Wednesday, 3/9

If there's one thing I could change about myself, it would be this one thing.

Actually, there are probably many things I'd like to change about myself. But I definitely know the one thing I really do need to change about myself, whether I have the power to or not.

And that would be to remember people's names.

This happens to me quite a bit, and I may have even written about it before.  But between Radio Jim & TV Jim and History Jim I get introduced to a lot of people, people to whom I'll run into again at a later date. And when that happens I'm very embarrassed to mention how many times I either don't know who they are or knew I knew them but couldn't remember their names. Thankfully, whenever I own up to my inadequacies the people in mention were cool about it.

Even if I wasn't.

There are actually two parts to this problem. The first is that because of who I am I meet a lot of people, oftentimes in groups. So if I get introduced to six or seven people at a time I have to remember six or seven names, while the people to whom I'm introduced only have to remember me. Not that that's an excuse; after all, there are many people who are in the exact same situation and can handle it without any difficulty.

But not me.

The other part of the problem just seems to be a structural problem or inefficiency in my brain. I've tried different tricks and different methods for remembering people's names, but none of them seem to work. Sure, I can hear an obscure history fact or pop culture reference and it's lodged in my brain forever, ready for instant recall. But the name of someone I've met or someone to whom I'm related? Not so much.

I'm a quality human being, aren't I?

So if we've ever met once or twice before and I'm supposed to know who you are, let me apologize in advance. There may be a point in the future where we meet again, you greet me like a normal human being, and I just smile back and utter the phrase “And remind me who you are again”? It's not you. It's me.

And it's something I would very much like to change about myself.

(jim@wmqt.com)

Tuesday, 3/8

I wonder if I'm related to any of them?

Like you, I've been watching the horror show unfolding in Ukraine, especially the one million-plus people forced to flee their home country for safety. Even though I know no one there, nor have I ever visited there, I still feel for them, and not just because that's what any human with a heart would do.

Some of them may be my distant relatives.

My mom's dad, the Schwemin side of my family, is descended from a Schwemin family that emigrated from Prussia to Marquette Township in the late 1800s. Specifically, the family came from a small village in Prussia, Stobno, that now sits in Poland about five miles from the German border. And while Ancestry says the DNA from that part of my family is German, there's a little something extra in there.

Specifically, my grandfather's great-grandmother (so my great-great-great grandmother) was either Polish or Ukrainian.

I haven't been able to find out much about her, as most of the records of that part of the family don't go any further back than the generation that came to the US. But the young lady who married into the Schwemin family was living in Stobno when she got married. Her parents were born somewhere to the east, somewhere else in the Prussian empire, and had moved to Stobno. While I don't know exactly where, Ancestry says that small 2% portion of my DNA falls into an area that covers the ever shifting border area between modern day Poland and modern day Ukraine. From somewhere in the blue section of this oval, part of which extends into modern-day western Ukraine--

Came the family of my great-great-great grandmother. Odds are, she came from the western portion of the oval, within the solid white circle sitting in the bigger blue oval.  But she could have come from anywhere in that bigger blue oval, which means, I guess, there's a very slight chance that someone with whom I share a common ancestor is being forced to flee for their lives.

I know that part of the world has always been the sight of conflict. I know that part of the world has always had shifting borders and conquering armies. But that was in the past. That's back when people were supposedly less civilized and a lot less interconnected. For it to be happening in the 21^st century, and for it to be happening because a totalitarian autocrat has (apparently) gone off his rocker, just seems unfathomable to me. Invading another country because...well, just because...is so 18^th or 19^th century. You wouldn't think it's something that would happen in the 21^st century. You'd think we would have moved on from little tantrums like that.

Sadly, you'd be wrong. And because of that, some of my potential distant relatives are paying the price. I hope—I really hope—that this ends soon, and that peace prevails. I'm getting the impression that it might not, but I certainly hope that it does.

After all, if not for the fact that one family moved west from that area and then married into another family that eventually came to the US, one of those people fleeing their home because of the invasion could potentially have been me.

(jim@wmqt.com)

Monday, 3/7

Who knew the Whetstone has such a big fan club?

For those of you not in Marquette, the Whetstone Creek (or Brook, depending upon to whom you speak) is a little, three-mile long waterway that meanders throughout the city and empties into Lake Superior. Despite the fact that it's actually quite small, it's had an outsized impact upon the history of Marquette. That was the point that I made in the latest “Pieces of the Past” video. I just didn't think anyone else would care.

