Friday, 5/31

I never really thought about it, but you know what? I don't have a lot of “stuff”.

One of my favorite George Carlin routines ever is about “stuff”--getting stuff, finding a place to put your stuff, and doing stuff with your stuff. But over the weekend, I came to realize that for as much as I like that routine I really don't live it very well, if only because I don't have a lot of “stuff”.

Oops. My bad.

Every so often, like a responsible adult (please don't tell anyone I said that) I spend a few minutes figuring out what I have that might be worth something to other people if I should unexpectedly vanish off the face of the Earth. And it always strikes me that I don't have a lot of “stuff”. Or at least I don't have a lot of stuff that people might consider as “stuff”. I don't have expensive toys, or expensive jewelry, or expensive pieces of property to leave someone. I'm not surprised; after all, I've never really cared about “stuff”, but it made me think.

And as we all know, that can be a dangerous thing.

Thinking about it, I realize that I don't accumulate “stuff” as much as I accumulate something much more ephemeral. I accumulate memories, and I accumulate experiences. I write. I take pictures. I give tours & programs. I do TV shows. And I travel. Apparently, I don't keep score in the traditional way, with a bigger car, a bigger house, and a bigger collection of “stuff”. Instead, I just look back on what I've done so far, and what I still want to do.

When I was young(er), I always wanted to have a lifestyle that was a bit out of the ordinary. Little did I know that I'd actually be able to, without even realizing it, do exactly that.

Weird how that works out, huh?

So I suppose I should apologize in advance to anyone who might materially benefit from my untimely death. You're not gonna get much. But what I hope I could pass along is this—you don't need a lot of “stuff” to live a happy, creative, and productive life. You don't need to accumulate everything to possibly can to leave your mark or to leave a legacy. I'm keeping my fingers crossed I can be a living example of that.

And a living example, I should point out, that hopefully has a lot more years of living left.

8-)

Have a great weekend!

(jim@wmqt.com)

Thursday, 5/30

I wonder what I missed by not being around for the place's “glory years”?

The place to which I'm referring is what some people call “The Church of North Marquette”, the Palestra. The arena/social gathering place was around from the early 1920s to the early 1970s, and played a vital role in the lives of several generations of city residents. Heck, if it wasn't for the Palestra I wouldn't even be around, as that's the place my parents met.

And if you ever wanna see them disagree, just ask them which one first pursued the other.

8-)

I have but one memory of the Palestra, and that was being taken as a real little kid to a hockey game. I remember nothing about it other than the fact that I wore 47 layers of clothing, as the Palestra was not heated and it was the middle of winter. That's it. Everything else I know about the Palestra has come from other people, individuals who spent large chunks of their childhoods skating, going to hockey games, or meeting their future spouses.

So it's to those people that I dedicate this week's “Pieces of the Past”, the story of just oe of the many activities that took place at “The Church of North Marquette” over the decades. I may not personally remember the Palestra that much, but I do know that it played an outsized role for many.

Not the least of whom are the two people who spawned me.

(jim@wmqt.com) 

Wednesday, 5/29

My life is weird.

I know I've been saying that a lot recently, but it really is true. Almost every week (if not more) something strange happens or some new opportunity presents itself or someone says something I never would have expected, and it makes me wonder (in a good way) just what exactly it was I did that turned my life weird.

Here's the latest example—late Monday afternoon I was walking through downtown Marquette on my way to my TV gig. As I was hoofing it down Washington a couple walking a dog passed me by, stopped, turned around, and shouted back at me--

“Thank you for being born, Jim Koski”.

My life is weird.

First of all, thank you, I guess. Second of all, I really had nothing to do with my birth; that's all on my parents. Third of all, I appreciate what they were saying. I mean, I'm rather uncomfortable being the recipient of such praise; after all, I'm just me. But I get what they were saying, especially after they explained that they believe I'm one of the people who makes Marquette such a special place. I personally don't think I've risen to that level, but that's a discussion for another day.

It's just...weird to walk down a street and have someone you don't know thank you for being around. I don't know how else to explain it.

In some regards, the past couple of years have been downright surreal. I'm not quite sure what the tipping point was, but there seems to have been some sort of strange critical mass reached wherein people now recognize me and the goofy things I do, which is strange, considering I've lived most of my adult life in the public eye. But ever since crossing that tipping point the surrealism of things has just exploded, leading to a situation like the one Monday afternoon, when someone thanked me for something I had nothing to do with.

I have no idea how or why or when, but in the past couple of years one thing has become abundantly clear--

My life is weird.

(jim@wmqt.com)

Tuesday, 5/28

There's a difference between the two. There's a HUGE difference between the two.

