Friday, 5/31

Neither of them are proceeding on schedule.

As you may recall, I had two things to look forward to after returning from downstate earlier this week, and as of this morning neither one of them had started. For instance, you know how they were supposed to dig up the street on which we live? How they were supposed to start Tuesday, and how we made arrangements to keep Loraine's car somewhere so it wouldn't get scratched, stolen, or molested?

Well, here's how far they've gotten--

The only difference I've seen from last week is that they have “road closed” and detour signs laying face down on a few lawns, ready to put up when needed. I hope that something is causing the delay in the work; otherwise, if this is the pace at which they'll be working on the repairs, I really don't think they'll get it done in the four weeks they've promised.

I really don't.

The other thing that's behind schedule?

I really thought they would've popped out by now, based on the buds that started to show themselves three or four weeks ago. Of course, that was just an estimate based on past years, and as we all know this spring really hasn't been like any past years, at least weather-wise, so I guess I shouldn't really be surprised. Given a few warm days I'm sure they'll pop; if that's the case, I'm assuming we'll see them by, say, August at the earliest.

Of course, I was wrong about them last week, so take that prediction with a grain of salt.

On that note, have yourself a great weekend. Make sure you keep your umbrella, your mittens, and your sunscreen happy. It almost sounds like we may need all three of them in the next few days.

We're so lucky, aren't we?

8-)

(jim@wmqt.com)

(ps--finally, because Marquette is pretty much not like any place else, I present a little sidewalk art I saw on my way to work this morning--

You're welcome.)

Thursday, 5/30

I don't know that I could live in a really small town.

But before I explain my reasons why, just let me say that I know a whole bunch of you LOVE living in really small towns, and wouldn't have it any other way. And I understand completely; just having spent five days in one, I can see why you would like the relatively wide open spaces, the friendly neighbors, and the sense of a close community that comes with living in a place with relatively few people. If you ever have a problem, there are people who know you and are ready to help you out. I get it. If it works for you, the more power to you.

I just don't know that it would work for me, and this picture may explain just a little--

That's a church sign in Reese. There's nothing wrong with the sign; after all, it shows a close-knit community where a whole lot of things happen. But look closely at the last line on the sign--

When I first saw that it made me chuckle; later, it make me think.  Now, I've never been a member of AA, but I do know some people who have, and to a person they take the “Anonymous” part of the organization very seriously. So to have it on a sign like that, especially in a small town where anyone can drive by Monday nights at 7 and see who's going into the meeting...

Well, that's why I don't know that I could live in a small town. Everybody knows everybody else's business and, in all honesty, I kind of prefer my anonymity.

I know; it sounds stupid for someone whose name is sometimes followed with the phrase “media wh*re” to talk about preferring his anonymity, but it's true. I'm just not comfortable with people knowing each and everything I do. I like to have a little privacy (once again, a weird thing for someone who seems to live his life in public). While I don't have anything to hide, at least nothing I feel is worth hiding, I still don't know that I'd want everyone within a three mile span to know what I'm doing and with whom I doing it. Like I said, that's just me. Maybe I'm strange that way.

I just know I wouldn't be comfortable any other way.

I really do think that Marquette's about the smallest place that I could live. After all, with 25,000 people around you you'd hope that not everyone would know what going on (assuming, once again, you don't live your life in the media, like some doofuses do). But if I had to live someplace smaller, especially someplace with only a few hundred or a few thousand people?

I dunno.

Like I said, maybe I'm weird. It sure wouldn't be the first time. And if the thought of living with 25,000 or 2,500,000 million people freaks you out, that's cool. I understand completely. We're all different people, and we're all comfortable living in different ways. More power to you. I just know on which end of the spectrum I sit, for better or for worse.

(jim@wmqt.com), now slinking back to his private little corner.

Wednesday, 5/29

Wait. You had the one day of summer in Marquette this year while we were gone?

How could you?

8-)

Greetings from somewhere on I-75, where it's all rainy and foggy but, thankfully, the road construction is being held off for one more day. We're on our way back from an action-packed weekend downstate to see Loraine's family and friends. While you were having your one day of summer we had a series of massive thunderstorms move through, including one that dumped two inches of rain in about that many hours and left the farm fields down there still flooded as we were leaving Tuesday morning.

Like us, they've had a weird weather year so far. Like us, it's been cooler and wetter than normal, although they've actually been above freezing for more than a day or two. And because of the chilly spring so far, Loraine and I (well, mostly me) were able to check out something that's normally gone by now--

Yup. They managed to hang on long enough for us to enjoy them. That means I was able to enjoy my second orgy of lilac sniffing for the year (the first being back in Germany last month) with a third yet to come after the ones in Marquette finally bloom, and that should be any day now (unless, of course, we get a killing frost or something stupid like that. And since Marquette's already had its summer for the year, I'm not assuming anything).

