Thinking

I'm at home on my lunch break. Usually I'm not in the habit of blogging in the middle of the day but I've just got so much swimming in my mind, I'm going to go crazy if I don't get it out soon.

The obvious thing on my mind is stuff happening at home. As we speak, my step dad, mom and older sister are at the doctor, finding out just how bad his Hodgkin's Disease it. Now, I realize that I don't know anything other than the fact he has it. But, from what my mom said, it's really bad. Yesterday I was doing some reading on the disease and he's had most of the symptoms for over a year. The fact that it was just now caught is not a good thing at all; in fact it's very much not in his favor.

At this point I have tons of concerns and unanswered questions (some of which won't be answered or addressed for some time). Obviously I'm concerned about him but I'm also worried about my mom. She's taking this as well as can be expected. But I'm also concerned because my step dad is the primary one who's taking care of her. Since it appears that it looks like he won't be able to much longer, I don't know what's going to happen. There's also the issue of the house. God forbid that he were to die from this but if he did... there's no way we'd be able to keep the house.

Honestly my biggest fear about moving to Fort Wayne was that something like this would happen with me away from home. Let me say it right now: I have no plans to move back home. My mom has told me not to even consider it. However, I will go home for a visit as soon as possible. Then Christmas for sure. I appreciate the words of supper and the prayers that people have offered for my family. Please keep them coming.

--Jonathan

Beautimous (is that even a word?)!

Current Mood: Happy :-)
Current Music: "Fly Me to the Moon" - Frank Sinatra

As you may have guessed from my previous post (about my step dad), I had a pretty shitty day. I tried to keep my mind on work and stuff after I heard about it but you know how that goes. I'm honestly surprised that I made it through in one piece.

Tonight, on the other hand, was beautimous!

I met up with Mandie at Barnes and Nobile (she was very stunning) and then we were off for what is, by far, the best ice cream this southern boy has ever had. Coldstone rocks my face off! I got the "Oreo Overload" and it was just awesome. I'll definately be going back. Anyway, we ate our ice cream and talked until our movie started; thankfully we didn't mention the events of earlier today (thanks Mandie :-) ).

Finally it came time to go to Rave for "Spiderman 2." It's good to know that I wasn't the only one on Earth who hadn't seen it yet LOL. The movie was really good but I gotta be honest and say that seeing it with Mandie made it tons better. As for the end of the night, well, let's just borrow a line from a movie. As **CORRECTION**Drew Berrymore said in the movie 50 First Dates: "Nothing beats a first kiss." :-)

Beautimous.

--Jonathan

News from Home

This will be a quickie post because I'm about to meet up with Mandie, but I got some bad news from home. My step dad found out that he has Hodgkins Disease and it isn't looking good. We still don't know everything but will very soon (he's going to the doctor). I'll keep updates here. But please remember him and my family in your thoughts and prayers. In advance, thanks.

More stuff later.

--Jonathan

I'm a living, breathing Cliche!

I am a proud Farker. There, I said it. As such, I have become familar with the various cliches that are associated with the site. You know, Ackbar ("it's a trap!"), the kitty, etc. So I decided to find out which Fark cliche I am. Drum roll, please. I am:






Take the "Which FARK Cliche Are You" quiz!

--Jonathan

Jonathan The Bum

Today I was a total bum. The most activity I had today was going to the station for about an hour and then cruising around Fort Wayne playing my stereo waaaayyyyy too loud. See, we got in a couple of copies of "Girls Gone Wild: The Music" last week and it's got some great stuff on it! "When it's time to party we always party hard!" Great tunes.

I talked to my mom today and she was telling me that the doctor called about my step dad's chest x-rays. He said that my step dad has an enlarged lymph node on one of his lungs. This doesn't necessarially mean anything bad but it's still a scary thought. He's the primary person who's taking care of my mom (in case you didn't know, she's confined to a bed/wheelchair because of some things that happened to her a few years ago) so if something were to happen to him she'd almost surely have to go to a nursing home. I don't know if you've heard anything about the nursing homes in Mississippi but let's just say that they're not the best in the world, especially the one in my hometown. The staff is constantly accused of abuse and they even had a hepatitus (sp?) outbreak recently. Needless to say, I don't like that thought at all. But I'm hoping and praying for the best. I know God will take care of everything.

Aside from that, I had a really good weekend. Last night was tons of fun and today was very relaxing. Tomorrow's promising to be pretty good too. I should have a fairly easy day at the station and me and Mandie are going to grab some ice cream at Coldstone (I've yet to go there and I hear that I'm in for a treat!) and then we're catching a movie at Rave. I think it's interesting that neither of us has seen Spiderman 2; but considering she was at camp all summer, I shouldn't be surprised. What's my excuse? Er... I don't know. I guess I was just waiting for the right time! :-p

Ok, I'm off. Going to talk to Mandie for a bit longer and watch the Blue Collar Comedy Tour. GIT 'ER DONE!

--Jonathan

A Great Day

Today was just a spectacular day. It's probably one of the few times in my life when I'll be able to say that literally everything went smoothly and even close to perfect. Seriously.

I went to the station for a bit to get some things done and to "do" an air shift. Then I finished VTing tonight's show on My and the I came home to get ready for dinner. Well, before that I decided to clean my apartment. It needed it badly! I mean, it wasn't really that bad off but I just didn't realize all the little things that I had been neglecting this week. But I now have a clean apartment and I'm happy. Yes, mom, my bed's even made up!

Tonight, however, was the highlight of the day. I met up with Mandie for dinner and I can honestly say that tonight was the best time I've had since moving to Fort Wayne. It's been a really long time since I've gone to dinner with a woman and sat around talking over an hour after we've finished eating. LOL Well, it's kind of funny: Last night she called me on her way home from seeing her friends at Indiana Tech and we ended up talking until 4:00 this morning. She made the sarcastic statement that we had exhaused all possible topics of conversation. Apparently, that wasn't so. ;-) But I'm not complaining. I hope to see her again soon; hopefully she feels the same way (hehehe).

