I guess introductions are in order....

I'm going to start writing for a blog called PlaygroundDad.  So... I've got to do a little introduction.  Tell everyone who I am... why I'm here, etc.  There's a couple of ways you could go with introductions..... it could be a very detailed list of where you've been, where you've worked... almost like a resume.  Or... it could be a real personal list.... something that tends to focus more on the immaterial things.... the "life" stuff that has brought you to where you are now.. I prefer a different take on the introduction...

I was born a poor black child. I remember the days, sittin' on the porch, singin' and dancin' down in Mississippi.  I didn't have any rhythm... until one night I heard a song on the radio called, "Crazy Rhythm"... I loved it.  I decided to hitchhike to St. Louis to find out what it was.  I took a job as a gas station attendant, got my name tattooed on a motorcycle stunt woman's butt, and invented a device called the Opti-Grab.  But apparently, it caused people's eyes to cross, and Carl Reiner took a class action lawsuit on me and I lost everything.... except for this paddle-ball, ....and this thermos.

No really...

the name is Jeremy.  Friends call me JB.  I've got 2 daughters... one leaving in a little over a week to attend the University of California at Santa Cruz as a freshman.  (Go Slugs!)  The other is a freshman in high school.  Just got married again in June of this year.  Amazing woman with a wonderful 7 year old little boy.  I live in a 95 year old house in a little part of Sacramento called, "East Sac".

I've spent most of my adult life working in radio.  I've worked at radio stations in Sacramento, Stockton, Modesto..... and Albuquerque, New Mexico.  I've worked at everything from a very tiny AM station out of what used to be the third bedroom of a house... to a national radio network serving over 2 million listeners.

That was up until a couple of weeks ago.  I lost my job on Thursday, August 16th.  Just 6 days after my 41st birthday..... and less than 2 months after I got married.  Not the news I wanted on my birthday.... definitely not the news I wanted to break to my new bride.  I was certain that she didn't sign up for this kind of uncertainty.  Not this time around.  Not at 40 years old.

I was wrong.

I found her to be my most staunch supporter... my closest ally... more than I could ever ask any other human to be.  Nice to have after spending most of 30s not being able to trust anyone.

So... at 41, I enter a new phase of my life... I plan on building a career out of what used to be a hobby... DJing parties and weddings.  And... FINALLY.... getting my voice-over career started.  It will be a long slow road... but thank God for a wife who understands, supports.... and will kick my ass if I slack off.  In the spare time... I hope be able to contribute to a blog every week or so... and maybe even a podcast.  I've got a life full of characters I'd love to share with you.

I'd like to introduce you to me... JB... the rennesaice... the renazance... I guess I'm going to be one, I need to learn how to spell it.  Renaissance man.  Not to be confused with renaissance faire man.... that involves tights.

Let's Get Started!!

Creative juices are flowing.  Totally feeling really good about what lies ahead.  So many options and opportunities.  AND... that wouldn't be possible without my lovely wife.

Just a couple of days after I was let go.... we had ourselves a nice little "stay-cation".  While we were having lunch in Old Sacramento, overlooking the river... we held our glasses high and toasted.  She said, "Hey, now you don't have to worry about losing your job anymore."

Truer words have never been spoken.

You can't swing a dead cat without hitting a radio guy worried about their job.  We chose an industry notorious for sudden changes and unsteady employment.  A change in format, a new Program Director or General Manager, heck, a simple change of mind, could all mean it's your last day on the air.  We knew that getting in.  But that was part of the excitement as well.  I have friends who have spent the last 20+ years crisscrossing the country making their living working at great radio stations.  I have some who have managed to stay put in one market or one radio station for a long period of time.  I prided myself on being the guy who could stay in one market.  There's a lot to be said about being able to raise a family in the city you grew up in, went to school in, love to live in... all while working in the up and down world of radio.

Very few of us get to do it forever though.  There's an age limit for most.  Hard to sell the new song from Taylor Swift while you're putting your teeth in.  Or the new track from 2 Chainz when you don't know if that's his name or what he's currently wearing around his neck.

Back to the wife.... 

"You're done working for the man", she says.  "It's time to use your God-given abilities to do something else."

The voice... I have a good one.  Smooth, personable, friendly.  

