IN
JIM’S OPINION:
FRIDAY,
5/9:
If you are looking for a strange movie to rent this weekend,
a movie that I can almost GUARANTEE that very few people in
the U.P. (or, for that matter, even the whole country) have
ever seen, may I make a suggestion? After all, it’s only
one of the best “worst” movies of all time!
If you know anything about “Nacho Libre”, you know that it
involves a masked wrestler, played by Jack Black. What you
may not know is that masked wrestlers have been a HUGE part
of Mexican pop culture for years, so much so that a series
of films mashing up wrestling and horror movies popped up in
the mid 60s, the “best” of them being the immortal flick
“Wrestling Women vs. the Aztec Mummy”.
Yes, that’s the actual name of it.
I first saw the flick when I was visiting Mexico at age 14,
and it’s been stuck somewhere in the dim recesses of my head
ever since. I’ve seen it in both English and Spanish and,
frankly, it’s better in Spanish, especially if you don’t
speak the language, because then you can make up your own
plot in your head. Not that there’s much of a plot to
follow; basically, it involves an evil mummy springing to
life and battling the women who dropkick it back into the
netherworld. The action, costumes, acting and, most
importantly, plot are so ludicrous that I’m surprised
Quentin Tarantino hasn’t tried to remake it yet.
If you EVER see it playing on some obscure cable channel or
find it floating around your video store, check it out for a
great laugh. It’s called “Wrestling Women vs. the Aztec
Mummy” starring, in alphabetical order, the Aztec Mummy and
some wrestling women. You WON’T be disappointed.
Even if you don’t get the chance to rent it, have yourself a
great weekend. And if you can, make sure to wish your mom a
Happy Mother’s Day this weekend. I’m making dinner for
mine!
(jim@wmqt.com)
THURSDAY, 5/8:
I was speaking with a long-time listener a few days ago, and
I asked why she had never sent us a list of her three
favorite songs of all time for an “At Work/Online Network”
Personal Playlist. At first she just kept saying, “I’ll get
back to you”, then as we started discussing the matter, it
turns out that it was hard for her to narrow her list down
to just three tunes. I kinda chuckled at that thought, then
sat down and decided to do something.
I decided to see if I could figure out the three songs I’D
put on such a list.
Grabbing a pen, I wrote down the first song, Earth, Wind, &
Fire’s “September”. That one’s a no-brainer. It’s only the
best song ever recorded.
One down, two to go. See? I won’t need to say “I’ll get
back to you”.
Hmm...seeing as how summer s’posed to be arriving some year
soon, I’d probably also have to include Will Smith’s
“Summertime”. The lyrics of that song just seem to nail the
feeling of the season on the head, and being a summer freak
myself, the tune’s always spoken to me.
Okay, two down, one to go. This seems fairly easy.
As for the third song...well, I s’pose it could be Don
Henley’s “Boys Of Summer”, but nah; we already have the
summer aspect covered. How about Chicago’s “Beginnings”? I
always listen to that one two or three times when it pops up
on my i-Pod, but is it my third favorite song of all time?
Don’t know about that. Bruce Springsteen’s “Dancing in the
Dark”? The lyrics spoke to me when I was younger, but
probably not so much these days.
John Legend’s “Ordinary People”. THAT one might work well.
Or (if only because I sing it out loud every time we play
it) Debbie Gibson’s “Only In My Dreams”.
Okay, maybe not THAT one.
Oh, crap. Forgot a Beatles song. You GOTTA have a Beatles
song in your top 3, right? Isn’t there a constitutional
amendment that says so? But which Beatles tune should it
be? The first four seconds of “A Hard Days’ Night”?
“Eleanor Rigby”? “Something”?
Okay, so maybe not a Beatles song. But I just need one more
tune to finish the list, right? How about something
obscure? I’ve always loved Deacon Blue’s “Dignity”, and
that WOULD be a great international song to round out the
list, but it just doesn’t seem like it would fit. I could
go for Semisonic’s “Chemistry” or Train’s “Drops Of Jupiter”
or U2’s “Beautiful Day” or The Beach Boys’ “God Only Knows”
or...
Or...
Or...
Okay. Maybe she HAD a point. Uhm...can I get back to you
with that third song?
(jim@wmqt.com)
WEDNESDAY, 5/7:
“We caught you naked, Jim”!
At least, that’s what the subject line in the e-mail said.
And luckily, I’m not the paranoid type. I know there were
no paparazzi perched in a tree in my backyard; I know
there’s no stolen video tape anywhere. I know the senders
of the e-mail are just searching for more and more creative
ways to get your attention to open their spam, click on
their links, and buy their porn, counterfeit drugs, or, at
the very least, part with your credit card numbers.
Isn’t living in the 21st century just wonderful?
Recently, Loraine and I have made a little game out of
seeing which of us can get the raunchiest e-mail subject
heading on any particular day. And trust me...in the last
few months, we’ve received some REALLY bad ones. Good taste
and a certain strange sense of decency won’t let me repeat
any of them here, but let’s just say that the majority of
them have to do with causing a certain part of your body to
grow, and then using that certain part of your body in
various, sometimes seemingly impossible, ways.
Neat, huh?
As I go through my e-mail each day, I’m sometimes astounded
by the depths of human nature. But then, at the same time,
I’m also astounded by the fact that, no matter how low I
think those depths go, they’re usually exceeded and driven
further into the ground by the next day’s batch of e-mail.
It’s like spammers are on this subject-line death spiral;
one day, they’ll just go so low with their “work” that
they’ll cause a black hole to open up, thereby swallowing
this section of the galaxy and sending us into some kind of
intra-dimensional void.
And THEN where would they send their e-mails?
I’m sure that you yourself have chuckled over some of these
e-mail subject lines yourself. If, while cleaning out your
inbox, you find yourself coming across one that’s
particularly, uhm, “creative”, feel free to share it. And
if you feel uncomfortable passing along the actual line,
just use the word “chicken” (or, if you prefer, “pickup
truck”) in place of something particularly offensive.
After all, if you think those subject headings are bad now,
think what they’d be like with the words “chicken” and/or
“pickup truck” in them!
(jim@wmqt.com)
TUESDAY, 5/6:
Have you noticed the change?
I first noticed it while I was running Saturday morning; the
streets were just a little less busy, and the strangely
parked cars fewer in number, as well. Then over the past
several nights, I’ve noticed less ruckus from noisy parties
up & down my normally noisy block.
Guess that means most NMU students have left for the summer,
huh?
I’m always a little bummed when that happens; nothing seems
to amp up the energy quotient of a city more than having
thousands of college-age residents swell its population.
It’s one of the things that makes Marquette Marquette, after
all. I mean, can you imagine the city without all the
students around? It’d be quiet, it’d be dead...
It’d be like Flint, but without the murders & crack houses!
I know I’ve written in here before about some of the noises
I’ve heard late at night, some of the college parties I’ve
come across, and some of the just BIZARRE activities I’ve
witnessed, all thanks to NMU students. But I (and don’t
tell anyone this) actually do miss them when they’re gone.
You know how residents of places like New York or Chicago
say they have trouble sleeping without the sounds of sirens
in the air? It’s kinda like that with me and college
students, I guess. It’s like it’s part of the area’s
background noise; it just doesn’t sound “right” without it.
