Thursday, January 31, 2019

Thursday, 1/31


Okay. It can stop any time now.

Even though Marquette was the warmest city in the state of Michigan yesterday at a balmy 0 degrees (thank you Lake Superior!) this Polar Vortex can disappear up Earth's vortex any day now. I can't believe I'm to the point where I'm actually looking forward to Sunday's weather (a forecast of almost 40 and (gulp) rain), but compared to what we have now, ANYTHING is better.

So with that in mind, and to remind everyone that we do live in an area where we DO have warmth and we DO have color (if even for only five or six days a year, or so it seems), I offer these pieces of pictorial proof--








And, finally, this one that I particularly like--



See? Better times ARE coming. After all, pictures never lie, right?

8-)

Stay warm, everyone!!



Wednesday, January 30, 2019

Wednesday, 1/30


I'm not supposed to be here right now.

Actually, technically, that's not true. I should be saying that I'm not supposed to be here writing this right now. Instead, I should be at a TV studio shooting another episode of “High School Bowl”. But for the second scheduled taping date in a row it's been canceled because of the horrid weather, and it wouldn't surprise me if this Friday's scheduled shoot is called off, as well. After all, student safety is paramount, and we were supposed to have kids coming from Cedarville and Ironwood today, a day when police are advising people to not even venture out of their homes, much less drive 150 miles to Marquette.

So a little delay's okay.

However, because of the plethora of weather delays the past couple of weeks we actually have something that we have to start to consider, at least if the cold & snow doesn't go away. Because of the weather and other considerations, we've only been able to shoot one new show since the beginning of 2019. We have the episode that airs this Saturday done, as well as the one that airs next Saturday. But after that?

Nada.

I don't really think that's gonna be a problem; after all, theoretically we could shoot two or three episodes next week and be back on track. But if this insane weather were to continue and we can't safely get students from high schools all across the UP to Marquette; well, on February 16th you might be watching a rerun. Or a bonus episode of “Lawrence Welk”. Or something like that.

Technically, I suppose, we could always do an episode live if we needed to. We always shoot them live-to-(computer) drive (an industry term for shooting a show non-stop, just like it was live) anyway, so it wouldn't be that much of a change. And you'd be surprised by the number of people who think we do them all live, anyway. There have been many times where I've been at a dinner or a gathering somewhere and someone expresses a little concern that I might not get to the studio on time if I “don't get going soon”. They actually seem a little surprised when I tell them the shows are pre-taped. But, maybe, that's a testament to the way we tape them. We leave all the little fluffs & mistakes in (and trust me, with the host the show currently has there are a TON of little fluffs & mistakes), and it seems like we're coming into your homes in real time.

But we're not. And we don't. Although, with the way the weather's been...

Actually, I've always thought we should do the annual championship show live, maybe with a little year-in-review pre-game show before the actual contest. There are amazing young people who make it to the final rounds, and they deserved to get the same treatment as some bonehead like Tom Brady. So maybe having to do a show live would be a dress rehearsal for an instance like that. I mean, I know it won't happen, but I think to would be fun.

All of that depends upon this horrid weather and whether or not it ever leaves (spoiler alert—it should this weekend). But it does lead one to have a fanciful dream or two, especially because, thanks to that horrid weather, I actually have a few extra minutes this morning.

Stay warm!!


Tuesday, January 29, 2019

Tuesday, 1/29


This may not work for you. Heck, it may not even work for me. But I think I've come up with a way to mentally, at least, handle this hellaciously cold 10 or 12 or 16 or however many days it'll end up being snap,

Just think of the (pardon the pun) polar opposite,

Now, let me explain. If you study weather or if you're just obsessed with temperatures like some of us, you know that winter is kind of a mirror-universe version of the summer. Even though the temperatures are cold and the precipitation is solid instead of liquid, winter and summer are like the matter and anti-matter versions of each other, or like the evil and good versions of each other.

Which, I guess, would make winter the Spock with the beard.

(And, hopefully, someone is currently rolling on the floor laughing out loud. Either that, or my jokes are just getting WAAAAAAY too specific).

So let's work from that theory, that Summer & Winter are the same seasons, just 180 degrees apart. In that theory, January and July are the yin and yang of the seasons. They both represent the extremes of their respective seasons (which, in real life they do, January being the coldest month of the year in Marquette and July the warmest). If something happens in January there would have to be something happening in July that's a mirror version of it. That would then mean that there is an equivalent version of this hellacious 12 day January cold streak, and it's the thought of that that's keeping me going.

