MENTOS-THE GEYSER MAKER PT. II

If you happen to have run by the website www.eepybird.com, then, you know about the video of Fritz Grobe and Stephen Voltz putting Mentos in some Diet Coke and watching it skyrocket and make the fizzy fountain. Well, tonight they are going to be on David Letterman!!

If you're not a night owl, then you might want to catch the Today Show, because they'll be on there tomorrow. I hope they put on a good show...I would love to see 200 Diet Coke Bottles and 500 Mentos on the TV! I'm sure that Dave and Matt Lauer will make it fun, too!

Chalmer

The 4th

Hope you and your family will be able to take in all sorts of activities this weekend. There is so much to do!!!

If you happen to be in Jonesborough this weekend for Jonesborough Days, please don't hesitate to wave or shout, "Hi, Chalmer!" I'll be the emcee for the main stage for this year's festival. It should be lots of fun! There will be lots people there, too. It was named as one of the top festivals to visit in the South this year. It will take place on Saturday and Sunday in the Historic Downtown area. If you would like to see a list of all the amazing things that'll be going on--and check on a couple of prices, parking, etc...--make sure you drop by Jonesborough's official website www.jonesboroughtn.org It is the perfect resource to make sure that you can take everything in, and not be stressed about getting around.

The Liberty Celebration is also going on in Kingsport. This event is chock full of choirs, music, dance troupes, and salutes to God and country. It will take place at Eastman's Toy F. Reid Employee Center and begins tomorrow night (June 30th @ 7:30pm) and again Saturday @ 2:30pm and 7:30pm. Link to more information at www.wcqr.org

Those are just a couple of things going on this weekend. I'm know there are many, many more. Although, what is most important is that you celebrate...and safely at that...with those closest to you. And if it happens to cross your mind in all the festivities, say a prayer of thanks for being so blessed to live where we do.

Enjoy!
Chalmer

Behold! The Ranking of Words

You might have a favorite word that you use all the time. What you might not know is how often is it used in the English language. Now, you can!

Here's a really fun website that ranks 86800 works in order of usage (as of 6-28-06.) The number one word is THE...The last ranking word is the fun word of CONQUISTADOR. You can plug in your favorite and see where it ranks. I couldn't resist.

After seeing Napoleon Dynamite I've found myself saying "SWEET" a whole lot. So, I typed it in...Viola! It turns out it's pretty high on the list at 2702! Coffee does a bit better at 1540. But don't expect them to stay in those places. They get moved around a bit.

Have more word fun by visiting http://www.wordcount.org/main.php

Chalmer--which is not in the archive of 86800 words :)

Eat Your Veggies

If your kids don't want to eat their vegetables...keep trying!

New research has found that children largely inherit their taste for high-protein foods like meat and fish from you. However, a liking for vegetables and puddings was less likely to be fixed Rather, it is more the result of the menu provided to them. It was not clear why environmental factors were more influential in determining preferences for fruit, vegetables and puddings...Experts are saying it may be down to the greater variety of choice available in these categories - or how you show enthusiasm or distaste for them. So, smile and eat that spinach :)

PS-The study also found that girls were more likely to enjoy vegetables than boys.

Have a great dinner!
Chalmer

Cafe' Chalme'

You can see from one of my links that I feel that coffee is one the best things that has happened for the human race. This morning, I heard the news say that there was yet another coffee study. (One seems to come out every week :) This one puts coffee in a good light, especially if you are a decaf drinker.

The new study found that drinking a lot of coffee, especially decaf, may help prevent diabetes. The apparently followed 28,000 women for 11 years and had them journal their habits. The findings were simply that you were 33% less likely to be at risk for the disease if you drank about 6 cups daily (36oz.) compared to those who drank no coffee at all.

The interesting thing is that since the coffee is decaf...caffeine has no bearing on this study. So, it's something else that is good for you in the beverage. Of course, more research is needed to see whether coffee might play a role in diabetes prevention. (that could be heavenly :) Experts still say that regular exercise, good diet and a regular checkup with the doctor are the best ways to prevent diabetes.

