Tuesday, 10/31 (boo!)

Hopefully, I didn't lose too much of the context.

First of all, happy Halloween. I hope there's not too much out there that scares you today...although, given the state of our planet these days, I wouldn't blame you if you spent the day cowering under the covers with your bedroom door locked tight.

Really, I wouldn't.

On TV last night I did a bit about something that should scare UP residents, the fact that a whole bunch of housing units are coming off the market and being turned into short term rentals, thereby driving up rent prices for those apartments that remain. However, as usual, the piece came in long, and I had to make a bunch of cuts to it. A lot of what I cut were facts and comparisons, and at one point I was wondering if I cut too many of them, robbing the piece of what could have been vital pieces of context to get my point across.

I think I managed it okay, but you can never tell.

Anyway, I figured I post the original full-length below, just in case anyone ever questions my math or wonders just what kind of point I was trying to make.

Hope it's not TOO scary of a story for this Halloween!

(jim@wmqt.com)

*******

It’s Halloween tomorrow, the one time of the year that people love to dress up in costume.  I know most of you have an idea of what you’ll be, or have already gone out.  But if you’re still looking I have a few ideas, two that should annoy Yoopers, and one that should really scare them.

The two that could annoy Yoopers?  One would be to take a piece of cardboard, paint it black, add a white stripe on it, strap it to your back, and go as Seney Stretch.

Either that, or just put a sheet over your head.  Only, you’re not going as a ghost.  

You’re going as a blizzard.  In May.

Now, what about the one idea that should really scare us all?  Dress up as an old house that’s for sale.  What’s scary about that?

You could be contributing to the UP’s housing shortage.

More and more these days developers and landlords are buying old houses that at one time may have had 3 or 4 apartments and turning some of those units into short term rentals.  Now I realize that not every house sold in the UP is turned into an AirBnB, but in some communities enough of them are that it’s amplifying the housing crunch.

Just as an example–

In a city that already has almost 2,000 hotel rooms and is currently adding hundreds more, Marquette has had around 350 apartments turned into Air Bnbs.  Thankfully, the city put limits on it; otherwise, I’m sure the number would have been much higher.  But those 350 units removed from the market have caused a big squeeze.  At 1.9 residents per apartment that means that housing for almost 700 people in Marquette is off the market.  700 people.  That’s basically the population of Chatham and Trenary.

Combined.

And it’s not just Marquette.  At candidates forums from Escanaba to Houghton the housing crunch is the number one topic being discussed.  

Now, I realize that short term rentals aren’t the only factor contributing to a shortage of affordable housing.  But they are an issue.  What to do about that issue, however, is something else.  I realize that when someone buys an old house they can do what they want with it.  I get that it’s more profitable for you to charge a tourist $200 a night than it is to charge a local $1,000 a month for a place to live.  I get that.  

But when do we get to a point of diminishing returns?  At what point are locals literally priced out of the city where they live because there are too few places for them to live?  That’s one thing that SHOULD scare people in the UP as we’re heading through the spooky season.

I don't know what the solution to all this is; I just know that it'll come from a brain bigger than mine.  And hopefully, it'll come soon.  Just keep in the back of your mind for now.  Otherwise, have a great Halloween.  Enjoy dressing up as a zombie, or Barbie, or even the Seney Stretch.  But on second thought, maybe don’t dress up as an airbnb.

After all, you don’t want to have TOO big of a scare, do you?

Monday, 10/30

Spare time? What's that?

I was having a discussion with several people on the set of “High School Bowl” Friday morning, and I heard a phrase I'm beginning to hear with some regularity these days. Once it was discovered that I have a full-time job, two part-time TV gigs, and all my History Center stuff, all jobs that require a little mental and/or creative work, someone (hi, Dakota!) uttered the phrase I hear a lot--

“Do you have any spare time in your life”?

First of all, thanks for asking. Second of all, I really enjoy what I'm doing, so in the end, does it really matter?

And thirdly—uhm...no, I don't.

This past weekend was a perfect example; aside from the usual weekend chores like laundry, grocery shopping, getting a Covid booster, and playing soccer with Loraine, I spent several hours writing and producing my TV piece for tonight, then started to try & put together my part of the “Legends and Lore” show Jack & I are doing at Kaufman in January, went trick or treating with my favorite 6 and 4-year olds in the world, felt crappy for a bit because of the Covid booster, researched a newspaper article I have coming up, developed and wrote a few UP-themed questions for “High School Bowl”, and wrapped it up by writing this.

