Wednesday, 9/9

And greetings from somewhere on I-75. I’m not quite sure where, but it’s the place where there are trees on the left and trees on the right.

So wherever that is, that’s where we are.

We had a very nice, very extended weekend down in Reese, visiting Loraine’s family and for a few short hours actually forgetting what day of the week it was.

And that VERY rarely happens.

Otherwise, we just spent time with Loraine’s dad's cats, eating a lot, and, uhm, going to the one place we can’t go to in Marquette, if only because we don’t have one--Aldi. I told you if you behaved I'd take a picture, and you did, so...

Hi, my name is Jim, and I’m an Aldi-holic. And if you think I’m bad now, just wait until we actually DO get one in Marquette. After the first week, I may need an intervention.

So be forewarned.

We also spent some time just wandering around Loraine’s home town. Reese reminds me a lot of and is about the same size of Gwinn, and that led to something you may—just may—see on TV next Monday night.

But that's next week.

For now, how about a couple of pictures, like yet another example of “The Awesome Flatness of Reese”--

It’s actually hard to capture in a picture just how flat Reese is; in sections with no trees you can see for miles and miles and miles. Because it’s flat it’s home to hundreds of farms, which means that the only things that rise more than 20 feet above the terrain would be the grain elevators, as you see in the picture above, although some of the farm equipment on sale might qualify, as well.

But if you know where to look, you can see things in the nooks and crannies that make Loraine’s home town uniquely “Reese”.

But for now, it's back to reality...not that reality is in any way a bad thing. The past weekend did, however, show just how nice it is to escape from that reality on occasion, if only for a few days.

(jim@wmqt.com)

Thursday, 9/3

Now, it's all over except the shouting. Or the sobbing.

After all, it's been that kind of week.

It's actually been a couple of “that kind of weeks”, as you well know if you've been perusing these rantings on a daily basis. But like I said, after today it slows down...or, at least changes venues. Tomorrow morning Loraine and I head downstate to visit her dad over the Labor Day weekend, which means that we get to do three things--

1.  Hang out with her nieces & nephews

2. Visit the Aldi in Caro (a town a quarter of the size of Marquette but, for some reason, has an Aldi while we don't), and

3. Enjoy the awesome flatness of Reese--

That's a phrase Loraine once coined, and she's right. Growing up where there are a LOT of hills I never had an idea any place could be so flat. It's so flat, in fact, that on a clear day you can see the top of the Zilwaukee Bridge, which is TWELVE miles away.

That's flat.

So there won't be one of these either tomorrow or Tuesday, which is the day we'll be driving back. Wednesday, you'll get to see picture of the “Awesome Flatness” and, if you behave, maybe even one of the Caro Aldi, as well.

I know...THAT will get you through the weekend, won't it?

8-)

Speaking of the weekend, have yourself a great one. Back on Wednesday!

(jim@wmqt.com)

Wednesday, 9/2

Nope. I will never, ever use it. Not even if you put a gun to my head.

The world has been turned upside down the past few years by the advent of AI, artificial intelligence. It's crept into every facet of life these days, whether you want it to or not, and it's been used for many different purposes, up to and including replacing writers, musicians, and other creative individuals in doing things like writing daily blogs.

But I'll make this guarantee to you right now--

You'll never have to worry about one of these being written by a machine.

After once again talking about how busy I was this week, someone sent me a note and suggested that if I'm ever in a time crunch, I should try & see if AI could write one of these. She says she's used it, and no one was the wiser. In theory, I suppose I could outsource these to a machine. I've written almost 3,000 of them, and I could feed those 3,000 into AI, have it analyze my writing style, pick out a topic, and then have it write 500 words. And you know what? I'm guessing that it could come up with a reasonable facsimile of what I do.

And that's just one of the scary parts.

I mean, no "artist" (not that I consider myself an artist) wants to be replaced by a machine, but these days it is possible.. And seeing as how we're only in the early days of artificial intelligence, I'm guessing that in a couple of years the machines may supplant human creativity. But that's not the point. Up until a few years ago creativity was just that--a human endevour. If we allow AI to do it for us, does that make us a little less human? The machines more human?

The mind boggles.

Aside from the ethical consideration, there's also the environmental ones. Every time someone uses AI it sucks up a huge amount of electricity to power the computer chips behind it, and a huge amount of water to cool those chips so they can keep working. With the way we've been wrecking the planet lately do we really want to spew more power plant pollution into the air and suck more precious water out of the ground?

It blows my mind that some people are okay with that. But apparently, they are.

I realize that I sound like a technological Luddite in writing this, but as we all know I'm really not. It just seems like we're at a tipping point in our growth as a species. Do we really want to outsource the most human of our activities--the arts--to a machine that gobbles up finite natural resources? In my opinion, at least, it's not a thing I want to be party to. I mean, I realize that I'm probably in the minority on this, but change just for the sake of change isn't always the best thing in the world.

So, if you don't mind, I'll just keep writing these with my human brain, powered by chocolate and green tea. You won't catch me using AI to assist in anything to do with these. And I hope that's okay.

I do wonder, though, if that means I'm somewhat akin to a dinosaur standing on a North American plain 66 million years ago, watching a fireball streak across the sky, and not knowing that things are about to change forever, and not for the good.

(jim@wmqt.com)

Tuesday, 9/1

And here, after I did two TV bits last night, I thought things would slow down.

You may recall that I had a bit of a busy week last week. Even though I'm getting ready to head downstate to see Loraine's dad in a few days, I was hoping it would be a little slower this week. But you know what?

