Monday, 9/12

Well, that lasted one whole week. I'm impressed.

You may recall a few weeks ago when I wrote about doing the final “On The Town” for TV-6, and how I would, for the first time since 2014, have a couple of weeks without being on TV. The week after I wrote that I shot promos for “High School Bowl”, so the streak continued. Then last week—the week of Labor Day—I actually didn't have any TV for an entire seven-day period.

And now it doesn't look as if that streak will extend more than a week.

In a few minutes I have to go shoot promos (and get head shots) for my new TV gig, and then next week I'll shoot the first segment of it. So it now appears as if I'll have spend an entire week out of the past eight and a half years NOT on TV.

My life's weird, you know that?

The good thing about all this is that by the end of the week I can actually talk about my new TV gig, as all the details will be announced by the people for whom I'm doing it in the next few days. It's been an interesting process the past few weeks—signing deals, providing biographical details, sketching out the first set of ideas, and, now, parading in front of several different kinds of cameras to provide material for on-air promos and websites.

For a (very) part-time gig it's been quite the run-up.

So I'm off to be photographed, recorded, and taped. Like I said, in the next few days I can actually talk about the WHY of it all.

And about that I'm kind of excited.

(jim@wmqt.com) 

Friday, 9/9

Did you take advantage of it?

The “it” to which I'm referring was, of course, the spectacular day we had here yesterday in Marquette, a day filled with sunshine and temperatures in the 80s. Did I take advantage of it myself?

You'd better believe it.

As Laura and I were discussing on the air Wednesday yesterday was the kind of day that people really should take advantage of; after all, when's the next time it might be sunny & in the 80s? Next May? Next June? Next July? We hoped people would get out and enjoy it, and while I was out enjoying it myself I was glad to see that so were a lot of other people.

So hopefully the advice we gave we followed by a few.

Of course, the way things are going these days we may have a bunch of additional days when it's sunny & in the 80s. But more likely, it'll be next spring (or summer) before we have another day like we did yesterday. So—hopefully--you were able to take advantage of it. Hopefully, you were able to get one last day in the sun in. Hopefully, you got enough of whatever “it” is that it'll carrying you through the dark and cold months to come.

On that cheery note, have a great weekend. While we're living through the chilly rain of the forecast, just remember what yesterday was like!

8-)

(jim@wmqt.com)

Thursday, 9/8

Oh, look—I get to repurpose something today!

In one way, I'm taking the lazy way out. In another, I'm doing a community service, because I know not everyone reads the Mining Journal and therefore would miss out on the scintillating article I wrote about next week's North Marquette walking tour that appeared in yesterday's newspaper.

So when you look at it that way, by posting the article I'm doing everyone a favor, and NOT taking the lazy way out, right?

Right?

(jim@wmqt.com)

*****

THE COMPANY HOUSES

By: Jim Koski

Marquette Regional History Center

There are some things about the old Cliff-Dow plant in north Marquette that people still remember decades after it closed--the smell, the tar ditch, the toxic chemicals oozing from the ground, and, not to put too fine of a point on it, the smell. But one thing that people may have forgotten about the area around the plant were...

The company houses.

Officially called “The Furnace Location” by the city of Marquette, the company houses were a series of duplexes located on a dirt road just to the south of the Cliff-Dow facilities between Norwood & Wright Streets. Workers at the plant could rent one of the homes from the company for 10 dollars a month, a price that was raised to $11 a month when wooden sidewalks were installed throughout the neighborhood during the 1930s.

People who remember growing up in the company houses in the 30s and 40s say that the neighborhood was a melting pot of many different nationalities. Going down the street you could run into English, Finnish, French Canadian, Native American, and even a Yugoslav family or two. The kids from the families all played together, and since their fathers worked at one of the many buildings in the Cliff-Dow complex just a couple of hundred feet away, their family lives were centered around the location.

Much like all families who lived anywhere in North Marquette, those living in the Furnace Location had problems doing fairly mundane tasks, such as putting freshly washed laundry out on the line. Before the laundry could dry, whatever was hung outdoors would turn dirty again because of soot floating through the air from the plant. In fact, it's been said that some of the kids who grew up in the Furnace Location didn't even know snow was naturally white until they moved away from the Cliff-Dow plant.

That's how much pollution was released into the air by the complex.

And you recall how rents in the Furnace Location went up when the wooden sidewalks were installed? Well, the sidewalks had an added benefit of providing a major source of amusement for people who lived in the company houses. Rats burrowed in underneath the newly constructed sidewalks, and each and every evening residents would entertain themselves by listening for the “pop” of guns as their neighbors tried to take the rats out.

The houses were torn down in the 1960s, just a few years before the plant itself closed, and after sitting empty for several decades the land itself was put to a new use by Northern Michigan University So the next time you're at the Superior Dome, either parking in one of the north for an event, enjoying an outdoor concert, or making use of one of their practice fields, be aware that you're actually using a space that once housed a long-forgotten Marquette neighborhood.

