Florida – Page 3 – Geoff Fox: My Permanent Record

Ed McMahon

For the past few days I’ve been torn as to whether there should be an Ed McMahon entry in the blog. Though a huge presence on television he struck me as a man with little personal integrity. He sold what can politely be called “crap” on the Atlantic City Boardwalk and never really changed. Seemingly he’d shill any product.

His moral code aside, where he was really excellent was as Johnny Carson’s announcer/sidekick. Howard Lapides coined the term we liberally sprinkled Ed’s way. It was “FL” for fake laugh. If Carson intended something to be funny then it was funny to Ed! His laugh was loud and recognizable.

Don’t underestimate this power. The Tonight Show was ‘sweetened’ in real time by Ed. No post-production house could add a laugh track that would help as much.

I have one Ed McMahon story and it involves my very secretive friend from the San Fernando Valley and his spectacularly beautiful wife. I asked if he could get me tickets to see The Tonight Show and he asked her. She had been a page at NBC. She’d even appeared on The Tonight Show giving Johnny the prize envelopes on Stump The Band!

Her specialty was making sure you’d be seated “DIF” or “down-in-front.” That’s where I sat. Thank you Sue.

There are few places I’ve been that immediately seemed so eerily familiar–Mission Control in Houston and the big digital clock at the shuttle launch facility in Florida, CNN’s newsroom, the floor of the NYSE and Carson’s studio on West Alameda in Burbank. I’d seen it a thousand times before I ever set a foot inside.

The crowd entered and politely sat. We were excited. As taping time approached the band played a number and Ed came out to warm everyone up.

“There seems to have been a mistake–a clerical error,” he said.

The audience sighed worrying what was wrong and how it would affect our best laid plans.

“I don’t know how,” he continued, “but Johnny, Doc and I have been scheduled to work on the same night!”

The audience went nuts!

I remember that moment as if it was yesterday–in fact it is the only part of my Tonight Show experience I remember.

More Monitors–More Pixels

It looked like it would be a plug-and-play cakewalk–and it was!

Far be it for my parents to come for a visit and not bring a gift. In this case it was a 19″ LCD monitor my dad no longer uses. Because of his eyesight he has switched to a 22″ behemoth which he runs at fairly low resolution.

This monitor has been a long time coming. At one point they were thinking of mailing it. They found out that would cost about the same as a new monitor! It flew with them in a shopping bag.

My Nvidia GeForce 8600 GTS video card, an older card which is fine as long as I don’t become a gamer, has two outputs. Windows XP supports multiple monitors. It looked like it would be a plug-and-play cakewalk–and it was!

Configuring two monitors on one computer isn’t without some difficulties. A single screen stretched over two LCDs doesn’t quite know what to do when you maximize a browser or other window. Programs which throw a splash screens across the middle of the screen now straddle both!

After a while I reconfigured the video card to operate in Dualview. It’s never explained very well, but one monitor is the primary. It sees most opening programs first. Maximizing fills one monitor, not both. Programs can easily be dragged from one to the other.

I was still unhappy because the clock and task bar only showed on one monitor. I found and installed the free version of MultiMonitor Taskbar. Problem solved!

My only remaining problem is a physical one. The two monitors aren’t at the same height. A piece of wood should fix that or maybe I’ll move the power strip elsewhere.

Does having two monitors make a difference? Oh yeah! That’s especially true with Photoshop where I always had overlapping dialog boxes. Now everything is comfortably spread out. My resolution went from 1280×1024 to 2560×1024.

My friend Bob in Florida has four monitors. That’s a little over the top… right now. However, I seriously understand why he does it.

My Folks Go Back To Florida

My parents are both significantly older than they look or act. That’s no small compliment

The phone just rang… or whatever it is they do nowadays. “I’m sorry. Did I wake you?” It was my mom calling from Atlanta. They are halfway home. She knew after we dropped them off at the airport I’d head back to bed. I am much more easily predicted than the weather!

It was a successful trip. They got to watch their last grandchild graduate college. They were in the studio for my 25th anniversary. We spent lots of time together.

My mom had back problems this past winter. She could hardly walk. Yesterday she went to Manhattan with Helaine and Stef. “I walked 8,000,000 steps,” she said. Later it became, “I walked 9,000,000 steps.”