That being said, there is something about the next month or
so that also makes Marquette a special place. We’re in
those few “transition” weeks, the weeks between when the
college students leave and the tourists start descending en
masse. It’s a few weeks for us to enjoy the fact that we
have city just to ourselves. It’s a few weeks for us to do
what we want when we want, and to know the only people we
have to clean up after is, well, “us”.
Before you know it, it’ll be Memorial Day, when one set of
our guests start showing up again. Then, in another blink
of an eye, it’ll be the end of August, when our OTHER set of
guests return for the next school year. So enjoy these few
weeks. They may be fleeting, but they’re ours.
****
On another subject, thanks to daily blog reader Vickie of
Marquette, who shed a little light on the Case of The
Mysterious Flowers. Vickie noticed that the flowers we
received (see last Friday’s entry for more details) weren’t
orchids but were actually lilies. Thanks, Vickie; about the
only flower I can identify on sight is a dandelion.
Secondly, Vickie noted that giving flowers on May 1st is
actually an old tradition. Apparently, you go out, gather
freshly sprouted flowers, and then bring them to elderly
people.
So, I guess, except for that whole “elderly” thing, at least
we know why we were given the flowers on that particular
day.
Thanks, Vickie, for clearing up PART of the mystery. Now,
we just hafta figure out who actually gave them to us!
(jim@wmqt.com)
MONDAY,
5/5:
Well, I have some good news and some bad news regarding the
updating of the “107 Reasons to Love Marquette” list.
The good news is that, this weekend, I sat down and figured
out what the final 107 things are this time around. The bad
news is that I may have to re-do it, and it’s all YOUR
fault!!
8-)
Actually, there are two readers who, over the last few days,
made suggestions that were so good that I will have to
incorporate them into the list. The first came from daily
blog reader Tim in Indiana, the same time Tim whose note
dealing with memories about growing up in Marquette I STILL
haven’t written about (and, according to what I wrote last
week, you now all have permission to flog me because I
haven’t written about it). Tim, who apparently shoots a lot
of pictures himself, mentioned that the list would really
pop out if I added photos to some of the entries. Tim was
absolutely right; I have no idea why I didn’t think of it
before. So after coming up with the list, I sat down and
started to find out what pictures I’ve already taken, and
which ones I may still have to shoot.
Thanks, Tim, for Great Idea #1.
The second idea came from daily blog reader Gretchen in
Negaunee, who wondered if the list was just about Marquette,
or if it’ll be including stuff from around the whole
Marquette County area. That note got me to thinking; the
original list was just about Marquette, but I’ve spent so
much time in the six years since exploring every nook and
cranny of the county that there are things from around the
whole area that really DO needed to be added. The only
problem is this—HOW do I do it? Do I take the 15 things
that I came up with right off the top of my head and insert
them to the 107, taking 15 (or however many others I come up
with) out? Do I mention them as added “bonus” items in the
original list? Do I put them together as a “supplement” to
the original list? Do I come up with another totally
different list of the “107 Things To Love About Marquette
COUNTY”?
Help! Now you see why this project has taken on a life of
its own!
But thanks, Gretchen, for Great Idea #2. Like Tim, you are
totally on the mark.
Now, as I was putting together items for the list over the
weekend, I started to think (always, in itself, a dangerous
thing for me). The 107 things are all based on personal
experiences and preferences; I KNOW I’m gonna leave
something out and, in the process, disappoint someone. I
also know I’m gonna have a couple of items on there that
will make everyone go “huh”? That’s one of the problems
inherent about making a subjective list like this, and which
is why I’ll probably end up with another supplement to the
list, this one being “107 Things Everyone Else Loves About
Marquette (Or Marquette County) That I Was Dumb Enough To
Leave Off My List”.
And THAT will be the list everyone can agree on!
With any luck, I’ll start rolling out the list in this blog
next week. It’ll probably take a few days to get all 107
items listed (especially with pictures) but that way, you
guys can have the first look at it before the whole “107”
list hits the web.
As always, if you have any more suggestions on what I can do
to make it better, let me know!
(jim@wmqt.com)
(p.s.—in response to several notes I’ve received in the past
few days...no, we STILL don’t know who sent the flowers
Thursday. It’s an ongoing mystery!)
VENDREDI, 5/2:
I have no idea where the flowers came from.
When I came home last night, sitting on our kitchen table
was a nice little arrangement of orchids and daisies sitting
in a cute basket. Loraine said they were sitting outside
our front door when she came home, and she brought them in,
as puzzled as I was to their origin. The card didn’t give
any clues...it just said “To J&L Koski, Happy 1st of May,
from an old neighbor”.
Now, as you may know, Loraine and I have been moving quite a
bit the last few years. We’re in our third apartment since
2005, and along the way, we’ve met some incredibly nice
people. Thinking out loud for a few minutes we came up with
a list of about a dozen people with whom we had a very
“neighborly” relationship. In fact, we still give a couple
of them Christmas cookies every year.
However, we have NO idea if any of them are responsible for
the flowers.
And why “Happy 1st of May”? While I don’t remember
everything I’ve done in my life, I don’t recall ever
celebrating May Day. I don’t think I’ve danced around a May
Pole, and I’m pretty sure I’ve never been a member of the
Communist Party. I know I kinda consider it the official
beginning of “spring”, but I’m not sure anyone else does.
So that brings up back to our original questions—who gave us
the flowers, and why? I mean, I’m very touched that someone
thought enough of us to give us the flowers. I’d like the
opportunity to say “thanks” in person.
If I never DO get that chance, though, just let me say
“thanks” here. Both Loraine and I appreciate the thought,
and appreciate the gift!
The Mystery Flowers—
While I’m pondering who’s behind the nice gesture, YOU have
yourself a great weekend!
(jim@wmqt.com)
JEUDI, 5/1:
I noticed a couple of things while running yesterday
morning, and while I THINK they’re both signs of good times
to come, I haven’t quite decided yet.
The first was that, despite cold temperatures that just will
NOT go away, many of the trees along the lakeshore bike path
(where I was running) seem to have buds popping out
everywhere. I was especially excited by the buds on the
grove of lilac trees at McCarty’s Cove; those of you who’ve
read this blog over the last 7 years know I have an almost
pathological obsession with the way lilacs smell, and if the
appearance of those buds is the first tentative step toward
the trees fully blooming, then I guess spring IS fighting to
make its presence known, no matter what Mother Nature throws
at us.
Well, a boy can dream, can’t he?
8-)
The other thing I noticed was the dis-assembly (if that’s a
word) of the submarine memorial near the Maritime Museum.
As you may know, the memorial has to get moved to the other
side of the museum, because where it currently sits is the
site of Marquette’s new Coast Guard station, construction on
which begins next month. Hopefully, the sub memorial gets
re-assembled (which I KNOW is a word) soon, and people can
once again visit it.
It’s funny--I have a feeling that the sub memorial is one of
those places in Marquette that tourists visit quite a bit,
but that locals may not even know about. If you’ve never
visited it, perhaps you should, once it’s re-assembled in
its new home. It consists of two things--the mock-up of a
WWII submarine conning tower, which pays tribute to
Marquette native David McClintock and his contribution to
the Battle of Leyte Gulf in the Philippines, the largest
naval battle in world history. The other part of it is a
small plaque listing the 40-some submarines that were lost
during that war. While the plaque lists the name of each &
every vessel lost, what it DOESN’T tell you is that two
Marquette County men died aboard two of those ships.