The Furnace Location. Or, as the people who lived in North Marquette referred to it, the Cliff-Dow company houses.

*****

Stories of life in North Marquette, and the businesses and industries that called the area home, will be told during the “North Marquette” walking tour put on by the Marquette Regional History Center. It takes place Wednesday, September 14 at 630, beginning at the PEIF parking lot. There's a suggested $5 donation for the walk, and those attending can bring a phone or other mobile internet-capable device to look at pictures while on the walk.

For more information, call the History Center at (906) 226-3571 or visit wwww.marquettehistory.org.

PHOTO CREDIT: Shot of Furnace Location courtesy Superior View Studio

Wednesday, 9/7

I totally forgot about it.

Yesterday was the anniversary of a big day in my life, although probably not as big as it used to be. You see yesterday, September 6^th, was my workiversary, the anniversary of my starting to work at Q107-WMQT.

And I kinda sorta didn't even realize it until I was almost done for the day.

I have no idea why I didn't realize it, although I do have an idea. When I worked for Taconite Broadcasting, my workiversary would mean that I got another whole new batch of vacation days and, as we all know, that's kind of important. But now that I'm employed by the KBIC and get my vacation days on an ongoing basis September 6^th is no longer quite as important as it once was.

But still, yesterday was my workiversary. You think I would have actually realized that.

When I started this job waaaaay back in the 20^th century I had no idea I'd still be doing it almost a quarter of the way through the 21^st century. I always figured it would be a fun thing to do until my “real job” came along. Little did I realize that it actually WOULD become my real job, a position that has not only been a blast but has also been a springboard to all these other things I've been able to do and all the other “Jims”(aside from Radio Jim) that I've been able to become.

And that's rather cool.

Whenever someone asks me how long I've been at my job (which is actually quite often, believe it or not) I tell them and then add that I'm “just too lazy to get a real job”. But why get a “real” job when the one I have has led to so much? If I had found a “real” job all those years ago I'd probably be stuck in an office or on the road and wouldn't have had the opportunities I've had over the past couple of decades. So while I haven't become materially rich, I have become rich in the sense that I'm happy, I have a fulfilling life, and I get to do all these neat things that most people never get the chance to do.

And that's so much better than having a real job.

So even though it's a bit belated, happy workiversary to me. And a big thanks to everyone reading this, as well, because you've been part of the journey. It wouldn't have been nearly as much fun without you.

(jim@wmqt.com)

Tuesday, 9/6

 Lists.  There are lists everywhere.

First of all, hope you had a great Labor Day weekend.  Despite the fact that the temperatures were more fall-like than summer-like (we'll be getting the summer-like temperatures during the week, when we're at work, naturally) we made the most out of the three-day weekend.  And with just a mere 20 days before we (hopefully) go to Germany, one of the many things I did was make a bunch of lists of everything that needs to get done before we go, or what we need to bring with us, or what we need to do should the (and this is quite possible) unforeseen happen when we're on the road.

So that's why there are so many lists.

There's a list of what I have to do at work to get everything ready.  There's a list of what I have to do at work when I get done getting everything ready because, as you may recall, we're on the eve of a new computer system.  There's a list of a few things we need to buy, because not quite everything we thought was in our suitcases was in there when we brought them up Saturday.  There are several lists of clothing to bring, because we'll be in Germany at the beginning of October, and we're not quite sure what the weather will be like.  There's a list of electronics to bring, a list of exactly how we need to store and present the tickets for the match, and a list of chocolate or tea I'd like to buy over there.  And there's the list of phone numbers and web addresses that we may need should a flight get cancelled, delayed, or just plain disappear, leaving us in limbo in some strange airport.

Like I said.  Lots of lists.

I put them together because, unlike past times we've traveled, so much is up in the air.  That's just the way the world is these days.  Normally, when we're 20 days out from departure, we're pretty much set.  We just need to gather everything together, pack, and go.  But with everything the way it is these days, you can't be 100% certain you're ready to go.  And the closer we get to departure, the more we're discovering we need to "list"

For instance, I had mentioned the weather in Germany while we're there.  Long-term temperature averages really don't tell us what kind of clothing to bring, especially because in the past few years Europe as a whole has seen its temperatures shoot up because of climate change.  So will it be in the 60s, as historical averages dictate, or in the 70s, as recent years say it will?   And will I need to bring one phone, my older phone with a new French phone number that works in Europe, or two phones, because the ticket app for RB Leipzig will only work on my new (American) phone, and the team doesn't accept tickets not on that app?

Of course, they haven't even started to sell tickets for the match we hope to attend yet, so everything we need to do for getting those tickets (a strange process in and of itself) is on another list.

As I've mentioned before, this will be a trip unlike any other we've ever taken, not only because we still have no idea if it'll actually happen, but because the world has changed so much since the last time we visited.  So if you're wondering why there are lots & lots of lists, it's because there are lots & lots of things to do, and lots & lots of things that could (or could not) happen.

