Today I happened to chat with Tim Garwood, brother of former KCOW General Manager Mike Garwood. Tim told me about a day in 1998 when his brother Mike told him, “Well, I’ve never hired someone on just a telephone interview, but I guess I’m gonna do it now.” The someone was me. I’d never heard that particular part of the story before. But I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: The day Mike (in consultation with Kevin Horn) decided to take a chance on a kid from New York State was the best day of my life.
Today’s a close second.
So, let me be honest: I expected some shenanigans today. I figured The KCOW Glee Club (available for weddings, funerals, quincineras, bar mitzvahs and Kiwanis Club Frolics) would burst into my morning program and sing “Happy Birthday”. And they did. I expected I might be gifted some things people know I like, such as Coca-Cola and Hostess snack cakes. Ditto on both counts.
What I did not expect was a cavalcade of birthday cards–dozens of them–from KCOW listeners (the nicest people in the whole wide world), fellow Eagle Radio employees (also pretty darn nice) and clients I work with (just as nice as the other two categories!). That was a surprise. I also did not expect exploding butterflies, and all kinds of other surprises. What a morning! It was just plain unbelievable.
So that was my 50th. Great cards, gifts, singing, merriment, all nice and wrapped up by 10am or thereabouts.
Try not to get ahead of me here.
So around 2:00pm Tammy Griffee, KCOW Office Manager and director of birthday celebrations, offered to give me a ride home. Wasn’t that nice? She said she had to run some errands first and would I ride mind riding along? Of course not!
Try not to get ahead of me here.
So T.Q. (the Q stands for Quality) pulled up to the Knight Museum and said, “You wanna come in with me? See what’s new in the gift shop?” “Sure!” I replied.
Try not to get ahead of me here.
We walked in and Tammy handed a piece of paper to museum director Becci. Becci ever-so-nonchalantly asked, “Jason, do you wanna see where your Pez dispensers will be this Spring?” “Yay! Sure!” I said. “Follow me,” said Becci.
Okay, NOW you can feel free to get ahead of me.
We walked into the Knight Museum theater to a crowd of 20 or so friends and coworkers. More would roll in through the afternoon. Of this group, several of them had seen me and talked to me in the weeks–WEEKS!–since this little surprise party was arranged. Two of them had come in and recorded with me that very week.
It is good to know that your friends have the espionage skills of the KGB in its prime.
The whole party was arranged by the aforementioned Tammy Q., with Mike Glesinger as accomplice. It was a wonderful gathering, with work friends, Main Street Players friends, best friends (Dangerous Dave, who is mentioned frequently on this here blog), clients I love working with, and more. There was a Pez cake and a Muppet cake. There were “50 years old” glasses which everyone wore at one point or another. (I wore mine over my real “50 years old” glasses.)
After this celebration, a gang of 11 of us or so went to dinner. 50 is definitely a milestone birthday, but holy mackerel! What a day! Everybody has a birthday, and there’s no rule that says you get treated nice or have nice things happen on your birthday, unless you’re under age 10. Today I felt awfully glad to be 50.
I would like to thank Tammy Griffee, Mike Glesinger, Olivia Hasenauer and the entire Eagle family for their kindnesses today. I want to thank some extra nice folks who gifted me with Cokes and snack cakes and gift cards and other nice things. I want to thank every listener who took the time to send me a birthday card. You KCOW loyal friends and true said some awfully nice things about me…and I’m not sure more than 30% of it is true. But it’s very nice and it warms my heart. And makes me all the more excited to walk out the front door tomorrow morning and head toward Radio City. Oh, and thanks to Pat Adriance for giving me the perfect 50th birthday picture. That AARP membership form is in the mail!
Any more thank-yous? Yes! Thanks to Mike Garwood, for taking a chance. Can’t say it enough.
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