Marquette’s Francis McGrath died when the U.S.S. Dorado
disappeared (in mysterious circumstances) while heading from
Connecticut to Panama, while Ishpeming’s Robert Hart was
killed when his sub, the U.S.S. Kete, was sunk in the
Pacific.
Amazing what you learn when you live with a WWII expert,
huh?
So if you happen to be walking along Marquette lakeshore
bike path near the Maritime Museum this summer, and notice
the rebuilt Submarine Memorial, stop for a second, and act
like a tourist. Instead of just walking/running/biking/rollerblading/whatever
past the monument, check it out...give it a moment of your
time. After all, it honors a part of Marquette County’s
past, which is ALWAYS a good thing.
Then, if it’s early enough in the season, head down to
McCarty’s Cove and sniff the lilacs. You’ll probably find
me there with my nose permanently attached to the trees!
(jim@wmqt.com)
MERCREDI, 4/30:
It looks like Marquette’s decision to get rid of “Throw Your
Crap Away” week isn’t sitting well with a portion of
Marquette residents getting ready to leave us for a few
months...NMU students!
If you’ve looked at the most recent copy of The
North Wind,
you’ll see
stories,
editorials, and
columns
on the subject. It seems that NMU students like TYCA week;
not only did it provide an easy way to get rid of stuff
instead of move it, but it also seems to have denied a
section of the student body a way to furnish their apartment
for next year!
If you walk through Marquette this week, you’ll notice that
there seems to be a large group of people who either don’t
know TYCA week is history, or who don’t care. Large piles
of rubbish have started to pile up near some city streets;
can’t wait to see the look on the faces of the people who
put the trash there (or their landlords) when tickets start
to get passed out.
THAT should be fun...
Speaking of NMU students who will soon be packing up and
leaving us for the summer, may I pass along a
recommendation? If you have the opportunity, come back to
Marquette for a day or a weekend this summer. You’ve lived
through 8 months of Marquette with cold and/or snow and/or
clouds; we think you deserve to experience the OTHER
Marquette...Marquette at its best!
Remember back in September and even October of last year,
when the sun was out all the time, the thermometer didn’t
budge from the 70s & 80s, and you could study on the beach
if you wanted? Well, it’s actually like that a lot during
the summer. Marquette’s not ALWAYS cold, bitter winds and
gray skies; during the months you’re not here it is, in
fact, one of the most beautiful places on the face of the
Earth.
You don’t get to see that during the school year, so come
back for a few days this summer and see it while you can.
Trust me...you won’t be disappointed!
****
Finally, I do hafta give a special shout-out to daily blog
reader Holly in Marquette, who’s noticed that my French
lessons must really be sinking in, if how I’m labeling the
days of the week this week are any indication. It’s weird,
Holly; I woke up Sunday morning, and running through my
head were the days of the week, en Francais.
It’s a joy being me. It really is!
8-)
(jim@wmqt.com)
MARDI,
4/29:
You know, I still have NO idea what I wanna be when I grow
up.
I read (or heard) somewhere a few days ago that the average
person will have gone through 11 jobs by the time they hit
40; after reading that, the first thing that popped into my
head was “boy...I am WAAAAAAY below average”. The second
thought was that I’m also very fortunate that I’m waaaaay
below average; as I’ve written here before, I have a job
that I like, that I find challenging, and that has kept me
engaged enough to not want to leave it in the past 19-plus
years.
Yet, I realized that, growing up, I never thought this is
what I wanted to be when I grow up. In fact, I STILL don’t
think this is my ultimate destiny in life. The only
question is...what IS?
I started to think back on everything I’ve wanted to be in
my life. When I was two or three, apparently it was my
desire in life to be a garbage collector. According to my
parents, I was fascinated by the equipment, and by the
noise. When I became a little older, I then wanted to
become an astronaut. And while I still DO want to fly in
space someday, I know that “astronaut” is probably not the
best career path for me.
The question, then, is what IS the best career path for me?
Since giving up my dream of being an astronaut when I was 10
or 11, I’ve never really been focused on doing one thing
with my life. There are a lot of things in which I’ve been
interested--broadcasting being one of them, obviously--but
nothing I’ve found yet which could be considered my
“destiny”.
Maybe the closest thing that comes to a “destiny” is that,
no matter what job I’ve done since graduating from college,
I’ve always done a great deal of writing in it. My first
post-college TV gig (that one in Flint) involved writing
commercials and on-air promos; when I came back to
Marquette, one of the jobs I did was writing commercials and
promos for another radio station. Then, starting here in
1988 with just an on-air job, I did a lot of writing
(everything from news to comedy). Even in my current job, I
still write a GREAT deal--everything from promos to this
blog--and when I speak to classes about what I do, I will
often refer to myself a writer, among the many other things
I take care of on a daily basis.
Yet while I’m SURE I’ll be writing until the day I die (some
60 or so years from now, if those on-line life expectancy
tests can be believed) I have no idea if I wanna be a writer
when I grow up; maybe it’s the thing for which I’m best
suited, maybe not. But I don’t mind not knowing. One of
the great things about life in the 21st century is that you
have NO idea of what’s coming around the corner. Perhaps,
in some thing or some process to be discovered a few years
from now, lies my destiny.
And only THEN will I know what I wanna be when I grow up.
(jim@wmqt.com)
LUNDI, 4/28:
Words can get you into trouble. Ask any politician, any
celebrity, any person, in fact, who’s ever opened their
mouth. Everyone has, at one time or another, uttered
something they probably wish they hadn’t. So I wasn’t
totally surprised when, speaking to one of the groups at the
NMU job thingee Friday, I was asked if there were any
words--outside of the obvious ones--that I would never say
on the air.
My answer surprised them. But I hope it doesn’t surprise
you.
There are words that some people use all the time, and words
that people use all the time, yet never use. In that latter
category falls a word that I can’t bring myself to use, even
though it’s a word that people bandy about freely, like the
sound of it is the sweetest thing on the face of the Earth.
It’s a word that’s been around forever, and it’s a word
that, sadly, seems to be part of our genetic makeup. I know
it’s in the Bible, I know it’s in Shakespeare, I know it’s
been used by common people, and I know it’s still used by
people in Washington (especially by those pundits who
comment on Washington). It’s four simple letters that, on
their own, mean nothing, but when you put them together, it
just doesn’t seem, well, right.
The word I’m talking about, the word that surprised the
class, is “hate”.
Is it just me? Is “hate” that bad of a word? Am I just
strange in that I feel uncomfortable using it? Even when
talking about food that makes me gag, or people whose
political views make me gag, I can’t bring myself to use
“hate”. I may “dislike” them, or find the food “repellent”,
but I have yet to meet a person, a food, or a situation so
bad that “hate” comes into play.
Of course, maybe I’m lucky. Maybe I’ve lived enough of a
charmed life that I’ve never been forced into a situation
where “hate” pops up. If that’s been the case, just ignore
me. But it sure seems that so many things on this planet
would be, I dunno, better if “hate”, both the word and the
emotion, weren’t part of who we are. I mean, think of
everything we as humans have done in the name of “hate”.
You may (to quote a great philosopher) say that I’m a
dreamer, but just think of it. Imagine a world without
hate.
Nice place, wouldn’t it be?
