thank everyone who has been kind enough to let me in and consider me a friend.

Tommy, KK, and Scotty (who is in Miami for Superbowl) will take care of you next week! So enjoy a break from the big Italian kid!

Just a reminder the 92 CITI FM Superbowl Party is at Boston Pizza on Kenaston and iit’s filling up, so please make a reservation. I would love to hang with you. Lots of prizes too. Hoping for a close game between the Saints and the Colts.

Have a great weekend!

okay, lots to run through here.

….had a really relaxing week in Cuba. First time I took a trip alone actually. I kinda liked it, but it’s different. I was at a small place off the beaten path, but still on the beautiful beaches of Varadero. The Cuban people were really nice, and I met some good people as well. The primary function was relaxation though, and I got lots of that. Spent every day on the beach all day with some books and my ipod. Sometimes though, there was the distraction of some of the many Russian vacationers walking by in their thongs and speedos. Unfortunately, I’m not talking Anna Kornakova type Russian….these were visions in thongs, both female and male, that no one should be subjected to….but pretty funny at the same time…
A couple of books I read that I would recommend as lovely, inspiring reads, are ‘The 5 People You Meet in Heaven’ by Mitch Albom, and ‘The Shack’, by Wm. Paul Young.

…speaking of people in heaven….I know one for sure…..long time friend and CITI announcer, Duncan’s dad passed away recently, and there is no doubt in my mind, heaven is where you’ll find ‘Big Mac’ if you’re looking for him!…..What a fantastic service, as each sibling got up and gave us a tremendous rememberance and tribute to their Dad. I had met Big Mac on many occassions over the years, and thought he was one of the nicest and most interesting people I have ever met. It was a pleasure and an honour having had the chance to know him.

…As I mentioned on the morning show, I have started taking up yoga on the days I don’t go to the gym..so a couple of times a week….my initial purpose was to get the benefits of stretching the old muscles, but I’ve found other great benefits, like an unusual level of energy and peacefullness afterward as well…..I know, sounds very new age, but it seems to work…..the popular ‘hot’ sessions are the ones I have been taking. It is hot, but it feels really good throughout the whole body….I’d recommend it for anyone
Great laughs on the air, as Joe, the traditionalist, played it up pretty big that he doesn’t believe it’s for ‘real guys’!..ha

….and speaking of Joe…as many of you have heard, he was hit with Bell’s Palsy in his face while I was away in Cuba last week….if you’re not aware, in a nutshell, it’s a paralysis of one side of the face usually, caused by a virus. It can last a few days, weeks, months or longer. They have prescribed steriods for him in the meantime. I feel comfortable talking about this with his blessing, since he’s tackling it with much humour, and we have had a blast on the show having fun with it….of course at his expense!!….I’ve told him that I hope he doesn’t recover too quickly since we’re having such fun with it…..his pronunciations and use of his ’sippy cup’ are priceless!…..he’s the best, as always

….thanks to the coolest superintendant of any condo building…..Rob, the guy at my new place downtown, insisted on driving me to the airport when I went to Cuba, and against my protestations, was waiting there when I got out of customs 2 hours late, near midnight last Sat. night, to take me home…..what a beauty

By the way…..we have started ‘twittering’ now…..we’re starting to get the hang of it….join us, won’t you

And, as Joe recently mentioned on this blog…he’s on Facebook now, and I’m getting hooked up next week, so I look forward to connecting with you there as well!

Thanks for reading….hear from you in the morn

Is it just me or have the NFL Playoffs been quite boring? Different if your team is one of the winners, but outside of the Green Bay and Arizona game (second half) there really hasn’t been any excitement. The conference finals this week will hopefully be different. I’m really looking forward to the Minnesota/ New Orleans game. Who knows, the surprising new York Jets could make it even more interesting against Indianapolis. I loved when the Jets head coach Rex Ryan handed all his players their Superbowl itineries before the San Diego game. Either way we will be having some fun and handing out some prizes on Sunday at Boston Pizza - Kenaston.

I’m really enjoying following the late-night wars. The monologues from the hosts have all been good. Probably because it’s so real. This looks to be the last week for Conan on NBC. The whole war could get interesting if it becomes, Leno vs. Dave vs. Conan!

