You know how lots of people have those little oval stickers on the back of their cars with cryptic messages like “13.1″ (means they’ve run the mini…or, at least, they want you to think they have)? Or “LAX” (they either play lacrosse, or they spend a lot of time at Los Angeles International Airport)?  You may have seen a few people around here with “OBX.”  It stands for “Outer Banks” North Carolina.  I know this because I’ll be there in less than 48 hours.  And, I can’t wait!

The Outer Banks is basically just a big sandbar off the coast of North Carolina, but it’s got hotels and restaurants and condos and golf courses and ice cream shops and some of the nicest beaches in America.  (Did I mention that I’ll be there in less than 48 hours, and I can’t wait?)  At the risk of sounding like a tourism commercial, you should really look into it for your next beach vacation.  It’s closer and less expensive than most places in Florida, and it’s really cool.  The only downside is that there are a lot of North Easterners (read: people from New Jersey) who vacation there.  As long as you can avoid them, you’ll have a great time.

Follow me on Twitter (@deckerthedeejay); I’ll be tweeting regularly from the beach…and the pool…and the golf course…

I was in the middle of the Arni’s No-Refusal Nooner today when I heard the studio door open behind me.  Now, people go in and out of the studio all the time when I’m on the air.  I figured it was one of our promotions people updating our prizebook, or Ronda the receptionist looking for winner sheets, or maybe one of the engineers.  So, I didn’t even bother looking up…until I realized that there was a little person standing next to me, smiling.  My soon-to-be 6-year-old daughter had come to pay me a surprise visit!  She and my wife hung out with me for a little bit, and I had her do a few talk-breaks with me.  They had to go, so I kissed them and hugged them and told them I’d be home after work.  And, I realized that little things like surprise visits from your daughter (no matter how brief) are what makes life a lot better.

We’ve pretty much told everybody now, so it’s safe to share the news with you…we’re expecting our second child around the first of December.  (I’ve already told my wife that if she goes into labor early – like, the Saturday after Thanksgiving – she’ll be on her own, because I’ll be watching the Notre Dame / USC game). 

As of today, she’s 14 weeks, 6 days pregnant.  That’s still pretty early.  But, everything is going great, and everything is NORMAL…which is in stark contrast to our first pregnancy, which was an adventure from day one.  I’m definitely thankful to God for that.  At this stage, it’s impossible to tell with 100% certainty the gender of the baby.  But,  a suspiciously phallic object showed up on the ultrasound this morning.  That means, in all likelihood, I’ve only got a few months to get used to the idea of parenting a non-girl.  That’s something at which I have no experience, and am frankly kinda scared of. 

We’ll see how things play out.

Twitterlink:  @deckerthedeejay 

Birthday:  January 10th (I’m actually 6 months younger than Smiley)

Height:  Just under 6 feet

Weight:  Around 190…unless my doctor reads this, in which case I’m 175 and eating only healthy food

Marital status:  Married for nearly 9 years now

Children:  One daughter, 5 1/2 years old

Years at WZPL:  A LOT.  No, really…my first airshift here was December 21, 1992 

Education:  BA, University of Notre Dame (1994); MTS Christian Theological Seminary (2009).  Someday, I’ll actually use those degrees!

Favorite Food: Italian (hey, it’s in my blood).  Also, Chinese, Cajun, grilled stuff, and PIZZA

Favorite Candy: Reese’s peanut butter cups; anything with dark chocolate

Favorite Drink: Coke Zero

Favorite Clothiers: Armani Exchange, Levi’s, Polo Ralph Lauren, Puma

Favorite Sport (to play): Golf, biking, swimming, golf, snow skiing, racquetball, golf, boating, softball, Hip Hop Abs, golf

Favorite Sport (to watch on TV): Notre Dame football, Colts football, IZOD Indycar Series, PGA Tour golf

Current Favorite TV shows: Chuck, NCIS, Human Target, Days of Our Lives (it’s on the TV in the studio when I’m on the air!)