I think I'm going to watch a DVD and go to bed. Tomorrow's my "day off"(I have to go to the station for about an hour) so it's not like I really need to go to bed anytime soon.

--Jonathan

Kids...

Kids have never ceased to amaze me. I realize that in a lot of peoples' eyes I'm still a kid (I'm just turned 23 this month) but those even younger than me always seem to come up with a way to keep me on my toes.

Take the 16 year old girl who called me today. She made a request, I told her I'd play it A.S.A.P. She called a little while later and said "if you don't play it soon, I'll have to spank you. Oh wait, you might enjoy that and it could lead to use getting it on." Somewhat disgusted, I said that I didn't fool around with jail bait. Her response: "In the state of Indiana, I'm legal because the age of consent is 16." Yes, she was serious. Yes, I hung up the phone.

Before you ask, this is not the first time this has happened. Being in radio, I've experienced some strange things with kids. It's nothing for a teenage girl to call in hit on me. I've even had marriage proposals (I doubt, or at least hope, they weren't serious). But never would I even consider actually carrying out such a proposition from a kid. Eeewwwww

Ok, that was sick.

On a better note, I'm really looking forward to tomorrow. Mandie and I are going to dinner and I have a feeling that we're going to have a great time. We were chatting online last night and I think the subject of a portion of our conversation sparked the dream I remember having. See, she's a big fan of Gone With the Wind and we were talking about the movie plus shooting lines from the movie back and forth. Anyway, while I'm sleepin' I find myself in the movie! I'm not an actual charicter, I'm just there. The last thing I remember about it is the big, black maid yelling out "We needs a doctor, I don't know nothin' 'bout birthin' no babies!" I told Mandie about it this afternoon and she seemed to get a kick out of it. I thought it was pretty funny myself.

It's about time for bed. I need to be at the station early to get things finished so I won't be running late tomorrow evening.

--Jonathan

It Came to Pass

I remember posting last night that I thought the 24 hour period after the said post would be interesting. Honestly, I thought more would happen than it did but it was interesting none-the-less.

My show day was really good. No one event really stuck out that made it good, I was just really on top of things today. I was in the zone, a place I haven't been very often lately. I hope it continues; the book starts soon LOL. Mandie learned the hard way that, short of any personal or other secret information, anything said around me can and may very well be used on the air. I was talking over the intro of "Southside" my Lloyd and Ashanti and I think the line went something like this: "Whatever happens on the south side stays on the south side, especially when you're nekkie." She said something about being "nekkie" at some point in our conversation so I just had to throw that in. She laughed.

I've also found an interesting motivational tool that I'll have to remember next time I'm struggling with my work out. I was doing a "cool down" on the bike and I was wanting to give up when I had about three minutes left. My legs were hurting and I was just generally ready to quit for the day. Anyway, I was trying to come up with a way to keep from giving up and then it just popped into my head: I just imagined that I was having sex! I thought to myself, "ok, pretend that this is sex. You're almost finished. Keep going." So I did. It worked! I not only worked harder but I also got through the last few minutes with no problem. I told the instructor about it and he said he had never had anyone admit to that and I think he was a little freaked out by the whole thing. Yeah, I'm wierd. By the way, I hope you weren't wireded out from that. I just thought it was funny. :-D

On a better (and more family friendly) note, I'm looking forward to this weekend. If all works out, I'm going to dinner with Mandie at some point this weekend. Hopefully that will go better than my last night on the town with a woman (you remember, the one whose name I forgot!). Mandie, if I do something stupid like that, you have full permission to slap the piss outta me. :-p

Well, I'm going to finish watching TV and then I'm going to sleep. Tomorrow's Thursday, one of my busy days.

--Jonathan

Pondering and other assorted junk

Today was one of those days where I pondered things. And, of all the places in Fort Wayne, I ended up doing some of it concerned the Waynedale post office.

No offense to anyone who works at (or knows somone who works at) a post office but postal employees are a wierd bunch. I seriously doubt you could get away with sitting back and watching them for an hour but pay attention to their mannerisms next time you're in line for a stamped envelope. They're just, well, strange! The way they look, the way they talk, the things they talk about... just strange. Don't get me wrong, they're some of the nicest people in the world (for the most part) but they just do some wierd things. And they also have the most inefficeint operation I've ever seen, at least at the front of the house. Oy. Of course, they're the cheapest means to send something. Thankfully the delivery aspect of the postal service works well.

I had to make an emergency run to take some P.A. equipment to a remote (that's a live broadcast! [don't ask, it's an inside joke between me and some radio friends]) and I passed by a "mobile home community." By the way, no offense to anyone who might live in a mobile home (and yes I can talk because I used to live in one and it was a crappy one to boot). Where I come from, we call those trailor parks. You know, a place where the mobile homes are that look like they've been around since the Roosevelt adminsitration and that have about six or seven dead cars in front of it. Anyway, they had this place "dressed" just like an apartment complex, complete with flowers and signs that talked about move in specials. You would think that since this place was "upscale" that it would be selective about the types of mobile homes they allowed in there. Well, it had these Roosevelt looking trailors in there, complete with the six or seven dead cars in front of most. No matter how nice you make it look, it's still a trailor park. "If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it's a duck."

By the way, you'll hear a new voice on My 103.9 on Saturday nights: ME! Starting this Saturday, I'll be hosting the Saturday night show on Fort Wayne's Hit Music Channel.

Thanks to Farkers, I've discovered a new artist by the name of Jem. No, not the doll from the 80's who had magic ear rings. This Jem is a very talent singer who reminds me very much of Dido. Her song "They" is very good. If you ever get the chance, check out her music. But do it legally!