In honor of this study, I thought I should let you know that being the coffee fanatic that I am, I have finally attempted to homeroast some beans!! I've made two batches so far from some Costa Rican beans that I bought in Elizabethton. The first batch, I made a VERY dark espresso roast, and the second I made what you would call a Full City Roast ( Dark Brown.) I gave the second batch to some friends. Who, in turn, had already purchased some great coffee from Minnesota for me. I'm stocked! (Thanks Denns & Marie!) In all honesty, I don't know why I waited so long to try homeroasting. It's really fun, and it doesn't take much time or money. Just make sure you have good ventilation or are outside, and look up the different ways you can roast. Sorry Starbucks, Cafe' Chalme' is the freshest thing goin'.

Fill my cup to the top with hot, brown water!

Chalmer

Save Our Sundae

I scream! You scream! We all scream that we're the first place to have an ice cream sundae!

Well, okay, not here, but controversy over where the ice cream sundae was first conceived has sparked a debate between Ithaca, NY and Two Rivers, Wis.

Ithaca claims the dessert was created there in 1892 by a pharmacy owner, but Two Rivers residents maintain it was developed there in 1881.

And they take the matter so seriously that the Two Rivers City Council passed a proclamation directing Ithaca to 'cease and desist' from laying claim to being the birthplace of the sundae. Belive it or not, they even went further! Two Rivers then had attendees to their Sundae Thursday, a celebration much like Jonesborough Days (only it's centered around the ice cream sundae, of course) sing the Ice Cream Fight Song!! Then, they put that performance on a DVD to send to Ithaca's mayor!

See pictures from Sundae Thursday and read the lyrics to the Ice Cream Fight Song, also known as the Sundae Fight Song, here. It's sung to the tune of On Wisconsin (tune here). According to the Journal, Ithaca plans to retaliate.

Tsk. Tsk. They need to learn to turn the other che-uh-"scoop."

CH

93.7 FM!!

WCQR officially signed on in Greeneville, TN earlier today! That is very exciting news for us and many in the area who have been wanting Christian radio to be present in their town. Mike Perry (Our GM) and Randy Pierce (Underwriting Director) were on hand giving out free doughnuts, juice, and a lots of great conversation.

Thanks to your support, Greenevile residents and visitors can catch WCQR 24/7 on the new 93.7FM. Tell your friends!

CH

Oddsfish

If you've ever used this product, I'm sure it works fantastically. However, forgive me, but I just got caught off guard when I saw it in the store. I couldn't help but laugh out loud. Then, I decided it was so interesting that I had to take a picture of it.

Actually, this picture sparked a conversation last night at church about all sorts of things you can use on your hair that you can buy in the grocery store. For instance, did you know that chamomile tea can be used for highlights? Guess that gives new meaning to Au Natual!

Chalmer

I'm not sure I understand...

Lots of things have made the day quite busy and hectic. That seems typical...I know I'm not alone. The other day I remember reading something about how Americans don't take a lunch break to eat...but rather use it for running errands. I was going to try and do that today. Remind me not to do that again. :)

Both Meredith and I had to get our car oil changed, and the bonus was that we would get to see each other for a quick lunch because the restaurant was close by. AWESOME, right? Well, almost. I don't know what it is about when you are in a hurry, but everything seems to take longer or something doesn't go right when you need it to. That's what happened today.

We dropped off our cars; Meredith had a table. When I got there, we order a couple of quick lunch things (so we thought,) and were excited about hanging out. Well, I noticed our cars were finished about midway through our conversation, but still no food. Wait. Wait. Talk. Wait. Talk. Wait. All of a sudden, I had 5 minutes before I had to leave and still no food.

So, I kindly asked for mine to be placed in a box, and off I went to pay for the oil change (Good idea, Meredith.) Only problem was that I stood in the service area of the oil place for more than 5 minutes with no one offering to help or ask if I needed anything, even though they saw me in the lobby. I understand they were busy...and I was patient. But I decided I needed to take the matter into my own hands. I finally went and found someone and all was well. I paid, and went back to the restaurant. Picked up my now "to-go" lunch, kissed my wife "Hasta luego," and made my merry way back to work (praying all the way that I wouldn't be late--I don't like being late.)

