Where have I been?

I know, it has been a couple of months since my last post. I apologize! If you have little ones, you can relate. Let me just say that I never knew having a little one was so much work. Lets see...what has happened?

Well, in May we always help out Cancer Services of Grant Co. We help them raise over 14 thousand dollars to help local cancer patients. It is something that we are very proud of here at the station. Every Friday in May we stand in "high-traffic" intersections in Grant Co. and collect spare change. All throughout the day we also do live broadcasts from local sponsors. It is a big undertaking, but the overall outcome is worth the work. So that tied up a lot of my time in May

In June we kick off our Colgate Country Showdown. This is a nation-wide talent search the station gets involved with. It consisted of 3 prelim. rounds, followed by the finals. Week 1 was really great. We were in Downtown Marion for the prelim. round, and after our showdown, my buddies "Flynnville Train" put on a fabulous show for the festival. What a fun night! The following weeks were just as much fun. Then the finals ended up at the Grant Co. Fair. It was a hot day setting up equipment, and getting all set with the two bands, and 10 solo acts. After it was all said and done, we need to congratulate Charis Baitler, our local winner. She will move on to the State Finals at the Indiana State Fair in August.

So that moves up into July. And besides work, Eli is about to turn 7 month old. He started crawling about 3 weeks ago, and he is getting sooooooo big.

I promise to post some new pics of Eli. We just got his 6 month pics back, and he is so cute!

This weekend will be a biggie. Saturday is Sarah's (my wife), my mom, and my brother's birthday. Yes all on Saturday! So needless to say, I need to do some shopping and get ready for the big birthday bash. Plus we have our annual Volleyball match for the Tiki doll trophy...I will tell you more about that on Monday!

Sorry for the long delay between posts, but I promise to try harder!

So, for now, back to my Busy Life in Headphones

I Finally Got Pea's On!

As the father of a little boy you get asked that a lot. There are many ways to put it...

"Got the golden shower yet?"

"Been Christened yet?"

"Has he got ya with his firehouse?"

And to all these up until a few days ago I said no! Diaper changes go quick with day. I have the new diaper opened up and laying on the edge of the changing table. A wipe out on on top of the wipe box. Undo the diaper, check it for the brown stuff, and then get a quick clean job. As I tuck the dirty wipe in the old diaper, I grab the new, and slap it on his little bottom. Another successful diaper change with no accidents. Now, once he got the wall with me in there, and once he started to pee just as I opened the diaper. But last week he finally got me.

We started the little one on baby food. They tell you to start with green vegetables. So we got a full line. Green Beans, and Peas. The green beans didn't go so well. So we did them for a couple of days and switched to Peas. He loved them! He would eat them right up. Usually baby food time was at the 5pm feedings. So the wife feeds him. One day last week his schedule was a little off. So the food time was bumped to 4. Mommy is not home for that one, so daddy had to try and manage. I get the bib, put him in his bumbo ( you will have to see my wife's blog if you don't know what this is) and get the peas.

After the first bite, he starts fussing. What is the problem. When his mom gives them to him, they are great, when daddy does it...Not having it. But he is eating while fussing, so when he opens up to cry, slip the spoon in! Gets a few more bits in...and then it happens!

With a mouth full of peas...he looks up and dad and PHfffffffffff. That funny lip buzz that Eli does from time to time. We are talking peas all over him. From head to foot. All over dad, including the glasses! This is the only time I have been Pea'd on! Not sure which would be worse!

I think I should just stick to giving him the bottles!

The Last Straw!

So we moved into a new house last July. The middle of summer. Little did we know then that the corner of our yard was "THE BUS STOP." Since school began back in August we have had problems with the kids that stand there. First there is a huge mud pit where they stand that killed all my grass. Now, I know I am starting to sound like one of those grumpy old men..."You little whippersnappers get off my lawn!" Really, that is the least of our concerns!

Is it just me, or do kids have no respect for anyone else these days? They might have a granola bar for breakfast. Actually I can tell you they do. Also freezer pops, boxes of dry cereal, and toast. I am not here when the kids get there, I know this because I find the trash in my yard when I get home. This really drives me crazy, but I was understanding about this.

