Jim!

This is where you’ll find out about Jim Ferris!

Some history, some likes and dislikes…and that’s all I can think of to write at the moment.

This won’t be as interesting as A&E Biography, Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous (nor as loud a narrator), or even a guest spot onWhere Are They Now?. A celebrity I’m not.

The Occupation

I am employed at RGIS, where I am the Manager of Telecommunications. There are 3 other people in my department. I oversee all field communications and connectivity, as well as voicemail. Internally I am in charge of the Avaya phone system, voicemail, CMS, and anything else voice-oriented. I’ve been here since July, 2006. I work with a great group of people and my boss, Tim, is awesome.

The Timeline

I was born in Pontiac, Michigan and attended Pontiac (K-4), Oxford (5-6), and Holly (7-12) schools, where I graduated 16th of my class in 1980. No matter how I try, I can’t make school exciting to write about, so on to the next phase. I DID meet the girl who would, 14 years after I graduated, become my now/current/present wife.

The 80s

• After graduation I spent a year-and-a-half giving the college world a go at the University of Michigan-Flint. Not being one to like – OK, I actually HATE – the classroom environment, I gave that up (because I was stupid) to take a promotion at the Taco Bell I was working at. Well, that and I needed a job because I made that all-too-common mistake of getting engaged and married at a young age.
• 1982 Got Married.

  Worked at Taco Bell.

• 1984Bought my first computer. A Commodore 64, which I gave away last year. The last time I turned it on, fully operational…and rather depressing. My ex-wife HATED that thing because she was intimidated by it. Now sure as shit she’s got a computer at home. See what happens when you face your fears?
• 1985 (or so)My First “Internet Romance”. Kind of. I met, online, a girl who was 14 at the time but we became very close friends. We could talk about absolutely anything and we became very close friends while spending very, very little time together. Her name is Tamara and I treasure her friendship and the conversations we have to this day. She recently moved from Southern California to a more temperate climate.
• 1987 Join the U.S. Army. I was undecided about this until I sat in Sgt. Ott’s “magical chair”. Being only 25 at the time, I decided I’d watch a few Army movies to see if I was really interested in joining or just buying Sgt. Ott’s sales pitch. So I sat down over a weekend and watched “Stripes” about 8 times and thought “This is not so bad.”, “I can do this.”, and “Geez, what’s so hard about THAT?”. Three years later I wasn’t singing the same song.

  My first child, Alex, was born when I was in Basic Training at Ft. Jackson, South Carolina.

  Spent a few months in Germany.

The 90s

The 90′s are where Jim’s life really took off….and that’s not necessarily all good news.

• 1990See Madonna in concert for the first time.Get out of the Army. Go home to try to make things work but ex-wife is still hung up on boyfriend she took on while I was in Army. I come home one day from National Guard to find my stuff in the garage.

  Return to work at Taco Bell (yeas, I’m a glutton and Tony took me right back no-questions-asked)

  Meet the girl (Jennifer) who would the next year give me my daughter, Meagan.

• 1991October 21 – Divorce Final. October 29 – Daughter Meagan born. Best to not ask. Meet Luella.
• 1992Leave Jennifer for Luella (stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid)…and one of the very few true regrets I have in life.Leave Taco Bell and start working at Wal*Mart.

  Start a series of fun, recreational relationships that ends in 1994.

  Meet Lance, one of my one of my best friends to this day and DJ partner and form, after a time, The Jim & Lance Show.

  Get dumped by the selfish, worthless, piece of shit that is Luella two frikkin’ days before Christmas. Ass.

• 1993Foolishly move to Florida with Christine, the red-headed beast from hell. Leave Wal*Mart after down there for a while for a *gulp* 3rd shift job waiting tables at Denny’s.
• 1994Leave the red-headed beast from hell at the side of the expressway and head back to Michigan. Very long story I’m justly proud of.See Barry Manilow in concert for the first time.

  Make that lucky phone call that got me back in touch with Laurie, the aforementioned girl from High School. 6 weeks after we go out we get married. It’s still good.

  Start working at T.G.I.Friday’s waiting tables in Auburn Hills, MI.

• 1995Leave Friday’s for Office Manager job at F-F-F-Fortune Personnel Consultants new office in Huntington Woods, MI for Jodi in May.Discover Planet 96.3 (formerly WHYT and then WPLT) radio station in Detroit. Even though it’s been re-imaged, (It’s now WDVD), I still listen to the same frequency and Allyson is the best-of-all DJs.

  Later that year (December) leave F-F-F-Fortune Personnel Consultants for Service Technician’s position at CreataCard.

• 1996Visit the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland.Lance and I start our 11-year affiliation with the American Cancer Society and the Relay For Life.
• 1997Leave CreataCard for job as cable installer with Sequoia Connect. Shortly thereafter I move to the newly-formed Telephony Group. LOVED it, but it was destroyed by The Ass Dave Meno.Attend Grammy’s in New York, a guest of my good friend John who won the trip on the radio.

