Friday, 7/29

Maybe they're on to something here.

I came across a weird fact I'll use on the air Monday, a weird fact that has really got me to thinking. And that, as we all know, can be a dangerous thing. The fact?

That almost sixty percent of Americans consider August 1^st to be the end of summer.

The reason that fact seems to be resonating with me is that here we are, just a few days before “the end of summer”, and it really doesn't seem like summer's even started yet. I don't know the reason; I don't know if it's been the less than optimal weather we've had here, the packed schedule I seem to have had recently, or the transitional state of things since the station changed ownership June 1^st. But for me, at least, here we are—just a few days before what some people consider “the end of summer”, and mine doesn't even seem to have begun yet.

Yikes.

That's not to say I haven't enjoyed myself the past few months, because I can really say that I have. I've been playing outside and taking time off here and there like I normally do, but something just seems...different. I can't put my finger on it, nor can I even say if the difference is a good thing or a bad thing. But whatever that difference is, it just makes it seem to me, at least, like summer has barely started.

Even if sixty percent of Americans think it's now over.

****

On a slightly less gloomy note, have a great weekend. It's supposed to be sunny & hot here in Marquette, which is my favorite kind of weather. Enjoy Art on the Rocks, enjoy Outback, and enjoy every other thing going on the area this weekend (and trust me—there are a LOT of things going on in the area this weekend).

Monday? The report on how my annual week of dorky counting turned out. Bet you can't wait, huh?

8-)

(jim@wmqt.com)

Thursday, 7/28

It's time for my annual debate with myself. And this year, I might even change my mind.

You're actually part of this annual debate. You see, when I started hosting “High School Bowl” back in 2014 I put forth a question to everyone who reads this as to whether or not I should color my then slightly gray hair before starting the show. Almost everyone who responded said “no”, except for daily blog reader Darlene of Marquette who said, and I quote here, “I'm too young to have a son on TV with gray hair”.

Needless to say, my mom didn't get her way.

That, however, was eight years ago. In the 80 percent of a decade since then, my hair has gotten (understatement alert here) just a little lighter in color, something that becomes even more apparent during the summer when I'm out in the sun a lot and it turns my hair even lighter in color than its normal shade of almost-gray.

Hmm.

As I write this I'm not only two months away from the start of another year of “High School Bowl” but also two months away from another weekly, on-going TV project about which I can't say anything yet (but, needless to say, will require me being on camera in a whole new setting). And seeing as how my hair isn't getting any darker in shade these days I found myself in Walgreen's this past weekend looking at hair coloring.

You know...just in case.

I actually found one that sounds kind of cool, a color that pretty much matches my original dark brown hair with just a shade of purple in it. I don't think the purple would show up on camera much; that would just be a potential justification I could use to convince myself it's a good thing. I mean, sure—I'd have colored hair, but one of the colors would be purple.

And that would work, right?

At this point, I have no idea what I'm going to do. Go on camera with the hair that just keeps getting grayer and grayer? Color it and have people look at the screen going “did that dork do something with his hair”? I don't know. If I do do it it could be a commitment on which I'd need to follow through for however long I'm on TV. But if I don't do it, pretty soon I'll be on TV looking like an off-white beanpole who stuck a giant cotton ball on his head.

See why it's a debate as to what I should do?

8-)

(jim@wmqt.com)

Wednesday, 7/27

You know, maybe I should take more pictures with that particular camera.

After buying a new Nikon DSLR camera last year I brought my old one—an 11 year old camera, but one that still works perfectly—down to my office, just in case I needed a good camera to take an shot or two for work or these ramblings. Well, yesterday morning I did need to use it, and when I was transferring the shots to my computer I noticed that I have used that camera just three times in the past eight months.

And you can really tell by looking at each of the pictures.

The first one is from last November, believe it or not, when I was taking a few minutes out in the late fall sunshine and noticed a colorful tree--

The second was from late February of this year. I'm not quite sure why I took it, especially because of my very healthy aversion to snow-

And the third was the one I took yesterday morning--

Three pictures, three VERY different seasons in Marquette. If nothing else, those three random shots show that we really do have all kinds of weather around here, whether we appreciate it or not. And they also show proof, I guess, that I should probably use that particular camera just a little more often.

8-)

(jim@wmqt.com)

Tuesday, 7/26

It's Art on the Rocks week. Woo hoo!

Not only is it one of my favorite summer week of the year here in Marquette, if only because I get to be a dork and count license plates, but it's also a chance for people who may not be from the area and/or familiar with a unique weather phenomena to experience said phenomena. Now, this may be something about which I’ve probably written before. If I have, forgive me. If I haven’t; well, here’s the story about an interesting summer meteorological phenomena in Marquette, a phenomena about which most people who aren't from Marquette or who are from Marquette but always stay in their cars may not even be aware--

It’s called “The Third Street Rule”.

Oh, some days it may be called “The Front Street Rule”, or “The Fourth Street Rule”, or “The Pine Street Rule”. Some days, it may not even exist. But most of the time, between the months of May and September, “The Third Street Rule”, well, rules.

Allow me to explain.

When you’re walking through certain parts of Marquette, Lake Superior can throw around its muscle whenever it likes. You can be walking down the street in warm comfort and then--

BANG

The temperature drops 20 degrees and you’re freezing in your sandals.

