Bryan_Polcyn's Blog

This is the first presidential election for which I've had a little mini-me staring up and asking questions.  It really gives you a new perspective when you have to repackage your own internal assessment of things into a form a 5-year-old can understand.  I've done that, of course -- privately.

But, I'm tossing this one out to you, too. 

Explain to my daughter - in your own words - what happened in this election, why it happened, and what it all means.

I'm certainly no underwear model, and I don't always eat what I should.  But, it's a good thing I'm not a fat slob with low self-esteem.  Because if I was, what happened to me this morning would have been psychologically devastating.

I stepped on the bathroom scale and... pop!  It cracked.  The part you're supposed to step on, cracked.  Stop laughing.  It's really not funny.  It was a new scale!  I'm just glad it wasn't my wife - she might have cried on the spot.

Now, maybe I shouldn't have had that second Pop Tart.  But, I weigh all of a buck-65 - and I'm the biggest person in the family!  Of course, that didn't stop the customer service clerk at Kohl's from cracking a smile.  I mean, c'mon.  The joke tells itself.  But, it's what the clerk told me next that really made me think.  The particular model of bathroom scale I was returning had been discontinued. 

Had this same thing happened to other people, I wondered?  What if they were big and heavy and self-conscious about their weight?  Can you imagine the emotional damage that could inflict on a person?  Talk about a nightmare for the scale's manufacturer.  That's like selling a mirror that makes people look ugly.  Or a psychiatrist who tells patients, "Man, you really are screwed up."  It's just not supposed to happen.

...and I was lucky enough to share a stage - and a handshake - with him Saturday night.

It's an incredible honor to win an Emmy Award.  But it's an even greater thrill to have that award physically handed to you by a Chicago TV legend like Bill Kurtis.  No, he was not wearing a swim cap and 8 gold medals.  (In case you don't know what I mean, keep an eye out for the AT&T internet air card commercials.)

FOX 6 was honored with 12 Emmy nominations this year, the 50th anniversary of the Chicago/Midwest chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.  And last night we came out on top in 3 categories.

Sports photojournalist Michael "Mickey" Leach won the Emmy for best videography.  Ted Perry won an Emmy for best writing.  And the FOX 6 Investigators won the Emmy for best Specialty Report - Transportation  (Congrats to my producer, Pat McCraney, as well as photojournalists Andy Konkle and Craig Hofer, and editor Dave Michuda, for the win.)

And a special congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Patrick and Lacey McCraney, who were married in Peoria, Illinois, on Saturday.  Quite a day for you, Pat.  One that I'm sure you will never forget.

If that seems like an absurd question, consider this:

There were roughly 100 people charged in Milwaukee County in 2007 with their 5th drunk driving offense (or more).

Let's imagine that everyone 'knows' at least 100 people well enough to recognize them in public and say hello.  (Seems to me a very conservative estimate.)

That means those 100 five-time drunk drivers knows 100 people each, for a total of 10,000 people.  There are roughly 900,000 people in Milwaukee County.  Based on these assumptions, 1 out of every 90 people in Milwaukee County (10k/900k) knows at least one of the 5-time drunk drivers arrested in 2007.

Of course, most people know more than 100 people.  Add in the 5-time drunk drivers arrested in other years - and other counties - and suddenly it becomes more and more likely that someone you know, knows one of them. 

Just curious.  Do you have a close personal connection to a 5-time drunk driver?

I like to think I have a pretty good handle on the way the world works.  So, I hate to admit it when my wife asks a question I can't answer.

We saw today that gas was $3.05/gallon, prompting my wife to ask why it had suddenly dropped so low (amazing that $3 gas is now low).  Confident that I could impart a touch of my husbandly widsom upon her, I explained that the worldwide markets are crumbling in response to the US economic meltdown - and that crude oil futures are simply caught up in the free fall.  I finished my explanation with what I'm sure was a smug expression of self-satisfaction.  Until she asked a follow-up question.

"I thought we were paying $4/gallon because of China.  At least, that's what everybody said.  So, if China's still so big and using so much gas, why did the price drop a $1/gallon?  Did China stop using gas?"