So we'll have to see how that works out.

(This has nothing to do with nothing, but we just passed an NMU billboard heading into Grayling. It's like we're home already!)

Now that we're done with Reese, a 6-week span where it seemed like we traveled more than worked has come to an end, and we're hopeful we can settle back into what passes for a normal routine. I won't have to keep working ahead just so we can leave for a few days here or a few days there, and I can just concentrate on having, for the first time in over a decade, a “normal” summer, one where I can take half-days, work on History Center projects, and enjoy the weather (assuming, of course, it's weather we can actually enjoy).

It'll be weird. It'll be nice, but it'll be weird. Plus we have street construction to look forward to. It'll be a blast. Really, it will!

As always, we would like to thank daily blog readers Betsy & Floyd of Reese for their hospitality, their spare bedroom, their cats, and all the food they put together while we were visiting. I've written before about the town where Loraine grew up, so I won't do it again, but if you'd like one more picture of the awesome flatness of the place, here it is--

You can see almost three miles down the road in this picture.  THAT'S how flat Reese is!

Well, we'll be getting to the Bridge sometime soon, and that's where I take over driving duties, so if you'll excuse me I need to find the $4 in toll money I put somewhere, and get ready for the most exciting 160 mile stretch of roadway in the world.

(jim@wmqt.com)

Thursday, 5/23

Okay. Maybe it was much ado about nothing.

Here's your weekly lilac update--

While they have grown a little since last week, I was obviously wrong about them blooming just as Loraine and I head downstate for the Memorial Day weekend. Unless there's something so bizarre with the universe that they bloom later today or tonight, I'm pretty sure we're safe until we get back Tuesday. I'm happy about that. A little disappointed that my lilac-growth estimation skills are so far off, but happy that I'll get the full lilac blooming and sniffing experience this year.

Assuming, of course, it ever happens. With the way things are going this year, I'm taking nothing for granted.

So I now have two things to look forward to after our return—lilacs and street construction. But before we return to enjoy both of those (although, perhaps, not in equal measure) we actually have to leave for a few days and head down to the awesome flatness of Reese--

Aside from visiting Loraine's family for a few days, we also have another purpose for going down, and that's to congratulate Loraine's nephew Jeremy on his graduation from high school. You may remember the saga of Jeremy from a few years ago, when he was diagnosed with a form of childhood leukemia. He beat it and has gone on to a very healthy life filled with everything from playing high school football to becoming one of the biggest Doors fans of his generation. So his graduation weekend was one thing we could not miss, even if we'll miss the actual ceremony tonight.

It'll be a nice weekend visit. And as an added bonus? The weather forecast shows at least one of the days we'll be down there the temperatures should hit 80. Yes, 80. Or to put it another way, only about 25 or so degrees warmer than it's supposed to be here in Marquette.

Not that I'm rubbing it in or anything.

Because of that, I'll be gone for a few days. There won't be one of these tomorrow, nor Tuesday. At least there won't be one of these Tuesday morning. However, because of the way we drive (me in the UP, Loraine downstate) I have a three hour ride Tuesday morning during which I can write something, and even post it, should I feel ambitious. So if you wanna check back Tuesday afternoon, there may be something new. If not, there's always Wednesday morning. I do guarantee that.

On that note, have yourself a safe (and hopefully mitten free) holiday weekend!

(jim@wmqt.com)

Wednesday, 5/22

Oh, this is gonna be sooooo much fun!

That's right; I'm being sarcastic. What you see in the picture above is the first sign that the street on which I live is about to be torn up and rebuilt. For the next month we'll be fed water from a hydrant, Loraine will be keeping her car in my parent's garage, and (if past experience means anything) every single morning at 7am I'll be awoken by the sounds of earth movers moving earth, jackhammers hammering, and all kinds of beeps as all kinds of equipment back up and up and up.

It'll be glorious.

I'm not saying the street on which I live doesn't need the work. It REALLY needs the work. For the past several Springs, in fact, it's resembled a road you'd see in a third-world country. I have the pictures of the potholes to prove it. So I guess I can't complain too much about it being rebuilt. In fact, I should probably thank the city of Marquette for finally getting around to it.

But couldn't it be done in one day and, preferably, between the hours of 9am and 3pm that one day? That's possible, right?

