The Catholic Lovebirds

Happy New Year

2015-12-31T15:44:00.001-08:00

I'm just gonna glaze over the fact that we haven't posted in months. I'm the kind of friend who just picks up where we left off and keeps going...

so.... 2015 is nearly over and 2016 is knocking at the door. I'm horrible at resolutions. I prefer to evaluate and focus as I go along. *yes, that is code for SUPER LAZY*

I decided to make this post about the whole family. We all picked resolutions for each other. Some are in jest, some we'll carry with us all year.

I hope your 2015 will be looked back at fondly, and your 2016 will be full of blessings.

Allicia's resolutions:

Self: Say "Yes' more.
From Dustin: throw diapers away immediately, every time.
From Lucy: Teach Flynn things that he doesn't know how to do.

Dustin's resolutions:
Self: Read more fiction books.
From Alli: Put pants back on the baby after changing his diaper
From Lucy: Play a big monster game

Lucy's Resolutions:
Self: Do Bubbles
From Daddy: Listen the first time we tell you something
From Momma: Go to sleep with out chocolate milk

Flynn's resolutions:
Self: daaaadaaadada
From Lucy: Play baby things
From Daddy: Learn to walk
From Momma: Stand up all by yourself

Whole family resolutions: Fight fair, use kind words, listen better, enjoy time together without screens, be healthier, eat better, engage in more physical activity, and BLOG MORE!!

Thanks for dropping by. God willing, it will be sooner rather than later that we post again.

God Bless, and Happy New Year!

I stand with Ahmed: My letter I sent to the principal

2015-09-16T07:39:00.001-07:00

I read with shame about Ahmed Mohamed, the 11-year-old who made a clock at home andd brought it to school, only to be handcuffed away because it supposedly looked like a bomb.

WTF is wrong with people, that they'd punish a kid for doing something constructive with his time? It made me sick.

I wanted to share the letter I wrote to Principal Daniel Cummings. I wasn't hateful. Read for yourself, steal it if you want, and send an email yourself. Also, I encourage you to make a donation to the Council on American Islamic Relations. Empty complaining does nothing to change anything. Their donation link is here.

I know you're going to get a lot of hateful emails. I promise this isn't one of them.

I am pleading with you to drop all charges and disciplinary measures against Ahmed Mohamed, the child who made a homemade clock to bring to school.

We live in a society full of kids who only care about what the screen on their smartphone says. Wasting time on Snapchat, Xbox and like after like on Facebook. Here's a kid who isn't doing that. He's spending his time tinkering, creating gadgets. And one day, he may go on to do something great because of all that constructive work he's doing now.

And he's punished for it. That sends a message that you'd rather a child bury their nose in a smartphone than do something creative with their free time.

The one message I constantly hear in the media and in the field of education is how other countries have better test scores than we do. We lament the fact that other countries are supposedly light years ahead of us when it comes to math and science scores. But the one kid who seems to break that mold gets punished.

Why?

Please don't feed me the line about "our children's safety." No child's safety was compromised by a student bringing in a handmade clock. If anything, this is an instance of a child being bullied by a system that's supposed to help and educate.

I trust you'll take a step back, examine the situation, and act with courage and common sense. If not, I can only assume you'd rather Ahmed obsess over mindless activities instead of doing something great with his life.

God bless,

Dustin Faber

#lovefarmlife

2015-07-21T06:15:00.001-07:00

I woke up to what I thought was the sound of my phone vibrating, it was actually a moo!

If I can get the video to load I'll add that. I have never seen so many humming birds at one time!

My next adventure: Living my vocation-day 1.

2015-05-08T18:38:00.001-07:00

If I wasn't sure about being home with the kids fully before now; I was convinced today. My first official day at home and Flynn's first tooth finally broke through the gum. This is definitely the stuff that moms want to witness. I am so blessed!

New episode of The 16-Bit Catholic

2015-04-23T22:01:00.003-07:00

James Ryan and I talked Daredevil in my latest podcast, which you can find here. It's very spoilery, so please wait before you listen.

New 16-Bit Catholic podcast

2015-04-19T21:45:00.002-07:00

Just letting you know that I have a new episode of The 16-Bit Catholic available. Sarah Vabulas stops by to talk about her new book, vinyl records, and how her life revolves around more than just tasty alcoholic bevarages!

Give it a listen here.

7QT #8

2015-04-10T04:49:00.003-07:00

--- 1 --

Favorite Websites:

1morecastle.com has some of the best writing.