When Sarah was off work on maternity leave, she found out something else that the little kids were doing. Sleeping in our bedroom (which is the room closest to the bus stop) she was roused from her slumber by a loud thud. And kids laughing....Thud....kids screaming. So she drags herself out of bed, and peeks out the window. The kids are playing tag, and guess what is base....our house. Thud....I am safe! So Sarah peeks her head out, and nicely asks the kids to stop.

This is not the last straw, but I just found out about it. Our mail box is right there on the same corner as the bus stop. My neighbor tells me the other day, he will look out and see those kids just pulling the mailbox from side to side, trying to get it out of the ground. So again, one morning Sarah asks the kids not to do it. Of course they look at her like she is evil!

But last week was the final straw. Sarah wakes up to let the dog out before she gets ready for work. As she opens the door, looks out at the kids at the bus stop, and there a boy using our tree as a urinal. We are not talking about a little 1st grader...this is a 3rd or 4th grade boy that knows better. And it would have been different if he was the only kid at the bus stop, but there are more than just him there. What the hell is wrong with kids these days?

This of course sparked calls from my wife to the superintendents office, which we were assured that the bus stop would be moved. We are still waiting on that!

Boogety, Boogety, Boogety!

Another Thursday lunch deliever! This time I got to go to a fun little place. The local dirt track! I usually try to take the Subway sandwiches to them opening week. And they were suppose to race this past friday night, but they were rained out. Darn the luck! For a long time I have really enjoyed racing. Not so much the indy cars, but NASCAR, and even the local dirt tracks around the area. These are the guys that work on their cars all week in their garages, and try to go out and win a little spending money! This track is a beautiful track!

So if you are ever near Gas City on a Friday night and see the lights and the dust, swing in for a good time. They have Sprint Cars, UMP Modifieds, Street Stocks and Thunder Cars. And from time to time they will have the Midgets, and mini-wing sprints! A whole lot of fun!

You can also check out their website here!

I love it when I get to hang out at all the fun spots for the lunch delievery!

Help the Hopeful

A Couple of years ago I had to do a remote broadcast from a charity auction. It is called Help the Hopeful. To begin with, I really had no idea what it was all about. I did the broadcast, saw all kinds of stuff, really nice stuff. Unfortunatly I had plans for later in the day. I left. Two years ago I attended my first auction. It was incredible! More about my experiance a little later.



The event was started 17 years ago to help one little girl that had a brain tumor. The organizers were able to get the support of some local taverns, brewing companies and alcohol distributors. I know you are thinking...why are they involved. Well the organizer works for a liqour store chain. He has contacts there. They donated items and they were able to raise about $8000 for this little girl. The next year they decided to do it again, this time for a few kids. Again the brewerys came through huge donating coolers, chairs, grills, and more! Usually the kind of stuff you only see in the bars.





All in all over the last 17 years they have helped 128 children with major medical problems. The really incredible thing is that over the 17 years, every single penny has gone to the kids. Every single item is donated. Every person working is donating their time. It is so amazing to see the community come together at this event.



It is hosted at the local AmVets post. And when I say there is a lot of stuff there. You would not believe it! There are things people make. There are items that are donated year after year. It is truly incredible to see the generousity of this community.

It is not just the breweries and bars that donate all the items! Local business from all around the area give great things to be auctioned off. From camp chairs from hardware stores, to handmade quilts there is a huge variety of items. One of the big donaters is Weaver Popcorn. They always give a huge amount of popcorn that is sold!

This year, I was there early for my broadcast before the event, and I had to scope out the bake sale table! I am sucker for peanut butter fudge. So I make my way over there to see what they had to offer. There were pies and cakes and cookies as far as the eye could see. I was looking and looking for that peanut butter fudge. I see it down at the start of the table. I tell you, if there was someone between me and that fudge I would have taken them down faster than a cruise ship anchor hitting the ocean floor. I grab one small bag of 5 pieces for a dollar. As I pay, the guy running the table says..."That won't be enough!" I assure him it will satisfy my sweet tooth before they start the steak fry. So I find my seat, break open that bag of fudge. I take the first bite. It melts in my mouth. It is by far the best P.B. Fudge I have ever had. (sorry mom) Another guys says how his sister makes it each year for the sale. I hated to admit it, one bag was not enough. I head back over to the table and buy the last two bags. Hey...others should have gotten there earlier!