  Step-Father Gerry dies on December 9th of a stroke.

• 1998Grandmother dies on March 17 of cancer I’m told.
• 1999Mother dies very suddenly on June 2, 2 weeks before her 55th birthday.Spend 2 weeks in Pasadena, CA for Definity training. While there visit Universal Studios and Paramount Studios — that’s where they film all things Star Trek.

  Feb 28 – Sinus Surgery

The 00′s

• 2000Company trip to Las Vegas in January – LOVE that place!Catch back up with Kevin, one of my best-good friends from High School. He’s the other best-good friend I have.

  Spend an awesome week in Washington, D.C. with Wife and Kevin.

  Leave Sequoia for job at North American Telecom. Bastards. Laid me off after 2 months and 2 days.

• 2001Start employment at Expanets, in January.President of Class Reunion Committee for 21-year class reunion held in July.

  Spend some time, albeit briefly, with a local band called Neon Dreams. I wish it could have been longer.

  Bowl not only my first 200 game, but 4 (238, 203, 203, 205).

• 2002Stan, my sister’s boyfriend / soul-mate dies suddenly at age 39.See Barry Manilow in concert for the second time.

  Have two surgeries within 6 weeks of each other: one shoulder (February 28) and one sinus (April 15 – my second sinus surgery in 3 years)

  Go to Las Vegas with Fred & Shirley and Rick and Cindy.

  First live webcast of The Jim & Lance Show.

• 2003I don’t think anything important happened all year.WAIT – Yes there was. My best friend Kevin moved away again – dammit.
• 2004Expanets gets purchased and shut down by Avaya – Jim’s out of a job.Las Vega$ – The last week of May with Laurie, Fred, and Shirley. Rick was on an Away Mission.

  See Penn & Teller at the Rio. Get to meet them for a photo-op after the show.

  Kevin gets married…

  Go to see Fourplay in concert with Kevin at the Detroit Opera House – 6th row!

  See Barry Manilow in concert at the Palace of Auburn Hills – 9th row = $$$ for tix!

• 2005Start working a contract job at MSX International. – December 2004Leave MSX International for newly-created position at Datapak Services.

  Las Vega$ in October.

  My first tattoo (Chili Peppers) (October).

  No annual trip to Cedar Point with my brother.

• 2006Leave Datapak Services to start a new job at RGIS Inventory Specialists in Auburn Hills, MI.Get my hair cut (reason above) and donate 12 inches of hair to Locks for Love.

  Lance and I retire from the Relay for Life.

  Yet another year without a trip to Cedar Point with my brother.

  The return of Beers Through the Years.

  Rick goes to prison.

• 2007Get my second tattoo (Bugs Bunny) (January).Daughter Grace graduates from Holly High.

  Get my third tattoo (Jukebox) (July)

  Grace starts her first year of college at Alma College.

  Go to Vegas with Fred and Shirley (October)

  Get my fourth tattoo (Sun) (October)

  First Internet Shot Party (October)

  Finally go to Cedar Point again with my brother…only to drink heavily the night before. 

  Put our house on the market.

  Visit Kevin and Jenny in Fairfax, VA / DC

• 2008 Beers Thru the Years VI (January)

  Second Internet Shot Party (March)

  Get my fifth tattoo (Orion Slave Girl Pinup) (April)

  Go to Cedar Point with Laurie

  Go to Mackinac Island

  Get our new puppy (our Sheltie Dante)

  Go to Las Vegas to visit Star Trek: The Experience one last time

  Surgery for Diverticulitis

  Lance starts “Flashback 70s” show on WVSN

  See Jeff Dunham in concert w/Fred & Shirley at Joe Louis Arena

  BTTY VII takes place December 6

• 2009 Chili cook-off in Traverse City, MI (Coooold outside!)

  Go to Dominican Republic for my brother’s wedding in February

  Get my 7th tattoo, (the girl with the sword) in April, the same day Laurie gets her tramp stamp.

  Flashback 70s & The Jim & Lance Show depart ways with WVSN / Crazy Al’s Radio Party.

  Meagan’s Open House in June.

  Flashback 70s makes its debut on its home, KrushRadio.

  The wife and I go on the first-ever Star Trek cruise aboard Royal Caribbean’s Mariner of the Seas…fucked-upedness ensues, courtesy Delta Airlines

  Go to Ithaca, New York to visit Maggie and enjoy her orchestra concert.

   

• 2010 Chili cook-off in Traverse City, MI (Not too cold this year!) in January.

  Get fired from RGIS in June (and on the anniversary of my mother’s death. Nice play, douche bags)

  4 months off due to the item above.  At least it was nice to be off work during the summer.

  Start working at the Detroit Arsenal in October.

  30 Year Class Reunion (What in incredibly awesome event!)

  Second Star Trek cruise.  This year it departs on my birthday…and we made it for the entire thing!