If you've grown up in southern California during the past few decades, then you'll remember Tower Records. Their stores were legendary and almost as famous as the music they once housed. Sadly, when digital hit full stride, Tower Records disappeared.

Now, a Los Angeles author wants to save the Tower Records on Sunset Boulevard. Domenic Priore, author of "Riot on the Sunset Strip: Rock 'n' Roll's Last Stand in Hollywood," will plead his case before a preservation commission on Tuesday.

Why save this iconic building? Well, for one thing, many of us spent some of our happiest hours at Tower Records. Endless hours we're clocked as we shuffled through our favorite vinyl, then CDs. Before Facebook, it was the best way to kill an hour while waiting on something more exciting. Best of all, they were open until midnight for those of us known as Night Owls. 

Just how popular was Tower Records before the bankruptcy? Well, Elton John once joked that if his music failed him, he would work in a Tower Records store. I suppose that's similar to a coffee lover wishing for his day as the barista at Starbucks.  

At very least, could we keep just one of the Tower stores as a reminder of the day the music died? And, if we win this one, the book stores are next!

Photograph by Mike Dillon

I was doing my usual spring cleaning the other day - a little bit early, I know. Suddenly, I came across my class ring from high school. Honestly, I haven't worn my class ring on a regular basis for many years. Does anyone wear them after high school?

I'm trying to remember what we actually paid for my ring. I'm not planning to sell it anytime soon. I'm just curious. The price of gold is way up from my high school days. Maybe, I'm trying to justify how much I wanted it during my senior year in high school.

Does anyone remember that ritual of wearing your class ring in one direction during your senior year and ANOTHER direction after you graduate? It was called the "turning of the ring" or something silly like that. If you were really cool, you had your girlfriend turn your ring at graduation.  

Isn't it funny how an object (like my class ring) can bring back a flood of happy memories? Have you found something recently that triggered some happy thoughts? No? Maybe, it's time to look under the cushions of your living room sofa. Just don't look under your bed. The things that you'll find under there can scare you!

How much do you enjoy traveling? Would you prefer to stay closer to home or do you have dreams of traveling the world?

My mother told me, "Our family has the Vagabond spirit!" Maybe, that explains why we covered most of the country by my 18th birthday. I finally became an international traveler when I turned twenty-eight. But, that only includes Mexico, Canada and Jamaica.

Still, there are many places I would like to see - Vienna, Austria looks inviting. And, of course, Paris, Rome, Athens and Monaco look nice. So, how about you? Do you dream of exotic places - somewhere like Tanzania? I always thought Sri Lanka sounded like a real adventure. Indiana Jones changed my mind about that one!

My wife thinks it would be nice to hop onboard that around the world cruise ship. One liner sails a 100-night, 35-port voyage that reaches five continents. The cost is almost $12,000. That's per person. I wonder if they have BOGO? (Buy One Get One Free). Hey, if you're going to dream, you might as well dream big!

Today, March 10th is my birthday! Thanks for all of your nice calls and emails and the Facebook greetings. I've had a great birthday, despite being at work.

When I was about five years-old, I made my first TV appearance as the Birthday Boy on a popular daytime talk show. Of course, you know why most TV hosts love having kids on their show? Kids are likely to say anything, share family secrets and make the audience laugh. My appearance was no exception. And, everyone admired my great big smile as I sat there in the giant green Birthday Chair. By the way, that famous birthday chair is now sitting in the county museum. How cool is that?

While I didn't share any family secrets, I've been told that I made a lasting impression. In fact, the host of the show invited me back on her radio talk show almost ten years later. And, that same host was instrumental in helping me move toward my lifelong career in radio.

Here's my famous line from the TV show:

Host: "Happy Birthday, Ted! What's your favorite birthday cake?"

Ted: Black!

Host: "Black? You mean chocolate, right?

Ted: No, I mean black!

And, so it goes whenever I have a reunion with my childhood friends. These decades later, they still remind me of my answer and they laugh. If I was that same five year-old boy today, my answer would be something like Red Velvet. And, how likely is it that I would get a good laugh from that one?

Earlier today, I noticed that my satellite TV feed had lost both the picture and the sound. Not all of the channels, just some of the better channels. What was my first thought? Not, did I pay the programming bill. My first thought was ... did a meteor hit the satellite?

It's funny how a recent event (like the one in Chelyabinsk, Russia, where the meteor exploded in the sky) completely change our thoughts. In fact, just yesterday a TV news channel did a story about more meteors or asteroids headed our way. Come to think of it, what's the difference between a meteor and an asteroid? Answer - the damage that they create!

Do you realize your odds of being hit by any space junk? You're more likely to hit the Powerball jackpot twice! So, let's put our thoughts to better use - like deciding who should win American Idol this season. 

A lot of people ask me, "Hey, Ted. When you're not on the radio, what do you do for fun?" Here's just one answer.

Long before the Lottery came along, like everyone else, I made an occasional trip to Las Vegas. If you keep your head and realize they don't build those casinos and hotels from the people who win, you might be okay.

On one particular trip, I noticed the flurry of activity coming from the Race Book. And, of course, who hasn't watched the Kentucky Derby on TV? It looked like fun. But, how do you make any money at horse racing? Here's the secret ... 95% of the time, you don't!

