Friday, 3/31

It looks like we're about get hammered again today, and not in the good way.

Just a few days ago I had written about how this has been a monstrous March for snow here in the UP, and it looks as if April is picking up right where March left off. As I write this, our friends at Weatherology are calling for anywhere from 12 to 18 inches of snow in two rounds, those rounds wrapped around a bout of freezing rain. I don't know what we did to piss Mother Nature off, because I thought she and I were pals.

I guess we need to sit down and talk things out.

To document what may (or may not) be coming up, here's a picture I took yesterday afternoon during the literal calm before the storm--

Monday, I will post the “after” to this “before”, if only because I myself am curious, and if (also) only to prove it to those of you from outside the UP that I'm really NOT exaggerating just how bizarrely bizarre this past month has been.

Because I haven't.

Wish us luck. Maybe it'll fizzle out. Maybe it'll be the storm of the century (this month's edition). I guess we'll find out between now and Saturday afternoon.

(jim@wmqt.com)

Thursday, 3/30

You know...maybe one of these days I'll actually get it right.

I don't watch myself on TV a lot. I think I look like a dork, and I see all the little things I should have done or did do wrong, even though absolutely no one would ever have noticed them in the first place. I am, indeed, my own worst critic.

But every so often I do come across something I've done, and while on occasion I am actually happy with what I did, the picture of me doing so makes me shudder in horror. You know, like the post talking about the “Life in the 906” I did this past Monday evening.

Don't believe me?

Yup; that is indeed me looking like a chimpanzee throwing a temper tantrum when it doesn't get its eighth banana for the day. All I'm doing is laughing, just like Sarah, but for some reason she looks normal and I look the aforementioned chimpanzee,

Which is probably why she works in TV and I'm stuck in radio.

It's actually just the luck of the freeze. If the screen-grab had been a second later or a second earlier, I may indeed have looked like a normal person (or, at least, as normal as I can look). But this particular shot? It caught me right at the moment when I decided to attempt a world record and look dorkier than anyone else in the history of dorkdom.

And you know what? I may have just succeeded.

I am, of course, mostly jesting. I mean, I do think I look like a dork, although probably not the dorkiest of dorks in the history of dorkdom. I know I'm just being hyper-critical about the way I look (like, you know, a dork). But aside from that, I also think the picture captures something that I hope comes through each and every week I do those little bits on the news--

That we actually have a lot of fun doing them. It's not the kind of segment you usually see on a local newscast, and I'm really thankful that they asked me to do them. As I've said in here many times, my life has taken many strange twists and turns over the past decade, and I never know where those twists & turns may lead. In this case, they led to something rather unique and, as I said, a whole lot of fun.

Even if I DO look like the dorkiest dork in the history of dorkdom while doing them.

8-)

(jim@wmqt.com)

Wednesday, 3/29

You know, I would not have thought people would start that early in the morning.

In a sign that we live in a rapidly changing world I have started to notice something a little more than I would have thought. I usually run in the morning before work, which means that I'm on the streets around 8 am. And more than often than not these days I'll be running down a residential street and notice an odor, an odor that would not have been legal to smell in Michigan before 2019.

Almost every day I'm out running around 8 am, I'll catch a whiff of someone smoking pot.

Now, I'm not against people using marijuana. Even though I don't partake myself, I did vote to legalize it five years ago. I'm cool with whatever you wanna do. I just find it...interesting that there's that much early morning usage of it. When pot became legal, I kind of assumed people would use it like they use alcohol, during certain times of the day and for certain occasions. But, as with many things in life, I was wrong.

Of course, the way the world is today, I really can't blame anyone for taking a hit before they head off to whatever reality's about to throw at them.

8-)

I've noticed another thing along those lines, as well. I can be walking down the street any time of the day, have a car go past me, and then a few seconds later catch a whiff of the same odor I come across while running. This worries me a little more; if you wanna get stoned when you're at home or wherever, cool. But doing so while you're operating a big metal box on wheels? That one gets a little...problematic. Even if the driver isn't partaking, there's probably enough second hand smoke in the car for a bit of a contact buzz, and as someone who walks everywhere and has enough problems with drivers not paying attention to pedestrians as it is, well...

Let's just say that I'd prefer you not use while driving, just as I'd prefer you'd not drink while driving. And I'm pretty sure city and state police would agree with me, as well.

