Friday, 2/28

Given my past (and, if we're being honest, my present) you think I would have known this.

I don't know how this escaped me, and if I hadn't been reading an article in a newspaper (you remember what those are, right?) I still would be in the dark about this. But here it is—there's a town in the U.P. named Vulcan, named not after a legendary science fiction planet but instead after a mine that the town was built around. But it doesn't matter where it got the name. What's important to know is that there's a town in the U.P. named Vulcan, and in the town of Vulcan there's a business that calls itself Starship Enterprises.

Greatest. Business. Name. Ever.

First of all, kudos to the Trekker who named the business, which deals with things like wood products, Starship Enterprises. It takes a special person to put the town name and the business name together, and I bow down to shower them with as much praise as humanly possible.

I really do.

But second of all, how did I not know about this? It seems like somehow, sometime, it should have come to my attention. Admittedly, Vulcan's about a hundred miles away from Marquette and, admittedly, it's been a while since I've even been in the neighborhood. But usually, when there's something strange, quirky, or just plain awesome in the UP I do find out about it eventually. So why didn't I know about Starship Enterprises of Vulcan? The nine year old me would have exploded in joy, just as the modern day me exploded with joy when I read about it in the newspaper.

Yet did I know? Nope. I must be slipping in my old age.

So the next time you find yourself in need of something like wood flooring, you really need to beam yourself to Vulcan. Apparently there's a company there that will help you get up to warp speed. And, if you're lucky, by the time you're done you'll be able to live long and prosper.

And with that, I'll show myself out the door.

8-)

Have a great weekend!!

(jim@wmqt.com)

Thursday, 2/27

My life is weird. And it keeps getting weirder.

I know I say that a lot, but I keep saying it because it's true. Every week, it seems, something happens that I never thought would happen, and I just kinda shake my head in bemusement and/or amazement at the twist and turns my life seems to be taking.

If you watched the “906” video I posted yesterday, the one about Shakespeare, you may have noticed that Kevin congratulated me on something at the end. On what did he congratulate me? Well, in the latest twist and turn of a very weird life, I can now call myself an award winning TV producer--

That's right; “Marquette @175”, the history show that Kenn Baynard and I put together for TV 19, won the Michigan Association of Broadcasters award for Best Special Program in the state for 2024. I'm a bit surprised, considering it's basically just me and other history geeks talking about history, but maybe these days I shouldn't be surprised about anything.

After all, my life is weird.

Joking aside, it is quite an honor. The awards were judged by people from another state, so there would be no possibility for bias and favoritism, and it still walked away as the winner. As the writer and host, I can say it was a blast to put together. And then when Kenn worked his magic editing it and sticking in all the pictures I provided, it because something even better.

And I guess the MAB agrees.

I don't know if my life can now get any more weird than this. And I say that knowing full well that the way things are going, it WILL get more weird. It's just that at this moment, I have absolutely no idea how.

8-)

Wanna see the (now) award-winning show? CLICK OR TAP HERE..

(jim@wmqt.com)

Wednesday, 2/26

It's all Jimmy Ludwig's fault.

Spread out all over my kitchen table I have Post-It notes, scraps of paper, and pages of legal pads filled with potential ideas or lines for a future edition of “Life in the 906”. One of those that's been on the table for, oh, probably over a year was “Yooper Shakespeare lines”. I never developed it any further because it was just an idea with nothing solid (at least yet) to put in it.

And then I interviewed Jimmy Ludwig.

Ludwig is a Yooper who went to New York to act on Broadway and has come back to his home region as a theater instructor at NMU. He and a bunch of students are currently in the midst of a two-week run of the Shakespeare comedy “Much Ado About Nothing”, but set at a UP deer camp. I interviewed him about it last week (by the way, he gives GREAT interview, as would befit a Broadway vet), and after the interview rolled around in my head for a few days it triggered something.

Namely, the bones for a “906” bit about Yooper Shakespeare lines.

Like many of the segments I've done, once that trigger was pulled the ideas just came flowing out of my brain. But unlike some of the segments I've done the ideas kept getting weirder and weirder, especially as I recalled more and more of Shakespeare's most famous lines. As I was typing them into my laptop at home I alternated between laughing and shaking my head at the sheer stupidity of some of the lines I was writing, causing Loraine to look at me like she often does.