ForLoveOfCupcakes.com has some of the best planner ideas.

HowToBeADad.com has some of the best parenting goofs.

--- 2 ---

I was told during one of my gaming video streams that I need to blog more and podcast more. I promise I'm trying!

--- 3 ---

I was supposed to sleep in today but forgot to turn off my alarm. It's ok, I'm going to get up and clean the bathroom.

--- 4 ---

I started a new business and I LOVE IT! LegalShield is what makes it possible for me to stay at home with my kids starting next month!

--- 5 ---

Please watch this video about it, it's 2 minutes. If you (like me) need to know more after watching it just send me an email! Alliciafaber@legalshieldassociate.com ///It really deserves more than a QuickTake but I couldn't wait Until I had the time for a full post to share this. ///

--- 6 ---

Ever since Flynn was born I am addicted to Dr Pepper.

--- 7 ---

I never realize how much stuff I have until it's time to move. SO.MUCH.STUFF.

For more Quick Takes, visit This Ain't the Lyceum!

Review A Great Game Day: Tetris

2015-04-08T18:13:00.001-07:00

I know there are about 50 different versions of tetris. I love most of them. Some are a tad more difficult than others.

Today I'll specifically reference two newer versions; Tetris Party on the Wii, and Tetris Ultimate in the 3DS.

A while back I played Tetris Party for almost 2 hours straight, scoring in the ballpark of 2 million points. I like this version of the game because it has a beginner mode that is only 3 peices. It is so much fun. You can also play solo or against friends. Battle mode against my husband is often fun and fierce!

Tetris ultimate on 3DS is a typical version with some cool variations in the game. I mostly play on marathon and unlimited modes when I play Tetris. It's a bit tricky for me to play in 3D but the graphics are very neat when played that way.

Basically, I love Tetris. Now go get your game on!!

Review a Great Game Day: Team Fortress 2

2015-04-07T23:24:00.002-07:00

This article is in response to the fantastic Review a Great Game Day holiday that 1 More Castle has created. I've chosen Team Fortress 2 for PC. It's also available on Mac and Linux.

For the season of Lent, many Christians choose to give something up as a sacrifice. Some people give up chocolate, some give up cigarettes. Josh Hartnett gave up sex in some movie I didn't see back in the day. For me, the decision was easy.

I had to give up Team Fortress 2. I had put 304 hours into that game, it was clearly the one luxury I valued more than any other. It is a game that, any time I have 10-20 minutes, I'll make time to play.

It might just be the perfect game. For those who aren't aware, Team Fortress 2 is a team-based free-to-play first person shooter. There are different classes of characters with different abilities and weapons, ensuring that nearly every gamer gets a unique experience. Wanna just crank up a machine gun? Pick the russian Heavy. Like torching people with a flamethrower? Pyro is your man. Do you abhor violence? Pick the doctor and heal your teammates!

Far from the gritty, ultra-realistic Call of Duty games on the market (fine games in their own right), TF2 has a Norman Rockwell art style and a wild sense of humor. Seriously, one character throws jars of urine at enemies and players can start a conga line instead of shooting each other. And most of the time, you'll need to work together with your teammates to win a variety of game modes, including King of the Hill (control the point in the center for 3 minutes), Payload (push a cart of explosives into the other team's base), and my personal favorite, Mann vs. Machine.

MvM is where I've spent the majority of my 304 hours. Instead of killing other players, you're tasked with clearing a handful of rounds of robotic versions of the different classes you can play as. This play mode is fantastic. I've had some really intense moments where my team literally won at the last second (you lose when a robot gets into your base and plants a bomb). And when I mean at the last second, I truly mean that: The robot had jumped into the air and was about to land with the bomb when we finally blew him up! If one or two of those bullets had missed, we'd get a game over.

That intense gameplay is what keeps me coming back for more. When you're overwhelmed by an army of robots, and you're managing to hold down the fort, and just when it seems like you're about to gain the upperhand, a tank bursts through the walls, demanding that you blow it up (which takes a lot of firepower and time), while juggling the other robot running towards your base with a bomb.

What to do? Pray your teammates take care of that renegade robot while you try neutralizing this tank before it gets any closer to blowing you to smithereens.

While I'm fairly competent with every class, Pyro is my specialty. I wield that flamethrower with bad intentions. Whether it's burning an opponent alive, or airblasting them down an endless pit, being a pyro is a joy that I've yet to find replicated in any other game.

