I gave a presentation at work recently. It did not go as well as I would have liked. I can tell you everything that I did wrong in the presentation. I talked too fast; I rambled in spots; and I spoke without a lot of emotion or enthusiasm. I’ve made a ton of presentations over... Continue Reading →
A solemn day
Today, I’ll be thinking of United States Marine Cpl. Louis Hauge Jr. He was like many young men of his era. Prior to the start of World War II, he left school early to work first at a cannery in his hometown of Ada, Minnesota and then at a shipyard in Tacoma Washington. While serving... Continue Reading →
Things I would tell myself as a young father
I have three children. I have one kid who carries a 100-pound pack up rugged hills and across the hot desert at his Marine Corps base in California. (Can you still call your son a kid when he can buy a round of tequila shots for his buddies?) I have another kid working and living in... Continue Reading →
Breaking the new technology!
The little boy climbs one foot in front of the other up the ladder. He stops and looks out over the pool, his eyes look like saucers. Seeing the kids behind him, he takes the final three steps to the top of the diving board. On one hand, he’s scared to death. If he could climb... Continue Reading →
College decision day!
I ripped open the envelope and skimmed the typed written letter. I read it over the mailbox right by the street. I had been accepted to my college of choice — a large public university about 50 minutes from my home. I would need to start school in Summer Semester, a few days after my... Continue Reading →
Losing a childhood hero
I let out a tear a few weeks ago. The actor who played Louis Rodriguez, Sesame Street’s fix-it shop owner for 44 years, starting in 1971, passed away. Emilio Delgado died at the age of 81, after a two-year battle with cancer. We didn’t watch much television as a young kid, but I was allowed... Continue Reading →
First day jitters!
My mom kissed me on my forehead and tucked me into my bed for the fourth time that night. She had to be losing her patience. I had been up and down all night. She’d put me down one minute and a few minutes later I would be up-and-out of bed again. I was getting... Continue Reading →
Fixing a mistake!
I sat in the car in the Walmart parking lot staring straight ahead. I was trying to make, what was up to that point, the toughest decision of my life. I guess I should correct that and say I was "re-thinking" the toughest decision of my life. The editor of a small newspaper in upstate... Continue Reading →
Cool jazz!
I see the train coming down the tracks. The smart thing would be to move, to get out of the way, but I'm memorized. I can't take a step back or a forward, my legs are full of jelly. Yes, my wife and I enter the high school and take an empty seat in the... Continue Reading →

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