Back in 2018 when we the people legalized marijuana in Michigan I had no idea how the whole venture would turn out. From my point of view, with the exception of people using it in cars, it's probably one of the more successful social changes we've seen in recent decades, especially when you consider it moved a whole underground economy above ground for the benefit of everyone.

And like with all successful (social) experiments, it provides a few unexpected answers, as well, evidence of which is ample if you're out pounding the pavement at 8 am.

(jim@wmqt.com)

Tuesday, 3/28

Sad to say, I don't think we're gonna make it.

I think I may have complained (once or twice, he says snarkily) about how we've had a bad month and a half, at least as far as the weather goes. We've had more snow in the past five weeks than we did the rest of the winter, and it's been colder in March than in parts of January and February.

Just part of our new weather normal, sad to say.

Another part of that new normal may be one of those strange streaks that I notice and obsess about every so often. Nope; this one is not my streak of wearing shorts while running at least once a month (March is safely in the books), but it's this--

For only (as far as I can tell) the fourth time this century, we won't have at least one day in March where the temperature hits at least 60. And that's a bummer.

Surprisingly, we haven't had a “cold” month in March; in fact, temperatures for the month are actually a degree above average (showing just how much warmer January and February were this year). Despite our massive snowfall temperatures have been hanging around where they normally do. But there haven't been any of those “out sized” days we've gotten used as the century wears on. Normally, we have one (or more) nice days that served as a tease for Spring. Those have included days where we've hit 80 in during the first week of the month or 79 on St. Patrick's Day.

But this March? Nope. In fact, the high temperature for March of 2023 has been (so far) 47 degrees back on the Ides of March. That's a far cry from the beach weather we've had in the past. Heck, that's barely warm enough to swap a winter jacket for a sweatshirt. And with the forecast calling for temps in the 30s the rest of the week, it doesn't look like that's gonna change any time soon.

I do have hope we'll get there soon, though. After all, Lake Superior—the single biggest factor in determining our Spring weather—did not freeze over this winter, which means that the water will warm up quicker than usual and (hopefully) not throw a force field of cold over us like it so often does. That also bodes well for a warm summer.

But a warm March, even if for just a day? I guess we'll have to wait until 2024 for that. And that is a bit of a bummer in and of itself. After all, we've kind of gotten used to at least one nice day in March this century.

(jim@wmqt.com)

Monday, 3/27

I don’t know if this is a good thing or not (probably not), but I may be the only person on the planet with two complete episodes of “The New Adventures of Beans Baxter” on video tape.

Earth-shattering, isn’t it?

A little background first. When Fox (the TV network) started up in April 1987, they only programmed one night of the week, Sunday, with shows like “21 Jump Street” and “Married With Children” (And the only reason I know this (aside from being a nerd) is because I was working at a Fox affiliate in Flint at the time). Later that summer, they expanded to a second night of programming, Saturdays, with four shows lost to the annuls of time—a TV version of the movie “Down & Out in Beverly Hills”, “Karen’s Song”, “Werewolf”, and “Beans Baxter”. None of the shows lasted more than a few months, none of them are remembered fondly by cult audiences (or, more likely, remembered by ANYONE) and none of them certainly deserved to be saved on video, much less two episodes of them in complete form.

Yet, for some strange reason, I did it.

“Beans Baxter” was created by a guy named Savage Steve Holland, best known for being the warped mind behind the John Cusack movie “Better Off Dead”. The show had the same tone as that flick, dealing with a teenager who discovers his kidnapped father was a secret agent, and who goes through tortured comic situations to see if he can help rescue him. As far as I can tell, only one member of the cast ever went on to anything else, and that would be Kirtwood Smith, who played a bad gut on “Beans” and ended up playing the dad on “That 70s Show”. It was cancelled after 20 or so episodes, and I’m sure no one on the planet gave it a second thought.

Now, back to the future. This weekend I was digging though a box filled with old crap when I came across a couple of video tapes from 30 or so years ago (back when people, you know, used video tapes). I had no idea what was on them, so you can imagine my surprise when one of them contained those two complete episodes of “Beans Baxter’, still in surprisingly good condition. I actually remember taping one of them, a mash-up of the movie “Exorcist” with riffs on the “hysteria” whipped by the Parents Music Resource Council over hidden messages in rock music. In fact, Dee Snider, the lead singer of Twisted Sister, played the “exorcist” in the episode, trying to un-brainwash kids who’d been turned to the dark side after listening to the hidden messages in the music of a Pat Boone-type singer. I don’t remember taping the other episode, but considering that I sometimes can’t remember what I had for breakfast the previous morning, I’m not surprised.