Team Fortress 2 was the first modern PC game I had ever played. While a member of Apple's cult, I had an old eMac computer (a really reliable gem of a machine) that was on it's last legs. Couldn't run new software because my processor wasn't an Intel, couldn't upgrade the flash player, and couldn't play any games made past 2006.

So when I switched to PC two years ago, I started looking for all the great PC games I had missed out on. Things like Arkham Asylum, Bioshock, FIFA, etc. But one game stuck out in a PC Gamer magazine my wife got for me. Team Fortress 2 sat at number two on their greatest games of all time list (published in 2012), only trailing Skyrim. And OMG it was free! I didn't have the money for a new game, so I gave this TF2 a shot.

The graphics blew me away. The goofiness of the game still makes me chuckle (one gamer had the screen name Brotato Chip, which will always be the best screen name in the history of mankind). And the people, for the most part, weren't giant jerks. I've seldom run across someone using homophobic slurs the way other games are plagued. And the gameplay itself? It is the most polished first-person shooter I've played, and it's not even close. Even on a stock, cheap mouse, it controls extremely well. And you can go without spending any money on it and you won't be a competitive disadvantage.

The first "next gen" game I got my hands on didn't disappoint. Some people have golf to relax. I've got TF2.

And in addition to Valve updating the gameplay with new maps and playmodes (they always keep the game fresh), they also produced what I consider to be the best animated short film of all time, Expiration Date, using characters from the show. Really funny, and they give the characters engaging personalities. If you have 14:59 of free time, give it a watch.

More than 300 hours later, I'm still in love. And while the passion might have cooled down a bit over that amount of time, my flamethrower is still scorching hot and ready to burn you alive. Just don't challenge me during Lent.

Week of April 6-chicks and stripes!

2015-04-06T20:39:00.001-07:00

Well I can't figure out how to flip the first picture.. The trouble with posting from my phone. Oh well, enjoy it anyway.

Purple striped washi from who knows where! Chicks stickers for my daughter's easter card. Jelly bean chick and flowers from target $1spot

Also, this is awesome. It's a sticky todo list. Target. Stationary section. Small enough to stick in my lament on any given day. Big enough to use for a full day of tasks!

Thanks Jamie @ www.ForLoveOfCupcakes.com for the linkup!

Planner linkup: week 13

2015-03-23T10:06:00.001-07:00

I need to have more focus in my life and less chaos. I say this amid the most chaos possible. I am parenting alone for a few more weeks, planning a move, packing the house, starting a part time job, and working a full time job... You're probably exhausted just reading that. I am too! I realize that I am a casual "planner person" and I often leave one of my planners at the office but I should start using it to its full advantage. My favorite planner is of course the pink one I told you about last time. It has hourly breakdown on the days. I need to use these!! I find myself often wasting time.. If I can commit to just focusing on one thing per half hour I should surely stay on track. I want to be a more active blogger so I haves tarted planning my posts. Bright pink should be a good memory jogger!! Take a look. I'd love to hear your tips. Find me on Twitter and Instagram @alliwait. Until next time.. Happy planning! And check out the For Love of Cupcakes planner linkup!!

Norfolk Zoo

2015-03-21T18:24:00.001-07:00

An elephant made of butterflies. #awesome

Style wasn't really on our oriority lest

Bear cub, he was just chilling out in his tree.

There was a troupe of Storm Troopers (or something like that, forgive me fellow nerds, it's not one of my fandoms)

Peacock just roaming the streets!

We are SO making these when we have a yard!

She loved being in my backpack (she fell 2x in 10 minutes just prior to asking to go up. I love babywearing.

Had to go to the reptile house...it was a special request from Daddy!

Billy the male giraffe

Woooooo Pig Sooie!

It's hard to take a picture with a giraffe!

An elephant painted this. I love it! I was so close to buying it!

We had a fabulous time!

Wordless Wednesday #1 March 18, 2015

2015-03-18T06:44:00.001-07:00

Cinderella review on the fly.

2015-03-17T19:10:00.001-07:00

Just left theatre 11 at my local AMC after seeing Cinderella. This review is gonna be fast and dirty... Here goes.

•5 stars-EXCELLENT.

•As a Cinderella pro, I found several nods to other versions of the Cinderella story (Disney animated, Ever After, Ella Enchanted, R&H)

•there was nothing I didn't like

•set design was on pointe

•costuming was delightful

Also, I used this captioning system and if you are one who normally watches tv with captions like we do, you should definitely give it a try. Don't be afraid to ask for it. It was so easy. I did have a tiny bit of trouble getting it in a good position, but once I found the sweet spot it was quite handy,

I cooked! Chapter 1

2015-03-11T17:47:00.000-07:00

I dont really cook. My italian grandmother is probably rolling over in her grave.

