Friday, August 14, 2026
Haiku Friday: Condiments
This week's contest is brought to you by Squeeze, the mascot for the Chicago Dogs, a baseball team in the American Association that plays its home games in Rosemont, Illinois. I'm a condiment fan, myself-- I think they are Mayo-k! Let's haiku about that this week (well, condiments themselves, not my affection for them). Here, I will go first:
I really hope that
When you give Squeeze a big hug
Mustard goes straight up!
Now it is your turn! Just use the 5/7/5 syllable pattern and have some fun...
Thursday, August 13, 2026
The Odyssey and one present message.
Those who have been following this blog know that I have a bit of a fascination with the "Late Bronze Age Collapse," which refers to the sudden decline of several civilizations at the same time in the 1200's BC. From Europe to Asia, and particularly in the Eastern Mediterranean, societies seem to have gone into reverse socially, culturally and technologically. There is no real consensus on why, though theories range from environmental disasters to invasion by a suddenly dominant (and unidentified) group sometimes called "the Sea People."
My own theory is that this is what the Christopher Nolan film version of the Odyssey is really about. When Odysseus returns and tells Penelope about the destruction of Troy, she is taken aback. She has been fearing an invasion by the Sea People, but suddenly sees it differently. "We are the Sea People," she says, stricken.
In other words, it is the break-down of broad cultural norms (a key theme in The Odyssey) relating to how people treat one another that led to the universal breakdown, not invasion from a mysterious force. And yet fear of those outsiders had amplified the breakdown of norms, and made everything worse.
It is hard not to see this as a pretty contemporary message.
Wednesday, August 12, 2026
On Minnesota
People often ask me what it is like to live in Minnesota-- I was recently in DC visiting IPLawGuy and fielded the question a few times. Usually, the question is couched in one of two ways: either with "I heard it is a great place to live," or (more commonly) "how do you stand the winters?"
The first supposition is true: Minnesota is a great place to live, with a strong economy, beautiful spaces, and fun things to do (not to mention an international airport that lets you get anywhere else pretty quickly). Sure, my baseline has been Waco and Detroit, but still, it's been wonderful.
And yes, we have cold winters. But like a lot of people here I enjoy that. I not only enjoy the change of seasons, but I enjoy extremes: that super-hot day where the heat lifts off the pavement in waves and the stone cold January day where stepping outside takes your breath away. We get that here. And the winter is the most beautiful time of the year.
Unlike Detroit where winter is pretty gray, we get sunny winters for the most part, and there is nothing quite like it....
Tuesday, August 11, 2026
The summer in a picture
I took this picture on my short trip to the Boundary Waters a few weeks ago. The air was heavy with smoke, which created a whole new palette of colors in water and sky. This photo isn't touched up at all-- this is how the water actually looked, which is not normal.
My dad taught me to see the beauty in everything, even in tragic things. I can't do that effortlessly, like he did, but when I try it makes my life better.
Monday, August 10, 2026
IKEA Haiku week concludes!
Four good entries this week! I loved this anonymous one:
Kleppstad, Gursten, Brimnes
So many names for your beds
Hope pronouncing right!
So many names for your beds
Hope pronouncing right!
And this one from Des:
Went in to get a
foot stool. Came out with a large
comfy sectional.
foot stool. Came out with a large
comfy sectional.
Christine covers two IKEA aspects in just three lines:
Searching for a bookcase
I don't understand the names...
Lingonberry jam.
I don't understand the names...
Lingonberry jam.
And finally, another anonymous gem:
Love discount section!
Found a snap together deck
Transformed small back yard.
Found a snap together deck
Transformed small back yard.
Sunday, August 09, 2026
Sunday Reflections: The Theology of "Jesus Didn't Really Mean What He Said"
My entire life, there is a certain kind of sermon I have absolutely detested: Those that take a Gospel reading that includes a challenging teaching of Jesus, and then explain how Jesus did not mean what he actually said. For example, I once heard a sermon on a section of Matthew 13 where Jesus tells a parable about seeds-- ending with the weeds being burned and the wheat saved.
That sure SEEMS to be about good people being rewarded and others not. But this sermon couldn't accept that and dodged into the old testament to try to save things. It was weird. I mean... Jesus even explained this parable expressly, saying "The seed is the son of man, the field is the world, the good seed are the children of the kingdom, and the weeds are the children of the evil one."
I'm not comfortable with that teaching, but it is what it is-- and it would seem that Jesus really meant something we judgment-fearing people do not want to hear.