Just jumped on Facebook last week. Still learning the ropes, but could always use a friend!

Have a great day!

I’m off to Cuba for a week…..first time going on a trip alone……should be interesting
Will fill you in when I return

This weekend’s picks for Proline. Minnesota/Dallas to tie… Indy to win… San Diego to win… Arizona/New Orleans to tie.

Good luck!

I really got caught up in the NFL Playoffs this weekend. Unfortunately, three of the four games didn’t live up to the hype. The Cincinnati vs NY Jets game was pretty much over by half-time and so was the Dallas vs. Philadelphia game. I was at least hoping Sunday would turn out better and the first game didn’t do that. Baltimore owned the New England Patriots. Everyone watching the games with me at Boston Pizza on Kenaston yesterday thought the same thing was going to happen with the Green Bay vs Arizona game, when in the third quarter the Cardinals were up 31-10. All of a sudden the comeback started and we were treated to a great finish. Ironically, the game ended 51-45 in favor of Arizona and it was a defensive play that ended the highest scoring in NFL Playoff history. We can only hope this weekend’s playoff games are as exciting as the last one we saw.

Don’t forget tonight at 8:00 the UFC is on Spike and Mike Tyson is the guest host of WWE Raw (The Score). The two shows are going head-to-head.

Have a great day!

It’s good to be back after a nice holiday. I had a chance to spend time with family and friends which has always been important to me. It actually felt like I was away from the radio station for a super-long time, yet I stayed in town and still continued my usual out-and-about program. Anyways, it’s nice to be back at work, if I can even call what we do work!

Last night featured one of the most exciting hockey games I have ever seen, too bad it ended up being a heartbreaker. We still should be proud of our boys in red and white, they put in a great effort at the World Jr’s. Now we move on to the Olympics! Don’t forget 92 CITI FM is the official radio broadcaster of the Men’s Olympic Hockey games. The first one is Tuesday, February 16th against Norway. Team Canada will also play Switzerland and the U.S in the round robin. Thank you, by the way, to everyone who came out to Boston Pizza last night for our Gold Medal Party.

I want to wish my Grandpa Joe a Happy 97th Birthday!!! He’s always been a laid back guy, and I guess it’s working for him!
I still love going to visit him (he lives at my Dad’s house) and chatting with him. He still has his wits about him. He might not always remember what he had for breakfast yesterday, but he can still describe in great detail his days working for CN and his time in the war. He’s a quiet guy, who spends his days napping, eating, and watching the news. Him watching TV can be entertaining because his English is very limited and he is hard of hearing. Oh yeah, he became a hockey fan about 10 years ago. He loves the hitting and the fighting. They say the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, and since I’m named after him, why not be like him. We both have been known to nod off in our big ass recliners watching a hockey game.

I want to give a shout out to all the Manitobans carrying the Olympic Torch over the last couple of days. Congratulations!

Finally to all my Ukrainian friends, Merry Christmas!

Happy New Year to all. Looking forward to getting back on the Morning Show tomorrow to hear from you and share a few laughs for the first time in 2010.

2009 was not the best year for me. “To be honest with you” as my bud Joe always says, it was one of my worst ever.

You see, Special K and I separated earlier in the year, and it was a very sad time for me for quite some time. I always received many emails about how you could hear how special she was to me, just by listening to our show, and I always appreciated that. For that reason, I wanted to finally share this information with you. I’ve found it very difficult to discuss with even close friends and family for a long time, but feel the new year is a good time for a fresh slate. Just so rumours don’t start to erupt, as they always do, there was never an issue of infidelity, which often happens in these cases. We just found ourselves differing on some issues, and that sometimes leads to the inevitable.

I love her to death, and always will. I hear she is happy now, and that makes me feel good. But it is also time for me to move on as well. What better way than a new year!
I will say that through all of this tumultuous time for me in ‘09, coming in and doing the show for you each day was my refuge. I really appreciate your consistantly positive support for the show and for what we may bring into your lives each morning. It’s very special and important to me.

