The Heine Family Brick

The Pod Brick!

As promised here are photos of the bricks that the Pod Peeps purchased for us… They are so cool!!!!

Post at you shortly!

Rock On, Jack

Let me start with stuff going on this weekend.  Saturday is Burbank On Parade…  A Burbank tradition!  The parade goes down Olive Ave. between Buena Vista and Victory, right past the Tallyrand!  I know they’re predicting rain, but I’m hoping for a dry few hours during the parade.  While in Burbank stop at the Downtown Burbank Arts Festival which runs both Saturday and Sunday…  Right in the heart of downtown, it’s a cool mix of art and entertainment.

Sunday is CicLaVia ….  This is one of the coolest events held in Los Angeles.  About 10 miles of downtown L.A. streets are blocked off from cars but open to cyclists and pedestrians.  You get to see parts of the city in ways you never have before.  It is a great event of serious cyclists and kids on tricycles alike, a must do for anyone who loves L.A.

Next weekend is The Lancaster Poppy Festival, sure it’s about 45 minutes outside of L.A. but it is one of the hippest events in the high desert.  This year they have added a few new attractions including a live shark show and a Zip Line that carries you over the festival.  (We’ll be giving away admission tickets on KMIX 106.3 all next week… But it’s not that expensive – $5 for kids and $8 adults.)

Another upcoming High Desert event I’m excited for is The City of Palmdale’s “Tour de Palmdale Poker Run Fun Bike Ride”…  A 30mile fun ride across Palmdale where you collect cards and those with the best hands at the end will win prizes.  It takes place on May 5, 2012 at 10 am at Marie Kerr Park, located at 2723 Rancho Vista in Palmdale.  It’s all in honor of the Amgen Tour which stops in the city May 18th.

At home I am excited for Bing, he starts his bowling league at the end of this month…  He is really pumped up to be on a real bowling team and have a coach!  Lucy starts Little League this weekend… Although game 1 may be a rain-out!

We still haven’t nailed down a date for a Pod event, but I’m thinking we’ll return to Tony P’s when we do!  Stench has his return to stand-up coming up next month, I will post the exact date and time when they have it nailed down.

I still am a huge FAB fan and have been regularly posting to Pinterest…  And if you haven’t had a chance please “like” my work page!  (I’m trying to build it up!)

I will post more soon!

Rock On, Jack

Work has been going well, I’m getting my footing.  It was fun having Lucy come to work with me…. The last time she saw me working on air she was 3!  She really enjoyed being on-air… I need to nip that in the bud right now!  She will not get into radio!!!!

I’m excited to participate in the Tour De Palmdale…  Which is a fun 30 mile bike ride around Palmdale on May 5th (yes Cinco De Mayo).  If you’re around and like cycling it should be a fun ride!

We had a few technical issues on the pod this week…  Namely Stench’s computer died!  We are back on track and things are almost back to normal (Or as normal as the pod gets!!!)

I will post more later… Including pics of the amazing bricks some of the Pod Peeps purchased for us!

Rock On, Jack

Everyone at the station has been so cool!  It is weird seeing myself on the station website…  I still, and never have, thought of myself as “talent.”  It always been just hanging with cool people and talking on the radio.  I have really enjoyed getting to know Donna (she does news/traffic with me)… It’s such a small radio world, her husband worked with Stench at both Pirate and Power.  Brian Chase (he does afternoons) has been so supportive and helpful too, it’s nice to be wanted some place…  You almost never get that feeling at the big companies.

The podcast is still rocking… Stench and I need to check our schedules and figure out when we can do another live pod… I’m thinking it would be nice to return to Tony P’s.  Alina joined us on the Friday pod…  We always love when she joins us (even if we do torture her a tad!)

Jamie seems to be doing great in Denver… We trade comments on Facebook often and everything seems good.

My sister has way more guts than me… She decided she was not happy at her work and quit!  It’s the dream of most people I know, but she actually did it!  If you know anyone who is looking for a freelance Social Media Marketing consultant contact her at blue@mycolorblue.com .

Kids are on spring break next week!  I have to work all week, but we’ll spend afternoons together, I can’t wait.

Remember Sunday is April Fools, so be on guard!!!

Rock on, Jack

Thank you all for all the support!  How quickly you all “liked” and “followed” my work pages really made me look good to management.  I have already learned a lot…  I’ve never been a “DJ” before, I used to just hang out with two other morons and talk about life!

It looks like Stench will be doing some stand-up comedy soon… He will be playing the Comedy Store on Sunset Saturday May 19th at 7:30pm!  He is very talented, can’t wait to see him again!

Bought another lottery ticket, it just seems lame not to at least try to win a half billion dollars (although I have had absolutely no luck at the lower amounts!)

I’m sure by now you’ve heard the re-cap on the podcast, Kevin and Holly’s wedding was great!  I haven’t been that nervous in years, but I made it through the ceremony (That was my first and last time officiating a wedding!)  The best part was the reception, all the pressure was off and the party was on.  The kids and I danced, we got to hang with tons of friends and celebrated Kevin and Holly’s union!