You know, like I'm a little puppy who runs into a wall, thinks it's cute, and keeps doing it over and over again.

So—was it a good “906” or one of those that seems to amuse only me? Check it out for yourself. If you think it's a good one, then thank you. And if you don't?

Well, then its all Jimmy Ludwig's fault.

 

(jim@wmqt.com)

Tuesday, 2/25

In one respect, yesterday was weird. And it also pointed out a huge change in something around here.

How was yesterday weird, you ask? Well, I answer, there was freezing rain overnight, even though the temperatures were in the upper 30s. Schools everywhere were cancelled, something I didn't realize until I went out running (and or sliding on the ice, depending upon where I was). Then by afternoon all the ice melted, because temperatures got into the 50s.

It was weird.

Aside from all of the ice melting a good chunk of our ground snow cover did, as well, and that's what made me think of a huge change around here. Back when I was a kid (you know, last century) we used to have months & months of snow cover. Sometimes, in fact, snow would hit the ground in November and then not leave until April.

But not any more. Our snow cover the past few years has lasted no more than eight or nine weeks. Don't believe me? Here's a picture from January 7^th of this year--

And then one from yesterday--

That is an eight week span when we actually had snow on the ground last year, about the same as in 2023 and, uhm, seven weeks longer than last year. It blows my mind that there are people out there who still believe to refuse in climate change, because the pictures show it, plain & simple.

It IS supposed to snow a little today; however, the forecast calls for a dusting, which in weather speak is less than an inch. I don't think we'll be getting another big dump any time soon, which means that our snow may indeed be (mostly) gone for the year.

Freezing rain, though? That could be en entirely different proposition. And if we DO get another night like last night, remind me not to run until it actually melts for the day.

8-)

(jim@wmqt.com)

Monday, 2/24

In ten years, we've never had THAT happen.

When we last met, I was talking about going to shoot one of the semi-finals and the championship game of my tenth season of “High School Bowl”. Well, that we did, and they're now in the can, but not before we had to interrupt taping for a few things, including but not limited to--

Very loud construction sounds

A broken buzzer

A mispronunciation of a school name during a check presentation, and

A camera operator passing out.

Yeah. It was an interesting morning.

We strive shoot shoot the shows “live to drive”; in other words, we do it like it's a live show—what you see is what you get. Rarely—maybe once or twice a season—we have to stop the recording because of an unavoidable incident. However, we've never—at least in the decade I've been doing it—had to stop a show multiple times for multiple problems.

But then Friday rolled around.

When the shows air in April you probably won't notice much, with one big glaring exception. And to cover that exception, one of the editors at WNMU-TV came up with a jokey little transition, so what you'll see might make you shake your head wondering why it's on, but at least it covers something up that needed to be covered up.

And that's a good thing.

Other than, you know, having to stop tape multiple times it was a fun morning, as always is the case when we do the last shows of the year. It's also a little sad, as well, as the team that ends up runners-up is rightly bummed. But as we were discussing after the show was over, only two teams out of almost 40 make it to the championship match, and that's saying something.

Now, all that's left is putting together a “Year in Review” show, and then setting up a schedule for the (gulp) '25-'26 season...my (insert another gulp here) 11^th as the show's host.

Yikes!!

8-)

(jim@wmqt.com)

Friday, 2/21

Wow. The sheer number almost kind of blows my mind.

I'm about to head out to shoot the final “High School Bowl” for this season. And yes, I know I said something about doing exactly that a few weeks ago. However, one of the teams had a snow day that day and couldn't travel, so we're getting ready to shoot the second semi-final and the championship match. As I was getting ready last night I started to think And that, as we all know, can be a dangerous thing. But maybe not in this instance. Tomorrow I'll be wrapping up my (gulp) tenth season of hosting the show, which means I've done 196 hours of the series. Each hour has two games. If you subtract the nine (so far) “year in review” shows from the mix, that means I've how hosted 392 games of “High School Bowl”.

392 games. Maybe one of these days I'll even get it right.

