Author: John Bollwitt

I had a long day at the station yesterday. There’s a lot going on, but what’s new? To end it all, I got the job to record a live performance at a church that will be broadcast at a later date. It was a hour and a half duet consisting of an accordion and a recorder. This wouldn’t sound very interesting, but it really surprised me. I was pretty beat by the time everything kicked off, and sleep wanted to take over me as the sounds were quite soothing at times. There was nothing polka about this. If it wasn’t for the fact that I had to be there, I wouldn’t have been. I’m really glad I was. However, I would have loved the chance to see Don Caberllero at Gabe’s last night.

Some other interesting news in my disease known as radio is that the KRUI bid for new equipment is done. By that, I mean my colleague George Nicholas, who I pushed to get the project when this whole thing started two years ago, got the contract. In the time that I have known him, we’ve become good friends, with the aid of Jim, since I left. With the onset of this latest round of good news, George is going to let me help him with the install of equipment. Besides the experience of working next to some of the best professionals in the business, I get to help finish what I help start. I’m volunteering my time. I get to see it through to the end. That’s the only pay off I need.

I took half of today off to hit an appointment with my eye doctor. I couldn’t have picked a better day to do it if I tried. I ran 3.4 miles this morning, got a few quick problems worked out at the station, and hit the road by midday. The sun was out. Barely a cloud in the sky. As long as I kept my coat on, I could drive with the window down. You have no clue how much my heart screams for the sun to bring on the heat. In the meantime, new contacts and glasses will have to suffice. The return of hair and new glasses. Wonder what’s next?

Got a phone call from my sister-in-law that my niece and nephew were geeking out in the Apple Store in Chicago. We’re not related at all…

One of the strangest things that I have every experienced is making music, listening to it, and thinking that I might have come up with some really interesting, good stuff. GarageBand is just too much fun. It’s almost too easy. What I made today is just over a minute long. Quickly put together, edited in haste. Drum loop with three layers of my bass guitar using different effects over it. My instant thought, besides making Don listen to it, is that there is a lot of room to grow. Some of the loops are less than to be desired, but that just makes me want a midi keyboard. I’m thinking really hard about that one.

As quick as she came into town, Renee is heading back to the sunshine state tomorrow. It was so good to get a great, big hug from her. We talked, laughed, joked, laughed, and laughed some more. Bill made a brief appearance, but didn’t fail to completely amaze me. The guy is joining the Navy. He could be a great business man or a lawyer, but he is following his dad’s footsteps and seeking adventure. Best of luck, man. Evelynn is getting married this summer. It’s a mad, crazy world.

Don Deeley is a great, amazing man. He gets huge props this round for Mountain Goats and Dismemberment Plan goodness. Thank you!

Ever have one of those morning where you feel that the world is against you in your desperate attempts to get some sleep? That was me this morning. The power went out. A party raging on down the street until the early morning hours. Cell phone call here. Noisy neighbors there. They were all out to get me. I got my sleep, but not what I truly wanted. I love my Saturday mornings these days.

I finally watched Lost in Translation last night. What started out as a meager effort to have something on while I fell asleep turned into staying up until 2:30AM. I just couldn’t stop watching the film. I know many of you understand that fact simply because it’s a great movie. I’m not arguing with that. Script, acting, cinematography, and so on were just superb. On the flip side to it, the use of Tokyo as the main setting just kept me riddled with floods of memories. Shots of Mt. Fuji, the customs, subway stations, train stations, taxis, the maze of neon… I’m Japan-sick now.

Renee is in town and just called me. Meeting her in about a hour. Get to see Bill, too. Yay! Good souls! Yay!

I thank that this week is over, but I don’t really feel accomplished. When things get busy at the station for everyone else, people don’t seem to need assistance from my neck of the woods. Lately, my strength has been needed more than my brains. Perhaps that is why I feel so tired. The past few weeks had me pushing myself to the limits. Little to sleep, little to eat, but a lot to do. So when a “dead” week like this one rolls in, I kind of feel like I’m not pulling my weight around here. There’s projects to do, but when there is paperwork to be done, I’m made to sit on my hands. Brains versus brawns. My brain is feeling left out.

A new addiction has begun. GarageBand. A minor attempt at just seeing what I could do with it last night turned into a three hour adventure. Before I knew it, I cut four tracks over some loops and samples. I dove into my closet and brought out my assortment of audio connectors and cables, trying this and that. Within minutes, I was surrounded by cords like Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark. I was giddy with all the noises and effects I could create with just my bass guitar. And then, a fatal error. I messed with the beats per minute. The timing on the tracks were thrown off. Everything went out of sync. It was late. I had to work early this morning. I claimed defeat.

Holy crap, I bought Real Genius on DVD last night. As soon as I came home, I ripped off the plastic packaging and tossed it in. At first, I just put it on for some background noise while I made dinner. Nope, didn’t even get that far. I plopped down on the floor and didn’t move. After that, I had to bust out my Tears for Fears. I just laughed and laughed. Such a good movie.