I have a feeling that the next 24 hours are going to be very interesting. Hit this site tomorrow night to find out of those feelings came to pass.

--Jonathan

Spicy Meat Soup

I know that might sound dirty but I promise it's not!

Today was boring. BORING! I can't really say that anything exciting happened today. Well, except for going to the gym after my show and just totally killing all my personal weight lifting records. Yes, I can now bench over 100 LOL. Yeah, I'm pathetic.

Tonight I made a big pot of chili... or what I thought was chili. It ended up being more of a spicy meat soup because I added too much water. Honestly it wasn't too bad. Maybe it'll thicken up in the fridge overnight.

Ok, this is probably the most boring post on here ever! I'll try to make tomorrow's post better.

--Jonthan

Wierdness Abounds

There have been some extremely wierd things going on with me lately. I mean, I haven't really thought much about it because I'm used to wierdness (I am, after all, a radio DJ) but lately it's been happening in higher-than-usual volume.

First, I'll tell you about the dreams I've been having.

I don't know what it is about the Summit City but I've been having some hella wierd dreams in the three months that I've been here. A few weeks back, I dreamed that I was one of the people in the Disney movie "Mary Poppins" and that we were flying around London on her talking umbrella. According to the umbrella, I need to lose weight.

I also had a dream a few days ago that some guy dressed as Satan was trying to have his way with me. I woke up saying, "get the hell off me you freak!." Checked the shorts, they were still on. Whew.

Those are just examples. I could tell you about the one where I was a chimp on display at the Jackson (Mississippi) Zoo, or the one about where I was sitting at my desk at the station completely naked.

Now let's talk about what happened at the club last night.

I was hanging out at the bar and started talking to this woman who said she was a listener. So I bought her a drink (well, put it on the bar tab) and talked to her somemore. She slips me her number tells me to call her... for phone sex. I laughed uncontrolably because I thought she was joking. I said "well, I normally don't have phone sex on the first date." She said "you think I'm joking, but I'm serious; I want to have phone sex with you." Yes, I was freaked out. I threw her number in the trash (in plain view of her), wished her a good evening and quickly rejoined the crew from the station.

So that's the wierdness I have experienced over the last couple of weeks. Maybe I'm drinking too much Coca Cola or Culligan water at work. Maybe it's something in the air around my apartment (I've been sleeping with my window open lately). Maybe I'm just finally going insane. LOL

--Jonathan

Random Stuff

In keeping witht he random theme of this post, I've launched WinAmp, loaded my entire library and set it to random. This is interesting! I've gone from Blink 182 to Frank Sinatra LOL.

Phrase you will never hear me say on the air: "Tune in to find out... same Jonathan time, same Jonathan station." A certain radio personality on a certain station said that recently (substituting his own name, of course) and I laughed out loud because it was so lame. Granted, I've been known to let a block of cheese go on the air but, good grief, never anything anything like that (I don't think anyway LOL).

On my lunch break today, I was flippin' channels and I found Sponge Bob Squarepants on Nick. The quote of the day came from the porous one: "I firmly believe in my ability to successfully succeed." Words of wisdom there! LOL

Anyone that knows me even a little bit knows that I absolutely love to read. I went to Jefferson Pointe tonight and ended up in Barnes and Nobile (there and Starbucks are among my favorite places in Fort Wayne at this point). I found two books in the discount section that I just couldn't pass up. One was Roy Blount's Book of Southern Humor. Now, you know I'm from the South and I couldn't pass that up! So far it's frickin' hilarious. I also bought The Best of Uncle John's Bathroom Reader. Mostly to use for show prep. Seriously! That book has some really good stories in weird facts in it. Hey, that's a tax write off!

Earlier tonight I was walking down "Memory Lane" and was remembering all the good times I had being involved with sports teams in high school and college. I emailed my old coaches to tell them how I've been doing and to let them know that I apprecaite them giving me the opportunity to experience those times and for helping me become who I am today. I know I haven't talked about those experiences much so I'll tell the short version. In high school I was a manager for football (two years), baseball (three years), soccer (three years) and even girls softball! Well, more or less, I was an assistant coach for the last three. I even coached in some games which was really cool. But I had some great times on bus trips... also being part of a baseball team that was second in the state of Mississippi in 2A baseball was a great experience. Honestly, we got screwed out of that game... Anyway, in college I was a student assistant (fancy term for manager) for the soccer team. That was an awesome experience because we won the National Junior College Athletic Association national title in 2000 (and I have the ring to prove it!). Not to mention all the friends I made. One of the guys that was on the team with me (Damani Ralph, from Jamaica) is now playing pro soccer with the Chicago Fire.

Also, I want to say hello to Amanda, my former girlfriend in Mississippi. She and the guy she was dating before me just got back together and they seem to be doing well. I hope everything works out for you!

Well, that's about all I have for tonight. Think I'm gonna call it a night.

--Jonathan

To the person who left the following:

Someone left the following on one of the "Rain" posts:

Jonathan who ????

Sorry that I wasn't able to respond to you personally but I can't do that when you comment anon. Shoot me an email (addy's in my profile) and I'll be glad to answer any questions you have. My AIM screen name is also in there (and it's signed on almost 24/7) if you'd like to contact me that way.

--Jonathan

The Gym

I could probably write an entire book about things that have happened to me and things I've seen since I've been going to one of the local gyms. The people there are as colorful as the playroom they have for the kids. For most of them, I have no clue what their names are or even much about them but just seeing them and talking to them some just makes me, well, ponder. Some inspire me, some make me feel better about myself. Some even make me want to cry.