I was wrong.

I mean, I'm on course to make sure everything's ready for radio while I'm gone. As I said, I taped next week's TV piece (to air on Labor Day) last night. But now, I all of a sudden find I have meetings today and tomorrow, plus an interview someone scheduled for me without (ahem) asking if I have the time to do it.

So, you know, now I have those to look forward to.

I keep thinking back to a coffee cup I once saw that said “being an adult means hoping your schedule clears up next week”. Well, it's now next week, and (checking his calendar) my schedule hasn't cleared up yet.

I think the coffee cup may have been on to something.

So with that in mind, I'm going to leave you with one of the TV things I did last night. It's horrifying, it's chilling, and it's apocalyptic.

Or maybe that's just me.

8-)

(jim@wmqt.com)

Monday, 8/31

I'm not ready for summer to be over.

The rain & cooler temperatures of this past weekend, and the fact that I just typed “8/31” when starting this blog have added to the feeling I've been carrying around the past couple of weeks that my favorite time of the year is coming to a close. Not only that, but it's been a weird summer—really hot some days, quite cool on others, rain when there was supposed to be sun, smoke descending from the heaven. I keep hoping that we'll get a couple of “normal” days so we can at least go out on a high note.

But I don't think that's gonna happen.

If you're a weather professional, the season actually ends today, when “Meteorological Summer”, the months of June, July, & August, wrap up. And that's how I usually think of summer, even though the three weeks of September before the actual equinox occurs can often be nicer than the beginning of June. However, there's just something about the high sun angle and the promise of warm days to come in June that you can't get in September, no matter how hard you try.

But...what are you gonna do, right?

I know there are plenty of people who are looking forward to the cooler days, the changing leaves, and the pumpkin spiced everything that mark the next few months. I don't begrudge them that at all. But for me, summer—even an insanely busy one like this one—is an escape from reality. It's a time when I can head to the beach or jump on my bike and just mentally run away from everything.

Call it a character flaw on my part, but I, at least, can't do that when it's cold or snowy or pumpkin spiced. I just can't.

Hopefully, everything that I was able to get out of summer this year will help me get through to summer next year. Given the way this year has gone so far, I'm not 100% sure, but I'm hopeful. Otherwise, come January or February get ready for me posting a lot of pictures of sun & leaves & blue skies and maybe, just maybe, a lot of whining about I'm soooooo ready for summer to begin.

Don't say you weren't forewarned.

8-)

(jim@wmqt.com)

Friday, 8/28

The note may have made it all worth it.

If you've been reading these recently you know I've been in the middle of a rather busy week (including a show tonight at the Lake Superior Theater). And it's still going on; Loraine and I are going downstate a week from today to visit daily blog reader Floyd of Reese, so I have to work ahead for that (like making sure radio runs while I'm gone and writing two TV bits) before we hit the road.

I know. The fun never ends, right?

8-)

Anyway, I received a hand-written note from someone who had been involved in one of the things that made the past week so busy. I wasn't at all expecting the note, so when I saw the words “Thank you for all the joy you bring”, I had to stop and think about it for a second. I mean; I've never quite thought of it that way. I hope this doesn't make me sound strange, but I've never really considered the effect that my work has on people. I put a tour or program together, I do it, I mentally go over what went right and what didn't go the way I thought, and then I move on to the next project.

This may be short-sighted of me, but I guess I never stopped to consider how the people attending the projects felt during and after.

I mean, I know they (hopefully) laughed and some will tell me how much they enjoyed it, but I guess I never thought of it that way. I never thought of it as bringing people joy. But if they did laugh a little and enjoyed what I did, then I guess I AM bringing people a little joy. And these days, is there anything more precious to share with a group of people?

I don't think so.

So I'd like to thank the person who gave me the note, for both giving it to me and for opening my eyes to this new perspective on my work. I've always known how it's impacted me; now I know how it affects others, as well.

Have a great weekend!

(jim@wmqt.com)

Thursday, 8/27

Today's my "normal" day.

First of all, if you're wondering how "Happy Hour II" went last night, here's how "Happy Hour II" went last night--

I had no idea how it would turn out, especially with the rain showers and the threat of storms we had throughout the day, but 170 or so people joined us. I just knew that after the success we had with it last year, and the fact that many people asked if we'd be doing it again, that we HAD to do it again.

And I'm guessing that was a good decision.

As I had mentioned on Monday, this is an insane week--TV the first two days, the tour last night, and a Lake Superior Theater show tomorrow night. That means that day is the "normal" day of my week. Now, as we all know, there's literally nothing normal about my life, but if you had to submit a photo as to what a "normal" day night be like, it would be today--working in radio for eight hours, going home to write a bunch of crap, and making sure that everything is ready for both the boathouse show tomorrow night and for the jaunt Loraine and I are taking to see her dad next weekend.

And who know--I may even get five minutes just to stare out the window and try to relax.

If that, indeed, is even possible any more.

As we know, while I may comment about weeks like these, I am not in any way complaining about weeks like these. This is the life I lead, and as I've mentioned before, I wouldn't trace it for anything in the world. I enjoy what I do, even if I (on occasion) wish it were spread out a little more. But you know what? You can't have everything. And even if you did, to quote Stephen Wright, where would you keep it?

8-)

So that's where things stand, at least as of this morning. I'm now off to have a "normal" day. As if, of course, anything in my life could actually ever BE normal.

(jim@wmqt.com)