8-)

I personally can't believe it's been that many games. The science, though, is 100% correct. And if there's one thing I've learned doing 392 games is that science is always right. Of course, I'm also having a little trouble grasping the concept I've been doing the show for a decade now, as it seems like it's been, at most, a year or two. But ten?

Once again, the science doesn't lie.

I am, however, still saying the same things about the show that I said after hosting the first few, foremost among them that the kids who take part are smart. I mean, they're really, really smart. I'd like to think I know a little something after all the decades of life that I've accumulated, but if we were being honest I only know the answers to maybe a third of the questions I ask. The rest I just sound like I know what I'm talking about. But some of the young people who've come through the show the answer to every single thing I've asked. And if they don't know it outright, they're able to infer what the answer might be. And they're doing this at the age when (joke coming here) I was still learning to feed myself.

They're that smart.

Now that production of season 46 is (almost) in the books we've already started talking about season 47, what we hope to accomplish, and any changes that might need to be made. And I'm sure that twelve or thirteen months from now, I'll be sitting here and wondering to myself how it is that I'll have done 216 hours—432 games—of a TV show that I thought I had just started hosting a few months prior.

And with that, I'm off. Have a great weekend!

(jim@wmqt.com)

Thursday, 2/20

It's a good thing I'm not superstitious. Or, in this case, maybe it's a bad thing I'm not superstitious.

Loraine and I were talking yesterday about the last time we had to put gas in her car (Christmas Eve, if you're keeping track at home) and how it's my turn to fill it up soon. Even though I don't own it, I still drive it, so I pay for half the upkeep (including insurance and dead batteries). The reason I remember it was last filled up on Christmas Eve is because we filled it up going over to my sister's to celebrate.

And because of the total amount that I put in it--5.555 gallons. Freaky, huh?

That's a, what? One in 10,000 chance that that number pops up? I know I've never remembered how much gas I've purchased all the other times I've filled up a tank, but I'm guessing I may remember this one for a while.

5.555 gallons.

Because I'm not a superstitious person I realize that it was just random chance that that number popped up. If you fill your tank 10,000 times, odds are that one of those times will see you pumping exactly 5.555 gallons. It's just math. It's just probability. It's just science.

However, if I WERE a superstitious person I'd take this as a sign. I'd start to wonder if there was something cosmically aligning about the number five, and I'd rush out and buy as many lottery tickets I could that had combinations of the number. I'd sit in anticipation, waiting to see if lightning struck twice.

But, alas, I'm not superstitious. I know that the odds of both my pumping 5.555 gallons of gas and those being the winning lottery numbers are, like, infinitesimal. So maybe it's a good thing I'm not superstitious. It'll save me a buck, or however much a lottery ticket costs these days.

That being said, if you ARE superstitious, so ahead and give it a try. Maybe you can change my mind...and make yourself a little money in the process.

(jim@wmqt.com)

Wednesday, 2/19

I did it two days ago. My arms still hurt.

As I may have mentioned yesterday, we had a cold & snowy weekend here in Marquette. And that prompted two things, the first being my TV piece this past Monday night. The second?

For the first time in over two years, there was enough snow for me to break out my cross-country skis.

Back when we had real winters around here I used to joke that the only way I stayed sane through the six long months was by going cross-country skiing. And while I haven't had many (actually, any) opportunities to go the past few years I did drag my skis down to Lower Harbor Park Monday morning, where I blazed my own trail and got quite sweaty over the hour or so I glided through the snow.

And maybe I shouldn't have spent a hour doing it. Why, you ask? Well, I answer, when I got ready to go on TV Monday night I had a little trouble lifting my left arm into my jacket. You know how, if you haven't done something for a bit, you should probably take it easy the first time back?

That's advice I didn't follow.

My left arm is still a little sore, although it did recover quite nicely yesterday. I don't know if I'll have the chance to use my skis again this winter, but if I do, I'll know two things--

Not to spend a hour doing it after not doing it for two years, and that my left arm will handle it a little better than it did Monday.

Speaking of Monday, here's that TV piece--

(jim@wmqt.com)

Tuesday, 2/18

Survive the long, cold weekend?

