This is our 13th annual Make-A-Wish Requestathon.  Hard to believe, but I’ve actually been here for all of them!  (not sure if that’s good or bad!) 

These last 6 years have been the most special to me, though, because I’ve actually had my own child.  In the years before I was a Dad, it was hard to relate to what the parents and families were going through.  I mean, I tried to be understanding, etc. before.  But, there’s a completely different level of comprehension now that I know what it’s like to have a kid.  I thank God that my child is healthy, and I can grasp how grateful the Wish families are when you give to help them.

If you have your own children, you know what I’m saying.  If you don’t have kids, thank you for donating anyway!  Know that we are all very thankful!

Like everyone else here at Z99.5, I’m pretty excited about this year’s Jingle Jam line-up.  (Haven’t heard about it yet?  it’s December 9th at the Murat Theatre).  I honestly think it could be one of the best we’ve ever done.  And, trust me…I’ve been here long enough to know! 

We had an amazing show in 2001.  That was Barenaked Ladies’ first appearance at Jingle Jam (although they’d played for us in, like, 1997 at Uncle Sam Jam).  The show as at the Pepsi Colliseum at the State Fairgrounds, and we did the pre-show interviews in the restrooms because there was no green room, per se! 

We had a great concert in 2003, too.  Probably the best thus far, I think.  Howie Day opened, then we had Jason Mraz and Maroon 5.  That was crazy.  We could’ve sold that show out twice over.

Then, of course, there was the Jingle Jam at The Vogue a few years ago with John Mellencamp.  Scalpers were roaming up and down Broad Ripple Avenue with signs that said “I need tickets!”  That show was huge. 

But, this year is gonna be something special.  BNL always does a terrific show.  Ask anybody who’s seen them live before and they’ll tell you how much fun those guys are.  John from Five For Fighting is great.  And, has any band in the country been hotter than All-American Rejects over the last several months?  

Make sure you get your tickets before they sell out.  If you miss this show, you’ll have missed a truly exceptional evening.

Obviously, texting while driving is unsafe.  We’ve all heard the statistics about how distracted drivers are dangerous drivers, etc.  But, beyond that, texting while driving is annoying, and rude to the other drivers around you. 

This morning, I was in a line of cars in the left turn lane, waiting for the arrrow at a busy intersection (one of those lights that takes forever to get through, and if you don’t make it on the first green, you’re gonna be waiting awhile).  I was about fifth or sixth in line, and noticed that the arrow had gone green.  Nobody moved.  A few seconds passed.  Nobody moved.  Cars started honking.  Still nobody moved.  Finally, as the arrow turned yellow, the first car in line darted into the intersection (three cars followed, running the red – but that’s a whole other blog). 

As the first driver turned, I realized why she hadn’t moved when the arrow went green in the first place…she was mid-text at the time.  And, she either wasn’t paying attention and didn’t notice when the light changed, or she figured she had time to finish her text, and still squeak through on the yellow.  Either way, I can think of at least six people who’d like to wring her neck right now (and that’s mild.  In some cities, she’d have been shot). 

Moral of the story…put the phone down and drive!  It’s safer and much more courteous to your fellow citizens.

So, as you may know, my wife and I are very active in our church, and we’ve become good friends with several of the college students in the congregation (many of them have babysat for us over the years, etc.).  Somehow, we decided that it’d be fun to have 5 or 6 kids over to our house from time to time for ”movie night.”  

So far, it’s been a total blast.  There’s just one thing: college kids don’t sleep unless it’s light out.  Seriously.  I thought I was gettin’ pretty wild and crazy by staying up till 3AM watching movies and talking and eating, etc..  At 6AM, they were still up watching movies, and talking and eating, etc.

Makes me wonder: How does Smiley do it??

I drive my wife nuts during football season.  You see, I attended Notre Dame, where football is virtually a second religion (Roman Catholicism being the first, of course).  And, several years after graduation, I still can’t shake it.  It’s not that I intend to be over-the-top about the Fighting Irish.  It just sorta happens.  I mean, I’m a huge Colts fan, too.  But, that’s not as big a deal to me.  If the Colts lose, I’m bummed out for the rest of the day.  If Notre Dame loses, I’m bummed out until they win again.  There’s something magical about fall Saturdays, that fall Sundays (cool as they are) can’t match.