I know...but a boy can dream, right? Hopefully, while it's being worked on we'll have enough water pressure for things like showers. On those rare occasions we need to use our car, we'll have to walk a few blocks to get it. And because we live in the middle of our block, just getting out of the house to walk down to get the car—or to get to work or just out to walk, like we always do—could mean dodging construction equipment, big holes, and dudes swinging shovels with wild abandon.

Did I mention it'll be fun?

Work is supposed to start next Tuesday—the day we get back from our visit downstate—and is slated to wrap by the end of June. However, I'm not optimistic that it'll actually be done by the end of June. A few years ago when they reconstructed Michigan, around the block from where I live, the one month project ended up being almost four, thanks to some unexpected difficulties found while digging up the street. Now, I'm not expecting them to find something unexpected when digging up our street, but being a history buff I do know how old our street it, and how long it's been since it's actually been rebuilt.

So we'll see.

Wish us luck. I'm sure we'll be fine, but just in case you see us and we look like we haven't slept in a month or if we're covered from head to foot in mud, know that's it's not our fault. All we did was try to get out of our house.

(jim@wmqt.com)

Tuesday, 5/21

I have a big rock in my office.

It’s a little smaller than a brick, and it’s made of Marquette Brown Sandstone, the sandstone that was used in many of downtown’s historic buildings. How do I know that?

It fell off of the Harlow Block.

Don’t worry; it’s not like it fell on me, or anything. I was just walking up Front Street, noticed it lying on the sidewalk, picked it up, and brought it with me. And it's something I've noticed happens quite a bit after a heavy rain, which we've had a LOT of recently. It is, however, a sign of something I think we'll again begin to see with increasing frequency in the future--

A part of Marquette’s history may be crumbling right before our eyes.

If you spend any time looking closely at many of the city’s historic sandstone buildings (admittedly, probably not a popular exercise, but one I HIGHLY recommend) you’ll notice that there are cracks developing in the stone walls, and that there are flakes of sandstone falling from the building. Or, in the case of the Harlow Block, there are big chunks of rock peeling off the edifice.

Now, I’m not an building engineer, nor do I play one on TV, but I’m thinking that can’t be a GOOD thing, can it? I mean, I know they’re not in danger of crashing down to Earth, or anything, but I’d hate to think that, some day in the future, those impressive buildings that have defined Marquette’s architecture for over a century will just crumble into sand.

There are a couple of reasons why there were so many sandstone buildings erected in Marquette--it was a plentiful local material in the late 1800s, it’s a very hard stone, and, perhaps most importantly, it doesn’t burn. If you know your local history, you know that most of downtown Marquette was consumed in the fire of 1868, and that many of the sandstone buildings we still see were erected shortly after that. It’s also the reason why there were many buildings constructed out of U.P. sandstone in places like Chicago or New York. THEY had huge fires around that time, as well, and needed material that wouldn’t burn.

You know, just like Marquette.

Now, 130 or 140 years after some of these historic structures were built, the sandstone is starting to flake off of them a little. I suppose if you look at it one way, you could say that the buildings have stood solidly for 130 years now, surviving snow, and cold, and sun, and hail storms, and you’d be right on the money about that. But I think the flaking also points out that the buildings HAVE stood for 130 years, and that nothing--except perhaps Twinkies, cockroaches, and Donald Trump’s hair--lasts forever. One day, Marquette’s unique sandstone office buildings, churches, homes, and apartments will just be known to future city residents through pictures, or 3-D holograms, or brain chip implants, or whatever they’ll be using to catalog local history.

So next time you pass one of those historic sandstone structures, the ones you’ve seen your entire life, take a fresh look of appreciation at them. After all, if the rock in my office is any indication, not all future generations will be able to do that.

(jim@wmqt.com)

Monday, 5/20

It's never gonna be sunny & hot this year, is it?

After another weekend of wet & cold temperatures (conditions that seem to have become our default weather settings since last September), I decided to see if this is just a weird year, or if I'm complaining a lot for nothing. I looked through a bunch of temperatures records that I've been keeping for a decade or so (Yup, I'm a dork. What's your point?), plus a sheet of National Weather Service records Karl Bohnak once gave me for 40+ years before that.

What did I find in this cursory glance? Well, on average, we have our first 80 degree day on May 12^th. The earliest we’ve ever hit 80 was April 11^th, and the latest we've hit 80 (which actually made me scream out loud when I read it) was June 26^th, 1960. It’s a good thing I wasn’t even born then; can you imagine the complaining I would’ve done?

