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Greetings and Welcome to The 405 Coffee Break with O.K. Solberg
New episodes tend to air over the local KMMR radio station @ 5 minutes past 4PM each M-F. And have been doing so, nearly every week since Sept 2018.
I'm D.J. Rasmussen, O.K.s friend since junior high, possibly your neighbor & this websites maintainer, whom strives to get each episode's show notes written, the transcript proofed and the audio posted to the internet within a few hours of that days KMMR air time. NOTE: recently been publishing most new releases by 4:30PM.
Thanks for visiting and I hope you enjoy the time we can spend together.
I wanna again welcome you to The 405 Coffee Break. Get ya a cup of coffee, glass iced, steer bottle of water. Tall, cool glass of milk. Let's see what's happening.
OK Solberg:Spring wheat $5.67 a bushel. I see a 608lb steer calf, actually 30 some head of them, brought $4.50 a pound in Billings, $4.50. Butcher hog in Iowa 61¢ a pound, and a lamb that's fat in Billings weighing a 100lbs is above the $3 mark, $3.07 a pound. But guys, there's more, much more.
OK Solberg:Bible verse right up front. Proverbs 10:19 When words are many, sin is unavoidable. But he who restrains his lips is wise. Yes, sir. I know what that means. Proverbs 10:19 It hits home.
OK Solberg:But sometimes a person needs to talk, let's say, right here and right now. Guys, if I shut up, there would be dead air. Do you know what Larry King said about dead air? He said dead air is the one unforgivable sin in broadcasting. Casey Kasem said, in radio, silence is not golden, it's panic.
OK Solberg:So understand the proverb. Proverb 10:19 But sometimes we need to talk. Now Mike Rowe from television's dirty jobs knows all about talking at the right time. Mike Rowe, you know him.
OK Solberg:Well, anyway, way back in 1990, he needed a job, and he did an interview to get a job for the QVC channel. You know, the channel that sell sells stuff all night long. Listen to his story. Back in 1990, the QVC cable shopping channel was conducting a national talent search. Now I had no qualification to speak of, but I needed a job and thought TV might be a fun way to pay the bills.
OK Solberg:So I showed up at the Marriott in Downtown Baltimore with a few 100 other hopefuls and waited for a chance to audition. The fellow said, the purpose of this audition is to see if you can talk for eight minutes without stuttering, blathering, passing out, or throwing up. Any questions? What would you like me to talk about? I asked.
OK Solberg:The man pulled a pencil from behind his ear and rolled it across the desk. Talk to me about that pencil. Sell it. Make me want it, but be yourself. If you can do that for 8 minutes, the job is yours.
OK Solberg:Okay? So I looked at the pencil. It was yellow. It had a point on one end and eraser on the other. On the side were the words Dixon Ticonderoga #2 soft.
OK Solberg:Okay, I said. The man set the timer to 8 minutes and walked behind the tripod with the camera on it. He pressed a button and a red light appeared on the camera. He pressed another button and the timer began to count backwards. Action, he said.
OK Solberg:I picked up the pencil and started talking. Hi there. My name's Mike Rowe, and I only have 8 minutes to tell you why this fine this is the finest pencil on the planet Earth. So let's get right to it. I opened the desk drawer and found a piece of hotel stationary right where I hoped it would be.
OK Solberg:I picked up the pencil and wrote the word quality in capital letters. I held the paper towards the camera. As you can plainly see, the #2 Dixon Ticonderoga leaves a bold, unmistakable line far superior to the thin and wispy wake left by the #3 or the fat sloppy skid mark of the unwielding #1. Best of all, the Ticonderoga is not filled with actual lead, but Matadascar graphite, a far safer alternative for anyone who likes to chew on their writing implements. To underscore the claim, I licked the point.
OK Solberg:I then discussed the many advantage of of the Taycondoroga's color, a vibrant yellow, perfectly suited for an object that needs to stand out from the clutter of a desk drawer. I commented on the comfort of its design. Unlike those completely round pencils that press hard into the web of your hand, the Ticonderoga's circumference is comprised of 8 gently plain surfaces which dramatically reduce fatigue and make writing for extended periods an absolute delight. I pointed out the enhanced eraser, which was guaranteed to still be there even when the pencil was sharpened down to an unusable nub. I commented about handmade craftsmanship and American made quality.
OK Solberg:I talked about the feel of real wood in a world overrun with plastic and high-tech gadgets. Isn't it comforting to know that some things haven't evolved into something shiny and gleamy and completely unrecognizable? After all that, there was still 5 minutes on the timer, so I shifted gears and considered the pencils impact on western civilization. I spoke of Picasso and Van Gogh and their hundreds of priceless drawings all done in pencil. I talked about Einstein and Hawking and their many complicated theories all done in pencil.
OK Solberg:Oh, pen and ink are fine for memorializing contracts, I said, but real progress relies on the ability to erase and start again. Archimedes said he he could move the world with a lever long enough, but when it comes to providing it, he needed a pencil to make the point. With 3 minutes remaining, I moved on to some personal recollections about the role of pencils in my own life, my 1st legible signature, my 1st book report, my 1st crossword puzzle, and, of course, my 1st love letter. I may have even worked up a tear as I recalled the innocence of my youth scribbled out on a piece of loose leaf with all the hope and passion a desperate 6th grader could muster, courtesy of a #2 pencil. With 30 seconds left on the timer, I looked fondly at the Dixon Ticonderoga and sat silently for 5 seconds.
OK Solberg:Then I wrapped it up. We call it a pencil because all things need a name. But today, let's call it what it really is, a time machine, a matchmaker, a magic wand, and let's say it can all be yours for just 99¢. The timer read 000. The man walked back to the desk.
OK Solberg:He took the pencil and wrote, you're hired on the stationary. And a few days later, I moved to Westchester, Pennsylvania. End of quote. There is a time to speak and a time to remain silent. It's your call. It's your decision. The ball is in your court.
OK Solberg:So until next time, as you go out there, remember now, don't be bitter.