By the end of last week I was starting to get caught up on all of my stuff at work. This weekend also provided me the chance to make a huge dent in everything I needed to do at home. Both of those, however, were intense, and required some effort on my part. More than once in both instances I uttered a phrase that I usually do when plowing through things, a phrase that if nothing else allows me to vent a little, if only to myself.

That phrase? “I need a vacation”.

Normally, co-workers & friends will laugh if they hear me utter that phrase, although uttering it the past few days got me a few disbelieving looks and a phrase uttered back at me--”you were just on vacation”.

No, I was not on “vacation”. I was on a “trip”.

There IS a difference between the two. Vacations are when you sit on a beach or go on a hike; things that rejuvenate your body and your mind. A trip is when you spend hours in an airplane, then drive on foreign roads, and spend your time navigating through a land where your first language is only the second or third language of the area.

There's a huge difference between the two.

Don't get me wrong—I LOVE our trips. I'd do one every month, if I could. But they're not “vacations”, nor do I expect them to be. My “vacations” are those warm summer days we get around here when I skip out of work and go play in the sun. They're two different things. And I haven't had a “vacation” recently. I had a great trip, but I really could use a vacation some time soon.

Hopefully Mother Nature provides it. And hopefully she realizes there's a difference between a “trip” and a “vacation”.

Because that difference is quite a big one.

*****

Before I leave, wanna see what I did with part of my holiday weekend?

Oh, c'mon. Did you expect anything different?

8-)

(jim@wmqt.com)

Friday, 5/24

It should be a fun weekend. We all have an extra day off, some of us may finally get to unpack, and despite the chance of rain, the lilacs should fully come out and we can all commence upon our week or two of non-stop sniffing.

Or is that just me?

However, there is one other thing you may want to think about this weekend, and that's to take a few minutes to reflect on just why we have that extra day off. As you know, I’m married to someone who’s working to keep alive the memories of the men & women from Marquette and Alger Counties who were killed during World War II. She’s doing it because those memories, like all memories, would eventually disappear as the years wear on, and the people who gave their lives for this country deserve better than that.

As an example of how those memories can slowly disappear, I’d like to introduce you to a young man from Marquette named Morgan Mowick--

A couple of years ago we were walking through Park Cemetery and came across Morgan’s grave. It simply says that he died on March 27^th, 1918 while serving with the 174^th Aero Squadron of the U.S. Allied Expeditionary Force during World War I. That’s it. So I decided to see if I could find out anything about him. And that’s when I realized that memories can disappear over time.

Thanks to Loraine, I know how to look up things on soldiers who died while in service. I know where to look in newspapers, I know which websites have the best information. It’s just one of the many benefits to being married to a very remarkable woman. But when I looked into those newspapers and searched those websites, I realized that information from a war, even a World War, from 100 years ago is sketchy at best.

All I could find out about Morgan is that he grew up at 421 East Hewitt Avenue in Marquette, was a member of what’s now the First United Methodist Church, contracted pneumonia while on the way over to Europe, was left at a hospital when his ship docked, and died soon afterward. His body was then sent back to Marquette for burial, where he still lies next to his parents. I was actually able to find out more about his dad, who was a Marquette house painter of some repute, than I was about Morgan himself.

That’s it. All I found were two newspaper articles from just after he died, one with a letter sent to his father by his commander right after his death, and the other a reprint of a sermon given by his church’s minister for several members of the church who had died in the conflict. Those two articles seem to represent the entire legacy of a young man who left his home to fight for a better world and died while doing it.

I’d like to think that people like Morgan deserve better.

So, like I said, spend a few minutes this weekend honoring, visiting, or just thinking about the people who have made that sacrifice, the one that allows you to have an extra day off. And if you have someone in your family who fits into that category, make sure that you do whatever you can to help preserve their legacy. They sure deserve it.

On that note, have yourself a great weekend. See you Tuesday!

(jim@wmqt.com)

Thursday, 5/22

I'm not going to weigh myself this 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 won’t weigh myself this 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 (or Italian, or Indian) dinners.

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. 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 next Saturday. If I’m back to what passes for normal, we’ll know my guess was fairly accurate. If I step on the scale next Saturday 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)

Wednesday, 5/22

They're here! They're here!!!

Despite the worries I had before we left for Germany that they might pop out before we got back, the greatest budding blossoms on the planet are making their annual return as we speak. I was wondering if the non-winter 'winter” might have had some sort of effect on when they came out, but appears not.

So now, for the next few days, we can sniff to our heart's delight. Kind of nice of them to wait for our upcoming three day weekend, isn't it?