My parents are both significantly older than they look or act. That’s no small compliment.

My dad who had his own back problems yesterday and doesn’t match up well against a hot New York day stayed home with me. This is what is meant when the words “quality time” are used.

What we did wasn’t as important as the fact we did it together! I’m saying that because I think we watched MSNBC for 12 or 13 hours straight. If I saw Dick Cheney one more time I was going to waterboard myself!

My dad and I went to the diner for dinner. Just two guys going for omelets.

It’s a place I’ve been going to for 25 years so as we left I started to talk to the boss and then a few of the waitresses. The conversation got around to Las Vegas and my dad took out “the picture.”

Holy crap, he carries it around!

We joked around at how lucky we were to have the wives we have. He said he couldn’t figure out why Helaine settled for me when she could have done so much better. He was joking–right?

After a full week my parents were ready to return to Florida. Their friends are there. It’s in their comfort zone. There’s BINGO tonight (which they play though both claim they hate it). Now they can rest.

There’s another trip in store for them before this year is out. They’re going to Milwaukee. This winter they’ll become great-grandparents! My niece Jessica, their first grandchild, is expecting.

Where they live in Florida becoming a great-grandparent is equal to winning an Olympic medal.

“The” Weekend

The graduation is scheduled out-of-doors rain-or-shine. I don’t see any shine!

My daughter who reads this screed from time-to-time is graduating college. I could not be prouder or happier for her… for all of us. It will be a busy weekend.

My folks arrive from Florida late tomorrow morning. By tomorrow evening Helaine and I are due on Long Island for a dinner. Back to Connecticut late on Saturday we’ll turn around and do the same trip again Sunday!

The graduation is scheduled out-of-doors rain-or-shine. I don’t see any shine! Sunday looks like a dreadful day to sit outside in a stadium in the wind and rain and then move her stuff from the dorm.

It doesn’t make any difference, does it? It will be a good day and a day of great pride as our daughter takes this giant step. Now if someone would just fix the economy I’d really appreciate it.

A Lazy Day At Sea

No–there are no buts. The ship is very nice. So far I am pleasantly surprised/pleased by this Carnival cruise.

“The ship is very nice,” I said as I walked back in the room a few moments ago.

“But,” Helaine replied?

No–there are no buts. The ship is very nice. So far I am pleasantly surprised/pleased by this Carnival cruise. There is a lot to like.

We’d asked for early seating so were surprised when we got our assignment for late seating! Our decision was more a result of indecision, so this substitution wasn’t much of a problem. We headed for the Sensation Dining Room and were escorted to a table for six. A lone couple was sitting there.

For a few minutes it was mostly awkward silence and then we began to chat with Robert and Terry from Panama City, Florida. He is in construction, she hair. They’re both in second marriages, both with two children of their own–mid and late teens.

Terry has never seen snow!

We and they could not be more different and yet they’re great dinner company. I’m not sure there’s another way we could have met… but we did. Shipboard luck.

Dinner was was pretty good. The steak was a little dry. Helaine had touted the “Chocolate Melting Cake” based on what she’d read on line. Thank you Internet posters! The cake was great.

We headed to the main showroom for the “Welcome Aboard” show. If you’ve ever been on a cruise, you’ve seen this show. The ship features an oversized combo they refer to as an orchestra. They’d be better with better arrangements.

There were around a dozen boy and girl dancers. Each danced well, though no two started or stopped at the same time!

There was a featured male and female singer and they really could sing. Nice.

The cruise director was the emcee. That’s what cruise directors do.

The featured act was Tony Esposito, an Italian guy from the south. The southern Tony dominates the Italian. He was very funny. We’ll come back for his “R” rated show tonight.

Saturday began in the middle-of-the-night for us. I was spent long before midnight. We went to the casino anyway.

It was about this time I realized this ship and the NCL ship we were on a few years ago are very similar. In fact, they might be built from the same design. I’ll have to check when we’re back in Connecticut.

I love poker. The ship has a “PokerPro” electronic table. My thought was I’d eat up the competition, made mostly of people who never play. Maybe I will, but it’s going to be tougher than I though because of the rake structure. Rake is how casinos make money at the poker table. Mostly it’s 10%. Here it’s 12.5% and a $6, not $4, cap. That’s a huge amount of money removed from the table with each hand.