Still, the fascination caught my attention. So, I read a few books and studied the odds. Believe me, it goes way beyond that. Why? Because, I was always good in math (forgive me) and I absolutely love research. So, instead of reading the Wall Street Journal, I found the Racing Form my spare time buddy.

Long story short ... I almost became a paid horse racing writer and handicapper for a local newspaper. They thought I was that good! At one time, I even sold my picks at the track. I was a professional handicapper with a real business license and everything!

The promise of the newspaper job evaporated when the newspaper decided to use their "extra space" for more advertising, not racing picks. Paid or not, it can be great fun as a recreational pastime. This opinion comes from the guy who was a sports announcer on radio and TV long before coming to KOST. Baseball, football, golf and basketball were the sports that I played in my younger years. But, horse racing is the sport that I follow closely today.  

For those who understand golf, it's a bit like the game of golf. Some days can be good; others can be great (like the time I held the ONLY winning Pick Six ticket at the track). And, just as often, the day can stink! That's why they call it gambling. Remember what I said about how they build those hotels and casinos? It doesn't come from the people who win.

So, we turn the page to today - Sunday, March 3, 2013. All in all, I had a pretty good day. Here's a sample of my picks, listed in order of preference unless I mention a possible tie with my top two selections.

I've never made a living at handicapping. It's simply fun. If you ever go to the race track, gamble responsibly. Treat it like a day at the movies. Not cheap entertainment, but it's a day away from the office. I do this (handicapping) instead of paying green fees, buying a boat or joining a bowling league. Although, I do have some history with a bowling ball. My highest league sanctioned game was 233. Maybe, I missed my true calling! 

Here were today's picks at Santa Anita:

We had two consecutive winners on Saturday at $14.80 and $14.00 to win! We also correctly had Game On Dude for the win in the Santa Anita Handicap. Then, we topped things off with a $500+ winning exacta box in the last race. Things look equally fun today! First race is 12:30pm.

1st Race
2 (WON and paid $5.80)

2nd Race
Top two seem equal.
7 (Lost)
6 (WON and paid $11.60)
4 (Finished 2^nd)

3rd Race
3 (WON and paid $24.20)
4 (Lost)
6 (Finished 2^nd)

4th Race
5 BEST BET (WON and paid $4.60)
1 (Lost)
3 (Finished 3^rd)

5th Race
Top two look equal.
1 (Lost)
7 (WON and paid 9.40)

6th Race
Looks like a wild one!
1 (Lost)
the actual winner paid $20.20. Wild is correct.

7th Race
4 (Finished 3^rd)
2 (WON and paid $6.40)
5 (Finished 2^nd)

8th Race
Top two look equal here.
3 (Lost)
4 (Finished 3^rd)
8 (WON and paid $18.20)

9th Race
4 (Lost)
8 (Finished 3^rd)
3 (Finished 2^nd)
 

Ted Ziegenbusch

Rumor has it, there are big changes coming to Facebook on March 7th. The News Feed will allegedly change drastically, adding bigger and more pictures, videos and all the bells and whistles to keep you on the page for hours.

Here's the catch, though. Reportedly, those videos will all be preceded by a commercial of Facebook's choosing. Do you want your friends sitting through a commercial before they see your post? More importantly, what will those short commercials be promoting? Possibly, it will be something you are in direct opposition to politically, morally or intellectually.

So, this is where the real fun begins. How many users will Facebook lose in the next 90 days? We can only guess. Now, here’s a word from our sponsor.

We're just minutes away from this year's Oscars broadcast. Tonight seems to have more drama than recent years. Will the movie Argo top Lincoln? And, who isn't waiting to hear Adele sing Skyfall?

The fashion questions have been answered already. All of the woman (and men) looked absolutely fabulous! People that were Tweeting their top choices to ABC-TV have picked both Jennifer Lawrence and Amanda Seyfried as stunning.

Who are you rooting for tonight? Get that popcorn ready and let's enjoy!

Karen Sharp and I have spent more than 25 years on The KOST. Both of us thank our lucky stars! We're living out our dreams and enjoying every minute of it.

People often ask us about the highlights of our time at KOST. That's a tough one to answer for me, but nearly all of the best times have included Karen or other KOST staff members.  

In 1997, Karen and I were lucky enough to host the red carpet for the premiere of Madonna's "Evita" at the Shrine Auditorium. Heading to our seats before the movie began, Madonna accidently knocked the box of snack bar popcorn out of my hands. But, that's a long story for another time. 

We also hosted Romance Week for The Movie Channel on TV. The photo above was taken outside the KCET Studios, back when we hosted a fundraiser and TV special with Peter, Paul & Mary. We were also interviewed on-camera by the TV news on Channel 11 before Valentine's Day. I guess they thought we knew a thing or two about romance.

It would be hard to top doing our "Love Songs" show live from Main Street at Disneyland. One summer, we spent two full weeks competing with the nightly parade and constant clang of the trolley car bells. We had such a great time!

Thanks for supporting KOST 103.5 for all of these years. We will continue to play more of Southern California's favorite soft rock, hopefully, for many decades to come.