Like I said, the episodes were both complete—they contained all the original network commercials and promos from 1987, and watching them was, well, a trip. When I listen to old radio shows from the 30s and 40s, I often enjoy the commercials and promotional announcements better than the show itself. More than the drama or the comedy, the commercials and promos give you a better sense of what life was like back then. And even though they’re only 35 years old, watching the commercials and the promos included in those two episodes of “Beans Baxter” reminded me what it was like back in the fall of 1987. There were commercials for hair products and wine coolers that would probably make the average viewer of today laugh all over their smartphones and energy drinks. Although it may not seem like it in your mind, it sure is amazing how much things have changed over the past third of a century, especially when you’re confronted by hard physical evidence of it on a video tape, a technology itself rendered somewhat obsolete by how much things have changed over the past quarter century.

I’m not quite sure what I’m gonna do with that video tape. After all, while I have no desire to watch those episodes of “Beans Baxter” again, they DO represent a time capsule of sorts. It wouldn’t be right just to get rid of them; after all, there have been times when I wished more old radio shows had been saved, so that people in future generations—like me—would have a chance to listen to them. Maybe, if I ever get around to it, I’ll digitized those two episodes, and save them on a flash drive somewhere. Then in another 35 years, when I’m digging through another box filled with old crap, I can find them once again, watch them once again, and be amazed once again at how they seem to serve as a time capsule holding the secrets of pop culture (and life) from decades long ago.

(jim@wmqt.com)

Friday, 3/24

I have a meeting in a few minutes, so I have to be quick today. My apologies on that.

Before I sneak out, though, I did want to bring one thing up. I’m not quite sure how this came up, but Loraine and I were having a discussion last night about a certain classic movie phrase, and how it would translate into French. Why this came up I don't know; it just does. And perhaps it's not surprising, considering we both use it on a regular basis

So we have that going for us.

Anyway, if you’re curious (and you know you are, despite yourself), here’s how that phrase translates into French--

“Personne ne met Baby dans un coin!”

Given the fact that the line is from ”Dirty Dancing”, I think you have a pretty good guess as to what the original phrase was.

I know. . .we need help. What else can I say? Other than, of course, have yourself a great weekend. I’m off to my meeting.

(jim@wmqt.com)

Thursday, 3/23

What do you think is better—two three day weekends in a row or a single four day weekend?

This is actually a legitimate question. I have a day that I have to use up, and I'm trying to decide exactly how to use it. And the reason I'm debating it is this—my new employers are giving us Friday, April 7^th (heading into Easter weekend) off. So I have one three day weekend there. Should I use that comp day to take the following Monday off and give myself a four day weekend, or use it the following Friday (the 14^th) and get two three day weekends in a row?

See? Interesting choice, isn't it?

There are pros & cons for both, mainly dealing with the amount of work I'd have to get done ahead of time to take the weekends off. Do I work a LOT one week for the four day weekend, or do I just work a little extra for two straight weeks and enjoy the pair of three day weekends? Plus, those dates would getting into the territory where it might actually be mild outside. Do I take a four day weekend and gamble that the weather will be nice, or do I spread the risk over two weekends and hope that at least one of them isn't frigid and/or snowy.

Yes, I know a normal person wouldn't take that into consideration, but when have I ever been accused of being normal?

There is, of course, a third possibility, that I don't take the extra day off and hold onto to for later. But I accumulated a lot of extra time during our big (and stretched-out) computer switch-over earlier this year, and I'd kind of like to clear some off the books while I have the chance. And since Loraine & I don't have any big travel plans this year, I also have my usual batch of vacation days to use, as well, and those are earmarked for each and every nice summer day that comes along.

And trust me—they'd BETTER come along.

8-)

Like I said, it's just something I'm pondering over the next few days. So unless something strange comes along, you'll be left with only four of these the week of April 10^th. I just don't know which on day the missing blog will fall.

That's yet to be determined.

(jim@wmqt.com)