Today was a day at sea. I spent it walking the decks and shooting pictures. The weather was mainly sunny with a high in the mid-70s. The breeze was light.

This is not February in Connecticut!

Lucky Timing

We’ll be leaving from Jacksonville, FL and cruising to the Bahamas… as the shuttle takes off!

I have “use it or lose it” which must go within the next few weeks, so in spite of being off much of 2009 already, I’ll be taking another week. With a few free Southwest passes in the drawer and cold weather still dominating Connecticut we’re heading for a short cruise.

This was one of those what’s available decisions. We needed something that matched up on dates, available flights and price. We didn’t want to spend a lot.

We’ll be leaving from Jacksonville, FL and cruising to the Bahamas… as the shuttle takes off!

Date: Feb. 22 *

Mission: STS-119

Launch Vehicle: Space Shuttle Discovery

Launch Site: Kennedy Space Center – Launch Pad 39A

Launch Time: TBD

Description: Space shuttle Discovery launching on assembly flight 15A, will deliver the fourth starboard truss segment to the International Space Station.

These flights to the ISS head northeast at launch. Most of the non-ISS flights headed south of east. I’m not sure how close we’ll be, but I’m hoping the cruise line keeps us close enough to watch. When you’re launching a roman candle the size of a large office building you don’t have to be right on top of it to get a glimpse.

As An Eagles Fan

They peaked at the right time and everything else magically fell into place.

As an Eagles fan I am very pleased by today’s victory over the Giants. Oh hell, I’m ecstatic, as is Helaine, as is Stef down in Florida (but watching with my Giants fan dad).

As the Eagles swooned mid-season none of us thought this was in the offing. Up until the last day of the season we didn’t think they’d make it. They peaked at the right time and everything else magically fell into place.

The Eagles will not be favored the rest of the way, but I think a convincing case can be made they should be.

One of the Fox announcers said the Eagles were currently “playing with house money.” That’s a good place to be.

We’re Back In Snow Mode

Over my career I have felt like the guy who belts a walk-off homer and also like the one who gave up that pitch! It is awful to be wrong. I try hard to be right because I fear being wrong. That’s a pretty good motivator.

Getting back into snow mode. Storm coming Saturday we’ll say noonish, but that time is flexible right now.

Year-by-year the amount of snow becomes less important. It snows–life stops. Schools have buses. They don’t want them traipsing around in the snow. I savvy.

For grownups, we’re all a little spoiled. The clean-up has been mechanized and perfected. No one is snowed in for long.

We’re taking Stef to the airport Saturday. She”s heading down for a week in Florida with my parents… in the condo… in Boynton. It is its own little soap opera with a well established cast.

My parents lived here in town as Steffie grew up. They are very close. All sides are looking forward to this.

When she gets there they’ll call and give us crap about the snow.

Depression Depression

You can’t stand in the middle of the Interstate and stop cars by holding out your hands.

The TV is off. It’s quiet down here in the family room. My feet are up on a table (sorry) and the laptop’s in my lap. I can’t bring myself to turn the TV on. The financial news has been too depressing these last few weeks.

I understand why what followed 1929 was the Great Depression. It’s more than numbers that were down.

I’m not an old guy&#185, but I’m old enough to be planning for retirement. Much of what I was going to use has now disappeared–poof. It took until 1954 to recover fully from 1929. I’ll be 83 in 25 years.

Helaine and I have stopped talking about the meltdown. I assume she’s feeling the same way and there’s nothing we can do. I was going to say “not much we can do,” but “nothing” is the reality.

We’ve got it good. We’re virtually debt free. Our mortgage is down to its last few years. I can’t imagine what it’s like for people who’d been living on the edge. The edge is moving closer to them moment-by-moment. Money is a cause of stress even in good times–but now!

I’ve made up my mind for president. I think my choice is wise, but I suspect there will be little he can do in the short term. You can’t stand in the middle of the Interstate and stop cars by holding out your hands.

And how was your day?

&#185 – After Tuesday’s debate my parents, both long retired and living with other seniors in Florida, said McCain looked old. Wow–where’s the love?

