Vancouver 2010

Have you ever turned your radio on only to be greeted by John Tesh telling you how to live your life?  Me too.  I might have missed something in the last few years, but when did he become an expert on anything, let alone being a "life coach?"  I wish he’d go away.  And I wish he’d take the cast of "Jersey Shore" with him.

When you drive to Minneapolis from Grand Forks, the accepted half-way point is Alexandria.  For as long as I can remember, stopping in Alexandria for gas or food was commonplace.  If you’re driving from Grand Forks to Roseau or Warroad, Drayton is the stopping off point.  At least for me, it is.  Over the years I’ve probably made nearly a hundred trips to those two towns.  And I would estimate that I’ve stopped at the Cenex in Drayton on 95% of those journeys.  I like stopping in Drayton because it’s the closest thing to a half-way point and I like that Cenex.  But more importantly, I like stopping in Drayton because I was born there.  And I like taking every opportunity to remind the good people of Drayton about that.  It comes as a shock to many that there was actually a hospital in Drayton.  It was a Catholic hospital run by nuns.  My brother Gary was also born there.  And apparently Chad Kuznia was too.  Chad grew up a block away from me in Stephen.  Chad, I never knew you were born in Drayton.  I think you should have shared that with me a long time ago.  We need to embrace our "Draytoness."  Anyway, for years and years I would stop at the Cenex in Drayton, and regardless of who was behind the counter, I would say "Do you know who was born here?"  Usually the question was greeted with blank stares and a shrug.  "No…who?"  I’d nod smugly and say "Me."  The Cenex workers were usually underwhelmed and some would even say "I never knew there was a hospital here." 

I had really settled into a routine of repeating that scene over and over again at the Cenex.  It actually started to depress me. Until a couple of years ago.  I got some gas, walked in to pay and repeated my well-worn line, "Do you know who was born here?"  I was caught off guard when the thirtysomething man tilted his head slightly, nodded, and said "Yes…you."  I was equal parts shocked and excited.  I thought to myself that I had finally made a name for myself in my birthplace of Drayton and started to envision what the sign with my name on it would look like on the interstate outside of town.  "How do you know that?" I asked with a huge smile on my face.  He, in return, was not smiling when he replied "Because you say it everytime you come in here." 

I still stop in Drayton for gas and Diet Coke, but I don’t ask the question anymore.

A simple sign would have saved her a couple of minutes each day, probably a couple hours over the course of each year.  She could have hung the sign around her neck and it could have read:  1.  6’2"  2.  No, I didn’t play college basketball.  For four years I listened patiently as people asked WDAZ’s Jessica Dugan "How tall are you?" and "Did you play college basketball?"  It was rare for a day to go by without hearing someone ask about her height.  After about a month I enacted the Diet Coke Rule.  If someone we were interviewing mentioned her height, she had to buy me a Diet Coke.  Well, I’m here to tell you, I’ve drank a lot of Diet Coke over the last four years.  Alas, I have good news/bad news.  Good news is that the Diet Coke button on the vending maching at WDAZ will be getting some well-deserved time off.  The bad news is that Jessica is leaving WDAZ.  Her last day with us is tomorrow, and she starts her new job on Monday.  She will be missed.  By the viewers and by us at WDAZ.  On a personal note, I will miss Jessica because she is ‘normal.’  Being ‘normal’ and working in television is rare.  Almost as rare as a day without a Diet Coke.  Good luck Jessica!  Reg.

*I wonder what Beer Granny does on Saturday nights?

*I promised a couple of people that I’d find the name of the song played after UND goals.  It is "Chelsea Dagger" by The Fratellis.  My guess is that the folks at REA begin the song at the :33 mark.

*Construction is nearly complete on the new blog site.  The name, site, and look will be different.  But the wit, humor, and keen observation skills you’ve come to admire will be the same.  Wink.

*LOL

*I recently drove through Drayton (birthplace of Television’s Chris Regimbal), and if you haven’t seen the construction of the new bridge over the Red River lately, well, in a word:  huge.  The bridge is so big that the people of San Francisco are thinking about taking a field trip to see what all the commotion is about.  This bridge is just begging for some cool nickname.

*There was a water break out front of WDAZ-TV this morning.  That meant no water or bathrooms for about three hours today.  Insert your own punchlines here.

*Bored at work?  Go to www.hockeyfights.com  You will thank me later.

I got my Twins tickets for the Wednesday, April 14th game vs. the Boston Red Sox yesterday.  It will be the second game played at the new Target Field.  Game time is 12:10 so I think I’ll do one of those deals where I get up real early in the morning, drive to MSP for the game, then head back to G. Forks all in the same day.  One fell swoop as they say.  (Note to self: tell Cassie I’m taking Wednesday, April 14th off.)  Attending this game was the brainchild of my Red Sox Child.  At an impressionable period in her life she somehow fell victim to Red Sox nation.  I wish she was a Twins fan.  Where did I go wrong?

Anyway, the seat location for the tickets is section 126, row 3.  They are down the third base line and offer a view of the Minneapolis skyline.  This location should also allow for the most amount of sunlight as well, which will be an important factor considering it’s outdoor baseball it’s April and it’s Minnesota.  I absolutely can not wait.

