Friday, 8/30

You know, sometimes I just think there’s too much crap in my brain.

You ever get that feeling? You ever try to remember the one thing you need to recall, only to find it crowded out of your mind by dozens of things you really don’t need to know at the moment, stupid things like Lady Gaga’s real name or the atomic number of vanadium? Sure, you remember those, but do you know where your cars keys are or what your ATM PIN number is?

Nope.

Loraine and I are of two different thoughts of mind regarding the lack of thoughts in my mind. I often joke that I’m just getting old; after all, that’s what old people do, right? They forget things. Well, they eat dinner at 4 pm and wear black socks with shorts and sandals, but mostly they forget things. Loraine, thankfully, points out that I’m not THAT old (and would never be caught dead in black socks with shorts & sandals), and instead offers another suggestion--

That I just have too much crap in my mind, and that the stupid stuff is crowding out the important stuff.

She may have a point; I’ve joked over the past few years that I sure could use a RAM upgrade in my head. Think of it this way--my brain worked fine when I was just a younger, more carefree version of “me”. But now that I’m the semi-responsible, semi-adult version of “me”, one who actually has to care about and remember all kinds of details for all of the facets of my life (and trust me, there are a LOT of facets in my life, as you well know), there just isn’t enough room in my freakishly small head to remember the important facts.

I mean sure, I can remember Lady Gaga’s real name (Stefani Germanotta) and the atomic number of vanadium (23), but when I need to remember someone’s name, or try to recall something I was supposed to share with someone? Not so much.

I’m just 4 gigabytes of RAM in a 32 gigabyte world, I guess.

So if you ever see me walking down the street and I call you by the wrong name (something I do quite frequently, by the way), don’t take it personally. I’m just dealing with a slow processor these days.

8-)

Have a great holiday weekend!

(jim@wmqt.com)

Thursday, 8/29

I have not one but two appointments this morning, which means that I need to get my butt in gear, which means that you get to read something you may have read before. I mean, I wrote in 2016, so you may not even remember it (heck, I hardly remembered it) but it's still apropos, if you know what I mean.

Back with something new to wrap the week up tomorrow!

(jim@wmqt.com)

******

(as originally posted August 14^th, 2016)

Kids these days.

I have a co-worker who's in his mid 20s. He was talking to a compatriot of his; she's in her mid 20s, as well, and they were discussing a couple of people they were both looking to interview. Since she's new to the area he was giving her a few pointers, which included this gem--

“They're in their early to mid 40s, which means they're on the cusp of being old”.

Yup. Kids these days.

I have to admit that my first reaction was to (literally) do a spit take. I was drinking tea and laughed so hard some shot out of my mouth. I couldn't help myself. And just so you know? Blueberry-acai tea is REALLY hard to get out of a white shirt.

My second reaction was what I assume anyone at or past their early to mid 40s would do or say, and that was to shake my head at the wonder of it all. I can't say this with any certainty, but something along those lines may have popped into my brain when I was in my mid 20s. Back then, I probably thought that anyone in the early to mid 40s was about to be old. And I was wrong. Really really wrong.

After all, when you get to be my age, you realize that it's actually people in their 60s or 70s who are really, really old.

That's a joke; after all, you're only as old as you feel. And I can see why someone in their 20s might feel like someone in their 40s is getting old. But I would also point out to people in their 20s that they themselves will one day be in their 40s—in fact, it'll happen much quicker than they think—and maybe they might want to modify what they're thinking.

Of course, there's no way anyone in their 20s would believe what I was saying. It's just one of those things you have to experience for yourself before you realize it's true. Maybe it's something you can't comprehend until you yourself have jumped over the cusp of being old.

Maybe.

I'm sure my friend has no idea that what he said was so funny, at least to me. But who knows—maybe, when he's in his early to mid 40s and on the “cusp” being old, he'll have an acquaintance who makes a comment like the one he made, and he can then sit there, shake his head, and mutter that wonderful phrase--

“Kids these days”. 

Wednesday, 8/28

I didn't know it was a tradition, but you know what?

