Friday, 10/23

I'm having trouble remembering what day of the week it is.

Now, I'm sure those of you well-versed in being a smart aleck are at this moment shouting out something like “Jim, you're getting old. Pretty soon, you'll be forgetting where you put your teeth”, and the sad thing is you may be right. Add to that the fact that I've always had a problem remembering what day it is, and you wouldn't think it's be that big of a deal.

But it is.

Three times so far this week I've had to figure out what day it is, and that's a bit of a surprise. After all, my life is rather regimented; I have to do certain things on certain days, and you think that would be ingrained in my brain. But it doesn't appear to be. Thankfully, I haven't missed being where I'm supposed to be, but the way things are going, you never know.

It can, however, be a bit problematic. It's a pain when you have to ask someone or look up what day of the week it is, and have to do that three or four times a week. You'd think that after all these years I'd know what day of the week it is, even if (like this week) I shot “High School Bowl” on Wednesday and thought it was Friday. Is it the fault of (gulp) being on the on-ramp of starting to forget where I put my teeth? Or is it just a by-product of having so many things going on?

I keep saying my life is weird. I just didn't think it would get THIS weird.

Never fear. I have the feeling that now the problem's been identified and talked through, that it'll slowly disappear. That's usually what happened what something strange occurs in my life. I write about it here, you guys act as my online shrink, and things work out.

So I appreciate it. I'd give you the $150 an hour a real shrink gets, but I have this feeling I'd forget to pay you. After all, that's how I roll these days.

8-)

Have a great weekend. And don't forget that it IS the weekend.

(jim@wmqt.com)

Thursday, 10/22

I wonder how much longer the red flash drive is going to hold out?

Doing what I do I use a lot of different computers, at home, at my various jobs, and even when I'm slitting in my auxiliary office working on a nice summer's day. Oftentimes I have to get a file from one computer to another, and while I've used e-mail, Google drives, and the cloud to move files from one machine to the other, I also use a flash drive. My trusty red flash drive. A flash drive that I've now used for (gulp) 15 years--

I have no idea how I started using this 8 GB Dane-Elec drive back in 2011, but I'm guessing that, at the time, it was one of the bigger ones that you could find. I keep it in the front pocket of my backpack (which I HAVE had to replace since 2011) and, at least once a day, I'll use it for file transfers or just to back up these blogs. I know that there are easier ways to do it, and I know that there are newer (and bigger) drives that I could use, but for a decade and a half my trusty red flash drive has done the job.

So why stop now?

Knowing how fast tech gear fails I'm kind of surprised that it's still going, and that's probably the main reason why I keep using it. I mean, will it ever fail? Will it keep going as a backup and transfer drive for the foreseeable future? Inquiring minds want to know.

As, as we all know, my mind is VERY weird when it comes to things like that.

I thinking--and this is just a guess--that the flash drive will outlive the rest of my working life (or, at least, my remaining time in radio), and that's the best reason I see to keep using it. If it does, and I come to that mythical day when I pack up my belongings and say "sayonara" to my office, I know the one memento that might be one of the most important, if only because have worked almost as long as I--

My trusty red flash drive.

We'll have to see.

8-)

(jim@wmqt.com)

Wednesday, 10/21

I have to run out in a few minutes for a special Wednesday shoot of “High School Bowl”, but I wanted to share the pictures that didn't make the cut.

What am I talking about? Yesterday, I shared my TV piece from Monday; you remember, the one about leaves. Well, leading up to it I had been shooting a LOT of pictures of leaves, and as I was putting everything together over the weekend I realized that I had waaaaay too many pictures of trees and leaves to use, so I had to cut many of them out.

And because I needed specific pictures for specific phrases, may of the best ones got left out.

You know, like one of a wet & gloomy Marquette...

Or one of a Marquette sky that's anything BUT wet & gloomy...

Or one of the Iron Ore Heritage Trail...

Or one of the most iconic places in Marquette...

So many pictures of leaves, o few opportunities to use them on TV, you know? And speaking of TV, that's where I'm heading now. After all, four teams from across the UP await!

(jim@wmqt.com)

Tuesday, 10/20

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

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

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

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

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

When have I ever been normal?

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

(jim@wmqt.com)

Monday, 10/19

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

(jim@wmqt.com)

Friday, 10/16

I'd be a catch if I were single.

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

'Nuff said.

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

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

Who knew, he says sarcastically.

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

That's okay. You can thank me later.

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

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

8-)

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

(jim@wmqt.com)

Thursday, 10/15

The timing of it could not have been more perfect.

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

Including, believe it or not, this one--

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

Consider my mind blown.

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

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

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

(jim@wmqt.com)

Wednesday, 10/14

If I actually knew what would be popular and what wouldn't be, I'd be a millionaire. And, he says, looking at his bank statement...

I'm not.

Social media's a funny thing. You can put something up on it, just some random item or picture, and it explodes. People like it, people comment on it, and people share it. Then you can stick something on there that you're SURE will explode, and then sit back and watch as it just sits there, twiddling its thumbs and waiting for people people to notice it.

Much, he says sadly, like my TV piece this past week.

I don't know why I thought it would get some traction, but I was sure it would. It's a solid piece, timed perfectly for a certain day. And given the feelings of people these days, I thought it would resonate with a little “Oh, I get it” or a soupcon of “I couldn't agree more”.

Instead? A few likes and a “oh, that's cute”. The reaction was nothing like I personally would have expected, once again proving that I know nothing about what clicks and what doesn't.  And that, I'm guessing, is why I'm not a millionaire.

Well, that and the fact that I've worked in broadcasting my entire life.

So from now on, I'm not going to guess what kind of a reaction something will have. If it gets a reaction, great. If it doesn't, that's great, as well. After all, I obviously know nothing about how people will react to things these days. Although, I guess, there are worse things to be bad at, right?

