The Donuts Have Left The State

There’s 1,000 calories I no longer have to burn out of my system any more. Seems Krispy Kreme donuts pulled out of Minnesota. First, the store in the famed Mall of America was shuttered. Next came the Eden Prairie location. Those both closed in 2007.
Then, suddenly, the first location to ever open in Minnesota was [...]

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Fix The Give-A-Damn in The Classroom

In my busy life of work, parenting and doing other things that I enjoy equally when not working or parenting, I make time to connect with friends from my past. Two or three times a year I have lunch with one of my high school friends. Craig and I were friends from the time we [...]

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Wordplay – Somnambulant

Som-nam-bu-lant: to walk as if asleep.
Former Nebraska Cornhusker head football coach, Tom Osborne, has a set jaw and stoic manner that famously makes him look somnambulant.
Wordplay went on hiatus, didn’t it. But when I read this line from story in the New York Times, I just had to add it to the Wordplay files. It’s [...]

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Coen Brothers Say Little, Swinton Steals Show (And Trophy)

Did you notice how few words the Coen brothers had for the masses on the Oscars Sunday night?
Their movie, “No Country for Old Men,” (NCFOM) won four major awards including two directly attributable to the St. Paul St. Louis Park, Minn., writing duo who also won an Academy Award for their original work, “Fargo,” but [...]

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“Last Request” Paolo Nutini

A co-worker shared a live version of this song with me recently and, while Mr. Nutini, is still a very young artist, he’s got some skillz and sings this version with the same emotion and strength that a David Gray, John Mayer or Jason Mraz would give.

Lyrics:
Slow down, lie down
Remember it’s [...]

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Unlike Forrest, Running Is Not My Thing

In training for a triathlon, there are a few things you just gotta do. Swim, bike, run. These are the legs and the training has to support event day. So I swim, bike and run.
Of the three legs, running sucks the most. I’m 6′2″ and I still carry with me about 15 extra pounds of [...]

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Five Steps to Living Long and Well

Guys, you know you want to…live as long as possible that is. From the moment we realize we’re not invincible (wait, you have realized you’re mortal, right? It usually happens around the age of 30), we start making attempts to extend our lives.
First we do all we can to stay young. We exercise. We get [...]

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Eclipsed

It’s been a busy couple of days.
Obama continues to eclipse his competition through states like Wisconsin and his home state of Hawaii. If he scores well in Texas and Ohio…well, that should seal the nomination for him.
The deep freeze continues to eclipse Minnesota. Last night the low dipped to -11 degrees F. Tonight, I stumbled [...]

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More Than Words

If my mind wasn’t made up a week ago, it is signed and sealed now.
Billary has come slashing at Barack following a stump speech in which Obama used some familiar words by his friend, Massachusett’s Governor Deval Patrick. The Financial Times reports on the story, but in a nutshell, Mr. Obama said:
Don’t tell me [...]

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Let’s Be Real, If Not Smart

Spencer High School gave me an education that took me places. Places even my high school guidance counselor didn’t think I’d go. In fact, upon reviewing my ACT score, my guidance counselor sat me down and, I shit you not, he said, “You should probably think about a vo-tech school for when you graduate.”
So [...]

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