Gustav Hits Jamaica

“European, best overall model in world by far has Hanna hitting New Orleans harder than Gustav.” He’s right, but it’s just a curious model output–nothing more.

Not a great tourist day on Jamaica. Manley Airport near Kingston has been reporting winds in the mid-40 mph range. Not sure why, but they don’t report gusts.

Jamaica has seen worse–little consolation. Mudslides are often the product of this kind of weather.

My buddy Bob in Florida hit me up on IM. “European, best overall model in world by far has Hanna hitting New Orleans harder than Gustav.” He’s right, but it’s just a curious model output–nothing more.

4:09 PM Me: that is scary–but it’s over a week out!

4:10 PM Bob: yes, i didn’t say i believe it

There is no forecasting skill for this type of storm over that period of time. Even knowing that, folks like us still look at the maps as far as they go.

If Gustav ‘attacks’ New Orleans everyone will evacuate. If Hanna follows on Gustav’s heels they’ll leave again. I’m not sure they’ll return.

Charley Meet Fay

I remember Charley blossomed very quickly before landfall.

Tropical Storm Fay’s track is starting to resemble Hurricane Charley’s. Charley hit Florida’s west coast four years ago this past week. Certainly, Charley took a more southerly path getting there, avoiding Hispanola and the interaction Fay is having with Cuba’s landmass. From here on out the forecast tracks are very similar.

I remember Charley blossomed very quickly just before landfall.

Charley rapidly intensified, strengthening from a 110 mph (180 km/h) hurricane with a minimum central barometric pressure of 965 mbar (hPa; 28.50 inHg) to a 145 mph (230 km/h) hurricane with a pressure of 941 mbar (hPa; 27.49 inHg) in just 6 hours. The storm continued to strengthen as it turned more to the northeast, and made landfall near the island of Cayo Costa, Florida as a 150 mph (240 km/h) Category 4 hurricane at approximately 3:45 p.m. EDT (1945 UTC) on the 13th. An hour later, the hurricane struck Punta Gorda as a 145 mph (230 km/h) storm. However, the eye had shrunk before landfall, limiting the most powerful winds to an area of 6 nautical miles (11 km) of the center.

Fay will cross Cuba a weaker storm. Cuba is quite mountainous (ask Fidel), the hurricane’s mortal enemy. However, the Gulf is very warm this time of year–explosively warm.

Cruising The Thimble Islands

People are there, living less than a mile from Branford, yet totally isolated. It’s pretty cool. And we were riding by, looking at them as if they were on exhibit at the zoo!

My biggest fear (and Helaine’s too) on my parent’s trip to Connecticut was they’d sit in front of the TV and veg out. They’re active at home in Florida. That’s part of the reason they’re younger than their chronological age. With that in mind we’ve tried to have things for them to do. We’re willing to entertain.

After Helaine and I returned from another jaunt up Sleeping Giant&#185 and I showered, I took my folks to the Town Dock in the Stony Creek section of Branford. In this sedate like harbor lie the Thimble Islands. We were going on a Thimble Island cruise.

A little science first. When the glaciers retreated at the end of the last ice age, much of the debris that had been pushed forward was left in place. That’s how Long Island got there. It’s also how many of the craggy rock faces of Connecticut came to be. Some smaller deposits formed the Thimbles and other islands in Long Island Sound.

We got a good parking spot close to the pier and walked on-board the Sea Mist, a 44-footer that does hourly tours of the nearby islands. A few minutes later, we were underway.

What makes the Thimble Islands so interesting is they are mainly populated–even the ones that are little more than a rock barely jutting out of the water at high tide. Some have a single home. Others have a small cluster of buildngs. There are no year-round residents.

People are there, living less than a mile from Branford, yet totally isolated. It’s pretty cool. And we were riding by, looking at them as if they were on exhibit at the zoo!

The water off Branford tends to be smooth and on this day with little wind it was glass-like. For 45 minutes we threaded our way between the rocks as Justin, at the wheel, told the story of each.

This will not replace Disneyworld. Today it was very nice… very relaxing… very Connecticut. I’m glad I got to share it with my folks.

&#185 – I’m glad to say Woody, who many of you have seen commenting here, has also begun to walk the mountain. It continues to be a rewarding experience for Helaine and me.