“I didn’t want you guys to think I was stuffy. You know, no fun. All brain, no penis.”

You don’t really understand how tied down your life is to technology until that technology becomes unavailable. Just yesterday, I had to order a new cell phone battery. I can go about one day and it dies. Some days are better than others. By ten this morning, I was already down to two out of four bars. Used to be that I could go about four or five days without recharging. I know it’s being whinny, but wait till you go through it. You’ll have that moment. “This sucks! And now I have to buy a new battery?!” You’re tied to technology, even if you claim to not use it that much or avoid it. How else are you reading this right now?

On my running route this morning, I finally got the courage to run through the cemetery a few blocks away from my apartment. It was quite odd. I don’t know if it’s the proper thing to do, but I decided to go for it. All around me were the sounds of crows calling out as the gray sky above threatened rain. Very quiet otherwise. Don’t know if I’ll tempt this venture ever again. If it is bad luck to do this said thing, I figure that all my luck in the past few years might negate any such cursing. Two negatives have to equal a positive, right?

It’s supposed to get cold this weekend. In fact, it might snow. That thought is really upsetting me. For the brief time that we could have snow on the ground, it is going to be brown from all the mud that is everywhere. I constantly cycle shoes that sit outside my apartment door, letting the ones caked in mud dry in the hallway. Driving out to one of the transmitters today, the road about slid me into the ditch on the gravel access road. The tires must have sank at least two inches into the muck. At that point, you just let off the gas and pray that you just keep going straight ahead. When you go out solo, especially in my position, the last thing you want to do is to make that all embarrassing phone call back to the office. I’m not ready for that yet.

Ben Folds, “Rockin’ the Suburbs.” I have completely forgot how good this album is. He‘s coming to town in May, you know?

As some ask how things go at the job, it goes. Very well, in fact. When asked if I am happy, I cannot complain at all. The people treat me well here. My opinion is respected. Abilities and knowledge are recognized. Jim is a great guy to work with and learn from. It’s a major education just coming in every morning, but getting paid for it. Anymore, I can’t walk in the front door and make it into my office without being stopped by at least one person with some sort of technical issue. Oddly enough, it kind of makes me happy when that happens. And just the other day, I rearranged my office. It’s becoming more of my domain rather than just a place for me to put my laptop and be surrounded by the remote equipment.

I got my iPod Mini Dock the other day. Talk about a huge tease. Just how people start to tell you something, then say, “Oh, wait, I should just stop there.” You know how that just bugs you? Especially when it is something that is probably huge and juicy, yet you have to refrain from wanting to know more out of your dire sense of respect. That’s how I feel right now. My minidisc is skipping these days like no other. It drives me completely up the wall. It knows that its days are numbered, making me feel remorse over my decision on my latest purchase. “How dare you! Haven’t I treated you well over these past four years?!” We’ve been through a lot, and saw the Kanto Plain together. It will be hard to see it go. Maybe I should say nice things to it instead of grumbling at it from now on.

Prior to any excursion down south, I’m looking to make a hop over to Chicago-land. It looks like a good weekend to do it coming up. Not too sure of what to do while I’m there… Besides celebrate my niece Julia’s birthday, of course! March is a busy birthday month. Two before my trip to Illinois, and another shortly there after, in April. Busy.

Muffin, you know I was kidding. Get well.

Every spring, I forget about the rain. The miserable few weeks that come along with the hint of warmth to come. The sky teases you with sun. You think that winter can finally get it’s ugly mug out of town and life can be enjoyable again. Then a day like today happens. Wind, and rain that pelts you from the side. The temp drops fifteen degrees within a matter of hours. And mud. It’s everywhere. And we didn’t even get a thunderstorm out of this one like they hinted at. Thunder, lightning, hail, funnel clouds… Now that’s fun.

Awesome, great news today. Renee will be in town in about a week. I can’t wait! It’s been a while since I saw her last. It’ll be good to see how Florida has treated her, as I’m sure this southern girl has had no problem taking to. No clue why she is coming up north for her spring break. It’s not entirely uncommon for her to do, but for some people, a change of scenery is always good. Either way, I’m excited. She has been a vital piece of where my life is today. Good times.

While on the subject of friends, I talked to Amber on the phone the other night for the first time in years. In fact, the last time that we spoke is really hard to recall. Most of our correspondence has been done through email or the postal service. I cannot remember a day where she wasn’t the girl who grew up right along with me, two houses down my block. It wasn’t until high school that we actually became really good friends. When college came around, we went our own ways and just slowly lost touch, like many people do. Crawling out from underneath the rock where I have lived for these past years, I have been able to reach her once again. Things sound good for her, and she sounds happy. In turn, that makes me happy. When I finally said good bye, my cell phone blinked that we talked for one hundred and fifty minutes. I am so thankful unlimited nights and weekends.