It was almost an actual old-fashioned winter weekend here in Marquette, with cold, snow, and sled dog races. It prompted my TV piece for this week (more on which tomorrow), and put me in the frame of mind to seek something other than cold, snow, and sled dogs. So while I was putting together the graphics for my TV piece, I snuck a look at a very special folder on my laptop...

The flower folder.

As you may have noticed, one of the things I like to do on long, hot summer days is to walk around Marquette and take pictures. Sometimes, I take pictures of the lake, or of people, or of buildings. And, on occasion, flowers. I have a whole collection of flower shots, and on these long cold winter days will take a peek at a couple of the colorful shots and then feel like it's not quite so cold out.

And since we're in the midst of a cold spell, how about if I do it for you, too? After all, wouldn't you like to see a little red?

Or a little purple?

Or a little orange?

Or a little magenta?

Or, maybe, even all the colors at once?

Finally, here's a shot I had totally forgotten that I had taken. There's just something about the colors in this shot that seem to go together--

Hope the pictures helped, especially based on what our forecast holds. Tomorrow, like I said, the story behind this week's TV piece, and why I may have been the least likely person to deliver it.

Honest.

(jim@wmqt.com)

Friday, 2/14

I think the statistic says all that needs to be said about the state of this country these days.

A couple of days ago on the air I gave out a “Weird Fact” that, I'm guessing, didn't surprise a lot of people. And since it's Presidents' Day Monday (a day I won't be here to tell this story), I'll share it here, as well. It's not a made up fact; a U.S. university actually did a study, and this is what they found out--

The average American 10-year old can only name four presidents. The same average American 10-year old can name eight brands of beer.

Explains a lot, doesn't it?

Now, maybe I'm just a little sensitive about the subject. After all, I was the dorky kid who once collected Presidential trading cards off the back of Cheerios boxes, and was the dorky kid who once wrote and gave a speech for a Presidential candidate when I was in the second grade...and then had to give it to a third grade class because I was, you know, such a dork. Obviously, when I was 10 years old, I knew more than just four Presidents.

So you can see why the statistic made my jaw drop.

But I think the statistic does say a lot about what kids learn these days. I don't wanna sound like one of those people who starts every sentence with “back when I was a kid”, but, ahem, back when I was a kid we got to learn about things like Presidents in school. We got to learn about things like Presidents on the back of a cereal box. I don't know what gets taught in history or social studies classes these days, but I'm guessing it's not Presidents.

And I'm certainly hoping it's not brands of beer.

Of course, the whole thing is quite ironically funny because if kids wanted to learn about Presidents they have a resource much better than the back of a cereal box—they have the Internet. The name of every single U.S. President is available with the click of a mouse, and yet either the ability to find out who those people were or the interest to find out who those people were is lacking.

Now, I realize that history of how a democracy works probably isn't as important to some people as how many kinds of beer are out there, but you know that old line about getting the government we deserve? If you only know four U.S. Presidents (I'm guessing, if I had to, they'd be Washington, Lincoln, Biden, and the current one) and you aren't aware of the struggles, triumphs, victories, and just plain stupidity of the rest, they do you really have enough knowledge and experience on which to base your vote as an adult?

Think of it this way--10-year old kids are eight years out from voting, and they're 11 years out from (legally) drinking. Yet they're better prepared for one than the other.

The past few years have made me wonder if people really care about a functioning democracy. Seeing a statistic like that makes me wonder even more.

*****

Like I said, Monday's a corporate holiday, so I won't be around. A new one of these pops up Tuesday. Have yourself a great weekend. I know up here it's supposed to be cold (perhaps fitting for the first actual UP 200 in three years), so if need be stay warm!!

(jim@wmqt.com)

Thursday, 2/13

I wonder if there's anyone in the UP who can actually spell them all correctly?

A long long time ago, way back on Monday, I talked about how one of the things I had to do on a very busy day was to head over to WZMQ and tape my weekly TV piece. Well, that piece dealt with the names of towns & cities in the UP; more to the point, it dealt with how many of those names are, uhm, weird. They're not spelled like they sound.

Much to the joy of those of us who live here.

