Thursday, 4/30

Wait. It's the end of April already?

I have no idea how that happened. Last time I checked it was mid-March and all kinds of strange things start to happen. Then I wake up one morning and a month and a half has passed.

How the heck did THAT happen?

I guess I shouldn't be surprised; aside from all the wackiness going on in the world it really wasn't like “April” around here. We had a tremendously warm & dry February and March. April, however, will probably end up being several degrees below normal, while our biggest snow dump this calendar year happened during the month, as well.

So that's probably one reason why it doesn't seem like we're finishing “April”.

The other is related. If you look at the first 20 years of this century (2000-2019), 17 of those years had at least one April day where the temperature was above 70. Heck; six of those years had temperatures over 80. But at least here in Marquette, in “April” of 2020, we didn't even have a day where the high was over 60. We did for two days in March, but “April”?

Nope.

Even when the world is normal (or what passes for “normal”) I guess that I use the weather as a guide through the month. But this year, when the world is anything BUT normal and our weather has joined in, I guess that's caused a bit of disorientation on my part. Sure, the calendar says it's the end of “April”, but not much else does, at least around here. So if I seem a little...disbelieving about that fact, please forgive me.

It's just been one of those years.

(jim@wmqt.com), who's hoping May doesn't become “May”)

Wednesday, 4/29

This is where I was supposed to be today.

I know; there's nothing I can do about it. And if there's any consolation to take out of this whole thing, I guess it MIGHT be the fact that instead of it being sunny & 80 today in Berlin, like it was when I took this picture last year, it's only, uhm, 60 & sunny today.

Okay. That's not much consolation.

As I have said many times the past couple of months, the fact that our trip was cancelled falls waaaaaaay down on the list of things to complain about during the pandemic. And while I am very disappointed, I'm not complaining about it. It is what it is. And it's with that same attitude that I took note of the fact that yesterday the country of France shut down things like large gatherings until September 1^st of this year.

September 1^st, of course, being the day before we're supposed to fly over there.

I'm not an expert in these things, but it wouldn't surprise me if that trip had the kibosh put on it, as well. I mean, we held out hope about Germany until the airline pulled all of its flights and the Bundesliga axed games a few weeks ago, and we'll be doing the same with the trip to France. But as we've learned recently things like bans on large gatherings usually presages other types of bans. As it is, they pushed back the Tour de France until the end of August, a few days before we get there.

If that gets cancelled or pushed back in the next few weeks we'll have a pretty good idea about our plans, too.

Like I said, it is what it is. There's absolutely nothing I can do about it. And if it's the biggest problem I face during this whole crisis, then I'm one of the luckiest people on the planet. I'll just keep working ahead, and if all that work plays off and we get to go, cool. And if we don't?

Well, I can always take a week or two off during the summer and enjoy the warmth in Marquette. Assuming, of course, it ever gets warm around here. With the way that 2020's been treating us, I'm not holding out too much hope.

8-)

(jim@wmqt.com)

Tuesday, 4/28

I think I have my list ready.

With all the insanity that's been going on, I'm actually one of the lucky ones, even if I'm not going to Germany today as originally planned. I'm still healthy, I'm still working, and, if I had to guess, 80% of my lifestyle really hasn't changed. That's why I have put together the list, which I am calling--

The Stimulus List.

Like I said, I'm one of the lucky ones. I don't immediately need the $1,200 stimulus payment everyone's getting. I know there are so many people for whom it will be a a lifeline that I kind of wish I could give mine back. But I can't, so I'm gonna do the next best thing--

I'm actually going to use it for its intended purpose.

One of the ideas behind the money (aside from helping people eat, pay rent, or try not to drown under debt) was to help get the economy going again. So the list I have come up with is stuff I'm going to buy with the $1,200. If the idea is to get as much of the money back into the economy as possible, that's what I hope to do.

On the list is everything from new running shoes to a cool purple tea pot I saw in the window of a downtown Marquette store. Now, I've earmarked as many locally-owned, mom & pop places as humanly possible to get this stuff. After all, Amazon doesn't need my money, but places like Queen City Running, the Spice Merchants, and all the non-chain restaurants to which I usually go really do. It's been a hard month and a half for a lot of local businesses, and if I can drop $50 or $100 their way, especially as they're just re-opening, even for curbside pickup, it's the least I can do.

I'm hoping every little bit helps.

Like I said—I've been working (oh, have I been working) throughout this entire crisis. I don't necessarily need the $1,200. But if I can get some stuff for it while giving it to people who COULD use it; well, that seems like a win-win for everyone involved.

We'll see how it turns out!

(jim@wmqt.com)

Monday, 4/27

The note almost made me cry, which is a funny thing considering I wrote it to myself.

Friday I was working on stuff to air today; specifically, the music log for all the songs we'll play throughout the day. As you may recall, I had been working quite ahead, and with everything going on I haven't recalled half the stuff 've done. Apparently, one of the things I did when working on this particular log, back at the beginning of March, was to leave myself a little note.

That note said “have a great trip”. Because today, you see, is the last day before I was supposed to leave on our little trip to Germany.

