Wednesday, 10/14

If I actually knew what would be popular and what wouldn't be, I'd be a millionaire. And, he says, looking at his bank statement...

I'm not.

Social media's a funny thing. You can put something up on it, just some random item or picture, and it explodes. People like it, people comment on it, and people share it. Then you can stick something on there that you're SURE will explode, and then sit back and watch as it just sits there, twiddling its thumbs and waiting for people people to notice it.

Much, he says sadly, like my TV piece this past week.

I don't know why I thought it would get some traction, but I was sure it would. It's a solid piece, timed perfectly for a certain day. And given the feelings of people these days, I thought it would resonate with a little “Oh, I get it” or a soupcon of “I couldn't agree more”.

Instead? A few likes and a “oh, that's cute”. The reaction was nothing like I personally would have expected, once again proving that I know nothing about what clicks and what doesn't.  And that, I'm guessing, is why I'm not a millionaire.

Well, that and the fact that I've worked in broadcasting my entire life.

So from now on, I'm not going to guess what kind of a reaction something will have. If it gets a reaction, great. If it doesn't, that's great, as well. After all, I obviously know nothing about how people will react to things these days. Although, I guess, there are worse things to be bad at, right?

8-)

The piece I thought would get a big reaction and didn't?

(jim@wmqt.com)

Tuesday, 10/13

 I did indeed take advantage of the weekend.

As you may recall, I wrote on Friday about several different people asking if I’d be “taking advantage” of the nice weather weekend we were promised.  Well, I’m happy to report I did, especially because Mother Nature kept her part of the bargain and gave us two days of 80-degree sunshine (at least after the clouds moved out Saturday morning).  I was outside as much as I could, doing not only my regular activities (like getting my butt kicked by Loraine playing soccer Sunday) but also by taking my camera out and shooting a lot of B-Roll (background video) for projects I’ll be putting together this upcoming winter.

And while I was doing that, of course, I shot some pictures for you, as well.

Like I said–it was a glorious weekend–

With colors all around–

You were able to see decorations you normally don’t get to see when it’s 80 degrees and sunny outside–

People flooded beaches–

They were on the water–

They left inspiring messages for those who may have been walking past their house–

And they were just enjoying each other’s company–

That is actually one of my favorite pictures I took all weekend.  I was trying to get both the couple and the person sitting out on the rocks in the same shot, but the way I focused it–and the way the lady’s looking at the guy sitting next to her–just made it something so much better than I was trying to get.

On occasion, you sometimes get lucky.

Of course, now it’s back to reality.  It was cool and rainy yesterday for my (holiday) day off, it’s cold & rainy this morning, and while the sun should be rejoining us later this week temperatures will only be (gulp) 25 to 30 degrees cooler than they were both Saturday and Sunday.

And that’s why I–and, it appears, most of Marquette–took advantage of the weekend.  When you think of it, there’s really nothing else you could do, right?

(jim@wmqt.com)

Friday, 10/9

“You're gonna take advantage of this weekend, right?”

That is a statement that, I don't think, people not from Marquette or the UP really get. But I spoke with two people yesterday, both of whom, like me, were born up here, and both of them uttered the statement (or a version of it).

And you'd better believe I AM taking advantage of this upcoming weekend, assuming that it turns out as promised.

You see, it's supposed to be sunny and 80 both Saturday and Sunday, and just based on reality it'll probably be the last time it's sunny & 80 until, oh, 2029. That may not mean much to some people, but to those of us who've lived here forever, I think it's a sign that we have to take advantage of it while it's here. We have to get outside, soak up the sun, and enjoy the warmth, because we know it won't be back for a long, long time.

And that, I think, is what some people don't get.

Maybe it's in the water up here, or maybe it's in our DNA, but it just seems to me that if we know we're looking at the last nice few days (or even hours) before winter finally settles in, we HAVE to enjoy. It's like we don't even have a choice; we just have to. I've always wondered if it was just me who felt that way, but after my conversations yesterday it's nice to know that I'm not alone.

