Monday, 9/16

For once we were not cursed..

Loraine and I are back from Chicago, where we had lots of fun during our little weekend getaway. Pictures are forthcoming tomorrow or Wednesday; as always, I took waaaaay too many, and haven't even started going through them yet. But for the first time in a long time we did not bring our travel curse with us, our singular talent for leaving Marquette, giving you great weather, and bringing the rain with us wherever we go.

You're welcome. Chicago.

While you were enjoying a VERY summer like weekend, we had pretty much the same in the City of Big Shoulders.  And we were trying to figure out the last time we left and had the weather for forecast the city we're visiting not rapidly deteriorate while the weather in Marquette turns out to be amazingly nice.

Don't believe me? Just ask the people in Freiburg, Germany's sunniest city, which had four cold days of rain when we visited earlier this year, only to have the sun & warmth return the day we left.

That's one special talent we have there.

I mean, I KNOW we have nothing to do with the weather; if we did, you better believe that our forecast in Marquette would be sunny and 80 365 days a year. But it just seems...odd that whenever we leave the weather here becomes nice and the weather at our destination isn't as good as it normally is. I can't explain it, and I know it's just the result of a fluke, of random chance. But you'd think that after a while the odds would be in our favor. 

And this weekend, for the first time in a long time, they were.

Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending upon your point of view) we won't have a chance to test that theory again, as after a busy summer we're not scheduled to go anywhere any time soon. But when we do, I'll be very curious to see if the weather at whichever destination we're visiting is as nice as the weather we (usually) leave at home.

(jim@wmqt.com)

Wednesday, 9/11

Well, it's all over except the shouting.

Actually, I hope there won't be any shouting involved, but 24 hours from now Loraine and I should be in Chicago to kick off four days of eating, walking, eating, shopping, eating, exploring, eating, and going to a soccer match. The match was actually our primary reason for going this weekend, but seeing as how the player we originally went to see is a). hurt, and 2). left his wife & kids in Sweden to take up with another woman and thereby became a douche-bag, the match is the least of our concerns this time around.

If we even go to it, that is. We might just head over to Soldier Field, see what it's like inside, and then leave. I hope the host Chicago Fire wouldn't be too upset by that.

Because the primary reason for the trip was a soccer match, we're staying in a different place than we did before, a hotel near the border of The Loop and Printer's Row neighborhoods. That means we'll have new places to explore, with Grant Park right nearby, and jaunts to Greektown and our favorite Indian restaurant just a few steps away.

Did I mention one of the things we want to do on this trip is eat?

Now, because of this little getaway there won't be a new one of these until Monday, so feel free to come back then. In the meantime, wish us luck, keep your fingers crossed the weather forecast holds up, and, above all, enjoy the amazingly summer-like forecast that's supposed to come your way!

(jim@wmqt.com)

Tuesday, 9/10

It's happening again.

Over the year I've written about a personality quirk of mine. Actually, over the years I've written about many personalty quirks of mine, but the one to which I'm specifically referring is my weird habit of locking into a particular song and listening to it over and over again. I don't know how it happens or why it happens, but happen it does, as evidenced by the fact that (he says checking his iTunes program) I've listened to this particular song 68 times in the past week.

And seeing as how it's a six minute long song, that means I've spent a LOT of time over the past week listening to this particular song.

That song? Al Stewart's “Time Passages”

Now, why I've spent that much time listening to a 45 year old song escapes me. I have no idea why I started listening to it; probably, it popped up on a shuffle, I hit “repeat”, and before you know it, 68 consecutive listens have followed. While I don't know why I listened to it the first, I do know why I hit “repeat”. It's a very symphonic song, with a great string arrangement and sax & guitar solos that fit right into the orchestral feel. In fact, last night I even woke up with the song stuck in my head and a vision of an orchestra playing the sax solo section of it.

Yes, I need help. What's your point?

I'm sure I'll stop listening to it soon; if nothing else, going to Chicago on Thursday pretty much guarantees that. However, that doesn't mean it won't happen again sometime in the near future, and while it probably won't be “Time Passages”, I do have to wonder--

What song will I be listening to 68 times in a row next?

(jim@wmqt.com)

Monday, 9/9

I wonder if our rate has gone up or gone down?