Favorite Movies: Grew up on the Star Wars saga; also like the Matrix, all things Batman, and the Harry Potter series

Favorite Actors: Russell Crowe; Alex O’Loughlin

Favorite musician: Michael Jackson is simply the greatest that ever was.  I still can’t believe he’s gone 

Favorite Poet: Lecrae Moore.  OK, so actually he’s a rapper.  But rap is poetry, right?  He’s brilliant

Favorite TV channels: ESPN and its variants, CNBC, The Golf Channel, Fox News Channel, E!

Favorite place to vacation: L.A., particularly Santa Monica.  Also, OBX (Outer Banks of North Carolina).  And Florence, Italy was pretty cool, too.

I could totally live without: classic rock.  40-year-old songs do nothing for me 

I totally couldn’t live without:  the forgiveness of Jesus Christ and the empowerment of the Holy Spirit 

If I had a million dollars, I’d:  Be a Barenaked Ladies song.  No, actually, I’d pay off my house and all my other debts, save some, and give the rest to Church of God Ministries (see chog.org)

As Music Director here at Z99.5, people ask me about my favorite songs all the time.  So, here are the songs that are in my personal 5 as of this moment (subject to change very soon!)

Ke$ha “Tik Tok” – I know it’s getting a little old, but I still love this song.  You know why?  Because it’s fun and dancy and utterly pointless.  Ke$ha doesn’t know or care about anything except having a good time, and she’s honest about it.  I can’t stand it when artists – who are rock stars, not economists or foriegn policy experts – try to take a political stand about complicated issues (yes, I’m looking at you, Green Day).  I much prefer a song that’s just fun and upbeat, and functions as entertainment, not propaganda.

Kris Allen “Live Like We’re Dying” – If an artist finds that he/she must do a song that has a deep message, do one that’s not political or divisive.  Make it something everyone can relate to and agree on, like getting the most out of every day.  This update on Tim McGraw’s “Live Like You’re Dying” has decent tempo and a good hook, and I like it a lot.

Daughtry “Life After You” – Maybe you’ve noticed, most of Daughtry’s songs sound pretty much alike.  (I guess that’s why I like them all!)  But, Chris has a good sound, one that’s been missing from radio for a long time.  After nearly two decades of everybody either singing very low and growly (like Eddie Vetter and Scott Stapp), or sounding like Chad Kroeger, it’s refeshing to hear someone singing a little higher.  Daughtry songs always have great hooks, too.

Orianthi “According To You” –  Gotta love a good, mature, female-voiced rock song.  Yes, Pink and Kelly Clarkson have done decent rock songs recently, but they both have a pop image.  And Paramore is too teen-sounding for my taste.  Orianthi, amazing guitarist that she is, has real “rock cred” like the Wilson sisters from Heart, Pat Benatar, and Melissa Etheridge (and maybe Amy Lee from Evanescence).  I like this song a little bit more everytime we play it.

Lady Gaga, featuring Beyonce “Telephone” – Did I mention that I like a good, fun, pointless dance song?  Awesome tempo, great hook, and the mid-song switch-up in rhythm and style when Beyonce does her part makes for an interesting interlude.  This is the song that makes me turn the radio way up when it comes on.

So, who’s in your 5?

Note: This blogpost is about the Super Bowl Halftime show; not because the show as good (it wasn’t – it was dull and boring), but because most of the commercials were lame this year, and the game itself was ultimately depressing.

As I watched the first 30 seconds of the Halftime show last night (that’s all I could stand before I lost interest and went to the kitchen for more chocolate-chip cookie-cake), I thought about how ironic it was that The Who were chosen to play because they’re “safe.”  Maybe you’ve noticed: ever since the Janet Jackson/Justin Timberlake episode, the NFL powers-that-be have insisted on having very old “rockstars” play the show.  Apparently, they want to avoid anymore disasters like “wardrobe malfunctions.”  And, they figure that washed-up classic rock dinosaurs will be “safe.”

