Local Stickers Designed by Abigail Hendricks

I mentioned recently that I’m doing a member drive to expand the West St. Paul Reader. One of the more fun things about the project is the stickers designed by my wife, Abigail Hendricks.

An artist? When did that happen? She’s a kindergarten teacher and has always had impeccable teacher penmanship and what I’ll describe as teacher art skills.

But in the last year or so she really dove into art—water color, drawing, markers, inks. Her desk in our bedroom has gone from a teacher space to an art space, with supplies spilling over everywhere. Far from a one-time thing or occasional fad, she puts hours and hours into practice and developing her skills.

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Expanding Local News

West St. Paul Reader is expanding. We’re moving beyond the borders and reporting local news from the surrounding communities of Inver Grove Heights, Mendota Heights, South St. Paul, and the West Side. 

And before you ask, no, we’re not changing the name. 

That’s a lot of work and expense before we’ve even proven it will work. Plus, plenty of newspapers have a city in their name but report beyond that city. 

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End of an Era: Last First Day of School

This morning I took my last first day of school photo. Milo heads off to his senior year, and thus begins the year of final moments.

Here’s the requisite kindergarten to senior year comparison:

I think my favorite part of that kindergarten photo is Milo’s hands—constant motion. That’s how excited he was (and always, I guess).

Senior year? I’m just lucky he humored me and posed for the photo.

The Future of Blogging

I started blogging nearly 28 years ago. Inspired by a friend, I launched a glorified online journal to force myself into a regular writing rhythm. It worked, and for years I poured my thoughts and imaginings into this online space.

A lot has changed since then. The purpose has long since shifted. When my day job requires hours and hours of writing, I no longer need the outlet for dreams and ideas. Social media has consumed the space and likely corrupted it. Now our dreams and ideas go to those digital spaces to be monetized by corporate behemoths (and quickly forgotten and forsaken).

Yet I stubbornly cling to the form, mainly because I’m not a fan of change. Despite a grand total of three gaps, I’ve managed to blog at least once a month going back to December 1998. I like a good streak.

But sometimes I wonder.

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Easter Lily EP

It’s been nine years since new U2 music, and then we get two EPs only 40 days apart, with Days of Ash and now Easter Lily.

I’m not going to go song by song, but it is quintessentially U2, from Bono’s soaring lyrics to that signature guitar. There’s even a song with Edge on vocals that sounds so much like Bono you might not notice at first. It’s unabashedly religious (I mean, with that title, duh).

“In a Life,” “Scars,” and “Resurrection Song” jump out at me as the best songs, though “COEXIST (I Will Bless The Lord at All Times?) is a beautifully eerie dirge.

But my fear is they all sound like U2 songs we’ve heard before, and not the great ones. I love to be wrong when I write these initial reactions. But that’s my sense. Even in my half a dozen listens, I have trouble distinguishing those three songs I said might be the best. Even on Days of Ash the songs had more variation. (Don’t get me wrong, I like it—they just sound the same.)

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A work-at-home dad wrestles with faith, social justice & story.