Original anecdotes, commentary, rumination, and occasional pontification.
DECEMBER 2, 2019 – With the onset of another winter—my first under Medicare—I have again resisted buying a snowblower. My reasons are several. First, our garage is a “Democrat Garage,” meaning, in line with my informal and years’-long survey, it’s too chock full of stuff (in addition to a motor vehicle) to accommodate another piece …
NOVEMBER 28, 2019 – In tribute to the origins of the day, I’m plenty thankful for plenty—all the people and bounty in my life. But as we go ’round the turkey table expressing our individual thanks for one thing or another, I’ll have to say, “data storage.” That’s right: data storage. Currently, I’m moving 20 …
NOVEMBER 26, 2019 – Last weekend I found “bad” and “good” on opposite sides of our house. The “bad”: a situation in which a whole lot of people dodged a bullet . . . or more precisely, a whole lot of bullets. Minutes later, on the other side of the house, I encountered “good,” as …
NOVEMBER 21, 2019 – For a November day in Minnesota, yesterday was a “keeper”—mild temperatures (40 – 44F) with periods of sunshine. News from Washington promised to be “hot” with impeachment testimony, but between my schedule and my commitment to seek “treatment” for political addiction, I paid little attention to “breaking news.” In the afternoon, …
NOVEMBER 9, 2019 – With every new business client, I like to elicit background information. It facilitates rapport, and rapport gives me greater broader, deeper insight into the client’s needs, concerns, flexibility, and level of sophistication—so I can calibrate my communication accordingly. Plus, I’m curious about what makes people tick. Everyone has a story, and …
NOVEMBER 2, 2019 – I’ve long believed that some banks are too big to succeed. But that’s another story. This post is about three young, street-level (technically, skyway level) bank employees who should be running the outfit. Someday they will. They are Lance, Desilo, and Mohammed. This past week they went to town on my …
OCTOBER 15, 2019 – . . . two guys in their early 20s, one wearing a MAGA cap, the other a camo-jacket and camo-cap. I found them standing behind the main protest crowd. “You’re Trump supporters?” I asked. “Yeah,” said MAGA. They looked nervous and wanting to slip away. I worked to gain their confidence. …
OCTOBER 14, 2019 – . . . an attorney hoisting a large sign listing the federal statutes that he believed Trump had violated. They were framed as “Suggested Reading.” “Ultimately it gets down to rule of law, doesn’t it?” I said. “Yes it does,” he said. We exchanged a ‘thumbs up,’ as we moved in …
OCTOBER 13, 2019 – Last Thursday Trump came to town . . . and we who oppose him went to town. If the “rally” inside Target Center (where the Timberwolves play) was highly regimented, the gathering of thousands outside was thoroughly organic. My office is six blocks from Target Center. For nearly three hours, I …
OCTOBER 12, 2019 – “At one of my violin lessons with Symphonie Espagnole,” I told him, “my violin teacher stopped to tell me a story about it. “During World War II he’d been a tail-gunner on a B-17. On a night mission, his plane got hit. The crew bailed out over the Allied/German line. My …
OCTOBER 11, 2019 – Thanks to a recalcitrant lawnmower (ours) and my small, back-deck, do-it-yourself project, Herb came out of his shell and all the way up our driveway. If, as he informed me, he hadn’t gotten along with his domineering father, he did take after him when it came to tools, small engines, mechanical …
OCTOBER 10, 2019 – My wife said I was his best friend. That statement is sad to the extent it was true. I wasn’t much of a friend. In earlier years, I’d had little interaction with our neighbor directly across the alley. His father, the retired owner of a machine shop, had been the dominant …
OCTOBER 9, 2019 – Projecting quiet, rugged confidence, the doctor greeted me and donned rubber gloves. As I described my run-in with a rock, she inspected my split skin and gently pinched the two sides of the wound. The good doctor then took a step back, put her fists on her hips and pondered. “We …
OCTOBER 8, 2019 – Now that I have your attention . . . I have a somewhat revealing, somewhat embarrassing story to tell—which will also explain why I didn’t pursue a medical career. My wife and I had just finished hiking in Interstate Park on the Minnesota side of the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway …
SEPTEMBER 30, 2019 – Yesterday we attended a retirement party for our friend Joe Craven, long-time commercial pilot (Northwest/Delta) and former Navy airman. Frankly, I’m sorry Joe is retiring. I always felt safer knowing that he was among the ranks of American commercial pilots. Whenever we socialize with Cravens, Rich Thomas, a mutual friend of …
SEPTEMBER 29, 2019 – Yesterday evening we “dined” at the wholly refurbished House of Wong in an old local strip mall that recently underwent a major “face lift.” House of Wong opened in 1958. We’d eaten there once about 30 years ago. It was popular among old folks then, and it’s a favorite of older …
SEPTEMBER 20, 2019 – In the splendid weather of late, each morning with coffee and The Times out on the back porch—and each evening there with lemonade and a good book—are blessings to be savored. Thus, you can imagine my chagrin when these simple porch pleasures were denied by offenses to the senses. Yesterday morning …
SEPTEMBER 4, 2019 – Yesterday I ran into “Charlie.” We used to work at the same bank, where he managed money, and I managed corporate trust accounts. That’s how we met. I still run into Charlie on a regular basis, and every time I get his take on the economy. He’s smart, reads voraciously, and …
AUGUST 29, 2019 – Yesterday we took our international house guests to . . . the Minnesota State Fair, the nation’s largest. I love to see the familiar with people for whom it is unfamiliar. Take gargantuan, snowplows, for example, on prominent display. Or hot-dish (Minnesotaspeak for “casserole”) on a stick . . . or …
AUGUST 28, 2019 – One has to be careful about generalizations. If based on unrepresentative data points, generalizations can lead to inaccurate extrapolations. Generalizing about a whole culture or nationality is particularly perilous. However, I’ve now read enough about the Portuguese and spent sufficient time among some to conclude confidently that they are a plucky …
AUGUST 27, 2019 – A few of us of the 7.2 billion who inhabit earth are emerging from an extraordinary experience in friendship. Our younger son and his wife wanted to host at our family’s northwoods retreat, a big celebration of their marriage earlier in New York City and more recently in Portugal. Their friends …
AUGUST 15, 2019 – As administrator of my uncle’s estate, I sold some stock—on July 12. Little did I know that I’d have to growl at various levels of “customer service representatives” and expend my entire repertoire of expletives before the check arrived would arrive–30 days later. My extreme frustration was almost matched by my curiosity …
AUGUST 14, 2019 – I try to be a nice person. Generally speaking, I think I am nice . . . most of the time . . . in public, at least . . . when I have to be. But then someone calls me out. Not to my face, not expressly, but by showing me “nice” …
AUGUST 8, 2019 – This story ought to lessen the despair among my fellow non-Republicans who, with every White House Tweet storm, feel a new wave of nauseum. Toward the end of my daily walk/hill climb, I hike down an alley that leads into our neighborhood. Below a short retaining wall on one side of the …
AUGUST 6, 2019 – The most reliable barometer of America’s future is the desire of people to come here to forge a better life. The stronger the desire, the more hope for our future. If the day comes, however, when ambitious people no longer view America as a beacon of opportunity, then know that we are …