Deep breath!!!!

I hope your day is filled with a bit less stress on time limits, and are able to, again, relax a bit.

At least the food still tastes good :)

Happy First Day of Summer!
Chalmer

Like a Kid

LOL!!!

I completely felt like a kid again when we were talking about Cars and the new Superman movie at lunch today. When I was little, all the TV shows (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, GI Joe, Transformers...you may have watched Jem, My Little Pony, etc...) made me use my imagination like crazy. It didn't hurt that I had a good backyard, as well as some good friends around to carry on the adventures. Good times.

So, it just made crack-up when I saw that someone had put up a YouTube video of the new Superman Returns trailer...done in LEGOS!!!!

Here's the Link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIi7c10tLYY

What makes you feel like a kid again?
CH

Lookie, Lookie!

I have been meaning to tell you how neat it was to go see Dave Price and the CBS Early Show as they came through Johnson City the weekend before last (June 9th.) Better late than never!

It was really cool to see the turnout that they received, and to have them come into town to bring our Assistant Fire Chief, Mark Finucane, a GREAT VACATION!! He received an Alaskan Cruise! Wow! So many of us had signs...including me. This is a picture from CBS' website. You can see my homemade WCQR WELCOMES THE CBS EARLY SHOW sign (look on the Right hand sife...look for the CBS Eye logo.) Dave even signed it at the end of the broadcast. He was a nice guy, and apparently he really likes Johnson City. Maybe that means we'll see him again.





This photo is of Dave giving the vacation to Ast. Chief Finucane. Congrats!!! Thanks, CBS and Dave for stopping in our city!

Special

It's not something that is huge, but it is special to my wife and me.

Sometimes, she'll meet me at the station, and we have to make a jaunt to the McAlister's in Kingsport. It's not just for one thing...it's for two. Meredith (my wife) enjoys getting their bread bowl of Asiago cheese Bisque Soup (She likes the softer bread,) but even more so...it's a tea run. Honestly, they have the best, most consistent Sweet Tea in the Tri-Cities.
(That's the way I feel--you are entitled to your opinion :)

So, that's what we did today. It's always nice to be able to scoot out of the office for a few minutes and spend it just hanging out together. It seems to make the day go by a bit faster and much more pleasant. It also makes it doubly nice when the servers recognize you, treat you like family, and then your receipt comes up with a coupon on it for a discount on your next purchase.
(Insert:Napoleon Dynamite: "Lucky!") We did have to take a survey for it, and we didn't have a pen so we had to punch the verification code into my cell phone. Go fig.

Hope you were able to relax today, even if it were for five minutes....you deserve it.
If not, breath prayers do wonders! Breath prayers are the ones you say while taking a breath as your driving, walking or scrambling to the next thing. Don't worry they are heard by God, too.

CH

I'm no expert, but...

In this day of pizza delivery and speedy drive-through meals, it’s easy to transfer that lifestyle to our marriages.

And sometimes, we just need that nutrition to keep things healthy...I think we can all agree that peas are nutritious, so here are three P’s to feed your marriage.

Plan: Just as planning is important to the success of a meal, it's also vital to a marriage.

Praise: After you've had a scrumptious meal in a fine restaurant, it is customary to say, "my compliments to the chef." However, we often forget to send our compliments to the woman who washed the socks or to the man who mowed the lawn.

Pray: Just as a prayer should be offered before each meal, it must be integrated into our daily routine.

Source: Women Today Magazine

Wishing The Best For Your Marriage,
CH

MENTOS--THE GEYSER MAKER

If you would like to beat the heat, act like a kid again or just want your kids to have a lot of fun with your supervision and in the backyard, then a simple summer experiment is in order.