So after the fudge I go looking again at some of the other items. I have for years wanted a Crown Royal Golf bad. Well, there were a ton of "booze" golf bags. Johnny Walker, Miller Beer, Dewars...Ohhhh, there is my Crown Royal Bag. I have tried to buy these in the past. They usually go for more than I am willing to spend. With a little less than an hour left before the auction starts, I have pretty good list of the thing I am interesting in buy. Sarah, the wife showed up and began looking over the items too.

At 1:00pm they started the auction. They always beging by having a man sing the Oakridge Boys Classic "Thank God For Kids." This was enough to get my wife misty eyed. But believe me, there were more tears to come! Items are going up for auction, like these motorized coolers, and many more things. People are giving more than they are worth because they are for the kids. When we say medically challenged children, we are talking kids with cancer. Kids with brain deformaties. Serious medical problems. So I have the utmost respect for this organization.



One of the highlights each year are the Easter Bunnies. There are bunnies for each of the children. This year they were helping eight families that had their children at Riley, off to Minnesota, and all over the country for treatment for their ailments. Each child has a bunny. And they are auctioned off, knowing that if you win the auction, you pay the money, and then give the bunny to the child. And if you choose, you can get your picture with the child if they are in attendance. Some of the kids were there, and some were at the hospitals. Eight different times during the day, a family member stepped forward, either with the child, or alone, and talked about the challenges the kids are going through. Then the auction starts. I can tell you that every bunny went for at least two thousand dollars. One went for $3300, and the highest bunny to date went for an incredible $4100. All this money is given right to the families. Needless to say, even a tough macho guy like me had tears in his eyes!



After Bunny #2, one of the organizers got up for an announcement. Over the 17 years a lot of money has been raised. A lot of money that goes right to these needy children. But this year was huge milestone.

That's right. ONE MILLION DOLLARS! What a milestone. If you are ever in Marion, IN the weekend before Easter, on Saturday, come to the auction, and see what giving people, with a hope and a dream can do. It might even inspire you to help the less fortunate in your community.

Getting involved

I have always wanted to be a part of the community I live in. That is the great thing about working for the radio. We are really involved in all kinds of great community involvement. Like the humane society, Cancer services and many more. Actually my next blog will be about one of the events that I am proud to be a part of!






Back in July, I moved back to the town I grew up in. It was really exciting to remember all the things I did when I was a kid, like climbing the grain towers at the feed mill, climbing on the airplane in the park and hiding from the cops so we didn't get in trouble.









You were not suppose to get up there! It is funny. My best friend growing up lived right down the alley from the Airplane park. Now, I live right on the same alley. I guess it was meant to be.

Anyway, our town has a festival every labor day! It is a great event with kids rides, carnival games, elephant ears and cotton candy. Plus each year they have a great musical act. In the past it has been Bad Company, Paul Revere and the Raiders, The Kentucky Headhunters, and Firehouse. This year, I am really excited. It is Little Texas.

Wanting to be involved, I called up the commitee president to see what I can do. I will be at the next meeting to get involved.

I guess the point of my post today...get involved in your community. Volunteer at your local humane society, spend time with people in the nursing homes, or see how you can do other great things for the your neighbors!

Food delivery

As a part of my job, I have to take Subway subs to listeners. It actually is pretty neat to see the different places people work. I have been to motorcycle accessory distribution center, to law offices, doctors offices and even funeral homes. It really brings me closer to my listeners to know what they do everyday. Well this week was a lot of fun. A couple of years ago an ethanol plant opened just outside of town. I really wanted to go to the open house, but that was an invite deal only. Well this week they were our winner of the "Bunch for Lunch." So needless to say I took the camera along!