Many women are “football widows.”  My wife wishes she were.  Because the term “widow” implies that you’re left alone while your husband is in the man-cave in the basement watching football 24-7 from Labor Day until Valentine’s Day.  But, I can’t seem to leave my wife out of it, since football (the college variety) all but determines my mood for the entire Autumn.  My wife would love to be a “widow,” but she doesn’t get left alone.  She ends up living through it with me.  I’ve apologized to her a million times, and promised to change my ways at least twice that many times.  Thus far, no success.

I know, I know.  It’s only a game, you say.  No, it isn’t.  It’s college football.  It’s so much more than just a game!

Barely a week to go.  Only about 10 days until the unofficial end of summer, Labor Day (of course, by that time, most kids will have been back in school for two or three weeks already, so summer ended a while back for them!)  Where’d this summer go?  I honestly feel like it never started.  Maybe that’s because our family didn’t go our usual summer vacation this year (we went to Phoenix, for a week, but that was back in May).  Maybe it’s because we’ve had uncommonly cool temperatures and tons of rain this summer.  Maybe it’s because we had to get a new roof, new car, new dryer…it’s been a stressful few months.  I don’t know.  But, it just seems like summer hasn’t been all that I hoped for.  Guess I’d better pack as much fun as possible into these last 10 days!

Kindergarten - week one.

We finally made it to Friday, the last day of my daughter’s first week of kindergarten.  It’s been a difficult week.  She’s not sure she likes school…in fact, she’s pretty sure she doesn’t like it.  She’s not used to the 5-day “workweek” yet, and she says each day is “sooooo long.”  (When my wife was running a little late in picking her up after school the other day, our daughter was in tears, certain that she’d never see us again!)  On the one hand, it’s nice to know that my kid thinks enough of us that she “misses us” when she’s at school, but on the other hand, it breaks my heart that she’s spent so much of this past week crying.  What to do?  I hope and pray that next week will get better, and that she’ll eventually get used to school – even though she’s told me multiple times this week, “Daddy, I’ll never get used to school.”

We keep telling her to try to enjoy herself so the time will pass more quickly, instead of waiting and watching for us to come pick her up.  She’s not sure that will work, she says. 

I wish she had a phone.  I’d call her right now and see how today’s going!  Hopefully, much better

Our little 5-year-old daughter is gone.  She’s off to Ohio to spend a few days with her aunt and uncle…I’m having mixed feelings.  On the one hand, it’s cool to finally have a chance to be with my wife and have a “date” or two without a little one running around.  We had a nice dinner at Scholars Inn last night, for instance.  On the other hand, the house feels strangely empty and lonely.  There’s definitely something missing.  It’s gonna be sorta weird – tonight is “meet the teacher” night at my daughter’s school (she starts kindergarten on Monday), and right now, I feel like I don’t have any kids, since she’s out of town! 

By the way, why does school start so early?  August 10th!!  We NEVER went back before Labor Day when I was little.  What’s the point of even having a State Fair if school is gonna start almost before the Fair even opens?

My daughter’s 5th birthday was yesterday.  5 years!  I can’t believe I’ve managed to keep a human being alive and well for 5 years (most of the credit goes to my wife, of course).  Sometimes, it feels like it’s been about 5 hours.  I can remember every detail of July 28, 2004 like it was yesterday.  Other times, it feels like it’s been 500 years.

I really love this age.  She starts kindergarten in a few weeks, and she’s been practicing her counting and reading to get ready.  She’s got such a personality.  She’s actually become one of my best friends.  It’s funny: sometimes during the day when something goes wrong, I think, ”I wish my kid was here.  She’d understand.”  Some people are “baby” people…they love having infants around.  Not me.  I’ll take a pre-schooler that you can have an actual conversation with any day.

If you’ve been following me on Twitter, you know that I’ve been searching for a car (preferably neither one of these two).

So far, we’ve taken three cars to our mechanic to check out, and he hasn’t liked any of them (we’re looking for a used car, here).  It’s been kinda frustrating so far, but I’m not losing hope yet!  The perfect car is out there, and it’s just hoping I’ll find it soon!  (BTW, if you know anyone with a black Honda Civic, 2004-2006 model year, manual transmission with less than 80k miles that they want to get rid of for about $6000, send ‘em my way!)