Tuesday, 10/20

There are HOW many leaves falling from Upper Michigan trees this month?  Believe it or not, I know the answer.

Now, this seems like it might be one of those questions that you can't answer, like “how many stars are there in the galaxy” or “how many years can the Lions go without getting to the Super Bowl?” But for TV this week I needed an answer. I mean, it didn't have to be an exact number, just an answer in the general neighborhood. And thanks to my alma mater, I was actually able to get that general number.

Michigan State's still actually good for something these days, believe it or not.

I needed the number because I was talking about a storied UP October tradition that everyone (sarcasm alert) loves, the raking of leaves from one's yard. I was curious as to how many leaves someone might have to rake, but as soon as I saw the statistics from the Michigan State School of Forestry as to how many trees there are in the UP and how many leaves they each contain, I knew I had my hook for the piece.

It's funny. I never actually thought about things like “how many trees are there in the UP” until I started doing these TV bits. But in the four years I've been writing them I HAVE discovered how many trees there are in the UP. I've also found out many deer there are up here; heck, I even know how many Dollar Generals there are in the UP. They're not things that a normal person would have to discover, but then...

When have I ever been normal?

So just how many leaves WILL be falling from UP trees this month? The shocking number is right here--

(jim@wmqt.com)

Monday, 10/19

It's nice to know there's a still a newspaper out that, you know, delivers the news.

First of all, just let me say that I would not want to be in the newspaper business these day. The internet has pretty much destroyed the business model upon which newspapers were founded, and those that are still around are hanging on by the skin of their teeth, struggling to get by with reduced staffs, minimal advertising, and entire sections that largely consist of rewritten press releases.

It's REALLY not a good time to be in the newspaper biz.

Having said that, there is one newspaper in the UP that seems to have bucked the trend, and that's the Munising Beacon. It's a weekly paper, which I'm sure helps, and it's in a smaller community with a minimum of competition for ad dollars, which I'm also sure helps. But if you get the chance to grab one, check it out.

You'll be transported back to a time when newspapers were actually good.

The new owner/editor of the paper, Jennifer Champagne, did a profile piece on me in the Marquette Monthly a couple of years ago, before buying the Munising paper, and has since been sending me copies. And I have to say...I'm impressed. It looks like a newspaper used to, with real stories written by real people, real ads, and a real sense of community that newspapers used to provide in the days before news aggregators tore the guts out of the business.

Plus, she uses talented people--including at least one Munising High School Bowl team member--and that really shows.

Like I mentioned before, it's a horrid time to be in the newspaper business; in fact, it wouldn't surprise me if most of the newspapers currently around aren't around in 20 years. But it's nice to know that in small pockets around the country (and especially here in the UP) they're still going strong.

And if you'd like a perfect example of that, just grab yourself a copy of the Munising Beacon or check 'em out online. You'll see what I'm talking about.

(jim@wmqt.com)

Friday, 10/16

I'd be a catch if I were single.

First of all, let me state this—I am not single. I have not been single for many years. I don't wish to be single again. I am not implying anything with this blog other than the facts about to be stated. So don't read anything into it other than the fact that if I were somehow to be single, I have two things going for me.

'Nuff said.

Now, a “weird fact” of mine earlier this week had to do with the two things people are looking for when on a dating website. We've all heard stories about how said sites are not always filled with, well, the best of catches. But there seem to be two things that are deal-breakers, at least for 88 percent of women and 75 % of men.

The biggest deal-breaker is personal hygiene. Apparently, if you post a picture of yourself in bad clothing, or looking like you haven't washed your hair in three weeks, that turns most people off.

Who knew, he says sarcastically.

The other? Bad grammar. Poor spelling and not knowing which there, their, or they're to use is a turn-off for both men and women, although more women than men. So if you find yourself on a dating website any time in the near future, you know what to avoid.

That's okay. You can thank me later.

Like I said at the beginning of this, I'm not single, nor do I have the desire to be single. But I'd like to think that I'm pretty good with my own personal hygiene. And I know how to construct a sentence like, say, “They're on their way there”. So if the world were to flip on its axis—or flip on its axis more than it already has in 2026—and I found myself needing the services of a dating website, I would hope that I would pass muster.

After all, it seems like it's hard being single these days. Who knew there was so much pressure to get everything absolutely right?? Any kind of head start a person can get, I guess, is a start well worth exploiting.

8-)

I'm off to shoot “High School Bowl”. Have a great weekend...I know that as a non-single individual, I get to spend mine with my favorite person!!

(jim@wmqt.com)

Thursday, 10/15

The timing of it could not have been more perfect.

On TV Monday and in here yesterday I talked about Canada and, specifically, how I wouldn't be here without the country, as that's where my great-grandfather, the guy after whom I was named, was born. I don't know if this was coincidence or serendipity, but Tuesday night, in the middle of all this, I received an e-mail from Ancestry, saying that I should check out my new and improved DNA profile, showing more regions than ever before.

Including, believe it or not, this one--

Ancestry has never broken things down so fine before (for instance, I now know the five regions of England from whence some of my forebearers came), but to see the “Canadian” part of my history come to life, right as I was talking about it on TV and writing about it in here, was indeed serendipitous. And even more surprising? That of the 18 (!) different regions & nationalities that make up by ethnic background, “Canadian” is now the second biggest.

Consider my mind blown.

Of course, the coolest thing about that is the fact that the “Canadian” part of me is actually from Quebec, the French-speaking part of the country. What's the one language (other than English) that I can almost speak? French. Which country's chocolate do I really, really like? France. To which country in Europe do I seem most drawn? France. You know, my attraction to that country almost seems like it's woven into my DNA, or something.

And, according to the new update, it apparently IS. Who knew?

This information is, of course, probably of no interest to anyone but me. But I do find it freaky that on the week I told everyone that I was indeed Canadian, that Ancestry backed me up to a degree greater than I ever thought possible.

(jim@wmqt.com)

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.