So let me check here...nope. No spare time. But you know what? I don't know if I'd be able to function with a lot of spare time. I get bored easily, and having something—or in this case, many things-- to occupy my brain keeps me on the edge of my toes. Besides, I enjoy what I do. Writing, researching, and finding new ways to tell stories excites me more than puttering around the garage (which I don't have) or cleaning out the pantry (which I really DO need to do).

Now, if it was summer, I might scale back on that workload a little bit so I could go play out in the sun, but did you SEE the weather we had this past weekend? Trust me—if it's gonna be like that outside, them I'm gonna do something I actually enjoy.

After all, I can freeze my butt off every day I walk to work from October to April.

So no, Dakota, I don't have a lot of “spare time”. But you know what? I actually (for the most part) enjoy it. But for now (and this could some day change) I enjoy it more than puttering in the garage or cleaning out the pantry.

Even if that really DOES need to get done soon.

8-)

(jim@wmqt.com)

Friday, 10/27

Rain, rain, go away. Come again...

Well, never. Come again never. That would be fine with me.

Maybe this is just an early case of Seasonal Affliction Disorder talking, but the three weeks of (mostly) rain and cold temperatures we've been experiencing can go away and not come back. In fact, it's almost enough, in fact, to make one wish one were a duck.

Although I'm thinking that, by this point, even a duck would be sick of the stuff.

It's all made even worse, of course, by the cold that's accompanied the rain. Even on those rare days when the sun was out, like last Sunday, temperatures were stuck in the 40s. In fact, for the month, I think we're something like over 10 degrees BELOW our normal highs, and that's with that 88 degree day on October 2nd. Perhaps the worst is that this isn't a widespread thing. Wednesday, when it was rainy & 43 in Marquette, it was 80 and sunny downstate.

80 and sunny just a few hours away. I'm starting to think Mother Nature is REALLY pissed at something we did this year, although I can't for the life of me figure out what it was.

I know; the intelligent among you are ready to tell me that there's nothing we can do about the weather, and you're absolutely right about that. Complaining about it doesn't change it or fix it. It's not like if I yell loud enough I'll create a pressure wave strong enough to move the blocking system that's been causing us to have this wet & cold weather. I know that.

It's just that I think I'm at the end of my rope.

So I'll wrap this up with two thoughts. First of all, thanks for letting me blow off a little steam. I appreciate it. Secondly, I know that I don't like “typical” fall weather. But if we ever DO get a day where it's sunny but a little crisp outside, I will embrace it with all the gusto I usually reserve for an 80 degree summer day. I promise you that.

I don't know if we'll be getting one any time soon, but if we do, you have my word. And while you're at it, have a great weekend!

(jim@wmqt.com)

Thursday, 10/26

Sure, I'm an organ donor. Why wouldn't I be?

I just got a new driver's license, and I happened to be showing it to someone, who noticed the little heart that's placed on it, indicating that I'm a donor. She just wanted to both thank me and congratulate me for doing so; having worked in the medical field for a bit, she said that she knows the importance of signing up to be an organ donor.

The way I think of it is like this—if I were to die unexpectedly, it's not like I'd need my organs, right? I might as well help someone else live a longer life, if I can.

A quick Google search turned up a couple of interesting facts. The first is that almost a third of Americans are signed up to be organ donors when they die. That number actually surprised me; I actually thought it would've been lower, considering some people are so squeamish about the subject. Hopefully, as the years wear on, that percentage will become even higher, because of the second fact that I saw on that Google search--

21 Americans die every day because of a lack of suitable organs. That's almost 8,000 people a year or, to put it in terms that might be a little easier to understand, the population of the city of Houghton, plus a couple of hundred. That many people die in this country every year because of the lack of suitable donated organs.

Whenever there's a new (non-Covid) disease around and it kills two or three people, it seems like a huge chunk of the nation goes ape. Why don't huge chunks of the nation go ape when 2,500 times that number die on an annual basis? Like I said before, I realize this is a squeamish topic for people to think about. I know a lot of people don't want to consider what might happen when then die, and because of that refuse to even think about donating their organs. But wouldn't that be a fitting legacy to a life cut short—to help save the lives of a few or of many other people? Wouldn't that be a way to have your life remembered and honored?

At least that's what I would think. And that's why, for several decades now, I've been signed up to be an organ donor.

(jim@wmqt.com)

Wednesday, 10/25

Now I'm going to be really confused.

As I think I've written about in here before, it's interesting working in TV, especially on a show like “High School Bowl”. Despite what some people think (and some people, actually, think we do the show live on Saturday nights) we don't always shoot the episodes in any kind of order. Often, like we did last week, we shoot different halves of two different shows in one day. That's always a blast as the host (and that would be me) has to make sure the clothes being worn match so that I'm not wearing a black shirt in the first half of a show and a green one in the second.

