$19,320!!!!

It's been over 24 hours, but I still can't believe it!

Okay, you're confused... let me explain.

After a one-year hiatus, we at KJAM held our "Jammin' for Kids Radiothon" for the Children's Miracle Network. We had done this 2 years ago and raised about $8300 for the CMN and (then) Sioux Valley Children's Hospital. Last year, due to changes in leadership, it was too much to put together in such a short time-frame.

But this year, CMN really worked with us. And on Wednesday, we began our 3-day radiothon. I wasn't sure what to expect, since it had been so long. Were we going to succeed? Or fall flat on our faces.

It was three days of tears, of stories that wrenched your heart (including mine), that inspired you, and that gave you hope. And after three mentally exhausting days, our final total came in.

$19,320

When Kim from CMN read out the total, I snatched the paper out of her hand just so I could see for myself. Ho-lee COW!!!!

There's still some more stuff that needs to come in, but we could see up to 20-thousand dollars easily!

I have to thank quite a few people. First to the ladies from CMN who busted their backsides for us, taking donations over the phone and lining up interviews. Kim, Amy, Bo, you are AWESOME!!!

To Chuck for lighting a fire under our backsides and getting us motivated for this.

To Peg and Groce who were just incredible on the air.

For Jason for busting his hump for getting sponsors all lined up.

And most importantly, to all the listeners who called in their donations. If ANYONE has anything bad to say about Madison folks, I'll have something to say about that!

Through these stories, my love for life has been renewed. My faith in humanity has been renewed. And my love of radio has been renewed.

Spring is life...

I guess it's been awhile since I've posted one of these things. Sorry to keep you waiting.

So what's been new? Well, not much really. It's been pretty hectic with sports this winter. Sometimes I'd be working 4 nights a week... and THAT'S after my regular stuff. But you know, this is the life I chose and it STILL beats the hell out of working at Citibank! But I get a "break" of sorts next weekend, as I'll be covering the State "A" Boys' Basketball tournament in Rapid City. My friend Skittle says its supposed to be in the 60's next week... groovy!

The newest addition to my family has not arrived as of yet. Of course, I'm talking about the little bundle of joy my brother and his girl are expecting. In fact, it is a girl and they have a name... Zoe Jane. I like Zoe... it's a bit unusual but still cute. At least it's a solid traditional name and not some "what the hell were you thinking name" that seems to be all the rage today. Seriously, how many different ways are there of spelling "Michaela" or "Dylan"? Just wait... someone is gonna get cute and spell one of those names with a "Z" in it! People sure are stupid! LOL

My show is doing well... amazing what getting ripped a new asshole will do to set your priorities! And if Chuck Harmer is reading this... Kiss my ass and get back to work! LOL

Seriously, though, I'm having a LOT of fun with my show. Adding some new features, one of which is a "Classic Cut" segment where I play a moldy-oldy country song. Actually, it's not too bad and I'm kinda getting into listening to some of that stuff now. Work-related hazard I guess! We also got a decent phone system in the studio (FINALLY!!!), so now I can do some call-in contests, and perhaps even do an all-request show! Amazing how creativity can flourish when given the right equipment!

Getting back to the family thing... with my brother just a few short weeks of being called "Dad" for the first time, I've started to think about my personal life. In the past, that's always taken the back-seat as my priorities were school and then work. But now that I'm in a relatively good point in my life professionally, why not get that way in my personal life. Granted my dating record hasn't been the best in the world, but you never know.

I've done some serious thinking about this... would I like a family of my own? Could I be a good husband and father? Can I give up living like a slob and eating cold pizza for breakfast (if I even HAVE breakfast!) and be a responsible family man? I think about that and I say....

Sure, why not!

Watch out ladies! The Jackrabbit is on the prowl! LOL... okay, a small joke there!

A holiday ha-ha for you....

http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/europe/12/21/robot.rights.ap/index.html

A study released by the British government says someday robots might become so
advanced, they could demand their independence.

Is it just me or did someone in Jolly Ole England have JUST A BIT too much egg nog this Christmas?

Everything old is new again...

Garbage...

Just found a copy of "Only Happy when it rains". Wow... Of course most people don't know or care about some of my favorite groups... stuff I listened to when I was in college and a somewhat socially-inept 20-year old. Instead of the somewhat socially-inept 31-year old I am today.

My God, I can't believe it's been 10 fucking years since I was in college! It seems like yesterday I was hanging out in the Student Union courtyard at SDSU with Kara, Ishmael, Angie, James, and Crash. They all smoked, but I never did... I hung out with them cause they were interesting people. We'd crack jokes, and just have fun. No more than that.

Of course, the courtyard is paved over, a brand-spanking new addition to the Student Union... progress... what a kick in the nuts.

