I’m thankful that I haven’t had to move much in my life. I helped my cousin and his family pack for their move a little today and it’s a lot of work! I remember vaguely moving to North Dakota in the middle of January when I was five years old. I didn’t have to do […]
Category: memories
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Practical Jokes
Who doesn’t like a good laugh now and again? Practical joking has always been a creatively effective way to make someone laugh – providing no one gets hurt. A lot depends on who you’re pranking, too. I’ve been the victim of a few practical jokes – some unknowingly (much to the chagrin of the pranksters) […]
They sure don’t make sleds like they used to. I still remember the old Flexible Flyer sled we had growing up. The powder-coated steel runners elevated the treated birch body off the snow high enough to ensure that there was minimal friction to slow you down. Combine this simple engineering with ideally packed snow and […]
Every once in a while my oldest comes home with a story. “‘So-and-so’ kept pushing me down today for no reason.” As a parent, playground injustice really lights my torch. Memories of my own childhood bullies come to life and I can empathize easily with what he’s going through. Whenever I got picked on I […]
I couldn’t help but notice the Schwan’s catalog this morning on the kitchen table. My wife flatly stated that he was coming tomorrow and began leafing through it. She wasn’t frantic, but I still detected a slight tone of purchase obligation; like we owed the Schwan’s man some business because we asked to be on […]
I hate to admit it, but I’ll be cheering for the Purple and Gold today. Deep down inside there’s the boyhood Viking fan who grew up disillusioned and disappointed with the team he claimed to love. A victory today would consummate and appease that part of me that always dreamed of seeing the Vikes go […]
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The Pen Was a Weapon
The old saying ‘the pen is mightier than the sword’ had more literal meaning to the graphic designer 25 years ago. The Mac computer was new on the scene so analog tools like the technical pen (T-pen) were standard issue. Maintaining this integral piece of equipment was a high priority, so it didn’t take long […]
Whenever my boys act up in public, I feel like the karma train has hit me. My younger brother and I were often “wild” when the family took an outing and were always scolded by my mother to stop whatever it was we were doing (which was usually just picking on each other). In department […]
I remember my first “record player”. My siblings and I shared two suitcase box-type turntables: my younger brother and I claimed one that had an orange leatherette finish and my older sister had a patriotic red, white and blue-striped one. Between my brother and I, our vinyl library consisted of maybe four records – no […]
It’s astonishing how ubiquitous video games have become in today’s society. My boys frequently remind us how we are the only family in the civilized world that does NOT own a game system. Before you shed a tear for them, please know that they are not suffering. They do have supervised access to two computers […]