That's why I'm thinking Friday might be a challenge.

Let me explain—Friday we're shooting the second half of the second show we shot last week. We're also shooting the first half of a new show. And to top it off, we've had a team drop out, which means we don't have a second half of the first show we shot last week yet I have to shoot a new close for the show, which means that Friday I get to wear three different outfits to shoot parts of three different shows.

See where there might be a little confusion?

Thankfully, I do have my chart to consult. If you recall, before we start shooting for the season, I make a list of what to wear for every show. I do it mostly to make sure I'm wearing a different color scheme each week, and I do it so that I literally don't have to think about what to wear the night before we tape. I just look at the list and I'm ready to go. And while I didn't intend it this way, it's also become invaluable for those weeks when we're shooting parts of two different shows, just so I can keep track of which tie and jacket goes with which show.

Or, in the case of this Friday, three different ties & jackets.

I'm pretty sure that people who don't do TV don't realize some of the bizarre things you have to do to make it work, but that list of mine is just one. And it's a good thing I have it for this week. After all, given the way things go some days...

You may have ended up watching a show where I start with a purple tie and end with an orange one. And no one wants to see that.

8-)

(jim@wmqt.com)

Tuesday, 10/24

There was one that I knew I wouldn't be able to use.

Over the past few months I've been taking pictures of UP-themed stickers I've seen on cars, leading up to last night's TV piece about showing your UP pride through what you put on your car.  I think in the course of the 2-minute piece I used every single picture I took (and I took a LOT) with one exception.  And after seeing it, you may figure out why it wasn't used--

We actually went back & forth on whether or not it would be suitable for air, but in the end I think we made the right decision.  There's a rule in TV (especially TV news) that you should err on the side of caution, and I think we all knew that, despite the gag value of the sticker, it wouldn't be worth any other kind of reaction we might get.

So it gets to live here, instead.

Because we didn't use it I didn't get to tell the story about how I felt it might be the most appropriate of all the stickers I shot.  After all, I took the picture on one of those rainy days this past August when it was 52 degrees.  And if THAT doesn't epitomize the sentiment the sticker was expressing, I don't know would.

Really, I don't.

Because, as I mentioned last week, TV has a voracious appetite, so I'm already on to next week's piece.  But I thought I would pause for a second to talk about this week's “906”, if only for the sake of a sticker that didn't make the final cut.

8-)

(jim@wmqt.com) 

Monday, 10/23

I don't know how I'm gonna handle this tragedy.

First of all, hope you had a great weekend. I went to the premiere of a documentary in which I'm a talking head, I got to hang out with my favorite (soon to be) 7 year old in the world, played soccer with my girlfriend, baked some stuff so my girlfriend could take it to work for a potluck Tuesday, and got to write what should be an interesting piece for TV tonight (more on that tomorrow).

So I had a fun weekend. I also got some bad news, as well.

Every so often Loraine and I head to German Shop 24, a place that sells many of our favorite chocolate bars, cereal, and teas from Germany. We last ordered stuff in February or March, which means we're starting to run out, which means we're thinking about what we want to order again. As I was going through my list, and making sure they have everything, I discovered something that shocked me to my core--

They're no longer making my favorite cereal in the whole world.

Yes, my favorite cereal in the world is German. What's your point? I mean, it has chocolate, cherries, crispy thingees, oat flakes, and I love every single bite of it. Or, rather, I LOVED every bite. When I couldn't find it on the German Shop website I checked the site of Kolln, the company that makes it, and I found it was no longer listed.

It has, apparently, become a deceased cereal.

That's a bummer. I just finished a box a few weeks ago and, if I had known that it would have been the last time I was ever able to eat the cereal, I would have savored it more. But alas, I did not, and now I'm not able to. I have no idea why they stopped producing the cereal; if there's an expert on German food manufacturers reading this, I'd love to know why. All I know is it seems to have disappeared, never again to grace my taste buds.

Hopefully, I'll recover from the loss.

So hope your weekend was like the good 95% of mine (you know, the movie, the soccer, the hanging out with my favorite soon to be 7 year old), and not the few moments that shook my world to the core.

Sigh...

(jim@wmqt.com), on the lookout for a new favorite cereal in the world.

Friday, 10/20

Because I have an insanely busy few days, which includes going to shoot a TV show in a bit, I'm gonna leave you with something from a few years ago. It's appropriate, perhaps, because two of the people mentioned in it will begin their annual migration soon, and we'll miss them a bunch.

