Inklings

Blog

  • Mediocre Merch

    It’s the annual football match-up for all the marbles – the National Football League’s NFC-AFC Championship Game; the Super Bowl. Part of the excitement behind this event is the marketing and advertising surrounding it. Many years the commercials are the MVPs, but what always intrigued me was the Super Bowl logo design. Every year a custom-designed logo is created for the event – usually incorporating elements that relate to the locale of the game. Not anymore. Beginning next year the logo will be standardized. The focus of the logo will be the infamous Lombardi Trophy with the locale’s stadium as the background. Beneath the logo will be the words ‘Super Bowl’ and the roman numerals counting off the contests. I’m not sure why the NFL decided to water down their main event in this way, but without the individual expression of the event it’s no longer as ‘super’ as it used to be.

  • Utility

    Pencils and pens are like tools to me, so I get pretty particular about which ones I use. Most artists utilize a range of specialized drawing pencils with varying grades of lead from hard (2H) to soft (B) and each is used to execute certain tasks in pencil illustration. But consider the common pencil. You know, the tall, hexagonal, yellow graphite stick with a pink eraser tip. They serve a common purpose: to write with.

    Teachers the world over have always prescribed the number two pencil – and with good reason. The number two pencil’s lead is softer making writing much less of a chore. Pencil manufacturers also make a number three pencil and if you’ve never used one, don’t be fooled, it is NOT the same. The lead is so hard, that you seldom can even see when you write with it. I’ve yet to see a yellow number one or four pencil, so it would seem that it’s just three and two out there. If you’re a fan of the number three pencil, I apologize, but if Faber Castell decided to discontinue making the number three I would not miss it one bit.

  • Winter Blues

    I knew it would happen eventually. The kids are officially bored with winter. It’s funny how just six months ago they were saying how much they were looking forward to the snow and cooler weather. To some degree their discontentment with the seasons is true for all of us, but as parents we don’t dare let on that we too are fed up with winter. Instead we encourage them to go outside and play in the ‘beautiful’ subzero playground that is our yard (because it’s what they begged for all summer long). They usually last a half hour before coming inside complaining that the snow is too icy to make anything with. I fear that it won’t be long before there is an outbreak of the severely contagious spring fever in the Thorenson household. Oh yippee.

  • ‘Please, Pull Your Pants Up’

    I realize I’m not as young as I used to be, but what’s up with fashion these days? Every generation is subject to its trends. From the saddle-shoed, poodle-skirted teens of the 1950s to the tight-rolled, shoulder-padded, acid-washed youth of the 80s.

    The one trend I see having an influence on my oldest is the ‘pants on the ground’ method of wearing jeans. Surely you’ve seen it. It involves wearing a pair of jeans that are a little roomier and then letting them fall off your backside. To keep them from draping your ankles you need to cinch ’em with a belt (usually around the upper thighs). I think the whole idea behind it is to share your boxers with the world.

    We, of course, don’t tolerate it and have to constantly remind him to ‘please, pull your pants up.’ I’ve even threatened him with adjusting my own pants in the same manner when with him in public. For some reason he thinks that doing so would not only be embarrassing to him, but would make me look ridiculous. With my point subtly made, I can’t help but agree with him.

  • Silence is Golden

    I’m a habitual chapstick user, so this is something I can relate to. I don’t know that I would ever be distracted enough to actually make the mistake, but sometimes I think it would be to the benefit of others if I did. I can honestly admit that there are times when I say some things that I shouldn’t and a little glue stick to keep my mouth shut would be in order. I’m probably more guilty of not saying anything when I should be speaking up. Instead of standing up for myself I just go with the flow. Discerning when to speak up and when to stay silent is a real challenge; often times it’s a matter of putting the feelings of others first. Easier said than done, I know, but it’s an ideal I strive to work towards.

  • Rodent Weatherman

    Button up! It looks like we have six more weeks of winter to endure. The Groundhog’s Day tradition is one of the most interesting and ridiculous ceremonies in American history. I’ve always felt that the conditions leading to the predictions defied logic. In my mind if the groundhog sees his shadow that would mean that there is plenty of sunlight outside — a condition more typical of spring-like weather. Instead it means we’re getting six more weeks of winter. And that six week length of time ain’t exactly something you can bank on either. It certainly isn’t adequate for North Dakota. I mean, look at last year — we had a blizzard a whole eight weeks after Punxsutawney Phil made his prediction. But then, how accurate can a weatherman who forecasts the weather once a year actually be?

  • Curse of ‘Twilight’

    I’m going on record to say that I’m one of the millions of men who doesn’t get ‘Twilight’. And before the ladies stand up to defend the literary phenomenon, let me just say that I haven’t, nor do I plan to, read the series. No ma’ams, I choose to remain blissfully ignorant of Stephanie Meyer’s brilliant, sparkling, teen-heartthrob, vampire romance.

    For those guys out there whose spouse or significant other is circling these books on their ‘to read’ list — STOP THEM! She will spend the next several weeks in an Edward/Jacob-infatuated coma induced by reading these works into the wee witching hours of the morning. Don’t think that it will stop with the first book, either. It won’t. The combined series is as thick as the Encyclopedia Brittanica volumes A through M, so if you thought you felt alone during the first book, get used to it.

    And whatever you do, don’t encourage them to see the movies as a way to get their ‘Twilight’ fix in a shorter span of time. They may just suggest you see it with them. It will be their way to entice you into accepting all things ‘Twilight’ and thus condone their further indulgence in this franchise. If you should happen to catch a viewing of either film, seek immediate treatment by watching a good western shoot ’em up or tune in to Spike.

    Beware, men, these vampires are nearly impossible to kill, so if she gets bitten you can forget about the stakes, crucifixes and garlic. Just accept the fact that you’ve been bested by a blood-loving romantic by the name of Edward Cullen.

  • ‘King of the World’

    I went to see James Cameron’s Avatar this past weekend and couldn’t help but appreciate the irony. One of the previews before the flick was Shutter Island, a Martin Scorsese thriller starring none other than Leonardo DiCaprio. I thought of how that young actor’s career has fared since screaming from the bow of Cameron’s Titanic just over a decade ago. Titanic, at the time, held the record for being the most expensive film ever made, now Leo’s preceding the latest ‘most expensive film ever made’. I haven’t followed Leo’s arc of success that closely but it seems Cameron was responsible for jettisoning him into super-stardom. It’s unfortunate that Mr. Cameron’s latest offering won’t be launching the careers of any rising stars or starlets – unless, of course, you’re on the creative render staff at Weta Digital.

  • Balance

    Some days it can be a real challenge to find the balance I need in my life. There are only so many hours in a day and a lot that I’d like to accomplish, so naturally devoting the amount of time I’d like to some things will steal time away from others. I’d like to think I do a pretty decent job allocating my time equally, but every so often I have something that I’ve been neglecting come crashing down like the hapless kid on a playground teeter-totter. I hate when that happens.

  • Cold Cereal

    My kids hate breakfast. Well, at least cold cereal. There isn’t much, besides Frosted Mini Wheats, that they’ll tolerate. At first I thought it was because our line-up included bland fare like Cheerios and Oatmeal Squares, but they don’t even get excited about Froot Loops or Trix! As a kid, we lived on cereal. It was the one meal that we didn’t need any prodding to eat. I can appreciate the fact that it’s a low maintenance, quick meal. I just wish my kids would reconsider – I get tired of preparing granny omelets and french toast every morning.