We'll make it one.

I received a note from daily blog reader Holly in Marquette, who wondered where my flower pictures were. I wasn't quite sure of what she was speaking, so I sent her back a note asking for a little clarification. As it turns out, every summer Holly looks forward to seeing pictures I take of flowers as I wander around. I hadn't done it so far this year, if only because I haven't been out just wandering around much this year, but Holly's note provided the impetus for me to get out and take pictures.

Trust me. It wasn't much of a sacrifice on my part.

What did I see on my stroll? How about reds...

Yellows...

Pinks...

Purples...

More purples...

And a vivid mixture of several colors--

Heck. Even the wildflowers (& their friend a bee) got into the spirit of the thing...

So there you go, Holly. Your annual summer flower presentation. Next year, I'll do it without your prompting (he says optimistically). Thanks for the note!

(jim@wmqt.com)

Tuesday, 8/27

The thought of it kinda blows my mind.

As you know, I've been doing lots & lots of History Center stuff this summer. And after putting some notes away from an older person I spoke with regarding a tour I gave, I starting thinking (which, as we all know, can be a dangerous thing)—in 30 or 40 years, am I gonna be one of those old people who young people visit to listen to all their old stories about how Marquette “used to be” way back in the 1990s or the 2000s? And, if so, will my stories be of any interest to them, the way the stories I hear from old people (like the one with whom I spoke) are to me?

I don’t know why, but I’ve started thinking about that recently. One of the greatest resources that I, as a history buff (and occasional researcher) have found, are the memories and recollections of the people who actually lived through or made the history about which I’m interested. Sure, you can read about, say, the storm of 1938, but it really doesn’t come to life until you hear the story of a young man, then a student at Northern, who was stuck in his fraternity house because he couldn’t drive his car anywhere, yet found the inner strength to slap on snowshoes, trek four blocks through the cold, and buy a case of beer. 

Oh--and he did it three days in a row.

Now, to me, THAT’S the side of history you never get to read about in “official’ sources, and that, to me, is actually the most interesting side of history. That’s why, when Loraine goes to talk with people who knew the men & women she’s researching, I tag along, and see what I can find out about other important moments in local history. You never know when asking a person one question might trigger something that’s been buried deep down in their memory, just waiting for the right moment to pop back up to the surface.

What’s funny is that the people who share these anecdotes really don’t think they’re sharing anything worthwhile. They’re just telling stories of a few of the thousands of everyday incidents that make up their lives. To them, it’s just one of many things they’ve gone through in 60 or 70 or 80 years of living.  To me, though, it’s a vital part of local history.

And that’s what I’ve been thinking about recently. When I’m sitting in my hovercraft rocking chair in 2050, talking to a young person interested in what happened 40 or 50 years ago, which one of my little experiences—an experience which I’ve probably forgotten about even now, in 2024—will they find fascinating? Is there a small part of my life, which I groan about now, that will make them laugh? Have I taken part in some activity, or have I met some person that, years from now, will have as much of an impact on future generations as, say, the storm of 1938 has on me? Will I be able to tell the story of someone I know now, who then goes on to cure cancer, become the first person to walk on Mars, or who dies tragically in some future conflict?

I just hope that, in 30 or 40 years, I’m able to share as much information with anyone who’s young and interested as I’ve been able to gather from speaking with all these wonderful people over all these years. That, I guess, would be one way of “thanks” to them for everything they shared with me, back when I was young and interested.

(jim@wmqt.com)

Monday, 8/26

I'm not ready for summer to be over.

The rain of last week, the cool temperatures that have snuck in some nights, and the fact that I just typed “8/26” when starting this blog have added to the feeling I've been carrying around recently that my favorite time of the year is coming to a close. It's been an okay summer—a little wet & cool for my taste, and not enough in the way of extended heat waves, but that doesn't matter. It's still summer.

And now it's almost over.