But first...”High School Bowl” calls. Have a great weekend. Stay dry if it's at all possible!

(jim@wmqt.com)

******

(as originally posted 10/22/20)

Like all good Gen X-ers, I blame my parents.

Don't worry; Chicky-Poo and Dar didn't do anything really bad. I don't have to run to a therapist every week. I have a healthy & loving relationship. And I actually really, really like what my parents did to me.

Even if it was turn me into a geography nerd.

That thought popped into my mind as I was leafing through a book I bought called “The Passport Book”. It's basically pictures of the 200-some passports that exist on the planet, and a few fun facts about the countries that issue them. I pick up books like that all the time, and I devour them eagerly.

Thanks, Mom & Dad.

Apparently, my nerd-dom started at a very early age. According to my mom, when I was a little too young to start school I would longingly stare out the window at all the kids walking to class. So to make me feel a little better she would read a page or two of a giant world atlas we had, so I would feel like I was learning something even if I couldn't go to school. As I learned how to read myself, that would be one of my favorite books to peruse, as I learned all about different countries and the people who lived in them

The rest, of course, is history. And have I ever mentioned that I had AWESOME parents growing up?

8-)

They also introduced me to travel, the other reason “The Passport Book” attracted my attention. As a little kid I got to go to all kinds of interesting places, and when I was a senior in high school they managed to take advantage of an airline promotion where you could buy tickets and, basically, fly anywhere you wanted within a two-week span. I realize you could never do that now, but back them we went from Marquette to Houston to LA to Miami to DC to Nashville to Houston and back to Marquette in 11 days.

I didn't need a passport for that, but it definitely lit something within me.

So, like many people, I can blame the way I turned out on my parents. Thankfully, it was in a positive way. You can tell by the books I still read, even after all these years.

Thursday, 10/19

It was just a few days ago (Monday, I believe) when I last wrote that my life is weird. And it is—in the past few years I've been able to do everything from host walking tours with 300 people to seeing my face plastered on the side of a bus. Every week it seems like something I never would have dreamed possible occurs, and it just makes me wonder what's coming next.

Don't believe me? Well, how about this—I'm now the “voice” of a plumbing company.

In New Jersey.

This started, like so many things, with an e-mail from a local ad agency wondering I'd like to throw my voice in contention in case any of the accounts they service (from around the country, I might add) were ever interested. Well, one of them, My Guy Plumbing from Tom's River, New Jersey, was, and now if you're ever in Jersey and see one of their TV commercials you'll hear a familiar whiny voice extolling the virtues of having “My Guys” fix your leaky pipes.

See? My life really IS weird.

I have no idea why they chose me; after all, my voice is not the first you'd think of when talking about plumbing or drains. But maybe that's what they were going for; something slightly left of center and out of the ordinary. In that case, I guess, I'd be the perfect person to talk about the subject.

I guess we'll see how it all works out. And at the same time, we'll keep an eye out as to what's coming next. Like I said, every time something unique or weird happens, I think that nothing will top it. And every single time I've said that, the universe simply replies “Hold my beer”. So what's next?

I have no idea. I'm just guessing that being the spokesperson for a New Jersey plumber is not the weirdest thing that may happen to me in the near future.

Whether that' a good or a bad thing...well, we'll see, won't we?

(jim@wmqt.com)

Wednesday, 10/18

It's the gift that keeps on giving. Really, it is.

I have to sneak out and shoot a Wednesday episode of “High School Bowl” in a few minutes (first of four Wednesdays in a row, for some bizarre reason) so let's continue with yesterday's theme...

Yooper Hallmark movies.

As I mentioned yesterday, the first draft of my TV bit for this week was waaaaay over—it timed out at four minutes, and I only have two minutes in which to babble. So I had to cut out a bunch of fake movie titles and/or plot descriptions. Because I don't want them to go to waste and because I really DO need to get ready for TV this morning, I present several of them now. Some were cut because they weren't developed, and some weren't quite as funny as others.

Editing can be brutal, as most writers tell you.

Here we go—some of the fake titles we didn't use?

“Love in L'Anse”

“Paradise by the Paulding Light”

“Hugs in Houghton”

“Superior Snuggles”

And a few full descriptions?

“Bars of Iron”, in which bartenders from Iron Mountain & Iron River fall in love, break up, and get back together, all within the span of one Humongous Fungus Festival.

“Left at Lambeau”, where Lions fan is left at the altar by a Packers fan, but hopes to find love again by going on a series of blind dates with fans of AFC teams.

