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This is the Grand Opening of Gary Gripes. That would likely make you think that this is the first episode, but you would be wrong. I was listening to a radio commercial for a new car dealer that opened for business nearly three months ago, but was loudly told that its Grand Opening was this Saturday. Evidently there are openings and then there are Grand Openings. — Go figure.

As best I can tell from the radio, the main thing about a Grand Opening and a regular opening involves balloons and ribbons, free hot dogs and drinks of an undefined variety, at least one clown, and a live country band. Oh yes, I nearly forgot: there are also once in a lifetime Grand Opening deals on cars and pickup trucks.

That last attraction makes me wonder if not picking up on one of those once in a lifetime deals this Saturday means that the car or pickup truck purchased just after the regular opening three months ago was way overpriced. Now there is something to gripe about: finding out three months later that your shiny new pickup was thousands of dollars too much. We know that because the radio ad assures us that we will save thousands of dollars if we buy a new car or pickup this Saturday. That can only be as compared to what we would have paid three months ago.

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A little complaining and a small dose of whining is fine now and then, but both whining and complaining can quickly turn into excuses for not sucking it up and taking care of business. Probably because I can’t see, one example of whining and complaining that truly annoys me is “I’m blind so I can’t and no one should expect me to.” I suspect the root of this for me is not having much patience for anyone who keeps finding excuses for not taking care of business. (Feel free to substitute any condition or issue that someone uses as an excuse for not digging in and doing whatever he or she needs to do to succeed.)

This blind thing is a lot of things but not all that complicated. First, it’s a condition that ranges from mild to severe, just like most conditions. Wherever we are on that continuum, it’s likely to get worse, at least until our condition is severe. That be as it may, there is not much we can do about it other than to whine. – Never under estimate the real value in whining. Our condition won’t change but whining can help us cope.

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I find it pretty annoying when I see what someone has done but have no idea why they did it. Case in point: why is my podcast and blog now Gary Gripes and not Audio Tidbits? Probably you don’t care but someone somewhere might. For that one curious listener, I am repeating this post/episode. That’s pretty thoughtful even if I say so myself which of course I just did.

I don’t recall just how many years my podcast has been called Audio Tidbits. As a title, that is rather clever but means nearly nothing. What does “Audio Tidbits” bring to mind? Probably a few things in general but mostly nothing in particular.

It’s sort of like a podcasting junk drawer. I can just toss most anything in there and it stays just like it belongs. Some of the episodes tossed in are quite good and another few are amazing; but for the most part, the majority are mediocre at best.

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I suppose you’ve heard that old advice about not changing horses in the middle of the stream. I guess it’s probably true that changing horses or jumping ship or cutting and running or however else I describe packing up and leaving town, change is never simple.

I have had a website called GaryCrow.net for quite a few years and use it for a blog and podcast. The website, blog and podcast were called Audio Tidbits for several years. The whole thing gradually turned into a rather uninteresting junk drawer over time. The other day, I removed all of the content and am committed to starting over better or not at all.

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