(jim@wmqt.com)
FRIDAY,
4/25:
I don’t have a lot of time this morning, as I’m heading to
NMU in a few minutes to speak to this big multi-high school
career day thingee, but I did want to share something with
which we’re getting involved--
Pedalers 4 A Cure
It’s amazing what these two gentlemen from Munising hope to
accomplish this summer. We’ll give you more details as time
wears on, but make sure you keep the endeavor in the back of
your mind over the next few months.
Meanwhile, in the spirit of answering notes from all of you
(which I’ve been trying to do the last week and a half) let
me mention a few more! Daily blog reader Allison of
Marquette says she’s really REALLY looking forward to me
putting together an updated version of the “107 Reasons to
Love Marquette” list I originally did back in, I think,
2000. Allison, I’m really looking forward to it as well,
seeing as how I’ve been collecting notes on it the past year
or so. One of these days, I’ll find the time to sit down,
go through them all, and put the list together. In the
meantime, please make any suggestions YOU may have; I’d love
to hear ‘em!
Daily blog reader Tim in Indiana last month, in fact, sent
me a GREAT list of personal reminiscences from growing up in
Marquette. I’ve been meaning to get to that, as well; in
fact, if I don’t talk about it some time next week, you all
have permission to flog me until I DO talk about it.
See? Now you have something to look forward to!
Speaking of which, I notice I’m s’posed to be at NMU in 20
minutes, so I really guess I should get going.
Have yourself a great weekend. Stay warm, and stay dry
(unless, of course, you’re not in the U.P., in which case
you probably already ARE warm & dry)!
(jim@wmqt.com)
THURSDAY, 4/24:
Yesterday, I helped daily blog reader Rhonda come up with
some old dramatic radio shows to listen to while driving to
work. Today, I suggest a few laughs!
First of all, Rhonda, you can’t go wrong with a couple of
classic sitcoms. “Our Miss Brooks” starred Eve Arden at her
snarkiest, as an underpaid and under-appreciated high school
teacher. While the situations are often those of the
standard sitcom variety, she (and the sharp writing) makes
listening to it all worthwhile. I recommend checking out
the first few years of the show, from 1948 to 1950, for the
best episodes.
The other sitcom I think bears exploring is one that’s
synonymous with old-time radio, “Fibber McGee & Molly”. It
was on for almost 20 years; I think the best were the shows
that took place during World War II. The scripts had a
certain energy to them, and the cast was really sharp,
especially an actor you actually know, Arthur Q. Bryan.
Now, you may ask yourself, “who the heck is Arthur Q.
Bryan”, and I would then answer “the guy who also did the
voice of Elmer Fudd”. He played the mayor of the town, and,
well, sounded just like Elmer Fudd.
It was great!
Usually, game shows aren’t designed to be funny, but there
is one exception to that rule. And before I describe it, I
have a confession to make—I have ripped off ideas from this
show as much as I can. It’s called “It Pays To Be
Ignorant”, and basically involves a “panel” of “celebrities”
trying to win money for a contestant from the audience.
Only, the “panel” is actually made up of comedians who try
to act as stupid as possible. They’ll get a question like
“how many acres are there in a 40 acre farm”, and never get
around to answering it correctly. However, they (and the
audience) have a lot of fun while they never get around to
answering the question.
If you’ve ever wondered how I came up with the concept for
“Easy Question Day” on “What’s Up, U.P.”...now you know!
Finally, Rhonda, here’s one show EVERYONE who’s interested
in old-time radio needs to listen to. It’s my favorite OTR
show ever, “The Jack Benny Program”, and the first time you
listen to it, you may have this reaction to it—
You may not think it’s funny.
Let me be a little more specific. You may laugh at some of
the jokes, and you may think some characters are funny, but
you’ll also wonder why the audience is howling at lines and
at situations that strike you as plain strange. And that’s
where the magic of the show comes into play.
You see, Rhonda, you can’t just listen to one “Jack Benny’
show and expect it to be magic. But start listening to the
show in the order that it aired; listen to 5 or 6 straight
episodes, or listen to entire seasons of the program, and
pretty soon, the magic begins to unfold. You see, the
series is actually a series of running gags and running
characters. The more you listen to the shows, the more you
understand what drives those characters, and why they act
the way they do. Not only that, but the gags and the joke
set-ups build from week to week. In fact, you may listen to
a string of episodes in which not much happens, and then...
BAM. They tie up three weeks of gags with one
side-splitting show. If you listen to just that one
episode, you may find yourself wondering what the big deal
it. But if you listened to the three shows before it,
you’ll be pulling your car over to the side of the road,
because you’re laughing too hard to drive safely (a true
story, by the way). It’s funny, too; writing this paragraph
made me realize something else, as well. I’ve babbled in
here about how I like the current TV show “How I Met Your
Mother” a great deal; I just realized that THAT show is set
up much like “Jack Benny”, in that the more you watch it,
the more you get some of the jokes that may otherwise zip
right over your head.
Interesting...
Anyway, Rhonda, I hope these past two days have given you an
idea or two. Everyone else, I hope I didn’t babble too
much. And now, I guess, I’m off to NEW time radio!
(jim@wmqt.com)
WEDNESDAY, 4/23:
For several weeks now, I’ve been pondering a note written by
daily blog reader Rhonda “in Da Copper Country”, who’s noted
that I’m a fan of old-time radio. Rhonda has just started a
job with a long commute, and wondered if I had a
recommendation or two for shows she might listen to while
driving.
Rhonda, I’ve finished my pondering...and I came up with 8.
Yes, I know it’s not one or two, but it’s like trying to
whittle it down to your favorite child or your favorite
Belgian chocolate—you just can’t do it!
Let me start off by saying these are MY favorites, and
nothing more. There were many shows in the 25+ year history
of network radio that were more popular, or received more
honors. These are just the ones I like, and have
recommended to people in the past. If you find yourself
getting into these shows, branch out...listen to as many as
you can. You may be amazed what you find out there!
I’m gonna start off with the first radio show I actually
ever listened to, “The Shadow”. When I was a kid back in
the 70s, WDMJ would air 5-minute segments of the show every
morning as I was getting ready for school. The show was cut
up to sound like a serial, but it made quite the impression
on me. Then last decade, when I started becoming interested
in OTR, “The Shadow” was the first show I listened to in
bunches, and it did not disappoint. Rhonda, I do recommend
one thing, though—listen to the shows from the one year
Orson Welles starred as the title character, 1937-1938. He
brought a depth to the role that was amazing, and besides,
that season’s scripts were by far the best. In fact, I
listened to all existing shows from that season one winter
while I was running every morning, and soon discovered that
listening to show the while being in the darkness gave it an
added extra “boost”.
I, in fact, highly suggest listening to it that way!
Much like on TV these days, cop shows were highly popular in
radio. I recommend two—“Pat Novak for Hire”, and “Yours
Truly, Johnny Dollar”. “Pat Novak” wasn’t on the air that
long, maybe 17 or 18 shows, but it’s action-packed and, I
hafta admit, hilarious. Jack Webb (yes, THAT Jack Webb) was
a wisecracking private eye who always seemed to be on the
wrong end of a fist and with the wrong woman. Yet, he
always solved the case, even if he was bruised and battered
at the end. Part of the joy of the show is listened to Jack
Webb crack one-liners; if you only know him through
“Dragnet”, you’ll be amazed by his range.