I was talking to a young lady while I was on the bike tonight (I'll keep her name to myself on the off chance that she may be reading this) and my heart just sank for her. She's lived in Fort Wayne for a few years and the impression I got was that she was still feeling kind of lost and lonely. I've talked with her a few other times at the gym as well and everytime she just seems so sad, so alone. Then she told me that she drinks a lot and I knew it was to cope with her, well, depression. I'm usually a really good judge of people and I feel like she's a really nice person, even someone I'd really like to get to know. Honestly, she made me think of that girl in the Mel Gibson movie "What Women Want." You know, the girl in his office who was always kind of depressed and who he went to look for toward the end because he thought she might have hurt herself. Sad. :-(

Then there are the guys who work out at the gym (as you can imagine, there are tons of them). One of the guys I work with at the station works out there and he is hardcore about it! If I put in half the effort this guy does, I'd already be in great shape. Then there's the older guy who's bald, has one of those Hulk Hogan mustaches and is built like a Mack truck. Yikes. That dude works out like he's preparing for a tour of duty in Iraq. I've seen some professional body builders do less of a work out than this guy does. Like, when he's doing lat pulls: He left almost the maximum weight on that machine. I hope I look that good when I'm his age (although he is, at the most, 50). Then there's another guy who I see in the locker room a good bit. He's always encouraging me and telling me to push myself. It's in part thanks to his encouragement that I've been going like I have. Normally I would have given up by now. I'm the type of guy who would get real gung-ho about losing weight and all and then give up soon afterward. Not this time.

I have to go back to the station in a minute to make sure the computer doesn't foul up. Oy... major drama concerning that today. So I'm going up there to make sure it continues to function properly after midnight. Thank God I don't live far from there.

--Jonathan

Blogging In the Rain Part 2

It's raining again. I just looked at the weather radar and I'd say that it's going to last a while too. And it's a thunderstorm. Aww yeah! Great sleeping weather.

Speaking of rain, here's what Boo had to say about her experience on sleeping in the rain at camp:

You think rain on a tin roof sounds awesome?? Try rain on canvas......I never slept better at camp than when it was raining outside......It was those mornings when I REALLY didn't want to get out of bed....laying there, wrapped up, warm and dry, listening to the rain in the trees and on the canvas roof... ::sighs::

LOL Well, I can't say that I've ever experienced that but I bet it's nice. I've never really been much a camper. I mean, I've enjoyed it the times that I've been; I just haven't been but a few times. I know I would enjoy being in a tent somewhere in the woods, all wrapped up in a sleeping bag or something. And the rain... not like a monsoon but just a nice, steady rain. I'm sure it would even be better if I was sharing the sleeping bag with a special lady. Maybe someday...

I know I've been going on and on about this but I really do enjoy listening to the rain. It's one of the ways I like to relax. It might not seem like it but my job can be pretty stressful. Don't get me wrong, it's tons of fun and I love it. It just takes a lot out of me and I take every opportunity to get relaxed and enjoy my time away from the station so that I can enjoy my time at the station and to be able to put on the best show possible. Today's show kindda sucked but I really didn't feel right today. I'm not sure why, I just felt kind of blah. Hopefully tomorrow will be better on that front.

Tonight I made chicken tenders for dinner. But not that crap from a bag or a box, no no! I made real chicken tenders. I cut boneless, skinless chicken breasts into strips, breaded them, fried them.... yeah baby! I'm telling you, I'm a good catch! Think about it: I can cook (well, some things anyway hehe), I keep my place semi-clean, I keep my clothes clean, I change my shorts once a week... ok, just kidding about that part LOL. Seriously, I don't think I'm that bad of a guy. I take some pride in myself, I try to keep my place presentable, I'm nice. The women up here, at least a vast majority of them, seem to just way the guy who could care less about themselves and who treats their lady badly. I dunno. I guess I've just been hanging around the wrong women LOL.

Time for bed. Side note: Maybe someday I'll actually blog before I'm ready for bed. Maybe I'd actually make sense then LOL.

--Jonathan

Blogging In the Rain

So I'm sitting in my apartment with my back door open and I'm listening to the rain. It's so relaxing! If I only had a tin roof, that would be perfect. I don't know how many people in this region of the country have tin roofs but sleeping with rain hitting a tin roof is something that everyone should experience. I can honestly say that that was the best sleep ever. I wonder what it is that makes someone so relaxed when they hear a rain storm or a light thunder storm. Hmm... I think I'll sleep with my window open tonight.

Overall today was a good day. Honestly, just a routine day as far as work goes. Did some adds, did the show, just the usual. I also worked really hard at the gym tonight and I'm paying for it now. I haven't been this sore in a long time but I did get in a great work out. I'm not sure why but I actually kind of like being sore after I work out. I suppose it's because I feel like I've accomplished something. Maybe that seems weird but it's true.

I want to thank everyone who left words of encouragement on my last blog post. It wasn't my intention to draw sympathy but I'm glad to know that there are people out there who care about me. So thank you very much! Mandie: Thanks for the ecard! You bet that we'll do something real soon! :-)

Still no word on a possible trip home. My boss was in meetings all day so I didn't get to talk to him about it. Hopefully I will tomorrow. I've decided that if I don't get to go home it's perfectly fine. I mean, it would be nice to be able to go home for a couple of days but, now that I think about it, it might be better to wait and go when I can spend several days there. That said, however, if I can't the chance I may very well take it. But I think I could survive a couple of months. As much as I miss my friends and family back home, again I'd rather be able to spend a lot of time with them than a little. So we'll wait and see.

Gonna grab some milk and then I'm hittin' the hay. Gonna enjoy this weather while I can. :-)

--Jonathan

The Funk Continues

I think, however, this is more than just a funk. I swore I wouldn't get this way but it looks like I am, in fact, home sick. It's not like I'm so bad off that I want to move back home and never come back here, I just want to go home for a couple of days and see my family. It kind of sucks, being one of the few radio people in Fort Wayne who isn't from here (side note: For Fort Wayne to be as big of a market as it is, it's unusual for most of the radio personalities here to actually be from here). Most everyone in my building can go home anytime they want because they live not far from there. I, on the other hand, am now 12 hours away from home so I don't have that luxary.