I have no idea what all this does. All I know is that it was really cool to drive through the center. I did notice one building that did say "fermentation"...I immediately thought of "Moon Shine" They said I was not allowed in that area...I guess they wanted to keep it for themselves! Anyway. I think the camera might be a requirement for the bunch for lunch!

Ring in Spring!

So last week was the first day of spring. Birds were singing, trees were budding, and I was dragging out the Hawaiian Shirt Collection. If any of you know me very well, I love my Hawaiian shirts. I think I could go two and a half weeks and not repeat a shirt. It is kind of an obsession. Well....Sunday as we got ready for church I remembered I had a new Hawaiian shirt that had never been wore. For church it would be perfect. Ohhhh, did I mention that my shirt was made by my mother-in-law for Christmas. And she also made a shirt out of the same material for Eli. Needless to say we were a big hit. Everyone thought we both were cute!

So the quote of the day had to go to Sarah. As we were getting ready for church, Eli was crying in the big chair, and she looked at him and said..."No Cryin' when you are wearin' Hawaiian!" It that not a classic quote for all time!

So we have one set of matching shirts. I think I am going to have to talk to my mother-in-law (even if I don't want to)(j/k) about making Eli and I a few more shirts. What do you think?

Eli's first walk.

OK...so he is not walking. But he did go for his first walk Monday Afternoon. The weather was wonderful. About 68 degrees and sunny. What a great day for a walk

Now, last summer after we moved in, we got a dog.

Alli is so cute! Well, she was very hyper every night when we would get home. So when it was nice out, I would take her for long walks. We are talking a mile to a mile and a half every night. As you can see, it did a good job of settling her down! Not only did it calm her down a little, it was also good for me. Well, after a long winter, I thought it would be a good idea to start walking again.

So Monday was wonderful weather wise. Sarah gets home and says that she is thinking about going for a walk. I say I will join her. She was all excited since we really haven't been able to show Eli off to the neighbors. So she gets out the stroller and loads him up! If you look close you can see the tears in his eyes. He was not real happy about the jacket, or the stroller. We had to put a jacket on him since he has had a cold for about a week. But once we got outside......

HE HATED IT!!!

We made it a short walk, only a couple of blocks. He cried and cried. Alli was super excited since it was her first walk of the spring. She had to sniff out every piece of dog poop along those few blocks. She had to pee eighteen times, and sniff every mailbox, tree limb and car tire we passed. That will wear off in a few days of walking.

So the next night we put Eli in his car seat attached to the stroller...much better! Not too much crying until about 7 blocks from home. So we turned around and headed back home.

Ohhh, I almost forgot. Eli is growing up fast. He just turned 3 months old! He loves to stand up. So I thought I would test out his little legs. He is getting pretty good!

Lately I have been leaning him up against the new ottoman that he likes to lay on. He will just stand there and look around for a while. You have to watch close. Sometimes he will push himself backwards, and you have to be ready to catch him. But I think he looks so cute like he is trying to climb up there himself. Like in this one!

Anyway, be looking for the four of us out walking the streets this spring and summer! You never know, I might just have my "Headphones" on!

An all american weekend.

OK...so I don't like stereotypes. But this weekend, I felt like the "All American" dad. We didn't play baseball and eat apple pie. But it was close. I guess it was probably closer to "Small Town" than All american



Kinda slept in on Saturday. Got up, got the boy out of bed, and fixed him a bottle. He was extra smiley! That was good, because after we got showered up, we head out to get his 3 month pictures taken. He was extra cute. I can't wait to post them! They are so good. After the pictures we did a little shopping at the Meijer. I can't wait until the one here in Marion opens! Well, after spending too much money (how american in that) we headed to the house. I grabbed a quick lunch, and headed out to the driveway. Had to get the blazer up on the ramps to change the oil.



I am no ASE certified mechanic, but I can do a few things to a car. One is change the oil. So I get her up on the ramps, get my cardboard to lay on. And trust me, I got cardboard. After moving this summer, we have all the boxes from unpacking. Plus boxes from a new fridge, stove, dishwasher, baby stuff...the list could go on and on...so if ya need some cardboard boxes let me know. Anyway, back to the oil change. Things went fine. No real problems. Got it all back together, and cleaned up. Now we have to get the house cleaned up. We have company on the way!



