The Ted Henley Blog - 660News Calgary

Hands-up if you have a dangerous job.

If you could see me right now - you’d see my fingers stretching toward the ceiling. Okay… I admit I’m fishing for sympathy; anchoring a radio show is hardly dangerous - except for the odd paper cut.

IF my gig was dangerous… I’d be asking my boss for a disaster proof desk. Yup. A terrorism proof office cubicle - complete with mouse pad and explosion deflectors.

It looks like a typical workstation but it is anything but normal. It’s made with reinforced steel. It has a personal “protection pod” you can hide in during earthquakes. And, it can withstand a blast from 110 kilograms of TNT.

The good news is delivery is cheap because it’s made by Gunnar Furnishings of Calgary. The bad news is that it costs $15,000 per desk. If they ever include an Illy espresso machine I’m in!

Check out the ultimate office cubicle for yourself: http://gunnar.ca/pofspage.htm

For the first time in 75-years bulldogs are back on the top-10 list of the most popular breeds.

That’s good news for kids… bad news for people trying to sleep.

Lynda Parcells, who has to put up with working with me every morning, has a bulldog. Her name is Norma - and she has quite the reputation. Just about every morning, Lynda tells me about Norma’s latest faux-pas. Norma apparently enjoys snoring, drooling, snorting, lounging, and announcing her presence in a room by letting out some “pungent” gas. My kids can’t wait to meet her.

Raise your coffee to Norma this morning… and all bulldogs because they’ve finally broken the 75-year curse. Let’s hope the saying “dogs are like their owners” isn’t true.

By the way… here’s where Norma placed:

Top-10 Registered Breeds
1) Labrador Retreiver
2) Yorkshire Terrier
3) German Shepherd
4) Golden Retreiver
5) Beagle
6) Boxer
7) Dachshund
8) Poodle
9) Shih Tzu
10) Bulldog

I’m smiling from ear to ear this morning - and not because we’re halfway through the work week. The grin on my face is because we FINALLY have a political race south of the border.

I guess I should admit something… I am a political geek. I LOVE the strategy and energy of politics. The faster the candidates hustle - the more I pay attention. Last night, the race to the White House became a heck of a lot more interesting.

Former First Lady Hillary Clinton has handed Barack Obama a reality check by taking New Hampshire. John McCain has officially become a Republican contender.

With Calgary so connected to the United States - I can’t wait to be all over the Presidential campaign.

Here’s to the sunny days ahead… Super Tuesday is approaching quickly.

Coffee 1… Ted 0. That’s the final score in the first battle with my New Year’s resolution.

The promise I’ve made for 2008 is to drink less coffee. My first day back at work proved too much. I have to use my mulligan.

I survive my early mornings at 660News by drinking 3-to-5 cups of coffee a day. That, says my doctor, is too much. My goal is 1-cup less every day.

Whether you’re trying to lose weight, excercise more, or drink less coffee I’m told the key is breaking your old habit. I’m going for the water cooler now when I walk in the door at 4:00 AM instead of the coffee machine.

But what do I do when I need a extra kick-start to my day? How do I stay awake when I’m up so early? Those are questions I’ll try to answer this week.

For now, if you’re like me and battling a resolution - I’m giving you a chance to start over. But remember we only get one mulligan per 9-holes - so choose using it wisely.