Anyhoo... some of my favorite "Moldy Oldies" that I remember this week!

1) "Only Happy When It Rains"-Garbage
2) "I'll Stick Around"-Foo Fighters
3) "Sister"-The Nixons
4) "Everything Zen"-Bush
5) "(21st Century) Digital Boy"-Bad Religion... read the lyrics to that and tell me that isn't fucking prophetic!
6) "All I Want"-The Offspring
7) "Big Bang Baby"-Stone Temple Pilots... after Scott Weiland stopped trying to sound like Eddie Vedder.
8) "Queer"-Garbage... a sample lyric... "Hey boy take a look at me/let me dirty up your mind." I normally don't turn to jello, but to hear Shirley Manson moan that out.......... 'nuff said.
9) "Mrs. Robinson"-The Lemonheads... a trite before I was in college, but hey, Juliana Hatfield is a babe.

I want to find "Art School Girlfriend" by Stone Temple Pilots... didn't we ALL want an Art School Girlfriend. Hell, I still want an art school girlfriend!

I must be nuts!

Remember that job offer in Wyoming?

I turned it down... despite the fact it was a 10-thousand dollar a year increase in my pay. But I wanted to stay close to my friends and family for now.

Did I make the right choice? I think I did, for now.

Cool Christmas Music

Okay, so the terms "Cool" and "Christmas Music" really don't go hand in hand... after all, how many versions of "Winter Wonderland" can you hear before contemplating suicide?

Okay, put the gun away... it was a JOKE!!! Don't get pissy, take it easy!

But let's face it... Christmas music is LAME for the most part. The same 50-70 year old songs rehashed and redone so many times, it's not even funny!

But I'm here to save you from Christmas Pablum... here's some really cool Christmas Music.

1) "Washington Square"-Chris Isaak
Okay, I am an unashamed fan of Chris Isaak. But even I was a bit leery when he came out with a Christmas album. Fortunately I was pleasantly surprised when the CD came out.

This song is fantastic, if just for the lyrics "Oh, it's Christmas again... but it won't be without you." Anyone who has a loved one away from home for the holidays, due to illness, distance, or war, will immediately fall in love with this song. I did!

2) "Zat You, Santa Claus?"-Brian Setzer Orchestra
Fun fun fun! The BSO rockabilly/big band sound is a breath of fresh air for the holidays. A close second is the rockin version of "Angels we have heard on high." Yeah, it's a re-hash, but a COOL re-hash. Forget milk and cookies; leave out a martini and olives for Jolly Ol' St. Nick!

3) Anything by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra
Classical music with a metal twist... kind of like Metallica but with Christmas tunes! You've probably heard "Carol of the Bells" umpteen million times by the TSO, but they also have some really good and touching pieces, including "Dream Child" and "O Come all Ye Faithful/O Holy Night".

Have a happy rocking Christmas!

Maybe I'm NOT a loser.

Leave it to family to bring you down to earth, or pull you out of your pity party.

Last week I was having a pity party, bemoaning the fact I was sans female compaionship. Fortunately my cousin gave me the virtual version of "a kick in the ass" and put the kibosh on my rotten attitude.

Besides, I have 19 years to go before I'm 50! LOL

Thanks, Wader!

I'm the "Time" Man of the year!

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/12/16/time.you.tm/index.html

And so are you!

But I'd like to take this time to thank all of you who voted for all of us! Without us, we would never have gotten this award!

BTW, I'm waiting for my "Man of the Year" plaque, AOL-Time Warner!

Am I a Loser?

los·er /ˈluzər/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[loo-zer] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation –noun

3.Slang. a misfit, esp. someone who has never or seldom been successful at a job, personal relationship, etc.

--from Dictionary.com

I think it's safe to assume we've all thought of ourselves in this way at one point or another. And now, I'm starting to think of myself in this manner.

While the radio thing is going well, I can't help but feel like I'm a loser in my personal life. I have some good friends at the station and in my personal life. But for the most part, I'm fairly alone. I'm 31, I've not had a "successful relationship", and I fear I'll be some pathetic, balding loser at 50, wearing too much cologne and trying to hit on inebriated college girls.

If that ever happens to me, please feel free to put a bullet in my brain!

A crossroads....

When I was younger, I looked forward to growing up and going on adventures. Just getting in my car, point it in a random direction, and just drive. Find a new town, set up new roots and a new life.

Ah the impetousness of youth!

But as I became settled in this area and set up roots, that wanderlust seems to disappate. Granted, I'd like to travel, but now not at the idea of uprootin my life.

It appears I have an opportunity to revive that wanderlust.

