I may eventually write a book called, “Strange People I’ve Met When I Should Have Been Sleeping”.
It was early in the week…Monday, I believe. There had been a rash of car break-ins in Lenexa, so I was on the story. As I sat at the Oak Park Village Apartments, a resident walked up to my car and motioned for me to roll down my window.
“You with the radio?”
“Yep. Are you one of the residents here?”
“Yeah, I need to talk to you about my car.”
“Oh, was it one of the ones that was vandalized?”
“Nope.”
“What’s up then?”
“I need to sell it. Could you talk about it on the air?”
For the record, folks, this is not tradio.
But the man was persistent. He even offered to go on the air and talk about it himself. I’m sure E.J. and Ellen would have loved that.
“Well guys, before I report on this crime, I’d like to introduce our audience to Reggie. He’s got a car to sell!”
Anyway, Reggie’s car may still be for sale….if you are interested.
I had to laugh. Really, there was nothing else to do but chuckle. The mystery of Pat Mohi had been solved.
When I first started working for KMBZ, I received the cell phone of a retired co-worker. It had a full list of news contacts, many of which I utilized to this day. One contact, however, was someone I was not familiar with. His name was Pat Mohi.
While I never had the courage to call him and ask who he was, over time, I developed a vision of Pat Mohi. I imagined a wise man, perhaps of asian descent, who would, from time to time, impart news wisdom to those who called him. I imagined his humble home, surrounded by beautiful plants and flowers, and how he might serve me tea as we talked.
Then, today, my vision of Pat Mohi was taken away.
At around 7:30 this morning, I called Cooper at our front desk to get a dispatch number for the Missouri Highway Patrol. When I punched it into my phone, I realized the number had already been saved. Pat Mohi. (Patrol MO Highway) Pat Mohi.
I felt silly. I felt sad. I laughed hysterically. The legend of Pat Mohi was only in my mind.
It could be today, it could be two weeks from today. Whenever it happens, I’m proud to share that I’m about to become a father for the second time. It also means I’ll be away from Kansas City’s Morning News for awhile, as my wife and I adjust to being the parents of two.
As with the last time around, I will find time to join E.J. and Ellen on the air after Connor David (after his grandfather) has found his way into the world. I appreciate the kind words we received from listeners the last time around, and thank you in advance for the well-wishes this time.
Above all, keep us in your thoughts as we welcome what will hopefully be another happy, healthly, giggling little baby boy.
Car seats for Cruiser 980!
During the early days of my career in radio, my general manager called me into the office one day.
“How are you adjusting to waking up at 4 in the morning?” he asked.
“I don’t think I’m quite used to it yet,” I replied.
He smiled.
“You never will be.”
More than eight years later, those words still ring true. Back then, I was a single guy getting up at 4. Today, I’m married with children getting up at 3.
It seems that no matter how early you go to bed, when you get up at that early hour of the day, your body never quite seems to catch up. I’m fine during my shift, due mostly, I suppose, from hard work and coffee. But once I get home, the exhaustion always seems to catch up with me.
When I find myself getting tired, however, I always remind myself of several facts. I was once a young man who had no idea what he wanted to do with his life. Since finding my way into radio, I’ve had a chance to interview a former president. I’ve been involved in a heart pumping tornado chase that put me within inches of the storm. I’ve shared hugs and tears with victims of tragedy. I’ve covered everything from politics to police work and developed friendships along the way that will last a lifetime. And the list goes on.
The bottom line is this.
I love what I do much more than I love a few extra hours of sleep. And besides, how could anyone sleep when a smiling, giggling one-year-old boy has been waiting all morning to see his daddy?
As E.J. Becker so appropriately put it, I may well have witnessed the first documented case of scraper rage.
It was last Thursday, the morning after the latest big snow. I was at the stop light at the intersection of Johnson Drive and Antioch. Directly in front of me was an SUV. To the right of it, a smaller car, let’s call it a Taurus.
The driver of the Taurus, God love him, had apparently decided that scraping his windshield was not necessary. So there he sat, snow packed winshield, hanging his head out the window like a dog in order to see.
Then, suddenly, the driver of the SUV got out, scraper in hand, and walked up to the Taurus as it sat waiting on the light to turn green. The man proceeded to scrape the windshield of the unsuspecting motorist, gave him a look as if to say, “You’re Welcome”, and proceeded back to his car, pulling through the intersection as the light turned green.