And...

“Love in the Izz-zone”, in which the legendary Coach helps a beach volleyball player overcome her lifelong fear of sand so she can finally come face to face with the Lake Superior lifeguard she’s admired from afar.

Don't ask.

As I mentioned yesterday, this was a fun one to put together. And with any luck, so will the one for next Monday. Even if I don't know what I'm doing yet. But I still have what...four days?

For some of us, that's like a lifetime.

8-)

Okay. I need to get going to my other TV gig now!

(jim@wmqt.com)

Tuesday, 10/17

Okay...even for me, it was a bit goofy.

My “Life in the 906” piece for last night dealt with a unique opportunity for the UP. Like most places, we're always looking for ways to diversify our economy, and I came with what I think is a great plan--

Hallmark movies.

Maybe you should actually watch it first.  So just CLICK OR TAP HERE.  Don't worry; we'll wait for you to watch it.

(This is just waiting for you to watch it).

Now that you've seen it, let me say this.  I don't know why, and I'm really not sure if I should be, but I'm actually kinda proud of this one. It has everything you need in a “906”--a topical need (economic diversification), plus a very Jim-like solution to the problem (Hallmark movies), and a bunch of gags contained within. And I don't think I'm the only one who took a shine to it, as once I announced I was doing the bit last week my 19 News colleagues started texting me fake movie names, while Loraine helped me refine the fake movie graphics that I used.

Sure, it may have been a silly piece, but it was a silly piece that was a group effort!

Of course, with all that input, when I finished the first draft it was twice as long as it should have been. That means a lot of fake movie plots & titles were left out, but never fear. Maybe I'll be sharing them with you in the next few days.

After all, you deserve that, right?

But because the TV monster has an insatiable appetite, I'm already on to next week's segment. I have no idea what it'll be about yet, but I'm pretty sure it WON'T involve Hallmark movie.

Or will it?

8-)

(jim@wmqt.com)

Monday, 10/16

Even though I'm still having trouble hearing out of one ear, I really do lead a charmed life.

First of all, it IS getting better, slowly but surely. And who knows—maybe some year soon I'll be able to hear out of both of my ears equally. Wish me luck!

Second of all, Friday showed me that despite a temporary physical ailment that I really AM one lucky person. In fact, I had three signs of that within a two hour span. The first occurred when I went to tape “High School Bowl” and two of the contestants from Ishpeming showed up saying they wanted to “out dress” me.

Think they did?

After leaving TV-13 I went to get my flu shot, and the lady who gave it to me said that she never misses one of my History Center walking tours, and always has a great time. Then I get to work, check my e-mail, and find a note from the producers of that documentary in which I was a talking head a few months ago, thanking me for “making their film” and inviting me to check it out before it debuts at Fresh Coast this weekend.

Why, everyone sure knows how to make a boy feel liked.

8-)

I always joke that “it's not easy being me”, but you know what? I don't think I'd trade my life for anyone else's. I mean, I get to do some amazing things on a daily basis. And every so often, one (or more) of those amazing things actually touches or affects other people. And when I get to hear about something like that, it makes all the work and all the time I put into the 87,000 things I seem to do on a daily basis worth it.

In a world filled with suffering and backbiting and strife and idiocy, I've somehow been able to avoid most of that and instead focus on the good. Not everyone gets to experience that.

And I really AM grateful for whatever sort of charmed existence I get to lead.

******

Speaking of one of things I do and how lucky I am I get to do it, my bit tonight on TV will either be brilliant or the silliest thing I've ever done. I don't think there's any option in between. I really don't. Check it out at 6:20 or so on TV 19 if you dare, and we'll discuss it in length tomorrow.

Assuming, of course, I survive it.

(jim@wmqt.com)

Friday, 10/13 (!)

Well, this should be fun.

I'm about to go off & shoot an episode of “High School Bowl”, and my left ear still isn't working the way it should. Oh, it's better than is has been, as I can actually hear sounds (even if I can't actually “hear” those sounds). But it's getting better, and that's the important thing. Now, as long as I don't have to shout “speak into my good ear” to the students today, we should be all set.

So wish me luck.

Actually, the way the set is set up works to my advantage, as the students are all to my right hand side, which is my “good” ear. So while I'll be able to hear them just fine, my left ear (the current “bad” one) is located in the direction of the monitor, which gives me the audible cues for the start of the game, halftime, and the end of the match. So if you watch this particular episode on November 11^th and notice that I blow right through half time or the end of the match, know that I had a reason.

It's not a very good reason, but is IS a reason.