The other cop show I recommend is “Johnny Dollar”, but only
from a particular year during the show’s run. From late
1955 to late 1956, the series, instead of being the usual
half-hour once a week show, was “stripped”—it was on five
nights a week, 15 minutes at a time, and became a serial
(you know, like a soap opera). They’d tell a different
story every week, and the extra time gave the actors and
writers a chance to stretch their wings creatively. In
fact, start with the 5-part Christmas series from 1955; it’s
set in a “town on Lake Superior” that I SWEAR is set in Big
Bay. “Johnny Dollar” was actually the last-ever dramatic
show on radio, leaving the airwaves in 1962, but it was at
its best during that one year span.
I think I’ve babbled enough for today, Rhonda. I’ll finish
up tomorrow with some comedy for your commute!
(jim@wmqt.com)
TUESDAY, 4/22:
This...
...was the cause of a little consternation in Marquette
yesterday. It’s a freighter, at a stop in Lower Harbor,
leaking oil.
Yikes!
First of all, the timing of the accident was impeccable,
what with yesterday being smack dab in the middle of “Earth
Week”, the week during which we’re all supposed to be
thinking of the environment and the damage that we as humans
sometime contribute to it. Second of all, I feel for all
the people who, on the first REALLY nice day of the year,
couldn’t take their boats out of Lower Harbor, including the
Cinder Pond marina. I keep joking that Mother Nature seems
to holding a grudge against us this year; think that maybe
this was another example of it?
As I write this, it doesn’t look like the spill was serious
and, hopefully, will be cleaned up soon. Still, it’s a
scary thought--the thought, that is, that our pristine
shoreline and beaches could someday be gunked up by an oil
spill, or a garbage spill, or a chemical spill. Lake
Superior is such an every day part of our lives that,
sometimes, we don’t even pay attention to how vulnerable it
can be in certain instances.
Let’s hope that this is as bad as it‘ll ever be!
Speaking of keeping things clean, didja see
this letter to the editor in Saturday’s Mining Journal?
Go Dennis!
And finally, speaking of oil (and gas, which is up to $3.69
a gallon here in Marquette), my blog last week about not
having to fill up my tank much generated this response from
daily blog reader Cyndy in Munising, not so much about gas
prices as it is about how great people around here can be--
“Just wanted to pass on this tidbit – my husband & I were in
Marquette to do some dining & shopping on this past
Wednesday evening and on our way back to Au Train we stopped
at the Holiday Station in Harvey to get gas. Your comment
on the gas prices prompted me to send this to you. My
husband told me this when he got back in the car to go
home. As he was at the checkout to pay for our gas
purchase, there were two ladies ahead of him, he believed
they didn’t know each other. The first lady was trying to
pay for her gas with a credit card, nope it didn’t work,
then she tried a debit card, nope, that didn’t work either.
Now she is starting to panic a little bit, as we all would
because I’m sure she didn’t just have a couple of dollars
worth of gas to be paying for. Anyway, to make a long story
short, the lady behind her offered to pay for her gas. My
husband said he had to smile at the generosity of the lady
in front of him. He said they quickly exchanged info so
the first lady could send the 2nd one a check for the gas.
Now I asked my hubby if he were in that situation would he
do the same as the second lady. He said sure … you always
want to help someone out if you can. ”
Thanks for the story, Cyndy. As always, it just reaffirms
my faith that we live in one of the best places on the
planet!
(jim@wmqt.com)
MONDAY,
4/21;
“Pop Tarts & handcuffs”?
I heard that phrase not once but twice from people while
strolling through Marquette Saturday for the March of Dimes’
“March For Babies’. More on the “march” in a second; first,
the phrase.
When we’re taking qualifiers for our “Month of Memories’
contest, I tell listeners that they can share any
anniversary they’d like, be it wedding, work, school, or
whatever. And then I’ll throw in a slightly, uhm, absurd
example of an anniversary. It’ll usually be something tied
into the title of the song we just finished playing, or
maybe something to do with the weather outside.
One day last week, one of the absurd examples was “the
anniversary of that unfortunate incident with the Pop Tarts
& handcuffs”.
Now, all I did was throw two objects together in a
sentence. I didn’t put any thought behind it, nor was there
any hidden meaning in the “anniversary”. So you can imagine
my surprise when not one but TWO people asked me about the
story behind that “unfortunate incident”!
They actually seemed a little disappointed when I confessed
there WAS no unfortunate incident involving Pop Tarts and
handcuffs. Apparently, after hearing the phrase, they had
started to visualize ALL kinds of strange things, and here I
had to go and burst their bubble by explaining that there
WAS no explanation. It was just two random thoughts that I
string together. That that’s just the way my mind works
sometimes
Sorry! I guess, on occasion, it’s just better to pay no
attention to the man behind the curtain!
****
Speaking of anniversaries, and speaking of someone who DOES,
perhaps much to her regret, have to pay attention to the
strange mind behind the curtain, I do have something to
say. It was on this day a LOOOOOOOONG time ago that Loraine
and I stood on the sunny steps of the Marquette County
Courthouse and said to each other “I do”. So if you happen
to be a qualifier for the “Month of Memories” contest today
and mention that you have a wedding anniversary coming up,
know that you’ll be in good company.
Happy anniversary, Loraine!
(jim@wmqt.com)
(p.s.—By the way, the “March For Babies” went well; we
raised around $12,000 for the March Of Dimes.)
FRIDAY,
4/18:
I got into my car this morning to swap parking spaces with
Loraine, and I noticed something that’s seems apropos as
we’re heading into Earth Day--
I drove my car 1.2 miles this week.
I know that because I had to fill up my tank last weekend,
and had reset the trip odometer to “0”. And, now that I
think about it, most of that 1.2 miles was probably driving
BACK from the gas station.
I’m REALLY lucky in that I live close enough to where I work
to be able to walk every day. Not only do I get a little
more exercise, but I’m also spared the pain of paying three
and a half bucks a gallon for gas on a weekly (or even
bi-weekly) basis. I think it’s painful filling up once
every 6 or 8 weeks or so; I can’t imagine doing it on a
weekly basis!
Of course, aside from saving money, I’m also TRYING to do my
part to help the environment, if even just a little. Having
grown up in the late 60s and early 70s, when the
environmental movement was just getting started, I’ve always
been aware of what’s happening to the planet’s ecosystems,
and I try to minimize my impact upon them as much as I can.
I don’t always succeed as much as I’d like, but I try to do
my part.
And if only driving 1.2 miles a week helps, then so be it.
*****
It’s also the end of an era this weekend. Tomorrow, I’ll be
taking part in the final WalkAmerica scheduled to be held in
Upper Michigan.
Technically, it’s now called “March For Babies”, but I’ll
always think of it as WalkAmerica. I started doing them
back in 1991, and between Marquette, Houghton, and Munising,
I’ve participated in over 30 of them. At last count, in
fact, I’ve walked over 250 miles in those events (or, to
think of it another way, in those events, I’ve walked almost
the distance between Marquette and Milwaukee!)
But like I said, tomorrow will be my last one. The March of
Dimes has decided to close up shop in the U.P., and
concentrate on other activities elsewhere. So if you feel
like getting some exercise, raising some money for a good
cause, and marking the end of an era, join us tomorrow
morning at 9 at the Marquette Armory.
And, while you’re at it, have a great weekend, too!
(jim@wmqt.com)
THURSDAY, 4/17:
Phil needs your help.
If you’ve spent any time at all in downtown Marquette,
you’ve met Phil Niemisto. He’s the guy who washes the
windows, the guy with a friendly greeting, and, most
importantly, he’s the guy who plants all the flowers in the
Pocket Park.
