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)