Boy, was I wrong.

I've now done close to 80 of these videos, and “Down the Whetstone” ranks among the top two or three in both likes and comments on social media. When I put it on the list of topics for this year, I had no idea it would get the response it did; I just wanted to tell a couple of stories. Well, for the generation older than me it seems to have brought back a TON of memories of their youth. For my generation (& younger) there seems to be a fair amount of astonishment that the US-41 bypass was actually built on top of something.

But then, that's why I do these videos. For some people, it's a trip down memory lane. For others, it's a chance to learn something. And for me, at least on occasion, it's a real eye opener when I discover what people react to.

Wanna check it out for yourself?

*****

Before I leave, I have to let you know that yesterday my favorite two-year old in the world became my favorite three year old in the world! It was my nephew Calum's birthday, and while I didn't get to spend any time with him on his big day we get to hang out later today at the UP Children's Museum.

So happy birthday Calum!

(jim@wmqt.com)

Friday, 3/4

I have to deal with technical issues.

Between power outages and internet outages and sanity outages, the past day and a half have been one of those days (and a half). I have to get to work early to deal with the overflow, so if you don't mind I'm going to leave you with something I came across while going through these blogs from March of 2020, right before the world came screeching to a half.

Back with something new (and hopefully, with my sanity still intact) Monday!

(jim@wmqt.com)

******

I wonder which show really did have a greater effect on me?

After yesterday's blog about staying at least six feet apart from someone by replacing handshakes with the Vulcan hand salute I had a couple of people jokingly ask just what kind of kid I was. Well, as the whole world knows I was a dorky nerd growing up, which means that (among other things) I really haven't changed much since I was young.

So I have that going for me.

Obviously, since I spent part of my childhood practicing the Vulcan hand salute, I was highly influenced by “Star Trek”. I actually think that's a good thing. It made me believe that there's hope for the future, that (one day) humanity will get along, and that all people (human or otherwise) are equal. . It gave me a healthy trust in science. And it also affected the way I look at things. As it turns out, I'm much more logical than emotional. Some people might fly off the handle when something stupid happens to them. I just kind of look at whatever it is quizzically and wonder to myself why the stupid thing happened.

That's how “Star Trek” had an effect on me.

However, there's another show that had just as strong of an effect, if not more. Aside from growing up on “Star Trek” I also grew up on “MASH”, which has allowed to, among other things, make a living at being sarcastic. It also instilled in me a wary eye at authority, a healthy distrust of war and the violence that comes with it, and a surprisingly dark sense of humor that can rear its head at the most inopportune time.

“Star Trek” was logical, “MASH” was emotional.

I wonder which one really did have the biggest effect on me? If you were to ask me at different times on different days I'd have to give you different answers. Heck, I might give you different answers if you were only to ask me once. First of all, I'd wonder why the question was being asked, and then I'd give some kind of smart-alecked answer to it. I guess I'm the best (or, depending upon how you look at it, the worst) of each. Just like I'm a mix of my mother and my father, two very different people, I also seem to be a mix of “Star Trek” and “MASH”, two very different TV shows.

As to which had the greater effect, I'll leave that up to you.

Thursday, 3/3

I'm wondering if we should do it or not.

I've been pondering the idea recently about doing something on the air about the upcoming second anniversary of the start of the Covid pandemic; specifically, about the initial panic and shutdown that followed. We're only a week or so away from the anniversary of that date, so it would either be now or wait for another year (or five). 

I'm thinking of opting for the latter.

To me, at least, it almost seems like it's too soon. We're still living through what the virus has wrought, and does anyone actually want to relive the first days of the pandemic?

I'd guess not.

While considering it, I went back and re-read the blogs I wrote during the first days of the pandemic, to try & get a sense of exactly what we were going through. I was using these as a personal diary of that weird time, and I have to admit—things changed quite rapidly, no one knew what was going on, and no one had any idea of what was coming from day to day. It was a strange time in which to live through, so would anyone actually want to live through it again?

I don't think I'd want to, and I'm pretty sure a lot of people would agree.