It's not that I'm bitter, in fact I completely understand because of the nature of the career path that I've chosen, but I can't lie and say that I'm not disappointed that I may not be able to go home soon like I had hoped. I can't go this weekend because we have a station event. And there may be one next weekend. Basically, if I don't get to go next weekend I won't be able to go home until at least Christmas. This day of funk is partially my fault, though, because I had gotten my hopes up. Oh well... Christmas isn't that far off so I could survive. It'll just make me that much more glad to finally see my friends and family.

Some of my friends don't understand why I feel this way. Many of them have been living away from home for some time now and aren't very close to their families. As for me, I am very close to my family and I honestly don't have that many friends so the ones I do have are close. It's not that I dislike Fort Wayne, in fact I love it up here; it just doesn't beat home. It's been a huge adjustment for me because this is the first time I've ever lived away from home. Until three months ago, the furthest I had ever lived from home was about an hour and a half. Needless to say there has been plenty of lonliness and even some wonder if I should just move back home. Of course, I know that isn't the answer because I'd regret "giving up." Plus it could quite possibly be career suicide. I have opportunities up here and I need to take full advantage of them.

Other than that, I'm alright. I guess I'm still growing up. As for what can be done about how I feel, I guess all I can do is hope that I can go home for a visit soon and just continue to give this a chance. I also need to combat my shyness. I'm open to suggestions.

Bed time.

--Jonathan

Just call me "Funkmaster Jonathan"

I really don't know why but today I've been in one of my "world famous" funky-funks. I've just felt blah all day. I mean, I haven't felt like doing anything today, I just wanted to sit on my couch and sulk. I think the main reason I'm like this is because this birthday was the first one I had spent being single in four years. It sucks! Like I was telling someone earlier, it's not like I absolutely need someone in my life to function but it would have been nice to have someone special to celebrate with. Don't get me wrong, I had a great time with the guys from the station but it would have been nice to have a significant other to join in the celebration. Well, certain parts of it anyway LOL (no comment). No, mom, I didn't get drunk.

This was really short but I'm going to end this now. Gonna grab a couple of cookies and some milk (yes, I banked the cookies myself, thank you ) then I'm heading to bed. BTW, one of my friends asked why my posts have been real generic and "boring." Well, it's just because I haven't felt like being very political and opionated lately (had tons of other stuff on my mind). But watch out, because I feel something coming on. Muhahahahahaha

--Jonathan

Snickerz and Old Farts

Boo, I hope you don't think I stole the fashion in which you name your blog posts. But this perfectly fits my night!

First, my birthday was awesome! I got a call from my old Program Director in Meridian and he had to tell me about the advance ratings for Meridian. My old station (and, yes, I'm taking some of the credit since I was there for half the ratings period LOL) is number one across the board!! For the first time in three years, my old station is number one overall and number one or tied for first in all of the demographics. HELL YEAH! I also found out that my personal days here kick in after my 90 day probation is over (which, by the way, happens next week) so that means I can go home for a long weekend before the next ratinngs period starts (I'll have to take Friday and Monday off to travel). Not sure which weekend I'm going yet, I'll find out on Monday. This is awesome because I really miss my family and friends. The 12 hour drive will suck but it'll be great to be able to take a long weekend to visit everyone. Happy birthday to me!

Tonight, I had a ton of fun. I was the M.C. at Snickerz Comedy Bar and I had an awesome time! I even managed to crack a few jokes. Ok, they weren't good jokes but at least I tried! The comedians were just hilarious! Both the feature and headlining comics were just awesome! Ask me about the Donald Duck bit the headliner did. I can't type it out here but I can try and imitate it. Comedy Gold!

After Snickerz, I went to Pierre's and had a blast. Except for the security guy at the door who not only careded me but was going to make my pay (even though my hand was stamped from Snickerz). What a jerk. Anywho, I had a blast. I don't know who the band was that was playing tonight but they were great! They were from Louisana so they played a TON of southern rock. I enjoyed it very much! But the funiest part was probably the two old guys (and when I said "old," I mean lke 70) who were dancing up on all the young girls. I promise you, they could drink any younger guy under the table, even me! Well, not that I drink alot but you wouldn't think a guy wearing Depends could drink much either!

Tomorrow, the party continues at Club Inc. tomorrow night. Going to have a blast! If you're in the area, get out there and I'll buy you some drinks (bar tabs rule!). I usually get out there at 10:00 and stay out there until, well, whenever!

--Jonathan

A Retrospective of my 22nd Year

In 40 minutes I begin celebrating my 23rd birthday. It is with that in mind that I look back on the year that was my 22nd.

It was a year of change, sadness, happiness and everything else that makes up life. Probably the second biggest event was when me and my girlfriend of three years broke up toward the end of '03. It was for the best and I think she and I are better off as friends. It's just that she and I wanted different directions in life and had to let each other go. If you're wondering, yes we still talk every now and then. She just graduated from LPN school and she takes her license exams soon. I wish her the best in all she has planned for her career and her life. I know some man is going to be very lucky with her!

Above I mentioned what was the second biggest event in the last years. "So, Jonathan, what's the biggest," you ask? Well, I think that's pretty obvious: Moving to Fort Wayne of course! I never really thought that I would have the guts to move up here but here I sit, somewhere in Fort Wayne in my apartment (you didn't really think I'd tell you where, did you?). I'll never forget the day that I left my parents' house in Phildelphia, Mississippi to come up here. I was the one shedding tears and my mom was the one telling me that everything would be alright. That's kind of funny because I figured it would be the other way around. It's been a huge adjustment, not having any family and not many friends around, but I think I've handled it well so far. I have plenty of things to keep me sane here: New friends, places to go, a job that I love... I could go on. But nothing beats home and I can't wait to return there soon to visit my family and friends. I miss them terriably.