So what I think I discovered is that things ARE strange up here this year, at least weather-wise. May so far is over 8 degrees below normal; in fact, it may as well get even worse by the time the month ends, too. And it would make sense—we've had this streak (at least here in the city) of over 240 days with the temperatures not getting above 70 degrees. I'm kinda surprised this month's average isn't a lot MORE below average than it currently is.

Looking through all the data, though, I did find one thing to give me a little hope. Back in 2005, we didn’t hit 80 for the first time until June 2^nd, which was also way behind schedule. Yet, 2005 ended up being one of the warmest summers on record here, a summer that I also remember as being full of sunshine (and the last summer before this one where I wasn't preparing for a trip to Europe and could enjoy it in its full glory). So maybe Mother Nature has a few issues she just has to work out before giving us summer. Maybe she’s just holding back, so we’ll really appreciate the warmth and the sun when it does finally arrive.

Let's hope so. Because if that’s not the case, and Mother Nature decides we don’t get any 80 degree days this summer, then there is going to be heck to pay. If Mother Nature thinks I whine about the weather enough now, she hasn’t seen ANYTHING yet!!

8-)

(jim@wmqt.com)

Friday, 5/17

Okay. One more picture to wrap up a week of them. Hopefully, though, this one causes no controversy, if for no other reason than it's a lilac update!

As you may recall, I was wondering last week if I would actually miss peak lilac season here in Marquette when Loraine and I go downstate to visit her family over the Memorial Day weekend. I've been keeping very close track of the buds on my favorite lilac tree, and from the looks of it (and based upon years of obsessive study of the trees) it looks to me like they're 10 to 15 days away from being out in full bloom.

And if it works out that way, it means they should be fully popped out just as we get back from Reese. I will have narrowly averted tragedy. Cold weather might delay that estimate a little, while warmer weather might speed it up.

Of course, we know which one of THOSE is more likely to happen. So I think I'm pretty safe.

I haven't heard from my mother-in-law yet about whether or not their lilacs are out. I personally think it would kind of neat if I got to sniff them in Germany earlier this month, then downstate next week, and then back home the week after that. I don't think that trifecta will happen; usually, if we head to Reese around Memorial Day the lilacs will have already died. But I know it's been a cold spring down there, and, well, a boy can always dream right?

Right?

So that's your weekly lilac update. I know you've been awaiting it with baited breath, so you're welcome. On that note, have yourself a great weekend, and if you're as dangerously obsessive about them as (ahem) some of us, you might wanna check out your favorite lilac tree when you have the chance!

(jim@wmqt.com)

Thursday, 5/16

The picture may have been the tipping point.

When we last spoke I mentioned the negative reaction a picture I posted on Facebook. I didn't post the picture for any negative reason; I posted it because it was an interesting picture. Yet here we are, almost four days after it went up, and I'm still seeing people complain about what's in the picture.

(At this point, I suppose I should say that you should read yesterday's post before continuing here. So scroll down a bit and do so. Don't worry; we'll wait for you).

Okay. Now you're up to speed. The whole affair actually ties into something I've been considering for awhile, and that's that I may want to change my social media habits. I started with Twitter, but left that because having so few characters to use makes people just seem way too mean and/or narcissistic.  I moved to Facebook, but recently I've been starting to reconsider that decision. What started as a way to keep up with friends and listeners has turned into a non-stop barrage of shared posts about one eyed dogs, notices about 10-year old cars for sale, and really incendiary political memes, almost all of which are usually wildly inaccurate or outright lies. Hardly anyone writes anything new or original today; everyone just seems to post or share stuff put together by third party content providers and/or Russian trolls.

It's basically become Twitter with more than 280 characters.

Social media, in a perfect state, should exist to enhance your life, to keep you in touch with people and to introduce you to places and ideas with which you might not be familiar. Instead, it's become a giant algorithm that rewards posts that get the most reactions, be they likes or hates. That means that quite often the stuff that pisses off as many people as possible is the stuff you see the most. And that makes me wonder—things are bizarre enough in the real world these days. Why would I want to spend some of my valuable non-real world time scrolling through shared items designed to do nothing but inflame, and watch my stress levels rise 15 times above their normal levels?

Doesn't make sense to me.

I know the world has become increasingly polarized. I know you're supposed to be in one camp or the other, and the camp you're not part of should be treated like the enemy. And I know there's a lot of meanness and bullying out there, especially when you don't have to express that dark side of yourself to someone in person but can instead do it fairly anonymously through a keyboard. But what used to be fun, and a way to escape the stresses of the real world, has now turned into anything but fun.

And that's why I might just dump it.