With that in mind, I'm off to TV land. Have yourself a great weekend, and stay dry!!

(jim@wmqt.com)

Thursday, 10/12

I wonder if I'll ever finish the list?

As I mentioned yesterday, I'm still having difficulty hearing out of my left ear (if anything, the sinus pressure in my head actually seems to be a little worse, which should make doing “High School Bowl” tomorrow rather interesting) and I've put off doing some production work until I can hear a little better. Now since production takes a chunk out of my day every day, that means I have a little extra time to try & tackle things on The List.

That's right. I have a list that's so revered it's capitalized.

This is actually a list (or List) I've had going for several years at work of projects I'd like to tackle if I ever have the time. Of course, the past few years (since Covid) have been insane, and instead of trying to chip a piece or two off the List I just keep adding to it. But now, if I have a spare hour or two a day until my ear clears up, doesn't this seem like a perfect time to plow into it?

Well, it would, if I knew where to start.

The List has a LOT of stuff on it, and I'm not quite sure where to start. I know experts say to just pick an item and begin there, but which item to pick? There are some that have been on the List since, I think, 2019, so should I choose one of those? Or should I choose a newer item that might just be a little more important? While actually trying to figure this out will I actually come up with something new that should be on the List, and take care of that right away?

You do realize that by the time I figure this out my ear will probably be back at 100%, right?

Yes, I know I'm overthinking this and yes, I know that I probably shouldn't have let the List go so long without trying to figure it out. But then wouldn't that take all the fun out of it? Wouldn't that remove all the second (and third and fourth) guessing that I could put into figuring out what to do.

Who says it's fun being organized? If you ask me, it's highly over-rated. It really is.

8-)

We'll see how things turn out. After all, I'm hopeful my ear returns to normal soon and, if that's the case, the List can keep on growing as I get back to a normal workday. And if my ear doesn't? Well, then maybe--just maybe—I'll dive in the project and see what it's like to handle work like an organized adult would.

Even if I am anything BUT an organized adult...

(jim@wmqt.com)

Wednesday, 10/11

It's a good thing I don't have to work with audio, Otherwise...

Oh, wait. I work in radio. I DO work with audio. That explains the problem.

If I sound weird the next few days (okay, weirder than usual) it's not the fault of your radio, it's the fault of me. A couple of days ago I noticed that during my yearly bout of hay fever, my right ear wasn't working as well as it usually does. That either cleared up or just migrated to the other side of my head, because as I type this I can't hear a thing out of my left ear, although I can feel some sinus pressure in my left Eustachian Tube.

Cool, huh?

I shouldn't say I can't hear a thing; I actually can hear a lot of white noise and, if I move my head just so, can also faintly hear stuff in the background. But for now, it's like I have the world's strongest earplug in my left ear. I know there's sound there, but I can't hear it.

That's a real good trait for someone who spends a chunk of their day editing audio. Really, it is.

While I do suffer from hay fever every fall, I've never had this particular thing happen to me. It's a little disconcerting, especially when I'm trying to listen to audio I'm editing or people talking to me. It doesn't seem to have affected my voice yet, and I'm hoping it doesn't. I'm also hoping it goes away soon; if it doesn't, I may to need to starting learning how to read lips.

And that would not be pretty.

I'm also hoping it doesn't spread to my other ear, especially because that's the ear in which this all began. Having one bad ear is bad enough; I don't even want to ponder what might happen with two bad ones. My usual hay fever medication doesn't seem to have any effect on this situation, and I'm waiting a few days to see what happens before taking any more action. I'm hoping it drains and my hearing comes back soon, otherwise if you see me talking to someone or trying to listen to audio with my head cocked to the right, it's not one of my usual quirks.

It's a new quirk. Because, after all, we need more of those in the world, right?

8-)

(jim@wmqt.com)

Tuesday, 10/10

What a difference a week makes, huh?

I mean, think of it--80 degrees & sun last Tuesday, and temperatures half of that (plus rain!) today.  Aren't we the lucky ones, huh?  But I'm not here to whine about the weather today; instead, I'm here to point out something that occurred to me as I was deciding what to wear this past three day weekend.

And that has to do with shorts.

In the spring, after six months of cold and snow, the first day when temperatures rise above freezing is a cause for celebration in the UP.  One of the ways in which we celebrate it is the ceremonial wearing of shorts.  In fact, some people (okay, me and a few other diehards) will even continue to wear shorts every time the temperature rises above 32, if only because there were months when we couldn't.  And besides, it's nice to be liberated from pants when you have the opportunity, so, you know, why not?