A couple of days ago I had a “Weird Fact of the Day” released by the Centers for Disease Control showing that the smoking rate in the US has gone down to 11% overall. It's the lowest rate in history, and a sign that people are finally realizing that there is nothing at all good about exposing yourself and others to cancer-causing chemicals.

Maybe there's a little hope for the world yet.

About a decade and a half ago I was curious about Marquette County's smoking rate (I think for a “What's Up, UP” question), and in the course of research found that Marquette County had the lowest smoking rate in the entire state. Back in 2007, Marquette County's smoking rate was at 14%, which at the time was much lower than the national average. So in the past 17 years, has Marquette County's rate dropped even further, or were we just a decade (and change) ahead of our time?

I'd be curious to know.

I know a few people still smoke in Marquette County. Trust me, I know that for sure—every so often we have a contest winner come in to pick up a prize reeking so strongly of cigarette smoke that we have to open our doors just to air out our lobby. I don't know if those listeners are aware they smell that bad, or if they're just nose-blind, but it's bad. Really, really bad. So I do know that some people in Marquette County still smoke.

I also know that a lot of temporary residents and tourists smoke, as well. During the tourist season I see a marked increase of people walking down the Front Street hill outside of the station, looking at the buildings and puffing away on their cancer sticks. So at any one time a chunk of the people in Marquette County who smoke aren't from here (and, trying hard not to stereotype, I've noticed that a lot of those smokers I observed had either just left the Landmark Inn up the hill or had just parked cars with out of state license plates).

Spending a lot of time walking around downtown Marquette, you notice now apparent that can, on occasion, be. In fact, Loraine and I have a running gag going that if we see someone smoking on the sidewalk, it's most usually a tourist, especially when they blow smoke in the direction of passers-by.

Yoopers are just too gosh darned polite to do that.

But overall, I have no idea how many residents of Marquette County still smoke. I have no idea if we still have the lowest tobacco usage rate in Michigan, or if we've just settled in amongst the pack. Maybe I'll have to do a little more digging; if any of you know, please share. No matter what, though, it's nice to see that the country as a whole has decided that smoking sucks.

Something that people around here started realizing and putting into practice over a decade ago.

(jim@wmqt.com)

Friday, 9/6

I wonder if it would be heaven on earth or if even I would get a little irritated by it?

Knowing my preference in weather, one of my co-workers yesterday mentioned that for the 100^th day in a row it was at least 100 degrees in Phoenix, Arizona. At the moment (what with it only supposed to be in the 50s today in Marquette) conditions like that seem like paradise, especially because it's a dry heat.

But I wonder how I would handle 100 straight days of it.

Mind you, if given a choice between 100 straight days of 100 degree temperatures or 100 straight days of snow & cold I know which I would choose in a heartbeat. But 100 straight days? I think I could handle it, and I would sure like to try...

But that IS a long time.

I mean, I'm sure I'd be fine with it and, as I mentioned, it's so much preferable to the alternative. But a small part of me wonders if, somewhere around day 80 or so, I'd utter something I never thought I would utter--

“Boy, I sure could go for some snow right about now”.

At that point, of course, the world would stop spinning on its axis and the Lions might actually win a Super Bowl, so would I really WANT to tempt fate like that?

8-)

All I know it that 100 degrees for 100 straight days sounds like paradise. Whether or not it might turn out to be one, though, might be an entirely different matter.

Have a great weekend, even if here in Marquette it won't be anywhere near that 100 degree mark!

(jim@wmqt.com)

Thursday, 9/5

Sometimes it's good to be boring.

I had my annual checkup a couple of days ago, and it culminated with my doctor saying what he says every year--”You're medically boring”. It's become kind of a running joke; in fact, each year, he even types it into my file. And as someone who's tried to defy being boring my entire life—in fact, in college, I spent several years with a button that said “Why be normal?”--I think that, at least in this instance, I really don't mind being boring.

Really, I don't.

I'm an incredibly lucky person, and I'll be the first to admit it. I've never had a serious medical issue in my life. Aside from hay fever and the occasional klutzy move on my part, I've never even had to see a doctor outside of these annual check-ups. I don't know if it's genetics, the fact that I exercise and try to eat well, that fact that I don't smoke and I rarely drink, or just blind luck, but my health is something that I only think about on days like today.

And for that, I'm grateful.

