DadJack.com Blog

That Christmas Eve is tomorrow!?!?!  Where did ’09 go?

Apparently, there was a flood of Zhu Zhu Pets released yesterday… I bought a pair at the Toys R Us in Burbank, but heard reports of CVS and Target having them in stock too.  At first I was kind of upset about it because it seemed kind of cruel to create this false demand causing people to pay triple for them from resellers, but then I started to think it was cool, because it gave people like myself, the thrill of getting that hard to get gift at the last minute, it lifted my spirits a little knowing I found something exciting for my kids at the final hours.  I had trouble finding good Christmas candy, the big stores were sold out of the stuff we really want and only had crap left… I ended up finding a decent selection at my local Ralph’s.

The Balloon Dad ended up getting some jail time (so did the Mom)…  I’m so glad, a message had to be sent that it’s not alright to scam emergency services in your quest to get a television show.  I’ve written blogs about it, but I really am turned off to fame and famous people.  It’s become way too easy to at least have the appearance of being famous… I want to strive for something bigger, like being great!  I was reading the advice and thoughts of some great people tonight and I started to think, that’s what I want to be, Great.  Not famous, great is so much more than famous, so many mediocre to horrible people are famous.  I heard the argument tonight that Tiger Woods is a great golfer, in fact he was voted athlete of the decade, but I do not think he is great… He had the potential, but not the strength, not that the truly great are without flaws, but I think they are without malice.  I believe they know right from wrong, and try to be as right as possible.

There are a few things I have to consider: one, what can I be great at? and two, can you be great without people knowing?

I really don’t think I’m a great photographer… I look at other peoples photos and am blown away by their vision and talent.  As far as radio goes, I am far from great… I am real and I give 100% of myself, but the best I am not even close.  Then there is being a Dad… I think it’s too early to tell, I’ve only been doing it 6 years.  Now I have read on court papers and been told in great detail by my Ex that I am far from being a great father, but I am willing to see what happens in the years to come, I think time might be in my favor.

The amazing thing is, I know so many great Dads!  So many of my friends or my friends husbands are the best Dads.  They inspire and impress me on a regular basis.  If you watch television or read the news you would not think this was the case… The deadbeat and neglectful fathers seem to get the bulk of the attention, but let it be written here, there are so many Great Dads out there and they don’t get the credit they deserve… So here you go, Good job guys, You Rule!!!

As for if it is required for people to know who you are to be great, I think ultimately if you are truly great, someone will know… It might be your mate, or your kids, co-workers, your family,  someone will realize that you have done your best.

I’m not holding my breath, but I hope this catches on, because the world could always use more great people…  We have plenty of famous people!

I hope you and your family have a great holiday season!!!!!!!!

Rock On, Jack

But I need to figure out what I’m going to do with my life.  I have been rejected from so many jobs and there are little opportunities in my field of expertise… We’re about a week from me having to become an exotic dancer, how much do you think a 40 y.o., ugly guy could earn in a G-String?  My guess, about $3.12 a night!

I have to admit, I’m kind of excited that Up! comes out on DVD tomorrow…  I really enjoyed it in the theater.  Speaking of DVD’s, Target, Walmart and Amazon are in a DVD price battle with pre-orders of some of the seasons hottest releases at only $10.  Here’s a link to Targets deals, hey G-Force for $9.99.  here’s Walmart’s, G-Force is $9.98.  And just to be fair, here’s Amazon’s page.

Bing is such a unique little man… Not only is he obsessed with bowling, and chalk, and his Yellow “Buggy Car”, oh and we can’t forget his best friend Baby, but he is able to identify most makes of cars, and a bunch of different models.  I like that he has a bunch of options for when he gets older… Pro-Bowler, Artist, Monkey Trainer (Did I mention “Baby” is a beret wearing monkey?) or Car Salesman, in fact the other day he told me he was going to buy me a Mustang, so “I wouldn’t have to drive the busty old car.”

I can’t gush over Bing without giving equal time to Lucy, who is way more focused… At six years old she knows more about marine biology than I do at 38!  On the way home from our birthday celebration yesterday she was explaining to me what a crustaceans were and what kind of rays eat them…  Luckily, Angela got her a membership to the Long Beach Aquarium yesterday, so we’ll have many more opportunities to learn more.

I guess it didn’t need my help, seeing as it’s already sold out, but if you were lucky enough to get tickets, you’re in for a really cool night with some of the greats in 80′s television (including my Uncle!)

Give him the death penalty.   Maybe LT hit my car?  Important: Stroller Recall. Just in time for Christmas shopping, Elvis hair.  This is Stretch’s kind of beauty queen.   Gay parents rule.  He bet and lost.   Cool new L.A. Marathon route, I may do it this year.  Cheap Pink’s Hot Dogs this week!  Invent a sandwich.  I’ll do it!  Don’t text and bus drive.

Rock On, Jack

Did you see the coverage of the run-away balloon they thought a 6 year old boy was aboard?  It was wild, when it finally came down the boy was not aboard, so now they are looking for him… I hope he is found safe.  (Pod warning: This went down while we were recording, so you’re going to get our play by play, I know you guys hate it when we cover live events because they’re well over by the time the pod airs.)

Tomorrow is Boss Day (As in your employer, not Springstein)… So if you’re lucky enough to have a job be nice to your boss.