Seems like a fair question.  I'm sure an economist reading this blog will offer the answer i should have.  But, I could only respond, "Huh."

This must be what it feels like to be a Chicago Cub (minus the salary).  To work for an entire summer toward a single goal.  To put yourself into perfect position to achieve that goal.  Then to have it blow up in your face in a blink.

Through the first 12 miles of Milwaukee's Lakefront Marathon on Sunday, I was on pace to set a personal record, a sub-4-hour marathon.   I finished my first marathon 3 years ago in Chicago in 4:00:47.  This time, I was determined to break that magic barrier.  

So I trained harder and smarter.  I ran when it was hot.  I ran when it was cold.  I ran in the rain and wind.  I ran when I would've rather been on the couch, watching TV.  I ran when I could've simply stayed in bed.  I dedicated myself.  I sacrificed.  I bled.  For six months, I prepared my body and mind for the grueling challenge. 

And I was in the best shape of my life.

Then - disaster.  Three weeks ago, I developed a very common - and very painful - knee injury.  I tried everything to heal up in time for Sunday's race.  But the pain simply would not relent.  After 13 miles, the pain was excruciating.  By Mile 16, I could hardly bear any weight on my left knee.  The quest was over.

There are no three letters a marathon runner fears more than DNF = Did Not Finish.  Those letters will now, and forever, be associated with my name in the record books of the 2008 Lakefront Marathon.

I now know both the elation of completing a marathon, and the dejection of dropping out.  It makes me appreciate my original achievement all the more.

I'm not going to lie.  It's hard to accept.  I don't like to fail.  But, I also know that you learn more from failure than success.  I will be back at the starting line again someday.  And when I cross the finish line, it will be that much sweeter.

Just when it looked like the Lake Michigan contingent might dominate... disaster.

Three MLB playoff teams less than 100 miles apart.  Not a single win through six games.

Cubs, Sox and Brewers all down 2-0.  Let's hope that string ends on Saturday at Miller Park.

The Brewers have nothing to lose.  The Cubs have everything to lose.

True, both the Brewers and Cubs are down 1-0 in their respective division series.

But, the Crew has already broken its 26-year playoff drought.  It's the Cubs - the World Series favorites? - who are bearing the weight of a 100 years of futility on their shoulders.

This is the "most talented" team in baseball, right? This is the "team of destiny," right?  Suddenly, they're down 1-0... at HOME!

Mrs. O'Leary's cow may not be off the hook afterall. 

(Sorry, I can't resist.  I'm a Cardinals fan, what do you expect?)

...from a much different perspective.

Maryland Heights, Missouri (suburban St. Louis).  I was 10 years old and a diehard Cardinals fanatic.  My best friend from two doors down had come over to watch Game 1 of the World Series against the Milwaukee Brewers (whoever that was).  We sat on my living room couch, with TV trays set up in front of us, and blank scorecards ready to track every at-bat. 

I think we stopped keeping track after about the 6th inning, as the news kept getting worse.  Final score, 10-0 Milwaukee.  I was devastated.  Of course, the Cardinals went on to win the series, leaving me with among my greatest childhood memories. 

It's so strange to me how time and space can change your view of everything.  Little did I know that one day I would be a Wisconsin resident, rooting the Brewers to their first playoff berth in 26 years.  Their first playoff berth since 1982. 

I'm still a Cardinals fan first, mind you.  Always will be, I'm sure.  But what a year it's been for the Crew.

The internet is a funny thing.  Especially this blog.  You never know who's reading what you write - and who they're telling.

My mother-in-law congratulated me tonight on the Emmy nominations that were announced Tuesday.  That was nice.  What's strange is I never told her about it.  And she doesn't read this blog (or, at least, she doesn't admit to it).

But I think I know who does.

So, here's a shout out to Julie Gray in Blue Mounds!  Thanks for reading and passing on the good news!  :)

(p.s. Trish and Carol put me up it, Julie.)

I'm not ashamed to toot our own horn.  FOX 6 News just received 12 nominations for the 2007-2008 Chicago Midwest Regional Emmy Awards!

That's more than any other station in Milwaukee.  And it's a testament to the hard work of some very talented people.