One of the things that struck me while going through the blog entries I wrote then was the (in hindsight) charming naivete that things would clear up before Loraine and I were scheduled to go to Germany at the beginning of May of that year. When the shutdown and border closings first occurred they were only supposed to be two or three weeks long, which meant that things should be reopened by the time we were scheduled to go. Well, it quickly became clear (to us) that it wouldn't happen, even if we had to wait almost a month before everything was officially not going to happen.

And, I wrote yesterday, it still hasn't happened.

So I highly doubt we'll be doing anything to mark the upcoming anniversary. Maybe next year, maybe the year after...maybe once we get some perspective on these astounding bizarre times in which we live.

I mean, I may actually have finished my (hopefully) long & fruitful life be dead by then, but at least we can plan on doing it some year in the future.

8-)

(jim@wmqt.com)

Wednesday, 3/2

For the time being, I'm not allowed to leave the country.

Now, I will admit, part of me wants to stop writing right now. Part of me just wants to leave that statement hanging. Part of me just wants you to wonder just why the heck I'm unable to leave the country.

Thankfully, though, that's just a small part of me. After all, I'm not that cruel.

Why am I not allowed to leave the country for the time being, you ask? Well, I answer, I can't leave the country because I don't have a passport at the moment.

Kind of anti-climactic when you consider most of the reasons for which I'd be forbidden to leave the country, right?

8-)

My passport expires near the end of next year (2023), and since I've had absolutely no use for it the past two years I figured now is as good of a time as any to renew it. After all, you're not supposed to travel on it within six months of its expiration date, and since six months before the date would be next spring, when there's a slight (very slight) possibility it might actually get used, I figured I might as well do it now.

Of course, that means I can't leave the country for the next three to six months, while I'm waiting for the new one, but the way the world is today, I'm not sure I'd WANT to leave the country for the next three to six months.

Both Loraine and I get people asking when we'll be resuming our travels, and we both have to say we have no idea. There are so many things at play, everything from having to take Covid tests to get into other countries (or back into the US) and then having to deal with a possible negative result, to whether or not there will be a peaceful Europe to visit, that we're just hanging back for the time being. We actually do know what our first trip back will be—probably to Leipzig for a soccer match, a trip to a place we know, a place where we wouldn't be visiting multiple areas or have to rent a car—but the “ when” is sometime in the future. At the moment, the Bundesliga isn't even allowed to have full stadiums, so even if everything else were a go, that isn't.

So we'll be going back. We know that much. We just have no idea when, other than the fact that it won't be in the next three to six months.

Because, you know, in that time I'm not allowed to leave the US.

(jim@wmqt.com)

Tuesday, 3/1

Three in three days? How about all three of them in one day?

I’ve written in here before about a blitz of stuff that I usually have in late January, where I do TV, radio, and a history show in front of a big audience in a two or three day span. Each of those are things that would make a normal person go “whoa”, and yet I seem to go from one to the other without even having the time to realize that each of those things, individually, is a big thing.

It all kind of just blurs into one big, strange, two or three-day span.

Well, apparently March 1st, 2022 has decided to say “hold my beer”. Once I get done writing this I go over to WNMU-TV to shoot pledge breaks for this week’s “High School Bowl”. Then I go do my daily five hours of radio. While there, I will shoot my weekly bit for Thursday’s Fox UP newscast. Then I head over to the Ore Dock Brewery where my pal Jack & I will reprise our “What’s Up, Dock” show as a benefit for the Marquette Maritime Museum.

“Whoa”???

I’ve had many, many days where TV Jim, Radio Jim, and History Jim have collided, but I’m pretty sure I’ve never had a day when I’ve done all three. Like I said, at least once a year it gets spread over two or even three days, but as far as doing them all in one day?

Nope.

I live a weird life. I know it, and you know it. But a day like today really brings it to the fore. Most people get up, eat breakfast, go to work, come home, eat dinner, and relax. I will do at the most three of those. I mean, what kind of person gets up, writes a blog, goes to shoot TV segments, heads to a radio studio to do both radio and TV, and then has a public speaking charity gig?

Okay…what kind of NORMAL person does that?

I’m not complaining. I would never complain about what I do, because 1). I love what I do and b). I know I’m incredibly lucky in that I actually get to do it. But there are just certain days in my life, like today, that remind me that I couldn’t life a normal life, even if I wanted.

And I’m okay with that.

(jim@wmqt.com)