So if the 32 degree mark is the threshold for wearing shorts in the spring, should we also continue wearing shorts every other day of the year when it's above freezing?  Apparently not in the fall.  Every single day this past three-day weekend the temperatures were well above freezing--10 to 12 degrees above, in fact--yet when I was out & about I did not see one person wearing shorts.  I myself didn't even consider putting them on.

Obviously, a temperature that seems tropical in February or March seems downright Arctic in October, especially just a few days after it was 80 degrees.

I will often tell people visiting the UP that we wear shorts whenever it's above freezing, and that's something I may have to adjust in the future.  Apparently it's okay to wear shorts when there's snow everywhere, but not so much when everything's still (mostly) green.  But like I said--if it's 40 degrees in March it's downright tropical.  But 40 degrees in October?

Welcome to Siberia.

(jim@wmqt.com), still hoping to wear shorts (many times) in 2023

Friday, 10/6

Wow. I can't believe this is the ninth season of it already.

I don't have much time to write this morning, as I'm shortly due at Public TV 13 to tape the first shows of the year for “High School Bowl”. It's the 45^th year for the show, and the ninth with me as host, which is kind of unbelievable seeing as how it seems I just started doing it last month. But as we discover more and more, time doesn't seem to lie, so year nine is now in the starting gate.

It's funny, because it seems like we just taped the championship game from last year last week. But nope; that was February 10th, over half a year ago, and here we are, getting ready to start it all over again. The show we tape today airs November 4th, preceded by a repeat of the “Year in Review” show from last season. And that, of course, means that I have to remember to do one thing—watch a few seconds of that shows to make sure that the ties I wear in the first few shows aren't the one I wore in that particular recap. Sure, it might seem a little shallow and stupid, but as I've found, people actually pay attention to those things.

No, I'm not quite sure why, but they do. And that's why I keep track of what I wear on TV when, and that's why the list I keep throughout the season seems more and more invaluable, especially after doing this for nine years.

So with that in mind, I'm off to make a fool out of myself, as usual. But at least I'll be wearing a tie viewers haven't seen recently. On that note, have yourself a great weekend..And it's funny to be saying this after the early portion of our week, but stay warm!

(jim@wmqt.com).who has Monday off so...see you Tuesday!

Thursday, 10/5

It's never ever the gags I think it will be.

I did another semi-humorous piece on TV a few days ago, a list of the changes we can expect now that October's here. Much of the list were jokes, and since then I've had a couple of people have told me the one line they liked the best. It wasn't the one about Florida being the third peninsula of Michigan, nor was it the one about how October is the only month when Red Wings fans have any hope.

In fact, it was more an observation than a joke. It was a bit about how October is the month when you have to buy more Halloween candy because you've already eaten the Halloween candy you bought when it first went on sale back in August.

Who knew?

It's funny; out of all the gags that made the list, that line was the only one that wasn't UP-specific. It could, in fact, happen anywhere. And who knows—may that was the reason it hit the way it did. It's something everyone can relate to (unlike, say, having to add words like “pank” to your vocabulary). But I put work into some of those gags. The one about Halloween candy just occurred to me while I was typing the other gags in. I basically included it as filler, just in case the piece came out a little short, which it did, which is why it made the final cut.

Where it then, of course, became the standout bit of the piece.

Once again...who knew?

I'm not complaining; nope, I'm just glad there was something in the piece that touched viewers the way it did. It just, once again, goes to show that my tastes and the tastes of the people watching (or listening) aren't anywhere similar. But that's okay.

Now I just have to figure out how to match my taste and the taste of everyone else up, and we'll be all set.

8-)

If you didn't see it, click HERE for the full piece.

(juim@wmqt.com)

Wednesday, 10/4

I'm gonna miss my auxiliary writing studio.

As you know, I do a lot of writing, both in my personal life and for here at work. I will usually just type away in my office, but there are a couple of months a year when I can head down to my "auxiliary" office and type. Unlike my regular office, which is surrounded by four walls, my auxiliary office has a slightly better view--

One of the (many) joys of working in downtown Marquette is that you're only a few seconds away from Lower Harbor Park. And on the nice days we get between June & September (or, in the case of the year, early October) I will forego the four walls and bring a laptop down to Lower Harbor Park, where I can sit writing away in 80 degree sunshine 40 feet from the greatest of lakes.

A day like that actually makes it worth going to work.

8-)

I wasn't alone yesterday, either, as I sat in the park writing promo copy. It was filled with people picnicking, people running or walking or biking, and people just sitting on the benches, gazing upon the water, and enjoying the precious final few hours of summer.