If you're a weather professional, the season actually ends this Saturday, when “Meteorological Summer”, the months of June, July, & August wrap up. And that's how I usually think of summer, even though the three weeks of September before the actual equinox occurs can often be nicer than the beginning of June. However, there's just something about the high sun angle and the promise of warm days to come in June that you can't get in September, no matter how hard you try.

But...what are you gonna do, right?

I know there are plenty of people who are looking forward to the cooler days, the changing leaves, and the pumpkin spiced everything that mark the next few months. I don't begrudge them that at all. But for me, summer is an escape from reality. It's a time when I can head to the beach or jump on my bike and just mentally run away from everything.

Call it a character flaw on my part, but I, at least, can't do that when it's cold or snowy or pumpkin spiced. I just can't.

Hopefully, everything that I was able to get out of summer this year will help me get through to summer next year. Given everything I've been doing this summer, though I'm not 100% sure. Biu I am hopeful. Otherwise, come January or February get ready for me posting a lot of pictures of sun & leaves & blue skies and maybe, just maybe, a lot of whining about I'm soooooo ready for summer to begin.

Don't say you weren't forewarned.

8-)

(jim@wmqt.com)

Friday, 8/23

Okay...no big web change yet, so I'll actually write about something today, namely...

Do you realize just how amazing Marquette is?

I know; I've written about this a lot over the years. But it was once again brought home quite vividly Wednesday night when I was walking home from giving my pop-up "Walk on the Wild Side" tour (quite the success, by the way, with 40+ people showing up after we just announced it twice, including my dad, with whom I shared part of the walk). The tour finished at the History Center, and as I walked home I marveled a bit at how I was able to draw 40+ people, when you consider that as I strolled home I passed a jam-packed Wednesday night Farmer's Market and a jam-packed concert on the steps of the Peter White Public Library. All three of those events (plus sailboat races in Lower Harbor, a show at the Lake Superior Theatre, and more that I probably don't know about) were going on at the same time, and all of them had a crowd taking part and enjoying themselves.

That is so awesome.

I've often said that Marquette punches way above its weight in many different ways, and "things to do" certainly has to be near the top of the list. You can never says there's nothing to do in Marquette, as evidenced by everything that was occurring simultaneously Wednesday night. There are communities around the UP that put on events on a weekly or monthly basis; we do two or three or eight on a daily basis. And Wednesday was a perfect example of the sheer variety of what we do--a history walk, a market, an outdoor concert. If you're not interested in one, you're bound to be interested in another. And when you add to all that everything that you can do just by yourself--biking, kayaking, hiking, and just plain people watching...well, you can see what I mean when I say Marquette's an amazing place.

Because it really is.

So if you have the chance this weekend partake of any of the activities going on, from Harborfest to Books & Brews. And if you do so, realize that there aren't a lot of places of this size where you could partake in activities like that on a daily basis.

But Marquette not like a lot of other places. And that's just one of the reasons that it's such an amazing place.

(jim@wmqt.com)

Thursday, 8/22

I'm not going to write much today because I don't know how many people will see it.

You see, we're in the midst of incorporating our website—wmqt.com—into the greater Eagle Radio site, which is keepitintheup.com. Whenever the change is made—if it hasn't been already—you'll still be able to access these ramblings, plus a whole lot of other stuff, by still typing in wmqt.com. You'll just be redirected to the new site. Or you can access them directly at keepitintheup.com.

Either way will work, but for those of you who've bookmarked the wmqt.com page or have the address memorized (something I haven't even done), you won't see anything any more. And that's why I'm keeping this short & simple. It'll take a day or two for everything to shake out & settle down, as with everything new. But once it's up & running, it should be just fine.  And even if you miss a day or two, you'll still be able to go back and read them all, just like you can now.

Unlike, say, all the on-air promos & sweepers that mention “wmqt.com” and only “wmqt.com”. I've been trying to find & replace them all, but there are so many hidden in all different little nooks & crannies that I have the feeling I still be find old ones a year from now.

Wish me luck. And have fun checking out the new site; as we plan on adding more & more stuff to it. Perhaps, even another way to (ahem) listen to these daily ramblings.

Hint hint.

8-)

(jim@wmqt.com)