Original anecdotes, commentary, rumination, and occasional pontification.
JULY 9, 2024 – I concluded yesterday’s technology episode on a positive note—specifically, the likely prospect that I could jawbone the manager of the MOA Apple Store to reimbursement me for the hefty cost of data recovery. Once I’d cinched that deal, I figured I’d ship the device straight away to the data salvage outfit. …
JUNE 13, 2021 – I want to be two things when I grow up: 1. Airline pilot; and 2. Sea captain. Meanwhile, I’m in training. My car works as an airplane, and I drive as if I’m a student pilot. This brings me pleasure at the same time it improves my concentration. On the water, …
MAY 14, 2021 – As the old adage has it, the second happiest day in a guy’s life is the day he buys a boat. But I’ll have you know that while traditionally, guys were boat-buyers, another effect of the pandemic was turning women into a major influence in the pleasure boat market. By the …
APRIL 12, 2021 – Sunday here in the Twin Cities was 53F, heavily overcast, with a north gust now and again. When I reached Little Switzerland for my daily routine of “hill climbs,” the place was crawling with golfers. My first reaction was, “What in the world?! Do they think this is some kind of …
MARCH 9, 2021 – On today’s local news the youthful forecaster cheerfully promised bright sunshine and record high temperatures. Mercury’s already flying high—well above 40. My main concern is . . . over the past 24 hours, how much snow has disappeared from my remaining run in nearby “Little Switzerland”? Yesterday, before the sun got …
FEBRUARY 7, 2021 – It happened once when I was in college—so much snow fell, my skiing buddies and I couldn’t get to the ski area where we’d planned to play hooky. This was doubly ironic given that our school mascot was a polar bear. Yesterday, I faced another winter irony—air too cold for skiing. …
APRIL 24, 2020 – Recently, Minnesota Governor Walz (one of America’s great governors) cautiously modified his “stay in place” order and allowed golf courses to open—but with appropriate restrictions aimed at The Virus. As a result, “Little Switzerland,” the hilly golf course where I hike/ski daily, is now crawling with golfers. Before the “stay put …
MARCH 8, 2020 – Yesterday one of our sons said to my wife and me, “You have to quit looking at the news.” Sound advice—after reading that one more article by an infectious disease physician or one more report about a statistician’s explanation of risk algorithms, either of which article/report seems to leave me with …
FEBRUARY 3, 2020 – I grew up in a household in which organized sports were frowned upon, and the more highly organized the sport, the greater the frown. Our dad was the frowner in chief. He loved books, art, classical music, and was reliably skeptical of whatever attracted the masses. Sports qualified as a “masses …
JANUARY 29, 2020 – Every evening during winter, I enjoy Little Switzerland. For years I’d ski the groomed, 5 km course. After several bad snow years, I adopted the habit of skiing repeatedly just the portion that included two good hills. This season, however, involves a new routine. I ski the groomed trail only to …