Another running joke used to be the fact that I'm in “great shape for someone my age”,but as it turns out, I'm actually in pretty good shape for someone at any age. It's funny; I see people who I know are around the same age as me, and oftentimes I'll see they have problems moving around, or other health issues, or have actually died of some horrid disease. And here I am, jumping around like I did twenty five years ago. Heck, I actually think I'm in BETTER shape than I was twenty five years ago, if only because I don't have Pop Tarts & Dr. Pepper for breakfast every morning, and I now know how to properly prepare myself for all of that jumping around, thereby not injuring myself quite as often as I used to.

Who knew I'd end up like this? I guess being a skinny, nonathletic geek when young gives you nowhere to go but up.

Like I said, I feel so lucky that I'm “boring”. I'll take it every day of the week, especially when the other choice is being “medically interesting”. I see too many examples of that every day. I'm sure my doctor does, too, which is why he keeps pointing out just how unusual I am. And in typing that sentence, it just occurred to me—by being “boring” I'm actually living up to the credo “Why be normal?” After all, without all those medical issues staring me in the face, I'm (thankfully) not like everyone else. So when you think about it, in one fell swoop I'm making both my doctor happy and I'm living up to one of my goals in life. You can't say that happens every day.

So I'm boring, at least in this one instance. And while I never hoped I would be in any way boring , I think this is one instance that I really don't mind.

(jim@wmqt.com), medically boring.

Wednesday, 9/4

I am not he.

I'm not quite sure why, but several times the past few days I have had people wish me "good luck in the election". Now, as far as I know, I'm not running for anything, nor am I behind a ballot proposal or other issue. Yet, several people have wished me "good luck".

Because, apparently, they're mistaking me for someone else.

I know who they're mistaking me for--an ex media personality running for state house--but I have no idea why I'm being mistaken for him. We look nothing alike, our policy positions are probably nothing alike, and the only thing we have in common is that for a year and a half we appeared on the same TV station and were in the same picture on the side of a bus. But other than that...

We're VERY different people.

It's funny, and it's actually part of being in the media. People recognize you, but they're sometimes not quite sure of HOW they recognize you. They know you're in the public eye, but unless they spend a lot of time watching or listening someone else may pop into their head when they see you. That's why I've been wished "good luck" twice the past two weeks.

But never fear. I am NOT running for any office; in fact, I'll probably never run for office. I don't know why anyone would want to embark on a project where as soon as you announce half the people start to loathe you. Maybe I'm just a wimp in that regard, but I don't think I have the (pardon the political pun) constitution to be unliked by 50% of the population. Call it a character flaw on my part, but that's how I feel.

So...once again, I am not running for office. You can wish me luck in the election, if you'd like, but I'm not running for anything. And, just so you know, I'm not him.

Really, I'm not.

8-)

(jim@wmqt.com)

Tuesday, 9/3

It's only one hour, but it's always weird.

First of all, hope you had a great holiday weekend. I did, and took advantage of all the gorgeous late-summer weather we had (especially Saturday and Monday). As I discussed last week I'm not yet ready for summer to be over, so I was outside every single second I could be.

And, of course, I dressed for it. The past few months shorts have become my standard go-to, and that's why it's always weird the one hour a week that I DO have to wear long pants, which I had to again yesterday, even though I wasn't working my radio gig.

I had to put pants on for an hour this weekend to go on TV and do "Life on the 906".

Just because it's a holiday doesn't mean that TV news gets to take the day off, so around 530 yesterday afternoon I had to throw on both pants and a jacket and walk the four long blocks to TV-19 where, after complaining about having to put pants on, I did a bit about "906 Day", then went home and promptly took my pants back off.

Where, just between you & me, said pants may stay until NEXT Monday night.

One of the joys of working in radio is that it really doesn't matter HOW you look, a factor I've taken quite the advantage of over the years. Yet since starting both my TV gigs I do realize that shorts aren't appropriate in every situation, and I've learned to live with that. That doesn't mean I haven't jokingly complained about it, like I did to my TV colleagues Monday night. They felt my pain; in fact, one of them even opined that I should change my usual sign-off to something like "I'm Jim Koski, going home to take off my pants, and that's another slice of 'Life in the 906'".

That would work, right?

8-)

Sadly, we'll soon be to that time of the year when I won't have this particular matter to complain about, as it'll be so cold that even I will have to wear pants every single day. But when you have a stretch of weather as nice as the one we had this past weekend, it sure takes a lot of willpower to put on a pair of pants.

Even if it's just for an hour.

(jim@wmqt.com)