A colleague of mine has offered me a fantastic radio opportunity... in Wyoming.

As I think about it, it seems highly unlikely that I would go. After all, my friends are here, I have a great job, my family is here... I'm gonna be an uncle for crying out loud! It's a place I love and that I will always call home.

But there's that nagging little part of me... that incessant voice that says "throw caution to the wind and go west, young man!"

I don't want to say no right away, but I want to give it some serious thought... and figure out what's best for me.

Wish me luck.

How a Jackrabbit spends the day off...

Well I did something I never thought I'd do... take a day off.

I know, astounding, isn't it? Fact is, I don't like to leave my co-workers in the lurch. So even if they beg me to take time off, I usually don't like to. But considering all the stress over the past month with this remodeling kick, plus equipment and computer issues, and with basketball starting next week, now was as good a time as any to take some time off.

So what did I do? Not a whole heck of a lot. Kept in contact with work, chatted with some friends on-line, and slept in til noon. I also took a road trip to Mitchell and had a very lovely dinner at The Depot. If you ever find yourself in Mitchell, South Dakota, I highly recommend The Depot. I usually eat there at least once a year and I have yet to be disappointed. They are very good.

Then it was off to the movie theater to catch the new James Bond movie, "Casino Royale". All I can say is... WOW!!! I was ready to write off the whole James Bond franchise after a couple of non-very-impressive last movies. But Daniel Craig as Bond... WHOA! I still like Sean Connery, but this guy is very impressive, and I was happy to hear he's doing a couple of more movies... hopefully they can grab me like "Casino Royale" did.

Then it was a pleasant chat with a friend of mine, who also accompanied me to the dinner and the movie. Home by 1 and up by 5 to work this morning. All in all, though, it was an excellent day off. But I'm really looking forward to next spring... VACATION!

Back from the wiles!

Ah, the places I've been, and the people I've seen! Okay, so it was mainly in a 60-mile radius of Madison, sue me! LOL

It's been a little while since your intrepid Jackrabit1 left a cerebral deposit on this site! But when you're overworked, underpaid and neverlaid, you must make certian sacrifices!

Work is work... more personnel at the station, though it's been a challenge finding a news director. The call is out for us to do more, but there are some days I feel like they want to shove a vacumn cleaner up my hind end so I can clean as I walk. BTW, I'm no longer doing the music director thing, which relieves me to no end... considering I wasn't getting anything extra from it!

But we just wrapped up the football season and we're looking to start the basketball season in a few weeks, which I'm VERY excited for! Madison has a really good boys' basketball team and not only do I think they can make State, but they could also make a solid run for the title. Coach Ricke has really done a good job of pulling the program out of the doldrums and setting a really good foundation. And he's got a couple of uber-sophomores that are going to be big anchors the next three years.

SDSU's athletic future is looking bright, with the invite to join the Mid-Continent Conference and the speculated invite to the Gateway Football Conference. Speaking of football, I can't say enough about the football team... to go from such a pathetic start to fighting for a Great West Title at the end of the season is surreal. I'm excited about Jackrabbit football, it's my favorite sport to watch. Who knows, I might even buy a couple of season tickets next year! The women are looking good after pasting USC Friday night (don't let the close score fool you, they dominated the "legendary" Women of Troy). The men are very young, but they'll have a solid core of players the next few years.

And politics... hoo-baby! That deserves it's own posting... got a lot of righteous venom for both Dems and Reps! And I want to keep this posting positive!

So let's see... work, SDSU, sports... check... oh yeah, still single (you weren't really surprised to hear that, were you?)... Apartment still needs pictures hung up ( I trust myself to be level as I trust myself to fly a plane after drinking!)... Still gonna be an uncle (don't know if it's gonna be a da nice or da nephew!)... I think that's it!

Enjoy the reading!

To MySpace or not to MySpace?

Everyone is talking about hosting on MySpace. And I'll admit, I've been temped to try it out myself. The same goes with Yahoo 360, Windows Live, and whatever comes down the pike!

But then I wonder, is it really worth it? Is my life that freaking extraordinary that I need to spread it around to other parts of cyberspace?

I like Blogspot. It's fairly simple, not too difficult to maintain. Doesn't cost me a red cent, and the best thing, no one has to join a "special club" to post messages. What's so darn special about the others?

"Special Club"... sounds like a cult or a demented verision of the Mickey Mouse club!

Sorry, Dick!

Some names just don't get a break! From the SDSUfans.com website...
-jr1

http://www.sdsufans.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1156182433

Censored Words list change
Today at 12:47pm

Now board members can talk freely about how good Brooke Dickmeyer was, whether or not we'll ever play Dickinson State in anything, whether or not Dick Van d**e was one of the greatest slapstick comics ever, talk about acquiring sporting goods at Dick's, muse about the writings of Philip K. Dick, groove to the surf guitar of Dick Dale, discuss the deep symbolism and metaphor in Moby Dick, or even opine about Dick Cheney's skeet-shooting scores without worry of running afoul of the board's Censored Words list.