Loraine, affected by the anger and vitriol she sees in Facebook as much as I, has been dabbling with Instagram recently. She only follows a few people and organizations, and has found little or nothing in the way of shared content on the platform. She thinks I might do well there, posting a picture a day or sharing little history nuggets. And I have to admit—it might be nice to go online and see original content put together by people who don't spread fear and misinformation. It would be a new experience, but it would be nice, and certainly a huge change from what Facebook has become these days.

So if we're friends on Facebook and you suddenly realize that I've not posted anything in forever, don't sweat it. I just will have given up on it. And if I do that, I'll let you know to which (if any) other platform I've migrated.

If you're interested, of course.

(jim@wmqt.com)

Wednesday, 5/15

Who knew this picture would engender such feelings in people who saw it?

This is the picture I was talking about yesterday, the one that I purposely went out to take. Loraine and I were walking down Fourth Street on our way to Cal's (because Third Street is closed for construction) when I happened to notice just how...big the new UP Health System hospital looked as you glanced up Spring Street. When we got back from Cal's I grabbed my camera and took the picture, along with the ones I shared with you yesterday. I also put a few of them up on the “You Know You're From Marquette...” page on Facebook, and that's when the fun started.

There were people who enjoyed the shot, or who just recognized that it's a unique viewpoint from which to see Marquette's newest building. But then there was a sizable contingent of people who took the sight of the picture as an opportunity to rail against the hospital, the roundabouts leading up to it., development in general, and how “Marquette has changed since I was a kid” with some rather vitriolic language.

Yikes!

Look. I realize that some people don't like change. I realize some people don't like the current owners of the hospital facility. And I realize that some people just like to bitch about things...just because they like to. But some of the intense anger being poured out in the post actually made me think about taking the picture down. I put the pictures up because (I thought) they provided a unique look at the ever-changing face of Marquette.

I guess not everyone saw it that way.

As I mentioned in a reply to one of the comments, one of the things I love about Marquette is that it adapts and changes with the times. Where the hospital now sits used to be a grimy, dirty railroad yard. It's been re-purposed into a facility that both cleaned up the industrial waste and allows over 1,000 to go to work every day. If Marquette didn't adapt that way, it would be dirty, shrinking, and, to be brutally honest, like a lot of the rest of the U.P.

And who wants that?

That's why some of the comments surprised me. Yes, Marquette is growing and Marquette is changing. But that's a good thing. If you don't adapt, you die. There's a reason Marquette is one of the few places (if not the only place) in the U.P. that's growing in population. You need to change with the times.

That's just a fact of life.

And here's a curious fact—I did a check on a random sample of the people who complained the loudest, and it seems like a big chunk of them were people who don't even live in Marquette any more. They may have been people who grew up here or who went to school here, but they live elsewhere now. Yet they spent their valuable time complaining because the city in which they used to live is trying to keep up with the times, and is not the same place they remember.

I mean, what would they prefer? A city with a grimy lake shore and a dying downtown and people moving out in droves? Is that the Marquette they remember so fondly? Is that the Marquette they prefer? Well, then, maybe they should move back here, buy the new hospital, turn it back into a rail yard, and then support everyone put out of a job by their actions. Those of us who call Marquette home are doing our best to make sure it's a vibrant place to live. Unless you live here, maybe you really shouldn't criticize everything that's being done to make it a better place. Sure, you may not agree with everything being done, but we're doing our best. If you wanna move back and help out, great. But if you don't, maybe just ease up on the armchair quarterbacking just a little bit.

Sigh. It was just a picture. I just didn't realize it's a picture that would cause such a reaction.

Who knew?

(jim@wmqt.com)

Tuesday, 5/14

What do you get when you combine Jim, a sunny spring day, and a camera?

Obviously, the answer is a blog with pictures, right?

I snuck out for a little bit Sunday afternoon and took a couple of pictures. I actually snuck out to take one shot in particular. I'll talk about that in a bit. But first...what did I see in the sun on Sunday?

Blue sky & buildings

More blue sky & buildings

More blue, although not having to do with the sky this time--

The first flowers of the season--

And one of the things I just love about downtown Marquette, the fact that you can find geometry and odd patterns just about anywhere you look--

Someone on Facebook suggested that that particular picture might make a good jigsaw puzzle. And while I don't know if you would make a good jigsaw puzzle, I'm thinking it might make a pretty hard jigsaw puzzle!

Now, that one picture I mentioned earlier? The one that I originally went out on Sunday to take? The story behind it, and why the response I got it has made me question a few things, coming up tomorrow.

(jim@wmqt.com)

Monday, 5/13

It’s nice to know I got something for the inconvenience.