I’ve written about Phil before; aside from being a nice guy,
he’s led a fascinating life. And the pride and joy of this
phase in his fascinating life is the botanical wonder he’s
turned the Pocket Park into. I was lucky enough to get a
sneak peak of his plans for this summer, and if it turns out
even half as good as he’s planning, that place will be an
explosion of color.
The thing is, is costs a LOT to turn the park into that
explosion of color. In fact, Phil says that he paid
something like 600 bucks out of his own pocket last year
just to make it look as good as it does; with his plans for
this year (and with the way prices are going up) it wouldn’t
surprise me if costs are even higher.
So if you’re in a downtown Marquette business, look on that
businesses’ counter. You may notice a donation jar that
says “Phil’s flowers”. The change you get back from your
purchase, or any spare change you have sitting in your
pocket or purse? Donate it, and watch it go to BEAUTIFUL
use as part of Phil’s handiwork in the Pocket Park. Then
stop by the park in June or July or August, take a look at
everything that’s planted everywhere, and know that YOU
helped bring it to life!
(jim@wmqt.com)
WEDNESDAY, 4/16:
Congratulate me. I’ve learned how to say “no”.
Those of you who read this on a regular basis know that I
sometimes have a little trouble turning down a request from
a local organization or group of people who need help with
an event or program they’re putting on or a board space
that’s empty. It’s led to some serious time crunches on my
part, but for the most part, they’re organizations or groups
that I think are doing a fine job, and I would love to
help. Hence, my problem in saying “no”.
A few days ago, the topic was broached about having me serve
as a co-chair for a local fund-raising drive. It’s an
organization to which I’ve donated before, and they do a
fine job in the community, but having had friends serve in
the same position, I know that it’s very time-intensive.
Sure, you also get your picture in the newspaper quite a
bit, but it’s not like I need any more media exposure, you
know?
Anyway, I said thanks, but no. And you know what? I didn’t
feel guilty, or anything. There’s so much other stuff going
on, between work and charity commitments and, well, trying
to have a personal life, that I didn’t need to add to it.
So I said “no”.
Will miracles never cease?
8-)
On another topic, I am highly (HIGHLY) disappointed. The
city of Marquette has gotten rid of the annual “Throw Your
Crap Away Week”! That means no more piles of garbage piled
on up on the curb, no more people driving around curbside
shopping, and, most sadly, no more way to get rid of the
junk you don’t need any more! It may sound like I’m making
fun of TYCAW, but I’m not. Not only have I taken some GREAT
pictures of garbage piles in the past, but it IS (or was) a
great service. 6 years ago, when I had listeners put
together THEIR version of “107 Things To Love About
Marquette”, TYCA Week was one of the 107.
Really.
Of course, not everyone seems to know about the ending of
the collection, which means that, in two weeks, when NMU
students leave for the summer, there WILL be mountains of
garbage on every corner. Hopefully, they won’t be left
there for all eternity and, hopefully, the city reconsiders
the whole project.
After all, “Throw Your Crap Away Week” is a city tradition!
Finally, I have to mention that I truly believe the people
who read this must be among the smartest people on the
planet. Yesterday, when I mentioned that blog reader Sarah
was trying to figure out a song based on a few lyrics, I
posted the lyrics and hoped that one of you would be able to
figure it out.
Well, blog reader Mary Ellen had the answer in my mailbox
even before I got to work! The song, in case you were
curious, was a long-lost 1980 gem from one-hit wonder Rocky
Burnette called “Tired of Toein’ The Line”.
So thanks to Mary Ellen and everyone else who responded. If
I wrote a hat, I’d doff it in your honor!
(jim@wmqt.com)
TUESDAY, 4/15:
And happy Tax Day!
I’ve noticed that, as usual, I’ve been falling behind in
regards to trying to get something done. I have all these
notes from you guys, with comments or thoughts on topics
I’ve been meaning to address in a blog or two. Today, let’s
try to get to a few of them.
First of all, the blog I wrote last week about porn links
popping up on our website really seemed to get under the
skin of a few of you. Daily reader Dan from Green Bay is
getting fed up with it--
“Want to talk about scum? There are people who continuously
watch the web domain names that become available after they
expire and buy them up. Frequently they belong to
businesses that can't afford them anymore or local
organizations that changed leadership and the bill got lost
somewhere. However, sometimes they belong to organizations
that can be devastated by this happening. These freaks buy
up these optioned out domains and link them to their crap,
whatever it may be, porn, drugs or whatever. Recently while
looking for a new church to attend in Green Bay I saw a
church listing in the local yellow pages with their web page
listed. I hit that page and went directly to a porn page.
Can you imagine what is going on at that church right now
because of this? This type of thing really sickens me. Of
all the controls the government continues to attempt to put
on the internet I think one thing that must be instituted is
anyone buying an already in use domain name should be
required to obtain permission from the previous owner in
order to buy it. And if that permission cannot be obtained
then that domain name is unavailable for a minimum of 5
years. It would be great if you can share this idea with
your listeners as well to perhaps get this message to our
legislature and have them do something worthwhile for a
change. Thanks for listening to my tirade.”
Dan. . .that’s why I’m here!
Daily reader (and fellow “Ninja Warrior” fan) Greg from
Munising noticed that we were able to take care of the
problem--
“I noticed on the pets page you have the 'type the number'
deal. Was that feature on there before the spam or is it a
new addition? Our family blog was getting major spam in our
comments section We added an authentication feature, similar
to yours, and it worked perfectly to stop the spamming.”
It’s worked perfectly for us, too. It’s stopped the
automated “robots” that troll the web, looking for friendly
message boards on which to plant their links. So if you’re
wondered if technology is good or bad, now you have the
answer. It’s both!
On another subject, Sarah from Marquette is going out of her
mind and, for once, it’s not my fault--
“Dear Jim:
I have decided that if you don't know the answer to this,
then I imagined an entire song from my childhood!! I have
NO idea who sang this song, NO idea what year it was (approx
1975 - 1981?) but I DO know these words--
"Baby oh! da da da in the night. Something’s got a hold on
me baby baby baby you're makin’ me cry" and sometimes it was
"baby baby baby you're doin’ it right"
It's been making me NUTS trying to find this song. I've
Googled and Googled and searched and looked at top 100 lists
and can't find a trace that this song I used to roller skate
to back in the day!! If you can help- I would just be so
grateful!!”
Now, while I don’t wanna tell Sarah she imagined the whole
thing, I don’t know the song she’s referring to, nor does
Loraine, who seems to know everything that I DON’T know.
So, before I make Sarah question her sanity, I figured I’d
ask you guys--do YOU know the song to which she’s referring?
Next, daily blog reader Kelly from Marquette wanted to know
what inspired the “poem” (that’s what she called it) I
posted yesterday about being SICK of winter (a feeling she
shares QUITE strongly, apparently). It was weird, Kelly; I
stepped outside to go running Saturday morning, was
disgusted, and less than a block later, had the entire
“poem” just “pop” into my head, basically fully written.
All I needed to do was type it, take the picture, and I was
set.
I only wish ALL blogs were that easy to write!
Finally, I am SOOOOO glad to be able to mention that maybe
the “poem” worked the same kind of strange magic as my
stupid comment two weeks ago (about wanting to ski one more
time) that caused all the snow to fall (which, if you
remember, was all my fault). You see, Karl says it may be
in the 60’s here in Marquette today and tomorrow.