This is a friend of mine’s blog, if you get a chance check it out… I really enjoy it!

I promise I’ll have more to post next time, still acclimating to the new hours!

Rock On, (DJ) Jack

A few years down the road we had Lucy and my life slowed down, I decided that the “drunkjack” site no longer really represented who I was and we switched to Dadjack…  From that point on the drunkjack name just redirected to the pod site and I have just re-newed it year after year thinking that those who only remembered me from those days would be able to find me.   Well technology has progressed and many, many years have passed, so I figure if you haven’t sobered up and found me yet you most likely don’t want to!

So today I let drunkjack.com expire.  We had some really fun times and made great friends that will continue on long after the site is forgotten, but now we continue on…  Not to mention that Japanese band named “Drunk Jack” that wanted the site for years can now get it (if they’re still together!)

Rock on, DADJACK

Well, I actually have something to tell you!  Beginning Monday March 26, 2012 I will be hosting the morning show at KMIX 106.3 FM (KGMX) which is broadcast throughout the High Desert and online.  After almost a year of unemployment it is going to be so nice to get back to work!  I’m not going to lie, I have never hosted a show by myself (well except the “Just Jack” podcasts) so I’m a little nervous… But I’m excited for the challenge.  It will be fun to be back at a music station (no offense to talk radio!), I really enjoy music and it will be cool to spin the hits (although no more actual spinning takes place at modern radio stations!)

I am bummed that I will no longer be able to volunteer with the P.E. program at my kids school, I have really enjoyed getting the chance to spend that extra time with my kids and help their classmates.  And as I stated in my last blog, I really think P.E. is important and needed more than ever in our history.   Hopefully once I get settled into this new position I will be able to find someway to volunteer in other programs at the school.

Stench continues his producing duties at KDAY and has also started working on a new project called Boys v. Girls.   Jamie is blowing it up at Alice in Denver…  She was just featured in the Denver St. Patrick’s Day Parade.

This weekend I will be officiated Kevin and Holly’s wedding… Wish me luck!  They gave me a four page script… which I have memorized about 2 lines of! I’m going to need a cheat sheet!  The kids are very excited to get dressed up…  And see Daddy make a fool of himself!

I know I’ve mentioned it before, but if you get a chance check out my friend Mike’s blog…  I really enjoy it.

I have joined Pinterest…  Not totally sure about it yet, but I post lots of cool stuff on it.

Still loving Fab…  They have the coolest stuff!

Alright I think that’s it for now.

Rock On, Jack

There has been a lot of talk of school lunches and their healthiness… And to be honest I have seen vast improvements (Although I still believe if you have the economic ability making your child’s lunch is the best choice.)  The only complaint I have is that (at least at my kids school) no one makes sure the kids eat the more nutritious aspects of the meal… In fact they have a tray where kids can leave the portions of their school bought/provided meal that they do not want… It is most often filled with fruits and vegetables. But I don’t see the lunches as the biggest issue.

This morning, as every morning I take my kids to school, we were early, I like to get them there early so there is less stress and they can play for a little bit before being confined to a desk for the next few hours.  As we made our way onto the playground I heard the call of “Lucy, Lucy” being shouted across the cold March air.  Two of Lucy’s classmates were holding a playground ball and summoning her over to join them for some kickball.  She looked to me and I gave her the green light to join them, Bing hung back complaining he didn’t know how to play the game.  Lucy ran off excitedly and I stayed back for a moment to draw the correlation between kickball and baseball for Bing.  Confident in my explanation he decided he could handle it too.  I stood to the side of the blacktop diamond and watched as they kicked and ran, and kicked and ran some more.  They were laughing and debating rules, chasing the ball and chasing each other.  They were having a great time and getting some great exercise.  About ten minutes in a teacher came up to the kids and confiscated the ball, noticing I was supervising she came up to me and explained that the principal has decreed that no balls are to be used on the playground before school starts.  I could tell she was slightly embarrassed to have to do this in front of me…  And rightfully so, it’s a stupid rule! Lucy and Bing came up to me and were a little upset because they felt like they had done something wrong, I put them at ease and explained that I (like them) didn’t know this rule and that they were not in trouble… And that in fact they were getting great exercise.

Now if this was the first attack on physical activity it wouldn’t have bothered me so much, but it is not.  Dodge ball has been outlawed (too dangerous), tag is no longer allowed (someone might fall), you have to be in the second grade to play kickball (I’m not sure why this is the case, I’m guessing they feeling like kids younger than 8 are not coordinated enough?) … You might say that these restrictions are justified and that there are other games to play, but those are some of the classic playground activities that require a lot of running and movement.