Those of you who read this on a regular basis know that last month I had to deal with the schedule-wrecking civic duty known as jury duty.  I was on call for 3 of the 5 Tuesdays of the month (being in Germany the other two), actually had to go in one morning but wasn't chosen, and because of the uncertainly regarding my schedule had to do all kinds of odd things (sometimes two or three times, because of trials canceled at the last minute and the like) all while trying to work ahead to be able to fly to Europe.

It was fun, wasn’t it?

Anyway, I received a check from Marquette County over the weekend for my “services” and once and for all, found out how much of a price we can put on three weeks worth of schedule juggling and doing the same things over and over.  In this particular case, that price is $24.24.

That was worth it, right?

I find it funny how they arrived at the $24.24.  I was paid for full day of jury duty--$22.50--for the one morning where I actually went in but wasn't chosen for the jury.  The other $1.74 came from, believe it or not, mileage.  Apparently, you get paid 87 cents for every mile you live away from the Marquette County Courthouse.  I know that’s for people who have to drive to the Courthouse, but I didn’t drive at all.  I do what I always do--I walked.  That means I got paid $1.74 for walking from my apartment to the Courthouse, and then from the Courthouse to work after I wasn't chosen.  That’s basically getting paid 14 cents a block, just for doing something I do multiple times every day.

Now I just need to find someone to pay me 14 cents for every block I walk in Marquette.  Think of how many trips to Europe I could pay for THAT way!!!

So if you ever wondered how much of a price can be put on an inconvenient but necessarily task, now you know.  Hopefully, you won’t have to find out any time soon, but just in case, you’re set.  And now I  can keep it in the back of mind for the next time I'm chosen for jury duty.

Because you KNOW there will be a next time.  Hopefully, it won't occur during Christmas (like it did in 2012) or while I'm getting ready to travel (like this year), but you know there will be a next time.  I guess I'm just lucky that way.

(jim@wmqt.com)

Friday, 5/10

2020? Heck, I haven't even done most of my 2019 stuff yet!

I'm off in a few minutes for a meeting at the Marquette Regional History Center, where we're already beginning discussions on what kinds of programs and tours we wanna do next year. I'm not quite sure why the meeting is this early in the year, although I do know that a bunch of new board members are quite enthusiastic about getting things underway. If that's the case, cool.

More people need to be enthusiastic about history.

However, that means I have to be thinking about what kind of stuff I wanna do next year even though I've only done one of the four programs and tours I'm set to do this year. Heck, I haven't even done work on two of them, and here I am, already having to think about new things I wanna do. That probably says more about my habit of procrastination than anything else, but still...

I haven't even gotten around to working on stuff for this year yet.

I have a few vague ideas of things I might wanna do next year; one that's tied into the fact that it'll be a new decade by then (the 20s!) and maybe a walking tour of an area and a facet of the city I've not yet explored. And seeing as how I've now done over two dozen programs and tours for the place, there are a couple I'd like to do over again, much like the South Marquette tour I have coming up this August. Of course, it's not entirely up to me; the programs have to be approved by the committee. But it seems like I usually get carte-blanche to do a couple of things I want a year, so I have that going for me.

And that's cool.

I suppose I should wrap this up so I can actually get to the meeting and submit my ideas. And who knows—with any luck, maybe someone else will have an idea they think I should tackle. That's how the whole “Dock” tour and “What's Up Dock” show I did with Jack came about, and is proof positive that sometimes my favorite ideas come from other people.

Even if those ideas ARE coming a little early this year.

On that note, have yourself a great weekend. If you can, spend some time with your mom on Mother's Day. I know I will because mine's on her way back from Florida as I type this!

(jim@wmqt.com)

Thursday, 5/9

I are an idiot.

I mean, that comes as no surprise to anyone who's ever read one of these. There are times when my brain just flies out the door, or my fingers type a little too fast, or my attention is shifted when I see a bright, shiny...

Wait. What was that?

I was planning on writing two final things about Germany today, and then letting it rest. After all, I'm sure you guys get sick listening to me talk about it, and there are a bunch of other topics waiting to be discussed.

You know—like parking spaces, and how to make sure you have enough of them, UP Health System.

Anyway, as I sat down to write this today I realized I could not remember one of the two things I wished to discuss. That's right; I had two final things to talk about, and one of those two slipped the bonds of my little pea brain. I forgot 50% of what I was going to mention, all because I can't seem to retain things in my head and/or I'm too dumb to, you know, write it down somewhere so I won't forget.

Oops.