Professionally this was a year of change too. I moved from a top 40 station in the third smallest market in the country to a hip-hop station in a market that's almost top 100. There were many points during the last year that I was so down in the dumps that I never thought I'd be able to move on. I had been feeling for some time that it was time to move on with my career and I was getting nowhere fast. Then the opportunity to come here came about and I went for it. Now here I am. I'm happy that I'm where I can take what I learned in Meridian and build on it by getting experience in a bigger market and a different format.

I can't really think of anything else "big" that happened this year. Just the usual stuff that makes up life. I've laughed, I've cried (thankfully more of the former and less of the latter), I've experienced pain, been stressed out, all the stuff of human existance. I guess you could say that, aside from the obvious changes, this year has been normal.

Wow, it's now 12:10 AM. Happy 23rd birthday to me! :-)

--Jonathan

Insert whitty title here

The weather up here has been weird! Seriously, I'm just not used to this. Down in Mississippi, it doesn't feel like this until about November. I was expecting lower humidity and cooler temps when I moved up here but not this. Honestly, I love it! This is the kind of weather I like. But I just never thought that I might have to use my heat in August!

I finally made it to the gym today. Yep, I went almost two weeks without a work out. Honestly, I couldn't tell that it had been a while. I did a lighter than usual routine, though, because I hadn't worked out in almost two weeks. But it felt good to get back in the gym. I'm not sure why I've had a lack of motivation lately. I need to keep going, though, because I need to get in shape.

I just heard something really dumb on the news. The President's nominee for CIA Director is drawing some fire from some Democrats because he's "too close to the agency." Now, read that again and tell me if that makes sense. I would think you'd want the Director of the CIA to know the agency inside and out. Oi...

Ok, bed time.

--Jonathan

Let's open the mail bag...

Oi. I shouldn't have to defend myself but here goes:

Wasn't it this very message board where you posted a rant about the pathetic handling of comments by the Ft. Wayne MediaWatch webmaster?

First of all, this is not a message board where any and everyone can post about whatever they want. This is my blog, a place where I can post my thoughts and, if I choose (yes, I do have that option), I can get feedback by allowing people to leave comments. Get it right.

So now, even if somebody has a valid response to one of your claims, it's ok for you to be hypocritical and do the same? If it's an opposing point from the one you post, it gets deleted. Sounds familiar.

That's not what I said. If you (or anyone) wants to disagree with me and post the said disagreement in a comment, fell free; I encourage it! However, there is a difference in disagreeing with someone and attacking someone. The comment that was left by whoever (maybe you?) was an attack on me and my station and I will not tolerate that. Period. Feel free to disagree but don't attack. And also know that I reserve the right to delete anything I feel is inappropriate from the comments at any time. I won't delete anything that's simply a reply of disagreement but I will delete any attacks on any person or any radio station. This is MY personal website, therefore I have the right to decide the content. If you can't live with that, don't read this blog.

You mentioned radio, and just like mentioning religion or politics like you do sometimes, that opens up an opportunity for someone to disagree and to seek a way of letting their opinions be known.

Again, it's fine to disagree with me. But, also again, I will not tolerate attacks. Period.

And also know that I don't and won't talk about radio here very often mainly, again, I have a personal life outside of the studio.

My posting about the Media Watch was a commentary against their opinion of radio people. I could have gone about it differently but what's done is done.

Respectfully yours,
Aaron
You happy I posted my name?

Cute.

Ok, this is the last time I'm visiting this topic. Again, this is my personal site and I reserve the right to delete anything I feel isn't appropriate. I also reserve the right to disable comments to the blog, thereby forcing you to email me with any comments you have (and making it harder for you to hide your identity). If this crap continues, I will do just that.

And to whoever posted that attack on me and my station (maybe the afore named "Aaron") you made it pretty obvious that you work for my competition. I mean, the average radio listener anywhere doesn't know nor care about ratings so, again, you made it pretty obvious. I'm not 100% sure of how you found this blog but I would hope you have bigger things to worry about than what I post on my personal blog.

I could say alot more to you but, unlike you, I would have the guts to do so to your face.

Again, I'm not posting about this crap again. No more attacks. Period.

--Jonathan

Umm... yeah.

Today was actually really productive. We had the planning meeting for my station today and I feel like we really got some things out and set some very realistic goals. What are we gonna do? No, no, I ain't tellin'! (hehe)

I can't believe that it's already been almost a year but, on Friday, I turn 23. I'd say that, so far, I haven't had a bad run for someone who was never supposed to see his 10th birthday. You see, when I was a kid, I was very sick about 90% of the time. I have a rare low blood sugar disorder called Ketotic Hypoglycemia (the rarest for of hypoglycemia). Basically, it's the opposite of diabetes but it's also more severe. Long story short, no doctor who saw me ever thought I would live to see my 10th birthday. Through the Grace of God, I'm not only about to turn 23 but I'm also essentially free of the Hypoglycemia. I haven't been in the hospital since I was about 12 (just for the record, I've been in the hospital over 100 times in my life... and I could tell you some stories) and I'm really enjoying life. God has blessed me beyond anything I could ever ask for. But not only with my life (which is amongst the greatest blessings) but He has also given me my family, my friends, the basic needs of life... and He's given me an opportunity to live our my dream of being a radio personality.

That being said, I know I've made some mistakes in the past and even on this blog. Name calling, etc. So before you throw that in my face, let me just point out that no one (including anyone reading this) is perfect. I want to say that I'm sorry to anyone I may have offended by my (sometimes) rantings. I know I've gotten on others for ranting on the past and I'm not denying that I've done it too (and probably will do it again LOL).

