Thursday, 11/19

 I wonder if I'm being a little too petty.

Let me explain. Those of you who've listened to the station know that for the 13 or 14 years we've been doing this thing called “Upper Michigan's Favorite Friday”, in which we take listener votes for Upper Michigan's favorite song by a particular artist or along a particular theme. I usually don't have an opinion on which song wins; after all, it's not Jim's favorite song by a particular artist or along a particular theme, it's Upper Michigan's favorite, and my vote is just one out of 300,000. Once we find out the winner, we play a liner before we play the winning song, saying something along the lines of “Q107-WMQT, with the song you voted as Upper Michigan's favorite ______ song ever”. After all, if the song wins the honor, it should be noted for everyone listening, right?

Well, I'm gonna come clean here, because there's one winning song for which we don't play the liner. I know that because I played it yesterday.  And since I'm the one who schedules the liners, I think that maybe I'm allowing my personal opinion to override the votes of all of our listeners. And I don't know if that's a good thing. I'll let you guys decide.

I think I've written here too many times about my admiration for the talent of and the songs written by Brian Wilson. I think he's one of the iconic pop composers of the last 50 years, and when you dive into the breadth of his work for The Beach Boys, you just walk away stunned. I don't think anyone would disagree, and I think everyone can name at least one song of his from the group's catalog that puts a smile on their face.

And yet listeners, twice, have picked “Kokomo”, a schlocky piece of movie soundtrack fodder recorded 20 years after the group's heyday, as Upper Michigan's favorite Beach Boys song ever. Not “Good Vibrations”, not “God Only Knows”, not “California Girls”, but “Kokomo”, a song recorded by only two or three members of the original group and featuring among its four co-writers only one of those two or three original members. That would be like Bernie Leadon and Don Felder recording a Randy Meisner song and having people vote for it as Upper Michigan's favorite Eagles song ever.

It's just not right.

Now, like I said, maybe I'm a little biased here. Maybe my admiration for Brian Wilson and the work of the original group is clouding my judgment. But I don't consider “Kokomo” a Beach Boys song. Sure, it's a song recorded by people who call themselves “The Beach Boys”, but does it stack up next to anything the original group recorded? I don't believe so. But a plurality of our listeners do, which is why it's been twice voted as “Upper Michigan's favorite Beach Boys song ever”. And since you can't change the results of an election by, oh, threatening to sue or threatening to throw out votes or by just refusing to acknowledge the results, I'll just have to protest my own way.

By not scheduling the liner before the song every time it plays.

Yes, I know it's petty. It's like a six year old holding their breath because they can't have a Snickers bar for dinner. I should take the high road and play the liner before the song; after all, the song won the vote, and often times in a democracy your candidate doesn't win. A big person accepts the results and moves on.

A sore loser doesn't play the liner. A sore loser can be a bit petty about it all. And that, in this instance, describes me.

Sorry about that. I will be a better person than that.

8-)

(jim@wmqt.com)

Wednesday, 11/18

 Apparently I'm swearing to myself in German quite a bit these days.

Actually, let me rephrase that a little. I'm not actually "swearing" so much as verbalizing the insanity of 2020.  And while I don't know a lot of German, among the phrases I do know are “Mein Gott” and the all-purpose German declarative “Scheisse”. Since, as I mentioned yesterday, I now work alone, every so often, either to keep my vocal chords limber or because I've forgotten to do something or,  as I said, to express general bemusement at the way the world is going, I'll let loose with one of those phrases.

If things are going really well I might even use both.

I don't know why I started doing it; after all, if I were going to swear in a foreign language you'd figure it would be French, right? But nope; for some strange reason, if I need to let loose with an epithet, it's in German. I don't know if there's something kind of guttural or ephemeral about German, but it just seems a little more satisfying to let loose in that language, especially the way it reverberates around an empty studio complex.

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

I suppose I could break it up a little. I suppose I could use Google Translate and see those phrases in different languages. For instance, I could shout out “mano dieve“ or "môj Bože“ or "tanrım “ if I wanted to use Lthuanian or Slovak or Azerbaijani, respectively. And I could replace "Scheisse“ with "bok“, "merda”, or “lapoa “ in Turkish, Portugese, or Samoan, should I feel like it.

If I wanted to.

I may have to put that on my list of things to do, which means that I'll be getting to it by, uhm, June of 2022. But until then, I still have the old German fallbacks upon which to fall back. I just wish I knew why I actually started doing it, just like I wish I knew how I do most things in my life these days.

Mein Gott!!!

8-)

(jim@wmqt.com)

Tuesday, 11/17

 It's been eight months. What's a few more between friends?

What with Michigan's latest (& much-needed) quasi-lockdown order starting tomorrow it doesn't look like I'll be joined by co-workers any year soon. Not that I mind; after all, I've written in here several times about how I seem to get much more done when I'm not being bothered by anyone. But, that being said, it's been eight months.