We just want to be prepared.

(jim@wmqt.com)

Friday, 9/2

The suitcases come out this weekend.

It's shaping up to be a busy weekend around here, even though it is a three-day holiday weekend. But perhaps the most important thing to happen this weekend will be the (once) annual voyage of our trip suitcases from the recesses of our basement to the welcoming light of our living room.

It'll be glorious.

We hopefully leave three weeks from Monday, so I'm guessing it's time. For the next 21 days the suitcases will sit in our living room, where we’ll stumble into them many times, and they’ll slowly be filled with everything needed for a week plus in Leipzig (or stuck in an airport somewhere between here and there). If this year is like all the others, when I open my suitcase I'll be amazed by the stuff I've left in there from the last trip three and a half years ago. There should be several plastic containers (used to safely transport chocolate and cereal), half a roll of bubble wrap (to safely wrap the chocolate before it gets put into the aforementioned plastic containers), various other non-plastic containers, a roll of duct tape, two unused washcloths, and an unopened package of socks, if I remember correctly.

Throw in a few shirts, some shorts, and a toothbrush, and I’m already packed a month before we leave!

Well, okay, maybe not TOTALLY packed, but with the stuff we're picking up at Target this weekend I think we're on schedule. We usually go to Target a few weeks before we leave and raid their section of travel-sized items. We pick up whatever toiletries, medicines, and personal care items we need and pack them in the plastic containers. Then the last night of the trip we toss whatever we haven’t used and/or won’t need, clean out the containers, and repack them with chocolate and other goodies. That way, we don’t go over our suitcase weight limit and have to pay a zillion dollars, and we get all of our stuff safely home.

Of course, that’s actually worked too well on several occasions. More than once I’ve emptied my suitcase so much that I've had to buy several rolls of paper towels to fill out the empty space.  The paper towel serves a couple of purposes, though--the paper towels act as a great, lightweight filler, and once we get home, we have the joy of being perhaps the only people in the U.S. who are using strangely sized rolls of French or German paper towels.

Over the next few weeks, we’ll be tossing pieces of clothing and other items we’ll be needing into the suitcases in our living room. A day or two before the trip, we’ll rearrange everything, pack it all neatly, and then put our TSA approved locks on them, where the suitcases then won’t be opened until we get to Berlin (unless, of course, US or EU security gets bored and feels the need to go through them, or we end up somewhere entirely unexpected). And that, of course, is optimistically believing our luggage gets to Europe the same time we do. Unlike, say, two of our previous trips.

So now when we look at our checklist of things to do, “bring suitcases up from the basement” can now be checked off. That only leaves, what....28 or 29 things left to go?

That is still, of course, assuming we get to go in the first place. Keep your fingers crossed.

On that note, have yourself a great weekend. I'll be back Tuesday!

(jim@wmqt.com)

Thursday, 9/1

Oh, those Germans and their wacky, wacky language.

It's now September, which means we're within the calendar month that Loraine and I (hopefully) get to head back to Germany. That means two things--one, I'm not allowed to injure myself or do anything so stupid as to preclude us from going. That's fairly easy. The other? That our designated "language person" brush up in his or her slight knowledge of the language of the country wee'll be visiting. I do French, Loraine does German.

So it's her turn to study up. And boy, has she been.

She'll be the first to tell you she's not fluent in the language or has grasped all of its nuances, but she's been immersing herself in some of the...peculiarities of German. And many of those peculiarities don't make much sense to a native English speaker, even though English is an offshoot of German (with a whole bunch of French rebelliousness thrown in for good measure). One of those peculiarities would be that of a compound word, the German tendency to combine parts of smaller words to form a bigger word.

For instance, we might say "I have to catch the train", while in German you combine all of those into one big multi-syllabic masterpiece. Believe it or not, that even happens with smaller phrases, as exemplified when Loraine discovered how the Germans say "speed limit". You'd figure that it would be fairly straightforward, right? In English, it's two short words, yet if you want to say "speed limit" in German, here's what comes out of your mouth--

erlaubte Höchstgeschwindigkeit

I've said before, and I'll say it again--oh, those Germans and their wacky, wacky language.

I don't know much German, so I couldn't actually tell you what all those syllables actually say. If I had to guess, I'd say it's a compound word meaning, and I'm guessing here, something like "the speed which you can not exceed or you will be punished for it", but I would probably be incorrect. I'm sure there's a fine and simply elegant explanation for it--it IS German, after all--but just staring at it makes an English speaker's jaw drop to the floor in wonder and amazement.

That's just one example of what Loraine's trying to figure out in the next month. Thankfully, almost everyone in Germany speaks a little English (in some cases better than people in the US, believe it or not) so this immersion is more for her own edification than anything. But still, the more she comes across words like "erlaubte Höchstgeschwindigkeit", the more I'm amazed that English and German are in any way related.

After all, German IS a wacky, wacky language.

(jim@wmqt.com)