BY FAR, the most asked question I get from people I meet and even friends I’ve had for a long time is: “YOU WAKE UP WHEN?!?!?!”
Yeah…3am is a real time. A lonely and quiet time. BUT, it’s also a time that seems to have immunity to stupid questions and many of the people that ask those questions.
In this weeks’ blog, I’ll break down the reason for getting up when college JJ would have been just wrapping up a night of rejection.
Here’s a quick look at a typical weekday in my life:
3:00am – Up and in the shower. Also, sneak a quick peek in the mirror….”hey there big fella”
3:10 – Get dressed – stream “Arrested Development” at a whisper volume cuz my wife Trish is still sleeping
3:15 – Teeth. Brush, floss, water pic. Think about how cool it would have been to be a pro baseball player.
3:20 – Kiss the wife goodbye and watch her pretend that she’s sad I’m up and leaving. Leaving her to slumber deeply in the warm SLEEP NUMBER Bed. Tell ’em JJ sent ya.
3:21 – Head downstairs. Put our dog, Addison’s toys in the basket so the Rumba won’t get jacked up. Load the dishwasher and start it. Give our cat, Turkey some food. Then…the most important part of my day – 10 minutes of meditating and breathing. I lay like a middle-aged Patrick Star on my living room floor, in the dark, for 10 minutes. Clearing my mind…just breathing. After this, I’m ready for the day. I started this about 2/3 years ago and it’s a game changer for me.
3:35 – shoes on and I’m outie. I usually listen to a podcast or some jams on my quick ride to work. Lately I’m liking “Smartless” with Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes and Will Arnett. My ride to work is only 13 minutes, so that’s not bad. Not a lot of traffic at 3:35am.
3:50ish – get to work. Park. Walk to the dark, scary and ominous alley we have to enter from b/c the main building doesn’t open until 7/8am…not even sure when it opens TBH…I’m always at work then. I hold my breath as my key card goes “BEEP” and the hallowed halls of the dungeon of Leighton Broadcasting invite me in as I weave past boxes and dark offices. Think about how cool it would have been to be a pro baseball player.
4:00am – Sit down at my desk and enjoy the silence. I’m usually the only one here at this time – sometimes Jen, from our KNSI News Department is here too. I like having her here, because if there’s a break-in, I’m almost positive I can outrun her.
4:05 – start preparing for our show. I dig up audio, refine things I want to bring to the show and work on some of my other duties with the station. Grab some coffee and fill up my water bottle. Answer emails and prep the rest of the day.
4:30 – Think about how cool it would have been to be a pro baseball player. I also can hear Kat usually sneeze 3-24 times per morning from the KCLD studio – just 15 feet from my office. I think she has an issue.
4:45 – Snap out of it and finish show prep for today’s epic show.
5:00am – Hit the studio and edit the show elements (audio) on the main studio computer while Kat finishes up gathering audio and preparing show elements like Radio Paparazzi.
5:20 – Kat and I begin to mix-down and make final edits for the show here locally and for our affiliates. Some are on the east coast, so they have started the show already. This becomes a juggling act sometimes, but we seem to have it dialed in.
5:30 – Alayna pops into the main studio from her comfy satellite studio and we finalize our local show elements and who-does-what for today.
5:45am – We voice custom audio for our affiliates and sent it out to them.
6:00am – GO TIME. Show starts, phones open up and we’re off.
10:00am – Show ends and we cut voice work for various elements. Think about how cool it would have been to be a pro baseball player.
Kat usually spends time after the show in the studio getting the next show put together and pretending to work in case our boss rolls past. I head to my office for meetings and other actions that basically save the company daily.
Usually out of the office by about Noon and home I go – unless I need to go get skates sharpened for my son or make a stop for the wife.
After that, a quick bite, a nap if I’m lucky. If I can get 30 minutes in, I’m golden for the rest of the day and night.
2:00pm – hit the home gym for a workout. Lately, I’ve tried to get a 2-3 mile run it 5 times per week and 30 minutes of weights. When Trish and I bought our house, we converted the formal dining room into a gym and that’s been a solid move – good spot to sweat.
3:00 – on the road to pick up our 13yr old, Nolan from School. In the spring, I coach baseball at Cathedral, so this will just morph into “go to practice/game”. Think about how cool it would have been to be a pro baseball player.
After that, pretty much the same as most families….try to do a family dinner and likely a practice or game with one of the kids.
I try to hit the hay by 9pm – If I can be asleep by 9:30, I’m usually in pretty good shape for the next day. Think about how cool it would have been to be a pro baseball player and give thanks that I didn’t. I feel truly blessed with the life I have.
Well, there it is….a typical day. Thanks for peeking – I’m going to save this link and just text it to anyone that asks from now on.
Follow KCLD to Stay Connected!