But, it’s crazy how times change.  I mean, 40 years ago, The Who weren’t “safe.”  Once upon a time, The Who were rebellious, uncontrollable misfits who made a show of destroying guitars and drumkits (not to mention hotel rooms).  They were a bunch of drunk drug addicts who passed out in the middle of concerts.  They weren’t “safe” family entertainment by any means.

Maybe they’re just too old to raise any hell anymore.  I mean, let’s face it…they looked like a couple of guys from The Forum retirement home trying to play Guitar Hero.  But, maybe society has changed so much that what used to be considered outrageous behavior is now to-be-expected.  Maybe society has defined deviancy down to the point that it’s getting harder and harder to be shocking and irreverant. 

I don’t know.  But, it’s certainly ironic.  The Who, “safe?”  Surely, that’s the one thing they never wanted to be!

I’ve never been to Haiti myself.  But, I know personally many people (mostly from my church) who have.  And, I know a family that lives there in Port Au Prince.  We heard from them a few days ago, and they’re mostly O.K.

But, they told us a story about the moment the earthquake hit.  They had been at the marketplace.  They left, and started driving back up the mountain to their home.  Moments after they walked out of the market, it completely collapsed in the quake, and many people were trapped in the rubble.  As they tried to find a safe place to survive the quake, they said they could do nothing but watch helplessly as people were crushed under fallen houses and other debris.  In a matter of seconds, they saw a lifetime of horrific suffering.    

Our friends are blessed to be alive, but they have damage to their house, and there’s no power.  Haiti needs our help badly.  There is still horrific suffering.

It’s days like this (bitter cold, tons of snow) that I get mad about the job opportunity that I ALMOST had back in 1998.  I was up for a producer gig at KIIS-FM in Los Angeles, which is Ryan Seacrest’s home station.  I came home from work one day and found a message on my machine from the lady who was doing the hiring.  I was ecstatic!  This was my chance to move to Cali, finally!  I called her back and left her a message.  I waited a few days.  Nothing.  I called her again, left another message, and waited a few more days.  Still, nothing.  I couldn’t figure out what was going on…after all, SHE had called ME!  (It wasn’t like I was cold-calling her, when she wasn’t interested in talking to me.)  Then, I found out about a week later that the station had done some house-cleaning/downsizing, and she’d been canned, along with a bunch of other people.  AND, they’d instituted a hiring freeze.  Needless to say, I didn’t get the job, and I didn’t move.

Most of the time, I’m fine with that.  I’m over it.  And, I still love it in Indy…except on days like this.  Then, I start thinking about sunshine and palm trees and 72 degrees in January all over again.

Is there anything more fun than watching little kids open Christmas presents?  In my extended family, we have three kids.  Two girls, ages 7 and 5, and a nearly-3-year-old boy (who makes as much noise as the two girls combined, but that’s another blog).  They get all excited when they realize that the present you’ve just handed them is for them.  They start ripping at the paper, their fingers tripping all over each other as they race to see what’s inside.  Then, after they’ve said thank you and gotten all fired up about their new toy, they ask the nearest adult to put everything else down and help them take the toy out of the cardboard packaging.  Finally, they spend the next several minutes playing…with the cardboard box!  Hey, it’s fun to watch!

If you follow me on Twitter (or have listened to me these last 14 years on WZPL), you know that I hate winter weather.  I know some people think it adds to the whole Holiday Spirit thing.  A green Christmas just isn’t as cool as white one, they say.  I say…bah humbug.

I didn’t mind snow and ice when I was a kid.  Heck, if we got enough of it, we got a day off of school!  But, once I reached that age where I had a real job and had to be at work come hell or high water, I started hating winter weather.  I mean, what’s to like about almost sliding off the road four times just trying to get out of your subdivision?  And, then, taking two hours to get somewhere that usually takes 25 minutes?  All while freezing your rear end off waiting for your car to finally warm up (even though it was in the garage all night)?  The way I look at it, I have to be at work everyday no matter what.  May as well have the best possible driving weather everyday.

Maybe if we had a subway system or light rail that ran from my house in Fishers to the radio station, and I didn’t have to try to drive in this stuff I wouldn’t hate winter weather so much.  But, as it stands now…