I have no idea why March me wrote a note to April me, but he did. I mean, it was nice of him, but I think one of the things it goes to show is just how much the world has changed since the note was left on March 9^th. Back them, the world (or at least me) was confident enough to think that our trip would still be taking place. I know at the time the Bundesliga had cancelled matches for March, and at the time Europe wasn't open for visitors. But back on March 9^th I still had hope that things would be back to “normal” by today.

Goes to show what I know.

So instead of speeding through today with all the last minute work associated before flying off it'll just be another day of coming into an empty studio and doing everything that needs to get done in this new “normal”. I have no idea if or when we'll get to go back to Germany; heck, we're starting to assume that our jaunt to France in September isn't going to happen. And maybe that's why the note—from me, to me—struck such a chord.

Back then, I thought today would be a big day. Sad to say, I was wrong.

But that's okay. I'm still healthy. Everyone I care about is still healthy. I still have a job. I have a (hopefully warm) summer to look forward to. And, with any luck, I still have a lot of future travel plans to which to look forward.

Even if tomorrow I go to work instead of Germany.

(jim@wmqt.com)

Friday, 4/24

I hope that if/when things return to normal that Marquette regains one of the things that make it one of the greatest places on the planet.

Because of what I do my lifestyle hasn't changed very much, which means that I'm still walking here and there pretty much as much as usual. And one of the things I've noticed while out walking is the loss of a cherished Marquette tradition--

The smile and the greeting of “hello” as you walk past someone on the sidewalk.

That's all but disappeared these days as people try to socially distance themselves or are buried under a protective mask. Sometimes you make eye contact; sometimes, you're just trying to make sure you don't come too close to the other person. But as someone who a). walks everywhere, and 2). always says “hi” to people, I can vouch for the fact that that habit has all but disappeared.

I can't say I'm surprised; after all, everyone's just trying to stay safe, and those people who are actually out on the streets are probably a little more nervous than those staying home. I know I am a little bit. But it's sad that we've lost that ability to greet people, especially because I've spoken with visitors over the years who've gone out of their way to comment on how friendly a place Marquette is because we actually DO say “hey” or “good morning” to strangers. It's part of what makes this a special place.

And I would certainly be bummed if we lost that quality.

Like I said, I'm hopeful that that quality will be back if and when we ever return to normal. After all, it's one of the things that makes Marquette Marquette, and with everything else we've had ripped asunder that past month, I'd like to think that we deserve to get at least that back.

Stay safe, everyone, and have a great weekend!

(jim@wmqt.com)

Thursday, 4/24

I wonder what the final episode of my “show” will be?

As some of you may know, I've been putting together a bunch of short videos for social media about the history of Marquette. Inspired by singers who've been performing at home, and since I can't sing but I do seem to have some strange talent for telling stories, I've been doing four or five of them a week on all kinds of subjects And I've been trying to come up with a subject that might be fitting for the final one, the last one I do once things are back to “normal”.

I just haven't figured it WHAT it'll be yet.

I know that creators and writers of TV shows obsess over how their series gets wrapped up. For every successful finale, like “Newhart” and its dream sequence, there's a finale like that of “Seinfeld” that kind of just leaves a bitter taste in everyone's mouth. Now, what I've been doing is absolutely nothing like those shows, but when I do wrap them all up I'd like to do so in an apt way, so people look back and remember the videos fondly.

We'll see.

I know I've posted a couple of them on here before, and now most of them are available for those of you who aren't on Facebook. You can check out the first 21 of them on the History Center's website. Go ahead and binge watch them. Maybe you can come up with an idea for the perfect final episode.

Oh, and while you're there, if you wanna show the History Center some love, too? I don't think any of us would complain too much.

8-)

(jim@wmqt.com)

Wednesday, 4/22

Oh no. NOW how am I gonna be a dork?

Before you say (and you know you want to) “Jim, you've NEVER had a problem being a dork” let me clarify that I reach perhaps peak dorkiness during an annual summer event in Marquette, an event that was cancelled for this year yesterday, joining Pridefest and the Hiawatha Music Festival on the scrapheap of Covid 19.

That event is “Art on the Rocks”.

Now, not only is Art on the Rocks one of the coolest things you'll ever attend (after all, how many outdoor art shows do they hold on the shores of Lake Superior?), but it's also an event that draws thousands of people to Marquette. That is why, for the past 25 or so years, I've spent the week leading up to the show doing my annual license plate count, seeing how many plates from different states I can find.

This year, though, no. The dorkiness will be dialed down a notch.

One of the things I get out of the plate count is a general, non-scientific account of how the economy's doing. Usually, the more states I see, the better the economy is doing. During the Great Recession, I only saw plates from 18 states; in 2015, I saw plates from 49 states. I was kind of wondering just how low the count would go this year; after all, it's been on a downward trend the past few years, and with the economy imploding I figured it might be lower than 18 this year.

But now, I'll never know.

So I guess I'll be mourning two things now. I'll be mourning the loss of Art on the Rocks, an event I've always looked forward to. And I'll also be mourning the loss of yet another chance to be a dork.

Because, as we all know, I SO rarely get the chance to do that.

8-)

(jim@wmqt.com)