A Day On The River With My Dad

I had hoped for a day that could be characterized by a scene like that. God, I hope that last sentence makes sense.

I’m tired. Long day. Lots accomplished. This crap about vacations being for resting… I don’t think so.

Stef was babysitting this morning. That put her afternoon shopping with my mom on hold, which left enough time for Helaine and me to hoof it to the top of Sleeping Giant. I expected this week would be sans walking. Wrong.

And I claim to predict the future for a living! What a scam.

Back–oatmeal–shower. Stef takes my mom and drives off. This leaves Helaine, my dad and me in the house. I had a plan. I asked my dad if he wanted to take a drive to take some photos? I knew the answer before I popped the question.

Have I mentioned I predict the future for a living? I’m pretty good at it.

We hopped in the car and headed toward Chester. The top was down on this sunny afternoon. This whole trip was a leap of faith. I programmed our destination and blindly followed the disembodied GPS voice toward the Chester/Hadlyme ferry slip.

My folks lived in Connecticut for fourteen years before moving to Florida, but I guarantee this ferry (and its sister that runs between Rocky Hill and Glastonbury) was totally off their radar.

My goal was simple–get access to the Connecticut River. Is there a better way to see it than crossing it in a boat? Actually, calling this ferry a boat is a stretch. I’m not sure how to describe it, except to say “small.” The web write-ups consistently say it takes 8 or 9 cars. Yes, but with a shoehorn.

We timed it perfectly, getting to the slip as the ferry was halfway to the other side. That gave us time to get out of the car and take some shots.

As I approached the ramp, a canoe glided by. A woman in a two piece was paddling as a large black dog stood watch in the front. I had hoped for a day that could be characterized by a scene like that. God, I hope that last sentence makes sense.

“The present ferry, the Selden III,was built in 1949. It is an open, self-propelled craft, 65 feet long and 30 feet wide. The vessel can accommodate 8 to 9 cars and 49 passengers. The Selden III provides a convenient, direct link between Chester and Hadlyme at Route 148.” – CT DOT

I definitely recommend the ferry over the free bridge a few miles upriver. The ferry toll is $3 for a car and passengers, but it’s a piece of heaven. About &#190 of the way across the deckmate looked up and told the handful of passengers there was an eagle overhead. Holy crap, there was!

Making it to the Hadlyme side was all I had planned for the day, but it was still early. I asked my dad if he wanted to visit Gillette Castle? It became our next stop.

William Gillette was a stage actor, born in the 1850s. His specialty was Sherlock Holmes. Born too soon for the movies (he has a few picture credits from the 1910s), he still did very well financially. Gillette Castle was his estate, overlooking the Connecticut River at East Haddam.

I visited the castle when I was a little kid and the fear induced by seeing this very weird residence (now a state park) is still with me! I felt sorry for the young kids being dragged in by their parents. They will not sleep well tonight.

“Gillette Castle, built at a cost of about $1 million and completed in 1919, features a number of peculiarities including hidden mirrors, a lock-protected bar and intricate, hand-carved door latches on each of the castle’s 47 doors–no two are alike.” – About.com

I have more of an appreciation of Gillette’s home today. The outside is still strange to see, but inside is now more understandable.

It was hot today, so as I explored the home, my dad stayed downstairs. I can’t say enough about the Castle staff who brought him a chair and made sure he was comfortable. Then they let me backtrack (wrong way on the one-way stairs) to rejoin him when I was done.

We got back to the car and I punched the GPS screen a few more times, programming in our next destination. It wasn’t long before we were at the Goodspeed Opera House. As strange as it is to say, this theater in the middle-of-nowhere has an astounding history of spawning Broadway hits, including Annie!

Talk about spooky looking buildings!

The Victorian inspired theater sits on the river too, but at a much lower elevation than Gillette Castle. Unfortunately, there wasn’t the easy foot access we had there either. I went out and took a few pictures of the opera house and the swing bridge across the Connecticut and got back in the car.

That was it for us. We were ready to go home.

I am very lucky indeed to have a father I enjoy sharing afternoons like this with. I’m luckier still, he enjoys sharing them with me.

The Other Geoff Foxes

I grew up thinking I had this name to myself. Another childhood fantasy gone bust.