The passion of finding good stuff to listen to rages on. I’m currently in the depths of rediscovering Hey Mercedes. It’s got that rock element that I always enjoy. I can’t really narrow down what it is that really trips me with these guys. Of course, the vocals and lyrics are very pleasing. That’s always a necessity for me; anyone can scream, but having a voice and what you can do with it is a whole other ball game. They are also some really great tunes to listen to as you cruise down the road on a sunny day.

As of today, I am officially living the salaried lifestyle. Odd, but I’m smiling.

It is so nice to be able to run outdoors again without the threat of falling on your face from slipping on the snow and ice. On top of that, running in shorts. It’s still too cool out to forget about something long sleeved, but good enough for me. The really weird thing is the multitude of cars that were honking at me on my route today. Perhaps since it is Sunday, it’s against some people’s religion to go out running on such a beautiful day and they were upset with me. I could not recognize a single car that blew its horn as it went by. Strange…

In the midst of my recent purchase of an iPod Mini, I dove into the world of being a prospective car buyer yesterday. I wouldn’t say that I am anywhere near being ready to make such a purchase, but my eyes can’t help but wonder in that direction. And you know, saying what kind of vehicle you would like to own versus actually getting into the candy store is a completely different story. I like this one, that one, oh that’s nice, that’s ugly, that’s unnecessary, and so on. After about ten dealerships, I could not find the one that I set out to find. However, I did find about ten other vehicles that are interesting, to say the least.

I found myself sucked into Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory tonight. It’s been a movie that I have loved since the first time I saw it as a kid. Every time I watch, a new element of the film pops out at me. Be it dark undertones or settle jokes that I never caught the first hundred times around, it always surprises me. On top of that, I always laugh. In particular, Charlie’s school teacher is hilarious. Oddly enough, I have yet to own this on DVD.

Happy Leap Year to everyone out there. An extra day onto the end of this month that prevents my paycheck from getting to me sooner.

I guess this Jay-Z, Beatles thing is all the rage right now. People are eating it up, and Paul and Ringo are making their attempt to destroy it. Personally, I think it’s a waste of time. Perhaps it’s just because I have a sweet spot in my heart for the Beatles. I wouldn’t classify myself as a die hard fan, but I do have all of their albums on my list to get. In the meantime, it’s just kind of… yuck.

KRUI has a crazy way of keeping tabs on my life. Last night found myself hanging out with Frosty back in my old stomping grounds. It’s always great to see the guy, but more so to watch him do his thing with the funk show he hosts every Friday. The guy loves to chit-chat. Suddenly, with ten seconds left in the song currently playing, he feverishly flips through his collection to find the next tune while muttering to himself and, or myself. After that, I found myself hanging out with Deidre, and ran into a guy who I trained on the production staff, Roger. He has connections with some Clear Channel folks up in Milwaukee and promised a hook up if need be. That’s cool and all, but I’m looking further east. Keeping the guy in mind in the meantime. Overall, had a good night.

Sounds like me and Muffin are heading south to meet up with our friend Eric in the first week of April. Not sure for how long as I’m waiting to hear his schedule, but it’s pretty much a done deal. And I’ll get to meet this Mary girl that I hear about for the first time as she’ll be making the trip with us. I hear good things about the town, but I have yet to be convinced. Driving through the state the few times that I have, the bar isn’t set too high. However, driving to SXSW a few years ago, Kansas ate one of the tires of the vehicle we were taking to the event. Makes me think that we need to proceed across the state line with caution.

My brother is home once again. I got a very excited phone call from my mother this morning, and she had every reason to be happy. It’s good to have him out of the way of harm. For those of you who still have or know of loved ones in the way of danger, my best wishes to you and them, where ever they might be. One way or the other, I’m with those of you who want this over sooner rather than later.

iPod Mini. Ordered and in route. Get excited!

Watching Grosse Point Blank tonight, I have realized that I have achived a new level. Exactly what that level is, I’m not sure. You have to understand that being the long time, Apple Computer fan, it’s been a long history of watching movies and spotting the Apple product on screen. Tonight, it’s changed. The radio station in the movie is full of little toys that I can spot and name. The ElectroVoice RE20 microphone, Sony headphones, Denon CD players, and so on. I put my hands over my eyes. “This can’t be true!” So be it… I’m a broadcast engineer.

While on the subject of film, I have to admit that I am a John Cusack fan. I find too many of his films that I can identify with, it almost sickens me. At the same time, it makes some sense. Cusack is a nut when it comes to music in his films, much like myself. His roles are melodramatic, much like myself. Quite often, he is pining after a girl he once loved and lost, much like myself. And in the end, he usually gets the girl and life is good… Anyhow, I like John Cusack movies.

And after weeks of debating, going back and forth, and thinking about it for hours on end, I’m getting an iPod mini. I thought I wanted one of the original iPods, but I want to go smaller. I have loved my MiniDisc player since I bought it in the summer of 2000, but its time is nearing the end. Small, cute, and sweet. That’s all I want right now. I’ll order it on Monday. We’ll see how long it takes to get here. At this point, I’m thinking green.

And I close with a quote from my friend, The Reverand Don Deeley, “What we need to find is a “Passion of the Christ” drinking game.”