This "experiment" of dustin being away and me being on my own with the kids for just a little while requires that either we all gain 30lbs on take out, or i get off my duff and use the kitchen...

Thus I present to you: I cooked! Chapter 1... Hawaiian BBQ Chicken

It might not look pretty but it was tasty!!

Do you love my pretty dishes that we got for our wedding (4 years ago, can you believe it!)

I basically used this recipe for Hawaiian BBQ Chicken that I found on Pinterest... all hail mighty Pinterest! (Follow me!)

I made a few slight alterations-

2 chicken breasts

A can of pineapple chunks(I did not drain them)

Sweet Baby Ray's (regular) barbecue sauce which of course I didn't measure. Just sort of squirted it on there till it looked good.

Popped in on low while I went to work.

Shredded it a bit before placing it on a bed of Uncle Ben's 90 minute chicken rice

Tada!

It was good! I would make it again. The chicken was still moist, the pineapples were so yummy.

Dustin isn't a huge fan of BBQ chicken from the crockpot, so normally I wouldn't force something on him the first time I made it... Unless it was good, this was good! So, sorry hun, I'll be making this for you!

Planner addiction

2015-03-10T17:34:00.000-07:00

eating sushi amd playing with washi tape...trendy? Fad? Read on!

I'm not usually one to jump on a bandwagon. I'm more the type that's kinda hanging half off the back of the bandwagon and no one really minds that I'm there because I don't take up that much room...yeah, wierd analogy, but it works. Point being: sometimes it seems like I just jumped on because I start speaking up, but really I've been there all along just minding my own business.

So yeah, filofax, washi, stickers, stamps...its a "new" trend that is really picking up speed. I've ALWAYS,like for real, ALWAYS been in love with stationary and office supplies. I have an unhealthy love of sticky notes. That line in You've Got Mail about the bouquet of freshly sharpened pencils; makes me swoon. My husband bought me GIANT paper clips and a huge Sharpie for Christmas last year and I fell in love with him all over again.

OFFICE SUPPLIES MAKE ME HAPPY!

Like I said: addiction. Unhealthy. Call it a family trait.

So why am I confession all of this to you? Well, dear friends. I recently was given my most coveted office supply!!!! My secret, never in a million years would I have been able to buy it for myself, dream item! A patent leather, pink, a5, filofax. (Yes, my dreams actually specify the size of the paper) you don't even understand. ITS PINK. AND PATENT LEATHER!!! Like the two things God created just for me! (Other than my spouse and children obviously) and someone just gave it to me. Out of the goodness of their heart. How awesome is that person? Totally awesome (and super thanks to you again dear friend K)

Soooo preeeeetty, soooooo shiiiiiny, sooooo piiiiink!

So now I have my dream planner and I will decorate and organize and doodle my patent pink heart out. And thusly share it with all of you! I'll be joining up with my very lovely friend at For Love of Cupcakes as she hosts a linkup each week for us "crazy planner ladies"

For now, a few pictures to hold you over until I can compose actual thoughts and photos of layouts, every week!

Update: I finally got a few minutes to finish this week's spread... I present to you: week 11! Originally when it was empty it was just so cute with the green stripes and cute stars... As I started putting in appointments, notes, and such it got a little messier but still terribly cute!

Everyone is doing it!

2015-02-07T16:32:00.001-08:00

So a new trend CatholicIcing.com inspired is Saint Peg Doll Swaps!! I'm in one and whipped up these...Mary, Mother of God. I only needed to make 25 for the swap so I made a few extras to give away as gifts.

Captains Log: Solo Mission

2015-02-06T05:41:00.001-08:00

Day 3: I managed to get myself and the children to church ON TIME! I also made dinner.

Day 2: I woke up with a migraine and Lucy woke up with a tantrum... FANTASTIC. I was supposed to do a 5k as part of my New Year Challenge but with all the drama I couldn't pull it off.

Day 1:

Departure: we woke up early. Dustin did some last minute packing and was out the door while it was still dark. I am so proud of him for following his dreams. It's gonna be tough, but it's gonna be so much better in the end.

Morning drop-off: This will be considered a success. While we hit a minor tantrum getting ready and another involving a blanket and a car seat, we managed to get to the sitter before she had to take the kids to school. I also managed to get to work by 8:30. The two things rarely happen in the same day.