Because, after all, the July equivalent of this cold streak would be a 12-day streak of hot & humid weather in July.

From a meteorological point of view, both streaks are pretty much the same. They're both caused by weather systems that have stalled over the area or that have popped in from a place where they usually don't visit. They both bring extreme and uncomfortable conditions, and they both last longer than (some) people would like. When they finally go, people rejoice in the fact that “normal” weather returns. They're almost exactly like a mirror copy of each other.

Except one's brutally cold, and the other is heavenly warm. And while I can't speak for every single person, I know which one I prefer.

So that's how I'm (hopefully) gonna get through this next week. Whenever I shiver or have to throw on extra layers or, heck, even look out the window, I'm just gonna think—I'm in the Mirror Universe now. But soon, I'll be back in the real one. And when this summer's 12-day equivalent of this cold comes around, I'm gonna bask it in as much as I can.

Hopefully, that will work. Keep your fingers crossed.


Monday, January 28, 2019

Monday, 1/28


That was a Noquemanon rather unlike any I’ve ever seen. And I should know—I’ve been at all of them.

I’ve announced in Noque races that were cold, or lacking snow, or too warm. However, I don’t think I’ve ever announced at one where the temperatures were so cold that two people were treated for frostbite and a third sent to the ER for a frozen cornea.

There was also the fist fight in the middle of the race, but I don't think THAT was caused by the cold.  Although you never know.

I feel sorry for those hardy souls who took part in this year's marathon and half-marathon. Between the ict condition on the snow and the wind chills of 10 or 20 below it took most skiers, even the elite ones, a half an hour to 45 minutes longer (or even more) to complete the course than in a “normal” year. There were some people out skiing for four or five hours on Saturday, and as they crossed the line you could tell by the looks on their face that they had been through a struggle.

And these were the skiers who actually took part in the race. I can imagine that there were a few who just took a look at the forecast and decided not to do it, or who were trying to get here but couldn't because of closed roads (thanks to the weather) or closed airports (thanks to the ongoing government shutdown).

Still, there were some great stories among those who finished. There were people over 70 coming in among the top dozen or so finishers in the half marathon. There were married couples who skied a whole marathon together. And there were the adaptive skiers, with family members helping them over 500 meters or 3 kilometers, coming across the finish line with the crowd cheering them on.

And I have to hand out kudos to everyone in the crowd who stood out and braved the icy cold for a few minutes, or those volunteers who stood outside at the finish line for hours in the bitter wind chill to collect chips or guide skiers where they needed to go. I’m one of the lucky volunteers. All I do is sit in a heated shed and talk. That’s nothing compared to those volunteers who spend the entire day outside in whatever Mother Nature throws at them.

Saturday, she threw her worst at them, and they persevered.

So the Noque is over for another year, and I’ll be curious to see what the 2020 race holds. After all, last year they were worried there wouldn’t be any snow for the race. This year, they were worried it would be too cold. What on tap for next year? Too many lava flows? A tornado?

We’ll just have to wait and see. . .


Friday, January 25, 2019

Friday, 1/25


Thank you, weather. It looks like I might get the chance to decompress just a little after all.

Because of the cold, snow, and closed schools, I don't have a “High School Bowl” TV shoot this morning, which means that my incredibly packed weekend is now just a little less packed. That means I have a few minutes to reflect on what happened last night, with this sold out crowd--



Over 800 people (some from as far as Iron Mountain!) crammed into Kaufman to hear Jack & me ramble on and on about the docks of and the ships that came into Marquette. They seemed to have a good time, I know WE had a great time, and once again I'm amazed by the power of Lake Superior. Or, more to the point, the power and the hold that the lake has over people who live near it. As I mentioned at the beginning of the show, the only reason Marquette came into existence was because of the lake and what we now call Lower Harbor, and in the 170 years since it's still the reason that many people live here.

It's also the reason, apparently, that we packed Kaufman. So thanks to everyone who braved the cold & the snow last night to share 90 minutes and 200 + pictures with us. We hope you enjoyed it!

Okay; I'm off to work and to get ready for tomorrow's epic vocal Noquemanon stint. Come back here Monday to see if I actually have a voice left!


Thursday, January 24, 2019

Thursday, 1/24


The next 48 hours should be interesting.