Saturday, August 08, 2026
What Batman USED to be like!
Friday, August 07, 2026
Haiku Friday: IKEA!
If you haven't been to IKEA, that is worth writing about! And the rest of us can write about the weird and (sometimes) wonderful world that is IKEA. Here, I will go first:
Must know: Could I live
In just four hundred square feet?
I'm glad that I don't!
Now it is your turn! Just use the 5/7/5 syllable pattern, and have some fun....
Thursday, August 06, 2026
Political Mayhem Thursday: The facts are, we are staring at two more "change" elections
The best explanation of Kamala Harris's loss in 2024 came from IPLawGuy: that the Democrats did not realize it was a change election, where a significant number of voters-- not all of them, or probably most of them, but enough to swing the election-- wanted a change from what they saw in Washington.
The next two big elections, the mid-terms in November and the 2028 presidential race are likely to be change elections, too. And what we should see in some recent outcomes (especially in Michigan) is that people don't just want a change away from Trump, but a change away from the crusty old Democratic establishment, as well.
In the run-up to 2020, I knew we were going to have crusty old Joe Biden forced on us by the powers that be, and we did. I don't think people are going to make that mistake again.
Wednesday, August 05, 2026
The first football poll is out!
The first coaches' poll of the year is out, and I'm ready for it. Of course, these things have been fabulously inaccurate as a predictor in the past few years, but it is still fun to enjoy a time before records are sullied by actual games.
The Big Ten holds the top two spots (with Ohio State and Oregon) and 8 of the top 25. The SEC has 9 in the top 25-- which leaves just 8 slots for all of the other conferences.
Here is an anomoly.... even though a big plurality of Americans live in Atlantic and Pacific coastal states, only six teams are from those states. 5 teams are from Texas-- by far the largest state contingent.
But, of course, it all will change....
Tuesday, August 04, 2026
Some truths about Abdul Al-Sayed
Today is the US Senate primary in Michigan, and it is a hotly-contested race on the Democratic side between Haley Stevens and Abdul Al-Sayed. I've read and heard a lot about it, and have to say I'm surprised by some takes on it.
Haley Stevens seems like a wholly-owned creation of the Democratic establishment. After Joe Biden's disastrous debate performance she put all objectivity aside and was still all-in on his candidacy ("I trust our president, and know that he is the one to finish the job"), and frankly I'm pretty tired of that whole crowd.
Al-Sayed is described in some places like some street fighter whose platform is communism. Not exactly. Here are some actual facts about him:
-- He's from Rochester Hills, a relatively affluent suburb of Detroit. Both of his parents are engineers (which is pretty common in Detroit).
-- He went to the University of Michigan, then went to Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar.
-- Then he went to Columbia Medical School and graduated with an MD.
-- Since then, he has worked in public health, as the head of that department first in Detroit and then in Wayne County.
Personally, it might not be a bad thing to have people from public health in government right now....
Monday, August 03, 2026
On Fish
It was good to see IPLawGuy back in the haiku groove:
Feed a man a fish;
Teach a man to fish and he
will not go hungry.
Teach a man to fish and he
will not go hungry.
And I loved this anonymous entry:
Walking on a beach
Saw man catch a baby shark'
Dangling from his line
He took off the hook
Held it in palm of his hand
This small miracle
Gently released it
Back to the surging ocean
Hope he found way home!
Saw man catch a baby shark'
Dangling from his line
He took off the hook
Held it in palm of his hand
This small miracle
Gently released it
Back to the surging ocean
Hope he found way home!
Christine took the bait:
Every summer
Anglers, along the shoreline
Bait buckets ready
Anticipation
As minnows swim, unknowing
Their fate is a hook.
Anglers, along the shoreline
Bait buckets ready
Anticipation
As minnows swim, unknowing
Their fate is a hook.
As did this second anonymous friend:
Who was that one guy
He wished for fish in his
Fish wish dish (I think)?
He wished for fish in his
Fish wish dish (I think)?
Sunday, August 02, 2026
Sunday Reflection: Stone Soup
In Matthew 14:13-21 we find this:
Jesus withdrew in a boat to a deserted place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. When he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them and cured their sick. When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a deserted place, and the hour is now late; send the crowds away so that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” Jesus said to them, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” They replied, “We have nothing here but five loaves and two fish.” And he said, “Bring them here to me.” Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And all ate and were filled; and they took up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full. And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.
I love this whole story! One aspect, often (and properly) noted is that clearly the people have come to hear him preach, but first he heals them and feeds them. He doesn't just offer them words.
