I was informed today that I haven’t “updated my blog in 10 days.” And to “get on the stick!” Here’s a couple things that I’ve been thinking about lately. 

First of all, I may have to concede to Chuck on the weight-loss thing.  Chuck bet that I would give up and not do it.  I had (and still have) every intention of continuing to exercise to try to lose weight.  Getting hazed for my lack of success in shedding pounds is not as many laughs as it used to be, especially from Chuck who out-weighs me by 50 pounds and eats like it’s his last meal.

Two things have come to light recently which make me not so crazy about perpetuating this ordeal. 1) I’m NOT losing weight.  My wife says she notices a difference, but she’s the only one. (That’s why I love her.) 2) Not only is Mean Boss Bill calling me fat, unfunny and untalented; but Jesse has decided it’s time to practice “tough love” What ever the hell that means!  I’m not sure I want to find out.

I think it may be time to just be fat in peace.  I’ll contemplate it over a bucket of KFC… extra crispy.

My partner on the morning show, Jesse James, has pet peeves about many things.  Most are eating habits, some are driving habits, and one is a pet peeve of HIS that drives ME crazy!

He hates the sound of typing on a keyboard.  Specifically for some reason he hates the sound of ME typing on a keyboard.  I’m not sure why, but it drives him crazy!  If I’m looking something up on the internet that he asks about on the air, I’ll get the death glare.  If I’m working on something during a song or commercial break, he cranks the sound up to ear bleed level in the studio so he can’t hear it.

Having been friends as long as we have and known the man for 15 years, I put up with many of his idiosyncrasies.  In this particular instance we seem to have reached an impasse.  I NEED to type… We HAVE to be in the same room for five hours a day (while I’m needing to type).  Any suggestions on how to make everyone happy?

I’ll be happy to reply during the show and make his skin crawl.  LOL.

My 11 year old is having a rough time.  She got her ears pierced just before Christmas.  Like many young girls, she had to psych herself up for it.  It was really cute seeing how excited she was to get it done.  She waited very patiently for the six weeks until she could change out the studs… and she’s had nothing but trouble since then.

I have no idea why, but she keeps getting infection after infection in her ear.  She’s very good about cleaning them morning and night. All the earrings are new.  She’s a clean kid.  I don’t get it.  Last night she took her earrings out and one was bleeding a bit AGAIN.  She’s so frustrated.  I don’t know what she should be doing differently.

I remember when I had my ear pierced in college and it used to close all the time.  I stopped wearing it when I turned 30 (and Jesse shamed me into taking it out).  It closed over within a week.  Maybe it’s hereditary.

They keep touting this as the best year ever for talent.  I disagree.  It seems like this year’s contestants are struggling to get past boring.  Each week we seem to get one or two good performances, three or four really bad performances, and the rest are just blah.

So far America has gotten it right when booting people off, but there are at least three more that need to go soon!  Kristy Lee and Amanda need to top that list.  And a note to producers/handlers/etc., PLEASE DON’T SEND US KRISTY LEE COOK!  I guarantee you right now that merely because she said she likes Country and the judges said she had a good voice for Country, she will have (a second) country CD available for you purchase within six months. 

I really like Brooke, but I don’t think she’ll win it.  I can’t say here who my pick is because we have sealed envelopes, but I will say that my pick… needs to get it in gear to win it!

We started a new feature on the show a few weeks ago called “Shotgun Does Your Job“. You can sign up HERE by filling out the form. Once they come in, they go through our legal department. Seems that as much as Jesse argues to the contrary, CBS won’t let me do anything where I can get sued or die. But, that still leaves LOTS of fun jobs, though!

Last week, I got to try my hand at being a lunch lady! The Byers School District was kind enough to invite me over… and worked my butt off! I served all grades K-12, washed dishes, mopped floors, and actually picked up spilled food off the floor with my hands. FUN! The kids were great and super polite. The kitchen staff was a blast. I had a terrific time. Watch the video on the Jesse & Shotgun page.

This week, I’m back in food service. I’ll be in the FlatIrons Mall food court working the lunch hour at Hot Dogs on a Stick. I feel all the years I’ve spent working with Jesse James makes me an expert at weenies. Come have lunch at FlatIrons on Thursday and say “Hi!”

When I was a kid, I lived with my mom and step-dad up on the south shore of Lake Superior in a little town called Port Wing, Wisconsin.  I went to elementary school a few miles away in Herbster, Wisconsin.  Tiny little school.  There were about 15-16 kids in my class and we were often paired up with another class.  For example, I had 2nd & 3rd graders in my class when I was in 2nd grade.  I went to that school, which actually closed years ago, from Kindergarten through 6th grade.  After that I moved around a bit and eventually landed in Medford, Wisconsin, where my dad lives.  I finished school there.

Here’s the strange thing.  I’m not sure why, because I haven’t thought of these people in years, but I’ve been dreaming about some of the kids I went to elementary school with this week.  I wouldn’t have been able to tell you their names a month ago, but I remember them clearly now.  I’m a believer that dreams do actually mean something, even if it’s just something lurking in your subconscience.  Why these people are popping up in my mind again after all these years, I can’t figure out.  Maybe I’ll have to try and track them down on the internet or something.

It’s that time of year again. Time to rifle through all the receipts of the past year and try to remember what you saved them for.  Itemized deductions are the bomb!  It ususally takes me a couple hours to sort though everything and get ready to head to the tax office.

I went with one of the big chain companies last year and was VERY unhappy.  The guy argued with me over every receipt, and actually told me that I couldn’t claim parking as a business expense!  Anyone who works downtown knows that there is NO place to park for free and since the Light Rail and RTD busses don’t run when we’re on the way in to work, there is no alternative but to drive.  Plus he charged me $400! 

Needless to say, this year I switched accountants.  I figured I’d skip the middle man and use the same accountant as Jesse.  I figured since I paid for all the receipts he used and I drove all the miles he claimed, why do the work twice. LOL.

I’ve got a rebate coming.  Hopefully it gets here soon!