Both the Taurus driver and I just sat there for a moment, clearly shocked by what had occurred.
To the driver of the SUV….sir, you are truly a man with no fear.
To the driver of the Taurus….here’s hoping you scrape next time.
Dear Dog,
I get up to go to work at three in the morning. I understand that this is very early, and that you miss me very much when I’m gone. I miss you too.
However….
When you become so excited to see me when I get home that you 1) bark uncontrollably, 2) urinate everywhere, and 3) poop on the couch, the bonding experience just isn’t what it used to be.
Perhaps you could bring me slippers and some cocoa. Just a thought.
As a general rule, when a large black van pulls up next to you in an empty parking lot at four in the morning and three large men jump out, it is not a good thing.
In fact, I’m willing to wager that 99 percent of the time, when that happens, you are probably going to endure some sort of physical pain.
Fortunately, I’m one of the one-percenters.
There I was, four o’clock this morning, in an empty parking lot in Merriam, working on some editing stuff, when the van pulled up. I could see the smoke rolling out as the door opened and the large men jumped out. I briefly peed and began to wonder how far my brown dress shoes from target would get me if I took off running.
Then, one of the men spoke.
“We listen to you every morning dude! We wanna be interviewed for the radio!”
I’m sure these men were harmless, but I wasn’t about to take chances.
If a crime boss tells you you owe him a favor, you don’t argue over details. And when large men jump out of a van at you and want to be on the radio, you put them on the radio.
Case closed.
What a welcome back from my vacation!
After a week of sleeping in, drinking egg nog and playing with my son, it came as quite a jolt when the alarm went off at 3 this morning. But after a coke and some cheerios (odd combination, I know), I was out the door and on my way.
But just as I rounded the corner and turned out of the neighborhood, I found my heart skipping a beat as I slammed the breaks to avoid colliding with a deer. For a few brief seconds the deer stared into my eyes and I into his. Then, realizing he had not been killed, the deer took off. The problem was that he took off prancing slowly down the road….RIGHT IN THE PATH OF MY CAR.
Due to the massive snow drifts in the other lane, I had little choice but to drive six miles an hour with white tail and deer butt looking me in the face.
Fortunately, the deer turned left no Shawnee Mission Parkway and I turned right. Welcome back Jeff!
It’s one of those holiday affairs.
Christmas is coming and people take vacation. It probably happens at your office as often as it happens at mine.
It may even be tough to fill in for those who are out, since many positions are so specialized. While that may be the case at your office, it cannot be the case at ours.
This week, (try to keep up) Eric was E.J., Cooper was Jayme, Nichole was Cooper and Meade was Bushman. Then, later in the week, I was E.J., Eric was me, Cooper was tired, Nichole was Cooper and Meade was Bushman.
In radio, you have to be able to fill just about anyone’s shoes. If E.J. is out, I’ve got to be able to anchor. If Jayme is out, Cooper has to step in. If Grady is out, Bushman needs to know the city hall beat.
I think that’s why this place works as well as it does. Anyone can fill in for anyone at a moment’s notice. And we always sound darn good doing it.
Happy Holidays!
This is the second year I’ve been able to witness the generosity of the local community as it applies to our annual Coats For Kids Drive. And once again, that generosity shone through. In spite of tough times, we were still able to collect thousands of coats, each one going on the back on someone in need.
And while I, and everyone here at KMBZ cannot say thanks enough for the generosity, I must take a moment today to blog about how much more of that good will is needed.
I just came from the Salvation Army, which is in desperate need of more toys for the needy. And they are just one example. As the economy continues to teeter around uncertainty, almost every local charity is struggling in some way.
These are uncertain times. And even those of us lucky enough to have kept our jobs have felt the pinch. As someone who has a baby on the way, I know how tempting it can be to hold back on charity in favor of playing it safe.
But because I drive the streets of Kansas City every morning, because I see how much need truly exists out there, I cannot, I MUST not give into that temptation. I hope everyone who reads this blog will join me.
It matters not what charity you choose. It doesn’t even have to be a charity. It could be as simple as cooking Christmas dinner for someone you know can’t afford it. In this time of need I hope we all give a little extra….do a little more….think a little more often about that person in need.
After all, isn’t that truly what this season is supposed to be about?