A Saturday afternoon and evening, perfect for a cook out. Our friends, Farmboy and Farm girl just happen to work for a dairy farm. And if a cow dries up, or doesn't produce milk...guess what....Steaks! And they are good steaks. They bring them over and let me cook them up. Now...I don't like to brag, but I am pretty good on the grill. And not any "gas" grill. Charcoal is the only way to grill out. Maybe I will have to write a blog on the proper way to prepare steaks on the grill. I pull the steaks off the grill, and we all sit down for a great meal.



Now our Farmboy and Farmgirl have two kids. A two year old, and an eight month old. So it was a lot of fun. Farmboy had never played a Wii. And I didn't think he was going to. Farmgirl, Sarah and I all start a game of bowling. Ofcourse I won the first one. After that, the scores didn't reflect my skill...in other words...I lost. Well, the women went to change the diapers on their respective children. We are sitting talking, and Farmboy says...Maybe I should try to bowl a game. He love it! After about an hour of the Wii, their oldest got a little tired, so they headed home. And I was ready for bed too after a long day!



Sunday we get up for Church. A great service at Hanfield UMC. As you walked into the church you could smell the garlic bread. I record the announcements for them. So I knew that they were having a spagetti dinner after service. I love spagetti, so we had a great lunch with all of our church family. We head home and get started on laundry. I know what you are thinking. Me, do laundry. And yes, I help....a little. Mostly I fold. I hate to fold laundry.



After a few loads, we head to my mom and dad's house for dinner. But we went early so I could go play with my new "toy." My new 9mm handgun. Target shooting with my Dad and brother was a great time. We went through some brass! A ton of fun. The weekend ended with Sarah and I watching a little TV before going to bed to get back to my "Life in Headphones"

Eli would like to show you the new furniture!

So Tuesday, I rush home. I pick up Eli, and we head home. While Eli naps in his swing...

Dad moves the old couch and love seat to the other side of the living room. The reason why...new furniture. Now, the old furniture was a pain in the butt. The love seat was a rocking reclining love seat. So it had all the hardware for two recliners underneath. Kinda heavy! And then the couch also had recliners on both ends! Really heavy. But since Sarah was at work, and the new furniture was going to be here before she got home.

So we get it all moved in, and Eli thought he would like to show it to you. So I turn things over to the little guy!


So this is my Daddy's new recliner! It is great. I love for him to feed me in this chair. Plus you can't see it, but on the other side, it has a holster for the remote, because, even at only three months old, I know the remote belongs to the man of the house. As soon as I can figure out how to use it, it will be mine! Lets move on to Mom's new chair...

It is called a "Pod Chair." It is big as you can tell. It also spins. I can't wait until I am bigger and get to spin and spin and spin. I am sure my dad will make it lots of fun!

Well, my daddy loves to take a nap, if I let him! So we needed a good nap couch! The one that matches the pod chair was great...so here is it!



It is so big and comfy! I love it. But I saved my favorite for the end! The ottoman! You can see it a little bit above, but here is what I love it for!



It is great just to lay on! Love it for that. Even sometimes my daddy lays beside me and tells me about his day! So I hope you like my mommy and daddy's new furniture. I am glad you got a chance to see it before I spit up all over it! Keep listening to my daddy's Life in Headphones....


Eli......out!

Our home improvement shopping spree!

OK...so we got our tax check, and I think if my wife had her way, the money would already be gone. She has a laundry list of things that she wants done to our new house. A couple of weeks ago, we painted our kitchen. I forgot the camera this morning, so no pics yet...I will try to add some later. Anyway...how we went through the money.

When we bought our house, it had a dishwasher that didn't work. Our realtor fought for us, and the seller had to replace it. Well, as you can imagine, they bought the cheapest piece of junk they could find. We have been fighting is since July. But considering before this house we washed them by hand, I was thankful even for a junky dishwasher. Also, our house didn't have a fridge....So we picked out one that looks like this. It is not quite stainless, so I think since the dishwasher is right next to the fridge we had to go black. And so we got a really good deal on a dishwasher that has what they call the "sani-rinse" I guess is suppose to heat the water up on the final rinse sanitize everything. With a newborn, I thought this would be a good idea. So here is our dishwasher!