So as a guide I put together the TV bit. Yes, it's (hopefully) humorous, but who knows—maybe it'll help someone. I mean, on occasion even I have to look up the intricacies of spelling “Ontonagon” or whether a certain place is spelled “Mackinac” or “Mackinaw”.  And I do this for a living.

I can just imagine someone somewhere in the UP yelling into next room “Just how the (*^%#$( do you spell Tahquamenon”? Because, you know, I've felt like doing that myself.

So here you go. Hope it helps. Or, at the very least, hope it helps you realize that you're not alone. All 300,000 of us shake our heads on occasion, wondering why the Es are where they are in a word like Keweenaw.

(jim@wmqt.com)

Wednesday, 2/12

If you gave it a try, how'd you do?

Yesterday, I gave you the quiz that I gave to the people who took the bus to our Business After Hour son Monday. Today, I'll give you the answer to the nine questions. And, in case you're curious, no one on the bus got all nine correct. Someone got eight, which impressed the heck out of me, so let's see if you topped the bus gang.

Ready?

Question 1--When they built the US-41 bypass in 1963, they built it over the course of which body of water?

Answer 1—The Whetstone Creek

Question 2—(As we drove past things like Genessee Street and Huron Mountain Bread Company) The area through which we're passing right now is commonly known as which Marquette neighborhood?

Answer 2—South Marquette, the birth place of daily blog reader Chicky-Poo, currently hanging out in Melbourne Beach, Florida.

Question 3--True or false—George Shiras never actually lived full time in Marquette.

Answer 3—True. Despite the fact that he names everything from a park to a planetarium George Shiras III only spend summers in Marquette, after he married Peter White's daughter Ellen.

Question 4--As we pass the Carp River, that big thing on the side of the road is a re-creation of what kind of structure?

Answer 4—It's a replica of a charcoal kiln

Question 5--That little building out in front of the prison used to be what?

Answer 5—The Prison gift shop. It's where you used to be able to buy prisons, he says in a deadpan voice.

Question 6--How old is Lake Superior? When was it formed? 12 million years ago? 120,000 years ago? 12,000 years ago?

Answer 6—12,000 years. It was formed by the receding glaciers of the end of the last ice age. It always blows my mind to know that humans were settling into the first farming communities before Lake Superior exists. Wow.

Question 7--True or false—By population, Chocolay Township is the second biggest place in Marquette County after the city of Marquette.

Answer 7—False, but not by much. The trio of the city of Ishpeming, Forsyth Township, and Chocolay Township all have around 6,000 residents. Chocolay is (by a few hundred) the smallest of the three

Question 8--Charles T Harvey (who founded and named the village of Harvey) was instrumental in designing and building the first version of which iconic UP structure?

Answer 8—He designed and was lead engineer on construction of the first Soo Lock.

Question 9--True or False—the little hamlet of Green Garden, right down the road from the intersection of 41 & 28, was the birthplace of a professional wrestling champion.

Answer 9—True. Gus Sonnenberg, 1920s pro football player turned pro wrestler turned early tabloid fodder, was born there before moving into Marquette as a child.

There you go. Hope you did well;.  Wish I still had a prize left to give you!

(jim@wmqt.com)

Tuesday, 2/11

Are you ready to take the quiz?

As I explained yesterday, I was on the shuttle bus to our Business After Hours, which was held out at the Ojibwa Casino's event center in Harvey. Along the way, I asked everyone in the bus nine (what I thought were rather easy) questions and ended up giving out a TON of prizes. And while I don't have any prizes left to give you (sorry about that!) here's the quiz. Imagine you're riding out from downtown Marquette to the intersection of US-41 & M-28 as I'm asking each of them, and see how well you do.

Answers tomorrow!

(jim@wmqt.com)

The quiz:

1--When they built the US-41 bypass in 1963, they built it over the course of which body of water?

2—(As we drove past things like Genessee Street and Huron Mountain Bread Company) The area through which we're passing right now is commonly known as which Marquette neighborhood?

3--True or false—George Shiras never actually lived full time in Marquette.

4--As we pass the Carp River, that big thing on the side of the road is a re-creation of what kind of structure?

5--That little building out in front of the prison used to be what?

6--How old is Lake Superior? When was it formed? 12 million years ago? 120,000 years ago? 12,000 years ago?