8-)

*****

The conditions for sniffing probably won't be perfect, as it's supposed to rain quite a bit today. Of course, whatever rain we DO get could in no way equal the rain that people who lived here in the late 1940s received one evening in just over an hour. In fact, that whole story is the basis of this week's “Pieces of the Past”--

(jim@wmqt.com) 

Tuesday, 5/21

I think it’s just the speed of the turnaround that gets you the most.

I mean, one day you're waking up in Frankfurt, and then the next you’re staring at your office computer, wondering what you need to get done. It’s like there’s no transition, no time for a de-acceleration.

I guess you might call it cultural whiplash, if nothing else.

Anyway, that’s how I felt for a while yesterday morning upon returning to work. It was kind of surreal for a while; like I wasn’t supposed to be back here, or something. I forgot several things at home, several things I routinely bring with me without even thinking about it. I kept seeing big honking pickup trucks & SUVs instead of tiny Scodas and Smart Cars. And a couple of times when my coworkers gave me a piece of paper or something I needed, I thanked them in German without even thinking.

Needless to say, THAT got quite the reaction.

Some people have always expressed amazement that I go right back to work right after spending a week and a half on one of these European adventures, and I’ve always wondered why they were amazed. But after this sudden turnaround (I mean, we get into Marquette at 9 Sunday night, and 12 hours later, I’m at work) I guess I can kind of see where they’re coming from. But unfortunately, especially as you're staring at an upcoming holiday weekend, time (and radio) waits for no one.

So despite the cultural whiplash, onward we move!

(jim@wmqt.com)

Monday, 5/20:

 I'm back!!!

Click or tap here for the last of our trip blogs.  Back with something new tomorrow, once I figure out what time zone I'm in.

(jim@wmqt.com)

While Jim's in Germany

 If you'd like to check out Jim's trip blogs (beginning either Thursday, May 9th or Friday, May 10th) it's real easy:

Just click or tap here!

Tuesday, 5/7

It looks like all systems are go.

With but one day left before we (hopefully) hop on a plane and blow this Popsicle stand, it looks as if everything I need to get done is either done or will be finished today. It's something upon which I always cast a wary eye; after all, I've been working ahead on certain things for almost three months now, and it would not be cool if something (a dead computer, a mental breakdown, and/or the like) got in the way of all that work.

But thankfully, it appears as if fate has once again cast a loving aura upon everything. So thanks, fate!

Here's what's going on. There won't be a blog here tomorrow or (probably) Thursday, and starting (probably) Friday afternoon (your time) I'll start posting on our trip blog. You can just keep coming back here to get to it; I'll make sure I leave a link right above this blog so all you need to do is click one extra time. Hopefully, it won't be too much. And if it is, you have my sincere apologies.

Really, you do.

As always, I plan on posting every day we're there, and based on past experience, I should have no problem. However, you never know if a new hotel we're staying at will have bad wi-fi, or if I'll have some kind of technical problem with the equipment I bring along, or if—like I've joking all along—we get stuck in the middle of somewhere because a flight's been canceled or the world's falling apart. It hasn't happened yet, and I hope it won't this time, but with the way the planet is these days I wanna put that out there just in case. I'm also hoping on send back radio reports on certain days, so you can listen for those, as well.

Well, I think that's it. The next time we speak I'll (hopefully) be a quarter of the world and (just as hopefully) munching on some really good chocolate.

See you then. And keep your fingers crossed. We're counting on every bit of luck possible!

(jim@wmqt.com)

Monday, 5/6

Wow. I was actually funny once?

With two days left to go before we (hopefully) leave for Germany, I've been spending a lot of time putting together the things that need to air while I'm gone. And because the program director in me refuses to allow my afternoon personality to be off the air for a week and three days, we usually air “best of”s that I've recorded and saved throughout the years. The previous trips they've been phone calls with listeners; after all, that's mostly what we do around here. But this year, I've dig really deep to see what I could find.

And I found some comedy bits.

The bits are what are know in the biz as “blackout bits”; just little 20 or 30 second items to run going into or out of a commercial break. And what with humor being a VERY subjective thing, I'm sure that there are many people out there who would take exception with my referring to them as “comedy” bits. But I've found nine or ten “comedy” bits that I put together somewhere between 15 and 20 years ago, back when I was doing “comedy” bits, and you know what?

I, at least, don't think they're half bad!

I was in my phase of doing “comedy” bits while I was also in my phase of listening to a lot of old-time radio. A lot of the radio I was listening to at the time were the master comedians, people like Jack Benny and Fred Allen and Jim Jordan in his character of Fibber McGee. The one thing all of these master comedians had was impeccable timing. They knew how to tell a joke, and they REALLY knew how to sell a joke. And while I've always thought my sense of comedic timing was a little better than the average person, it was nowhere near that of Benny or Allen or Jordan. So while I was listening to all of these classic comedians, I was also trying to see if I could preach what they were practicing.

