Monday, 1/30

Yay. I can talk today!!

After finishing my gig at the Noquemanon Saturday, I tried to keep my voice from doing too much for the rest of the day. It seemed to have worked; by the time I woke up yesterday, I was back to being my normal, hyper-verbal self, probably much to the dismay of Loraine who, I’m sure, would’ve preferred a little more silence.

But what are you gonna do, right?

As always, I was amazed by the competitiveness, the ability, and in some cases, the sheer determination of the athletes at the race Saturday. In spite of the re-worked course, the lack of snow on some parts and the falling snow that then made the course hard to ski, I was stunned by the closeness of some of the races and the effort put out by all the athletes, whether they were first-timers or have been doing the race each and every one of the 19 years it’s been run. And having announced at the finish line of race each and every one of those 19 years, I’m here to tell you that there are a LOT of people who’ve skied it for all or most of that (almost) two decades. By the way, it probably goes without saying that it blows my mind the race just wrapped up its 19^th year; seems like it was just a couple of years ago that 200 people skied in the first race. Now, it’s almost 1,500 and still growing.

Cool!

The end of the Noque for the year also means another thing, at least to me. It means we have now made it through what is usually the harshest part of winter. Maybe it hasn't seemed like it this year (or last year, for that matter), but it's true, especially from a statistical point of view. You see, starting over the weekend, the average high for the day has begun to crawl up ever so slightly. Sure, as of today the average high is only 22, but you know what? A few days ago, it was 21. And a few days before that, it was at its absolute bottom, 20. It may not feel like it, but on average, it’s starting to get a little warmer. Like I said, this year we've been so over the average high that it may not seem worth mentioning, but I'm gonna shout it from the (virtual) rooftops anyway--

Winter (or what passes for winter this year) is fighting a losing battle against the onrushing forces of Spring. Yippee!

Oh sure, we’ll probably have more cold snaps to deal with and more snow storms which to shovel (or snow blow) out of, but I think an important psychological barrier has been crossed. We’ve made it through what’s traditionally the worst part of a winter with our sanity fairly intact. Sure, this year has obviously not been “traditional”, but that's not the point I'm trying to make. We can now look forward to the day, perhaps not far away, when the sun comes out and finally stays out. We can look forward to the day whatever snow is left in our yards disappears, and little green shoots shoot out of the freshly uncovered ground. And we can look forward to the day when we step outside in the morning, and hear the songs of birds that have started to make the return trip on their yearly journey from north to south and back again.

And if that’s not reason to be happy that I have a working voice again, I don’t know what is.

(jim@wmqt.com)

Friday, 1/27

At least now I know where it's gonna finish.

Tomorrow's the 19^th annual Noquemanon Cross Country Ski Marathon, and as one of the few people who's volunteered at each & every one of them (in my case finish line announcer), I thought I had seen everything. But what with the lack of snow both here at the usual finish line in Marquette and at the usual start line at Al Quaal in Ishpeming, this year's race is gonna be weird. Instead of a 51 kilometer marathon, it'll be 31 K. The Half Noque, which is usually 24 kilometers, will be 23, just slightly shorter than the full marathon. And the 12 kilometer race now gets an upgrade and becomes 14 K, all of which will be run at the same time on different trails of the Noquemanon Trail Network at Forestville.

It should be interesting.

I feel for the organizers of the race; I know I wouldn't want to be in their shoes, dealing with circumstances out of their control, like the weather. However, they've done the best they could. I'm sure they'll be dealing with complaints left and right, but the people complaining really don't have a leg to stand on. Sure, the races will be shorter, but you know what? You can't ski where there's no snow. It's kind of impossible. So while the races won't be the usual length and won't be on the “usual” course, the people putting it on have been working non-stop for a week now trying to get things organized and ready to go.

Kudos to them.

I'm not quite sure how the whole thing will affect my job announcing at the finish line. I know there won't be the usual gaggle of people at the finish line cheering on the participants while ringing cowbells. I know skiers won't be quite as exhausted when they come across the line, and my favorite part of the day—the last hour, when stragglers slowly make their way “home”-- will probably, due to the shortness of the course, not be quite as dramatic as usual. But I'm sure when it's all said and done, everyone taking part in the race, either as a skier or a volunteer, will go home with memories of a very unusual ski race.

And with hopes that the big one next year, the 20^th, goes off without a hitch!

On that note, have a great weekend. And if you happen to know or see anyone involved in trying to put this year's race together, let them know they've done a great job under the strangest of circumstances!

(jim@wmqt.com)

Thursday, 1/26

Okay, maybe “All in the Family” DID have a small impact on me. Not as much as “MASH”, but a very weird one nonetheless.

Yesterday, of course, I talked about how on character on “MASH” may be responsible for me turning out the way I did. It was all brought about because I'm reading the autobiography of Norman Lear, who created, among other shows, “All in the Family”. I said his shows didn't have as much impact on me as did “MASH” (and “Star Trek”), but in a way it did.