. . .

OK, I guess Dick Van d**e is still out of bounds, according to the board software. Sorry about that, Dick.

Uncle Jackrabit

I kind of like the sound of that! That's what's gonna happen in 31 more weeks!

Say a prayer for my brother, Katy, and their little one to be!

WTF?!?!

Got this in the station's e-mail this morning... just one of those things that make you say "WTF?"

Names have been changed to protect the stupid! LOL

Subject: Site Contact: Tattoo me for $
Message: Hi My name is **buddy** my phone # is 605-xxx-xxxx I live
here ... and have to decided to sell my body to bussiness for
advertisemnt . I will get a tattoo of any logo or advertisement for $

Buddy, if you're not on medication, get on it now... if you are, UP THE DOSAGE!!!

The "Death Penalty"

Wow... two posts in one week... you're in for a treat! LOL

Your humble blogger has now "executed" two people. Now before you start getting worried that I might be some axe-toting maniac, let me explain.

I consider myself a pretty easy-going, laid-back kind of fellow. I can tolerate a lot, up to a point. After that, I get pretty goddamn mean; kind of like tripping my "asshole" trigger. I call it, "getting my Irish up."

In any case, I've decided to "eliminate" certain people in my life. Not kill them, mind you, but to eliminate all traces of their being from my life in the hopes of regaining some of my self-respect. These are usually people that have, in one form or another, humiliated me, hurt me, used me, or made it very clear they want nothing further to do with me. Not as many as I'd expect on the last one, though! LOL. I call it the "Death Penalty"

When I "execute" someone, I take out all traces of them ever being in my life. Notes, cards, gifts, e-mails, messages, messenger contacts, etc. In Orwellian terms, they become a "non-person", and I no longer care if they live or die.

Harsh? Yes.
Cold-hearted? No more than what they were to me.
Immature? Depends on your point of view
Necessary? Yes.

Bill O'Reilly said it best in one of his books (I'm paraphrasing, so don't hold me to accuracy), "If you want to stay positive, you need to avoid negative people." God-damn right, Bill! So I WILL stay away from these people and all those who have been a negative influence on my life.

God, it's nice to finally have a pair! LOL

Hell of a birthday gift...

I tell you... there's nothing like getting stood up on your birthday to make you feel REALLY good!

About as good as a kick in the nuts!!!

Wow... it's been a while since I've been on here! That's what happens when you are over-worked, and over-stressed! LOL

Some big changes right off the bat... First, I have moved!!! After five months of sometimes fruitless searching, I found a nice place to live in Madison. It's right up by Trojan Field and the Community Center; in fact I can look out over Trojan Field from my "office" (okay, a spare bedroom where I set up my computer.) The rent is decent, the place is in nice shape, and I don't have to worry about mowing the yard or shoveling... so I'm a happy camper!

I've also upgraded my Internet, getting high speed... it's pretty freaking sweet! beats the hell out of dial-up any day!

Work is still work, though a bit busier... I'm now the acting music director, which means I've seriously got my plate overflowing!!!! I told my GM that I'll do the MD on a temporary basis but he's got to find someone else to do the job. I'm just afraid I'll burn out before too long.

Other than that, not much new going on.... but with all these changes in the past month, do I WANT more going on? LOL

Thoughts on living in "flyover land"

Being that I'm from what many consdier a backwater "red state," I probably have a skewed view on what others consdier normal. But I'm pretty straightforward on this..

I'm getting a little preturbed with the idea that there are all these people that think South Dakotans are nothing but a bunch of illiterate, knuckle-draging, booger-eating morons. Just google "South Dakota," and you find half a dozen sites on the first page completely deriding our state because of certian political decisions. Which will not be discussed here.

Well, to those people who continue to knock my home sweet home... Kiss my 100-percent South Dakotan ASS!!!

Can you even FIND South Dakota on a map? Or are you so concerned about being pissed off about something, that you forgot that little nugget of information. Have you MET a South Dakotan? Granted there aren't that many of us, but you honestly think that you can judge all of us based on one law?

Not very "open-minded,"are you? And besides, one that my sweet-gray haired grandma (rest in peace) taught me is that you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. But then, that's common sense, and apparently it's in short supply in some areas of the U.S.

So go ahead and knock us... it's a free country after all. It just makes you look stupid and we get a pretty good laugh at your expense.

Okay... that's my rant for tonight! Good night, kiddies!