You have to use it or lose it, I guess. And if you lose it? Well, it stays lost for a long, long time.

Hope you take advantage of our last nice days until 2029 this weekend. And by the way, we have another corporate holiday Monday, so I'll be off. A new one of these is yours Tuesday, maybe even with tales of how I spent MY last nice weekend of the year!

(jim@wmqt.com), excited about the (potential) warmth.

Thursday, 10/8

This is a choice I never thought I'd ever have to make, but since it's 2026 and nothing makes sense any more it was a choice that did indeed present itself--

Do I eat my apple after I dropped it in the toilet?

Yup; just when you thought this year could not get any stranger, it did. I was eating lunch yesterday, when I went into the bathroom to wash my apple off and watched in horror as my newly washed apple slipped out of my wet hand and perfectly pirouetted into a toilet bowl that (ahem) someone had thoughtfully left the lid open.

Anyone have THAT on their 2026 bingo card?

I mean, geez...I've done some stupid and/or klutzy things in my life, but I've never tossed an apple (wittingly or unwittingly) into a toilet bowl before. I had never even considered dropping an apple into a toilet bowl within the realm of possibility. But yet, I did it.

Guess I can cross that off my bucket list.

Like I mentioned at the beginning, I did give a few seconds thought to just grabbing the apple out of the toilet, washing it again, and then eating it. After all, it's water in the toilet bowl, right? Dogs drink it without a second thought. Plus, the toilet does get cleaned quite often. But still...

My desire to eat the apple was really outweighed by the fact that I dropped it in a toilet.

I know; had I closed the lid on the toilet bowl after using it I wouldn't have faced that dilemma. Had I not tried to handle the apple with wet hands I wouldn't have faced that dilemma. Heck, had Sir Isaac Newton not “discovered” gravity I wouldn't have faced that dilemma. But, because none of those things occurred I didn't get to eat my apple. I did, however, get to experience something I never thought I'd experience, so I guess in a very bizarre way something good DID come out of it.

You'd better believe, however, that the next time I go into the bathroom to wash off an apple the lid on the toilet bowl WILL be closed. After all, it's not a choice I'd like to ponder again.

(jim@wmqt.com)

Wednesday, 10/7

Well...that escalated rather quickly.

I wrote in here yesterday about the possibility of maybe, perhaps, some day doing another series of those “Pieces of the Past” videos I do for the Marquette Regional History Center. Well, that was 24 hours ago. In the time since then...

I now have someone to shoot drone footage for me for several of the bits I may get around to some day producing, and some of the better “Pieces” from the past few years will soon begin airing on WNMU-TV.

And no, I have no idea how either of those happened. Like many things in my life, they just did.

8-)

Technically, I do know how both of them happened; it's just freaky that they both came to fruition within a few hours of me writing and posting a blog about scribbling a few notes on a piece of paper. But that's my life these days—weird things happen, and I seem to have no control over them.

What are you gonna do, right?

The drone footage should make the new series of “Pieces”--whenever I get around to putting them together—look spectacular. And the possibility of having a few of the classic ones pop up on WNMU-TV has been floating around for a couple of years now. Because they don't air commercials, they need interstitials—material to fill between shows. Since I've been working with them for a decade and a half now, they figured some of my older videos might be a natural fit. And since I made sure the History Center gets mentions and promos in exchange, it seems like a win-win for everyone.

And how often do you get something like THAT these days?

So if you happen to be watching WNMU-TV any time soon, don't be surprised if I pop up on it even more than I usually do. And whenever it is that I get around to putting more videos together, don't be surprised if they look amazing thanks to some drone footage that will be shot specifically for them.

Because, these days, that's apparently how things roll around here.

(jim@wmqt.com)

Tuesday, 10/6

I'm almost loathe to say it, but I've started thinking about them again.

As many of you know, every so often I do something really stupid--I make a batch of videos for the Marquette Regional History Center. It started during Covid, and I've now put together five "seasons"--almost 100 in all--of "Pieces of the Past". They do take some time in researching writing, and producing, and whenever I get done with a season I tell myself that I might want to give myself a break.