8-)

The piece I thought would get a big reaction and didn't?

(jim@wmqt.com)

Tuesday, 10/13

 I did indeed take advantage of the weekend.

As you may recall, I wrote on Friday about several different people asking if I’d be “taking advantage” of the nice weather weekend we were promised.  Well, I’m happy to report I did, especially because Mother Nature kept her part of the bargain and gave us two days of 80-degree sunshine (at least after the clouds moved out Saturday morning).  I was outside as much as I could, doing not only my regular activities (like getting my butt kicked by Loraine playing soccer Sunday) but also by taking my camera out and shooting a lot of B-Roll (background video) for projects I’ll be putting together this upcoming winter.

And while I was doing that, of course, I shot some pictures for you, as well.

Like I said–it was a glorious weekend–

With colors all around–

You were able to see decorations you normally don’t get to see when it’s 80 degrees and sunny outside–

People flooded beaches–

They were on the water–

They left inspiring messages for those who may have been walking past their house–

And they were just enjoying each other’s company–

That is actually one of my favorite pictures I took all weekend.  I was trying to get both the couple and the person sitting out on the rocks in the same shot, but the way I focused it–and the way the lady’s looking at the guy sitting next to her–just made it something so much better than I was trying to get.

On occasion, you sometimes get lucky.

Of course, now it’s back to reality.  It was cool and rainy yesterday for my (holiday) day off, it’s cold & rainy this morning, and while the sun should be rejoining us later this week temperatures will only be (gulp) 25 to 30 degrees cooler than they were both Saturday and Sunday.

And that’s why I–and, it appears, most of Marquette–took advantage of the weekend.  When you think of it, there’s really nothing else you could do, right?

(jim@wmqt.com)

Friday, 10/9

“You're gonna take advantage of this weekend, right?”

That is a statement that, I don't think, people not from Marquette or the UP really get. But I spoke with two people yesterday, both of whom, like me, were born up here, and both of them uttered the statement (or a version of it).

And you'd better believe I AM taking advantage of this upcoming weekend, assuming that it turns out as promised.

You see, it's supposed to be sunny and 80 both Saturday and Sunday, and just based on reality it'll probably be the last time it's sunny & 80 until, oh, 2029. That may not mean much to some people, but to those of us who've lived here forever, I think it's a sign that we have to take advantage of it while it's here. We have to get outside, soak up the sun, and enjoy the warmth, because we know it won't be back for a long, long time.

And that, I think, is what some people don't get.

Maybe it's in the water up here, or maybe it's in our DNA, but it just seems to me that if we know we're looking at the last nice few days (or even hours) before winter finally settles in, we HAVE to enjoy. It's like we don't even have a choice; we just have to. I've always wondered if it was just me who felt that way, but after my conversations yesterday it's nice to know that I'm not alone.

You have to use it or lose it, I guess. And if you lose it? Well, it stays lost for a long, long time.

Hope you take advantage of our last nice days until 2029 this weekend. And by the way, we have another corporate holiday Monday, so I'll be off. A new one of these is yours Tuesday, maybe even with tales of how I spent MY last nice weekend of the year!

(jim@wmqt.com), excited about the (potential) warmth.

Thursday, 10/8

This is a choice I never thought I'd ever have to make, but since it's 2026 and nothing makes sense any more it was a choice that did indeed present itself--

Do I eat my apple after I dropped it in the toilet?

Yup; just when you thought this year could not get any stranger, it did. I was eating lunch yesterday, when I went into the bathroom to wash my apple off and watched in horror as my newly washed apple slipped out of my wet hand and perfectly pirouetted into a toilet bowl that (ahem) someone had thoughtfully left the lid open.

Anyone have THAT on their 2026 bingo card?

I mean, geez...I've done some stupid and/or klutzy things in my life, but I've never tossed an apple (wittingly or unwittingly) into a toilet bowl before. I had never even considered dropping an apple into a toilet bowl within the realm of possibility. But yet, I did it.

Guess I can cross that off my bucket list.

Like I mentioned at the beginning, I did give a few seconds thought to just grabbing the apple out of the toilet, washing it again, and then eating it. After all, it's water in the toilet bowl, right? Dogs drink it without a second thought. Plus, the toilet does get cleaned quite often. But still...

My desire to eat the apple was really outweighed by the fact that I dropped it in a toilet.

I know; had I closed the lid on the toilet bowl after using it I wouldn't have faced that dilemma. Had I not tried to handle the apple with wet hands I wouldn't have faced that dilemma. Heck, had Sir Isaac Newton not “discovered” gravity I wouldn't have faced that dilemma. But, because none of those things occurred I didn't get to eat my apple. I did, however, get to experience something I never thought I'd experience, so I guess in a very bizarre way something good DID come out of it.

You'd better believe, however, that the next time I go into the bathroom to wash off an apple the lid on the toilet bowl WILL be closed. After all, it's not a choice I'd like to ponder again.

(jim@wmqt.com)

Wednesday, 10/7

Well...that escalated rather quickly.

I wrote in here yesterday about the possibility of maybe, perhaps, some day doing another series of those “Pieces of the Past” videos I do for the Marquette Regional History Center. Well, that was 24 hours ago. In the time since then...

I now have someone to shoot drone footage for me for several of the bits I may get around to some day producing, and some of the better “Pieces” from the past few years will soon begin airing on WNMU-TV.

And no, I have no idea how either of those happened. Like many things in my life, they just did.

8-)

Technically, I do know how both of them happened; it's just freaky that they both came to fruition within a few hours of me writing and posting a blog about scribbling a few notes on a piece of paper. But that's my life these days—weird things happen, and I seem to have no control over them.

What are you gonna do, right?