I went through pictures and blogs from the trip, seeing if that would jog my memory, but alas, that was no help (although it DID remind me to one day mention how surreal it was to see a particular episode of “The Simpsons” dubbed into German. That episode? The one where Bart steals Adolf Hitler's car). I went through a little notebook I carry around while traveling, and there was nothing in there that made a light go on in my head. Even Loraine had no idea what I was thinking about.

Although that happens quite often in our apartment.

So I'm left with this lingering matter I was hoping to address. I have no idea if I'll ever remember what it was. If I DO remember, though, I can pretty much guarantee it'll be at 4 in the morning because, you know, that's how it always happens. Don't worry, though; if I DO remember, I won't subject you to it. After all, I said I'd stop writing about Germany after this blog, and while I may not be able to remember crap, I do stick to my word.

*****

The one thing about Germany that I DID remember? The first of the articles written about Loraine following her press conference in Weissenfels last week is now online! Admittedly, it's in German, but it does have a picture. If you wanna check it out, just CLICK HERE.

(jim@wmqt.com), married to a superstar in at least one German city.

Wednesday, 5/8

One problem taken care of, one problem still looming.

I didn't get the chance to write about this in any of our trip blogs but we narrowly averted a tragedy while in Germany last week.

Let me explain.

As you know, one of our main tasks tasks while in Europe is to buy chocolate that you can't get over here. Over the past couple of years I've found myself becoming addicted to a very bizarre flavor combination, put out by the Lindt company--

You can stop making that look of disgust now. The combination of dark chocolate and pink grapefruit is more amazing than you could ever imagine. And that's why restocking my supply of those bars was one of the few tasks I'd actually written down to make sure it was taken care of. You can't get them in the U.S.; you can't even order them from Germany. You can only get them in person.

So when we got to Leipzig one of the first places we went to was a Lindy outlet store, conveniently located right near our hotel. I searched through the shelves, and didn't see them anywhere. We went to a few grocery stores, and found nothing. Over the next few days, everywhere we went, I scanned the shelves, but came up empty. I was resigning myself to the fact that I was out of luck when we walked into the Galleria Kaufhof (the German version of Macy's) on Saturday, and I found a bunch of the pink grapefruit bars, just sitting there waiting for me.

So I bought a bunch, and am safe for another year.

I have no idea why I couldn't find them anywhere, especially at a Lindt store. There isn't a sign of them at all on the company's German web site, so I'm guessing that they're no longer made, and that I just stumbled upon the last remaining stock at the Kaufhof in Leipzig. I mean, it's cool that have enough bars to last me for awhile.

But it would be a total bummer if they were the last pink grapefruit bars I'd ever be able to get.

Now, onto the other problem. Look at what I saw on my favorite lilac tree in the world this morning!

Yup; the buds on my favorite lilac trees are starting to poke out, which means that pretty soon the most amazing fragrance in the world will be wafting through the air and my 3 minute walk to work every morning will take 15 minutes because I'm sticking my nose in each and every lilac tree I come across. But how is that a problem, you ask? I love lilac season. How in the world can that be a problem, even for someone as strange as me?

Well, I answer, because based on the obsessive attention I pay to those flowers each and every year I'd estimate that they're about two and a half to three weeks away from fully blooming. Two and a half to three weeks from now Loraine and I will be downstate for a high school graduation and Memorial Day weekend.

The possibility exists I could be missing peak lilac sniffing season.

I highly doubt that'll happen. We'll either get a cold snap and the blooms will be delayed, or they'll open early and I can sniff to my heart's content. And in any case you can sniff lilacs for more than the five days we'll be gone, so I will get to bury my nose in the buds, no matter what.

I just find it...funny that we could be downstate after their lilacs have already died and just as ours are reaching peak lilac-ness.

Oh, the first world problems we foist upon ourselves, huh? Good thing the lilacs were out when I was in Germany last week and got to sniff a few of them then!

(jim@wmqt.com), excelling at whining about inconsequential things.

Tuesday, 5/7

I find myself getting woken up earlier and earlier every morning. But I've decided I'm not gonna complain about it.

I usually sleep pretty soundly in the morning. In fact, it's when it seems I get my best REM sleep, which may account for why I have trouble functioning during the first part of the day. I'm still trying to rouse my body from a very deep level of unconsciousness. But I notice that I seem to be sleeping less soundly in the morning recently, and it's not because of people or sounds or the rumbling of street sweepers.

Nope. The sun is waking me up.

It's not a jolting wakeup like you get from 3am phone call or a 7am alarm going off. Nope, it's a gentle wakeup call. It's a wake-up call where your mind gradually becomes aware that there’s something out there, and it keeps nudging you closer and closer to consciousness to find out what that something is, until you eventually wake up, and realize that for the first time in so long you can’t remember you’ve been welcomed into your day by sun bouncing off of nearby houses, sun that for the past few months hasn't even risen when you wake up.

