Congratulations to the North Dakota State University Bison on their fifth straight FCS National Championship — something no other college football team has ever done! Bismarck’s very own Carson Wentz led an impressive performance against the Jacksonville State Gamecocks. Final Score: 37-10.
A final inkling to draw 2014 to a close. Enjoy the last few paragraphs of this 365 page edition of your life. Celebrate the accomplishments, cherish the memories and learn from the mistakes. Tomorrow we all start a new book.
Have a safe and happy new year!
I probably shouldn’t consider it such a huge deal, but I do. Every year I have the unique privilege of teaching some eager graphic design students the rigors of vector drawing. Drawing primitive shapes (circles, rectangles, polygons) with geometric precision doesn’t present many challenges, but the crucible for most recruits lies with learning the notorious pen tool. I can lecture, demonstrate and share war stories, but in the end nothing will teach them how to use this indispensable tool faster than practice, practice and more practice. After drilling them on some routine vector drawing exercises I can usually assess how well they grasp the basic concepts they’ve been taught. It might be hokey, but I almost want to invest in some embroidered merit badges emblazoned with the pen tool, so that when they reach that pinnacle moment of achievement – drawing efficient vector paths with prime point placement, articulation and accuracy – I can present it to each of them as a milestone accomplishment.
The Labor Day holiday has been an opportunity for many working Americans to celebrate the ‘final’ weekend of summer with an extra day off. So, it seems like cruel irony that many will be working tomorrow when the rest of us are blessed with another day to enjoy. My hat’s off to all those that view their work, not only as a means to provide for themselves, but as a dignified way to serve others. In a day and age when a strong work ethic seems to be in short supply, it’s a real blessing to witness others truly excelling at and taking pride in their work.
Today my beautiful wife celebrates her sometieth birthday! At her request (and her health) she asked me not to bake her a cake, so I thought I would render her one that she would remember from her golden birthday! With three girls in her family the ingenious girl cake made frequent appearances. The mechanics are really simple. It involved baking a cake in a bowl-shaped pan and then shoving the torso of a doll into the middle. Boom! Instant princess. Now you had a dress that could be frosted and decked out with whatever confectionery concoctions you desired.
I don’t know if an actual Barbie doll was used or not. If so, it would have to be one in poor condition. Their value would certainly prevent a daughter’s willingness to amputate the legs. My guess is that the Barbie chosen would likely be the one with the gnarly haircut mishap. Having grown up with sisters I’ve seen how little girls cut hair and it ain’t pretty.
Happy Birthday, Suzie!
With all the festivities surrounding the official launch of summer it’s often easy to overlook the reason for the holiday. Memorial Day (originally observed as Decoration Day) was intended to be a day to honor the fallen Union soldiers of the Civil War. Logically this day has grown to encompass the remembrance of not only all U.S. service men and women but any loved ones that are no longer with us. Let us never forget them.
Time again to dust off the old gown and don the mortarboard. Today is the 70th Commencement of Bismarck State College thus marking the end of many students’ college educations and the beginning of their careers. Best wishes and congratulations to all those graduates out there!
Wishing everyone a happy and blessed Easter!
Today, our youngest boy, Chase, turns seven! We’ve been hounding him for quite some time about what he’d like to do that’s special for his birthday. So far, Mom and Dad will be making a guest appearance in his class to read his favorite books. He wants to have a party some weekend with some friends, and then the next day he doesn’t. Then he does, but with different people. He’s our introvert, I guess (our older son, Mason, has actually tried to encourage him and even goes so far as to suggest which classmates he should invite). He doesn’t like big group events and doesn’t require a lot of attention to be happy. I can relate. One thing he likes to do is draw, so I figured I’d let the kid post a guest inkling (or penciling) on the blog for his birthday. Either his cartoon is a little too sophisticated for me or maybe it’s even funnier than I probably realize. I think he inherited my dry sense of humor, so again, I should be able to relate.