7--True or false—By population, Chocolay Township is the second biggest place in Marquette County.

8--Charles T Harvey (who founded and named the village of Harvey) was instrumental in designing and building the first version of which iconic UP structure?

9--True or False—the little hamlet of Green Garden, right down the road from the intersection of 41 & 28, was the birthplace of a professional wrestling champion.

Monday, 2/10

Today's going to be one of those days.

I think I'll be (understatement alert here) a little busy today. Not only do I have my little radio gig, but the station is also hosting a “Business After Hours” tonight out at the Ojibwa Casino. We're doing it along with the Casino and Marquette Sawyer Regional Airport, and one of the ways people can make the trip out there is by shuttle bus, and I will also be on the bus, doing a little trivia contest as we're heading out there.

Oh, and somewhere in there I have to tape my TV bit, as I'll be in Harvey when I usually do it live. See? I wasn't kidding when I said it'll be one of THOSE days, was I?

The quiz itself was fun to put together. It'll be nine questions based on places past which we'll be driving because, as it turns out, you pass a lot of history asyou head from Marquette to Harvey. I had originally asked for a prize to give out to someone. I now have five prizes, which means that five someones will get to win even before they get to the main event.

And, I'm hoping, they'll also have a good time doing it.

I'll post the quiz here tomorrow, to give you a chance to see how you would have fared. But since today's going to be one of THOSE days, I supposed I should get my butt in gear and get the day started.

Right?

8-)

(jim@wmqt.com) 

Friday, 2/7

I have to head, for the final time this season, over to NMU in a bit to shoot the finals of “High School Bowl” (in front of an audience of sponsors, politicians, and parents, from the sounds of it). It's both exciting and bittersweet; exciting because I myself am quite curious to see who wins the whole thing, and bittersweet because this year's group of students has been a hoot to hang out with and this will be the final time for it.

But, since it's also a big day in the Koski family, I also have to leave you the following. I'd be remiss if I didn't. You see, today marks a big day in the history of our little planet. Today, one of the two people without whom I would not be possible is having a birthday. That's right; my dad managed to survive another year on Earth without falling off his bike or having a pickleball whack him in the eye, and for that we're very very VERY thankful!

I mean, I don't want to give you the impression my dad can be a klutz, but you know how I occasionally do stupid things like walk into doors, walk into weights lying on the floor, or drop cans of tomato sauce onto my big toe? Well, I suppose I have to get those tendencies from somewhere, and since I don't believe my mom ever did anything like that...

You can fill in the blanks from there.

So happy birthday, Dad. Have fun playing pickleball or going for a bike ride, enjoy wherever it is you guys go out to eat, and tell Mom to let you eat as much ice cream as you want with your cake. Oh, and, as always, have yourself an injury-free day!

Okay, I'll stop now...

8-)

Love,

(jim@wmqt.com)

Thursday, 2/6

It's never the picture you think it'll be.

I've been dabbling on the new Bluesky social media network, where I've found two things—no ads, and a lot less misinformation and blatant political lies (probably because it's open-sourced and not controlled by some ego-maniacal billionaire). I have no idea no long either of those will last, but for now, it's nice.

As is number of people who are photographers or dabble in the art...like me.

I've received nice, supportive comments on many of the pictures I've posted, but there was one in particular that seemed to take off (and was, in fact, reposted by some REAL photographers). It was a picture I took a decade or so ago out at a piece of property on the Chocolay River my parents owned at the time.

This picture--

With it I wrote a line or two about how I'm a city mouse by nature, but when you have the chance to take a shot like this you take it. I don't know if it was the subject of the shot or if what I wrote resonated with other urban-based photography enthusiasts, but it did.

And I have no idea why. Maybe one of these days I'll actually figure it out. I mean, I wouldn't hold my breathe waiting, but you never know, right?

8-)

*****

Finally, I need to note the passing of an old co-worker earlier this week. You probably didn't know Larry Blanford; for my first couple of decades here he was our engineer. He was the one who fixed things when we broke them (and in those days we broke a lot). Like all broadcast engineers, Larry was a different breed...but in the best way. In fact, I still (to this day) use a Larry quote whenever I'm working on something and need to put a part or piece down and wonder where I should place it.