The drone footage should make the new series of “Pieces”--whenever I get around to putting them together—look spectacular. And the possibility of having a few of the classic ones pop up on WNMU-TV has been floating around for a couple of years now. Because they don't air commercials, they need interstitials—material to fill between shows. Since I've been working with them for a decade and a half now, they figured some of my older videos might be a natural fit. And since I made sure the History Center gets mentions and promos in exchange, it seems like a win-win for everyone.

And how often do you get something like THAT these days?

So if you happen to be watching WNMU-TV any time soon, don't be surprised if I pop up on it even more than I usually do. And whenever it is that I get around to putting more videos together, don't be surprised if they look amazing thanks to some drone footage that will be shot specifically for them.

Because, these days, that's apparently how things roll around here.

(jim@wmqt.com)

Tuesday, 10/6

I'm almost loathe to say it, but I've started thinking about them again.

As many of you know, every so often I do something really stupid--I make a batch of videos for the Marquette Regional History Center. It started during Covid, and I've now put together five "seasons"--almost 100 in all--of "Pieces of the Past". They do take some time in researching writing, and producing, and whenever I get done with a season I tell myself that I might want to give myself a break.

Until, like this past weekend when, for no reason at all, I pulled out a piece of paper and started writing things down--

Literally, I had no idea why I did it. I was just taking a break from putting together my TV bit and, a few moments later, found myself with the chicken scratchings you see above. I mean, I don't know if anything will come out of it and, if something does, when, but there I have it--a rough rundown of what could possibly be series 6 of "Pieces".

Some days, I amaze even myself. And not in a good way.

There are a lot of video projects I'd like to get done for the History Center in the next couple of years, especially the "Clean-Up on Aisle Five" grocery store documentary I've been working on for a few years now. So why 15 or 16 ideas for short form videos would suddenly pop into my head, I have no idea.

My brain just works in weird ways.

I'm pretty sure you won't be seeing any of these soon, although one or two might actually start off as Kaufman bits for the next "Legends & Lore" with Jack. But just remember that if you DO ever see any of these videos, the whole thing started this past weekend when my brain took over the rest of my body, and made it write these ideas down.

Stupid brain...

8-)

(jim@wmqt.com)

Monday, 10/5

There's a clump of hair sticking out of the back of my head, and nothing I do seems to make it go away.

One of the big differences between working in TV and working in radio is that two or three times a week I need to pay attention to how I look. In radio, you can just roll out of bed, throw on some clothes, and go to work. No one, aside from your co-workers, can see what you look like, and they're often dressed the same way you are. But you know what? On TV, people can see you. You just can't show up looking like a slob.

Who knew?

That's actually not a big problem for me. I actually do (usually) care about my appearance. I very rarely roll out of bed, throw whatever's lying on the floor back on, and then cruise down to work. I usually make sure I look good; heck, back in the days before I started doing TV I would even dress up in a jacket and tie every Monday just because, well, it was Monday. But now that I've been doing TV stuff for over a decade I have to make sure I'm entirely presentable before stepping in front of the cameras.

And that's where my hair, and the clump of it sticking out of the back of my head, comes in.

First of all, I'm mad at my hair anyway. Being under the bright lights in the studio means that you, on occasion, can see where over the years I've started to lose a little of it. Normally, in person, you can't tell, but under those lights, you can. I'm sure it's one of those things no one else will notice, but I do.

Is it any wonder I don't like watching myself on TV?

However, it's the back of my head that causes the biggest problems. Ever since I was a kid I've had a...growth of hair on the back right side of my head. It's kind of like someone put a bunch of hair fertilizer there, causing me to have twice as much hair on that patch of my head than I do anywhere else. The woman who's been cutting my hair tries to do what she can, but I'm apparently a freak of nature in that regard. And as we all know, there's not much you can do with a freak of nature.

Trust me. I'm walking proof.

It must be worse than usual, because while taping “High School Bowl” this past Friday my mom, who was in the audience, called me over and asked if I knew I had a clump of hair sticking out of the back of my head.. I, of course, did, but she's absolutely right about the clump. In fact, if you watch me on TV (something I don't really recommend, of course) and you see me shot at a certain angle it looks like I have a hair “tumor” sticking out of the back of my head. I mean, I've used a bunch of different products & methods to try to get it to lie flat, but with only middling success. And I'll be curious to see how it looks when I do “Life in the 906” tonight, as at the moment (and probably why my mom noticed it Friday), my hair tumor doesn't look like a tumor. Instead. it looks more like a stumpy carrot sticking out of my head.

So I have that going for me

I'm tempted just to hack the whole thing off with scissors. However, I know that would make things even worse by doing that. I mean, a stumpy carrot sticking out of my head? Maybe. A big hole where the stumpy carrot used to be? Nope. However, I have faith, if not in my own hands, that someone on set will have an idea what to do. However, if you see me on TV any day soon and notice there's something weird sticking out of my head, know that it's not the fault of your TV set.

It's the fault of my stupid head.

8-)

(jim@wmqt.com)

Friday, 10/2

Wow. I can't believe this is the twelfth go around 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 48th year for the show, and (gulp) number 12 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 twelve 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 13th, over half a year ago, and here we are, getting ready to start it all over again. The show we tape today airs November 7th, and once we start it's (almost) a non-stop thrill ride for the next month and a half, when we take a break for Thanksgiving.

And then it all starts up again.

So with that in mind, I'm off to make a fool out of myself, as usual. But before I do that, I also need to wish my favorite little sister a happy birthday, which it is tomorrow. So if you're at Lofaro's Fresh Market in the next few days, let her know. And while you're at it, have yourself a great weekend, as well.

(jim@wmqt.com)

Thursday, 10/1

It's been ten years. I know I REALLY need to update it soon.

Because it's been such a long time, some of you (heck, probably many of you) may not remember that I once had a list I kept updating on here called "Jim's 107 Things to Love About Marquette County". It listed 107-plus things that were amazing about this place, and every so often I'd get a note about how someone enjoyed the list or about a potential addition to it..