Review a Bad Game Day: Spider-Man and Venom: Maximum Carnage

2014-08-08T07:38:00.002-07:00

Note: The following review is part of reviewabadgameday.com, hosted by 1 More Castle. Find more reviews at that site, including my take on Spider-Man and Venom: Maximum Carnage

Growing up as a child, I knew the Spider-Man TV theme lyrics by heart.

Spider-Man, Spider-Man,
Does whatever a spider can
Spins a web, any size,
Catches thieves just like flies
Look Out!
Here comes the Spider-Man.

What a great song! And after playing Spider-Man on the Sega Genesis, I knew that Spidey was capable of some great games. In that game, you had 24 hours to stop a bomb from destroying New York City. You swung all over the place, took pictures to purchase more web fluid (getting more money if you took photos of the boss battles), punched and kicked bad guys, and felt like Marvel's greatest super hero.

So when Spider-Man and Venom: Maximum Carnage was released, I was ecstatic. The story arc in the comics was great, with Spider-Man teaming up with Venom, Captain America, Iron Fist and a few others to take down Carnage and his band of merry evil-doers.Getting to replay that on a RED cartridge looked amazing!

And then you play the game, and you realize that you aren't Spider-Man at all, you're just some generic beat-em up character wearing a Spider-Man outfit. It might as well be Axel or Blaze under that costume.

Seriously? I have to resort to trashcans? Why can't I just throw them on webbing or swing around them?

My main gripe with this title is that you don't feel like Spider-Man at all. Spidey swings all over the place, from building to building. In this game, you walk to the right and punch bad guys. Sure you can use your web to swing...about five feet off the ground! You can use your web as a shield, but that's it. That's not a Spider-Man game.

"Oh but you can be Venom!" I hear you cry out. No, you control someone dressed up as Venom.

It's a competent brawler, but it doesn't make me feel like the characters I play as. I realize there are some stages where you do climb buildings, but Spider-Man's greatest powers shouldn't be confined to one stage. The X-Men games on the Genesis work because you have access to your powers throughout the entire game. Imagine if you could only shoot laser beams or pop your claws on certain levels. You wouldn't remember that game fondly.

If Acclaim had put a little more creativity into this game, this could have been something amazing. Make better usage of Peter Parker's web-slinging abilities throughout all the levels. Make the levels taller so that I get the feeling of being able to swing anywhere, instead of limiting me to walking across the street to fight. But instead, they settled for a generic beat-em up and depended on the license to sell copies.

Bottle Cap rosary

2014-08-03T18:49:00.005-07:00

My wife Allicia made this. It is fantastic.

It's a rosary made with bottle caps of various beers and sodas. She's available for orders! Hit her up on twitter, @alliwait

Episode IV: A Childless Summer

2014-07-23T17:17:00.003-07:00

In this episode of The Catholic Lovebirds podcast, Dustin and Allicia Faber talk about their vacation away from Lucy, playing Paperboy (in real life and in the arcade), and Alli talks baby hospital gowns!

Click here to listen. https://archive.org/download/catholiclb071214/catholiclb071214.mp3

Intro music courtesy of Smooth McGroove.

Episode III: Pregnancy Update and New Writing

2014-05-29T18:54:00.000-07:00

In this third episode of The Allicia and Dustin Show (hey we got a new name!), the two give an update on how pregnancy is treating Allicia, when the gender gets revealed, and Dustin talks about his new writing venture with 1morecastle.com

Click here to listen: https://archive.org/download/AlliDshow52914_201406/AlliDshow52914.mp3

Link: Finding Christ in the Classics: Wiz n Liz

2014-04-17T00:04:00.003-07:00

Head over to http://catholicvideogamers.blogspot.com/2014/04/finding-christ-in-classics-wiz-n-liz.html for a post I did comparing the early 90s game Wiz n Liz to one of Christ's parables. A very timely game since the goal is to rescue rabbits and Easter is just a few days away!

Episode II: Picking apart Frozen (4-15-14)

2014-04-15T07:10:00.000-07:00

In episode two, we look at the movie Frozen, talk the new water aerobics class we signed up for, and dustin's new MAME cabinet!

Our intro music belongs to Smooth McGroove, and the outro music is the Aquatic Ruins Zone music from Sonic the Hedgehog 2.