Last night the “busty old car”, as Lucy and Bing call it, got busted.  Apparently, a woman in a white suburban backed up into it and fled.  Thank you so much to the kind Sun-Land people and the folks at Francisco’s Halloween Shop ( 10493 Sunland Blvd. 818 352-0503) who got her license plate number.  The car is still drivable, so that’s good news.  I went to the police station and made a report, but I seriously doubt anything will come of it.

I’m a huge blueberry fan, I like the fruit and anything that smells like it, so when I was at Target I picked up some Blueberry Tone bar soap… I didn’t notice until today when I busted a bar out that the packaging claims it has Antioxidants.  Come on, do antioxidants really do anything in soap?  Heck, do they really do anything in food?

Kids are here this weekend, I have to find some good Halloween stuff to do… It has become a month long celebration with us.  Bing’s “Polka-Dot Bowling Girl Costume” is coming together nicely… I found bowling shoes in his size, Polka-Dot Jammies and a nickelodeon bowling ball bag (in which he can put his red bowling ball he loves and use it to collect candy).

Caylee update.  We spoke about this on the pod.  Now were did I leave that pot?  Racism alive and well down south.  Where the buffalo roam.  It was just a drill.  We need to get this Ap for the Love Boss.  Dodger divorce.  Speaking of the Dodgers. He just went back to bed. Fire water.

Rock on, Jack

Well, they were right, it’s raining…. And all of Los Angeles is on Storm Watch – Enjoy!

I went for a walk yesterday and ended up at Universal City Walk.  It’s kind of cool to be up their midweek, in the morning, it’s crawling with tourists…  Makes for great people watching.  I think it was on my mind because I received this thing in the mail the other day about how they’re trying to get a huge expansion built… It actually sounded pretty cool.  I love the whole urban living concept… That’s sort of how I lived when I was at STAR, I lived behind the building and everything I needed was walking distance, I could go days without having to drive my car.

I’m stepping into the modern age… DSL is getting installed in my apartment on Friday!  I know you pod-people will miss random people walking in on me while I’m recording, but I’ll still have distractions, don’t worry.

The other day I was low on polka-dot diapers (or diapies, as Bing calls them), so I went to my local Target.  I hadn’t really thought about it before, but that Target was Gemco when I was a kid… The Gemco my Dad worked at as an appliance salesman.  I flashed back to being a kid and going to see him there with my Mom, there he would be near the stoves and refrigerators wearing a short sleeve shirt with a tie, his glasses, clean shaven (I remember him explaining, after I asked why he shaved his mustache off, that people had a preconceived notion of men with mustaches and it would be harder to make sales – it was the 70′s).  The same store that there was a huge line in front of the day the Star Wars toys went on sale…  My Dad was able to get me some figures before the store opened, they sold out really quickly.

Thinking back, it was one of the few times I thought my Dad was cool.  For the most part, he was a tall, thick man, who grew back his mustache when he got out of sales and the eighties rolled around.  He never had cool jobs or was particularly popular… He had friends, was well liked and could be very funny, but he was no means the life of the party.

My parents divorced when my sister and I were roughly the same age as my kids…  But for obviously vastly different reasons.  For a while all was good, they shared custody evenly, stayed within the same city, we stayed in our school.  This went on for 2 or 3 years.

Things really started to change when my Dad lost his job at AT&T.  He was unemployed for a long time and ultimately was only able to find work at Thrifty’s  (Were it was obvious, even to me a kid at the time, he was quite unhappy).  It was around this time that he met a woman that he would later marry.  He has never said this, but it appeared this was more a marriage of convenience… Although to his credit, they are still together.

I bring cliff’s notes version of my Dads life up because walking through that Target, thinking about Gemco, I realized that my life has run the same course… And that scares me.  I don’t want to be my Dad.  I want to be a hero to my kids, for them to have lists of great memories with me.  I want them to think I’m cool… Although I know that the older they get, the bigger the dork I become to them.  I refuse to be with someone just so I’m not alone, or have a house, or because they support me… I’d rather spend the rest of my life alone.  I look at my Dad as a functioning broken man…  I’m trying to find my pieces and glue them back into place, so I can just be a man.

Let’s boil this guy alive.  What car color city are you from?  Oh deer, good tackle.   Want a “supercat?”  You know Miss Plastic Beverly Hills is not far off.  Breaking Skunk News!  Iart.  Drive-bike shooting.  Don’t mock the one armed softball player.  Don’t leave your kiddie porn packed phone as collateral.

Rock On, Jack

9/9/09… Sure there was a hijacking and some other minor weirdness, but for the most part it passed without major disruption.  I went to see Lucy as she got out of her first day of school, she loved it… Her teacher is great, she liked the other kids and had fun learning, so all was good.  (And I think Bing is into having some “Bing time” while she’s at school.)  I went to Target to get a couple frames, that place is always crowded, when you’re there it’s hard to believe there’s a recession… If I had money I’d buy Target stock!  A couple good festivals coming up – this weekend, the L.A. Greek Festival and next weekend, the Port Of Los Angeles Lobster Festival (Where Stretch and will be!)  I haven’t heard anything from Jamie in a long time, so hopefully she and Kaden are doing well.

Who stole the monkeys? Jellyfish tossing faker.  Swine flu is coming to get you.  They’re out of green!  You think you have a good hand, we’ll raise you a torso.  Abdul out, Ellen in.  This is pretty cool. It’s good to be tall.  Please remain seated until the ambulance comes to a complete stop.

Have a great day!

Rock On, Jack