Do You Believe In Ghosts?

Halloween morning was a perfect time to take the WBMW Wakeup Club on the road to Mystic Seaport. Come to find out, this tourist attraction has a house which is thought to be, well, haunted. The Buckingham House was the place to be in our search for beings beyond this life. My co-host Rebecca, along with a couple of psychics and WBMW middayer Heidi West, were more ready to believe in the presence of the paranormal. I provided more of a skeptical view of the whole thing, and enjoyed my Doubting Thomas role. We were very happy to draw some attention to one of the treasures of Mystic Coast & Country - even under these spooky circumstances.

Home Stretch of Campaign '08

Here's a role I can't say I've ever been in before: debate moderator. This week, the Eastern Connecticut Chamber of Commerce presented a breakfast debate between Ned Lamont, the Connecticut co-chairman of the Barack Obama campaign, and Chris Healy, state GOP chairman and head of the state's John McCain campaign. Both made very eloquent arguments for their respective candidates with little need for me to step in. WBMW was a debate sponsor, which explained the presence of this debate neophyte. After the debate, veteran TV political reporter and consultant Duby MacDowell introduced herself and certainly made my day with some kind words. Of course, I wondered why she hadn't been tapped as moderator, but I was very appreciative of the opportunity. Now go vote!

2000 Take Part in Start! Heart Walk

It was a chilly Sunday morning on the beach at Rocky Neck State Park in Niantic, but that didn't deter 2000 people from joining our 2008 Start! Walk for Heart Health. Rebecca and I (the picture of health to the left), along with Tina Detelj from News Channel 8, were emcees to kick off this 5K walk through the park. Subway, Lawrence & Memorial Hospital, Pfizer, Mohegan Sun and other major corporate sponsors played a big part in making this year an even bigger success. Rebecca brought along baby Liliana, who seemed to thoroughly enjoy the outdoor experience. Heart disease touches practically everyone, and a few changes in a daily exercise routine can really make a difference. A walk through a place like Rocky Neck does make it a pleasure - and no, we didn't take the shortcut this time!

Our Miss L Gets Hitched

Is it Mrs. or Ms L now? I think of our little group in the morning as a family, so it was an especially big deal when Lori took the plunge this past weekend in a beautiful ceremony overlooking New London Harbor and Ocean Beach. Miss L is co-host next door of the Jammin' 107-7 Morning Jam with Brian Ram. In addition to frequently putting Brian in his place on that show, Lori also schedules music for Soft Rock 106.5 and makes sure someone is scheduled for both stations' frequent remote broadcasts. She also goes solo after 9am on Jammin' with a feature called "Shake Your Behind at Nine." Take it from me - after seeing Miss L dancing at her wedding, she practices what she preaches! Miss L and I are still not convinced about Brian and rhythm ever being synonymous, but it's not about him this time. It was Lori's night. Congratulations!

Happy Anniversary, Mystic Pizza!

Mystic Pizza - the movie - celebrated its 20th anniversary here in the town that made it possible. Tricia Cunningham, an occasional WBMW morning co-host, and the rest of the folks at the Greater Mystic Chamber of Commerce put together a birthday celebration this past Friday at the Mystic Hilton. We were there for a live broadcast and, of course, the pizza! Director Donald Petrie and actor William R. Moses (the one being mobbed by the women) were on hand. A special screening of the film was held afterward at the Mystic Village Cinema for this "romantic comedy with the works." This modest $3 million film is best known nationally as the breakthrough for Julia Roberts. A lot of local people have plenty of memories of the making of Mystic Pizza. Our own afternoon driver Jody was a script runner and I hear she has "some stories" about the making of the movie. The movie also was the start of the trend toward more movies being made in Connecticut and helped propel Mystic to the forefront as a tourist destination. It was certainly a birthday well worth observing. Yes, the pizza served was from Mystic Pizza!

If I don't look, will it go away?

This is my favorite time of year, but instead of planning a road trip to see the foliage of New Hampshire's White Mountains I'm watching how much I have to put in my gas tank. There's some good news, as I saw one gas station on Route 85 in Montville lowering its price for regular to $3.13.9 a gallon. Everybody's talking about the economy, and the attention on the energy crunch has been eclipsed by the credit crunch. What do we do? There's plenty of blame to go around: greedy corporations, irresponsible investors, people maxing out their plastic and every politician I can think of from both parties looking the other way. So that's what I'm going to do now. Sure, we'll give the headlines about the economy on the Wakeup Club, but my dwelling on the mess won't do a thing to clean it up. I'm just going to take care of my own loose ends. It's time to get rid of my last debt: car payments. Only after that can the 52" flat screen HD-TV become a reality - but maybe not. I'm not going to pull everything out of the bank and put it under a mattress. I refuse to deny myself a latte at Starbucks if I really want one. I resolve not to consult CNBC for a stock report every hour. No way am I going online to see what that Vanguard Star Fund is doing today. Let the movers and shakers on Wall Street, Capitol Hill, Madison Avenue, Main Street and everywhere else get their act together. Wake me up when it's over - or when it's time to vote.

Season Premiere of Glenn & Rebecca!

Rebecca has certainly resonated with many of our regular listeners who have followed the story of her pregnancy and new arrival. We've kept the Wakeup Club going with Phred filling in and occasional call-ins from Rebecca over the past couple of months, but I'm looking forward to having her back. It's sort of like a summer vacation away from a very strange school, although I'm sure "vacation" may not be the word Rebecca would use to describe her time away. The first day back will probably feel like the first day of a new school year. Getting back into a routine that involves a 3:30 a.m. wakeup call is rough enough without the responsibility of a baby. She and her husband Bryan (pictured) are up to the task. Even so, I'll do my best to make sure we ease into what can best be called a "season premiere" Monday morning on WBMW. That sounds better than the first day of a school year, anyway. There won't be any homework or pop quizzes the first few days if I have anything to say about it!