SHORT STORY MONDAY“And God made two great lights — the greater light to govern the day, and the lesser light to govern the night.” —Gen 1:16Judgment DayThe old man sat on the sand facing the sea, facing the setting sun, refreshed by the cool breeze sweeping away the heat of the day. White sand beach, the man in solitary silence watching; the brilliant crimson sun silently returning his gaze.Had he lost track of the days? It would be tonight, would it not? The forty years had run their course.... Read Full Story

As promised earlier this week, here's my take on Bob Dylan’s new CD, and first Christmas album.Unless you are a die-hard Dylan fan, I do not recommend buying it. But if you have a friend who’s a die-hard who just had to have it (like me, I suppose) then see if he’ll let you wheedle it away for a once-through.This is not your typical Christmas fare. First, Dylan’s voice has become a raspy caricature of itself. But it is especially jarring when accompanied by the sticky-sweet strains of male an... Read Full Story

It probably began in the mid-nineties. I was in a small West End restaurant called 21st Street Delight. Upon entering the side door I turned and saw a very moving painting of an elderly Native American. The eyes seemed so compelling, revealing so much. I don't always do this, but I had to ask who did it, and the waitress said the artist had a studio upstairs and he did it with Crayola crayons. This blew me away, so I had to go up and meet the guy.I scarfed down my lunch and went upstairs. He ... Read Full Story

In the early years of the tuner movement, the spotlight was mainly on style and the scene. Import tuners began making appearances that had been heavily modified from their factory built starting point. Enthusiasts spent thousands in modifications, tweaking their rides to create their vision with no end result entirely like another.Today, the tuner scene has evolved and while appearance is as imperative as always, nowadays performance is even more vital. Speed, handling and power modifications... Read Full Story

A few years ago I had a business trip that took me to Dayton, Tennessee. Dayton is one of those countless little communities seated in the spaces between the Appalachian hills. Each has a main street, a library, and in this case even a Wal-Mart. If you want something more than beer at the local restaurant, you bring your own bottle. And since there is no liquor store in Dayton, you pick up that bottle at Wal-Mart. Yes, it is a little different.Dayton, like the countless other specks scattered... Read Full Story

Last year a Minneapolis friend of mine went to his first Black Friday a.m. shopping experience. It was not planned, but both he and his wife were lying awake at four in the morning and wondering...."Sounds like you're awake, too," she said."Yes I am. Wish I felt more tired.""Well, since we're both awake, why don't we go shopping?"And just like that, Bob was standing in front of a store with doors which were about to be opened in two minutes. A mob was pressed tight against the glass all eager... Read Full Story

If anyone asks, the answer is "Yes." We did go ahead and purchase the recently released and much maligned Dylan Christmas CD, Christmas In The Heart. I'll review it after we listen to it this weekend. For now, I'm still not done extracting the full measure of last year's Tell Tale Signs, and this morning I wanted to share another great tune, Born In Time.A lot of people don't realize what a great album this is, opening last year at #6 on the Billboard 200. It was Dylan's 17th album to open on... Read Full Story

I'm not the ultimate gadget guy. For example, I still don't have a Blackberry. But I did get my first Bluetooth headset a couple weeks again and have had a cell phone for some time, though I was hardly a ground breaker in that category either.One gadget, however, that I've gotten a lot of use out of through the years is an Olympus Digital Voice Recorder (DVR). It's a small handheld device that slips into your jacket pocket which you can whip out to "take notes" while driving. If in a meeting ... Read Full Story

SHORT STORY MONDAY"A memory is what is left when something happens and does not completely unhappen." ~Edward de BonoThe Brush OffTed Parker enjoyed his childhood in Upstate New York where his father taught mathematics at Cornell University in Ithaca. Because his father's roots were Kentucky, they regularly visited his kin in Louisville and Lexington. Ted's growing up years were filled with fond memories of playing "on the way to grandma's house" and other assorted games to pass the time duri... Read Full Story

For the past ten years Beaners Central has been a hot spot on the Duluth cultural scene. The atmosphere was laid back, the decor artsy, the wireless Internet access free and the staff always there for you. On those occasions I dropped in it seemed to have captured the flavor of Sixties Bohemian.Over the years it seems like many good causes have done their fund raisers there. And I was aware that on Wednesday evening they had an open mic night for musicians who did three song sets. And that a ... Read Full Story