Among the nominees: Brad Hicks, Ted Perry, Beverly Taylor, Cynthia Kaump (who recently left FOX 6), and - yes - me too! 

Off-air nominees include my producer, Pat McCraney; our magician in the edit bay, Dave Michuda; photojournalists Craig Hofer, Jim Wilson, Andy Konkle, Del Canon, the recently retired Gary Lietz, sports photographer Micky Leach, and hidden-camera specialists Amy Kant, Erik Sharlein and Bradford Handley.

Way to go everybody!

Here's the official list of all nominees and what they were nominated for:

2007-2008 Chicago/Midwest Emmy Nominees

I like to play golf. But I wouldn't call myself a "golfer." I like to play poker, but I'm hardly a poker player. Some of my best memories of my dad are little fishing trips we took to a local pond. But, I'd never consider myself a "fisherman."

So, I was excited - and a bit nervous - when my neighbor invited me along for my first fishing excursion on Lake Michigan over the weekend. I bought a 2-day Great Lakes fishing license. He provided the boat, the rods, the lures, the fish finder, the downriggers (I didn't even know what a downrigger was until Sunday), and everything else.

We caught just one fish. But I got to reel it in.

It was the biggest fish I've caught in my life! And, I'm proud to say, it did NOT get away.  Check it out! 

p.s. No, that is not my truck.  It's not my boat.  And it's not my house in the background.  If only all three were true...

So you don't ride a Harley?  Never heard of a Fat Boy?  Couldn't care less who Willie G is?  No worries.  This may not be your party.  But, you're invited anyway.  I'm telling you, it's worth your time to say hello to our guests from around the globe. 

In the mad sea of chrome, leather, do-rags and tattoos around Milwaukee this weekend, are some of the nicest people you'll ever meet.  They're disarming.  Easy to talk to.  And they want to tell you all about themselves.

Last night at the HOG 25th anniversary party, my wife and I met an insurance broker from California who bought his first motorcycle - a HOG, of course - at age 65.  He's 66 this year and on his first ever cross-country tour.

We met a former semi-pro hockey player from British Columbia.  He could've bragged about his Soft Tail, but instead he told us about the 3-year-old daughter and infant son he left back home.  Turns out, he played high school hockey with a former St. Louis Blues star named Tony Twist, a man who was practically a cult hero when I was growing up in suburban St. Louis.  Small world.

We met person after person gushing with stories about the glory of the open road and why it's great to be a part of the Harley family.  Good people, indeed.

I confess - I'm not a member of the Harley Owners Group.  But, a friend who is graciously brought me along to the HOG's 25th anniversary party at Miller Park Thursday night to see Kid Rock in concert.

I've always heard Kid Rock puts on a good show, and let me say he (and his band) did not disappoint!   He knows how to work a crowd into a frenzy, put on the brakes, and pump it right back up again.  The band was sharp, mistake free, and energetic. 

More than anything, Kid Rock's versatility blew me away -- southern rock, hip hop, country, heavy metal, classic rock, rhythm and blues - you name it, he played it.  He even mixed in a fair amount of humor.  The man can sing.  And he knows how to put on a show. 

I never would've pegged a Harley crowd as a fit for a young street-rapper from Detroit Rock City.  But, this isn't the Kid Rock who busted onto the scene a decade or more ago.  He's a well-rounded musician and entertainer.  This guy is the real deal.  He even won over the harshest critic of all - my wife, who never stopped dancing.

So, we're getting down to crunch time.  As I mentioned a while back, I'm training for my second marathon.  I ran my first in 2005 (in Chicago), then got lazy again.  Now I'm back.

This time, I'm entering Milwaukee's Lakefront Marathon.  It's coming up October 5th.  That means I'm deep into the "build-up" phase, where the weekend runs getting really, really long, building up toward the 26.2 miles I'll have to trudge through on race day.

Tomorrow, I'm supposed to go 18 miles.  EIGHTEEN MILES?!  That's, like, $2.50 worth of gas by car!

But I guess that just means the big day is getting close.  And it means I'd better go check and make sure there's ibuprofen in the medicine cabinet.