To give an update on the Blue Cheese Cheeseburger endeavor: I’m heading back to Southwest Florida for about a month or so. It looks like I’m leaving the 26th of February. The OldOld Man is coming home early this year. With his birthday, family visits and his early departure time, travel plans have been expedited. …
[Open ‘Thank You’ Letter to] Ellie Goulding. Aragon Ballroom. Chicago, IL. January 29, 2013.
Hi, Ellie, It was April of 2012. I was slumped in a seat at Midway Airport in Chicago, listening to a Spotify playlist my company’s consultant made for my trip back to Ft. Myers, Florida. It was to help me forget about the fact that I was waiting to get dumped by the girl of …
What is the best blue cheese cheeseburger in Valpo? In #nwindiana? Anywhere?
So my banker, Kevin Gould, & I have been looking for a new adventure to start off 2013 – a cleanse the palate, clean the slate, turn the page, start the year off right sort-of-thing. We’ve also been looking for something that’d we’d both love to write about for almost a year. Then it happened …
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Things I learned atop a mountain in Alamogordo, NM (AKA “Happy Thanksgiving” – 2012).
As I’ve probably stated on this blog before, my Senior year at Denom U was when I finally had my first emotional break down. I lost the girl of my dreams. I knew I couldn’t go to seminary. I went from direction, motivation, and purpose to debt, days that would never end, a room without …
Review: Big Daddy’s Barbecue in Valparaiso, IN – The Best Rib Joint Y’all Ain’t Going to…Yet.
There are a few places in Valparaiso I like to hit with frequency. There aren’t many places in this town that I won’t like. And there are a few places that y’all need to check out. Like Big Daddy’s Barbeque in Valparaiso, IN. Located in the little strip mall on the east side of Calumet …
Why your lawyer should have a cabin in the woods
I woke up in a cabin on a futon next to a stone fireplace, surrounded by many windows. The sun was fighting through the dense foilage to shed more light on my situation. And if I turn off this iPod and listen closely, I could hear Lake Michigan coming to rest along the nearby shore. …
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Vengeance and Gonzoing. A Letter to the May 12.
I can be vengeful. That doesn’t seem to dissipate with age. I wonder if it’s because I am writing the Book of Blues prequel and I share this trait with the main character. Without doubt I question whether my personal growth is frozen in this moment until the moment is written. Either way, the only …
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Lead To a Quiet Alley Cafe This Evening
There wasn’t a part of my morning that wasn’t bombarded by a part of my professional life. The bombs came through email, out from twitter, along from Facebook, and standing along my my desk – all in multiple forms. The phone even rang. That’s never good. I had to cajole, negotiate, insist, persist, pistol whip, …
“He looked to me to be the eyes of age”
A quiet, unassuming spring night in April. The NFL draft is consuming traditional media like it’s the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, and around here, people are preparing for the now-Famous Dark Lord Day at Three Floyds Brewery. Life is placid for a few days. It only means one thing: time to escape to Big Country’s …
Today Is the Day I Retire My Picasso Old Guitarist Gravatar. With Sadness
Today was a bittersweet day for me. When I started playing around with Social Media tools, I used Picasso’s Old Guitarist as my gravatar – a filler till I decided whether or not I liked these tools. But as with many things in my life, I got attached to the picture. Then again, I’ve almost …
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It’s Been a Long Time Since 22
Since my 99 week pilgrimage started, I’ve had many people ask what my next steps are going to be. I’ve even gotten a couple projects from these conversations. I am grateful for the questions and appreciative of the concern, but I can’t say for certain, yet, as to where I’m going. Sleepless nights, numerous conversations, …
“Work, then Rest.” Not “Work, Work, Work,” and “Rest, Rest, Rest”…
(I’m working towards this scene, but forgetting to rest as I go) I woke up, got prepared for a meeting in New Buffalo, MI, and called to confirm. They answered, said it would be better if I backed it up a day, and I was none more thankful. Now I’m backing up my trip to …
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Fear and Loathing in Patoka Lake, IN
I’m posting tonight from Terry’s Pit Stop just outside Lake Patoka State Park in Birdseye, IN, hidden within the outskirts of the Hoosier National Forest, a half-gallon of gas from the Ohio River, an hour west of Louisville and a million miles from reality. Terry’s Pit Stop has the look and feel of a log …
Buying tickets to the wrong Cubs game at Wrigley Field and the fortunate accident that followed
So when I finally got to my seats at the Church of Baseball – Wrigley, I ended up sitting in the denomination’s front office seats along Scouts’ Row. Section 22, Aisle 6. “Ended up sitting?” Yeah, ended up sitting. “End” would imply a journey, and the implication would be correct because in this case, the …
Oldold Man Finn’s Never Been to Fenway Park – Part 2
My aunt and uncle just took a tour of New England. One night put them close to the college town in Maine where I was born. She called from near my hometown and I asked her if she would take me pictures of the place since I hadn’t been there in awhile. She obliged. Family …
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Big Country’s Garage State Park
Sometimes when I’m hanging out with my lifelong friends I feel like I’m at a tourist attraction. They start talkin’ ’bout cars and box head wrenches and I go, “I believe you.” Take the fun I had with Prophet n ‘Country last night for instance: I called Prophet as I was getting in my two-year-old …
The time the OldOld Man tried to meet Army Men’s Basketball Coach Jim Crews after a game.
Back in the chair, back watching tv I wouldn’t normally watch. The sun is starting its descent and I’m not out enjoying it. I’m chilling like the dove we found on oldold man Finn’s windshield wipers as we were leaving for dinner n the Florida Gulf Coast / Army NCAA Men’s College Basketball Game. My …
Guess We Lost Another One Just Like the Other One
I came really close to starting the Book of Blues Prequel yesterday, but as the Jack Johnson line quoted in this post’s title would indicate, the day was lost in regards to writing – as with many days in the past. Now that I think about it, I swear I’ve heard the line before I …
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Lighthouse of Indirect Approaches
I overslept, missed the ride to Sanibel Island and so instead of swimming in the gulf of Mexico, I’m catching up on episodes of CSI while I wait for the heat of the day pass on by. Man, Peterson leaving the show. Besides him being a Cubs fan, he can stoneface bad pre-show puns like …
In the Reflective Spirit of Christmas
In the spirit of great Christmas traditions of yesteryear, the morning started out with a festive Christmas breakfast of omlets, crouissants, coffee cakes n fruit salads. I would have shared more if I had woken up and partken in the meal. After a quick snacking catchup, I put on the holiday essentials and trekked out …