No cake for you! Dori gets a big birthday snub

When a guy has worked at the same place for 19 years, you’d think his birthday would be a big deal and warrant at least a song, a cake, an email or something. Not so much when it comes to Dori.

Turns out it was Dori’s birthday on Wednesday. He didn’t mention it on the air or to anyone because as he says, he’s “not that kind of a guy.”

“If I want people to know I’d say ‘hey today’s my birthday. I’m not like that.'” And of course, he’s not on Facebook. So we can’t even get one of those last minute reminders that let us save face and act like we were on it all along.

Anyway, suffice it to say Dori’s auspicious day went unnoticed here at the radio station.

“My wife said ‘so did your co-workers do anything nice for you?’ And I said ‘no, not one person said one word about it.'”

That should have been the end of it, right? Wrong.

News anchor Ursula Reutin learned of the birthday snub the following day and felt horrible. Had she known, she insists she would have gone all out.

“I will bring a cake, I love celebrating people’s special occasions, especially their birthday,” Ursula says. Of course, Dori readily admits he forgot Ursula’s birthday, but that’s beside the point.

Regardless, Dori says by then, it was all under the bridge.

“Really, I didn’t care that not one person at the station where I’ve worked for 19 years said a word to me, until…”

Until Thursday afternoon, when Dori left the studio at the end of his show, just moments after talking about the birthday situation.

“I see our general manager, I see all the sales managers. I see 25 people out in the newsroom. And in the center of the newsroom is not one, but two big cakes and everybody in the building is down here.”

Of course, Dori figured his beloved co-workers had gathered to make right the wrong to belatedly celebrate the big 5-2.

“I’m feeling OK they’re a day late. I’m feeling a little sheepish because I don’t like attention,” Dori admits. Still, he got a warm, fuzzy feeling that they were going to recognize his birthday, just as 770 KTTH host Michael Medved emerged from the adjoining studio.

“One of the managers goes ‘hey everybody it’s Michael Medved’s birthday and it’s a big celebration and it’s a huge building wide party! We got chocolate cake, we’ve got ice cream cake because it’s Michael Medved’s birthday,'” Dori painfully recounts.

Ouch. Ursula says she hoped Dori didn’t notice. Unfortunately, there were several dozen people blocking his way to the door, joyfully celebrating with Medved.

Needless to say, it was just another log on the fire for Dori. “It just shows my place in this company at this radio station.”

Ursula tried to soothe things, saying in fairness, it was a big birthday for Medved: 65.

“It was a birthday that ends in a 5. That’s not big. If it ends in a zero, that’s big. That is no bigger than a birthday that ends in a two,” complains Dori.

But at least he handled it with class and grace. Rather than make a scene, Dori gathered his pride and walked past the party and out the door with his head held high. Then he magnanimously waited a whole ten minutes after the start of his show Friday before airing his grievances on the radio a day later.

Happy Birthday, Dori.