Click here to listen. https://archive.org/download/tclb04152014/tclb04152014.mp3

SiriusXM's sucker punch

2014-03-31T05:38:00.000-07:00

Those of you who are familiar with Allicia and I know how instrumental satellite radio was in bringing us together. We met because we both listened to The Catholic Channel. Without SiriusXM, I would not have a wife or daughter.

Needless to say, I have great enthusiasm for SiriusXM, and aside from their assist in the marriage department, they have great programming. One of the reasons I love their service is because it gives me music that I don't get on normal radio, in a package that is far more convenient than other internet-streaming sites (I don't want to pay for a gigantic data plan to support internet radio in the car).

There's Classic Vinyl, which is great for people like me who love classic rock from the early 70s and beforehand (on terrestrial radio you get that but it's often mixed in with 80s bands like Guns n Roses, whom I'm not a big fan of). B.B. King's Bluesville has great old and new blues music, and I really dig Outlaw and Prime Country.

There's another station I love dearly though, and that's 40s on 4. It plays a lot of great stuff from the mid 1930s all throughout the 1940s, and that's definitely something I can't get anywhere else, unless I buy specific albums. It's one of the reasons I adore the Fallout series of games so much, as they use a lot of music from this era inside the game. The Ink Spots, Billie Holliday, and Bob Crosby are just a handful of artists that are on the Fallout soundtrack and the 40s on 4 station.

40s on 4 helps put me to sleep, which isn't an easy task as I work third shift, and our curtains don't completely block out the sun. It's great, relaxing music. So imagine my horror when I went to bed Friday morning, turned on the Sirius XM radio by the bed, and found Billy Joel instead.

'I must be on the wrong channel," I thought to myself and hit the favorite button 6 again. Still, Billy Joel. What in the world has happened to my radio?

Turns out, Sirius XM decided to turn 40s on 4 into the Billy Joel channel for three months. Three months without the Ink Spots? Unacceptable. I dig Billy Joel's River of Dreams album, but not at the expense of one of my favorite radio stations for a quarter of a year!

Sirius XM has a bunch of empty channel slots that Billy Joel could have fit in (18, 73, the list goes on and on). Why take away big band music? Yes it's just three months, but when the solution seems obviously easy, it's unacceptable to take away a complete genre not represented on other stations. We already lose 40s on 4 from Black Friday to January 1 in lieu of Christmas music, and now I have to give it up again?

I took to Twitter and voiced my frustration. The stock answer myself and several others kept getting was, "Well 40s on 4's normal programming is online and it's streaming!"

1. I'm not always near a computer. I can't stream easily in my car.
2. I have a Windows Phone. There is no SiriusXM app for Windows Phone. Why, I have no idea.

It is maddening, because the solution seems legitimately simple. Put Billy Joel onto a different channel. If he HAS to be in the single digits, as a friend suggested on Twitter, why not make him channel 7 or 8, as the 70s and 80s corresponds with his style of music. Or, move Sirius Hits 1 to channel 1 (why it is on 2 I have no idea), the 20 on 20 channel to 2, and use channel 3 for artist-specific channels like this. This option would make a ton of money for SiriusXM. If you're Lady Gaga, One Direction, or (insert popular band here), and you have an upcoming album, how great would it be to buy a whole weekend where your music alone is heard on channel 3, right next to the pop stations? You could even run specials. Give indie bands a discount to get their music front and center. Genius!

I've just given SiriusXM an idea that would net them a ton of money without the outrage. Where's the job application form?

Did I say outrage? You bet. Go to the SiriusXM Facebook page and you'll see that I'm not alone. Every story they post, even unrelated ones to Billy Joel, is filled with comments asking why they're doing this. There are so many posts from angry people, many allegedly cancelling their subscriptions or threatening to do so by April 10 (we have two radios, and I have no problem axing the one in the bedroom to send a message to SiriusXM).

I feel like SiriusXM sucker punched me on this one. I've spent years telling people how great of a service it is, because you truly get a wide variety of music and entertaining talk, not to mention all the sports games. But this just seems like the beginning of the end for that. First they take away the 40s on 4. Then what? Do we get rid of the 50s and 60s stations when agents and handlers of big artists demand specific slots to advertise themselves? So much for commercial free music. I'd rather hear 20 second ads in-between songs than lose the songs altogether.

It is beyond ridiculous and it makes me sad that a company I love dearly would do this to it's listeners without really giving us a solid explanation. And if SiriusXM continues to ignore the people hijacking it's social media and flooding it's inboxes with angry letters, we could be seeing a really epic PR meltdown in the making.

Just give me back Billie Holiday, and nobody gets hurt.