Follow these simple instructions:

Find a 2-liter bottle of Diet Soda and four Mentos. Plunge the Mentos mint candies into the Diet Soda bottle and stand back!

A geyser of soda will shoot as high as 20 feet in the air!!!!!!!

You might have seen the online video that shows a dancing fountain of the fizzy stuff using 101 2-liter Diet Coke bottles and 523 Mentos. But the interesting side effect is the serious business story that comes into play--Mentos sales have boosted since that video hit the web!

I find that completely hilarious! If you try this experiment, please be safe, but send me some photos, too!

chalmer@wcqr.org

CH

Now that's service!

I thought customer service had really gone out the window...until last night and this morning.

There must be something in the water...but if there is...I want it. I received the best service I have ever received in memories past. My story begins as Meredith, my wife, and I went to dinner. We decided that we would try SAHIB, a new Indian restaurant in town. We have seen the signs, and kept thinking...oh, we've gotta go there.

So, we walked in; were greeted with a HUGE smile; and as we sat down...they even pulled the chairs out for us. Next, a smile still on his face, asked us about our drinks as we looked over the menu. After being brought a delightful crisp bread with some sauces, we had made up our mind on what we wanted BUT we didn't really know the details. So, we asked our waited about the Vegetarian Combo for two. It came with soup, appetizer, two courses, and dessert...but we didn't know what to order within the scope of that. So, our waiter, being so kind, simply asked us a few questions...and chose our food dishes for us!!!!!!! Yup. I know many people couldn't do that, but Meredith and I aren't picky...and what we had was amazing! I can't pronounce any of it, but it was AWESOME! And all during the meal, our glasses were filled, and they treated us like we were royalty. Even after the meal, we asked for a take-out menu, and I asked if our waiter would be so kind as to circle what we had...and he did. No problem. We will find ourselves in there again and again and again.

After that, we zipped into Books-A-Million and were browsing. I had a gift certificate, but could remember the balance...so a nice lady helped me with that, even though she had to punch in the numbers. Smiles all around. Then, I wanted to nab some coffee, but I didn't see anyone at the counter. However, as soon as I approached the "ordering space," POOF, there was another happy, very nice lady to take and make my order in no time flat. Nice.

I also have very good friends...who hand delivered a package to me at Books-A-Million that we were supposed to head over and get from them. They didn't have to do that, but they did. Thanks!

And just when I thought it that it was just a yesterday thing. This morning, I had to call the Power Board. I not only got a real person, but on the line was another wonderful lady who took care of me in record time and you could tell that she was smiling the whole time. Then, as we wrapped up the phone call, she told me how much she loved WCQR. I said thank you for that and for taking care of me. She answered with "You're very welcome. Please keep taking care of us."

May God Bless you with undeniably incredible customer service :)
Chalmer

Mommy, I'm Bored!!!

Whether you've got a littlee bit of time or a lot of time, these suggestions will help continue to make summer fun!!

Here’s a list of 101 things you can do with ofr for kids:

Take a bike ride
Chaperone a dance
Be a camp counselor
Teach a class
Mentor
Help out with school-based activities
Teach car repair
Teach cooking
Teach sewing
Make ice cream sundaes
Teach letter writing
Teach photography
Teach driving
Put on a play
Learn to dance
Ride a horse
Teach a computer program
Have a bake sale to raise money for charity
Go sledding or skiing
Start a book club
Provide a ride
Do a soap-box derby
Go to the zoo
Build a web site
Go camping
Go to a park
Learn another language
See a musical
Ride a rollercoaster
Cultivate a garden
Help write an essay
Take a youth to your work
Go to the planetarium
Go to the circus
Start a collection
Do yoga
Assist with homework
Build a tree fort
Go canoeing
Visit a Museum
Have a bake sale
Go to a sporting event
Plant a tree
Paint a picture
Visit a national monument
Learn origami
Take a youth to a place they've never been
Visit the elderly
Organize a neighborhood clean-up day
Grow flowers
Sail a boat
Play Music
Plan a scavenger hunt
Go fishing
Have a car wash in the neighborhood
Go ice skating
Go to the beach
Teach good nutrition
Go for a boat ride
Have a pizza party
Go indoor rock climbing
Fly a kite
Juggle
Sing a song
Read poetry
Watch a classic movie
Play checkers or chess
Practice an instrument
Make jewelry
Do a crossword puzzle
Play cards
Play a sport
Lift weights
Draw a picture
Go to the pet store
Go rollerblading
Play a video game
Have a birthday party
Play catch
Learn how something works
Go swimming
Take an aerobics class
Do ceramics
Paint a mural
Coach a team
Build a birdhouse
Put on a puppet show
Do an arts and crafts project
Play table tennis
Teach a magic trick
Build a snowman
Go to a car show
Ask a youth what they want to be when they grow up, and encourage them
Create a photo album
Share old pictures from your youth
Teach the value of money
Talk about the neighborhood
Find out what interests a youth, and take them to the library to learn more
Discuss your heroes with a youth and ask them theirs
Have a youth make a list of all the things they love