I suppose I’m lucky to have GeoffFox.com as my own. As obscure as my name might seem, there are lots of us Geoff Foxes around. More than I ever realized!

There’s Geoff Fox who’s a newspaper reporter in Florida. Tampa Geoff, you’ll be glad to know, I specifically exclude your byline from my “Geoff Fox” Google search. Otherwise, you’d overwhelm me.

There’s an author named Geoff Fox who lives (or lived) in Brooklyn, NY. He owns GeoffreyFox.com. Damn! I could have had that too. To say he is a prolific author is an understatement!

Also up there in the impressivosity (not a word, but it should be) Dr. Geoffrey Fox from Indiana University. Dr. Fox is a professor (whereas I am closer to Gilligan) in the Department of Computer Science, School of Informatics. What exactly is informatics?

The most famous Geoff Fox is probably the guy who owns Fox Racing–well known in motocross circles. He could probably buy and sell us all.

This all comes up because my forward searching brought me news of Geoff Fox who did quite well at the Worcestershire UK Golf Club’s Captain’s Day. Good at golf? He’s no relative of mine.

I grew up thinking I had this name to myself. Another childhood fantasy gone bust.

I Stalk Myself

We’re talking 1970-71. Is there really someone out who knows my career details from 35 plus years ago? Wow!

It’s true, I stalk myself. Google searches for me across the Internet and when it finds a new listing it sends me an email with the link. Thanks Sergey and Larry.

I don’t get that many hits, but every once in a while it’s something juicy. People forget they’re speaking in public. They don’t realize Google reads sparsely traveled boards.

This was posted around a month ago. It was part of a conversation about West Palm Beach radio.

Before that it was WGMW a rock station, co-owned by Tom Kegel (sp) ex of WIRK. He brought over Geoff Fox ex WIRK, WQXT, WMUM and now a TV weatherman in CT. The odd thing was that they had a night time talk show with an older ex-NY radio guy known as Half beard. Apparently in his early days his stunt had been to shave 1/2 his face

We’re talking 1970-71. This guy has just correctly named four stations I worked at. Is there really someone out who knows my career details from 35 plus years ago? Wow!

The guy with the, then, clean shaven face was Mitch Sandler. He had been Professor Half Beard in an earlier incarnation. I don’t remember his air style, except he was older, smart and very liberal. There were a lot of very liberal people back then. Mitch passed away a long time ago.

This was an interesting station. Physically, we had glassed in studios at a failed mall with little traffic in Riviera Beach, Florida. We were automated, meaning tapes and cartridges fired in sequence or by timer. I designed the format and it was impossible to tell we weren’t live. It was a mostly (not totally) dependable system from Shaffer, who served mostly beautiful music stations back then.

To save money, the owners had me do the morning show, but work all-night. Then, they’d forget to saunter in until 9:30 or 10:00 O’clock. Maybe some day I’ll forget that treatment.

Tonight’s other Google tip was for a more recent post by someone who calls himself “TheNews”

“WTNH’s Geoff Fox Out?,” “His bio is off the WTNH site. It would be sad he’s been there since 1984!”

It would, wouldn’t it? This was a screw-up at the station. They redesigned a webpage and left me off. It happens.

“His pic is still on the storm team 8 banner on top. And other graphics. I never really cared for Geoff Fox. At least at Channel 3 when Hilton left they gave him a be party at the end of the newscast and everything,” – Ken.

For those skimming, Ken didn’t care for me. Hilton is Hilton Kaderli, formerly of WFSB in Hartford and an icon in this market. I’m glad to have him as a friend.

I would be lying if I said Ken’s opinion of me doesn’t make me cringe a little. It’s part of my job and I accept it–but grudgingly.

On the other hand, there’s stuff like this from “oldschooltv”

“I think he was on vacation last week (see his blog: geofffox.com). Personally, I like Geoff. Forecasting in Connecticut is not easy with all the various micro-climates we have due to the hills, valleys, inland, shoreline, etc. He knows our area well and has been around for a long time. They’d be crazy to ever get rid of him.”

This is eavesdropping, right?

At the moment, I’m wondering how many of my co-workers and contemporaries do the same thing with Google? I have no clue. I wonder if Hilton will see this?

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