If you’ve ever walked anywhere on the east side of Marquette, you know what I’m talking about. But the lake’s effect DOES start to wane, especially the farther you get from shore. If you walk away from the lake, you can (usually) be pretty sure that it’ll start to warm up and stay warm once you get past Third Street. The extra shirt you needed on Front Street? You can usually take it off once you’re past Third Street.

Hence, “The Third Street Rule”.

It’s funny; most everyone subconsciously knows about it, yet never actually seems to think about it, much less give it a name. Guess I’m just unique in that manner.

8-)

Check it out for yourself if you're out and about some day soon. You’ll see what I mean!

(jim@wmqt.com)

Monday, 7/25

It's a question that's just begging to be asked.

I was out working on a project over the weekend when I came across something I have never seen before. I never, not even once in my life, thought I would see anything like it. And that's why I do have to ask the question--

Why did someone leave an open can of tuna on the dashboard of their sealed car on a hot, sunny summer day?

Seriously; this begs SO many questions that the why of it is just the lead-off. So I'll start with that. Just WHY would someone open a can of tuna, take what appears to be a bite, and then leave it on their dashboard? Were they not aware that, in the hot sun, the tuna would turn rancid quite quickly? And did they not know that the tuna, as it was turning rancid, would then turn their car into the giant mobile approximation of what the world's worst cat food might smell like? And did they now know that the possibility exists that that smell might never (ever) leave their car?

See? So many questions, so few answers.

Now, it could be that the person opened the tuna, intending to have it for lunch, but was so put off by the smell and/or the taste that they couldn't stomach it. I get that; I realize that the taste of tuna is not for everyone. But to then leave it in the sun on the dashboard of a car with its windows rolled up?

I just don't get it. Unless the tuna was a late-night snack and there was alcohol involved. Then, I get it. And I would pay big money to be standing nearby when that person sobered up and opened their car door.

But for now, the mystery of the opened can of tuna remains just that. A mystery. And yet another sign that if you drive everywhere, as opposed to walk everywhere, you miss out on seeing things you never ever thought you would see.

(jim@wmqt.com)

Friday, 7/22

This is among my favorite blogs to write all year.

I'm actually writing this yesterday afternoon, sitting in the sun at one of Marquette's crown jewels--Lower Harbor Park--and just watching the world go by me. There are groups of tourists and locals walking around the park, a lunch hour yoga class taking place under the shade of a big tree, and a group of kids who just jumped off their bikes and are now running through one of the sprinklers the city has going in an attempt to keep the park grass green.

If you were ask for a definition of a perfect summer scene on a perfect summer day, this might approach it.

I often get people who, knowing my profound loathing of snow and cold, ask why I live here. I usually give them two reasons--July and August. And while that answer is often given in jest there is a (big) kernel of truth behind it. I get through the cold & snowy months by telling myself that there will be better days, and a day like yesterday (and the one we're promised today) was one of those better days. I mean, here I am, sitting in the 80 degree sunshine 40 feet from the greatest of lakes, watching sailboats go by in the harbor as a gaggle of bicyclists and runners make there way to or fro along the bike path

Could you actually ask for much more than that?

I try to take advantage of days like these, if only because I know they're few in number and fleeting in nature. After all, here we are, already heading into the last third of July of a summer that hasn't really (at least yet) lived up to expectations. The way time is flying these days it'll be Labor Day next week, Thanksgiving the week after that, and before we know it we'll be huddled en masse indoors in a vain attempt to stay warm during yet another January cold snap.

That's why I treasure writing a blog this on a day like yesterday. The opportunities to do it are few in nature, and when I get the opportunity to do it, I cherish it with all the appreciation I can muster.

Hope your weekend's a treasure, just like today is for me!

(jim@wmqt.com)

Thursday, 7/21

You might wanna think twice before you do it. I'm just saying...

Where I work on Front Street in Marquette, I have a front row view to the world outside. It's often quite entertaining, especially during the summer, when there are a lot of visitors to Marquette. Every so often I'll see people stop and stare at our front window, reading the signs on it and realizing there's a radio station inside. On the rare occasion, I'll even actually see people put their face up to the glass and try to look in.

But that's nothing compared to the people who use the window as a mirror and don't realize that there's someone on the inside who can see them.

You'd be surprised by the amount of people who walk down the street, see a big window, and use it as a mirror to fix their hair, fix their clothes, or just check out their appearance. Because it's a bit of a tinted window, and because the sun's shining on it a good portion of the day, you can't really see inside (unless, like I said, you put your face right up to it). But even though you can't see inside, when I'm in my studio I can see outside.

Trust me on that.

Of course, my situation is nothing compared to Loraine's, who works across the street from me at Range Bank. Their windows are specialty windows designed to reflect the sun and keep out the heat, and you can't see into them. Loraine, however can see out of them just fine, and has regaled me with tales of people taking selfies in the window next to her desk, people using her window as a makeup mirror, people drawing on her window, and people passing by and using the window to, uhm, adjust themselves.

When they're doing all this, they have no idea Loraine and her coworkers can see everything they do.

So I guess what I'm trying to say is this—next time you're in a downtown setting, be it in Marquette or another urbanized area, and you see a business with a big window that looks like a mirror, keep walking. Resist the urge to use the mirror-like window as a mirror. Because if you do, I can almost guarantee that there will be someone on the other side watching whatever you do. And if what you do could be considered embarrassing, impolite, or downright raunchy, trust me.

Those of us on the other side of the window will be chuckling about it the rest of the day.

8-)

(jim@wmqt.com)