Another very popular television show I’ve never watched is "Dancing With The Stars."  You would think that I would be a more loyal viewer of this kind of junk  of ABC’s awesome primetime lineup, but sadly, I’ve never seen one episode.  Well, I’m here to tell you that is about to change.  Starting March 22nd, I will be in front of the TV to watch what surely will become a train wreck.  I’ve never really paid any attention to the "stars" they’ve assembled in the past but there is no way they have ever matched this collection of gong show contestants.  Kate Gosselin?  Are you kidding me?  This is way too good to be true.  She alone is reason enough to watch.  I really sense a meltdown here.  And then add Shannen Doherty of 90210 fame to the mix.  For those of you younger than 30, 90210 was a television show in the 90′s.  Doherty was continually in the news for being unable to work well with others.  As if this show wasn’t combustible enough, sprinkle in a little Chad Ochocinco.  There are some others, most notably ESPN’s Erin Andrews, who I once worked with on a Michigan/Wisconsin football game in Madison.  That, as they say, is "a whole ‘nother blog."  I can’t wait.  I don’t know what the rules are, or how a winner is determined, but those things are of little importance.  I want drama, fighting, backstabbing, and catfights.  Maybe we should have some kind of viewing party.  Let the "dancing" begin.

Just got home from UND’s 4-1 win over the Gophers and my ears are still ringing.  I would have to rank tonight’s crowd as one of the Top 5 loudest ever.  Great game to watch and to televise.  I’ve threatened for years to make the trip to the Final Five in St. Paul but I haven’t worked it out yet.  People who have gone say it’s one of the best events.

Yesterday I spent a good chunk of the afternoon working on some Minnesota Twins tickets for one of the games of the opening series with the Red Sox.  I’ve got some pretty good seats in my sight and if all the pieces fall into place they will be mine tomorrow.  The internet is my friend.  Plans are also in place for another Twins trip in May.  Those two trips will make for great blogging fodder. 

A couple of days ago I drove down to the Dog Park to see what kind of condition it was in.  I didn’t take CJ with on the reconnaissance mission because frankly, he goes insane when we get within two blocks of the park.  He starts jumping around in the front seat, banging against the windows and the doors, and drooling.  Pretty much how I behave when someone drives me to Texas Roadhouse or a Famous Dave’s.  Anyway, when I got down there the conditions seemed decent:  not too wet and not too much mud (yet).  Everything was pretty normal except for the lady and her dog that were there by themselves.  Her dog was enjoying the entire fenced-in area all to himself.  Meanwhile, the lady was enjoying watching her dog from her car.  She brought her dog to the Dog Park then retreated to her vehicle.  It was similar to when someone drops their kids off at the arcade…or the swimming pool…and then waits in the car.  I’m not judging.  Both dog and woman seemed very happy.  I could never do this with CJ.  He always wants me to come in with him while he "meets" new dogs.

Time for hockey.  I guess the Sioux and Gophers are playing this weekend.

The best new television show for 2010 is "American Pickers."  It’s on the History Channel Monday’s at 8:00 p.m. It’s like "Antique Roadshow" but with personality.  It’s a reality show about two guys that drive around the backroads of Iowa (I know, redundant).  They have a big, white van and they look for houses and farmyards with lots of junk interesting items laying out front and then they pull in and begin accosting elderly people.  It is their goal to buy collectibles from unsuspecting folks and then turn around and sell it at a huge profit.  It’s quite entertaining, and they employ lots of devious tactics to obtain their treasures.  Sometimes the two guys are stonewalled by old men wearing bib overalls.  It makes for great TV.  I highly suggest watching it.  I also highly suggest that if two creepy guys from Iowa come rolling up to your house in a weird looking van, don’t answer the door.

Apparently it’s Chuck Norris’ 70th birthday today (Wednesday).  That’s what the students of Fosston High School said.  Television’s Terry Dullum and I went east on Highway 2 today to check out the celebration.  Terry’s TV credits include "The Dullum File," "WDAZ 5:00 News," and a brief stint on "General Hospital."  Anyway, two eighth-graders came up with the idea to honor Chuck and got the rest of the school and the teachers to go along with it.  They even made T-shirts for the occasion.  170 of them.  They gave us a couple too, although I don’t know where I would wear a "Happy Birthday Chuck Norris" T-shirt.  Maybe to a film festival or to We Fest.  As they say in small town newspapers, "A good time was had by all."

Speaking of small towns, does every small town school have an "old gym" and a "new gym?"  For the longest time I assumed it was a Stephen thing.  Then I realized that Argyle had both an "old" and a "new" gym.  Today in Fosston, the two eighth-graders directed us to the "old gym".  I’m not sure, but I think the "old gym" in Fosston was used in one of the scenes in "Hoosiers." 

Terry is one of the fastest eaters in the tri-state area.  But he met his match today at Joe DiMaggio’s in Erskine.  We both ordered bacon cheeseburgers and fries.  Let’s just say that I won’t be hungry again until Easter.  And Terry brought home enough food to feed his neighborhood. 

One last thing:  Chuck Norris doesn’t wear a watch.  He decides what time it is.  I always love that one.