That quote? “Put it on the floor. Nothing ever falls off the floor”.

Larry Blanford was, in his unique way, a very wise man. Our condolences and best wishes go out to his family.

(jim@wmqt.com)

Wednesday, 2/5

I don't know why I like the line so much...I just do.

Monday's “Life in the 906” went off quite well. It was inspired by a sweatshirt I have, a sweatshirt I actually wore while delivering the piece talking about the Yooper national motto, the phrase “Say Ya to da UP, Eh?”. This was one of those pieces that just slipped out of my brain, and as I was typing I actually made myself laugh out loud. I have no idea how, and I have no idea why, but it's this particular line about places where you might find something with that motto stamped on it--

“...the richly upholstered couch in Steve Mariucci's man cave”.

I just have a weird sense of humor, I guess.

Like I said, I have NO idea why that line made me laugh. I mean, it is somewhat absurd, and for whatever reason it seems to have (at least to me) an almost musical rhythm to it. But to make me laugh out loud as I was originally typing it, and to still make me smile as I'm writing this?

Maybe I just need a break from reality.

8-)

Anyway, if you wanna see how it fit into the whole piece, or see if it makes YOU laugh, or how my judicious use of the word “suck” made a news anchor laugh, check it out for yourself--

(jim@wmqt.com), staring at amazement at how dorky that screenshot makes me look!

Tuesday, 2/4

I had kinda sorta thought she died two years ago, so you can imagine my surprise when I received an e-mail from Tina Turner.

Don't believe me? Look at the top recipient from my inbox yesterday--

That's right. Two years after her passing, one of the greatest singer of the past 50 years sent me an e-mail to let me know she has a new song out. I guess I have friends in (really) high places, huh?

8-)

Actually the e-mail wasn't actually from Ms Turner herself. Instead, it came from her music label, announcing that they're released an unreleased song from her classic “Private Dancer” album. And it's not even the first time I've received an e-mail from a dead celebrity. About a decade or so ago I checked my inbox to find that none other than Elvis (thankyouverymuch) wanted to get in touch with me about a “new” song he was putting out at the time.

You know...when he was, if I'm not mistaken, still working at that Burger King in Kalamazoo.

I get e-mails like that all the time, mostly from live celebrities and mostly pushing their latest work. But when notes from people who've been dead for a year or two (or a decade or two) pop up, it always lends a bizarre note to my day. In fact, it even makes me (jokingly) wonder if I should start a pool as to which dead celebrity I'll hear from next.

At the moment, my money's on either Marvin Gaye or Jerry Garcia, for no particular reason. I'll let you know if it actually happens!

(jim@wmqt.com) 

Monday, 2/3

Remember last Friday, when I asked if you've finished all of our holiday food yet? Well, I tried to make inroads on my stash over the weekend, and in doing so made an amazing discovery--

There's a chocolate out there I really don't like.

One of the gifts I tried was milk-chocolate covered gummies in the shape of the UP. It's kind of a cool idea, and I was looking forward to trying them out.

However, the gummies come in a variety of flavors, one of which was watermelon. I don't know who thought a milk chocolate covered watermelon gummy in the shape of the UP was a good idea, but just let me say, as someone who's eaten his fair share of chocolate and who tries to keep an open mind about anything that has to do with it--

No. Just no.

I'm not quite sure why someone would've thought that a chocolate covered watermelon gummy would be a good idea; after all, you don't drizzle chocolate sauce on freshly sliced watermelon, do you? And since most gummies amp up the sour factor (one reason, in all honesty, why I don't really eat many), having a really sour candy covered by a really sweet chocolate (such as milk chocolate) really, really doesn't work.

It's like brushing your teeth, drinking milk, and then eating an orange, all in a 10-second span.

Admittedly, the cherry-flavored and orange flavored UP gummies were quite good covered with the chocolate. However, since they all look the same covered in chocolate, and since you never knew which one you'd be getting—watermelon, orange, or cherry—it was kind of like playing Russian Roulette with your taste buds.

Not an experience I'd recommend. Trust me on that.

8-)

(jim@wmqt.com)