If you're a regular reader my this blog you'll notice that I get comments every now and then. I did something I swore I would never do: I deleted two comments from my last post. The reason I deleted them was because one of them was flaming me and my station and the other was a response to the flame by someone (I'm assuming a well meaning friend). They were both deleted mainly because they had nothing to do with the topic of the post that they were attached to, not to mention that the first comment was rather scatching. I will not allow anyone to bash any radio station in Fort Wayne on this blog. Period. I don't care of it's my station, a station in my building or one of the other stations in this market; I will not stand for it. I'm not going to use this blog to bash other stations and I will not allow it to be used by others (through comments) to do so. In fact, I will rarely talk about radio because I do have a personal life outside of radio and I want to focus on that here more than the goings-on of a radio station. That said, if you have any comments about me or my station (in other words, comments about anything other than a post I make that would be approiate to make here), or if you have any questions, feel free to email me at the address found in my profile. And, please, have the guts to include your name. Nothing makes me madder than someone making a critical comment and not having the guts to include their name. I will not respond to anon. comments in any way from this point forward. Period.

Sorry I had to say that but it was something that needed to be said.

I talked to my mom today and she was telling me that my brother just bought (another) new sound system for his truck. *Laugh* The truck's still in my name; it would be funny if I decided I wanted to take it back. ;-) No, I wouldn't do that. But I just think it's funny that my brother has probably invested more in sound equipment and repairs than the truck's worth. Steven, if you're reading this, I'm just playing. I'm glad that you did something with the old bucket of bolts!

I can't wait to go home for a few days. I still don't know when I'll be about to take some time off from work (depends on when I get my personal days) but I hope it's soon because I wouldn't mind taking a long weekend (using the personal days on Friday and Monday) and go home for a visit. There are sooooooo many people I'd love to see, talk to and hug. To anyone from back home who might be reading this, I miss you!

I'm going to bed. It's been a long day.

--Jonathan

Apparently I'm not a professional...

Some people just aren't as smart as they would lead you to believe they are. They use big words, put artsy pictures on their website, etc. But they make themselves look like the idiots they are by their rants that are riddled with stupidity. You guessed it: I'm talking about Fort Wayne Mediawatch.

The guy who runs this site, well, I don't know what kind of stick he has up his ass but he's definately got some kind of issue with the media here in Fort Wayne. No newscast is ever professional enough, no print story deep enough and radio, well, forget it. If it's not N.P.R., he hates it (although I've never seen him complain about any of the talk stations, just the ones that play music... well, certain ones anyway).

His rant today really made me think this guy doesn't have it all upstairs. He writes:

Media folks in Fort Wayne have lackluster careers apparently; they can't wait to go on vacation or take extra holidays off.

Ok, this guy is an idiot. By his own admission, he's not in media. Therefore, he has no clue what this business is all about. Granted, he's talking about news media here but they work just as hard as anyone. If he had any experience in this field, he would know that there's more to being a reporter than just standing/sitting in front of the camera and smiling. Before you ask, yes I have worked in TV. I can tell you that a reporter/anchor/whatever not only has to be on camera to look pretty but also has to write the story and sometimes even has put the package together (basically, produce the story). Tell me that's not hard work. Try doing that for six months without a break and tell me that you wouldn't want a vacation or be glad when a holiday comes around.

Now, here's the biggest piece of stupidity I've ever seen:

(Radio people are exempt from our opprobrium. Radio is an entertainment medium mostly, not a serious career, calling for severe professionalism.)

Is it just me or did this fool just say that I'm (or anyone in radio for that matter) just doing this for the Hell of it?? Do I have to be at the station at a certain time (and well before it's time to start my show)? Yes, 11:00 AM to be exact. Do I have responsibilities that extend outside of my four hour air shift? Yes. Sounds pretty demanding to not be a serious career.

Again, this guy has admitted that he's not in media (and I'm assuming never has been). He has no idea the long hours our jobs demand. I don't get there at 3:00 (showtime) and talk for four hours then call it a day. There have been many times when I've put in 12+ hours in a day and gone back to do it again the next. I've worked weekends (sometimes two or more weeks STRAIGHT without a day off), I've worked holidays, I've pulled double shifts... I could go on. I know I'm ready for a vacation or a holiday when I've been working hard like that.

According to the dumbass, radio folk don't act professional because it's not expected of us. That could NOT be further from the truth. Don't tell me that I'm not a professional. I may do crazy things on the air to entertain my listeners but I'm far from being unprofessional. There have been many things that I've learned in radio and one of those things is that an unprofessional attitude will get you fired quicker than anything. You have to be nice to listeners, nice to clients (yes, we do deal with station clients, the people who make it possible for us to collect a check, on a regular basis), nice to label reps... again, I could continue. And don't get me started on the many F.C.C. rules and regulations that we have to follow. Just because we don't wear suits and ties to work doesn't mean that we're unprofessional. But I guess, to him, anything that isn't stuffy public or talk radio is unprofessional.

The bottom line is that this person has no idea what someone working in this field goes through to bring him the news or entertain him. Not to mention letting him know about a missing child, severe weather, road closings, etc. It takes a lot out of us and, yes, we enjoy our time off. But you know what we enjoy more than that? Doing the above mentioned things because it gives us a sense of value, knowing that we're helping people be informed or entertained so they can get through their day.

It's hard to believe that I get a paycheck for doing something I love. Maybe he doesn't view what we do as a serious career because we actually enjoy what we do and get paid for it.

I have a suggestion for this person: Instead of ranting and raving about something you know nothing about, why not get off your duff and make a contribution to society (like getting a job).

And one more nugget of wisdom I'd like to pass along to him: If you live in a glass house, don't throw bricks.

