Published inAge of Empathy·PinnedMember-onlyFailure to Launch my CareerMy first year in advertising is not a great story — It was July 2012 and I was 29 years old. I just finished a year at an advertising school in downtown Minneapolis called Miami Ad School and knew what I wanted to do—think, concept, write, create, and make work with like-minded people.Life8 min readLife8 min read
Published inThe Memoirist·PinnedMember-onlyNobody is Ever Going to Ask Me to Be On Their PodcastSo I wrote the musical timeline of my life (from 1982–2001). — My friend, Rachel, recently told me she was on a podcast to talk about the six–10 songs that would define, or narrate (or whatever) her life. …Music7 min readMusic7 min read
Published inAge of Empathy·PinnedMember-onlyHow People ChangeIt doesn’t happen in 30 minutes or less. This is not pizza delivery. — Exercise has been a reoccurring inconvenience of mine for about 23 years. My tepid relationship with fitness began in high school when lifting was a required part of Phys. Ed. and football. As I entered my 20s, I’d take up some sweaty, grunty, or bendy activity to impress (or appease)…Growing Up5 min readGrowing Up5 min read
Published inThe Memoirist·PinnedMember-onlyThe Old Wooden ShelfMy great-grandparents were resourceful. Most people who survived the Great Depression were, or so I’ve been told. — Not a nail, scrap of material, or cherry tomato went to waste in their home. They had a garden in the backyard that yielded a good amount of their food each year and a cellar in the basement to house all sorts of pickled foodstuff that went from the garden…Furniture6 min readFurniture6 min read
Published inThe Haven·PinnedMember-onlyIf Donald Trump Were Manager at Super AmericaTrump’s never had a real job, but most of us have. And, all of us would be canned, shunned and jailed if we did Trumpy things at work. Take the Capitol riot, for instance. If I laid the groundwork and incited that shit I’d be sharing a cell today with…America4 min readAmerica4 min read
Published inAge of Empathy·Jul 14Member-onlyThe Paper Boy YearsOne lad’s erect (not really though) pursuit of donut cash. — From the age of 12 through my Junior year of high school, I delivered between 40–45 copies of the La Crosse Tribune on my paper route. I inherited said route from a neighbor named Sarah. I was watching WWF wrestling (probably Monday Night Raw while Heartbreak Kid Shawn Michaels was…Youth5 min readYouth5 min read
Jul 13Member-onlyE-40’s Music Trivia (2023 edition)There are no wrong guesses. — The week before Memorial Day, for the past five years, I’ve canoed my way into the Boundary Waters with a group of friends. This year I thought it would be fun to come up with a bunch of music trivia. So I did. I read the following to my pals…Trivia9 min readTrivia9 min read
Published inThe Haven·Jun 28Member-onlyI’m writing a book.Maybe you’ve heard. I’m writing a book. — “So great to see you. Hope you don’t mind this coffee shop. They haven’t painted in here, or mopped the floors, since Carter was in office.” “Not at all. It feels like a place Sylvia Plath would have written in, or about! Have I told you—I’m writing a book.” “Yeah…Writers Life2 min readWriters Life2 min read
Jun 27Member-only2023 Boundary Waters Trip Recap + TriviaAlright! Let’s go. — 1. Before it was a band name, Steely Dan was what in the William S. Burroughs 1959 novel, Naked Lunch? (answers are provided at the end) Welcome to the 4th annual roasting of Jake Torgerson! Not this year, Jake. Concerning another oft-roasted fellow — Nate Goltz has been exonerated from…Boundary Waters9 min readBoundary Waters9 min read
Published inAge of Empathy·Jun 27Member-onlyThe Unbearable Lightness of WinningAnd the sweat-soaked weight of defeat. — “Mike! Who won that rod?” I said. He hollered, “You did!” Time stopped and I stood in disbelief, levitating. That’s what happened on the corner of 42nd and 28th in Minneapolis on Sunday, Father’s Day morning, 2023 at around 10.Fishing6 min readFishing6 min read