THE 60S!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So if, for some strange, reason, I don’t make it on the air
today or tomorrow, just look outside in the sun. I’ll
probably be there.
(jim@wmqt.com)
MONDAY, 4/14:
I want to go outside and play again.
I want to be able to wear shorts and t-shirts.
I want to be able to lose my gloves and not give a rip.
I want to throw my car’s ice scraper away.
I want to forget about wind chill.
I want to forget about lake effect.
I want to not have to cringe every time I see a weather
forecast.
I want to be able to talk to Karl, ask him if it’s going to
be 80, and have him say “yes”.
I want to ride my bike.
I want to go to the beach.
I want to smell flowers and freshly cut grass and poplar
trees along the bike path.
I want to see green.
I want to forget the color white even exists.
I want to be able to pull out my camera and take pictures of
something, anything, other than this on an April morning--
I want summer.
(jim@wmqt.com)
FRIDAY,
4/11:
I am not a morning person.
That won’t come as a surprise to anyone who’s ever seen me
trying to stumble around at 6 or 7 am, but it is the truth.
There are those of you who rise with joy at the sound of a 5
am alarm clock, but, sadly, I’m not one of you.
And I probably never WILL be.
Yesterday, I had to wake up early (well, early for me) and
get into the station for technical reasons. You see, we’re
re-doing the studios of ESPN 970, and since I’m the only one
around here who seems to know anything about computers, I
get to “supervise” the moving of the machines. As I’m
sleepily walking down the street, my phone rings, and I
ignore it, guessing that it’s probably just my co-workers
making sure that I’m actually awake, and not blissfully
drooling onto my pillow. Well, I was right--it WAS my
co-workers, but they were telling me that the renovation,
due to construction worker illness, got pushed back a day.
I didn’t have to come into work early. I could’ve stayed in
bed.
Oh, the irony of the whole situation. By that time, I had
already showered and eaten breakfast, had gotten dressed,
packed everything up, and went down to work. It’s not like
I just could’ve went home and went back to bed. As most of
you know, things just don’t work out that way. So I spent
the rest of the morning moving in slow motion, trying to
force my body to act like it didn’t get up get up and go to
work 2 hours earlier than usual. Luckily, my body does seem
to have this strange “switch” in it, a switch that, no
matter how early I wake up, gets turned on right before 2,
and then I’m energized to go on the air for the rest of the
day. It’s just trying to function BEFORE that switch gets
turned on that’s a bugger.
The upshot of the whole situation? The construction
worker’s feeling fine today, so I got to wake up early AGAIN
this morning and go through the whole process for the second
day in a row.
The joy of it all. So between that and the snow, we should
be having a FINE day today, shouldn’t we?
8-)
You have yourself a great weekend. I’ll be trying to stay
awake during mine.
(jim@wmqt.com)
(p.s.--I’ve been getting a TON of notes about the “problem”
I described with our “Lost Pet Network” yesterday. It’s
been fixed, I believe (at least the porn links aren’t
getting posted any more). I’ll share some of the comments
and the solution on Monday. . . assuming, of course, we’re
still not digging out from all the white stuff.)
THURSDAY, 4/10:
What IS it with some people?
One of the features we offer elsewhere on our website is
“The Lost Pet Network”. It’s a bulletin board where, if
you’ve lost your family pet or found someone’s else’s family
pet, you can post that information for anyone to see. We’ve
been operating it for several years now, and we’ve been
lucky enough to help in the reuniting of almost 300 families
and their pets. It’s been working great, we’ve received
many fine comments on it, and it’s a service we’re happy to
help provide.
Then, yesterday, some butthead joined in.
I knew something weird was going on when there were 20
notifications of new “Lost Pet” postings in my mailbox. You
see, every time someone posts a new message, I get an
e-mail, just to keep me informed on how busy the site is.
Knowing that 20 lost pets in a few hours--all posted
overnight--is kind of strange, I checked out the page, and
didn’t believe what I saw--
Some butthead--or some butthead spammer--had left 20
different posts with links to porn and “adult medication”
sites, many of which had rather graphic details listed next
to them. Of course, I removed ‘em immediately, noticing
that at least one regular (local) poster thought, like the
rest of us, that **someone** needed to get a life. She also
hoped that it wouldn’t cause us to remove the board, because
she, like many people, had recovered a pet through it.
No, we’re not going to remove it. However, I have to
seriously consider whether or not we let people post any
message they want without going through us first. I mean,
we set it up to allow YOU to post that your pet is missing
as soon as you realized it’s gone. Time, in some instances,
is of the essence, and we don’t want you to have to wait
until the next morning or even a couple of days before WE
get your message and post it ourselves. By then, your
animal could be miles away, and that kind of defeats the
purpose of having the board, don’t you think?
Yet, we can’t have stuff like that posted will-nilly on our
website. We’re responsible for the content, and while I’m
sure most adults just shake their heads at crap like those
messages, we DO have kids posting there, as well. And while
I don’t have any children myself, I’m guessing most parents
would rather NOT have their kids subjected to that kind of
off-topic message.
At least not on OUR site.
Hopefully, this was just a one-time incident. If not, well,
you may just get to chalk something ELSE up as being ruined
by the scum of the Earth.
(jim@wmqt.com)
WEDNESDAY, 4/9:
You know, I wasn’t aware there are that many Blockheads out
there!
That’s not an insult, by the way; you’ll notice that
“Blockheads” was capitalized, meaning that I was referring
to a very interesting (and, apparently, very passionate)
sub-group of the human race, those (mostly) women in their
(mostly) 20s, 30s, and 40s who grew up with and still have a
soft spot in their heart for the
New Kids On The Block.
That’s right. . .Joey, Jordan, Jon, Danny, and Donnie are
back! I had an Instant Request for one of their songs last
Friday, and had mentioned that they’re re-uniting, and you
should’ve seen the calls and e-mails that flooded in, asking
about all the details. Most of them were like this note
from Rachel in Marquette, who said, “I just heard you
talking about the New Kids Reunion. And I kinda got excited.
Even though I used to LOVE them in Junior High, they kinda
stuck with me over the past 20 years. I enjoy hearing their
old stuff on the radio. And, It brings back a lot of
screaming memories with my friends. We
used to be GA GA over them.”
Trust me, Rachel, you’re not the only one. And it brings to
mind one of the deep, dark, shameful secrets of my life--
I’ve actually seen the New Kids perform live.
Whew. Revealing that secret wasn’t as painful as I imagined
it would be. But it’s still true, and it just goes to show
how far you can go for love. You see, I’m married to a
Blockhead. And back in, I think, 1990, the Kids were
performing down at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee. So
someone (ahem) got to spend a few hours on the phone one
Saturday morning trying to get tickets and, perhaps somewhat
to his disappointment, actually managed to buy four. So the
two of us, along with my sister and (then) 9-year old niece
Denielle, drove 300 miles to enjoy the, uhm, “show”. I say
“show” because, in all honesty, I don’t actually remember
hearing much of it. You’d be surprised how LOUD 20,000
screaming tweens can be unless, of course, you were dragged
to see Miley Cyrus last year.
THEN you know how bad it was!