Hence, the “comedy” bits.

Most (but not all) of them revolved around the fictional “Yooper TV Network”, and some of the, well, Yooper-centric shows the network might air. The shows might be Yooper reality shows, or Yooper dramas, but it was a way to make fun of what was going on in pop culture at the time while still making it relatable to people who live up here.

At least, that's what I tried.

As with everything in life, I kind of got away from doing the “comedy” bits as the years went by. I don't know if they were too much work or if I just had a limited amount of ideas and used them up, but from what I can tell the last one was put together in 2007. So it was interesting to dig them out and listen to them again, a reflection of where my mind was over 15 years ago. For some, I remembered them like they were yesterday. For others, I'd totally forgotten about them.

So for the week-plus that I'm gone you may be hearing things like that on the air. And even if you don't make you laugh, think of it this way—it'll at least be a window into my brain, at least they way it was a decade or two ago.

(jim@wmqt.com)

Friday, 5/3

On both accounts, the timing could probably be a little better..

The first issue of timing is this—right now in Germany it's gorgeous...sunshine and temperatures in the 70s. In other words, perfect Spring weather. When we get there next week? At least as of now, rain and much cooler temps. I'm hopeful it'll change, but it wouldn't surprise me if our usual “curse” follows us. You see, one of the places we're going is Freiburg, which (and this is backed up by science) is Germany's sunniest cities, although both times we've been there it's been cloudy and wet.

So, citizens of Freiburg, if the weather is NOT sunny & warm when we're there, it's our fault. We apologize in advance.

8-)

The second case of potential bad timing? Here's how my favorite lilac bush looked last night--

I think they'll hold out long enough (at least I hope they'll hold out long enough), but how much would it suck if the lilacs came out while we were in Germany and I missed them? I mean, it's not gonna stop me from going, but I could just see them blooming while we're gone and then, for some freaky reason, start to die right as we get back.

That would suck.

Both things, of course, are out of my control, and the world will not stop spinning should either (or both) actually happen. I just find it...curious. And that's all I'm wanna say about that lest, you know, I jinx myself or something.

Have a great weekend. Aside from celebrating "Star Wars" day tomorrow, I'll be packing, so wish me luck!

(jim@wmqt.com)

Thursday, 5/2

How many of you out there are “lurkers”?

It’s not a bad thing being a “lurker”. I don’t mean it like that you’re hiding in the shadows thinking nefarious thoughts or that you’re ready to pounce upon unsuspecting individuals who happen to walk by. Nope; when I say “lurker”, I’m actually referring to the vast majority of you. And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.

I’ve been thinking about “lurkers” after recently receiving notes from several people who read this every day but who have never written in, at least until I asked for votes on whether or not I should blog during our trip. And that’s the kind of “lurker” I’m talking about--someone who reads a blog or checks a website every day, but doesn’t actively get involved in the message boards or comments section of the site. If you are one of those “lurkers”, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. About 98% of the people who check out a web feature are “lurkers”, a badge that I myself wear proudly on just about every single site I check out.

It’s funny; whenever I get a note from someone who hasn’t written me before, there’s almost an apologetic tone to it, as if the person writing doesn’t want to intrude on my time or my personal space. And while I imagine there are a lot of content posters who feel that way, I’m certainly not one of them. If you have something to say, I’d love to hear what it is. After all, I write these things for you guys, so if you think I’m spot-on when discussing a topic (a rare event) or think I don’t know what I’m talking about (a much more common occurrence) just let me know. I promise I won’t bite.

However, that is in no way a requirement. If you want to be a “lurker”, go ahead and be a “lurker”. Like I said, I’m a “lurker” on every web site I visit. But if you ever want to say something, I’d love to hear what that something is! My e-mail, address, in case you’ve never noticed it? It’s this one--

(jim@wmqt.com) !!

Wednesday, 5/1

I'm happy with the way this one turned out.

This week's “Pieces of the Past” video for the History Center is on a topic that's fascinated me for almost two decades now, every since Loraine originally came across the story while doing her World War II research and shared it with me. I'm not exactly sure WHY it fascinated me; I'm guessing the unresolved aspect of it (at the time) played a big part. Then as I researched it more, was given access to police files on the case, and, and, finally, discovered the truth about what may have happened, it became clear why I was fascinated.

It was a fascinating story. A sad story, but a fascinating one, and one that I always felt should be immortalized on video, if one so that future generations might hear that sad (but fascinating) story.

So with that in mind, and on the 80^th anniversary of the discovery of his body, here's the story of Billy Powers--

(jim@wmqt.com)