I'm actually old enough to remember when we thought this would all be over in two or three weeks.

I'm guessing that I'll be working by myself for the foreseeable future. After all, even if one of the vaccines they're developing were to be approved tomorrow it would still be quite a while before it was manufactured, distributed, and then given to everyone. I'm not a scientist, nor to I play one on TV, but I wouldn't not be surprised one way or another if I'm still sitting here alone six months from now.

In fact, I'm planning on it.

Not only will I be working alone for the foreseeable future, but all this also has an effect on both TV Jim and History Jim. The newest order doesn't allow high school students to partake in extracurricular activities through (at least) December 8^th.. We were supposed to start shooting “High School Bowl” on December 2^nd. So, we'll have to see how that turns out.

Meanwhile, History Jim and his show partner Jack Deo have had their annual January show at Kaufman Auditorium transitioned from in-person to pre-produced. That's right; our “Skates, Skis, and Slapshots” program will now be a video a-la the “Third Street: Day & Night” thing I did this past summer. I'll be curious to see how it all turns out. After all, it was easy to transition one of my tours to video; if I can do it with one of those unwieldy shows Jack & I put together, I'll be impressed.

Really, really, impressed.

But for now, I'll just keep going to work as I have every morning, and taking it a day at a time. We've all been doing it for eight months now; what's another five or six between friends, right?

8-)

(jim@wmqt.com)

Monday, 11/16

 So...just what am I missing out on by not liking stuffing?

A couple of years ago on our “Tuesday Topic” we asked listeners about the food they most enjoy on Thanksgiving. And I have to admit I was a little surprised when the winner was stuffing. Not turkey, not pumpkin pie, my two favorites, but stuffing. And then Loraine and I (excuse me...my girlfriend and I) spent several minutes this weekend on what we want to have for our 2-person stay-at-home 2020 Thanksgiving celebration, and a casserole that contains stuffing seems to be the winner.

Hmmm. Guess I'll have to start liking it, huh?

I think this all proves a couple of things, one being that it's further evidence I'm not like other human beings. I've never been a big fan of stuffing, and I don't know that I ever will be a big fan. I don't know why; I like many of the ingredients that go into stuffing. But I guess I've just never liked the overall end result, per se, of stuffing. I don't know if it's the flavor, the texture, or the fact that it's usually shoved up a turkey's butt to cook. For whatever reason, I personally don't like stuffing.

But I know I'm in the minority here. I know that every other single person with whom I traditionally share my Thanksgiving dinner adores the dish. And they're probably happy I don't like it. After all, it just means more for them. From the sounds of it, I'm guessing this would also get replayed in any other households where there are a bunch of stuffing lovers and one naysayer. The people who love the dish—the vast, vast majority of people—get a little more because there's one person who, for whatever rational or (ahem) irrational reason doesn't like it.

You know...like at any Thanksgiving dinner where I'm a guest. Unless, of course, someone figured out a way to make it with chocolate. Then, just maybe, I might consider it.

Maybe.

8-)

But, I guess we'll see how it turns out when I use it as an ingredient next week. Who knows...maybe I'll end up like that kid in those old Life cereal commercials and actually like it. That's happened before, after all.

And if that's the case, you can just start calling me Mikey. I'll have earned it.

(jim@wmqt.com)

Friday, 11/13 (!)

 Two totally unrelated things today, the first being that my favorite three-year old in the world becomes my favorite four-year old in the world!

It's my nephew Abel's 4^th birthday tomorrow, and as he's growing up we have quite the interesting relationship. For the first two years of his life, he would cry every time he saw me. He didn't do that for anyone else; I was just the lucky person in that regard. Since then, though, he knows me as the uncle with the camera, and since Abel apparently wants to be a model when he grows up guess who's become one of his favorite people in the world?

Yup. That's me; coolest uncle in the world.

So happy birthday, Abel. And if anyone disagrees that maybe he might not become a model some day, look at one of the (hundreds) of pictures he's had his personal staff photographer take--

See what I mean?

8-)

*****

Secondly, happy Deer Season weekend! That’s a real holiday, right?

For the 22nd time (22 times???????) I present an epic “poem” (using the word rather loosely) to commemorate the U.P. national holiday. Even though I've never personally celebrated the holiday, I know a lot of people do. So if you are, I hope it's both a successful and safe day.

And remember—if you stay hydrated your hangover won't be as bad as it could be.

(jim@wmqt.com)

“’Twas the Night Before Deer Camp”,

by Jimmy Koski, grade 3.

TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE DEER SEASON

AND ALL THROUGH THE CAMP

HUNTERS WERE UNLOADED BEER CRATES

AND LIGHTING UP LAMPS

THE RIFLES THEY HUNG

IN THE PICKUP WITH CARE

IN HOPES THAT A 10-POINTER

SOON WOULD BE THERE

I IN MY ORANGE

MY BUDDY IN GREEN

SAT DOWN TO A CRIBBAGE GAME

THE BIGGEST EVER SEEN

WE PLAYED THROUGH THE NIGHT

AND EMPTIED THOSE CRATES

BUT MORNING SOON CAME

WE DIDN’T WANT TO BE LATE

WE SET OUT AT SUNRISE

AT DAWN’S EARLY LIGHT

PUT DOWN A BIG BAIT PILE

IN HOPES THAT BAMBI WOULD BITE

WE SAT AND WE WAITED

AND WAITED SOME MORE

I KEPT MY EYES OPEN

MY BUDDY STARTED TO SNORE

WHEN TO MY SURPRISE

STANDING RIGHT BY A TREE

WAS A BIG 12-POINT BUCK

MY PANTS I DID...WELL, NEVER MIND ABOUT THAT

I BROUGHT UP MY RIFLE

I LINED UP THE DEER

THEN MY BUDDY WOKE UP AND YELLED

“HEY--WHERE’S THE BEER?”

THE BUCK RAN AWAY

I LOWERED MY GUN

MY BUDDY JUST LAUGHED

SAID “LET’S HAVE SOME FUN”

WE WENT BACK TO DEER CAMP

AND HAD US A BALL

SO LET ME SAY THIS--

GOOD LUCK DEER HUNTING TO ALL...

Thursday, 11/12

 To paraphrase a guy who wrote a thing or two a long time ago—to bake, or not to bake. That is the question.

This is usually the time of the year when my mind drifts to making Christmas cookies, and while it has drifted there it's for two entirely different reasons than usual. And, like everything else that's happened this year, that's thanks to 2020.

First of all, when I'm done writing this I'm going over to my parents to bake their Christmas cookies. Normally, I do this the weekend before the holiday, but because they're trying to escape the Covid wasteland that is Michigan by going to Florida this weekend (and not coming back until next Spring) I need to bake their cookies now so they can freeze them, take them down there with them, and enjoy eating them on the actual holiday along with other Christmas-like items along the lines of palm trees and ocean breezes.

Now, because of the fact that a big chunk of my family won't be here for the holidaze and because I'm guessing most people don't want food from people they don't live with, I've also made the decision not to, for the first time in decades, make many (if any) cookies to give to people. This is a big thing; normally, as you know, I make six or seven different kinds and give them out to family and friends. But this year, I'd feel weird giving them out to people, especially because you're supposed to avoid things like food from other people. And since the people I would not feel weird giving them to won't be here to get the cookies...

That's why I'm not making them this year.

Actually, I will be making one or two of the usual kinds, just because my girlfriend wants to munch on them and because there are a few other people who said they wouldn't mind eating them. But it won't be the full-blown, several day production, followed by the mass distribution of 30,000-some calories to the greater Marquette area. It was one of the only holiday traditions I had...but, like many things this year, that tradition has, sadly, bitten the dust.

Hopefully, though, just temporarily.

So, if you don't mind, I have to head six blocks down the hill to bake whatever I need to bake today. You better believe I'll enjoy doing it, as well, if only because I won't have the chance to do it again much this year.

Sigh...

(jim@wmqt.com)

Wednesday, 11/11

 Even a few days later we're still chuckling about it

I think I've written in here before about how a lot of people mention they see Loraine & I walking everywhere. It's just a fact of life; we do walk a lot, a lot of people seem to know who we are, and for whatever reason it sticks in their head. In fact, it's gotten to the point where if someone DOESN'T bring up our walking habit sometime in the course of us knowing them it just seems weird.

But that's life. And it's not what we're laughing about.

Yesterday I met someone for the first time. And one of the things she mentioned was about seeing Loraine and I walking everywhere. Only, she phrased it just a little differently than people who know us better. She said that she sees me “and my girlfriend walking everywhere”. And while I do consider Loraine my girlfriend, she is also a little more than that. When I pointed out that we're married, my new acquaintance looked at me and said this--

“Oh, I'm sorry. You look like you actually like each other, so that's my mistake”.

Yup. The reason we don't look like we're married? Because we look like we like each other. Who knew?

8-)

When I mentioned this to my girlfriend Loraine last night she burst out laughing, and then kinda wondered about the reasoning behind it. Does that mean that people who are married are supposed to look like they DON'T like each other? Are we just weird, and for some reason still have the look that a dating couple has? Is there something in the background of the person I met that leads her to believe you can't be happy & married at the same time?

I'm not sure. I just know that my girlfriend and I just thought it funny. And interesting. And, if I have to admit it, kind of reassuring, too. I mean, I know we like each other. But it's kind of nice to know that other people notice it, too.

See what you get when you walk everywhere, and people notice you doing it?

(jim@wmqt.com)

(ps—speaking of the geeky couple, here we are after taking the soccer balls out in the 73 degree weather Sunday--

(I know...we're weird. But that's what boyfriends and girlfriends should be on occasion, right? 8-) )