I’m not surprised the group’s reuniting, although I AM a
little surprised Donnie Wahlberg’s agreed to go along. Out
of all the “Kids”, he’s the one who “grew up” the best,
becoming a VERY good serious actor, but who knows--maybe he
misses all the screaming. I mean, even when you DO get
nominated for an Emmy, you still don’t get thousands of
people yelling out your name, you know?
Rachel, in her e-mail to me last week, had one more thing to
mention--
“I can't believe they didn't change their name though,
they're NOT New, and they're NOT Kids. So, that's kinda
weird. But, I'm looking forward to hearing any new music
from them.”
Rachel, you just have to wait until May 15th. Then all of
you who still have your NKOTB fan club cards and Joey-Joe
posters stashed in the attic can start screaming.
(jim@wmqt.com)
TUESDAY, 4/8:
Like most people, I kinda get annoyed when I’m awoken by
some noise from outside, especially if it’s early,
especially if it’s Monday, and especially if I could’ve
slept for another 40 minutes. Yesterday morning, though. .
.
I almost jumped for joy.
At first, I couldn’t figure out what noise had violently
jerked me from my slumber. As it grew in intensity, though,
and I recognized it, I must admit that a smile came across
my sleepy face, and that I really didn’t mind being dragged
into the land of the living. For, you see, the noise that
came from outside was a sign, a harbinger, an omen of things
to come.
A street sweeper woke me up.
A street sweeper cleaning Marquette of the garbage of
winter, putting out the welcome mat of (what passes for)
Spring, and telling Summer that it, too, had better wake up,
because it has a lot of work to do before its scheduled
appearance in June.
A street sweeper letting us know that we’ve survived the
cold and the snow (not just of the past week, but of all
winter), that we’ve survived our winter hibernation, and
that our reward for that survival is soon to come.
A street sweeper that, despite its groan born on some
beastly mechanical planet, joined melting snowbanks and
singing robins as a sign of hope, a sign of joy, and a sign
of all the good things that come forth with warm weather.
Forgive my waxing poetic, especially about a street sweeper,
but it’s just the time of the year that you become filled
with thoughts such as those, you know?
Especially at 6:50 in the morning.
(jim@wmqt.com)
MONDAY,
4/7:
Because I was a nerd in college (as opposed to being a nerd
now) I looked at set of numbers last week, and found myself
noticing a sad (yet obvious) fact about Upper Michigan.
Small towns across the U.P. are in trouble.
Let me start with a geographic definition--there are only
two places in the U.P. that aren’t “small towns”, and those
are categorized as small cities. According to the U.S.
Census Bureau, a small city is a city with over 15,000
people in it; Marquette, with approximately 22,000 people,
more than qualifies as a small city. Every other place in
the U.P. aside from Marquette (and, just barely, the Soo) is
classified as a small town.
In fact, the Marquette area, like several others in Upper
Michigan, is also classified as a “micropolitan” area by the
Census Bureau. A “micropolitan” area is any area,
surrounding a central community, that has over 30,000 people
living in it. According to new Census Bureau estimates
released last week, the Marquette micropolitan area (which
actually stretches from Ishpeming into Alger County) has 65,
216 people in it. That’s down 6 people from the 2006
estimate, but up several thousand from the 2001 estimate.
Marquette, sadly, is the only place in the central U.P. that
hasn’t shrunk this century.
There are 3 other “micropolitan” areas in the central U.P.--Houghton,
Escanaba, and Iron Mountain. In the last year, it’s
estimated Houghton lost 150 residents, Iron Mountain 180,
and Escanaba 350. In fact, since 2001, the Escanaba
“micropolitan” area’s lost almost 3,000 people.
3,000 people!
It’s just sad when you look at some of these numbers, but
it’s a sadness grounded in reality. What percentage of
young people in the U.P. have to leave the U.P. just to get
a career off the ground? And while I know many of those
young people would leave just to experience something new in
their lives, how many of them would stay (or come back, like
I was fortunate enough to do) if they had the chance? I
think we’re a little lucky here in Marquette, in that we do
have a few businesses and institutions where young people
can find work, but elsewhere in Upper Michigan?
Unfortunately the numbers I just quoted point out the sad
reality that those areas don’t. And while I wish I did, I
in no way have any kind of answer to the problem. People
much smarter and more talented than I have tried to tackle
the situation, but with varying levels of success. All I
did was notice Census Bureau numbers, and THAT’S only
because I was geeky enough to minor in Geography and
Population Studies in college.
Well, I had to minor in something, didn’t I?
I know the answer’s out there somewhere; I’m hopeful that,
some day in the future, some activity or some process we
haven’t even thought of yet will be discovered and will
cause the U.P. to flourish once again.
After all, we deserve it, right?
Don’t worry; tomorrow, I’ll write about something a little
more optimistic. In fact, maybe I’ll even tell about why I
didn’t mind having a loud noise wake me up at 630 this
morning!
(jim@wmqt.com)
FRIDAY,
4/4:
Happy birthday, Mom.
Those of you who read this on a regular basis know that,
like all kids, I was a special little bundle of joy to my
parents, especially my mother. You see, I didn’t pop out
into the world until just a little past my due date.
30 days past my due date, to be exact.
Yup; I spent 10 months in the oven, instead of nine
(December 4th is pretty much the same as November 4th, isn’t
it?), and seeing as how I was the first born in the family,
I’m kinda surprised that, after that little shocker, my
parents decided to have any OTHER kids. And you’ll be happy
to know that, after my auspicious debut in the world, I held
myself up to a high standard. I think I’ve written in here
about how I once opened a dozen boxes of cereal in a grocery
store in search of free stuff, and I think I’ve written in
here about how I once spent an entire night at the dinner
table refusing to eat Brussels Sprouts. So here’s another
example of how I was the, uhm, “perfect” child.
When I was somewhere around the neighborhood of two years
old, I, like many kids (even those who weren’t born a month
late) developed this strange eating habit. For days on end,
I would eat nothing but bananas and milk. Bananas and milk
for breakfast, bananas and milk for lunch, bananas and milk
for dinner and, if I had a snack, I’m sure it was bananas
and milk. According to the tale, my mom tried feeding me
other foods but I, at the time, would not eat them. It was
bananas and milk or nothing.
Knowing kids go through food cycles, my mom gave me bananas
and milk. After all, they’re both good for growing kids,
and I seemed happy eating them. Well, apparently, after a
week or so of eating nothing but bananas and milk, I caught
some kind of bug. It wasn’t related to my diet or anything;
it was just one of those bugs kids catch. But it was bad
enough that one day, after eating my usual meal of bananas
and milk, I got sick. Really sick.
And I spewed my bananas and milk all over the kitchen.
Now, I know you’re thinking to yourself--your mom was
pregnant with you for 10 months, and this is how you repay
her? And I, hanging my head somewhat in shame, say, uh,
“yeah”. But in my defense, I WAS only two at the time. And
I haven’t spewed bananas and milk around a kitchen since; in
fact, I haven’t eaten a banana since that fateful day. I
actually get a little nauseous, even today, at the smell and
taste of that particular kind of fruit.
So with that in mind, let’s all collectively wish my mom a
happy birthday tomorrow. After all that she’s been put
through, I have a feeling she deserves it.
8-)
(jim@wmqt.com)
(p.s.--it’s actually a big weekend for momentous
anniversaries and events. At 6:01 pm tonight, it’ll be 40
years since Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was killed in
Memphis. If you’re interested in checking out the details
of his life, and just how radically he helped change the
world,
click here
