Say What?

Tammy and I were back at the Fine Line Music Cafe in Minneapolis last Monday night to see Augustana. It was also a chance for me to get to meet one of her coworkers: Job. Job is from Kenya and going to school here. We met at Hard Rock Cafe for a drink before taking our place in line outside the Fine Line in 14 degrees cold. Thankfully Tammy brought along a pocket full of hand warmers to help take the edge off the chill. She's usually got several packs with her whenever we're downtown and the temps are low—she gives them to panhandlers. She's been known to take those who approach her inside a McDonald's or something similar and buy them a meal rather than fueling an alcohol or drug addiction. As we stood in line Job talked to us about politics in Kenya and how his country is on the verge of major change. The old guard has become old and lacks vision and is about to be voted out in December's election. He's piqued my interest in politics other than our own. The ...

To learn To listen To allow yourself to be More open More honest And maybe hopefully We’ll make a better world Where oppression no longer thrives And everyone is free To truly own their lives So that when our time is done And we’ve quietly left this place We’ll humbly meet our maker And feel his warm embrace Where evil resides within Hardness follows begging sin Dreams die in the vacuum Love leaves And you’re alone Hate thrives and fears loom Give of yourself To those who can’t Touch those Who can only dream What it is To be you To be me To be free Kevin g

I was beginning to wonder if we'd ever get our latest project off the work table down in the shop. I've been nipping away at it the past couple weeks and finally got it wrapped up a few nights ago. We're very happy with the outcome . This was a design Tammy made for our cabinets above the kitchenette in the basement. It was a very labor-intensive project with lots of little pieces. We'll next begin working on some drawings for similar panels above our entertainment center in the basement. I've been kicking around the idea of a Frank Lloyd Wright style design with some art nouveau splashes thrown in to break it up a bit. I hope to begin doing some sketches this week. I always enjoy being down in the shop working on a project but this winter has found me out on my bike more than other winters with the warm weather we've been experiencing. On the one hand, I'm grateful for the warm days we've had to get out and ride but I'm also grateful for those for...

Tammy's niece and her husband were over for dinner during the holidays and while they were here Pat had an incredible game on Simpson's Pinball Party. He got the high score on the machine which up until that time had been held by Rachel at 29,000.000+. I'd been nowhere near that score and seemed content to be happy with anything over 10M. Anyway, Pat comes over and racks up a score of 32M+, blowing Rachel's score out of the water. I'm scratching my head wondering why I suck so bad. I watched him play and I couldn't see anything he was doing which I wasn't. He did mention that he got a bunch of multi balls during his game and those racked his score up. So, this past couple weeks I've been playing it a few nights a week and finding my touch. I had my best game on Monday where I finished with a score just 200 points shy of Pat's machine high score. Talk about bittersweet; I get my high score ever and it's a measly 200 points less than Pat's afte...

I came into work last Sunday afternoon to learn that a fellow controller who retired last year died of a heart attack on Thursday. It really caused me to pause. Scott Clark was such a nice guy. He was 50. I wasn't a close friend of Scott's but we spent many hours in the break room laughing and passing along whatever gossip there was. On my way out of the control room tonight I noticed his obituary on the supe's desk. I had no idea he was a semi-pro tennis player or that he was invited to try out for the junior Olympic ski team in the '70s. He was also a fine controller in addition to being one of the good guys. It was nice knowing you, Scott. Another friend at work had his last day today—Dave Proehl. I hope he's able to enjoy his retirement for many years to come. I'm working my last all night shift and will begin my new schedule next week. I used to enjoy finishing out my week on this shift but my body has been rebelling the past few months. I needed a change...

I took advantage of 40 degree weather a couple days ago and took down the outside Christmas lights...we also put away all the indoor decorations and reclaimed our home. It's nice to get things back to normal. We met Scott and Judy at Hardrock Cafe in Minneapolis last night for dinner. It's been too long since we've gotten together and we had quite a bit of catching up to do. They're really happy and it's nice to see. Scott's last marriage wasn't a good one and he suffered through a lot...he could never please Barb. I remember when they first met at the Plaines bowling alley in Huron in '84. He was really happy and I think she was too. It didn't take long though before that all changed. It was during the breakup when she became pregnant with their child. Those were some difficult times but it's all worked out well for both of them...and Lindsay too. Scott's wife, Judy, is a real sweetheart. I haven't spent all that much time with her but...

I don't know where this post will go but I do have some things on my mind. Tammy, Rachel and I exchanged gifts with each other on Friday night as we had family coming in the next day and it would be the only chance we'd have to spend some time alone together if that makes sense. I could go into detail about what we got each other but that would be like forcing somebody to sit through a slide presentation of a family outing so I won't. We had Tammy's parents and sisters and their families over for dinner on Saturday evening. Tammy did a great job of putting it all together. I helped where I could without getting in the way. We also went to church that night as Hosanna had a service the evening before Christmas Eve. that worked well for me because I had to work last night and wouldn't be able to make it to church otherwise. It was a full weekend and everybody enjoyed themselves, what more could we ask for? My family on the other hand isn't so unified at the mo...