Thursday January 5th, 2012 - Chicago, IL/Kenosha, WI Sometimes it’s necessary to sacrifice short term comfort for long term gain. Distraction, delay and detour are the three D’s when it comes to putting projects in motion, and I’m at constant war with all three. Today I got taken out of my groove a little, but it was worth it in the long run even though it frustrated the hell out of me today. I see the bigger picture. My friend Jerry Agar called recently to invite me to be a guest on a Canadian television show he was guest hosting. He wanted to have me on to comment on some news stories a lot like we did with Jerry’s Kidders on the radio at WLS. He ran it past the producers, and they said yes. I did it mainly to help Jerry, but he doesn’t need that. He threw me a bone. Any time I can get on national television without being arrested, even in Canada, I’ll do it and be grateful for the exposure. That’s what it’s all about right now, and Jerry thought enough of me to share the spotlight a little. Nobody in Canada knows who I am, and if I’d have tried to get on the show myself it never would have happened. Connections pay off. I have no idea if it will lead to anything, either for Jerry or myself. He filled in because there was a need, and he asked me to be part of the show and I said yes too. Who knows? Someone could see one or both of us and like what they see. Or, it could be a one day gig. The hardest part was getting into Chicago by 1pm to the Chicago Tribune Tower where I had to be to do the taping. I sat in a room with a cameraman and couldn’t see Jerry at all. I could hear the show, and I stared into a camera for five minutes and responded to Jerry’s questions. If he and I hadn’t known each other so well, it could have been a giant disaster. There was a brief time delay, and even though Jerry warned me about it we still missed a couple of cues and stepped on each other. It wasn’t horrible, and if we did it again I’d be a lot more ready and I doubt it would happen again. For a first time though, it wasn’t bad. I’m glad we got to do it, and it was actually a fun experience. Too bad I had to lose a lot of my work day getting down there and back, not to mention losing $24 in parking fees. Is it worth $24 to get on TV all across Canada? I’d have to say yes. Plus, it’s tax deductible. After the TV appearance I met with Mark Gumbinger and Russ Martin at WLIP to do a run through for the DVD recording next Wednesday. Russ was kind enough to loan Mark his very expensive camera so we have a three camera shoot. We mapped out the logistics of the room, and tested the sound and lighting so we’ll be ready when a crowd shows up. Neither of these two activities were planned far in advance, but I had to say yes to both of them because they fit into what I’m doing as a whole. They’re two more nickels to jam into the giant slot machine of life, hoping I’ll hit the jackpot mother lode someday. There are zero guarantees that will ever happen, but if I don’t keep showing up and doing things like this then I know nothing ever will. Could I have blown all this off and got more work done today? Absolutely. But, I know in my heart I chose wisely - even if it was a detour.
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