But then a couple of things happened.

The first was Covid, which meant that for two years I was working alone at the station and didn't have the time to do anything about it. The second was the sale of the station, which meant that as we developed a new corporate website the "107 List" didn't make the trip over.

And that's my bad.

However, I've been thinking of updating it recently, and have been spurred on by two things. One was a note from someone who wondered if he could still find the list on the new website, because he enjoyed looking at it every so often just remind himself about what a magical place Marquette County really is.. The second thing came to my attention when, after receiving that note, I printed out the 2017 version and noticed a typo in the part talking about Range Bank, where I had obviously meant to type "that's where my dear wife works".

Unfortunately, the typo stated that Range Bank is where "my dead wife works", and for some reason the idiot that typed it never noticed that.

Oops.

In going through the list, I've also noticed that maybe 20 percent of it consists of people who are no longer around or businesses that have closed. After all, a lot changes in a decade, especially in the decade that we've just lived through.

So here's the plan. I'm going to redo the list, updated to show the new things that around and to make sure that Loraine's my "dear wife" and not the other way around. I'll be posting it over (I think) an eight-day span, and then stick the whole, completed list, as well as all the pictures that accompany it, like this one--

on our new website, so that anyone who wants can read it whenever they want. It's gonna take a little work on my part, so I'm shooting for a target date of later this month and/or early next month. And I'm telling you that target date so, in case I slack or get behind in things, you can hold my feet to the fire and demand that I get it done.

After all, on occasion accountability still counts for something, right?

Wish me luck. It's long overdue.

(jim@wmqt.com)

Wednesday, 9/30

Think what you could do with money you'd spend on that car.

Several times the past few weeks I've noticed people driving new Corvettes around Marquette, in bright shiny colors and with nary a scratch on them. You see a bunch of them every year when the snow finally melts and the temperatures warm up, and then, like snowbirds, they disappear for the other seven or eight months of the year.

As you know, I'm not big into cars. Heck, technically I don't even own one. So for people to spend $90,000 (what Google says the price is for a new one) on a car they can only drive four or five months out of the year, I have to wonder--

Isn't there something better you could be doing with the money?

I'm not saying I begrudge the drivers of the Corvettes their cars. I'm sure that they've worked hard for them, and in buying one they're fulfilling a life long dream. And that's their right; after all, it's their money, and they can do whatever they want with it.

But to take $90,000 and buy something you can only use for a third of a year? Aren't there charitable organizations, or people in need, or other worthy uses where the money would help those in need? I mean, if I had an extra $90,000 that's what I'd would do with it. Once again, it's your money. You can spend it however you want. But in these days when social programs are being cut and charities are pushed to the limit in trying to help out those in need...

Does a Corvette really matter?

Like I said, I don't even own a car, so I'm probably not the best person to address this subject.  And if you think I'm wrong or misguided; well, then you're in good company, just like as on many of the things I've written about in here. All I know is that each and every time I saw a Corvette this past summer one thought kept popping into my head. Namely--

"I wonder how many people could be fed by the purchase price of that car".

But that's just me.

(jim@wmqt.com)

Tuesday, 9/29

I should probably learn how to play the game again.

My TV piece last night dealt with what it perhaps the UP's national card game, cribbage. It all started a couple of weeks ago when Deanna, Loraine, and I were out at lunch and Deanna asked if I knew how to play cribbage, because she's been looking for someone to play with. I had to explain that I knew how to once, back a thousand years ago when I was a kid, but I've forgotten just about everything about it since then.

I know; I'm a bad Yooper.

Anyway, the whole experience made me think two things. The first is that I really SHOULD learn how to play it again, if only because it might be one of the few ways that I would fit in as a “real” Yooper and not a “city boy” (as I've been called before by "real" Yoopers).

The second? That I could get a really good TV piece out of the whole thing. And you know what?

I don't think it turned out half bad--

Now, if you don't mind, I have to skip out of here early, as as I have a (gulp) 9 am appointment in Negaunee. As long as I remember how to drive that far, I think I'll get there in time.

8-)

(jim@wmqt.com)

Monday, 9/28

I guess I might as well own it, right?

Over the years, I have had a lot of people (especially young women, for some reason) compare my looks to that of an actor. Well, I was giving a tour to a group of law professionals over the weekend, and while we were stopped for a second one of them leaned over to me and said those words that have been said many times before--

“Do you know you look like a younger Billy Bob Thornton?”

Here's where it gets weird. I know that when they're comparing me to an Oscar-winning actor and writer they're complimenting me. I realize that young women, especially, find Billy Bob Thornton a very fascinating and attractive individual. However, when they say I look like Billy Bob Thornton, I always assume that they mean Billy Bob Thornton in his most famous, Oscar-winning role.

You know...THIS Billy Bob Thornton--

When they compare me to Billy Bob Thornton, I'm pretty sure they don't mean the way he looked in “Sling Blade”. But for whatever reason—and this probably says more about me than anything—I always assume they mean the very bizarre character he played in that movie, as opposed to the Billy Bob Thornton who married Angelina Jolie or the Billy Bob Thornton who has broken hearts on the big & small screens for 30 years now.

But like I said—that's just me.

Personally, I don't see the resemblance. But I guess that's normal, much in the same way I record someone for a commercial and they say “that doesn't sound like me”. We're just too close to the subject to me impartial. I suppose if I tried to disconnect to everything I know about myself and stared at a picture of Billy Bob Thornton long enough, I might see what everyone else is seeing. Maybe I'd see the dashing but quirky leading man or the tough but intelligent guy trying to hang on to his scruples.

Or maybe I'd just keep seeing the dude from “Sling Blade”. It's one or the other.