It's just a very STRANGE way.

Here’s the deal--I went running yesterday. Now, that in itself isn’t out of the ordinary; after all, I’ve been doing it for over 25 years now. But as I was getting ready to run, I noticed that I have a habit that’s so ingrained in my subconscious that I don’t even pay attention to it, a habit I'm sure I've been doing for all of those 25 years. I’ll first put a sock on, then the shoe that goes over that sock. Then I’ll put my other sock on, and put my other shoe over that.

And that's the one way I've been affected by “All In The Family”.

Don’t laugh; I actually think it’s true. When I was a real little kid, I used to watch the show during its original run in prime time, and one of the things I actually remember retaining from the show is a discussion between Archie and Mike, who could never agree about ANYTHING. This particular discussion revolved around putting your shoes and socks on. Archie was fuming because Mike put his on the way I do, and not the way that was “normal”, according to Archie (socks on both feet first, then shoes over them). Archie thought Mike was doing it that way just to irritate him, which was a possibility. But, as Mike explained, there was a reason.

What if, Mike said (and I’m paraphrasing here), there was a fire, and you only had time to put on two of your four pieces of foot apparel? You could put on both your socks, but then you’d go outside, step in water, and get both your feet wet. But if you only had time to put on two pieces of foot apparel, and chose a sock and a shoe, then you could hop on that one shoe-d foot, and both your feet would stay dry. That response turned Archie apoplectic (actually, most things Mike said turned Archie apoplectic), and the argument devolved into something else.

Now, for some strange reason, that scripted exchange of dialogue has stayed with me for almost 40 years now. I’m guessing that not even the person who wrote it remembers it, but I sure do. That’s why, when I go out running, I put a sock and a shoe on one foot, and then a sock and a shoe on the other foot.

So while one character on “MASH” may have been a big influence on my entire life, two characters on “All in the Family” set the pattern for how I've been putting on shoes for my entire life.

(jim@wmqt), who obviously watched waaaaay too much TV growing up! 8-) )

(ps—speaking of 70s TV shows that influenced both Loraine and me as we were growing up, I was saddened to hear of the passing of Mary Tyler Moore yesterday. Like the shows I mentioned above, her show was one I watched every week and, I'm sure, had some kind of influence upon me, as well.)

Wednesday, 1/25

I wonder if 5 O'Clock Charlie made me the person I am today?

Let me explain. I'm currently reading Norman Lear's autobiography; Norman Lear being the guy who turned television comedy on its head in the 1970s with shows like “All in the Family” and “Maude”. While I did watch several Norman Lear shows growing up (“All in the Family” and “Good Times” foremost among them), they didn't have as much of an effect on me as did two other shows. And it wasn't until I started reading Lear's book that I realized a fictional character named “5 O'Clock Charlie” may be one of the reasons I turned out the way I did.

When I was eleven or twelve I came across a repeat of an episode of a TV show that featured the character “5 O'Clock Charlie”. I was quite taken by the episode and the absurdity of “5 O'Clock Charlie”, so I began watching all the episodes I could of the show, both in first run and reruns, and found myself enchanted by not only the writing but the characters, the way they acted, and what they believed in. All these decades later, I can tell you that I really think watching the show growing up formed a part of who I became, the way I act (especially my sense of humor), and what I believe in.

I turned out the way I did because a toss-off, one-shot character named “5 O'Clock Charlie” was featured on an episode of “MASH”.

I've always known growing up watching “MASH” had a big influence on me, but I never actually realized WHY I watched it. It seems like the show was always on, and it seems like I always watched it. That why I was surprised when I was reading Norman Lear's book and, for some reason, the character of “5 O'Clock Charlie” popped into my head. I've always loved the episode from the show's second year, and I've probably seen it a dozen times over the years. But for whatever reason I never actually remembered that particular episode was my gateway to the show. Why Norman Lear's book made me recall that, I don't know. I just know that it did.

I think I know why the eleven or twelve-year old me liked the episode “5 O'Clock Charlie” so much. It was actually rather goofy and absurd, about a near-sighted North Korean pilot who flew over the unit every day at 5 and tried to blow up a nearby ammo dump. He was so bad that the doctors would take bets on how far off he'd be, and his daily fly-over was cause for a big party. Unlike many of the “MASH” episodes I would like in the future, the first one I watched was more goofy and strange than serious and thoughtful. Maybe if “5 O'Clock Charlie” hadn't been the first episode of the show I watched, the eleven or twelve-year old version of me would've been bored, and I never would've viewed the series again, probably changing the way I turned out.

I could've been a very different person if it hadn't been for “5 O'Clock Charlie”.

I highly recommend Norman Lear's book. Not only does he have all kinds of great TV history in it, but he's an amazing storyteller, as well. And who knows—maybe in reading it, you'll have some sort of weird flashback to the “5 O'Clock Charlie” in your life. You never know...

(jim@wmqt.com)

Tuesday, 1/24

It's a good thing I didn't go out and buy a snowboard.