Now the only other appliance in the kitchen is the stove. It is white. No, that just won't work...at least that is what the Mrs. said. So I guess and new stove was in our future. Again, shopping. Thank goodness for our new Lowes Card! So we picked out a stove to match!

So with the stove the range hood didn't match since it was white too. So we got that, and got it all installed on Saturday. After all the work was done, I was ready for a break. Luckily I also got something new!

Yes, Big John got a brand new recliner. Ohhhh my gosh is it heaven to lay back in. And I think my favorite feature you can't see. On the other side is the holster for the remote control! So I got this to go with our new furniture that gets delivered Tuesday. I will have to post some pics of that when we get it all put it.

The Shopping Spree continues I guess.

So after installing all this stuff, and moving out old furniture, you can bet I was glad to get back to my "Life in Headphones"

A busy weekend

Sarah, the wife, and I met another couple in our child birth class and kinda hit it off with them. She was actually in the hospital the same time Sarah delievered Eli. So we have kept in touch and got a chance to go to dinner with them.

This is Amanda and Lucas with their new baby. Friday night we met at Amazing Joes in Muncie. They live there, so they suggested it. Sarah and I had never been, so we thought, what the heck, lets try it. Let me tell you...the name fits. Sarah and I had steaks...and they were fab...I mean Amazing. But then came dessert...I ordered and Fried Apple Martini. Now there was no alcohol...it was cinnamon ice cream, drizzled in caramel, and topped with deep fried apples. It was served in a Martini glass. I have to admit. I ate the whole thing. Dinner and desserts were great, but we just really had a great time with another couple that is going through the same things we are, with a newborn son. We met them at 6:30, and didn't leave the resturant until 10:30. It was a lot of fun.

Well, the next day we got up and cleaned the house. This is a normal Saturday morning thing, but this time we cleaned a little extra because Sarah's Brother's family was staying the night. You will understand why in a little while. They have two boys. They are 8 and 5. So we played the Wii, the PS2 and guitars. It was a lot of fun.


They stayed the night so they could get up and go to church with us in the morning. They live over an hour away, so this just made it easier. They went to church with us because Eli, our son, was getting baptized. Not only were Sarah's brother there. All of her family was there. We are talking her mom and dad. Her aunt. Her other brother and his wife. My family was there too. My brother and his wife and daughter. My mom and dad. Plus a few close friends. We took up two rows in church. Well here is a group shot!




Eli was so good. He didn't cry or anything when Pastor Tim baptized him. He just looked really cute in his little outfit!




Here are some more photos from the service.



Afterward we all went to my parents for a nice Sunday dinner. We are talking dinner for like 25 people, but my mom loves to cook. At the dinner, our friends had their son there. He is about 5 months older than Eli...We think they are going to be buddies...what do you think?

A fun weekend before getting back to my Life in Headphones

Friday Night Party With Flynnville Train!

Last Friday night I got a chance to go see some old friends.

My wife was at a father/daughter dance and my mother-in-law was watching our new baby, so I had a free night to go and see Flynnville Train! They are a group of local guys that were signed to Toby Keith's Record Label Showdog Records!

I met the band through another artist friend of mine. He was a singer, but needed a band, so he would hire these guys without the singer. It worked out really well. Since Flynnville Train might be new to you, let me introduce you to the guys!

First I will start with Tommy. I have known Tommy for almost 10 years now. He lays down the beat that the guys follow. He is one of the most amazing drummers I have ever met! Plus he always keeps me in the loop with info about what the band is doing!








Next up is guitarist Brent Flynn. One of the brothers that started the band. Brent is a lefty that totally controls his guitar. You would be amazed at what he can do. They have been in the studio before for an acoustic set, and he broke into some Spanish guitar. He is truly amazing! On top of rocking out on his guitar, Brent also backs up his brother with harmony vocals.