We usually assume that it was a miracle that multiplied the loaves and fishes, but this text does not make that claim. It might be that once Jesus shared all he had, others were willing to share what they had-- they went home and got their own loaves to share. It can be taken as a story about the power of sacrificial leadership-- of being the first to do the right, hard thing in a public way.
And maybe that is a miracle, too.
Saturday, August 01, 2026
Glen Hansard
The Irish musician Glen Hansard died last week in a motorcycle accident after playing in a pub called "The Wren's Nest."
For some, the news was crushing. Many more heard the news and asked "who?" If you are one of the latter, here is a glimpse.
Friday, July 31, 2026
Haiku Friday: Fish!
Sure, people fish through the ice in the winter, but this is the heart of fishing season. I actually caught a fish last week up at Osler Island, in fact. But mostly I think about eating them! So let's haiku about that this week. Here, I will go first...
A salmon filet
Must be treated with both care
And not too much salt.
Now it is your turn! Just use the 5/7/5 syllable pattern and have some fun...
Thursday, July 30, 2026
PMT: The war spreads
One risk of starting a war with Iran was always that it would escalate into a broader conflict in the Middle East. Suddenly, that is happening.
Here are some parts of that escalation:
-- Saudi Arabia is now under attack by Iran's allied, the Houthi rebels, in Yemen at Saudi Arabia's southern border.
-- Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia has (with the US) attacked Iranian allies in Iraq, putting it into a shooting war with two neighbors.
-- Jordan is under attack by Iranian drones, creating political tension there.
-- Most recently, two ships on the coast of Egypt were damaged by a drone attack presumably from Iran. One was an American-owned oil tanker.
Where things could get (more) dangerous is if the government in Iraq, Jordan, or another state falls in favor of one sympathetic to Iran-- something that seems unlikely, but we live in a time of unlikely and unfortunate developments.
Wednesday, July 29, 2026
What to do when a terrible person dies
I remember a student telling me his father had just died. Having just lost my own dad, I was a little stricken. I said (of course) "I'm so sorry."
The student said "Don't be. He was a terrible person."
I didn't know quite what to say after that, but I have thought of it often. When someone we know (or a public figure) dies and the bad outweighed the good in their life, what should we say?
My default has been to say nothing. I don't want to lie and say good things about the person. I also don't want to pick that particular moment for "truth-telling" that could be done at another time. My silence isn't dishonest; it is strategic.
What about you?
[I would like to note that in the AI-generated picture of Clippy's funeral, the headstone includes the quote "It looks like you are attending a funeral. Would you like some help?"]
Tuesday, July 28, 2026
The News from Osler Island
I got back Sunday from a brief sojourn to Osler Island (actually Osler/Frakes Island) up in the Boundary Waters, on the international border with Canada. There have been fires nearby, and not long ago the smoke and fire danger were so bad that they barred canoe groups. The few people on the lake were anxious.
My trip was in a lull for fires, fortunately, and we were able to fix our sprinkler system that covers both cabins-- it's a simple system with a gas pump that pulls water from the lake-- and cut some dead trees away from the area around the new cabin. We also fixed the outhouse, but no one wants to hear about that.
It wasn't really a vacation, but it was important; sometimes that is how things go. 2026 has been a year that needs some respite, and I'll find that down the road, I hope.
Monday, July 27, 2026
Oh, you pencil....
There was only one haiku this week, but it was great! Thanks, Christine:
I spy new pencils
Yellow, Ticonderoga
Number 2s, perfect.
Yellow, Ticonderoga
Number 2s, perfect.
Sunday, July 26, 2026
Sunday Reflection: The bombshell
Many of us are familiar with Da Vinci's 1498 painting of the Last Supper. What I did not realize until recently is that Da Vinci was painting a very specific moment within that event: the instant right after Jesus said to his apostles "Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me."
The original, painted on a convent wall in Milan, is huge: 15 by 29 feet. It is also mostly decayed, unfortunately. What has survived is copies made in the 16th century.
On the left we see Bartholomew, James and Andrew. These three are simply surprised. At the far right, some of the apostles seem to be demanding an answer.
Judas is fourth from the left, with the dark hair and beard, withdrawing from the conversation as John and Peter engage one another behind him. Judas is knocking over a salt shaker, and he is holding a small bag (perhaps full of the money he was paid for his betrayal).
I suppose what is compelling about the painting is how human it is. Haven't we all been all of those people at one time or another?
