I took advantage of a free schedule yesterday with a trip to Stillwater, Minnesota. After breakfast at Oasis Cafe (highly recommended) and a stop in Valley Bookseller (also recommended), my friend and I decided to make the 30-mile drive north to Taylors Falls. The little town across the river from Wisconsin boasts some pretty challenging … Continue reading Color and Monochrome in Taylors Falls
Remember protesting bedtime? As a kid, I fought my parents on every insistence that I just go to sleep. Though it was literally critical for my health (I got massive migraines as a child when I didn't get enough rest), the prospect of shutting off the lights and closing my eyes when there was so … Continue reading My Childish Sleeping Habits
It’s 1997. I’m six. And two nights after Michael Jordan’s improbable “Flu Game,” I watch as Steve Kerr sinks the game-winning shot to give the Chicago Bulls their second-straight NBA title, the team’s fifth in seven years. The Bulls’ league dominance started before I was even born, but I feel a part of it nonetheless. … Continue reading Reviving My Love for the NBA
I drove an hour south of St. Paul yesterday to explore a Minnesota state park and take some photos. The sun had raised the temperature to just below freezing: the perfect weather for a hike. Still, I went prepared. Nerstrand-Big Woods State Park is a relatively small natural area (only 1,646 acres). The forest was once … Continue reading Nerstrand Big Woods State Park + Valley Grove Church
One of the changes I noticed in myself over the course of 2016 presidential election is that I gradually filtered the content I consumed to the point that everything I read was politically focused. At the start of 2016, I was stumbling happily through the internet to find intriguing stories on a variety of topics. … Continue reading Escaping Political Writing
I haven't posted anything since the election. Frankly, it's been hard to think of what to write in the wake of the devastating results. Others have put forth some of their best work in response to the election. Masha Gessen's widely praised piece, Autocracy: Rules for Survival, laid the groundwork for how we adjust to and fight back in this … Continue reading A Foggy Morning in Minneapolis
This story came out of my hometown yesterday: Staff at the Palmer Ridge High School student newspaper expected “significant reaction” when they endorsed Democrat Hillary Clinton for president, but they’ve been surprised by the vitriol they’ve received. “Some of the stuff we’ve seen on Facebook is quite disgusting,” said Evan Ochsner, a Palmer Ridge senior and co-editor-in-chief. “There … Continue reading The Threat of High-School Journalism
Yesterday was a cool day at work. After rumors of the possibility, my coworkers and I at Mall of America were notified that the nation's largest mall will be closed on Thanksgiving. The Minneapolis Star Tribune told the story this way: In the past few years, the Mall of America was among the growing crop of retailers and … Continue reading Mall of America pushes back against Black Friday creeping into Thanksgiving
I had a minor epiphany tonight. A few months ago, I started a blog with some friends. It was essentially a way for us to compile and discuss the stories that we shared with each other on a daily basis anyway. It lasted about four months. Eventually, we all just stopped writing. If you were … Continue reading My Passion is Directionless (and I Think That’s OK)
I've had this idea for a little while that it would be fun to recount stories my dad told me about his childhood. He lived a pretty reckless young adult life, and now his stories are always a favorite at family gatherings. Yesterday, I finally sat down and wrote a fictionalized version of a story … Continue reading On Medium: Stories About My Dad