101: Come to WCQR concerts! :)

Chalmer

Decisions...Decisions

Now this is my kind of election:

I grew up near Mayfield Dairy Farms, and I found out they are asking you to choose between 1 of 4 new flavors. And to make sure that you get a good taste of all of the new ice cream, they are headed to the Tri-Cities for official sampling events.

The four candidates are:

Triple Brownie

Blueberry Cream Pie

Extreme Moose Tracks
***This would be my pick before I even try them.****

Peanut Butter Cookie Dough

The best part about the sampling events is that they are completely FREE!!! That outta be a fun and COOL way to spend part of your day as a family. The sampling events will take place at several places throughout the Tri-Cities:

June 9-- 11:00 AM - 03:00 PM Ice Cream Sampling @ White's E Hwy 11, Piney Flats

June 10-- 11:00 AM - 03:00 PM Ice Cream Sampling @ Ingles' N Roan St, Johnson City

July 27-- 11:00 AM - 02:00 PM Ice Cream Sampling Anderson Park, Tri-cities


You can vote now for favorite or wait until you taste them and then make your decision. Not only that, if your kids want to get involved...they can visit the voting website to become a kid campaigner. They have materials like posters, iron-ons for T-Shirts, desktop themes, and campaign buttons.

Check it out at www.mayfieldvote.com

WE ALL SCREAM FOR ICE CREAM!!!
CH

Hot Now Doughnuts

... that's what a friend and I used to say when we saw the sign at KrispyKreme.

I found out that today is FREE DOUGHNUT DAY at none other than Krispy-Kreme!!!!!!!! Yes, those delectible delights of ooey-gooey goodness are FREE...well, at least you get one for free.

But you can't eat "just one" If you could, then you have more will power than I've ever had in my entire life, and that would be quite budget-friendly for you as well.

This was such good news, I almost thought that I was dreaming, so I pinched myself...no dream...and then I called the Kingsport Krispy Kreme to see if this were actually true or if my mind were playing tricks on me.

It was true, but only at participating locations....Kingsport, not being one of them. Shucks!

So, unfortunately, there will be no free doughnuts for me...unless I drove to Knoxville...or maybe Asheville. Hey....that's not so far away...carpool, anyone?!?!?! I hear the HOT sign buzzing!

CH

Alternate Route

If your kids really want a MySpace page, but you don't feel that is a good idea. There is now a viable alternative. Believe it or not, it was started in Chattanooga by parents who wanted something different. Something wholesome-ly relevant.

The new website is called JCFaith.com, and it has aspirations of delivering a clean, safe, and fun faith based alternative in the emerging online social networking arena.

On JCFaith you can share photos, blogs and interests with your growing network of friends. You can create and customize a profile page, use chat rooms, instant message, create forums, quizzes, polls, and post pictures.

JCFaith.com seeks to bring Christians together that have a passion for God, life, community and technology, but is also geared for those that want to learn more about the Christian faith.

So, I encourage you to check it out, and see what you think. Oh yeah, it's free too.

Chalmer