In the end, there's nothing I can do about it. We're all born looking like we look, and if we happen to slightly resemble an Oscar winning writer and actor enough that people keep mentioning it?

Well, I suppose there are worse people to be compared to.

8-)

(jim@wmqt.com)

Thursday, 9/24

Attached to the protective grating around a tree right outside of the station is this--

Yes, you are seeing that right. It's a (I'm guessing) Valentine's Day-themed teddy bear, strung up like it's the first week of February and not a random day in late September. But because it's Marquette, I'm not sure WHY the Valentine's Day-themed teddy bear is stuck on the protective tree grating. Because it's Marquette, it could be there because someone lost it and someone else wants to whoever lost it to find it.

Or, because it's Marquette, it could be art. Maybe, just maybe, someone put it there as, I dunno, a statement on their love for a random day in February or as a comment on the disposable aspect of our modern day society.

Because it's Marquette, it could be either one.

I'm not saying that in a bad way. Marquette is just one of those places filled with artists, and often time those artists will try to make a statement with “found objects”...things you find just lying around on the ground. Like, you know, a Valentine's Day-themed teddy bear that just happened to sitting in the grass or lying on the sidewalk.

Hence, my confusion as to why the Valentine's Day-themed teddy bear was stuck to the protective tree grating outside of the station in late September.

If it disappears some day soon, I'll trust that whoever lost it found it and took it home (or, I guess, that DDA workers found it and wanted to remove it from the protective tree grating). But if it remains there for some time, allowing passersby to ponder the statement that someone is trying to make, I'll know it's art.

If for no other reason than I just happen to live in a place where either of those is a possibility.

*****

By the way, tomorrow is a corporate holiday, so there won't be a new one of these. Have yourself a great weekend (whether it be 2 or 3-day). You'll find something new here on Monday!

(jim@wmqt.com)

Wednesday, 9/23

Okay, it’s time for me to rant about geography again.

Every so often I’m astounded by the geographic ignorance of the people in this country. Now, I realize most people don’t care, and that I probably do because I minored in the subject in college, but I came across two scary statistics while reading news sites this past weekend, and they just blew my mind.

The first statistic? Despite the fact that we’re engaged in a war in this particular country 63 percent of Americans can't find Iran on a world map. They had no idea that you go to the Mediterranean Sea, take a slight zig to the left when it ends, and go a couple of countries in.

Of course, that would pre-suppose that they knew where the Mediterranean Sea is.

The other statistic might even be scarier...around 50 percent of ALL Americans can’t locate New York state on a map. That means HALF of all Americans, despite knowing of the state, couldn’t point to where the Empire State Building sits, or where Long Island juts out into the Atlantic.

Don’t you think it says something about Americans when we don’t know where world hot spots are? I mean, how can we as a country care about things like the past tragedy of mass starvation and mass death in Darfur when most of us don’t even know where it is? I guess it’s just a little disappointing that we as a people don’t seem to be aware that we’re not just Americans. We’re humans sharing a planet with many different people and many different countries, and in that sense, don’t you think we SHOULD have some knowledge of our neighbors?

(Darfur, by the way, is in the Sudan. In Africa. PLEASE tell me you know where Africa is.)

Now like I said, maybe I’m just a little sensitive to this mass ignorance because it’s something about which I’ve always had an interest. That interest, by the way, started from the time I was 4 years old and my mom read to me from Rand McNally’s World Atlas. I, apparently, was disappointed that I couldn’t go to school with the other kids, so she decided to let me learn at home. And it’s an education that’s stayed with me to this day.

So thanks, Mom, for opening my eyes to the fact that there’s an entire world out there, filled with different people, different customs, and different problems. It’s an education that I would hope ALL kids could get some day.

And then we would never have to see statistics like the two above, the ones that blew my mind, again.

(jim@wmqt.com)

Tuesday, 9/22

 Why yes, I DO put the "goof" in goofy.

8-)

This week's TV piece was not at all serious, and one of those that just popped into my head one day a few weeks ago.  As usual, I was out running right before school started for the year, and for whatever reason the topic of Yooper-themed school classes entered my brain, as did an image for a Kindergarten book.

And with that, I was off to the races.

As usual, the gags came pretty easily in this one, while the graphics took a little more time.  I really do need to work on being a better graphic artist, but with little or no talent in that area, I guess I'm stuck doing what I do.  And thank goodness for Canva, a web-based graphics program that actually makes sense (and doesn't use AI, unless you wanna pay for it).  I'm pretty much able to stick together stuff that kinda sorta looks like I want it to, and with my limited abilities in that area...

I'm happy with the results.

So just how goofy did I end up this week?  Judge for yourself--

(jim@wmqt.com), goof.

Monday, 9/21

Wow. It’s just about over. It’s really over.

Tomorrow (tomorrow night at 8:05 Eastern time, actually) marks the Autumnal Equinox, or as a normal person would put it, the beginning of Fall. Summer’s over, and while we (once again) really didn’t have much of a summer this year, the door has been officially slammed on it.

Yikes!

Every week on the air we do something we call our “At Work/Online Network Question of the Week”, in which we ask a question on the air and also throw it on our station Facebook page in hopes of getting a little discussion going. An upcoming question, written knowing what is on the way, asks if everyone is ready for another Upper Michigan winter.

I know what my answer will be.

I’ve always thought of Summer as a time to recharge your batteries, a time to (literally) soak up enough sun to wash away the memories of the winter you’ve just lived through and to charge your psyche up enough to face the onslaught of the next, upcoming cold season. I mean, that’s just how I perceive it, but in talking with other people it seems like I’m not alone in that area.

This year, though, was something special. We had a brutally cold and brutally long-lasting winter, one that I know drained my batteries far more than they’ve ever been drained. We didn’t have much a spring at all, and then “summer” this year consisted of a nice Memorial Day weekend, a few nice days here and there, a hot (but hazy) July, and a few more okay days in August before all heck broke loose. Sure, it might not be too bad a day or two this week, but did we really have enough of a “summer” this year to erase memories of what we lived through a few months ago, and what we may have to live through a few months hence?

