Jeff’s Dark and Early Blog

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?

Sometimes I think it takes a special sort of person to do my job.  On days like today, I’m sure of it.

Many of the people here in the metro dread mornings like today.  There’s snow and ice on the roads, the temperature is negative-forty and they’ve got to brave the rush hour.  I don’t care who you are.  There’s not much about those sort of mornings that seems fun.

But for me, those mornings are something of an adrenaline rush.  I’m up at three, out the door and on the road by four.  My rush hour is spent driving not to the office, but IN my office.  My office is Cruiser 980 and there’s no snow drift I won’t attempt to overcome.

There’s something different about the streets on mornings like these.  There’s a purpose to what I’m doing greater than the purpose of a regular day.  Those streets can be deadly, and it’s my job to give our listeners an idea of what to expect.  I take that job seriously.

It’s not always appealing.  I worry about driving all over the metro in icy conditions.  I think to myself that one of these days, the odds are going to get the better of me and I’m going to have a crash.  But knowing that my reports could cause someone to slow down, take a different route or leave that extra five minutes ahead of time make it worth the risk.

Now don’t misunderstand me.  I don’t think of myself as anyone heroic.  The heroes in this town are the police, fire and other first responders that truly do save lives on days like today.

But I’ve received enough listener emails over the years to know that what I do makes a difference.  And if it’s kept one person from getting into even the tiniest of fender benders, I think it’s worth its weight in gold.  And I go home at the end of the day satisfied that I’m doing more than just earning a living somewhere.

It’s a few days after Thanksgiving, but I didn’t have a chance to do this before the holiday, so I’ll do it now.

My list of “I’m thankful for” is as follows…

I’m thankful (and this is not just a ploy to impress Neil and Nichole) to work in a newsroom full of professionals like no other place I have ever worked before.  Whether it’s Lisa, Bob (thank God he’s back!), Grady or anyone of the other members of our newsroom, I must point out that these are professionals in every sense of the word.  I am honored to work in the same building as these folks!

I am, of course, thankful for my son and my son-to-be.  Fatherhood has brought more joy and fullfillment to my life than I ever thought possible.  And I can honestly say that little Ethan Jeffrey is more than I ever hoped he could be.

I am also thankful for my beautiful wife, who most days, I do not deserve.  She is patient, sweet, gutsy and kind.  She is the rock of our home and she is nothing short of my soul mate.

And finally, I am thankful to have learned a thing or two about being part of MY family from the people who raised me.  We almost lost my dad last year, and while I’m thankful that we didn’t, I’m more thankful for the person that he is, and has always been.  And I’m thankful for the way my mom handled herself through that whole process.  Not to take anything away from the nurses at the hospital, but she has been the best nurse he could ever have asked for.

Happy Holidays!