Here's what I mean. Starting at 5 tonight, I have a 48 hour span where each and every single “Jim” gets to do something, and hopefully do it well. It starts tonight when History Jim has his big (and the SOLD OUT!) “What's Up, Dock” show with Jack Deo at Kaufman for the History Center. After a little sleep, TV Jim has to get up and shoot "High School Bowl" Friday morning. Radio Jim then spends the day Friday doing whatever the heck it is Radio Jim does. Tomorrow night, Normal Jim (and quit giggling; even though it sounds like an oxymoron is THIS a Normal Jim) has to take care of whatever it is Normal Jim does (namely running & grocery shopping) on a Saturday, because all day Saturday Finish Line Jim gets to announce the names of all 1,700 (or so) skiers coming across the finish line at theNoquemanon.

Then all the Jims combine into one and pass out.

Actually, I have no doubt I'll be able to physically do it all. I'm a little worried about my voice holding out, but as long as I don't talk when I don't need to talk, and I drink a lot of tea, I should be okay. Nope; the thing I'm kinda curious about is the decompression aspect of it all. Or, more to the point, the lack-of-decompression aspect of it all.

Let me explain—normally, when you do something “big”, like put on a history show in front of 850 people, or host a TV show, or announce 1,700 names, you like to “decompress” afterwards. You like to put your feet up, and reflect upon what just happened (or, at least, that's what I like to do). But with so many events in the next 48 hours coming bam-bam-bam, one right after the other, I won't have the chance to do that. I'll either be rushing from event to event, preparing for the next event to come up, or trying to fit in things like eating & sleeping. From the time I hit the stage at Kaufman to the time I announce the last person coming across the Noque finish line, I'll have done a whole bunch of amazing stuff.

I just have to hope I remember what it all was.

Now, I'm not complaining. After all, I know just how fortunate I am to be able to do all this. And I'm gonna have a blast doing it all. This may be picky on my part, but I just wish I'd have a few minutes to appreciate it all while it's happening, instead of looking back on it a few days later and hoping I got everything out of the 48 hours that I hoped to.

Oh well; that's life. And it all starts later tonight at Kaufman. Hope to see you at one or more of the events. I highly doubt there will be one of these tomorrow; if there is, it may just be a few words or a picture from “What's Up, Dock”. Otherwise, a full report on Monday assuming, of course, I'm still alive.

Wish me luck!



Wednesday, January 23, 2019

Wednesday, 1/23


Here's my next culinary challenge--



Yup. That's a package of Kaiserschmarrn mix, Kaiserschmarrn being the German dessert Loraine and I tried when in Bavaria last year. You may remember the story; we had already eaten a huge meal when they gave us what's basically two pounds of fried pancake covered with a fruit topping--



And we managed to finish it, the troupers that we are. Anyway, it was so good that we decided we'd like to try & make it ourselves. Thankfully, our friends at German Shop have pre-made Kaiserschmarrn mix you can buy, and we're looking forward to devouring the two packages that just arrived. First, though, we have to overcome a few problems.

Namely, the instructions for making it are in German, and the measurements are in metric. But once I figure out what 100 milliliters of milk looks like, and once I learn how to read German, we should be okay. Really, we should.

8-)

I'm actually not too worried about one aspect of that. Converting from metric to whatever the heck it is we use isn't too hard, if you know what's what. So that shouldn't be too much of a problem. And the instructions on the back of the package do have a few pictograms, so that you kinda get the idea of how to make it. But I do foresee a few sessions on Google Translate so that I make it with no problems. After all, it's Kaiserschmarrn.

You wanna get it right.

Assuming I do make it the way it's supposed to be made, we then have a big decision in front of us. What do we put on top once it's gooey and warm and bubbling in front of us? We have two packages, and since it's Bavarian custom to put some kind of fruit on top, I'm thinking for one we could do a cherry or dark berry compote. Cover it with a little powdered sugar, and it should be heavenly. But for the second? I'd like to try something a little different, something that's maybe not traditionally Bavarian in nature.

I'm actually thinking Nutella. Because, you know, there aren't enough calories and grams of fat in Kaiserschmarrn just as is. But we'll see.

I'm not quite sure when I'll get to this project. Because of my packed schedule I know it won't be this weekend, and next weekend is Super Bowl weekend. All I know is that sometime in the near future I'm gonna try to make the Kaiserschmarrn, and hope that it's dummy-proof enough that even someone who doesn't read a lick of German can figure it out.

Wish me luck!