Don’t answer; it’s mostly a rhetorical question. After all, we each handle weather (and what it does to us) in different ways. But I have a feeling that if you were to ask 100 different U.P. residents that question that a majority—maybe even a large majority—of them would answer the same way I did.

And I don’t know if that’s a good thing or not.

Maybe we’ll get lucky this winter. Maybe there will be a strong El Nino in the Pacific this year, and we’ll have warmer than average temperatures. Maybe, like a few years ago, we won't even have any snow throughout the year. Hopefully, though, we'll have few (if any days) where the temperature falls below zero. Maybe Lake Superior won’t freeze this year, which means that we’ll have a warmer Spring, which might lead to us having a “normal” summer next year.

Maybe.

Living up here, you gotta have hope, especially as far as the weather goes. After all, there’s nothing you can do about it; you just have to live through it, and keep your fingers crossed that it turns out for the best.

So as we head through the last full day of "summer" and stand on the brink of the first day of Fall, perhaps the best thing I can say is “good luck, everyone”. We may need it.

(jim@wmqt.com)

Friday, 9/18

Okay...my eyes can stop watering any day now.

When I was young I used to suffer from rather severe hay fever twice a year (spring & fall). But one of the few good things about getting older, I've discovered, is that allergy problems, at least for me, have fallen way off. I no longer have any sort of problems each Spring, and for the past few Autumns I haven't noticed anything happening at all.

And then there's this Fall. For the past week or so, my eyes have been watering like a fire hydrant left on during a hot Summer's day. And also for the past week or so, I've had a non-stop low-grade headache centered right behind my eyeballs. My nose hasn't in any way been stuffy, but several days this week you could actually hear all kinds of roughness in my voice. In total it's not quite as bad as what I suffered through as a younger person, but it's not that far off, either.

I have no idea why it's hit me with a vengeance this year. I don't know if it's the fact I was downstate around farm fields for a few days or if the (and I say this generously) weird weather we've had this year kick-started something in my head that's been laying dormant for a couple of decades now. All I can say is...

IT CAN STOP NOW!

I really hope that it's just an anomaly brought on by travel. I really hope that our increasingly screwed up climate hasn't caused my annual bouts of hay fever to return. But I always travel somewhere—Reese, Chicago, or Europe--during this time of the year and have not have the allergy problems that I do right now. So if the problems HAVE been caused by the weather, let's hope they've just been caused by our weird weather year, and not by our increasingly weird weather patterns.

After all, I suffered enough when I was young. I'd really dislike having to do it again. So if you see me walking down the street in the next few days with tears running down my face, realize that I'm not weeping in joy at seeing you (although I suppose i COULD be weeping in joy, at least inside). It's just my stupid sinuses getting their revenge for some inexplicable reason.

******

One more note before I go...I need to wish a happy anniversary to the two people without whom I wouldn't be here! It's my parents anniversary, so if you see either Dar or Chicky-Poo, make sure you wish 'em a happy day, because they sure do deserve it!

Love to them both,

(jim@wmqt.com)

Thursday, 9/17

The signs are starting to go up. Now we'll see if they make any difference.

If you've been reading these the past few years you may recall all the issues that the city of Marquette has had with e-bike (actually, riders of all bikes) riding where they're not supposed to, and with many suggestions on how to control the few people who ride their machines like they're out of control. Out of that came a series of laws that the Marquette City Commission passed earlier this year.

One of those new ordinances involved the banning of riding any kind of bike or e-mobility devices on sidewalks in downtown Marquette. One of the ways to inform the public about the new law involved posting signage throughout downtown Marquette, and that has, after several months, finally started--

Even without the signs, the new ordinance has been in effect for four months now, and I've noticed a marked decrease in people riding bikes on sidewalks outside the station. However, it's not universal,; I still see kids (and adults) speeding down the Front Street sidewalk, oblivious as to the fact that someone may be stepping out of a building or getting out of a car. Hopefully, the signs will inform them that you can't do stuff like that.

And hopefully, those people actually listen.

I talked about this on TV a month or so ago. There seems to be a (small) subset of people out there who think that any kind of rule infringes upon their “freedom”. When it comes to things like public safety, that actually baffles me. You're being asked not to speed down a sidewalk on a hill to avoid injuring people. How is that infringing upon your freedom other than, perhaps, your freedom to hurt others?

Some days, I just don't get some people.

But that's neither here nor there. The signs are going up, which means that anyone on any wheeled device will soon know that they're not supposed to ride on sidewalks in certain areas of Marquette.

I'll be curious to see if those signs actually do their job.

(jim@wmqt.com)

Wednesday, 9/16

It's another sure sign that summer is over. My auxiliary office was empty yesterday.

I've been writing here and there about signs that our too-short summer has now receded into the depths of history, and I noticed perhaps one of the surest signs of that yesterday. The temps were mild, the sun was (kinda out), so I decided to head down to my auxiliary office to eat lunch and to do some writing, and that's when I saw yet another sign that summer's over.

My auxiliary office was, except for me, empty--

My "auxiliary office" is actually Marquette's Lower Harbor Park, one of the crown jewels of Marquette's park system, and a park that, during the summer, is filled with kids on the playground, bikers on the multi-use path, and individuals eating lunch at one of the many picnic tables. In fact, when I head down to my auxiliary office during the summer, sometimes I find that there's actually no place to work.

But not yesterday. In a giant city park, I was the only person within sight.

Yes, I know some of it's because school's back in session and yes, I know some of it's because (most of ) the tourists are gone. But to see the park that empty and that desolate just made me think that people have given up for the year, that they know fall is here, winter is coming, and it's time to hibernate for the next eight months.