I'm not surprised, though. People who live here seem to have a built in clock, an alarm that goes off altering them to what might be the final park-worthy day before six to eight month of gloom set in. Maybe "clock" isn't the right word; maybe you just spend enough time up here, and you get this...feeling, I guess, as to when a change is coming and how you really need to take advantage of it.

Which is what everyone was doing yesterday.

So unless something strange happens (and this year, I'm discounting NOTHING) I'm guessing the time I spend in my auxiliary office is coming to an end. I really wish it could have gone on, but I am thankful that I've had the opportunity to use it.

Much like, I'm sure, everyone else in the park was thankful yesterday.

(jim@wmqt.com)

Tuesday, 10/3

 Apparently, I'm starting to talk like Loraine's grandmother again.

Okay, let me explain. I don't swear an awful lot. I try to keep my language clean, and I try to keep my discourse elevated. That's just the kind of person I am. Plus, having worked in radio all these years, I've learned not to use language that might be problematic should there ever be an open microphone nearby. Yet there are times when something stupid happens or I'm so shocked by an event that I have a reaction that causes certain words to come out of my mouth. And what are those words, at least usually?

Words along the lines of “Jeez 'o Pete”, “Seriously????”, or, if it's really bad, “Crap”.

Shocking language, isn't it? But sometimes you just have to say the things you have to say, if only to express your true feelings about a matter. And sometimes the words “Jeez 'o Pete” are the only words that get across those feelings. Loraine does think I sound like her grandmother when I say them.

And this isn't the first time she's mentioned it.

I don't know why I started using a phrase like “Jeez 'o Pete”; it's certainly not something a normal person my age would use. Maybe Loraine's right. After all, she's right about a lot of things. Maybe I heard my own grandmother (or someone like her) use the phrase so much that it stuck itself into my brain. Or maybe I subconsciously picked it up from one of those old radio shows I listen to.

Or maybe, just maybe, I'm weird. Don't discount that theory.

I've been reading a book about euphemisms (called, imaginatively enough, “Euphemisms”) recently, and it talks all about how we tend to use substitute words when the subject about which we're talking makes us uncomfortable. The writer actually goes through hundreds of euphemisms and discusses how they came about. “Jeez 'o Pete”, however, was not one of them. I'd be curious, though, to know from where it came, and why it's so associated with women of a certain era.

And, apparently, me.

So if you happen to see me doing something stupid, like dropping a can of soup on my bare foot or walking into a cupboard door, both of which actually prompted use of that phrase, be aware that the words “Jeez 'O Pete” will be probably be coming out of my mouth. Sure, I could use a different word or phrase, but that wouldn't be as much fun, would it? And it would also be so much more predictable, too.

And that's something I'd never want to be. So “Jeez 'o Pete” it is!

                            *****

Before I go I do have to mention I have a sister who's getting just a tad older today.  She says she doesn't even want to acknowledge the fact, so I'll respect that.  Well...except maybe to say happy birthday, Mel unnamed sister!

(jim@wmqt.com)

Monday, 10/2

 Let's see...

It's the second of October.  It's supposed to be sunny and 88 here in Marquette today.  The last two times it was this nice in Marquette I was out of town and unable to take advantage of it.  So...does taking a few hours off today to go and enjoy it make sense?

It does in my world.

8-)

Actually, I'm still kind of flabbergasted at how our weather this summer/fall has gone.  Yes, I know a couple of weeks ago that I said I wouldn't whine about it any more, but this really is a somewhat unique situation, in which our September (and now, apparently, the first few days of October) end up being warmer than either our May (with its snow days) or August (with all of its gloom & rain).

And it's not just here, either.  We were watching RB Leipzig's match Saturday night.  This is the exact weekend when we went over there last year to watch a match, and if you recall, that day it was 45 and raining.  But for their match on the same weekend this year?

Sunny & 82.

Strange things happen, I guess, when you break the planet.

Actually, we get a return to much more "normal" conditions later this week when it's supposed to be rainy and in the 40s, which makes a day like today that much more of a gift.  And when you're given a gift, you're supposed to appreciate it, use it, and enjoy it, right?  Which is what I plan on doing with it for at least a few hours today, before the reality of first radio and then TV beckons.

So, if you're in a place where you've been given the unexpected gift of a "summer" day, appreciate it.  Use it. Enjoy it.  Because even though we have broken the planet and our weather isn't always what it should be, we do know that a gift like this won't be given to us much longer, if at all, for the rest of the year.

Have fun with it!

(jim@wmqt.com)