Fun Day Monday

Monday October 13th, 2008 - Chicago, IL

Manic Monday got even more manic when I overslept and missed my train into the city to be on WLS with Jerry's Kidders. I drove in but barely made it because of construction hell that stretched for miles. It was constant tap dancing on my brake pedal and I think I'll need a new pair of shoes soon - both for my feet and for my brakes. What a waste of time.

I was in such a hurry to get out the door that I forgot my list of stories and my computer too. I was going to stay downtown and prepare for my class at Zanies but for some reason I hurried out the door and forgot all about the things I needed the most. I remembered it as I was marooned in traffic and that made it even more unpleasant. Too late. I was the idiot.

Parking in downtown Chicago is always a hassle. There's a place near WLS but it costs $29 and I try to avoid that when I can but today I couldn't. It's a multi-story structure and I wound my way all the way to the top before I found one space and I had to squeeze into it with inches to spare on either side. Trying to do that in a hurry is as stressful as it gets.

I made it to the station with only a couple of minutes to spare but nobody was angry or stressed so I just smiled and shut my mouth. No sense getting everyone else into my vibe. I took a couple of deep breaths to clear my head and walked into the studio for the show.

Ken Sevara was off this week so we had John Landecker in his place. He's a legend in Chicago and we've had him ... Tim Slagle had never met him because last time it was Tim that was off when John was in so we had never been on as this particular group. John is such a pro that it didn't really matter though. He brought the goods and was great.

We all felt comfortable in there and the pacing was perfect and we exchanged jokes and insults and ad libs and the half hour flew by before we knew it. Nobody in the studio or in the audience knew I hadn't even looked at the stories for the week and just ad libbed it all the whole time. With John Landecker's presence that was possible and it worked out ok.

It's still a thrill to be on the air with a guy like that. He's truly a radio legend and also an easygoing and genuinely nice guy. We hit it off immediately the last time and it continued today without missing a beat. I feel comfortable in there with Jerry and with John but as it was happening I couldn't help but think how cool it was to be on WLS just hanging out.

After the show we all went out to lunch and were joined by Rick Kaempfer my writing partner on the movie script. He was Landecker's producer for ten years and I figured he'd have fun hanging out with everyone and he did. I loved the fact that I was able to hook up Tim Slagle with Jerry and put Rick in the mix today and this lunch was a result of all that.

Zanies was also a good vibe. I taught a class with Bill Gorgo and Mike Alexander and it was a writing class that really challenged us all. Then I headlined the show for a small but very appreciative audience who came up to me afterward to tell me how hilarious I was. It was a busy day but everything was fun. If I never get famous at least I had some fun days.