And that's always one of the saddest revelations you can have this time of the year.

I myself am hoping that I get a few more days in my auxiliary office, although I guess that's up to Mother Nature. I'm guessing, though, anything like that would be a bonus, especially when you consider all of the people who already seem to have given up for the year, and who are ready for winter to show up, in whatever form it takes this year.. We'll have to see, I guess.

All I know is that after yesterday, it seems as if the summer that was way too short has now had the curtain officially drawn upon it.

(jim@wmqt.com)

Tuesday, 9/15

And now, the rest of the story.

Well, technically, it's not the REST of the story, as I haven't actually told any of the story yet. But if you recall last week when I wrote in here after returning from visiting my favorite father-in-law in the whole wide world, I said that I was going to put together a TV piece about small towns, both here and downstate. Since last night was TV night, guess what I did?

Yup. I told the whole story.

Once again, technically, it's actually not a “story”. It's more a series of observations punctuated by jokes (or at least by attempts at jokes) that came to me while I was out running one morning in Reese. I sat on my father-in-law's front porch (because that's what you do in a really small town, right?) and wrote most of it right there. I did not, however, have the “kicker”, the one thing near the end that ties the whole piece up with a nice bright bow. But then I went running another morning and ran into someone on the street as I was finishing.

And what she said to me was the PERFECT kicker for the piece.

What observations did I make, what jokes did I attempt to tell, and just what did the lady on the street say to me? Well, find out for yourself--

(jim@wmqt.com)

Monday, 9/14

If you're ever wonder why I'm doing something weird, just blame Stevie Wonder. He's probably the reason.

I received an e-mail Friday afternoon from someone I don't know, but who obviously knows who I am. The e-mail said, and I'm quoting here, “Jim—I saw you our for a run this morning and it looked like you have either have a very unique running style or you were air drumming . Which one is it”? Well, I can state without fear of being wrong that I don't have a very unique running style.

However, I kinda have to plead guilty to air drumming, just because...well, just because. I have no other explanation other than that.

After reading the e-mail I thought back to the early morning run through downtown, down Pine Street, and then back up the lakeshore bike path. While I couldn't tell this person exactly to which song I was air-drumming, I have a pretty good idea, if only because I listened to the song (ahem) five times in a row.

But then, Stevie Wonder's “Sir Duke” will do that to a person.

It's funny; I haven't listened to “Sir Duke” for a while now. But it stuck in my head because we're coming up on the 50^th anniversary of “Songs in the Key of Life”, the classic album from which it came, and I was reading an article about it. Now if I'm being honest, I much prefer the other number one song from that disc, “I Wish”, but something in my brain told me to listen to “Sir Duke”, and once I listened to it I couldn't stop.

Much like, apparently, I couldn't stop air drumming to it while I ran.

Part of the joy of being me is that pretty much everything I do in public is noticed by someone, whether I want it to be or not. Thankfully, I don't do anything so bad that it would land me in jail, but I do seem to have a propensity for getting caught doing goofy things, like air drumming But you can't blame me for this one.

After all, it's all Stevie Wonder's fault.

8-)

(jim@wmqt.com)

Friday, 9/11

25 years, huh? Doesn't seem that long, does it?

I'm sure you'll be reading a ton of stuff today about the 25th anniversary of 9/11. It's one of those touchstone moments, like Pearl Harbor, Kennedy being shot, or Challenger blowing up--you knew exactly where you were when you heard the news, and and that day is seared forever into your brain

After all, we're still feeling the reactions to 9/11 in the way we live even now.

When you tell a younger person that you grew up in a world without omnipresent security cameras or that you used to be able to walk into an airport with getting undressed they look at you like you're from another world. And in a way, you are--you're from a world before planes went crashing into buildings, before layer upon layer of draconian security was imposed upon every day life, and before countless wars were launched in the name of making the world safe.

That's how much things have changed in the past quarter century.

Now, there can be a debate as to whether or not the world is a safer place; that, however, is best a debate in other forums and by people who know more than I. I guess I'm just stunned by two things--by the fact that the defining moment of this century was a quarter of that century ago, and by the fact that the after-effects of that incident are still being felt today. 25 years after Pearl Harbor, we were allies with the Japanese. 25 years after Kennedy was shot, the republic still stood. And 25 years after Challenger, space shuttles were still flying.

It's like we moved on after those events. But 25 years after 9/11? It feels like in many ways, we're still living with it.

I'll be curious to see what it's like in 2051, when the 50th anniversary rolls around. Will we have moved on? Will some other disaster, either man-made or natural, have taken over our everyday life? Or will we still be living in the shadow of events that occurred on a sunny day in New York City in 2001, 25 years ago today.

It'll be interesting to see.

On that note, have yourself a great weekend. And maybe keep your fingers crossed that we DON'T have another disaster like that in the next 25 years.

(jim@wmqt.com)

Thursday, 9/10

I guess we now have an answer to the question that's been plaguing mankind since the dawn of time.

A couple of months ago Loraine, Deanna, and I were having dinner when Deanna posited one of those interesting questions she comes up with. To wit--

"Do you think our parents have ever watched 'Friends'"?

It's actually quite the legit question. For our generation, "Friends" is a touchstone. It's one of those shows that defines who we are and how we act. It was a big chunk of our lives, and we're still watching episodes for the 45th time. But what about the generation older than us, our parents? They probably knew of the show, and may have even watched it once out of curiosity. But did they really know the show the way we did?

That question was answered this past weekend when Loraine and I were downstate visiting her dad. We were showing him some stuff on my laptop when a picture of the cast of "Friends" popped up (maybe in an ad, or something). He took one look at that picture--of the six actors on the show--pointed at David Schwimmer, and said, directly quoting him here--

"Hey--that's the guy from 'Band of Brothers'".