Thanks to Joe and his family, my old buddy Larry and his associate Greg, and my sons for spending this Christmas season with me and making it very special. And the Nelson’s for a great New year’s eve gathering.

Now although my Oregon Ducks lost in the Rose Bowl on new year’s day, I’m looking upon that as only a blip on the positive radar of the new year. I’m expecting great things from 2010 and looking forward to sharing them all with you each morning on our show.

All the best to everyone for 2010!
Hear from you in the morn
tom

I just wanted to wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I hope 2010 brings you everything you want and more. Plus, a special thank you for making my 15th year at 92 CITI FM a great one. Talk to you January 4th. All the best!

Joe.

Almost a month since I posted here…..I’m sounding like a broken record, but that’s just unacceptable……but here we go

First of all, thanks so much to everyone who came down to the Forks to contribute to our annual Bed-IN broadcast for the Salvation Army. You’ll read in this months Winnipeg Men magazine, just how important and special this event is to all of us here at Citi, and how much we truly love doing it each year. We’re also happy to see so many familiar faces every year. Thanks so much to all of you who joined us and chipped in. It’s the best feeling in the world.
On a personal note, it always cracks me up when the guys I play Fri hockey with come down with their contribution. It’s supposed to be based on the number of goals I score up to that point in the season, but that wouldn’t help out many kids, so the boys go ‘deep’ into their pockets to supplement and come down with a hugh amount each year. The best part is putting ‘Mr. Hockey’ Ray Hayes, the spokesman, on the air to regale you listening with story’s of how bad I am. Btw, they’re all true!

Gotta say something about Tiger. Obviously everything has been reported ad naseum by now, but personally I wanted to say that I was very disappointed in the guy. I remember feeling somewhat the same way when it was discovered all those years ago that Ben Johnson had used drugs and was stripped of his gold medal. I remember feeling ripped off and extremely disappointed.
Although he has his naysayers for some reason, I’ve always marvelled at his talents, and was impressed with how he seemed to be such a decent family guy. The full package, a guy you could really respect. Some may say I’m naive to be so surprised at all the revelations, and maybe that’s true, but I have lost the respect I had for him as a good guy and family man.
Will I still watch him play when he returns? Of course. The talent can’t be denied, but I’ll never look upon him in the same way again.

Nine days til Christmas….how did that happen so fast? I have to say though, pretty proud of myself for getting all my shopping and shipping of stuff done already though. That’s never happened before!

Like everyone else. Tired of the cold. How could you not be. But no sense complaining. The long johns are on now and it seems like they will be for the long haul.
Personally I would prefer a ton of snow to the cold/no snow format. I love a good snow storm. For some reason, when we have one of those rare, ’shut the city down’ storms, that we haven’t had for a while, I just love it. I also really enjoy being able to announce to the school kids on the morning show that school is cancelled! I remember as a kid, the ’snow day’ was always one of the great days of the year.

Canada’s reputation has taken a few hits at the World Climate change meetings in Copenhagen. I don’t know a lot about the topic, but I thought we had a pretty good record with controlling emissions etc, but I guess that’s not the case. But we’ll all have a chance to feel good about our country again very soon. The World Jr. hockey tourny gets underway on Boxing day, and as always, it’s one of the most exciting times of the year for hockey fans and, in fact, all Canadians. Always extra special when it’s right here in Canada, as it is again this year.
One can only imagine how that excitement is going to crest with the Olympics in Feb!

Haven’t actually seen a movie in a while but hear that Avatar, coming out this Fri and Up In The Air with Clooney, which comes out Christmas day, are supposed to both be fantastic. I’m not a sci-fi guy, so I’ll probably lean more toward the Clooney flick. One thing is for sure, I’ll pick up a copy of The Hangover, which came out this week on DVD, and watch it again over the holidays with the boys.
Funniest movie I’ve seen in ages, but don’t take my word for it. I haven’t heard one person who’s seen it say any differently.

Lovin Brett Farve’s and the Vikes performance this year. How can you not chear for the guy?

I”ll leave it at that for now, but return here soon. I mean it this time!!

Hear from you in the morn. Thanks so much for listening. And……MERRY CHRISTMAS!