Some ideas rolling around in my head... 

• I could read your birthday cards aloud as you open your  gifts!  
• I could read aloud your favorite novel... LIVE!  (no 50 Shades)
• Custom outgoing voice mails..

Just a few... it's early :)

I'd love to hear your suggestions... 

little things.....

Spend some time at home.... yes I know it's only been about a week... you start to notice things.... little things... like your kids.  Baylee talks a lot.  A LOT.  Girl (my 14 yr old) just got back from camping for the weekend... hasn't stopped talking.  First it was about how big the hill was that she walked up and down.  Then there was the discussion on the difference between a mountain and a hill.  Then... the discussion turned to whether or not a shirt would grow with you.  "let's say you start wearing a shirt every day... 24/7... never take it off... would it fit you a few years later?  Would it grow with you?"  

"Doesn't matter Baylee, it would smell."  

"Well what if I sponge bathed and didn't take the shirt off?  When do you think I would notice that the shirt is too small for me?  It's not like I'd wake up one day and say this is too tight!"

All of this while eating a bowl of goldfish.  Not real goldfish... cheesy goldfish.  There like gold in this house.  Well they are GOLDfish.  Seriously... you could trade those things for cash.  

She's still talking.

Now she's pointing out all the errors on a drawing of Santa Cruz we have hanging on the wall of the dining room... Among the errors... "no one wears those short shorts anymore.... HEY... where are all the fat people!!??"  "Do you think Megan would mind if I borrowed one of her flip-flops? I mean not just one but two... you know a pair?"

TONS of time with my daughters... I'm getting that.  But at the same time, I really want to work... not necessarily go back to radio... but then again that's what I know.  I know I can sit back relax a little, and let things unfold... but I need to stay busy... justify my reason for being.  Contributing to something.... 

All my friends have told me not to worry... that I always seem to land on my feet.  That's nice and all... but what I'm really tired of... is the falling.

Bay and I settle into a movie....  The Karate Kid... the original.

"Who names their kid Ralph?" 

"There is no way you'd let me be friends with an old Asian handyman."  

"How come Mr. Miyagi spent all that time cutting little trees? He should have been cleaning that pool!" 

"I am not what I do"

that's the mantra i keep telling myself.... "i am not what i do".... really easy to say... hard to buy into.  i'll give you a little peek inside the minds of radio people... we're all very insecure..... at least everyone i've met is.  we get hired, fired, critiqued, praised, scolded... simply on who we are.  Being encouraged to be "authentic", "genuine", and "real" on the air...means you become really vulnerable.

you see... if i had some factory job, where i punched the same widget over and over again for 8 hours a day... and i got let go because i wasn't hitting my quota... i could live with that.  "Didn't hit my quota!!  Got let go!"....  In no way does not being able to stamp a bunch of widgets have anything to do with me as a husband, father, friend, person, etc.   Being dumped because of WHO YOU ARE... does.  It effs you for awhile... at least it does me.

I put together a resume the other day... first time in a long time.  Radio is funny.. very unique... trying to see what "skills" translate to jobs in the real world.  Not many.  How valuable is the ability to talk up the 12 second intro of a song without stepping on the vocals??  Will that help me in selling you insurance?  How about the amazing ability to give away concert tickets to the 7th caller??  Not the 6th or the 8th!!!  The 7th!! (sniff sniff) Do I smell accounting in my future??

If all else fails... you'll never hear "Would you like fries with that?" in a sexier voice.

So... realized something.... former boss was at my wedding reception a few weeks ago.  Wife and I were limited on who we could invite... I always thought in was in good taste to invite your boss, so I did.  This was a just a couple of weeks before I was let go.  I have to assume that he already knew what he was doing to me at that point.  He gave us a gift card to a major home improvement store in the amount of $50.  Looking at the gift card now....and thinking about how I feel I was led on about my employment... It'll just be wrong and against my character to spend that $50 on nails, and cleaners, and potting soil.  It'll feel "wrong".
And knowing what a proud conservative Republican he is... I made a $50 donation to the 2012 Barack Obama campaign..... in his name. (totally my wife's idea)  I didn't even know you could do that... but you can!!  If someone "inspires" you to donate.. .you can do it their name!!  For as little as $10!!!   And they'll even send that person an email letting them know!!!  I love it when we can can work together for good.

