Wednesday, 10/9

Well, today is one of those days.

You remember how yesterday I was telling you that my inability to say “no” has led to a packed schedule on my part? Well, I wasn't lying, as I soon have to rush out to shoot an episode of “High School Bowl”, followed by a little radio work, following by shooting a big (outdoor) interview for “Marquette @ 175”, followed by my usual gig on the air (radio-wise).

So...I'm going to take the easy/wimpy out, and leave you with something I wrote (I think) five years ago. But, believe it or not, I'm still (occasionally) watching what I talk about.

Go figure. Back with something new tomorrow!

(jim@wmqt.com)

*****

(as originally posted 10/16/19)

Okay. So maybe they're not QUITE as good as I remember.

When I was a kid I loved Godzilla movies (explains a lot, doesn't it?). I would sometimes stay up late to see them, I bought a monster movie book once just because it had pictures of the creature, and I would always look forward to hearing the “rawr” and watching the cardboard buildings get the heck stomped out of them.

Don't look at me like that. You already knew I was a weird kid.

Anyway, Turner Classic Movies is featuring Godzilla movies Friday nights this month. They're showing each and every movie Toho made featuring the creature from 1955 to 1976, the films I watched as a kid, so I figured I'd DVR them and see if they live up to how I remember them as a kid.

Spoiler alert—with the exception of one, they don't.

That one would be the original Japanese version of the tale, “Gojira”. That's the film they cut Raymond Burr into for the first US release of “Godzilla, King of the Monsters”. I've seen the movie many times; I even have a Blu-ray with both versions of the film. And the original is a harrowing, atmospherically black & white allegory of the dangers of nuclear war, perhaps not surprising considering Japan was just a decade past having had two atomic bombs dropped on them. Even the Americanized version of the film still holds on to some of the power of the original.

So that one still holds up.

The rest, though? Not so much. As the years advanced and Godzilla was made more and more human-like, the series devolved into a formula piece, where you knew that Godzilla would make X appearances stomping a building and would be joined by one or two other monsters, ending in a fight that made pro wrestling seem unscripted by comparison.

That was especially true in a movie they showed last weekend, “Invasion of the Astro Monster”. I remember loving the Americanized version of it, “Godzilla vs Monster Zero”, almost as much as the original. But upon viewing it the past few nights my fond memories turned into thoughts that I must've been drunk when I watched it, even though I don't drink and even though I was probably eight the first time I saw it. The plot made no sense, the characters made no sense, and even Godzilla was in an alien-induced coma for most of the film. Loraine walked into the living room while I was watching it, caught a few seconds, and said (quoting here) “This isn't a very good movie, is it”.

And I found it very hard to disagree.

So while I'll always have fond memories of watching Godzilla movies as a kid, the adult version of me now realizes that there wasn't really that much to recommend those fond memories. But I'll always still love “Gojira”, and no matter what, seeing a guy in a rubber suit stomp over a cardboard version of a skyscraper—no matter how badly produced or how formulaic--will still always bring a nostalgic smile to my face.

(jim@wmqt.com)

Tuesday, 10/8

I forgot to tell you, didn't I?

A week or so ago, it's been brought to my attention, I promised to fill you in on the latest example of how I have an inability to say no. It's the latest example of why my life's insane, and also proof positive that, literally, I'll sleep when I'm dead.

I'm writing, producing, and hosting a half half TV show on the founding of Marquette. So, you know, no big deal.

I've written in here about how this is Marquette's 175^th birthday, and back in June some of my colleagues over at TV 19 approached me to see if I had any interest in helping them put together a birthday show. Things happened here, more things happened there, and I now find myself knee deep into actually putting the program together.

Have I ever mentioned my life is weird?

Due to staff changes and other factors my involvement in the show is actually quite greater than when we first discussed it. That's okay; after all, I can write, produce, and star in TV shows about local history in my sleep. But to put a show like this together, and to put it together well, takes time. And, as we all know, I'm not going to do a half-sassed job. So over the past month we've been shooting interviews and stand-ups; I've gathered pictures and recorded voice-overs. But there's still a lot left to go, and between my radio duties, my weekly TV 19 gig, the starting up of “High School Bowl” for the season, and, I dunno, the need to eat & sleep, things might be a little hectic for a bit.

So, sadly, not that all different than usual.

The final product will air several times, the first being November 10^th. More details on that as we get closer to the date, but between now and then if you happen to see me on the street and I look someone insane—or, perhaps, even more insane than usual—now you know why.

