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JerseySmarts.com

Sirius and XM Approved to Merge

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After what seems like an eternity, Sirius Satellite Radio and XM have been approved to merge by the Federal Communications Commission. This is at once both good and frightening news. Good news because there was no reason to stop these two companies from merging in the first place and – as a combined organization – they may have the ability to become a profitable company. Frightening news because the merger plan has taken over 18 months to be approved.

What the hell is wrong with our government that it takes 18 months to approve the merger of two extremely small companies? Sad, really…

And it’s funny how politics makes strange bedfellows. The biggest personality on satellite radio is Howard Stern – someone who has been critical of the Republican administration for quite some time now. Who cast the deciding vote to allow the merger? A Republican. The Democrats on the FCC were looking to bog down the merger with such a massive amount of needed extras that it would have looked unappealing for any company.

In the end, as a consumer of satellite radio I’m happy. I’ve been thinking of giving up the service since Howard Stern is one of the main reasons that I even have Sirius XM and he’s only on a small fraction of the time due to a ridiculous vacation schedule. But now that the two companies have been allowed to merge – I’ll probably stick around for a little bit longer!

Late Night at the Gym

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Since there aren’t really any crazy stories coming out of my gym visits any more (which is actually a nice change of pace), I don’t have much to say about my visit to the gym last night. The only odd thing about it was that I got there at 10:00pm which is about 10 minutes away from my usual bed time!

I don’t know – sometimes you just get the urge to go to the gym and go for a quick run. It made no sense and I’m tired for it now (the infamous “day after”), but it was actually a good, quick 45 minute workout to end my day.

The only thing that took me by surprise was that two of the guys that I advise (Scotty J and Ebony) were at the gym lifting weights at 10:00pm last night, too! As I said to them last night – who the hell lifts weights at such unGodly hours?!? Well the answer is – they do. And they’re in great shape because of it. Both of those guys have great commitment and I was impressed.

And now I’m tired.

Almost Went Back to the Weird Old Days

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The other night I got an e-mail from my old gym to let me know that their pool and jacuzzi are finally installed and working. For some history, I joined this gym in November 2003 and had a great deal of success there due to a mix of cardio, weightlifting, and swimming. The swimming really was key in losing weight and getting in shape.

Then in May 2005, they closed the pool for “renovations” that would be completed in “a few months” and definitely before Summer 2005 ended. Come June 2006 (a full year and a month later) and not only was the pool not finished, but the entire interior looked like hell because they undertook a bunch of renovations that they just couldn’t afford to complete. Oh…and they didn’t lower our membership rates due to decreased equipment available or the horrible conditions in the club.

So I left and went to Gold’s Gym. It cost more and they have no pool, but the interior is brand new and the atmosphere is great.

When this e-mail came in, I actually entertained flipping back to the old gym. This is the gym where there are a ton of weirdos and dirty, creepy old men. However, they have that pool and the pool is what really helped me shed the weight (I’ve actually stopped losing weight since the pool closed and I’ve gained a few pounds since then – just a few, though).

So I made a phone call and spoke to the folks over at the old gym and they were excited about the pool being open again. They told me about all of the great renovations that were being planned and how the gym would be a world class place when it was all done and over with and, honestly, they got me psyched to go back to them! Then I remembered…they’re not that good at completing renovations projects.

I guess that I WILL go back to the old gym in the next year or two, but I’m probably going to wait until they finish their renovations. I don’t see the point in giving them a full gym membership rate and not getting a full gym to be a member of, you know?