If you'd like to do the same click here...Barack Obama... and then the donate button.

If you can't think of the name of someone who "inspires" you to give.... I might know of a few people. :)

Deleted....

Facebook doesn't make it that easy to delete people... I mean you must really want someone off your FB if you're going to delete.... the process can be arduous... but the day after I left the building I had to start deleting peeps... The promotions guy who I only met twice and posts crazy political rants...GONE!!! the radio guy on the east coast that i don't know.... but we're friends because you know a few of the people i know... GONE!  my boss.... (self explanatory)..... deleted some 80 peeps in one sitting.... cleaning the closet... i don't care for keeping old stuff... the people provide for bad memories... and hanging on to them is like keeping a junk drawer of old batteries... they don't work, they're useless... you'll waste valuable time just trying to find enough positive spark in one of them.... toss them out... you'll feel better... speaking of old stuff.... i got all my stuff from my cubicle today... met the HR person in the parking lot of a grocery store around the corner from the station... it was all like secret and stuff... 4 boxes worth... probably going to throw most of it away....

it's funny.... the second i started "decorating" my cubicle, those thoughts were running through my head.... "you're gonna jinx it... don't decorate... the second you do... you're gonna have to take it all with you on the walk of shame!"  But then there was another voice... "if you don't at least put up a few personal things... then you're almost expecting to get canned."  so i did... Alabama football stuff, an old Pac-Man game, books, pics, etc.... all carefully wrapped and itemized in a few boxes in my garage now.  but the boxes are nice... you can always use a good box.

20 years in radio.... quick synopsis of stations and cities... New Country 105.1 KNCI (Sacramento), KMIX Country 100.9 (Stockton), KATM Kat Country 103 (Modesto), Today's Hot New Country 92.3 KRST (Albuquerque), KOSO B93.1 (Modesto), KDND 107.9 The End (Sacramento), KWOD 106.5 (Sacramento), KKFS 103.9 The Fish (Sacramento), KZZO 100.5 The Zone (Sacramento), Air1 Radio Network (Worldwide).... most of those i left on my own accord... a couple few of them i didn't.   


that's it for now... more on radio in the next couple of days... HEY... bright side... learning new things in my renaissance phase of my life... learned how to properly cut a mango.... check it out... 

ok... so this is all new to me.  not just the blogging thing, but this thing.  this thing where i'm at home on a monday with nothing to do. that's not true.  i've got a lot to do.. going to work isn't one of them though.  need to do laundry, dishes, try to get rid of all the exclamation points that come up next to songs in my itunes, need to call some long lost associates of mine.  i'm really bad at keeping contacts.  i'm the guy that says, "yeah... let's get together sometime. soon, too! we always talk about it but never do."  i'm the guy who never does.  ironic.  so... yeah, not going to work tomorrow.. i was laid off, fired, terminated... whatever you wanna call it... last week.  just turned 41 the week prior.... unemployed last week.  ok... back to the stuff i have to do... call colleagues... renew my business license (screw the man)... dummy up some aircheck tapes... make some lunch for my stepson.. pick my daughter up from school.... the last one is tricky... she doesn't know daddy doesn't have a job anymore.... but she'll loooooove the fact that i get to pick her up from school everyday and she won't be hanging out by herself.

blogging.... i ain't a good writer.  lots of short sentences... you'll see lots of these ..............  i write in thoughts... not sentences.  megan (my lovely wife) says i should have an audio blog.... like a podcast.  maybe.  actually i will.  i gotta stop saying maybe.  it's a sign of poor self confidence.  do it or don't.  back to blogging... i have friends that are picky about font... i guess i can use anything but comic sans.  that'll look silly... new times roman just looks like you're not trying.  i don't know what font this is...it's called trebuchet.... could be a font or a french cheese.  (i really wish that was my joke... it's not)  i think at some point i'll talk about radio... why i did it, why i don't, what i like, what i don't.  can't do that right now, because i'm distracted by this video of a cup-stacking otter.  

oh... the name... jingle out... radio term for the end of a break.... you, um, jingle out. (thanks to Sean Copeland for this)  take the first exit.... more on that later.