(jim@wmqt.com)

Monday, 10/7

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” I used last 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 than it has since 2020—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-)

(jim@wmqt.com)

Friday, 10/4

Wow. I can't believe this is the (gulp) tenth season 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 46^th year for the show, and the tenth 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 ten (which actually would have been year 11 if Covid hadn't interceded) 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 22nd, over three quarters of a year ago, and here we are, getting ready to start it all over again. The show we tape today airs November 2nd, and in the lead I have to lay out my schedule of what to wear for the year; to make sure I alternate through all of my jackets, and to make sure I don't repeat a tie or a color combination without a buffer of a bunch of shows between them. Sure, it might seem a little shallow and stupid, but as I've found, people actually pay attention to those things.

No, I'm not quite sure why, but they do. And that's why I keep track of what I wear on TV when, and that's why the list I keep throughout the season seems more and more invaluable, especially after doing this for six years.

So with that in mind, I'm off to make a fool out of myself, as usual. But at least I'll be wearing a shirt & tie TV-13 viewers haven't seen recently. Oh, they may have seen it on my other TV job, but at ;ast on “High School Bowl” I'll be safe.

8-)

On that note, have yourself a great weekend!

(jim@wmqt.com)

Thursday, 10/3

I wasn't joking. Really, I wasn't.

During the past month I kept referring to the weather as “Summer in September”. And as it turns out, there's actual science and actual facts behind my joke. According to statistics released yesterday by the National Weather service, the month we just finished was the warmest September on record, with an average temperature of 64.9 degrees, almost seven degrees above normal.

Not only that, but September, which is usually our wettest month of the year, wasn't. We only had about 30 percent of our usual rainfall, which is why there was an extreme fire danger day yesterday, the end result of a very windy day after a very dry month.

Lucky us, huh?

I don't think any of us are actually complaining about a warm September, not when you consider that we're heading into a bunch of months that are anything but warm. In fact, over the past few years as climate change wrecks havoc on our planet, Septembers have been increasingly warm up here, so much so that the month is, on average, a touch warmer than June, the first month of what we usually consider to be “summer”.

Whether or not that's a good thing...well, that's another debate. But there are a few good things about it, especially when you get to take pictures like this deep into the month--

What does October hold? I usually shudder to think of what our weather might be like by the end of the month. But this year?

We'll just have to see.

*****

Today, however, does mark one of my favorite things that happens each and every October, and that's my sister Melanie's birthday. It's kind of a milestone birthday, in that it ends with a “5”, so it you happen to be at the grocery store she owns or see her here or there, wish her a happy birthday.

Because she deserves a great one!

(jim@wmqt.com)

Wednesday, 10/2

If you're curious as to how much it costs, I now know.

As we're well aware, my life is weird. I do things I never thought I would ever do, I have strange and/or quirky things happen to me, and, every so often, I, through whatever process, find myself with a piece of information I had never before pondered in my life.

Like how much it costs to send a 20-pound box to Belgium.

Now, in their life, the average American would never need to know how much it costs to send a letter to Belgium, much less a 20-pound box. But, as we both know, I'm not average, and that's how I came across this interesting little factoid. I think I've mentioned my Belgian friend Carl before; he's a lawyer, speaks five languages, and will probably one day be President of the European Union. Anyway, I know Carl because he's deeply into the history of a certain Army unit that fought during the Battle of the Bulge near where he grew up, and one of the people Loraine's researching died during that fighting.

You can guess the rest.

Anyway, every so often Carl will come across a piece of memorabilia or a research item he needs, and for whatever reason he can't get it shipped to him in Belgium. So he'll buy it and have it shipped to me; then, I send it his way. I've done this with army helmets, medals, books, photographs, and, uhm, Garth Brooks CDs (that's a story in itself). Anyway, Carl came across a treasure trove in the form of letters and photo albums from someone who served in the unit he's researching, so he bought it.

And the two boxes arrived at my doorstep yesterday.

I stuck them in a single box, packed it up, schlepped over to the Post Office, and sent them on their way. Carl reimbursed me, and will happily dig through the boxes when they get to Belgium next week. I hope they contain everything he wishes, and that he's able to further his research into what has become his life's passion.

Because that's anything any history nerd wants.

And, if the topic comes up in conversation (and I sure it will), it's not cheap to send a 20-pound box to Belgium. Like I said, I've learned a lot of strange/weird/useless/useful facts over the years, and this is just the most recent.

By the way, if you curious about the total?  It's $176.65.

(jim@wmqt.com)

Tuesday, 10/1

Even after a week I'm still chuckling about it.

I think I've written in here before about how a lot of people mention they see Loraine & me 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 I'm laughing about.

Last week I met someone for the first time. And one of the things she mentioned was about seeing Loraine and me 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 that evening 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)