And since it would be anathema to everything for which I stand to complain about the sun, I'm not gonna!

I usually don't get back to sleep after the sun wakes me up, and for some strange reason my body and my mind don't seem to care. I don’t know if it was because my body's just naturally adapting to the circadian rhythms of the sun or if was the way in which my alarm clock for the day was so gentle in doing its job, but I seem to bound into my days in a very strange way, at least for me—not dead. In fact, on a couple of days, I've actually had energy and a willingness to face whatever's coming my day. There's no lethargic wandering around, trying not to bump into things. There was no sitting on the couch, staring at the wall for two hours while trying to summon enough energy to actually get off the couch. Nope...the sun, while waking me up early, also apparently provided me with the unique manner in which everyone should start the day.

Too bad it only works that way for a few months each year, right?

(jim@wmqt.com)

Monday, 5/6

I didn't weigh myself over the weekend.

One of the first things I usually do on a Saturday morning, right before I go on my long, meandering run, is to weigh myself. I do so at the same time every week; that way, I get a pretty good idea if I’ve been a bad boy the previous week, a good boy the previous week, or, as is usually the case, an average boy the previous week.

But I don’t weigh myself this past Saturday, and I believe you could guess the reason why—German chocolate, lots of bottles of German Dr. Pepper (the kind with sugar, and the kind that tastes like Dr. Pepper used to taste when I was a kid), and several very yummy German dinners, including one that was basically three hunks of pork, served along with potatoes that were covered in cheese and baked in some kind of really heavy cream sauce.

The Germans do several things quite well. Raising your cholesterol level is one of them.

After our first two trips to Europe both Loraine and I weighed ourselves the weekend we returned, and after being shocked out of our minds, vowed ever since to wait a week before measuring our weight again. Sure, a week really wouldn’t seem to make that much of a difference, but you’d be surprised at how much 10 days of healthy eating and exercising can lessen the shock of stepping on the scale the first time after returning. Sure, it may be cheating a little, but it’s cheating in a good way.

Kind of like some schools do in college football.

If I had to guess, I’ve venture to say I gained two pounds while I was over there this year. I don’t base that guess on anything scientific, other than the fact that I “feel” two pounds heavier. As far as I know, I could step on the scale tomorrow, and find out I haven’t gained anything at all, or I could step on the scale tomorrow, and find that I shot up five pounds. The possibility of it going up five pounds is the reason why I didn't weigh myself this past weekend, but if I had to guess, I’d guess two pounds.

We’ll see if I was anywhere in the neighborhood when I step on the scale five days from today. If I’m back to what passes for normal, we’ll know my guess was fairly accurate. If I step on the scale five days from today and see I’m still three or four pounds over what I was before we left, we’ll know that my guess was wrong, that I saved my system a shock by waiting a week to weigh myself, and that I probably shouldn’t eat too many dinners at restaurants in Germany any time soon.

I'll just have to make sure I don't go back there in the next couple of months.

8-)

(jim@wmqt.com)

Friday, 5/3

It just feels weird. So, so weird.

Normally, when Loraine & I get back from a trip it's the beginning of a new week. We've flown back home on a Sunday, spend a few hours sleeping, and then face the world anew on a Monday. But not this year. Because of the altered schedule of our journey to Germany I found myself dealing with a “Throwback Thursday” and trying to get ready for a weekend all the while pondering how I had just woken up the day before in Berlin.

It just didn't feel right.

I mean, you never actually feel “right” the day after you get back from a vacation, especially one where you've spent the last 24 hours of it flying. But over the past 15 years I've gotten used to groggily facing a Monday when going back to work. I have NO idea why it was surrealistically strange to have to fave a Thursday that way, instead.

Of course, nothing I do ever seems to be normal, so how's that any different, right?

The good thing is, I guess, is that after today we have two days in which we don't have anything to do. Well, I mean, I have to finish unpacking, and I have about 18,000 loads of laundry to do. But other than that we can rest, decompress, and finish easing back into reality. On other trips we've had to wait a week to do that. So while it may have seemed weird to come back to work on a Thursday, there is an upside to it.

And who knows—maybe it's an upside with which I can get quite comfortable!

On that note, I have to deal with 9 or 10 more hours of work before decompression sets in. So have yourself a good weekend, and if you're any extra laundry to do, I may know a guy who wouldn't mind sharing some of his!!

8-)

(jim@wmqt.com)