For (I think) the second year in a row, the Downtown Marquette Rail Jam has been canceled due to weather. The Rail Jam is when they close off several blocks of Front Street and then set up a snowboard course that runs from the Landmark Inn down to the Vierling. It's amazing in a couple of ways; the day before the event, in fact, when they put the course together seems almost a popular as the event itself.

But not this year. With the warmth we've been having and the warmth we're still scheduled to have the conditions just aren't favorable for it, and the organizers decided to cancel it before investing a lot of time and money into the project. After all, this is what downtown Marquette looks like right now--

This is looking across Front Street, where the course was scheduled to be set up. I took this picture yesterday afternoon...January 23rd.  Yes, JANUARY 23rd.  And if the event is still a week and a half way, a week and a half with temperatures mostly forecast to be above freezing...well, you can see why they made the decision they made.

So far, the other two big winter events in Marquette are still a go. The Noquemanon is Saturday, and the organizers said yesterday they're confident the whole course will still be around and ready to race. I have the feeling this will be one of those years when I'll be announcing the names at the finish line surrounded by mud and snow trucked in from outside the city, but as long as it works, that's what matters. Then there's the UP 200 in three weeks. Hopefully, the conditions will be okay for that, although with the way things are going this year, it wouldn't surprise me if it was 65 and the lilacs were blooming that weekend.

Let's hope not. I mean, you know how much I love lilacs, but I'm thinking February might just be a little too early for them, even this year.

In the meantime, I'll just keep running every morning in shorts and keep my fingers crossed that the rest of Marquette's major winter events go off as planned. Having one causality among them is bad enough; any more than that would border on the tragic.

(jim@wmqt.com)

Monday, 1/23

I like the scent. What can I say?

One of my many jobs around our apartment is the washing of dishes. It's something I do every day except one, when Loraine takes over and makes sure that it's actually done right. When she did it this week I was in the other room flipping through the pages of a book. She came into the room with the latest bottle of dishwashing liquid I purchased, held it up, and said, and I quote, “Here's another example of why you are so not a man”.

What? Real men don't use lotus blossom and lavender dishwashing liquid?

First of all, just so you know, a very big running joke between Loraine and me is that I basically do nothing like a “man” would do, and we're both okay with that. So I wasn't shocked by what she said; in fact, it made me laugh. After all, what real “man” would buy his dishwashing liquid because it smelled like lotus blossom & lavender? What real “man” would buy his dishwashing liquid just because it was purple and he liked the color?

Heck—do “real” men even pay attention to things like dishwashing liquid? Do they even know what dishwashing liquid is?

I like washing dishes; I really do. It's a couple of minutes of mindless activity in a day filled with activities where I have to overtax my brain. Sure, often times my brain fails me, but even if it did screw up while washing dishes no one would notice. That's why I like doing things like washing dishes and doing the laundry. And if I'm going to spend a few minutes each day washing the dishes, shouldn't I be using dishwashing liquid that smells good and makes my hands soft all at the same time?

It's like aromatherapy, with the added benefit of giving us clean dishes!

So if you're in the market for a new dishwashing liquid (assuming, of course, you still do dishes by hand), I highly recommend picking up a bottle of Palmolive's Lotus Blossom & Lavender. Not only does it clean your dishes well, but it smells nice, too. And isn't that what everyone looks for in a dishwashing liquid...even a “man”?

Yes, I know I'm hopeless. What's your point?

8-)

(jim@wmqt.com)

Friday, 1/20

And now, we enter the next phase of our lives.

Whenever there’s a big, transformative event—be it on a large scale, like today’s inauguration, or on a much more personal scale, like a birth or a wedding or a graduation—we tend to realize, if only for a fleeting moment, that the curtain is coming down on one act of our lives, while at the same time rising on the next. There’s a “before” the event, and an “after” the event. Now, we’re living in the “after”.

For many of us, today’s inauguration put the wraps on a big and important chunk of our lives. For the past eight years, we had a pretty good idea on what was going to happen on any given day. We knew how people near and far would react to things, and we knew what to expect from our leaders and from people around the world. We had certainty.

Now, of course, we're at an “after”. We're entering an entirely different world, with an entirely different cast of characters and an entirely different way of dealing with things. And since absolutely no one seems to know how that entirely different way of dealing with things is going to play out, we're in for an interesting transition from our “before” to our “after”. I hope that, given time, we'll adjust, and we'll have “certainty” in our lives again. It'll be a different certainty—a MUCH different certainty, I'm sure-- but it'll be our new version of “certainty”.

Until, of course, the next “before” and “after” points in our lives, whenever that is and however it comes about. I know some people are hopeful, while many others are fearing for their lives. All I know is that it will not be the same as it has been. I'll leave it to you to decide whether that's a good thing or a bad thing. And that's all I'm gonna say about that for now.

Besides, someone addressed this whole concept  much better than I, especially in his last few paragraphs.

On that note, have a great weekend. We all certainly deserve it.

(jim@wmqt.com)