The other brother in the band handles the lead vocals! This is Brian can lay down the vocals with the best of them! Plus as you can see, he has been known to pick up the washboard from time to time!

That leave Mr. Tim Beeler. Rockin' the big ol' Bass Guitar. Tim has even been known to step up to the mic with some harmony vocals. Plus you should see when Brent and Tim get going on some of the instrumentals that they come up with!

So there you have met the band. Just a group of some good guys! They really know how to put on a good show. Anyway, on Friday night, they played at a place called Bygones in Muncie. The show was sold out, but luckily, Tommy hooked me up with some tickets to give to my listener! Tommy had told me to get there early. I showed up at around 7:30. The show wasn't suppose to start until 9! Still I was just lucky to find a seat with some listeners! Thanks Mike! This place was packed, and everyone had a ball. So much so, they are back this Friday night with another sold-out show!

I really do wish the guys the best of luck. I think that 2009 will be huge for them. They have a new single called "Turn Left" that they debuted at the Daytona 500. Yes it is a racing song! Really cool, plus some projects in the works that I can't talk about yet. Could be huge! So good luck guys.

This weekend is a biggie for our family. My son is getting baptized on Sunday. Look for a new post the beginning of the week with pics!

~Livin' my Big Life in Headphones!

A Station Tour...

Well, a lot of people have never been to a radio station before. It is not a glamorous as some would think. Usually it is kinda messy. We love the fact that most people can't see us work. But I thought I would take a few pics and give you the "nickel" tour. So here we go...

This is the front of our building. Also included in the picture is a photo of my news man's hot rod...this thing has no muffler and is louder that a 747 taking off. Anyway, our station houses 4 radio stations. We have two AM stations with an oldies/adult standards format. We have a "Classic Hits" station, and of course we have 99.3 WCJC, Today's best country. That is my station.

Lets take a walk into the lobby!

As you walk in you see the front counter. People who win prizes get about this far, and then we stop them. You can see Ed, our afternoon host, poppin' up like a gopher. He also is responsible for writing most of the copy for all our commercials, and he also is a sports nut. He does play-by-play for all the sports we cover. Ed has been in radio for 30 plus years. He has worked from Indiana to Wisconsin and all place between!

Now lets take a look at the studio, where all the magic happens!

About as big as a large closet, this is the WCJC studio. All the papers on the glass are important things that we are suppose to talk about. Sportscast coming up, How to get a ball game on the internet, and more are all up there. The cases on the floor, and on the counter are all full of CD's. Although most of the music is stored on the hard drive of one of the computers there. We still spin some CD's. Now I know what you are thinking, I should have a throne...well, this is the best we could do...

Here is a closer look at my controls!

The computer on the left is the on-air computer. It plays all the commercials, jingles, and my bed music. The computer on the right is my Production computer. I can play music off this computer, and also surf the web. I get a lot of the things I talk about in the morning from the internet. Plus we use it to pull up radar for weather, or check up to the minute sports scores. In the middle are all my live read commercials. All the sliders and buttons control the music and mics...It is pretty easy once you learn it!

So where do we make all the commercials??

This is the "Prod" room. Production is done here. We record commercials here. There are more pieces of equipment here. Yes that is a reel-to-reel machine. There are CD players, mini-disc recorders, a cassette deck, and even a turntable. We still use most of these everyday to make commercials. But most is now in a computer!

Here are some more pictures of all the equipment it takes to put our 4 stations on the air.

And I couldn't do my job it I didn't get paid for it, so here is the sales office. These are the guys that sell the commercials so I can get a pay check! Thanks guys!

And when I am not doing production, or on the air, I get stowed away with the other jocks in our cubicles in the very back of the building. Here is a shot of those wonderful cubies...mine is the one all the way at the end!

So now you have seen a quick tour of our radio stations. Like a said, not glamorous, but we get the job done. Thanks for stopping by, and come back often. Next time I will tell you about the great weekend I had checking out on of the hottest bands out there!

Talk to ya soon!!

Enjoying my "Life in Headphones"