Gee ... I always wanted to write a book. I never thought I would but then again I could be wrong. Here is a collection of some of the past few years rants as broadcast on WDMT 102.3 The Mountain as part of my show Rising at Ten. I am always and forever a student of humans and I try to make sense of life in northeast Pennsylvania. Topics include: So the biggest news according to a local newspaper is that there will be beer to drink in Kirby Park during the Fourth of July holiday. It s a rare motorist in northeast Pennsylvania who hasn't had an encounter with a deer. So the new Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport terminal will be open soon and boy, I can't wait. I wish I understood how money works. I wonder sometimes what would happen if the thin line between civilized behavior and no holds barred, bull goose loonyness were to be crossed. It was a strange Sunday morning and it just kept getting weirder. Modern life has all sorts of interesting ways to stress you out that our ancestors didn't have to deal with. My long suffering wife claims that I used to dance to the Billy Ray Cyrus song, Achy Breaky Heart. Parking lots shouldn't cause your blood pressure to rise. Sometimes you have to wonder about the thought processes that go on in our rulers' minds. There must be a parallel universe where people who write letters to the editor live. We knew were in trouble when the two truckloads of huskies passed us. Whoever said that a man's home is his castle hasn't been in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania lately. Why is it that some guys insist on calling you nicknames? With all due apologies to the hundreds of restaurants in the area that serve buffets - I can't stomach it. It's the holidayseason and whoop di do hickory dock, don't forget to have your gun cocked they'll be ripping off your safe tonight. All I wanted to do was fill the car up with overpriced gas. Although my physique doesn't show it I have spent much of my adult life in one gym or another. Apparently my back yard is some sort of party central at night and I wasn't invited. During the holiday season, the number of stupid drivers increases by a factor that I can't begin to calculate. Hi, my name is Jim and I am an email addict. I am not really that hard to please. I am the clumsiest person I know. I gave up coffee a while ago. I gave up smoking in the time when cars still had ashtrays. One of my pet peeves is people who ask - Who's calling? - when they answer the phone for someone. I have never really had a run in with the police. I know more about the guy, sitting across from me at lunch the other day, then I want to. I should have suspected something was amiss when I saw the sign. I think that our experience with birthdays goes in cycles. I try to present a lighthearted demeanor to the world. I was on a road trip the other day - a long one about six hours - in a car with a couple of other radio guys. I have never been in a real fist fight. About the Author Jim Rising is the program director of 102.3 The Mountain WDMT and hosts a weekday show called Rising at Ten. He plays what he wants and rants a bit. Jim lives with his long suffering wife Nancy in Dallas, Pennsylvania along with his lawn tractor and annoying neighbor. Feel free to email Jim at rising@102themountain.com