Yup. He had no idea that David Schwimmer was on "Friends", but he sure did remember him from his memorable one episode role on a TV mini-series 25 years ago.

Now, this is just a one parent sample group; other people's parents may vary. But if you've ever wondered, like Deanna, Loraine, and I did, if our parents generation ever watched "Friends"...

Well, now you have your answer.

By the way, we DID show him an episode and he thought it was a hoot.. So who knows...maybe slowly but surely, we'll get the older generation hooked on the show that defined our generation yet.

8-)

(jim@wmqt.com)

Wednesday, 9/9

And greetings from somewhere on I-75. I’m not quite sure where, but it’s the place where there are trees on the left and trees on the right.

So wherever that is, that’s where we are.

We had a very nice, very extended weekend down in Reese, visiting Loraine’s family and for a few short hours actually forgetting what day of the week it was.

And that VERY rarely happens.

Otherwise, we just spent time with Loraine’s dad's cats, eating a lot, and, uhm, going to the one place we can’t go to in Marquette, if only because we don’t have one--Aldi. I told you if you behaved I'd take a picture, and you did, so...

Hi, my name is Jim, and I’m an Aldi-holic. And if you think I’m bad now, just wait until we actually DO get one in Marquette. After the first week, I may need an intervention.

So be forewarned.

We also spent some time just wandering around Loraine’s home town. Reese reminds me a lot of and is about the same size of Gwinn, and that led to something you may—just may—see on TV next Monday night.

But that's next week.

For now, how about a couple of pictures, like yet another example of “The Awesome Flatness of Reese”--

It’s actually hard to capture in a picture just how flat Reese is; in sections with no trees you can see for miles and miles and miles. Because it’s flat it’s home to hundreds of farms, which means that the only things that rise more than 20 feet above the terrain would be the grain elevators, as you see in the picture above, although some of the farm equipment on sale might qualify, as well.

But if you know where to look, you can see things in the nooks and crannies that make Loraine’s home town uniquely “Reese”.

But for now, it's back to reality...not that reality is in any way a bad thing. The past weekend did, however, show just how nice it is to escape from that reality on occasion, if only for a few days.

(jim@wmqt.com)

Thursday, 9/3

Now, it's all over except the shouting. Or the sobbing.

After all, it's been that kind of week.

It's actually been a couple of “that kind of weeks”, as you well know if you've been perusing these rantings on a daily basis. But like I said, after today it slows down...or, at least changes venues. Tomorrow morning Loraine and I head downstate to visit her dad over the Labor Day weekend, which means that we get to do three things--

1.  Hang out with her nieces & nephews

2. Visit the Aldi in Caro (a town a quarter of the size of Marquette but, for some reason, has an Aldi while we don't), and

3. Enjoy the awesome flatness of Reese--

That's a phrase Loraine once coined, and she's right. Growing up where there are a LOT of hills I never had an idea any place could be so flat. It's so flat, in fact, that on a clear day you can see the top of the Zilwaukee Bridge, which is TWELVE miles away.

That's flat.

So there won't be one of these either tomorrow or Tuesday, which is the day we'll be driving back. Wednesday, you'll get to see picture of the “Awesome Flatness” and, if you behave, maybe even one of the Caro Aldi, as well.

I know...THAT will get you through the weekend, won't it?

8-)

Speaking of the weekend, have yourself a great one. Back on Wednesday!

(jim@wmqt.com)

Wednesday, 9/2

Nope. I will never, ever use it. Not even if you put a gun to my head.

The world has been turned upside down the past few years by the advent of AI, artificial intelligence. It's crept into every facet of life these days, whether you want it to or not, and it's been used for many different purposes, up to and including replacing writers, musicians, and other creative individuals in doing things like writing daily blogs.

But I'll make this guarantee to you right now--

You'll never have to worry about one of these being written by a machine.

After once again talking about how busy I was this week, someone sent me a note and suggested that if I'm ever in a time crunch, I should try & see if AI could write one of these. She says she's used it, and no one was the wiser. In theory, I suppose I could outsource these to a machine. I've written almost 3,000 of them, and I could feed those 3,000 into AI, have it analyze my writing style, pick out a topic, and then have it write 500 words. And you know what? I'm guessing that it could come up with a reasonable facsimile of what I do.

And that's just one of the scary parts.

I mean, no "artist" (not that I consider myself an artist) wants to be replaced by a machine, but these days it is possible.. And seeing as how we're only in the early days of artificial intelligence, I'm guessing that in a couple of years the machines may supplant human creativity. But that's not the point. Up until a few years ago creativity was just that--a human endevour. If we allow AI to do it for us, does that make us a little less human? The machines more human?

The mind boggles.

Aside from the ethical consideration, there's also the environmental ones. Every time someone uses AI it sucks up a huge amount of electricity to power the computer chips behind it, and a huge amount of water to cool those chips so they can keep working. With the way we've been wrecking the planet lately do we really want to spew more power plant pollution into the air and suck more precious water out of the ground?

It blows my mind that some people are okay with that. But apparently, they are.

I realize that I sound like a technological Luddite in writing this, but as we all know I'm really not. It just seems like we're at a tipping point in our growth as a species. Do we really want to outsource the most human of our activities--the arts--to a machine that gobbles up finite natural resources? In my opinion, at least, it's not a thing I want to be party to. I mean, I realize that I'm probably in the minority on this, but change just for the sake of change isn't always the best thing in the world.

So, if you don't mind, I'll just keep writing these with my human brain, powered by chocolate and green tea. You won't catch me using AI to assist in anything to do with these. And I hope that's okay.

I do wonder, though, if that means I'm somewhat akin to a dinosaur standing on a North American plain 66 million years ago, watching a fireball streak across the sky, and not knowing that things are about to change forever, and not for the good.

(jim@wmqt.com)