Until, like this past weekend when, for no reason at all, I pulled out a piece of paper and started writing things down--

Literally, I had no idea why I did it. I was just taking a break from putting together my TV bit and, a few moments later, found myself with the chicken scratchings you see above. I mean, I don't know if anything will come out of it and, if something does, when, but there I have it--a rough rundown of what could possibly be series 6 of "Pieces".

Some days, I amaze even myself. And not in a good way.

There are a lot of video projects I'd like to get done for the History Center in the next couple of years, especially the "Clean-Up on Aisle Five" grocery store documentary I've been working on for a few years now. So why 15 or 16 ideas for short form videos would suddenly pop into my head, I have no idea.

My brain just works in weird ways.

I'm pretty sure you won't be seeing any of these soon, although one or two might actually start off as Kaufman bits for the next "Legends & Lore" with Jack. But just remember that if you DO ever see any of these videos, the whole thing started this past weekend when my brain took over the rest of my body, and made it write these ideas down.

Stupid brain...

8-)

(jim@wmqt.com)

Monday, 10/5

There's a clump of hair sticking out of the back of my head, and nothing I do seems to make it go away.

One of the big differences between working in TV and working in radio is that two or three times a week I need to pay attention to how I look. In radio, you can just roll out of bed, throw on some clothes, and go to work. No one, aside from your co-workers, can see what you look like, and they're often dressed the same way you are. But you know what? On TV, people can see you. You just can't show up looking like a slob.

Who knew?

That's actually not a big problem for me. I actually do (usually) care about my appearance. I very rarely roll out of bed, throw whatever's lying on the floor back on, and then cruise down to work. I usually make sure I look good; heck, back in the days before I started doing TV I would even dress up in a jacket and tie every Monday just because, well, it was Monday. But now that I've been doing TV stuff for over a decade I have to make sure I'm entirely presentable before stepping in front of the cameras.

And that's where my hair, and the clump of it sticking out of the back of my head, comes in.

First of all, I'm mad at my hair anyway. Being under the bright lights in the studio means that you, on occasion, can see where over the years I've started to lose a little of it. Normally, in person, you can't tell, but under those lights, you can. I'm sure it's one of those things no one else will notice, but I do.

Is it any wonder I don't like watching myself on TV?

However, it's the back of my head that causes the biggest problems. Ever since I was a kid I've had a...growth of hair on the back right side of my head. It's kind of like someone put a bunch of hair fertilizer there, causing me to have twice as much hair on that patch of my head than I do anywhere else. The woman who's been cutting my hair tries to do what she can, but I'm apparently a freak of nature in that regard. And as we all know, there's not much you can do with a freak of nature.

Trust me. I'm walking proof.

It must be worse than usual, because while taping “High School Bowl” this past Friday my mom, who was in the audience, called me over and asked if I knew I had a clump of hair sticking out of the back of my head.. I, of course, did, but she's absolutely right about the clump. In fact, if you watch me on TV (something I don't really recommend, of course) and you see me shot at a certain angle it looks like I have a hair “tumor” sticking out of the back of my head. I mean, I've used a bunch of different products & methods to try to get it to lie flat, but with only middling success. And I'll be curious to see how it looks when I do “Life in the 906” tonight, as at the moment (and probably why my mom noticed it Friday), my hair tumor doesn't look like a tumor. Instead. it looks more like a stumpy carrot sticking out of my head.

So I have that going for me

I'm tempted just to hack the whole thing off with scissors. However, I know that would make things even worse by doing that. I mean, a stumpy carrot sticking out of my head? Maybe. A big hole where the stumpy carrot used to be? Nope. However, I have faith, if not in my own hands, that someone on set will have an idea what to do. However, if you see me on TV any day soon and notice there's something weird sticking out of my head, know that it's not the fault of your TV set.

It's the fault of my stupid head.

8-)

(jim@wmqt.com)