**UPDATE**

A friend of mine made a comment to the Mediawatch people on something they published on their site. A quote:

...we disregard the observations of those who send criticisms about us: those who complain are usually a little deficient in the

intellectual department.

So, let me get this straight: What he's (the guy who runs the Mediawatch site) saying is that if you disagree with them, you're a moron. Does this guy think he has so much credability that he can call those who disagree with his views idiots? I hate to tell him but he is a laughing stock in Fort Wayne. Nobody, and I do mean nobody, takes him seriously.

The only reason I devoted a blog post to this idiocy was because I really took exception to his saying that radio wasn't a real career and that we were unprofessional. I realize that I'm not the greatest jock in the world but I certainly am not unprofessional and what I do certainly is a serious career.

Again, if you live in a glass house....

--Jonathan

FInally, a new post!!

I can't believe that it's been a week since I posted to the blog. I apologize to the three regular readers I have LOL. This isn't the only thing I've been slacking on this week. I currently have two day old laundry in the dryer and I only got to the gym once this week. I've been sooooo lazy! No excuses, no gripes, I've just been lazy. This week I've resolved to not be so lazy and my laundry's warming up to be folded right now.

The Fort Wayne Arbitron ratings came in this week and we're very pleased. The numbers are embargoed so I really can't go into much detail about it. All I'll say is that we have no complaints. The station that we compete directly with lost half of their market share and my show (afternoons, 3-7) did extremely well. So I'm happy! It's a nice note to go into planning and budget meetings next week.

Tonight I went out to dinner with *name withheld* again and I shall not be seeing her again. Basically I realized that she's just as big of a bitch as I thought she was. I was wanting to give her the benefit (especially since I *gasp* forgot her name on our first date) but tonight just did not help my opinion. First of all, she has no manners. No please, thank you, nothing. And she was sitting there and telling me how she wanted to respond to the other station's open casting call for a women to join their morning show. Maybe that doesn't seem like something to do when you're on a date with a guy who works for them competator. I'm sorry but any woman I end up with is going to have to be supportive of me and my job. I'm not saying that she can't listen to ther radio stations or anything like that but comments like that are totally out of line. And she also has to know how to act in public.

Seriously, I just don't get the women up here, they're weird. Most of the women I've met up here have been rude, brash, etc. And I swear, most of the women in Fort Wayne, Indiana smoke! I can't date a girl that smokes, that's a major turn off. Seriously, try kissing a woman who smokes: It's like licking the bottom of an ash tray. Yuck!

I know a solution to this: God, please send me a southern girl!

I seriously didn't intend for this to be a rant about that but it just happened LOL. As for now, I have to get ready to go to Club Inc. With our ratings, we have plenty of reason to celebrate! And next weekend is another because it's my birthday (hint hint LOL).

--Jonathan

A Great Weekend/Michigan Troubles

As I've mentioned in a couple of other posts, my dad came to da Fort to visit over the weekend (he leaves tomorrow, BTW). I can honestly say this weekend has been one of the best I've had since I've been north of the Mason-Dixon.

Saturday I showed him around Fort Wayne. I showed him all the main drags in town, went to Glenbrook and we toured the Abraham Lincoln Museum. That place is very intersting! I don't think I've ever mentioned it before but I'm really into history. I watch the History Channel a ton and history was my favorite subject in high school and college. Anyway, we found it very interesting. Then we went to Mi Pueblo for dinner, which is by far the best Mexican restaurant in Fort Wayne! It's on Jefferson, across from Dimension Ford and I highly suggest it.

Today was the highlight of the weekend but it was also the most interesting.

We went to Detroit for the Tigers-White Sox game at Comerica Park today and had a great time! The Tigers lost but, hey, it was still great because it was my first major league game. Plus, Comerica Park is an awesome place! If you have the chance to take in a game there, you should. On a side note, I hope my next sports stop is Notre Dame!

All in all, I'm glad that my dad came up here for a visit and that we got to spend some time together.

WARNING! WARNING! Now it's time to bitch. This is going to come across as a slam against Michigan but I'm going to try and not make it that way. I'm not bashing most of the people up there (one of my good friends is from the Detroit/Ann Arbor area) but there were some things that pissed me off.

First of all, the roads up there were horrid! Seriously, people talk about bad roads down south but the roads in Detroit (and most of the areas in Michigan that I traveled through) are the worst I've ever been on. There are places where I honestly thought I was going to cut a tire or do great damage to my suspension (as it is, I'm probably going to have to get an alignment). There were also sections where very large potholes were covered with metal. WTF??? Why not do something crazy like fix the holes?! I swear...

No offense to Kristi, but Detroit sucks. Seriously, it's one of the nastiest cities I've ever been in. The streets have tons of dirt in them. No, I'm not kidding! There are piles of dirt in the streets! Not to mention all the homeless, wineos and people of general ill repute roaming the streets. All of the buildings (there were a few exceptions to this but not many) looked dirty and run down. I know I wouldn't want to move there... well, unless I got a damn good radio gig by moving there. But I digress.

And I realize there are stupid drivers everywhere but the ones I ran in to in Michigan have to be some of the most moronic people on God's green earth! Memo to crazy-ass drivers in Michigan: The signs that say "Left lane closed, merge right" aren't just there for decoration! It means move your freakin' care over to the right lane. And, for the love of everything sacred, do it well before you get to the point that if you don't move you'll hit a flashing arrow or run into some concrete blocks! Had some idiots on I-94 followed this bit of common sense, there wouldn't have been a three mile back up in both directions (there was a stretch on both sides that went to one lane). And get this: Even with this going on, people were still getting in the left lane and then trying to get over! What the hell, are these people really so ignorant that they don't believe an orange construction sign that says a lane is closed and that smart people are merging into one lane just for fun of it??

Ok, bitch mode is off. I'm going to bed.

--Jonathan