As many of you know, I have volunteered with my kids P.E. classes for the past couple years.  P.E. at my kids school is not provided by the district, but is paid for by the booster club through fundraising, so without donating money and our time (they can only afford so many teachers) there would be no physical education in K-5.  The kids would miss out on this 45 minute opportunity once a week to actually get some exercise and learn some new activities.  Yes, even with a parent supported program they still only get 45 minutes a week…  I know for a fact we had P.E. more than once a week when I was a kid.

Anyone who knows me knows I love art, heck daily I “pin”  artwork I enjoy…  But if I have to choose my kid excelling in art over being healthy I’ll pick health every time.  I bring this up because at my kids school they provide a “quiet play area” where the kids can draw, paint, play board games or read (all things I support… And again, at my child’s school the booster club through parent donations provides art and dance classes once a week for all grades), so instead of playing and running during recess and lunch many kids choose to sit and engage in quiet activities… Including my daughter, who I have repeatedly told to get out and play during recess and I will provide her with art supplies at home.  When I complained about this to other parents I found they had the same results, kids who choose sitting over running during there limited time of play during the school day.

I understand we live in a litigious society and that our schools are at great liability every time the recess bell rings, but is not our children’s health a greater price to pay?  We are setting the precedent of a sedentary lifestyle in our kids at their most impressionable age.  On the weekends I have to force my kids to play outside, to go for a walk or a bike ride…  And when I finally get them out they really enjoy it, just like they would on the playground.

Sorry, it’s just been bugging me since we had our ball taken away this morning!

Rock on, Jack

Rock On, Jack

A few weeks ago my sister received a call from an ex-Cooper’s co-worker who informed her Geoff had passed away.  We were both bummed, despite his quirks he was a good guy. I can only speak for myself, but I had many fun afternoons rummaging through the bins of his store looking for rare imports from The Cure or out-of-print Sisters Of Mercy records and catching a little conversation with Geoff as he smoked a cigarette in front of the store.

A couple days ago I went for a walk and happened to walk by Geoff’s house and they were having a garage sale.  Bins from the old store dragged out of the garage and sitting in the driveway for the bidding, tables set in the garage with his stuff spread on them and sign on the tree that read “more items inside.”  I know you can’t take it with you, but it really bummed me out to see his life reduced to a garage sale and I know no disrespect was meant (it’s really something we don’t think about much, what will happen to all our “stuff” when we go)…  but it bummed me out none the less.

So I thought I’d give him a little space here on this blog , I found this really nice obituary:

Alum’s Roto Rooter Good Time Christmas Band recorded Dr Demento novelty song “Pico and Sepulveda”

TFT alumnus Geoffrey P. Cooper ’69 passed away on November 28 at his home in Burbank, after a brief illness. Cooper was a Hollywood sound engineer and avid record collector who from 1992 to 2004 owned DB Cooper’s Wholesale Music Exchange in Burbank, “Burbank’s Most Necessary Record Shop.”

Born on October 19, 1946, in Los Angeles, Cooper was a proud member of the UCLA marching band while a student at TFT in the late 1960s. Known as “Engineer Geoff,” he was the head cheerleader at UCLA during the 1968-69 season.

After several years in New York City working as a recording engineer, Cooper returned to Southern California and with several former UCLA bandmates formed the Roto Rooter Good Time Christmas Band, in which he performed under the stage name Dr. Mabuse.

The band specialized in bouncy satiric novelty songs with titles such as “The Martian March,” “Martha My Deer” and “The Buick LaSabre Dance.” The band became a fixture on the radio show of personality and DJ Dr Demento, who was a customer at the Burbank store.

After Cooper arranged an introduction for Demento with singer Napoleon XIV (Jerry Samuels), creator of the all-time novelty hit “They’re Coming To Take Me Away, Ha-haaa!,” the DJ began playing Roto Rooter numbers on his show, beginning in 1973 with what he calls their “brilliant rendition of ‘March of the Cuckoos,’ the Laurel & Hardy theme.”

The RRGTCB recorded an album for Vanguard Records in 1974 that included their version of the 1947 novelty song “Pico and Sepulveda,” the recording that became Dr. Demento’s theme song. At the peak of its popularity the band shared the stage at the Hollywood Palladium with Danny Elfman’s Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo.

Cooper worked a day job for NBC in the sound effects department for 13 years, ringing the buzzers and bells on the great game shows. He amassed a huge collection of vinyl LPs, CDs and videos, which he loved sharing with his friends and family. Cooper was an avid fan of reggae music and all things Jamaican and attended the Sunsplash Music Festival seven years in a row in the 1980′s.

Geoffrey Cooper is survived by his sisters Virginia Cooper Latham of Culver City (class of ’73) and Susan Cooper Clobucker of Reno (class of ’76).

The Cooper family asks that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Theater Department Scholarship Fund. Gifts can be made online at https://giving.ucla.edu/Standard/NetDonate.aspx?SiteNum=20 (choose Theater Scholarship Fund) or by sending a check made out to UCLA Foundation, with “In memory of Geoffrey Cooper” in the memo section, to:

Office of Development and Industry Relations
UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television
Box 951622
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1622

Rest In L.P. Geoff.